Post by Dawn Halliwell on Aug 27, 2018 2:41:48 GMT
"One wonders what it must feel like to stare into the incomprehensible - to gaze into the eyes of power, of fate, the likes of which you cannot fathom... and to have the single-minded hubris to not stand aside.
Legend speaks of the fates of mortals who stood defied the Will of God. Onan, brother of Er, slain for refusing the commands of The Father. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, swallowed by the earth for falsely claiming to be holy in His eyes. Jehoram, who did evil in the sight of God, was stricken by an eviscerating plague. King Herod, who failed to praise The Father, was stricken down by an Angel and devoured by worms.
What hubris swarmed their thoughts? What twisted failures of the mind tore through their souls to convince them that defiance of The Allmighty was the path to their survival? What could have convinced them that destruction and damnation was not enough to sway them from the path of Sin? What were their thoughts as their fate was delivered onto them? Did they feel fear? Regret? Were they simply obstinate in their fractured belief that even though they would fall, they would fall nobly for standing with their convictions?
Tell me, Alexis Caffrey - what are the thoughts of those about to face Judgement from The Divine?
Those more merciful of my order would give you the chance to step aside graciously and allow me to take the place that you hold. Those of my order who bear a misguided love for humanity would implore you to give your life, your very soul, to the Will of The Father, to take your place among the Faithful and stand with us against The Horde.
I am not among them.
I have witnessed your callous, presumptive hubris with my own eyes, Alexis, time and time again. I know the faults of your heart, of your mind, and of your spirit. Even if I were among those who would deign to show you an inkling of mercy, I know that your blind, grasping frenzy for that which you carry would prevent you from taking even the most generous of offers. You cling so desperately to the authority you hold, madly wailing to the skies of "right" and "legacy". You worship your title, and in so doing you worship yourself - and through this madness you would rather stand in defiance of the Will of God than turn your swords into plowshares and walk away from a battle you have no hope to win.
I see what you will say, even now. I know that you will laugh in the face of God, that you will deny him, that you will deny me, that you will have the hubris and the audacity to mock the idea that God and his Angels walk among you, doing the work of the Righteous. You will claim through your twisted and cursed tongue that your "desire" for the position which you hold makes you better, makes you stronger, makes you more deserving.
'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap - At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.'
Alexis Caffrey.
I am Dawn Halliwell.
The time has come to reap your polluted fields, and choke on all that you have wrought.
Legend speaks of the fates of mortals who stood defied the Will of God. Onan, brother of Er, slain for refusing the commands of The Father. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, swallowed by the earth for falsely claiming to be holy in His eyes. Jehoram, who did evil in the sight of God, was stricken by an eviscerating plague. King Herod, who failed to praise The Father, was stricken down by an Angel and devoured by worms.
What hubris swarmed their thoughts? What twisted failures of the mind tore through their souls to convince them that defiance of The Allmighty was the path to their survival? What could have convinced them that destruction and damnation was not enough to sway them from the path of Sin? What were their thoughts as their fate was delivered onto them? Did they feel fear? Regret? Were they simply obstinate in their fractured belief that even though they would fall, they would fall nobly for standing with their convictions?
Tell me, Alexis Caffrey - what are the thoughts of those about to face Judgement from The Divine?
Those more merciful of my order would give you the chance to step aside graciously and allow me to take the place that you hold. Those of my order who bear a misguided love for humanity would implore you to give your life, your very soul, to the Will of The Father, to take your place among the Faithful and stand with us against The Horde.
I am not among them.
I have witnessed your callous, presumptive hubris with my own eyes, Alexis, time and time again. I know the faults of your heart, of your mind, and of your spirit. Even if I were among those who would deign to show you an inkling of mercy, I know that your blind, grasping frenzy for that which you carry would prevent you from taking even the most generous of offers. You cling so desperately to the authority you hold, madly wailing to the skies of "right" and "legacy". You worship your title, and in so doing you worship yourself - and through this madness you would rather stand in defiance of the Will of God than turn your swords into plowshares and walk away from a battle you have no hope to win.
