CHAPTER I – PRIDE

CHAPTER I �" PRIDE

            In the beginning, Metatron, Lilith, and the Spirit, known as the Trinity, created the heavens and the earth. They then populated the heavens with nine choirs of angels, which are divided into three hierarchies, each of which is divided into three choirs of angels: the highest, the intermediate, and the lower. The upper choir, the highest and closest to the Spirit, Lilith and Metatron consist of the Seraphim, Cherubim, and the Thrones also known as the Elders. The intermediate choir of angels consists of the Dominations, the Virtues and the Powers. The lower choir consists of the Principalities, the archangels and the angels. The highest order of the highest hierarchy is the Seraphim. They are responsible for maintaining the presence of the source of the whole of existence within the physical worlds. They are the guardians of the various creations; their primarily concerned is with vibrating manifestations that keep divinity in perfect order. Their very name meant ardor. The Cherubim, angels of the eighth echelon, are the guardians of the fixed stars, keepers of celestial records, and best owners of knowledge. The name, Cherubim, denotes their power of knowing; they are filled by participation in divine wisdom, and bounteously out pour to those below them from their own fount of wisdom. They are some of the most powerful and awe-inspiring of all angels, standing below the Seraphim in direct closeness to the throne of the Trinity.

            The seventh echelon of angels, known as the Elders or Thrones, are the most glorious and exalted, denoting that which is exempt from an untainted by any base and earthly thing. They are the keepers of higher, more expanded energies; they ensure that these energies maintain the connections who continuously flow through the realms. The Elders have the task of pondering the disposition of divine judgments, and despite their greatness, they are intensely humble, an attribute that allows them to dispense justice with perfect objectivity and without fear of pride or ambition. Now the angels of the sixth echelon are called the Dominations. They act as a form of middle management between the upper echelon and the lower, distributing and maintaining connections between all beings and things within physical realms. They regulate the activities of the angels, handling details of cosmic life and existence and designating tasks to the lower orders of angels.

            The fifth echelon of angels, are the Virtues; manifested in the universe as astronomically beings. Virtues are known as the spirits of motion and control the elements. They govern all of nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. Their name signifies a certain powerful and unshakable virility, welling forth into all their super energies; not being weak and feeble for any reception of the Divine illuminations granted to them. Never falling away from the Divine life through their own weakness, but ascending unwaveringly to the super essential virtue, which is the source of virtue; and flowing forth providentially to those below; abundantly filling them with virtue. As angels of the fourth echelon, the Powers are keepers and teachers of the laws of nature. Co-equal with the Dominions and Virtues, their name signifies an orderly and unconfined order in the divine receptions, and the regulation of intellectual and super mundane power, which never debases its authority, but is irresistibly urged onward in due order to the divine. It beneficently leads those below it, as far as possible, to the supreme power that is the source of power, which it manifests after the manner of angels in the well ordered ranks of its own authoritative power.

            The Principalities are the third echelon of angels. In an order that is Holy and most fitting to the princely Powers, they imply their supreme authoritativeness. The archangels, angels of the second echelon, govern the affairs of the messengers of the various realms and dimensions; their primary duty being to carry out the will of the Trinity as it relates directly to humanity. Then there are the angels, the lowest echelon of the nine hierarchies of angels; angelic beings assigned to the guardian of every living Soul. These are the most accessible angels to humans and other life forms, and they are constantly present. While the lowest ranked of all angelic beings, angels are, nevertheless, members of the heavenly host and thus possess the profound and beautiful attributes given to them by their Creators. Heaven, the realm of the divine, had walls great and high, with twelve gates; at each of the gates were twelve angels. The city of angels had twelve foundations, and the city laid foursquare, the length as large as the breadth and measuring twelve thousand furlongs. The length, the breadth, and the height of the wall is equal. It measured thereof one hundred forty-four cubits, and it was built of jasper; and the city was pure gold. All types of precious stones garnished the foundations of the wall. The first foundation was made of jasper; the second sapphire; the third a chalcedony; the fourth emerald; the fifth sardonyx; the sixth sard; the seventh chrysolite; the eighth beryl; the ninth topaz; the tenth chrysoprase; the eleventh jacinth; and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city of angels was pure gold. The city had no need of the sun and neither of the moons to shine on it. "Holy, holy, holy is our Creators," sang the angels.

