The song, 'Better than Life', is by Hillsong

All bible passages, unless otherwise stated, are from the New International Version.

Passages marked NKJV are from The New King James Version.

Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a place."

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there." So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on guard in such places.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, "Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?"

"None of us, my lord the king," said one of his officers, "but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom."

"Go, find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can send men and capture him." The report came back: "He is in Dothan." Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

And Elisha prayed, "O LORD open his eyes, so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots all around Elisha.

As the enemy came down towards him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

Elisha told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to Samaria.

2 Kings 8-19

Rouge the Bat opened her eyes and found herself lying in a hospital bed. The last thing she remembered was diving into the basement to escape the flames, when the whole building collapsed. Shadow was sitting beside her, gently stroking her hand, with Omega standing behind him. Sitting on the other side of the room, there was a young man, about sixteen, reading a book. He looked up and caught her glance with a warm smile.

"How are you feeling?" the man asked.

"A little dizzy," Rouge weakly replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Chris," he told her. "I found you unconscious on Tuesday morning. You've been out for ten days."

"You're lucky to be alive," Shadow said. "You suffered several severe burns and had a fractured skull."

Rouge smiled and went back to sleep. After eight more days, she was finally ready to leave the hospital, but her wounds kept her bed ridden for two weeks. What's more, she was unable to take to the skies for several months, as her wings still needed time to fully heal.

Slowly, spring turned to summer and Christopher Price's family became more and more involved in Rouge's life, helping her to get back on track. Rouge found herself at a loss for words at such kindness. Why did they care about her so much when she had done nothing for them? She was completely stunned. She deserved none of this, and yet they continued to be such good friends.

One day, when Rouge was feeling much better, Chris asked her if she would like to go to church with him. Usually, Rouge would have rejected the offer, but this time was different. Two years ago, she had lost Club Rouge due to bankruptcy and had to sell her entire jewel collection just to make ends meet. This on top of the recent fire had challenged her stubborn-minded attitude and made her more aware of the worthlessness of her life.

"If there is a God," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, "He surely doesn't want me."

"That's not true!" Chris said. "He loved you so much that He gave His only Son to die for you."

"But I'm such an awful mess," she said. "Why would he love me?"

"Because he's bigger than anything else," Chris replied.

Rouge sighed and stepped out of the car. Nothing mattered now. God could love her more than her own mother had for all she cared. The fact still remained she was a wreck.

The Bat sighed and entered the auditorium, welcomed by these words:

Better than the riches of this world

Better than the sound of my friends' voices

Better than the biggest dreams in my heart

And that's just the start

Better than getting what I say I need

Better than living the life that I want to

Better than the love anyone could give

Your love is

You hold me now in Your arms

And never let me go

You oh Lord make the sun shine

And the moon light in the night sky

You give me breath and all Your love

I give my heart to You because I can't stop falling in love with You

I'll never stop falling in love with You

Many other songs were played, but the words of this one were the most memorable for her.

After the announcements had been made, Pastor Sam welcomed the church and gave a strong message on God's calling. Rouge didn't pay much attention until Pastor Sam finished on Revelation 22:17:

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

That really touched Rouge. Many a time had she taken what wasn't hers to take to satisfy her own greed, but now she was welcomed with the opportunity to freely receive the gift of life. Willingly, she accepted it.

That night, as Rouge was getting ready for bed, she began to pray: "Dear God, please forgive me and teach me."

As these words left the Bat's mouth, a white light, whiter than her own fur, surrounded her. It lasted only for a moment and then it was gone, taking Rouge with it.

Meanwhile, in another world, a travelling entertainer by the name of Volcano the Newt was setting up camp for the night. Every day he would go from town to town, bringing joy to those he could. He loved his work, and was thankful that his King had granted him the opportunity. For now, though, he would rest. The sun had already set and thick clouds were gathering overhead. He was not about to travel in the dark and the rain.

Over in the corner of the caravan, Spark was already snuggled down in his little bed. Volcano was always accompanied by the young chao, whom he had acquainted himself with during his early days on the road. Since then, the duo had become inseparable. Their names were known far and wide for their devotion to their work and to the people.

Like the rest of the King's citizens, Volcano was dressed in beautiful attire. His tunic was white, with blue trimming along the edges, around which was tied a golden sash. Also, unlike most bipedal animals who wore white gloves, Volcano wore a pair of black fingerless gloves/hand wraps.

Over his tunic, Volcano wore a golden Breastplate of Righteousness, with a beautiful blue trimming. In the centre of the Breastplate, there was a lion in a laying-down position. The breastplate had been pressed so that the beast's shape stood out from Volcano's chest. The whole Breastplate was held in place by two blue cords, tied to metal rings on the Breastplate's corners, which had been included in the design.

