ALTHUS STOOD up. He heard the Voices calling, the voices of the High
Ones.
"You, who are one of the First, we seek your aid. Come."
one of the voices, masculine, intoned.
"Yes, we seek you. Come and be witness to what may be our magnum
opus." Another voice, feminine, added.
Althus looked to the sky, and spread his arms. From his back the
wings sprouted happily: singing, exulting in the melody of the Voices.
He was one of the First, he and his sister Ailsea. They were like
us once, but that was a long age past. Now they served as judges to
the creations of the High Ones.
Like a flash of a bolt, he darted to the sky - high, high into the
sky.
No eagle, no falcon, or dragon could match the grace of his flight,
if "flight" it should be called. Perhaps it was not a flight,
but a dance in the winds. Such beauty...surely it was more than just
a flight.
It did not take him long to catch sight of the Palace of the High
Ones. Its golden stones shone with a radiance surpassing that of any
sun and its silver gates were more majestic than any of the two moons.
The Palace itself was a magnum opus.
He stopped and chanted a prayer before laying his hand on the colossal
gates. It opened without need of force but that of the prayer. Slowly,
he walked on.
There were many who lived within the Palace's grounds: those who
had led an honest life in the Middle Reach. Many of his friends were
here, their bell-like laughter echoing within. He greeted each and
went on.
Near the entrance to the hall, his sister joined him. She smiled
at him and held out her hand to take within his. Together, they marched
into the Hall of Creations.
Meltina, the High One of Health, welcomed them with her sunny demeanor.
"It is well that you have come, children." She laughed,
the laugh that banishes fatigue and trouble.
Althus looked at the tiny goddess, then whispered to her sister,
"We, children? I fear that she needs to look upon a mirror before
proclaiming her verdict."
"I heard that." she pouted.
Ailsea covered her mouth and giggled. "Indeed, I believe what
you say is true!" She agreed with her brother.
Meltina felt the approach of someone, six heads taller than she.
She turned to that one and sighed. "What must I do with these
miscreants, Gladiusean?"
The High One of War smiled widely and lifted Meltina, engulfing her
in a bear hug. "Perhaps we should let them spade the waste of
my horses." He sneered at the two in front of him.
"Perhaps indeed," Meltina answered, wrinkling her nose.
"You smell like horse drippings, brother." She made an inaudible
sound.
Gladiusean laughed hard and spoke to the other two. "Let us
be gone and into the center of the Hall." He winked. "Maybe
brother Elius will let us go early, so we can drink."
"Is that all you ever think of?" Meltina asked.
"Only when there are no righteous wars."
All four headed for the Circle, which is the center of the Hall.
Elius and Dyadarra, king and queen of the High Ones, greeted them.
"Welcome, children. We trust you are well? Then let us proceed."
Lord and Lady led the Ones Who were the First to the Circle. Aphramandia,
High One of Love and Beauty, made way for them, then the circle was
closed once more.
The First Ones looked at the faces of the High Ones who made up the
circle: Tearra, High One of the Fields; Daliom, High One of the Oceans;
Sepranoa, High One of the Arts; Demiliseia, High One of Life; Aprhamandia;
Gladiusean; Meltina - "Where are Lord Damio and Lord Rhuaka,
my Lord and Lady?" Ailsea asked.
"The High One of the Dead did not answer to the call, for he
believes we have no need of his presence." Elius answered for
Damio.
"And the High One of Reason believes that our minds must be
slipping to even consider such 'madness'." Dyadarra answered
for Rhuaka, somewhat mischievously.
Elius went on, without preamble. "We have summoned you both
to bear witness and be judge. Witness the Stone of Knowledge, within
it all of knowledge can be found."
"You are to be judge as to what must be done with it. Go to
the Middle Reach, and show it to each of the learned of your kind,
then make your decision." Dyadarra concluded, waving ostentatiously
at the plain looking stone.
"This is nothing to be made jest of, my dear." Elius chided.
"They are only to visit the learned ones in their dreams. We
have not yet lost enough reason to let them visit the learned ones
in their wake, endangering all that we have worked so hard for."
Dyadarra answered. "I didn't sweat it all out for nothing, you
know." She added, with another mischievous smile.
