Philoscifi

On the brink of destruction, the world desperately needs a Hero. Phil Safari, a reluctant Candidate, must prove himself worthy to the gods by completing a Heroic Task: change 1000 lives for the better… or else! The following is part of the Safaris – a collection of Phil’s misadventures in Heroism. Find out how it all started and what he has learned about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

Phil laughed incredulously. “Why yessum, Ms. Athena. Your wish is my command,” he said with a mock bow. “What could I possibly do for you - make coffee? And even if I could help, why would I want to? What does this war have to do with me?”

“The best way to explain it is to start with the lay of the land. I’ll get to all your questions, I promise. It’s going to be a lot to take in, but you will need to know it all eventually.

“Imagine a man with many balloons in hand. He represents the human plane, and each balloon representing a god realm ruled by different gods, i.e. Greek, Egyptian, etc. Each realm is connected to any neighboring realm that it comes in contact with, and all of them are connected to the human plane. Each realm is constantly changing size, shape, and location, depending on the flux of their followers. For the most part, each god realm is located above the geographic region in which its followers reside.

“There are two important exceptions to this model. The Judeo-Christian and Hindu-Buddhist gods no longer have their own realms; rather, they operate in the human plane.”

“Why, because they are more powerful than the rest of you?”

“Hardly. The gods agreed upon this arrangement shortly after the war started. They are gifted at sorting souls, and we all agreed that specialization was the most efficient solution. Thus, they collect souls and maintain order in all realms while the rest of us do battle. Being close to the action makes their job easier, and billions of followers allow them to exist indefinitely in the human plane.”

“My, my,” Phil chuckled. “Did I hit a nerve?”

I shrugged, mildly annoyed. “We aren’t competing for souls anymore, so it doesn’t matter. Although, I will say that I have been quite impressed with how Yaweh has adapted his message and approach to appeal to multiple cultures throughout the ages. Quite ingenious.”

“Are you suggesting that Yaweh, Allah, and God, are one and the same entity? I’m not sure people would agree with that.”

“Look, you humans are the ones who created this, or have you forgotten?” I snapped crossly. The buzzing in my head was growing louder. Projecting into the human plane was no small feat, and the length of this session was beginning to take its toll. I had to wrap this up as soon as possible.

I took a deep breath and sighed. “Sorry. Anyway, imagine the strain on the holder when the balloons are constantly changing and being buffeted by the unpredictable Chaotic Winds.

“Occasionally, the strain was great enough to tear a hole in the fabric of the human plane, causing de-stabilizing phenomena that you attributed to ‘demons.’ The Hindu-Buddhists were one of the first to notice this, but they were unconcerned because they considered it to be part of the natural cycle. While disruptive, such events were usually short-lived, and the plane repaired itself over time. Yaweh, or ‘God’ if you prefer, was the first to be concerned.

“God is a perfectionist, and he prefers to take a proactive approach. He created the Angels to eradicate demons and to repair holes, and he placed his most magnificent creation in charge, the archangel Lucifer. Lucifer was a proud and righteous being, utterly devoted to God, and this ultimately proved to be his downfall.

“Shortly after he ‘created’ Man, God began to suspect the truth. He chose to keep it a secret, fearing that its revelation would destroy the universe as he knew it. Maybe he was right, but the alternative may have been far worse.

“God commanded all of Creation to bow before mankind, and all complied…all except Lucifer and his closest lieutenants. He could not bring himself to bow before a lesser being. To make matters worse, Lucifer dared to question God’s motives, and God could not answer him. How could he? It was a catch-22: Lucifer would be destroyed either way.

“Yet God could not bring himself to destroy Lucifer. Grief stricken, he tore a hole in space-time with his bare hands and cast Lucifer and his followers into the Void.

“One can only imagine what Lucifer, or ‘Satan’ as he is now called, has been doing in the Chaotic Void all this time, and I shudder to think of how such isolation has warped his psyche. What’s clear is that he built a formidable army and that he intended to wreck havoc upon his return. All he needed was to find a way back.

“About 2000 years ago, Satan struck gold. A rift opened up in the Greek realm, and swarms of bug-like creatures flooded in. They made major inroads into our territory before we pushed them back with the help of the other gods. We have been able to hold them off so far, but it has taken its toll.

“Our biggest concern right now is the so-called Gateway of the Fallen, the one that Satan was cast from. It remains open because the Angels won’t go near it, and it has never healed itself. Theories abound as to why this is so; personally, I believe that God’s sorrow is what allows it to persist. It is poorly defended because we just don’t have the resources to defend two fronts, and we fear that it’s only a matter of time before Satan finds the Gateway.

“His job is made much easier because humanity call out to him. People have always been fascinated by tales of the Fallen. Over the centuries, you have steadily built up the mythology surrounding Satan and his Fall, dramatically increasing his power and malevolence. This fascination, along with outright worship, draws him like a beacon in the night.”

“Wait a minute,” Phil interrupted. “How is this our fault?? I thought you said that the gods continue to exist as originally conceived, regardless of our beliefs.”

“Yes, that’s true for beliefs, but when it comes to creating new lore, anything goes. Haven’t you created new works about Satan? Isn’t he featured prominently in the New Testament?”

Phil’s head sank, and his shoulders slumped. He looked absolutely miserable. My expression softened. “What’s done is done. It’s not your fault, Phil. You can’t take more responsibility than what’s yours.

“As you can see, this war has everything to do with mankind. Satan is coming back for you. In his eyes, God may be the one who exiled him, but you were the reason. Given the relationship between the realms, Earth is the key to everything. If he breaks through there, we are finished.

“Humanity now has the capability to help us like never before. Your researchers can design new weapons and possibly find ways for us to take the fight to their dimension. We also need an army to defend the Gateway.

“And if you want, Phil, you can be the most important part of this effort. We are looking for the right leader to coordinate all of this, and I’m hope that person is you.”

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