The day did not start as usual. No hunters readied their bows and and stone daggers, no gatherers wore their baskets, and no elders performed morning prayers. It was a day that they always dreaded every month, when their tormentors would stomp on their hospitality, spit on their traditions and evascirate the Ohm's dignity. This month, they did not meet their quota of aetherus and thus the Hydarians returned twice. It was a kick on their already beaten morale, a stroke of extraordinarily bad luck at first, but a true miracle came. The arrival of Manusya, the Aksha of Goddess Suwepi'en represented a new hope for the Ohm. They have never given up, they held on to their pride, but now a blessing from the seven gods has fallen from the stars.
Manusya invited the people of Ohm he were the closest with during the past week to his hut: Numa, Ahmi, Evui and Elder Vanir — Numa's guardian. They all sat on the ground in front of the rattan bed in a circle.
"What did you call us here for, Aksha?" Evui, the woman who was shunned by the village because of her relationship with a Hydarian asked.
"The same question was indeed in my mind, great Aksha." Elder Vanir said as he stared at Manusya, who was rubbing his chin. "I fear we do not have time before the Hydarians arrive."
Manusya shuffled his legs, he was not used to sitting down on the floor like these people.
"Forgive me for being sudden," Manusya looked at Evui. "My plan is almost ripe if not for one more factor that will depend on your participation," he asked in accented but increasingly fluent Osmanian.
Evui stared back at Manusya, unsure of how to react. It was a few seconds of silence before she had a look of understanding on her face. "It's Gavrin, isn't it?" she replied.
Gavrin q'Fazquez. A Hydarian knight that Evui had a relationship. He was no mere soldier, but a young noble conscripted to this region. Manusya had learned about this man during his conversations with Evui. She was insistent on his character and his different attitudes compared to the other Hydarians. He was a secret sympathizer who gave extra food to the Osmanian children being kept in the fortress, and he disapproved of the Osmanian occupation of the region. Evui vouched for him and begged Manusya to spare him in the attack.
What is a nation? it may be nothing but an abstraction. Manusya thought in his mind. The people are the nation, but a person is not. It is not a monolith, so it is reasonable to think that not everyone in Hydaria is the same.
Manusya pondered some of the histories he remembered. It was a difficult, sensitive topic that continuously repeated itself throughout human history before Despair arrived. Even during the colonization of the solar system and humans were on the way to becoming a Type II Civilization in the Kardhashev scale — capable of harnessing the power of the entire solar system and nearly completing a Dyson sphere for the sun, conflicts like this still arose. Planets that did not want to belong in the United Planetary Federation and instead wanted to be independently rebelled and were promptly punished for it gruesomely, having entire settlements razed to the ground by nuclear weapons.
Even centuries after the deed has been done, discourses surrounding reparations were cyclical, rightly so, but it was difficult to ascertain blame in the global justice system —if such a thing existed, whether the descendants of colonizers were still responsible for the atrocities of their ancestors and should burden the debt they owe to the previously oppressed. But post-colonial trauma never disappeared, and many headways in the international realm were made, such as the Dutch reparations to their colonies like Indonesia in the 22nd century, or the disbandment of the United Kingdom in the early 23rd century, with the Irish Unification occurring after that as well—to name a few.
But it cannot be denied that this Gavrin is a direct perpetrator, even when he claims he is only following orders. I must ascertain the true nature of his character. Manusya thought.
"You are correct. I will need time alone with him somehow." Manusya looked at Evui firmly. "Trust me when I say if I can trust him, then his involvement will be crucial in ensuring the safety of every one of your tribesmen and rescuing those children," he said.
Evui shuffled uncomfortably. She hesitated to speak, but a dozen seconds in silence was enough for her to come up with an answer. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, before opening them again with a firm face.
"I understand," she replied. "What do you require of me, Aksha?" she asked.
Manusya nodded. "Listen to me carefully," he began explaining his plan.
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It was a sad day for the Ohm, but a twistedly joyful one for Gavrin d'Fazquez, even if he knew he should not be happy being here when he was causing such suffering to these people. Gavrin was the son of a baron from a relatively rural town in Hydaria which bordered the great forest in which the Osma reaches were located, albeit no attempts at exploration had been made for centuries because of the dangerous beasts that dwelled in the forest, and the recent discovery of the aetherus in the Osma region caused the nation to sent an expedition team here. In the middle of the great war in the continent, the Hydarians could not afford to enter a trade deal with any nation for aetherus, they had to be self-sustaining.
Currently, the Hydarians were making themselves at home. They invaded the huts of the villagers and relaxed as if it were their own. They ordered the Ohms to fetch them drinks or to bring them snacks. The biggest building was the great hut in the centre of the village, where elders and villagers would hold meetings. While the commoner Hydarian soldiers were scattered throughout the village, the high-ranking soldiers or nobles made themselves comfortable in the great hut.
