Legends of Amacia Srandi: Last Bastion of the Caverias

Hannibal turned and looked directly into Draco’s eyes as he leaned down, staring deep into Hannibal’s eyes. “It was a demon I never wished to see again...ever, in this world or the next,” Hannibal declared sternly, “It was Surtur himself. He had invaded the Vendo’s city and was going into their most holy place...the temple where their ancient mummified dead lie at the gate to their abysmal underground realm.”

Silence fell over the entire audience, their horror and fear obvious. “Are you sure?” Aeolus asked bluntly. “The cursed fiend Surtur has not been seen physically since the end of the Battle of Drakonia.”

“No question in my mind at all; it was Surtur,” Hannibal replied emphatically in a frigid tone. “I’ve seen him in person a handful of times in my life, so I know his evil presence intimately. He literally exudes a uniquely vile dark, even cosmic maliciousness that makes the Black Prince look like an angel so there’s no mistaking his physical, spiritual, and telepathic imprint. I’ll swear on the throne of Heaven that it’s him.”

“This is very bad,” Assad declared ominously, “What happened next? What did he do? Did he see you?”

“Of course he saw me,” Hannibal growled menacingly. “Somehow, he sensed my approach and stopped, turning around and looking at me with great evil relish, knowing I could do nothing to stop him. So confident he was in his power that he boasted to me what he planned to do, and then dared me to stop him knowing I could do nothing against him.”

“What nefarious plot did he reveal to you?” Serge asked darkly. “The only reason he would dare invade the Vendo’s territory is to consume them to gain their life force, power, and knowledge. It is his way when he plans to unleash great destruction and evil in his Great Game. Apparently, he engages in such genocidal atrocities against intelligent entities just before he acts fatally against his primary opponents with overwhelming power. Such is what I learned from the other Kings who had previous experience with him...particularly the King of the Sands, who knows of Surtur’s past history, present activity, and hideous dark intents.”

“Is that so,” Hannibal replied grimly, learning something new about the cosmic abomination known as Surtur. “I didn’t know that, but what you just said is exactly what he told me. He bragged about going to the Abyss Gate beyond which the Vendo live, and consume their lives, knowledge, power, and world so he can gain sufficient power to get his final revenge on me for what I apparently did during the Battle of Drakonia. It seems his hatred and desire to kill me far exceeds even that of the Emperor, but presently he lacks to power to do it.”

“That’s not good at all,” Enoch growled darkly. “What happened next? Why didn’t you try to stop him?”

“Well, first off I found out almost instantly upon discovering where I was that I was literally a ghost in this nightmare with no true physical form,” Hannibal stated, “I couldn’t interact physically with anything, especially when I noticed my entire body was translucent. Then I confirmed it when my hand and arm passing through a solid pillar in the main upper chamber of the temple without touching it. I was literally a ghost in the wind. However, like other ghosts I have encountered in the past, I was able to communicate verbally with the fiendish shit. He seemed to know I was a ghost, which is why he seemed confident enough to boast what he was going to do. He was there to harvest the Vendo...their very lives, intelligence, energy, and knowledge, adding it to his own infernal power much like the Grimm do in order to gain revenge on me. When I realized what he meant to do, I despaired because he knew I was powerless to stop him due to my ghostly form. I cried to the Almighty to stop him since I literally could do nothing. That’s when the Almighty revealed to me why I was there as a ghostly avatar in His ever so unique manner of speaking to my very spirit and soul.” Again, Hannibal paused as a creepy wry smile slowly crept across his lips...a smile everyone noticed that gave those who saw it icy chills.

“What did the Almighty tell you?” Kusanagi asked with great interest in a hushed tone.

“He told me not to worry,” Hannibal answered soberly, “...that He’d already thwarted Surtur’s nefarious plot. All I was there to do is witness Surtur’s failure and spread the word of his failure to the rest of the multiverse. Surtur is not going to be allowed to interfere in what the Lord is doing here in Amacia...at least not until the Emperor is dealt with.”

“This is a very important development,” Draco stated with his scaly eyebrow ridge rising on his left eye. “Please, share everything you experienced with us and don’t hold anything back.”

