Nine plagues ravaged the city of Memphis, laying ruin upon ruin on the city, tearing it near to barrenness. There were massive migrations from the capital of Egypt.
Moses and Aaron sat in their house and thought it out. It was late at night. The night outside was cold and made the bones shiver. There was a strange feeling out there.
Moses sighed as he turned his head away from the window: "The slaves will never be freed. Nine damn plagues on the city and there is no response." Aaron shook his head: "Brother. It is useless. I say you go back to Midian and call on God to give a massive blow onto the Egyptians."
"You don't need to go to a mountain to call on God. He is everywhere." A voice said.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Moses demanded.
Emmanuel walked from the shadows and onto the light of the table lamp.
Moses stood up abruptly. "Emmanuel!!! What magic is this that has been shrouded before my eyes?!"
Emmanuel smiled as he hugged his childhood friend. "No magic, old friend. This is me. I could've appeared in my ascended form, but you wouldn't have recognized me. They call me Aryel now."
"Aryel. A Hebrew name meaning Lion of God. Very befitting of you." Moses laughed. "Forty years." Moses shook his head. Aaron shook hands with Emmanuel: "Peace be upon you, brother. I hope you have a solution to this calamity that has been going on?"
"Eye for an eye." Emmanuel said.
Moses and Aaron looked at each other with a confused look. "What do you mean, Emmanuel?"
Emmanuel: "Four hundred and eighty five Hebrew firstborn sons were slaughtered by the hands of the Ramesidian Dynasty. The sin still runs fresh in their lineage. It has to be purged for the sake of saving the Hebrews and redeeming the throne of Pharaoh. The sin of his Godhood claim is nothing compared to the sin of the spilt blood of the innocent."
Moses shook his head: "I know what you are trying to say. You want my permission to kill the firstborn children of Egypt. I will not allow it."
Emmanuel sighed.
Aaron pat his brother on the back: "The need of the many outweighs the need of the few, my brother. And it is like what he said, if the atonement does not happen, the sin will remain in this accursed land for future generations to suffer, so they would have to pay for the sins of the fathers."
Moses' heart drooped. "But how are you going to know who's a Hebrew and who's an Egyptian?"
Emmanuel motioned for Aaron and Moses to come outside. Moses almost jumped in shock as he saw about six hundred angels standing in the streets. "A small infantry," Emmanuel explained, "They are capable of sensing the aura of the homes of people. A Hebrew house will have the aura of innocence on its door. An Egyptian house will have the aura of sin on its door. And that is how they will be known." Moses nodded: "I see. And when will it be done?"
Emmanuel turned into his angelic form as Aryel, his wings arched in the air as that of Ma'at, the Egyptian Goddess of Justice: "Whenever you command."
Aaron pulled his brother's arm: "Do it now, brother. The sooner we leave Egypt the better!"
Moses: "And this is guaranteed to free the Egyptian slaves, Aryel?"
Aryel nodded: "Metatron has foreseen it and he is never wrong."
Moses: "Alright, do it."
With that, the angels disappeared into the night. Each one stood by the cot or bed of the sleeping firstborn son and they raised their hands towards the child's head and waited.
Aryel walked into the room of the
firstborn son of Ramesis, Amen-hir Khepeshef. The child's head rested on the soft goose-feather pillow. Aryel sang the song that his mother used to sing to him when he was about to go to sleep. Amen-hir heard the song and snuggled closer to the pillow with a soft relaxed smile. After he was done singing, Aryel sighed: "Lucky you are, Egyptian child, that you will die in your sleep without a hint of pain. All the firstborn Hebrew sons were tortured with sheer agony as they bled to death. Straight to heaven you will go, where you will dwell alongside the murdered Hebrew children."
Six hundred voices instantaneously spoke into Aryel's head: "We are ready, lord." Aryel nodded as a soft but deep thumping sound was heard in the room. Aryel powered up.
"See you in heaven, child of Pharaoh." Aryel said.
Suddenly all the people of Amarna awoke with a fright as they heard a wailing sonic boom that seemed to shatter their eardrums.
Moses sighed. "It has been done."