Atlantis

Welcome to this extant blog. This is my first and last story

for the year. I wish to appreciate @_teki for her tremendous help in the editing of this story,cos frankly, I cudnt bear to proofread it after writing. it is a total detour from what i intended to write in the first place, but i hope you enjoy it all the same. Its the longest single story I have written for my blog.  share if you like. Have fun 😀

******

The hallway was lit by an array of wall-mounted torches. The bright yellow light from the flickering fires revealed curious designs on the walls, reminiscent of winged lions and giant eagles. At the end of the thickly carpeted hallway stood a giant oaken door almost as wide, which gleamed in the light of the fire. On the portal were slightly raised sigils of a huge griffin and other markings pertaining to cosmic elements. The avian head of the mythical creature seemed to glare threateningly at all who wished to be admitted into the Throne room of Gandas III, The Eagle of the Deep.

    The edges of the griffin flared a bright blue suddenly, casting the pale hue onto the hallway and contributing to its gloominess. The artistic lines comprising the animal began to move, causing the light to dance. The lines lifted off the door and ventured into the air, floating purposefully until the entire Griffin art was suspended before the door, and then they brightened and seemed to thicken into form, before dying away. In place of the lines now stood a fully formed griffin the height of a large horse. The leonine body of the animal assumed a dangerous stance, its claws digging into the thick Persian rug and its snake tail hissing loudly, while its head shrieked at the empty hallway. Then it waited.  Something was here. As a creature of malevolent magic, none could hope to pass it by force and survive.

   The man walked out of thin air a few metres away, his dark robes evincing his calling even as they flourished about him with his fluid movement. His wrinkled face first glared at the door before they locked the eyes of the guardian in a stare

   “Guardian Aziba, it is only I, Abu-Zamathru”, his raspy voice rang out.

   The Beast recoiled at the sound of the voice, the only voice it could ever recoil from. This was Abu-Zamathru, the most revered wizard in all the earth, the one who had brought him forth from the Land of Yor.

   The Griffin cawed welcomingly at the Wizard.

   “Not now Aziba, the king needs to hear my news”

   The Griffin quickly moved aside as the giant door opened soundlessly.

*

   King Gandas sat on his heavy gold throne. His corpulence belied a dangerous intelligence, and his bald head shone with the light from the candles and torches. Some of the king’s harem lay on plush cushions to the right, engrossed with the sensual exploration of their supple bodies. The musicians to the left of the great chamber did not pause in their rendition, even when the great doors swung open. However, the king broke his meditation regarding matters of state and watched his sorcerer draw near. The man walked with a slight spring, though he was widely known to be almost two hundred years old.  It was said that even the keepers of the underworld trembled at his passing. They could not contain his mighty shade.

   The wizard reached his king and gave a low bow, the loose ends of his robe almost touching the ground.

   “May you live forever”, he said to the king when he stood upright, his one good eye seeming to take in everything in the room without even turning his head.  Not a person in that room missed the irony in that statement.

   The god-king grunted and waved the musicians and women into silence.

   “Abu-Zamathru,” he began, “it was rumoured that you were on your yearly meditative spell. What has altered your pattern and brought you to my presence this day? Speak with haste, for I have matters to attend to.” A slight frown settled on the King’s face as he spoke. He had a great respect for the Wizard, and therefore a building foreboding as to the purpose of this visitation.

“Yes, my King.” The wizard replied. “That is part of the matter that has brought me here. I have a tale to relate-”

“Out with it, then!”

“Yes, my King.  When the sun was high in the sky today, I was with the council of gods in the far away peak of Olympus. It was my tenth day spent with them, but it was obvious all was not well. They held hurried council and forbade my presence in their midst, acting with a secrecy which gave me a sense of foreboding. When queried, they either made obscure remarks or ignored me outright. Fearing machinations against my person, I cut short my astral travel, for I know of more than one god who would want my spirit forever subject to their whim. I left in haste, abandoning the supernal fulfilment I sought, doubly certain that I was saving my life against unmeasured forces.

“Something remarkable occurred as I abandoned that dreary abode of the celestials and traversed the silver chord back to my shell in my villa. As I touched upon the outer fringes of this realm, I felt just the slightest sign of another consciousness. While it is not a great thing for wizards to pursue astral travel, it is impossible to reach out to one another in such planes. When I opened my eyes, I gave myself to reflection and concluded that the other whom I felt was not of this world. In that ephemeral moment of contact, I understood a little of that being’s thought, and it was filled with great malevolence toward the entire earth.” The wizard paused, perhaps for dramatic effect.

   The king furrowed his brows, “So what are you insinuating, Wizard? I am not one to waste my faculties on ethereal things; that is why I have the likes of you. Speak up!”

   “My Lord,” the Wizard hesitated, “like I said, I concluded that the being was not of this world, for the cosmic rules of astral travel, as far as it is known to us, forbid the grazing of minds beyond the realm of this world. The being that I encountered is verily not of this world. Something is coming, your Imperial Majesty. Something evil, and it harbours within it a burning fury for all life on this our great Island”

   The monarch drew back on his Throne, puzzlement adorning his face.

   “An evil? You do not even know its nature? Is it flesh and blood or fur and bones? Have you not sought clarity from the gods on this? Does Agnar, the one to whom we offer the most sacrifice, not advice you on this?”

   “The deities do not respond to my queries, My King, and that is what troubles me. Surely the priests of Agnar and the priestesses of Kunushera have no knowledge of this yet, else your throneroom would be agog with troubled faces. Perhaps this is the will of the gods, subject to a hidden machination.” Abu-Zamathru tried his best not to look ruffled, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

   Gandas quickly recognised that whatever could perturb the wizard was a neigh hopeless situation. He felt his mouth turn a little dry as he envisioned the destruction of his Island kingdom, or a possible usurping of his position.

   “What measures do you suppose we take?”

   The wizard looked down wistfully.

 

***

 

I was groping my way out of a barley field wherein I had just lain with an amorous girl who got hold of me in the streets, when a cold gust of wind arose. I looked up at the clouds instinctively. The strange azure streaks of jagged light stretched from the clouds to the earth in a gruesome dance.

The cackling sound of the lightning carried over the chilling wind, and I looked up perfunctorily to read the state of the weather. The first vision stopped me dead in my tracks. The night was cloudy and the translucent clouds were bountiful, aided in beauty by the silvery light of the moon. But behind a particularly thick mass of clouds was a very large dark object. It was as though something unnatural and unsightly was advancing, soon to break through the clouds at any moment and reveal itself. In the distance, I heard a cry go up and then the sound of windows and doors being unlatched.  The hidden object in the sky threw a shadow on the ground, and in the otherwise brightly moonlit night, its shadow clothed the landscape slowly like a moving demonic blanket. It was apparent the mass would soon block out the moonlight, and then chaos would reign.  I hurried to my dwelling, terrified, my old mother at the fore of my considerations.

 

*

The great metal had hung in the sky over the barley field for four days. It was a great pebble-shaped entity, which had numerous caverns and impingements on its otherwise smooth body.  It was ashen in hue, and had underneath it, a protrusion which could have been a kind of housing. Boldly scrawled across its side was what was obviously a kind of message, or name. It was not known to any of the sages or kings, though its calligraphy was fairly easy to reproduce.

 

 I  N  V  A  D  E  R

 

***

 

Entry 2:42pm of Day 10:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

We have now spent ten days over the skies of the island. It is truly a beauty, as has been told in the great legends. The island, which is among the largest I have yet seen, is surrounded by bountiful clumps of coconut trees. Its white beaches are unpolluted, unlike the quickly deteriorating shores of the earth. Huge monuments to its deity are visible among the gleaming white housing and official structures which seem to be made of granite, as far as the ship’s cameras permit me to surmise. Upon our nocturnal entry, we fed our eyes on the giant fields of wheat and ranches of cattle, and were little surprised to see the aberration in the weather which was no doubt conditioned by the crossing of the Al-2201 wormhole, which brought us to this 3000 BC. It is almost a sad thing to see the island plundered, but I have no remorse, for its natural fate is not any kinder. Atlantis has been doomed to sink to the bottom of the ocean by causes yet unknown, and we will plunder its gold and ivory before that cataclysmic event happens. It’s a good thing the archaeologists were right when they postulated a suitable period when the civilization was already polished. It would have been a devastating economic waste to have spent all those resources and arrive at a time period when the famous island was already sunken.

I am still in awe of the Warp Drive that has made this possible, and glad that the only existing piece of that technology was kept under maximum security at the headquarters of the United Nations. A result of the joint project of a committee of nations, it can only be used for the unconditional betterment of the good people of earth.

The experts have assured the United Nations Prosperity Council that there is no danger of effecting a time paradox, since Atlantis would eventually perish out of time in its own accord. We were under strict orders not to take any prisoners, or be intimate with their women. To this end, the soldiers have been placed under Abnebi, an Anaphrodisiac from PIKN Industries. Extra stores of this drug have been fed into the reservoir of their battle suits.

Over the days, we have discouraged all attempts to escape on the water by deploying AGM-142 Popeye missiles. During the secret briefings back on Earth of AD 2090, we were ordered not to let any soul escape, so as not to cause unforeseen ripples in time. The people of Atlantis, according to legend, are an almost self-sufficient people. They almost never migrated for business or leisure to the other nations. They had all they needed on their large bit of rock.

The Palace will be our first port of call, of course. The head must be subdued for the body to fall. Even right now, the foot soldiers are preparing for the first wave.

 

***

They came on the eleventh day. Over the last few days, the great gloomy-looking floating structure had drifted slowly towards the palace. The Soldiers of Atlantis have been recalled from the navy fleets and stationed everywhere in the city. The barracks were empty, and the blue cape and gold crest of the Atlantian Legions coloured the pathways and wide streets at every turn. For once those sons of dogs respected themselves and did not treat the citizen with disdain. We were all afraid, and with good reason. The temple was filled with praying denizens and the priests worked tirelessly in offering sacrifices to the gods. We were now in no doubt as to the malevolent inclinations of the aerial object.

Some of our people had tried to reach the far shores on boats and ships, but by some power we could not ascertain, it was said that the water vessels seemed to explode where they floated. An attempted mass exodus was quelled by this same technique, and it was not long before the citizenry decided that waiting for the fate of the god (as some had chosen to call it) was better than perishing in the shark-infested waters. The lightning rods had been released from the armoury, and the soldiers wielded them with care. They had last been used a dozen years before, when the kingdom of Persia sailed across the seas in quest of our colonisation. They were weapons of deadly powers whose secrets of construction had been handed down to us from our father’s fathers.

The palace was surrounded tightly, since the looming threat seemed purposed poised over it.

Again, they came at night. I was on my bed in my humble abode, dreaming fitfully with my sick mother beside me when the rumble started. A great creaking sound, like the opening of a long-locked metal door, vibrated through the island in the cool night air, stirring terror into our hearts. I jumped up from the sleep that had not come, and after making sure that water was close at hand for my mother to take when the terrible fit of cough started, I slid out the door quietly. The streets were bustling with the frightened and the troubled. Pleas invoking the messenger of the god, Hermes, to report our plight to the mighty Zeus rent the air. The noise was overwhelming, and I shielded my eyes as my inordinate curiosity drove my legs within viewing distance of the palace, which fortunately was situated just about a mile away.

By the light of the moon, the details were scanty, but I thought that the belly of the melon-shaped structure now contained a small hole. Where else would be unidentifiable figures be falling from?

The distance was too great to see clearly, but sound carried very clearly in the cold air. Ululations of pain filled the air as the sound of battle began. It would take me a long time to realize that those falling figures were been people like us.

Over the next few days, we got to know our enemies better, especially in the aspect regarding their proclivity to the use of force and the joy of looting.

