> That thing we must aspire absolute unity to is that thing we call the Scarlet God. We call Ksewra the Scarlet God for He has engorged and libationed the Universal Poison that arose from the Spider-Serpent Encircling The World, otherwise known as the Milky Way. Only He could have done such a feat, you know. Only he could have performed such greatness. Because to him, Death is not separate from life. Poison is not a killing substance. And this we must realize so that we would understand our Godly Nature, so that our Souls will finally return to Him. Through this, we attain True Liberation from the Wheel of Pain.

>

> From Unsurpassed Yoking Rituals

Raxri blinked, froze. Akazha, who was sitting down upon her flying sword once again, stumbled over and crashed to the ground. Her kalis skewered the earth.

In the silence that followed, Sintra said: "You two act like an elderly couple who has grown tired of each other." He laughed.

Raxri shrugged. "I have only known Akazha for around three moons. After they saved me from the Vault of Souls."

"Oh, that place opens yet? I thought for sure it had been abandoned. Its guardian spirits have left it."

"And!" Akazha stood and raised her finger, patting soil away from her clothes. "And. We are not together."

"I have been living under her roof as a tenant," said Raxri. "So we are together in the sense that we live together."

"Raxri it would be wise of you to abide in silence," said Akazha, turning to Sintra. "It's not... ah, we are not together in the way that you think."

"I see," Sintra stroked his beard. A certain playful smile boiled underneath his fire. He was proud of himself for having been able to do do this to them. "But... would the two of you not want to be together in that way?"

"Cease." was what Akazha said.

"What way?" was what Raxri said.

Sintra chuckled. "Forgive me. I was simply teasing. These are things you will understand in due time, Raxri."

Akazha shot Raxri a look. "Don't tell me you truly don't understand what Sintra Kennin has been implying with this teasing."

"I can only ascertain that perhaps Sintra Kennin thought we were in a sort of romantic relationship," said Raxri scratching their head. "But I did not wish to be so arrogant and think that!"

"That's exactly what he meant," said Akazha rolling her eyes. She kicked her kalis up into the air and then rode upon it once again.

Raxri wondered if they would wish to be in such a relationship with Akazha, though they quickly shed this thought when they remembered what they were supposed to ask Sintra Kennin. "Oh, right, Sintra Kennin, I was meaning to ask. Would you tell me about the Scarlet God faith? I would love to hear about it from the perspective of an adherent."

The three of them began walking down the river once again. "Ah, you've never heard of the Scarlet God before?"

"I have, but I've never been to their temples and worship sites," replied Raxri, shrugging. "I've heard of the Scarlet God, but I've never heard the Scarlet God."

"Well, I will regale it to you through my own experiences, rather than appealing to what is similar to the Law. I shall tell the foremost tales I've been told by my father's court priests, who were in charge of educating us. "

"Very well."

Akazha stayed silent.

"The Creator of All Things, from which every thing arises, is what we call the Oversoul. This Oversoul is, in a word, supreme reality. Everything arises from it, and everything returns to it. This Oversoul is known to us as Ksewran, that is the name they often choose to appear in this world. Ksewran is the Howling Thundering God of Destruction. But not wanton destruction, not destruction in the way that only brings sorrow in pain. Destruction in the way that removes obstacles, allows new life to grow, allows for the creation of a universe.

"According to the Ksewraya Elderlore, the foremost of our holy texts of which we have a large corpus of, this world was created after the Absolute Annihilation of the last one. After which Ksewran deemed it fit to rest."

Raxri tapped their chin. "Why would the absolute reality require rest?"

Sintra Kennin replied, "Firstly because absolute reality should include all things that are, indiscriminately, would you not think? Secondly because the Oversoul must teach us mortals all things that are good. What is an Oversoul but an example? And so He teaches that the first thing one must do in the face of annihilation or creation is always to find repose."

Raxri nodded thoughtfully. Akazha watched Raxri's reactions from upon her floating kalis.

"After resting, two Great Beings, known as the Highest Gods, emanated from his two nostrils. Both of them were colored differently. You see, Ksewran is known as the Scarlet God only to us and only because of his scarlet fire and his scarlet throat. In truth, Ksewran is the color of camphor, which is pure white in color. And He is Pure White because White contains all the colors within it, and so Ksewran does so as well, containing all of reality within Him.

"The two Gods that slipped out from his nostrils were Prajjah the Golden One and Kresva the Black One. Prajjah was Gold because He slipped out first, and in the kalpa it took for Kresva to slip out next, he had Created this Universe, as that was his destiny. Then, when Kresva slipped out afterwards, he formed everything else from the created universe, and became its vaunted protector, for that was his Destiny. In Pemi Island and in the Eastern Timog Ra-Om, we call this word Damla. It is a multifaceted word that means: 'Your Duty Is The Destiny You Yourself Will Choose.' In other words, it is to say: 'It is both the Law and Your Choice. It is both your Past and your Future.'

"When Prajjah the Gold and Kresva the Black saw each other for the first time, they both had thought they were the only ones to have emanated from the Great Resting Prime. And so they fought. 'I was born first and my essence is closer to Him!' said Prajjah. 'I created all this Substance!'

