Orobas

TW: mentions of violence

 

Orobas was once a great virtue, made to embolden people's faith in the divine.

One day in heaven Michael approached him with a command:

“Go to earth and strengthen humanity’s resolve, for it has atrophied in our long absence.”

“But Michael, what if I am not strong enough to aid them?” Orobas replied in hesitance.

“Still Orobas, you must try your all and remain devout.”

Orobas then descended down to the earth, despite a deeply sown doubt,

 

The first person Orobas met on earth was a woman who had robbed her neighbor.

He took human guise and approached her in church.

“How can one rob thy neighbor and still come into this holy house?” He asked rhetorically.

The thief was confused and a bit afraid, “I don’t know what you mean, I am no thief.”

Orobas simply smiled and said, “I see your regret, it is not too late to return and repent.”

“I only wished to give my family food to eat.” Orobas gave her food and the woman did relent.

 

The next person Orobas helped on earth was a soldier deep in the trenches of war.

He walked up to the weary soldier and asked: “Why do you fight your fellows?”

The soldier spoke with a defeated tone:

“I fight for personal ambitions of politicians; I kill good men to satisfy a bureaucrats power.”

Orobas then stood tall and held out his long hand, “Then let us ensure you kill no more.”

They snuck into the enemy’s camp and took it, and Orobas was pleased to have ended the war.

 

This task is much easier than I anticipated, Orobas thought.

But things would turn out differently soon, for the last person Orobas met was a serial killer.

Orobas went and visited him in prison, to which the killer was curious at this mysterious visitor.

“Who are you, and why have you come to visit me?” 

Orobas looks upon the killer with compassion, “I am someone here to help you.”

The murderer laughs, “Help me? There is nothing you can do.”

 

Orobas sits determined as the killer looks on with a somber expression.

“Go seek mental aid and asylum to cure yourself of this darkness.” Orobas said.

The murderer spoke in a dead dialtone, “Do you really think I can be saved?”

Orobas pressed his hand against the window between them.

“All you must do is confess, and you will find success.”

The killer then wept before Orobas and his sins he did profess.

 

Orobas then arranged for the killer to be released, and went back to his point of entry.

But he could not ascend back to heaven.

There he saw the woman again, robbing food from her neighbor.

He walked up and asked: “Why do you rob thy neighbor? Have you not truly repented?”

She saw him with a sad face, “I truly did, but my children still hungered and I had no job.”

“Then I will find you a place to work, and never again will you need to rob.”

 

After aiding the woman again he went to go seek the soldier from the trenches of war.

He finds the soldier still weary, whipping the captured enemy soldiers to do menial work.

“Why do you hurt them so? Have you not already won the war?” Orobas asks, annoyed.

The soldier, still spiritually defeated speaks out: 

“My cruel chiefs wish to enslave and control this land’s peoples, their might is too much for me.”

“Then we will overthrow them if that is what it takes, and at long last everyone here will be free.”

 

Humans take so long to learn, Orobas thought irritated.

He went then to the prison which housed the serial killer, to find him there once more.

“What are you doing here, again?” Orobas’s mouth rests on a stern stare, his eyes narrowed.

The murderer looked up at Orobas with a collected expression, “I killed, again.”

“You serve no evil men, and you have great opportunities, so why do you kill?”

“This is our natural state, to murder and steal, we are animals with no free will.”

 

Orobas was baffled at this, “No free will? Then how can there be good and evil?”

The killer replied calmly: “Good and evil is but a construct of our society.”

He continued: “The real world only has victors and losers, that is reality.”

Orobas scoffed, “Then surely you are a loser, having been imprisoned here.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps things are not always what they appear.”

“You are wrong, you can still find your morals, just persevere.”

 

The serial killer repented again as Orobas left the prison to try to re enter heaven.

But still he was denied ascension.

Once more he saw the woman stealing next door; he walked up again agitated.

“Why do you still steal, after I gave you food, a job? You have the money now to buy and cook.”

She cowered as he towered over, “I make little money, and my boss will not give me a raise!”

“I will give you your raise; and this time you will change your ways.”

 

Then Orobas went to the trenches to seek out the soldier only to find him fatally wounded.

“What has happened here!? You have won the war and overthrown the evil chiefs!”

The soldier coughs out a hoarse whisper: “Civil unrest, we are at war once more.”

Orobas held the humans body in his arms, “I must aid you, what can I do?”

The soldier gasped and grasped Orobas’s shoulder, whispering in his ear:

 “Nothing.” And Orobas felt like he could no longer persevere.

 

Humanity is too far gone, I cannot help them, Orobas thought defeated.

He returned one last time to see the serial killer in prison, but he was not there.

The murderer had escaped and was out killing again, so Orobas went to seek him out.

He found him deep in a forest burying the body of a victim.

The killer looked at him with a curious smile, “What are you doing way out here?”

Orobas fumes furiously now, “You lied to me, you were entirely insincere!”

 

The killer only laughs at Orobas anger, “Well of course I lied; I’m a fucking serial killer!”

He continued: “You trusted me so completely, you were so determined to ‘redeem’ me.”

Orobas asked now: “Why did you lie, how can you still go out and kill?”

The killers grin creeped up his cheek. 

“I was honest when I told you that there is no good and evil, only predators and prey.”

He then raised a knife up to stab Orobas: “Shame you will not live to realize your naivete.”

 

But Orobas for the first time raised his wings and caught the knife.

“You think you are predator. You are prey.” And he crumpled the killers arm like a straw.

Then Orobas felt a presence behind him, as he turned he saw Him.

“Orobas you have tried so hard to complete your task; but it is a lie.” 

He held out his hand and the woods grew cold and breezy.

“Humanity is destined to join me. I offer you a position Orobas, I assure you it will be easy.”

 

Orobas faltered, “I just want to go back home, where everything is simple and clear.”

The Adversary spoke with a false compassion: “You have been cast out, forced to stay here.”

Orobas was shocked at what he did hear.

But The Adversary was right, hope and faith was mere.

Orobas then felt his wings fade and disappear.

Henceforth as a devil Orobas did appear.