DARKNESS OF HEAVEN: RISING FORCE

RISING FORCE

Khanawakens with an unstable gait, half-shielding his eyes to adjust tothe brightness that surrounds him. He stands and finds himself in astark landscape; all that can be seen is white mist where there is nobeginning nor end. In this place, time seems to stand still. "Wheream I?"

Khanquestions himself. He walks forward for what seems like an eternity,trying to figure out what has happened and how he arrived in thismysterious limbo. Out of the clearing mist, Khan stops abruptly andsees an extremely tall man of behemoth proportions, dressed inLevitical kohen garments, with a breastplate with twelve stones, agolden sash, and a crown on his brow.

His hair and beard are white as wool, and he standsbefore an altar of incense burning frankincense. In the dimly litalcove of shadow of the man, the Book of Life rested upon its goldenlectern, as if it were an altar.

The tome, bound in deep azure leather and embossedwith intricate golden filigree, was an opus of names, its pages wovenwith the script of the righteous from past, present, and future. TheHebrew letters, black as a moonless midnight, danced with the wisdomof the ages, each word a drop of knowledge from a boundless sea.

As the rays of a setting glory pierced through theeyes of the man like a window, they bathed the book in an etherealglow, gilding the edges of its pages and casting an otherworldly auraaround it.

This was no ordinary manuscript; it was a chronicleof humanity itself, a narrative spun from the lives and experiencesof countless souls whose essence seemed to echo in the silence of thehallowed chamber. Here lay inscribed in an eternal dance of ink andparchment--a testament to the journey of obedience to the creator'sTorah, the gift of life itself.

Behind the tall man is a golden transparent wallwith flames dancing within, Hebrew pictorial text appearing over thesurface. Khan tries to pass the tall man a few times, but the kohengently nudges him back continuously.

Feeling exhausted from his many attempts, Khanstands there looking at the tall man. "Who are you?"Khan asks. The towering figure looks at Khan with the most seriouslook. "I am Melchizedek, the keeper of the Book of Life,"he gently says.

His benevolent air surrounds him as he gazes atKhan as he turns the pages of the book of life. "Now sir,please kindly hold out your hand," he instructs Khan. Khan,feeling hesitant for a moment, slowly complies and holds out his handas Melchizedek takes a pristine white stone and drops it into Khan'shand. "Now, close your hand," Melchizedek says.

Khan looks at him with uncertainty but reluctantlycomplies with the tall kohen's request. "Now tell me yourname," asks Melchizedek. Khan makes a tight fist over thewhite stone; he then opens his hand and sees his new name magicallyinscribed with Hebrew script, with flames burning into it as it reads"AZRAEL."

Strangely enough, Khan understood it. "I amcalled Azrael?" he replies, bewildered with questions in hismind. Khan gazes at his newly inscribed name on the white stone, hefeels a mixture of awe and trepidation.

The flames that had etched his new name onto thestone seem to dance with otherworldly energy. Melchizedek looks atKhan with a knowing smile and says, "Now, my dear Azrael, youbear a name of great significance and responsibility. It is not justa name; it is a destiny."

Khan, now Azrael, couldn't help but feel a sense ofpurpose awakening within him. He had always felt something missing inhis life, but this moment held a promise of something greater. "Whatdoes it mean?" Azrael asks, his voice filled with curiosityand anticipation.

Melchizedek's eyes sparkle with ancient wisdom ashe speaks, "Azrael, in the Hebrew tradition, is oftenassociated with being a helper of Aravat, and the mal'akh of death;but your name is not a name of darkness; it is a name of transitionand transformation. You have been chosen for a purpose, to bringunderstanding and comfort to those facing the supernatural; you areto be a guardian of souls. A defender for the weak. A Mal'akhha-Mavet for the fallen and the kingdom of darkness,"Melchizedek explains.