VI

In the palace of the Great Organizer there was a meeting of his Supreme Council on the same dangerous mood of the people. The members of the Council were representatives of the powers, the highest officials of the Great Organizer's office, and the Templar Grand Master. Apollonius was present as secretary to Autiochus. The head of the guard was Jani Kleft. The speaker read reports on the mood of the people and information obtained by the police about a Christian conspiracy to stir up an insurrection. In general, the matter seemed to be very serious. One of the representatives of the Powers asked the Great Organizer for an explanation of how the prophecy of the wandering prophets about the drought with all its disastrous consequences could be fulfilled. "We provincials," he remarked, "are accustomed to think that, with the profound development of magical knowledge and art in the reign of our great Antiochus, the state power possesses the means of destroying the sorcery of these vagabonds. And yet she was powerless in front of them." The Great Organizer replied that this reproach was a manifestation of the public's usual ignorance of the laws of magic. In the first place, these vagabonds undoubtedly possess great magical powers, and began their operations quite unexpectedly, and when the spasm of the atmospheric elements produced by them had already taken its effect, it was impossible to destroy it without destroying the sorcerers themselves, since they could easily maintain an established fact of nature against even much stronger magicians. The best means of paralyzing this fact is to destroy the persons who caused it. But it was a perfect accident that delayed the coming of him, the Great Organizer, to the feast of Lucifer, and then itinerant preachers still wander all over the country, and they could not be detained. The first time they come, he will put an end to their existence. In anticipation of the future, he asks the authorities of all powers not to be stingy in the distribution of food and all sorts of surrogates. As for the revolt planned by the Christians, he hopes to crush it and eradicate the rebellious sect completely. In conclusion, the Organizer briefly acquainted the Assembly with the newly formed psychic batteries and, noting that he could not yet reveal in detail their full significance, asked the representatives of the Powers to send to replenish their personnel with the most gifted will. At the same time, he proposed a number of measures for general management. Having decreed the measures proposed by Antiochus, the Council began to disperse. And Jani Kleft, visibly overshadowed by the Council's discussion of psychic batteries, stepped aside to the Great Organizer and excitedly asked permission to speak to him. Antiochus said, with some surprise, that such an old friend and devoted servant could certainly say whatever he wanted. Yani began to speak passionately about Lydia's unfortunate fate. Could the great aims of Antiochus, he said, require the torment and death of a young girl, pure and beautiful, whom the organizer had once known well and intimately? Yani is inexpressibly tormented by the thought that he has become an unwitting instrument of her misfortunes, since it was he who sought her out and brought her. He begged for her to be released, at least as a personal favor. The Great Organizer looked at him slyly. "Oh, my friend, I see that the beautiful Lydia has touched your heart.. Well, calm down, I'll give it to you. "I'm not asking you to give it to me," Yani replied embarrassedly. "I know I'm not worthy to receive her hand and heart, and without that I won't allow myself to lay a finger on her..." I only ask for her to be released, to be set free. Antiochus continued to smile slyly. -Wow! The feeling is not a joke. Our brave Templar has turned into a romantic knight... Okay, I'll talk to Apollonius. Be calm. Go to your guardhouse. Jani went out, and Antiochus called the Great Magician and told him to let Lydia go. Apollonius made a displeased grimace. "Organizer, if we lose our best souls to the tender feelings of the young knights, not much will survive our plans. For a number of reasons, I can't give Lydia the right. - What's so special about it? Where is she? What do you do with it? Apollonius began a detailed account of how much he had been messing around with Lydia. This, he said, is a rare nature, of tremendous willpower and spirituality, a holy soul in the full sense of the word, of which there are very few. It's impossible to miss. By mastering it, it is possible to work miracles of influencing even angels, no doubt, and the more difficult it is to conquer it, the more necessary it is to achieve it. So far, all his efforts have been in vain. Nothing conquers her. He, Apollonius, would be ready to subject her to the most cruel tortures, but he knows that nothing will come of it. She will die, but she will not renounce her will. He is now trying the last means on it, and he needs it even for his experiments. -Where is she? The Organizer asked. "Now in the Astral Spirit Tower." I have decided to bring her to the point of complete exhaustion, to achieve catalepsy, and when I have brought her to that point, I hope I shall be able to hypnotize her and make her submissive to me. He established a special regime for her: complete loneliness, lack of impressions, a starvation diet, half-light, sleep deprivation and constant monotonous irritation. She is surrounded by astral spirits, which he often materializes. They are not needed for moral influence, they are powerless in this, even larvae [1] do not find in it passions to which they could cling. Apollonius even summoned Lucifer's angels, and they could not influence her. Astral spirits are needed only to maintain the incessant melody of hopelessness and to awaken Lydia with sudden knocks and jolts. Now it has reached the point of exhaustion, and concentrated broths have to be poured into it so that it does not go out, like a lamp without oil. But he hopes that very soon he will plunge her into catalepsy, which he will put into a quiet hypnotic sleep, and then he will achieve the conquest of this unyielding soul. Antiochus listened intently. -Curiously. Let me take a look at your patient. -Come along. Unbeknownst to them, Yani, full of concern for Lydia's fate, was eavesdropping as much as he could on their conversation through the crack of the door. When he heard that they were about to go, he hurried to warn them at the Tower of Spirits. He knew this tower well, the object of terror of the guards. In it the Great Magician kept a collection of astral spirits, and mysterious sounds were often heard from it, and sometimes hideous snouts peeped out of the narrow window, trying like leeches to attach themselves to a sentry who inadvertently approached too close. The road to the tower led along a wall with high battlements, behind which it was easy to hide. One prong was about three paces from the door of the tower. Yani hid behind this prong and waited with bated breath... Here the Great Organizer and the Magician appeared. They entered the tower without noticing Yani and left the door half-open. He heard everything and saw a little. Antiochus looked around curiously. In the semi-darkness, on the bed, Lydia could be seen lying in a layer, her hair fell to the floor, her face, pale and emaciated to the last degree, seemed quite dead, only her eyes glowed feverishly, and a weak breath occasionally raised her sunken breast. She lay motionless, and above her several astral spirits sang monotonously, without interruption: Jesus will never be with you again, the world is now ruled by a mighty other Spirit... And at times she whispered faintly, "Get away from me, Satan. Save me, beloved Jesus." "Stubborn," said Antiochus. "But what are we to do?" -Nothing much. Leave it to me, let me finish the experiment. "And Yani?" After all, I promised... - Empty... I'll bewitch that sigher to some pretty girl, and the foolishness will pass. - And that's true. Okay. They left, locking the door. Yani came out of his hiding place deeply indignant. But what to do? How to save the unfortunate woman? In any case, we have to restrain ourselves for now. "Well, Lord," he said to Antiochus in the palace, "may I hope?" He patted him gently on the shoulder, "Wait a bit, buddy. Apollonius will soon let her go. You just need to strengthen her strength a little. Be calm. Poor Yani did not return to the Templar barracks himself. His pure feelings for Lydia, his admiration for her martyrdom, his indignation against the treachery of Antiochus, all raised a storm in his soul. Now everything was muddled, and in this whirlwind of thoughts a decision was brewing more and more clearly: to snatch Lydia from the hands of her executioners or to take cruel revenge. Evil Spirits ^

