Legends of Amacia: Mysteries of Tiamat
Visions of the Darkness

“Harry, Mary,” the angel in the center of the living room declared. “You are greatly beloved by the Lord. Therefore, He has His angels watching over you.” The angel that stood behind Harry looked down at him with a warm smile, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. Peace flooded Harry’s heart and mind and strength entered into his body for the appearance of the angels had drained both him and Mary. The angel behind Mary did likewise.

“I’ve dealt with angels before,” Hannibal declared, gazing at the angels from his seat. “Who sent you?”

The angel in the middle of the floor acknowledged Hannibal’s request with a nod and smile. “That you have Hannibal Smith, or should I say Beowulf?” the angel replied. “We are sent by the Almighty Ancient of Days, the Lord of Hosts – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who sent His only son, Jesus, in the flesh, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose three days later from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Lord interceding for His sheep, and who is coming again to Earth to restore all things. That’s who sent us.”

“Well said, brother…well said,” Hannibal replied, smiling. “What does the Lord say?”

Gazing at the trio, the angel declared, “I am Gabriel, and stand in the presence of God. First, know that the Prince of the West has resisted our attempts to reach you for forty days. Had Michael not been dispatched to free us from the fight, we would still not been able to reach you. The Lord has instructed us to reveal the truth of the situation to you. Harry, Mary, these are your guardian angels sent by the Lord to watch over and guard you. They’re charged with your protection. You may notice Hannibal has two guardians with him. The reason for this is the task the Lord has given him.”

Turning to Hannibal, Gabriel said, “Hannibal, you may recognize your guardians. They were there in the village when the Dark Prince of the East was cast from you.” Hannibal looked closely at the two angels at his sides and acknowledged that they were. “They’re your guard and have been your guard since that day,” Gabriel said soberly. “The enemy has been massing to destroy you because of what the Lord will have you to do. You’re to go into cursed Amacian underworld. The Prince of Amacia has risen once again to destroy the Lord’s people from off the face of the Earth. Go and face him. Dezarcus is but a general. The Prince of Amacia is presently second in command to Lucifer himself. Lucifer has put him in charge of the Earth with orders to annihilate every soul from off the face of the Earth. The Lord will not allow this. The Lord will send you as He sent Moses to Pharaoh and the Lord himself will do battle for you. Therefore you are to go and stand in the breech for there are no others to do this.”

Harry and Mary looked on in awe and humility as the angel Gabriel laid out to Hannibal his mission. Hannibal sat there in stunned silence, taking in Gabriel’s instructions. “As the Lord commands,” Hannibal finally replied. “His will be done.”

Gabriel then looked at Harry and Mary soberly. “Harry…Mary; I’ve been charged with giving you understanding about what is fixing to transpire on the face of the Earth,” Gabriel stated. “Therefore come, all of you and see the enemy you face.” The room grew brilliant so that all that was seen was the angels. When the light faded, Hannibal, Harry, and Mary were suspended over the Harry’s house with the angels. “Look and remember what you see for this is the way it is,” Gabriel instructed. They floated some thirty feet over the house.

“Dennis! Dennis is still in the house!” Mary blurted out.

Gabriel smiled and reassured her. “Your son is safe. Look there,” he ordered, pointing to the house.

Dennis’ bedroom seemed to open before them. He lay in his bed, sound asleep. Four great angels stood guard at each corner of the bed facing out, swords drawn. Mary sighed in relief.

In an instant, the room vanished and they were over the house again. The suburbs stretched off into the distance and a crescent moon hung in the sky partially shrouded in high clouds. Around the perimeter of the property every six feet, angelic guards stood at attention with weapons drawn. Just outside of the perimeter was a hideous black horde of demons. The demons circled and occasionally tried to penetrate the perimeter. “You see. They constantly test our perimeters. Without the prayers of the saints, we grow weak and sometimes have to retreat. Prayers are our strength,” Gabriel instructed. “Now look to the east.”

They turned their attention to the east. The house vanished as they rose many miles into the sky over the Atlantic Ocean, giving them a worldwide view. In the Far East, they saw a great black cloud rising out of the mountains of that region. Hannibal noticed the core of the cloud seemed to hang over the western end of Sumatra. The vision suddenly increased a thousand fold and they saw the Temple of Tiamat.

