Author's Note: I am back... finally. Sorry about the mega-long wait. Not much actually happens this chapter, but it is essential information if you want to understand how the King saves Lily... and how Jesus saves us. God bless, here's the chapter!

Lily. Lily. My name is Lily... she thought over and over again, desperate to not lose this wonderful revelation. I may be wretched, but Wretch is not my name. There is One who loves me, and He will never let me go. I must never let Him go. Lily sat in the King's embrace, thinking these things with such determination that she wouldn't have been surprised if the words had been carved into her brain.

"I will always be with you," the King said softly as He stroked her hair.

His very presence had made the old crusted blood and vomit disintegrate into the air. His touch caused her wounds to mend together seamlessly. Only the brand of Lucifer remained on her arm. Though all other wounds had been healed, that one remained. She was in the presence of the King, but she was still the property of the adversary.

"However," He continued, "you will not always be aware of my presence. When you and Lucifer kissed, something of him entered through your mouth in the form of a serpent. This serpent has the authority to make you do things, and many times he will even make you despise Me.

"Once you have given birth to Lucifer's son, you will no longer desire Me. You will only want to walk in his ways. Everything else will seem abominable to you." He pulled back, and Lily saw the seriousness of His eyes through her hand. "As we speak, this serpent child that you carry consumes your heart. It is eating it, and poisoning it as it goes. In your current state, it is impossible for you to truly love Me. It will be extremely difficult, but I urge you: you must do as I say, even when it seems hateful to you. You are irrational from the serpent's ailment even now."

Lily could feel the evidence of what He was saying within her. Though she now felt happy to be in the King's presence, the feeling didn't flow through all of her. There was a section which she felt around her middle that seemed bitter and cold. It seethed with every word He spoke. Lily did her best to ignore it, but it just seemed to get stronger. This made Lily feel guilty. "I promise," she said with a desperate twinge, "I'll do everything I can to keep this from spreading. I will be good enough for You, I'll work my hardest at it!" To Lily's surprise and dismay, the King instantly recoiled. She could see a look of enormous disgust, as if she'd just slapped Him in the face with a filthy toilet rag. "What is it?" Lily asked nervously.

"The serpent is manifesting itself already," the King whispered. "It mocks Me through your lips. Pride truly is the most putrid of attitudes."

"What did I say that was proud?" Lily asked, starting to feel a bit angry. "All I said was that I'd try really hard to be good enough for You. Isn't that what You want?"

The Lord hissed slightly, and spoke in labored tones: "No, that is the last thing I want. You could not be further from My desire by trying such a thing. As for your question, your pride lies in the assumption that you are capable of your goal."

"How can You say that?" she growled. "I thought You just wanted me to obey You! Now, You're saying that that isn't good enough for You! Pray, tell me, what IS good enough for You?"

"Lily," He said softly. "Reach out your hand, and touch My palm." Lily did as commanded, but when her fingers reached His hand, she felt nothing there. Her eyes told her that she had achieved contact, but she couldn't feel it. She moved her hand further, but it appeared that her hand had passed right through His flesh. "You are of one substance, and I am of another." He explained. "I can touch you whenever I want to. I can make Myself manifest to you. However, you are of a different substance. You can never see Me, touch Me, or hear Me by your own power. I am in a completely different place than you are, but I can show Myself to you whenever I please. If you reach out to Me, you'll never touch Me. If you speak to Me, you will never hear My answer. We interact now only by My decision. While being of your current substance, you cannot possibly perform a single action which could draw us together."

"But-" Lily was confused, and angry at her confusion at the same time. She fought to find words. She tried again. "But, can't I somehow become... of Your substance? I was once, wasn't I?"

"You were once... in a way." the King said. "My substance is called spirit. Spirit can manifest and mend itself to flesh, but flesh can never touch spirit by its own efforts. You were once a triune being, like I am. We were triune in different ways, but we were similar in this way. You were composed of flesh, spirit, and soul. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Your spirit, when it was living, connected you to Me, and it allowed you to sense and communicate with Me. Do you remember when I told you that you would die if you entered the wasteland?"

