AaQar smiled softly, the edges of his lips turning up just at the corners. Still that sadness remained, flowing from him like a river too strong to escape. "I do. Indeed, we all do, Amelia. Elonumato was once great, and He is yet the Creator of All. I will always respect Him, for I believe that at His core, He is good. But He has lost wisdom in His age, and His love for His creation has blinded Him."
"Just because another three would be Paras?" Amelia asked, frowning. She adjusted her sleeve and then folded arms, shivering in the coolness.
"Because Elonumato intended to reinstate the other races as Paras and leaders among the worlds." Naatos strode into the hall. "While all of the others would have been problematic, the Awdawms are particularly so. Their foolishness and weakness has led to much grief in the worlds. Even against Elonumato himself. Yet after little more than a few millennium, he would have chosen to reinstate them fully. And after all that we have suffered." Naatos fixed his gaze on Amelia. "And with the Tue-Rahs already weakened, the Paras who were chosen for the next term were incapable of holding its defenses. Even we struggled. Beneath our vigilant watch, two races were lost."
"What is wrong with the Awdawms and the other races?" Amelia searched the other tapestries, hoping to find some clue. Her gaze settled on one toward the middle of the hall. It depicted a man with a dagger, a shadow leaning over him as he stood before a great river. Elonumato stood across the river, reaching out to the man, grief in His eyes.
"Is everything prepared?" AaQar asked.
Naatos shook his head, a slight frown still on his face. "WroOth needs more time. But soon."
AaQar lifted an eyebrow. "He is well?"
Naatos subtly shook his head and then came alongside Amelia.
"What's wrong with WroOth?" Amelia asked.
Naatos began speaking as if he had not heard her. "The core of our greatest troubles came from the Awdawms, Amelia. All of the troubles of all the worlds. I suspect that they may have been Elonumato's favorite, for they were intended to be the leaders. He gave to them the gift of creation and divine gifted inspiration. While they could not create in the same fashion as he, they could bring life on a smaller scale. It was intended that they would assist in governing the races. Each race would, of course, have its own leader. But the Awdawms would be the final arbiters. In cases of disputes between the races, the Awdawms would finalize the decision after listening to the counsel of the others. But the Awdawms…"
Naatos paced along the hall, observing the tapestries. "The forefather and foremother of the Awdawms were faced with a choice, the same choice that every other race faced. And they knew the consequences of that choice as well as the rest. Elonumato said that all had to face it, for the freedom of that choice was at the heart of the sentient creation. But when the nameless one came, the Awdawms spoke with him at length. And then…" Naatos's gaze hardened. He looked back at Amelia and motioned to another tapestry that depicted a shattering door with light and fire streaming from it, and a man and woman fleeing in terror. "They unleashed the nameless one, for he said that with his release they could truly know and understand what was good and perfect. But what they forgot in their eagerness was that the fullness of that knowledge required that they know suffering and evil and all manner of torments that the nameless one brought from the dimension in which Elonumato had imprisoned him ages ago.
"That evil spread, and suddenly it was not enough that each of the forefathers and foremothers had to choose whether to unleash the nameless one and decide for themselves. Suddenly there were other greater temptations, the urges to do that which was evil. It spread as the nameless one fed. And as soon as one gave into the temptation, then came Death, but not Death as you know it. For Death could not take the innocent or the pure. And it did not come through old age or sickness. Indeed, there was no aging past their prime for any of the races. But the sentients could slay one another, and if one had tasted evil in the slightest, then that one could die."
"Wait." Amelia held up her hand, frowning slightly. "You mean that there's more than one kind of Death? How does that even work? And what's going on with WroOth? Is he all right?"
