The Chronicle of Belthaeous

by John W. Steele

Chapter 47: Tureis Major

No one spoke throughout our transit. Nacroanus remained transfixed, his attention locked on the Avatar. Like some kind of spastic mime, Adrian contorted his face and body, perfecting the Archon’s movements and refining the intricacies of its expressions.

Our journey ended almost as quickly as it began. The cargo door of the cabin sighed open and the Reptoids sprang into action. We were greeted at the turnstile by a contingent of Enukai agents. In the center of these extraterrestrial criminals stood three of the largest and most threatening aliens I had seen to date. The austerity of their presence caused me to freeze in my tracks.

Nacroanus had mentioned them before and his description of them always made me uneasy. According to him, if I ever saw one of the royal demons, my world would never be the same, and his prognostication was deadly accurate.

Words could not describe the specter of horror that surrounded these mythological giants. These were the elite Reptilians Nacroanus referred to as the Dracos. Their bodies were dense and powerful, and they stood at least five meters tall. I’d witnessed them from a distance, but the proximity of their presence gave me a new impression of the superiority of their rank.

What I thought were capes draped around their shoulders and hanging to the floor were in reality wings, bat-like appendages with a glossy membrane supported by sharp bony spines that extended from their spinal column.

Long, thick horns protruded from the corners of their skulls, and blood dripped from the sockets of their enormous eyes. So hideous was their form that it defied the imagination.

The largest of the three, a hulking saber-toothed behemoth with white powdery scales, stood in the middle of this brigade of herculean demigods. The giant’s neck muscles splayed out from the base of its jaw like over-strung steel cables, connecting its skull to its shoulder blades.

Nacroanus stopped to pay respects to the deities. He made the sign of the fist and lowered his head. I felt thoroughly intimidated and I bowed low before the monster.

“Behold the instrument of Ahriman, captain of the guard,” Adrian said. “Not even the Council of Five dare push him too hard. He is indomitable in the world of matter, and he has pledged to support me in our cause.

“Ahriman is the supreme commander of the Reptilian Enukai, and no earthly authority can usurp him. Even Xenotula cowers in his presence. Ahriman answers only to Tartarus, who is twice his size and far more powerful.”

The captain of the demons lowered his gaze and glared at us. A forked scarlet tongue darted from his maw and he nodded his spade-shaped skull slightly in deference to Nacroanus. When he did, Adrian fell to one knee and made the sign of the fist.

When the salutations were completed, we headed for two pillars of light shining boldly in the distance. “You’re lucky Ahriman acknowledged you, Rodney. I’ve seen him devour a man in two bites. The demon is a cannibal who feeds on humans, bones and all. He has a taste for men of middle age, preferably circumcised Christians. Had he wanted you, there would have been nothing I could do to stop him from tearing you to shreds?”

“I’m not a Christian,” I said sheepishly.

“No. You’re not shallow enough. It’s still in you, isn’t it?”

I did not answer.

We walked along the floor of the mammoth concrete chamber, and I marveled at the spectacle surrounding us. Like a surreal fantasy, the Enukai soldiers shape-shifted into Reptoids.

Ahriman gazed at the Enukai he wanted to morph. The men lowered their head and transformed before my eyes. It was if some unknown frequency came over them and distorted their presence. Some of the Reptoids took on human form as well, and transformed into Enukai hominids.

“How is this possible, Adrian? How can men turn into reptiles and reptiles into men?”

“Your innocence is beginning to annoy me,” he said. “Did not the angels assume human form in the book of mythological tales? Why would you assume the demons of darkness cannot do the same? The phenomenon is holographic in nature. The demons shift from Fourth Density to Third.”

An unbearable stench filled the cavern, and the sensation of paranoia and nausea were too terrible to describe. I felt horror-stricken by the satanic forces that surrounded us, and I began to tremble.

Adrian sensed my hysteria and patted me hard on the back. He reached in his pocket and removed a green ampoule. “Here, inhale this,” he said, and he handed me a bottle of smelling salts. “A mere glimpse of these creatures has driven men to madness, and they are far more terrible than they look.”

His comment did little to comfort me. I took a sniff of the aromatic, and the burning vapors did indeed focus my awareness.

Adrian opened his arms to the army of extraterrestrials as if he was perfectly at home among them. “These are the warlords of planet Earth. Mammon uses them to maintain balance between the dimensions and limit the power of the Council of Five.

“The Draco are the elite of the Reptoid hierarchy, and there are thousands of them on the planet. They instigate wars, control the weather, and create the catastrophes now rampant on the earth.

