The Devil's Apprentice by Patrick Stewart (polar express read aloud TXT) 📕

I will let your soul remain in its fleshy prison until it dies naturally.”

God suddenly moved forward. His body of light was faster than anything Lucifer had ever seen before. He reached for Lucifer’s head. His hand gripped it like a ball. His fingers dug into the skin. Lucifer felt the stress on his skull. Much more of this, and the bones would be crushed. His head would be shattered.

“Bow to me,” God said. “Do not let your arrogance stop you from recognising my superiority.”

 Screaming in agony, Lucifer fell to his knees. And yet, God did not release him. “Look up, Lucifer,” he said. “Here they come.”

It took every effort for Lucifer to raise his head and stare up. The night sky above was punctured with thousands of holes of white light that shot to the ground. One circle of light hit the ground only twenty feet away from him.

When the light vanished, an angel stood in the space. She had gorgeous wings of glowing white. She was in a kneeling position. Her head down, her back arched, her chest pressing against her raised knees, her eyes were closed.

She raised her head and opened them. They were piercing blue. She climbed to her feet. She had the body of a human but she was taller. She was naked too and one of the prettiest things Lucifer had ever seen. She walked towards them, her eyes on God.

“My God,” the angel dropped to her knees by God’s feet.

“Gabriel,” God nodded at her. “This is Lucifer, the master of this realm. He has submitted to my glory, as all others do. He will aid us in freeing the human’s souls from their fleshy bodies.” God’s fingers tightened around Lucifer’s head. “Will you not, Lucifer?”

The pain was too much to bear but Alex did not want to scream. He gritted his teeth together to hold it back. His body shook as he tried to absorb the pain. “What if I don’t?” he managed to ask.

“You will be cursed,” Gabriel answered. Her eyes lit up, as if turned on by the thought.

“So be it,” Lucifer muttered.

He slammed his fists up and struck God’s arm. The grip on his head loosened. Lucifer rose to his feet. A dull sword of grey steel appeared in his hand as if out of nowhere. He held it before him, pointed directly at God. “Leave this realm. If you don’t, there will only be death and war for you.”

God did not look amused. “Kill him,” he said.

Gabriel rose from her kneeling position. She held her arms out. Two blades of pure light appeared in them. She charged at Lucifer. Her bare breasts bouncing, she was a sight to behold. It seemed wrong to fight her. Part of him wanted to lay down his blade and embrace the divine beauty that was charging at him.

The divine beauty that was charging at him with blades of blinding light. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to stare past his flesh and into his soul. The soul they both wanted to “free”. Lucifer didn’t want his soul to leave his body. At least, not yet.

He had been in this world, or realm as they called it, for over thousands of years. He was the first here. The protector of this world and the humans that inhabited it. They came much after him. They were shaped in his image, but they were different. They lived short but blissful lives.

And now this God came down from the heavens with his angels to not only shorten their lives, but to remove the bliss. Lucifer knew little about the souls God claimed all humans had but part of him had suspected as much, that there was more to humans than the flesh. He’d always hoped that once the physical bodies died, a part of the humans would move on to another place to continue living.

That somewhere turned out to be the realm ruled over by God. Lucifer did not trust God. He did not seem kind.

As the naked beauty that was Gabriel came within striking distance, Lucifer dropped to his knees and ducked under her blades. As she passed him, he sliced at her waist with his long sword. Gabriel cried out in pain. White light poured out of her mouth and lit the dark sky.

Lucifer climbed to his feet quickly and drove his sword into Gabriel’s back. It slid in easily, like it would on flesh. These angels were not made of the same material as God. They could be hurt, possibly killed even. Gabriel dropped to the floor and lay curled up in a ball. Her aura began to fade. Lucifer faced God and raised his sword. He expected to be charged and was ready for it.

But God had his eyes on Gabriel. He watched with mild curiosity as the angel’s screams began to die down. The light that poured out from her wounds faded, as did her overall aura. Her body began to convulse. Her eyes closed but tears began to pour out of them. Glowing tears that sparkled like the brightest jewels on earth.

Finally, God moved. He approached Gabriel and placed a hand on her wounds. They healed instantly, though Gabriel still remained on the ground, weakened.

“That was interesting,” God said. “The many months I’ve spent here, I’ve seen souls go up to heaven when the human bodies hit the ground. But sometimes, they go down too, Lucifer. Some souls sink into the ground and disappear into another realm. What do you think is down there, Lucifer? And where will your soul go when I free it from the body?”

Lucifer did not understand.

“It’s guilt, Lucifer. It weighs heavy on the soul and drags it down to what can only be a dark place. You tried to kill one of my angels. Your soul is damaged. I can see it