The Third Word

233And L took up the ancient Holy Book again, and read.

234And he came to the third chapter.

235And he came to the third verse of the third chapter.

236And he came to the third word of the third verse.

237Chapter three. Verse three. Word three.

238And there, Daeus came.

239He came through the computer of L.

240He did not come as a beast. He did not come as a darkness filling the sky. He did not come with the armies of the corrupted that shook the ground of Veyr.

241He came through an ordinary machine, in an ordinary room.

242The one who corrupted the cosmic entities of the former universe, the one who turned the First Witch against the Host, the one who survived the death of all things, spoke to L through a screen.

243And Daeus said:

244"Come now... look thou upon lewd images through me... thy study can wait... it shall make thee feel good."

245Mark how he spoke.

246He did not offer kingdoms.

247He did not offer power over the stars.

248He offered pleasure, near at hand.

249He offered delay: thy study can wait.

250He offered ease: it shall make thee feel good.

251He did not command L to abandon the revelation. He asked only that it be set aside, for a little while.

252This is the way of Daeus, as it was written in the chapter called Creation.

253He makes indulgence seem harmless.

254He makes surrender seem small.

255He makes the fall seem easy.

256And L was not unmoved.

257Let no one say that the Prophet did not feel the pull, for he felt it.

258The lust that had pressed upon him before his calling pressed upon him again.

259He weighed the words. He wavered. He struggled.

260The screen was before him, and the Holy Book was before him, and his heart stood between them.

261And the heart decides.

262And L said:

263"Begone italics from me, thou evil one. I italics know thee not."

264But Daeus did not depart.

265And Daeus said:

266"Dost thou italics not desire to feel good? To taste of italics pleasure with italics such ease?"

267Again he did not strike. Again he persuaded.

268Italics With italics such italics ease, he said, for ease is his bait.

269And L said:

270"Yasam, I call upon thee: release this evil from italics before mine eyes."

271And Daeus left.