Convergence (The Dragon Within Saga Book 1)

by Roberto Vecchi

  Yet, his vision did not impart unto himself the joy the others were expressing, rather it left him empty and sorrowed. It left the appetite of his soul exceedingly hungry for that which he did not have: a sense of good. But then how did the others he was around have it? Did he miss some vital information in the vision set before his soul that he was supposed to understand? Panic began to shake him. Since he was a young child, he held this secret in him, to find an answer to the great question he faced, the quest propelling him to learn more, to do more, to endlessly search for the qualifying answer to his question. But no matter how much knowledge he amassed, how far he had risen in the sights of mortal success, nor how powerful he had become, he was never able to attain this level of raptured joy. A joy unhinged from mortality and driven by the utter understanding that though he was responsible for usurping the originally created divine plan, he was still loved, and he could yet be good. What had he missed? The panic began to rage and his mind began to spin, searching his base of knowledge and using it to sift through his vision. He had to find the answer; he had to find the way. But he could not. Nothing in his hundreds of years of learning had produced that which he needed to hear. He fell to his knees, and wept.

  Then, when the moment of his desperation reached its climax and nothing within him could produce a shred of hope, the vision coalesced into a robed figure glowing brightly and standing before him.

  "Come," said the robed man as he extended his hand. Uncertain and apprehensive, Intellos lifted his head, tears still streaking down his face.

  "Come," said the man again.

  "I cannot. I have not done enough," answered Intellos.

  "Come," again the man bid with an open hand and opened heart.

  "But I am not worthy," again the Wizard held fast to his subjective understanding of identity.

  "Come," the man said again, unrelenting in his insistence and unshakeable in his intent.

  "Why? Can you not see I lack everything? I have so much, I know so much, I have risen so high, yet here, now, I know I have nothing," said the wizard as he resigned to the revelation that he could never be enough.

  "Come," again the familiar word.

  "Have you not heard me? Do you not know me still? Can you not see I have nothing to offer you?" Intellos answered through hoarse screams.

  "Come! As you are, you are enough," added the man.

  Shredding his self-imposed argument, the three words "you are enough" blasted through any and every wall of mortal evaluations of who he thought he was and plummeted him into the oceanic revelation that his worth was not dependent upon himself, but the combined essence of the Dragon King and this man, if indeed he was a man at all. He found himself rising to a single knee.

  "Rise!" the man's voice unhinged all binds shackling his soul's ability to ascend to touch true worth and true love.

  Gathering himself, he gained his second footing and slowly unwound his previously grounded legs to meet the eyes of this man.

  "Now, Come!" again the man spoke, but this time with the authority of something beyond knowledge based upon understanding. He spoke as if it was a certain and unavoidable consequence of his words that any and all who heard them would follow, not because they were forced or coerced, but because their choices would be combined into the only one. And one they would absolutely choose.

  The wizard took a step toward the man, "Who are you?"

  "I Am, as My Father has appointed, I am Jesus, The Christ."

  "What must I do to follow You?" he said as the tears began to dry.

  "That which you have already done. You have become. Through me, you are made good and blameless. You have established within yourself all that you need, all that you have ever needed. Through Me, you have The Father inside you. For it is He who sees all things done."

  Instantly, the vision faded and the wizard was left in the all-encompassing presence of the great Golden Dragon again.

  "Sidon dua?"

  (Do you see?)

  "Yes, I see, finally I see."

  "Unduno Dra'sek."

  (Seek The Scribe)

  "Who is he?

  "Intosis dua."

  (All will be made known)

  "Where is he?"

  "Dra'ith dua, Mojis unith."

  (Faith shall lead you, young Wizard)

  Just as the vision of the man, Jesus, had faded from the eyes of his soul leaving the Golden Dragon as the dominating presence of his sight, so too did Lacorion dissolve as if He was never actually there. And though Intellos was the lone physical presence left in the enormous cavern, he did not feel alone. Struggling to somehow mentally process everything that had just occurred he, out of habit, resulted to what he had always done. He searched his mind for an explanation. Logic begat knowledge, but because logic had no home inside the confines of his recent experience, knowledge then had no residence either.

  But it was true. I had happened. He was then forced to acknowledge a greater existence than knowledge, that of faith. By faith, he was able to understand that there was a singular God who had created all things out of His love for all things. And this God was personally vested in the Wizard's individual fulfillment. He had created the perfect environment within which all creatures would be allowed to experience Him as He was meant to be experienced. But Intellos also understood it was the fault and blame of mortality which stood as the sole reason for the degeneration of such a perfectly created experience. Yet, borne through a love so great it birthed all, The Great God sent a Man to assume all of the blame upon Himself to restore all that mortality had lost.

