Defiant Revival

by Defiant Revival [Dreamspinner MM] (retail) (epub)

  The Spirit was disappointed with the lifelessness of all it had created and thus gave every last bit of effort into the creations on the central island. It started with growing all species of insects to inhabit the dirt and grasses it had created. It filled the skies with birds and the oceans with all manners of aquatic creatures. Returning its focus to land, it created all of Corseca’s mammals and reptiles, starting with tiny rodents up to towering elephants and mammoths. The Spirit encouraged its aquatic and avian creations to help the land dwellers so they too could spread across the planet.

  After creating those many lives, the Spirit had all but dissipated, sitting within the hollow shell of the God Aegis. It poured its last essence into its shield, bestowing its blessing that Aegis create whatever he wanted with the last eastern island.

  A shield with nothing to guard had no purpose, and Aegis yearned for a being worth protecting. It dwelled under the earth, pondering for what could have been centuries, on what the holder of that shield should be. He eventually dreamed up humans and came up with the form he deemed perfect. He released that last bit of Spirit up and onto the eastern island. Mankind was created and flourished on that island, and Aegis loved them dearly.

  Just like the elements, the plants, and the animals before them, humans found themselves outgrowing the small island. They began constructing crude vessels and making their way around the globe, with the largest concentration on the eastern continent of Knox, as it was the closest. After approximately two hundred and fifty years, almost all the people had left. Aegis could not bear losing sight of his creation, to not watch over his humans. He could not leave Corseca’s core as the God Shield he was, so he sought to change himself into the only being he knew to make. Aegis turned himself into a man, and although he was burnt to dust by the planet’s molten core, his soul rose to the top of the Startspring.

  Being free of a solid form, Aegis could hold dominion over Corseca and observe all of it. His soul stretched out and covered the world, finally becoming a heavenly shield for his beloved mankind. He found, however, that his creations were not behaving the way he had intended. They were living in wickedness, killing each other and summoning power from sources that were not him. He discovered also the faeries and the ogres, creatures that were not made by Spirit or by himself, that had somehow manifested on the planet and perverted the lands. Aegis saw the vile truth within these beings and became certain it was they who had corrupted his beautiful creation.

  In an effort to intervene, Aegis imbued his spirit within the one human still left on the eastern island. He was a thirteen-year-old boy known only as the prophet, who was blind, deaf, and left behind. He was on the verge of death by starvation, though Aegis merging within his body healed him. It awakened his long-sleeping eyes and ears and gave him knowledge of what Aegis’ true will really was. He gave this boy instruction to spread knowledge of God Aegis’ existence and to warn of the evil that was the interloping faeries and ogres.

  The prophet was seen first by villagers west of the Knox city that is now known as Thornwood. All who witnessed him simply saw a scrawny brown-skinned adolescent boy with clouded eyes walk from the ocean onto the sandy beach. It was the year 252 when the prophet first emerged in Knox, and he would not explain how he arrived there. They didn’t know if he could breathe underwater, walk atop it, or if he had been pulled ashore by a dolphin, and they never would. They wanted to know his name, but he didn’t have one. They wanted to know his age or anything about him. He didn’t know any of those things, but he wouldn’t have told them even if he had. He simply walked from the sand and onto the land, toward town. He beckoned them all, “Follow me if you seek truth, should you want deliverance.”

  The prophet walked to every gathering of people spreading his message. It is thought year one is when Aegis first created man, yet there was no recorded language at that time. By the year 252 there were common spoken tongues as well as the beginnings of written languages. People willingly followed him. They took little convincing, and some of them were educated enough to write their experience down. Many of the believers continued trekking with the prophet, to every stop he made, while others spread the message for the prophet where they lived.