"The Death that escaped first was a limited Death." Naatos paced beneath another tapestry, placing his hand on the one and lightly running his fingers along. "Only those who had been tainted by evil could die. All others would live as they had. It is sometimes known as the Half Death. The Full Death is Death as you know it. Death which can strike anyone at any time without regard to innocence or guilt. The ravages of time and decay as well as illness, disease, and rot. Even one who is entirely pure could still die, having done nothing to deserve it. That is the curse of the Full Death.
"Elonumato was grieved beyond reason at the coming of Half Death though he should have known that this would happen. Some say that the choice to permit Half Death had to be allowed or else the paradise that was created would have no meaning." Naatos gave a contemptuous laugh. He folded his arms, glaring at the depiction of the Awdawm forefather and foremother. "He should have cut down those two right then. But somehow he still believed that they could be…redeemed. Yet again and again the Awdawms demonstrated their obstinacy. There was even a plan at one point for the Awdawms to attempt to start all over again and recreate themselves far greater than before. That obstinacy grew with each birth of each new member until Elonumato stripped them of their position and stripped them of their abilities save the vaguest of echoes. One day, perhaps they would be restored to their former glory, but until that time, they were relegated to the lowest of places.
"That should have been enough. The other races should have known better than to listen to anything that an Awdawm had to say. But somehow the Awdawms spoke words of incitement to the other races. By this time, there were hundreds among the races. The Awdawms went among them, incensed by Elonumato's actions. Te, the leader of the Awdawms, determined that they would march upon Elonumato and take back their birthright. He sent his men and women throughout all of the Central Worlds, asking who would come to their aid lest the one who created them later deemed them unworthy and took all their base powers as well.
"The Unatos sympathized with the Awdawms. Why should Elonumato have allowed them to have such a choice when the consequences of the wrong choice were so dire? They sided with the Awdawms as did the Bealorns and the Tiablos. The Shivennans summoned the Vawtrians, their closest brothers, and asked that they would fight with them. But the Vawtrians refused. We knew well what the consequences would be. We were not alone. We, the Neyeb, and the Machat refused.
"This caused great offense as the armies against Elonumato amassed. The Vawtrians, Neyeb, and Machat went out among the peoples, begging them to reconsider and warning them of the consequences. The Machat suffered in particular, seeing a great horror that would be unleashed. Another choice that necessarily followed from the first. How could Half Death come and Full Death not eventually follow? For up to this point, one had to err or give into evil in some fashion for suffering to take hold. Besides seeing loved ones err and suffer of course. No one was saved from that pain. But what the Machat saw was the fullness of death and separation." Naatos stopped in front of a tapestry that depicted little more than darkness and grasping hands. "They prophesied that if this endeavor continued, the innocents, the infants, the children…they would suffer too. Those who were otherwise protected.
"The armies against Elonumato refused to listen. They persecuted those who spoke against them, though few of their ranks did turn. But most believed that Elonumato had denied them what was rightfully theirs, and it was their task to take it back, even if it meant destroying him."
Amelia frowned as she listened. "They thought Elonumato did not know what was best?" That sounded very familiar. How could Naatos miss something so obvious?
"Yes." Naatos strode toward the next tapestry, seeming to miss her pointed question.
"Now in those days, Elonumato had not completely separated his land from the others. It was accessible through the Tue-Rah
as any realm, and there were no Paras. All could use the Tue-Rahs freely.
"Three Vawtrians, Sheial, Balnock, and Taros, had kept themselves pure. None had given into evil or any of its temptations. They battled Te in a valley before the sea, and they hampered him at every step. But they could not kill him, for he was always surrounded by his own men. And Te soon grew to hate them. Death blows were struck against these three time and again, yet they never fell. But the pain that they endured was so great that they could not fight, and the perpetual temptations that were placed before them made it even more difficult to continue. So they returned to Ecekom and gathered together the Neyeb, the Machat, and the Vawtrians. They told them that there was no other course but battle. Even if Elonumato could defend himself, they should be in Elonumato's land and take part in the war. Even if not all were pure, they should at least take that stand. So they went.
