As I arrived back to the temple I saw outside sitting on the grass a priestess with a dozen children sitting on the grass.

I was in no hurry so I decided to see what they are doing.

She was teaching them scripture and stories of the Gods, of how the world came to be and in who you should believe.

As I got closer I recognized her, Antistita, she was young and beautiful, her whole life ahead of her, and she chose a life of faith and devotion, I don't understand why but most would say the same about me, so who am I to judge.

The was telling them the story of creation (according to the doctrine of Dolus the prophet)

“Long ago, after the old one fell to slumber, back when the world was dark, and everything lived in fear, for monster roamed the land, great beasts that no one could defeat, but one decided to defy this existence, she wanted more from life then fear, and so she prayed, against the darkness and evil around her she prayed, and from her belief an old one heard her in it's dreams and conjured a saviour for her. One night as she lay praying a cloaked figure came to her and asked her why she seems so sad, she answered “I see sadness and fear around me and I pray to salvation that we will rise above it”.

He told her “Do not worry for your prayers have been heard and your heart judged pure, and my own heart yours, join me and we shall give light to the world and you will be it's soothing queen”.

The stranger removed his cloak revealing his true self before her, a glowing towering man pure a fresh snow.

She took his hand and his glow extended to her and her goodness allowed her to sit in his light.

Together they rid the world of monsters, forcing them to retreat to the shadows, where the pure light would not burn them, the stranger and the woman were crown King and queen of the new world, the called him Lucidanus, which means unshadowed, for he brought us light, and she was given the name Piustalia, which means the believer, for her faith saved us all, and after many years they ascended to up high to watch over us forever.

This is the story of the first gods and how they saved us, they later had children like Kambatil god of war and Khileran goddess of healing.”

I started clapping “Good story, well structured”

“Do you have something you would like to say” she asked me angrily

“No no, I'm just enjoying you story, quite entertaining”

“It is not supposed to be entertaining, it is the history of our world”

“There your wrong, you're missing a few details”

“Oh, and you would like to fill them in?”

She was quite annoyed by me at this point

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“Listen, Antistita was it, I mean no disrespect”

“No no, please fill us in on the truth”

“All right, if you insist, it all started long ago, before gods old and new, back when the world was young, life appeared and nothing could stop it, trees grew and grass sprouted and small little creatures started to appear, but alongside this larger stronger ones came too, they fought each other so only the strong survived, these were the first monsters, not because they were born as such but because the became such.

At some point humans arrived, from where and how is lost to time, and they were weak, afraid and had no chance against these creatures, so they prayed”

“See” she cut me off “The gods answered those prayers” she finished smugly

“Akto mala, akto xoli gron ” I replied.

She was shocked, her jaw opened “How do you know those words? They are sacred prayer”

“You don't even understand your own prayers, do you?” I chuckled “It means 'Take my neck, don't take my belly’, it a sign of submission, can I continue?”

She gave me an angry look

“Ok, as I was saying, they prayed to anything, some prayed to the sun others to the moon, to spirits and mountains and everything in between, and some prayed to the monsters, that's where that prayer comes from, the hoped that they could appease these creatures, and sometimes it worked, they became the old gods, the monsters that enjoyed worship, but many didn't and continued be what they were, monster.

Over time some of these old gods began to trust certain humans and bequeathed power onto them, when there were enough of them they overthrew the old gods and killed many monsters, forcing the survivors into hiding, they declared themselves the new gods, and the people accepted them without question, and prayed to there saviours.

But children there is still one question that everyone forgets to ask: what was before the gods and monsters? There was a song, a simple beautiful song that no one could hear, and to its tune the world came to be, and those that hear it can become more than what they are, it's what allowed the first monsters to become so strong and allowed the first gods to be divine, and if you listen closely you may hear it, a song sung since the beginning, an unknown song that few can hear, but those who do must follow it wherever it takes them, for the song only stops at the end of their journey, and this song is not for our ears, listen for to long and you lose yourself, the monsters knew it so they listened and became great beasts, the gods listened and they became divine, and if one of you hears it go, for what's at the end no one knows”

By now Antistita was livid

“The nonsense you spew borders on hearsay, the unknown song is an attempt at undermining the divinity of the gods”

“You're right, you're right, it's this the old ones who made then such, better our gods come from monsters then from mortals, but wasn't Piustalia human once?”

“She was special, chosen for the pureness of here heart”

I chose not to pursue this path as it would lead nowhere

“I am not here to debate faith, I simply wish to collect the bounty for the Beluat”

And I pulled out of the large sack a head of a creature resembling a bear and a deer with four small horns and four eyes.

“Nasty bastards, but they cant resist cheese, set up a trap and there easy prey”

Antistita and the children looked at me shocked, the couldn't believe that i had the head of the monster that terrorized them for weeks.

“Don't worry kids, she didn't lay and cubs, and this” I held up her head “is a small monster” Beluat stand at 3 meters height and weigh about 600 kg, males are slightly smaller

“Real monsters, from long ago, now they are big, trust me you don't want to meet one, though some are reasonable, but I digress”

The head priest just came out, astonished at what I held in my hands

“H-How did you kill it alone?!” he asked me in disbelief “I thought you were joking when you said you can handle it”

“If it lives it dies and if it moves it can be stopped, now let's go inside and talk payment”

“Of course, of course, right this way” and as he led me into the temple I bid farewell to Antistita and the children around her.

END