Armed with this greater revelation, he again looked into the depths of the cavern and saw what he had seen before, an endless hole into which he would plummet. Then he looked to the other side, toward the safety of the solid ground and the continuation of his divinely placed endeavor. Whereas before his attention and focus was placed within the inevitability of his death should he attempt to cross, now it was solidly placed on the potential of his success having been fueled by his great experience and catalyzed by the words he read. In this moment, he saw the impossible become possible, the possible become potential, and the potential become certainty.
Looking across the underground ravine, he closed his eyes and uttered a silent hope toward his success. This was the moment. He was left with no choice but to believe if he wished to continue toward the completion of the task set before him. After being in the presence of the God, and seeing the vision of the sacrificial love exhibited by He who was revealed as The Christ, how could he not finish what had been started? His mortality had been deconstructed on the most basic level as all of his imperfect limitations were stripped away and rebuilt upon a foundation of endlessness divinity for no other reason than the selfless love contained within God. He owed too much to stop. He had to continue and that meant he had to step. Slowly, as he opened his eyes, still focused upon the other side of the chasm, he raised his foot. Holding it suspended in the air for a pause and a breath, he let it descend toward potential.
Catching himself upon a solid foothold, he looked down and saw, not himself floating over the chasm as he had thought, but solid rock beneath him. He looked behind him for confirmation and saw that between himself and the ledge he was just standing on was the great chasm, ominously presenting its depth in the same doom as it did when he was still on the other side. He looked ahead and searched for the embossed words responsible for his understanding, but they were no longer visible above the stone walled pathway. In their place was nothing more than the rough surface of the cavern wall. As his eyes inched downward, he knew he yet had farther to delve into the bowels of the mountain. He closed his eyes momentarily to offer a silent statement of thanksgiving and continued his progression into the unknown.
A short while into this new part of the cavern pathway, he noticed a decidedly different quality to the air. With each step, it seemed to get thicker. He felt his brow become moist with sweat, an indication the temperature was indeed beginning to elevate. While he still had his moss covered staff to provide light, there was a faint light source coming from ahead. Turning two corners placed not far apart, both the light and heat continued to increase. Rounding yet another corner revealed a very bright orange glow coming from what appeared to be the passageway's end. As he reached it, he suspected the light and heat was the result of fire. And stepping out into yet another large cavern, his suspicions were confirmed.
Set before him, and emitted from each of cave's four surfaces, was a wall of flames. Much smaller than the cavern with the chasm, this one presented with another seemingly impassible obstacle. The cavern room was intensely hot causing his sweat to steadily bead and drip down his face. The top of his robes around his neck were beginning to show signs of his body's attempt at cooling itself. He estimated the distance between he and the flames as almost fifty feet. At this distance, while he should be feeling heat, it should not be at this level of intensity. He knew fire, intimately. Fire was one of his foremost areas of study and had been for many, many years. Because he was so well schooled with the element, he was able to manipulate it at will with little thought. But just like at the chasm, he was unable to connect with his magical reservoir; consequently, he was unable to quench the flames.
While they presented a similar obstacle to his passage, it was not altogether the same as the chasm. Exercising his faith to cross the chasm was bolstered by the fact he could focus upon the eventual outcome because he could visually see it. Likewise, he could also avoid acknowledging the existence of the possible fall by closing his eyes. But the flames presented something he could not ignore by simply eliminating it from his visual acknowledgment. Even with them closed, he could feel its presence as heat. Neither could he focus on his passage because the flames blocked his sight to the other side. It was being made more and more clear to him that he would not be able to bypass the flames leaving one and only one alternative. He would have to walk through them. But how?
He once again looked at the fire to see if there was a hole through which he could see the other side, but to his dismay, there was none. As he continued his examination of the wall of flames, growing out of their flickering, he began to see a pattern forming. Faint at first, he could almost grasp it with his sight. It continued to grow in its brightness until the point of hurting his eyes; however, the longer he stared at it, the clearer it became. In the same language as the words above the cavern pathway embossed into the rock, he saw more words forming within the flows of the flames. When they were completely clear, he read the following:
Ento Dra’utro dua pratiste dua Thro. Dra’Go dua lokko duas Dra’ith ensuu Dra’Go
"Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him"
Long had he depended upon his knowledge as the beginning and end to all of his endeavors. He used it to go before him and grant him insight into that which he was progressing toward. He used it, on countless occasions, to provide him shelter against everything from intentional attacks, both of magical and physical origins, to the simple effects of the natural elements. He had forgotten just how oppressive the heat could be. Over his lifetime, one of his lengthy studies had been on energies, and as an indirect result of his studies, he had been able to craft several unique spells that would act as a shield against the effects of various types of energies, one of which was heat. This was particularly effective against fire as it was the heat of the flames and not necessarily the flames themselves that was responsible for the awful damage carried within its multicolored potential. Yet now, when he could neither see nor focus on a potential shield, he was presented with another quandary whose solution rested inside the meaning of the words he had just read.
