“Am I dead?” Lucian thought to himself as he came through. High up above was a blindingly pure white expanse of clear emptiness. He wondered when exactly he was in the past? And if he was too late to change anything!
Freezing in place, Lucian furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. Where exactly did those thoughts come from? They were clearly not his, and made no sense at all…
His introspection was interpreted as voices came from everywhere, some familiar to him and others foreign.
“Kono basho wa doko ni aru?” he heard a voice say in Japanese.
“Yarham Allah!” another person shouted in Arabic.
“What’s going on?” he heard someone say in English.
“Das ist nicht lustig.” another speaker cry out in German.
“Blyad'! eto ne smeshno!” exclaimed someone next to him in Russian.
Lucian rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping across the strange landscape that surrounded him. The expanse of white sky above seemed to stretch into infinity, casting an otherworldly glow down below onto them. Beneath his feet, the floor felt fragile and translucent as delicate glass, yet it held him up.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/3e9f3270-14a6-47f4-80e8-9dee7bb835f5/d9fgvi7-6740afbe-6c76-44b8-a5e4-7a0379bd65c6.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/helix4_0_memory_corridor___helix_white_room_by_brabrabra2_d9fgvi7-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTA4MCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzNlOWYzMjcwLTE0YTYtNDdmNC04MGU4LTlkZWU3YmI4MzVmNVwvZDlmZ3ZpNy02NzQwYWZiZS02Yzc2LTQ0YjgtYTVlNC03YTAzNzliZDY1YzYuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTE5MjAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.aNTDKx9tk2oborkOQjGmIpB82S9Jv8w4l3BNTI2iiyM]
Taking in his surroundings in greater detail, Lucian was struck by the sheer scale of the place. There truly didn’t look to be an end in sight as it stretched out endlessly in all directions. And everywhere he looked, there were people, oh boy were their people.
A diverse tapestry of humanity from every walk of life and occupation filled the endless expanse; whether it be businessmen, college girls, monks, chefs, construction workers, nurses, farmers, and it just went on.
Then it dawned on him all at once that this had to be the last remnants of humanity converged upon this ethereal plane, a congregation of people beyond all comprehension.
Lucian couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around the magnitude of this, and it left him wondering who exactly could even orchestrate something on such a grand scale that went beyond any normal means?!
As he grappled with the enormity of this situation, a commanding imperious voice called out, its harsh tone echoing across the vast white landscape.
“SILENCE!”
Turning around in unison everyone faced the speaker who materialized from nowhere, and it took a while for Lucian’s mind to process what he was seeing.
Before them hovered a being of ethereal brilliance, its metallic-grey form radiating a captivating luminosity that commanded reverence and awe. The entity was as vast as a mountain with Lucian only able to take in a portion of its colossal size.
Countless giant wings sprouted out from its body like a grand tapestry, wrapping around it like a second skin. On its feathers, there adorned a myriad of eyes that observed their every movement with unwavering scrutiny.
Atop its majestic frame shone a great radiant halo casting down divine light that illuminated everything like a beacon on top of a lighthouse. Amidst the bushel of wings, a visage of unearthly beauty peered out, captivating in its otherworldly allure.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Lucian was pretty sure he wasn't the only one goggling in amazement at what could only be described as a real-life, freaking angel! He blinked a couple of times, half expecting the apparition to vanish, but it remained suspended above them, a testament to the unfathomable depths he stepped into.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/69110319-ffd4-46b9-827d-7ab64c1c10d9/df5tmf6-4c7d41cc-babc-43f2-b617-05fe8ac37c0b.png/v1/fill/w_774,h_1032,q_70,strp/eldritch_biblical_angel__by_yukily544_df5tmf6-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDAwMCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzY5MTEwMzE5LWZmZDQtNDZiOS04MjdkLTdhYjY0YzFjMTBkOVwvZGY1dG1mNi00YzdkNDFjYy1iYWJjLTQzZjItYjYxNy0wNWZlOGFjMzdjMGIucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTMwMDAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.6nw0fvwsH6bVc9cezDGyRB-OmOKHNCq2hjg6zbcSkQM]
image [https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGrfamNppWaSYeFLYYvD46PaGoamMefMLq3vZ6Wxgxkz1WkIlG0dO2C1WXwH2XCaewXKw&usqp=CAU]
[A/N: Body and Head art]
"Good. Now that I have your attention, listen closely," the angel commanded, its voice resonating with harsh authority. "I shall speak but once, and you would do well to heed my words."
