The thought of dying wasn’t anything new to me. Death had occupied my thoughts ever since I'd arrived in Limbo. I had shielded my mind from the realization of my own circumstances. I still refused to fully believe that I was dead. My life and my dreams had been turned upside down. All that I had done since my materialization in the afterlife was to fight for my own survival. This was not the afterlife that I had imagined.
I wanted to know how I had died? Why had I woken up bloody on the side of the road? What I was doing in the afterlife?
Surely this had to be a mistake; a cosmic accident of some sorts.
Having not come to grips with my own death I was suddenly faced with the death of an alter ego. Some kind of animus that existed in a different form. A version of me that lived in the kingdom of heaven.
Who was this person and was there any correlation between our two deaths?
I was curious to learn more about her, but also disturbed to unearth the truth.
“How did the Potentate die?” I asked Azazel.
“The Potentate died fighting in a great battle against a demon horde led by Bezelbub. She was fighting to recover the Light of Truth from being taken by demons. That’s when Thanatos the death horseman double-crossed her and killed her.”
“Did she suffer?”
“Yes.”
“What was her name?”
“Solomé… Solomé Ansiel.”
I remembered what the Red Rider, Letum, had told me when I had first met him. He mentioned that he was not like his brother and would never seek out my destruction. At the time I didn’t understand what he meant, but he must have been talking about his brother Thanatos. He must have known what his brother had done.
“Why did Thanatos destroy the other Potentate? Was she surprised by his actions?”
Azazel paused for a while. I realized then that he was saddened by the loss of his leader.
“The Potentate and all the Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been confidants for eons. She was not expecting to be deceived by Thanatos.”
Again, he paused.
“I wasn’t expecting it either!” He admitted.
Our discussion seemed very poignant to Azazel. I wondered if he was more than just an acolyte to the Potentate Solomé. I didn’t know this celestial, but he seemed to have an empathy that was greater than any creature I’d met in Limbo. He was definitely affected by the death of his sovereign leader.
“I still don’t understand how I’m related to the other Potentate. I have no knowledge of her; I feel no inner connection to her.”
“This is because you are missing your token. All the knowledge of the wisps was taken from you!”
“Do you know who did this to me… to us… I mean?” I enquired.
“Perhaps, but I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the Potentate died I was forced to flee the battle. I narrowly escaped with my own existence intact. I was forced to leave the Light of Truth behind when I retreated. I know that the Potentate was slain by Thanatos, but I’m not certain if he was in league with the demons. The thought of a horseman of the apocalypse aligning with demons is absurd, but the possibility remains nonetheless.”
“So you think that Thanatos might have my token? That he might have schemed the death of Solomé to get his hands on that part of my soul?”
“I’m not sure Hannah. It is a possibility, but I do know one thing for certain; Thanatos wasn’t acting alone. He doesn't have the power to defeat the Potentate by himself.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“So when she died in Limbo I died in the earthly plane?”
“I’m not sure how it works,” Azazel said. “The secrets of the Potentate are known to only a few. I do not know how the passage of the Potentate works from one vessel to another.”
I heard some paper ruffling and looked down. The pages in the Tome of Uriel had switched over to my page near the beginning of the book.
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Name: Hannah Jones
Points: 10
Power: 1
Death Level: 1
Type: Wisp
Location: Limbo
PRNL (points to reach next level): 99
Items: Black Car, Lesser Gloves of Seir
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[Main Quests]
1. Ascend: Progress to the next level in the afterlife.
2. Recover Token: Find lost token in Limbo.
3. Tree of Life Fruit: Bring three fruit from the Tree of Life to the Oraculum.
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[Side Quests]
1. Release Trapped Spirit : Captain Douglas released from within the Sepulcher of the Red Rider of the Apocalypse. [COMPLETED]
2. Obtain Celestius Cornet: Obtain item from within the Fourth Sephulcher and return it to the Nexus (Gain 12 points).
3. Red Rider Sword: Steal the sword of the Red Rider of the Apocalypse. (Gain 21 points).
4. Recover Light of Truth: Return the ancient relic to the Glade of Solemnity. (Gain 39 points).
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I had earned more points by completing a quest when I rescued Captain Douglas. There was also a new side quest - recovering the Light of Truth. I realized that it must be an extremely difficult task as the points to complete the quest were very high. This was not something I had the power to pursue at the time.
“Azazel, what is the Light of Truth?”
“It’s a powerful ancient relic from the time of creation. The demons found its secret location in the Glade of Solemnity and took it to use in their war against the angels.”
“What does it do?”
“The relic fell out from the ethereal vortex long ago. It has the power to channel energy from the vortex. Solomé, the Potentate, believed that the demons wanted to use the Light of Truth as a weapon to defeat the angels.”
“Why was Thanatos, the death horseman, involved in retrieving the Light of Truth?”
“Solomé had sought his help to retrieve the relic from Beelzebub.”
There was a stir of commotion below my cage as another drude arrived. The creature came to relieve the sentry that was watching my cage. I quietly watched the drudes for a few minutes till one of them departed, leaving only a single drude once again.
“We need to get you out of this cage!” Azazel said.
“How do you propose to do that? There’s no door on this enclosure.”
“Your prison is protected by demonic runes. They are meant to ward away any angel or celestial from using their power to escape. The cage was originally built for an angelic titan.”
What the hell is that... a massive monster?
I looked at the runes in more detail as Azazel explained their purpose. Some of the markings looked very strange. They were made of different lumps and shapes. When I looked at the markings individually they were innocuous, but as a whole they gave off an evil aura.
“Are you able to bypass the runes?” I asked.
“Yes. The benefit of being a half breed is that I possess both demonic and angelic powers. I can teleport you out of the cage.”
I thought about Captain Douglas and my Plymouth Satellite… I couldn’t leave either of them behind. Azazel would need to help me rescue my Alsatian friend.
“What about my canine friend? There’s also my car hanging from chains near where you’re hiding.”
Azazel paused as I sensed he was slightly taken aback by my request.
“This lost spirit belongs to you Hannah?”
“He is a friend. I promised to help him and he needs to come with me.”
“Then I will also teleport him out to safety. I have a plan for your vehicle too. The car has your signature on it.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Nothing, I will free you momentarily.”
Twilight blanketed the area in a deep somber grayness. I couldn’t tell if this was due to Azazel, but I assumed that it must be. Shadows quickly blended in with the gloomy darkness and everything in the distance faded from view. My vision of the landscape was cloaked.
I felt a tingling sensation deep inside and I realized that my body was being energized. The power that flowed through me felt like I was being charged by battery. The sensation of this force was familiar to me. It flowed through my nervous system from head to toe.
I looked at my hand and it became translucent. Looking down at Captain Douglas I noticed that he was also vanishing. The iron cage was noticeable through my body as I slipped away from reality.
I became like the wind.
Floating on a sea of energy I slipped through the cage. Nothing could stop me. I recognized the power that was in me; it was the energy from the ethereal vortex. It was unmistakable.
I glided down from my hanging prison, past the molten pool of lava, and settled beside my car. My vehicle was also on the ground and no longer hanging in chains. When I looked back I saw Captain Douglas levitate down to the ground beside me.
Azazel had teleported us.
The sensation of the ethereal energy faded and my physical form reverted back to normal. Whatever normal was for the afterlife.
Azazel stepped out of his place of hiding place and smiled at me.
"Ok, I'm free, Thanks! How do we get out of here without being noticed?" I whispered.