"Hahaha! I'm starting to warm myself to these savage women." A high-ranking Hydarian knight said. Next to him, an Osmanian woman sat uncomfortably, she looked as if she would rather be dead than be there. "Maybe it's time I taste the jungle fruit, like you Gavrin! Haha!" he nudged Gavrin's shoulder.
Gavrin was a handsome young man of fair skin complexion, he fashioned a medium wavy brown hair that was swept to the left side of his head. His armour indicated a mid-ranking position, although his noble status afforded him to be here. He sat down on the floor like the rest of the Hydarian soldiers and wore an unpleasant smile of a bad actor. Hearing what the knight just said, he could not help but twitch in anger but he held himself back, for he knew the knight was intoxicated.
"Sitting down on the floor like this, staying for months in the wilderness, we have surely turned into these Laputans!" Another knight chuckled as he downed a drink.
'Laputan', a Hydarian word which meant sewer rat that was used to derogatorily refer to these Osmanians.
"But where is that bitch, Gavrin?" The high-ranking knight next to Gavrin asked. "She's always on your lap as soon as we arrived usually! Maybe she left you for a savage! You see how manly they look." he said and gave a big laugh.
Gavrin frowned, but he thought the same thing. Evui, his beloved, was missing. Even when his men thought of him as simply indulging his sexual desires with the Osmanian woman, secretly, he truly fell in love with that woman. It was love at first sight for him, but for Evui, it took a lot of time and conversations to convince her that he was different from the others.
"Manly but short! They can't even reach our heads if they want to kill us. " Another knight said and laughed. Indeed, the Hydarians were much taller than the average Osmanians, although there were some exceptions.
Gavrin wanted to search the village for his beloved, but as a knight, he could not leave his station readily. Well, he could, these men were undisciplined, but he was one to follow rules and set an example. Fortunately, he did not have to search anywhere. Suddenly, Evui entered the great hut and approached Gavrin.
"There she is!" The high-ranking knight exclaimed. "Say, Gavrin, why don't you let me have a taste of her? I will pay you handsomely," he said.
Gavrin respected rank and the military hierarchy, he was not one to step out of line ever. But what his senior knight just said truly set him off the edge. His vision turned red and he clenched his fist. He was about to turn around when a hand stopped him.
"Don't," Evui said in Osmanian. "I need you. Please, follow me," she whispered.
Gavrin looked at Evui. His eyes were mesmerized by her beauty. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and he felt as if he could throw away everything for her, even his noble position in the Hydarian Kingdom. However, he knew it was a pipe dream that would never come true. Gavrin calmed down after Evui's words. He took deep breaths and nodded.
"Take me with you." He replied in Osmanian. Evui smiled and led him to the door. Behind him, Gavrin heard the cheers of the Hydarians, they were calling out to him in cheeky joy because he was stepping out with Evui, and they thought it was for a particular reason. Gavrin could only swallow his utter shame at his men to Evui and followed her out.
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"Drink this," Evui said. The two star-crossed lovers were now on the outskirts of the village, inside the forest. It was a romantic sight of a couple of meeting in secret beneath the tall trees and the serene whistles of birds decorating the soundscape.
"What is this?" Gavrin said as he inspected the wooden cup with a strange dark liquid instead. One could tell it was not something normal.
"Does it matter?" Evui said, her face turned serious. "Drink this if you love me. Truly love me. Do you trust me?" she asked.
The two stared at each other in silence for what was seemingly an eternity. Gavrin pondered, but love prevailed. This could be poison and he would still drink it, that was how blind and strong his love was for Evui. He looked at the cup one more time and gulped down the queer concoction. In almost an instant, he felt his consciousness fading. His vision turned hazy and shaky, he was seeing doubles of everything around him. He fell to the ground and looked up at Evui.
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"My dear," Evui said while smiling. "You do love me. But now, you must conquer another test."
Gavrin did not have the strength to reply or even think. His visions faded. Gavrin blacked out. But in what felt like an instant, he suddenly found himself awake once more. He opened his eyes and looked around him, it was the same forest as before. He found himself standing on his two feet, which was an odd thing considering he just woken up from some sort of sleep. What was even weirder was that as he turned to look at the village, no one was there. Everyone from the villagers to his men disappeared.
"W-what is this?" Gavrin said in Hydarian. He jogged towards the village to check his surroundings. Empty. He spent his time searching through every hut and even the great hut and it was all empty. The furniture and belongings were seemingly untouched. His military training also led him to look at the ground beneath him, there were no footprints nor any traces of anyone ever stepping foot inside the village. It was a scene out of a bizarre nightmare.
"Am I dreaming? is this an illusion?" Gavrin said to himself.
"Hello! is anyone there!?" He ran and while shouting."
He switched his language to Osmanian. "Evui! Where are you? anyone?" he shouted.
