PART 7

There were no torches hanging on the walls nor were there lamps on the ceiling. But the room was bright. the entire space was filled with a green hued brightness emanating from the Triune Jewel. It sat on a simple cushion atop a stone pedestal in the middle of the room. There were no other furniture around, no equipment was present, no guards at the door. It was just the Jewel.

“This finally proves it then. The mere fact that you haven’t been disintegrated to smithereens in the mere presence of the Jewel confirms that you are the borne of the gods.” Orus stated.

Ian took a step back and exclaimed. “Disintegrated? The Jewel can disintegrate me? Shouldn’t you have said that BEFORE we entered?”

Raguel heaved a sigh of relief, and Orus continued.

“Of course the clear signs were there. Your survival in the open desert, your rapid recovery, your strength during the fight, these were all indicators of what we have been waiting for. But the true test, the real measure whether or not you were of the same fabric as the gods, is for you to be close to a Triune Object.” Orus was stern and serious, a bit out of character for him, Ian thought.

“You see Ian, I don’t know how much Raguel the Angel has told you already about yourself. But let me add a few things more. Yes, you are human. Or rather, you were. You were born normal, lived and walked this earth as a mortal man. But in your genes, in your fiber, were woven strands of godhood. The same elements that made us, that formed the Triune Object that give us power, was lying dormant in you. And the way to trigger them? Well, you know this already. You had to die.”

Ian was silent. Raguel stayed quiet. The Jewel hummed in a soothing sound that danced around the room. The god continued.

“Your purpose and your mission has been made clear to us by the Divine the moment we were sent here to reclaim the planet. The Last Great War signaled the downfall of humanity as the rulers of the earth. For hundreds of years, man has been left to their own design. The gods fled, the angels left, all Spiritual beings gave up on the planet, save a sympathetic handful like our friend Raguel here, and man was left to fend for itself. At the height of their power and the strength of their science, man chose to destroy himself. Resources were pillaged, seas were sickened, and people continued to turn on one another leading to death and destruction. Vanity was their pill; pride was their downfall. And in one fell swoop, they ravaged each other drowning the entire planet in nuclear and chemical chaos. Their great cities were ruined to rubble, the land was laid waste, and the sky seared and erupted in flames. Humanity was destroyed. Never to rise again.

Or, was not supposed to. Three gods rose and demanded that the world should live again. They declared that they were the fit rulers of the land, and not the mortals that wasted their shot at existence. The wisdom of the universe sided with these gods and bequeathed to them the tools to reclaim the planet. Three divine objects that would convey the power, the knowledge, and the magic of the gods so that they could rebuild civilization as they saw fit.

To Deus, Warleader of the gods, was entrusted the Triune Sword. A weapon of infinite power. In his likeness, he gathered the people of his realm and formed the Elysian Empire. In its heart, the Elysian Fields, a magnificent floating fortress of unrivaled power and prominence. Their technology second to none, the Elysian Empire expanded to colonies, always under the shadow of their skycapital hovering above them. Deus believed that a strict caste and an iron fist was the way to keep humanity’s destructive nature in line. You know this better than most, being born as a citizen of the Empire, and becoming a Centurion nonetheless.”

Ian remembered his childhood on the skycapital. His studies, his training, and his tough training with the Centurion Legion. It was true, of all the realms of Earth, the Elysian Fields were regarded as the one that stands above all. But this was not always a good thing. The Elysian Fields maintained a vast storage of food, water, and resources all to itself. No one eats or lives better than the citizens in the floating fortress of the Empire. Not the colonies, and especially not everyone else. Ian saw how simply the people of Orus lived here. No gaudy fashion, no tech, and just simple provisions that they trade among themselves. This kind of simplistic and practical living would be outlandish in the skycapital. Growing up, Ian ate more meals back home than an entire family eats here. His own room was bigger than the tents that the people of Orus retire to at night. This was a hard truth to swallow. Ian never considered the way he lived before. He never had the chance to know about others and compare how affluent his life was to the rest. In his short time here in the Sands, he saw the disparity between where he grew up in and the people here. And his heart grew sad.