“Lord, have mercy!” Hannibal exclaimed as he saw immense armies of devils massing around the Temple, but not in it. Dezarcus was present, reviewing his troops. Their numbers were uncountable. The cloud seemed to boil and writhe as it grew. The vision then pulled back to a wide view. The cloud grew until it blackened the entire eastern sky. The cloud boiled and suddenly took shape: the shape of a great draken, even the draken Tiamat. Harry and Mary looked on in amazement.

“The Draken Lord rises in the east and prepares to sweep westward,” Gabriel said. “Be alert and sober. He thirsts for vengeance.”

Hannibal looked at Gabriel in shock. “Dezarcus really is the heart of the draken nations,” Hannibal declared in an astonished tone. “He’s coming with great fury and vengeance because of his failure to keep me.”

“Yes,” Gabriel replied. “He’s insane with rage and will destroy all in his path that resists him. Now look to the north.” Their attention then turned to the north as Gabriel pointed. Out of the cold steppes and plains of Siberia rose another great cloud. Just as with the eastern cloud, this one was composed of demoniac entities. These entities were the color of blood and fire. Once again, the vision focused in and a great general was seen organizing and reviewing his troops. This one was in the form of a great werebear, standing some thirty feet tall. He looked at his troops and roared a roar that shook the ground. The werebear saw Gabriel and those with him, and cursed, raging in fury. The vision pulled back once again. The cloud boiled violently and seemed to form into a chimera: a cross between a bear and a griffin. The hideous cloud rose up to the stature of the draken cloud, obscuring the northern sky completely in its great scarlet form.

“Lo, the Prince of the North is ready to devour all that oppose him. Look, he has joined with the Draken Lord of the East,” Gabriel announced, pointing at the two clouds joining into one. The two great beasts mingled together as they turned, looking to the west with great fury. They roared in unison and slowly began to move to the west.

“Now, look to the west,” Gabriel instructed and all eyes turned west to North America. Yet another sinister cloud began rising from the United States, with the core of the cloud directly over Washington DC. The vision narrowed once again to the city of Washington. A deep darkness that no light seemed to be able to penetrate emanated from the city. The cloud grew and spread like a cancer over the whole land. The demons milled with unbelievable violence across the land. Then the great general appeared, perched on the pinnacle of the Washington monument. He stood nearly thirty-five feet tall with his proud head lifted up as he surveyed his domain and his subordinates. His form was strange...unearthly. He resembled a huge gargoyle with great wings that draped about his frame like a regal cape. His head resembled a man with long flowing hair and long pointed ears that protruded from under his hair. His color was dark gray and had great-clawed hands with skin that looked like it had scales. A giant black sword hung at his side. He gazed with pride and satisfaction at his command, and then looked east seeing the draken and the chimera. His smug expression fell as rage filled his features. His wings billowed as he pulled the sword from his side. Then he looked and saw Gabriel and those with him. The gargoyle prince snarled viciously and the darkness shrouded the city. At this point, the vision pulled back where the entirety of the western hemisphere was seen. The cloud grew and blackened to the point that any light that strayed near it seemed to be swallowed by it as if it were a black hole. It boiled and writhed angrily as it covered all of North and Central America. The cloud, then like the other clouds, began to take a form. It took the form of an immense giant from the just below the waist up with four arms, each arm having a weapon in its hand. A colossal fearsome demonic skull sat on the giant’s head like a great helmet. The cloud giant took a defensive posture as it raged.

“This is Prince of the West, who was promised the world by the Dark One,” Gabriel announced. “He knows now that the draken and the chimera will take his dominion from him so he rages and prepares to meet them in battle. Look how he sets himself in a defensive posture awaiting the draken and chimera. He’s losing his place because he has failed to take the world in the time allotted to him my Lucifer. This is the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful in His sight. Even the hordes of hell must obey the Lord. The western nations are under the wrath of the most High and are lost. The Prince of the West will betray his dominion and billions will die in the onslaught of the draken and the chimera. Now look to the south. Behold the stirrings of the Black Prince: Demon Emperor of the legions of Hell, master of the foulest darkness and evil.”

