He coughed, and ran his hand through his hair.

They were late. Not that he cared anyway. Demons were rarely punctual, and greatly delusional as well. For they believed that they could kill him.

The Stranger in White laughed, his mismatched eyes of midnight blue and winter grey twinkling with amusement.

From his cloak he pulled out a radiant white cross, devoid of any markings, the size of a machete. Holding it by the long end he lifted it upwards, and placed it against his forehead, and whispered the Prayer of Protection.

The angelsteel cross glowed once, and then returned to normal.

A cold wind swept across him, and he smoothened his suit of pure white, and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

Then he opened both the eyes of the body and the eyes of his spirit, and saw that several damned souls looking at him, up and down.

"In the Name of the Lord Jesus."

They suddenly were forced to look into his eyes, and they realised that he was no ordinary enemy. For many used His name often and some possessed no real power even, but this man truly was a servant of God.

"Return to your master, and tell him that the Accuser has a successor. One that shall not fall like he did."

He motioned once, and all of them left except for the strongest of the souls. To those he commanded once more.

"In His Name, return to the abyss from whence you came, you lost souls!"

Their screams echoed in the spiritual realm as a rift in the ground opened up and devoured them.

Then all was quiet once more. For five minutes.

Then a man walked into his view, wearing a black sable coat and a stylish black hat.

"Animavincullus." The Bringer of Light acknowledged.

"Oh hell, that's such a dreary title. Please, Feiragauss would be fine." The man grinned, and a pearly set of straight teeth could be seen.

"Cut the act, soul chainer. You know as well as I do what I'm about to do."

The man laughed, and removed his hat before cradling it in his arm.

"Why, you believe that you can destroy my physical body and send my demon ass right into the fires of hell right?"

Feiragauss walked closer towards the Stranger in White, and under the light a normal human face could be seen. But the servant of God knew better.

"Since you think so highly of yourself, why not try hitting me with that silver cross of yours?" Feiragauss pointed towards the cross that he was holding.

The white-suited man smiled, and lifted it up so that the demon could see it closely.

"Are you sure its made of silver?"

Then Feiragauss got a shock. Angelsteel. The only material that could harm devastate any demon, whether on Earth or not.

Very well then. If he's got a trump card, I have one too. The demon thought nervously, and produced from his pocket a card.

Literally.


"Well. Time to show you what power I possess perhaps. Maybe its time you understand why my title is Animavincullus!" The demon yelled, and hurled the card into the air.

The white-suited man simply stood there, his face impassive as the card hit the floor and revealed what was on it.

A Reaper of Souls holding a Hellscream Scythe and an Animasaccus, a bag which held previous souls that had been captured.

A greenish-black light engulfed the area around the card, and a huge cloak the size of ten men appeared. A skull with fire in its eye sockets appeared within the cowl, and in its hands a terrible scythe the length of two cars and its orangey-green sickle-like blade a hundred times bigger than normal. At its side was a brownish black pouch, from which souls could be seen struggling to get out.

"Well! What do you think, Lightbringer?" The demon yelled haughtily.

The Stranger in White was slighly nonplussed by its size, but he showed nothing, instead speaking in a clear strong voice:

"Don't you know that the war was won at Calvary two thousand over years ago? This guy has already lost!"

Feiragauss howled, remembering the awful defeat that Satan had endured at the nail-pierced hands of Jesus, and screamed for the Lightbringer's death.

The Reaper swept against the Lightbringer, and sent his scythe crashing down. The Lightbringer quickly cart-wheeled away from the murderous attack, and gripping the short end of the cross, he delivered a powerful blow against the forearm of the Reaper.

It screamed in agony, and while it was bent forward, clutching its arm, the man leapt upwards and hopped from the cradle of its arm and up to its shoulder before jumping on the back of its cowl.

He lifted the cross high up in the air, whispered a Prayer of Purification before plunging the cross into the skull. The Reaper screamed, and it became engulfed in a blue-white light from the top down, before disintergrating into oblivion.

The Lightbringer dropped to the ground and stood up. Of Feiragauss there was no sign, but there were twenty to twenty-four reanimated corpses, probably infused with the spirits of the damned.

The Lightbringer sighed, and slipped back the angelsteel cross into his jacket, and instead took out a pair of twin handguns, one snow white and the other jet black.

Light and Shadow.

He smiled while cocking his guns at their direction, and nodded.

"Here are your tickets back to Hades, Sirs and Madams. Not that I can recognise which is which anyway."

They ran to him. He opened fire.

Blessed bullet after bullet slammed into them. One caught a zombie in the forehead, leaving a rotting mess when it exited. Another zombie took it in the joint and the arm fell off, but it continued to advance.

There were seven bullets in each handgun, and he managed to take down ten zombies before he ran out of ammunition. Then the reanimated corpses, moving a lot faster than he had expected, reached him.

He dropped his handguns and managed to draw his cross from his jacket just before the zombies reached him, and he swung his cross left and right, leaving terrible wounds on the zombie horde.

Their fists, hardened by both hatred and rigor mortis did make contact with his body though, and he felt several thud against him, and had it not been for him moving around, they would have broken his bones.