VII

Apollonius eagerly recruited members of "psychic orchestras" among the Jews. This was done openly, there was no shortage of volunteers, and the Jewish community at first had no objection to these exercises, which were apparently of scientific interest, and at the same time satisfied the greed for all that was extraordinary and miraculous, which prevailed at the time. But little by little, they began to notice that those who attended the courses were cooling off towards Jewishness. The High Council, Kol Yisroel Haberim, made it clear to the great synagogue that it did not approve of the participation of Jews in psychic orchestras. "The children of Israel," his letter said, "should influence the goyim, but not submit to their influence." In the meantime, there was a case of secret kidnapping of a Jew, namely Mark, the son of Boruch Hatskyel. At first, he was begged to join a psychic orchestra, seeing in him great occult abilities. When he flatly refused, they seized him in the street and began to forcibly subject him to experiments. Mark resorted to trickery. He pretended to be interested in the new business, and, being by nature very little subject to hypnosis, played the part of the most sensitive somnambulist, and at the same time showed his real power as a magnetizer. This rare combination of his abilities drew special attention to him from his superiors. He began to be initiated into more and more complex experiments, with which he became very familiar in this way. Enrolled in the higher psychic battery, he was released to his father on the most friendly terms with his superiors, and now only occasionally came to them for exercise. He did not feel any harmful effects from these activities, probably because he played the role of an active magnetizer. But most of the members of the orchestras, especially those who were forcibly captured, reached, according to Mark's account, the most miserable mental state. Sluggish, lifeless, with the juices of the soul eternally squeezed out of them, so to speak, they almost ceased to resemble conscious human beings. But the force which had to be extracted from them, and which Apollonius called "will," was not diminished, but increased, as the special measuring apparatus showed, but it no longer belonged to them, nor was it directed by them to action. Boruch decided to report this to the elders of the synagogue. After hearing the report, the Assembly forbade Jews to join psychic bands without special permission from the Synagogue Council. This permission was given to Mark in order to observe the experiments. As for his forcible abduction, there were voices in the Assembly accusing Boruch Hatskiel himself. The learned Kabbalist Ezra Gaon especially rebelled against him. "You see, Rabbi Boruch," he said, "your association with Christians leads to the point where your family is mistaken for Christian. Nothing of the kind was done to loyal Jews. How could it be otherwise, when we in Antiochus will probably wait for the coming of the Messiah, blessed be His name. Now, because of you, we Jews will be compelled to complain to the great Antiochus and spoil our friendship with him." Boruch argued heatedly: "How can the blessed Messiah know the fallen angel Samael, whom Antiochus calls Lucifer? How can he practice sorcery? Not the Messiah, but the enemy of the Lord of hosts, we can see in Antiochus, who worthily bears the name of the ancient adversary of God..." [1] Ezra was greatly offended by the words about sorcery, as he himself was diligently delving into magic. But the Assembly did not allow the dispute to come to an open quarrel, and decided that in any case a deputation should be sent to the Great Organizer to complain of the violence against Mark. Antiochus received the complaint with displeasure; and replied that it was some private arbitrariness, which he would investigate and punish. At the same time, he did not fail to remark that the Jews did not seem to be able to complain of their position in his government, and that he expected their assistance in his vast plans for the organization of mankind. Ezra, who was on the deputation, was full of assurances about the hopes of the Jews in the Great Organizer. In the meantime, Boruch went to Bishop Augustine to talk about the strange schemes of the authorities, taking Mark with him. And Valentine came to the same place, because it was only when he heard of his adventures that he sought to question Mark in detail. In many respects, the young Hatskiel supplemented his information about "psychic batteries." The groups of persons composing an orchestra or battery are formed of men possessed of various occult powers, so that they may complement each other in one collective effect upon other men, or even upon inanimate objects, as well as upon astral spirits. Psychic batteries are trained to paralyze people at a greater or lesser distance, or to compel them to certain actions, and to move objects by psychic force. The participants of the batteries are not necessarily like-minded people - but people with a strong "will", as Apollonius puts it. This will is regarded as the material out of which a force develops, such as steam, gunpowder, dynamite, etc. And just as gunpowder, in whatever hand it may be, produces its effect in the same way, so the will can be set in motion by the one who has seized it. The training of the battery members is precisely aimed at subduing them, giving their will into the hands of the battery manager. It is not a question of whether these persons are of the same mind as the leader, but whether they are sufficiently enslaved to him spiritually. The only difference is that the like-minded person gives himself voluntarily, while the other-minded person must be conquered. To do this, it is necessary to destroy in him everything that prevents such enslavement and maintains his personal independence. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve his renunciation of Christ, of God in general, and to kill his moral sense. All this is achieved through hypnotic suggestions and the artificial development of sensuality. Not everyone is able to do this equally easily. The stronger the soul, the more difficult it is to conquer it. And the soul is all the stronger the more spiritual element there is in it. Apollonius calls the highest "saints" and says that they have an angelic nature. But, in his opinion, they can also be enslaved. In enslavement the soul retains its natural faculties, even though they are used in a very different way from what it would have done if it had remained independent. Apollonius attaches great importance to the development of sensuality, since it connects man with matter and separates him from God. Even more important is sexual sensuality, which is aroused by various magic drinks - filters, - by arranging amorous adventures, and sometimes, says Apollonius, simple rape is suitable. Another way of enslaving the soul is through the development of pride, but it is more difficult in practice, so that it has not been used before. In this way, Mark introduced his listeners to both the theory and practice of psychic batteries. But as for Lydia's fate, he knew much less. He knew that she was extremely unyielding, and Apollonius directly tortured her with his experiments, and finally imprisoned her in the Tower of Astral Spirits. Mark knew this tower because he was a member of the highest psychological orchestra and participated in experiments on influencing the beings of the astral world. On one occasion this orchestra was commissioned to produce a collective effect on Lydia, which was unsuccessful. Lydia's torment must have been very severe, as even one Templar, Jani Kleft, was loudly indignant about it. All this was precious information, and for the first time Valentine was no longer a dream, but a hope to free Lydia. After the Jews had left, he spoke to the bishop about it. "Yes," said Augustine, "there really seems to be some possibility at stake. Mark, if his father tells him to, can help with something. It is necessary for Father Vincent to take care of his friends. In general, we should try to prepare something for the time of Osborne's rebellion. But this is still a very difficult task. After all, the unfortunate woman has to be snatched by cunning or force directly from the depths of hell. The Temple is a sturdy castle and, of course, well guarded. It is necessary to gather all the methods and combine them into some harmonious plan. We will try not to waste time. - What do you think of Kleft? "I think it's dangerous to talk to him after all. He may sympathize with her, he may resent her torment, he may even be displeased with Antiochus. But he's their man, not ours. And he will not part with them, he will not go over to us. Rather, she will propitiate her Master, in order to somehow beg for her mercy... No, it's dangerous to talk to him. An allusion to Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Epiphanes), a Syrian king of the Macedonian Seleucid dynasty (reigned 175-164 B.C.). During his reign the Temple of Jerusalem was desecrated, which provoked a revolt of the Jews under the leadership of Mattathias and Maccabees in 167, which threw off the Syrian yoke over Judea (see 1-3 of the Maccabees in the Holy Scriptures) ^

