Empire of Heaven

A familiar sight, this empty void. I had been stuck in this state for a while now, unable to move, feel or just about anything except think. Though I guess I'm in a similar situation to before only except dying I'm being thrown planetside via Christ's most holy throwing hand.

My thoughts were broken as a light was approaching. Finally, I've been stuck in here for what feels like hours. Don't get me wrong, after being stuck in a constant battle for survival for my first life, some monotony is a welcome sight, but this void? Forgive me but Christ alive was it dull!

The light eventually enveloped my entire sight and as soon as it hit the end of my peripheral vision, I got a neat little surprise.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT!" I yelled before I was slammed down upon my back. "fucking… arse"

So no shit, Christ slam dunked my ass onto the planet, quite literally. I'd laugh but I was too busy muttering expletives in every language I knew.

Eventually overcoming the pain I stood up to take a look around me. For the first time in four decades I came into contact with something oh so familiar. Snow. Yet, no matter how I looked at it, I didn't feel the revolution I'd thought I'd have.

I smelled the familiar scent of pine trees, the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet and the sight of snow gently trickling down from the night sky as the moon shone down on me. It truly was a whole other world, so familiar yet so different from my own.

I remembered when I was young and read stories about places such as these. Fairytales they called them. Yet here I was, and there it was. I let out some tears of happiness as I felt a huge sense of relief wash over me. It was as if I was a child again, innocent and free of worries. This would be my Narnia, my adventure into the unknown.

"This," I whispered to myself. "this will be our Eden…"

I continued walking, looking for my children. I'd wanna be with them as they first felt the fresh mountain air upon their face and the first snowfall on their skin. I could already see them both, starry eyed from wonder at the feeling. God, thank you for this gift. Truly there is no purer love than yours.

What sounded like a snort echoed through the treeline to my right. Following the sound, I came upon a familiar face within a large clearing.

"Hi, big guy!" I said to the white elk, still strapped to the carriage. "Don't suppose you've seen my brats anywhere, have you?"

I reached up and scratched behind his ear as he let out another smaller snort, warm air flying out his nostrils like a high powered chimney. Looking up at him, into his icy blue eyes, I suddenly remembered something.

"Hmmm… speaking of which, we've yet to give you a name yet, haven't we?" I contemplated for a while. "Alright, I think I've got it. Big, strong and faithful. The name of one of our mightiest kings, Adolphus."

He let out a happy snort at it and leaned into my palm as I continued to scratch him. The air was silent, broken only by our breathing and the branches waving lightly in the wind. That was until I heard something tearing and the air was suddenly filled with the girliest screams I've ever heard.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH OOF" I heard from behind me as something hit the ground. Turning around I found the amusing sight of Mark having face planted into the snow and Helena rubbing her butt whilst sitting on his back.

"Well…" I started after a chuckle. "Can't say my entrance was any better, nice tone pitch by the way, Mark. Oh and Helena? You might wanna get off of your brother, you're suffocating him under the weight of your bum."

"Oh! Sorry Mark!" She exclaimed as she jumped off him, then pulled him off of the ground. His entire face was red and I could only barely contain my laughter as he spat out a bit of water.

"Thanks sis." he deadpanned as he patted off the snow from his coat. Both of them finally stopped to look around, their eyes lit up like galaxies as they felt all the newfound sensations.

Mark crouched down and felt the snow in his hands, watching as it dissipated into water in his warmth. Then looking up at me.

"So," he began, "this is what haunted you for all those years, father?"

"Yes, and no. The weather here is far more calm than old Europe. If you were to stand out in the open back there, well." I let out a somber sigh. "If we see any victims of frostbite you'll know what I mean."

He nodded as he stood up and watched his sister touch the bark of a tree. The first living thing she's ever touched outside of heaven. She continued feeling it as if to hear a response, yet all she was met by was the wind blowing through the branches. However, for my sweet little daughter that was enough as she turned towards me with a wide smile and a single happy tear rolling down her cheek.

"Thank you, father." She said in a hushed tone as she rubbed the tear away. "Truly. I know you didn't need to bring us along but this is a dream come true."

Smiling back, I walked up to them and placing my arms around both their shoulders, I pointed towards an opening in the treeline.

There before us stood the valley, and up above lay a sea of stars, covered by neither cloud nor smog. It was beautiful. Below we could see the lights of various settlements congregating in three main groups. In amongst the forests, the mountainside and the rolling hills lay our garden.

"Welcome, my little angels, to Eden."

As we looked across the land, I felt the connection the lord spoke of when he mentioned the winds of magic in this land. So it was that when I opened my mouth, my children opened theirs as well and the wind passed our song throughout the valley. Drakars, wolves and griffons lifted their heads as a melody played, and they listened in wonder at who it was that could be singing.

...

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I’ll worship your holy name." The song began, its message stretching across the entire valley as all went silent to listen to it.

"The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning; It’s time to sing your song again. Whatever may pass and whatever lies before us. Let me be singing when the evening comes!" The first verse finished as the chorus came in, in all its glory.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I’ll worship your holy name." Looking up one would see the northern light begin to show as they danced to Elijah and his children's praises.

"You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger, your name is great and your heart is kind; For all your goodness I will keep on singing, ten thousand reasons for my heart to find." The song picked up and as the northern lights danced across the sky, the land itself began singing along. Birds, trees, rocks and mountains all sang in chorus to Elijah as he revived what once was lost from ages past.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I’ll worship your holy name." First the Drakars began, then the griffons and wolves followed as they all began to hum along to the tune of the melody as it was played. Not caring about past animosities and just enjoying the moment as the final verse began and Elijah sang alone.

"And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come; Still my soul sings your praise unending, ten thousand years and then forevermore." Picking up once more, the chorus began anew as the land and all its inhabitants sang along. Standing in Elijah's place it would seem as if heaven had arrived on this earth. Up above the stars danced across the night sky, blinking and almost swaying to the melody, singing his praises in their own way, seeming unending in number. The northern lights as well, lived up to their name as they shimmered in a wide range of colours upon the starry canvas of the night sky. Beside you would stand your children, all grown up yet on their face was painted nothing much childish wonder and joy as they began singing along once more, tears running from their eyes. Down below was the same happened a thousandfold across the valley. In the flickering lights of campfires, evening lamps and candlelit windows one would see the outlines of families in each other's embrace as they sang the chorus for a god they never knew, yet loved them nonetheless.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I’ll worship your holy name."

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I’ll worship your holy name." And so it was that for the first time since the cold set in, everyone felt a bit of warmth on the inside. For despite not knowing what the feeling was at the time, Elijah knew as he sang along to the end of the melody.

"Yes I will worship your holy name. Lord, I'll worship your holy name…"

The feeling was love.