Walking in the Second Death

His hair was as wild and fiery as His eyes. As He stood some twelve to fifteen feet tall, I could tell he was a God. He walked with huge lumbering steps that bore a sort of majesty as if He were a prince. He in fact was a prince, and as the thought crept into my head, I saw his Father. That Father was actually the Father. He was the Allfather, cloaked in blue and standing as tall, if not taller, than He on my left. That was the Father's first Son, Thor. The Son of the Terrible One and Earth. Quite some company to be standing before!
    The quiet neighborhood street I had been walking previously melted away into a strangely well lit field that was bright and freezing with no sun present. The sky seemed voided and droplets of blood seemed to drip endlessly from the very walls of existence itself.
    The realism of the whole scenario started to scare me. I'd been bedridden all day from a nasty little bug and a low, headache-inducing fever had made all of reality seem tainted. It was now minutes after 9:30 PM, or 2130 in Army speak, how I'd been thinking of time for the last few years. After being sick of lying in bed all day, I needed to move around a bit and clear my head. I grabbed an empty dirty glass from my night stand and poured a little Taylor Fladgate in it to accompany me on my walk and settle my unsteady feet. I started off walking and talking to myself, taking in the refreshingly cool but humid air. I was wearing my two week old black trail running shoes, my sleeveless modified Army PT shirt, and some black running pants with a white reflective stripe down the side. At least that's what I had been wearing just moments prior...

    Now as the scene lightened onto that field I mentioned earlier; I was wearing much different attire. My vision was slightly hampered by eyelets from a helmet, which hung heavy but not uncomfortable on my head. I was used to helmets, but mine had always been Kevlar and lighter, but less comfortable.
    "At least I'm fuckin' well equipped..." I thought to myself as I looked around, trying to make sense of what was going on. Yet it was to no avail, things still weren't making sense. All I could see for at least a thousand leagues in every direction was field. It was strange though, because even as far away as I was from everything; the world I had known previously and everyone in it, I felt as though I was being watched. Watched by everything and everyone I'd ever loved. It was like I was being depended on.
    I looked down as a growing weight filled my hands, and the Gods I had been following nearly took flight with their increasing pace and step size. In my left hand, I caught sight of a shield, heavy and strong feeling, as if it were stronger than any armor I'd ever held in my life. It was gold and had the script of a long story in the Old Tongue, carved and inlaid in red gold. In my right hand I held a sword that looked like many I had seen before, with dark damascened steel and also inlaid, but with silver. On my body there was heavy armor, gold and covered in Divine markings, banded together with what looked like black steel that didn't reflect any light. Underneath I had mail, also black and bearing no shine. I felt like a king, I had never seen such glorious war gear, and I can guarantee that the greatness of it was never matched at any point by any armorer.
    I looked across to my left and saw a few men there gathered, yet the vast majority were to my right. They all bore armor with different symbols, much of the armor looking from various cultures, also markings and banners denoting all sorts of cults, creeds, religions, and other diversifications for people. Suddenly it was becoming apparent where I was. I was at the Final Battle, or whatever you want to call it. Some call it Ragnarok, others Gotterdammerung, some Armageddon, some Apocalypse, and all sorts of other things from various religions. Regardless, this is where humanity and Divinity was making its final stand against Evil. Yet the difference between faiths makes a grave distinction toward the end of this battle. In my religion, its called by some the Second Death. To some it’s called the Second Coming. Either way, those who had been rotting came to fight those that had been living in the Divine Afterlife. It was almost intriguing and invigorating, because the promise of Eternal Glory after the Second Death is a great thing to aspire for, yet I knew that this Second Death would be much more grueling than anything I could have ever imagined in life. I also knew that all the good that mankind had once possessed was gone, and the last remaining semblances would be destroyed by the fire of Surt. It's hard to watch everything you ever loved get destroyed, no matter how glorious the promise of the future. Was it all in vain? I guess we'll find out. Luckily, the boots on my feet were as comfortable as the best shoes I had ever worn, and felt as if I could have stomped the life out of an elephant. Perhaps I would be stomping the life out of something that strong.......or that big. The thought began to terrify me, so I snuffed it out as I had done with countless fears while I was alive, and scared in the Army that seemed like it had been half of an eternity away.
      The original King of Kings now stood leading before me. The Warriors to my right were not as men, they were all frenzied, almost crazed as they all knew well what was coming. I heard speech that was as Babel, though I understood it. It was the Divine tongue, unknown to any living man. I even saw people that bore the creeds of those that were my mortal enemies before, but I guess that every idealist that seeks the true good in life can be the ally of all others in the end. We were here to combat Evil. We were here to combat Him. Whatever you call the Ancient Evil, the speaker with many false tongues, the Trickster, the Liar, the Beast; He is a vile and terrifying thing. He leads the Army of Darkness. Some of His Army crawled out of the darker places of the world, some from Hel itself, some from out of the ground. Just because we can't see them in life doesn't mean they're not there. Also there were the defenders of the Good. They are called Elves by some, Angels by others, and known by all sorts of other names. Some stood as animals, others as creatures that had a humanity I'd never seen before. All I know is that it was the pitting of the Ancients against each other; the Ancient Good and the Ancient Evil. Somehow I was lucky enough to be there with the Good side, and I knew that even though I might be torn screaming from one part of existence to another, I was going to put up a good fight. Someone was coming with me.
    All the banners of those around me were subordinate to one. It was that of the Aesir and the Vanir, being the colors of the Allfather, the deepest blue you can imagine entwined with a crimson redder than the best sunset you've ever witnessed. You may call the Allfather God, some may call Him Allah, some call Him the Great Spirit, others by whatever various names you can offer. It doesn't matter in the end. It doesn't matter to Him, and it will never matter. As long as you submit your faith and allegiance to the Good in life, He is your Master. He will also take care of you now, and when it comes to those dark days that are toward the end.
    I felt the ground shake with a shuttering blast from Gjallarhorn, this the second sounding. Also there was a shrill cry from Jarnsaxa, the Ironwood, from which the majority of the Evil Army would approach. They were coming for us, but we knew no fear. As I watched the Son of Earth hold His Hammer high, my resolve was steeled, and my heart set ablaze. With a start the line drove forward, I on the left flank. I knew what was coming, and I knew what the signals were. Now all that was left was to carry out my final orders. They pressed forward, I pressed forward, and with a great flash..........

I was returned to the dark and lonely road I had been on before. I had a few sips left of the Port I had in my glass. I gulped it down and returned to my bed to reflect on what had happened.

Perhaps so should you.