  The belief in Aegis spread fast, as well as the adherence to the rules for his people he passed on through the prophet. Aegis’ will for his people was simple; he merely wanted them to stay uniquely human. It was those acts, those behaviors inherent within the faeries and ogres that he could not bear to see in his creation. This included but was not limited to a few key laws, such as the condemnation of: any magical practices; violence against mankind (the faeries brutalized each other constantly. Aegis thought humanity would have never hurt one another without this influence); lying with creatures other than one’s own species/bestiality (this is also a common faerie behavior); sex without sacred consent and without the intention to reproduce. (This was not from the faeries, but the ogres, with their one sex and fascination with fraternity as well as romance while never repopulating.) That last commandment listed gave fruit to the outlawing of homosexuality, adultery, polygamy, and rape.

  The outlining of all Aegis’ laws and ideals for his people can be found in the scripture of MortiAegis, as well as some commandments that were said to have been passed down later through divine intervention. These are not important enough to list now, as doling out rules was not the prophet’s primary purpose. Aegis wanted the prophet to deliver his promise, and it was that which brought so many eager followers.

  When Aegis allowed himself to become mortal, resulting in his corporeal death, he created more than just his own omniscience. His sacrifice created a new plane of existence, a life beyond the current one toiling on within Corseca. This afterlife is where Aegis’ mortal body dwelled, and there he could meet with those of his children who were never corrupted by the interlopers. This heaven, as it came to be called, was the reward for living the life Aegis intended for them.

  Although the prophet had no name and no blood relation to the mortal Aegis, his followers chose to refer to him as the son of Aegis or Aegison. The prophet and his growing number of followers made it to Frosthorn, the present capital of Knox and largest city on the globe even then, by the year 261. The city was ruled by a tribunal of three, made up of an ogre, a faerie, and a man. Despite the fact the prophet’s words condemned two-thirds of the governing body, they were intrigued enough by the scrawny man to invite him to dine with them. The prophet did not eat, however, nor had he during any point of his travel, he simply stared from ogre to faerie the entire long meal.

  The ruling ogre was an extremely wise and patient philosopher known as Casperius. He was three hundred twelve years old when he met the prophet. He had many students, who later became the settlers of Casperland. There are differing accounts as to how the silence was broken. According to ancient scholars, Casperius spoke first, informing the prophet, “I know why your God hates us. We are older than him, and we interfere with his claim; however, we do not want it.”

  This is utter blasphemy to the MortiAegis, and it is their belief that the prophet spoke first. He watched on, disgusted, as the three of them engaged in frivolity, gorging themselves and imbibing wildly. The prophet locked eyes with the human, Callux I, and when he did brought a tear to the man’s eye. He set down his food and ale and wept for a consecutive seven days. This man had spent more time with the interlopers than any other, yet he too could be forgiven by Aegis. It was this forgiveness he saw in the prophet and the overwhelming gratitude for God’s mercy that produced the weeping.

  With his connection to God’s child made, the prophet addressed the others at last. He asked them calmly, “How did you come to be here?”

  The faerie, named Mecki, ranted and raved, getting belligerent and throwing plates across the table. It howled to the prophet not in words but directly into his mind. It screamed thoughts that they were here first, waiting for the energy to manifest. It continued on that Spirit and Aegis crashed into them, that
they were obligated to take the energy Spirit wasted. They were the isolated, malicious consciousness inherent in the planet’s core, which seeped out the gift of the unknowing Spirit of Existence. They didn’t care that it was not of the Spirit’s will that they lived and did not respect the creatures it made for that matter. Mecki just raged and screeched, fighting for its right to exist and destroy as much as it saw fit.

  The prophet closed his eyes and simply whispered, “That spark was not yours to take. Return it now.” The faerie ceased its movement and fell to the ground, becoming a speck of dirt, the same speck it was before stealing away the gift of life.

  Casperius bowed his head to the prophet and whispered, “We knew nothing but desire before; the envy and greed was unintentional. What would Aegis have me do now?”

  “Submit” was the only answer given, and it had seemed Casperius did. He stepped down from his position of power, bestowing it all to Callux I, the very first emperor of Knox. The ogre seemed to grow repentant and helped in spreading word of the prophet. He told his brothers to submit, to not fight, that their lives were not truly their own. Despite the devout attitude Casperius showed, he did not follow the prophet. He instead gathered his students and headed south.