 

Entry 6: 07pm of Day 15:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

 We are now in the fifteenth day of our campaign. It was scheduled, at the maximum, for twenty-five. The palace of the king has been plundered. Our men reported seeing some strange threatening animal, but destroyed it before we had a chance to examine it. A drawing has been rendered by the more artistic of the men. An animal made of what seemed a combination of a Lion and Eagle would have been quite a sight, I think. I can think of one or two international districts back home who would quickly convert such a thing into a religious focal point. I digress.  A huge treasure of precious metals and jewels has been acquired, and more is promised upon ransacking the giant temples. Our expected cargo is estimated at a worth of about 5 trillion dollars. The King was not found in the palace; though we are reasonably sure he hasn’t left the island. Their soldiers put up a brave fight, but are of course no match for ours. They wield fascinating rods of lightning, and the engineers have been clamouring for a sample to be brought aboard. They readily forget the instructions against such inclinations. Nothing foreign is to be brought aboard. Besides such a thing would not benefit us, for we are five thousand years more advanced. We have no evidence of them having developed submarine travel, but we are not taking any chances. We have secured the perimeter of the submerged part of the island with wide-range Plasma walls. Anything bigger than a small fish shows up on the INVADER’s radar screens.

 

Entry 1: 13pm of Day 17:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

Things are going according to plan. The global economy is in shambles following the devastating effects of World War 5. Thankfully, the nuclear disarmament policy by the Obama administration of 2011 followed through and the world disposed its huge store of nuclear warheads into the oceans or fired them into deep space. Nevertheless, fifty nations playing with thousands of powerful missiles nearly succeeded in reducing the world to a barren wasteland. About 968 million deaths were recorded. Entire Aboriginal tribes were wiped out by Russian warheads. The United Nations council is still pursuing the Maximum Disarmament Initiative (MDI). This has brewed political conflict among the nations, but fortunately, they are united in the singular pursuit of rejuvenating the global economic status. Even the sanctimonious eastern block and the extant Vatican agreed. And thus the Initiative for the Vivification And Development of Earth aka Project INVADE was born. Approving the use of badly dwindling earth resources, the UN commissioned the building of the INVADER, a nuclear powered kilometre-long air ship with multiple decks occupying a height of three stories. It looks like an advanced Zeppelin. Its fuselage was developed from the root metal, Titanium, into a stronger alloy, and its destination computer was re-invented with the infamous Warp Drive. The Drive had been in slow development in the African Union before the war broke out and research was discontinued. After the war, and with the coalition of member nations and precocious child prodigies, development was hastened in a highly compartmentalized manner (so no one group of people know all there is to know about it) and the device was produced after about 10years.  The Think Tanks thought it beneficial to plunder a doomed world in order to support a tottering one. I am inclined to agree. It is the way of life. The weak must support or give way to the strong. The economists are now estimating a weight of about 1 metric tonne in gold bullion alone.  They say the people will not be hit hard for long. At the very least, they still have shoals of fish to subsist on.

The time warp and its production notes are scheduled to be destroyed after this excursion to prevent rogues and megalomaniacs getting their hands on it in the future. All countries voted Aye.

 

**

 

Nineteen days now. The invaders have plundered us merciless. Our king has not been found, neither have the acclaimed wizards and oracles been sighted. Our soldiers make a great show, but are no match for the men who are dressed from their head to their feet in metal. Their voices, no doubt altered by the property of their armour, come in a harsh rumble. Their purging of our treasures is now systematic, after the reportedly abusive looting of the palace. They are men like us, yet we had never heard about their culture of floating constructs. None knew where they came from. The nobles and Lords have been thrown into poverty and even death. The invaders are not gentle. They take by force and kill with impunity in other to subdue the rest of us. The soldiers of Atlantis are fallen. The invaders have total control now. We are yet to see one of them plainly, for their gleaming black helmets cover their faces. Their seemingly soft leather clothing protected them from the lightning rods of our soldiers.

I buried my mother two days ago in the garden behind our little home. This illness got her, especially since I could not get medicine to help her. Not with all the chaos that is unravelling outside.

The temples have been ransacked and the gold, silver and diamonds, taken up into the floating monolith. Atlantians don’t generally have contact with other nations, so I am reasonably sure fate is ours alone to acknowledge and bear. I despair for my dear Atlantis.

 

***

 

 

Entry 4:12pm of Day 21:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

   All is going as planned.

   We had a stroke of serendipity today. Our submarines have been patrolling the waters since the beginning of the campaign. Atlantis, being a much-respected continent in legend, is very likely to have advanced beyond its peers in certain frontiers. We are not taking any chances. High command believes the King or others may have the benefit of an archaic type of submarine for the purpose of escape. This view is not popular, but we have to obey the High Command. As a result, eight submarines patrol the island.

   Submarine UH-234 discovered something today.  It mistakenly found its sonar waves bounced of metal at the bottom of the ocean. Since ships of this era were apparently built with mostly wood, it was expected that the foreign metal material would be treasure from sunken ships. We were right.

Apparently, in times past, ships with valuable jewels or goods have met with disaster during terrible storms and have gone under as a result, in plain view of the whole island. The engineers on the INVADER are preparing the modified Search and Rescue Ui-64 Diver for the salvaging operation tomorrow.

 

***

On the 23^rd day, there was an earthquake. I was hiding in the cellar of the mother’s house. The black armoured invaders have practically enslaved the people. They are being forced to carry the huge treasure to big vessels, which afterward lift the treasure to the floating vessel. Will we ever be rid of them?

The earthquake isn’t the first I would be witnessing in my lifetime, but it was the first that didn’t really feel like an earthquake. The Island seemed to move, but there was no attendant rumble or tremor from the depths of the earth. Could it be the gods announcing their readiness to come and rescue us? I hope so. Our king has gone into hiding somewhere in the island, maybe even used one of his fabled underwater ships to leave it. The gods are all we have left, yet they do not answer us.

 

 

Entry 5:37pm of Day 23:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

Amadioha!

The submarine crews involved in the salvaging operations were violently assaulted by deep water sharks today, and three ended up massacred under water. One of the submarines attempted to stave off the other approaching sharks by hurriedly deploying a  Delta-F2 torpedo. It missed its target and hit the rocky foundations of the Island. There was a slight earthquake. Sonar investigation revealed the foundations of the island contained a network of cavernous recesses. The explosion has weakened the structure on one side. It is estimated that the foundation won’t hold for a long.  

We were astounded to realize that Atlantis would sink by our own hands. The High Command is horrified, but it maintains an air of stoic resignation. We may be colonisers and maybe even thieves, but never cold-blooded murderers. There is nothing that can be done. We have to play the script that the fates have set for us. This knowledge is compartmentalized to reduce the feeling of guilt, especially among the civilian facilitators of the campaign.

Genocide. That is what this is. It is totally fucked up. I hope God forgives us, because this event has already occurred back in time, before we even came here. It is without our control.

 

***

Alas, Atlantis sinks!

 

***

 

Entry 1: 00pm of Day 24:

Private Diary:

Colonel Chinedum Agwomba, US command.

 The Island is sinking. We have recalled our troops. Some have been lost during this campaign as a result of demonstrations and pockets of resistance among the population. They will be remembered. We watched today as the island suddenly faltered under its own weight and the outer fringes began to break off. The attendant mini-tsunamis overshot the banks and drowned the nearby settlements. A few hours later, a noisy tremor went through the island. The submarine crews confirmed the escalating destruction of the foundations before we lost radio contact. We had only managed to salvage about 200kilos of gold artefacts. The crews and equipment are considered lost. We are now preparing to exit this ancient version of our world and navigate the Ominus-K8T wormhole for the return journey. It has been a successful campaign, but only for us.

Tug

Maybe I should walk to the woman down the street and buy a satchet of coffee. It’s a cool evening.

I walk down the rural street, kicking up sand as my feet lazily drags along. To my right is an undeveloped plot of land with a fence and a huge gate. The gap at the hinges afford me a slim vista into the plot as I pass by. There is a cow grazing inside. Cool. As I move forward my angle of view widens. For a moment I see a white bear farther inside the land,hiding in the grass behind the cow. Hmm…wonder what a bear is doing in ikorodu. Well, that is one very dead cow.

I reach my destination.

“Nescafe please”.

The woman silently hands it to me and accepts my twenty naira.

I walk back down the road to my house. As I pass the fenced plot again, I look through the gap at the side of the gate. The cow is still there. My angle of view sweeps through the entire land as I keep moving. Something is missing.

Where is the bear?

Something tells me to look behind me.

JESUS!!

It’s coming from down the street. How did it get there?!  It’s running towards me! I am still in the middle of the street. My house is still far..And I remember from NatGeo that bears can reach 50km/hr at full speed.  No time to think. Run!!

My feet move in accordance with my survival instincts. Why I am the only one on the street? My gate is almost near.

Yes!

I am home. Now if I could just push the gate open and ent-

The bear knocks the down brutally in front of my gate. Shit!

How did it get here so fast?!

It tumbles with me on the concrete and rises up with a roar. I know what it is going to do next. It will  slap me with its powerful paws. Just as all bears do when fighting.

Why is there a gun in my hand? It’s a small gun. Somehow I know it only contains one bullet. Why am I thinking about this??!!

I aim and shoot before the bear’s paws come down on my head. I see the bullet leave the gun. It is coloured very weirdly. As though it doesn’t belong in this scene. Like bad graphics. Of course it doesn’t belong, I didn’t have a gun two seconds ago! I watch it in “bullet time” as it makes contact with the bear’s furry head. So vivid.

And gets flattened. Fuck.

It didn’t even penetrate.

The bear falls backwards heavily. Somehow, I know I have about three seconds to remove myself from under its white body, run into my house and lock the gate. Three seconds.

I push the gate while on the ground and scramble into the house. I don’t even have time to get up. Shit is real. For some weird reason, the gate doesn’t have that Jam-Lock that we just installed. Good. No need to fumble with the keys, else I would be dead.

I am about to close the gate before the beast rises up and rams his body against it. Fuck. What kind of animal resists a bullet to the head??

Who am I to play tug of war with a bear ? I lean with all my strength against the gate as it vibrates savagely against me. I am terrified. I am going to die. I can’t keep this much longer. Why the fuck is the Jam-Lock not here?? It would have locked the gate instantly upon closing.

I look behind me.

Thank You God!

I don’t bother to ask why a soldier with a gun is relaxing in my compound.

“Come here with your gun!”, I scream

The dude runs over with his glorious AK47. I have never been so happy to see a gun.

I am still pushing against the roaring bear on the other side of the gate, but the gate is opening wider In its favour. He is steadily winning the tug of war.

“I..am…going to leave the gate. Please get ready to shoot. There is a bear on the other side”

The man is not afraid. Who can be afraid when holding a gun? He aims at the gate. Actually there are two men, but the other has no gun. Weird. I don’t remember his face.

I am at the limit of my endurance; I leave the gate and dive to the floor as the metal flings open with great force. The soldier opens fire instantly. I am very happy to hear sounds of agony from the bear. Strangely, it sounded exactly like a dog in pain.

I get up quickly to see its dead body, and am surprised to see the unwounded beast running away. But how?? After all those bullets?? No blood on its white fur??

Who cares? I am alive!

Thank God.
————

Last night’s dream is too weird. This is from the 19th of Jan. More coherent.

🙂
 

Pantheon V – Alaklet

Silence!

Entropy!!

By the strength of my will, I fashion you

Let him who is begotten of me come forth

Come forth, Amun!!

…and my son, Amun, was called forth from the silence that pervaded at the beginning.

He was to stay beside me while I fashioned the realities, to spend eternity revelling in the work of our hands and taking in the sight which our minds would bring forth. We would move unfettered throughout reality. I was pleased because I had found one to make discourse with.

As a consequence of creation, there existed little patterns of light that represented all things and which stretched into the immeasurable distance. These entities represented all that was and all that could be. I looked into the Pattern at the very beginning, and saw the possibility of Amun’s rebellion. But it was only a possibility. Why would he rebel?

I was away when Amun stole my chattels; some of the distilled essences I had made for myself to ease my work of creation, and disappeared. My fury was unbridled at this insolence. When peace had returned to me, the universes were suddenly too vast a place to seek him out. He had hid himself from me, and it took much passing of time for me to find a probable reality he could be in; a reality I did not create. I settled on the Sun System. After many years of contemplation, I discovered the earth. It was at this location I felt the strongest bond, but it was not to Amun.

