Chapter 43 Sword of Christ
I found myself floating up in the clouds, surprised that I wasn't falling to the ground. I took a step forward, and realized that I was standing on top of a gigantic cloud layer. I reached down, and brushed it aside, so I could look down upon the Earth. Below me I saw Mineral Island, hidden underneath the darkness of the cloud layer.
'How does it feel to see your home shrouded in shadow?'
I turned around, searching for my enemy.
"Right Hand!" I shouted. "Show yourself!"
'Did it ever occur to you that I am the cloud layer shrouding Mineral Town? Remember when I took on the form of the storm clouds when I chased you away from Mother's Hill? Don't you remember when I came to purge the town? I came in the form of storm clouds, for that is what I am. A storm. And now you will face me at my full power!'
The sky darkened, and I felt an evil presence approaching me. My soul felt that a mighty demon was coming.
"I don't have time for your tricks Right Hand!" I shouted. "I had enough of them in your fun house. Now, appear to me as you truly are!"
'Who am I? I am a mighty demon. A mighty angel, fallen of course. I wield the dark energy of Satan!'
I gasped, and put a hand to my neck as I felt something tugging at my soul.
'I am the Darkness. I am the storm cloud. I am the one you fear!'
Then I saw it. I looked up, and saw a mighty face in the darkness above me. Through the darkness gigantic green eyes glared down at me, and a twisted mouth opened in a smile, its teeth glowing neon green. The thing was massive! Each eye had to be fifteen feet in length, and the mouth was even larger. It had no other physical features but its eyes and mouth, for I could not see its flesh, I doubted that it existed.
'You were right to call me a monster Zach. For that's what I am!'
The darkness surrounded me, drinking my courage and bravery, causing me to back away from the mighty face which was before me. Then suddenly the eyes flashed, and the mouth opened. I turned and ran as the Right Hand shot after me, ready to swallow me up in its mighty maw. It struck, but I rolled to the side and it missed. Then it roared, and a long chain of spines on the back of its head and neck began to glow. It was a monster! I touched my sword hilt, like a Knight ready to take on a mighty dragon. But how could a Knight fight such a gigantic creature?
'You see my power? I am a greater in strength than you!'
The Dragon shot forward again, snapping its mighty jaws shut only inches away from me as I leaped backwards. I then drew my sword. But to my surprise my sword began to glow in the darkness. It shone with silver energy which coursed through it from the hilt up the blood channel.
"WIELD YOUR SWORD ZACH!" a mighty voice erupted from the sky. "STRIKE DOWN THE RIGHT HAND! I GIVE YOU MY POWER!"
The Dragon drew back again, and roared at the sky. It feared the voice. The Right Hand stopped, and shot out towards me again. This time I stood my ground as the monster shot at me. Then, as the mouth opened to devour me, I swung my sword, clashing into its demonic teeth. The silver energy in the sword channeled into the creature's mouth, causing the Dragon to shriek in agony, and retreat. The sword rung in my hands, vibrating from the collision. The Dragon shot forward again, and I deflected it with my sword once again. The beast reared back, growling at me. It couldn't get close enough to hurt me as long as I had my sword. I began walking back from it, and the creature shot forward again, slamming its mighty jaws closed just before it would have reached my sword, causing me to tumble backwards in fear of the mighty demon. My sword clattered out of my hand. The Dragon lunged. I rolled to the side, and its teeth scraped the cloud layer which we stood upon, brushing it aside. I rolled to my sword, and stabbed it into the side of where I guessed the creature's neck was, but I couldn't see in the darkness.