His golden Helmet of Salvation followed the shape of his head perfectly, from between his eyes to the back of his head, sporting an intricate pattern of vines and leaves around the rim. In the middle of the helmet was a brilliantly cut ruby, surrounded by eight tiny pearls.

His Shoes of Peace were white sandals with golden straps.

His Sword of the Spirit was a longsword, kept in a leather sheath with blue cords woven around the mouth.

For his Shield of Faith, he wore a metal wristband on his left wrist, with W.W.J.D. engraved into it twice. Between the two engravings was a small button which activated an energy shield as cream as the newt himself.

Around his waist, under the sash, was the Belt of Truth. The belt was the only piece of armour that was exactly the same for everyone, as truth is truth and cannot be altered.

This wasn't the only set of the King's armour in his possession, though. He also had a female's set packed away in a chest. The commander of the last town had told him that he would come across a young lady whilst on the road and she would need it. Volcano was deeply concerned by this, as the recent increase in demonic activity most likely meant she'd be dead or captured before he got to her. Nevertheless, this was a commander's request and it would have been foolish to go against it.

Volcano wouldn't worry about it now, though – it was too late. Yawning, the cream Newt was just about to get undressed when there was a bright flash outside. He thought it only to be lightning, but something inside the amphibian urged him to go out and investigate further. Reluctantly, Volcano opened the caravan door, not knowing what to expect and was surprised to find a young woman sitting in the wet grass, crying her eyes out.

"It's quite cold tonight," Volcano began, kneeling down beside the woman. "Why don't you come in and warm yourself up? I'll make you some tea."

"Where am I?" his companion asked, opening her eyes wide. "This isn't my bedroom!"

"Your bedroom?" Volcano asked, taken suddenly taken aback. "You mean you're not intentionally out here in the woods?"

"No," the Bat replied, shaking her head sadly. "My intention was to go to sleep."

"Mine too," Volcano said, beginning to see the problem. "I guess plans have changed.

"My name's Volcano, by the way. Who are you?"

"I'm Rouge the Bat," she replied.

Just then, there was a loud thundering of hooves all around the camp as demons surrounded the area. There were thousands of them as far as the eye could see, all clad in jet black armour, cursing and jeering at the two unfortunate animals before them.

Eventually, their sneering quietened down as their captain, a purple bear with sea-green eyes, dismounted and slowly advanced. He was dressed in jet black robes and armour, with a crimson dragon on his breastplate and the number 666 on his helmet.

"Who's that?" Rouge asked.

"Stream the Bear," Volcano answered. "He's one of the dragon's chief warriors and an old friend. We grew up together in Gimel, a small village to the far west."

"How nice of you to remember, V," Stream said, his voice icy cold and oozing with zest. "I am here to liberate this young lady from your grubby hands, before you destroy a second life."

Facing off his opponent, Volcano gave Rouge a swift order: "Get inside!"

"My dear," Stream said, turning to Rouge, "do not let this man deceive you. He turned his back on us – on Gimel and all within."

"Please don't be fooled," Volcano beseeched. "The King has granted you armour, in the large chest at the front. Go!"

Rouge shifted her attention first to one, then the other, until finally she ran inside and began to search for the chest. She found it almost as soon as she entered the caravan and instantly opened it. Inside was the most beautiful armour she'd ever seen. It followed her colour scheme and was even a perfect fit. Just how had the King known? He was proving to be truly amazing.

Rouge's Breastplate was navy blue with a pink heart in the middle. Inside the heart was a dove with an olive branch in its mouth. The Breastplate was part of a full bodysuit, made of a thick, pink, elastic fabric, silky-smooth to the touch.

Her Shoes of Peace were white knee length boots with silver buckles and pink tongues and soles.

Her Helmet of Salvation was a white hood, made of the same thick material as her bodysuit and covering her entire head, sans the eyes.

Her Sword of the Spirit was a rapier with a golden hilt and a white sheath.

Her shield of faith was a ring with a pink heart button that activated a pale pink energy field, encompassing her completely, much the same as Volcano's.

Buckling the Belt of truth around her waist, she joined Volcano and Spark, still feeling quite hopeless. What would the three of them be able to do against a whole army?

As soon as she returned outside, a white dove flew in front of her face.

"Do not be afraid," it said, "but look up."

Even more confused, Rouge obeyed and saw beyond the demonic army was another army – this one of fire.

"See?" the dove asked. "There are more for us than against us."

Then the dove flew over to Stream and commanded: "May you and your army be stricken blind."

At these words, a dark cloud descended upon the would-be oppressors and they were blinded.

"Now, follow me!" the dove said.

"Who's that?" Rouge asked.

"The King's Holy Spirit," Volcano replied.