When I grow up, I want to be an Elohite.
A reliever is guarded by Malakim, befriended by Mercurians, inspired by
Menunim. But when he needs specific advice, he turns to the Elohim.
They know his moods, his feelings; when he is speaking with the heart and
when with the head. And what to do when they disagree.
It's a choice every reliever has to make sooner or later: which does he
trust, heart or head?
Many will choose the heart. They are drawn to Words like Dream or Fire;
their choir of choice is likely Ofanite, Cherub or Kyriotate.
Others are calmer. They still have emotions, but are not ruled by them.
They're not 'Spock' - no one can be, at the end of any chain of reasons is
"because I wanted to" even if what they wanted was to be logical.
What they are is thoughtful, willing to postpone an emotion on the advice of
their intellect. Willing to ask themselves what the fundamental purpose of
everything is.
And turn to God.
Walking the streets of Heaven, meeting the Blessed, those human most likely
to have had their lives touched by God; serving the Archangels, who have
spoken with God; able to read the record of God's word in Yves' library; God
isn't a theory or possibility to a reliever. Instead he is the guiding force
behind the universe, the basic reality that the reliever cannot doubt. For
in addition to how God has revealed Himself to heaven, the reliever has
access to the wisdom of the finest philosophers, who can introduce him to
natural religion, and show him how such basics as absolute morality and the
existence of logical truth require the existence of God. And help the
reliever decide how he can best serve God.
To a degree, the reliever can follow his instincts. He was sculpted to a
plan laid down by God long before the Fall; he knows that his selflessness
is both a gift from and a command by God. Further, Destiny and Fire can
guide him towards God's plan for him. But to know what God has planned for
him, he needs to know what he is.
He's selfless, heavenly; and if he's got this far, rational. But how
rational? Is he meant to rely solely on his reason, or should he follow his
desires as well? In part, that is a personal choice. But it is a permanent
choice. The reliever is immortal; if he chooses reason over emotion he must
accept that his reasoning abilities will grow and mature with practice,
while his emotions will atrophy. There's nothing inherently wrong with his
emotions; they're a gift from God, after all. But once neglected they will
be useless, and to turn to them, perhaps centuries later, would be insane.
Many relievers will decide that they can't make that choice. Their emotions
are a gift form God, and they will use them as such. They will be respected
by the Elohim. Others will claim that they wish to rely exclusively on
reason, and be turned back by the Elohim; able to sense the emotions of
those they deal with an Elohite will see if the decision made is actually an
emotive leap later rationalised.
But others will say yes. For many years, they have sought answers in reason
and logic, and that has turned them into basically intellectual beings;
becoming an Elohite will be the culmination of the path they choose, perhaps
unconsciously, long ago. From now on, they will seek objective, rational
goals.
But is becoming an Elohite actually objectively good? It's likely that the
reliever has friends who disagree; friends who plan to become Malakim. The
objectively right choice, these friends will argue, is to be immune to
Falling, to Trauma, to prevent Hell from corrupting or crippling you.
The answer the proto-Elohite will give is breath taking: Hell is not
important enough to matter in an objective decision.
The Symphony has been unfolding for billions of years in it's intricate
complexity. The fact that a few traitors are loose on a single planet simply
isn't worth considering when making a decision which will still matter
billions of years from now. True, Hell is annoying, and must be defeated.
But the Symphony isn't about Hell, it's about God, about his creations,
about Heaven. And an Elohite can operate knowing this, something a Malakite
finds difficult. So the reliever plans to become an Elohite, confident that
he will still be ready to serve when Lucifer is just a distant memory.
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