Chapter 1 – Genesis
In the Beginning there was void.
This void filled the entire universe, it’s vast countenance empty of all. The absolute and limitless void was the All, until a single spark of divinity was born of consciousness. Though the very spark was tiny and frail, it’s very existence in this great void shown through with such a great light that it awakened to the void, something that it had never beheld before. To mortals it would be the brilliance of a thousand suns shining brightly from the eye of a single needle. In the Void it was a great ember of substance where once there had been nothing. And then there was a God.
Our story takes place from the dawn of creation, the eve of the empire of humanity in a shimmer of God’s eye. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and a darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." With these words man has trusted in his faith for a thousand years yet still the secret remains hidden in the vast void of a heartless world. And so we set down for the first time to reveal our histories to the world. The creation is where we shall begin, so that the Creator may be known.
In the beginning was a society of heavenly hosts. Man has learned of them and called them Angels, Gods, Goddesses, and Deities. From whence time began there has always been one eternal being, a supreme ruler. This ruler has been known by man as the One, the true God, the All Knowing, Ala, and The Father. No mortal man has ever known where this ruler truly came from or when these beings came into existence. Their power over the universe was widely spread with each having a dominion over a single essence of the One Spirit. There were at this time five Greater Spirits. Mankind has referred to these spirits as Archangels. These Archangels were Gabriel, Michael, Auriel, Uriel, and Samael. Each was in command of a fifth of the remaining angels that took habit in the realm of the One. Each fifth of a nation was known as a Choir of Angels, being a legion unto each of the five. In Law, the obedience of each legion was first to God and second to those ancient of ancients who commanded them, however in practice they were under strict submission to the one that commanded them and rarely would they ever talk directly to God. So it was that the five Supreme Angels took direct command from God and passed down his authority to those below them. So it was. So it had been for an endless eon, and so did it change.
It was not within the conscious of an Angel to question the motifs of those that would be accountable for them. Each of the five great Choirs of Angels carried out commands without failure, without hesitation and without question. A Human must ask themselves, what kind of society would benefit such a mindless fellowship and what orders would have to be carried out if such a place did exist? It is not within the scope of this tome to neither explain nor even begin to shed light upon the mystery of these two questions yet it is key to understand that all Angels are free willed creatures and that the structure and validity of the universe as we know it today had depended upon their very existence.
As part of the divine plan that so many people of today try and comprehend, it came to pass that the One was to create a physical counterpart to the heavenly hosts that filled the ethereal vastness. The One, God, set forth to create a physical world that would be just as the heavens were but tangible and with substance. This world however would not be governed by the ruling bodies of the Archangels and the lesser angels, instead this world would be governed by a new being, a being of flesh formed from a part of the five essences of the primordial universe, the heavens. God had planned that this man would be the governor of the New World, and that no single Angel, lesser or greater unto God, would have dominion over him. Man would be both substantial and heavenly made but with a will of his own. Of the essence of the Earth he would mold and form Man, of the Essence of Water he would create a stream of sustenance within him. The essence of Air would sustain the living being, and the essence of fire would power this entity to do great things. From the essence of Spirit, ruled by Samael, God would breathe life into him.
And there was a great explosion in the vastness of the primordial void and a manifestation occurred in a part of the void that had not been there before. That substance was a void unto itself but unlike the void of the Eternal Heavens. With its expanse was born vast regions of space and time and it continued to ever increase in size. There was yet another explosion of light as time and space folded within itself and gave way to a vibration of forces that acted upon themselves and thus matter was formed until the entire void of space and vacuum was populated with the stars and the planets. And on these planets life was given, and strange new things walked the physical world that had until then only been in the spiritual expanse of the heavens, for every creature that should walk the earth was born of a heavenly host.
God reached into the essence of Earth and formed a mold of the physical man in the shape of himself. God then took of the essence of water and made a life sustaining liquid to sustain the earthen vessel. To sustain the liquid of life God took from the essence of Air so that it may breath in the spirit. To empower the spirit in the earthen vessel God took from the essence of Fire so that he may by invigorated with the will to create and do great things. To spark the vessel into life God took from the essence of spirit and touched it upon each of the other four essences, empowering them to work in harmony with each other and thus Man was born.
