What Does it Mean to be Evil?
Why Can Love Be Dangerous?
When Does One Become a Hero?
Where Can Hope Be Found?
Who Will Control it All?
There Are Two Sides to Every Story...
Heretics is an Epic in the classic sense of the word. Too often the word is used to simply mean big, explosive, and complicated when really it refers to an intimate story. For example, the Civil War is an extraordinary event that is important to the plot of Gone With the Wind, however that movie is not about the Civil War. It’s about a complex relationship that changes and evolves over time as they are forced to deal with the Civil War. Although, the events that make up the rising political tensions between North and South, followed by the battles, and the ultimate resolution of he war are interesting and certainly add to the story, Red and Scarlet’s battles are the ones that matter. The war really only exists to overburden their relationship beyond what it can bare. That’s the drama and tension of an Epic.
Heretics is about two relationships. In one, Special Agent Kinglsey must find a way to deal with her untrustworthy father — and not just the external creature that is her father, but the version of her father that exists as a part of her. She must let go of the anger that lives deep inside her from the isolation and betrayal of her childhood and reshape herself into a hero despite the villain her father raised her to be.
Although she has managed to escape her father and made a somewhat normal life for herself as an FBI Agent, her investigations into a series of gruesome murders stands to untangle that life. The clues quickly take her to the conclusion that the murders have been committed by the Archangel Lucifer as some plot to bring about Armageddon. And reconnecting with her troublesome father, a trickster god known to many as The Devil, will be a treacherous necessity if she is to stop the The Beast’s catastrophic plot.
The other story follows a young couple, Dan and Claire. Their’s is the kind of marriage so perfect and cutesie, you wonder if anything could ever rip them apart. More than that, they are nice and good people. But one seemingly normal day, they ruthlessly discover that Dan is the earthly progeny of the Archangel Lucifer. Lucifer’s power, as well as his scattered and jumbled memories, flood into Dan so ferociously that his body is burned to dust and reformed into something no longer human. Their ideal relationship will be tested beyond what it can bare, especially after The Devil arrives to “help” them.
Special Agent Kingsley is not well liked by her fellow agents. It's not because she has a better arrest record or more counts of disciplinary action than anyone else, it's because she can be manipulative and always seems to know what you're thinking. It's creepy. It doesn't help that she keeps people at a distance. But her childhood was... unique, so she just doesn't know how to connect with people without seeming crazy.
Nikki Kingsley's parents killed each other when she was just a baby. They had been driven to jealous rage by a drifter that had entered their lives. That drifter stole Nikki up and raised her. She came know this drifter, as her father--and also The Devil. He taught her how to read people's bodies to know what they're thinking. He showed her how to use this to manipulate them. He educated her in the ways of mischief and combat. As a result she was kicked out of some of the finest Catholic Schools in the Midwest. When she was fifteen she ran away. Although her father was the "funnest dad ever" when she was a kid, as she matured she realized the evil he truly was. On her travels, she eventually hit rock bottom but found herself and dedicated her life to using her abilities to help people. She studied hard and became an FBI agent, but still she struggles to hear the better angels of her nature over the roar of the devil within her.
Special Agent Kingsley begins the story investigating a series of grizzly murders. She takes advantage of the help of Professor Stewart, expert in ancient mesopotamian languages, to translate the doomsday verses written at the scene. Her unique childhood gives her the insight to realize that these murders are not some crackpot, but rather The Beast making his first moves towards armageddon.
Most Gods are known by many names in many languages and cultures, but none more than the Trickster. He gets around and meets everyone. He plays games with Mortals and Immortals alike. The Greeks called him Prometheus and told many stories of his exploits tricking Zeus while helping Mortals. The Hebrews called him the Devil and thought he was the source of wickedness. When you meet him, he likely would introduce himself as Caster or some variation like Kostarov, Cazzarini, or Kazterburg. Is he good or evil? Depends on your perspective, but he would tell you that he offers a great service to the universe. That he is the chaos that drives innovation or the conflict that prevents stagnation. He can take any form and see deep into your soul. He can be whatever you want him to be. To Nikki Kingsley, he was a father. But was she a daughter to him, or just pawn in another one of his games.