            During that time, the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. "Let there be light" said the Trinity. And there was suddenly light. Then, they divided the light from the darkness, and called the light day, and the darkness they called night. The evening and the morning were the first day. Then the Trinity said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, all the cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth". And they made the beast of the earth after his kind and cattle after their kind, and all things that crept upon the earth after his kind. Then, Metatron and Lilith said, "Let us make beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and all things that creep upon the earth” Then they created humankind in their own image, male and female; in the image of themselves, they created them. Metatron named the man Adam and Lilith named the woman Eve. Since the Spirit was without form, it gave humankind a unique element called a Soul, saying, "Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. Subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Lilith and Metatron both had a physical representation of themselves on this newly created paradise, but not the Spirit because he was formless. And so each one selected a plant unto which they cast their aura. Metatron carefully chose the genus Thuja as the tree of life, while Lilith selected the Moringa as the tree of providence, and the Spirit opted for the Pomegranate as the tree of knowledge. After that they placed each tree next to one another, and on the seventh day, the Trinity reposed, as creation was complete.

            The Seraphim, the Cherubim, the Thrones, the Dominations, the Virtues, the Powers, the Principalities, the Archangels, the Angels, and every other living creature, including Adam and Eve, were invited up to heaven for a very special occasion. Once there all the creatures were grouped in columns, and in the middle of this seemingly endless aisle of angels came pacing Lucifer. As the leader of the Seraphim tier, Lucifer was unlike the other heavenly beings, he had six wings, with two wings, he shrouded his face, with another two he covered his feet, and with the other two wings he flew. On that very day, the showy Lucifer had all six of his wings spread out to the utmost; his aura was so intensely sparkling that he could have easily outshone the sun. A few steps behind him were the bride and groom, pacing toward their destiny. Slowly approaching the high altar where the Spirit was hovering, Lucifer paused, and then he instinctively recoiled his wings, slightly bowing before Lilith and Metatron. The absolutely immaculate bride partially clothed with the sun; the moon beneath her feet, and on her head well lay a wreathe of twelve luminous stars. Arrayed in the finest linen, the groom wore a glittering crown on his head, garnished with all sorts of precious stones. And on this day, Metatron and Lilith wedded.

            Eons later, Lucifer the light-bringer was preparing to execute his habitual function when along came Lilith. Knowing perfectly well who Lucifer was and what he does, she said authoritatively, "Seraph, wait! Where are you going?” Lucifer turned around and said "I am Lucifer, the morning star, and I'm about to commence my duties, your highness"  Lucifer was one of the most attractive to all the heavenly creatures, but not as appealing as the Queen of the universe. Lucifer does not even compare when it comes to her perfection and charisma. She was the ultimate temptress the exemplar of beauty. She slithered closer towards him and said, "Well, are you going to stand there or are we going to roam the heavens” Lucifer broadly smiled, and together the two freely roamed and wandered the universe from the sun to the moon and to the stars until at last they reached the earth. Bio-luminescence is everywhere. Then Lilith began to enlighten Lucifer on the making of the heavens and the earth, and most specifically mankind. After all, she and Metatron created everything, according to their preference.

            As they strolled around on the northern side of Eden, relatively close to where Adam and Eve lives. A large woodpecker flies through the trees above them. There are other things wafting through the high branches, small points of light like fireflies. A few drifts nearby Lucifer, and he notices that they are similar to glowing dandelion seeds, approximately the size of large butterflies, waving their silky cilium to move gracefully through the air. They crossed over an immense bed of faintly glowing moss, which reacts to the pressure of their footsteps. Loops of bluish, greenish lights, like water ripples on a pond, expanding outward from each footstep; they soon pass through a grove of trees like willows. The trees stir, responding to their presence, a decorative fountain of gossamer tendrils from each central stalk. The long tendrils hang down like aligned hair, and they glow faintly.

            The couple sway a little, as if in a breeze, but there is no breeze. They reach out, gently caressing the tendrils as they are passing through. Lilith runs her fingers through the tendrils as she walks. She holds up her hands and speaks softly to nature. The tendrils tilted as if in a soft breeze, and seemed to be caressing her in return. Lucifer puts out his hands, and the tendrils play over his fingers, his palms, his forearms, his wings. Lilith explained to Lucifer how Adam was created in the likeness of Metatron and Eve of hers. She enlightened Lucifer about the Spirit giving humankind a unique element called a Soul. She afterwards told him that when the Spirit granted humankind its Soul, the first strong gust was embedded into Adam, and then Eve received the secondary breeze. As a result, Adam obtains a minor advantage over Eve. Lilith was not at all pleased with this outcome. Besides their gender, she wanted Eve to be equivalent to Adam, just as she is equal to Metatron. Considering that he was not like the other creatures, there was something about Lucifer that led on Lilith to him. Lucifer had always managed to stand out among all the angels. He was more confident, sophisticated, and certainly, more charming.

