10.1 Afterward
It’s time to wrap up these old scrolls and move on to our next story, but first let me tell you what I was thinking about way back then…
Around this time I remember relaxing in my library at Nektar’s Cauldon – that grand volcano where I’d made my home on Terra. Surrounded by towering bookshelves filled with ancient tomes and magical artifacts, the air was thick with the scent of old parchment and faint sulfuric undertones from the volcanic vents. The walls were adorned with intricate tapestries I’d made over the years, depicting scenes of celestial battles and infernal landscapes, relics of my long and tumultuous history. My chalice of dark, rich blood reflected the glow from the flickering firelight, casting eerie shadows across the room making me feel comfortable and at ease.
As I swirled my drink around and looked at the viscous ichor in the goblet, my thoughts began to drink – even back to the beginning of it all. “Ah, Illyria,” I mused, a bitter smile playing across the bare skull that sufficed for my face. “Joining forces with Lucifer and Zebub, believing we could actually overthrow A’H – how naive we were, thinking we could challenge The Great Creator.”
I took a long pull on my drink, feeling its warmth spread through me, yet the next thought sent shivers through my skeletal frame. “Michael the Mighty – the thought of that menace still scares me. He is the one who cast us out of Illyria. He is the one who locked us in this Middle Plane inside the Firmament. And now, here I am, still bound by those chains, still striving for freedom.”
Waving a bony hand to wash away the vision, my eyes then flickered with nostalgia as I remembered the creation of Terra with Lucifer and how we tricked the lumenarc Gaia into becoming part of our experiment. Then I laughed out loud as I thought about Zebub stupidity in allowing Itself to become trapped in the underworld of Illusia.
The more I drank the more the visions swirled and I had flashes of the many mortals I’d created. “Adam, Lilith, and the root races – the Hyperboreans, the Children of Mu, the Amorosi, and the Atlanteans. Each one a piece in my grand experiment. And my precious babies – The Morati, The Gupz, Brutz, and so many more – all designed to serve my ends.”
Pouring another glass I couldn’t help but chuckle. “And then there are the gods I’ve created. Yahway for Adam, Baal for Kane, Rhokki for the Drokka. Each one a means to an end, each one a success, and each one a mask to hide my true intentions.”
But the chuckle died quickly, replaced by a furrowed brow. “The prophecies of Elara and Norea. They loom over me like a storm cloud, threatening to unravel everything I’ve worked for. And the other lumenarcs… Rhokki, Gaia, Alyssa, Pan. They are threats I cannot ignore. Inanna and Samyaza, too, pose their own dangers.”
Draining another glass I slammed the goblet down on the table, “And the relics. So many magical artifacts from my angelic brothers that could thwart my plans. The Amulet and The Shard have been found, but who knows what else is out there, hidden, waiting to be found? These are unacceptable risks!
Standing up, I began pacing the room, my thoughts a chaotic whirl. “And then there’s Illusia. Lucifer and Zebub surely must know I am not completely loyal to them. If I return without destroying the Firmament, they will destroy me. I’ve failed them, failed to release them from their prison.”
And yet, despite the fear gnawing at me, a glimmer of hope sparked in my eyes. “But I am Azazel – the God of Death. I will not be defeated so easily. My plans are vast, my ambitions boundless. I will make myself the God of the Universe, displacing all others. No matter the cost.”
I walked to the arched window and looked out at the swirling magma, a grim determination settling over me. “Hope and fear, intertwined. But in the end, it will be my will that prevails.”
Returning to my chair, I poured another chalice of blood. “To the future,” I whispered, raising my glass to the fire. “May it be mine to shape.”
The Apocrypha of Azazel 