During The Purge, the Trickster helped the old Gods seek Lucifer's protection in the Underworld. For this, the last of the Titan's, Hecate, will forever feel kinship with him even though she knows his motives were not altruistic. Hecate has has once again attempted to forge an alignance with the Trickster to stop The Beast from destroying the world—but can she trust him?
Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Dan had a particularly uneventful, middle-class childhood which lead to a mostly boring adult life as a programmer. The only thing that stands out about him is his unusually perfect marriage with Claire. Until, that is, the day he realizes that he is the earthly descendent of the Archangel Lucifer when he is suddenly flooded with new memories and powers. His psyche becomes a fragmented scramble of Lucifer and himself. Dan maintains primary control, but increasing he doubts this as he gives into to his darker instincts and rationalizations. He knows not to trust The Devil, but Dan when needs answers about Lucifer's hidden agenda, he is forced to.
Claire is a soft-spoken Librarian, originally from a small town north of Duluth, MN. She is a vegan and volunteer at her local animal shelter. Her compassion, love and goodness will be tested as she struggles to keep her husband, Dan, from losing himself to darkness. The Devil warned her that only their perfect love could keep Dan from becoming Lucifer and that only she could stop the Apocalypse. But will her focus on her Husband's descent into evil blind her to her own?
Last of the Immortal Titans, Hecate defends our world from the dangerous forces of Gods, Angels and Demons that lie beyond our world. She accepted this mission from her mentor, the Titan Gaia, to protect The Tree of Life which grows hidden somewhere on Earth. Hecate is lord of the realm, Khthon, where life and death meet. It is the world between ours and the Underworld. It is a world of witchcraft and necromancy. She carries the first Pyrkovis, sword of flame, that was created by the Titans to destroy Kaos and Kosmos but was later copied to give Angels weapons to kill Immortals. When she discovers that Lucifer has been born as flesh on Earth, The Beast, her worst fears are realized. Lucifer is an evil to powerful for her to stop. She rallies the few remaining Immortals that dwell on Earth, including—against her better judgement—The Devil.
He became a friend of the Chicago Police Dept. ever since he helped them solve a series of murders where the killer had left clues in ancient Greek. Subsequently, he has been asked to translate on several cases. He is fluent in 7 modern languages, proficient in 11 others, and literate in many ancient languages including Latin, Greek, Egyptian and Sumerian. He earned a B.A. in anthropology from Illinois state and a Masters in Linguistics from Northwestern. He's the very portrait of the stumbling, nerdy professor. When he is brought on to a crime scene to translate ancient text written in blood, he meets Special Agent Kingsley and quickly falls for her. As a man who repeated finds himself in relationships with women with daddy issues, Stewart may have hit the jackpot with Kingsley. His rational world will be torn open as this case becomes supernatural, especially when he meets Kingsley's father, The Devil.
Description: Realm of the sky, air and atmosphere, and storms.
Ruled by: The Titan Uranus after The Consolidation Period, The Gods under the lordship of Zeus after The Titanomachy, Metatron after The Purge, The Archangel Michael after The Second War of Heaven. Currently occupied by The Fallen after The Third War of Heaven.
Description: Realm of fiery light, of stars. The magical connection to Midgard from this realm is through the Element of Fire.
Ruled by: The Titan Helios after The Consolidation Period, The Archangel Gabriel after The Purge. Currently overrun with Demons in Gabriel’s absence.
Description: Gaia’s realm of Life, Fertility and Nature Spirits.
Ruled by: The Titan Gaia after The Consolidation Period, The Archangel Jezriel after The Purge, Taken by Lilith and the few remaining Earth Spirits when The Beast slays Jezriel.
Description: North wind, cold, winter, and ice. The magical connection to Midgard from this realm is through the Element of Air.
Ruled by: The Titan Borea after The Consolidation Period, the Archangel Akrasiel after The Purge, but he was frozen and the realm desolated. Occupied by Hrimthuric Demons (aka Frost Giants).
Description: One of many planets with life in the universe. But because Gaia died there, it is uniquely the home of The Tree of Life, the roots of which reach out into these 8 other realms from which it draws nutrients, the 4 elements: earth, wind, water, and fire; and the 4 pillars of life: weather, fertility, decay, and death.
