Chapter 10 – As Above, So Below: My Swan Song - END

“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” – Matthew 4:9

The end. Or what supposedly was the end. Now, I do not know, but I think I served my purpose. I finally understood what the war was and why I was chosen to fight it. The mechanics of fate were slowly turning their gears towards the final act of my personal enlightenment.

Sometimes in life, even though you do not know where you are headed, which way to go or what the final goal of your journey is, there is always something, some invisible force, a hand on your shoulder that is guiding your steps carefully. I was never a religious person, up until this year, when, you see, something has really changed the way I see things. Of course, like everyone else, I believed in my personal version of God, which for me is a combination of love, kindness and joy, and all of these together form the beauty of life. Am I right? The laughter of your children, someone who says they love you, or maybe when you surprise someone close to you and they get really emotional. All these small things are what life is all about and I believe that each and every one of us has been put on this planet with a purpose, no matter how big or small.

As above, so below. These words make much more sense now. While the world has many religions with different views attached to them, there is always faith. Of course, some religions were violently applied in society in different parts of the globe throughout history, due to the misinterpretation of man. Maybe some of you will say that the world would be better with no religion. Maybe that is true, or maybe that is false. But, this story is not about theological debates or about arguing which religion is better.

Let me tell you the story of my final meeting with the Freemasons. Ironically, this was the first meeting without the Professor, so I was a bit sad at first, knowing that my mentor and protector is now gone.

What started as a usual day for me, going to the office, doing research on ancient Eastern European religions. Ironic, once again. Just a normal day at the office, after which I went to the meeting with the Freemasons, at the Lodge. The meeting started, but something strange began happening. One of the walls began shifting to one side, revealing some sort of shrine, an altar, which I have never seen before nor did I know it existed. Another secret revealed. But what was it for?

Act 1: The Blood Oath

The master started chanting something that made no sense to me, it sounded like a demonic language. Soon after that the walls began changing and blood was dripping from the cracks. The Eye on the main wall moved into a vertical position and started turning an angry shade of red, while blinking rapidly.

The rest of the Brothers raised up from their seats and started advancing towards the shrine, while I was waiting to see what was going on. Each and every one of them was pulling out a knife and while at the altar, they began cutting the palm of their left hand, and blood started flowing into one of the three goblets.

Soon after that, when it was my turn to do it, I went to the shrine and… I kicked one of the blood goblets, but the blood just came back inside it, crawling slowly…

The Master of the Lodge smashed the wooden hammer on the table and yelled resoundingly: “What are you doing? Have you gone mad? If He sees you, you are dead!”

Then a diabolical voice started from inside the walls… “He is an impostor, seize him, cut his chest wide open, I will rip his heart out if!”

And then all the Brothers started changing into ugly devils. They came towards me and grabbed me, ripping my shirt open so that my chest can show… It was almost like an opposite Initiation Ritual. A a Death Ritual? My Masonic Downfall. Soon after, their Leader showed himself. It was the same goat from my initiation as mason, but this time it was real, in flesh, blood and bones.

Their masks have been finally removed and the puppeteer has shown his true face.. Their so-called Architect was doing his own bidding inside the Lodge, while keeping himself entertained by pulling the strings of his puppets, making them follow his orders, like in a mindless evil chain dance.

So much so, that with every move, with every single heartbeat I was acutely feeling in my throat, I finally thought that I was done for. That my journey will end in defeat. Left alone to my own devices, I called for help in my own head, yelling desperately in my mind for someone to come and save me from the vile, wretched and repulsive monstrosity. A fiend that was only feeding on fear, pain and angst. He drinks tears and eats souls. A destroyer of all things beautiful and the greatest deceiver known to humanity. The seducer of man. Satan.

He approached me and while he pointed his index finger at my heart, everything stopped and went dark. I found myself in a place where agonizing screams were echoing through an infected air. I saw live skeletons of people who were swimming in hot lava, screaming endlessly, while the torture never stopped.

I was on what seemed to be some sort of a metallic boat, and with me there was a hooded man, he was guiding the boat to an unknown destination.

“Where are we, where are you taking me?” I asked.

“This is Hell and I am the one who leads some of you to what will be live an eternity of soul devouring agonizing afterlife. You have been trying to destroy the Architect’s Creation and He is not happy. In fact, he has never been as angry as He is right now.”

“If there is a Devil, there is a God, as well. He will save me. I was doing what was right for my world.” I said to the guide.

“It’s too late now. God is dead, no one has heard from him in ages. That is your prison for eternity.” He then pointed at some sort of a ziggurat that was made from flesh and bones and on its surface people were spiraling to the top. When getting there, they just jumped right in.

“What are they doing?”

“They go to the top always thinking that if they get there, they can find salvation. The road is filled with obstacles, so when they get to zenith they just jump into a lake of acid where they swim to get to the shores… It takes them 1000 years to get there. After that, they get out again and repeat the process.”

“I REFUSE TO GO THERE!” I yelled and then… a familiar voice was calling my name. “Do not give up son, fight it, resist it, come back up.”

ACT 2: Escaping Hell and Meeting God

I suddenly woke up in the Temple, where I saw Satan trying to get inside my chest and to take my heart out.

“Impossible! Satan said, his destructive eyes starring at me in disbelief.

Then a sort of divine power took over me, and I felt sensations unknown to man, I saw bright lights, heard music that instantly sounded out of this world, melodies and notes that I never knew existed.

From beyond I heard and saw the Professor for one last time:

“Son, I was with you the entire time even if I left you alone for a little time. Back there, I was just your professor and mentor, but here I am everything that is. Omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. I rescued you and I know you will see things differently now. Let us send them back to where they belong and destroy them once and for all. I wanted you here, not because I needed your help, but because I wanted a man with pure heart to experience something divine. I will be watching over you. So long.”

I came back to the Temple and from my eyes, mouth and body, bright lights started shooting in those vile demons. They were consumed by the light and finally they were cast down to their place of suffering and eternal roaming.

When I came back to it, gasping for air, I said with tears of joy flowing down my cheeks in rivers.

“Thank you, God.”

The sun was shining bright in the cloudless sky. It was an unusual warm winter day. Parents were playing with their kids in the park, laughing and giggling happily.

I started walking home, while smiling and waving at the sky. I was given hope.

Life is beautiful.