  Through faith, Intellos understood the full aspect of redemption; and he understood that apart from this Man, Jesus, The Christ, he was but a continuation of that which mortality had lost. He understood that apart from Him, he was not good, but with Him and through Him, he was the professed embodiment of all that God had created, perfect and blameless in sight and sound, containing all the power and fundamental mobility God had intended. However, though this revelation spoke directly to his soul, he was left with another question, one he did not expect: What next?

  He knew this: there was still a presence within him, pulling him to stay mobilized on the path he had been set upon, but he did not know where he was being lead. Where are you now he silently asked of his new God, but no audible answer returned, nor did the Great Dragon manifest itself as a physical presence. Instead, the final words spoken to him echoed once again, this time though, as a silent confirmation that he had been given all he required to finish his task: Faith shall lead you, Young Wizard.

  Looking around, for the first time with his attention upon the cavern home to his divine experience, he noticed that there was an odd glow coming from the walls. In fact, it was this glow that allowed him to see. He thought it strange that he had not noticed this before, but then how could he have been attentive to anything but Lacorion when in His presence. Still, this glow allowed him to see what appeared to be a small pathway leading out of the great cavern. It was situated directly behind where the Dragon had been, but across the small, underground pool of water that had provided him access. The cavern floor was natural rock, as were the walls, but they were covered with a mossy growth, a growth he found was responsible for the glow and, consequently, his sight. He did not know if the glowing growth would be continued within the smaller confines of the hallway so he gathered some and put it around the tip of his staff to provide a natural light source.

  Narrow but spacious enough to allow for his easy passage, the small pathway led him noticeably deeper, both horizontally as well as vertically into the mountain. He was right to bring with him the mossy substance for light, but it was sufficient only to allow his sight to extend no farther than about twenty feet beyond his position. He acknowledge that he could have released a simple light spell to illuminate this passageway, but he learned at a young age that the unnecessary use of magic could have horrible consequences, and while those consequences would li
kely not be duplicated in his current situation, he was nevertheless, devoted to his convictions.

  He had always preferred to use physical means to accomplish tasks with a physical solution, and did not like to rely upon magic as the answer. Early in his youth, before he displayed any signs of possessing magical talent, his father had always stressed the necessity of manual labor as a source of more than just a means to physical conditioning, but also a centering focus for the mind. He could still hear his father say, hundreds of years removed from the end of his life, "It is not a bad thing to lose yourself in the mundane actions of physicality. For in this state, you just might find your peace."

  He carried this statement with him always and used it as a guide for his magical existence. He was relentlessly questioned by his peers, even his longest friend Bengrako, regarding his reasoning for limiting his magic to strictly situations demanding its necessity for success. Whereas other Wizards would employ a spell to create an illuminated a ball of light and hold it suspended above them to read late into the night, Intellos preferred the light of candles. He was often times mocked, and had it not been for this profound base of knowledge and his unequalled talent with magic, he would have been shunned by the wizards. Yet such that it was, his magical accomplishments far surpassed his colleagues.

  He chuckled momentarily at the current development of his status. Had his friends, in particular Bengrako, been with him now, in this narrow cavern, provided the large and overweight wizard could negotiate its twists and turns, he would undoubtedly be using several suspended balls of light; furthermore, he would no doubt be administering a lecture to the foolishness of his longtime friend regarding his refusal to utilize that which he was perfectly capable of utilizing. Bengrako. Long have they been friends and much did he have to share with him. He was grateful for their friendship because he knew he would be presented with much resistance from the High Council; however, such was the power embossed upon his soul, he could not keep it secret.

  Delving deeper still into the mountain he followed the path and was determined to reach its end, for at its end he was certain he would have his latest questioned answered. But he was not so focused upon this task that his mind was devoted to its seclusion; rather, it opened his awareness to the full extent of several more “what nexts” he was now facing. Indeed, Bengrako's support would be necessary when he presented his experience within the cavern to his fellow council members. It was true that he was the head of a marginally obedient body, but the body was not, and could not be controlled by the dictations of a single voice, regardless of the vast influence in its echo. Yes, he was grateful for his friend, one whom he held high in respect and confidence. Upon his return to the University, Bengrako would certainly require the initial visit.

  The Grand Wizard slowed as he turned the last corner, a straight ninety degrees. There was something close, an aura; no, not an aura because that necessitated a figure around which the aura existed. It could not be a presence either, because that would have necessitated a consciousness around which the presence was centered, and there was no consciousness. At least none he could feel. But there was something there, of that, he was sure. Shifting the focus of his spell slightly away from detecting that which is associated with life, he was able to, quite distinctly, detect a force. This power was set as a protection against all who were, from what he gathered from his spell, unworthy.

  Slowly and apprehensively he progressed down the path toward the power. Apprehensive because the return information from his spell, while it carried the conveyance of power, did so without the residual communication of magic and its potential. The pathway continued beyond his limited sight, but the protection was growing in its presence. When delving into the depth of caverns and crypts and all types of deeply hidden and secret passages, as wizards often do, his detection spell had never failed to provide him with a source linked to detectable powers. However, every time before, the source was always linked to a corresponding magical presence; yet this time, this first time, it was not. As odd as this was, had he not been only minutes away from the experience he had with The Dragon King, God, and the man named Jesus Christ, he would have been entirely confused. But, because of his recent revelation that faith existed where knowledge ended, he had identified this power as the same he was presented with when conversing with Lacorion. Its essence was faith, and he feared not.

