The Faithfuls

Chapter 1: Zeth

Chapter 1: Zeth

Merador. A place of peace, tranquillity and equality. But, saying that, equality only applies if you are like everyone else. If you didn’t tell from the start of the chapter, my name is Zeth, and I have only just gotten to Merador.

 Most of my childhood was in the Hell Dimension with my father, Satan. He never let me go out into the other dimensions because he wanted to make sure I was completely evil first. You see, I’m also the shadow lord, which usually doesn’t happen to many people, especially if they’re already related to the manifestation of evil. That little power gives the extra bonus of me never being accepted into a normal world. Finally, my father said I could venture into another dimension when I was 17. And so, that’s what happened. I came to Merador through a dimensional portal, which, just out of luck, had to be in the middle of the sky. And this is where I am today, lying on the ground, sore and covered in leaves.

 I get up, brush myself off, and try to find a place to call home. I wander blindly through the woods, watching a few dragons fly through the leaves, their connecting branches twisting and interlocking at certain points. The first thing that pops into my head is: I wonder who I’ll meet here...huh, why did I just think of that? Nobody would accept me unless I manipulated and lied to them beyond recognition.

 I think it took maybe an hour, but I came upon a tree. Wait, let me rephrase that. A giant tree, the dragons overhead nearly crashing into the branches. I trace around the outline, until I come upon something carved into the bark, The Ruins of the Anthrofauna Order. And after it, bigger than the letters, is a symbol. It appears to be a rose without a stem, but instead of being a symbol of peace, it looks like one of defiance. The rose is on fire, the tendrils curling up the bark. Either someone likes graffiti or someone lives here... I think. I walk around the base of the tree a little more, and then I see something; a doorway. A medium sized arch lies in the centre of the base of the tree. But, I hear the faintest thing, so quiet I can barely make out what it is. Singing. The voice of a girl. Who would live inside a giant tree? So, I do what any curious person would do. I follow the sound.

The inside of the tree was much more home-like than the exterior. The walls are lined with bookshelves, stacked with books and novels varying in size. A couch and carven table lay to the left, a woven rug beneath them. And to the right, what looked like a meditation mat, with three candles shaped as a triangle outlining green and blue striped circle of fabric. In the centre of the room is a wooden spiral staircase. Its railing has vine engravings all over it, but it looked rough, like someone was bored and carved it there. Coming through the hole in the roof was the singing. It was beautiful. Now that I had tip-toed in closer, I could hear the lyrics better, but only some of them:

I just want to be accepted,

I don’t want to hide in fear,

To you, my friends in the wilderness,

Don’t be afraid just ‘cause I am here,

Be scared of your chosen path,

Keep your rights to be free,

You are lucky to have them,

Because freedom is the one dream for me...

A song about faith and acceptance. Never expected it to be related to that. And then it stops. I’m going to admit, I’m a little disappointed.  I haven’t heard music ever since I was 7. And I notice why whoever was singing has stopped. I hear footsteps getting closer to the staircase. By now, my head is leaning on the railing. She’s coming downstairs. I run as quietly as possible out the door, only hearing a few cracks in the wood. The only thing I regret now is not bothering to look back at who it was. I just ran into the forest, the branches intertwining above me.

It’s incredible how tall the trees here can grow. There are the fair share of shrubs and ferns, but this dimension is mainly consisted of large trees. Then I thought of an activity that would be fun; Tree Jumping. An incredibly dangerous idea, but also a symbol that I am not afraid of a neighbouring dimension’s dangers.

 I climb a large oak a few steps away from me, getting a few splinters along the way. I reach a high branch, and look over Merador. It’s beautiful, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. My hair gets tossed around in the wind, slightly covering my field of vision.  And then I decide to be incredibly stupid. I back up a little, sprint forward with my shoes not slipping, and I jump.