Gavrin looked around in despair, he feared he was stuck inside an inescapable prison.
"Gavrin q'Fazquez." A voice suddenly called out from behind Gavrin in Osmanian.
Gavrin instinctually reached for his sword and drew it out. He held a combat stance as he turned around swiftly.
"Who's there!?" Gavrin said as he turned around.
What he saw was a fully covered individual wearing a black cloak and a hood. What was odd to Gavrin, however, was that the mysterious person's outfit was of nowhere he had ever seen before, with intricate design and materials he could not even imagine had existed. Weirdly enough, Gavrin could also not see any face beneath the hood, it was pitch-black darkness. Gavrin could also see that the man was taller than the average Osmanian he had met, and he looked closer to the build of a Hydarian.
"Answer me!" Gavrin shouted. "Who are you?"
"I am an envoy of the Seven Gods that the Osmanian worship." It was a male voice.
Gavrin looked at him dumbfounded as if he was staring at a person with a sick head. "You are no Osmanian nor are you related to them, your outfit says otherwise. Who are you? Are you a spy of our enemies? How did you trap me in here?" he asked aggressively.
"I am not." The hooded man replied. "As I said, I am an envoy. You have been chosen," he said.
"Me? Chosen?" Gavrin raised one eyebrow.
"Yes, you. You proved your love to your beloved, you took in that liquid inside your body, and now you are here. You are different than the worthless imperial hedonists you brought with you." The hooded man replied.
Gavrin's eyes bulged out. "Evui sent me here? What's your relationship with her?" For a weird reason, his mind recalled what one of his knights said about Evui meeting another man.
The man chuckled. "Do you think of nothing but the sweet romance in your head? Evui is an ally of mine, aye, but she was only my messenger. I was trying to reach you." The man stepped forward.
Gavrin took steps back as the man approached. "What's your name? What do you want? Who are you? You know of me, but I cannot trust someone I do not know."
The hooded man threw his hands in the air with grace and theatrics. "They call me Aksha. The Lightbringer. I am summoned to aid the Osma people, which includes your beloved, by the way." he said cheekily.
Gavrin frowned at his attempt at humour.
"As for the rest of your questions, since you still doubt my divine status, I shall demonstrate." The man snapped his finger.
Suddenly, the environment around them morphed. The village and forest disappeared into the ground until it was only barren land. Gavrin looked around in shock but he could not catch his breath as the next marvellous thing occurred. Buildings and structures that stretched into the skies, made out of glistening materials rose from the ground. Around them, entire streets were being formed as well.
Gavrin looked at the man who was called Aksha and gulped down in fear, but there was a lingering doubt in his mind.
"This is all an illusion," Gavrin said warily.
"I assure you that it is not." The Aksha conjured a scythe out of thin air. He charged forward and before Gavrin could react, slashed at every one of the Hydarian's limbs, severing them. Gavrin screamed in pain, but it was cut short when he was quickly decapitated.
"Painful, yes?" Aksha asked. "Now, do not delay this any further. Let's start our discussion." he snapped his finger. In an instant, all of the limbs on the ground next to Gavrin's corpse reattached themselves to the body, and the head did the same. Gavrin woke up in cold sweat and held his neck. His eyes were mortified, he felt the most excruciating pain one could ever hope to feel. He could no longer deny it, this man was a god.
"I am not a god," Aksha said as he raised his hand. "Just an envoy. I am not omnipotent nor am I omniscient. That is why I called you here, to learn and to ask for your cooperation." the hooded man snapped his finger again and two sofa chairs appeared in the middle of this busy street.
Gavrin sat down nervously, still holding his neck. "W-where is this?" he said as he looked around. The mighty Hydarian kingdom could not hold a candle to the glory of the city that he was seeing right now. He thought no nation in the continent could probably compete with this.
"The kingdom of the gods, our original home," Aksha replied. "But again, I said not to delay this any further. So can we start?"
Gavrin nodded.
"Good, now tell me, when is your next delivery to your homeland?" Aksha asked.
Gavrin was taken aback by the question but he did not want to test the deity any further. "Tomorrow, Ohm is our last village since they fell back on their quota."
Silence followed. While one could not see his face, Gavrin could tell the man in front of him did not like that answer.
"I see your men undisciplined and drinking themselves away, do you not worry of any security threat to your fortress?"
"Yes, they are. And to answer your question, they don't worry. Who would dare to attack our base? is what they think." Gavrin replied.
The hooded gentleman crossed his legs. "But would it not pose a hole...say, tonight? those men will still be drunk and presumably will drink more, yes?"
"Indeed." Aksha threw both his arms in the air. "You caught me. But rather, the Ohm will attack them, I will help."
Gavrin seemed displeased even as he tried to hide it. "They will die. They do not stand a chance."