            Lucifer vastly inferior to her, Lilith was, nonetheless, amused by his presence. She cherished the fact that he wasn't tedious, unfailingly witty and quite eloquent. As powerful as Lilith was, she couldn't get the Spirit to adjust Eve's faulty Soul, for the simple fact that the trio was regulated by consensus, and neither Metatron nor the Spirit seriously considered Eve's Soul to be flawed. Lilith felt voiceless in heaven most of the time, as the Spirit and Metatron were often in agreement with each other. Her point of views were sometimes turned down by her counterparts, and so she set out to vindicate her cause on her own. Offering Lucifer her allegiance, she emphasized on how with each other, they would reign over the universe. Lucifer was speechless. As he was still processing the proposal, and before he could say a word, Lilith placed her left hand on his chest. Momentarily, Lucifer became a humanoid; he puts his face closer to hers. She gently rubs her cheek against his. They kissed. She pulls him down until they are kneeling, facing each other in the sacred glade. He falls into the infinite pool of her. They sink down on the bed of moss, and ripples of light spread out under them. Then she passionately kissed him again and there in the Garden of Eden. They made love.

            Bewildered by pure lust, Lucifer then returned to the heavens with a diabolical plan that made his task easy, recruit as many angel as possible, raise an army, and take over the heavens. With the complete support of Lilith, Lucifer successfully won over one third of the angels to his cause; among them were Lucifer's infamous generals Beelzebub, Vassago, and Astaroth. In heaven, Beelzebub was the leader of the Cherubim tier. Although petite in proportion she's tremendously powerful, often animating herself as a chubby face miniature human with wings. Lucifer's third in command was an Elder named Vassago, who he's also Lucifer's chief adviser. Belonging to the seventh order in the angelical hierarchy, Vassago had the task of pondering the disposition of divine judgments. He's depicted as a luminous wheel, covered with a great many eyes. Lastly, was the mischievous shape-shifter, the angel Astaroth, a very large radiant spiritual being who sometime takes miscellaneous shapes in order to cause misfortunes.

            On a secluded location in heaven, the multitudes of renegades gathered around readying for a fierce battle. The rebelling angels expertly formed four legions. Lucifer commands the first legion, armed with the elements of fire, possessing the power to invoke firestorms, meteors, and lavas. The second legion, lead by Beelzebub, were armed with the elements of air, and they had the authority to summon up tornadoes, whirlwinds, and lightning bolts. Vassago spearheaded the third legion, which were equipped with the elements of water and possesses the power to arouse blizzards, glaciers, and avalanches. And finally, the angel Astaroth was in control of the fourth legion, well armed with the elements of the earth, and they had the power to conjure quakes, boulders, and dusts. Although the rebelling angels favored the concept of unlimited boundaries proposed by Lucifer, some still had their doubts notably Vassago, Lucifer’s chief adviser.

            He was not absolutely certain that there were enough combatants to overthrow the heavens, so he said to Lucifer "My liege, with all due respect, one third of the angels may not be sufficient to overthrow heaven" Lucifer replied "Pffft…nonsense. I am Lucifer, the morning star, the most powerful of them all. I alone will vanquish half of their entire army. However, if by some ill fate we are to perish, then we are enough. The fewer, the greater our share of glory" Turning toward a small group of his minions who were standing near by, Lucifer unfolded his wings and his body sent out an energy so powerful, that the group was instantaneously reduced to ashes. From the ashes of the cremated beings later emerges the metaphysical entity Deimos, whose essence immediately dispersed and went inside their nostrils like a darken smog. The angels became bedeviled by it; and after that their eyes became as black as an onyx. Then Deimos merged with Lucifer's shadow. Accompanied by the phantom-like Deimos, Lucifer felt even more confident that he could take on the heavens. It was then the renegades first knew of fear, and they became intimidated by Lucifer's supremacy.

            "Is there anyone among you, who disputes my might?" asked Lucifer. Even so, no one confronted his words. Everyone remained completely silent, and suddenly out of a thick mist. Lilith appeared "Impressive" she said, as she slithers away toward Lucifer. She began encircling him, as if she was examining his body. With her index finger, she slowly trailed her finger across his body. Steam began arising from the very spot where she was touching him. She winked at him and said, "Hm-mm. You're hot" Then she said, "If you're heading into battle, my King, you're going to need this" She gave him a three-pronged spear and a soft kiss. "Take this trident and be triumphant" said Lilith. When Lucifer unexpectedly heard that Lilith, his creator and now lover refers to him as King, his self-confidence went up even higher.