“Ahriman presides over the commanders of the U.N. and the religious leaders of the world. He remains anonymous while directing the soulless counterfeit rulers on the material level. The Dracos are the original Dark Angels, the incarnate demonic commanders of Mammon’s Matrix program.”

Ahriman glanced towards the terradrive, and a group of Enukai assisted by a number of grey drones entered.

Nacroanus strode forth, and we approached the soaring columns of light. A stairwell led to a round crystalline platform, and we stepped up onto the floor of the radiant column.

My eyes explored the shafts and I followed the beam that rose far into the upper recesses of the chasm. There was no mistaking its purpose. These cylindrical tunnels led to the surface far above.

Belthaeous emerged from the transporter seated atop an anti-gravity platform. The Enukai soldiers assisted by the Genibolic scientists maneuvered the framework across the floor and placed the Archon on the opposite tower of light.

Adrian followed him onboard, and the life-support machines were transferred to the deck of the light shaft. The pillar began to pulse with blue-indigo radiance that flowed rhythmically in a wave-like modulation, and we ascended into the towering column of energy.

When we reached the roof of the portal, the light in the platform extinguished, flickering for a moment as the energy drained into its core. We stood on a copper-colored terrazzo floor inside an enormous auditorium. The room had the vastness of an amphitheater. The air smelled fresh and clean, and I breathed a little easier.

Save for our contingent of Genibolic personnel and alien emissaries, the hall contained no outsiders. Heavily armed Enukai agents stationed at every egress stood like monuments. Strategically placed security cameras lined the walls and ceiling.

This was it: the General Assembly of the United Nations. At the far end of the auditorium directly over the speaker’s platform hung the U.N. emblem. It glared like an omnipotent eye from the gold leaf backdrop that composed the entire wall.

Massive telescreens as large as automobiles flanked the panel, and the floor was adorned with a plush green carpet.

Four curved visitors’ galleries, recessed into the walls, overlooked the chamber. Enormous smoked-glass security windows eliminated the possibility of viewing whoever sat inside these hidden recesses. I realized this was where the real power of the world concealed itself, invisible from view, and entirely anonymous.

The rostrum had been removed and replaced with a midnight-blue velvet throne, gilded with gold and embellished with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. An elaborate mahogany canopy draped with a crimson valence hung over the altar, crowning it with an ambience of regal splendor. Semi-circular platforms radiated from the dais supporting leather armchairs the sat behind heavy wooden desks. Each tier ascended on the incline of the terraced floor in the auditorium.

Though the setting had been designed to convey an atmosphere of Elysian splendor, the gaudy spectacle reminded me of a classy whorehouse. So luxuriant and overstated were the details, they conveyed an atmosphere of earthly grandeur and decadence.

From the far side of the edifice, a tall, threatening figure marched towards us. I knew immediately it was Colonel Falkenhorst. When he approached his eyes burned, and I could feel the malice in his gaze.

Dr. Nacroanus appeared at my side, and Falkenhorst greeted him with the sign of the fist. “Greetings, Adrian. I see your journey unfolded perfectly.”

The demon eyed me coolly; his mouth hung agape, its teeth claggy with raw flesh and sharp as razors. “I see our little hood ornament is ready for the apocalypse, and a fine tribute to Mammon he will be,” he said.

“Hail Mammon!” Nacroanus barked, and they shared a long sustained look.

“Are the journalists prepared?” Adrian asked.

“Every major news network in the world has sent its most trusted commentators to report on the resurrection,” the colonel replied. “We’ve briefed them for three days, and they will parrot our every word according to the phrases displayed on the Teleprompters.

“The Enukai shape-shifters scattered among them are well-known celebrities in their own right. Many of our victims trust them completely and are eager to cast away their Light to serve us in our cause. The glorious day will soon be at hand and the world will tremble.”

“Excellent,” Adrian replied. “If you will excuse us, Colonel, I have a great deal of preparation to complete. Dr. Neumann, come with me. We have much work to do.”

With great care, the Genibolic scientists draped the Archon in a magnificent vestment of spun gold and silk, and placed his body on the throne that had been prepared for him.

In less than twenty-four hours, a new messiah would emerge. For those who adore the Light, death is sometimes viewed as a blessing. But the mercy of death would be destroyed. All men would give their Light to Mammon despite the power of their will.

When Belthaeous drew his first breath on international television, Nacroanus would seal the Light of the viables in this prison of filth forever.

I’d been in denial, but I now realized this legion of psychotic demons could actually accomplish this miracle. I had a chance to sabotage the entire mission and I knew I would not get another.

A leaden feeling of guilt hung heavy in my heart. I had let Adrian live because I could not go on without Heidi. But if I had it to do over, I would have sacrificed myself to save her. Adrian could not be defeated.

To be continued...