The key to creation is in the essence of the five elements, each having an Archangel that presides over them. The power of god to create man comes from the essence of Uriel. Through Uriel God is able to mold the Earth into a form that can maintain its shape and bend and move without crumbling into dirt. Through Gabriel, God is able to take the life giving waters of the new world and give nourishment and sustenance to the earth that is becoming man. With the help of Ariel, God may take the air of this new world and command it to give life to this new form, to carry itself within the waters of this form and within the heart of its vessel. With Michael’s help he is able to spark a fire deep within the creature to give it life and as long as this fire burns so shall the creature live. So with the help of the four primal elements of physical existence, God takes earth, it’s watery rivers, its vast atmosphere, and its fiery core to produce Man. His body of earth, his veins of blood coursing like rivers through his system, the air in his lungs and blood, and a fiery heart and brain to pulsate and keep him alive.
But what of mans free will? What of mans passions and desires? Of these things God required the help of Samael, Archangel of the Spirit. It was through Samael that mankind owes their biggest thanks, for without his help Man would have be a mindless drone, a creature born entirely of habit, instinct, and a dull repetitive drive to simply live without meaning.
It’s important to understand that humans have a need to believe that their creator is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful. Omnipotent. While it was that God had been omnipotent it could not be that he would remain as such. Omnipotence does bear the inexplicable price that unrestricted power provides and thus it was through the act of the initial creation that God had chosen five angels each to bear a single aspect of creation. Thus, it is the key that true creation of any physical life requires the use of the five elements working in delicate harmony with each other. Any one of those five left out and the creation is a failure or at least less than perfect.
It was not until after the creation that the Angels knew the true intent of God. Earth was meant to be a physical reflection of the nature of Heaven yet there was no God on Earth nor were there any Angels and thus Earth had no rulers other than Man and through what some angels considered trickery, Man was given free will.
Among the angels there grew an unrest that rose itself to a great turmoil within the heavens. A host of angels took offense that God would not lend to them the dominion they deserved over Man. And though their anger took shape in whispers, the silently passed animosity from a thousand angels rose swiftly into a roar calling for a leader to guide them in their cause.
Generally speaking, Angels look very much like Man, or perhaps it is more appropriate to claim that Man looks much like an Angel only in the flesh. There are of course a few minor differences. Angels are noncorporeal entities with the slight trick of appearing solid by all physical measure. They are often tall and slender and though their faces would appear to be carved by the very masters of the art one should not hastily assume that they are all beautiful in appearance. As one would also be hasty to assume that all Angels are of benevolent intent. Angels are merely Demons in service to their Lord, and Demons are merely Angels in league with theirs.
Samael was the Archangel of Spirit. The very nature of his being was brilliance, much like the brilliance of the first divine spark within the Void. His brilliance was in fact, just that. He was the first in a long line of creation and as the first, he was most closely linked to the One. When the first cup of God runneth over, he became the second cup, and in being so he himself felt nearly an equal to the One. He was the breath so that God may breath life into all that was New. Everything about Samael shined and pulsed with Life. His very hair flowed rhythmically at shoulder length. His light set brows arched stoically with electric blue eyes while his cheekbones were set in stark contrast, abruptly defined and well chiseled. Not a single bit of facial hair was chosen to exist on this fine creation. From his back arched a set of wings unparalleled in size and beauty, arching several feet above his head to just a foot from the base of his feet. Their length more than spanned the height of this magnificent creature, and at the tips of each feather shown a spark of light that shimmered and dusted the floor as he moved. His hands and arms were well defined and like his face they were free from hair and blemish. The best artisans had truly crafted this creature.
While Angels do possess free will, they choose not to indulge in it. Perhaps they choose by their own creation not to act upon that free will, but like mankind they do possess it. The idea of free will however is by many Angels a foreign concept. It is a feeling that had not been touched by any action of God or circumstance. It is such that happiness can exist within someone even if they themselves have never experienced it.
It was however, this circumstance that spiritually touched Samael and many other of his brethren into a force that had not been felt by their kind. It was this misunderstanding felt amongst them that quickly led them from confusion and fear to hatred and jealousy. Samael, Archangel of Spirit rose from the gathering, spread his mighty wings and quickly ascended to the throne of God.
