The Riddle of the Gods

by Lyra Shanti

  Chapter 20: The Holy City

  Thotwa tried making Yol understand the gravity of the situation, but he was either oblivious or in denial, or both. The Fah outright refused to believe Ayn, if indeed still alive, was any real threat. When Thotwa explained how immense Ayn’s power was, Yol merely shrugged and made it seem as though it had all been in Thotwa’s imagination.

  “Enough!” Yol stated firmly with his hand raised. “He is not a ghost or a phantom, or a God! If he has managed to live through what Fate has pushed upon him, then he is merely a very strong-willed young man. And if he dares come here to challenge me, I will deal with him myself.”

  Thotwa was told to leave it alone, so he concentrated his efforts on learning The Tah way of battle, and he was soon made their new general. However, many in The Tah didn’t like how Thotwa, an outsider, was suddenly thrust into Fola’s position. They didn’t know him, and didn’t trust him. Because of that, many of the soldiers had followed Fola into exile.

  Those who stayed behind were convinced by Yol that Thotwa was one of them, especially since he had lived so many years as a slave and felt the pain of their cause first hand. Also, Thotwa was an imposingly tall and muscular man, which aided in his appearance, making him seem qualified for battle.

  Despite his new position, Thotwa felt out of place and awkward. Not helping matters, he couldn’t forget the memory of Ayn’s burning blue eyes as plasma emanated forth, like an ancient, terrifying magic.

  The idea of Ayn seeking revenge on those who stole Deius from him gave Thotwa shivers. He wasn’t sure who deserved the right to rule, nor did he care. All he knew was, if the Gods did indeed exist, and Ayn was one of them, mortals had no chance of surviving their wrath. Truthfully, Thotwa wanted no part in a world where raging Gods did whatever they pleased. He believed a world like that would be an absolute hell to live in.

  So, in the dead of night, and after waking from a terrible nightmare, Thotwa did something he never expected to do; he went to a temple. Not just any temple either, but The Holy Temple of Deius.

  The reason he did this, however, was not because he wanted divine guidance or a prayer to be answered, but because in his nightmare, he had an epiphany. In the dream, he was replaying his encounter with Ayn. Except, unlike what happened in reality, he was somehow able to stop Ayn’s plasma blast with something so simple, it almost seemed to Thotwa as silly.

  Surprisingly enough, the object that stopped Ayn in his dream was a plain, brown, thick book. Ayn was holding it at first, but then gave it to Thotwa. It looked to be an extremely old book and had ancient Deiusian writing on the front.

  When Thotwa opened it, he saw an illustration of Adin seated on a Sarax. As he looked through the pages, it seemed to hurt Ayn somehow. Soon, Thotwa was able to bring Ayn to his knees. Unfortunately, Ayn’s own Sarax came to The Bodanya’s aid, and afterward, set fire to Thotwa’s body.

  Waking up, screaming from the flames, Thotwa didn’t understand what it meant at first. However, after reflecting further, he realized the dream’s meaning; the book represented knowledge about The Great Adin, and somehow, that knowledge could be Ayn’s undoing.

  Thotwa then remembered hearing from a fellow Tah soldier that, inside the temple, where Adin was supposedly buried, there was a bounty of old books The Dei had kept hidden from the public. If he could get down there, he knew he'd find a clue, revealing Ayn’s weakness. It felt to Thotwa as if the dream was a vision, supplied by The Un.

  He wasn’t willing to commit to the idea of a divine order, but because of The Bodanya, Thotwa was now forced to believe Gods existed, therefore he imagined it was possible there might be a God who did not want Ayn to succeed, perhaps Adin’s brother, Siri. Whoever it was guiding him, even if it was merely a rebellious spirit, Thotwa was grateful for the gift, and he planned to use it with or without Yol’s approval.

  The temple wasn't heavily guarded; only two Tah soldiers stood at the silver and faded blue gates. At such a late hour, it was only a formality the temple was guarded. Since it was still in shambles from the bombing, and was under refurbishment; no one ever went there. It was a perfect time for Thotwa to sneak around undetected.