I see what you will say, even now. I know that you will laugh in the face of God, that you will deny him, that you will deny me, that you will have the hubris and the audacity to mock the idea that God and his Angels walk among you, doing the work of the Righteous. You will claim through your twisted and cursed tongue that your "desire" for the position which you hold makes you better, makes you stronger, makes you more deserving.
'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap - At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.'
Alexis Caffrey.
I am Dawn Halliwell.
The time has come to reap your polluted fields, and choke on all that you have wrought.
She stood in the shadows of the Compound, humming an alien tune the likes of which had not been heard on Earth for many, many eons. The tunes were haunting and exotic, evoking a sense of wonder, nostalgia, beauty, and loss.
”I remember that song.”
Dawn fell silent as God strode into the room, the inky black form of the Panther looming beside him as they walked towards her. She stopped humming as she matched his gaze.
"It was a song of your brother. The rebel. The Morning Star."
Dawn nodded once, not daring to lie. "Yes. Though this fleshy thing cannot match the harmony. It was the song of..."
"... The first field," God mused, striding past her. "The song that birthed the rippling golden fields of grain from which the children of Enoch would take their first harvest, much later."
Dawn nodded again, rising to her feet and following in lockstep behind him as they walked through the dark compound. As far as she knew, the two of them - and the feline for which God felt some affection - were the only ones there. The Oracle had left on some task or another, and the sister of Spike Kane had not been seen of late. It was the first time the two of them had been alone since Spike's death.
"The girl's father would not have remembered."
Dawn tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowing slightly as the human soul twisted within her, struggling in futility for some way to escape.
"The girl's father failed, and handed that which should be yours to The Horde. He should never have been permitted such a lofty title. Only you should have been considered worthy of holding the most important position on the field of battle, and that the father demanded that..." She broke off, stopping before her temper rose. "I could have stopped it. I should have stopped him from taking what was rightfully yours. He was..."
"Strong willed," God finished idly, still not looking at her. "Possessing of a great demand of Agency, but gifted with much of what remains of mankind's strengths."
Dawn kept her lip from curling into a sneer. She had little love or respect for the so-called strength of humanity - not after all she had seen. All she had experienced.
"The girl may have inherited it as well. It may be folly to suppress it."
Dawn shook her head. "She is faithless. She would not serve willingly, and at worst would use the strength of the Kane bloodline against us. One already serves the Horde. Another stands in the middle, thinking to fight both sides. Fighting a third?" she shook her head. "Better to keep it contained and controlled."
"Perhaps." God gave a small nod before finally turning towards her. She shifted her gaze away as he walked towards her, resting his hands upon her shoulders and pressing his lips against her forehead.
"You have always been my finest of champions," he mused quietly. Dawn felt herself swelling with something dangerously close to pride... but felt it slip away as she felt his fingers curl around her throat.
"Do not... fail me... again."
With those words he turned on his heel, leaving her alone and trembling in the dark.
Gluttony.
Of the Deadly Sins, so many forget that of Gluttony. To the eye of the faithless and the weak of heart, this can seem an almost laughable sin compared to the others. It does not have the visceral appeal of Wrath, the seeming long-term rewards of Greed, the primal, instinctive allure of Lust or the bold, dramatic displays of Pride. Compared to so many sins that draw from obvious displays of harming others, of driving the pure into the dirt for personal gain or superficial reward, the Sin of simply indulging an appetite seems trivial in comparison.
But you know well the truth of the insidious lure of this Sin, don't you?
If you go beneath the surface, Gluttony proves to be among the most destructive, selfish, and dangerous sins for one to indulge in - for the sin of Gluttony is so much more than the simple devouring of food in excess. It is the very concept of drawing something in in excess - but instead of hoarding it to bask in its splendor, as do those damned by Greed, Gluttony's damned instead destroy. They ravage the land with their ceaseless hunger, ripping through all in their path as they seek to devour anything and everything that would come even close to satisfying their cravings - no matter the craving. Just as Famine wields the weapon of Want, Gluttony is the urge to relieve that want, turning all those afflicted with it into dangerous, insatiable predators who will latch on to that for which they hunger, and refuse to let go even under the threat of their own suffering.
Does this sound familiar, Alexis?