The Dragon roared, and swung its head to the side, slamming painfully into me, and sending me flying through the air. I clattered to the ground a good distance from the Right Hand. My sword went flying out of my hand, landing far to my right. The monster turned, and glared at me, a rumble arising in its throat. The Dragon then roared, and began bounding towards me. When it came close, its head shot out again, but I rolled to the side and its mouth slammed into the ground. It changed directions, and rolled its head to the side, shooting out towards me again. I crawled backwards, but it was faster than me. It shot forward, and opened its mighty jaws. They closed around me, and I was inside of its mouth. I slipped on the saliva which lined the bottom of its mouth, and slid down towards the throat. I felt my soul being tugged towards a dark pit. No! I grabbed the sides of the mouth, trying desperately not to slide down the throat. I grabbed onto one of its back teeth, and held on tightly. The creature roared, causing me to cover my ears and lose my grip. But then, its tongue pushed me forward, away from the throat. Maybe the dragon didn't want to eat me. It pushed me up to the molars, so I could grab onto them so I wouldn't fall back into the throat. But then it occurred to me that it wasn't saving my life, it was trying to chew me up. I rolled away from the teeth just in time, for the top jaw crashed down, barely missing my hand.
I screamed as the monster shook its head from side to side, sending me flying back and forth in its mouth. I thudded against its right cheek, falling into the gap between the teeth and the cheek. The monster roared, and slammed its teeth down again, but I was safe between the jaw and the cheek. The monster swung its head downward, causing me to fly up out of the gap. I landed on top of its gigantic molar again. The teeth came down, I rolled off the molar, missing the mighty teeth again. The creature's tongue pushed me back to the teeth, and it chomped down again. But I had rolled under the tongue, preventing it from getting to me. Its tongue moved back and forth quickly, trying desperately to dislodge me from under the tongue. But I found a vein on the bottom of its tongue, and grabbed tightly to it. If only I had my sword, then I could slit the vein and possible kill the beast. The head suddenly tipped back, and I felt myself sliding towards the back of the throat again. The tongue lifted up, and I slid around it. I got to my feet, and began running towards the mouth, but it was like running on a treadmill which was going faster than I was. The tongue flicked back, sending me flying back to the throat. But then I hit the creature's tonsils, and grabbed on tightly. The creature coughed, and tried to get me off of it, but there was no way I was going to fall down into its stomach. Finally the creature lowered its head, and coughed really hard, dislodging me from its throat and sending me back out onto the cloud layer.
The creature roared when it saw me, and glared. I got to my feet, and prepared to fight the creature again. But I did not have my sword.
Julius swung his blade around, cutting another demon out of the physical world. He looked up, and saw the Goddess fly over their heads, until she landed at the top of Mother's Hill.
"Harvest Goddess!" Julius shouted. "All those who will follow have been rescued! How do you hope to succeed now?"
The Goddess turned, and glared down at Julius, her demon eyes burning through her Goddess eyes.
'I have my ways, believe me!'
Julius held his sword out, and looked up at the Goddess. Now she looked ever much the demon. Her eyes glowed with the rage that filled her, like soulless gaps of some dead creature. Her perfect hands had now become blades through which she slew people. Her quiet Goddess shroud had fallen away, and she was revealed as her true self to the world. Julius held his blade out, and charged up towards her. But a swarm of demons flew down, blocking his path. Julius swung his blade around, cutting through the demons before him. But they fought back, hacking at him with their merciless claws.
I looked up at the monster in utter fear. Its green eyes glared down upon me, as if it were thinking up ways to curse me as it watched. Its cold, reptilian mouth opened, and it roared.
'You hid in my mouth? I have seen weird ways of escaping from me, but nothing like that. You are truly doomed.'
I stood my ground, and stared straight back into its eyes, not blinking, or moving. I was a Knight, facing down an ancient monster of old.
'I have never lost a fight. I am the Right Hand. I am the Nightmare. I am the darkness.'
"But darkness falls before light," I challenged. "Shadows disappear under the sun. Evil flees before good."
The dragon roared, and lunged. I turned, and ran for my life. I looked behind me, and saw a flash. My sword! I ran towards it. But suddenly the dragon roared, and it leaped up into the air, landing with a crash, blocking my path to the weapon. The shock knocked me off my feet, and made me fall to the ground. I jumped back up, and looked up at the dragon. The monster shook its bulk, and growled. Then, a neon green triangle appeared on the ground to the right of the creature's head. Then three more appeared right next to it. They glowed, like the creature's eyes and teeth, but I didn't know what they were. Then four more of them appeared on the other side of the head. I still didn't know what they were. Then the four on the right lifted up into the air, and flew down towards me. I jumped to the side, and they slammed heavily on the ground. They were the creature's claws!
