"I can see why my father was hesitant to talk. I don't look like either of my parents. Well, maybe I have a mother's looks? Then again, it could be because I am still a baby," Aaradhya lifted his head to get a full profile of himself in a glass sculpture that he used as a mirror. A satin and dark espresso skinned baby with long and silken white hair pulled back into a high bun stared back at him. The most striking detail being the bright golden eyes that sparked with green and blue light near his pupils like an optical marvel.
"Hm. I look much older than a newborn. I'm maybe 2 or 3 based on my size. Not only that, my features are reminiscent of my baby pictures from my previous life. Different hair and eye colors but nearly exactly the same in terms of every other feature," Aaradhya leaned forward and frowned. His image warped as the sculpture twisted around at an odd angle. He could now see through the glass and most of the brightly green tinted mountain.
"Ah. There we go. My soul sense finally activated around these girls. It just took being cleaned and dressed as though I were a doll and a bit of time," Aaradhya glared at the two girls that secretly bottled his bathing water. They passed the soapy glass jars over to a third person that carried the sacred holy water off to who knows where.
"So how much do you think we could sell this for," the first maid whispered.
"I don't know but we should keep some as a memento, to remember the first bath that our lord has ever taken," the second maid smiled as she pocketed a small vial of bathwater.
"Ugh. That is upsetting, but I suppose I can just forget what I saw since it's only thanks to their chatter that I know the situation up until now. Ah, it is rather coincidental that they are speaking a language I know. Thanks to that, I now know that it has been a total of three months since I was reborn into this world. It does, however, seem like more time has passed for me. Hmm. Could it be that my Deaths Rest ability is slightly different compared to Wilfred's. Would my blessing be more along the lines of a biological acceleration rather than a reversion when it comes to regenerating," he frowned and focused on the conversation the ladies had at present.
Instead of chatter, as Aaradhya understood and summarized the girl's idle conversation. First, the cult packed up and moved to the private island that he found himself on due to some mystical and bloody event concerning the little lord's week of birth. Second, the community was mostly content with staying on the island for the rest of their days since it was a pleasant change of pace to the daily grind that came with attending and staying at the main temple that was in the mountains. And third, it was an open secret that most if not all of the elders did not want to go back and re-establish the main temple of the cult. The high priest and those on his side, argued for reclamation but they were a minority. The maids, who were born and raised on the island to Aaradhya's knowledge, even brought up information about the conversations that they were privy to as they did his makeup. The talks lasted for the past month or so and most likely would have continued for generations to come but Aaradhya waking up threw a wrench into the gears of the cult's operations.
So let's quickly jump to the perspective of Aaradhya Sr as Jr deciphered the lingo that the girls used. He was a tall, almost lanky, man with chalky light brown skin and silky gray and chestnut hair. Masih Sr came to a halt in front of a council room just below his lordly son's private abode. With a heavy sigh, he pushed open a pair of heavy stone doors and met with a group of 12 old men and women. A steady stream of servants practically ran in from a service entrance expertly hidden behind some ostentatious statues. These servants catered to the old people with the speed and agility of leopards in a high speed pursuit. Nearly all of them yammered and flapped their denatured mouths about the same subjects, the punishment or rewarding of the high priest.
"Elders. Please. Please, settle down. We are in the presence of our lord up in his room. Have some restraint...", Masih Sr projected his calm voice and shut everyone down before they could address his lateness or his brazen entrance.
"Interesting. They do respect my presence and the legitimacy of my lordly son, if only somewhat. However, the depth of their self control only seems to be dependent on the faction they are in ... ", Masih Sr thought to himself and narrowed his eyes like a falcon spotting some distant prey and pinpointed who amongst the elders truly showed restraint out of faith. Specifically, five shriveled men and women with seats closest to the high priest showed the least amount of decorum. Three of those untested elders did not wait to speak, nor did they sit down when the high priest entered, instead, they droned about nonsense all the way until one of the two elders that did not engage in the farce spoke up.