The beast Apep was wrought of pure evil. She could only have come forth as the anti-result of something Amun must have created with my instruments. Apep was surely the opposite of Amun. Evidently, He had not mastered the art of creation and this beast had resulted from his ill-thought dabbling. I realized his motivation, Worship. In this Universe, the creation worshipped Amun as creator. Worship did not please me and Amun must have come to the understanding that I would never have sanctioned his craving for it. Worship is a shackle that requires presence. It was not in concert with my purpose of freely moving through and observing creation with my son.

Amun could not be felt, but I was certain he was nearby. I could not interfere directly without revealing myself so I waited. Somewhere, somehow, the infinite probabilities would bring my purpose to bear. My patience would never wear out.

Then Ra stole my elixir, one of the many gifts I had placed in different realities for those who could find them.

A sentient being of interest who had evolved in a Universe close to my current station, I looked into Ra’s Pattern and observed strength of will and cunning that was unmatched in his entire world, Asco. But I saw a loyalty to his Emperor that bordered on worship, a shackle. So I sowed the seed of rebellion into his heart and gave him the elixir as an incentive.

***

Upon his consumption of my Elixir, I cast him into Amun’s Universe and right into the world I had chosen. He would be an alien there, albeit a mighty one. He should come to Amun’s attention and force him to reveal himself. He must answer for his crimes against his Maker.

I met with the soul of the one called Isis and surreptitiously passed her visions of the things that I wanted to come to pass. She would guide Ra, for she had the the right motivation.

Thus were the pieces set. I could only hope for a favourable outcome. The Pattern was obscure to me, for nothing in this universe was of my making.

Ra’s thirst for power played perfectly into my designs and revealed to me things which were erstwhile unknown; the Apep was important in revealing my prodigal son. My interest was aroused when Set, the one who prided himself as a being of Chaos, sacrificed his existence for the release of the Apep. Grown weary of immortality? What did that mean? I considered the vagaries of the universes. Emperor Asu-Raneh lusted after my elixir, and this Set who had been created immortal had tired of it. Spectacular.

Then the Apep came forth from the underworld, and for the first time in half a million of earth-years, I felt my son, Amun. He had been asleep all this while. He had made himself two spawns, which were to him what he had been to me. I observed them battle the beast for a time, contemplating the weakling he had become, before my patience reached an end.

I decided to reveal myself.

***

I stood in their midst, regarding them as they persisted in suspended animation. The Apep was truly a magnificent sight. Ra had only just destroyed Osiris. I knew what I wanted to do. Isis had sensed me, my little vision had left her susceptible to my essence.

Nut and Geb, creations of Amun. I took them back, dissolving their matter back into me, the true creator. The Apep had served its purpose, and was in fact blight on creation. I do not like unplanned consequences. I took her out too, dissolving her into the winds with a thought. She would have no part of me.

I held unto Amun. I knew he could see me but he was in the presence of Alaklet, and was therefore trapped and powerless. I regarded him with fury for a while and then held unto him. We were going back to the Beginning. I would deal with him in my abode. Then I had a sudden inspiration, and reached also for the one called Ra.

***

In the Nothing, a weakened Amun protested vehemently against my actions. He tried to assert his right as an independent parsonage worthy of worship if he so desired. I considered him sternly. His end had been decided the moment he hid himself from me deliberately. I watched him speak dishonourably of my name. When he was done, I rose from my settlement and took him to another reality. There, I stripped his name from him by calling it back unto myself. I made him nameless, a nothing. Then I took his being even as he realized his end and instigated servile pleas for leniency, and crushed it between two suns. Trapped between their almost infinite masses, he would know suffering for a time before his matter dissolved with great spectacle into the Universe. He had been a creation of Power, so this Universe would be sacrificed for the purpose of his destruction. I never honoured Amun with the sound of my voice.

Then I remembered Ra.

***

The one who is called Alaklet focused on me and I felt more insignificant than a grain of sand in the Wa Adi. He was one of infinitely greater Majesty than my former master Asu-Raneh and more power than a thousand Amuns. I had watched Amun grovel before him. I do not know why it has pleasured him to bring me here or let me see the awesome suffering of Amun. In the… Nothing where we were, I moved backwards in terror. He is the owner of the Elixir I had first stolen for the purposes of my Master. Alaklet.

Then he spoke to me. A comforting ballad.

“I have seen you, Ra. You were limited by your mortality, and by your cunning have now surpassed the boundaries of the immortality I gave you. I seek neither worship, nor glory, but a son. A son to contemplate all things with. You have been my champion all this time, albeit without your consent; Now, Will you be my son?”

Then Alaklet reached into my mind and showed me. He widened my understanding of his request. I saw the past, the present and future. I understood the…Pattern.

I was not worthy to stay in his presence. What was the sun compared to one who had used two suns to torture Amun, supposed creator? I saw what was in store for me.

“Yes…Lord!” I did not even recognise my own ululation.

“You will return to the earth, where you have earned your right of Worship, though it is not within my purpose. Know this, for a time I will let you dominate all within your range, but when my time is accomplished, I shall come for you to bring you back unto myself so that we may set off according to the purpose for which I have adopted you”

Alaklet had given me a chance to be both ruler and God.

Then he touched me and exalted my form. He expanded my mind and then opened it to the secrets of the Universe. When all was done, he anointed me with another name, the symbol of my sonship. When it was set upon me, excellent majesty became my portion, and I revelled in it.

I, Lord of the suns, Amun-Ra.

 

**

HAha. I bet you didn’t see Alaklet coming. FYI.. the final name of Ra in mythology is Amun-Ra

Thanks you for reading. It has been amazing journey. We appreciate your inputs, your comments, tweets and most flatteringly, your DMs regarding your fascination with this series. I want to thank @edgothboy for being an awesome project partner. His knowledge of Egyptian mythology was valuable in the writing of this series. Regardless of who wrote what chapter, considerable level of thought was contributed by the other.

Yes, we know the story is not perfect. We had some complaints about the length, but this is as short as we could make it without making it seem convoluted. Thanks for your persistence, your “washings”, your subs on twitter (thank God for the Search function), your relentless hammering about writing a book(which one person said he would pay 15k for *faints) and your love.

On a personal note, I want to thank all the fans of this blog. I know what I write is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who find the ride pleasurable, I can’t thank you enough. You all make it magical for me.

Oh yeah, the holy insect get a mention. He made me start reading my stories countless times before I post. Big thanks to him. You guys may have no idea how irritating it is for grammatical errors to be continually pointed out by an insect -_- his saltiness and unspoken love is appreciated.

It has been a good year for writing. Well, it has been the only year for writing, for meJ.

And so this blog closes for the holidays. if you are a new visitor, I invite you to go through my previous stories. You may find something to pass the time with.

You should catch me on @hl_blue’s blog later when I write about my year.

Merry Christmas

*cues xmas love song as blog fades out of picture

Ekwe.

Pantheon IV – Conquest & Consolidation

The Arabian Desert, East of the Nile.  Al Ahmar

Tumble weed suddenly rolls past a desert side-winder; frightening the snake and making it slide its curved body smoothly into the sand. The air is hot, boiled by the harsh sun. Suddenly, clouds begin to gather. In moments, the sunny desert turns dark as early night, and the foreign rumble of thunder scares the baffled desert animals into their fiery hot holes. Sand dunes begin to heave as though the earth has a heartbeat. An unnatural coldness eliminates the haze of the torrid desert air and from the darkest part of the stormy clouds, Nut, born of the sky, emerges.

A sand dune explodes, raising brown sand into the sky. The second one, He of the Earth, comes forth. Geb.

Suddenly a comet lands in the nearby sand dune. Amun, the Elder, has arrived.

The mortals of Egypt, West of the Nile, feel the tremors. They know their gods have come. Wards against evil are redrawn in freshly spilled blood. Doors are locked shut. The palace shuts down. The incense censers cease to pour forth smoke and the adulations in the temples dry up as Egypt falls to silence. Even the god-king dare not stretch his neck to the desert.

The three elder gods are the points of a pyramid, the primeval sigil of power. It has been aeons since they found company with one another; that age when they bound the beast Apep, before submitting themselves into sleep, having handed the earth over to their spawn, their pantheon. Now, they have awakened again for the same purpose.

“She comes”, Amun intones, his voice inseparable from the rumble of thunder. His body crackles with lightning. His robes are calm, though the desert is pummelled by harsh winds. Amun, creator.

For a moment, the sounds of lightning and thunder cease. Impossible silence reigns as the universe welcomes another powerful being. Lightning crackles while performing a picturesque dance over an area of sand within the coverage of the gods, and the grains begin to move in a fluid whirl, like water. The three do not waste time waiting for the serpentine form of Apep to manifest. Apep was never to be underestimated. They hurry towards the troubled sea of sand, hands and eyes glowing with power.

As they converge on the troubled spot, Apep with a mighty cry of fury shoots out, head first. Her many eyeballs ablaze with fire from the rage of her age-long imprisonment. She thrashes, her gargantuan head darting in all direction, searching. Then she sees him, Amun, the orchestrator of her torment and her burning rage crystallizes into icy hate. She lunges at him.

*

Osiris, Lord of the Sun Palace.

Ra, the stranger from another place, had not come to pay him obeisance. He had not even revealed himself in any apparent way since his coming. Had Osiris not being attentive to the Sun and it’s workings, he would not have known that it had bound itself to the yet unseen stranger. Now it is all revealed. Apep has been released and Anubis had renounced his sonship to be re-united with the bloodythirsty Wepawet, his war Aspect. Set is no more…and this ursuper, Ra (they say he is a glorified Hawk) has cast a challenge. The battle field is on the Nubian Desert, that desolate plain outside his realm of influence. His displeasure at his authority being challenged is so great, it has taken the soul of the pharaoh’s queen to satiate him.

He regards his loyal ones; Nephthys, Sobek, Sekhmet and Horus his son, by Isis.

“Prepare for glory”, he says, as he climbs down his throne of luminescent gold. He regards his hands as he brings it up. They are glowing, manifesting his rage. He strides solemnly in his magnificent armour till he reaches the edge of the floating circular palace, and looks down upon the earth, his ovoid eyes taking in the view he desired. The scene below grated on his senses. True power was at work down there.

He had only just learned of the release of Apep. The elders had come down to put the beast back into its pit, but the damage had already been done. Osiris could no longer draw on the strength of the Elders as Lord of the Palace, for they had broken their sleep. Ra was a sly dog. He had known this. Had Isis told him? Now he would face this Ra with his own strength. Osiris was not perturbed in the least, but this would have been much easier if the Apep had not been released. Very well then…

He lifted his face rudely to the Sun and gave a hostile cry as he ‘fell’ to the desert below.

His cohorts followed suit.

*

Apep, the mighty serpent rushed towards Amun, and only just missed ramming her monstrous head into his form because he moved sideways in a flash. The force of her head on the sand caused a minor tremor. Nut and Geb took advantage of this momentary confusion from the blow and shot towards her head, both arriving in tandem and dealing a powerful blow each. The serpent raised her head suddenly and Nut and Geb were sent flying through the air as her muscular tail swiped them from behind. Amun called down lightning and struck her shiny length. She didn’t even cry out.

“I have spent the ages of my isolation preparing myself for this. Do you think your tricks of light can slay me? Curse you Amun; I shall feed on your essence this day!”

Fire jumped from her mouth and struck at Amun. He raised an invisible shield, so that he was still standing when the flames quickly burned out.

“Shush, serpent! Your revealing is not to my purpose. You go back to your origin this day”

By a sleight of his hand, tongues of fire fell from the agitated dark skies and rained upon the serpent. She burrowed savagely into the dune to escape the stings, and Amun; the first Elder caused the sand to cough her back out and watched as she was thrown into the air. Apep would not be overcome. From her dark protruding scales materialised a torrent of fiery spikes. They fell quickly to the ground, their piercing heat melting the desert sand into rough glass and causing her adversaries to shield themselves. This distraction extinguished Amun’s firestorm.

Then she did something she had never done before. Perhaps it was her anger that caused it.