The beast roared, and swung its other claw down upon me. I rolled to the side, and it slammed down right next to me. The beast then swung it to the side, and batted me away like a flyswatter swatting a fly. I jumped to my feet, and looked over for my sword. I could see it! I ran in its direction, but suddenly it disappeared. The dragon moved in, blocking my path. The Right Hand glared at me, before lunging again. I jumped backwards, and its mouth slammed against the ground again. I tried stepping around the beast, but it sidestepped, blocking my path again. It was then that I looked up into the creature's eyes. They were wide, intent on not letting me get to the sword. Then it dawned on me! The creature feared the weapon, what it could do. No, it feared the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit was inside me, and the Holy Spirit had given me that blade.
"You fear me, don't you?" The beast's eyes suddenly flashed open in alarm. It shrunk back a little, afraid that I knew what it didn't want me to know. But then the Right Hand realized what it was doing by looking afraid, and suddenly lunged forward, roaring and thrashing its teeth in a wild display meant to strike fear into my heart. But not now. Not anymore. I stood my ground, and looked straight into the creature's eyes. The Dragon then stopped, and looked down at me again. It croaked in surprise, realizing that I was unfazed by its display.
"You see it don't you?" I asked, looking straight into its eyes. "You see the Jesus in me."
I jolted forward, startling the Dragon, causing it to jump backwards. Then it realized what I was doing, and started growling at me again. But it dared not approach me. It feared me, and I knew it.
"You are afraid of the Holy Spirit." The creature stopped growling, and looked at me as if realizing that for the first time.
The Right Hand hadn't realized how greatly it feared the power of God, but now it did. For all creatures who know God for what he is fear him, even those who love him. I held out my hand, looking towards the sword which lay behind the creature.
"And you fear the sword, the weapon which is filled with the Holy Spirit. That is why it hurts you. You fear that blade. And you fear me. You fear the Holy Spirit. But most of all, you fear me with the blade of the Holy Spirit in my hand. You fear the power!"
The creature roared. I stepped forward, and the creature backed away. But then it took a decisive step forward, blocking me from the sword. Then I felt the presence of God within me, speaking to me.
'Call the sword to you Zach. A man with the faith the size of a mustard seed can tell a mountain to move, and it will move. Imagine what you can achieve when your faith is larger than a mustard seed.'
Call the sword? What did that mean. I looked up at the monster, not daring to step away, but not daring to step towards me. God must have meant that the sword could come to me if I called it. I held my hand out in the direction of the sword, which happened to be at the Dragon which stood in the way. The beast snorted in surprise when I held my hand out towards it.
"Come to me," I said. "Come to me sword of God!"
The beast suddenly leaped backward in utter fear, and roared.
"Come," I commanded. "Move!"
I saw a flash, and the sword of God shot up from the ground behind the Dragon. I could see it shoot up from the space between what I guess were the Dragon's back legs. But I knew to get to me the sword would have to go through the Dragon. And that's just what happened. The sword slammed into the back of the Dragon, causing it to roar in pain, and shake its mighty bulk as the sword which shone with the energy of its enemy cut through its vile flesh. The sword shot in again, scratching painfully against the Dragon's back. The Right Hand swung its head around, looking for the source of the attacks. Just at that moment, the sword shot out again, flying into the creature's head, stabbing into the monster's eye. The Dragon roared as the silver energy of the Holy Spirit shot through its eye. The Dragon swung itself around, dislodging the blade from its eye, which immediately shot out, and flew to my hand. The beast roared in pain. I could not see the wounds which the sword had brought upon the creature's demonic flesh, but I knew that the power of the Holy Spirit wrought staggering wounds upon Fallen Angels.
"Right Hand!" I shouted, holding my blade outward towards it. "I have the sword of the Holy Spirit!"
The Dragon watched me in fear with its one working eye, for the other one was now cut open violently. It realized the power I wielded, and feared it. I stepped towards the creature, holding my sword out towards it. The monster backed away.
