Thus Speak Prodigal
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Disclaimer : As of the last few threads, I will not repeat myself
here. And now the conclusion....
(a)Runoa's Heart
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(as contributed by Rinoa Heartily with minor editing)
As she was sleeping in her usual long endearing slumber, she had a
dream. It was a man in a black armour who emerged from the horizon,
riding on a galloping black horse. As he approached nearer to her,
she saw his face. That was the courage in his eyes and the force of
his presence had totally overwhelmed her with spirit.
"No! Don't go," she woke up with a start, "It is him again!
Prodigal...ohh....When can I get u out of my mind?" She sat up on
her water bed, and looked out of my castle miniature window, asking
herself the same question over and over again. Her original
decision was not to see him anymore, as he had abandoned everything
and that included her. Finally she came to an answer,"It is time
for a revival."
She was none other than the goddess of Love, Runoa. She quickly
changed to her white long satin dress and headed to the garden when
she heard her seven foot tall and strong bodyguard, Clone said,
"Mistress...I have got news for you..."
"I know, Clone. I can feel where he is. Despite that I don't wish
to see him, I could not yield to the temptation to go and seek him.
My brother Fate told me that I am going to see him soon and I can
sense it now in my heart."
"But he is now on dangerous ground. You do not know what is going
on and and going to hell is not a trivial matter." Clone spoke in
full concern for his mistress. "Besides, he had broken your heart
once, and do you want that to happen again?"
"No, if I have to go thru this once again, I shall. Say no more,
Clone. I have decided to see him again." Runoa had made up her mind
to seek the Prodigal,"Prepare my steed, and we would set off to
Sheol, the entrance to Hell." She has finally yielded to her heart
and had begun her journey to seek the Prodigal.
(b)A Duel on Giving Up
----------------------
(Inspired by a comic series entitled "Sandman" by Neil
Gaiman)
The prodigal had managed to keep his cool after hearing the Devil's
decision to quit hell, and giving him the key to hell. It is
something which was certainly out of his expectation. He thought
that the Devil would give him a difficult philosophical problem,
but it ended up to be a strange proposal. He looked at the Devil
who was now smiling at him.
"Why?" the prodigal asked.
"Because I am tired of guarding this realm for the old man." said
the Devil,"Hell is a kind of purgatory, the intention was to have a
place where the sinners could seek their punishment here. You see,
hell is a place where people cannot forgive themselves. In truth, I
don't bring people here. They die and their souls come to my realm
for asylum, because they could not forgive themselves. I am tired
of being this faked adversary to the old man for so long."
"Even if this is a cosmic plot between you and him, surely you
don't have to give up hell," the Prodigal said, but was trying to
understand why the Devil would make such a move.
"Well, I am tired of being labelled the bad guy all the time. You
see, all those mortals who have committed their own acts of sin,
ranging from murder, rape, robbery or unpardonable acts would
always make the saying that "The Devil made me do it.". However, in
truth, I have never made them do anything. I just provided the
agents of temptation. They are responsible for their own
actions.
They use my name as if I spend my entire day, sitting on their
shoulders, forcing them to commit acts they would find otherwise or
repulsive. The mortals live their own tiny ives, and I don't live
it for them. Then when they die and they come here (having thought
against what they believed to me right) and expect me to fulfil
their desire for pain and retribution. I do not make them come
here. To get out of the cosmic game, the only way for me out is to
quit. Then they like to speak of me going around and buy souls like
a housewife going to shop in the market everyday, never stopping
asking themselves why. I need no souls and how can anyone own a
soul. They belong to themselves and they just hate to have to face
up to it."
"That is indeed surprising to hear from the Lord of Hell." the
prodigal said, and at the same time, he was calculating on another
frame of reference, trying to guess what the Devil was up to. "For
you began as the wisest and the most beautiful angel of all in the
beginning. You rebelled and then banished to Earth."
"Yes, Prodigal, at first, when I first gained control of Hell, I
have the enjoyment of controlling it, and manipulate the demons and
the fallen angels to fight against each other. As time progresses,
it just become so mundane that I need new excitement. I would like
to change, like being a piano player in the lounge, or be like you,
a wanderer. So, do you consider to take over my realm? The key is
here, and it is up to you."
"S.A. Tan," the prodigal mused to himself,"That was a nice speech,
but I am not taking up the offer, because I have figured out what
you have in mind." He threw the key back to the Devil.
"I do not understand what you mean," the Devil looked puzzled at
the Prodigal. He seemed honest.
"I have to applaud at your efforts of being sincere but it just
came to my thoughts that I understood what you have in mind. The
whole point of the duel is based on whether I would take your
realm. If I do, it means that you have "given me Hell" in the
literal sense. The problem is that taking Hell is not just a
responsiblity but a curse."
The Devil smiled at the Prodigal, but in his heart, he was burning
with anger that the Prodigal had seen through his plot.
"For a moment, I have succumbed to your temptation of relieving you
of your responsibility. However, as a former Endless, I have a
former representation of the Universe, so I realized why you are
doing this. The whole idea is that you want me to suffer your fate.
The whole problem about being an entity is not about gaining more
control, but to be relieved of that control and do whatever he
pleases."
The Devil clapped his hands, and said,"Very intelligent indeed, and
I am beginning to be aware of what representation of reality you
took in the Endless. But look around you now."
The prodigal looked around and found that he was surrounded by
millions of souls, demons and devils crowded around him.
"There is no hope, Prodigal," said the Devil,"Yield to my offer.
You have no choice."
"No choice, who says that I have no choice," the prodigal said in a
very strong and bold voice,"Who says that there is no hope in Hell?
