The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1) (12 page)

Impossible... Shaul thought as he fell down.

How could he, a servant of the Righteous Creator, lose to a demon?

Everything was so dark.

The demon had taken his eyes. The wound must have been deeper than that, because he lost all the strength in his body. Both his arms were now useless and there was no way for him to fight. His legs buckled.

Shaul tried to stand, but to no avail. His body would no longer respond.

Even in his defeat, Shaul thought about his soldiers. Without a leader and a second in command, his men would disperse in the face of the demon who defeated him. How could a demon defeat him? And how could a witch defeat his second in command?

The least that his soldiers could do was take the other three and bring them to judgement.

But it no longer mattered now.

Shaul suddenly felt peaceful.

In the darkness, Shaul saw something. He tried to reach for it. And it grew brighter and brighter. Then, he found himself in a different place.

He was a different person.

“Judas,” the man beside Shaul called.

No, he wasn't Shaul. He was someone else. Or rather, he still had the consciousness of Shaul, but he was in the body of another person named Judas.

They were walking by a wide river.

Shaul turned to the man, who looked back at him. The man's eyes were calm, collected, and filled with compassion. The man wore simple white robes, though the whiteness was marred by the dust and dirt of travel.

“Yes Master?” Shaul answered back, not in his own voice, but in the voice of the man called Judas. But there was something familiar about the man's voice. Then, he remembered. It was the voice of the man he had met earlier, in the prison. The one who claimed he was a lawyer. The same man who suddenly turned and became a demon.

The man who blinded him.

Judas Iscariot.

Yes, that was his name.

He remembered now. He was the one that had a bounty on his head. The Betrayer.

Shaul realized what was happening. He was receiving a glimpse of the memories of Judas. But how?

The other man, on the other hand... The man looked familiar, though he could not quite remember where he saw this man before.

“The world is consuming itself,” the Master said.

“What do you mean master?” Iscariot answered back.

“Look at this fly,” the Master said. “It will be eaten by a lizard. The lizard will then be eaten by a bird. The bird will then be eaten by a hawk. And the hawk will be eaten by the eagle. The eagle thinks it eats everything. The eagle is proud because it has dominion over all, but when it dies, it too will be eaten by worms.”

“The same with man,” the Master continued. “Men are consuming each other. And men are eating their cousins.”

“Where are we consuming each other Master?” Iscariot asked. “We are not killing each other and consuming each other. Why, that would be cannibalism! Where is this happening?”

The Master shook his head.

“Teach me then Master,” Iscariot replied.

“See the people enslaving one another,” the Master explained, “when you enslave, you consume the man's life, his hard work, his sweat, his tears, his blood so that your own will flourish. Is this not so?”

“It is as you say Master,” Iscariot responded, thoughtful.

“See the people burying others in debt,” the Master continued, “The poor become poorer and the debt is not forgiven. Instead the debt is passed on even to the next generation. Freedom is stolen from the future generations because of debt.”

Iscariot nodded.

“When we wage war against others,” the Master said, “we are consuming them. We kill the enemy, and take their cities, take their wealth, take their land from them. We take their future, and their next generations away so our own generations can prosper.”

“This is why we fight,” the Master said, “True Freedom can only be achieved if we put an end to this pattern of consuming one another. But we must never raise arms. No, violence will only lead to more violence.”

Iscariot turned to the Master once more, and the Master looked Iscariot straight in the eyes. Shaul too, who saw through Iscariot's eyes, saw the eyes of the Master.

These were the eyes of a man who walked the straight path, neither turning from the left nor to the right, but a man who walked in the middle. This man, this man was made of light. More memories about the man flooded him, through the memories of Judas. In fact, all of Judas's memories were now opened to Shaul.

Shaul suddenly realized where he had seen this man, and why he did not recognize the man in the first place. Shaul's own memories flooded him.

Grief filled Shaul's heart as recognition dawned on him. Tears filled his eyes. Terror shattered his bones.

