Out and beyond the city walls a man can be seen walking with a child in hand.
The child’s eyes shine with curiosity, he marvels at all the colors illuminated by the lanterns of the walls that are absent from the city, all the movement that seems chaotic but provides a serene scene once a pattern is established, his nose stings from all the smells that snatch his already short attention span as the breeze yet again changes direction.
Small animals run around, scaring the child, but he is brave, he can’t be scared… Yeah that’s it, ‘I was just surprised’ is what he thought while still squeezing his father’s hand tighter, pulling a amused smile from the content face of his father.
The child notices his father’s knowing smile and makes a betrayed face, “I was just surprised!” he yells, his voice comes out a bit too high, making him redden slightly and look in the other direction.
“Im sure you were, heck, I was too” The father provides the much needed comfort for the child’s broken pride.
“It was just so quick I was a little startled, just a little though… Honest” the child admits defeat.
“We all get frightened my boy, no shame in that, hahaha” The father lets out a warm laugh.
The child smiles at his father’s understanding, feeling a little better, he looks up as they are walking, it dawned on him that he never asked why the sky was dotted with white specks.
“Hey Pa, what are those white lights?” The child says pointing up with his free arm while the other is pressing tighter on his father’s hand in hope of getting an answer faster.
“Well those are stars my boy” The man answers while looking down at the child with a loving smile across his face
“And what is a star? “ The child looks up at the Abysmal black sky littered with countless white dots, each shining at its own pace, some are brighter while some are dimmer.
“Hmm, well a star is the embodiment of the memory, soul and will of a person if I remember it right, hehe” Says the man while scratching his back
“Memory? Will? What do you mean Pa?” The child asks, agitation visible on his face from not understanding the answer.
“Well I can’t give you an educated answer my boy for I am no educated man, but I can tell you a story I heard if you like haha” Laughs the man content at his solution.
“Yes yes! Please tell me!” The boy shrieks with curiosity and impatience.
“Well, this is a story of the first star…
Legend tells us of a boy who has seen the worlds suffering, he strived to fix the world and make it better for everyone.
It is said that the boy held endless love for every existence on our little planet, so much that it was said that even being close to him kept your heart warm and your soul at ease, he cared so much for his fellow man that even the heavens took note of him.
Once as he was traveling the war stricken land of Farro’k…” The man was interrupted by his child’s look of confusion.
“Where is Farro’k Pa ? Why haven’t Ma-Inni mentioned it in class?” The child questions his father’s statement with a confused look.
“Well Farro’k was once a great kingdom, have you been at the north-eastern plains with Inni ?”
“North-eastern… ah you mean outside the library gate and by the clearing ?” The child’s confused look vanishes into a proud smile, feeling accomplished for knowing what his father meant.
“Aren’t you a smart little scholar hehehe, well have you seen the ruined pillars there?” Asks the man, happy for his childs understanding.
“Sure did, Ma-Inni said not to play on the pillars Hihihi” As the child giggles his eyes twinkle with mischief.
“Well those are supposed ruins of the Farro’k kingdom…” The man picks up on his childs look, feeling sorry for his sister in law.
“Gotcha Pa, can we continue with the story please?” The child speaks with impatience yet again covering his voice.
The man looks surprised with being interrupted yet again, but then a caring smile creeps onto his face as he continues.
“Yes yes, of course my little prince hehehe… Now where was I… ?” The man teases his boy with a dumfounded look.
“ The Hero was fighting across Farro’k…” The child was saying before being interrupted.
“Hey, don’t go changing Legends my boy hehe… As I was saying...
As our Hero was traveling across the war stricken land of Farro’k he saw the sick and the hungry, the scarred and the dying, he saw suffering and pain, but what shook him the most was the fear in their eyes, the terror born from their fellow man.
He wanted to help.
To make it better, to ease their pain and erase their suffering, but he was incapable, no matter what he tried he failed.
He was starting to lose hope for the fear in the people’s eyes was ever present.
One day he woke up, eyes filled with understanding!
He knew what he had to do!
He had to teach the people how to love again, how to trust again, how to live again!
So he began to care for the people once more burdening himself with their troubles and curses, nursing the sick and the wounded, telling stories to ease the passing of the dying, working the fields and cooking for the starving, spreading love amongst the people, trying to make them forget the fear.
And for a time he succeeded, he began seeing the occasional smile, the bells of laugher spreading day by day, he was fulfilled, but fate would have it otherwise.
As battles would continue to be fought, man would slaughter man, taking all that is his and leaving only fear behind, fear that was almost distant memory has come back, only this time it struck deeper, so deep that our Hero could not take it out, it was now a seed in the heart of the people and it was watered by the blood of their loved ones.
Seeing this saddened our Hero, his pure heart began to doubt his fellow man, he was beginning to think that he could not help, and for a mere moment he was beginning to doubt his way and teachings, and this shook him to the very core, upon realizing this he was motionless, he felt shame so great his mind went blank, a single tear went down his left cheek, a single crack appeared in his very soul.
At that very moment he was flooded with emotion, the crack in his very being let a wave of emotions flood his mind, first came the pain that threatened to tear him apart bit by bit, he was being burned and pierced by emotions of suffering, then came the fear, he was petrified, the fear came in all shapes and sizes, it was almost as if it was alive and there to make him suffer.