As she fell back to the ground, she reduced drastically in size and slithered faster than a Egyptian Asp toward the surprised Amun, wrapped her scaly length about his lower parts and flung him at the nearest entity, Geb. It happened so fast. Apep was already on the move again, but Nut drew to herself the air between the particles of desert sand beneath the dragon causing the desert floor to collapse like weakened granite slabs from the quarries of Thebes. This slowed her down, giving the other two fallen gods time to collect themselves them and shoot balls of power at her. They both hit her square on her serpentine head, stunning her.

***

Halfway through his fall, an upwards-surging ball of white heat hit Osiris in the face, forcing his form to rebound upwards into the sky for a while before he righted himself and regained balance. He instantly materialised his sword and raised it just in time to parry a powerful blow from Ra’s as Ra appeared above him and struck. They stood apart now, floating on the air currents.

“It is you who challenges me? Your destruction shall serve as a deterrent to all who would defy my Lordship”, Osiris hissed

“This day, as long as the Sun burns, you will fall by the hand of Ra”, his adversary countered

And so they battled. Time was not to be wasted.

The cohorts of Osiris were caught off guard for a moment as they continued their fall. Osiris had begun his battle. Theirs would soon begin.

They landed powerfully on their feet on the soft desert, causing a minor sandstorm, and barely had time to reconnoitre their surrounding before Anubis in his war aspect, Wepawet the armoured ,two-metre tall Wolf-Jackal, threw himself at  Sobek of the Crocodiles and Entertainer of War. The others did not pay mind. This was the way of the celestials. One to exclusively match another in battle

Selket, the Mistress of Scorpions, suddenly lifted herself from beneath the sands and joined battle with Nephthys, the fire-breathing goddess of Lamentation and death.

The Leonine-faced Sekhmet materialised in full battle armour, silently challenging Horus the deity of the Day.

The War of the gods began.

***

The stunning of Apep was a decisive move. It so appeared that the three gods had surrounded Apep. Each shot chains of lightning around the throat of the giant slithering abomination, seeking to strangle her to a subdued state. Apep had already anticipated this, for this was how they had bound her before. She did the only thing she knew would save her; instead of trying to attack all three at the same in a fit of blind determination, she went for one. Geb.

She pulled powerfully on the ethereal chains of the other two gods as she headed for Geb, while spitting a fireball at him. Geb quickly levitated, holding on to his chains. Apep roared in rage. The other two gods began pulling down on their hands, causing the chains of lightning to wrestle down Apep’s head violently on the ground, raising a sea of sand. They succeeded, and Apep was further weakened by a blow to the head.

…

Ra battled Osiris in the skies above while their minions made war on the ground. Lightning flashed amidst the clanging of swords in the heavens as both tussled for the throne. Osiris did not give way to Ra’s onslaught. Frogs leapt forth from the Nile and water turned to blood as the two deities resisted each other. The skies over Egypt darkened and the air turned icy whenever Osiris had the advantage.

Osiris had a mastery of the sword which was not competently rivalled by Ra, but what the latter lacked in skills, he made up for in speed. His reflexes were the only thing that kept him from falling before Osiris, as they flashed across the desert sky with swords clanging violently and producing streaks of blue lightning. There was never enough time for Ra to use his abilities for Osiris held him captive within the realm of duelling.

After what seemed like an eternity of striking and parrying wildly, there was a miscalculation and Ra overreached with a thrust of his sword, and he was struck powerfully on side of his face with the flat of Osiris’ blade. The powerful stunning blow threw him far from the immediate presence of Osiris. His adversary was strong, Immensely strong. Little wonder he was Lord of the palace. Osiris took advantage of Ra’s weakness and headed straight, determined to make one last strike to subdue the fool that challenged him to battle.

In those few moments, Ra called upon the power of the sun. It was the only opportunity that had opened to use his powers. He suddenly had an inspiration. As Osiris drove the tip of his sword into the apparently weakened figure of Ra, the unexpected happened.

Ra burst into tiny spheres of light. Osiris, totally unprepared for this, couldn’t stop his movement and ended with within the tiny thousands of sphere. He suddenly felt vulnerable and made to shoot himself out of the presence of Ra.

“You shall not defy Ra”, the voice came from everywhere at once, a split-second before each sphere exploded mightily. This was Ra replicating what happened continually on the surface of the Sun.

…

At this moment, when Ra’s victory was being accomplished and Apep the serpent was slightly weakened, reality froze and all existence went into suspended animation.

…

Evening.

Isis waited at the vacant Umm Bissila Mines on the barren plains of the Arabian Desert. It had been five days since the decisive battle and the Sun Palace was now filled with subjects but no king. They had called a temporary truce after the disappearances. The tension was still palpable, especially between Nephthys and Isis, but no one was ready to break into battle when an end was not foreseeable. Horus had refrained from laying claim to the throne, for Anubis had called Osiris father before him and would fight him to the death. The fact that he had regained his powerful War aspect wasn’t lost on the falcon-head Horus. They would wait for the return of the one who would be their King.

She didn’t know what exactly she was waiting for at this location, but she believed it had something to do with the disappearances. She had felt the tug to come here and just wait. She had been standing on the same spot for two days.

 Ra, Amun and his spawn had not been found after the battle. The others knew something had happened, but no one remembered exactly when the personalities left the fray. One moment they were there, and the next they were gone.

It began raining in the desert. She waited apprehensively. This strange occurrence could only mean the time for the unexpected was at hand.

The space north of her position shimmered unnaturally, a loud rustling sound, blinding light…and Ra tumbled head-first from empty space into her presence. She was startled.

She started toward him, but he was on his feet before she could reach out to help him.

“Lord Ra!”

Ra stood straight. There was something different about his visage. She felt a power about him that was not present before. He smelt of the sun…and something else, something more powerful.

He looked at her solemnly and a light smile played across his features. His ovoid eyes had a strange blue hue to them, almost faux illumination. He lowered his eyelids halfway as he spoke.

“Isis, consort” Isis started at the sound of his voice. It was now gentle, yet commanding, the sound of one who was sure he would be obeyed. This Ra was evolved.

“You shall not bow to me as Ra”

Then he that was known as Ra told her his new name. It was welcomed with lightning and thunder. The desert winds howled at its pronunciation.

And Isis fell before her god.

——————————–

Thanks for reading. the finale comes up on Sunday at 9am 🙂

Pantheon III – Persuasion and Sacrifice

Set.

Chaos.

He hid himself in the Valley of the Kings, under the tombs of the greatest remembered. When the desert is thrashed by the winds that come in from east of the Nile and the sand storms arise, Set harbours every particle, his powerful mind calculating each trajectory and stipulating the course of events. When they who render fealty to him are caught up in his embrace, his aspect is revealed as a coalition of rapidly vibrating dark particles. Set sees all.

His eyes open suddenly, particles in his face forming a circular space to denote this action. He had been in solid darkness a moment ago before his meditation. Now, the musky tomb was bathed with light like the center of the sun. A presence stood behind him. One which had come with considerable stealth despite its highly conspicuous aspect.

Set would not let another being cause him trepidation. He closed his eyes, a mild apprehension at this gamble tugging at him. If this stranger had come with malevolence, it would have been carried out swiftly.

“Stranger, what is it you seek in the presence of Set?”

Ra stared at his host, particles of light twirling quickly around his form. A startling contrast to the bleak darkness that was Set.  Power was present in this room. Nothing like the weakened and greedy Anubis. His eyes shone brightly as he opened his beak to make announcement.

“He who has mastery over the workings of Disorder, I seek your fellowship…” Ra paused to gauge an early reaction.

Set was silent. He stood still, facing away. waiting. Ra continued, strangely impressed.

“I have learned that your consort Nephthys has defiled herself with Osiris, Lord of the palace. If you did not know this, I shall assume you have not planned comeuppance. I offer you a more rewarding path and unabashedly state my desire. I seek the seat of Osiris. I desire that the Sun, Ra, encircle my form as I sit upon the throne at the centre of the Palace. Join my campaign, for I make ready to battle Osiris and all who incline their ear to the sound of his voice… The Lord of the Mound has sworn allegiance already at the price of the return of his War aspect, and the sister of your unfaithful consort, Isis… has shown great sympathy towards my purpose. ” he spoke slowly, watching the swirling mass of dark particles for some involuntary response. Set had not moved all the while even at the mention of his concubine’s infidelity. Isis had been sure he hadn’t known about it. Was she wrong?

Set moved.

The empty space in front of Ra suddenly grew denser as darkness coalesced into being and Set; Master of Entropy, He who considers the trajectory of every grain of sand in a sandstorm stood before Ra; He who had bound himself to the sun by virtue of their equivalent appellations.

“Why would I risk my respect in the Palace to help you, a rebel? What makes you more worthy than I to sit as Lord?”

Ra hid his mirth.

“If you wanted to reign before my coming, I would be having this talk with another, for you would have usurped that son of a dim star, Osiris. It is not your intention to reign supreme for you take pleasure in solitude and hiding. The restraints of power do not give pleasure to the Chaos that is you. You are a strange one, immortal. I have learned of you since my coming. The others openly wonder about why you never show yourself anymore and I hear that even those who worship you long for your embrace.  ”, Ra paused for a moment and changed direction, “The beast Apep plays a part. I need you to seek its release from the dungeon in the Du’at. ..I need the elders to come down and use their might. I must battle Osiris in his own strength”, he paused again, “…and as to why I am worthier…”

Set’s body broke through the roof of the sealed tomb before he was completely certain Ra had struck him. He tunneled upwards through sixteen yards of earth before he broke the surface of the desert and crashed on the ground, creating a small crater in the compacted sand. He was already up and moving before Ra levitated out the tunnel. Egypt was already enveloped by the darkness of night. The only witnesses to this scene were the ancient monuments to the pharaohs and a group of marauding grave robbers on a far away tomb.

The Valley of the Kings was bathed in brilliant white light for a quick moment as Ra’s form met violently with that of Seth. Chaos was unraveled, Light was disseminated.  The grave robbers found themselves blinded, permanently. The forms of the two dueling gods merged, one attempting to overcome the other, their tussle urging the silent plain into a violent sandstorm.

“You will lend me your allegiance”, Ra growled above the howling wind.

“You cannot bind chaos to your whim, stranger, unless it so agrees.” Set drawled, enjoying the tussle.

Their energies were focused. None would give way to another.

Lightning. Thunder.

The particles of brilliant light were the first to coalesce into the furious form of Ra. He opened his dark beak and gave a cry that resonated with the roaring thunder in the firmament above before Set’s darkness enveloped him. A ball of light erupted from the sky and rammed into the scattered particles that was Set. Set’s heavy voice sounded in a tortured groan mixed with anger at the audacity of this Ra. The particles dissipated suddenly and coalesced into the figure of Set behind Ra before he could swivel to meet him. He didn’t see which part of Set the blow came from, but his beak was buried in sand before he made sense of Set’s maneuver. Set didn’t stop. The desert sand solidified into thick serrated bands of off-white sandstone and began to tighten around the subdued figure of  Ra. Pain coursed through his body and he cried out as the bands cut deeper and deeper into his leathery skin.

Set laughed mirthlessly, “Yes! Caw like the glorified bird that you are, stranger. I shall not acknowledge you until you best me. You will prove your mettle before Set, or I will banish you to the realm of that cur, Anubis.”

Ra’s screams ceased at the mention of Anubis; to be so belittled to the strata of one he now had power over stoked the embers of his easily stirred rage. His eyes glowed with sudden power at the audacity of Set. He had once been commander of the Sakuteri of Emperor Asu-Raneh back on his home world. He was now an Immortal who had bounded this world’s sun to himself for eternity; Set shall never lord it over him. He spoke in gasps as he stood with great difficulty under the yoke of Set’s restraints.

“I Am Ra… and you… shall submit… to ME!”

