The Balance: The End of Old Ways

By Allan Stoddart

In this first of three novels of the ultimate battle between good and evil, we discover mans original creation of sin through evolution and the conflictions and manifestations that come with it. Mankinds survival has been left to his own means to defend in the absence of God and in the influence of evil. Not only does the devil himself and all sin wish to devour and enslave all of mankinds souls but even more so does Michael. Forced to rebel against God by Gabriels ultimate betrayal, the archangel Michael, who once fought for man, intends to create an army of purgatory from the very souls he takes. An allegiance of man must be called forth as a last and final defense for survival against this dark apocalypse. Mankind must protect and prevail if another day of light is to be seen, but can all men be trusted to protect?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524554910

Allan Stoddart

As a child right through to the present day, I have always admired and found myself lost in the many worlds that so many amazing imaginations have created. This novel series represents a world and a story that I hope many people of all ages enjoy and become lost in as I have with so many others myself. This very unique story with many unique characters has not only been my greatest and most rewarding challenge to create but also my greatest honor to share with the world.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Allan Stoddart.

Library of Congress Control Number:      2016917938

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-5493-4

      Softcover      978-1-5245-5492-7

      eBook      978-1-5245-5491-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/02/2016

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Contents

Act I

Seven Deadliest Sins

Act II

Arc Ages Of Dark Days

Act III

The Final Four

ACT I

ACT%20II.jpg

SEVEN DEADLIEST SINS

For one to claim that mankind, since the dawn of his kind has walked the earth is known to be a true belief, irregardless of any explanation known of how his history came to be.

With that being said, it is also but a fraction of a much larger and ultimate truth of his reality and of many different realities that have both been and still are yet to be. Some worlds in existence are of heaven and hell, others of creation, unknown and non existent to many as most live life without such knowledge nor have they laid sight upon any land beyond their own. There were many different creatures and even types of beings, unfamiliar to others and the worlds they know exist an co exist on the same plain and in some cases on several.

In the beginning, life and the ways of the world would be those not recognized or understood by a person of current time and existences. This was a time where known to man, heaven and hell were simply designations of ones soul, options of heavenly rest once passed on earth… or burn for eternity in hell as some would believe. In the beginning these three planes of wandering souls, whether living or of those already passed, although known to each other did not consort or dare conflict with one another. Those of heavenly dedication stayed in heaven, those thought to be souls of the damned stayed in the depths of hell and neither interfered with those of the living.

As the people living on earth were neither heavenly nor of the damned, mankind was bound to earth until each received their day of final judgment, each until final breath would keep their soul. Still progressing as a species this world was not necessarily one without sin but more of one with lack of understanding… as many worlds would find, with progress comes that of understanding.

As animals are man also once was, as a mouse was faster than a grub, as a fox more cunning than a mouse an evolutionary food chain would come into natural existence. Man who is now at the top of this existence was not so much at his time of origin. A man in the beginning could not simply catch a deer by running fast nor could he slay a bear with nothing more than his bare hands to feed himself and his family. Progress had to take its place to ensure mans survival, it was mans adaptability that would eventually crown him as king.

Eventually with discovery and application of what would be used as tools and eventually weapons, at this dawning time for mankind such objects would be described as those of simple rock or even a sharp stick. Even with this new found knowledge now separating man from animal, mankind would still keep its primal instinct, man killed in means to feed and protect, there was no such notion of any acts such as murder… murder had yet to be conceived.

Then as natures course would have it man progressed once more, he learnt that he could build his own shelter instead of seeking it out. He also learnt that although he may kill an animal as food and survival, an animal’s pelt could keep him warm during the cold times, and animal bones would make stronger, sharper weapons for hunting. Now in following of such progress, man has created an ongoing and ever growing concept of ones possession. This notion even on its own has taken the knowledge known as ‘The Beginning’ and has now introduced want, this in itself through evolution will prove to be a beginning of its own time… that as one of sin, an overlap of worlds would be destined upon this happening through simple thought or even perhaps fait.

As time passed on earth so it did in any other world or realm, whether any of them existed in time ahead or behind that of mankind made no difference. Sin has in itself proved itself to be that of nothing less than inevitable in any time, destined to become in any world at the first hint of persuasion. Now with self created evidence, man would no longer be necessarily satisfied with what each may possess by his own strengths or doings.

We now know that man once hunted in order to eat, sought shelter to keep warm… but now… what of another mans possessions. Another man may prove to be a more successful hunter and accumulated much more food than another, more pelts for the colder months than another man. Perhaps one man is a more knowledged builder whos shelter protects him and his family by greater means while another lives in a damp cave to freeze. If once a man killed an animal in order to eat, why not kill another man for the same benefit, his food and shelter being something simply thought of as nothing more than a benefit to another now. To the lesser man now, murder to him was thought of as no different than hunting.