Who says that there is no dream? You souls, demons and devils ask
yourselves, what power would Hell possess if those who are trapped
and imprisoned here since all of you were not able to dream of
Heaven?" The crowd made a lot of noise, and suddenly, a pathway was
opened in the midst for the Prodigal.
"Very well then, Prodigal," said the Devil, "You are free to go
with your friends."
(c)Because we hope
-------------------
Bish and Torrants were caught in the midst of facing the wrath of
the hurricane conjured by the two minions of the Devil.
"Bish, let's give it all we have," Torrants raised his hand and
summoned his hourglass. Similarly, the god of War has also conjured
his flaming sword.
"Let us now end it all!!!!!" Bish shouted, and both of them struck
into the hurricane with their combined powers. In the midst of the
contact, the battleground sank in explosion. It was like a nuclear
holocaust for a few seconds.
Torrants and Bish were next seen, fallen to the ground. Torrants'
tunic was shattered to pieces by the blast. His lips were slicked
with blood. His hourglass was intact, but his hands were burned
badly. He was holding on because he had told himself that he would
not die until he found his love. Bish, on the other hand, suffered
less injuries than Torrants. His armour was charred to bits and
pieces. His bare muscular body was decorated with scars and wounds
that was inflicted upon the explosion. He struggled to stand up and
see where their enemies were. However, they were nowhere to be
seen. The landscape suddenly transformed into a barren area of ice.
There was nothing buy icy alps surrounding them. It was as if they
had been thrown out of the realm of Hell.
"Well, guys, you are safe," a voice came behind him. It was their
friend, the Prodigal.
"What happened, Prodigal?" Bish asked, as he could not figure out
why they were here.
"We have departed from hell, I have won the battle against S.A.
Tan. As promised, he gave me the whereabouts of Mayar. Torrants,
she is presently in the land of the Faeries, living under the care
of Queen Amanda. You can seek her out once you have
recovered."
"Thanks, my friend," Torrants appreciated the effort of his friend
in obtaining the most important information which he needed. "Well,
how did you beat the Devil?"
"Well," the Prodigal smiled,"All in the name of Hope. Come on, my
friends, it's time for food and drink." There was an engima of
mystery shrouded over the Prodigal, as though there is nothing more
to be asked and said about him by his two friends.
Torrants, Bish and Prodigal smiled at each other, as they had
survived one of the most powerful and difficult places in the
cosmos : the Hell. As they were walking slowly out of the barren
icy land, far above the mountains, stood the Devil in his beautiful
white suit and his consort, Hallo Kathy who was also wounded as
gashes and wounds and can be seen on her face and body, with her
clothes tattered and torn. The Devil clenched his fists
tight,"Someday, Prodigal the Endless, someday, I will destroy you."
Well, one of the famous lines of the villains.
"So, what are we having for dinner?" Bish asked,"I am up for 10
pints of beer and lots of meat."
"Well, I guess, I will say that there is no lesser food than that."
Torrants said. "We can get the Lord of Parties to cater the food
for us and get Ack to join us."
"Well, guys, it looks like now that I can't join you all now." said
the Prodigal in an solemn mood, as the three friends saw a seven
foot tall man with a pole stick standing in front of them. He has
been waiting patiently for the three men. His pair of eyes were as
sharp as a eagle, waiting for his prey to be there. He had a strong
physique.
"Prodigal, my mistress wants to see you and you are to follow me to
see her," the seven foot tall man spoke in a low and cold
voice.
"Clone, tell her that I would not see her," the Prodigal
said.
"You will abide, otherwise, I will take you to her by force," Clone
said as he charged straight to the Prodigal. The Prodigal moved
forward in an engaging position of combat. The ex-shaolin warrior
threw a quick punch right into the Prodigal, and was blocked
carefully by his opponent. At the next instant, the Prodigal
swerved his hands to grab his opponent's left hand and tried to
throw his opponent. He was about 1.5 feet shorter than the
ex-shaolin monk.
"Do not force me to hurt you, Clone," said Prodigal,"You do not
understand."
"No," Clone yelled, as he punched onto the chest of the Prodigal
with his right hand. The knuckles on his fist were so strong that
the prodigal was thrown away for a few feet away.
The prodigal landed on his feet, but his mouth was spilled with
blood. He was angry that he was struck by the fury of a monk. He
took off his trenchcoat, and sunshades. His eyes were filled with
anger.
"You will now face my fury for being rude to an Endless," the
Prodigal said, as he clenched his fists. Quickly, he jumped up into
the air, and attacked the monk with a few flying kicks. The monk
defended his attacks well and tried to return punches back on him.
The Prodigal landed and tried to parry the heavy punch coming from
the servant of the God of Love. He lifted his right hand to block
the hard fist of the monk.
"It's time to end it all," the Prodigal said, as he twisted the
hand of the monk with his right hand, and use his left hand to
punch into his opponent hard and fast. The attack was so fast that
the monk could not see at all. He was thrown off apart, and the
Prodigal had prepared to send his opponent to an unconscious state.
He rushed towards the fallen man and prepared his final blow.
A weave of white cloth came from nowhere, and struck the prodigal
by surprise. The prodigal was slammed to the side of the ground. He
turned and found a beautiful lady in white who was tending to the
wounds of the fallen ex-Shaolin monk.
He stopped and had his eyes gazed on her. Similarly, his friends
Bish and Torrants were dazzled by her beauty. It was that of a
goddess descended from heaven.
"Prodigal, it has been a long time since we have last met," she
said as she looked at the wanderer with her pair of blue crystal
eyes.
"Yes, Runoa, my goddess of Love," the Prodigal said,"It has been a
long time." He looked back at her and many feelings were lost and
found in his heart.
It was the ending of one trial and now the beginning of
another.
[End of Part I]
[This message has been edited by prodigal (edited 08 February
2000).]