All eyes turned to the south as Gabriel pointed toward Argentina. At first, they saw nothing. Then a wisp of a dark cloud began to grow over the Argentinean Andes. It started in small and low, and then began to grow. The vision narrowed again, showing the great volcanic massif of Aconcagua and the area around it. The mountains crawled with all manner of demons like a swarm of ants whose nest has been disturbed. Their numbers could not be determined. The mountains seemed to be alive with them. The air slowly filled with their numbers. An ominous dark pall hung over the whole area...a pall of the darkest, foulest evil man has ever encountered. Hannibal, Harry, and Mary briefly glanced at each other in numbed awe, and then looked on. The vision narrowed farther. Down into mountain itself through fissures and underground passages into the immense caverns underneath it the vision took them. A cyclopean black city and colossal fortress came into view with a huge volcano belching lava and ash sitting in the background. Into the city the vision went, right into the royal palace. A giant man nearly twelve feet tall sat on the throne with a golden crown on his brow and regal robes about his frame. The throne was in the form of a great demonic skull with glowing red eyes and razor sharp teeth.

“This is the Emperor Zaros Sar Keleb of the black lands of Amacia,” Gabriel said. “He is the most powerful mortal being on the face of the Earth. Now see who he really is.” As everyone looked on, the Emperor’s face twisted and contorted. Suddenly from behind the throne arose the most formidable being any man would never hope to encounter. It leaned over the top of the throne and whispered into the Emperor’s ear. The demon abruptly realized it was being watched and looked up, seeing Gabriel and his charge. The colossal demon rose up to full height, looking directly at Gabriel and his charge. The beast stood forty feet in height with great bat-like wings that draped over most of his form like a royal robe. Its head had glowing red catlike eyes that burned and from the sides of his head protruded two massive horns nearly five feet in length apiece curving forward and upward. The demon’s face resembled that of a tiger with a body and head striped with dark and light gray stripes. A mane of long dark hair flowed from its head and long pointed, catlike ears poked out from underneath the hair. The demon looked as if it had some form of armor on its arms and legs. A gigantic dark sword hung at his side. Burning hatred and evil poured from its great glowing eyes as the prodigious beast spoke directly to Gabriel.

“What means you coming here, Gabriel? You have a lot of nerve coming so blatantly into my domain!” the Black Prince hissed. As he spoke, the angel Michael showed up with a contingent of twenty warrior angels.

Gabriel glanced at Michael and smiled. Then addressing the Black Prince, Gabriel declared, “We are here at the direct orders of the Lord. He has numbered your days!”

The Black Prince sneered and spread his great wings in defiance, pulling his massive black blade from his side. “The Lord huh,” he sneered. “He cannot stop us and neither can you. The Earth is mine to do with as I see fit and I see fit to destroy it my way! No one is fit to survive my coming.” The Black Prince shook his huge clawed fist in the air, hissing, “I will destroy you myself!” At that, the Black Prince launched himself, coming directly at Gabriel with a triumphant smile on his hideous face.

Michael and the angelic detachment then stepped forward and formed an angelic shield around Gabriel and his charge. The Black Prince suddenly stopped in mid-air just outside of the reach of Michael’s massive angelic sword, which was drawn and glistening in the light. “Not today, prince of hell. The Lord has willed it,” Michael declared fearlessly. “Go back to your darkness and tell your commander that his time is short as well.”

A countless black horde of demons rose to back up the Black Prince. Fear began to rise in Hannibal, Harry, and Mary. Their guardians saw this and comforted them. “There’s no need to be afraid,” one of Hannibal’s guardians declared. “Look, the Hosts of Heaven back us up.” They looked behind them and a great shining army of angelic warriors stood behind them with their weapons drawn. The army was vast...numberless as the sands of the sea. Hannibal, Harry, and Mary turned their attention back to the confrontation unfolding in front of them.

The Black Prince snarled, trying to stare down Michael. Holy indignation lit Michael’s eyes as he met the hideous gaze. Within moments, the Black Prince broke the gaze and pushed up to Michael’s sword, cursing and blaspheming. “This is not over. The world is mine and so is he,” the Black Prince growled, pointing at Hannibal. “We will come for him for his treason against us. His soul belongs to us.”

“The Lord rebukes you. The world is not yours and neither is he. Now get thee hence back into your darkness,” Michael rebuked.

The Black Prince’s hideous face twisted in rage as he backed down. “Another time, Michael,” he snarled. “One day soon we’ll face each other again and this time, you will fall!” The Black Prince cursed again and retreated to his throne and the Emperor. Darkness fell over the entire area so dense nothing could be seen. The vision pulled back so that the entirety of the great caverns was seen. The darkness was complete.