“Yes,” Serge agreed, “Legends say Surtur was the one who turned the original Emperor to the Dark Powers and that he’s a dark entity unlike any that had been seen since the Days of Lord Grimm in the early 1st Age. Please tell us how the Almighty thwarted him.”

“Okay,” Hannibal answered soberly, “But I warn you all; it won’t be pleasant and will test your sanity as it did with me. Only the mercy of the Almighty kept my mind from melting into an insane sludge like what Tsasthoagguah’s toxin did to me. What I saw in this vision, this nightmare...whatever the hell it was has opened dark memories for me that I had mercifully forgotten when I dared to probe the secrets of the Vendo as an adept of the Dark Arts in my youth. Their city is maddeningly anomalous with deadly perils and hideous gates to places I’d rather not know about, but found out about the hard way. It has weak points in the space/time continuum in various places where contact with other dimensions and I believe other universes can be achieved, particularly to the Void. The most dangerous one lays deep within the main temple on that accursed endless stair going down to the Abyss Gate. I saw it then, as I saw it just now with this nightmarish vision.” This statement caused great dismay to cross the faces of everyone present.

“You’d better start from the beginning,” Aeolus ordered bluntly, “If there’s a dimensional weak point or gate in Vendikar leading to the Void, we need to know exactly where it is so we can contain it, and possibly permanently seal it if the Almighty Ancient of Days will allow it. If Lord Grimm discovers that weak point, then he can easily break back into our universe and destroy it as he wished to do back in the early days of the 1st Age. He won’t have to sneak back into our reality through the warp storms we’ve been having recently as we’ve seen. This is something we cannot allow.”

“Believe me; I understand better than you think what a great danger that weak point poses to us all,” Hannibal said darkly, “Even Surtur understands it now since he saw first-hand how incredibly dangerous it is during my confrontation with him on that fiendish endless stair. That lousy shit almost let those cosmic abominations through in his rage against me, which would have instantly ended his little game with me, along with everything else. That’s something he would not allow since he sees this universe and everything in it as belonging to him alone and not to anything from outside. Furthermore, the Great Game is everything to him. He won’t risk anything shifting the balance of power away from him in this game after all the trouble he’s gone to in order to rebuilt that balance after his defeat at the Battle of Drakonia.”

“Enough of this shit; stop with the teasers, Hannibal,” Harry balked with growing irritation. “Get on with it. We don’t have time for you to dance around this thing and you know it. The Rising isn’t waiting on you, or anyone else for that matter. The time you waste dancing around this thing is time we need to get ready for it. The clock is ticking, Hannibal. Get on with it, damn it. We have to know what happened to you now, especially since it seems to involve this Surtur.” Many of those who had gathered close agreed with Harry’s blunt, profanity-laced order, voicing their assent to his demand.

“Fair enough,” Hannibal stated with great soberness, seeing Harry’s point, “You do have a point, so let me start with where I first saw Surtur. I’ll try to explain how I felt as I share this monstrous nightmare.” With that, he started into the account, beginning with when Surtur turned around and looked up at him from the top step of the temple entrance. Everyone became quiet as he spoke of the nightmare in vivid hideous clarity. At the same time, he endeavored to share it telepathically with those of his inner circle, showing them exactly how the dream looked from his view. For a half hour, he wove a tale of hideous terror and miraculous divine intervention with all the sternness of an executioner about to strike the lethal blow. Yet his sternness and tone mixed with a subtle fearful sorrow as if he regretted having to share the dream. However, as he shared the account, the fearful sorrow ebbed away to be replaced with more confidence and a sense of strange exhilaration in his tone with his body language reflecting his growing excitement. Everyone saw rising hope in him as it became increasingly easy to tell the tale as if a terrible burden was lifting.

