The Lucifer Manifesto (Prolouge)

 

“I would imagine it a great aid to our cause to contact the Satania System Congress. If you were to address them you may be able to garner a great deal of support within the system.” The esteemed advisor said, gladly offering his aid.

 

“I had thought of that, but it would cause more alert than good. The Creator Sons are already watching my movements from a distance, if I were to start attempting to sway congressmen I'm sure they would consider me much more of a threat than the simple fool they think I am now.” The man answering the aide was cloaked in shadow, almost as if he controlled solar energy itself. The advisor noted that his very presence seemed to draw darkness when he sat in thought (as he was now). It was as if he was not only thinking, but brooding, as if he considered and weighed a great loss among his many thoughts.

 

“So what ever will we do? The support of the ten Planetary Princes and the Congress of this system is almost crucial to the expansion of our way of thought.” Walking over to the ale cabinet, the advisor poured himself a drink. “It is odd, that you have spirits in your office, that is. Mainly they are used in ascension ceremonies.” He paused, his face reddening. “But, I suppose you know that.”

 

The seated man's words had an ethereal echo to them, as if they were projections of his mind instead of spoken language. “Spirits intoxicate the body in a delightful way.” He turned to eye the advisor's glass. Shadows swirled over his face like rain clouds blown by harsh gales. “But I suppose you know that. And I am not the superstitious kind as you may also know. However, in this time, there are many who are, fearing an unknowable God. Where does one draw the line between spiritual faith and superstition? Among the years and histories, those that haven't yet been buried, there lies numerous recorded religions and theologies, as well as conquering theocracies. Now, all that remains of them is superstitions. Eating Borsiafruit before space travel, for example, dates back to the Religion of the Seven Saints. The Seven Saints were said to have created the six superuniverses for their control, the seventh creating a great afterlife which can be equated to the Paradise Hub. Religious lore of the time said that the Seventh Saint blessed the Borsiafruit so that one could travel to the afterlife through space without sickness. Ritually, it was eaten by attendants at funerals since the deceased could not eat it themselves. It was believed that this act passed the blessing on the fruit to the corpse and so make his ascension into the afterlife more comfortable.”

 

“Doesn't Borsiafruit contain a natural anti-emetic?” The advisor grinned, believing he had found a hole in his superior's argument. Then, shamed, he flushed and chills ran down his body. The man before him radiated so much power that it was hard to be comfortable around him. Even more difficult when correcting him, or worse yet, taking pleasure in the aforementioned act. Easily, within his mind, he could imagine dying from the angry breath of the man cloaked in darkness before him. Lucifer, the first man to return from ascension, the first man to return from the dead, so to speak, had a way of intimidating anyone he met.

 

Instead, the man smiled, slowly lighting the whole room. “At it's basest cause, religion serves to explain natural phenomena that is beyond understanding. At the time of the Seven Saints lore, humanity had no understanding of anti-emetics. Therefore, religion rushed in to fill in the blanks. Much of human nature is rooted in the fear of the unknown. We offer explanations of everything in hopes to lessen this fear, even if they be of ill logic. Thus, religion allows the common man to face those fears he otherwise cannot, emboldening him with courage. Yet, even now, in this time of such knowledge, death is yet unknown. And like the Creator God, unknowable. There is no method of studying it, yet there have been more researchers over time than there are people alive today. No one returns, until me, and I hope to dispel any ignorance of it. Perhaps then, for the first time in history, there will be no religion.

 

To further my point, I ask you. Have you ever been to a native planet?”

 

“Of Origin? Well, no...”

 

“No, not of origin, well, their's, I suppose. No, primitive, uncolonized worlds.”

 

“I cannot say that I have.”

 

“They abound with polytheisms our comrades would regard as barbarous. They have gods for wind and fire and rain. They have no natural explanations of these elemental forces so they assign gods to them.” The advisor looked at Lucifer with shock. Lucifer could see that his point would be easily driven home. “Would you not consider that superstitious? If ever we were to know of death, we would regard the most popular religions of present similarly.”

 

The advisor looked on, slack-jawed, Yes, he forced himself to mouth the words.

 

“So you see the allegory? We, I, know of death. May all superstitions be dispelled.”

 

“But you saw the Paradise Hub...”

 

“And there was no Creator God,” Lucifer interjected, “there were complacent souls who held the belief that God was only steps away, in the next universal ring. Another universe of souls waiting for God, and there was none to be seen; another ring of fools.”

Reviews

[jen -- JG]

A little diffucult for me to review this one at this time.

The title and content matter seem to indicate a kind of subversive fight going on. Where one person is trying to undermine the beliefs of another.

Although the conversation seems normal enough there is nothing solid to indicate how these two got together or even where they are.

The dialogue is good and the interaction between the two men tells a lot of the story without words.

I know it is a prolouge and as such, it just meant to give a taste for the story.

The ending has a good hook and there are cleverly placed hooks within the dialouge as well.

I will be reading more and hope to have find answers for some of my answered questions.

A little confusing to me at this time but you have held the dialouge together very well and that leads us on to the next chapter.

I think there could be potentian here.

jen-JG