Chapter 9
Satan - Weaknesses

I watched from the earth as the skies erupted with color and energy, as shouts from Heaven as their Kind was resounded - another victory for the legion, I assumed. But what had happened to my strategies, that the hosts had overcome the brilliance of my servants and rejoiced as if the war had ended? Something seemed very wrong.

I glided through the wilderness, searching for some sign of change, a trace of defeat. I felt the cool air biting at my wings, and a stench of obedience reached my ears: a ram had been sacrificed and burnt. I could see the blood, smell it along with the burnt meat; I could sense the remains of fear, alarm, relief, uninterrupted joy. Someone had done an awful job of controlling a man.

Abraham. The one who had been promised a nation. But of course.

"Hector, Horus, Jupiter, Mal, Osheh, come here! Do not delay!"

The three of them appeared almost immediately, bowing to the ground. Their faces were smeared with apprehension; they knew what had happened. "My lord?"

"You were to be the leaders of this operation, lower than none but myself! I was generous to let you join this war; I was kind to let you have such authority, though you are more foolish than the lowest angels of Heaven; how do you thank me? You would let this man slip through your fingers as if his fate were nothing? Do you realize what you have done? Our entire plan is now in jeopardy!"

Osheh flinched; his several transparent, grotesque, misshapen eyes closed in alarm. He looked similar to the worst beats of the earth due to a lack of fighting skill. I could not stand to look at him for more than a few moments. "My lord, it was only one man. Surely he-"

"Only one man? This man was the one thing that could determine our future and the future of an entire race! His role in the grand scheme was vital to every other event! Why do you think the Lord sent another angel to guard him so closely; why do you think he was tested in such a severe way? These things happen for a reason! I do not know the plans of our enemies, but I can sense that something significant has just happened - listen to their celebrating! We mustn't underestimate that which created us! Go and pollute this place as the others do - I must be the only one with the ability to do a job the right way!"

I watched as they vanished, too eager to escape a more severe form of punishment. I felt more than paranoid; had the Lord's talk of victory gotten to me at last? Why did I worry? I had done so much already; my victories outnumbered my Creator's triumphs. If I kept the lives of men were guarded carefully, gradually steered away from the right path with subtle deception, I would have nothing to fear. I could reestablish my empire in a matter of years. If only I could keep my servants out of the way...

"More trouble from the other side, Satan?" a familiar voice chimed. I turned to see Saereth adorned with fine jewels and a brilliant light from the Presence, seeming more confident and satisfied than he had ever been. It seemed strange to see him as an independent, strong being rather than the vulnerable thing I had grown to enjoy.

"Nothing that I cannot handle in time. Shouldn't you be celebrating with your legion?"

He smiled. "Actually, I already did. I know what the future shall bring to this place - nothing specific, of course, but the general course of events. I wanted to see how you handle defeat when confronted with two in a row. I think you're losing what skill you had for manipulation."

I felt the sting of an insult rising within me, but I had no answer to harm him with. I did not wish to harm him if there were a chance of using him; I would weaken him only if he became a problem too large for me to swat away. "Weak? Surely not! I noticed that you seem to grow stronger every time we meet. What are you doing, preparing for your next taste of a battle?"

"No! Actually, I've been doing nothing more than I am expected to do. I simply understand things, control myself until I know the truth, examine something before I accept it. That automatic trust was my greatest flaw; it was almost great enough to throw me into creation! But I overcame those weaknesses and stand before you as a true servant for the One who gives me this great strength. Might I ask you a question?"

I sunk to the ground, wishing that there was some way to break through his new armor to reach the old creature I had known, the side of him that had been so valuable to me. I had truly enjoyed his company and admiration. "I can do nothing to stop you."

His smile faded as if his question brought him grief. How odd, that he would feel such things! "What do you intend to do when this plan of ours succeeds, when you lose all power over this world? What can you do? Will you admit that you were wrong, or will you be destroyed in your arrogance? Will you feel the anguish you brought to your victims, or will you laugh in their faces? Will you dare to stand in the glory of the Lord?"

What was I to say? I felt compelled to answer for reasons I did not understand, but I knew within myself that victory would be mine. How could I speak to him as if he were an equal? He had become a worthy enemy at the least, but to reveal my thoughts was surely the worst thing I could consider doing. "I doubt that your plans will survive my attacks. However... I will hold on to my ideas and intentions until I am destroyed, or until my enemies are in my hands. I will bow to no one; I will feel no anguish. What you see is what shall be until the end of time. What do you see, Saereth, my dearest enemy?"

He shook his head. "one who could have been a flawless servant, but whose arrogance destroyed unlimited potential. I see one whose mind could not stand the idea of being second to even his Creator and spoke well enough to take many others with him when he fell from grace. I see a murderer, something beautiful that has been transformed into the disfigured savage that had always been a part of him. It is a shame; how I once admired you! I thought you to be without flaws or weaknesses! I see you all too well for what you are now; you deceive well, but beyond all else you are only an exile with exceptional understanding of the thoughts of creation.

"I came to tell you that your mission is futile, and to prove to my people that you are less than we once believed you to be. You let your anger overtake you; you assume things without evidence, and make our mission so much easier without realizing what you are doing. Even your greatest achievements have worked to our advantage. But that is not why I come to you, really. I bring a message, an ultimatum: resign now and live. You shall be condemned forever if you continue this travesty."

Travesty! I fought the desire to mock him, to tell him of my grandest plans and of his worst traits and mistakes and of his Master's plan to become equal with humans - whatever He had intended to do in order to such an absurd, disgusting thing. Instead I managed a smile, sure that I could drive him away at the very least. "I shall not. I have work to do. Tell your Lord that I will stay here until He surrenders."

Saereth bowed his head. His jewel-like eyes blazed with vengeance, and his mouth twisted into a sneer. I could feel waves of rage bouncing away from him, and for a moment I nearly felt intimidated. "Have it your way. Prepare for war. This will be the fist phase: the battle for the hearts of men. Pour your cup of wrath - I fear nothing from your hands! I shall be fighting on the front line." He shot back into the sky with the precision of an archangel, seeming more aware of his actions than most angels I had observed. He had turned into quite a threat, but I could surely find a way to defeat him. I would not stop until I had all that I wanted. I did not care to spare the life of any man or beast; all of the world was my puppet to use for whatever I wished. As the sun set, I called my legion together. Things would become what the Lord had wanted them to be; we would start a war.

All of the loathing and bitterness that had escalated through a span of several lifetimes, mounted, and I felt as if I were beyond all control, all regret, all fathoming – I would have done anything in that moment to have what I wanted, even if that meant my own destruction. I would reach to any solution to see the Creator suffer, to see that unexplained sympathy die and vanish from the face that always conveyed serenity and the deepest misery. Victory would be mine at any cost.

"Let the games begin!"