When Hannibal got to the climax where the Almighty prompted him to confront Surtur on that anomalous endless stair, his eyes started flashing with great intensity while he gestured deliberately with his hands as if the gestures added extra vitality to his tale. Everyone listened with horrified but rapt attention as Hannibal told the listeners exactly what happened during the confrontation, his tone growing even more insistent. A sinister smile crept across his lips as he explained how Surtur’s attack on him was useless because of his ghostly form. However, he did add a deep soberness to his tone when he spoke of seeing the cosmic monstrosities through the breech made by Surtur, including an entity he swore was Cthulhu itself he saw in the wall just before Surtur’s attack on him. This brought gasps of fearful horror when he briefly tried to describe some of the Void abominations swarming to the breech. The only entity he could positively describe is the hideous visage of Cthulhu he saw subtly pushing out of the seemingly liquid wall of the anomaly. However, seeing and sensing the rising anxiety of his audience, he reassured them that the creatures, including Cthulhu never breeched since he managed to convince Surtur to repair the breech with his dark power before they could cross over. He paused for a moment to take a breath and calm down since he’d talked himself into an intense frenzy, stopping his account after Surtur had successfully repaired the breech. At that point, everyone noticed he was visibly trembling from the mixture of excitement and horror. He purposely exercised in some deep calming breathing exercises while clenching and releasing his fists as a means to regain his focus.

No one said a word for almost two minutes as Hannibal worked to calm down, stunned beyond measure at what he said. Finally as Hannibal eventually calmed down, Draco murmured in great astonishment, “Are you sure you were seeing into the Void, milord, and that Cthulhu was there testing the barrier of the anomaly?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said bluntly in a dark sober tone everyone noticed. “I’ve heard of Cthulhu from many of the dark tomes, including his hideous description. However, I’d never seen him personally until now, for which I am glad. I can now understand how his form can induce madness in weaker, more fragile unstable minds. Only because I knew and felt the Almighty protecting me did I not utterly panic. To be honest, I’m not sure at all whether it was his physical form there testing the wall since all the dark tomes say his physical form is still locked away in R’lyeh deep beneath the south Pacific Ocean on the surface. It may have been a psionic projection from his prison, or it may have been something else I cannot grasp yet. I just can’t be sure at this point.”

“What did you feel when you saw Cthulhu’s face pressing into the wall?” Aeolus asked with dire seriousness. “Did he try to speak to you?”

“No,” Hannibal replied with a surprised look. “It was surreal, strange beyond my ability to comprehend it right now. I saw him, but somehow I knew he wasn’t actually there. He was a ghost just like me in that anomalous location. When I realized what I saw, I felt my very soul try to freeze solid for just a moment. Only the protection and mercy of the Lord kept me from snapping when I saw what we humans consider to be the ultimate Old One. Yet, even stranger than that, I knew he meant me no harm, unlike Surtur. I could really sense it. He was looking at me with a great, intense curiosity that I’ve never seen in any entity before, dark or otherwise. I was something he’d never encountered before, as strange as it sounds, and I know Cthulhu has knowledge spanning this universe. Then as I felt his curiosity, I also sensed he had no ill intent towards me. However, at the same time I could not help but feel a cosmic level of absolute animosity and wrath towards Surtur. It made me think Surtur had somehow seriously wronged him in some distance epoch. When his curiosity about me had been satiated, his face melted away into the wall, winking one of his enormous red eyes at me as it disappeared. In a way, I thought I sensed a cold wry smile from behind his face tentacles as he disappeared, which truly shook me because of its sheer oddness. However, I could not ignore the wink. I saw it as clear as I see you. Why he did it still mystifies me. Anyway, all this happened just before the anomalous nature of the stair allowed me to see Surtur’s true hideous ancient alien mummy form. It was right after that the Lord showed me my true purpose for being there, taking away my fear and giving me a level of confidence that astounded me and actually shook Surtur’s resolve.”

“Very curious; did you see Cthulhu after Surtur breeched the anomaly?” Assad asked with great but sober curiosity.

“As a matter of fact I didn’t,” Hannibal replied with a raised eyebrow, realizing the importance of Assad’s query. “I saw many other nameless things, some of colossal cosmic proportions swarming towards the breech, but Cthulhu was not among them. I find that very curious. I never even thought about it until now. Why did he peek in at me? Why did he wink at me as he left? I have no answers, only more questions.”