Ruled by: Natural, Physical Laws. The gods and spirits of this realm were destroyed by The Watchers under the command of Jezriel.
Description: Realm of waters, deep and vast like oceans, seas and large lakes or rivers. Places where the bottom is dark. Full of sea nymphs and monsters. The magical connection to Midgard from this realm is through the Element of Water.
Ruled by: The Titan Poseidon after The Consolidation Period, The Archangel Arifer after The Purge, Ketoic Demons (aka Sea Monsters) after The Third War of Heaven, Kirki and other Water Nymphs after it is taken by Hecate's forces before the planting of The Tree of Life, although many Ketoic Demons still lurk there.
Description: The subterranean realm where life and death meet, the soil of rot and nourishment, like compost or the depths of dark waters. Home to Dwarves, Dark Elves, and Witches.
Ruled by: The Titan Hecate after she is created to destroy The Elementals. Attempted to be ruled by the Archangel Salifer during The Purge, but she was killed by Hecate.
Description: Land of giants, mountaitns and Mimir’s Well. The magical connection to Midgard from this realm is through the element of Rock.
Ruled by: The Titan Hephaistos after The Consolidation Period, The Archangel Zadifer after The Purge. Later, overrun with Demons in a stalemate with the Jöten (giants).
Description: Death, the afterlife. Misty caverns of haunted nothingness. Home to the souls of dead Mortals.
Ruled by: the Titan Hades after The Consolidation Period, the Archangel Lucifer after The Purge.
When the universe first formed, there were thousands of realms and, with each, primordial Titans. Those Early Titans fought and unified neighboring realms by the more powerful Titans. For example, several realms of death, emptiness, and nonexistence were unified into the many realms of Hell under the rule of the Titan Hades. The lessor Titans like the ferryman, Charon, or the reaper, Thanatos, became servants onto Hades. Once this period settled, the universe fell into a long period of peace and wisdom... until the arrival of The Gods.
Kronos, lord of Time, came to The Titans having had a vision of the future. Kronos saw that a prolonged war with The Gods would lead to their discovery of The Elementals, what the Titans feared above all else. The Elementals were a power the young, hot headed Gods had not the wisdom to use without destroying the universe itself. It would be too suspicious to surrender before a fight, so the Titans ordered Hecate to turn traitor and help Zeus. What ensued was a believable battle. In the end Hecate killed Uranus giving the Titans believable cause to surrender. Zeus declared Ouranos as his own and he declared it the seat of power for the universe.
During The Purge, Angels attacked Olympus and killed all who dwelled there. Archangels hunted and assassinated The Titans in their own realms. The Watchers exterminated Immortals hiding on Earth. Few survived The Purge and those that did, hid. Lucifer recruited many of them to fight The First War of Heaven, but most died during that terrible defeat.
As The Purge raged on, many Immortals had found safe harbor in the Underworld. To save his own skin, the Trickster had convinced Lucifer to take the Underworld as his own. There Lucifer would be safe from the other Angels--and so would the Trickster. The Trickster also gave Hecate the task of forming an underground railroad that would bring the surviving Immortals to that safe haven. But Lucifer was created to be a solder and he knew nothing else so he rallied the Immortals to take the fight to the Angels. Lucifer thought the element of surprise might be enough to win, but it was not. The War was over quickly with a disastrous defeat that forced Lucifer and the few survivors to flee for their lives. The Angels waited and planned to conquer the Underworld which lead to The Second War of Heaven.
Following The First War of Heaven, Lucifer felt the pressure of the Angels surrounding the Underworld and knew it was just a matter of time until they found a way to breach the defenses. He searched for a solution, any solution, and in the end made a terrible choice. The problem he faced was that the Angels had the power to kill Immortals, but he had not an army with like power. Lucifer was beginning to realize the power of the Elemental, Kaos, that he inherited from Hades, but it was a power of destruction so he could not use it to build anything. However he discovered that he could destroy will of dead souls with torture and remake them into a terrible army of destruction. The Demons he made could still not kill other Immortals, but they could turn them into demons by biting them. Lucifer saw this as a means to an end, but failed to see how this geometric growth would soon fly out of his control. Lucifer wins, in the sense that he won his Angel brothers and sisters their freedom, but Michael saw how Lucifer had won and was revolted. The free Angels declared Lucifer their enemy and fought him back to the Underworld. Lucifer saw what he did and was ashamed. He vowed to find a way to make it right, but as he waiting the Demons, lead by the Fallen began to take control of the universe leading inevitably to The Third War of Heaven.
