Whack. Whack. Whack.
Brother Ezekiel thrust the barbed whip into his naked back. Again, and again, and again. With each strike, more of his corrupted flesh ripped free. The slickness ran down his torso before long, and the scent of blood filled the air. His muscles began to slacken as the exercise dragged.
But still, Ezekiel did not relent. His body was a mere shell that Sin had claimed when the Beholding began. The Mark of the Beast defiled his fragile coil. It did not matter what happened to this chassis next. Only his soul remained free. That was God’s gift to him. Where the Devil had captured so many others, God had chosen Ezekiel to enact His will. In these final hours of revelations, so many precious few were still able to do so.
And yet, he had failed in his duty. Under His orders. Could that really go without punishment?
Whack. Whack. Whack.
Finally, Ezekiel went to raise the whip, only to realize that he could no longer. The nerves in his back had become torn after so much repentance. He would not be able to leave this spot without assistance now.
That suited him just fine. While many of his Brothers and Sisters meditated in the light of the Lord together, Ezekiel always chose to rediscover his humility in solitude. This act was as personal as it was spiritual, and the conversations occurring here were between him and God and no one else.
Ezekiel leaned back, allowing the light of the sun to pass through his exposed flesh. Why had He given them such a difficult trial? To have faced the countermeasures in the bunker was expected on its own. From what Brother Russell explained, the heretics before them had fallen against those traps, so Ezekiel performed his due diligence to approach each device with a measured resolve. The Lord had guided his hand throughout, and in the end, only a few Inquisitors were lost.
But no one had foreseen the baby. As Brother Aaron pointed out, the text was clear, and the Word came from Father Abraham himself. God would return when His untainted vessel was found again on this earth, and He would destroy all the sinners and heretics by pouring His seven bowls of judgment. He, not She. How would He bring them salvation as a her?
Speak to me, my Lord. There had to be something they were missing. That Father Abraham himself had not seen. As difficult as it was to fathom, there could be no other way. Ezekiel closed his eyes and embraced the light with all his fiber, hoping beyond hope that He would clear his mind and guide the path forward.
It was all for naught. Ezekiel was an Inquisitor. His duty was to do as the Lord commanded, not to understand His wisdom. That role belonged to Father Abraham alone, with the Friars acting as His extension.
Brother Ezekiel needed to remember his place. His mind was one not built for interpretation. It was his body that remained strong. Even when weakened by repentance, it would be blessed back to restoration within the day, so long as he trusted in God’s power.
Ezekiel’s heart grew to ease as the light continued to pass through him. He need not question the path forward.
He need only follow it.
* * *
“Brothers and Sisters,” Father Abraham began, his voice thin and melancholy behind the lectern. “you all know the cost our pilgrimage has imposed. Just as the Israelites during their exodus, so too has our faith been tested by God on this journey, and though new members have been baptized in the name of the Lord along the way, let us not forget those who have been lost…” He began to list the names off, one after the next.
Their entire congregation had shown up to the tabernacle for this sermon, with the majority huddled inside while others clungnear the edge where the sconces burned bright. Brother Ezekiel leaned against a pillar from the rear, his head easily towering over the others, even as he struggled to stay standing. His body still recovered from repentance, but he wished to watch the crowd anyway. Sin often manifested strongest in those who deviated during these sermons, so he would habitually study the crowd when able. It never hurt to be prepared for anInquisition.
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Today was a blessed day, however. A sheet of uniform white bodies remained fixed throughout the tabernacle, their heads bowed and hands clasped in prayer as they listened to every word spoken to them. It warmed Ezekiel’s heart.
When those blessed sacrificed were honored, Father Abraham pivoted to the Holy Word and the lessons it provided. He spoke of Job and his trials when his faith was tested. He spoke of David and the torment he suffered at the hands of King Saul. He spoke of Moses and the travels his people underwent. He spoke of his own namesake, Abraham, and the covenant the Lord had formed with him. Father Abraham’s voice flowed through the crowd like honey, warm and sweet, as he demonstrated the benevolence of God.
Then his tone turned darker, and he spoke of those who had been punished for turning from His light. He spoke of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace. He spoke of Lot’s wife and the fate she suffered for disobeying the Lord. He spoke of Herod and how his hubris led to his demise. Finally, he spoke of the Beholding itself and how God destroyed the world of man for their many sins. It was not long before the congregation quaked in fear. Ezekiel grimaced as the weight of Abraham’s words settled into his mind. How easy it was to forget the blessings bestowed upon them in these dark times.
Dusk began to settle when Father Abraham reached this apex, the shadows stretching wide along his face.
“…So it is that we find ourselves tested yet again,” he continued. “As some of you have no doubt heard, the Chosen One – a man by the name of Liam Fenix – was not alone.” He laughed. “Indeed, to put to rest the rumors that have no doubt spread, he indeed has both a wife and daughter. This contradicts the Word itself, as we were promised that God would come alone at the end of revelations. After the seven trumpets of pestilence forced us into our current forms, the Lord shall descend from the heavens and pour the seven bowls of judgment into the earth. He was to do this Himself.
“Clearly, this is not true as perceived, and I have led your beliefs astray. For this, I must humbly apologize to you all.”
The crowd began to murmur, and Ezekiel stiffened in place. Abraham’s faith might have been beyond question, but he often forgot that his Brothers and Sisters were more fallible. When was the last time that he admitted to wrongness?
“But,” he said with a tone as sharp as a needle. “Upon further investigation, I have come to recognize that there was more truth than first imagined. Let us look at this man again, Liam Fenix. As I have said before, ‘Liam’ was derived from the name ‘Adam,’ the first man, formed in God’s image. What we have since learned is that his woman is named ‘Evelyn.’” He grinned wide. “I need not remind you all where her name came from.”
The words took hold, dropping the jaws of the congregants in waves. The air caught in Ezekiel’s throat as the revelation formed in his own mind. He had reported this fact himself, yet he had been blind to this truth!
Father Abraham beamed, his zeal rising. “So you see, Brothers and Sisters, God speaks to us even more powerfully than before! I was a fool for assuming the Lord would ever be so simple in His path.” He laughed. “Why, He even sent His very own Adam and Eve to act as His caregiver. Isn’t that just amazing? I have since amended the Holy Word to accommodate this truth, now that the Lord has lifted the fog clouding my eyes.”
The crowd gawked, his words ringing out.
“Behold, my children!” Abraham roared, pounding the lectern. “Don’t you see His brilliance? Behold! Just as the Chosen One once formed in the womb of Mary through an immaculate conception, so too has He come to us again under those same terms. Behold! It is not the man we must seek, and it never was. Behold! It is the child. Only through Her will we find salvation! Behold!”
An energy swept through the tabernacle, the Lord’s power flowing through the crowd. Some shouted praise for the wisdom the Father shared, while others merely ululated without words. That Abraham had made his first amendment to the Holy Word in years mattered little. God would not have forced this change were it not true!
“Behold!” Abraham shouted, with the congregation echoing in answer. “Behold! Behold! Behold!”
This was the true reason for why they were here. Just as Satan claimed the souls of the endless sinners of man and Marked them as such, the Beholders had been saved to witness His divine strength. But that alone could not be enough. Such was the era of the Beholding – the final battle between the Lord and Satan – and Ezekiel, along with the rest of their congregation, had been anointed to not merely observe this fight but to engage with it themselves. That was the true, righteous path.
They would find Leah Fenix, just as God willed!