Chapter notes Book 3 Mural template.
Lucifer led him down the long arching corridors. Azriel felt the eyes of the others transfixed on him as they walked. A tinge of discomfort pushed from the bowels of his stomach, working it’s way up into his throat as they walked the endless corridors of heaven. Azriel kept his head down as if trying to avoid any unwarranted conflict. Finally they came upon the grand hall. A place that he had never once dared to enter yet always heard stories about. This was the meeting hall for the Earthbound, Angels that left the sanctum of heaven for the world of men, to observe and to guide the fledgling race. But as Lucifer pulled aside the entryway, Azriel faced something that far surpassed what he ever could have imagined.
An anamorphic mural covered the entire ceiling and much of the wall of this large room. Small figments of the mural swirled endlessly and blended, multiplying and fading. Lucifer seemed to have sensed Azriel’s astonishment and looked up as well yet said nothing. He continued to walk for a time, finally stopping and looking back over his shoulder to where Azriel sat watching the murals, softly urging him to move on. Azriel watched as the figures formed faces, so many different shapes and colors all in various forms of emotion. Lucifer kept his eyes forward and stayed quiet until they came to a wall on the far side of the room. He walked slowly to Azriel’s side and then looked back to the mural which now showed many points of light amidst the swirling forms.
“What is this?” Azriel asked as his curiosity began to get the better of him. The urge to reach out and touch the moving wall swelled dangerously close behind. Lucifer stood quietly for a moment with his eyes searching through the images that came and went. “What do you think that it is Azriel?” Azriel glanced to Lucifer but he was still looking ahead, his eyes darting from image to image. Azriel tried to form a thought of what this could be but he just couldn’t make sense of it. “Umm… I don’t know.” Lucifer looked over and smiled. “Don’t strain yourself too much over it. To tell you the truth, I don’t know exactly myself. The only way that I think that I could help you better understand is by giving you my opinion of what I think it is and that by no means can stand alone as truth.” Azriel felt a bit confused by the declaration and blurted out his next question before he could stop himself. “What do you think that it is?” Lucifer’s face went cold, but quickly regained it’s normal composure. He almost smiled as he looked back at Azriel. “I forget how much we are alike at times.”
“This mural was created before the humans came to be. It appeared in our hall one day and began to show many of us images of things to come.” Azriel held his excitement to a minimum at the declaration. “So it can tell the future?” Lucifer laughed, A light sweeping laugh that made even the lights within the room burn twice as bright. “Yes and no. We can see the lives of countless individuals, study every move that is made, and yet, we cannot know of our own destiny. I have… Tried to find myself many times during my time in this room but have yielded no such answer. Only the mist remains.” Azriel looked around turning a complete three-sixty before shrugging, showing that he had not understood all of what was said. “So…We can’t find ourselves on this?” Lucifer looked over and nodded. “You can find your place on the wall if you choose to look but you will not be able to see anything but a blurred mist. Honestly, and please do not tell anyone what I am about to tell you but… Sometimes I think that perhaps we are simply not on it. That the mist covers all of us and that it only exists to trick us into believing that we have a future.” Azriel felt an odd sensation at the thought. The muscles of Lucifer’s jaw clenched as he continued to stare off into the swirling mass. Azriel turned back toward the mural and concentrated on finding himself.