With a howl of rage, Ra transfigured into a specter of solid light.  A powerful beam of sunlight drew a straight path from his feet, covering the distance between the gods to the feet of Set and exploded, launching him high into the air in a shower of sand. He was still below his amplitude before Ra appeared above him, a shimmering ball of light and heat in the desert night. Set tried to disperse,but his adversary was quicker; Ra’s beak opened in a victory squawk as he shot a ball of power at the still rising figure of Set, shooting him back into the ground as forcefully as he had been shot out, causing the earth to tremble slightly. The desert storm suddenly stilled and the sound of falling sand could be heard as far as the river plains of the Nile as Chaos was subdued and Set bowed to the might of Ra.

**

Anubis, Isis and Bastet, her maiden stood behind Set as they regarded the Portal of AKhanistet, the prison. Each bellow made by a furious and imprisoned Apep, Serpent from the Nile rattled the floor and shook their resolve. Anubis, Lord of the Dead was in his element. His wolf head was held high; his pride was almost like a cloak around him and he felt most at ease, for this was the Underworld, his realm.

Bastet, the maiden of Isis and who was mistress over all felines was the most agitated. She did not share their blind faith in this avian god who forced his way to their world and tried to topple it but she had no right to go in a direction different from that of her mistress. Isis had chosen to follow the stranger from another world. Her lot was forever with bound with the path of Isis.

It had been decided that the bound representation of ultimate evil, the serpent Apep be released to force the hand of the others to battle and cause the awakening of the Elders. Ra was on his way to the Sun to revel in meditation, and the goddess Isis had already foretold of the heat of battle that would soon be upon them. Now was the time.

Isis drew out her divinity staff and drew a circle of light on the blackened floor. She drew the necessary wards sigils in and around it and spoke life into the circle. The young gods gasped as they heard her tongue twist with words, stirring ancient magic in their bones. As scions of the first generation; Anubis and Bastet had never heard the forgotten language spoken before and marvelled at what other secrets their parents had held from them.

“Now!!!” Isis shrieked and Set stepped into the warded circle just before it flared and coated him in a thin sliver of light. Anubis, acting on their carefully ordered plan, threw his circlet of runes at his cuckolded step father who caught it out of the air fitted it around his arm, summoning the beast Ammit from her eternal station. She materialized and roared her pleasure at being released from the dull monotony of the Hall of Truth. Drawing from the depth of Ammit’s knowledge about the rites involved in this venture, Set spoke with reverberating words to the pit that housed the shackled Serpent.

“Apep! I have come for you!! Too long has passed since you stirred the desert sands and wrought Chaos on the plains. Osiris is complacent, worrying himself only with adultery and childish mind games. Help rid the land of his weakened rule. We need him to join battle with us in his own strength!”

From within the depths, eight glittering eyes of differing hues opened glibly and a fiery yawn erupted to the surface. The heat singed the whiskers off the animal headed deities but Isis, Set and Ammit remained untouched. The serpent spoke in a slippery rasp that sound like thousands of scarab beetles scurrying across tomb floors.

“I have no fight with that repository of foolishness and weakness that is Osiris. My grouse is with those that have abased me so. I shall subdue and devour the sleeping ones, Amun and his spawn. Let me out and I shall let you slay your brother and his pawns when he falls. Revenge is all that has kept me awake and alert, eagerly waiting. I want my due, and then I may embrace the darkness”

Isis stepped forward and gently touched her brother’s arm. “You know the cost of releasing him? Can you bear it?” There were tears in her eyes.

Set’s  features melted into something akin to ruefulness. He put a comforting hand over his sister’s.  “The Apep isn’t the only one who has grown weary of Immortality. Chaos has crippled me. I find neither pleasure nor resentment in existence.  When Ra petitioned me, I realized he had unwittingly given me a way out”

Set ripped off the circlet that bound him to Ammit, breaking the magic that held her to the Hall of Truth. She let out an ear piercing shriek and gamboled off in the opposite direction; away from the god and back into the darkness of the underworld. Set shoved his sister violently into the arms of her maiden and she let out a wail of despair as he let himself fall into the endless pit.

*******

see you on friday at 9am for the next installment 🙂

Pantheon II – Foresight and Repercussions

 

The unforgiving winds sweep little lines of sand along the massive dunes of the Wadi. Swaddled in lush robes the color of papryus reeds, a lone figure sits alone, oblivious to the biting cold, her footsteps reaching out into the distance and circumventing the treacherous pits dug by the embalmers along the salt lakes. The embers of her fire have smoldered into ashes but she does not bother to stir them to life for her mind wanders elsewhere, the cold cannot bother her. As the moon begins to relinquish its Lordship over the sky to the Sun, she uncovers her head and loosens the knots in her hair which have held clouds at bay. The hour is come, to lift the veil between worlds and peer through the sands of time.

 Isis digs painted hands into the shifting earth, burying them to the wrists and begins to chant in the forgotten tongue of Amun, calling to the Earth; coaxing it to awaken, binding it to her will. The earth shifts and ripples as a desert serpent slithers out of its burrow. It warily raises a sentient head and spreads its magnificent hood. She offers her wrist, as though in penance. A swift strike and deadly venom is injected into her veins. She stumbles as the poison taints her blood; her head swims and her ordered thoughts meld into a kaleidoscope of colors and images. Her grip on the present is loosened and her mind wanders as her hips sway and her hands wave in complicated patterns, complementing music only she hears. Slowly her robes fall away, revealing unblemished alabaster skin as she mimics the dance of the dead. She staggers and slumps into a naked sweaty heap as her breath slows and her serpentine spirit guide crawls onto her belly to guard her vulnerable human form. Her mind’s eye is opened to the secrets hidden in the heavens and the pattern of time set into the stars.

 Flashing images. Snatches of sound. Overpowering smells that settle for a second are mysteriously swept away… The revolting feel of vermin crawling against the skin. The metallic taste of freshly spilled blood… The smell of bedchamber sweat. The weight of a throne headdress. Betrayal. A stranger from the stars. Reawakened ancients. Death. Power. Seduction. Usurping. Set. Anubis. Ammit. Darkening of the skies. Deception. NOW!!!

 She awakens with a start and espies a growing cloud of blackness hurtling to the barren lands east of where she lay.

It has begun.

Isis snatches up the serpent, which has already begun to slither away and bites into its scaly neck, spits out a chunk of its throat. She dips a finger into the blood and draws sigils on the expanse of skin above the swell of her breasts. The monkey for guile, the desert hawk for speed and the wild cat for strength. Flinging aside the  serpent’s bloodied corpse, she breaks into a sprint  to the top of the tallest dune from which she dives into the air and transfigures into her avian aspect, soaring into the skies as the ball of blackness crashes into the desert plain in a maelstrom of sand and rain.

———————————————————–

Padding through the funeral mounds in the Valley of the Kings, He Who is Atop the Mound surveys his domain and rage wells in him. His elongated snout sniffs the disturbed earth, following the smell of rot and decay, the fragrance of his domain. Where are the lavish feasts in his honor? Where is the reveling with wine and dancing maidens? He is only remembered when there is sorrow and Death. The coward Osiris banished him here, away from the Sun palace, where his presence would grate on Isis, his beloved consort and remind her of her lord’s wandering eye. He feels the geasa that binds the Ammit to this realm and him to it. In his Jackal form he senses the creature trolling the depths of Du’at, the Underworld.. and sometimes the rumblings of something much older and infinitely more malevolent.

A procession of mourners make their way to a freshly dug mound, the professional wailers raising their mournful voices to Nephthys, the treasonous adulteress who bore him. Isis was the one who put him to breast, took him as her own, till the birth of Horus, her heir. Anubis scoffs, in this form it comes out as a cautionary bark. Even in this realm, their prayers are offered to someone else. The group is stopped suddenly when one of them notices a small spot of darkness in the twilight sky, growing like a blot of blood on a sacrificial shroud. Anubis raises his head and yelps when he realizes the enormity of what is happening. What was this? A rogue being powerful enough to cross between worlds? His feral eyes trace the path of the being, it will touch the Earth at the banks of the Nile, south of his mounds, in the realm of the belligerent war general Sobek, god of the Nile. Hesitation grips him. What if it is one of the ancients or worse, a hidden manifestation of the Apep? Could he strike against something of such unbridled power and hope to survive? The mass grows larger, blocking out the rising sun. The mourners stand rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the spectacle, their dead forgotten.  It is decided in a heartbeat. He shall take the risk and surpass his title. The ground begins to tremble beneath his paws; the being’s descent is almost over. How shall he get to the Nile? It’s a three cycle run at his fastest, not enough if his is to be the first pair of eyes the being sees. A journey through the Du’at is to be his only path. But a door? There are no passages out, it is after all a mound and the Ka is not always sedate in death. The blood of innocents? A paltry sacrifice for his selfless act.

The five foot tall Jackal pounces on the entranced throng and swipes at them with wicked claws. It massacres them, disemboweling and tearing off limbs till it is drenched in skim and guts and the offering of life-blood has muddied the earth. Using the souls of the freshly slain as a conduit, a door is opened to the afterlife.

**

The Jackal appeared in a puddle of flesh blood and bones. He shook himself, getting rid of the flecks of gore matting his fur. He took a moment to study his recently appointed seat of power. The hall of the dead never looked better, no matter how long he stayed in the overworld. There was an ornate obsidian throne with a throng of souls milling around in front of it. Dead souls waiting for the lord of the underworld to weigh their hearts and mete judgment. The jackal growled, drawing the attention of the supplicants. He padded to the throne, smirking to himself at the way they all fell away from him. Lying at the foot of the throne sat a beast that dwarfed the jackal ; Its hind legs were leathery and trunk like, its fore legs tawny and muscular with a golden mane where its head met its shoulders. Its massive crocodilian head rested on its paws, both eyes shut and its mouth wide open as if waiting for a hapless soul to float in. The Jackal began to shift, its skin flowed as it rose up on its hind legs and grew in height until he assumed his true form. His head and limbs still resembled those of a jackal but he was humanoid in stature, with skin as dark as the fertile soils of the Nile valley. He wore a white and ash kilt and sported a headdress and cuirass of the finest gold with strips of obsidian worked into them along with golden circlets bearing hieroglyphs on his muscular arms.

‘Rise, Ammit! Wake from your slumber, we have prey to seek.’ he said to the beast. It slowly shut its mouth and pulled open an eyelid to reveal a serpentine eye seething with malevolence.

A deep female voice resonated in his head

‘Where have you been? I grow hungry and am in the mood to devour a thousand hearts.’

Anubis glared at the beast and brought his hand up to the front of his face, slowly closing his claws in a fist and squeezing.

Ammit leapt to her feet and bellowed in pain, shaking the whole hall and causing the gathered souls to flutter around in apprehension.

She growled murderously. “Forget not, bastard cur, that this is my realm and you are an unwelcome sojourner. Your father may have fettered me to your whims but I will free myself and feast on your flesh and gnaw on your bones.”

Anubis grinned, unmoved by the Ammit’s threat.

“Now that I have your attention; come! We must travel quickly if we wish to intercept my quarry before any other.”

He turned and walked towards one of the swirling amorphous masses of impenetrable darkness that hedged the throne room and served as its walls.

He brandished his Was Scepter and began inscribing sigils on the blackness, each symbol flaring brightly and sinking into the wall as he wrote a door into existence, imposing his will on the very fabric of  Du’at, The Hall of Truth. A section of the wall in front of him shimmered and grew still, simply looking like the entrance to a particularly dark room.

Ammit came up to him, the difference in height between her fore and hind legs giving her an uneven lumbering gait. He unclasped one of the circlets on his arms and attached it to one of her front legs, whispering an incantation. It slowly faded away from sight along with its twin on his arm. He stepped into the darkness.

***

The chamber looked like an grandiosely designed throne room. The walls and pillars were all gold-leafed, a scattering of pillows and duvets padding the far end of the room. It was approximately the size of two burial chambers joined together. Fire danced in braziers hanging at intervals along the wall, phantom flames that burnt on nothing and produced no smoke.

The air was rife with the scents of sunlight and sex. Two figures lay entwined on the pillows; bodies heaving, skins slick with evidence of their exertion.

A cloud of darkness materialized in the middle of the room, the flames danced, agitated by the new power building in the room. A dark figure stepped out of the tear in reality accompanied by a beast that measured up to his chest and looked like three animals cruelly torn apart and random parts grotesquely rearranged and sewn together.

