The Councilman

PREFACE

The world that we live in is complex. How everything works, how it all began. Daily developments, inventions, and innovations brought about by us humans in an attempt to make things simpler tend to make things even more complex. Consequently, things will never get simpler, only more complicated.

Everything that had happened, all that I had done, all the tribulations that I had endured, has led to this very moment. An instance when I have finally reached the peak of my capabilities. Finally enjoying the fruits of all the effort and patience all those years. 

Thoughts flowed clearly through my mind as I floated inside the foreign domain. I observed everything and made instant conclusions at a glance. With just a few seconds in this domain, I had already performed thousands of simulations in the back of my mind. Though foreign, I knew and felt everything going on inside it; that is the reason why I immediately felt its presence the moment it showed up. It was dark and, like always, disgusting- the presence. 

Quickly, almost impulsively, I turned to face the opposite direction where I had felt the presence.

"You must be very desperate to end me if you'd resort to such a crude technique." My voice was clear and confident, tearing through the dark, eerily quiet environment with a strength that halted the beast behind me. It retreated into the darkness, away from my view, but still close enough for me to hear its rapid, heavy breaths.

"You keep underestimating me." The breaths got louder as I floated towards the presence. Its growls, fumes of rage, and desperation were like music to my ears. The aura of dark energy around it intensified. "You may speak, oh Mighty One!"

The sarcasm in my voice tortured its soul—if it even had one—so much.

"You! You... you're just a puny mortal," the voice was metallic, very heavy indeed. It initially gave me chills, but over time, I overcame the fear.

"Am I still that puny to you?" I closed in on my prey. "You don't sound as confident as you did nine decades ago."

Ninety years indeed! I smiled at myself with satisfaction. It had taken me that long to finally reach this level. A level of power worthy to challenge the greatest force of evil in the world, the Beast. 

"Throughout that entire time, you never imagined that this moment would reach, didn't you? You never imagined a mere mortal would be one to rival the Most High, let alone you."

The fuming was getting louder and more rapid. Great. The message I was conveying was hitting right on the spot. One more statement and the balance of the universe would be tipped; everything would finally be revealed to me. I stopped moving. Divine energy tingled at the tips of my fingers. Things were finally about to reach the climax.

"You are not worthy of the title anymore, Devil." 

You guessed right. I am up against the Devil. The literal Devil, First of the Fallen, Lucifer, Satan, you name it. Pretty crazy, right? 'You should not play with forces beyond your comprehension,' the weaklings advise. Meaning once you comprehend those forces, the most you can do is play around with them. I am doing the same thing currently. The chances that I will have this little duel, oh, just slightly over a hundred percent. I am not being cocky or ego, just the plain bitter truth based on my current level of power. 

Though perhaps I should not tell you how I beat the beast –mostly because you already know the outcome- but how I got here. How I accumulated enough power to finally surpass the Beast. How is a mortal like me able to access divine, heavenly energy?