  Emperor Callux I begged the prophet to stay in the capital; however, he could not. He had more to share, many more ears and hearts to reach. The prophet made his way to the northern part of Knox before heading east to the land that is known now as Enox. In the year 274, he reached a peaceful settlement that was completely untouched by the influence of the interlopers. They had not given into any wickedness of their own accord, proving it really was the outside influence that had corrupted man. These people he found were living exactly how Aegis intended, the sight of which brought the first wave of tears any were to see fall from the prophet. He was so overcome, he could barely convey his message; however, it was obvious they understood. This encampment later became the city of Morte, home to the Temple of MortiAegis.

  After spending a day with these people, the prophet was certain he had fulfilled his duty to God Aegis. He took time to speak every single influence he received from Him to the elders, a thing he had never been able to do so thoroughly. It was they who saw the true value in Aegis’ death, that it was the sacrifice of His shield body that gave them His watchful eye and the immolation of His mortal self that granted them life eternal. The elders were the ones to begin praising Mortem ec Aegis, which literally meant the death of Aegis. They shortened it to MortiAegis, but the focus of their devotion was solely on this gift, not on the shield, the man, or the ethereal being.

  Seeing that His children could truly understand His will and show Him such gratitude, Aegis knew He could allow the prophet’s pilgrimage to finally end. It was only a day after arriving in Morte that Aegis conferred with his vessel, letting him know that he could stop. Aegis offered to continue supporting his body so he could live out a life with his brothers and sisters. The prophet had never had to eat, drink, or sleep with the essence of God Aegis dwelling inside him, but if it were to leave, his body would wither.

  This was a simple decision for the prophet, as his only family, only home, had ever been Aegis. He wanted to be free of his mortal coil, just as Aegis had become, and to rejoin with him forever. The prophet once again filled Aegis with a pure joy and pride. He rewarded his servant by withdrawing his essence, leaving the body as a withered shell. The prophet was able to say good-bye, and his followers watched as his body dried up completely. It had not been hydrated or fed for twenty-two years; the husk he left clearly showed how powerful the will of Aegis was.

  In the time it had taken the prophet to reach Morte, the students of Casperius rallied against this growing faith and defended their teacher. Casperius traveled far south, away from the capital, and truly had planned on submitting. His people, however, did not share his sentiment and would not be that weak. They spoke blasphemously of the life present on Corseca before Aegis, of the natural creation of the ogres and faeries. They fought the followers, rioting and defacing the churches that sprouted to worship the new God Aegis.

  The emperor Callux sided with the followers of MortiAegis and began excommunicating all these heretics from the continent, chaining them to doomed rafts. Veritable war broke out between students of Casperius, as well as other nonbelievers, and the children of Aegis. Although the religious side had the backing of the crown, the undeveloped civilization was still too flimsy to hold up against the civil war breaking out all around it.

  Casperius could not bear to see all this destruction caused in his name. He brought himself back to the capital, to the feet of Callux I, and laid himself down. He told of how his submission before was halfhearted, that he submitted only his power; he had done nothing with the pride in his heart. He begged the emperor to take his life, to stop all the lives being lost in his name. Callux obeyed the request and embraced his former friend before stabbing the giant’s heart. It has been rumored and widely believed that Casperius died at the same moment as the prophet; however, there is no proof of it. It is certain, however, that he also died in the year 274. It is written in the Book of Aegis that it was the prophet’s sacrifice of his mortal body that created the miracle of Casperius’ submission. It is thought it was the final wish of the prophet that the ogre would do as he should have done all along—stop existing.

  Despite Casperius laying down his life, his followers refused to accept MortiAegism as society’s new master. The warring continued, but the rebellion got squashed more readily after the death of the symbolic ringleader. A mass exodus of the students of Casperius occurred in 289, when thousands of nonbelievers made their way to Centra, the continent across the Startspring.

