A desolate barn in a small town.

  Humble for a God. There were no lavish decorations or expensive warranties with his personal domain. His small town within Omalga— it housed him and the chosen ones: Xeras, Adeem and Samiel, each in their own respective homes which varied in such complexities.

  Xeras for example was housed in a tiny golden temple— shaped in a pyramid with an entrance paved with mud, whereas Adeem was placed inside a funhouse, glaring bright lights flickered but it didn’t disturb anyone.

  It couldn’t.

  Samiel was out of her— standing outside the door of her miniscule grey tent, staring up at the sky as they always do.

  Darkness in her pupils, the night sky enveloped the world— entirely. There was only one world, only one God on this planet— and only one belief.

  That, that same God is the one who will allow us to go to heaven.

  “It’s quite late outside, Samiel.” A voice called out from the barn, walking out was Ezekiel who was carrying a haystack. He set it down, feeding a pair of horses, smiling at her. “It’s beautiful up there, isn’t it?”

  “It really is.” She spoke softly, her eyes glimmering as she batted her eye away from Ezekiel and back to the sky, “It’s too—”

  “It’s divine.”

  “Divine?”

  “Yes. It is divine.”

  Samiel looked at Ezekiel.

  He was clutching his chest— dressed in his white robe, staring at the sky. His eyes spiralling, rapidly.

  “Samiel Guildford, I know what destiny awaits you.”

  “My Lord?”

  “You’ll split into two— in the worst event possible.” Ezekiel lifted his right hand up— opening up his index and middle finger, smiling. “However prior, you will birth the most despised group of individuals, after I split my power to you.”“Then you’ll understand the truth of the world.”

  “Truth of the world? My Lord, why are you speaking in such hymms?”

  “That everything is meaningless.”

  “Pardon?”

  Ezekiel snapped his neck, staring at Samiel— grinning.

  “There is no such thing as love. No such thing as a life— we all exist within ourseleves.”

  “My Lord, you taught us that we are all one in you— wouldn’t we all exist within ourselves by that logic?”

  “But what really am I? Look at the constellations.” Ezekiel snapped back to the sky— pointing at the stars that glimmered in a formation, Orion. “What would you call that group there.”

  “It is the hunter, Orion.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “But who taught you so? We have regained unnecessary knowledge of the past— which we shouldn’t of. We are mistakes.”

  “My Lord, don’t spea—”

  “I love my people. But you see clear contradictions, it’s why you’ll understand in twenty years.”

  “Twenty After Destruction?”

  “Yes. You’ll be granted my power soon but it won’t fuel your thirst— now you will then climb to reach enlightment. But fall as Icarus did once he hit his climax.”

  “My Lord— you are scaring me.”

  “Is the future so terrifying? You’ll understand everything— but the cost of that is apathy.”

  “Then if you understand everything, why aren’t you?” Samiel narrowed her eyes. “You love everyone equally, you love the world— the true God as you state that put you down as his anchor. You say that all.”

  Ezekiel quietly chuckled, turning to look at Samiel— the shape of his eyes completely forming into spirals as they hazed, “I don’t feel apathy…”

  “Because I’m God.”

  “When the world tells you to forget, resist. When your enemies urge surrender— rebel, in the name of your Lord.”

  Ezekiel was holding a sermon, the entire population once again there as the three chosen stood behind him holding a copy of their holy book.

  “What the true God spoke in the Relase means the truth. That the devil will tempt all of mankind, with riches— goods, fame or power. However to dispell such evil charges, you must put your faith within me. Don’t worship false Gods— false Idols, as the Ten Commandments states never do so. Remember, the point of our mortal lives is to dedicate such to God. Why else would we be created?”

  “A different reason.”

  A voice from the crowd spat as everyone else formed a circle around him— distancing itself from the gravely voice.

  It came from a man: his skin was scaly, deformed as his eyes sulked down his face. No hair, no eyebrows but he had thin dry lips and was wearing rags— dirty, soot covered rags.

  “May you speak your name?” Ezekiel spoke through the pulput, smiling.

  “Amarze.” He spit on the ground, wiping his saliva with his webbed feet.

  “Amarze Judae.”

  “Amarze Judae— what’s your occupation?”

  “I don’t got one. People hate me, so I just do the odd jobs so I can have some food while I sleep on the streets.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  “I know who you are Amarze Judae, you are a con-man. An individual that’s made their lifelong by scamming others.”

  “What’s the deal in that? It’s the true meaning of life?”

  “Elaborate.”

  “What else is there to this life— you think that we are born into suffering just for some imaginary plane above? How stupid is that, why would I comply against something I have no clear empircal evidence to view. Everyone’s out for themself anyway so the best bet is for us to live a life which benefits us and potentially people you care about.”

  “You are right.”

  “Huh?” Amarze’s white eyes glimmered.

  “You are right that you have no empircal evidence to test if Heaven or Hell exist— as I haven’t shown you. You are right when you say everyone’s out for themself and you are wholehartedly right to believe you should live a life which benefits yourself and the people you love.”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “The catch is that…. your belief is pointless.”

  “What are you on about?”

  “If you live solely for yourself then you are selfish. Nothing wrong with being selfish but only looking at your own ass only saves that— compare yourself to me. A God that decides to enlighten mortals, so we can all go to Heaven. Nothing wrong has ever came from my teachings so even with the slight possiblity I’m wrong— there’s no harm. But with you, if I’m right— then where does your philosphy lead you.”

  “Here you zealots go, always with this ultimatum— ‘if so and so is wrong then so and so, blah blah blah’. You can’t actually debate by your own merit— you must only utilise hypotheticals. You think you ain’t preach wrong shit? If we go by hypotheticals you probably got some guy with cancer killed because instead of going to the doctors— he decided to start praying like a dunce.”“In your attempt to speak for those people, you then insult. Why? Are you so fruitless with your own belief— that it’s pointless.”

  “Lord?” Xeras spoke out but was quickly shunned.

  “I know Amarze was a childhood friend of yours— I understand Xeras Timpleson, however please step down.” Ezekiel looked to the crowd.

  Their faces were screwed.

  “I apologise to my people for this interruption— Amarze, we can talk another time. But for now, please rest as like the Father.”

  “Tch.” Amarze spat on the floor, again, storming off— his feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  His feet slapping against the dirt.

  A bloodied sack flickered on his head.

  Nobody saw.

  But Ezekiel saw.

  “Amarze the Decimator.” He whispered.

  “Your fate is the saddest of them all.”

  Thank you for reaching the end of this chapter!

  A lot went down, and from here the story begins to accelerate even faster. Every character is being tested, and every decision is reshaping the world around them.

  If you have thoughts, theories, or reactions, I’d love to hear them, comments genuinely help the story grow. If you’re enjoying things, don’t forget to follow the series so you don’t miss upcoming updates.

  More chaos awaits next chapter, "Chapter 80: The Trinity".