Oh, yes. Though your ceaseless craving may not be for food, that does not diminish from its power, nor its capacity for corruption. It has consumed you, Alexis, and through the emptiness that it has left in you it drives you to consume any amount of glory, of praise, of acclaim that you can reach. With eyes wide and frantic with your frenzied need to consume, whenever you are without a championship in this company you drive yourself mad with the craving. You seek it constantly, yearn for it nightly, and when you have it it consumes your every waking thought. The hunger worms its way though your soul like a dagger to the heart, warping the reality of the world to your eyes until you gaze upon a simple belt of leather and metal with the adoration of a mother to a child.
And despite your protests, it has left you crazed. Your hunger has transformed you into a tainted, broken, and mad thing - desperately addicted to a sensation that you know is running out very... very... quickly.
I am coming for you, Alexis Caffrey. You have faced this vessel before, yes, but you have not faced the storm that has fallen upon your fate. It is the Will of God that has driven me to this point, to wage war against you flesh to flesh. Those three who tried to prevent me from reaching this point in my crusade were ALL left broken and battered beneath my hand - what hope do you have against it? What hope do you have, with all your madness, all your hunger, all your desire, to stand against the Righteous Will of GOD himself?
You are an ant standing on a hill before the forest fire, declaring that you cannot be burned.
You are not special. You are not important. You are not threatening. Everything you have done, everything you have accomplished, is not enough to dissuade me. If anything, they serve merely as examples to why bringing about an end to you and your pithy reign is right and just. Every title, every victory, every accolade, every iota of praise that you have dragged into your gullet stand as shining testaments to your depravity, to your whole-throated willingness to give in to the temptations of your Sin. Your refusal to refuse your craving. Your submission to Gluttony.
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Do you know what happens to a wild, crazed and rabid animal of flesh and bone when they begin to starve, locked in isolation? Do you know what happens when those Damned by Gluttony are cut from the object of their craving, and locked away from it forever?
They begin to devour themselves. Whether it be through gnawing upon their own flesh and drinking of their own blood and urine for sustenance, or simply watching as their brain directs their flesh to devour itself - the last meal of the Gluttonous will always be themselves. It will always be the agonizing, torturous experience of being alone, howling in their isolation as their madness intensifies with every passing moment in which they are denied that for which they hunger. It will always be the fate of watching as they consume themselves, knowing that it will only bring them more pain, but unable to stop themselves - for as they have indulged in their hunger, so shall their hunger indulge in them.
This is your fate, Alexis Caffrey. This is what the future holds for you. You cannot escape it. You cannot alter it. Even if you evade this fate in life, you will suffer it eternally as retribution for your giddy descent into damnation.
And even if anyone could stop it - there are none who would.
But for standing against me? For indulging in your Gluttony to the point where it drives you to spit in the face of God himself? When your craving for adoration and acclaim drives you to idolatry and hubris?
For that, Alexis Caffrey... I will hasten your descent into suffering personally. If your craving matters that much to you, then I will drive more of it down your throat than mankind was ever meant to fathom. You will choke on your craving as I force you to devour the yield of every seed you have ever sown, and leave you swollen and sputtering at the end. I will give you a taste of your future damnation. It is said that minds of Mortals who gaze upon the true face of the God and his Archangels are driven forever into the deepest madness - and thus I will leave you a broken and empty shell of what you were - rutting in the filth of your corruption and your insanity. Broken. Starving. Crazy.
And all that you will be able to say, as you are dragged away with a shattered mind, are three words...
...All bloody hail.
All Bloody Hail.
ALL BLOODY HAIL.
ALL.
BLOODY.
HAIL!"
Of the Deadly Sins, so many forget that of Gluttony. To the eye of the faithless and the weak of heart, this can seem an almost laughable sin compared to the others. It does not have the visceral appeal of Wrath, the seeming long-term rewards of Greed, the primal, instinctive allure of Lust or the bold, dramatic displays of Pride. Compared to so many sins that draw from obvious displays of harming others, of driving the pure into the dirt for personal gain or superficial reward, the Sin of simply indulging an appetite seems trivial in comparison.
But you know well the truth of the insidious lure of this Sin, don't you?