            From that moment on, he would never again doubt his convictions. Lucifer ever certain of his benevolence, from his perspective those that were not on his side, they were undoubtedly malevolent. Lilith's trident composed of a unification of five metallic elements. The handle bar was of pure gold; the lateral bar was made of silver; the first prong of tin; the second prong of lead; and finally, the third prong was made of iron. As a whole, the trident was eighty-four inches in length; each prong was twenty-four inches long and the overall weight of the trident was seventy pounds. When the Spirit reported the mutiny to Metatron, he was deeply saddened, particularly when he became aware that Lucifer, one of his favorite angel was the leader. Following Lucifer's creation, Metatron formally nominated him as the seal of perfection amid the angels. The Spirit then told Metatron of Lilith's infidelity. At that point, Metatron became nearly hysterical and said "If it's a war they want, a war, they're going to get" Heaven was preparing for battle. Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael were inside heaven's headquarter, thoroughly revising the contingency plan. When Metatron came walking in "Give them hell," he said.

            They all had a puzzle expression on their faces “Give them what my Lord” said Raphael. “You’ll see” said Metatron. He then gave Michael a sword and said, "This is the key. When the time comes, you'll know what to do" Metatron blessed his four generals and left the room. Grabbing the sword that Metatron gave him, Michael carefully examined it. The other angels gathered around him and marveled with amazement at the double-edged broadsword. The weapon was combined with five metallic elements: iron, silver, tin, lead, and gold. The sword's length was forty-eight inches; its width was nine inches; its depth was two inches; and the sword weighed twenty pounds.

            Michael decided that the battle would be best fought in a box formation. On the northern side of the formation, Uriel would take charge of the Cherubim and the Thrones. Michael himself would command the Archangels and the Angels on the southern side of the formation. On the east, Raphael was to rule over the Dominations, and the Virtues. Lastly, Gabriel would preside over the Powers and the Principalities on the western side. Lead by their utterly fearless leader Lucifer, the legion of doom fled towards the Pearly Gates, and there they came across Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel and Michael. Clearly outnumbered by their adversaries, Lucifer and his legions decisively rejected the notion of a withdrawal, determining to win at all cost. The army of darkness rages on, some of them were actively involved in aerial assaults, while others stayed on the ground. Raphael and the shape-shifting Astaroth found themselves in the same path on the battlefield. They stared each other down for a moment and then began to fight. Astaroth was no match for Raphael; so to avoid being vanquished; he rapidly took on the shape of Adam and humbly begged for mercy.

            Upon seeing that Raphael briefly hesitates for a split second but that was long enough for Astaroth to elude him. Suddenly, Astaroth came back behind Raphael and strikes him from the rear. However, this time he was not alone, Astaroth returned with several dust devils with him. His dust devils, were merely mundane physical manifestations of himself, capable of causing severe damage to their victims upon contact. Raphael finds himself encircled by three dust devils in addition to Astaroth. He stood in the middle of them; he glanced to his left, and then to his right and said "You've got me surrounded. That's good, now I can attack in any direction and not miss" Then, he swings his weapon around in a circular motion and decapitated them all. Given that Gabriel was not doing so well fighting Vassago, Raphael went to his aid. Vassago said "Why won't you die, like a good angel" as he was pounding Gabriel to the ground. Fortunately, for him Raphael came from above and smote Vassago off.

            Then the dynamic duos joined forces to defeat the notorious villain, but in spite of their efforts, Vassago continued to batter the both of them relentlessly. Lucifer, on the other hand, appeared to be unstoppable, he plows through heaven's primary lines of defense effortlessly. Analyzing the current situation, Michael realized that it's Lucifer that must essentially be stopped. He grabs his sword and went to confront Lucifer. Upon noticing Michael approaching him in a confrontational manner, Lucifer began chuckling and said "You'd dare to challenge me" Divinely superior to Michael. Lucifer was a Seraph, after all, and an elite angel of the highest echelon in heaven. Michael was only an archangel, an amateur of the lower-ranking power structure. Lucifer arrogantly assumes that his victory is definite. He then decides to amuse himself, as he dodged the archangel's ineffective assaults. Lucifer tauntingly, said "How do you expect to defeat me, Michael?" Michael kept on attacking Lucifer, but on every attempted assault, Lucifer was capable of successfully evading him. Michael began yet another aerial battle with Lucifer, but alas that strategy turned out to be in vain, for Lucifer had six wings clearly possessing the advantage, whereas Michael had only two wings. Michael became exhausted and Lucifer pompously continued taunting him. Lucifer paused for a moment “Let me ask you” he said. “Does an archangel like yourself has ever experienced fear”