VIII

The raid on the Tower of Spirits, for all intents and purposes, could only have been carried out during a rebellion being prepared by Osborne. It was appointed on the day of the National Holiday, i.e. the annual celebration of the constitution introduced by the Great Organizer. This attack seemed to Osborne to be a useful diversion, even from a purely military point of view, and would have disposed of such forces as would not otherwise have joined the rebellion. There were many Christians who were convinced that the end of the world was coming and therefore considered political upheavals to be useless. But it was among such people that everyone was willing to take part in the liberation of those who were languishing in prison. There was no shortage of manpower for this task. But it was necessary to know where to find these languishing in prison, how to bring them out, how to reach them, so that in a moment of danger they would not be driven by the jailers to another place. Of course, it was probable that some of the missing Christians would be freed by the destruction of the Temple, but probably the least important, the least guarded. What is the evidence that Lydia, whom her tormentors most cherished, will be released? Valentine believed that the raid on the Tower of Spirits should have been organized, albeit in connection with the general attack on the Temple, but as a separate and independent part of this enterprise. In order to free Lydia, it was necessary to investigate the Tower of Spirits well, how to get to it quickly, capture it suddenly, take the prisoner out safely, and escape with her. In the end, the liberated woman had to be sheltered in a very safe shelter. That was the least difficult part of the task. But for the first part of it, it seems that some kind of assistance was needed within the Temple itself. Boruch allowed Mark to take part not in the revolt in general - since the synagogue did not want to overthrow Antiochus - but specifically in the liberation of Lydia. It was a valuable assistant in the investigation of the Spirit Tower. But the Jesuits, friends of Father Viketius, declared that they could not compromise their position on account of so trivial a matter as the release of one or more prisoners. They agreed to give all sorts of information about the Tower of Spirits and the approaches to it; An attempt could have been made to have a sympathizer of the enterprise placed on guard, if the conspirators had such a person. But there's nothing else they can do. That was not enough. Meanwhile, just at this time, Elder John arrived in Jerusalem. Valentine had never missed an opportunity to see him, and now, since Lydia's capture, he had longed to talk to him about how to save her. He believed that the inspirations of the elder are always undeceiving. The elder loved Lydia very much. But shortly before she went missing, he had left for Syria, and now he was returning for the first time. Valentine found him at Bishop Augustine's talking about the Syrian refuges. Valentine told Edward the truth: it was enough to look at the elder to recognize him as the Apostle John. Tall, majestic-looking, gray-haired, he showed no signs of decrepitude, and seemed to be out of time. It was impossible to say how old he was. The wisdom of millennia was imprinted in his eyes and on his calmly expressive face, he seemed to have already seen everything in the world, he knew everything, there were no surprises or worries for him. But the unfading inspiration, which embraced him as if with a bright halo, showed a constant living participation in everything that was happening. His face breathed love and meekness, but it was clear that at any moment it could burn with an all-burning fire against the enemies of his beloved Lord. Such was the apostle of love and at the same time the "son of thunder," as the Savior called his beloved disciple. The elder told the bishop about his labors in preparing shelters for Christians. "The time is near," he said. - A woman clothed with the sun must flee to the wilderness, where a place has been prepared for her by God, to be nourished there for 1260 days [1]. I've been preparing this place for a long time, but now I have to hurry." He set up hiding places in the most inaccessible mountains of Asia Minor, where the severe, hard-working population, zealous Christians, under the influence of his preaching, had long been preparing caches and caves, natural and artificial, in the forests and gorges, and recently began to collect grain reserves. "Cook, children," the elder said to them, "soon it will be impossible to buy anything anywhere," and the inhabitants hurried in order to be able to shelter and feed the persecuted exiles, seeing in this the fulfillment of the mission assigned to them by God. Valentine did not hesitate to tell the elder the sad story of Lydia and all that had now been learned about her, mentioning also Jani Klefta, a former friend of the Luchitskys, the current servant of Lydia's torturers, and his persistent idea to visit him, contrary to the opinion of Bishop Augustine. The elder listened attentively, asked for details, and finally said, "No, I cannot agree with Vladyka about Yani Kleft. It should be a good person and can be of great benefit. You're going to visit him. Of course, you need to start the conversation with caution. Don't worry so much. The Lord, of course, will not leave Lydia without help. Go to Kleft's and we'll see. I'll probably take part in it myself. "Bless me, then, father?" -Quite. God bless. Valentine had not been acquainted with Jani since his student days, and the closer Klepht came to Antiochus, the less reason he had to know him. I had to regret it now. But Valentin hoped that Lydia's case would provide sufficient reason to turn to an old acquaintance of the Luchitskys. He went to the Temple and ordered himself to be reported. But the knights could receive outside visitors only with the permission of their commander [2]. Valentin was not on the list of those admitted, so Yani went out to see him outside. He greeted his former comrade with some surprise. - We haven't seen each other for so many years! How did you come up with the happy thought of remembering me? Valentine explained that he had come to ask him for advice, and perhaps for protection. - Do you remember Lydia Luchitskaya, with whom we spent so many fun and intimate hours in our student days? Yani flushed. - Yes, of course... A charming person... A bright personality... But what's going on? Valentine said that she was left an orphan, in his care, and for some time was even considered his fiancée. Now she is missing, missing, most likely arrested on some charge as a Christian. He'd like to ask permission to see her, maybe she needs some help. Can Jani Kleft, as a Templar, advise him where to go with this, and maybe help him get permission? Jani Klift listened with visible excitement. "Ah," he said, "poor Lydia! I'm afraid she's in a very bad situation... I think you said she was your fiancée? "Oh no, she turned me down a long time ago. But she remained in my care. Yani looked around. "Let's take a little walk," he said, "and have a chat in the old student way." They made their way to the city's vast park, which abutted on Lake Templar. All the way, Yani chatted about the most indifferent subjects. When he reached the shore of the lake, he looked around once more. "Valentine," he said, "you are an honest man, and you love Lydia, and you will not betray me. Listen up. She can be considered dead, and I am the unwitting cause of her death. The only way to save her is to force her out of prison. The enterprise is almost hopeless. In it, you would have to risk your life with the slightest chance of success. But there is no other way. Valentine shuddered with joy. "I'm ready to die. I will also find selfless helpers. Tell me what to do? Is it possible to have any help from you? - Yes, I am ready to help as much as I can. Her fate weighs heavily on my conscience. I even made plans in my mind... completely useless