"'I was born last and my essence is Him Perfected!' argued Kresva the Black. 'I arranged all your Subtance into Beauty!' And so they fought and warred to see who was the most powerful one, who was the one who deserved to be as Ksewran. Eventually, their warring brough wanton destruction across the Realms and the entirety of the Cosmos, harming all those that lived within. They hurled galaxy sized mountains, struck with weapons burning with the light-fire of the stars, fought with blades forged from the dust of supernovas. They fought so much that the intense and viscous sea of chaos that covered and submerged the world was churned and evaporated, creating the blackness of the night sky you see today.

"But wanton destruction is rejected by none other than the Oversoul of Supreme Annihilation Himself. Due to this violence upon violence, Ksewran awoke, and made the two of them fight Him. Of course, in the end, Ksewran won. And that was when Prajjah and Kresva kowtowed to him, supplicated, and created the first altar to him in the shape of a spire piercing the sky, for that was how Ksewran defeated them. By becoming a piercing light that shone and burned them. Thus, Ksewran gave them their tasks and went back to sleep. But Ksewran's sleep is light. For he has gained great devotees in the mortal realms, who have been taught of the truth of the Supreme Oversoul. And so, with joy, the Absolute Reality taught the First Sage Kasappan the secret ways to Liberation.

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"He said: 'One can attain Liberation through devotion and ritual to Prajjah. One can attain Liberation throguh devotion and ritual to Kresva. For they are both me, and I am both them. But devotion directly to me will be the secret way, the lightning way, the way of the shining rainbow. Devotion directly to me will be the Expansion-Device Ideology, the practice of spreading salvation through technicks of mystic and magick, methods of controlling the Will within one's self and one another, for I am Will and Will is I.'

"Thusly, the great Prime Sage Kasappan traveled across the unsundered lands to spread the Expansion Device Ideology. During this time, our people, the people that live here in this region that was once the Great Southern Continent of Jambu Strangler Figs, now the Utter Islands, were told of the story of the White One Turned Scarlet. In this it is told that during the fight between Kresva and Prajjah, their respective clans, Azram and Dyewa, also fought. And in this fighting they churned the sea of milk which lies far below the world after a great number of yojanas. In churning the sea of milk, the sea began bubbling and giving boons through its bubbles. One of the things that was churned out of this great act was the awful, hatesome Scathe--as it is known in Pemi languages, Rosakan. It is the great poison of the universe, the venom that tears down the things that binds us together, that eats away at Will. There was only one being that could contain that poison, and it was the One Himself, in which all beings are subsumed. That is to say, it is Ksewran. He ingested the poison and it burned his throat, but He consumed it all the same. Pure scarlet blossomed from the Oversoul's throat, and from there the world would never be the same, as He would be known as the Scarlet God, Swallower of Scathe."

A quiet silence passed by, then. As they walked, the afterzenith winds sent dead and withered leaves from their tree-branches, framing the entire story in a flurry of dead leaves and falling flowers. Through this, they walked. Their feet crunched into dead leaves. Flowers fell and floated upon the rushing river. And they walked through this, down the river, following the path.

Raxri on their feet, Sintra Kennin with their hands folded together as they walked, God's Brush Stroke now dangling from their bag, and the witch Akazha floating across the way upon her flying kalis.

Raxri said: "Wow. Wow! How hallowed and awesome. No wonder it is the most popular way in the Utter Islands."

Sintra Kennin nodded. "To be sure, it is the most popular way in the southern half of the Utter Islands. The northern half tends to have their own views and a difference in the faith they follow, or the Doctrines they pay heed to, but the Scarlet God Cult is most popular nonetheless."

"Right," said Raxri, walking now with both hands behind their head. Fingers interlaced. "Of course. The wiles of the northern half of the Utter Islands fascinate me to no end. What fabulations have they there?"

Akazha sighed and shrugged. "Who knows? We might have to go up there anyway, to continue our training."

Raxri's eyes glittered. "Truly? Why do you say that, Akazha?"

"Well, the Ultramystic Sutasoma has hands everywhere. She can bring us almost anywhere our training needs us to go."

"This... Ultramystic Sutasoma," interjected Sintra Kennin. "She is a wizard?"

Akazha nodded. "Though she's... far from being the kind of wizard you should bow and kowtow to, like a Court Preceptor. Nay, she is of the Ego-Beyond-Ego kind of wizard, having meditated staring upon a single cloud for 100 years straight, performing all 12 Animal Hand Seals and all 24 Vajra Hand Seals 108,000 times. She is a High Yokess, practitioner of the Unsurpassed Yoga, and a burning firebrand of the Revolution Law who has as her meditation deity the Twice-Awoken Violence Savior Awoken Dattreya Wairini."

Raxri blinked, surprised and somewhat impressed. Sintra Kennin said: "So she is an Immortal?"

