Tim Marquitz - Echoes of the Past

Baalth waited a moment, as if letting me work it all out, before he continued. “Hasstor told you about the war?”

I nodded, but kept the part about the tome to myself. If Baalth didn’t know about it, it wouldn’t matter. If he did, he would understand why I kept it from him. If it was important to his plans, he’d bring it up.

“It would seem God’s other creations have been busy in His absence. They have grown and evolved far beyond what He believed they would. Worse still, they have become defiant, believing themselves masters rather than servants.”

A theme that is apparently rampant in every world. I bit my tongue to keep from illuminating the hypocrisy he’d so poetically stated.

“A number of universes have banded together and set out to conquer the rest, and ultimately, God himself.” He grinned at their audacity. “The most frightening aspect is that they may well succeed in their quest.”

“Is it possible?” Hearing it put so plainly scared me.

He nodded. “For all that He is capable of, God has spread his energy over His immeasurable lifespan, crafting universes again and again and again, expending the effort to maintain them. It’s quite an impressive feat. However, while still a power far beyond anything you or I could imagine, He has perhaps spread Himself too thin. Not content to create beings as simple as humans, God has crafted beings far closer to His image than any of us could hope to be. Given free will and the ability to evolve as a species, these creations have come unto their own as deities. This is what your uncle fights against.”

And here I was thinking I had it bad.

Baalth pointed to McConnell. “Though I am loath to torment such a faithful servant as Henry, the price of his resurrection was to sacrifice himself to the cause of defeating the enemies of God before they fall upon us and lay waste to our universe.”

That’s one hell of a trade. I felt sorry for McConnell, but maybe it was fate’s way of paying him back for all the wrong he’d done in his life; and then some. He was probably building up some serious supernatural karma, not that he’d ever get to spend it. “So, what does all this stuff do?” I gestured to the room and McConnell’s tank.

“It’s a portal to the universe where Lucifer now resides.”

I heard the words but they didn’t make sense. “It’s a what?”

“A dimensional rift, which leads directly to your uncle.” He ran his hand along the side of the tank. “It is kept available and shielded from detection by The Gray’s reserve energy. He is, in essence, the key to the portal. Henry holds it in stasis so its energy remains constant and off the radar of those who might be searching for such things, like your companions in DRAC.”

I didn’t bother to tell him I was on indefinite vacation and I didn’t know shit about what they were tracking. “So, it can’t be detected?”

“Only from within this room. I’m sure you felt its power when you walked inside.”

I nodded, but I still didn’t understand the purpose of a portal going to Lucifer when the bad guys were there waiting to come to Earth. “What’s the point of keeping it open? Aren’t you worried the aliens will use it to come here?”

“Not at all, as it isn’t actually open, just available should it be needed. The portal is connected to Lucifer and is carried on him at all times. It’s attenuated to allow no one else to use it. Were he to die, the portal link would shut down.”

I still didn’t understand. “Then why have it at all?”

“Because Asmoday had no idea what he was unleashing when he empowered Glorius.” Baalth clenched his fist and his power welled up. He stretched his arm toward the tank and let loose a burst of power that damn near singed the hair on my balls. The power swirled into the tank and disappeared. McConnell thrashed and I was glad I couldn’t see more than just his shadow reflected against the sides. After a moment, Baalth willed his power to settle and turned back to me. The Gray slowly settled. While Baalth didn’t look fresh, he looked like he’d taken a load off. “The soul transfer with Glorius not only gave me his powers, magnified beyond imagining, but it also passed along the mutated piece of his angelic existence, which absorbed all the power Asmoday fed him.”

Baalth strode slowly down the line of bodies set into the walls. I followed alongside, staring up at the people. I suddenly felt ill again.

Baalth turned his head to look at me, as though he could tell what I was feeling. “Do not worry your human sensibilities about them, Frank. They were dead before I brought them here. It is only the surge of magical energy through their bodies that gives them the semblance of life.”

That was something, at least. I nodded and asked him to continue telling me about Glorius.

He did. “Thanks to God’s plan that his Angelic Choir forever be empowered to defeat those who challenged him-little did we know why we would need such abilities-angels evolve as they absorb power through a soul transfer. The new energy level becomes the base level, their bodies adapting to maintain the balance. We demons had such useful talents removed from us at the Fall.” He chuckled to himself. “When I inherited Glorius’ power, increased beyond even what he could naturally handle, I also inherited the strange adaptation, but not in the way I would have preferred. Quite the opposite, in fact. Asmoday’s meddling had broken Glorius, forcing an even greater evolution upon the angel. So, rather than gaining the ability to normalize my power no matter its level, my magic constantly multiplies and grows, but I have no way to keep it contained.”

“So, sending the power into the tub helps relieve the pressure?”

“It also provides a pool of accessible energy to be used by God and Lucifer, which cannot be detected. The impact on the war effort is quite impressive. It allows them to open the portal from their end and draw upon a reserve of magic while their enemies weaken over the course of battles. It also serves as a bit of surprise boost when necessary, allowing them to catch their foes off guard.”

I pulled my gaze from Baalth and set it on the orb. My mind instantly started to wonder what answers I could get if I confronted Lucifer directly. “Could I use the portal to travel to my uncle?”

Baalth quickly waggled a finger. “You could, but you would not survive the trip. The gate is not intended for travel, only the transportation of energy. You would be broken down into your base components to become a part of the power flow.”

I felt a sudden headache coming on, my face flushing. So close to the truth and yet still so far. I growled and looked toward the door, suddenly wanting nothing more to do with Baalth or the politics of Hell. “I’m going home.” I waved and walked off.

Before I could get out of the room, Baalth called to me. “Lucifer asked about you.”

I didn’t believe him; wasn’t even sure I cared, but the words stopped me. I didn’t turn around, though, out of spite. I stood, staring at the door. “Then why didn’t he have Hasstor pass a message on?”

“For all the necessity of utilizing demons such as Hasstor, Lucifer does not trust them. He would not give them such a message for fear it be seen as weakness. Lucifer cares for you greatly, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.”

A sharp pain spiked behind my eyes, my stomach churning. I spun to glare at Baalth. “If he loved me so much, then why did he leave me behind? Why did he keep Arol’s power for himself when he sent me off to be his errand boy murderer?”

“Because you weren’t ready for it, Frank. It’s that simple.” Baalth sighed. “Lucifer hoped you would stand at his side and rule Hell in his stead, but you want nothing to do with it. You never did. Had he allowed you Arol’s power, you would have been seen as a threat to the Demonarch. You would have gotten yourself killed by those who opposed you taking power.”