I heard one too many times from self-proclaimed teachers in my world about such things. While some were genuine, the majority only sought to delude their followers and siphon their wealth toward their own luxuries.

I held skepticism over her statement, regardless of what I was experiencing.

She could see the look of distrust, and said, “Is there anything wrong with what I said?”

“Not particularly,” I said, though I wished to challenge her.

“Speak your mind! I wish to hear your thoughts.”

I hesitated, but sighed. I said, “I see the phenomena that’s occurring before me. But what relation does this have with understanding my position or the cosmos? Since you must know that I remember my previous life, you must also understand why I would become distrustful of those that promise lofty ideals but fail to deliver. Even if you’re a sage of repute, what is there to make me believe what you said without show of force?”

“I do not expect you to believe,” she said. “I ask that you observe and know what it is you are experiencing. Any realization that would come afterward would be your own insight and reflection. I can only serve as a guide to that moment.”

I thought to myself, and nodded.

“Good, now it is time we made farther through the world.”

With a snap of her fingers, the world stretched before me. In moments, we were launched to some other location. The view of our bodies was gone. Now replaced with the background of terrible things.

The image was dark, but scattered lights of great intensity dotted the landscape. I saw the burning of cities, the rape of its civilians, the massacre of its children, the plundering of its riches, and the terrible host that wrought them. The Demons were here.

My vision magnified. I saw a young woman hiding behind the burning ruins. The demons, in droves, were searching for wayward survivors. She attempted to flee, using the rubble as cover. It seemed she would’ve been able to escape, were it not for that fact, her path had already been obstructed.

The dark commanders stood before her. Tall and terrible in form. They witnessed the savagery of their cohort and sought to do nothing. In fact, they wished to engage.

They nailed the woman to the floor and proceeded with their terrible acts. I wished to not see this. But my master had me bear full witness to the atrocities. To how they tore their clothes. To how they stripped the riches from their person. To how they assaulted and deprived them of every last ounce of their respect. Violated and filled from every orifice with their dark ejections.

And when they were done, they would either devour them, or should they have lived, take them as slaves into their service. To do as they were bid to the end of time.

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The fall of great cities and nations was washed before me. The serpents of their army swept clean of all inhabitants with the might of their flames. And now all that was left was ash and stone.

I felt as if I would vomit from seeing this. “Why do you show me this, teacher?”

“So that you may understand what you will face in the future, and have gratitude for your worthwhile position.”

Worthwhile? Was it worthwhile to have to suffer this? I know she didn’t mean her statement to refer to the sight before me, but I already felt worse things to come if she was already set to show me this on her return.

The view shifted to a palace. The flames reached high. I saw the demons overpower the sentry and storm the entryway. Each line of defense was swept through. The entrails of the victims amassed into bloody pools on the floor. As the demons made further into the palace, their destruction followed in wake.

Iconography of the Gods were stripped. All the jewelry, gems, and wealth were seized. The palace’s once majestic form was now utterly reduced to a house of blood and darkness. The servants were killed, raped, eaten, or any combination of the three.

All throughout the vicinity, not a nook or cranny was left unexplored and violated.

At last, my view shifted to the royal family. The King and princes stood poised for battle, as their loved ones fled. The demons entered their hold. I expected to see the same sight as before, but it seemed that the demons had other plans.

They encircled them from all sides. From the mouth of the dark commander, came these words:

Look to us, the fury of the night! We have ravaged your nation, its peoples, and secured for ourselves all its riches. Take comfort that we shall not slay you now. Though you resisted our advance, you did not seek to fell us. And for that, we are grateful! But you have allied yourselves with those hateful kin of the south, who relinquish not what surely belongs to us. We have toiled long and suffered on our foremother, but no more shall we bide this. Let your choice be paid for with blood! We take you now into our custody. Your gods have utterly abandoned you.

The King, princes, and their entire retinue would not bear this humiliation and resisted. Each held their own in battle, but the sheer force of their enemy overpowered them. Each was slain in gruesome fashion. Cut to the bone, their blood left to spill, and their bodies abased by the shameless horde.

All the men were killed. The woman and children were taken in chains.

My vision moved from that event to the whole of the land. I could see the fires blaze. How its toxins lifted to the air, and made the sky rain blood. I could hear the Earth lamenting across all her quarters.

“Enough!” I cried. “I’ve seen enough!”

The vision was gone, and I awoke from my meditation in panic. I vomited on the grass and cried from that sight. The day was a terrible one. To have so sorely been tested in both body and mind.

The sage calmed me. She rubbed my back, letting me eject as much from my throat as I could.

When I had finished, I collapsed and looked to the sky. I wondered if the same things should befall my home. Was this why the luster of my father had seemed to fade? Perhaps, but his mind was resolute, and while such things should take a toll, the power behind the era wasn’t to be underestimated. I had yet to become recipient to such blessings.

“I showed too much,” said the sage. “Yet, it was necessary to begin your awakening. One can only learn when directed under the tutelage of suffering.”

I sought to rise and strike her! Yet I desisted that thought and held back my anger.

“What should I have learned from this?” I asked.

“That your mind is not yet well-equipped to truly handle the dangers of the world,” she said. Her face gave a smile. “I come to correct that.”