"The armies against Elonumato also gathered together and prepared to march, but the night before they struck, the nameless one came to Te. He told him that if he marched on Elonumato, cut himself, recited a particular incantation, ground up the written words of the incantation, and then poured them along with his blood into the River of Laode in Elonumato's land, the river from which every soul is born, then the greatest power of all would be unleashed. It would give Te dominion over all his enemies, including the three Vawtrians who had caused him such trouble. All in that force agreed that the incantation should be made and that the honor belonged to Te. They arrived at the break of dawn just as the defenders of Elonumato arrived.
"A great battle should have ensued, and the lush gardens of Elonumato's land would have been bathed in blood had not Elonumato left his pavilion and locked all within the prisons of wind except Te. Te had already reached the river with the nameless one at his side. He stood over it, the dagger in his hand. Elonumato should have struck him down there. He did not even have to slay all the Awdawms. Only this one. But mercy to one condemns many, and Elonumato still held to the strangest of convictions that a choice should not be denied. What good is obedience if there is no choice but to serve? What good is love if there is no choice but to return it?"
"Yes," Amelia said, folding her arms. "What good is love if it is forced, trapped, or bought?" Was Naatos really so blind?
Naatos's eyes narrowed. AaQar chuckled slightly as Naatos stared at her. Then slowly, he turned his gaze back to the tapestry of Te. "Through Elonumato's foresight, he could see all ways, all paths, and so he knew what would most likely transpire. But he did not stop it! No. Elonumato warned Te. He told Te of what would come about if he followed through on this incantation. That Death and Suffering would come even upon those who did not deserve it, and it would create a place from which not even Elonumato could rescue them if they entered it after death. But Te defied him, and in so doing he brought the Fullness of Death and Suffering upon the world.
"The grief was at once felt. The land shook, the river cracked, blood stained the waters. All who were born would be faced with temptation from within, not simply without. Their souls would be blighted. Evil was now present within all, forever tainting the souls. And a great void tore through the air, opening a wailing portal into the realm where the nameless one had once been cast. The nameless one laughed at this, declaring that this, the prison which Elonumato had devised for him and his followers, would be the dwelling place of all who died to suffer for all of eternity. He struck Te between the shoulders with the very blade of the incantation and dragged him through.
"That portal was filled with the essence of all that pained Elonumato, for all evil was toxic to him. Yet apparently he gave it no thought. He leaped into the portal and seized the nameless one by the throat. They battled, the portal tearing at Elonumato's flesh and inflicting great wounds upon him. The nameless one believed though that he had won a great victory for he had Elonumato himself, and he told Elonumato that he could have all the innocents and all who chose him if he covered them with his spirit, which he believed would cost Elonumato his life. Elonumato himself, though pure, was now vulnerable to death, or so the nameless one thought. But Elonumato tore out his spirit and ripped it apart so that it might flow through all the worlds and save every innocent and every one that chose to follow him. In doing so he was forced to endure all of the pain and all of the suffering of all the races and worlds combined. More than that, he seized Te, stating that Te was not yet dead and still had a choice to make.
"Elonumato was far stronger than any realized. He could not be held in the nameless one's realm. He imprisoned the nameless one again until the end of all ages and returned to his own land where the races awaited him, breathless and terrified. Elonumato brought with him Te and healed his wounds. That worthless waste of breath and life was saved! Even after all he had done, all the suffering he brought upon the worlds." Naatos stopped himself and drew a deep breath, relaxing his fists. "But that was not all…
"Elonumato had won back all the souls of his sentients so long as they simply chose him. But those who chose to defy and reject him would be condemned to annihilation with the nameless one unless they themselves were pure. But if they erred even once, no matter how slight the stain, they would have no hope except Elonumato. The choice had to be made freely though, and neither Elonumato nor the nameless one were allowed to interfere with the choice which could be made at any time.
