The Path to Victory

I have planned and waited every day. We are losing the war. I must turn to the gods for help.

I walk out into the night, onto the altar that is open to the sky. Today is the day that the moon will completely block the sun. It is the only day the god of the moon can appear. He is said to have powers that no other god but the sun can rival.

I watch the sun's corona slowly start to appear. No regular human can witness such an event, but I am of the first follower of the sun's descent. My eyes are immune to the great power it emanates.

I stand in the middle of the shadow the moon has made on the altar and hold up my hands in prayer.

"O great god of the moon. Please hear my words."

I close my eyes and wait.

Nothing appears. I open my eyes and look down in despair. Did it not work?

I turn my back to leave when I hear a voice, soft and melodic from behind.

"Wait."

I look behind me and see a man, his hair as dark as the night sky, his skin as pale as the moon's light.

Light radiated off his skin as if he had bathed in moonbeams.

But the most shocking thing was his eyes, blank as the creamy paper used by the scribes.

He moves towards me, his silvery robes rustling like the leaves of a tree stirred by a gentle wind.

"You have called for me?"

It is the moon god himself. Thankfully he has not taken his true form or else I would be ashes by now.

I stand frozen in shock. I thought I was prepared to face him, but I am not yet ready. I feel the need to run away.

"Boy, what do you need from me?"

I take a deep breath and swallow back my fear. "I ask of your help."

He stares at me oddly.

"I beg of you. Help me gain victory over my enemy."

He remains expressionless. I cannot tell what he is thinking.

"You have called me to fight for you?"

I shake my head. "No. I do not mean the way you say. I just require your aid."

He frowns. "You have said to me you want me to help you win against your enemy. That means you want me to fight."

I think for a moment. "I suppose I do."

He waves a hand at me. "I do not fight. War only brings more hatred. Peace will only bring victory."

"But you are at constant war with the sun, are you not?! The elders have never told me the god of the moon is a hypocrite."

His eyes seemed to mist over. I regret saying that. "Boy, you do not understand at all. The sun is my enemy, though he is also my brother. Yes we are opposites, but we are two sides of the same coin. Without the sun I cannot function and without me, the sun is lost."

I do not understand. "But I am not the sun and my enemy is not the moon!"

He shakes his head. "It is the same. The sun and the moon work in harmony to create day and night. If we constantly fight we will only create chaos. Do you not see? You and your rival must be at peace. Only then will you achieve the greatest victory."

"I do not understand."

He stares at me, looking a bit disappointed. "If you cannot understand then you are not worthy of my aid."

He disappears as if he is melting into the darkness. I stand there considering his words, but still not aware.

Years later after countless battles I have finally realized what the moon god was trying to tell me. Was I too blinded by the desire for bloodshed to see clearly? After my enemy had fallen, I finally came to the understanding. But it was already over. My army had fallen with that of my enemy and my once beautiful country lay in waste. The moon never again bathed the land with its gentle light.