From the nest of pillows rose a figure, his body muscled like a human with burnt skin gleaming with a bronze luster. His head was avian and a cold intelligence shone out of beady eyes. The light around him coalesced and twisted till he was wrapped in a cloak of the purest sunlight.

Anubis sniffed at the air and he cocked his head to the side, confused at what he sensed. Shaking his head, he approached the alien figure that seemed to glow with power.

‘I had hoped to be the first to find you, making haste since I saw the signs of your arrival.’

He materialized his armour as he approached the standing figure. golden vambraces on his forearms and razor tipped gauntlets on his hands, hieroglyphs proclaiming him as Lord of the Afterlife floated across the surface of the pieces of armour.

‘It seems you have already been welcomed, though not the welcome I would have thought.’ Anubis continued as he took in Isis, sprawled on the pillows.

She simply looked on impassively although her eyes shone briefly at the open disgust in his voice. She was unused to being disrespected, no less by a lesser god unable to conjure a human face, something even lowly sphinxes managed.

The golden figure stepped out of the pillows a leaf shaped blade in his hand.

“Quell your words young god, events greater than you unfold. Come let us see if you are worthy to bow in my presence.”

Anubis growled deep in his throat, he stretched his hand out to the side and his weapon materialized; a staff with a crescent shaped blade mounted atop of it. He whirled it over his head and charged with a battle roar.

Sparks erupted as blade struck blade, Ra turned to his side avoiding a thrust at his side. Anubis danced on his feet, deftly blocking blow after blow with the shaft of his weapon. Their weapons locked and the two immortals stood eye to eye, each one refusing to back down. Ra whispered a power laden word in a harsh clicking tongue and his blade pulsed, hitting Anubis squarely with a burst of celestial energy.

Anubis landed in a crouch, his weapon clutched in his right hand and his left hand over the spot where the bolt had struck him. He tried to stand but his muscles spasmed and failed him.

Ra looked over his shoulder at the figure that still reclined.

“I must say, if this is all he has to offer then I am very disappointed.”

Isis rose and walked gracefully across the room until she stood behind Ra. Her hands slithered into the folds of his robe and caressed his firm abdomen.

‘An oversight my Lord, he does not battle with you at full strength… He is but a diminished version of himself.’

“What riddle do you speak?” Ra intoned, his avian eyes darting round the prone form of Anubis. “I sense no injuries on him, although something seems to be interfering with his might.”

Isis seemed to contemplate something before she stepped around Ra, staring intently at Anubis.

‘Swear fealty to the Lord of the sky and giver of life Sihk’Eihyul-Ra, and I shall return Wepawet to you. You shall be restored to your full power and unshackled from that beast.’

Anubis looked up sharply at the mention of his war aspect. If Wepawet was returned to him he would be able to challenge Horus and take his rightful place as god of war. He had no interest if someone decided to usurp his self-righteous father. Isis had called this being Lord. That had to count for something. Perhaps he should tread with care.

‘If truly you cause Isis to restore Wepawet to me, I shall bow to you as lord of the sky and giver of life, I shall be your champion. My faculties, fangs and my blade shall not know rest until you are lord of the Sun Palace.’

Isis brought a fist up to her mouth and blew into it, power surged through the room and she opened her fist again, revealing a clear crystal with a pool of darkness in its center. The howls of a tortured wolf could be heard from the crystal, echoes from a long hidden place.

She walked up to where Anubis knelt and offered the crystal to him.

He snatched the crystal from her and stared intently into its depths, drawn in by the subtle mesmer Isis had woven into it. There would be no turning back from this. If he took back his war aspect, it would destroy the terms of allegiance to his father and enter open rebellion against him.

Taking his eyes away from the power crystal, he looked at his father’s wife with a question in his gaze

 WHY?

She locked eyes with him and opened a psychic bond; letting some of her memories bleed through. Guilt, jealousy, anger, revenge. So it was true, he had heard whispers of Nephthys’ continuing trysts with Osiris and disregarded it as gossip. If Isis knew, then Osiris must have turned his favors away from her. It all made sense now, Isis with the musk of another strange god wrapped around her like a shroud. The goddess of magic and foreknowledge had turned her back on the throne, the end had already begun.

‘Very well, let us plunge the pantheon into chaos.’ Anubis smiled as he shattered the crystal against his cuirass.

Ra cawed appreciatively.

———————————————–

The next Installment comes up on Wednesday at 9am 🙂

Pantheon I – Transfiguration

Ra by http://genzoman.deviantart.com

When the remnant tumbled through the portal back into their native world, they did so in terror, so that they had neither the  courage nor presence of mind to start the lengthy process that would manually seal the tear in reality. This also meant that the Ayune, the Guardian and object of their terror,  followed them through.

The portal opened onto the snow-covered peak of Mount Ahrtis where the clouds held congress and decided upon the seasons. It had been three years now and they had forgotten. One of them died instantly from the shock of the cold and another fell down paralysed. The leader went straight to the edge of the flat peak where a natural wear on the rock would help him slide his huge frame a few metres lower. Anything to get away from the cold.  And the Guardian. In the battle that had ensued at the other side of the portal, he has lost his source of magic, the Amulet of Khronus. This would have been the perfect place to call forth lightning, for it was not an element of the world from which they escaped.

His soldiers followed. He had already begun his slide when the roar of the arriving Ayune pierced through the howling mountain-top winds, immediately accompanied by the screams of his men. He swivelled his avian head and caught a glimpse of flashing teeth, lashing tentacles and flightless wings upon three metres of muscles and bones before he slid completely out of view. He was far from a coward, but he had the prize of their quest and therefore his life was indispensable. He had a higher duty to his Emperor, Asu-Raneh.

By the time Ayune -drenched in the blood of the scores he had already slain in the Cavern of Everlast – realized it had lost its psychic bond to the object it had guarded for centuries the commander had shifted his concealment spell on the hide which swaddled his quarry. Its senses latched onto the fleeing commander storeys below it and gave a cry of frustration from its terrible mouth, blasting hot air into the cold and causing instant mist. It moved swiftly through the phalanx of men who defiantly blocked its path and made for the incline the commander had used in escaping. It was a being of heat and fire, from the universe of Ar. The thick snow melted rapidly under its searing claws and heated breath. It slipped on rapidly melting water at the precipice and hurtled forward and downwards uncontrollably, barely missing the descending commander before its tumbling descent was suddenly halted by jutting rock from the cliff face.

**

The three appeared over the top of the sand dune, running. Their limbs went forth powerfully, defying the heavy desert winds and granting them excellent speed. Their preened bodies were slick with sweat and dust that was foreign to the simmering desert that was bathed by the red light of the Sun. Their defiance of nature’s woes was evident in their audacity; wearing fitted suits of brushed steel mined from the fallen stars. The weight of each suit was equal to the weight of the wearer, though they ran on as if they had on garments of sheet cotton. Fresh battering adorned the suit. Despite their less than inspiring encounter with the Guardian, these were no mere mortals. They didn’t even stop when they got to the top of the sand dunes. No time to take in the view of the sprawling structure in the far distance.

The Palace guards were, of course, the first to espy the running figures as their dark forms streaked down the sands in the simmering desert heat. Their alert telescopic eyes identified the dark armour of the runners, and a messenger was sent with great urgency to notify the king. One gate-keeper wondered why only three returned now whereas twenty and four had departed from the palace three cycles before.

The three Sakuteri soon bridged the distance and reached the gate before coming to a brisk halt. The custom was not forgotten. The leader first handed his payload to the one directly behind him and solemnly removed his heavy armour first. His dark chest glistened with sweat underneath, sweat which ran into what seemed like heat injuries caused by the closeness of the iron to his body in the intense desert heat. As he removed his intricately patterned gauntlet, he did it carefully so as not to trouble the long freshly scabbed gash that ran from his biceps to just before the forearm where the length of the magnificently embossed metal glove ended. Whatever has caused the gash had also caused noticeable damage to the gauntlet as a deep scratch could be seen as though continuing the flesh wound along the gauntlet. He lifted his helmet to reveal his avian head, heavily slick with sweat. His hard beady eyes stared coldly at the laser wall in front of him and his great black beak open slightly, savouring the rush of dusty desert wind into his mouth. The thin laser defence, backed by powerful Ma-jeek, would detect all who passed through it with malevolent magic. The punishment was Death by the scorching of the Beak. A fatal process which was so gruesome, hardened rebels wept like hatchlings and begged for crucifixion instead.

He stood naked before the wall of laser light that went from one edge of the small pedestrian gate to the other, save for a sheer covering of grey sheet cotton that went around his middle. He recovered the bundle from his comrade as they too finished undressed themselves. It was wrapped in what seemed like dried Asconian flesh. Six guards were gathered at the other side, large hands on swords of super-dense cohrure  steel, one could never be too sure when it came to the Sakuteri. The commander passed through the thin wall of laser without much ceremony with his payload. His two soldiers followed suit.

The Palace stood in the distance, a kilometre-long monstrosity wrought of Bronze ore. Every inch of the curvy edifice was covered with ancient runes. The Palace, housing hundreds of chambers had been constructed by Arkenat II using the labour of the captured Hissenian slaves; compelling their greatest magicians to make esoteric wards for its protection. It was also rumoured that the god-king buried the magicians underneath the palace moments after the spells were perfected to make the secret absolute. This was in the time of the Air Wars when tempers were short and Asconian life was worthless.

They passed by the big royal air transports of Emperor Asu-Raneh III of the Ruscan empire of the world of Asco. Palace workers stole glances at their leathery skin and hurried off to continue their tasks. Laxity was not tolerated within the palace walls. When they approached the mighty ornate doors of the palace, they paused, raised their powerful beaks to the heavens and softly intoned the Salutation of Kings according to custom, their solemn voices a perfect mimicry of the midnight warbler.

He who beholds the Sun; He who chastens the moon

May they that spite you be burned with water

May they who love you behold your presence

The thick doors swung open noiselessly, revealing an extravagant hall pulsing with light from no discernable source. The guards stepped aside for the almost nude group as they walked in reverently. The Hall of Eternity was chilly despite the blazing red sun outside. Its blistering heat had no purchase there. Pillars of upward flowing water were visible everywhere interspersed with sculpted columns, powered by the blood of the slain magicians. The hall was filled with the sound of rushing water colliding with the rune-engraved ceiling. The opulence did not distract the three people who moved quickly and meaningfully.

Emperor Asu-Raneh III watched them approach, his hard black eyes on the bundle the leader bore. His upper beak was coated with a veneer of pure gold so that it reflected the ambient lighting brilliantly and gave him a semi-divine quality. Between his eyes rested the symbol of his Lordship; a thumb-sized piece of Injurin diamond of the highest quality of which the song griots sang odes and composed complicated ululations. It was supposedly bestowed on the progenitor A’Eyahkum Vnais Natrahk (The One Who Came Before The Egg)  by some extinct personal deity. Within the diamond was preserved forever, a pinch of blue sand that pulsed with the deity’s essence. His royal apparel lacquered with lapis lazuli glimmered in the light of the hall. He stood expectantly in a manner that was nothing less than majestic while the visitors reached the pool of burning silver which surrounded his throne. Beyond the pool of Silver on either side of the emperor were two granite statues of his ancestors. The commander glanced at the two statues briefly. The other two Sakuteri fell to their knees in reverence, while the leader did so with his arms outstretched, presenting the bundle.

“King of kings, He to whom the kings of Asco  pay tribute, May the Ruscan Empire resonate eternally with the glory of thy rule”, he began, “Your servants have sought out the hidden things  for three cycles in search of the Elixir of Alaklet, Purveyor of light and Bestower of immortality. Twenty and one of us have been lost to this odyssey, but only the pleasure and goal of our Lord the King is supreme. Behold the object your fathers sought but did not find. Now, your Imperial Majesty shall be exalted to godhood, for the gods have deemed you fit to swell their ranks. The glory is yours”

He laid the bundle on the artfully patterned floor and unwrapped it to reveal an ovoid object that was mostly featureless. It was twice the size of a Yakhu’s egg, appeared to be made of fine gold and was much heavier than it appeared. At the top was a circular groove. The area within the circumference of the groove was raised slightly above the surface of the object. It gave the impression of being depressible. The Elixir of Immortality was rumoured to be contained within its hollows.