If you go beneath the surface, Gluttony proves to be among the most destructive, selfish, and dangerous sins for one to indulge in - for the sin of Gluttony is so much more than the simple devouring of food in excess. It is the very concept of drawing something in in excess - but instead of hoarding it to bask in its splendor, as do those damned by Greed, Gluttony's damned instead destroy. They ravage the land with their ceaseless hunger, ripping through all in their path as they seek to devour anything and everything that would come even close to satisfying their cravings - no matter the craving. Just as Famine wields the weapon of Want, Gluttony is the urge to relieve that want, turning all those afflicted with it into dangerous, insatiable predators who will latch on to that for which they hunger, and refuse to let go even under the threat of their own suffering.
Does this sound familiar, Alexis?
Oh, yes. Though your ceaseless craving may not be for food, that does not diminish from its power, nor its capacity for corruption. It has consumed you, Alexis, and through the emptiness that it has left in you it drives you to consume any amount of glory, of praise, of acclaim that you can reach. With eyes wide and frantic with your frenzied need to consume, whenever you are without a championship in this company you drive yourself mad with the craving. You seek it constantly, yearn for it nightly, and when you have it it consumes your every waking thought. The hunger worms its way though your soul like a dagger to the heart, warping the reality of the world to your eyes until you gaze upon a simple belt of leather and metal with the adoration of a mother to a child.
And despite your protests, it has left you crazed. Your hunger has transformed you into a tainted, broken, and mad thing - desperately addicted to a sensation that you know is running out very... very... quickly.
I am coming for you, Alexis Caffrey. You have faced this vessel before, yes, but you have not faced the storm that has fallen upon your fate. It is the Will of God that has driven me to this point, to wage war against you flesh to flesh. Those three who tried to prevent me from reaching this point in my crusade were ALL left broken and battered beneath my hand - what hope do you have against it? What hope do you have, with all your madness, all your hunger, all your desire, to stand against the Righteous Will of GOD himself?
You are an ant standing on a hill before the forest fire, declaring that you cannot be burned.
You are not special. You are not important. You are not threatening. Everything you have done, everything you have accomplished, is not enough to dissuade me. If anything, they serve merely as examples to why bringing about an end to you and your pithy reign is right and just. Every title, every victory, every accolade, every iota of praise that you have dragged into your gullet stand as shining testaments to your depravity, to your whole-throated willingness to give in to the temptations of your Sin. Your refusal to refuse your craving. Your submission to Gluttony.
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Do you know what happens to a wild, crazed and rabid animal of flesh and bone when they begin to starve, locked in isolation? Do you know what happens when those Damned by Gluttony are cut from the object of their craving, and locked away from it forever?
They begin to devour themselves. Whether it be through gnawing upon their own flesh and drinking of their own blood and urine for sustenance, or simply watching as their brain directs their flesh to devour itself - the last meal of the Gluttonous will always be themselves. It will always be the agonizing, torturous experience of being alone, howling in their isolation as their madness intensifies with every passing moment in which they are denied that for which they hunger. It will always be the fate of watching as they consume themselves, knowing that it will only bring them more pain, but unable to stop themselves - for as they have indulged in their hunger, so shall their hunger indulge in them.
This is your fate, Alexis Caffrey. This is what the future holds for you. You cannot escape it. You cannot alter it. Even if you evade this fate in life, you will suffer it eternally as retribution for your giddy descent into damnation.
And even if anyone could stop it - there are none who would.
But for standing against me? For indulging in your Gluttony to the point where it drives you to spit in the face of God himself? When your craving for adoration and acclaim drives you to idolatry and hubris?
For that, Alexis Caffrey... I will hasten your descent into suffering personally. If your craving matters that much to you, then I will drive more of it down your throat than mankind was ever meant to fathom. You will choke on your craving as I force you to devour the yield of every seed you have ever sown, and leave you swollen and sputtering at the end. I will give you a taste of your future damnation. It is said that minds of Mortals who gaze upon the true face of the God and his Archangels are driven forever into the deepest madness - and thus I will leave you a broken and empty shell of what you were - rutting in the filth of your corruption and your insanity. Broken. Starving. Crazy.
And all that you will be able to say, as you are dragged away with a shattered mind, are three words...
...All bloody hail.
All Bloody Hail.
ALL BLOODY HAIL.
ALL.
BLOODY.
HAIL!"
Well howdy there pardner.