Michael turned to Gabriel with a sigh of relief. “That was close,” Michael stated. “The Black Prince is Lucifer’s present number two. This is the first time in twelve thousand years that he has shown himself to anyone. All thanks be to the Lord our God for His mercy and strength. We must go and prepare. The Prince will show himself again before long and we must be ready. The Lord wants me to leave a detachment with you for protection.” Looking at Hannibal, Harry, and Mary, Michael said, “They will be your guard until this is finished. Be vigilant and pray always.” At that, Michael and the rest of the hosts of heaven vanished, leaving Gabriel, Hannibal, Harry, Mary, their guardian angels and 20 angelic warriors as their additional guard.

“That was the Black Prince: your adversary, second in command to Lucifer himself,” Gabriel announced. “Now you have seen the face of your enemy so there will be no mistakes. Now look into the darkness of Amacia.”

They looked into the all-encompassing spiritual darkness throughout the caverns. As the darkness seemed to boil and writhe, flashes of light flickered around the periphery of the caverns. “What’s that light we’re seeing in the darkness?” Hannibal asked in a puzzled manner.

“That, my friend,” Gabriel replied, “is the remnant of Amacia that the Lord has redeemed unto himself. As you see, their light is faint and flickers in the darkness. That’s where you come in. You are to go to them and bring them out of that darkness. In the process, you will be tried and tested to the extreme, but always remember, the Lord will be with you. The Lord wants you to bring them out and to deal with the Black Prince. Just as He sent Moses to Pharaoh, so He sends you to Amacia. Now look and remember what you see.”

The vision then pulled back again to where all of South America was seen. The cloud that was forming over Aconcagua was now monstrous, covering nearly all of South America in its ink grip. The cloud boiled and raged as it swirled around like a hurricane. The cloud then began to take a form, just as the others had. Within minutes, the cloud took the form of a titanic werecat. Only the head, upper torso, and part of an arm were visible. In its monstrous clawed hand was a great sword that seemed to pierce the very heavens itself. The cloud seemed to hide most of its figure in darkness as it covered the entirety of the southern sky. “Look; the Draken Lord, Chimera, and Giant have noticed its stirrings,” Gabriel declared. They noticed that the Draken Lord and Chimera had hesitated and looked toward the southwest, seeing the werecat titan. They shrieked and roared in unholy rage, resuming their westward movement with a much higher speed and determination. The Giant turned his skull gaze to the south and raised his many arms in defiance and rage, yet remained in a defensive posture, turning his attention back to the east.

“The Draken Lord and the Chimera have their orders to take the Prince of the West. Their orders came from the Black Prince himself. They have orders to exterminate everything and everyone whom they encounter,” Gabriel explained. “However, the Draken Lord and Chimera each believe they alone should have the world as their dominion. Therefore, they will subdue and take the Prince of the West, adding his numbers to theirs. They’ll then turn their eyes on the Black Prince, lusting for his place and will try to take his position. This will be their downfall. The Black Prince, once attacked by them, will roar out of his place and completely decimate the Draken Lord, Chimera, and Giant, and in the process, eradicate all flesh from off the face of the Earth. The Lord will not allow this to happen. Watch and see their fates.”

The Draken Lord and Chimera approached the Giant and slipped under his guard. The three clouds merged into one. Great flashes permeated the cloud. All identity of the Giant, the Draken, and the Chimera were lost in the violence of the great boiling mass of demoniac entities. The cloud then seemed to settle and the Draken Lord emerged first. Then the Chimera showed its face and the Giant seemed to fuse the two together into the ultimate chimera. Their evil gaze turned to the south toward the great werecat and they started to move in that direction. The werecat saw this and grew in stature, revealing the whole body of the werecat. In an instant, the monstrous cat move forward with lightning speed and fury. It lashed out with its claws and sword at the Draken Lord/Chimera/Giant cloud. The clouds merged near Columbia and Peru. The werecat titan attacked with unparalleled violence, cutting the draken asunder. Within minutes, the cloud that once was the Draken Lord, the Chimera, and the Giant was torn asunder and dispersed. The werecat titan absorbed the remnants of the Draken Lord/Chimera/Giant cloud and grew in power until it straddled the Earth, with its head in the ionosphere. One titanic leg stood in Brazil and the other leg stood in the Congo in central Africa. It raised its head and roared in triumph, raising its colossal weapon toward heaven in defiance. It then proceeded to crush the Earth underfoot, destroying all that it could.