  He easily convinced the guards to take a break for an hour or so, telling them Yol had ordered him to retrieve a book from the temple's library, so he didn't mind keeping watch while they took a rest. Both guards seemed more than happy to let Thotwa take over.

  As soon as they left, Thotwa raised his brow and started down the smooth, stone path which led to the temple's entrance. Before the bomb, there had stood a large, oval door made of a rare, sparkling black Deiusian gem called Evrite. The gem was considered holy by The Dei priests, though not many knew why, other than how it glistened in the sun. Thotwa could still see the tiny, broken pieces of it on the ground as he walked through the front entrance.

  There was an eerie silence as he made his way through the abandoned temple. The hallways were littered with stony rubble, as were the prayer rooms and private quarters of the priests who once inhabited them. It felt to Thotwa as if he were walking through a desolate graveyard full of quiet thickness, ghostly and strange.

  It was dark, since power had not been restored. Thotwa presumed Yol wanted nothing to do with anything remotely connected to The Dei, and so left the temple to ruin. Outwardly, Yol had claimed it was being rebuilt, but truthfully, it had been ignored. Luckily, Thotwa brought with him a hand-sized lamp, which gave his immediate surroundings a little more light. Even still, the temple was eerie and dim, causing him goosebumps.

  To make it even spookier, there came a bizarre knocking noise. It sounded to Thotwa as if it were coming from somewhere in front of him, though a little further down the main hall. Out of curiosity, he followed the mysterious knocking and found himself at where he assumed the altar room had once been.

  This was where all the Shiva had been anointed at birth, and where Shiva the Fourteenth had been named The Bodanya. Thotwa held up his lamp and saw the remains of the painted ceiling with all the Deiusian Gods and goddesses staring down at him. They appeared to him scornful and sad.

  Shaking himself from such thoughts, he saw ahead of him was a large window. It had been smashed through, however, and the wind was pushing against it, causing something to make the knocking noise. Upon closer inspection, he realized there was a small piece of the altar’s marble stuck on a branch, which had lodged itself inside the window. It appeared to be knocking back and forth against the rest of the glass.

  Feeling stupid for his unnecessary fear, Thotwa removed the stone from the branch, which then flew backward against the tree. Thotwa looked out the window and realized the tree in question was the famous Saras Tree of The Holy City. He had heard only a little about it in his time at the palace, but according to legend, the Saras was the very tree Adin had sat under while attaining his enlightenment. Thotwa didn't care much about such myths, but he began to wonder if a God was now leading him somewhere important, giving him little clues along the way.

  Something holy stuck inside something hidden, he silently pondered as he turned around to face the altar once again. He looked at it, half disgusted and half intrigued. He couldn’t help but marvel at how powerful The Dei had once been with control over the nobles, and even the royal family. All that power, and yet, they had been quickly eliminated; their grand temple, which symbolized their supreme authority, now lay in ghostly shambles.

  Taking a breath, Thotwa leaned against the altar, then took out the map of the temple he had acquired from The Tah’s headquarters. He knew he had to find the secret library within the temple, but no such thing was listed on the map. Someone from The Dei would know, but they were not available, being mostly dead.

  Thotwa’s lamp flickered as he walked out of the altar room and headed left. Looking for a sign from the spirits, he closed his eyes and tried to recall his dream. It had taken place in his old home at Seith's mansion, but there was something different about it.

  Focusing and pushing his memory
further, Thotwa had a sudden vision thrust into his mind. Replaying his dream, he saw Ayn standing in front of him as he handed Thotwa the book. This time, however, Thotwa saw that the writing on the book was not only written in old Deiusian, but seemed imprinted with a stone-carving. As he looked at the foreign words, he somehow understood what they meant, as if the Gods had whispered its secret. He could feel in his gut that the words translated to “The Tomb of Adin.”

  Opening his eyes, illuminated, Thotwa had an instinct the book he was looking for was hidden under the catacombs of the dead. He decided if he could find the coldest spot in the temple, he would surely find the resting place of Adin, and possibly the book from his dreams.

  Following his subconscious impulses, he heading down the stairs to his left. The stairway was littered with rubble, but he managed to climb past. It became colder and darker as the stairway led him farther downward until finally coming to a large, cracked, stone door.