  Down the passage he continued to walk, growing in confidence if not speed for one could never be completely sure of that which lurked in the depths of the deep places of Avendia. In the distance, he saw a familiar golden glow; familiar only because it resonated the same as the Dragon King, but much less in its totality. As this passage ended, it opened into a second great cavern, except this one was divided by an expansive chasm down its center. For a moment, despair entered into the wizard's mind. How could this be the end? He could clearly see the passageway continued on the other side of the cavern, but he could see no bridge upon which rested his crossing. All he could see was that which divided him from the success of his current endeavor, distance. The far side existed much too far away for him to consider jumping. He was forced to utilize the magic he sought so strictly to avoid except when in the conditions leaving him no choice, and if he desired a continuance to his journey within the mountain, he was left with no choice. He would have to access his talent.

  Such was his proficiency with reaching down into the reaches of his soul, it had become as natural as breathing. But it was not always such. In his youth, there were times when he struggled with either the creation or maintenance of his link. But long ago, such struggles were minimized into a fluid and rapid response from his talent to his will. There was now never a time where he failed to produce the magical solution he sought. Yet, when he instinctively and reluctantly reached to duplicate the simple flying spell he had used on occasion, propelled by the manipulation of air, there was no reactive coupling with his talent. Thinking he must have been temporarily jolted by his recent encounter with God, leading to a revelation that had changed everything for him, and would necessitate a similar change throughout Avendia, he attempted his spell again. But the same attempt yielded the same result. So engrossed was he with reaching the end of this pathway, that he failed to notice his detection spell had ended. And then he noticed something deeper. Not only had his access to his reservoir of magical ability been halted, he could no longer feel its presence whatsoever.

  Had the Great Creator intentionally severed his magic completely rendering all of his amassed power and knowledge obsolete? Or was it a necessary change based solely on the nature of divinity and not an intentional act of will? Regardless of the reason, one he did not understand in this moment, he was still faced with the existence of his current endeavor. What was The Dragon King's response to his two simple questions? "Faith shall lead you, Young Wizard".

  But what did that mean? How could he be required to follow something if he did not understand what he was following? He had never been one for rash actions, even in moments where others would experience panic, he had always been able to settle into the logical deductions hidden within his knowledge to find the answers he sought. Why had Lacorion said those last words to him? What was His intent? He could not fathom the depth of this being, nor understand its all-encompassing, beautiful completeness with any mortal processes available to his logical mind. From the time when he was even a young child, he understood that knowledge was focused upon understanding the physical world; that which could be seen, touched, felt, heard, and tasted. All knowledge progressed from this place of certainty. But the last statement from The Dragon King, clearly part of the Divine God, had not mentioned being led by knowledge, but rather, by faith.

  If he was not meant to be led by knowledge, it also meant he was not to be led by that which built knowledge, his five senses. What was faith and how was he to follow it if not by his senses? He walked to the edge of the cavern and looked into its depths. He saw no end. The light was easily enve
loped by its depths as it faded into blackness. He looked across to the other side hoping his sight had mislead him to believe the distance was greater than he could jump; but after a few seconds of observation, he concluded his sight contained no deception. The distance was indeed greater than his physicality would allow him to traverse.

  As he turned to step away from the cavern and continue his contemplation, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something embossed into the cavern wall above the continued pathway on the other side. He recognized it as the language he was first presented with in The Book of All. He peered more deeply, recognizing some familiarity to the placement of the ancient letters. Right before he was about to dismiss the words as unreadable, he thought he recognized a letter. Standing at the end of the ledge, he continued to examine the letters. Yes, they were becoming familiar to him, and that familiarity slowly gave way to understanding. Without knowing how, he was able to read the statement above the pathway. Embossed in the cavern wall was the sentence:

  Dra’ith dua cuoin esto dra’nos, dua cuoin enon lokse, dua cuoin Inconi dua.

  "Now faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality."

  Identified within this one simple statement of truth resided a multitude of possibilities turned into potentials. For "possible" meant it might not be, but "potential" contained all that could be if only acted upon thereby transforming it once again into certainty. This statement spoke to him directly and answered all the questions facing him. While knowledge dealt with the confines of understanding the mortal world, and could logically be utilized to reveal all the secrets of our mortal condition, it was confined by the very nature it sought to explain. Knowledge lead to the gap, but faith crossed it. Faith was that which could go where knowledge could not. Knowledge had a finite end, yet faith was infinite because it did not operate on the revelation of the physical and knowable, instead it utilized the unseen to give manifestation to that which is hoped for.