In these early days the world known to man had now by his own means become plagued… plagued by the birth of sin… murder, vengeance, rape and even jealousy were all soon to be progressions of mans adaptability. This adaptability would ultimately be what created the seven sins that shall prove, in one way or another, to be as valid a part of each and every persons life as the breath they take to live.

There are however many different opinions and interpretations that each man may choose from to believe in that defines each sin, or even the acts that may constitute the being of each sin within himself, but do not have any doubt, each life on earth in some way will be touched by these dark forces.

Solely of mans adaptation since creation, without the influence of God or Satan there now existed and thrived sin in the world. This had now given heaven and hell reason and even motivation to intervene in mans world… even to influence. Each being an ultimate dedication for a soul once done its life on earth, heaven and hell had waged dedication of their own in effort to influence each soul while living through natural course. This in turn would now result in a wage of war unknown to man between good and evil.

All surrounding now of each living soul… on the very same plain man walks, unseen and unknown now exists a common realm. This realm is that of good and evil that now coincides on earth, a realm created by mans doing and one day by the same doing, may prove ultimately to be mankinds end. This had become a world of influence and battle between the damned and the righteous now fighting to either save or condemn each and every soul once passed.

Throughout the years and span of all life there had been many champions, demons and even creations good and evil, but all in reason and result of mankinds existence and his own ultimate creation of the deadly seven sins. Each sin as demonic and chaotic as the next would forever be in existence as they have become the dark and disturbing reality man has ultimately proven to need as face of his evil intentions. Existing in all definition of each slated sin, if one of these twisted creatures were to be slain than another shall take its place in title of the fallen sin, once again enslaving man to the temptation of its desired anarchy.

As those from good and evil have both suffered fallen members in this battle for the sake and reaping of mens souls, there have been several of the seven sins since been defeated, but never make mistake as a fallen sin will always be replaced, each being the absolute deadliest of its kind, possibly stronger, deadlier and more vicious than the one before it. Now extended in battle to other worlds and realms, a sin may not even be of this world, a creature may even be of unknown origin to its adversary, yet also… some of the darkest sins such as ‘The Harvester’ have been created from the bowels of hell… some such evil has even been created on earth itself of the most twisted of men.

At one time on earth, there had existed a very conflicted individual, this young man living as man once had, his soul… good or evil had yet to be decided. As a young man this soul existed without possessions of his own but was soon conflicted with such desire. With all understanding, a man with nothing feels and understands the knowledge of having nothing, as well as that feeling of having nothing to lose. This in turn only adds to ones motivation and although young, these feelings were not those without their own conflictions.

Seeing many others of those around him, this man found not so many with less but many of those who possesed much more than he. People that possesed more in the ways of riches, more command of respect… even of more love and family than this lone man had ever known or received. Not unlike many men before him, this newly intrigued man had decided it would be a much easier road to simply take that which he desired as opposed to earn his way, eventually building himself a less than honest yet much more than modest life for himself. Unfortunately for him he was not the only, nor the first person to be swayed by such suggestion or temptation. He soon found himself a victim of others that suffered from the same contempt as himself and was now a man with the knowledge of losing everything.

With nothing left to this now beaten down soul but the gutter he lay in, he was once again conflicted with choice as a life of dishonesty and stealing what others had earned had now left him shattered and broken. Shortly upon waking the next morning, now covered in filth he heard but only one noise sounding from across the distance, it was that of church bells ringing… ringing out as if he had never heard such a sound before. The man wandered aimlessly as being now yet again a man of no possession and felt no purpose, he drifted for days in shame until eventually he found himself unfamiliar with his surroundings. Shamed not only by his actions towards others, but also of the sacrifice recently and unwillingly forced upon him by others of his same nature and deception. Without direction nor location the man blindly followed the sound of the church bells that rung out as if almost calling out to him.

Eventually discovering the source of the sound he without distraction had been seeking, his feet did not land him in front of some great hall or massive place of holy worship as he had envisioned but that of a small, almost shack like structure of a church covered in leaves and moss. Although still a place of God and worship, its size was that of accommodating perhaps six pews and a very small congregation, but none the less a strong and crystal clear bell rung out indeed.

Now weary with his travels the man trudged up the dirt pathway leading up to the small church as he noticed what appeared to him to be an oddly dressed man, doing nothing but just sitting there head faced down on the single step that was the entrance to this building. This was also not an expected man as he was of Asian descent thus why he was dressed so oddly to the man as he wandered closer. Striking the tired traveler as even stranger still, this Asian man appeared to be of a fit age and had a strong physical appearance yet carried with him an interesting sort of old walking stick and his robes seemed very old, tattered and worn. Now standing in front of this so out of placed individual he looked to this Asian man unknown to him as being ‘The Timekeeper’ and asked,

What is this place, is this a place of repent?

Without even looking up in eye contact to attempt that of a conversation the Asian man replied…

Repent is for weak souls that hold fear, for those souls that are afraid and have run out of time…

The Time Keeper stood to his