A vital component to revealing knowledge was the act of testing a theory. He spent countless hours in his research laboratory testing that which he observed. Observation lead to thought, thought lead to research, research lead to tests, and tests lead to knowledge. One could not hope to have true knowledge without verifying if research could stand against tests. By this method did he discover and prove that flame without heat offered no negative effects to his hand when passing through it. Yet now, all of his hours of testing could not be used to either quell the flames or to remove their heat rendering them impotent. How could he utilize that which he now read on the flames, in the cryptic language, and put it to test?
And then the solution presented itself to him in the same manner as it had previously. He need not test the words he read. The very nature of God, The Dragon King, and The Christ predisposed any required test because a condition of perfection was purification. That which emanated from God, by nature, was beyond reproach and true. Every word uttered, every word read, and every direction felt was true and complete already. He need not take hours and hours to test. If that which was from God was presented, with clear and pure intent, and because God could not be anything less, then everything from Him was true.
And then he saw the rub. It was true that God indeed was a shield, but only to those who trusted in Him. Did he trust in God? More to the point, did he trust in God enough to face these flames and remain unharmed? He acknowledged that the ravine had provided him with two physical senses upon which he could focus and concentrate; therefore allowing the wizard to rely, in part, upon the assistance of his physically received information. But he was finding that it was one thing to believe in something that could be verified by the senses, and something altogether different when faced with testing faith against that which could not be assisted by mortality's defi
ning attributes. Yet, when the need to test and verify was removed, the latter half of the words he read presented with a resounding weight. If there was no need to test, then there was no need to implement the abilities of his physical condition. The only principle requiring activation was faith. However, aside from having no physical verification or point of focus as he did with the ravine, the faith of this obstacle proved to contain another difference.
With the chasm, in order to cross it, the activation of his faith required an action upon his part. If he did not actively step into the chasm, then there would be no action to his faith, and thus it would remain without manifestation causing him to still be standing on the opposite side wondering how he was going to cross. But, upon his action, which symbolized a true measure of his faith, God's power was activated and he found himself across an impassible obstacle. Action was then the key to the activation of faith and the manifestation of God's active power. Yet here, after reading these words, was an action required to be protected? This was an altogether different type of faith, one that did not depend on what he did, but entirely upon what he believed. Yes, it was true that his passage beyond the flames required he walk through them, but that which would protect him depended nothing upon his act of walking nor in his belief he would be unharmed, but rather, in the simple truth that he believe God's word IS tested and purified containing neither deception nor impurities. So it came to this: did he believe God contained only that which God is, or was He the reflection, like so many mortals, of a duality inherent in existence?
It was becoming clearer and clearer to the wizard that his was the competency that was being tested and the duality inherent in existence was within him, not The Creator. He was left with one solution to the flames. He must once again, trust in the greater aspect of divinity over the knowledge he had grown well accustomed to depending upon. He must trust in God alone as his sole provider of refuge and protection and not upon anything he himself had done, or was doing, or would do; for to link his faith in God to either his own mortal successes or failures was to not trust God as the fully tested and completely pure entity He is.
He merely faced a very simple question: did he stand in agreement with the inspired words of God, or did he not? All he need do was agree that God was and that He was a protector of those who trusted in Him. He smiled as he admitted to himself that had he not found the Dragon King, and had the Dragon King not displayed himself in the splendor He did, resulting in His vision of Jesus, The Christ, he likely would have not believed. But set against the magnitude of the experience he had just been exposed to, anything less than his agreement would be tantamount to insanity.
He tentatively approached the flames, his robes now completely soaked through with sweat and his eyes stinging from that which dripped off his brow. With each step he took, the heat of the flames grew upon his skin. The light began to hurt his eyes and he continued to drip large droplets down his back and under his arms. There were no physical indications that he was being protected from any of the damaging effects of the fire thus far; but he knew he had to continue. And he knew he had no choice but to rely completely upon the words he read in the fire, which were now faded from sight.
When he was but a few short paces away from the flames, he noticed that while there was still a large amount of heat emanating from the burning barrier, it had not transitioned into pain or damage. He was well aware of the potential destruction carried within fire as it was his choice weapon in most combative arenas; however, the progression of that potential had been halted before its full effect could be manifest. Even his eyes were able to remain open and withstand the heat. He took another small step and observed there was still no increase in heat and, thus, no transition to pain. Furthermore, his body had undergone no ill effects from being well within the damaging radius of the intense flames. Taking another step saw his boldness grow, and two more saw him pass through the fire without harm being done. He looked back, just as he had done when on the opposite side of the chasm, and offered a silent thanksgiving.