Emperor Asu-Raneh III cooed to show his barely restrained pleasure, his oversized pupils contracted into tiny points as his telescopic sight examined the object closely. He walked down the solid gold steps that led from this Throne and over the boiling moat to the cool metal floor and stood before his minion. He solemnly reached for the vessel in the Commander’s hand.

It all happened in the dividing of a second…

The two soldiers on either side of the commander suddenly stood and, before their Emperor could employ his quick reflexes, buried their fists into his thick neck. This effectively dislodged his windpipe, making his beady eyes pop.  With the same motion, their other hands reached into their now wide-open beaks and drew out regurgitated shu’al daggers, the favoured weapon of defectors. These quickly replaced their fists in the emperor’s neck. No sound was made. Perfect.

His corpse fell backwards unto the steps.

By now, the statues on either side of the pool had come to life, their dark grey colour giving way to life –like hues, their cold hearts beating once more to protect their scion, but the commander was unfazed. No sooner had the statue on the left come to life than did the Commander launch it into the pool of silver by way of a powerful flying kick. The other two soldiers were not so lucky. The first soldier to reach the other statue didn’t push it hard enough with his kick, so the thing lashed out with its spear and impaled him. The other soldiers finished the task with another flying kick and succeeded in throwing it into the moat. It was the timing that mattered. Even the granite bodyguards were not immune to a fiery annihilation by the magic of the tainted waterfalls.

The commander still held on tightly unto the prize he had erstwhile presented to his Emperor.

“Now, your Imperial Majesty shall be exalted to godhood…” he knew for a fact that the elixir would only work its magic on anointed rulers. He was not a king. Yet.

He reached for the fallen king, while his subordinate stood at attention nearby, dug a talon into the Emperor’s skull and pried the inset diamond from between his milky vacant eyes. He ascended the steps, jumping over the Emperor’s body and sat on the throne while he set the diamond between his eyes. The sand within glowed. He was a soldier of the highest quality, as the previous emperor had been. It was his ilk that was worthy of Lordship.

The giant door opened and the palace guards halted in surprise at the scene playing out before them.

The commander raised the artefact and pressed the top knob with his thumb. The object burst into flames. Panic made his hands tremble, but he held on tightly, determined to lose an arm if necessary. The flames engulfed his arm but it was cold and didn’t seem to hurt him. Was it a test? In a few more moments, instead of the “egg”, he held a vial of transparent glass. The blue liquid could be seen inside. The commander opened his beak, threw his head back and downed the liquid.

Agony.

His scream reverberated within the hall supernaturally, causing the palace to tremble slightly. A beam of light shot forth from his ovoid eyes and his facial orifices. Immediately a sense of perfection dawned on him. Everything seemed clearer and more understandable. He could suddenly understand the fear and confusion the observing palace guards were facing and the pain his subordinate was feeling as the glory of his transfiguration consumed the fool. Ah. Power. The pain was gone now, and in its place was an infinite awareness. He could feel his very being transfigured into what he could only describe as “solid light”. The words came out of his mouth involuntarily and his voice filled the hall, light yet authoritative and reeking exceedingly of divinity.

“I am Ra, and I am your god!”

Then something unexpected happened.

He vanished in a vision of blinding light and rumbling noise.

***************************************************

Next installment comes up on monday 🙂

Pantheon (preview)

I am awfully excited to announce the commencement of a new series on my blog, accomplished with the collaboration of a wonderful guest writer in the person of @edgothboy. He is a member of PassTheSaltband.

http://genzoman.deviantart.com

PANTHEON* shall be premiering this Saturday at 9am. It is a tale comprising four stories and features most, if not all, of the gods of Ancient Egypt. It was inspired in part by popular demand to write more on Egyptian mythology after I wrote Scales, a story of the Egyptian underworld and also the most “influential” post on my blog. Do go through it if you are a fan of Egyptian mythology…or if u just like reading weird stuff. The story is only very loosely based on actual myths.

By the way, the stories are very loosely based on the mythology. We just thought to go bonkers with the sequence of events.

Pantheon is a tale of betrayal, seduction, battle, war, divided loyalties, so tell your weird-story-loving folks, re-tweet the links, subscribe (by email) if need be.

The story is divided into five parts, and each will be published at two-day intervals.

Your feedback, thoughts, criticism, irrational rants and cool saltiness will be expected.

Be warned, like most posts on this blog, each story is quite long…but you know that already:)

I leave you with a foretaste of things to come. Until then, see you on Saturday at 9am

* FYI, a Pantheon is all the deities of a people or religion considered collectively.

Ekwe, out.

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I: Transfiguration (@ekwem)

Emperor Asu-Raneh III of the Ruscan Empire watched them come, his wise black eyes on the bundle the leader bore. His upper beak was coated with a veneer of soft pure gold so that it reflected the light brilliantly and gave him an other-wordly quality. Between his eyes rested the symbol of his Lordship; a thumb-sized piece of Injurin diamond of the highest quality of which the song griots sang odes and composed complicated ululations. It was supposedly bestowed on the progenitor A’Eyahkum Vnais Natrahk (The One Who Came Before The Egg)  by some extinct personal deity. Within the diamond was preserved forever, a pinch of blue sand that pulsed the deity essence. His royal apparel lacquered with Lapis Lazuli glimmered in the light of the hall. He stood expectantly in a manner that was nothing less than majestic while the visitors reached the pool of burning silver which surrounded his throne. Beyond the pool of Silver on either side of the emperor were two granite statues of his ancestors. The commander glanced at the two statues briefly. The other two Sakuteri fell to their knees in reverence, while the leader did so with his arms outstretched, presenting the bundle.

“King of kings, He to whom the kings of Asco  pay tribute, May the Ruscan Empire resonate eternally with the glory of thy rule”, he began, “Your servants have sought out the hidden things  for three cycles in search of the Elixir of Alaklet, Purveyor of light and Bestower of immortality. Twenty and one of us have been lost to this odyssey, but only the pleasure and goal of our Lord the King is supreme. Behold the object your fathers sought but did not find. Now, your Imperial Majesty shall be exalted to godhood, for the gods have deemed you fit to swell their ranks. The glory is yours”

II: Foresight and Repercussions (@edgothboy)

Flashing images. Snatches of sound. Overpowering smells that settle for a second are mysteriously swept away… The revolting feel of vermin crawling against the skin. The metallic taste of freshly spilled blood… The smell of bedchamber sweat. The weight of a throne headdress. Betrayal. A stranger from the stars. Reawakened ancients. Death. A swell of the womb. Power. Seduction. Usurping. Set. Anubis. Ammit. Darkening of the skies. Deception. NOW!!!

She awakens with a start and espies the growing cloud of blackness hurtling to the barren lands east of where she lay.

It has begun.

She snatches up the serpent, which has already begun to slither away and bites into its scaly neck, spits out a chunk of it’s throat. She dips a finger into the blood and draws sigils on her bare chest. The monkey for guile. The desert hawk for speed. The wild cat for power. Flinging aside the  serpent’s bloodied corpse, she breaks into a sprint  to the top of the tallest dune from which she dives into the air and transfigures into her avian aspect, soaring into the skies as the ball of blackness crashes into the desert plain in a maelstrom of sand and rain.

III: Persuasion and Sacrifice (@ekwem and  @edgothboy)

Set.

Chaos.

He hid himself in the valley of the kings, under the tombs of the greatest remembered. When the desert is thrashed by the winds that come in from east of the Nile and the sand storms arise, Set harbors every particle, his powerful mind calculating each trajectory and stipulating the course of events. When they who render fealty to him are caught up in his embrace, his aspect is revealed as a coalition of rapidly vibrating dark particles. A darkness which sucks in the light. Set sees all.

His eyes open suddenly, particles in his face forming a circular space to denote this action. He was in solid darkness a moment ago before his meditation. Now, the musky tomb in which he has deemed fit to place himself glowed like the center of the sun. A presence stood behind him. One which had come with considerable stealth despite its highly conspicuous aspect.

Set would not let another  being cause him trepidation. He closed his eyes, a mild apprehension at this gamble gripping him. If this stranger had come for destruction, it would have been done swiftly.

“Stranger, what is it you seek in the presence of Set?”

IV: Conquest and Consolidation (@ekwem)

The Arabian Desert, East of the Nile.  Al Ahmar

Tumble weed suddenly rolls past a desert side-winder, frightening the snake and making it slide its curved body smoothly into the sand. The air is hot, boiled by the harsh sun. Suddenly, clouds begin to gather. In a moment, the sunny desert was dark as early night, and the foreign rumble of thunder scared the baffled desert animals into their fiery hot holes. Sand Dunes begin to heave as though the earth has a heartbeat. A coolness descends everywhere. From the darkest part of the stormy clouds, the first one, born of the sky emanates.

A sand dune explodes, raising brown sand into the sky. The second one, She of the Earth, comes forth. Geb.

Suddenly a comet lands in the nearby sand dune. Amun has arrived.

The people of the land of Egypt feel the tremors. They know the gods have arrived. Everyone enters their habitation. Doors are locked shut. The palace shuts down. Even the supposed god-king dares not interfere.

The three elder gods form a triangle by virtue of their initial positions. It has been eons since they found company with one another,that age when they bound the beast Apep before going back to sleep. Now, they have awakened again for the same purpose.

a sound.

“She comes”

“Her end will meet her”

“Mercy is a thing bygone”

IV:****

End

There is only two feet of him. Two feet of fur on a semicircular head. No visible neck. He reminds me  a lot of that “Captain Caveman” character from the Mystery Angels cartoon. His movement makes his grotesque barrel-shaped figure wobble from side to side like a penguin. His eyes are the most striking part of him. They are very human. They are glossy, almost like he was constantly on the verge of tears. His face is infinitely wrinkled and would strike fear into any person. I am assuming this my pursuer is male.

I was surprised the first time I encountered him,ages ago. He wasn’t at all what I expected. This does not matter. What matters now is that I should not be his prey. He has pursued me for so long..and now, here we are. I have run from the present into the future..and now I am in a place I cannot recognise. The building is familiar, but not the Time. The once occupied hostels are overrun with thick weed. There seem to  have been a succession of vegetation here. Two hundred years worth. How did I know that?  I know he is outside the building. In the jungle. He is looking for me.

I am in the darkness of the interior, though it is day outside. I can’t run anywhere else. I know this is my only shot in this world.

Stay in this building. keep still.

He is coming nearer, sniffing me out. I am petrified, for I know of the oblivion that will be my lot if he ever catches me. I cannot see how this small thing could possibly harm me, but images of darkness assail my mind when I think of what the ending of this matter could be. I do not have a prayer to say. The thought does not occur to  me. You are not afraid enough if you ever have the composure to say a prayer when in trouble. My heart pounds in my chest.

Suddenly an ululation emanates from the searching form. In the very quiet jungle, the sound carries far. Why is there no one else here? It seems we are the only two in this world. I hear his words.

“I know you are somewhere here”, his voice is ancient and raspy. His threat only begs me to question.

Why is my school building suddenly in the jungle? Is this really the future?

He sniffs the air loudly. I am afraid he has picked my scent. My eyes open in terror. I can see him. Through the walls of the building I can see him. but how is that even possible? I feel him as though we were of kindred spirit. He suddenly stands still. The next few moments shock me. A large brilliant yellow and spotted leopard appears in his path. Ah. This is what he sniffed out, I guess. The leopard is huge,about half the size of an elephant. A wonder to behold.  It accosts him, fangs bared threateningly. Ah! I am saved. Surely…

It happens far too quickly, in a blur that is as clear as slow-motion. He moves towards the beast, his small mouth open. There was no deformity in his mouth or any form of surrealism to the scene but right before my witness…the leopard is swallowed up. A terrible miracle. I move back by half a pace, my eyes wide open. My fear piques and my amazement makes my heart pound. I have underestimated him. Fuck! I just moved.