Lily nodded. "I remember. But You lied to me. I didn't die. I almost wish I could have, but I didn't."

The King winced again. "Dear, I see all things as they were, are, and will be, all at the same time. I know all things, and I hold no ill will against you. I am not a man that I should lie or change my mind."

"So, why did you tell me that I would die if I didn't die?" Lily asked.

"Part of you died. The part which connects you to Me. Your spirit died the very second that you took the deceiver's word above Mine, and entered the realm in which you did not belong. You are still triune, but the third element which allows you to interact freely with Me lies dead within you. You are broken beyond repair. In addition to this, by the laws that I have created, you carry a sentence of death."

"Death of my other two aspects?" Lily asked, ashen-faced.

"Death of all three. Your death comes in two stages: death of your spirit by your sin, and the death of your soul and flesh by the irreparable damage of your body. You have already suffered the first."

"But... all this... just because of one small act of disobedience?" Lily said, trembling.

The King bowed His head. Great gleaming tears flowed from His beautiful eyes. Lily felt horrible. Her 'small' act of disobedience had obviously caused Him more pain than she could ever imagine. "There were always two options," He whispered. "First, to live and share in My love and joy. Second, to separate yourself from Me. I am the source of all good things. Even the thrill you found in your adultery with Lucifer was a twisting of one of My gifts to you. When you take away life, joy, beauty and contentment, all that is left is sorrow, terror, ugliness, ill-satisfaction, pain, and death. The fruits of the second option are by their very nature a penalty. An unending penalty which you will have to endure without the supposed release of death. By rejecting Me, you have chosen the second option."

"Okay, I change my mind!" Lily said desperately, laughing madly in an attempt to lessen the growing terror inside of her. "I don't want to suffer eternal death! I want to enjoy Your gifts!"

The King looked up, and though her hand made a barrier between their gazes, His eyes had no trouble meeting hers. Lily shuddered, and looked away in terror. Terror of what she was compared to what He was. "It's too late," He said softly. "Once your spirit has died, you cannot choose life. There is no life that you can choose. To attain My life, you must resurrect your spirit, and that cannot be done."

"But I thought You said that You would redeem me," Lily said, starting to weep a bit. "If You can't save me, and I can't save myself, then how could what you promised possibly come true?"

The King's eyes sparkled. "I am the King of impossibility. Trust Me when I say that it is impossible that you can come back to life, but trust Me also when I say that I will redeem you."

"But... how could those two possibly fit together?" Lily asked, bewildered.

With a gleam in His eye, the King winked. "You shall see. I will give you a new heart."

"What good is a new heart to a practically dead person?" Lily asked, having a rather hard time understanding all of this, and irritated that He didn't make Himself clearer.

"That is what you shall see," the King said with a laugh, as if He couldn't wait to do it. He rubbed His hands together in delighted anticipation. He reached out, and embraced her yet again. The warmth flooded back, but she still didn't understand. It was still a mystery to her.

"Now, I have set before you life and death," the King said as He released her and stood up, "take my advice: choose life. You do not understand how I can give it to you, but have faith in Me. I never break my promises. What I have promised, you will receive, even if you don't know how."

The King was fading, the light was growing dimmer. Lily leapt to her feet when she realized what was happening. But by the time she could open her mouth to object, the King had vanished from sight. "I thought You said that You would never leave me!" she shouted, now lowering her hand and looking around desperately. She hoped that He would hear her.

I am still here, came a soft whisper that seemed to originate from everywhere at once.

"Why can't I see You?" Lily asked, not entirely reassured.

You have chosen not to see Me. You blocked my image with your hand.

"But that doesn't mean I wanted You to vanish!" she wailed.

My image causes you pain, and you have chosen not to endure it. I won't force any aspect of Myself on you that your heart does not desire. Your heart doesn't desire to see My face. Therefore, I will not make you look upon Me.

"Okay." Lily said, more relieved than sad. She felt ashamed of this relief, but it didn't go away. "You'll still be there, right?" she asked.

Even when you don't want Me to be. My presence is the one thing you can never make me take away. Only death can part us.