He landed an overhead blow that cracked the skull of a zombie, and delivered a crushing elbow to another zombie's nose that got too close. He knew he had to do something however.

He somersaulted a few times away from the zombies, and dropped his cross. Instead he slammed the back of his right fist into his left palm, and he began the Prayer of Light. A soft golden glow emanated from his right fist, and he channelled the holy power in him into that right fist.

The zombies realising that he was about to unleash a holy spell upon them, and moved in while running like sprinters, aiming to interupt him and kill the man.

When they were within five feet of him, the golden glow intensified and turned white.

"In the Name of the Lord," the Lightbringer whispered, drowned out by a whirlwind around him that was caused by the sheer power that emanated from the individual.

The zombies stopped in their tracks, and turned to run.

"Burn."

He stretched out his right arm, and his right fist unclenched to form a palm that faced them, and as it opened up, an intensified continuous blast of light sprang from it.

The white blast slammed into the remaining zombies, and their putrefying carcasses were incinerated within milliseconds. He continued to hold that position for a few more seconds, making sure no more zombies survived before he clenched his hand once to stop the spell.

Looking down at the ground, he suddenly saw a cat-like sihoulette leap from the lamp post's shadow, and as it grew bigger he realised that some demon had leapt from the lamp post and was headed straight for him.

He looked up to see the face of a demon that looked like a mutated hyena cross-bred with a wolf just breadths away from him.

Then the face vanished, replaced by a bloody half of the demon. Simultaneously, he also heard the blast of a shotgun.

"Oi, Josh. Sorry we're late." Ian walked up, holding a smoking pump-action, silver-coloured Combat Shotgun that had been carved with holy inscriptions and wards against evil. It was also loaded with shotgun pellets made of gold, dipped in holy water.

Joshua shook his head.

"It's okay...But the animavincullus escaped. Had you come earlier..."

He was suddenly cut off by the thunderous sound of a sniper rifle being fired.

Joshua and Ian looked upwards, and saw Ephraim holding a green sniper rifle, also modified to destroy demons and devils, standing on the roof of a building.

He nodded and gave them a thumbs up, indicating Feiragauss was effectively back in hell.

"It may have made no difference after all?" Ian suggested in answer to what Joshua had said.

Joshua simply gave Ian a look, and shrugged.

************

hello.

First of all, thank YOU God.

No way. No way I could have done that well with that kind of effort. Well, not that I didn't put in any effort, but it wasn't as much as i should have.

Oh well.

Sometimes I really hope that adult life will be on the fast track, and not the rat race for me. When I work for the church, I want to work for free, and yet still be able to contribute loads of money to the church.

Can you imagine how I'm gonna do that? Heh.

Anyway...

What's new in life? Application for poly is done, weeks before poly starts...

It seems that the reason I couldn't get in was 'cause I didn't download Java, or at least I didn't have the latest version. Frammie din have it as well, but after he dled it, things worked. Ah well. At least I have it now...all I need to do is to pay for it. Which is the problem.

Too lazy to go down to MOE, and too dumb to mail it right. XP

Bloody Ephraim's got both FM Static and Ace Troubleshooters' CDs, and they were the last copies as usual. Well, at least I've got my Building 429 to keep me company.

Sometimes I wonder why he's always the guy who gets it(right guy? Tang? Ian?). Damn. Even for Relient K. God, don't you feel tired having the same guy getting all the CDs?

**sees Jesus smile, an amused God shake his head, and the Holy Spirit laughing His head off with Michael and Gabriel**

Alright, I get the message.

Oh, and I'm linking a porn site to my blog. LOL its not what you think. Triple-X Church is a whole different thing; aimed at Christian men, women, teens or seniors, to help those who are addicted to pornography or...you get my drift. HAH.

Bet most of you had your eyes pop out for that moment.

I wish I had the power to reverse time. Specially right after I made a stupid mistake. Those who'd played Prince of Persia: Sands of Time or Warrior Within would understand what I meant.

In the games, the character you controlled sometimes had to make his way across dangerous traps and pitfalls that could kill in one hit and usually, it was damn hard to see how to exactly get pass.

Fortunately, the games gave a certain amount of containers in which you could contain the "Sands of Time", and using them, one could either reverse time even after getting killed back, way back, before you made the fatal mistake.

I wish I had the ability to do that. Of course I could abuse it (i.e feel the satisfaction of killing a certain sworn enemy of mine, and then reverse time before the cops arrive, or stealing a kiss from any hot chick( the human kind, not those from KFC) on the road and then reversing time before she screams), but the main thing is:

I want to turn back time. I want to go back and stop all the dumb things I've done, all the foolishness I've perpetrated, all the times I've failed...

And make them right.

That's why if I could choose a certain domain of power that I would rule over, it would be Time. Then I would reverse all the mistakes I made...

But isn't everything in God's hands? And wouldn't making myself like that be defying God's will? But if God allowed me to have that power, wouldn't reversing all my mistakes be part of God's plan too?

Seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get out of God's hands.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

************

Author's Notes: Best read when listening to Stacie Orrico's "Strong Enough"



Memories of that day slammed into her, like an avalanche of ice. She fell to the ground, her eyes moisting over. She tried to shake off the ghosts of that fateful day, but they refused to leave. She wanted to yell, "I'm sorry...I wish I never did it." But the fact remained that she did.

As I rest against this cold hard wall
will you pass me by?
Will you criticize me as I sit and cry?

It was a Saturday, and she was lying in bed, reading a romance novel. That was when she came in. Sheena, her best friend for so many years. It was like any ordinary day, any normal visit from a friend as close to her as a sister. They were unseparable in school and out of it, their teachers even calling them Siamese Twins. They often exchanged friendly pecks on the cheek and hugged each other more than their bolsters.

I had fought so hard and thought
that all my battles had been won
Only to find the war has just begun

Cheryl, while no great beauty, was definitely well-featured and rather attractive. Several boys had asked her to go out with her, and though there were several ocasions where some of them quickened her heart, she gave in to none of their requests, and wanted to keep herself pure for marriage. In fact, she hadn't even given her first kiss, let alone her virginity.

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
And start again?

Sitting in the back of her church, she leaned back against the concrete wall, and began to weep. She looked upwards, and quickly looked downwards again, remembering how she had failed.

Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me
Please can I have one chance to start again?

A friend came over, and he was shocked by her reaction. "What's wrong Cheryl? What happened to you?" Darius knelt down beside her and asked. "Oh Jesus...will You ever forgive me...?" was all she said,

Will my weakness for an hour
make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there any way to be made whole again?

It happened so quickly then, and yet in her mind it took forever to end. Sheena came, and lay down beside her, and gave her a hug. Cheryl smiled, and hugged her back. Then Sheena suddenly tickled her, and she screamed before returning the favour. They then wrestled on the bed for dominance over each other. It was then it happened; their lips suddenly brushed against each other.

If I'm healed, renewed and find forgiveness;
find the strength I've never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God's plan?

What happened next was so fast. Both girls began to grasp for more, and in the end, it became two bodies grasping for pleasure. And when it was all said and done, Cheryl fell asleep, while Sheena got up and left, leaving a note:

"It was great. hope we try it again."

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
And start again?

Cheryl began to weep even more. The whole of the Youth Room had only a few people there; her youth pastor, his wife, and Darius her friend. Both the pastor and his wife hearing the sound of her crying, ran over and sat by her. The two of them suddenly felt a voice whisper into their ear: "She has fallen into the lust of the flesh..."

Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me
Please can I have one chance to start again?

The pastor and his wife began to ask about her situation, about what exactly happened. Cheryl looked at them, and felt guilt and shame heavier than sack of bricks on her head. She shook her head. The pastor's wife simply began to pray for her, and both men, young and old followed suit.

He took my life into His hands
and turned it all around

When Cheryl woke up, covered in perspiration and with only a blanket to cover her, she realised the enormity of her wrong. For the rest of the day, she simply sat on her bed, her hands shaking as she burned away the note that Sheena left. She suddenly felt a horrible coldness, and it seemed that God had left her for good. But there and then, on that Sunday morning, with three people who loved her praying for her, hope and love seemed to pour down on her.

In my most desperate circumstance
its there I've finally found

She thought that she was unforgivable, but now...it seemed that Jesus had not left her. Not beside her though, she was sure. He was carrying her. With sudden courage she began to confess her sin aloud, to both the Lord and the three of those who loved them. And instead of the three hands on her shoulders and head leaving her once they heard her, they held on to her even tighter.

That You are strong enough
That You are pure enough
To break me, pour me out
And start again

Now it was not only Cheryl who wept, but everyone in that room began to cry along with her, their tears rolling down their cheeks as they continued to pray for her. And there was another voice, another voice that all four of them could hear, that was also crying with them, with no condemnation or judgement, simply love and just pure love.

It was Jesus. She could sense, could feel his arms around all of them, and her especially, his gentle loving voice whispering: "I forgive you, my child. Lets just start all over again."

That You are brave enough
To take one chance on me
Oh thank You for my chance to start again

She began to cry even more saying "Yes, Lord..Yes Jesus...", and everyone just continued to pray for ten minutes or so, before their tears finally subsided. They rounded off their prayer, and she realised that even when she had commited her sin, it wasn't Jesus that alienated her. It was she herself.

They got up, and all of them felt the prsence of the Holy Spirit with them, Cheryl most especially. She could almost feel the Lord telling her: "Nothing can separate you from My love for you, Cheryl, not the angels, not the demons, not Satan, not the sword, not nakedness, Nothing!" She smiled, the first genuine smile she had since yesterday.

A thunderous sound started her out of her musings, and they all looked at Darius' belly, from which the sound had come from. "Excuse me. Well, let's go eat! I'm damn hungry sial!" Darius suggested, and everyone laughed.


Legal Stuff: "Strong Enough" belongs to Stacie Orrico. Don't sue me, I'm poor enough as it is. But the story belongs to me! Take it and I will come after you.

josh fatesealer turned back time on 3/04/2005 03:25:00 pm.