Elius sighed. "I have been worried much when our Great Mother
gave birth to one such as brother Gladiusean. Now I wonder if I should
have been more worried of your birth, my dear."
The First Ones accepted their task and descended to the Middle Reach.
There, they waited for the night.
They first visited the dreams of a musician. "You, who are a
musician, we offer the Stone of Knowledge."
The musician fell on his knees and thanked them, saying that they
have not wasted their efforts.
Much time passed on the dream, and the musician crafted masterpieces
of music. But the music was too much: It stopped the time for the
people who listened, who didn't give heed to their existence. Painfully,
they died of thirst and hunger, feeling betrayed. The musician crafted
seduction, and destroyed the lives of those who listened.
Seduction: the First Ones tasted the bile of their first failure.
Next, they visited a painter, and gave her The Stone.
Time passed since the painter created simple things of complex beauty.
But the lure of such a powerful object as the Stone of Knowledge prevailed:
She first entrapped people into her canvas, then recreated them into
abominations and released them to the world.
Chaos ensued: the second failure.
They visited a monarch, and gave him The Stone.
The monarch was easily ensnared by the dangers of The Stone. He had
slain all other rulers, and used The Stone to rule the world - bathed
the world in blood.
Crimson blood: the third failure.
They visited a savant, and gave him The Stone.
The savant taught most of what he learned to other people in need
of such knowledge, but kept the others to himself: dark deeds. To
proclaim himself as God of all, for he believes his knowledge surpasses
even that of the High Ones. One day he will rule in the Palace of
the High Ones, with all the others bowing to his every whim. A rebellion
ensues, and the High Ones destroy the savant, along with themselves
and all they created.
Darkness: the fourth failure.
In despair, they visited a couple of wisdom: an old man and woman.
"You, who are a wise couple, will you take the Stone of Knowledge?"
Ailsea asked, wearily.
The old, wise woman laughed. "And what use, pray tell, have
we of it?"
Althus blinked. "It is a most powerful thing. The magnum opus
of the High - "
"Magnum opus - masterpiece of the High Ones, you were to say?"
The old, wise man rubbed his chin. "Hardly. This -" he waved
his staff around him, below, and above. " - Is their masterpiece.
This wonderful world, and all the life within it."
Ailsea waved at the stone. "But this - "
" - Is nothing but a stone to us." The old, wise woman
answered. "We have no need of it, for we know where to look for
knowledge, and we know," she spread her hands, "how to use
them."
The First Ones looked at each other for a while, then nodded.
"We thank you for your honesty, learned ones - for you are truly
the ones." Althus bowed deeply.
"We will now carry on with our decision: the one that we have
originally agreed upon." Ailsea gave Althus a smile. "Isn't
that right, brother?"
"Indeed," Althus quickly agreed. "We should probably
go back and erase the memory of the dream from the others, though."
"Perhaps not," the old, wise man interjected. "It
would probably do to leave those dreams be. Perhaps the others will
learn from those mistakes. All but the monarch you mentioned."
He gave them a sly wink.
The First Ones smiled at the wise couple. "We hope - when your
time here on the Middle Reach has ended - that you will come and visit
us. We are sure that you two will be sent to the Palace of the High
Ones."
Then they were gone from the Middle Reach.
They stopped in their flight near the Palace. Both nodded to each
other and held The Stone, Ailsea in her left hand, Althus in his right.
They shouted to all the Reaches: High, Middle, and Nether. "Hear
our decision: we find no single, perfect being to hold possession
of the Stone of Knowledge; therefore, let it be known that The Stone
shall be no more but fragments to be scattered around the Middle Reach,
to be found by those with the eyes to see and the wisdom to use knowledge.
This is our decree."
"So be it." Echoed the Voices.
The hands that held The Stone were clenched, and the fragments were
scattered upon the breast of the Middle Reach.
"A wise decision," the voice of Rhuaka, High One of Reason,
was heard.
"A wise decision indeed," echoed the chilling voice of
Damio, High One of the Dead.
Althus turned to his sister. "If we hurry now, we may yet find
some of Gladiusean's drinks waiting."
The siblings laughed. Together, they hurried back to the Palace of
the High Ones.