In the creation of this New World, Samael had experienced that which he had never known before. His age was infinite and though he could scarcely recall a time in which he had not been, he knew he had never before felt this. It was an anger that darkened his Spirit at the thought of this new world. A darker feeling yet imposed upon him when he thought of Man. Within his mind he feared the thought that this enmity could overshadow him, darkening his beauty before all others. It was a similar feeling that burned within the spirit of the other angels and when they saw that Samael was rising to speak with God, they united under his wings and took to catch up with him at the seat of the Lord.
Samael landed upon the stone steps, raising his head from the sight below him to peer at the house of the Lord. The steps lead to a massive stone island suspended in the air between the lower parts of Heaven and it’s greatest reaches. Atop the island mighty columns raised endlessly into the heights, all of them carved directly from the stone that made this abode. Ten of them encircling a great and massive pool of shimmering water which reflected a column of light tearing through the clouds above. Between each column and the pool, in a smaller concentric, were ten great thrones, also carved from the same so that every piece of decoration, every embellishment was carved from one single mass of marbleized white stone. The steps, the columns, the thrones, and the pool were one entire piece. A slight mist gathered from the face of the water and poured over the edges of the mass lingering heavy in the air as it sought to find the surface below. Just above the water hovered a finely blue transparent glow resonating with the ebb of life.
Samael stretched his wings, the light from his feathers rolling off and into the depths like dew off the morning leaves. They fluttered once more as he took the first step toward the columns, toward the pool of water, toward the heart of God. Above, the clouds turned from their white glory to a gray billow and the thought that crossed the mind of Samael was that God already knew what would befall the kingdom of Heaven. He wondered that God already knew the consequence while Samael had yet to even formulate his inquiry or ponder his actions should his inquest turn to failure.
Samael approached the circular pool of water, facing the emanation that strobed before him. He bowed before the light and then took seat upon the throne nearest the steps, his back to the entrance of an otherwise exposed fortress. Behind him in the distance many angels appeared as shining points of light, as if the troublesome clouds had given birth to a legion of stars.
He looked upon the sphere of blue iridescence and masking the thoughts and feelings from his voice as much as he could, he asked the Lord if he might have entrance with him. A moment passed and the column of light from above quickly dimmed to extinction. The waters within the pool began to move, ebbing and flowing in a counterclockwise and then clockwise pattern. Each tide was countered by even more powerful ebbs until the swirling appeared to be a swift regression into itself, not unlike a whirlpool without a drain. The blue sphere appeared energized by the action of the water and began to expand and contract with the same virulence of the water, only expanding more after each constriction. It then lowered itself into the pool, submerging midway within the water and then expanding to fill the radius of the pool itself. The liquid came to a halt and stilled itself as if the body of water had never before been at such a violent motion. It then seeped from the edges of its containment only to crawl upon and over the surface of the sphere of light. Shimmering as quicksilver it engulfed the sphere. Once again the light from on high became visible and as if on command the sphere of water and light began to grow. Slowly, as it shimmered with the light from above, it began to engulf the isle within the heavens. As it crept in its expansion toward the thrones Samael felt the fear of God within his marrow. He had proceeded many courts within this house, and witnessed the enveloping admission of God just as many times but in this moment he held within him that which he had never held before. It began to swallow his feet and calves. Calmness began to take over the sensations of apprehension. Samael could feel the sensation drowning out the anger, anxiety, fear and jealousy from the feet and work itself up as the sphere quickly consumed the throne and the remainder of the suspended isle.
The anger, anxiety, fear and jealousy within Samael did not leave him, only the sensations. For this was the nature of the One, that no perception of feelings could exist within him so that it unblocks the way for clear and concise thought and purpose.
From within the sphere, Samael peered out beyond the transparent walls and looked out to the many angels that had surrounded the dwelling of the Lord. He saw them, hanging in the dark haze, motionless. The clouds themselves had been stopped of all motion and hung without effort. From within the globe that surrounded him he felt the passing of the moments but from beyond the veil time appeared to come to a standstill, all was frozen.
Samael spoke. "My Lord, we do not understand why you would not allow us action over this new being you have brought into the universe. Why may we not rule this new world that you have created. What have we done to betray your trust in us?" From deep within his spirit a voice rose out. It neither came from his own voice or from some exterior location; it had simply risen from his heart and into his mind.
"Man was created in our image, to serve as a physical microcosm of all that is here in heaven. He serves as a reflection of ourselves." Samael pondered a mere second and spoke aloud again.