"I command you spirit of darkness!" I shouted. "I command you to leave this world, and go to the Abyss!"
The creature roared at me, but I looked fearlessly up into its eyes. "I rebuke you in the name of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, whose power shines in this blade!"
The Right Hand then lunged forward, it would not be defeated so easily. I leaped to the side as its mighty jaw slammed against the ground, and then I stabbed my blade into the side of its head. It growled in pain, drawing its head back, and swinging its mighty claws down upon me. I rolled forward, and the claw crashed down behind me. I then rolled onto my back, and stabbed my blade up into the flesh just behind the claw. Into the creature's wrist. The creature drew its claws back, and looked down at me angrily. Then, it opened its mouth. I got to my feet, and prepared to jump away when it struck again. But it didn't strike. Suddenly the inside of the creature's throat lit up, as if it were on fire. My eyes shot open, and I ran for my life.
The Dragon then spewed neon green fire on the ground behind me. I ran, but I could not escape from the mighty fire. The Dragon drew its head up, and the fire shot upon me, burning through my flesh. I screamed in spiritual pain and fear. The fires of Satan's power burned at my soul. I tumbled to the ground, my skin smoking and burning very badly. But I was surprised that I wasn't dead. Such a blast of fire would have killed any normal man.
'Things are different than you realize Zach,' I heard the voice of God speaking inside of me. 'Here you fight with your soul, not with your body.'
I rolled over, and looked up at the Right Hand, staring straight into its eyes. I saw the fear. It knew what dwelt within me. I got to my feet slowly and gingerly, for my body was scarred with painful, but not fatal burns.
Julius pushed through the demons, trying to get to the Harvest Goddess, but more flew in front of him, barring his path. One stabbed him through the shoulder, causing Julius to scream in pain, and fall backwards. When Julius got back to his feet, the Spirits all over the Hill immediately flew to the Goddess, forming a perimeter around her.
"My minions are too mighty for you to fight!" the Goddess shouted. "We outnumber you ten demons for each of your Angels!"
"But you still cannot speak in the tongue of the Angels," Julius said, standing to his feet, and looking up at the Goddess. "You speak only in the tongue of man. You think it brings you power to speak in that tongue. You think it makes you as good as us. But only when you can speak in the language of the Angels will you be the same as us Goddess. Only when you return from your evil ways will you be counted among us!"
The Goddess' eyes flashed, but she knew that what he said was true. His words sung with the power of God, while hers rang with the words of man. She didn't speak like other demons did, but she was still no Angel. Darkfor floated over to the Goddess, and began conversing with her in hushed tones so the others could not hear him.
'My Goddess, what do we do now? Should we destroy the Angelic legions and call it a victory?'
'No,' the Goddess replied mentally, just like the other demons. 'It will not be a complete victory then. We will take this island for our own, as planned before.'
'But those that oppose you have escaped. The cleansing of the town through the Right Hand has not happened as it was supposed to. He was supposed to burn them out of existence when he came. How can we claim victory while they are safe in the boat out in the ocean?'
'This is just a setback, understand? The Threat has challenged the Right Hand, and is keeping him from accomplishing his task. Right now they are in spiritual battle. As soon as the Right Hand has torn Zach's soul from his body, then he will report to me here.'
'But my Goddess, one of the Three Disciples has come to challenge us!'
'Only one of them has come. I killed the second one, and the first one will die shortly. He cannot withstand the power of the Right Hand. The Angel's need two of the Disciples up here with them in order to defeat us. We outnumber the Angels, so we can defeat them here, and when the Right Hand returns, I will send him to destroy the ship on which the believers are. But right now we must defeat the Angelic Legions, and we will finally have control of the entire island! How long I have waited for this day!'
The Harvest Goddess then turned towards the Angels who approached her. "You will all fail!" she shouted. "We outnumber you, and will bring you down. There is nothing you can do to stop this! Soon I will have complete control over this island!"