The scene changed and he was taken on top of the hill where it all happened. Yet he was there not just as a viewer, he was there, in the body of Iscariot, nailed to the cross.

There were three of them.

On the left was Judas Iscariot, on the right, The Master, and on the other side of the Master was a thief that Judas knew as Ichab.

The Master's face was unrecognizable. He no longer had his compassionate eyes.

Why?

Because the Roman Inquisition had plucked those compassionate eyes out. The Master's entire face was puffed out from all the blows the Inquisition gave him.

Shaul's men, at Shaul's orders, had plucked the Master's eyes out. Those compassionate eyes. At
his
command. Shaul's vision became blurry. Then he realized they were not his tears, but Iscariot's. The Master's body stood helpless, impaled on the cross. His feet and his hands were impaled against the wood, raised up for all to see.

The skies above were growing darker and darker, and lighting flashed in all directions. But lighting also flashed not from the sky, but from the Master's body. Blue-white energy arced outward in all directions from the Master's form.

The Master was wailing in pain.

“Why...” the Master sobbed. “Why has this happened...”

The Master's body began to glow brighter, and streaks of power flashed, threatening to strike at the people watching beneath.

Underneath the Master's head, something pushed forth, breaking through the crown of thorns.

Two horns.

The horns began to protrude, gradually at first but faster and faster by the moment.

“I am the First to arrive and the Last to leave,” the Master's voice boomed, and the very Earth shook. “When all the angels left you, I stayed to take care of your ancestors. I watched over you, and this is how you repay me...”

As more lightning flashed, Shaul noticed his own face in the crowd.

At that time, Shaul the Persecutor was there among the crowd. At that time, Shaul wore a face of victory. But there was also fear in his face, for what he was seeing was not human.

“Master, master,” Iscariot called out.

“Who is it?” the Master answered, his voice filled with anguish. “Do not interrupt me, because I will destroy these evil people. The Creator in heaven has forsaken me, so I will destroy these evil people who have destroyed me.”

“Master,” Iscariot pleaded, “it is I, Judas, your friend, your brother. I am here with you. You are not alone. I too am crucified with you.”

“What trick of the demon is this?” the Master said, “everyone has betrayed me. Everyone has denied me. And now you give me false hope?”

“It is truly I, Master,” Iscariot answered, “I did not forsake you.”

The man on the other side also spoke, the one who was branded as a thief. “And it is also me Master,” the man that Shaul knew as Ichab spoke. The only reason Shaul knew the man's name was because Shaul had access to the memories of Judas.

“Ichab?” the Master called. “Ichab? Is that you?”

“Master,” Ichab the thief called, crying in pain, “you should save yourself Master. Leave me and Judas here. You have the power to save yourself at least, Master.”

“Ichab!” Iscariot said, “Do not say such a thing! This has to happen and you know it! We have to endure!”

“But Judas,” Ichab said, his eyes filled with tears, “I cannot stand watching our Master suffering like this.”

“Master,” Ichab called, “please remember us when we die?”

The Master was now calm. The two horns on the Master's head had stopped growing, though at this point, they had grown into two huge horns, like the horns of a ram.

No, like the horns of an ox.

The Master started laughing.

“Thank you Judas,” the Master said. “Thank you Ichab. I almost lost it there and succumbed to the temptation of destroying these people. But you have reminded me of what we are fighting for—True Freedom. It cannot be achieved through violence. However, it has to be paid in blood. My blood.”

“Do not fret,” the Master said, “neither of you will die, until all the prophecies are made true. You will be with me. And when I sit at the right hand of my father, you two will also sit beside me.”

“My body will die,” the Master said, “but my spirit will live on. And in my place, I will give you the Spirit of Truth. You, who have drunk from the cup of my blood, The Cup Of Life, now have my blood running in your veins.”

“Look for me in Sky Jerusalem,” the Master said. “Ask and it shall be revealed. Seek, and the road will be clear. Knock, and heaven's door will open.”