“Very interesting,” Draco rumbled thoughtfully. “Cthulhu is an extremely powerful entity of vast cosmic power...literally, and an Ancient One you cannot dismiss out of hand. He has power nearly rivaling that of Lord Grimm himself with motives known only to him. He can rip apart entire planets and stars when so inclined. It’s also suggested he can rip apart space-time and possibly reality itself when he goes on a full warpath, making him one of the most dangerous entities in all of existence. It’s said even the demon princes and lords genuinely fear him. Then there are the legends that suggest even the Etherians gave Cthulhu and his Star Spawn species a wide berth, making peace with them after a war that threatened to destroy their construction of their Nexus sanctuary using this planet.”

Gasps of horrified astonishment raced through the leaders at Draco’s identification of Cthulhu as a true Ancient One. This news even surprised Hannibal. “Oh great,” Harry cried with dismay, “As if we didn’t have enough trouble dealing the Emperor, Lord Grimm, and things like Tsasthoagguah and Shiargoriath, now we have to deal with the most dangerous Old One ever known. Why do these cosmic abominations keep popping out of the shadows to torment you, Hannibal? It’s not right for these Old Ones like this Cthulhu to be constantly harassing you.”

“Not an Old One, Master Clint,” Draco corrected, “Cthulhu is a very powerful Ancient One, though many Old Ones do look to him as their King. However, this behavior Beowulf reports from him is puzzling. It’s not like him to be so passive towards a human, especially one who has the mastery of the Elemental Earth the way Beowulf has, who can potentially become a real threat to him. I’m going to have to report this development to Lord Cerrelius and ask him what this means.”

“Maybe Cthulhu sensed Hannibal’s power as the Hand and Sword of the Almighty,” Serge suggested, “...and wished to examine him a bit closer. Still, Cthulhu has an extremely evil reputation where he is known to destroy all who threaten his existence, going as far as to ripping apart entire planets and star systems, consuming all organic and inorganic energies in the process. I think your idea of speaking to Cerrelius about this development definitely has merit. We need to know more about what he’s up to. First off, why is he awake to begin with? Then we need to know what he means to do if he escapes his prison in R’lyeh. Will he unleash a wave of madness and death on the world like he’s done so many times before, according to legends, or will he do something new, possibly even more destructive?”

“Who knows, except maybe the Almighty Ancient of Days,” Kusanagi answered darkly. “However, as Lord Serge pointed out, we need to know why this creature is awake before we can even speculate on his plans. What woke him from his slumber?”

“I suspect the growing warp storms we’re seeing combined with the great psionic and telepathic disturbances caused by the conflict between the Emperor and Beowulf are the most likely culprits for this unexpected awakening of Cthulhu, just as it has stirred up the Grimm and the other Dark Powers,” Draco suggested grimly. “The dark negative emotions and chaos caused by this war is just what Cthulhu needed to awaken him. However, I don’t think we need to worry about him just yet for as you all know, and as Beowulf reminded us, Cthulhu is still physically imprisoned in R’lyeh. With any good fortune, no one will find his prison and release him physically.”

“Amen to that,” Hannibal agreed, “As long as his prison lies leagues beneath the ocean, we’re relatively safe. Yet we still have to remember the savage cults that worship him with human sacrifice whose one goal is to awaken and release him so he can spread madness and death to all humanity. Since he’s obviously been stirred to awareness, Cthulhu will most likely reach out telepathically to them to come release him.”

“But how can they do that?” Enoch asked in great puzzlement. “You said his prison lies at the bottom of a deep ocean on the surface. How could they even attempt such an impossible feat? Something cataclysmic would need to happen that pushes this R’lyeh to the surface of the ocean so they could get to it.”

Hannibal’s face fell with dire concern as Harry chimed, “He has a point. What force could be powerful enough to raise a whole city miles from the ocean floor to the surface?”

For a few moments, silence reigned as everyone pondered the impossibility of such a thing. Then Hannibal said softly with deadly horrific sincerity, “The Rising itself is the only thing I know that could do such a thing. If it has the power to yank Amacia back to the surface, which is over three leagues underground, then R’lyeh will be no problem at all, being it’s just covered with water.” A fearful dreadful silence fell over the entire group, great concern and fear rising on their faces. “Dear God in Heaven,” Hannibal breathed as the horror of the revelation finally struck him. “The Rising is going to not just release the Emperor from this grave, but may very well release other entities like Cthulhu when it reshapes this planet. That’s all we need now...another cosmic abomination staring us in the face.” This rage was visibly building in Hannibal at the idea of having to face Cthulhu in the flesh.