until now. But - you come: it changes the situation... He quickly sketched out a rough plan of action. The Tower of Spirits, where Lydia is kept, rises on the inner wall of the Temple. On the other side of the wall stretches the vast Order Park, in which there are empty, always deserted alleys, and it reaches the outer wall of the castle, behind which the Templar Lake splashes. Sentries walk on both walls, at the slightest signal of which the guards from the guardhouse will come running [3]. Therefore, the sentries on both walls must be killed silently. Yani can lower the rope ladders on both walls in advance, and Lydia needs to have a sturdy sheet and ropes in store, as she will have to be lowered, lifted and carried in her arms. On the lake, you need to prepare a boat in advance. A lot of people are not required for the enterprise, the fewer there are, the less noticeable they will be. Ten people are enough, but strong and armed. "If I had been the captain of the guard this night," Yani added, "the matter would have been somewhat simplified, but such an accident cannot be counted upon. A great danger is posed by the astral spirits of the Tower, subordinate to the Magician, who will probably let him know what is happening. But there is nothing I can do to help it, and it only follows that the matter must be done with instant speed. They parted, agreeing on further meetings according to the signals they gave to each other. Valentine did not say a word about the Jesuit Knights or about Mark, who could probably paralyze the spirits of the Tower. But it was evident to him that the favorable outcome of Lydia's abduction was more favorable than Yani could have imagined, who knew neither of the presence of traitors among the Templars, nor of the fact that on the day of the attempted abduction a rebellion was to break out in the city. See: Revelation 12, I-6 ^ Komtur is a person in the Orders of Spiritual Knighthood who governs a certain area, the commandant of a fortress ^ Guardhouse - a room for the guard guarding the fortress gates ^

IX

The Great Organizer had high hopes for the approaching day of the National Holiday. Panem et circeneses is the eternal cry of the multitude, and in the absence of bread he hoped to soften hearts irritated by hunger and privation by splendid amusements. But he was troubled by the thought of wandering prophets: what if they came to the festival and spoiled it with some scandals? For more than three years they had agitated all countries with their denunciations and sorcery, and had tormented all the governments of the Union. Attempts to arrest them, equally zealous on the part of Antiochus and the rulers of the allied powers, were constantly unsuccessful, and often fatal to the executors of the orders of the authorities. In some cases, sorcerers sent a plague plague to the hostile populations. Antiochus could not think of them without rage and was determined to kill them if they appeared, but their marvellous sorcery powers confused him. He summoned Apollonius, and begged him to unleash all the powers of the magic art, so that there would be no failure. "I cannot tolerate such insignificant creatures taking away the trust of the people," he said. "I need unconditional faith in me, unconditional readiness to obey me in everything, I need to concentrate all the spiritual forces of humanity around me. Apollonius promised to do his best to help the Great Man, but he could not completely dispel his anxieties. Apollonius often communicated with Lucifer and easily summoned him to him by the simple exertion of his will. Lucifer appeared sometimes in a sensual form, sometimes invisibly. But Antiochus willingly turned to him only on those occasions when he thought to fight with God himself. Recognizing Lucifer as the supreme spirit, he did not regard himself as his slave, but as an ally, albeit a weaker one. He did not want to cede the possession of humanity to anyone, dreaming of having his share even in the possession of the universe. He did not yet know how this might be accomplished, but he thought it would become clear after the sovereignty of God was overthrown in the universe. He dreamed that the possession of the psychic powers of humanity, collectively immortal, would make him immortal, and that he would forever share with Lucifer the dominion of the world as the ruler of humanity. In him will be resurrected Adam Kadmon, in whom he believed with all the force of his Kabbalistic convictions. Therefore, he did not want to turn to Lucifer in such a trivial matter as fighting wandering sorcerers. But that night he was roused from his half-slumber by the palpable breath of Lucifer. The mighty adversary of God sat on his altar in the usual form of a sturdy man, in a phosphorus-luminous robe and luminous crown, with an expression of indomitable energy on his haughty but somewhat sad face. "My friend Antiochus is very proud," he joked, "but I have come to see you myself. "Are you not proud yourself, Great Spirit," replied Antiochus, "must we not be proud if we want to rule the world?" -Of course. But we are allies, and asking for my help does not mean being weak. I have come to tell you that these "vagabonds," as you call them, are not to be regarded as insignificant. These are indeed Enoch and Elijah, the strongest of men in spirit and who have achieved immortality, of which you are still only dreaming. They are armed with divine power, and to deal with them, you need my help very much. And I'll give it to you. People must see, or believe, he corrected himself with a grin, "that you have conquered them, not by means of earthly magic, but by your own inherent strength, as that ancient Jesus did," he added, with a sort of pain in his voice. I'll help you with that. And he vanished, leaving Antiochus with an unpleasant feeling of dependence on Lucifer. But he calmed down and began to prepare for the feast with a light heart. Now he even wanted the prophets to come to the celebration. But, in addition to reprisals against them, it was necessary to take care of the liquidation of the uprising, the approach of which was announced by police reports. In this respect, however, Antiochus was deceived by the erroneous information of the police. Osborne, who had been appointed dictator by the conspirators, kept the day of the insurrection secret, obliging all circles to be ready to act at a signal whenever it came. He cleverly gave false information to the police that the insurrection would take place three days before the festival, which would later be a celebration of liberation from the tyrant, as the revolutionary proclamations called the Great Organizer. These false reports also claimed that the revolt would begin with an attack on the palace of Antiochus and the Ministry of the Interior. Accordingly, the Great Organizer concentrated strong military units at these points. In his palace, as Edward had hoped, he appointed most of the Templars, so that the Temple itself was left with a minimum of guards. In reality, Osborne's plan was quite different: at the dawn of the National Day, to start looting grocery stores, arresting a number of government officials in their apartments, and seizing prisons to release the many political prisoners languishing in them. Antiochus himself was supposed to be simply killed near his house. On the day of the falsely indicated to the police, Osborne wanted to make only a few empty demonstrations in order to appease the authorities with the appearance of a failed attempt at indignation. Valentine, in view of the weakness of the Temple's guards, chose this day to raid the Tower of Spirits, without waiting for the National Holiday. He had at his disposal ten young, sturdy Christians, two of whom were guarding a boat capable of accommodating the whole company. Mark also went on the expedition, and he decided that he would be able to put the astral spirits to sleep. His father let him go very willingly, adding: "Just don't get caught, you are needed for the battle with Apollonius and Antiochus." Elder John also joined the detachment. "I," he said, "will be needed for Lydia." On the other side of the lake, a simple cart was prepared, drawn by three excellent steeds. Jani Kleft, through the efforts of the friends of Father Vincent, was appointed commander of the guard on the night of the proposed expedition. Valentinus was so convinced of his sincerity, and of his inner falling away from Antiochus, that he introduced him to all the meetings of the company. He watched the Christians closely, apparently sympathizing with them. Elder John made a deep impression on him; He listened to his every word, caught his every gesture... Once, the elder, looking at him attentively, said: "You are saving Lydia, and she, God willing, will save you... Yani thought for a moment... The Christians of the detachment enthusiastically went to their dangerous task, but the thought of killing the sentries from around the corner aroused in them an irresistible revulsion. They came up with different ways to do without it, but in vain. At this point, Yani suddenly asked if the Christians would agree to shelter him if he completely compromised himself before the authorities. "Of course," Elder John replied without hesitation. - Don't hesitate. We'll cover it fraternally. They won't find it..." Yani then announced that he would withdraw the sentries from their posts, so no killing would be necessary. But he will have to flee with the Christians... Since the last meeting, all the participants had to disperse in order to gather by night around the boat. Elder John served a short moleben and invited everyone to have a good meal at the table prepared by Valentine. "You're going to need strength," he said. A meal was held in solemn silence, perhaps the last in the lives of the participants. But the elder encouraged them: "Do not be dismayed, children, everything, God willing, will go well." And they all went their separate ways into the long detour of the lake, to the place where the boat was waiting for them. It was to drive up to the outer wall of the castle at night. Yani promised to indicate the place of the pier with a lantern and thoughtfully went to his barracks. Of all the participants in the enterprise, he put the biggest card... Bread and circuses - (Latin) ^ Adam Kadmon (Heb. "Adam the primordial", "the original man") - in the mystical tradition of Judaism, the absolute, spiritual manifestation of the human essence before the beginning of time as the prototype for the spiritual and material world, as well as for man ^

X

A quiet black night shrouded the lake with an impenetrable veil, on which the boat sailed silently. Her rowlocks were wrapped in rags. The crew was silent. Valentin himself sat on the steering wheel, peering keenly into the distance. In the gloom of it the light of the lantern flickered. Ten minutes later, the outlines of the walls began to faintly emerge in the darkness. A few more strokes of the oars, and the boat moored to the shore. The wall rose directly from the narrow splash - and after a little fumble, the Christians felt in the trees for ladders hanging from above. Crossing themselves, they began to climb. Not a soul could be seen or heard on the wall. Only the majestic cedars rustled, their luxuriant crowns in some places hanging over the wall. The climbers threw the ladders into the park and descended in the same silence into the thicket of trees sinking in the darkness. Mark became their guide. The young Jew, apparently, carefully studied the road and confidently led his comrades along the narrow alleys, which resembled rather forest paths. Soon they stopped at the foot of the inner wall near the Tower of Spirits. "Now," Mark said almost in a whisper to Valentine, "stop. I will rise alone and try to paralyze the astral spirits. During the sessions, we were able to do this. I'll move the ladder when you need to go up." He began to climb one of the two ladders hanging here and disappeared into the darkness. His absence seemed endless. Valentine was trembling nervously, expecting some alarm from the castle guards every minute. Elder John patted him soothingly on the shoulder... At last the staircase swung softly. In an instant, everyone was on the wall. The same silence reigned there. In the windows of the Templar barracks there were lights here and there, and occasional voices could be heard, but there was not a single sentry on the wall. The door of the Spirit Tower was open. "I forged my key," Mark said in a low voice. - And the spirits hang motionless, where someone has been. If you had astral sight, they would seem to you like fish asleep in water. "I see them," Elder John remarked, "there are two ugly creatures near Lydia herself..." But poor thing, she lies as if dead... Unfold the sheets. He stepped into the tower. A faint ringing sound came from the corner. The Christians shuddered and backed away. Mark was embarrassed. The elder overshadowed the air of the tower with a wide cross. - Children of the elements, stand in silence... Lydia, I'm telling you, wake up. He softly stroked her hair. All was quiet in the tower. Lydia stirred slightly. "Jesus," she whispered, "have you visited me?" "Shut up, my daughter. He brought us to you. Wrap it up. Encouraged by Valentine's instructions, the Christians wrapped her in a sheet, and four burly fellows began to lower her down the ladders, on ropes like a bale, slowly, attentively, trying not to catch her against the wall. All this dragged on for an excruciatingly long time, until at last the whole procession moved with rapid steps towards the outer wall. When Lydia was lifted up, Mark said to Valentine, "Well, I'll run to the Tower. It is necessary to support the paralysis of spirits. You heard they almost woke up. I froze with fear." And he ran back quickly, saying hurriedly, "Go away alive, and I'll go myself." "As for me, brothers, you will have to take me with you," said Jani Kleft, who had quietly approached. "Now they'll pull all the veins out of me if they catch me." Valentin couldn't believe himself when the boat pulled away from the shore. Extraordinary luck seemed like a wonderful dream. But the boat, in the same darkness of the night, moved rapidly forward. The rowers did their best. At the bottom of the boat lay Lydia, her head bowed on the elder's lap. She did not ask any questions, but only whispered a prayer of thanksgiving with weakened lips and invoked God's blessing upon her deliverers. After swimming across the lake, the company split up. Lydia was put into a wagon on the hay. The elder, Valentine, and Klepht sat down with her and rushed to Ivan, the gardener. The rest reached out to the city in different ways to their dwellings. The farm of Ivan and Maria was located a few versts from Jerusalem, in the deep ravine of Vada Rumi, in the middle of the desert. The farm was hidden from above by magnificent palm trees, luxuriantly spread out near the stream, along which Ivan's vegetable garden stretched. In the stone cliffs of Wadi Rumi there were many caves in which hospitable hosts hid hiding Christians. However, the orphanage was too fragile for fugitives like Lydia, and she was supposed to be immediately taken further to Syrian shelters. "Let her calm down and rest a little," said Elder John, "and tomorrow I will take her to our mountains myself. She will be safe there." Yani Klefta was supposed to be sent to the province until the first fervor of the search had passed, but he said that he would think about it and stay in Wadi Rumi for the time being. Valentine, believing that his part in the abduction of Lydia would remain unknown, returned to Jerusalem, where he was to join the revolt. At the time when the farm was resting in sweet peace after all the toil and anxiety, the awakened Temple and the palace of the Great Organizer were seething with excitement. First of all, it was discovered that there were no sentries on both walls. They were immediately tracked down. During the interrogation, they testified that the commander of the guard, Jani Kleft, had transferred them to other places. They grabbed Yani: he turned out to be gone. At the same time, Apollonius learned that Lydia had disappeared from the Tower. There was a terrible commotion. It was further intensified when, at dawn, some people who were in quick hiding began to break the windows of the palace of Antiochus, and in some parts of the city crowds, though very small, attacked police posts. The police stirred, the armed forces prepared for action... However, as the day progressed, nothing special happened, and by evening it became clear that the attempted uprising had somehow failed. Of all the incidents of the day, only one of its own, important and disturbing, remained: the disappearance of Lydia. Apollonius vomited and threw on this occasion. Antiochus was also at first alarmed, not by the fate of Lydia, which he did not consider, but by the weakness of his supervision of the Temple. But when the inquest decided that the kidnapping was undoubtedly committed by Yani Kleft, he calmed down. Of course, the commander of the guard can bypass the most exemplary supervision. Jani's act is obviously exceptional, caused by the fact that he is in love with Lydia. The incident, therefore, casts no shadow on the vigilance and fidelity of the garrison. Thus reasoned Antiochus. However, the offender must be tracked down and punished exemplarily.