Images began to swirl around violently, Lucifer raised an eyebrow and stepped closer and watched the forms begin to take shape. Forming a young feminine being that quickly dissolved away into a gray blur, as if that part of the picture wasn’t there. He looked back up to where Lucifer was standing looking almost surprised. “Do you know who that was?” Lucifer nodded. “Azriel, You have taught me something today.” Azriel’s head swam from the words that filled him with pride but felt a bit confused nonetheless. “Perhaps we cannot see ourselves because we are not allowed to change our own fates, and perhaps the reason I cannot see you is for the fact that you are somehow connected to my own. If we were to know the fates of those closest to us then it would impact our own choices, changing our own fate in the process. I think that’s why he did it.” Azriel ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head. “You lost me.” Lucifer smiled and began to walk back towards the entryway with Azriel close behind. “Our Father keeps many secrets Azriel, I think that if given my existence to try and find them all I would still run out of time.” He smiled as he passed by some Angels that were entering the room. When they were out of range Azriel walked a bit closer and whispered. “Can I ask you about…” “Our Father?” Lucifer cut him off and stopped in his tracks. Azriel came to a sudden halt, almost stepping down on Lucifer’s foot. Azriel hesitated to make eye contact with Lucifer. Even now his presence was almost too hard to stand and all too impossible to ignore. “What would you like to know?” Azriel knew it was a loaded question, there were too many questions and not enough time to ask them all in the limited time he was given. “Will I ever meet him?” Lucifer looked down and thought for a moment. “I believe that under the right circumstances that you may. But that is nothing to worry about for now. Most of us do not get the honor of being at his side.” Azriel sidestepped and redirected. “But… You have met him, you and Michael I mean?” Lucifer smiled. “Of course, As have many others that you have yet to meet.” Azriel felt the strange desire to just forget the question and walk off with it but knew that Lucifer wouldn’t allow it to be dropped so easily. “I..Just… What is he like?” Lucifer turned and looked straight into Azriel’s eyes. Lucifer’s iris’s burned like white hot flames that made him hard to look at directly. “He is our father, He is something more than you nor I could ever hope to aspire to. Even still, His love is absolute and I know for a fact that you are very important to him.” Azriel felt something within his heart warm at the thought and a euphoric daze encroached on his mind for a moment before he was pulled upright by Lucifer as his legs buckled. The newly arriving angels watched from their tables quietly but made no effort to move and dared not to speak. Lucifer pulled him to his feet and they left the room. He checked the halls to make sure that they were alone before he began again. “Azriel? Are you alright?” Azriel nodded, embarrassed at the fact that he was about to be carried out of the room.
“Do you want to know what I see when I go to him?” Azriel leaned up against the cool marble and nodded, eagerly awaiting an answer to unasked questions. “I see… sadness in his eyes. I feel that something has been happening recently that has changed my course. Perhaps I am being a fool, but I cannot deny that which I have seen, nor what I have felt. I just pray that it is not so.” Azriel stood straight and asked bluntly. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because it is like I have said. You are like me.”
© Ryan Smith 2012
Lucifer led him down the long arching corridors. Azriel felt the eyes of the others transfixed on him as they walked. A tinge of discomfort pushed from the bowels of his stomach, working it’s way up into his throat as they walked the endless corridors of heaven. Azriel kept his head down as if trying to avoid any unwarranted conflict. Finally they came upon the grand hall. A place that he had never once dared to enter yet always heard stories about. This was the meeting hall for the Earthbound, Angels that left the sanctum of heaven for the world of men, to observe and to guide the fledgling race. But as Lucifer pulled aside the entryway, Azriel faced something that far surpassed what he ever could have imagined.
An anamorphic mural covered the entire ceiling and much of the wall of this large room. Small figments of the mural swirled endlessly and blended, multiplying and fading. Lucifer seemed to have sensed Azriel’s astonishment and looked up as well yet said nothing. He continued to walk for a time, finally stopping and looking back over his shoulder to where Azriel sat watching the murals, softly urging him to move on. Azriel watched as the figures formed faces, so many different shapes and colors all in various forms of emotion. Lucifer kept his eyes forward and stayed quiet until they came to a wall on the far side of the room. He walked slowly to Azriel’s side and then looked back to the mural which now showed many points of light amidst the swirling forms.
“What is this?” Azriel asked as his curiosity began to get the better of him. The urge to reach out and touch the moving wall swelled dangerously close behind. Lucifer stood quietly for a moment with his eyes searching through the images that came and went. “What do you think that it is Azriel?” Azriel glanced to Lucifer but he was still looking ahead, his eyes darting from image to image. Azriel tried to form a thought of what this could be but he just couldn’t make sense of it. “Umm… I don’t know.” Lucifer looked over and smiled. “Don’t strain yourself too much over it. To tell you the truth, I don’t know exactly myself. The only way that I think that I could help you better understand is by giving you my opinion of what I think it is and that by no means can stand alone as truth.” Azriel felt a bit confused by the declaration and blurted out his next question before he could stop himself. “What do you think that it is?” Lucifer’s face went cold, but quickly regained it’s normal composure. He almost smiled as he looked back at Azriel. “I forget how much we are alike at times.”