  Pushing it open, he felt a strong blast of cold air hitting him in the face. He cringed as he slid past the door, then went inside of a pitch-black room.

  Trying his best to brighten his lamp, he hardly saw what was in front of him. However, he could make out stone coffins on the sides of the walls. It was definitely the tomb.

  He couldn’t be sure where Adin’s sarcophagus lay, but he felt compelled to keep going, especially if he wanted to find where the secret, underground library was.

  It was deathly cold in the catacombs of the dead, and unnerved Thotwa as he saw random skeletons exposed from their coffins. He assumed The Tah's bombing had disturbed even the priests’ corpses who had long been undisturbed. Smirking, Thotwa felt certain they deserved to be disturbed, and he continued forward without guilt.

  Crossing the room of coffins, Thotwa came to another door. It was harder to open than the last one had been. Pushing with all his might, he finally got it to budge. Unexpectedly, the bottom dropped beneath his feet, and he fell what felt like a few feet.

  Landing on hard stone wasn’t without pain, but Thotwa took it in stride. Adjusting his right arm and stretching his body, he got up, then looked for his lamp. When he saw where it fell, he noticed it had cracked down the middle. Picking it up, he prayed it would decide to work at some point.

  Looking around, trying his best to adjust his eyes, he couldn’t see much. All he could make out was some sort of long object on the wall. Feeling around, he realized he was standing on more steps, though they were distorted and broken. Feeling across the wall, his hand touched the long object, which he soon realized was a plasma-torch. He hoped his lamp’s battery was still filled with plasma, and could charge up the torch.

  After he transferred the battery, the torch lit up, illuminating the surrounding area. He could see the stairs, which led straight down. He continued onward until finally arriving at a dank, dark chamber. It was too cold and ominous to be a library. Thotwa wondered where the Gods had led him.

  Taking a closer look, he held the torch up, carefully surveying what lay ahead.

  “No…” whispered Thotwa, stunned. “It can’t be.”

  Amazed, he walked toward the wondrous object. It was Adin’s sarcophagus, clad in gold and lined with rare red and blue gems.

  Somehow, The Tah's bombing hadn’t destroyed Adin’s resting place. However, the gold coffin appeared to be cracked on the right side and slightly ajar. Thotwa assumed a piece of large rock from the tomb had fallen on the sarcophagus, precisely where one could open it. As much as it went against his prior beliefs, he couldn’t help but see it as another sign from the Gods; he was meant to find what he had dreamt.

  Taking a deep breath, Thotwa grabbed the hard slab of gold and pushed with all his might. Finally, the slab moved to the other side, exposing a cloth interior. The cloth was a light shade of purple with hints of red. It looked to be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Something was under the cloth as well. Thotwa gulped, imagining what, or who, could be hidden underneath.

  Slowly removing the purple cloth, he trembled at what he saw. There was a body, looking as though it had been embalmed only a few years ago. There was flesh and bone, hair and nails - even eyelashes. It looked to be a young man in his twenties, or so Thotwa guessed, and he was dressed in the finest, gold-colored robes. With blonde hair and lightly tanned skin, the perfectly preserved corpse looked as though he could open his eyes and walk around at any moment.

  Half marveling in wonder and half truly disturbed, Thotwa backed away for a moment, not certain if he should continue.

  He stood still, looking at the pristine corpse, amazed, yet perplexed at how The Dei were able to preserve a decomposing body. Considering The Dei refused to use modern technology, Thotwa couldn’t imagine what they had done to Adin’s flesh, assuming it was indeed his.

  Unable to stop his curiosity, Thotwa looked closely at the body, hunching over to get a better look. Irrational fear soon took over his mind as he fantasized about the body suddenly jumping up. He shook his head, then laughed at his foolishness.

  He then noticed the dead man had his arms crossed while holding a mysterious, glowing object in his hands. It was a golden rod of some sort, and it immediately ignited Thotwa's curiosity.

  Such an object would be worth at least a few million credits, or even more, but that wasn’t what Thotwa was after. As he looked down the length of the body, he saw his true prize.