Then, the memories of Iscariot faded away from Shaul, and he returned to the darkness. He could hear the voices of his men around him. He felt his body being carried away to safety.

“Captain Shaul!” one of his men called.

Shaul groaned.

There was no longer any pain in his eyes. To his surprise, he could see a little, but it was still unclear. Hadn't his eyes been destroyed? Shaul tried moving his arms, and found that he could move them too.

“We will take care of you Captain Shaul,” another called.

“I am fine,” Captain Shaul said.

“What happened to the demon?” Shaul asked. “Did we catch the other three?”

“The demon who wounded you,” a soldier answered, hesitating, “I'm afraid he escaped.”

Shaul, for some reason, felt relieved at that news. He had a different understanding now about the entire situation. As they headed back to the camp, however, Shaul wondered how he should proceed from here on. He doubted if any of the others would understand what he was about to do.

“We sent some of our soldiers after him,” the soldier explained. “We may not be able to bring the demon down now, but if we follow him, we can keep sending reinforcements. Sooner or later our forces will overpower him.”

“No,” Shaul said firmly, “call all the men back. All of us will head to the camp.”

“But...” the soldier protested.

“We cannot lose any more men,” Shaul said, wondering how to explain it to the soldier without raising suspicions. “that demon is too strong for us to handle. We will need the help of the Black Guards to capture the demon.” Although Shaul had no plans to call the Black Guards, he hoped it would stop the soldier from asking more questions. “And besides, we have the demon's friends. The best way is not to chase it, but to let it come to us.”

Was that enough?

“I see,” the soldier said, “it is as you say, we will only lose more men and waste their lives. But if we let the demon come to us, we will be more prepared. Excellent choice Captain, I'm sorry for second guessing your plan.”

“Do not worry,” Captain Shaul said, “yours was a good plan, it will also work. But for now, we focus on regrouping. With the loss of our Vice-Captain, and with me out of commission, we need to restore proper order.”

“Yes sir!” the soldier said.

Captain Shaul let out a deep sigh of relief.

Shaul had not only seen a few scenes of memory of Iscariot and the Master, Shaul had seen
everything
. It was as if the entire life of Judas Iscariot and the Master was laid bare in front of him. From that, he realized it was he who had misjudged them.

All that he fought for, was wrong.

But it would take some time before the messengers would reach his soldiers, who were now chasing after Iscariot. Iscariot would have to find a way to escape by himself, or at least buy time until the soldiers stopped the pursuit.

In the meantime, how should he help the other three escape?

Judas shuddered.

Memories flooded him, but they were not his own memories. They were the memories of the man called Shaul the Persecutor.

He did not understand how it happened, or why, but it probably had something to do with the sword. Nacash, the Serpent Dragon, had mentioned that the sword was different, because when mixed with the blood of Judas, it became the Spirit of Truth. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Judas drank from the Cup, which contained the Master's own blood?

But the Spirit of Truth was not gentle.

Judas watched helplessly, as Shaul's own hands drove in nails which were more than a handspan long.

Judas listened, as Shaul spoke the final verdict, killing hundreds, no, thousands of those of followed his Master.

Families were torn apart, even the children, and the women, and the old, none were spared.

He heard Shaul's laugh of victory. The laugh of a madman. The laugh of a fanatic who only saw his own righteousness, but consumed the lives of others who did not believe the same way that he did.

Judas felt sick inside.

We need to go,
Nacash thought to him.
I am not certain what will happen if you continue to use the Spirit of Truth. Can your body handle it? Can your soul handle it? We need to escape while you still have strength.

There was nothing he could do for Arcana and Varak now. He could no longer fight. There were hundreds of the Inquisitors, and fighting their leader had taken all his strength.

Judas ran.

Many of the soldiers watched him go, but a few followed him. They did not seem to intend to fight him, but only to tail him.

I will give your legs a boost,
Nacash said,
it will last for a while, but if you slow down they will eventually catch up to you.