Selina put her arm around him and purred softly, “Calm down, my prince, relax. Do not let your anger run away with you. There was a reason the Lord revealed this now. Maybe He is warning us ahead of time about this Cthulhu’s eventual escape so we wouldn’t be caught off guard. We don’t have to worry about this thing right now. Give it to the Lord and let Him deal with this dark cosmic monster.”

Hannibal turned his head to look Selina in the eye as her words and touch dissipated his wrath. A sober, grateful smile slowly crossed his lips. “Once again, the Lord has you bringing me back into balance, princess,” he murmured sincerely, leaning in and touching his forehead to hers as she looked at him. “Thank you.”

“That’s why the Lord had me come with you,” Selina purred in her melodious voice. “He knew you needed someone to keep you from going off half-cocked. Besides, your battle rage is not need right now. These people need your logic and intellect to help them see the coming danger, not your rage.”

“Very well said, Miss Selina,” Assad chimed, looking both her and Hannibal in the eye. “It’s good that we are now aware that this dark Ancient One has stirred in his prison. Now we know to keep a very close eye on him, and those evil creatures who wish to release him. However, we are presently in no position to do anything about either of them. They’re on the surface and we’re still down here in this cursed underworld.”

“So true,” Hannibal agreed, “I almost let my shock and anger override my good judgment again. Now do you all see why I keep saying Selina is my balance? Without her as an anchor working alongside the Almighty, I’d be lost.”

“We’ve all seen that repeatedly,” Aeolus answered, “But you should get back on point and finish your tale, for I suspect the most important part is yet to be shared.”

“Right,” Hannibal said soberly, pulling away from Selina just a step to have freedom of motion with his arms and hands. “Now where was I?”

“You stopped right after you convinced Surtur to seal the breech he made in that anomalous wall,” Josephine called out. “To be frank, I too sense the real secret is about to be revealed here, just as Aeolus suggests. Furthermore, we all swear to keep what you tell us about this confidential in case you fear some retribution from the Vendo for sharing the secret with us. Their secrets are safe with us too. We swear it.” Everyone present swore an oath to keep the account secret.

“That’ll do for now,” Hannibal answered in a deeply sober tone, “It takes a weight off my mind. Now, let’s see...ah yes, Surtur had just sealed the breech in the anomalous wall with his dark power in order to keep his twisted game going with me. Here’s what happened next.” With that, Hannibal dove into the remainder of the nightmare dream, tell them all with vivid language and telepathic promptings what he experienced. He explained in detail how the gravity flipped in the stair, pushing them away from the Abyss Gate towards the temple while a swirling sandstorm tornado with the sandy visage of a Vendo face literally expelled them from the endless stair, throwing both him and Surtur out of the temple proper with the sandstorm still chasing them. Hannibal finished the tale of how the sandstorm tornado inside the temple became an epic sandstorm of biblical proportions once it emerged from the temple, consuming all in its path. The face Hannibal and Surtur saw in the endless anomalous stair became gargantuan as it formed in the shock front of the sandstorm while it advanced on Hannibal, roaring with glowing red eyes. Finally, Hannibal told everyone the message he received from the entity in the sandstorm with all the sternness of an executioner.

Once he finished, Hannibal stopped and sighed deeply, feeling a great weight lift from his spirit. “That’s it,” he stated with a level of relief everyone saw. “Now you all understand why I screamed like a banshee when I woke from this thing...nightmare, whatever it was. The Lord snatched my avatar away to both hinder and witness Surtur’s failure in his plot to consume the Vendo in Vendikar. All I had to do was be there, and say a few choice words to ensure Surtur’s failure. The Vendo, which I do now know still exist, saw me thwart Surtur in the power of the Almighty and did me no harm when they expelled us. I apparently gained their respect by doing this. This is why they warned me not to betray their secrets. I do not intend to reveal the location of Vendikar to anyone, ever. We must leave the Vendo in peace and let them do their own thing and not interfere with them or their world. They want nothing to do with us, period, and I think we should do likewise. It’ll be best for all involved.”