After The Second War of Heaven, The Fallen had gotten completely out of Lucifer's control. Demon hordes invaded everywhere without rhyme or reason, but the Fallen had both the power of Demons and Angels. They fought for control of realm after realm. In the end, Michael was forced to fortify the few remaining realms with the surviving Angels. A stalemate formed. Michael's plan was to lay low and wait for an opportune time.
In the begin there was nothing but the elemental forces, Kaos and Kosmos. From their tension the universe exploded into a chaotic existence, but soon a universe of laws and order formed. From the ordered universe erupted perpendicular realms, creating a chaotic multiverse. Within those fractured realms formed a stabilizing intelligence to guide them. But married to that logic was desire and will. And so it was that the push and pull of Kaos and Kosmos formed the Titans. They were a wise race, but fought for power throughout The Consolidation Period. The wars of The Titans threatened to rip the universe apart. The Wisest of the Titans learned that they were trapped in a cycle of order and disorder. They learned of the elemental forces, Kaos and Kosmos, and distilled them into orbs that could be harnessed in the hopes that this could end their war. However, even the wisest Titans were distrustful of anyone claiming all that power for there own. In the end they sought to destroy them. Consequently, the Titans agreed to give Kosmos to the Titan Gaia, for she was already a powerful, yet wise lord of creation. The Elemental would give her little power that she did not already possess. All agreed that she would use it wisely. For essentially the same, yet reciprocal, reasons Kaos was given to Hades, lord of death and destruction. They were charged with finding a way to destroy The Elementals. They created a new realm where life and death overlap and birthed a new Titan, Hecate. She was created to forge herself a tool that could destroy that which could not be destroyed. She forged a sword of flame, The Pyrkovis, from Tartarus, the realm of non-existence. All hoped this could destroy the elemental powers once an for all, but this plan was aborted when they discovered that killing the Elementals would rip the whole universe into Tartarus, destroying existence itself. And so the Titans agreed to retire to their own realms while Hades and Gaia consumed their Elementals so that only their deaths could release them. Hecate, with her Pykovis, was the only one who could kill an Immortal so she took an oath to her creators to protect them and the elementals. In the peace that ensued, the Titans grew wise and the Elementals were safe. Until The Gods came...
The Titans are the oldest Immortals. They reign over realms born of the physical aspects of the universe. In addition to the Eight who rule over the realms connected to the Earth by The Tree of Life, there are five even more primordial Titans: Kronos, lord of Time; Kreios, lord of Space; Erebus, lord of Dark Matter; Asteria, lord of Light Matter; and Themis, lord of Physical Laws. The Titans Ruled the universe until they were overthrown by The Gods during The Titanomachy.
After billions of years, the Physical Universe evolved its own intelligence. When this happened, these intelligent creatures had thoughts and created new things. These mental concepts formed new realms with Immortals to rule them, such as War, Commerce, Intoxication, Lust, Beauty, and Trickery, to name but a tiny few. The Gods had not the power or wisdom of The Titans, but they did have the numbers. Two Titans, Ares and Zeus, united the Gods to overthrow the Titans in a revolt called The Titanomachy. Zeus convinced Ares to lead the armies with the promise that Ares would be king of the Gods when it was done. But the Trickster was whispering greater aspiration into the ear of Zeus. When Ares was betrayed, he rage smoldered for Millenia until he was consumed by jealously and vengeance. The Gods were all but wiped out during The Purge when The Angels hunted and killed the Gods.