"How dare you talk of restraint, high priest? You know nothing of the matter! Your recent behavior is completely unbecoming of one in your position. Perhaps you are not fit to lead our congregation," the second elder of the Shepherd's of the Golden Horn pointed at Masih Sr with a red face as his shrill voice drowned out all others in terms of volume and pitch.
"Right back to the same argument it would seem. Such a useless old man. How did he get the position of an elder with that tongue of his," Masih Sr pondered the subject for a bit then observed the rest of the elders with the eyes of a hawk as he remained quiet. It seemed to him that the five elders were only getting started.
"I have to agree with you on some points there, second elder. Priest, do you know of the frenzy you instigated amongst the council during this morning by lying. Even your attitude now is unbecoming," another elder spoke up. One after the other, nearly all of the elders not in the high priest's faction yelled in disapproval. Even some of the neutral elders couldn't hold their tongues and spoke out in disapproval of their high priests' antics.
"Absolutely true fifth. I also have a qualm high priest. Did you not agree to receive a punishment? When do you plan on accepting the weight of your actions this morning," one of the neutral elders squeaked out. Like a broken record, the group of old men and women repeated over and over, louder and louder. Masih sr calmly withstood the onslaught of berating voices and focused on the connection that bound him to his son. He was surprised to hear, or rather, feel a flood of information bleeding into his mind and heart. Aaradhya found that he could listen in on everything that his father was thinking and found that he was less than enthused to meet the elders of the cult. Masih Sr openly sighed and shook his head as he felt his son's dissatisfaction.
"I really hope some of these geezers can see the truth before my lordly son is brought here to take stock of his lost flock," Masih Sr frowned inwardly but all of a sudden, he felt something tingle down his spine as a voice carried off into the depths of his heart. He did not hear the words but his lord's intentions were clear as day. In fact, his son's meaning was carried over so well, Masih Sr thought it would be best if he informed the elders of a few things before their lord graced them with his presence.
"Ahem, Elders, it is my pleasure to inform you all that the lord may be on his way. I have also just been informed that…", Masih Sr expressed the viewpoint of his lord as best he could in hopes that the elder would listen to his warning.
Aaradhya leaned back into the cushiony seat prepared for him and frowned as he was carried down the steps by the four guards that he had seen from the inside of his glass coffin. He had not gotten their names yet but it was apparent that they were always nearby. The maids had just finished putting the final touches on his grooming and the four guards of varying ages just carted him toward some unknown location. Thankfully, the connection with his father did not disappear like it did with that eyeless creature from earlier in the day so he gathered a few things from the ideas that his father possessed and shared.
Aaradhya made it clear that he was not very enthused with being subject to endure the cult's so-called conclave but from what Masih Sr shared between conversing with the elders, the conclave was essentially a marathon of meetings and purely ritualistic services aimed at the believers. That said, since he was meant to be in meetings, those in attendance will follow his rules because in the boardroom, anyone who spoke out of turn was fired and barred from ever entering the same field. In fact, in his first life, quite a few stockholders and even business partners who thought they were above his rules because of their stake in the businesses, found themselves living in squalor for their out of turn quips during meetings.
"...Father, take note of this last thing. Inform those old men and women that I despise parrots who only know how to squawk nonsense or repeat garbage," Aaradhya glared directly toward the room the four guards carried him to. If this were a film or visual adaptation, we would see multiple interacting perspectives as the high priest communicated Aaradhya's will to the rest of the elders at the same time he received the lord's word. Just as the priest finished recounting what was told, much to the baffled and muted anger of some elders, he abruptly bowed toward the closed stone doors leading into the room. The last perspective would belong to the cherub faced first elder who had remained quiet the entire time.
"Enough," the high priest roared.
"Stop," the cherub-faced first elder spoke up at the same time as he was the only one not in the High Priest's faction to follow the man's gaze. He was also the only person that did not speak in admonishment or support even though the other four elders on either side of him made it obvious that they were staunchly opposed. All of the elders quickly scrambled to follow with bowed heads as the door opened and a palanquin of soft cushion entered.