“That’s a very wise decision, my friend,” Aeolus rumbled deeply. “They are highly intelligent and deeply xenophobic with a will to protect themselves and their secrets with lethal overwhelming force. By helping thwart Surtur, you have gained their respect and a semblance of trust in you, Hannibal. You keep on their good side by not betraying their trust in you. Keeping their location secret is the easiest way to stay on their good side. Maybe in time when you have further gain their trust, they may approach you for some reason if they need something from us. Until then, do not attempt to contact them. They will come to us if they need anything. Do you agree with this supposition, Lord Draco?”

“I do,” Draco answered thoughtfully, “However, what is far more important here is that Surtur was so decisively thwarted and you saw it, Beowulf. News of this magnitude will spread virally throughout all creation. It will alert all powers of Surtur’s defeat again and, unfortunately, may draw out more potential enemies.” When he saw the dismay and concern rise on the faces of those present, including Hannibal, he quickly added, “But before you get too upset by this news, know also that it’ll likewise cause more potential allies to step forward to help us counter those enemies, so it’s not as bad as you may believe. The Almighty was obviously behind this event so we must be prepared to see an acceleration of events and trust in His Plan to deal with this.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Enoch asked icily with a hint of anger in his tone. “This thing has gotten so far out of hand it isn’t funny. It’s actually right down scary and it takes quite a bit to scare me. To be honest with all of you, I didn’t sign on to this to fight cosmic abominations capable of destroying entire planets and star systems. I never thought this would go beyond the Emperor and his minions. Now it seems we’ve drawn the attention of the Dark Powers behind the Emperor, and possibly those malignant evil forces even behind those Dark Powers.” He paused and let a troubled sigh hiss between his lips before adding darkly, “All this is beyond my power or comprehension. I don’t know what to do any more.”

Kida came to Enoch’s side and put her arm around him for moral and telepathic support. “You must trust in the Almighty Ancient of Days and in Hannibal, Enoch,” she reassured. “Trust them and be ready to help Hannibal when he needs it.”

“Kida’s right,” Hannibal said soberly, walking over to Enoch and purposely grabbing his hand in a reverse grip while looking him in the eye. “We must trust the Lord in this. It’s the only way we can deal with this madness. The Lord is ripping away all the shrouds and covering, showing us the true nature of His creation one piece at a time so we won’t become blindsided by our enemies hiding in the shadows. He will protect us as He shows us the real enemies. Trust Him and me as you did when we first met. It’s the only way we’re going to survive this. Yes, this thing that happened in the nightmare I shared with you may very well alert both new allies and enemies, but it’s no different than what I endured at Olympus and at Poseidia, which I will share forthwith when you’re ready to hear it.”

Assad, Tau, and Kusanagi surrounded Enoch with Hannibal, Serge, and Draco. “Listen to Beowulf, Master Enoch,” Draco insisted with a sober, but friendly smile on his drakenite face. “He knows what he’s talking about. Do not doubt his words or his intent. I’m sure he’s as flustered as you are about all these entities suddenly slithering out of the darkness now as you are. Believe in him and in the Almighty. Has he steered you wrong yet?”

“No,” Enoch admitted, “...but I can’t help but be disconcerted by all these vile creatures suddenly appearing out of nowhere trying to kill our only hope to take down the Emperor. It’s right down infuriating.”

“How do you think I feel?” Hannibal asked bluntly, “You’re not the one having to deal with these things directly; I am. I’m seeing things that literally should not exist being very real and dangerous to not just me, but all of us. Do you now understand why I keep saying I never asked for this?”

“I do, little brother,” Enoch stated soberly, now starting to understand why Hannibal is the way he is. “How you can keep from going, as you say, bat-shit crazy from all this is beyond me. As far as I can see, the Almighty alone keeps you from losing your mind and falling back into the Darkness because of this. I’m forced to admit it and for one, am glad He chose you to deal with these things and not me. I doubt I could handle it.”