In the midst of its orgy of destruction, a strange Mars-sized comet with a reddish haze of debris around it came out of nowhere from deep space streaking into the inner solar system from the northwest like a missile. Hannibal, Harry, and Mary saw it and gaped in astonishment. “What in the world is that?” Hannibal whispered, as the strange comet seemed to appear like a phantom, passing inside the moon’s orbit but missing the Earth itself by two hundred thirty thousand miles. The comet rained a grievous hail of rock and ice, both water and methane, on the earth as it passed by, hitting the werecat titan repeatedly with massive energy bolts as its magnetic and gravitational fields and the Earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields interacted. Asteroids pummeled the giant cat in the head and body as the electron bolts from the comet arced like a colossal Van DE Graff generator, striking the werecat in the chest and running down its leg, touching the ground in Argentinian Andes, pulverizing the mountain range to dust over an area the size of Montana. The comet suddenly came in so quickly the titanic werecat was blindsided by the comet while it stomped Africa and South America into dust.

When the celestial body unleashed hell on the dark werecat titan, the cat stopped and issued a shriek as it staggered, first grabbing its head where the asteroids hit it followed by its abdomen where the electron bolts from the comet struck. The great sword dropped from its hand into the Pacific Ocean, creating a monster tsunami of two hundred feet as the werecat dropped to its knees. An eerie light flashed from inside the great figure as the planet-sized comet wreaked havoc on the demoniac titan. The electron bolts enhanced the eerie flashing light that seemed to erupt from the werecat’s body. The giant werecat howled in mortal agony as its substance seemed to dissipate under the barrage from the giant comet and the lights erupting from within the cat. The lights grew stronger and stronger fed by the energy from the comet, dispelling the cat’s body. Within minutes, the werecat titan began to lose its shape, spreading out and obscuring the entire planet. Hannibal, Harry, and Mary looked on in numbed astonishment. With one last salvo of plasma bolts from the comet, the lights within the cat burst out of the cloud and the body of the cat and the cloud dissipated, revealing the world permanently scarred with portions of several continents shattered and submerged in the oceans. Other continents and islands were altered in shape, including South America where the Argentinian/Chilean Andes had been completely restructured around Cerro Aconcagua. In place of the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere sat a plateau the size of Montana stretching from the Chilean coast to just two hundred miles west of Buenos Aires. The plateau ranged from sea level on the west coast to six thousand feet in the center and eastern areas. Mountain ranges of varying sizes split the plateau into several geographic zones with the entirety of the new land mass being surrounded by a massive jagged mountain wall with peaks upwards of twenty thousand feet. The terrible comet that seemingly smashed the dark werecat to bits and restructured the surface of the Earth pulled away from the planet before killing every living thing, leaving the world eternally scarred.

“What happened? Where did the monster go?” Mary asked in a shaky tone. “Why did the killer comet leave?” Mary suddenly broke down and sobbed, overwhelmed by the apocalypse she just witnessed.

Harry put his arm around Mary as her guardian angel touched her on the shoulder. “What did we just see?” Harry asked Gabriel bluntly. “What was that weird planet, comet, whatever the heck it was? Will it do what you just showed us?”

“What you have just witnessed is the defeat of the Black Prince,” Gabriel explained. “The Lord’s people who are right under his very nose will defeat from him from within. That’s what those flashing lights were that ultimately destroyed the Black Prince: the Lord’s remnant in Amacia. You, Hannibal, are the lightning rod that will help them do this.”

“What about the comet?” Hannibal asked, still stunned by what he saw. “What is it? I saw it attacking the Black Prince and seemingly assisting the light trying to get out of him. What’s the deal here?”

“That comet, as you call it, is what your kind calls Gabriel’s Hammer,” Gabriel stated. “It’s a rogue comet the size of Mars and is one of the Lord’s mighty weapons brought out to deal with the Black Prince and his allies. There’s much more going on here than I am allowed to share with you right now. For now, just be aware that this rogue body will not overturn your civilization as Nibiru did when Amacia fell in the 1st Age of Humanity. The majority of humanity will survive the Hammer’s passing, but it will shake the planet and restructure it somewhat as it goes by. The Hammer has a specific job to do in addition to giving the remnant of Amacia the strength to overcome the Black Prince.”

“What job is that?” Harry asked as he held Mary close. “All I saw it do is kill hundreds of millions of people as it destroyed that monster. What can we do in the face of such violence on a planetary scale?”

