Eril's Story

Day 24

It was a full day's march back to the village, though the time didn't seem as long on the return trip. Spirits were high, and everyone took turns carrying our trophies of a successful hunt. The first people to see us at the outskirts of the temporary settlement was a small group of mostly children, out foraging spring berries. When they saw us, they excitedly ran out in greeting, pausing cautiously when they saw the size of the raptors' heads that were being carried on poles. Even though they were lifeless, the sight of the open gaping jaws was still imposing. A few of the braver souls stepped forward and plucked a feather for themselves.

Everyone in the town joined together now, work forgotten: woodcutters, people hanging laundry, children playing. All forming a procession back to the center of the village, the previously small band growing increasingly large, until it felt as if everyone who lived there was participating - the hunters leading the way.

In the center of the village, more wood was added to a great smoldering fire, bringing it roaring back to life. A separate smaller fire was built on a knoll away from the camp, a place for the family of those fallen to honor their loved ones before removing the body from the world - laying them on a pyre, a raptor claw placed on the forehead of the deceased.

The messy bones were thrown into large cauldrons, simmering and filling the air with the smell of rich broth. The other parts were divided up amongst the hunters and respected elders - a claw here, a handful of feathers for another, choice organs to be made into medicine.

The mood of the people continued to be joyous as the festivities commenced in earnest. I wondered if some of it had to do with knowing that the world was just a little less dangerous, now that there were two less monsters in it. Nonetheless these people chose to live in this region, and mortality seemed to be of no major concern. 'You live, you die, the amount of time is irrelevant', was something of a motto among those I had talked more in depth with.

When everyone had gathered around the blazing fire, a hush fell over the onlookers as an ornately dressed elderly woman strode into the center of the crowd. She walked confidently with all the eyes of the people on her, yet she didn't seem to acknowledge the fact, her actions unhurried. I was lucky enough to be among the inner circle, an honor bestowed for having partaken in the hunt - the reward being a clear view of what was about to take place.

From her belt, one by one she began to remove the many pouches that hung from it, opening and laying them flat upon the ground. Each contained piles of ash or bark, or other assorted unidentifiable bits. When she gave the signal, a few musicians nearby struck up a soulful melody, ushering a new mood over the evening. Swaying to the music and sitting cross legged, the woman arranged the materials on a smooth black stone, before then blowing the contents onto a pile of embers before her. After each deposit the fire would flare up, shooting forth spectacular color, garnering gasps and murmurs from the spectators.

Accompanying each flare, a thick bellow of smoke would pour forth, lingering low in the sky. And within it forms would take shape, dancing upon the horizon. Sometimes the smoke would light up from within, revealing intricate scenes. Other times the entire volume would take on the form of some giant creature or monster, frightening the more faint of heart.

The woman was deft with the materials, picking up speed over time - grabbing a pinch of this and a dash of that, before spreading it with extreme precision and blowing it into the fire. The cloud of smoke reached its largest size, swirling together in an amorphous sphere, waiting as a ball of potential. Then a man stepped into the light of the fire and addressed the crowd with a crystal clear voice, giving an oration to the depictions in the sky.

The story was of four elements, spoken into existence from the void. The great beings who were the architects tasked with bringing about the universe. Descending to the Earth in its infancy, the crowning jewel of the cosmos. Then discord arose. One of the four elements, Ithralis, turned on the others, and in the heat of the conflict the Earth was scourged. Ithralis then created five beings who shared his essence, immense in size and power, that thundered across the lands devouring all life, ever increasing their dominion over the Earth.

The blight was brought to an end when the other three elements sacrificed their essences to create the Seraphs, the descendants of the stars, and with one final act binding the beasts in caverns within the world. Left defenseless, Ithralis cast off his form and hid deep within Earth far from the surface, where dwelt the newly created Seraphs, guarding the smoldering remains of the world.

From then on the land began to heal, tended to by the new caretakers, and harmony once again reigned. The Earth was restored and guided back to what had been intended, a place of unity where life could flourish, where the joyous arrival of humanity would make it complete - being their inheritance in the universe.

With one final flourish of smoke, tinted green and showing the continent of Pangaea, the show was over, the smoke dissipating into the air. A burst of cheers outpoured from the crowd and the woman nodded graciously, retreating into the crowd just as subtly as she had come.

I loved hearing all of the old stories, and this proved to be no exception. I tried to visualize the land as it had once been. Primal storms, the beginning of life, great titans fighting for the fate of the world, reshaping it as they did so. A time I would have been eager to visit and live in for a year or two.

Now that the show was wrapped up, people began to wander away to their respective homes - some of the lucky ones had been able to watch from second story wooden towers nearby. Our small company of three was invited in for the night by Torin, one of the hunters whom I had gotten to know quite well during our excursion. The inside of his home was inviting and neat, and we were instantly at ease and relaxed. We settled into our beds that night grateful for their comfort, and happy to be safe and alive.