As he ran, he heard the screams of the innocent as they were tortured in his head. How pleasant those must have felt for Shaul the Persecutioner! The Inquisitor would spend long hours listening as his victims were tortured. And even after days of suffering, there would be no mercy. The voting would come, and Shaul, and the other officers would decide to end the lives of the innocent.

“We don't have time to decide who is right and who is wrong,” Shaul had said, “There are so many of them. Kill them all, and let the Creator decide who belongs to him and who doesn't.”

Judas felt fury, at the same time, he was crying for all the people who had suffered.

But strangely, Judas could not hate Shaul... Judas saw the entire life of Shaul, all his memories, from childhood to growing up, to the twisted man he had become now.

Judas cringed, at the society that failed to protect Shaul when he was a child. Judas wailed, as he saw the memory of Shaul's father and mother being taken away by soldiers, and as they were hacked to death in front of him, he saw the faces of their neighbors who did not stand up for them.

He saw Shaul's brothers and sisters, dying one by one, in hunger, in disease, and no one helping. What greater was evil was there than when society watched the children suffer, but society did nothing?

While Judas cried for Shaul's victims, Judas also cried for Shaul. Judas cried even for the society that had forsaken Shaul. What had society experience, that it had become what it was now?

It was painful, but Judas understood.

He was no longer Judas, but he had become Shaul, because he now possessed all the memories of Shaul, even Shaul's rationale, his thinking, his judgment, everything.

Judas cried as he ran.

Behind him, soldiers, and even villagers followed. The villagers had not seen the battle up close, so they did not have the same fear of him as the soldier's who saw him defeat their Captain did.

“Hey I recognize that man!” Another villager said. The man looked familiar, but Judas had met many people and couldn’t recall who this person was in particular. Judas pushed past the man and ran.

“That was Judas Iscariot, The Betrayer!” The villager yelled to the others. “There's a big bounty on his head!” More villagers came after him.

After what seemed like hours of running, he stopped, too tired to run. With the help of Nacash, he had outdistanced many of them. Judas decided this was a good place to rest. But before resting, he decided to do one last thing.

He went aside and dug the ground, using the tip of the sword to soften the soil. After a while of digging, he was satisfied, and put Arcana’s sacred knife there, then as an added measure, he took off the amulet that she gave him and put it there with the small blade. If his pursuers caught him, they might use the amulet to track her even if she managed to escape later.

The other plus of putting the amulet here, was that Arcana would be able to find the sacred blade even without Judas. If she could track the amulet, she will know where the sacred blade was hidden. He put some dirt on top of what he dug, stamped on it, and covered it with some dry leaves and branches. Then he did the same pattern around the area, so that it wouldn't appear too unnatural.

Then he walked a distance away, and found a spot to rest. As he sat down, the sword began to disintegrate. Though Judas felt too tired to even worry about it.

It was a cold night, and he had no fire or blankets to keep himself warm. Judas didn’t notice that he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up, he heard the distant sound of people talking over the hill. He needed to hide, and fast. As luck would have it, they had not seen him yet. He still had some time. He looked around for a place to hide, but he realized the trees were far apart.

Last night, while he was tired from running, he had not realized that the forest had grown sparse, and he was not thinking straight enough to find a good hiding place. He had assumed his pursuers were too far behind and had lost his trail. But of course, they would have trackers. While Judas slept, they kept looking for him, closing the distance.

He had to run! He heard his pursuers getting closer. He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled and barely held him up. He panicked. Then he noticed something on the ground.

Nacash?
Judas thought.
Where are you? I need your help!

But there was no answer. He tried peeling open his hand to let the golden scales come out from his wound, but the wound had closed. Had he used up all that power?

The sword he carried last night had also vanished, disintegrating in his own hands, leaving a black char-like substance behind.

He looked down on the ground, trying to pick up the black substance, hoping it would form into a sword once more. But there was nothing.

Then, just ahead of him, he noticed something.

It was a rope.