Hannibal sighed deeply, patting Enoch on the arm, saying sincerely, “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I do believe you’re seriously underestimating your strength and place in all of this, Enoch. Do you think I could handle all this in addition to the threat of the Emperor if you were not here backing me up with everything you have? I think not. You are far more critical to this than you believe. You have a strategic and analytical mind that makes you perfect for being my backup, along with Nemesis and Magnus with their military prowess and knowledge of the enemy, or Selina who keeps me anchored and in my right mind. Even Harry here has played a very important part too, being an example of true loyalty and friendship to me personally. You’re all essential to not just my success, but also our survival. Do not forget we are a team. The Lord brought us together from every corner of this cursed underworld and the world above to be not just a team, but THE TEAM that counters the Emperor and these dark malicious powers from the nethermost reaches of the multiverse. The Lord Himself has done this and made you, Enoch, my primary facilitator making sure the Lord’s plans are executed flawlessly. How many times have I gotten distracted and forgotten about gathering teams or coming up with plans, but you were always there to make sure everything was ready for me when it came time to make moves and execute plans. How many times have I doubted myself and my gifts openly in front of everyone, but you were always there to reassure me and on occasion, to smack some sense into me when I’d get on the verge of losing it?”

Enoch smiled solemnly, nodding his head knowingly at Hannibal’s words. “More times than I can count,” he admitted, “Heh...isn’t this something. Now I’m the one being reassured and not the one doing it. Thanks for reminding me and giving me a fresh perspective on everything, little brother.” He patted Hannibal on the shoulder to show his appreciation.

“You’re very welcome,” Hannibal replied warmly. “At least now I have been able to return the favor. Just don’t forget your place here, Enoch. What you do affects far more people and entities than you realize. Even the angels have great respect for your love and your loyalty, just as the demon hordes despise you even more than me because of that love and loyalty to not just me, but to all the people. You have such a big heart, caring so much for everyone around you. It’s your greatest weapon and asset. Don’t lose that compassion, love, and loyalty for if you do, it will become very easy to fall into the Darkness as I did when I was young. Trust the Lord. He knows what to do far better than we do in spite of all the cosmic monstrosities that are now seemingly crawling out into the open wanting our heads and souls. This has to be the Lord’s way of alerting us to the true nature of what’s actually going on here.”

“Which is what, Hannibal?” Harry asked bluntly. “That the spiritual war between the Lord and Lucifer is now bodily breaking into our physical reality?”

A broad, but grim smile crossed Hannibal’s lips at Harry’s pointed supposition. “You see it for what it is, bud,” he declared soberly. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. This is just the beginning. Before this is over, the entire world and universe are going to see once again the true power, might, and mercy of the Almighty Ancient of Days. All of creation is going to see and know our Creator is very real and very pissed at the corruption of His Creation at the claws of these Dark Powers. He’s about to start cleaning up this mess in a very dramatic fashion, starting with the Emperor and the Black Prince. Why do you think the Lord submitted me to that nightmare dream, vision, whatever it was concerning the Vendo and Surtur? Surtur tried to interfere in the Lord’s plan concerning the Emperor and the Lord Himself got up off the throne and stopped it cold. I saw it in that nightmare vision. Once the Lord rises from His throne to take action, He does not sit back down until the job is finished. He’s about to not just move the foundations of the Heavens and Earth, but also shake them to their cores.

“The Rising will show all Creation who the real God is, and it is our God, the Almighty and merciful Ancient of Days. He will rage in His fury at the wickedness of all the rebellious entities and souls who seek to corrupt and destroy His Creation while protecting us in the palm of His all-powerful hand, just as He protected me from Surtur in the nightmare I shared with you. All of us will see the true wonders of our God. All we have to do is hear His voice and follow His instructions. This fight ultimately belongs to Him and Him alone. I saw this in brutal detail with both the nightmare about Surtur I just shared with you, and with what happened in Poseidia, especially when the Kings spirited Selina and I off to the Sacred Circle of Eternity. We just need to stand still and see the salvation of our God for He has already risen from His throne in heaven and is about come down in His wrath as He did in the 1st Age. His plan is already in motion and no force inside or beyond this multiverse can stop it. He will restore all of His Creation before this is finished, and set everything right. The time is now for the restoration and it begins with the removal of the Emperor and Black Prince. We just have to be ready for what’s to come and listen to our God’s instructions so we may survive to bear witness to this wonder of wonders.”