He looks at the door to the building. This building that is inexplicably my fortress in the middle of the jungle. He smiles, a terrible expression. His lips actually go from ear to ear. Yes!  Now I know what to liken him to. His face is a cross between the corpse of an old man and a gorilla. He is far too ugly for existence.

Tears leave my eyes. So this is the terror of  dying. It is amazing how reluctant we are to die when faced with circumstances that threaten our lives.

He is coming now. Confidently. Could this really be the end of the road for me, after all these months of pursuit and narrow escapes?

Death is personally coming for me, and I am trapped.

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An account of a dream. There is a lot more where this came from.
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We hope to have something worth reading for you pretty soon. Keep the fire burning. Thanks all :*

The Game

How could the purest and most unlikely of loves beget Armageddon? How could the creator and overseer of the universe have let it happen? It is unfathomable; an abyss of reasoning that reveals no light. And yet, it has occurred.

I am sorry, I ramble.

My name is Michael and I have served at the helm of the Adelphi since the first fall. We, the Adelphi, are warrior angels. When Lucifer first challenged His authority, it was we who stared him down. We were the ones that fought him and his band of rebels to the edge of Celestia and threw them off the cliffs of Tiali into the pit of Hades. Ironic then, that it would be one of us that eventually undid the order we had fought so hard to establish and maintain.

 

He said it was love, the fool. Angels do not fall in love. They fall from grace and into the Pit of Disinheritance as everlasting penance. But it seems the two falls are one and the same. His name was Jardia, a being of valour, and he was the most senior guard on this side of the Eternity gate. You see, the eternity gate was the only pathway through which Lucifer could enter Celestia on those rare occasions when he was summoned to give account of himself. His cunning is limitless and as such, he was always subjected to a rigorous search.

It was on one such visit that he came with her; the demon-whore that stole Jardia’s loyalty. He claimed that they never spoke, that it must have been some sort of divine conspiracy; the mad love that overtook both of them the instant they laid eyes upon each other.

They hid in the caves of Tiali to lay with each other and somehow managed to return undetected. The implosion of Guaitar’s third moon was the only physical manifestation of their forbidden act. I know He saw it, yet kept silent, as He was wont to whenever events of cataclysmic proportions played out. Eventually, Jardia was summoned. When queried, he confessed and even professed his undying love for the whore.

 

I ordered the Adelphi to cast out their fallen brother but He stayed their hands. He told Jardia that the demon, Krtja was with child. He informed Jardia that Lucifer, fearing for his Kingdom, had decided to destroy Krtja and her unborn spawn by absorbing their essence. Jardia demanded to have his Love delivered from the hands of Morningstar. Demanded! from the Lord of hosts, creator of all that is seen and imagined. His faculty had obviously taken leave of him but the Lord looked past his impudence and simply said the words I would never forget: “I will not save her, but you may try. Go to the eternity gate and attempt her salvation. But know this. Once you cross it, the Kingdom of heaven shall be closed to you for eternity” I listened in shock and horror, itching to slay Jardia where he stood and let Lucifer do the same to Krtja and their hell spawn. I was restrained only by a lack of directive from the Throne.

Jardia agreed to this and crossed the Eternity gate to save his love and her unborn. He was greeted by an army of demons at the gates of hell. We watched from on high, expecting him to be shredded to pieces within moments, but he was possessed by love and fought like one of the Seraphim. I had not seen another fight so powerfully and passionately since the war preceding the fall of Lucifer.

His wings never ceased moving as he went about in a blur, slaying all who stood in his way. His white form was soon buried underneath the fragments of demon souls as rage overtook him. I wondered silently at the power this love seemed to give him. Perhaps this emotion could have been channelled to further the ends of Heaven.He persisted in slaying hell’s army, cutting a path to the centre where Lucifer sat on his throne, Krtja beneath his feet. After what seemed like an eternity of tireless, endless slaughter, Jardia stood before Lucifer in silent challenge. Lucifer offered Jardia “a more excellent” way; fight him for Krtja and the throne of hell. Jardia accepted. It was madness. I knew not why Lucifer made such a proclamation, for there was evidently no trickery in it, but I guessed it was just to drive Jardia to the edge of his rage and do something foolish. Jardia engaged Lucifer and lost his left arm instantly.

The fool.

Lucifer never fought fair. This I had learned the hard way at the battle of Tiali; the lightening scar on my left wing stands as eternal testament. But Jardia learned faster than I did, he had to. With his pain dulled by love, Jardia set upon the Morning Star in a ferocious attack. His strength of purpose of evident by the fervour with which he joined battle with the Morning star. The scales were suddenly tipped in Jardia’s favour when the pregnant and captive krtja broke free of her binds in a violent rage and joined the fray. Lucifer would have destroyed any two celestial creatures in fair duel, but these two were fuelled by a passion that had never been witnessed in Celestia and a rage that the fires of hell could not contend with. After a drawn out display of savagery and bravery from warring parties, Lucifer succumbed eventually to Jardia’s flaming blade. He was vaporized in a display of fire, blood and light as the Angels observed in shock.

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When the time was fulfilled, we bore witness from Celestia as they birthed their abomination. I sensed its power and knew I had to destroy it before maturity set upon it. Yet, my hand was stayed. Jardia and Krtja named their seed Asifer and spoke boastfully of how he would become more powerful than the Almighty. I could take no more, this latest insolence finally clouded my senses and I disobeyed Him. I called six of my most trusted Adelphi Seraphim and snuck through the eternity gate into Sheoul.

Through the network of demon sentries and tormented souls, we went undetected, until we reached the subterranean chamber where the demon-child slumbered.

Before we could begin the procedure of slaying it, its mother happened upon us. Muriel was the youngest of us and the most impulsive, when the demon set upon us recklessly, he slew her without thinking. Her death-cry roused the attention of an elite advance guard and the child was spared as we had to flee.

I spent time awaiting reprisal from Jardia or admonition from the Lord but neither came and eventually, I began to forget the matter. Then came the time when I was roused from a meditation by Muriel, now my second-in-command in the Adelphi reporting a disturbance at the Eternity gate. My interest was piqued instantly, for it had been long since anything of note happened there. It had even been sealed on order from the Almighty. Jardia had not stepped foot into heaven all this while, and his realm was all but forgotten.

Fifty of us arrived at the gate to the sight of the slain gate-keepers. The gate to Celestia lay in a wreck, but that what was not drew our attention. Standing in front of the destroyed portal was Jardia, and beside him was the most beautiful and glorious creation I had ever seen.

Asifer, his son.

He was a being of pure light. Nine wings surrounded his great form…and his face…his face was like…like…His face.

It was obvious this wasn’t a courtesy visit, for in Asifer’s hand was a sword that had been bloodied by contact with the gate-keepers. The Adelphi not given to negotiation and as such, we instantly made ready for battle as we went into formation. From behind Asifer came a torrent of Hell’s soldiers, the elite…and battle was joined. Muriel, unthinkingly went straight for Asifer even while I considered the measure of his power, and was cut down with a speed and violence which I can hither to not fathom. His beheaded body was flung in my direction, a sign of contempt.

Our hands were full with the slaying of Hell’s elite warriors, while Asifer and father Jardia flew ostensibly in the direction of the Throne-room. I thought to myself “surely He will strike them down himself for their insolence”. My attention was again drawn to my adversaries, for more soldiers kept joining the battle on both sides, for Alchemel the crier had sounded his gold trumpet. This was War.

The memory of that battle brings dread upon me for it turned out more furious than the battle after Lucifer’s fall. Finally, when we had slain enough of the enemy to give ourselves chance to head towards the Throne-room, we did so in urgency. Wonderment was our lot.

The Throne Room was covered in darkness. This had never been so since I became a transient being. The Almighty was not upon his throne; Asifer was, while Jardia stood beside him with a defiant smile.

For the first time since my creation, I knew fear. The unfathomable had occurred: He was not on his throne and I did not feel His presence. I shouted orders to the valiant Orieni to take half the forces and defend the entrance while I and the rest of the Adelphi elite stayed to do battle with Asifer and his father.

We proceeded, swords aflame, to form a semi-circle and gradually approach the throne, the usurper, Asifer, our target. He remained seated, his father by his side, until we had him at the centre of our advance and then he rose with a great authority and engaged us. His ease of movement and sheer strength was astounding. The battle was most furious. The child was surely a greater adversary than Lucifer had ever been and if we were any fewer in number or less practised in our formation; he would surely have slain us all. Thinking back now, I realized it was not his intention to bring us to our end, for it was within his power. After all, he had dethroned…Him

The speed and power with which he fought was unlike any other in Celestia and more intense than I had seen Jardia wield against Lucifer. It was the manner in which I imagined the Great one himself would engage an enemy. After what seemed to be an age of struggling to hold our ground and keep our lives, defending ourselves from the onslaught, Jardia moved for the first time since the engagement, raising his hand and shouting

“Enough!”

Asifer paused mid-swing, launched into the air in a flurry and returned to the throne. I simmered within myself, wishing that He would return and put this insolent demon-spawn in his place. I knew I could not do it on my own and deep within me I feared He was truly gone, fallen at the hands of this thing.

 

And then Jardia spoke the words that established the peace as it is now “You know all is lost, Michael, you know as I know that my vengeance is complete”. Muriel, who slew my queen, has been seen to and He has been destroyed. Now, I have all of creation in my authority but I do not want it. I shall yield to you Michael. Take this throne and keep your Celestia. I no longer call it home. I shall return home to Sheoul with my son and reign there. Do not interfere in our matters, we administer as we see fit. The old order shall continue as best it can, for I see no reasonable alternative. The damned shall continue to be punished, as the just are rewarded. We shall continue eternity as it was set in motion to be”

My mind circled around something he said

”…He has been destroyed.” How was that even possible? He was the Beginning and the End

As the words took leave of Jardia’s mouth, I ruminated on them and knew in that instant that he spoke the truth and his words seemed to be the only path of reason in this inextricably convoluted maze of madness that we had found ourselves. I looked at the child, Asifer, still seated on HIS throne as I spoke the words.

“Let us make truce…”

And that is how I came to sit uneasily on this throne, overseeing the affairs of Celestia while Jardia sits comfortably on a throne of his own, overseeing the underworld with his son by his side, as I once stood beside the Lord. Every moment of time available to me is spent trying to understand the sequence of events that led to this state of affairs and often, I think back to the words Jardia first uttered when He was summoned to give account of himself after his tryst with the demon-whore.

“It must have been a divine conspiracy”

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OBLIVION

The image of Michael upon the throne faded as He gestured with his hand. Satisfaction settled upon his features. A new order shall begin here, in this darkness that is Oblivion. Chaos shall reign once again, and from it, order shall manifest. But first, they must draw conclusions about this latest adventure, they must draw conclusion, even for the seventh time.

“A good show you put up during your Fall, Lucifer. If I didn’t know better, I would have believed you really wanted to oust me from that Heaven”.

“Ah, well you did not exactly create idiots. My strength of purpose could not risk being doubted by the Adelphi. It was a close one there at the end too. Jardia wouldn’t cease talk of a divine conspiracy. Good thing that Michael is completely loyal”

“Yes,” said the first “it would have been quite awkward, after six Universes, to have a creation suddenly divine the Truth”

“So what is next?”

“Well. We still have all eternity brother. We ARE eternity.”

“Perhaps we could have a universe where I actually win? Being a rebel is tiring you know, having to give all those rebellious speeches in that weird language”, he sighed, “so any exciting new variable this time around?”

“Oh yes, I’ve been wanting to see how making the angels reproduce with the humans would play out. It will be essentially the same universe as before, but the humans will become more “in the picture”. I predict this shall be exciting to observe”

“ah, once more order shall be made manifest from the Chaos that is at the beginning of all things”, he stared at his brother, ”Let us get to it”

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…And God said, Let there be light.

 

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The above story was written by our neighbourhood genius @AlchemistXIII and I. It is his brainchild. It is inspired by one of our favourite  graphic Novels “Preacher”. Share your thoughts if you will.

Yaay. My first collabo on my blog ._.

Ekwe.