"My King, if Man is merely a reflection of our own, and if he is but a microcosm of the heavens, then why not give to us a rightful government over his actions?" and the voice returned from within. "Man is a reflection of our kind, and though he is but a microcosm to this great world of ours, I might ask who might our rulers be? We have none, there is no thing that may hold jurisdiction over our actions and in that truth there shall be no thing to hold reign over Mankind. Man will account for his own actions just as we will account for ours."
Samael unable to find fault within these words paused again and thought a moment. Indeed, while in the trust of the Lord he might have thought for an eternity. "With Man, you have given to the angels something that has not been known to us before. We feel mixed and distraught. We are unsure of why you would create this creature and give him this glorious world to reign. We have been your servants from the dawn of creation. We have served, and reigned over all other species that you might entertain and yet this one you would not have us look after. This has caused…" and he paused again, searching himself for the words that had escaped or defied his grasp "…this has caused emotions, emotions of anger and envy. I know that you feel this from us, and yet you seem not to be concerned with us." Though Samael could not feel the anger within him, his voice began to rise. It grew stern and a coldness began to take shape within his words. "It is, My Lord, as if this animal has become your new obsession. You would leave us and our feelings alone for the sake of keeping this bestial creature free of our will! Be it some new strange and eccentric experiment but we would feel much better if you would leave us in some control and not as a passive observer, or am I to think that perhaps we are also part of this unique new game you wish to play?" The words echoed slightly, not because they were spoken aloud and within this domed enclosure but because they were spoken in anger and it gave Samael a chance to hear what he had uttered in contempt. The voice returned again, only not just from within, but from without as well. The very air seemed to speak back to Samael.
"Game? Experiment? Do you think that this is merely a toy I have created for my own amusement? Do you think that there is no plan to my actions? That they are merely playthings for the enjoyment of our own? If I do not give you power over them, it is because I deem it as such and I shall not have need to answer for it!" The words rang within Samael as he picked himself up out of the throne and approached the center of the sphere. Peering up and into the light that shined on from above, his wings unfolded, stretched and then arched. He lifted his open hands to his chest, palms facing him and flexed his fingers before pulling them into a fist and yelled. "Why do you abandon us? If you would forsake us then perhaps we should abandon thee!" And the Lord spoke, and again the words echoed within this hollow shell. "Then you shall go and find yourselves a new home. Your domain shall be in the fires of Gehenna whose flames will burn as bright as your lustful heart! You shall rule within the hollow earth as King of Gehenna. Yes, I will let you roam over this new world and have rule over it’s creatures but you shall not have command over Man for Man shall ever be his own ruler! You shall never find refuge within the heavens again. We shall turn from you at the gates and cast you back to your kingdom within the pit of fire."
Samael fell to his knees, his wings covering his face in shame. The watery shell poured to the floor while the vacuum within the globe quickly dispersed as it rose and contracted abruptly into the small sphere of illumination it had once been. The liquid retreated back to the pool, leaving Samael resting in the center. The emotional blackness of anger and aggression flooded back into Samael.
From the exterior of the suspended isle the entire transaction took but a brief moment, so that Samael had been seen sitting in the throne for one instant and then cowering in the center of the watery pool the next.
As the angels began to approach the precipice, Samael regained himself. He looked around at the approaching seraphs and flexed his wings. He then stretched his head to the heavens above and took flight straight into the light. He climbed faster and farther. He truly dared the heavens, breaking into the clouds above and as he did so his wings began to sting of pain. A blackening film began to cover the very tips of his feathers and the light, which had so beautifully fallen from the points, began to ignite. Flames started to consume his wings and with the consumption his impending flight had ceased. He had been halted, and shortly after he tumbled downward. Where brilliant dustings of light had trailed upwards with his flight, now could only be seen a trail of waxen smoke with his descent. In his fall, his essence of Spirit had left him only to be ignited by the flames of jealousy and deceit. As his body hurtled down through the heavens in confusion, he was able to see the forced departure of an entire legion, and then there was darkness.
He had been the first creation of God. He had been the finest messenger of the Spirits. He had helped to breathe life itself into existence. He had been the most beautiful angel, shining as a thousand suns and now there was only darkness.
He was no longer Samael for the divine spirit had left him. He had been cast down from the heavens to reign as King of Gahenna. He was Shaitan.