"But Elonumato could not remain close to his creation because of this agreement. To allow for the full freedom of that choice, he broke his land off from the Tue-Rah and the other realms. His mercy remained, he said. For if some grew up without knowing Elonumato, there would be more grace. He poured himself into the River Laode as well so that every soul born would be drawn to him in some way. When Elonumato separated his land from the Tue-Rah's direct access, there was great mourning and fear among the peoples. Even the pure feared that he had abandoned them. Yet Elonumato told them that though he would always be with them, ever-hearing though often unseen and silent. But both the separation and silence were necessary until the end of the ages.
"More had to change. The races who stood by Elonumato suffered greatly. The Neyeb writhed in agony under the pain of the nameless one's violation. They could see into the hearts and minds of all that they chose, and the evil that they could see, even among those that they loved and who fought it, was noxious to their souls. The Machat likewise wept under the burden of foretellings and prophecies that revealed such grief and destruction. All hope was distant, far from completion until the nameless one's destruction and the full passage of the ages. And the Vawtrians suffered grievously for with the coming of death came pain and wounds that would not heal. Their own bodies tore them apart and left them in agony.
"So Elonumato blessed them. To the Neyeb, he gave the ability to find the good, to nurture it and help it to grow, healing minds corrupted and tainted just as he could. To the Machat, he gave sight beyond the full passage of the ages and limited their foresight that they would not have to see every possible outcome. He created the Levthro instead that they might view it in certain cases rather than being driven to madness. And to the Vawtrians he gave the ability to heal and to grow in strength so that pain and decay would mean little, and they could better serve as the guardians and protectors they were meant to be. Since none of these three races had participated in the rebellion, Elonumato also decreed that they should suffer no natural death. Though they could be killed, they would not otherwise die unless they chose to."
Amelia looked up with surprise. "Wait…I'm Neyeb. So that means I don't have a natural death?" If she managed to survive the restoration and Naatos, she would have an immortal life here?
Naatos hesitated. "Being a blood child changes some things. Sadly. Though it does not have to remain that way now that you are allied with me. Continuing on though, Elonumato named leaders from these three races to assist in overseeing the others and the Tue-Rah.
"The races who stood against Elonumato were punished, though they were not destroyed. And Elo
numato determined that the Tue-Rahs should also be protected. Thus he determined that three Paras should serve for a period of 600 years. The Paras would oversee the care of the Tue-Rahs on their world and of the cities in which the Tue-Rahs were housed. They were to see to it that the Tue-Rahs were used for good rather than evil. The Paras were chosen from the three races that did not rebel. Those races that defied Elonumato were not allowed to participate, and they were to be governed by representatives from the three races as well, though Elonumato stressed that no additional punishment was to be meted out." Naatos strode to the end of the chamber and lifted his hand. "There are the first three Paras at the beginning of the First Age of the Paras. Sheial, Para of Ecekom. She was an Almonyek Vawtrian like Taros, Para of Eiram. And Balnock was Para of Reltux. He was a Keyr Vawtrian."
"Are they your ancestors?" Amelia asked. From the depiction in the tapestry, those three did not look much like the brothers. But Balnock did have black hair and blue eyes.
"Not directly," Naatos said. "But they were some of the greatest of Vawtrians to ever live."
Amelia continued down the hall, looking to the second and third tapestries. From the brown markings on their otherwise pale skin and the fernlike designs, Amelia guessed that they were Machat while the others were Neyeb. "Who were they?"
"The Paras during the Third Age. Oloto, Horasa, Maeti." Naatos gestured to the next tapestry. "And those are the Neyeb Paras of the Second Age. Eishan, Nuatoshe, and Loada. Salanca claimed that Eishan was one of your relatives, but I do not know whether that is true. I suppose it could be said that you have her eyes."
"And I'm sure you recognize the Paras of the Seventh Age," WroOth said, coming up behind Amelia. "We look quite grand as tapestry depictions, don't you think?"
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