“This mural was created before the humans came to be. It appeared in our hall one day and began to show many of us images of things to come.” Azriel held his excitement to a minimum at the declaration. “So it can tell the future?” Lucifer laughed, A light sweeping laugh that made even the lights within the room burn twice as bright. “Yes and no. We can see the lives of countless individuals, study every move that is made, and yet, we cannot know of our own destiny. I have… Tried to find myself many times during my time in this room but have yielded no such answer. Only the mist remains.” Azriel looked around turning a complete three-sixty before shrugging, showing that he had not understood all of what was said. “So…We can’t find ourselves on this?” Lucifer looked over and nodded. “You can find your place on the wall if you choose to look but you will not be able to see anything but a blurred mist. Honestly, and please do not tell anyone what I am about to tell you but… Sometimes I think that perhaps we are simply not on it. That the mist covers all of us and that it only exists to trick us into believing that we have a future.” Azriel felt an odd sensation at the thought. The muscles of Lucifer’s jaw clenched as he continued to stare off into the swirling mass. Azriel turned back toward the mural and concentrated on finding himself.
Images began to swirl around violently, Lucifer raised an eyebrow and stepped closer and watched the forms begin to take shape. Forming a young feminine being that quickly dissolved away into a gray blur, as if that part of the picture wasn’t there. He looked back up to where Lucifer was standing looking almost surprised. “Do you know who that was?” Lucifer nodded. “Azriel, You have taught me something today.” Azriel’s head swam from the words that filled him with pride but felt a bit confused nonetheless. “Perhaps we cannot see ourselves because we are not allowed to change our own fates, and perhaps the reason I cannot see you is for the fact that you are somehow connected to my own. If we were to know the fates of those closest to us then it would impact our own choices, changing our own fate in the process. I think that’s why he did it.” Azriel ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head. “You lost me.” Lucifer smiled and began to walk back towards the entryway with Azriel close behind. “Our Father keeps many secrets Azriel, I think that if given my existence to try and find them all I would still run out of time.” He smiled as he passed by some Angels that were entering the room. When they were out of range Azriel walked a bit closer and whispered. “Can I ask you about…” “Our Father?” Lucifer cut him off and stopped in his tracks. Azriel came to a sudden halt, almost stepping down on Lucifer’s foot. Azriel hesitated to make eye contact with Lucifer. Even now his presence was almost too hard to stand and all too impossible to ignore. “What would you like to know?” Azriel knew it was a loaded question, there were too many questions and not enough time to ask them all in the limited time he was given. “Will I ever meet him?” Lucifer looked down and thought for a moment. “I believe that under the right circumstances that you may. But that is nothing to worry about for now. Most of us do not get the honor of being at his side.” Azriel sidestepped and redirected. “But… You have met him, you and Michael I mean?” Lucifer smiled. “Of course, As have many others that you have yet to meet.” Azriel felt the strange desire to just forget the question and walk off with it but knew that Lucifer wouldn’t allow it to be dropped so easily. “I..Just… What is he like?” Lucifer turned and looked straight into Azriel’s eyes. Lucifer’s iris’s burned like white hot flames that made him hard to look at directly. “He is our father, He is something more than you nor I could ever hope to aspire to. Even still, His love is absolute and I know for a fact that you are very important to him.” Azriel felt something within his heart warm at the thought and a euphoric daze encroached on his mind for a moment before he was pulled upright by Lucifer as his legs buckled. The newly arriving angels watched from their tables quietly but made no effort to move and dared not to speak. Lucifer pulled him to his feet and they left the room. He checked the halls to make sure that they were alone before he began again. “Azriel? Are you alright?” Azriel nodded, embarrassed at the fact that he was about to be carried out of the room.
“Do you want to know what I see when I go to him?” Azriel leaned up against the cool marble and nodded, eagerly awaiting an answer to unasked questions. “I see… sadness in his eyes. I feel that something has been happening recently that has changed my course. Perhaps I am being a fool, but I cannot deny that which I have seen, nor what I have felt. I just pray that it is not so.” Azriel stood straight and asked bluntly. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because it is like I have said. You are like me.”
© Ryan Smith 2012