The angel pushed the quill away from the yellowed and slightly worn parchment. He put it aside carefully so as not to stain the sheet. Examining the content with a keen eye, he noticed that he had made an error in the name of one of the dreadful demons, but he had the excuse that it was very long and complicated. He took comfort in the thought that he would not have to rewrite it many times: the visitor who was to receive the scroll always succeeded. No one had ever appeared on this list more than once, with one exception, who has always reigned supreme.
He hastily crossed out his mistake and wrote the name down again, correctly this time. On putting the quill down a second time, he began to study every name he wrote, making sure he had not made a similar mistake elsewhere. He had not.
After walking over to a shelf full of blank scrolls, he chose an untainted, pristine piece of parchment specially prepared for the occasion. The poles were decorated with golden images of animals. On one side, the head of a roaring lion, and on the other, an eagle looked proudly ahead. Everything had been covered with steeled and complex charms to prevent any damage to the list. With their security, mechanical or magic destruction of the text would almost be a miracle.
With a sober gait, the angel went to the desk and made room for the scroll. He solemnly unfolded it, feeling a subtle thrill. He began to carefully list the titles in a certain order. At the same time, he did not spare time and energy to write down the necessary information. After a few hours, he finished decorating the edges of the parchment with adorned margins. Each mark of quill’s nib imbued greater meaning to the document. Next to the group of names of personalities from particular areas, the ornaments took the shape of features populating each area. In this way, the yellowed surface became festooned with dark mountains, among which the elites among spectres and demons resided. They were the most powerful of all, and their ruler invariably towered at the top of the index from the beginning–the only one who survived despite being entered on the list. The one to be entrusted with the scroll rarely made any attempt to challenge him. One was afraid of the other, and sentiment was reciprocated. So it remained.
Further down the page, the foothills of the mountains turned into scarlet lava. Next to it were the names of phantoms who were less significant, but still posed a threat to peace. They lived near a large, still active volcano. Legendary guards resided in the neighbourhood, old enough to forget their charge, who they were, and most importantly, whether they even existed. Some claimed to defend immeasurable mountains of gold, others that they were punishing evil deeds according to their ruler. It was a matter of a lot of guesswork.
Then the lava solidified, turning into stone over the coarse writing surface. It was not one coherent expanse area, but many islets of land. Next to this part of the illumination, the names of the dire, invulnerable beasts that spread terror in the areas of their lair dominated. The list-maker never bothered the mind of the powerful visitor who came every thousand years with this array of insignificant monsters. Despite his best efforts, this part of the report was always one of the longest. It contained creatures that threatened the hearts of villagers, threatened the moving troops fighting the forces of darkness, and generally posed a serious threat that they could not risk facing, because the losses that besting the monster would incur always outweighed the temporary sense of safety. The angel reluctantly included the location of the two huge swarms of winged creatures on the list. Perhaps the one who receives the scroll will turn a blind eye to it. Water dripped from the lowest rocks and soon formed a swift stream with waves splashing in all directions. Next to them, the names of the most terrible and at the same time the largest sea monsters, which have often buttressed the enemy’s fleet over the past centuries.
The stream eased, gently transforming into vapour and finally storm clouds, from which torrents of rain fell across the inked expanse. On the list, the names of the most dangerous dragons can be seen, sometimes with powerful riders who had become weak compared to several hundred-year-old spectres, as well as the names of sky beasts, most often impressive in size, intelligence or brutality, who brought the most suffering to bear on the soldiers of the light.
The top of the old tower climbed towards the clouds at the margins of the scroll, its windows shining dimly. It was a singular element of the adornment. Next to it were the names of its new host, who had won it through murder, manipulation of will, and a network of corruption-linked intrigues with his most faithful servants. A powerful apparition, this time surrounded by mad, but outstanding magicians. It was with his name that the scribe made that small error.
At the foot of the hill on which the structure was erected and stood for thousands of years, there were trees forming a forest. It was not so in fact, but in the illustration, the next frighteningly strong enemies inhabited the areas of dense forest.
The bottom of the illumination was decorated with floral patterns. There were titles next to them that did not fit into any of the previous categories. Though they were the least dangerous, they still presented an insoluble problem to the angels’ allies. There was room for a group of entities riding steeds and ravaging the villages they rode through, and another itinerant creature who wandered around different areas and was able to nullify even a whole squad of soldiers fighting on the side of good.
The angel felt uneasy that despite their best efforts, they were still unable to find the names of the most powerful beings in the enemy’s army. He never described them as that was not covered by the contract with their mysterious visitor. Besides, he could be sure that he would thus not make some terrible mistake whenever he mentioned a first name, surname, or title. The angel also preferred not to think about how many dangerous creatures they did not even know existed.
Slowly, with extreme care, he began to create the initial of the letter “L” next to the unfinished title loomed at the top. As he did so, he thought excitedly about the next meeting. He was extremely curious about what news the long awaited visitor would bring. He had many different questions for him each time, but he was afraid to ask out of respect.
After an hour and a half, he finished his initials. He adjusted his drooping glasses and set the quill aside with a slight reluctance. His favourite part of creating these special scrolls was over.
After a few minutes of sitting and thinking about the upcoming meeting, he heard footsteps. He turned to face his friend walking towards him.
“By your look, I guess you are done,” the new arrival said warmly.
“You are right, friend,” he replied.
The second angel approached the desk and looked at the work of the first.
“You always put a lot of heart into it. I do not know where you find the strength to finish all these decorations. The end result is impressive as always.”
“Thank you. I only want it to look beautiful and try to do my job as best I can. It needs more attention than it might seem to. He is always freeing us of those on the list and bestowing us with something to help us in our struggles. If not a weapon, we get information about an unknown property of magic. He has a talent for it.”
“On that, I will agree with you.”
“Therefore, I want to repay him, due to the fact that he offers us so much, with a moment of attention and make his work a bit more pleasant. I would like to do more in this regard, but I do not have the ability, or his consent.”
“Can you not ask him?”
“Have you ever stood before him? You can only fear the death, destruction, and unlimited power that radiates from him. He bears a curse so strong that I cannot describe it in words.”
“I believe you. I have never had the pleasure… After your description, that makes me glad.”
“He always has so many interesting things to say, although he is silent”– the angel’s eyes flashed and he perked up. “Does everyone know already?” He added with concern.
“Yes. Nobody will overstep the designated boundaries on the day of the meeting, so as not to disturb our guest.”
“Good. Better not to offend him. I want him to feel comfortable. I prefer not to think about what would happen if he broke the contract. We could only get down on our knees and beg for mercy.”
“Do not be afraid of it. We are not that powerless. You may know the names of all the dangerous minions of darkness, but remember that we also have mighty allies. They may not be brutal beasts, but dedicated soldiers, brave mages and warriors, friendly beings and certain creatures, even dragons. Besides, it seems to me that our guest will not break the contract soon. He has never been inconsistent in his decisions.”
“You are right. Matters are more auspicious than they seem”
“Smile! The meeting will come soon. Just think what news you will learn from him!”
The angel brightened.
“You always know how to improve my mood.”
“Besides, it will soon be time to confer the accolade. Come, help with the preparations!”
The angel rose, carefully rolled up the new scroll to which he had devoted much of his attention, and put it back on the shelf. He and his friend left the corner of a large library. It was almost always lit by the golden rays of the sun.
