Embered shadows danced about the fireplace, a lingering heat resting on John's finger tips. The book felt heavy in his hands which were battered with age, yet the narrative which drew him in made him forget the weight. Yet the night was late, and with it his eyelids lowered, and consciousness drifted. Suddenly, John felt as though he were falling from a grea theight, and burst awake with a labored exhalation. Standing by the fire was a figure which towered over him, with horns like a bull, and a jagged smile of razors.
Its time, John." Said the figure, extending its nail-like fingers towards him.
John tilt his head in confusion, "Time for what?" He asked, sitting up in his chair.
"The end, John. It is time for your end." replied the figure.
John laughed, "And how could you possible know that?"
"I know for I am He who must know. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End, the Lord of Dusk and Dawn. I am Satan."
Pressing his spectacles to his forehead, John got a better look at this proported devil. His skin was sanguine, and eyes like piercing rubies heated by the fire.
"Likely story." John laughed, removing his spectales, and placing them on the table by his chair.
The devil said nothing for a time, as if confused, before saying "You must come with me to your eternal pit, John."
"I don't believe I will." John said, leaning forward to pick up his book.
"It is not for you to decide, John."
"Oh but it is! Some spectre who appears before me and declares my end has no more a say of what I shall do than a fart on the wind."
"You fail to comprehend your situation, John. This is the end, and I am the collector of your soul."
John continued reading, letting the devil's words bleed into the flicker of embers in the fire.
"John!" The devil shouted, "Listen to me at once!"
John lowered his book, and looked up at the devil, "Do you mind?" He said.
"Yes, John, I do mind! Its time for us to go! Do you deny what I am?"
"I deny that you are even here!" John replied.
"I beg your pardon?" The devil asked.
John placed his book on the table, and rested his glasses atop it. He then began,
"According to the principles of reality, that which is simplier is likely to be true. In all my years, I have never observed such evidence for the supernatural. Gods, Devils, Ghosts, Spectres, none are founded in the world of the naturalists, of which I am proud to be counted among! Thus, it is simpler to conclude that whatever I might observe in my twilight years will act in accordance with past observation. Therefore, you are more likely a spectre of the mind, a simple hallucination, than any true entity."
They devil stared at John, mouth hung open like a loose hinge, "My dear John, you are now observing the supernatural, as I am Satan Himself, here to collect your soul as the life you have lived was one agains the Will of God."
"Ah so now I must not only presume that you are not a hallucination and are a true entity, but that God is also a true entity, all above the far likelier truth of you being a fiction of my own creation!"
The devil rubbed his forehead, "Believe or not, some things must be accepted, and you must accept that I will be claiming your soul!"
"Alright, then do it."
"Excuse me?"
"With your powers as the Lord of Dusk and Dawn, the Alpha and the Omega, the great and powerful Lucifer, claim my soul. If you are real, and not a creation of my tired eyes, then you should have no trouble claiming my soul without my belief."
The devil crossed his arms, and stood defiant as he said "Well, it would be much easier if you simply cooperated and allowed me to take your soul!"
"My word is not enough? You have my permission, show me your magnificent power!"
"You must join me out of your home." The devil replied.
"Oh well I'm not doing that. My legs are weary and I would prefer the rest."
The devil sighed, "Just come with me, will you old man?"
"Why does the all-powerful Satan require me to follow you out of my home in order to claim my soul?"
"It doesn't matter."
"But it does, my dear! How am I to believe that in your powers of soul acquisition, and indeed your existence at all, if you cannot simply take my soul?
They devil sat down by the fire, warming his hands in its flickers, before he said, "That's not how it works. I need you to follow me into the gates of hell, it is a simple procedure!"
"Then force me."
"I can't."
"Oh, then be on your way, apparition." John said, snatching up his glasses and book.
The devil puffed his chest, and disappeared.
An hour passed as John once more enraptured himself into his book, before he drifted again to sleep, before being awoken by an overwhelming light which faded into the form of a winged man with a longsword at his hip, and the devil in tow.
"Here's the bastard that won't come with me." Said the devil.
"I see. Good man, it is your time, come with my compatriot Satan and we shall not have a cause for conflict."
John laughed, "and who are you, my newest apparition?"
"I am the angel Michael, come to act on the Will of God and assist Satan in the collection of your soul."
John scratched his Chin, "It seems my mind is more apt at creative expression than I had thought! So now I must believe in Satan, God, and the angel Michael, all above me simply experiencing an episode of psychosis?"
"See what I'm saying?" The devil said to Michael, "I've never faced a man as stubborn as this one."
"Old man!" Michael began, "You listen and you listen well. This is not up for debate. We are standing before you, you are observing us plain as day. Follow Satan through the door to Hell at once, or I shall invoke the Lord God himself!"
John smiled, looking Michael in the eye, as he said, "Invoke him, if you'd please."
Michael puffed his chest, and said "Jesus this man is frustrating." before he and Satan vanished.
Another hour passed, this time with John in blissful sleep, before he was awoken again by an overwhelming light, which faded into the visage of Michael, the Devil, and a great bellied man with a mess of white hair, and a beard.
"Johnathan O'Niel, it is time." Said the bellied man, his voice shaking the walls of the house.
"My, you're loud!" John said, sitting up in his chair, "You are God, I take it?"
"I am He. Lord of Heaven and Earth."
"Ha! Likely story. If you don't mind, I should like to get more sleep, its almost morning."
"You will never sleep again, Johnathan. It is time to attend to your eternal life in Hell. Follow Lucifer, Michael, and Myself through the gates of Hell, and be done with this mortal coil."
Johnathan laughed, "if there was anyone who could simply will that I be in Hell, it would be God himself! So do it. Prove to me that you are not a hallucination, and send me to Hell."
God huffed, as he stomped his foot into the floor, "You dare question my might as Lord?"
"I do dare! Its not as if I may be punished further than Hell itself! So send me there!"
"I am not some conjurer of cheap tricks that might act on the command of a mortal man!" God declared.
"So you can't send me to hell? Great then, I will be going back to sleep."
"God slammed his hand against the wall, then vanished, as did Michael and the Devil. Johnathan was not bothered for the remainder of the night.
The next morning, he died, alone, as he read the final line of his book.
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