The Generals' Retribution

Chapter 1

Altithronus sat
under the tree of life, contemplating the journey he had been through,
all the sights he had seen and the people he had met. He let out a
deep sigh and lay back his head into a comfy pillow of lush green
grass; The sun in paradise was different from that which could be
felt on earth – it radiated a peaceful, almost loving warmth which
made him breathe deep again once more. He remembered a distant
memory and the feeling he felt in the desert on earth while looking
at the sun, back then he thought, that the God given sun to man, with
Its light of life energy could be corrupted and used to destroy
mankind.

“What was I
thinking, to be so arrogant and power hungry, just so I could have my
dominion on earth and defy a God I thought that had abandoned me.”
He dispelled any negative thoughts from his mind of what once was and let
his mind to drift back to Mary, whom he had to leave behind on earth.
What would she be doing? Has she found anyone else, or is she still
thinking of him? If only I could see her, or at least the Most High
would permit him to view what is going on on earth.

Altithronus knew
that the Most High was the only one who could have such a privilege,
Admittedly, angels were occasionally allowed to visit Earth in human form
In times of extreme need, like the announcement of a new saviour
like Jesus to the world, or to serve as a warning to Sodom and
Gomorah.

Angels were also
sometimes forced down in human form to learn a lesson in morals, not
only for themselves, but also as a moralistic lesson for mankind;
that very fate he suffered six years ago. After he had ascended back
into heaven, he still remembered his conversation with the Most High,
And the question was posed – had mankind finally learnt the error
of their ways?

And the Most
High’s response was, “That I am not sure of because of their free
will, but I am sure one day you might have to answer another call.”
With the Most High’s voice and words ringing in his ears, he slowly
drifted off into a sleep, wondering when that call might be, little
Did he realize that it was going to be sooner than he thought?

Mary was lying
under her own tree in a meadow close to where she lived. She had
prepared herself a picnic, and it was neatly laid out in front of her.
It had not been touched apart from the occasional, opportunistic ant
scouting around for the odd crumb or two. Her head was resting on a
cushion she had taken from the house, and she was daydreaming.

It had been six
years since her first encounter with Altithronus; she smiled at the
privileged thought of being the only one on the planet who knew
Lucifer’s new name, and she was proud that she had kept it secret
until a time of need.

In her hand, she
held a piece of black cloth, which she occasionally held to her nose
to smell the scent of its previous owner. Her mind flashed back six
years ago to when Altithronus was in the garden on the grass rolling
about in pain. She remembered hearing his roars and screams and the
vivid colours emanating all around him. She almost cried when her
thoughts deepened and she remembered the moment when she witnessed his
wings finally freeing themselves of his mortal body and tearing
through his black coat, part of which she was now holding to her
nose. She had retrieved it from the ground after he had taken flight
to meet with his destiny and kept it on her person every day since.

Mary’s thoughts
were disturbed by two rabbits frantically running and jumping in the
long grass in front of her. As she watched, they both stopped for a
while and touched noses in an almost affectionate manner.

“Oh,” she
thought I would give anything just to have any form of physical
contact with Altithronus again, just to hold his hand or to look into
his eyes. The rabbits noticed Mary was sitting up and abruptly ran
off when Mary sighed and threw her head back into the pillow on the
ground. Her feelings for Altithronus had never changed or faded; she
had remained single and was definitely not interested in anyone else,
because no one else could come close to what she felt for what she
considered her first and only love. As she closed her eyes and let
herself drift off into a gentle slumber, her closing thoughts were of
seeing him again, maybe, “and God willing”, she said quietly under
her breath, “I will see him again.”

The Most High was
watching events unfolding beneath on earth, and the event that was of
particular interest was the digging and excavating being carried out.
It had begun six years ago in the desert, and the person in charge
had a defiant look on his face. A look of concern made its way
across the Most High’s face. “He is very determined, and his free
will is very strong,” the Most High thought.

General Silas was
ordering his men to keep digging for Altithronus’ sword -
Animositas. The Most High knew he was getting close and was
considering all options if the General was to succeed. The Most High
knew that no direct intervention was allowed against the General’s
free will to determine a positive outcome; so, for now, moments of
contemplation was called for, and in those moments of contemplation
every eventuality would have to be considered, even using someone
like a chess piece, someone who would be ready to answer a call
without questions or hesitation and with the utmost fidelity.