"No," a voice suddenly said. The Goddess looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Her eyes widened when she saw Kai climbing to the top of the hill. "You will never triumph!" he said. "You were doomed to failure from the beginning."
"You're not Kai," the Goddess said, taking a step back in fear. "I watched him die."
"But is a spirit so conquerable?" Julius said, stepping towards the Goddess. "Is it like the body? Does it fall so easily?"
"You did something," the Goddess whispered, with venom in her tone.
"He did nothing!" one Angel said, stepping out from the crowd. "It was I who called Kai's spirit back to his body. It was I who breathed life into him again."
'What is your name Angel?' the Goddess shouted, her eyes flashing with demonic intensity.
"I am Yensara!" the Angel said.
'You will pay for this! You all will pay!' The Goddess held her hand out, her black, long fingernails extended towards her enemies.
They were like the claws of a monster. The claws of a demon. In fact, aside from the fact that they attached to her hand, they looked identical to Darkfor's claws. Julius drew the Glory of God, and charged up the hill towards the Goddess again. And once again, the legions of demons swarmed in front of him, blocking his path.
"You will never reach me Julius!" the Goddess shouted. "My minions are protecting me! And they will not be moved."
"Yes they will be!" Gotz suddenly stepped out of the crowd of Angels, holding the Golden spear above his head. Kai stepped up beside him, and the two of them walked forward, towards the Spirits which guarded the Harvest Goddess. The demons looked out, with fear etched on there faces. They didn't want to get close to the two witnesses of God, or to the spear in which the power of God had been poured.
"Your minions fear the Holy Spirit within us, and within this blade," Gotz said. "Don't you think that if I touch them with this spear they will be cast from this world into Hell?"
That spooked the Spirits, for they began shrieking, and murmuring among themselves.
"Don't listen to him Spirits!" the Goddess said. "He does not know what he speaks of."
"Really Goddess?" Kai asked, with an eyebrow raised. "Or are you just saying this so they will keep protecting you instead of looking out for themselves?"
The Goddess opened her mouth to deliver a
comeback, but she stopped. There wasn't one. Gotz and Kai stepped
closer, holding the spear out towards the Spirits. The demons shuffled
backwards nervously. They didn't want to get near the blade, or the two
Witnesses of God.
"In the name of God, and his son Jesus Christ I command you demons to leave this hill. Leave the Goddess!" Gotz shouted.
The demons shrieked, and began to edge away.
"No!" the Goddess shouted. "I am the Empress. I command you Spirits, stay by my side!"
"Why should they listen to you?" Kai asked. "You are a demon just like them. And you would be fleeing right now if you were one of them."
"How dare you accuse me of cowardice!" the Goddess shouted, her eyes etched in fear, fear that her minions would leave. Gotz and Kai stepped closer.
"Very well," Gotz said. "If you demons do not leave, then I will have to force my way through you, with this spear." The demons shrieked, and drew back. Several of them jumped into the air, and flew away.
"Get back here!" the Goddess shouted. She was loosing control of her minions.
"Sorry Thandrana," Darkfor said. "But I don't feel like staying." Darkfor then leaped into the air, and flew away.
"How dare you say that!" the Goddess shouted after him. "You will address me as the Harvest Goddess!"
"Address yourself!" a demon sneered, before taking flight. The remaining loyal demons turned to face Gotz and Kai. Suddenly, he lowered the spear, and charged up towards the Goddess. The Spirits went into confusion, flying everywhere, knocking into each other in a furious attempt to escape.
"Wait!" the Harvest Goddess pleaded. "Wait! Stay with me! We must stay on this island until the Right Hand returns! Then we can take this island!"
It was then that the Goddess realized that all the Spirits had gone. She looked out over the horizon as the shadowy creatures flew across the sky, like crows searching for the lost.
"Come back you cowards!" the Goddess screamed. "Don't leave me!" The Goddess' words blew down from the top of Mother's Hill, ricocheting down from the twin mountains, and moving down towards the tiny island below, the island where Forget Me Not Valley was. The Goddess then turned, and saw Julius step up beside the two disciples. The Angelic legions followed behind him. Julius held forth the Glory of God, holding the sword out towards the Goddess.