The Angels were created to destroy The Gods. They were each armed with a Pyrkovis, a flaming sword with the power to kill Immortals that had been modeled after Hecate's original. Fearing that the Titans would come to the aid of the Gods, a special breed, Archangels, were created to assassinate the Titans at the onset of The Purge. Since Angels and Archangels had the power to kill Immortals, they were created without Free Will so that their loyalty would never falter. The Angels and Archangels the failed at their orders during The Purge were punished by being banished to Earth. They were not allowed to leave until they had killed all the supernatural beings that hid there. These Angels were known as The Watchers for they waited like gargoyles for Pagan Gods, Nymphs and Sprites to emerge from hiding. They would lead by the Archangel Jezriel, who had failed to kill the titan Gaia. She was known to destroy whole cities if she thought an immortal was hiding there so Mortals came to know her as The Angel of Death. When Lucifer descended into The Underworld with the mission to kill Hades, the Titan knew he could not best the Archangel. But he also knew that Lucifer was a willingness servant and not the real enemy. Hades knew that he must protect The Elemental, Kaos, from Lucifer's creator and he also sought vengeance. Hades hatched a plot. He knew Lucifer's armor protected him from the Titan's defenses, but the armor did not protect Lucifer from receiving a gift. Hades gave Lucifer Free Will in the hopes that this would turn Lucifer against his creator. This it did and with it brought The Angel Wars. After The Third War of Heaven, Gabriel turned away from violence. He had seen too many of his brothers and sisters killed or turned into The Fallen. When Michael chose to continue his war with Lucifer, Gabriel sought a new path. He could no longer suffer the brutality of war and so he taught peace and enlightenment. Gabriel's followers were known as the Guardian Angels for they wished to protect all life from the pain brought by wickedness. Gabriel knew that many of Lucifer's Demon soldiers were made from the twisted and tortured souls of dead Mortals in the Underworld. Gabriel journeyed to Earth to teach peace, compassion, and forgiveness to the Mortals in the hopes that through that Grace, their souls could not be turned into demons.
Lucifer created the first Demons from the souls of Mortals to wage the The Second War of Heaven. Demons have not the power to kill Immortals like The Angels have, but they can turn Immortals into Demons by biting them. Lucifer, to an extent, won The second War of Heaven with his demon army, but he was unable to keep total control of them leading to Lucifer's eventual withdrawal. The Angels bitten during the Second and Third War of Heaven became The Fallen, a force of evil completely out of Lucifer's control. The Fallen seem hell bent on destroying everything.
A sword with a flaming blade, this weapon has the power to destroy that which cannot be destroyed. In short, to kill an immortal. The blade's power comes from Tartarus, the realm of nothingness. The blades of The Angel's flaming swords return to Tartarus and seem to disappear when sheathed, protecting thier wings for flight. The first Pyrkovis was created by Hecate and The Titans to destroy The Elementals. It failed to do so beacue it rips the universe appart when used. When the swords were replicated and used in The Purge, the universe was so terribly damaged, the only thing keeping it together is The Tree of Life.
During The Purge, The Titan Gaia was mortally wounded by The Archangel Jezriel. Gaia feared that with her death, the Elemental, Kosmos, would fall to Jezriel. To prevent this she passed Kosmos into a seedling tree on Earth where she was wounded. This tree grew with the power of creation itself and it helps slow the decay of the war torn universe. Gaia charged Hecate with strengthening and protecting this tree. To do this, Hecate ensured that the roots grew into eight other realms to draw the power it needed to be secure. The tree is both hidden and protected by powerful magic that prevents Immortals to gaining access. Lucifer seeks this tree to gain access to Kosmos. He hopes he can undo his many wrongs with it. The tree is also endangered by the Mortals on Earth whose activities threaten ecological collapse.