And how did he suffer…
He has seen it all, all the terrors of death, and all the horrors of life, he felt the emotions pass through him leaving their legacy and story in their wake, all they have felt, how they suffered and sometimes… How they loved.
His sanity was being put to the test, time was now a forgotten concept.
He was banished from the plane of mortals and welcomed to the Abyss of suffering, it was pulling him, the pain and fear beginning to lessen as he drew closer to the center, it was as if it was telling him to let go.
But a Hero wouldn’t be a Hero if he just gave up would he?” The man questioned the child knowingly.
The child was pulled out of his stupor and hesitantly answered “Of... Of course not! He’s an H… Hero after all! ” The child said while puffing out his chest trying to appear brave so the story would continue.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Hehehe right… let’s see now..
Countless times he wanted to just let it all be over, he wanted to lessen the suffering, he wanted to ease on his soul, he was tempted to let go and fall into the Abyss…
What held him together was the occasional speck of love in the emotions overflowing him, the distant ray of sunshine and happiness kept him sane…
Then, at a moment both unknown and forgotten he felt a familiar emotion, an emotion of a dear one, one he loved above all else, he felt his mother’s emotion, first he felt the grief of her loss, then the pain of her heart, and lastly he felt something new, in her dying emotion, he felt hope… He felt the hope of reunion, being with a loved one together in nothingness, he felt the ease death had on her soul.
The emotion ends, for a moment he felt nothing, and then he was flooded again, yet he was too stunned to even register the suffering.
He wanted to resign himself to the Abyss ? 'HOW SELFISH' he thought to himself, how selfish must he be to let others feel this pain. He could not let it happen, he must change it, 'I WILL CHANGE IT' he thought…
So he struggled, he wiggled and he shuck and screamed and willed himself out, out of this plane of existence, out into the world he longed for all this time, out to his people and his family! Yes his family he thought to himself, ‘The world is now my family and I will help them all!’ he screamed with all his being.
And he succeeded, he was once again in Farro’k, it was as if he was never gone.
Now he really knew what must be done, he went to stop war, he went to stop decease, he went to stop pain, he went to stop death…
And yet again, for a time he succeeded, years passed in blissful peace he thought, but then the gods really took note of him, he changed the principles of the world that they themselves integrated onto it!
‘HOW dare he, a mere mortal change the Gods will!’ the Gods were furious, fire rained from the sky and smoke rose from the water, monsters came crawling out of the nightmares of little children and grown men alike and the laws of nature were usurped!
The powers came clashing but the changes were already made, the very fabric of existence was changed!
The Hero saw that as he changed the laws other changes accorded as a result. As he banished death, life went with it, as he took away the pain and sorrow, pleasure and happiness left as well.
Yet he noticed it too late and the Gods grew angry, he could not revert what he did, he had not the conviction he had before, it withered as time passed… Now a compromise had to be made, he must fix what he had broken.
As he pleaded to the gods they answered, he pleaded mercy for the world, sorrow in his heart and pain in his soul confirming the truth of his words. The Gods took one more look at their creation that caused so much trouble and change and spoke their words in unison, their voices overlapping one another, the dominant voice constantly changing;
‘Mortal, you have exceeded your purpose and existence, overlapping the foundation of humanity and the laws of the creators of time and founders of the seed, you have spoken with truth in your soul and resolution in your heart, but as the cause of this worlds collapse we offer this salvation onto you… Offer your existence to the eternal Abyss of your own free will, know this… as the Abyss offers you all that you once wished to cleanse, your suffering will know no end. If you accept we will bring the laws back to your world, but the damage will not be reverted.
Do you accept our judgment... Mortal?’
Our hero knew of the Abyss, he had never let himself forget, and even after being warned by the Gods and firsthand experience he accepted the offer with a smile so pure, so radiant, that even the Gods were taken aback.
He was condemned to eternal suffering yet he thought nothing of it if it would help the world, all he wanted all of his existence was for people to be happy…
And so he offered himself in exchange for our happiness and life, the Gods honored their promise and gave the world back its laws, death could yet again embrace the living and life could welcome and guide the dead.
In the Abyss our Hero floated again feeling all that he had felt before only this time he did not try to push away, he embraced the Abyss, let it guide him to the center, let it welcome him with open arms, and as he drew near he felt IT, he felt with his very being, he felt that he was offered a choice, he could become a beacon in the night for every living being, and be the guide they could follow in the darkness, or he could vanish into nothingness and melt in with the Abyss.
He felt pride coming from the Abyss, but the pride was aimed at himself, what he accomplished meant something, he felt acknowledged. And with a final smile he willed himself to ‘be’ and so the Abyss complied and he became a star, THE star, the first embodiment of soul, memory and emotion outside the body, he became a companion in the night, and guide in the darkness.
So if you are ever lost or feel afraid, just look up, remember, feel, and know that you are never alone, you always have a friend, a friend to all, the first companion of the Abyss” The man looks up at the bright star in the eastern sky with only a tear gliding along his left cheek.
“…Did that r… really happen P… Pa?” The child asks in a shaky voice and looks up at the same star as his father with sadness and confusion plastered on his face.
“Who knows my boy, but if you’re still unsure of the answer when I’m gone, look for me up there, I’ll be sure to let you know” The father pronounces proudly, smiling at his own little bundle of love.
The End.