“Have faith, my friend,” Gabriel replied calmly. “You’re not ready to understand the Hammer’s task yet, but you will. You’ll find the answers about the Hammer when you reach the Black Prince’s domain in the Amacian underworld. The Lord allowed you to see this because it’s part of the Black Prince’s ultimate defeat. Remember, those who trust in the Lord need not fear the Hammer. He will preserve His people in the midst of the calamity you just saw. Noah is your example. Trust the Lord and you will be spared.”

“Good words, Gabriel,” Hannibal murmured. “I believe, but must admit that I’m sickened by what I just saw. Is there any way this terrible fate can be avoided?”

“No,” Gabriel stated bluntly. “The Lord has decreed it and it will come to pass. But remember, visions such as this often become reality in ways you don’t expect. Trust the Lord. He will protect you and your friends in what’s to come.”

“I pray He does,” Mary blurted out, still trembling in fear at what she saw, “because if He doesn’t, then we’re done for.”

“He’ll protect us,” Hannibal reassured Mary. “We must believe. Besides, there’s no way to know when this will actually take place. It could be months or years down the road. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“And you will,” Gabriel chimed, touching each of them on the shoulder in turn to give them peace and strength. “The day is set and isn’t far off, but certain things must take place before it can happen. You have a little time to prepare for what’s coming so don’t dawdle.”

At this point, the vision shimmered and faded, leaving Gabriel, Harry, Mary, Hannibal, and their guardians in the living room of Harry’s house.

“Where are our guards?” Hannibal asked, looking around.

“They’re outside with the others guarding the perimeter,” Gabriel answered. “They’ll be assigned as needed. Most will stay here with you and Dennis,” he said to Mary, who sat in her chair, very pale and shaken.

Harry sat in his chair with an equally troubled look on his face. Hannibal sat where he was, pale also but very calm and a great peace was upon him. Gabriel looked at Harry and Mary with a sober expression. “Harry, you are to go with Hannibal to guard his back,” Gabriel ordered. “It’s the Lord’s will.”

Harry protested the order. “I can’t!” Harry balked. “I can’t leave Mary and Dennis. They’ll get them, and if they don’t, that rogue comet will!”

“Oh you of little faith,” Gabriel scolded. “Have you not seen and understood what the Lord has shown you? The Lord has His mighty hand on all of you. Mary and Dennis will be perfectly safe. Do you not remember the confrontation with the Black Prince? The Lord will hide them in the palm of His hand and not one hair of their heads will perish. As for the Hammer, it will only kill those whose time has come in the Lord’s will. I’m permitted to say that Mary and Dennis will not perish by the Hammer. It’s not the Lord’s will for that to occur. They have a job to do, just as you and Hannibal have jobs to do before He calls you home. Besides, you know you want to go with him and that’s where the Lord wants you…at Hannibal’s side.”

Harry looked at Mary, who was feeling like a leaf driven in the wind. Mary shrugged and said, “If that’s what God wants, who am I to say no to Him after what I’ve seen. Has He really said we’re not going to die by this thing?”

Gabriel saw the look on Mary’s face and went to her, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand in his. “That’s what He has decreed,” he declared. “You’re safe from the wrath of the Hammer. It will not take you, your son, or even your husband. The Lord has a great work for both you and your son…work that will greatly benefit you both and many others.”

“Thank you,” Mary whispered, her tone wavering. “But even with this reassurance, it’s still so overwhelming, so….”

Gabriel patted her on the hand, smiling warmly. “I know what you’ve experience this evening is completely overwhelming,” he stated, “and I know you’re having a hard time emotionally comprehending it. But fear not. The Lord is good and righteous; He will not put any more on you than you can bear. Therefore, the Lord will make it so you can take this one piece at a time. Most of this will be like a dream to you on the edge of your consciousness and when you are ready to handle it, the Lord will have you remember it. He will also give you a peace about what you’ve seen tonight.” Gabriel touched Mary on the forehead with his index finger. At that, a great unspeakable peace flooded her mind and soul. She regained some of her color and ceased to be shaken.

Gabriel turned to Harry. “Mary will be all right,” he declared. “She’ll be protected, as will your son. As for what you’ve seen, you shall remember it and ponder it. Understand the enemy we face. Go with Hannibal.” He then place his hand on Harry’s shoulder, strengthening him and giving him great peace about what was seen and what he had to do. “It will be all right. Remember, the Lord’s will is supreme,” Gabriel proclaimed. “Even the hordes of hell and monsters of the Abyss must obey Him.”