XI

So Valentine was celebrating a great victory, but Edward Osborne was far from cheerful. He was not happy with the course of the conspiracy. Christians flocked to him in great numbers, but the rest of the population was weakly attached. He was greatly impressed by the proclamations of the government, which reminded him of the calamity of the past and the merits of the Great Organizer, and spoke of the folly of men who, through the sorcery of Christian sorcerers, might fall for the bait of the conspirators. The proclamations promised that witchcraft would soon be brought to an end, and the former prosperity would flourish in the country. Under the influence of this, the movement took on the appearance of a purely Christian one, and the mass of Christians were very pleased with this. She wanted to rise up in the name of God, with crosses and banners. Osborne knew that under such conditions the rebellion was doomed to defeat, but he could do nothing. The power of the plenipotentiary dictator was bursting at the seams, and the eve of decisive action was a day of bitter doubt for Edward. But there was no way to stop the movement, especially since even if the uprising had not taken place, the Great Organizer would still have begun exterminating the Christians who dared to plot its overthrow. Thus the conspirators feverishly prepared for the next day's struggle. Valentine did not want to abandon his own people in their hopeless enterprise. Suddenly, Jani Kleft appeared among the conspirators. He was not easily recognizable. He diligently changed his physiognomy, dressed up in a mountain Albanian costume and walked around like a handsome palikar [1]. "Why are you here?" Valetin asked in surprise. "I have come to fight with the enemies of Christ," Yani answered cheerfully, twirling his long moustache and clutching the hilt of his magnificent great-grandfather's scimitar. - I deny Satan, and all his works, and all his ministry... Valentine did not disappoint him. As he spoke, he could not be surprised at the change that had taken place in Yani. He remained a brave and somewhat frivolous bruiser, but he burned like a volcano with zeal for the cause of Christ. His chivalrous love for Lydia had completely transformed him. The martyress was portrayed to him as a bright angel blessing him for his feats. He did not think of her as a woman, but he revered her for the ideal, for the bright dream of all that is true and beautiful. Death for her, for the faith, for Christ, merged with him into something inseparable, and he, who had fallen behind the faith from his youth, now returned to it with the enthusiasm of a crusader knight. Death did not frighten him. He pictured to himself how Lydia would learn of his death in the battle for Christ, and perhaps her eyes would be clouded with tears when she prayed for the salvation of his soul. It seemed to him an enviable fate... But time flew by. At night, literally all the walls of the houses were covered with government announcements about the postponement of the National Holiday for one day in view of the uprising of Christians. The population was invited to sit quietly at home. The Great Organizer decided to point out sharply that the whole movement was nothing but a rebellion of Christians alone, and he succeeded in doing so. In the morning, while it was still dusk, detachments of insurgents appeared in different parts of the city. There were tens of thousands of them, and they were all almost exclusively Christians. They marched with crosses and banners, and singing hymns. The rest of the population did not move. Where the troops managed to break into the grocery stores, crowds of other citizens flocked, but, having snatched up supplies in a hurry, they just as quickly fled to their homes. Battles with the police and military units fell on the shoulders of Christians alone. Not a single prison could be taken, not a single arrest by the authorities succeeded. Everywhere the Christians were met with superior police forces and troops. But they fought with desperate courage. Early in the morning, Antiochus received a deputation from the Knights of the Temple, organized by Grandmaster Larmenius, who wanted to raise the reputation of his corps. The deputation asked that the Templars be allowed to go to the most dangerous places, so that they could make amends for the treacherous act of Jani Kleft. The Great Organizer, wishing to show his confidence in them, took command of their detachment in person. At the same time, Apollonius hastened to test his psychic batteries, and, hastily assembling them, sent them to the points indicated by Autiochus. By the middle of the day, hot battles of scattered detachments were taking place in all parts of the city. Osborne assumed the main leadership of the rebel forces. The actions of the government troops were ordered by Aktioch himself. In view of the comparatively small number and dispersion of the Christian troops, the Great Organizer had a plan to push them all back to Lake Templar in order to isolate them from the city, surround them, and exterminate them. Osborne, on the other hand, did his best to keep his troops throughout the vast expanse of the city, entrenching himself in the barricades. He hoped that by holding out until nightfall, he would be able to draw some of the rest of the population into the uprising. But the superiority of the forces gave all the advantages to Antiochus. Everywhere the bands of Christians, after a valiant resistance, had to withdraw in the direction which the enemy left free for them. On some particularly stubborn barricades, the psychic batteries of Apollonius produced a striking effect. Few defenders of the fortifications could resist the spell that bound their limbs in an irresistible slumber. Many Christians fell asleep paralyzed and were taken captive. Others escaped only by fleeing. Marcus Apollonius could not find his batteries anywhere during these exploits: it turned out that he was lying supposedly sick with his father. A cunning young man evaded action against the rebels... On the whole, Antiochus' plan moved unstoppably to execution, and in the afternoon all the forces of the Christians were driven together in the park near the Templar Lake. The crossing to the other side was cut off for them by hastily constructed rafts occupied by armed forces, and on the other sides they were surrounded by dense columns of government troops. The park, however, presented good natural conditions for defense, especially since the detachments of Christians hidden in the dense thicket no longer provided a conspicuous object on which the actions of psychic batteries could be directed. Taking advantage of the involuntary concentration of his forces, Edward looked out for some weak point of the enemy in order to test the only means of saving his army - to break through the city completely and withdraw into the mountains. But Antiochus would not allow him to do so, and, determined to end the struggle at one blow, he sent all his forces into a general attack. Thus took place the great battle of Lake Templar, in which Antiochus was destined to crush the forces of the Christians. Both sides fought with unparalleled ferocity. In many places, despite their numerical weakness, the Christians managed to break and put to flight their enemies. Encouraged, Osborne was already thinking of storming into town again. But the unstoppable onslaught of the Templars turned everything upside down in a different way. Until now, they have flaunted themselves in inactivity, standing out for their original clothes. Armed with the latest and improved weapons, the Templars retained their ancient knightly uniforms, including a long white cloak on which the former cross was replaced by a bright red five-pointed star. All the time Antiochus kept them in reserve, and the knights burned with frustration that they had almost no part in the battle. Now the Great Organizer himself spoke to them with a passionate speech. "The moment has come," he said, "when everything depends on us. If we don't break the Christians, the battle is lost. I will personally lead you. Show that the Templars have not forgotten the ancient statutes: to die, but not to retreat." Full of fresh strength, with the fervor of self-forgetfulness, the knights slammed like a wedge into the exhausted and already disorganized ranks of their opponents. Nothing could stand against their frenzied attack. They fought their way into the middle of the Christians, turned to the right, then to the left, tearing them into several pieces and throwing one group of opponents against another. In half an hour, Osborne's army