On a calm Sunday evening a congregation gathered at the town lake which was sorrounded by lush green trees , the reflection of the setting sun on the water gave the environment and otherworldly feeling.
Standing by the edge of the lake was a priest and a new convert , John Lester. John was a former professional mixed martial arts fighter with ties to the Mafia.
The reason he was in this small town in the middle of nowhere was because he had gone against his Don ( boss ) and decided to leave the family. He had grown tired of all the killings and violence so he decided to run away to this small town.
During his time on the run he remembered what his mother often said that in time of need , trials and tribulation that one should always turn to God. That was why he was at the lake getting baptized.
"John Lester ,do you solemnly swear to renounce the devil and all of his works , and to serve God and accept him into your life " the priest asked John as they both stood in the water.
" Yes I do " John replied
The priest then dipped him into the water " I hereby baptize you in the name of the father, the son and the holy Spirit, rise and walk in the light of the Lord".
After the baptism John stayed back for a while and conversed some of the of the church members . He had become a very active member in the church recently as a way to atone for all the evil he had done in this world.
John was actually a good kid from a good family while growing up , and although he didn't do drugs or drank excessively he got involved in gangs and their dealings which included shaking down businesses , selling drugs and commiting murder on behalf of their Don.
John had just turned seventeen when he killed for the first time. The victim was a shopkeeper who had witnessed another murder that happened close to her ship.
This woman was a mother of two and John was tasked with ending the poor woman's life .
After the incident John ran off to the army to enlist . After training he was selected to be part of a special operations unit and also joined the Army's kickboxing team.
Six years later he was discharged from the army as a sergeant and with other medals.
With no jobs available for veterans integrating to civilian life John joined a mixed martial arts gym and also got involved in some amateur matches . But the money he was getting was just enough for food and rent, it was not really what he wanted as a life and that brought him back to the mob and with his skills he made his way up from an enforcer to a lieutenant.
It was at this level that he could really see the evil that the Don and other top guys were involved in and still he did nothing to stop or prevent any of these from happening.
The event that broke the camels back was when a shipping container belonging to a rival mob was dropped at the wharf into the ocean, it took about an hour to fish the container out of the water , there were thirty five people that were being smuggled in that container all young girls and children.
And when John saw their bloated corpses he felt disgusted with himself, his main reason for joining the mob in the first place was about the money. He could handle the killing of other mobsters but these people were civilians, children.
That evening John did something that he had not done in over ten years, he went to church and knelt at the alter crying and begging God to forgive him, this was not an event that he could brush past,it was soul wearing so he turned to the only higher power he could think of , God.
When his time in the church was over he did the only thing that was feasible in stopping the Don for good. He went over to the Federal authorities instead of the police because he knew that most of not all police were on a mobs payroll.
He helped the federal agents assigned to the case to make a strong case against not only his Don but other Dons . In the end most of them got convicted and got from twenty five years to life his Don especially got sentenced to death for the multiple murders linked to him . John got immunity and was placed in witness protection and was placed in a small rural town .
In this small town John got involved with the saint Mary's church and finally got baptized.
But stories rarely end that way, John while coming back from Bible study decided to go to a small diner to get some food . He got the food and moved to enter his truck when someone called at him.
" Johnny, is that you? " The man asked and John knew in that moment that it was all over.
" You fucked up Johnny , you really fucked up" man said firing two shots at his chest before fleeing the scene.
As John lay there in a pool of his blood , he kept begging for God or anyone to save him.
"God please help me I am just starting to be good , I need time please help me ....help me... help me ..." And then suddenly he slipped into the darkness. Not long after he heard persistent whispers telling him to get up. He woke up in a huge temple like building with large marble columns gilded also in gold.
Then he looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing with a belt of pure gold wrapped around his waist, his body looked like precious gem ,his face flashed like lightning and his eyes flamed like torches , his arms and feet shone like polished bronze and his voice roared like a multitude of people.
Then he spoke to John saying " do not be afraid John I am Samandraiael and I am an angel of the Lord ."
"Am I going to heaven now?" John asked
" Not quite " the angel replied " the Lord God has granted me permission to employ your services."
" But what could a human like me possibly do for you, if I'm not mistaken you are almost all powerful "
"When God finished creating the universe, I got very enchanted with his creation and I then begged if I could create a world in the likeness of earth which he agreed. I created everything almost similar to earth, the only difference was that I shared some of my power with man . This power which was named magic was supposed to be used to boost the development of their civilizations. But now this power has now turned people complacent and mad with power , people are no longer just or fair, the weak trample on the weak and subjugate them.
The humans in this world have discarded everything about God and now venerate the people with the most powerful magic are gods themselves .
Before you died you begged for one more chance, well now is your opportunity to serve God. You don't have to convert anybody , all you have to is to show the people that have used power to corrupt this world that there is a power above all things."
"Why me if I may ask, why don't you do it by yourselves, I mean you are all powerful beings whereas I'm just a measly human with no power what could I really achieve?" John asked.
" God had planned to send Micheal to this world, but the only problem is that while Michael could wipe of half of its population in a minute, they still would not learn but rather be beaten into submission. You on the other hand are capable of teaching that same lesson while giving them a chance to change. As for the power to perform your task , the Lord God has had provided one hundred and twenty five seals from which you are to choose seven. Those seven are to be the powers that you will use to serve the Lord's mission."
John was then brought to a large table where the seals were laid out , and after some thought he started picking.
The first seal was fire , it gave him the ability to conjure and control flames according to his will.
The second seal was ice and water which gave him the ability to control and conjure water and also the ability to freeze objects.
The thing seal was lightning which gave him the ability to control and weild lightning.
The fourth seal was of biokinesis and regeneration which meant he could heal both himself and other people. He could also grow lost limbs for both himself and others.
The fifth seal was telekinesis which was the ability to move things with his mind without physical touch.
The sixth seal was geokinesis which was the ability to control the earth , destroy mountains , terra form places and causes earthquakes.
Finally the seventh seal was the ability absorb and take away people's magic but it was relative to how powerful he is compared to his opponent which meant that it could not work completely if his opponent was stronger than him.
After choosing his powers John was then thought the language of the empire that he was going to and also the political structure.
This world has three continents , each of these continents had empires and kingdoms controlling them. John was going to be placed in the eastern continent. The eastern continent had two empires who were the major powers; the Calmuth empire and the Everwinter empire. The continent also had several powerful kingdoms.
John was then informed that he was going to be in the Everwinter empire , in the house of a low noble.
The Everwinter empire had a unique power structure, there was the emperor , the princes ,the dukes , the Lords and finally knights.
John was still assimilating the information he was receiving when the angel Samandraiael came to him.
" It is time John the vessel we have prepared is ready , your name from now shall be Damon".
Suddenly a bright light enveloped him and then he woke up.