Chapter 40
It would take a week. Ariel's excitement made rest difficult. He lay on the pallet, staring at the delicate carvings in the wooden ceiling. He had looked at the scene many times before, but today it held a special meaning for him. The celestial bodies depicted above were systems Araton had helped seed. After this week he would need to commission an addition.
His mind raced with questions and worries. What if they forgot something? How would the process work? Would it be beautiful? Would they say anything to him? Who else would be there?
Eventually, he heard Araton moving about and raced out to the kitchen, glad to be able to verbally release the torrent of thoughts. He began bombarding his mentor with a string of the questions, but the older angel held up his hand to stop him.
‘Ariel, you have to understand. We cannot mess up. They allow us to participate for our sake, not for theirs. If we missed anything, they can certainly make up for the omission. Don’t worry. Just enjoy the experience. It is something to see.’
He followed Araton outside and took flight close behind his mentor, unassisted and untethered. It seemed so natural and now he had trouble understanding how he had gotten around before his wings.
'Araton, why aren't we heading toward the grove? This isn't the right way. We're going to be late,' he yelled above the rushing wind, but Araton waved aside his objections and maintained his course.
It didn't take long to ascertain their destination. The immense mountain towered over everything and stood directly in their path. Perhaps they would travel with the Kings. The thought filled him with even more excitement. He wondered if he would get to visit the throne room before they departed.
Near the top of the mountain stood a southern facing plateau. Landing on the gently sloping, grassy plain, Ariel noticed the opening, just above their position, shining with the intensity of a star. Despite the massive amounts of energy spilling out above, it was calm and quiet where they stood. He followed Araton toward a arched section of stone which looked slightly darker than the rock face around it. An angel stood stiffly on each side. As they approached, the arch began to glow; growing brighter the closer they came. Neither of the guards moved or looked at them. Araton walked through. Ariel hesitated for a brief moment before following.
They entered what seemed another realm entirely. All evidence of a mountain or a doorway disappeared. Soft sounds of music filled the air with peace and tranquility. He turned toward the source of the melodious din and immediately dropped to his knees.
Seated on a raised marble pedestal were the Kings, sitting on simple, elegant thrones. They didn't turn his way, but he sensed their welcome. Elyon sat in the center, with Adonai and Ruach on either side. Cherubim clustered on the edges of the dais. Amazed, he spotted Gabriel among the group.
Ariel looked over at Araton, who knelt beside him. His mentor glanced over and smiled. His eyes mirrored his own sense of contentment and wonder. They were actually in the throne room of the Kings. Although no verbal command came, he suddenly realized he should no longer kneel. Araton must have received the same message, as they rose together.
They stood on the edge of an immense sea, whose surface was perfectly still, flawless, and to all appearances endless. Seven stones, colors corresponding to each of the choirs, spread along the near edge of the sea at regular intervals.
Ariel surveyed the rest of the room, though that moniker seemed inaccurate. They stood in a large semicircular amphitheater. The outer ring of the space was filled with musicians playing the sweetest music. He scanned the rows of blue-robed Cherubim. In the middle of the group, acting as conductor, stood Helel, looking proud and beautiful. He seemed to sense Ariel's gaze and looked up, locking eyes with his former housemate. He stared intently for a moment, then returned to his duties.
Ariel continued his awed inspection of the throne room. In front of the Kings stood the twin, massive, prime trees of the grove. Nearby, a group of Cherubim tending a bonfire in a large, shallow, brass bowl. To their side lay the ornate box housing the Kingdom's law.
Suddenly the music stopped. We must be getting ready to depart, Ariel thought, and waited for command to proceed to the grove, but no command came. Instead, the arella around the throne began to join the ranks of those on the edges. Araton grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side, to marble seats located on the periphery of the space.
Hasdiel, the celestial scribe, stepped onto the bottom step of the pedestal, which held the throne. He turned out toward the sea and stood, motionless, staring across the open expanse.
A sudden trumpet blast interrupted the silence. A slight breeze began moving. The surface of the great sea rippled delicately under the wind's touch. As he watched, the water drew away from the near shore, revealing a seabed as black as night. The wind increased and the water pushed into a mass which rushed away in a wall that grew until it filled the sky before them. The pale blue firmament disappeared and the scene darkened.
In the faint light, Ariel spotted a massive, dark orb approaching. Though barely discernible, he realized it was growing and assumed it must be coming toward them. Something about the large ball was familiar.
The entire room fell silent, watching with fascination. This wasn't what he expected. They should be on their way to the grove and traveling toward Gaia.
A deep voice interrupted his thoughts. A word rang out in the stillness. He did not recognize the word, but he somehow knew it. It was the word. The word of initiation. He couldn't repeat it, but he watched it begin.
The great orb exploded in a dazzling display of light, becoming instantly alive with energy and heat. The immense glowing globe drifted off to the side and Ariel perceived, in the newly brightened space, a much smaller sphere approaching. How was he seeing Gaia?
A voice answered inside of this own head.