"You are alone Thandrana," Julius said. "You are no longer a Goddess. Your layers have been torn away and you are revealed as your true self. You are just a demon!" The Goddess looked on in fear as Julius and the two disciples began walking up the hill towards her. Julius held his blade out to her. "I command you Thandrana, I command you to leave this island and never return."
The Goddess stepped backwards, before loosing her footing and tripping over the side of the hill. The two disciples and the Angel ran to the edge, and looked down at the falling form of the Goddess. She fell down from the hill, down into the sea, plummeting down from the island that had once been hers.
"Her power has made her fall," Julius said. "For those who desire power always fall. But the Right Hand still endures, and he is as strong as she is. If he ever finds Thandrana again, they can work up another army of that size and return. Our hope now lies with one one man, wielding a single sword against a mighty demon. If he wins, then Thandrana will never be able to take Mineral Island. If he fails, she and the Right Hand will return one day."
The Dragon looked down at me, with hate in its eyes. I held my sword out towards the monster, hoping that I could defeat this creature as the mighty Knights of legend defeated dragons. The Right Hand roared, and lunged again. I leaped backwards, swinging my blade into the side of its nose. The beast roared, and swung its head to the side, knocking me back. The sword flew out of my hand again. But I held my hand out, and commanded the weapon to move again. And it did. The Dragon swung its right claw down upon me. I took my sword, and pointed it up into the air above me, right as the monster's claw slammed down, impaling the creatures foot upon the point. The Dragon roared, and pulled its claw back, with the sword still impaled within it. I held my hand out again.
"Come to me sword of God!" I commanded, and the blade yanked itself out of the creature's scaly flesh, and flew down towards me. But then I got an idea.
"Stop!" I commanded. The sword stopped, spinning in midair.
I moved my hand to the right, and the sword moved to the right. The Dragon finished roaring in pain, and glared down upon me. That was what I was waiting for. I flicked my wrist, and the blade shot forward into the creature's other eye. The blade slammed into the neon green eye, cutting through it while releasing the silver power of God. The Dragon roared and swung its head back, sending the sword flying across the room. It reared up, swinging its claws from side to side in pain and spiritual torment. The power of God pumped through its body. Then, with a shudder, the beast fell to the ground. The Right Hand thrashed its body around on the floor, and then lay still. I held out my hand, and the sword returned to it. I was awestruck. Was the Right Hand really dead? Had I really defeated it? I took my sword, and walked over to its crumpled body. All I could no see on it was its glowing maw, for both its eyes were closed, and were badly torn open. I reached a hand out, and touched the Dragon's flesh. It was cold and scaly, like a lizard. Then I felt a strange, but familiar feeling. A cold, nightmarish feeling. I had felt it the night when the Spirits of the island moved through the town. I had felt it when they brushed against my soul. I shivered, and pulled my hand away. I lifted my arm up to my face, and examined my burns. I would need serious medical treatment after all this. It was then that I realized how fatigued I was. I breathed heavily, and fell to my knees in front of my fallen enemy. I did not feel happy that I had finally put my enemy in its place. I did not feel happy that the Right Hand had been defeated. I just was happy that the threat was gone.
Suddenly I felt a gust of air blow against my forehead. I looked up in alarm, but saw no reason why wind would be blowing through this darkened chamber. I felt it again, and realized that the air was hot, and smelled like something rotting. Like the dead. Then I saw the Dragon's glowing teeth part slightly. I rolled away just in time, for a stream of neon green fire erupted from the Dragon's mouth, and scorched the area where I was just kneeling. The Dragon then reared up again, roaring and shaking its head from side to side. Then its eyes opened. I gasped in horror when I saw the grisly sight. Its eyes had been torn open by my sword, and burned by the silver energy which God had filled the blade with. It could not see me. The demon moved its head from side to side, and then began sniffing, as if trying to find out if I were alive or dead. Then another idea struck me.
"I'm here Right Hand!" I said, standing straight and tall.