The Most High’s
gaze once again turned towards a close up of The General’s
face and in unison, The General lifted his head skyward, it was like
he knew someone was watching him. He scowled, and the look on his
face told a dangerous story, a story of retribution and of the
horrible things to come. The Most High waved a hand through the
clouds to vanish the vision and slowly reclined back into the
heavenly throne with the image of the General’s eyes burning deep
in the mind.

General Silus
waited for the shiver and tingling sensation that was running down
his spine to pass until he averted his gaze from the heavens. I know
you are watching me he thought, and I hope you are having some
concerns over my actions. He removed himself from his thoughts.

“This damn heat!” he bellowed out loud, as he started his descent into one of
the holes in the desert floor. A massive hole had been excavated, and
temporary steps made from old pieces of wood were set in the sand and
led all the way down into a dimly lit tunnel, where sounds echoed in
the distance of men working, their tools banging against a mixture of
sand and rock. Slowly and warily, he continued his descent. Men
stopped their work and saluted him as he passed, then frantically
continued their work.

It wasn’t long
before he reached the centre of the hole, where the stairway opened
up into a massive chamber where some men were digging on the floor
while others were on six different levels of the wall all around him,
it was like an enormous beehive and baskets attached to pullies with
ropes were suspended from the ceiling, going up and down to remove
the excess rock and sand through one of the holes in the roof of the
chamber. The sunlight from these holes made rays of light shine all
the way to the ground, illuminating tiny particles of dust and debris
floating all around.

The General
reached into his pocket and pulled out a sweaty handkerchief to wipe
the sweat from his neck, and to occasionally put over his mouth to
stop himself from breathing in some of the dust. Set in the centre of
the chamber was a makeshift tent, and the entrance was guarded by two
heavily armed soldiers, who stood aside and let the general in, and
repositioned themselves once the general had passed and entered.
Inside a man in uniform was slowly stooped over a table, studying
charts that were spread all over the table, noticing the general he
stood erect and saluted, “It’s OK, Mathias”, the general grunted
and waved a hand for him to release his salute.

“There is no
time for all that formality, especially when I need to find that
sword, talking of which, are we any closer?” The general sat and
reclined in an old dusty wooden chair, as a servant rushed
forward from a corner of the tent and poured him a vintage whiskey
accompanied with ice, then retired to his waiting position, if
needed.

“Well, General,
all I can say is that in six years, we have almost covered all the
ground in the area that was given to us; this chamber and one more
remain.” The general looked at the man in front of him, and he knew
that Mathias was a true follower of his cause, unwavering in his
fidelity and would do anything that was asked of him.

He had met
Mathias a year after the bombs had failed to destroy mankind, was
an expert in historical esoteric knowledge, as well as being one of
the world’s most acclaimed archaeologists. This, however, was a
façade, hiding a darker side, one that was intertwined in the occult
and satanic worship. He had cunningly and wittingly worked his way
into the lives of many rich, famous, and powerful people. Some of
these powerful people would commission Mathias to locate ancient
treasures and retrieve them by any means. If there was anything to
find, he was your man.

“Can I ask why
you are looking at me like that, General?” The question removed.
General from his focused gaze, to answer his friend. “It’s just
you remind me of the captain who was by my side when the false
prophecy happened.”

He stopped
talking and raised his glass for a top-up of whiskey, which was
promptly refilled. “My captain was a very loyal commanding officer
and totally dedicated to me, not only as a soldier but a friend too.”
Mathias interjected, “You often speak about him, General; he must
have been a good man in this life, and I expect he is now finally at
rest with his loved ones.” “Arrghh!” The General threw his
glass across the tent in a violent outburst, “When are we going to
find that damn sword!!” Matthias could see that the heat, whiskey, and talking about his friend were infuriating The General.

“Forgive me
General, but can I enquire again, how you came about this knowledge
of the Sword, and its capabilities? I feel thoughts and focus on
what is intended might speed up our investigations.” The General’s
demeanour calmed, as he re-focused and let his mind drift back to
when he was by his Captain’s side waiting for the end to come.

