Preface
Maria glided through the marvellous entrance hall managing not to stop and gaze at all the paintings, sculptures and scriptures. She was far too busy, too focused, to stop and aimlessly gaze at masterpieces.
"Maria!" Michael called as he rushed into the entrance hall from the grand basilica. He stopped by Maria, touching her elbow lightly so he could lead her to her next destination.
"Is he in his chamber?" Maria asked in a whisper because if anyone knew what her and Michael were doing they would tell the man in charge and that wouldn't help their situation.
"Yes, yes," Michael answered, leading Maria into the grand basilica. They passed through the grand basilica unnoticed. If they had been noticed then that would also cause problems because they did not want to delay dealing with the current situation.
A chill went down Maria's spine and she knew she was being watched. She dared to take a quick look back into the basilica and saw John standing by the entrance hall, watching her and Michael. Maria's pace started to slow down from her shock and despair. John was always finding ways to get to the top – or as close to the top as he could get – so reporting some suspicious people would seem like a good way to get there.
Michael glanced at Maria, concerned about her sudden slow pace, and followed to where her gaze was focused on. He saw John and knew they would have to move fast.
"If we run, he'll catch on," Michael noted in a hushed tone.
Maria, still walking at a slow pace even though Michael was trying to up her speed, mulled over Michael's statement. He was right, but also wrong. If they moved too quickly, John would defiantly know something was going on. But, if they moved too slowly, John would track them.
"We split up. John is most likely to follow you and that might give me enough time to talk some sense into out friend," Maria told Michael, almost instantly moving casually away from him. Michael, as always, took Maria's plan in his stride and successfully arousing no suspicion. Maria was one of the fastest so she was able to get from Michael to a branching hallway in less than ten seconds without grasping the attention of any passers by.
As Maria speedily sneaked through the hallway she looked over her shoulder to make sure John wasn't following her. The hallway was empty so Maria was safe, and John still couldn't outsmart her. Since the beginning of time, John and Maria had been in competition with each other. Their competition between one another seemed unethical but they had a different circumstance. They were brother and sister so that instantly caused competitions. Most of their kind disapproved but the man in charge had dismissed the matter and said, "they may be divine beings but they are still brother and sister" so no one argued about their competitive nature. But, at this moment in time, John's competitive nature and desire to be at the top could ruin everything.
When Maria reached the end of the hallway, she saw the light radiating from her friends chamber and entered without knocking. Avoiding many pillows, Maria made her was over to her friend who was lounging on the pillows at the far corner of the room. Maria's friends' eyes fluttered open as Maria casted a shadow over him.
"I wondered why Michael insisted I be here," he said as if he had just finished a glorious piece of artwork. He looked at Maria with angelic eyes in an attempt to calm her down because she looked as if she could have killed him right then and there. "What have I done now?" his voice sounded melodic and innocent. It was as is butter wouldn't melt.
Maria scowled at him, resisting the urge to slap him because she was here, not to hurt him – not matter how much she wanted to – but to try and talk him out of his decision.
"It's not what you've done. It's what you're going to do," Maria informed him.
He sighed and sat up straight. A serious expression crossed his face as he looked into Maria's eyes.
"I'm here to try and talk you out of it," Maria told him.
He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. Maria was one of his best, and most intelligent, friends. He always took her opinion into consideration but this time was different. This time, he knew what he was going to do and nothing would stop him from following through.
"Maria, I know what I'm doing," he stated, looking intensely at her.
"I don't think you do," Maria said, sitting on the pillow beside him. "This plan of yours isn't going to end well."
"How can you be so sure? What if I succeed? What if I become the almighty one?" he asked in such a way that he wasn't really asking.
"You should just accept the way things are and stop meddling with things that aren't yours to meddle with," Maria took his hands in hers, squeezing them tightly, hoping it would make a difference.
"When have I ever meddled?" he asked, shocked that his friend could think such a thing even though it was true.
"Do the names Adam and Eve ring a bell?" he instantly looked down to the floor. He never knew that Maria knew what he had done. He didn't feel remorse for his actions, he was just sad that his friend was judging him so harshly because of it.
"They deserved all they got," he told Maria with a cheeky grin on his face. She sighed at this. Nothing was going to change his mind. "But why put the apple tree there in the first place if he didn't want them to eat an apple?". He had a point. But, having a point doesn't make it right.
"You're on his good side, a thing my brother constantly tries to get on, so why ruin it? Why challenge him? Why shift the balance?" Maria asked in utter despair. She knew she wasn't getting through to him but that didn't mean she couldn't stop trying.
"I could make the balance even better! I'm just a strong as him! I would do his job better than he ever could!" he stated, his eyes filling with wonder, hope and greed. Maria, for the first time, looked away from him. She couldn't bare the look in his eyes. It was torture to look at them.
He then placed his thumb and index finger on Maria's chin, turned her head to face him and asked her, "Why do you look away?". Maria gently moved his hand away from her chin and stood up, not once looking away from his face. His face was the same, same high cheekbone, same angelic nose even the same lips but his eyes were different. His eyes used to sparkle with everything good and sacred, but now, they were alight with sin.
"How many know of your plan?" Maria asked after a long silence.
"Enough to take him and the rest of his followers down," He told her. He then stood up and Maria stepped back a few feet. "Will you fight along side me, Maria?"
Maria knew that question was coming but that didn't make her less surprised. She didn't want to pick sides. Picking his side meant going against the almighty but not going on his side meant losing him as a friend. She wanted to think about the question even though she'd already decided what she was going to do.
"I can see that there is no changing your mind," Maria said sounding defeated. "You were the best but your pride is your downfall. You want all the power stretching from heaven to the earth but I must say, your plan to get it, it almost idiotic." He looked hurt by Maria's comment even though deep down he knew it was true. "I have been your friend for a long time and I am loyal to you, but asking me to go against the almighty is something I cannot do."
A long silence was held. The tension in the chamber was intense but both of them refused to break it. Maria started to back out of the room, thinking of one last thing to say before she left his chamber. Just as Maria was about to exit she said, "I hope that when you're defeated, the price you pay for your sin isn't to high, Lucifer."