Finally, Gabriel turned to Hannibal with a stern expression. “You know what needs to be done, Hannibal,” Gabriel said firmly. “The Lord will be with you. Remember what you’ve seen and ponder it. Understanding will be forthcoming. Look to the skies for the signs so you’re not caught unaware.” Turning to the three of them, Gabriel stated, “I am Gabriel, and stand in the presence of God. Remember what you’ve seen tonight. Remember.” At that, the room grew bright to the point that they had to shield their eyes and when the light dissipated, Gabriel and the guardian angels had vanished. They looked at each other in amazement and fatigue. The peace of the Lord was upon all of them. Hannibal looked at the clock and his jaw fell open.

“What is it?” Harry ventured.

“I remember looking at the clock just before praying. We’ve been gone for only three minutes!” Hannibal exclaimed.

“Three minutes! My God! How did that happen? I could’ve sworn that we were gone for nearly four hours!” Harry returned in amazement.

“God is how,” Hannibal returned. “We’ve been allowed a glimpse of what’s going on in the spiritual realm. Things that happen in the spiritual realm always have a mirrored reflection in the world that we know. The world as we know it is about to change in ways we can’t yet comprehend.”

“Has anything like this ever happened to you before?” Harry asked.

“No, I’ve dealt with fallen angels and their power while I was in the occult world. But never have I had a visitation like the one we just had,” Hannibal returned in a subdued, humbled tone. “I’ve had dreams and such where things were shown to me, but always they were a bit cryptic. Never have I ever been shown something so straightforward. The Lord is definitely merciful to have allowed us such a glimpse. I don’t know about you, but my flesh even now is having a somewhat adverse reaction to what we’ve seen. It’s made me nauseous.”

“Now that you say that, so do I,” Harry said in realization. “It feels like I got some kind of flu bug or something. How about you, honey?” he asked Mary. She nodded in agreement.

“I feel like I’ve been run through a meat grinder,” Mary admitted. “I don’t quite understand why and can’t seem to remember most of what we saw except that we have angels guarding us and that you need to go with Hannibal. Yet, even with this reaction that we’re apparently having to the vision, I seem to have a great peace about it.”

“Me too,” Harry chimed. “What about you, Hannibal?”

“Yes, I feel it too,” Hannibal answered. “As for your not remembering most of the vision, Mary…it’s okay. The Lord will bring it back to you in time when He deems you need it. But, just for your curiosity, we were shown what the great demoniac princes of the world are up to. A great war is fixing to be fought in the spiritual realm that will spill over into our world and potentially reshape it. The Lord is fixing to grab onto the ends of the Earth and shake up our world again. The vision was so dramatic that it has affected us physically like the visions Daniel had in the Bible so don’t worry about not remembering it. When you need certain details of it, I’m sure the Lord will open it to you.”

Mary accepted Hannibal’s explanation of the evening’s events, nodding her head yes. They looked at each other for a few moments in silence. The fatigue of the encounter showed on their faces. Hannibal finished off the drink he had been nursing on over the evening and sat the glass down beside his chair. He then retrieved some of the pictures he’d passed around and proceeded to put them back in the backpack. Harry sat there with somewhat blank expression on his face as he watched Hannibal put the pictures in the pack. He shook himself and spoke up, saying, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you stay the night? Besides, if the vision is affecting you the way it is me, driving may not the best of ideas right now.”

Hannibal looked up, taken back by the offer. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose,” he replied.

“It’s no problem at all. We’ve got the spare bedroom that no one ever uses.” Harry stated. He looked to Mary for verification.

“That’s right. It’s no problem,” Mary agreed. “We have plenty of room. You’re welcome here anytime.”

“Besides,” Harry continued. “I think we’re better off sticking together tonight after what we just witnessed. I don’t know why I feel that way, but I just do.”

“The Lord’s prompting you, isn’t He?” Hannibal suggested, as he looked Harry in the eye.

“I don’t know about that. Maybe He is. It’s just I got this thing down in the pit of my stomach that telling me that you leaving us tonight would be a very big mistake,” Harry explained.

“All right then. I’ll stay,” Hannibal conceded. “I do think you’re right. I’m getting the same feeling. I find when I follow those promptings; it is the right thing to do. Only when I second guess it and ignore it do I get myself into trouble.”