Hannibal’s words had a dramatic effect on the listeners, causing them to fall completely silent in shock for a few moments. The anointing of the Almighty had fallen on Hannibal without him realizing it, allowing the Almighty to speak directly through him to the people. Only after he stopped did Hannibal realize the Almighty Ancient of Days had taken physical control of him to speak to His people. His eyes grew wide as the revelation hit him full force, weakening him physically to the point he swayed as if drunk. Both Selina and Draco saw the weakness fall on Hannibal and steadied him on his feet.

“Are you okay, my prince?” Selina asked with some concern as her physical touch seemed to stabilize Hannibal’s strength.

“I think so,” Hannibal replied, wrapping his arm around Selina to absorb her strength. “Give me a few moments. I had no idea the Lord was going to speak through me like that. He just stepped in and pushed me aside for a few moments to share His word and wisdom with us without any warning. As much as I love Him, I hate it when He does that for it saps the strength right out of me. My flesh just can’t tolerate His power and presence. Still, I am astounded at the mighty and profound word He just shared with us all.”

“That was indeed a very mighty word,” Aeolus agreed. “We should heed it and be greatly encouraged by it. He is indeed directing all we see and don’t see to ensure the restoration of His Creation. We should give him a shout of thanks for such a timely merciful word of power.”

“Amen to that,” Draco concurred humbly. “Once again, the prophecies are verified for all to see. There can be no doubt now. The prophecies say the Almighty would share the great secrets of His creation with the Beowulf, and speak directly through him to disseminate those secrets to His people. We just saw that with what just took place.”

“Indeed,” Assad chimed in agreement. “We’re immensely blessed the Almighty chose to use His vessel to speak such a timely word to us. It shows He is truly in control of all things. Thank you, Beowulf, for bringing such a timely word of hope and power to us from our God. We need not be concerned by the cosmic powers and abominations that have been stirred up by this war. Our God will protect us from their wrath.”

“That He will,” Hannibal declared, feeling his strength return with great speed by having his arm around Selina. He could feel her sharing her energy with him willingly and appreciated it immensely. “But we cannot be lax in our alertness and preparation,” he added soberly, “The Lord will protect us, but He wants us to use His power wisely to prepare and be ready for what’s coming.”

“That’s so true,” Serge rumbled thoughtfully, “The Almighty will protect us, but only if we follow His instructions on how to prepare; and right now, the Rising is our greatest concern. It looms large like the storm we saw in Poseidia, ready to smash everything that doesn’t get out of its way. We need to get to Srandi and secure the people there immediately.”

“You’re so right,” Hannibal replied in complete agreement, “...but first, I have one last thing to share...what happened in the Sacred Circle in Poseidia. The Lord is telling me now is the time to share it. Once I’ve shared it, then we can get moving on Srandi.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to share it, milord?” Serge asked bluntly. “After all, I saw what happened there.”

“Yes,” Hannibal insisted. “The Lord has allowed me to digest it long enough to internalize what happened without it driving me nuts. However, there are some things that I must keep to myself concerning this incident. The time is not right for me to share it because I’m still dealing with it emotionally and spiritually. But I can give you a brief overview of what happened there, including who was there.”

“Very well,” Aeolus rumbled with great interest. “Share what you can, for I too am very curious as to what happened when the King of the Air paralyzed you. We all realized something very momentous happened during those five minutes you and Miss Selina were frozen by the King of the Air.”

“Indeed,” Draco chimed with a drakenite hiss. “We need to understand what exactly happened in there for the Sacred Circle of Eternity is not just any place someone can access without the direct permission of the Almighty Ancient of Days Himself. It’s a place of great power and danger used only in the direst of circumstances. Tell us what happened and who you saw there.”

“Very well,” Hannibal said with a sigh as he focused on the memory of the event. “But I warn you now, just as I warned you about the nightmare about Surtur and the Vendo, it won’t be pleasant. Hideous, unspeakable things took place in there that nearly ended me. Thankfully, the Lord once again pulled my butt out of the fire, literally.”

“We understand,” Assad said calmly, “Please, proceed. Maybe what you share now will fill in some missing pieces in the picture we’re seeing now.”

Hannibal nodded solemnly, saying, “I’ll do my best to give you the gist of what went down in that supremely alien space.”