  Amazed at the validity of his dream, he almost wept when he saw the book lying on the corpse’s abdomen. Proving to Thotwa his dream was prophetic, the faded brown book looked older than time itself with its title written in ancient Deiusian. He couldn’t exactly read it, but recognized the symbols decorated on the front and back. The Siri-Star was everywhere, and so was the black Evrite stone. There was no mistake, this was indeed the book of life and death, and inside its pages, Thotwa was sure he’d find the key to Ayn’s weakness.

  Gulping hard, he slowly pulled the book from the corpse. Carefully, he opened the cover with his right hand, then wiped the beaded sweat from his brow with his elbow.

  What he saw on the first page shocked him. It was a beautifully illustrated drawing of Adin. However, instead of calmly meditating, like most depictions by The Dei, he was instead shown wielding a large instrument of death. Curved at the top in a 3-pronged trident, the long weapon glowed with a blood-colored haze. Standing on a mountain's peak, Adin’s face was angry and stoic; looking the opposite of an enlightened, spiritual master.

  Shocking as it was, Thotwa was further surprised by the following page. It was a Sarax, and he was even more frightening than Adin with his mouth agape and sharp fangs blazing with fire.

  There was a calligraphy style of writing throughout, so he couldn’t understand any of the words. Luckily, everything was highlighted with drawings and symbols, which he understood perfectly. The book described the bond between Adin and his Sarax, which Thotwa found to be most interesting, though he wasn’t sure what it all meant. He wondered what it had to do with the mysteries of life and death, and so he carefully looked through the entire book.

  Nothing! There was nothing he could use to help him defeat Ayn. It was all a bunch of drawings and ancient babble about Sarax and how it linked with Adin’s powers.

  Just then, while looking again at the front picture, he realized there was an entire section written in Sirini, his first language. Excitedly, he held the book nearer to the torch and read:

  Their bond is more than blood. Their bond is made of spirit and cannot be broken! No weapon, nor device can sever The Holy Sarax and its Chosen. Their bond is intangible and the source of their great power. Only The Vortex Rod may destroy The Mighty, Holy Sarax, thereby severing their physical link. Yet, the destruction of a Sarax is impossible, for only The Chosen may wield The Vortex Rod. All others will die from its black flame of death. Beware and behold: Siri’s greatest blessing and most terrible curse!

  Shivering from the cold and what he'd just read, Thotwa pondered about the supposed Vortex Rod. Could the
object in the dead body’s hands be the horrific weapon? If so, he wondered if it was the key to destroying Ayn’s power.

  Looking again at the drawing of Adin, he realized it was The Vortex Rod shown in his hand, raised high in the air.

  Just then, it all started to make sense in his mind.

  Kill the Sarax with the rod, he heard in his head, as if a God was standing behind him, whispering in his ear. Kill The Sarax, and Ayn will be weak! Destroy their bond, and free the world of their unholy power!

  Suddenly feeling paranoid, he swirled around to look behind him. Nothing was there.

  In the darkness of the tomb, Thotwa was completely alone, except a corpse and book.

  --

  The intensity of the ride made everyone, save Ayn, sick to their stomachs.

  As Axis flew through the atmosphere of Deius, he swooped down, and soon landed upon the mountain side where everyone immediately jumped off.

  “I know you said it was space-time travel, Ayn,” said Pei, doubled over, catching his breath, “but that’s not exactly what I expected!”

  “Nor I!” said Hynfir, leaning against Axis who was still in his rather large Sarax form. “If I had known it would feel like getting your insides mashed up in a food-mixer, I may not have joined this mission.”

  “Oh, quit your whining,” Axis griped as he quickly changed into his Sirini state, taking Hynfir, Meddhi, and Pei by surprise. “At least you didn’t have to carry four grown men on your back!”

  “Alright, that’s enough, everyone,” said Ayn, patting Axis’ back. “Traveling with a Sarax is difficult, I know, but it's the only way we could have the advantage. And Axis, I’m really glad you are here, not only because I missed you fiercely, but because flying with you is much quicker and stealthier than by ship.”