a short story anthology

enlightenment

Hold your head high, child. You are an angel who has been bestowed the highest enlightenment. It is not a burden, but a gift.

~•~

07/29/21

It's sort of my dream to write a fantasy trilogy someday. I've been building the world for a little over two years, and am excited to eventually start writing the books. But for now, here is a short story that I wrote from within the world.

~•~

Inside of the Solarian Temple, beyond the conservatory, was the Hall of Enlightenment. The hall was shaped like the top half of a heart, with curved golden arches bowing to a small glowing orb that was suspended in the centre of the room. It hovered above a small round podium etched with ancient runes. Branching from the base of the podium were triangular rays that paralleled the areas between the arches, where the sky filtered through, to create a striking sun silhouette on the floor. There were eight completed rays, with the ninth being the pathway that bled into a quintet of shimmering stairs leading up to the centre platform.

Lynn stood on the trail of the ninth ray, donned in her ceremonial attire. A long bolt of white silken fabric draped her body, wound around her into some sort of woven robe. The fabric was pure, untouched and unhemmed by any other than the weaver leading up until the ceremony. Lynn herself had taken it off of the loom.

The other Enlightened had already arrived, each having taken their place on their respective ray of the floor-encrusted sun. Eight in total, ranging in ages throughout millenia. Each one selected in turn, each one touched by their Father, and granted celestialism. Just as he would Lynn.

She glanced upwards, the sun was nearing the peak of its arc, beaming down at her with pride. It was nearly time.

The hums began soft, as the breaths of the Enlightened slowly synchronized and evened in pitch. An airy melody floated on the exhales of the other angels, a hymn in unison on their tongues. The words were of the ancient language, one abstained from by angels whose mouths were not blessed to carry it.

Lynn walked toward the centre podium, following the illuminated golden path to Enlightenment. The road home to her Father. The ray was rough like sandstone on her bare feet, and it grounded her. She ascended the stairs with careful steps, and advanced until she stood in the focus; the cynosure of the sun. The sky above was blue and radiant, and she allowed herself a moment to greet it before she proceeded.
She reached to her left wrist, where the loose end of the bolt hung over the back of her hand. She carefully slipped it out from where it was tucked under the previous loop, and she began to unravel the drapery. As she unwound it from her body, she felt the sun's heat kiss her skin, intensified by the glowing orb that hung above her head. It looked to be made of tamed flame, dancing fluid light that warmed her shoulders as the fabric fell away from them. Once she was completely unbound, Lynn basked for a moment in the feeling of the sky against her body. Her head tilted back as she felt the serene embrace reach for her. The end of the fabric dropped from her hand, and she slowly spread her wings to capture the intense warmth of the sun.

The hymn of the Enlightened grew ever louder. Lynn glanced around at them, and her breath was lifted from her lungs at the sight of their eyes, each now glowing a blinding white. At their feet, the runes written into the sun emblem began to fill with light. Powered by their outstretched palms that held bundles of sparkling electricity, the golden glow flowed through the markings on the floor like liquid solarity. Starting at the tips of the rays where the angels were positioned, the molten sunlight ran slowly down towards the platform where Lynn stood, pooling in a spiral of engravings underfoot.

The sun had reached its peak.
Above her, the orb began to grow. The channeling of the sun's energy at the hands of the Enlightened angels around her dilated the ball of swirled plasma into a miniature star. The intensity of the heat radiating from it burned Lynn's exposed skin, branding her. Reclaiming her. Fire licked at her scalp, bleaching and cleansing her head of decadence and hatred. Instead, the blaze of the star above her pierced through her, filling her heart with strength, her head with peace, and her hands with power.
The songs of the sun swelled. They washed over her, whirled around her, waved through her. Enlightened voices drowned out every other sound. Lynn's lips fell open as she lost sense of where her feet met the ground, and she tasted glory.

Father, I've returned to you. I wish to join you, I wish to stand by your side come eternity.
A crest in the wave of music, dowsing as the notes descended into harmony. Her heart fluttered in its ribcage, and she felt at peace. There was resolution.
Over the music rose a voice, finding her through the beams of light that held her.

"Celestelynn," said the voice, warm and white.

Her vision returned, swimmy and seared at the hands of her Father. The eldest Enlightened angel stood before her. His long hair and beard flowed like rivers down his robes. He smiled at Lynn, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes betrayed his wisdom.

"Daughter of the sky," the angel continued, "you are touched by the sun, and ascend to the greatest Enlightenment."  His voice was soft and distant, like he was an echo or a vision. From his head, he slowly lifted his own halo. A crown of ethereal luminescence that was to be bestowed on her. The weight of Enlightenment was to be hers to carry, passed from hand to hand as an heirloom of allegory. Lynn bowed her head to her elder. His fingers brushed at her hair as the halo was placed on her head.

An open field, overgrown with wildflowers and untamed grass rippling in the wind. A lyre being strummed at the base of a great oak tree. Laughter of faeries in a city of flowers. The seeds of a dandelion being carried over the country, cradling the pieces of a child's wish in their arms. A fire at midnight under a sky of stars. Hoofprints of fauna grazing by a river. Interlaced fingers that swing between two bodies like a pendulum, tolling all of the time in the world.

A storm on the sea. A bloodied hand delving into a gaping chest. A hunger that eats away at the consciousness until there is nothing but a desire for something to stop the pain. A kingdom overrun with fire. A shield pierced by arrows. Shadows that cover the moon. Grief corroding the side of a cliff. Teeth ripping into flesh. A war of suffering and blackness. Horror and despair clawing at the inside of a skull. Memories that could not be forgotten. A windowless cell with an indefinite sentence. The endless infinity that scales insignificance.

When Lynn regained awareness, she was on her hands and knees. Bent over under the crushing weight of eternal knowledge. She gagged and sputtered as she suffocated beneath it. Her nails scraped against the rough floor as she tried to get a hold on it. With a groan, Lynn tipped her head into the floor to alleviate the weight of the halo. Her knees dug into the platform, imprinting her knees with the cutouts of the runes beneath her.

Then, Lynn felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder.

"It's alright, child," the voice of the oldest Enlightened angel said. With his aid, Lynn stood. It took all of her strength to lift her head to level his. The visions creeped in at the corners of her vision, thoughts spanning infinite time spun through her head. Her knees trembled as she tried to regain her footing. Without his halo, the angel before her had lost the luster in his eyes. They were worn and weary, but kind.

"Illumination is a gift for you to carry forward, now. It is a jewel of wealth I pass to you."

Lynn dipped her chin and nodded. All the while, the Enlightened angels continued to sing, although softly now, with their wings unfolded and bevelled toward her. Their harmonies were resplendent and sacred. It awakened a predilection within her, and she felt her soul resign as she was overtaken by a curtain of diaphanous epiphany.