“Great!” Harry bubbled with satisfaction. Even as he spoke, Mary had risen from her seat and left the room. Harry yawned and looked at the clock, which read 11:30 pm. “I don’t know about you, but I’m up way past my bedtime,” he said wearily.

“I’m somewhat used to staying up late. I don’t like to but when I really get involved in something the time just runs away with me,” Hannibal answered. “It’s been only in the last week that I’ve actually gone to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour.”

“The Amulet kept you up all hours of the night, didn’t it?” Harry said, handing him the Amulet.

“Yes, it did,” Hannibal said, pocketing the Amulet. “I can’t remember how many days I was up into the early morning messing with it. Many times, I fell asleep at the desk. You know…a desk is not a very comfortable place to sleep.”

“I’m sure of that. I’ve had my share of falling asleep at the desk,” Harry agreed. After a brief pause, Harry continued, “You know…you completely surprised us tonight with what you shared. For a while there, I was like a deer in the headlights while you told us about your past. I had no idea you had such a…shall I say colorful past. You’re just full of surprises. Maybe in the morning, you can finish telling us about the Temple. I’d like to know more about the Library.”

“Sure,” Hannibal replied, nodding. “You know, that dig is still ongoing. I have my closest and most trusted associate in charge of it. Presently, the work in the Library will last for years. There appears to be a complete history of humanity all the way back to the beginning.”

As he spoke, Mary re-entered the room. “I have your room ready,” she announced. “If you need the bathroom, it’s across the hall. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night and thanks,” Hannibal returned thankfully.

“You’re welcome,” Mary said, smiling with an added nod. “See you in the morning.” At that, she disappeared into the house.

“Let me show you to your room,” Harry said, getting up from his seat.

Hannibal rose, retrieving his pack. “Just a moment,” he said. “Let me go outside and lock up the truck.”

“All right,” Harry answered, following him to the door. Hannibal went out to his truck and retrieved a duffel bag. He locked the truck and paused, looking around intently at the darkness before returning to the house. “You carry a change of clothes with you?” Harry asked while locking the front door.

“Yes, I do…all the time,” Hannibal replied following Harry to the guest room. “I never know when I’ll need them. Tonight is a perfect example. When I showed up tonight, I had no idea that the Lord was going to show us what He did. I thought we were just going to have dinner and discuss the pros and cons of you coming with me on the expedition. I had no idea that we were going to get a glimpse of how big this thing is this quickly. I’m still a bit like a deer in the headlights.”

Harry opened the door to the bedroom and stepped aside. “Me too; here’s your room. If you need the bathroom, it’s right across the hall,” he said, pointing to a door just across the hall from the bedroom.

Hannibal quickly surveyed the room as he entered. “Thanks. This’ll do just fine,” he replied. “What time do you usually get up in the morning?”

“Usually, we’re up by 7:00 am; however, for now, there’s no set time to get up because I have the next two weeks off. I don’t have to do a thing if I don’t want to,” Harry explained.

“Okay, we’ll talk some more in the morning,” Hannibal said. “Good night and thanks again.”

“No problem. See you in the morning,” Harry answered as he went down the hall to the master bedroom.

Hannibal smiled slightly as he watched Harry disappear into the master bedroom. With a sigh, Hannibal closed the guest bedroom door. Sitting down on the bed after laying his pack and duffel bag down, he tried to grasp the events of the evening. The image of the Black Prince haunted and troubled him. Oh Lord, what in the world am I getting myself into? I had no idea it was getting this deep, he thought. Hannibal sat there, staring out the bedroom window pondering what he’d seen and trying to understand the significance of it for nearly ten minutes. The ghostly images of the werecat cloud being demolished by Gabriel’s Hammer haunted him.

A noise jarred him out of his thoughts and he looked around for the source of the noise. It came from the hall. He immediately investigated. Opening the door, he peered out to see Dennis coming out of the bathroom and sleepily plodding down the hall to his room. Hannibal gently closed the door and leaned against it, thinking, It’s just Dennis. I have to stop thinking there’s something around every corner out there to get me. Going back to the bed, he opened the duffel and procured some sweat pants and shirt, which he changed into. After laying his clothes in the corner on a chair, he knelt down beside the bed, poured out his heart in prayer for ten minutes, and then climbed into the bed, drifting off into a deep fitful sleep punctuated by dreams and nightmares of an extremely bizarre nature.

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