Outside Atlantic City. 1979 A.D. next page >>
Hey man, remember me? Focus. I haven't got all night. next >>
I loved her. next >>
Sure ya did. Except... Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, not each other. next >>
Please stop talking. next >>
Oh walk it off, you wussy. The line ain't, "Weep what you sow." next >>
Just stop talking. next >>
I'm helping you get what you want. next page >>
Stop Talking! This is all your fault. next >>
And yet, you're the one with the gun. next >>
My family is dead. Her family is dead. You speak and it brings out the worst in... next >>
Yada, yada, yada, I got shit to do. You gonna shoot me, or can I go? next page >>
Loki. next >>
Loki? Are you still mad at me? Don't call me one of those human names. You're like family. next >>
Call me Caster. next page >>
Silence, Trickster, and listen: next >>
Lucifer has entered this world as flesh and blood. We know what he seeks, and it is destruction. next >>
As much as we dislike you, as an old god of this realm, we count you as one of our own. Will you stand with us against The Beast? next >>
Helping anyone, just ain't my style. next >>
Little escapes my attention, Devil, I know you have more stake in this world than that. next >>
Threats? No, no, no, all wrong. next >>
Temptation 101: to tempt me, all you need to do is show me how our interests align. next >>
Dig it: destruction and chaos are not the same, so don't assume I'd help him. Destruction is a means to an end. Chaos ust is. I'm like a Zen thing, baby. next >>
I don't know what you are talking about. Just give me you answer and keep it short. next >>
Lucifer ain't destroying this world, he's creating a new one, with new rules and new laws, like little boxes to put us all in. next >>
You might not trust me, but you know how I feel about rules or being trapped in boxes. next page >>
Is this the clean pile? next >>
Yep. next >>
Homo Sapiens are a social creature. next >>
Their ability to survive has always depended on teamwork. next >>
They long for companionship in many different ways. next page >>
There are 967 distinct ways that one human being needs another. next >>
Do we need more Baconnaise? next >>
Wait. That's real? next >>
Think it's vegan? next page >>
Some are biological. next >>
Some are chemical. next >>
Some are psychological. next >>
Upwards of 600 of these things, when shared between two of them, creates a special sensation they call love. next >>
Depending on which 600 of the 967 needs are satisfied, you might have parental love, or plutonic, or romantic, or brotherly, or every other kind. next page >>
It's not often that two share more than 800, almost never does top 900. next >>
That's not what I mean. Take my aunt and uncle, they've been together like 30 years. They love each other, but they don't seem to like each other. next >>
It's like something that's nutritious and delicious. Something that's healthy and fun. next >>
I hope it's obvious I love you you. But I just want you to know I also like you. next >>
I like you too. You're delicious. next >>
But with 7 billion people in the world it actually becomes possible, even probable, to find a relationship with all 967. next page >>
We've got you this time. next >>
go, go, GO! next >>
FREEZE! next page >>
Oscar Feldman, you're wanted for question. next >>
So what if I am? next >>
Do you know Arthur Kovolos? next >>
Heard of him. next >>
Didn't he get waxed? next >>
Know anything about it? next >>
Nope. Sure don't. next >>
Why don't I believe you? next >>
How about we take a look around? next page >>
You're wasting your time, asshole. Whole fucking town is dry. next >>
Now listen here... next >>
...you punk... next >>
...don't give... next >>
...me lip! next >>
I'll have... next >>
...you tossed... next >>
...in jail... next >>
...so fast... next >>
...it will... next >>
...make your... next >>
...head swim. next >>
Now... next >>
...start... next >>
...talk— next >>
—ing! next page >>
What happened? next >>
No, no. No one break a sweat. I got it. next >>
What the Hell are you doing? next page>>
He doesn't know anything we don't already know. next >>
I trust you boys can finish up here? next >>
I don't buy you mind reading tricks. next >>
It's not a trick Carson. It's knowledge and lots of practice. next >>
I'm going for lunch. next >>
Carter, bum me a smoke, would ya? next >>
I, ah, quit. next >>
Me too, but that doesn't change the fact that you... next >>
...hide 'em in your tacticle vest. I won't tell if you don't. Thanks.
Brandon has worked in marketing for more than a decade as a multimedia designer and engineer; including animation, motion graphics, video, photography, illustration, and web development. He also enjoys woodworking, sewing, and especially the culinary arts. In his spare time, he takes advantage of Oregon's many natural wonders for hikes, camping, and site seeing.
He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and son.
To request printed samples, a proposal document, story outline, and/or to make general inquires, please click the email link below. Please specify what materials you would like and be sure to include the name of your publishing company, your name, and your complete mailing address. Thank you for your interest!
BrandonGaius@Gmail.com