There is an unusual stillness in its air and dryness that tempers with the senses. A look around the place and one could immediately blackout. The location in question is one of nightmares. It is the light at the end of the tunnel... the one that never seems to get closer.
Describing this nightmare visually takes only one word, dead. It's dead because the grass that stretches beyond what the eye can see has dried but not yet crumbled into dust. It's dead because the sky has nothing to reflect from except the lifeless pasture, monotonously grey in its colour. The grass cracks when walked on. Be that as it may, it mends itself, not to a healthier form, but its previous weaker form, forever on the edge of death.
Not a soul can enter this realm unless it is beyond what a soul can be or what should have been a soul but was never allowed the chance. It is the unspeakable, the unfathomable, the true nightmare every soul necessarily dreads.
There is no time to measure the given and gone. There is no spectrum in which one can fit in. If the place is one thing; it is certainly an extremity of two points simultaneously.
The place in question is neither Hell nor Heaven. If one were to mark the middle of the line that connects the two, they would find what is lost and what may never be recovered. A place where there are no rules. A place where there is no beginning nor end. A constant. Or is it? Perhaps it is simply... still.
What an odd sensation it must be if a man knew for certain that depending on the life he leads he can either be punished in Hell or rewarded in Heaven, after telling him that the unspeakable is never an option. If a man so vicious, so cruel, so evil, knew he couldn't enter it, would he gratefully take the journey to Hell?
What does a soul fear the most? The fear of being punished? Or the fear of not existing?
What would a soul do if it were to enter Limbo?
What would an Angel do? What would a Demon? What would they do
together if they were ever placed there?
Would start to question? In a land unimaginable, remote in every manner of judgement, the indisputable will be challenged, examined and investigated.
*****
"An Angel of God." smirked the demon. "The possibility of entering this place is impossible but to be stuck here with an angel is just unimaginable."
"Believe me, this isn't something I desire either." replied the angel. "I have no recollection of how I came to be in this abysmal place. The air is unnatural. Not even Hell can send shivers up my spine such as this."
"What would you know of Hell?"
"I know enough of Heaven and its paradise. To think of a place that represents a broken mirror image is enough knowledge one can have."
"You think by coining a phrase such as 'broken mirror image' you come close to imagining what Hell is?"
"A change in your tone would be advised. The bitterness only makes this air sourer."
"This isn't your territory."
"Neither yours."
"Touché. Nonetheless, Hell cannot be simply imagined." The demon looked at his surroundings and spat in disgust. "Yet... it's livelier than this."
"You believe you can simply mock Hell?"
"Hell is a torture chamber, that's for sure, but it isn't a place where you are condemned for your sins."
"What do you mean?"
"Hell is an old man's fetish, its true purpose hidden among the pits of fire and ash and various levels of vulgar persecution."
"You are all warned from the beginning to not sin. I can understand if you believe you have been punished beyond your transgressions but whatever you committed you have done so knowingly against the Lord."
"The Lord... what a sheepish thing to say. That thing you call God is nothing more than a child with too much power in its hands."
"Steady now. You wouldn't want any hostility from me."
"Calm your shit 'o' holy one'. We already settled that this was nobody's territory. You cannot best me here and I cannot best you."
"A demon is no match for an angel."
"Who said that?"
"Such a thing doesn't need to be spoken nor written."
"Spoken like a true slave of the lord."
"Lucifer is any better? He who only thinks for himself, defines ego, and demands royalty?"
"You, in no way, defined Lucifer. You did however exquisitely describe your guy."
"The Lord works in mysterious ways, too complex for the simpler mind to understand. We cannot be as wise. The Lord thinks beyond time and space. His actions vibrate the web of life. A single event we cannot understand can only create meaning for us once it has reached its conclusion. A simple death on earth could stop the lineage of a future dictator. No one would be the wiser."
"That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard."
"I can understand your incapability to comprehend the Lord's actions."
"Oh, I understand perfectly. What I do not understand is why he would only commit halfway. There are still dictators in the world. There is still evil."
"What you call a dictator differs from our meaning of the word."
"Without a single doubt of fuck. But you mean to tell me that a soul responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent isn't an evil man that should never have been born?"
"A simple action... has an equal enough reaction. A necessary reaction."
"What good can possibly come from the deaths of millions?"
"Unity."
"No. You're saying that humankind would eventually turn on itself?"
"It's basic survival instinct. Everyone is self-centred to an extent."
"So instead of mass murder on a grand scale committed by everyone, equally responsible and guilty, you control this somehow 'unavoidable' event by giving the credit to one guy or organisation."
"So you do understand."
"Unfortunately so. What I cannot understand is the level of evil it takes to direct such a tragedy."
"It is no tragedy. Humans, no matter how they measure their own intellect, can never comprehend the true secrets of the universe. They are not made to do so."
"Because God needs sheep. We all have to fall in line or perish in his dungeon."
"You find it easier to sin than to be devout to an all-loving creator?"
"Screw that, let's see if you can answer this. Why does an all powerful being create a soul and give it a choice of faith."
"It is a test of purity."
"A what?"
"If I understand you correctly, you asked why God created religion, yes?"
"Yes."
"It's perfectly simple."
"Well, fucking baffle me."
"He wants reassurance that what he gives life to will respect him, pledge loyalty."
"I'm not baffled. That was a ridiculous answer."
The angel took a deep breath.
"A soul is quite vibrant once it is created. Once a baby is out of the womb it is quite restless not because of any negative physical conditions but due to the ecstatic energy the soul contains. The essence is wild, untamed, and takes a civilised mind for it to compose. The process of evolution has yet to come to a stage where thoughts and memories are directly passed on through genetic tissue. A child shares the properties of both a mother and father but the mind is complex, memories often becoming inaccessible or completely destroyed."