"Watch us." Aksha leaned forward. "Listen, the days of the subjugated and defenceless Osma people are over. With my aid, they will become a proud nation with the capability to take their revenge on your kind and your nation. We will be a mighty nation that can hold our own in the international realm, and if we ever introduce ourselves to the world stage, nations that we deem corrupt and evil will be judged by the heavens. It is your chance to seize your place in this new paradigm. Do you want to aid us—and your beloved—in betraying your people but ultimately serving you and yours in the long term?" he asked.
Gavrin took in what he said slowly and closed his eyes. With what he just witnessed and experienced, he...believed the man in front of him. His mind could not comprehend a strong Osma nation, even when he learned to care about these people through the stories of Evui, in the back of his mind, he still severely underestimated these people. He was a Hydarian noble, a blue blood person of the proud Hydarian Kingdom. This betrayal would either cost him everything or gain him the happiness that he thought was out of reach. For Evui... was willing to do anything.
"I...accept your offer," Gavrin said as he opened his eyes. "What do you need me to do?"
The Aksha clapped his hands together. "Wise choice." the hooded man stood up and snapped his finger. A table with a miniature model of the Hydarian fortress—complete with mini figurines of individuals—was conjured. Gavrin was surprised at how detailed it was. He was starting to doubt the man claiming he was not omniscient.
"As you can see, I already know everything, including where the children are," Aksha said as he pointed at the board. "You are friendly with the children, Evui claimed. Your roles are as follows: when you open your eyes after this, there will be a bag that I want you to carry with you at all times. I have designed it to be a replica of the leather bag you Hydarians carry. When you return to the fortress, I want you to explore as much of the fortress as you can and talk to as many people as possible. After that, when the Osma people attacked, I want you to open the children's rooms and turn them over to the soldiers that will get them. That is the end of your role in this battle, any questions?" he asked.
"I just realised," Gavrin looked up from the miniature. "You bring only the Ohms? none of the other villages?"
"That's all we need," Aksha replied. "Alright, I'm assuming you got your role. The next part is the more important one as it is long term."
"What is it?" Gavrin raised an eyebrow.
Aksha rolled up his sleeve to reveal tanned skin. A tattoo of a centipede could be seen along his sleeves. Suddenly the tattoo started to shine and morphed into a real centipede, it crawled down to the miniature and towards Gavrin at high speed. Gavrin tried to scream but the centipede crawled up to Gavrin's neck, up his mouth and entered his body. After that was done, he coughed and tried to vomit.
"W-what in the hell was that?" Gavrin said as he gasped for air.
"It is both an insurance and a connection between you and me." Aksha snapped his finger and the table disappeared, he approached Gavrin and grabbed his shoulder. "Listen, I want you to be my eyes and ears inside the Hydarian kingdom after you flee with some of your men who will survive the attack. We will be able to communicate over vast distances with the centipede embedded inside our body. Your role is to tell me everything there is to know about the Hydarian kingdom and report on every bit of news that you can. And finally, I want you to succeed in your position as Baron from your father. From Evui, I know you are the eldest son and your father is old and frail. Seize your place as Baron. Your territory lies at the border between the forest and Hydaria, you will be our first step towards the outside world. And hear me, I want you to find trusted people that will serve under you, and in the future, they will work with us as well. Do this and I will guarantee your place in the new world order." the hooded man explained in great detail.
Gavrin was utterly stunned. He could not believe any of the words that just entered his ear, but he knew he must. Every bit of information was a lot to take in.
The Aksha patted Gavrin's shoulder somewhat affectionately. "Process everything slowly. What you need to worry about first is the fortress. Do your job perfectly. I will reward you. Now, hurry back with the others." he said.
Suddenly, Gavrin disappeared from view. The sigh of a tired man could be heard coming out of the hooded man. Manusya took off his hood of his ridiculously ominous costume.
"It is not easy pretending to be someone like that." He said. He was certainly good at it, but Manusya was increasingly feeling like an extremely manipulative person after everything that he had both Osma and now Gavrin convinced of about him. He was starting to ponder the morality of constantly lying like this. But he knew it was vital for his plans, as the people of this world were simply too early and not yet ready for his role as steward of Project Messiah.
From out of nothing, another man appeared, a bald muscular warrior. "Are you sure you should not return to the real world as well, Commander?" Ahmi, Ohm's new Captain asked.
"No need," Manusya replied. "Evui will take care of him. You heard everything, yes? I had you come in here with me for a reason." he looked at Ahmi.
"Yes. It was truly fortuitous that the Hydarians will not be on their guard tonight. We should start preparing now, Commander." Ahmi performed a military salute that he learned with his right hand on his forehead.
"Yes, we only have tonight, but everything is set in place. Let us return and commence our operation. Gather the men." Manusya snapped his fingers and both individuals disappeared from the virtual world.
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ART:
Gavrin q'Fazquez:
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