However, instead of obeying, a tumult of discordant noises erupted among the gathered throng. Some began to mutter in disbelief or continue to stare slap jaw like him, while others started raising a multitude of questions towards the angel, and some even began to fall to their knees in worship for what was an Angel, but a sign of a higher power.
It was a complete mad house!
‘Great,’ Lucian thought to himself after he got a hold of himself, it looked like at the end of the day the zealous priest on the radio turned out to be the correct one!
At any rate, as they soon all realized, their insubordination was a huge sacrilege. The incensed angel's voice rang out, "Didn't I say, QUIET!!!" The very voice of the angel seemed to carry some sort of strange, esoteric force that at first seemed harmless passed over them. But as they quickly realized, that was far from the truth!
Abruptly, random people in the crowd began to change, ballooning into grotesque, horrifying shapes that were plucked right out of some Lovecraftian nightmare. Before anyone could even process what was happening, the poor, unfortunate souls all exploded like ripe, juicy melons.
Blood, flesh, muscle, sinew, and bone fragments were hurled out everywhere, and something wet and coarse slid down Lucian's face as he was completely splattered in gore by a slender Indian man a few feet in front of him.
With robotic motions, Lucian reached out and wiped his face to try to see better, then grabbed hold of whatever was stuck to his forehead. When he did, he immediately regretted it as he stared down at the clump of hair in his hand while screams and wails started up all around him.
“Aah,” the angel sighed in exasperation, taking in the tiny humans making amok of everything. “Do you ever listen?” she asked no one in particular while rubbing her forehead in frustration.
With a careless gesture of her hand, a heavy, soul-crushing pressure descended upon everyone, freezing them all in place. It was as if a predator was standing right before them, ready to devour them whole in one single bite. Everyone's breath hitched in fear, and no one could even twitch a single muscle as they stood motionless in their spot.
"I do not know why we even have to waste our time on you insignificant creatures," the angel sneered down at them. "We all know that you will inevitably fail in the end. But who am I to get in the way of our Lord's grand master plan."
Turning back to look at them, all rigid and silent, the vain angel smiled, apparently finding amusement in their suffering. “Wonderful! I like it so much better when you're not chattering away like a bunch of monkeys. Allow me to cut to the chase.
First and foremost, I must welcome you all to what will be your new home for a very long time- the Ten Dimensions of the Tower! Your objective is simple: to reach the 10th floor and be welcomed into the pearly gates of heaven.
However, this will not be an easy feat. The journey to the top will be full of trials and challenges, and in all likelihood you will outright fail.” She said letting her words sink in before continuing.
"Now, let it not be said that your Lord and mine isn’t a benevolent master. Each and every one of you has been given the necessary tools to overcome these trials, in a form that even your tiny minds should be able to comprehend."
With a flick of her wrist that had nearly everyone flinching back in fear, a light show erupted all around them. On everyone’s chest, an iridescent light flickered to life. He too had his own little illumination which radiated a brilliant emerald green that seemed to shine brighter than all the rest.
"You may be wondering what I mean by 'tools,'" the angel continued. "To put it simply, you have been granted the potential to awaken your very own superpowers. This is the path of your race formed from your species' collective consciousness.
Now go forth and at the very least try to make this as entertaining as possible," she concluded with a bored tone as if she had given this speech countless times before.
“Off you go now,” she shooed them away as one by one they slowly began to disappear. “And don’t screw this up spectacularly!”