'You must understand here and there do no exist for us. We are where we are and now we are creating a new world, a world you helped prepare. You did well. This is a special creation. One which has been planned for a millennium and will be the site of a great and terrible chapter in the history of the Kingdom. In time the entire universe will come to realize that this creation marks a pivotal turning point. Many will be tempted to doubt the wisdom of this creation, but I ask you to have faith that it is for the greater good that we gather here today.’
Was it possible for a creation to be both great and terrible? He was so excited to be witnessing this and so confused by what he saw and heard. There was no here or there? What did that mean? Again the voice answered him inside his own head.
'Some things you are unable to understand, but your faith is strong. We would ask that you continue to believe. We are not restricted by space and time the way the created are. While you are here, in the throne room with us, these limitations do not apply to you either. You are literally in that small solar system in the Milky Way, but you are also here, securely seated in Mount Kol. You are going to witness a process requiring a week, but to you it will seem like minutes have passed. The word has been spoken and that single word spawns all of creation, but we will explain it to you as we go.'
The word echoed in his head and the stationary planet warmed before his eyes. The large swathes of gray ice converted to steam as the unfiltered energy of the sun hit the planet's surface. A cloud formed over the planet as the solids became gases and expanded. This canopy, which existed as a warm mist at its lower altitudes and an icy shell at its upper reaches, would protect the surface of the planet from the intense rays of the central star. The sky below served as a protective layer, but also contained the oxygen and nitrogen the life forms would use to breath.
He glanced over and his mentor smiled. ‘It’s perfect’ he thought, and Araton nodded.
The planet started to rotate under its thick shroud. He tried to imagine what was happening beneath the cover, and suddenly was there, the word echoing in his head.
As new fields of ice became exposed to the sun and the temperature insi
de the planet's atmosphere stabilized, the ice melted quickly. Soon, waterways formed and expanded. Huge glacial fields liquified within minutes, causing great gorges to be carved, as water rushed to fill in the lower elevations. The movement of so much water pressed vast plates of rock together and upward. Mountains erupted from the plains, crevices became canyons. The entire surface of the planet moved in a torrent of water and stone. One by one the individual masses of land collected into one continent with tremendous force. Powerful collisions caused the edges to crumple under the pressure, stacking up great ranges along the length of the impacts.
The word echoed in his head and the gray surface of the planet became alive with a multitude of colors and textures. Great forests spread across mountain slopes. Open plains sprouted with flowers, fields of grass, and plants of all kinds.
'Do you recognize the species we have chosen, Ariel? You have probably seen many of these in your travels around the city,' the voice said.
He had expected some sort of mass seeding, not this instant transformation. How had an entire planet instantly been covered with hundreds of thousands of different types of plants?
'Remember that space is not relevant. You have seen the numerous parks of this city, the great estates, the various ecosystems around the Kingdom. We just moved a few trees and plants to the new world. These will grow and multiply and fill the planet for generations to come.'
He wondered if the animal species that would inhabit Gaia were also taken from the kingdom?
As if on command, the trees and skies filled with all types of birds. Great sea creatures broke above the surface of the great seas. The plains and forests before them erupted with a wide variety of life.
'The animal habitat is where we house new creations until we place them to start a population on a new world. That is why you are all bonded to a specific creature from that place, to remind you that you have the privilege to serve our creation.'
It was so beautiful. Everywhere he looked he saw life. Rocky barrenness and frozen expanses of water had been replaced by beauty and energy and joy. He knew five days had now passed, but it seemed like minutes. One more creation remained. He waited expectantly.
Adonai rose. He walked toward the great trees standing on the edge of the sea, before the throne. He touched first the tree of life, then the tree of knowledge. He stepped from shore and onto the planet's surface. Instantly, an exact duplicate of each tree stood on either side of him.
The planet was now connected to the Kingdom by a pathway. Representatives of the Kingdom and Gaia would travel back and forth, dealing with the issues confronting the planet. But who would be the sentient inhabitants of this new planet?
Adonai knelt and formed the shape of a wingless arella in the dust. It was similar to what happened at telmid creations, only this time he used his own hands to form every part. Once done, he bent down and exhaled into the face of the sculpture. The word echoed in Ariel's head and the figure took on the appearance of flesh.
It opened its eyes and looked directly at its creator, a look of adoration on its face. Adonai gently laid the figure down and touched its side. The word echoed in Ariel's head. Suddenly another creature, one slightly smaller, yet beautiful in appearance, appeared beside it.
‘They look just like us,’ Ariel whispered to Araton.
Adonai talked quietly with the new creatures, giving them instructions and offering his welcome and blessing. Ariel sat with Araton, amazed at what he they witnessed. His concerns seemed suddenly foolish. Araton had been right. The Kings didn't need his help with creation, but he was so grateful they wanted it. He felt incredible satisfaction for his small part in the creation of this new world.
Adonai returned to his throne and sat, looking pleased.
'Was that good?' the voice asked.
‘It was good,’ Ariel thought.