"Until the arrival of the next Conqueror," said Akazha, nodding. Though she looked nonchalant as she said all these things, Raxri couldn't help but believe that she was extremely proud of her master, the same way a son would be proud of an accomplished mother. "She is Immortal until then. Then, after receiving the teachings from a Conqueror Awoken, she will consummate her Limitless Revolution and join the host of Saviors in cleansing this World System from all its negative karma and saving all sentient beings."

Raxri blinked. "How... grand."

Sintra Kennin smiled. "It is a grand thing, to be sure. We have something similar as well, the ideas of the Awoken. These are the mountain hermits, the Rishis, who work to save all beings and teach all beings. Perhaps your Ultramystic Sutasoma was a Rishi?"

Akazha nodded. "I've no doubt that she was. She's learned in many different doctrines and ideologies."

"I want to be like that!" Raxri blurted out as the two conversed. "I wish to be one who is well learned in the various doctrines!"

"For what purpose?" asked Akazha, raising her head. She continued to smoke her pipe. In the meanwhile, Sintra Kennin accepted another betel nut quid from her.

Raxri thought for a while, finger tapping their chin, one hand propped up on their other hand. Then they said: "I suppose... to further mine own cultivation? To achieve the power that they had? I think... I think I would need power to be able to protect all those around me, right?"

"Right," said Akazha. "And only a fool would think otherwise. An idealistic fool who thinks truth is determined by righteousness and virtue, when in fact it is determined by those with power."

Sintra Kennin nodded, sad. "I would wish it wasn't so."

"Why not?" asked Akazha, raising an eyebrow. "It has ever been this way. Power will dictate who is right, and who is forgotten, and who is scorned. Power dictates who will become King, and who will become Deposed. Power will dictate who is morally virtuous and who is not. That is the truth of it. That is the reality in which we live."

Raxri nodded, thoughfully. In truth, within their mind, they thought of some sort of rebuttal. To see if this was not all there is. If there was a possibility of some other form of conception of this world other than savage power and tremendous violence.

It was hard to do, of course. Even the very thing that spins all of reality--time--is nothing but an engorging, limitless maw that will consume all in its path. Until itself is consumed.

What is reality but endless, tremendous violence?

Akazha continued: "It would be fruitless, I would think, to navel gaze about a world that is better, or a world that is possibly better. We live in this one right now, we must navigate it with our principles kept close to our heart, so that none may take it from us, and assert our will into this savage world of bandits and slavers."

"I would understand intrinsically the structures that bind us and force us to be something other than what we wish," said Sintra Kennin. "I have been through it, like meat through the grinding mill. I am one who has been made by my father something I am not supposed to be. However, do you not think that this same power can be accrued and made to change the very world? To force it to become something better? What greater violence can there be?"

Raxri nodded also to this, thoughtfully. "What greater violence can there be than the one that can stop violence?"

Akazha looked up to the sky. "All wishful thinking," she said. "All thinking must comprise of a healthy balance, a middle way, between longterm and short term. We must do what we can for now, without being stuck in wishing for a new world to be born."

"And thus why I travel with you," said Sintra Kennin. He turned to Raxri and nodded at them. "To accrue and cultivate that very strength."

"So that is your objective, then?" asked Akazha. "To become stronger so you can change the world?"

"Whatever strength I can cultivate," said Sintra Kennin, nodding. "Through whatever means. Whether it be internal, external, social, financial, or what have you. The world will be better through all means."

"Does that end justify what you will have to do, then?"

Sintra Kennin raised an eyebrow. "You are one to speak, who casts the world in such a dark light."

"I cast no world in a dark light," said Akazha, shrugging. "I reveal it through luminous mind. You speak of a better world, but to achieve that you will have to do equally unspeakable things. Are you ready to do that? Are you ready to justify your means with your noble end?"

A silence. Uncomfortable. Raxri bathed in it. Churned in it. What an interesting air, they thought. What an interesting thought. What an interesting discussion. What will I get out of this?

After a moment, Sintra Kennin asked, with the sun still shining brightly over them, only slightly having moved on its path to its Sinking. "And what about you, witch Akazha? What is your noble end?"

Akazha gave a lopsided smile. It was truthfully comedic, bizarre, and insane. To the point that both Raxri and Sintra laughed at the face of it. The smile was like a blade, snipping the tensions that had curdled from the discussion. "That is for me to know and for you to find out."

Raxri wanted to get in on it, and wanted to lighten the vibe. "I think I have no particular end," said Raxri. "All I wish is to get stronger and stronger and to keep all that I can keep safe safe."

"Right," said Sintra Kennin. "And so your means is your end..."

Raxri shrugged. "I'm not sure if that is the right way to look at it, but I suppose it is one way to look at it."

"Very well. Interesting. Means as ends has always seemed so... antipragmatic to me. Too idealistic. Which is funny coming from me, an idealist!" and Sintra laughed. Raxri laughed too, but they did not think there was anything else to add to the discussion. It felt over, for that time being.

Then: "Ah, here we are." Akazha rose and stretched, and then gestured to the wooden port jutting out of the riverbank. And beside it was a giant, double-decked river barge, complete with two sets of outriggers, and giant triangular sails. It looked almost like a treasure fleet, or a grand imperial junk.

"The Wetan River Barge. This is one of the last stops."