  In the absence of the dissenters, peace took over Knox, and the children of Aegis were able to worship their God with no contest. Temples sprang up all over Knox and Enox while the people thrived. They succeeded in killing all the ogres remaining in their lands and also in terrifying the faeries into retreat, hiding themselves in desolate woods and never emerging. This fulfilled Aegis’ desire, leaving this land completely uncorrupted by the interlopers so that his children could live exactly how he intended.

  Despite the lack of outside influence, the residents of Knox and Enox did not behave as they should have. The emperors that succeeded Callux grew more and more tyrannical in hopes of reining in their people, to force them to live in accordance to God’s laws. The military grew and grew within Knox, enforcing devotion to MortiAegis as a mandate for all citizens.

  Enox remained the home of the holy city where the prophet died, and although they were just as strictly devout as Knox, they did not militarize their faith. They simply organized it, creating the Mortanion Brotherhood in year 332. These monks were charged with keeping people in line with their faith but by offering spiritual guidance, not with threats. They kept charge of the church and were even allowed to help within Knox, which had all but shut itself off. With the influence of the brotherhood, things went smoothly in Enox, and it seemed people were behaving without having to do so at gunpoint.

  Alongside the red-robed brothers of the Mortanions, the church also formed the Aegian Sisterhood. Unlike their brothers, the sisters did not go out and spread the word, nor did they maintain the churches. Their sole purpose was to reside in the temple built on the neighboring Lain Island, where they prayed. Every sworn woman of the Sisterhood would spend the day of her vow until her last inside the temple praying only that Aegis’ will would be done. They wear all white and are nearly never seen by outsiders or even the brotherhood, as it is considered taboo.

  Knox remained completely isolated from all lands, allowing only members of the brotherhood to cross the borders. This was done to keep the land pure from the influence of the interlopers, even after the extinction of the ogres in the year 565. The emperors of Knox sent their officers on missions outward to retrieve resources and to keep tabs on the wickedness of the heretics. Knox became a looming threat, for behind its walls were b
attalions that could be unleashed without warning. On these scouting missions supposedly sanctioned by Aegis, death followed right behind.

  The Mortanions were able to reach outside of Enox, spreading the kinder word of Aegis to those willing to listen in the lands of Casperland, Alafor, and Khur. Despite this gentle approach, the faith did not spread far in these lands due to the evil they saw inflicted in that God’s name by Knox.

  Things carried on much the same for centuries, until the doubt of humans all over Corseca got smashed in the year 944. After hundreds of attempts, a pilgrimage of monks finally succeeded in entering the Startspring. The expedition was comprised of a bishop named Ashton, three young monks, and two women of the Aegian Sisterhood. This was the first time they ever involved the sisters, also the only recorded time sisters ever left the temple. Their purpose was to pray for Aegis’ will and that it hopefully be their mission’s success.

  Be it the presence of the sisters or not, the mission did succeed. The small dinghy fought its way through the constant storm surrounding the Aegis Isles, and they found calm at the cliffs of the star-shaped waterfall.

  At the southwestern point of the Spring they found a dry cliff where they were able to anchor the ship and descend to the pit where all life began. They could not get all the way down, for the rapids and heat from the planet’s core would devour them. That did not matter, as they found all they would need only two hundred meters down. Within a cave in the cliffs was an inscription scrawled by the fingers of the Spirit of Existence. The brothers got rubbings of the walls and even obtained photographs, although they were primitive and not well developed. Regardless of the simplicity of it, they still had enough proof of the message to bring it back and translate it.

  The group returned with their findings six months after they had departed. Everyone was sure the mission had failed yet again, but to their delight they instead brought with them what is referred to as the Promise of Aegis. After a year of deciphering and studying, the members of the brotherhood came to understand this was a message left by Spirit. It detailed how it bestowed its power to Aegis and granted Him dominion over Corseca. It spoke of the origin of Aegis and Spirit; however, that part was beyond comprehension or translation it seemed. The Spirit then promised it would revive itself one day and rejoin Aegis, but only in the land who proved to be most loved by Him.