“I remember,
being next to my friend and watching the missiles flying over our
heads, they roared like lions ripping through the sky, with tails
like a fiery phoenix sending them on their way. The Captain and I
embraced and walked to a high sand dune where we prepared to meet the
end together. We waited in prayer for what seemed like an eternity.
I had taken a rug and was in a submissive prayer awaiting my destiny, and my friend was just sitting peacefully holding his beloved
photograph of his dead family, who he thought would soon be reunited
with.

After much
contemplation and prayer, the inevitable happened: a massive bang
ripped through the heavens, and a white light blinded us briefly. I
looked up at my friend, who was smiling with anticipation. It is time
, he said to me as he closed his eyes. The flames made their way
towards us, and we were prepared; then, for a moment that stood still
and would remain burned in my mind forever happened.

As the fiery sky
descended upon us, an angel appeared next to me and covered me with
its wings are protecting me from the flames now engulfing my friend. I
struggled and was unable to free myself from the feathery
constraints; all I could do was watch through a gap from some missing
feathers as the flames were extinguished by rain falling all around
and covering The Captain.

It was then that
he realized this was not the end of him and removed his gun from its
holster, took one more look at the photo, then put the gun against
the side of his head and pulled the trigger. I will never forget the
pink spray leaving the other side of his head, where blood and raid
came together. Lifelessly, his body slumped to the floor, and his gun
remained in his hand, smoke leaving the barrel and floating away into
nothing.”

The General broke
his narrative and signaled for his servant to retrieve the whiskey
glass and pour him another one. After a few sips, he continued.
“Once the rain had stopped, the angel that had held me tight
unfolded his wings. That’s when I realized how big he was, about
five times taller than I, with a wingspan to match. He told me
his name was Samuel and was the leader of fallen rebel angels.
Samuel had taken up the command since Lucifer had given up his post
and gone back to The Most High with his new enlightened name –
Altithronus.

He went on to
tell me the reason why he had covered me with his wings was because he
wanted to protect me from the cleansing flame that would have removed
any evil that remained in my heart and mind; he wanted a mortal human
to be in the “right” frame of mind, as he put it, to carry out his
great work. A mind that would be filled with anger after witnessing
what had come to pass. It was then that I realized that everything
that had been said to me was a deceitful lie. A lie that promised me
a position at the right-hand side of God, instead, all I got was the
‘reward’ of feeling abandoned and seeing my friend kill himself.”

“I asked him
whether I could trust what was being said and what he was telling me,
was it another lie? He explained why he would have any reason
to lie, because he wanted the same thing as I and that was to bring
about the destruction of The Most High.

He went on to say
that for too long now, he and his fellow fallen brethren have been
punished, and he wanted to return to heaven and take the fight to The
Most High. I asked him why he or any of the other angels could not
do this. He explained that because they all had been expelled from
heaven, they were not allowed to re-enter.

The only way they
could get back into heaven, was if a mortal human, with Lucifer’s
sword used its power to unlock the gateway into heaven. Only then
would we be able to raise an army and ascend into battle ready and
waiting for blood to fall from the skies.

I was given your
name and how to contact you and told that your fidelity would be
unquestionable. Samuel then gave me that scroll which you have on
the table in front of you, and informed me that if I bring that scroll
and you together, then the location of the sword will be found. Then,
before he left, he said that we would meet again when the time was
right. He then vanished into a dust cloud, which uncovered my
Captain’s photo that had been lying on the floor next to his dead
body.

I buried him with
a heavy heart, where we stood, and kept the photo for something to
focus my anger and retribution on. So here we are on the penultimate
dig. How much longer do we have to spend in this hellhole?”

“Well, looking
at the ancient letters and symbols on this scroll, we have about a
day’s worth of digging left before we can go onto the last
excavation.”

“Another day!”
hell yelled. He raised his glass, ready to throw it across the tent
again. He stopped, because outside the tent he heard shouting.
“What’s going on?” he removed himself from his seat, and Mathias
followed him as they exited the tent. There was a man far on the
other side of the sandy cavern. “I’ve found something, over
here, quick, come over here.”

General Silas
looked at Mathias with a new hope and quickly made his way toward the
man shouting in the distance. “Well, General, it looks as if our
time and patience might have paid off.” “Might!” said the
General, “it will pay off, come let’s head towards our destiny
and the beginning of a new end.”