was a disorderly, panic-stricken mob. Everyone was thinking only about fleeing, but there was nowhere to run. The fugitives were intercepted everywhere, and only a few managed to escape to the other side of the lake. Edward Osborne himself, cruelly wounded, was seized by the knights and carried at the feet of the triumphant Antiochus. The setting sun illuminated the picture of the complete defeat of the Christians. The whole park was strewn with their corpses and moaning wounded. The prisoners were driven in droves into the city to prisons and barracks. Antiochus' troops returned with music and banners unfurled, followed by wagons laden with wounded and huge piles of crosses and banners picked up on the blood-stained battlefield. Other squads searched the park, looking for the vanquished and picking up the wounded from the dead. And innumerable crowds of people came out of the city, cheering with enthusiastic shouts the triumphant, against whom tens of thousands of them had prepared to raise the banner of rebellion a few days before. "And it was given to him to wage war against the saints and to conquer them," whispered a wounded Christian, stretched out on a cart full of his comrades in misfortune. Palikar (literally, strong fellow) is a soldier of Greek or Albanian origin, dressed in Albanian attire and armed with a long Turkish rifle, two pistols and a long dagger. The Palikars, who were not in the service of anyone, formed independent detachments (such palikars were popularly called klephts, cf. the surname Yani). The Palikars-Klefts participated in the struggle for the liberation of Greece from the Turkish yoke in the 20s of the 19th century. ^ Statute - provision, law. In the Middle Ages, the name given to the privileges of cities, aristocracy, spiritual and chivalric orders, etc. ^ See: Revelation 13, 7 ^

XII

Antiochus awoke in the morning, from his half-slumber, fresh and vigorous, with an expression of firm intransigence. He decided on the coming day to finally accept power over the world. At night he conferred with Lucifer on this matter and received his full approval. At the same time, the spirit of rebellion informed him that Enoch and Elijah would be arriving for the National Festival. "Don't be afraid of them," he said, "I'll be with you." Antiochus then summoned Apollonius to him, consulted with him about his plans, and ordered him to have all magical means ready. "No misfortunes or setbacks should overshadow my celebration," he said. Residents of the city could start their festive festivities from the very early morning. Everywhere you could see a lot of pavilions where you could have a drink and a snack. The sumptuous scenery of the city was in itself a spectacle of inexhaustible variety. People were especially crowded around the huge cathedral, which now took on a completely unusual appearance. This ancient and revered temple was almost taken away from the Christians in the time of Antiochus. It was locked up, and church services were rarely allowed. Now all the symbols of Christianity have disappeared from it. The crosses were removed and replaced with brightly shining pentacles [1]. All images and wall paintings outside and inside are removed and scraped. From the roof to the ground, the walls were now covered with intricate patterns of Kabbalistic figures and signs. Above the doors and windows was a special symbolic image, in which, as the crowd interpreted, one should look for the monogram of the Great Organizer. "This is his seal," explained those in the know, "it has already been made for official papers." The doors of the cathedral were wide open and the police allowed the people to enter by letting them out through the opposite doors. Passers-by noticed with curiosity that the altar had been cleansed of all Christian symbols, and the altar had been turned into a gilded throne, over which the same mysterious "seal" could be seen. "What's going to happen here?" they all asked each other. But no one could explain. Among the merry crowd there were occasionally gloomy figures of Christians. They looked in horror at the temple, and especially at the altar. "What a disgrace," whispered one; "The seal of the Antichrist is ready," remarked another; "God save us, give us the strength not to succumb to the enemy," a third heard quietly. In the noise of the crowd these timid expressions of indignation remained imperceptible, but the very gloom of their faces excited the hostile attention of the citizens. "Here come the Christian sorcerers," they shouted loudly in one place, "what do you want, get out of here." "It would have been high time for them all to be put on the rope," others remarked... And the cowering Christian tried to stealthily shy away and somehow get out of the way to scurry home. In the main square, in front of the statue of Lucifer, not far from the decorated stage, on which the throne of the Great Organizer hung, surrounded by the chairs of the highest officials of the administration, the people paid attention to a huge peculiar bonfire: crosses and banners were piled up on it in a heap. The whole thing was obviously supposed to be burned. But the program of the holiday remained unknown at first. A little later, hundreds of heralds rushed to all parts of the city, stopping at all the crossroads and preparing, after the sound of the trumpet, to announce to the citizens the announcement of the Great Organizer. In the meantime he himself, with the Council of the Union, surrounded by the Templar Life Guards, arrived in a splendid cortege to the stage assigned to him. A crowd of people cheered him with boisterous shouts, and a huge chorus of music broke out into a new solemn march, while everyone on the stage took their seats in their chairs. Apollonius, in a bright red robe and the same magic cap, sat beside Antiochus on the throne, a little lower than the throne of the Great Organizer. And so the great man stood up and raised his hand. All was silent, and amid the dead silence of the thousand-headed crowd, he began to speak. He shone with inspiration, and his firm voice resounded clearly over the vast expanse around him. All mankind of the globe, said Antiochus, is today celebrating the new Age inaugurated by him, whom he has declared to be the Great Organizer. And humanity is not wrong. With it really comes a new Age and a new dispensation of the world. But this new Age has only been feebly begun by what he has hitherto accomplished. He is confronted with immeasurably greater tasks, and now the hour has come for the full disclosure of the great cause. People must now realize that humanity has been the victim of deception for thousands of years. In fact, the world was not created by Jehovah. It took shape only when, out of the combination of its most essential elements, man, Adam Kadmon, arose of his own accord. But one of the great Spirits of the universe, who called himself God, and pretended to be the creator of the world, enslaved man in order to make use of his spiritual power, which holds the higher spheres of the universe. This Spirit has persuaded men that their whole lives depend on him, and has given them laws whereby they obey him. In vain did another great spirit, Lucifer, who was in essence stronger but more disadvantageous, fought against him. He was defeated, and God declared him to be an Evil Spirit, although in reality he is the spirit of goodness and truth, who loves people and always helps them. All this deception reached its climax when Jesus appeared, promising people various dreamy blessings after death, and finally fettering them during life. For two thousand years this subtle enslavement continued, but the growing human spirit, with the help of the beneficent Lucifer, finally overcame the forces of deception and attained self-consciousness. Man unites in himself all the elements of the universe, from the material to the higher spiritual, the movements of which govern the material world. Man, therefore, is a true deity when he consciously masters all these powers. And such a Man-God finally appeared in him, Antiochus. He is, in fact, what Jesus falsely claimed to be. He is the Saviour of mankind, he is the Christ, the anointed not of any one god but of all the elements of existence. He has the power to possess the laws of nature, and this possession will be used to give people bliss not somewhere beyond the grave, but here on earth. But in order to achieve this, the sovereignty of God, and above all of Jesus, must first be overthrown. In this world task he will be assisted by Lucifer, who, with the help of men, will at last attain his rightful place of primacy in the universe, and man