"Come to the point where this has to do with God."
"Everything. A soul with free will cannot be trusted and if it cannot remember its creator then it must pass a test of purity, at least."
"At least? The test isn't exactly well published. Sure, I'm a demon and I know for a fact that God exists but for a human to believe so is a massive leap of faith. Not to mention that if they do believe in religion then they also have to believe in its commandments and the consequences of any mentioned transgressions. It isn't a test of faith. It's a test of fear."
"One cannot have faith without fear."
"You got that right but I don't believe you understand the answer to the question dear angel. You can't simply read off the answer sheet and make me believe you got that answer by working it all out."
"Without fear a soul can never become tamed, nor cherish anything the garden of Heaven can present. Everything will be presumed granted."
"But you don't get it! What God is simply doing is tapping every soul on the shoulder and saying 'hey, I'm your biological father. I don't have the documents to prove it but you're going to have to take my word for it. If you don't I'll fucking stab you, multiple times, all the while saying I love you'."
"He has sent prophets to spread his law. It is up to the soul to decide whether..."
"Let me cut you off there and clarify to you that those prophets were uneducated common folk who could barely understand the word of God, yet spread the damned thing."
"And they were so knowingly. It seems you do not understand how God works."
"Let me take a gander and explain what is probably a logical answer to your kind. The three prophets were dumb enough fuckers, chosen specifically because of this trait, so that they didn't have the skill and quality to fuck with the word of God. Am I correct?"
"Without question I'm afraid."
"And let's see, any change to the scripts or tainted interpretations were not a fault of the bland text that is the holy books but a fault of the smarter, more power hungry soul. Yes? Because God is so smart he chose a dumb guy to do his smart work but couldn't think of anything to stop a smart guy from infecting his words."
"It isn't unexpected and still happens to this day. Even among the believers, there are certain tests that divide those who are faithful and true and those who are false believers."
"You have a fucking answer to every problem don't you?"
"I have followed in the footsteps of God for as long as I can remember. I understand how he works, even if it isn't to the fullest extent. I trust that he knows what he is doing."
"You guys have some kind of fucked up hero complex thing going on."
"I do not understand."
"Save the day once and never be judged again for any actions committed after that, kinda thing."
"God is not evil."
"Not directly no, God forbid... That was a joke. Indirectly, however, he is the true exegesis of necessary evil. He isn't a God that saves but a God that states that 'it could've been worse'. Your Lord, the all-powerful, creates creates creates only to punish and reward, both feeding into his ego because what use is power if you cannot use it to punish and reward? What good is it to be a God if there is nothing without a conscious to acknowledge your presence and stature? What good is it to be good when there is no evil? And that's why Lucifer was created! Created and betrayed! Lucifer was forced to hate God! Lucifer was doomed from the beginning to become the Devil!"
"Lucifer tainted everything that God created! God didn't lead him astray! It was his own doing, Lucifer's, to lead everyone from their true path, the fall of angels, saints and Adam and Eve. God didn't do this, Lucifer did!"
"Yes he did, a fact that will not be challenged, but what you define it as will be. Lucifer did not taint the minds of any being. He simply showed them a simpler path, a path to freedom."
"He created a divide in a straight road leading countless souls away from God!"
"And gave them a true test!"
"What test!? The test of sin? To see how far the body can go without the mind? To test faith beyond immeasurable fallacies?"
"The test of true freedom! He gave those souls freedom! The act to do anything willingly without being judged or monitored! He let them loose to show them what true potential they had!"
"The mind of a human has no true potential, not without God to lead them!"
"But you are wrong! What are we if we cannot question! We cannot simply rely on faith when it comes to survival. We must act! God permits no answer to any question! It makes no difference for him if it's a caveman or a scientist that worships him, as long as they worship him."
"They cannot dive too deep into the pool of knowledge that is out there. It is too dangerous! Everything God does is to protect us from the dangers that await in the abyss!
"Same thing every other dictator says. Vote for me and I'll protect you, not that there's any voting to be done as it's a one-party system out there."
"And there only needs to be one. One absolute opinion is enough to carry out what is needed, no matter if it's for the good of mankind or the fundamentally necessary evil. The soul is rewarded with faith. The rewards are anything the soul desires."
"A blank cheque."
"Obtained with the pureness of the soul."
"And blind faith."
"A leap of faith... One must sacrifice some freedoms to earn others. God knows what he is doing and it is never late to pay your respects."
"I can never trust a guy who had to send three prophets to make a point. But let me guess, you have an explanation for that too."
"Fortunately I do. Some people and cultures have evolved differently which had led to different interpretations of the word of God. In the end, the word had to be adapted to three leading cultures. This was a necessity. The other cultures would have never accepted the one interpretation of the word. This was the only way God could save millions of souls rather than let them go to waste."
"You could make fresh shit smell good, my dear angel."
"God grants second chances. Once a soul has paid for its sins it may prove its worth again to God. The riches of Heaven are for all to share."
"But God gains much more but what, we don't know. What is the purpose of it all? What is the objective?"
"We cannot meddle with God's plans. His work is his alone."
"While he blinds us with riches."
"And live a never-ending life like a king!"
"That's what scares me, angel. There is no end to it. Soon enough nothing will have any value. Everything will be granted and we will crave more. Our imaginations will find a limit and we will be left with priceless items, unable to feed the ever-growing hunger. As a human, you're scared of life ending too soon or at all. In the after-life, you're scared it's never going to end. You talk about taming the soul but what will God do after centuries pass and the souls he's hoarded in Heaven demand more than he can provide?"
"God will always provide. He is all-powerful."
"Angel... God cannot even begin to feed himself. How can he feed us... when we're made in his image?"
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