The Seven Trials of the Beast

The Seven Trials of the Beast

1.

The Beast is, before all else, unaware
of his own nature. He looks into the
rancid pools of his homeland
and sees, not himself, but some
imagined hero.

This is the first trial
of the Beast, the
Trial of Reflection.

Should he ever see himself
clearly, he would move no further
out of hell. But he sees nothing
and knows nothing of himself, where
he is, or from where he has come.

And so he rises toward us.

2.

The Beast is aggressively ignorant, he learns nothing
by keeping his eyes and his mind closed
at all times. No new information is consumed. He loves both
ritual and extremes- black and white, never gray.

He loves costumes, chintz, high walls and secrets.
He is superstitious and suspicious.
The beast looks for answers only in himself
and in his crutches.

The Beast must never look outside himself
for truth, if he is to pass this trial:
the Trial of the Witch, the Charlatan, and the Zealot.

He passes with ease and rises.

3.

The Beast is unshakably self-righteous, he admits
no mistakes because he believes himself incapable
of making them. He sweeps forward with fire and levels
everything in his path. He never looks back, he believes
himself a holy soldier.

This is the
Trial of the Crusader.

4.

The Beast is deadly
through action and inaction.

The Beast is indiscriminately
dangerous. He cultivates followers
using fear and greed
as his means of control.

The trial of the Tyrant
is as follows:

the Beast must take one life
at least as miserable as his own, and his captains
must continue to follow, he then must commit
a second murder, this time of an innocent, and his captains
must aid him in this act, and follow blindly.

From this level on the murders will grow in number
and can happen near the Beast, or far away.

He makes no effort to protect
his captains, his followers, or anyone
except himself
He does not know the meaning of the words
charity or mercy.

5.

This Beast lives exclusively
at the expense of others, drawing power
from victims, but more so from his followers.
He only consumes and takes first from those
nearest to him.

This is the
Trial of Proportion.

The beast believes all resources
to be inexhaustible, all life
to be expendable, and All
to be his for the taking.

This is how
the Beast comes to emerge from hell
and live among us, living on our blood.

6.

The Beast believes in the promise
of incredible things, just over the horizon.

He believes everything happens for a reason.

He believes in the power of money
above all other powers. The beast is
filled with assumptions of entitlement.

This is the
Trial of the Child Ruler.

It is with the passage of this trial
that the Beast comes to lead us all, rising
now higher than all mankind.

And this is how the Beast comes to believe
himself, first a man, then more
than a man, more
than any man- a born ruler, the spawn of destiny, a god.

7.

The final trial of the Beast is the
Trial of the Banner.

Once enthroned
with mankind at his feet, the Beast
will display his passage of the Trials
as proof of his existence and righteousness.

He will describe his perverse acts
in detail, and say without hesitation
that they are holy.

And the people will believe him, and raise up
his standard. They will justify his transgressions
with a belief that they condoned each of them.

And it is true
that they allowed them to happen, for

the Beast has a great and secret weakness, unknown even to himself.

The Beast requires permission,
the people must grant him permission
to do anything at all.

And the people will grant it
without question.

They will allow him to turn the soil with poison and fill the air with war.
They will allow him to sacrifice their sons and daughters to nothing but his whims, and they will cheer while he does.
They will love him and they will love him at the expense of their love for each other.

This is how the beast is given
true power, and substance, and a place
in the history of men.

For without the people, he would remain forever
a ghost, a whisper raging
in the depths of hell-

Unheard, and unseen.
Unknown, outside of nightmares and
Art born in tragedy.