shall have a share in the administration of the universe and full autonomy in his own affairs. "Fellow citizens," said Antiochus, "let us glorify him for the dispensation he has given. But this merit is insignificant in comparison with the great upheaval which he is about to make, and after which humanity will for the first time become itself. This is the beginning of a new life in the full sense of the word, the greatest moment in history. On the basis of all this, he, Antiochus, declares by the power of mankind inherent in him: (1) the authority of God and Jesus, who is called Christ, is destroyed; 2) Christianity, as a criminal deception and an encroachment on the freedom and good of mankind, is destroyed and declared the supreme state crime; (3) He, Antiochus Mason, is recognized as the Man-God, the true god of mankind; 4) Lucifer is recognized as the supreme god of the universe, the Ally and Protector of mankind. This announcement, at the same time as Antiochus' speech, was read by heralds throughout the capital. Antiochus concluded by declaring that the present day was dedicated to the same celebration of the new Age of life which he was inaugurating. The speech of the Man-God was very long and delivered with extreme enthusiasm. In it, Antiochus formulated in a complete form those doctrines, thoughts, and desires which, in a more fragmentary and vague way, were in fact already the common property of the time. A vast crowd listened to the exponent of these ideas and aspirations with intense attention, and at the end covered his speech with a kind of roar of delight. Antiochus stood proudly, weighing the strength of the impression he had made, when suddenly a loud voice was heard: "Mad man, mad people, into what an abyss of perdition you are throwing yourselves!" Unnoticed, the two prophets had passed through the crowds and were now standing in front of the stage, full of indignation. "Wandering sorcerers have appeared" swept through the whole mass of the people in scattered waves, the dead silence was replaced by a storm of rapture, and in the midst of the general silence Elijah's speech was distinctly heard: "You, who proclaim yourself to be a man-god, who imagine to seize power over the universe, you do not know that you are simply sick with pride, and have lost your reason, and have lost all concept of the real nature of man. God's creature, man, is endowed with great powers from him, but they are alive only when united with God. These are not the powers of man himself, but the powers of God. By renouncing it, a person loses them. You declare Satan-Lucifer to be the supreme God and protector of mankind. But he is also a creature of God, before whom all his powers are nothing. And he is not the protector of mankind, but the destroyer. He wouldn't tell you his true thoughts, but now he was listening to you with a grin. You imagine that he will share with you the power of the universe, recognize you as his ally, and give people freedom to organize their lives. But Lucifer was unwilling to acknowledge even the authority of God himself; He even keeps his own angels in slavish subjection. Will it give you power and independence? He tries to turn you away from God only to enslave you. And you blindly go for this deception, exposing yourselves to the same eternal destruction that is destined for him." Antnoch listened, his eyes fixed on the prophets. "Everyone will now see in practice what my strength is, and what yours is," he said menacingly. His eyes flashed as if they were throwing lightning, and his whole figure tensed as if preparing a crushing blow. And so he raised both hands and waved them in the direction of the prophets... The crowd shuddered, and suddenly there was a frantic cry from them: "He has slain them! The sorcerers died.. Glory to the God of Man!" Both prophets, indeed, fell in their places, lifeless as mowed grass. They lay motionless. Antiochus looked at them with proud contempt, and the cry grew louder and farther across the agitated sea of heads: "He has destroyed them! They're dead! Glory to the almighty Antiochus, the true God of Man!" the crowd began to advance thickly towards the corpses. Neither the police nor the chains of the army were able to restrain her. "Not at all," said Antiochus, commandingly, "you will all see the blasphemous dead I have slain." On his orders, a detachment of Templars put the dead prophets on stretchers and laid their bodies on a nearby stage, cleared of an orchestra of musicians. "They will remain here," said Antiochus to the people, "until all who are willing have examined them and are convinced that the deceivers are dead. But these corpses should not delay our celebration." And the celebration began in full swing. The main points of his program, announced by the heralds, were: 1) the accession of Antiochus to the throne of the deposed God; (2) The solemn glorification of Lucifer; 3) Folk feast and entertainment. By order of Antiochus, everything necessary for this program was prepared in advance, as unnoticed as possible by the public. "But first," said Antiochus, "we must honour our faithful assistant Apollonius Zagros." He took a sumptuous mitre, sparkling with precious stones and surmounted by a diamond pentacle, and beckoned to Apollonius. He knelt down, and Antiochus put the mitre on him. "By the authority of the Man-God," he said, "I elevate you to the rank of Supreme High Priest of the true religion of Man-God. Be faithful to me and remember that I am the true Christ, accepting the authority usurped by Jesus. By my authority I confirm you as the High Priest of my friend and ally Lucifer." Apollonius rose to his feet, and immediately hymns sang in praise of the Man-God and Lucifer in the air. The people looked around, but nowhere did they notice the invisible singers. "The spirits of nature," explained Apollonius, "are the first to begin the Praise of the Man-God. They are the first to greet liberated humanity with their gifts." And immediately out of thin air cascades of fresh flowers fell on the crowd, which were snapped up by the jubilant people. After that, a gilded carriage drawn by white horses drove up to the stage, and Antiochus, surrounded by a platoon of the Life Guards, moved slowly through the crowd to the church, which had excited such general curiosity in the morning. At the door, he was met by Apollonius, who had arrived earlier, greeting him with a speech like a prayer, while choirs of singers and music sang of the majesty of the Man-God as he proceeded to the altar, to the throne on which he was seated. Apollonius, with a whole staff of priests, performed a kind of mystery, depicting the creation of the Man-God by mankind. He fumigated the throne with precious incense, and the worship of the new God ended with a concert. After that, the hero of the occasion departed to the statue of Lucifer. Here Antiochus made a speech in honor of Lucifer, thanking him for his protection of mankind and praising him for his courageous struggle against God. Apollonius performed a prayer ceremony in front of the statue with the burning of incense. In conclusion, a bonfire of crosses and banners was lit. "Let these symbols of the crushed slavery of men be destroyed in thy honor," said the Great High Priest. The rest of the day was devoted to public feasting, and the night, after the brilliant fireworks, the whole city, aided by barrels of wine everywhere, was spent in of drunken revelry. In these unbridled crowds were seen here and there ladies of high society, among whom the famous beauty Phryne, the daughter of Grandmaster Larmia, was especially distinguished for her shamelessness. Larmenius, a clever but dirty person, raised his daughter on his own. Her love affairs numbered dozens and sometimes brought her father a lot of benefits. Having become the mistress of Apollonius, she gave Larmenius his powerful protection. This connection, however, did not hinder either her or the Magician in other adventures. Thus passed the most solemn day of Antiochus' life. Joy filled the hearts of his subjects for the next three days. Vassal rulers and millions of private individuals showered him with congratulatory gifts in honor of his victory over the prophets. This event was especially admired by everyone. At the news of the death of the prophets, it was as if a mountain fell from the shoulders of those who were rebuked. Only then did they believe in the triumph of mankind over the laws of God that fettered their passions. It was not until the fourth day that the general mood of triumph was shattered by the incomprehensible resurrection of the slain accusers. I.e. five-pointed stars ^