The Dragon swiveled its head around to face me. Then its teeth parted, and it growled. Its throat then began glowing. I fell to the ground, and rolled underneath its bottom jaw just as the fire erupted out of the monster's throat. It bathed the area in flames, thinking that I was still there. But I was not. I grabbed my sword, and then plunged it up into the creature's unprotected neck. The sword went in, flashing as the energy of God shot up it into the demon. The Dragon roared in pain, and reared up on its hind legs. I rolled to escape, but was too late. Its giant maw closed on me, and tilted backwards, causing me to roll down its throat towards the Abyss which was its stomach. I took my blade, and stabbed it into the bottom of the creature's throat, hoping that it would slow my fall. It cut into the flesh, and scraped through it as I went down, causing the Dragon to shriek in pain. But then I slipped, and fell down the throat. But I didn't lose my head. I swung my blade around, and buried it into the side of the throat. The silver energy of the Holy Spirit shot out from the sword, gluing the sword into the flesh, and burning the creature's skin into place. The blade held fast, and I held tightly to the blade as I hung limply in air. But as for the Dragon, it shrieked and roared in pain at the multiple wounds which the energy of the Holy Spirit had wrought upon it. But now the blade which held that energy was fixed into the creature's flesh, and the Right Hand could not get it out. The sword flashed, and glowed as it sent an eternal stream of energy into the flesh of the demon, burning the creature on the inside. The Dragon thrashed its body violently, trying very hard to shake the sword out from its throat. I lost my grip on the sword hilt, and went plunging down towards the creature's stomach, looming dark and dreary below me.
"Noooo!" I shouted as I fell, I didn't want to die.
'You do not belong in the Abyss!' I heard the mighty voice of God shouting into my mind.
Suddenly I felt something catch me mid fall, and carry me up from the Pit. I looked down, and saw a mighty hand of pure light carrying me up.
'Your time is just beginning, and you do not belong in the Abyss!'
I looked down, and watched as the the Dragon thrashed its body about, trying to dislodge the sword from within its throat which burned it constantly with the energy of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly the ground fell away below it, and the Right Hand fell down a dark pit. It roared in spiritual anguish as it fell, screaming its desire not to fall into the Abyss below it. But it had chosen its fate, and the Dragon had been slain.
'The Dragon thought it was strong,' God whispered in my ear as he carried me up towards the light. 'But it was just as weak as any Fallen Angel. For when Angels fall they become Dragons. They look powerful and mighty, but they burn in the energy of the Holy Spirit. And you wielded that energy. Good job, my son. Good job.'
I felt my eyelids growing heavy as the fatigue from the battle took me. My eyes fell shut, my enemy dead, and I slipped into slumber.
'Rest now my son. For now, the evil has been defeated. Sleep my son. Sleep.'
"Zach! Zach!" My dream shattered, and I opened my eyes. I looked up into the beautiful blue eyes of Ann. We were in the Library, but now the lights were on, and it didn't look scary anymore.
"Hi Ann," I said groggily. "I defeated it. The monster now burns, and the town is safe. The town is safe..."
I was lying on the ground, and Ann was cradling my head in her lap.
"You look beautiful Ann," I said, smiling up at the Angel who looked down upon me. "Like the sun after a storm."
Ann smiled sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek, and she took my hand in hers.
"Zach," Ann said. "There's something that I've wanted to tell you ever since you almost died after fighting the Kappa."
"Yes Ann?" I said, looking up at her loving eyes.
"Zach," she said, stroking my hand with her other one. "I... I love you."
I smiled. "Really?"
"Always and forever," Ann smiled again. "I'll always love you Zach."
"Ann," I said, and then lowered my voice to a whisper. "I love you too."
Ann smiled, and sniffed as tears rolled down her cheek.
"Tell them that the Dragon has been slain," I said, before my vision darkened, and I slipped away.
"Zach?" Ann said, looking down at me. "Zach! Are you okay?"
'Sleep my son. You have done well.'
Not
over yet. Another chapter will follow, and then I will consider
this wonderful story completely wrapped up. What a wonderful
bittersweet tale. I'm sorry, I just loved writing this and all.