Raguel looked at his young ward. Ian had his head down and a gaze that could not hide his despair. The angel put his hand on Ian’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault.” Raguel said.

“I know.” Ian replied. “It’s just, I never thought of it that way before.”

Orus spoke once more.

“The role of the savior is different than how we gods did it over the past millennia. Gods maintained a clear distance between themselves and the affairs of mortal men. Yes, we lived with them, yes we interacted with them. We listened to prayers, interceded according to our whims, and even joined in on some of their exploits. But throughout all this, we stayed as gods. Immortal, powerful, and untouchable. But you, you are different. You were born human, you were made mortal. You wept, you bled, you hungered. You had experiences none of us could ever dream of and could only imagine. And this is why we failed and you will succeed.”

It was Raguel who spoke next.

“I know for a fact that of the three deities that returned to Earth, Orus is the most sympathetic to the world. Orus does not try to steer humanity or terraform it, the god-pharaoh lets them be. In contrast, Deus believed he could turn the human race towards a brighter future by sheer force of will, and of course, by sheer force of force. Magus is at the other extreme. He decided that knowledge and purity were the key elements missing from humanity’s heart that led to their destruction. And that is how he formed the Far Eastern Kingdom. His people practice extreme isolationism and a deep disconnect from basic human emotions. Magus believed that all forms of excess were pitfalls of temptation. Dynamic music, flavorful food, and colorful art are all banned and restricted in the Kingdom. No style or fashion exists in the walls of the Forbidden City. Romantic relationships are illegal and punishable by death. Marriages are arranged by the State. Food and supplies are handed out meticulously in measured and equal amounts. Granted, there is peace and stability in the Far Eastern Kingdom, but I doubt that there is much joy there. The three gods are convinced that their way is best in restoring humanity. That itself is the reason they went back here, to decide how humanity should move forward. Of course, conflicts will arise. Tensions between the three nations have risen steadily in the past years. Resources are growing scarce, and the population is starting to recover. Sooner or later, each will have to face the other.”

Orus responded.

“The Last Great War not only decimated the air and the land, but the resulting geological shifts after the war forever changed the face of the Earth. I think you have studied this in your histories during your education and training yes?”

Ian remembered his schooling in the Empire. The Earth used to be a planet of vast continents and immeasurable oceans. But because of the many years of war, the natural balance of the planet was disrupted. His instructors taught him about the lunar bases and how the destruction of the moon colonies resulted in massive gravitational shifts. Temperatures rose and the oceans flooded over the land. The numerous atomic explosions triggered mighty earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that made fault lines shift. Entire countries were swallowed up. Billions of people died. It was only a few years ago that the Empire had launched satellites into space that mapped the planet below. There were no continents anymore. Because of the effects of the war, landmasses crashed into one another. The tidal and tectonic shifts led to one massive continent and other smaller islands that covered only one side of the planet. It is now called Pangea, and the three kingdoms found their home there. The Elysian Empire to the West, the Ancient Dunes to the South, the Far Eastern Kingdom in the East, and the frozen north was home to the few animals and nomads that cling to the cold to survive.

The other half is what is now known as the Beyond. The area of the earth that received the most damage in the war. It is dark, lifeless, and devoid of all light. The massive cloud of poisonous fumes and nuclear gas covers hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. Casting a dark and deadly shadow over half of the Earth. No one knows what lies there. Even the Empire’s best ships and scouts do not return from their sorties to the Beyond.

Raguel and Orus stood with their eyes fixed on the young man.

“And I am supposed to change all this?” Ian asked.

“You’re supposed to find a better way.” Raguel replied.

Orus touched Ian’s shoulders and led him to the center of the room. The Triune Jewel glowed brighter, its music, playing louder.

“Now hold it, and let’s see about your destiny eh?” Orus mentioned.

Ian reached out.