Standing opposite the flames was yet another cave like passage leading even further into the depths of mountain. Indeed, this mountain housed more than was readily known; but the wizard questioned how far he was meant to follow. Was he supposed to simply learn from these obstacles to allow him to grow, or was there a destination, an end to his endeavor?
Winding through more twists and turns, he was thankful that there were no diverging pathways to choose between. If there was a single fault of his he wished he could improve upon, it was his directional sense, or rather, his lack thereof. He learned very early in his wizarding education to utilize his magic if he ever hoped to successfully navigate the plethora of quests he found himself undertaking. As he wound even more deeply within the rocky darkness, he was silently thankful for the foresight of his current path's design.
For the last several hours, the slope of the passageway had been steadily leading him downward. The decline was easily negotiable, but it was also quite noticeable. Walking another several paces allowed him to feel the cessation of the declining progression. As the cave both leveled off and straightened out, he could see, at the end of a very long corridor, a faint glow that resembled the mossy like substance still on the tip of his staff.
As he walked toward what he hoped was the end to this tremendous journey, the air he breathed began to freshen and cool. In more ways than just the blatantly obvious, this mountain was very much unlike the other underground terrains he had traversed. Whereas their air grew cooler the farther into the ground he progressed, this mountain saw the air grow warmer and thicker, and though he had been spared the ill effects of the flames, the moisture laden air was taxing his breathing. He paused to take a long awaited, deep inhalation of the refreshing air and considered, or at least tried to, all that had happened since he opened The Book of All. He felt like he had on his first day at the university when all knowledge presented as the unknown dangling right in front of his wetted curiosity bidding him to reveal all of its secrets. Gradually, over time, with the more he learned and assimilated into his vast knowledge base, his excitement for the new waned. When he accepted the position of Grand Wizard of the Council and High Wizard of the University, it vanished completely. He had devoted so much time to the operation of things, including the safety of Avendia as a realm, that he no longer viewed the unknown as an opportunity to discover that which he or anyone else had not, but as another piece of and endless puzzle he was doomed to suffer through and not complete.
But now, with his discovery of true divinity and all things contained within, he was, for the first time in a long time, excited to learn. His strides grew in vigor and confidence as he stepped powerfully toward the faint light at the end of the corridor. And with each step, his excitement and boldness grew until it almost consumed him. He might not know what lay at the end, but he did know that whatever it was, it was there for him. After all, why had God called him here if not to reveal to him all His knowable material? This divine realm was being placed at his feet for him to learn and understand.
As he came to the threshold of the corridor he saw, beyond its opening, the grandest of all the caverns. Housed within were hundreds and hundreds of parchments, scrolls, and books. Often times, throughout the years, when visitors had come to the Library of the University, they had remarked how finite they felt, how small they appeared, and how insufficient their own knowledge was when measured against that which was contained upon the endless shelves. He too had felt this for several years while he was a student at the university. Most, if not all, people who valued knowledge shared this kindred emotion when standing before the unending volumes of information. Just as he had lifetimes ago, many of his students had become all but paralyzed when faced with the daunting decision of where to begin. So, when seeing these endless scrolls before him now, he would have expected himself to feel infinitely small, but he did not. He felt engaged, catalyzed to complete all he was meant to complete. Cl
early these scrolls, and the knowledge they contained were meant for him and him alone. After all, who better to present this amount of new knowledge to than he, Intellos Saa'ik, Saa'ir, The Grand Wizard? Hiking up his robes slightly so they did not drag under his feet and slow his progression, he strode boldly to the cavern opening. He was finally able to delve wholeheartedly into that which he valued above all else, knowledge.
Over the years, his creativity allowed him to apply his knowledge in areas it was previously thought useless. There was no greater example of this than his participation in a minor skirmish between the dwarves of The Four Pillars and those of The Foundation. There was a tremendous deception played out between the two forces that was orchestrated by the Ogre tribes of the Endless Plains. It was a skirmish because of Intellos's quick thinking, and had it not been for the Wizard's intervention, it would have escalated to a war. The army of the Four Pillars was advancing on the position of the army of The Foundation with all intention of avenging the deaths of their scouting party. Both armies were tremendous in their efficiency and well supplied to engage in more than just a battle. A campaign of vengeance was upon both of their minds. Intellos had arrived at too late an hour to help with negotiations. And as a wizard, he was forced to stand without a side, but he could not sit idly and allow the battle to take place. He noticed the battlefield was on the boarders of the Dusty Dessert, so named because of the overabundance of winds blowing a constant dust of sand within its boundaries. The wizard used his mastery of fire to heat the sand filled grounds between the two armies and erected a thick glass barrier. He saw the advancing dwarves walk right into the clear wall preventing their battle from taking place. He was reminded of this as he slammed into a similar clear barrier at the entrance to the cavern with the scrolls.
Convergence (The Dragon Within Saga Book 1) Page 48