meal and their hospitality.
When they
were gone, David sat back in his chair and placed the Sword of Truth in his
lap. The Beagle jumped from his chair to the new empty one next to David. David
closed his eyes, placing one hand on the scabbard of the sword he carried while
the other absentmindedly petted the Beagle. When he finally spoke it was with a
deep, reverent tone.
“In the
beginning, as His first act, God created light that banished the darkness which
covered the uncreated universe. This act offered all creation a life without
sin and death. However, there were those of the Heavenly Host who felt the
darkness, the Void, had been dismissed prematurely. They rebelled against the
creation, and tempted the first created man and woman of each species. From
that point on our universe was filled with death and sin. Creation as God had
designed it was broken, and even the natural became corruptible. From the point
of first sin, our dying universe has been moving toward the end times, when
those of faith and acts will be redeemed and those of the Void will be
destroyed forever as the Spirit of God once again covers the creation with the
perfect light.
David
opened his eyes and looked around the table. When no one spoke he continued.
“As I’ve said, this realm is a place in-between all worlds. It is a bridge and
a focal point that reflects the chaos of the worlds it connects to. It is most
commonly called the Crossroads.
“I’ve
been here before,” he turned to his second oldest son, “when I was your age
Nic. My parents were supposed to pick me up from football practice after
school, but they never came. I figured I could get home on my own so I jogged
through town and up the country lane that would lead me home. Not wishing to
walk beside the road I cut through some farmland. At one point I came to a
small creek and I jumped over. When I landed I was waist deep in an ocean
located many miles east of here.
“I spent
over a year becoming entangled in the local battles between the forces of the
Void and the allies of the Word. I was tested, tempted, and tortured until one
decisive battle completely changed me forever. During the battle, my band was
joined by several warrior angels. We were holding a key crossing in the Fourth
Kingdom when the sun set. There would be no moon that night, so the Void’s
forces were at their strongest. My band and the angels fell one by one. Soon
there was only myself and one angel standing back to back in the midst of the
Void’s forces. It was then that I saw the sword appear. When it did, the forces
of the Void fell back. I went to reach for the sword, but the angel stopped me.
“‘No,’
the angel said, ‘it is not meant for you. To touch that sword will forever
convict you and burden you with the Way of Truth.’ At this, the angel reached
out to grab the sword, but several black bolts shot out of the darkness and
impaled the angel. My instincts told me more shafts would quickly follow so I
reached out grabbed the sword and ran. I didn’t make it far.
“A roar
of frustration bellowed from the darkness all around me and the sword began to
glow bright as the sun. I covered my eyes, but the light penetrated me, filling
me with knowledge, hope, and courage. I don’t know how long I was like that,
but gradually the light lessened to a radiant glow much like the moon’s distant
shining. I looked around only to find I stood at the center of a large scorched
circle. The sounds of battle were gone. I wandered back to camp to find my
commander and report the enemy’s disappearance. That was when I crossed back
over to Earth.”
David
grew quiet and the Beagle picked up the thread of the story. “That was when I
met your father. I arrived shortly after he had crossed and brought him the
scabbard for the Sword of Truth. Once sheathed, almost no mortal can see it.
Only those who have seen it in action become aware of its presence, much as you
have.
“I was the
one to inform your
When they
were gone, David sat back in his chair and placed the Sword of Truth in his
lap. The Beagle jumped from his chair to the new empty one next to David. David
closed his eyes, placing one hand on the scabbard of the sword he carried while
the other absentmindedly petted the Beagle. When he finally spoke it was with a
deep, reverent tone.
“In the
beginning, as His first act, God created light that banished the darkness which
covered the uncreated universe. This act offered all creation a life without
sin and death. However, there were those of the Heavenly Host who felt the
darkness, the Void, had been dismissed prematurely. They rebelled against the
creation, and tempted the first created man and woman of each species. From
that point on our universe was filled with death and sin. Creation as God had
designed it was broken, and even the natural became corruptible. From the point
of first sin, our dying universe has been moving toward the end times, when
those of faith and acts will be redeemed and those of the Void will be
destroyed forever as the Spirit of God once again covers the creation with the
perfect light.
David
opened his eyes and looked around the table. When no one spoke he continued.
“As I’ve said, this realm is a place in-between all worlds. It is a bridge and
a focal point that reflects the chaos of the worlds it connects to. It is most
commonly called the Crossroads.
“I’ve
been here before,” he turned to his second oldest son, “when I was your age
Nic. My parents were supposed to pick me up from football practice after
school, but they never came. I figured I could get home on my own so I jogged
through town and up the country lane that would lead me home. Not wishing to
walk beside the road I cut through some farmland. At one point I came to a
small creek and I jumped over. When I landed I was waist deep in an ocean
located many miles east of here.
“I spent
over a year becoming entangled in the local battles between the forces of the
Void and the allies of the Word. I was tested, tempted, and tortured until one
decisive battle completely changed me forever. During the battle, my band was
joined by several warrior angels. We were holding a key crossing in the Fourth
Kingdom when the sun set. There would be no moon that night, so the Void’s
forces were at their strongest. My band and the angels fell one by one. Soon
there was only myself and one angel standing back to back in the midst of the
Void’s forces. It was then that I saw the sword appear. When it did, the forces
of the Void fell back. I went to reach for the sword, but the angel stopped me.
“‘No,’
the angel said, ‘it is not meant for you. To touch that sword will forever
convict you and burden you with the Way of Truth.’ At this, the angel reached
out to grab the sword, but several black bolts shot out of the darkness and
impaled the angel. My instincts told me more shafts would quickly follow so I
reached out grabbed the sword and ran. I didn’t make it far.
“A roar
of frustration bellowed from the darkness all around me and the sword began to
glow bright as the sun. I covered my eyes, but the light penetrated me, filling
me with knowledge, hope, and courage. I don’t know how long I was like that,
but gradually the light lessened to a radiant glow much like the moon’s distant
shining. I looked around only to find I stood at the center of a large scorched
circle. The sounds of battle were gone. I wandered back to camp to find my
commander and report the enemy’s disappearance. That was when I crossed back
over to Earth.”
David
grew quiet and the Beagle picked up the thread of the story. “That was when I
met your father. I arrived shortly after he had crossed and brought him the
scabbard for the Sword of Truth. Once sheathed, almost no mortal can see it.
Only those who have seen it in action become aware of its presence, much as you
have.
“I was the
one to inform your
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