"Our lord has decided to grace us with his presence. This is something we must celebrate and share with our followers," the first elder deepened his bow to remain lower than Aaradhya's carried cushion. The innocent looking man then motioned for his faction to sit since it was disrespectful to hold themselves as high as their lord.
"Two faced snake, always playing the better man when he is the one that hates me the most," Masih Sr glared at the first elder but bit his tongue in silence as he took over for the four guards and moved Aaradhya out of the palinquinn.
"This throne has been set aside for you since the inception of the Shepherds of the Golden Horn," Masih thought out loud and turned toward the always empty throne that was placed above and apart from the meeting table on the other side of the hall.
"You are too small to fill it out now but you will one day," The high priest stood beside this throne as per normal and shared his observations with his lord via their tethered bond. The old priest correctly assumed that if his lord's intentions and ideas could be transmitted then he could transfer his thoughts as well if he possessed enough faith.
"Oho? Even the name of the faith sounds cult-like, very interesting," Aaradhya let his thoughts slip to his father who bowed with a smile after seeing his lord's receptive exclamation.
"We are not a cult but a faithful following, my son. The dogs that follow the first elder have made our glorious faith like that of a cult if you must call it such. On either side of the first there are the third, fifth, tenth, and twelfth elders. Each comes from a family line that has been instrumental in the foundation of our faith," Masih sr focused hard to make sure that each elder was in his vision when he thought about what he was saying. Aaradhya got the information transmitted into his head almost immediately.
"That baby-faced old first elder really knows how to wrangle his dogs. Even in my day, I never made my intentions so obvious…", Aaradhya could almost read the tangible anger hidden behind the first elders' jolly expression. He nearly smiled… nearly. The information his father passed him really did wonders to fill him in on the information that Death was only interested enough in as to provide a rough outline of.
"I agree with the first elder, my lord. The flock would love to share in our lord's presence," the second elder started to speak but stopped when his master, the first elder, coughed.
"I mean, our lord is here in the flesh. It is an occasion we have to celebrate and share with the flock and the world," the second elder cleared his throat and turned to his seated companions with a subservient nod. When he turned back to Aaradhya's throne, the old fifth elder with a shrill voice teared up as if he remembered something heart crushing.
"...Sadly, the trials given to us by our lord proved too difficult. Even if we share his glory, there would not be a big reception for the conclave you have called so suddenly High priest. Many of our members have scattered out of fear. Frankly, high priest, I fear your effort over these past few months will go to waste as our lord seems to have a distaste for outsiders," the fifth wiped his tears.
"What led him to this conclusion? It's true I despise fools and mindless sheep but this jester doesn't seem to understand who it is I despise. I'm sure you told them my rules," Aaradhya raised an eyebrow.
"I did my lord," Masih Sr spoke out loud which made the elders do a double take.
"Ah, that's good. So this is one fool you must do away with at your earliest convenience.... ", Aaradhya leaned forward and stared at the second and fifth elders as if they were a pair of giraffes in the middle of a street. Everyone aside from the high priest gasped. They whispered among themselves but even though Aaradhya didn't understand some of the languages they used, the general conversation revolved around whether or not Aaradhya was an actual baby or a god. He got the gist of the conversation thanks to the real time translator that was his father.
"Second Elder, what are you referring to? Our lord is curious about your statement," Masih Sr glared.
"I am. Ahem. Excuse my impertinent phrasing but soon after our lord fell asleep, many in the flock fell ill or outright died. Many of the outsiders who were interested in our lord's glory, also perished from this mysterious illness or the onslaught that occurred afterward and those that have survived. Well, we all know that the surviving outsiders have tried everything in their power to get rid of our influence due to their night terrors and the negative premonitions that they seem to be afflicted with. Even you, high priest, fell ill due to the lord's trial and nearly perished," the peanut gallery filled in the rest of the information Aaradhya didn't expect to hear.
"I guess my Rest perk truly is different. I entered a restorative sleep almost as soon as I was born and created a phenomena similar to what I witnessed when I woke up. I seem to be able to attract ambient spiritual energy like a whirlpool but the density at my birth location disturbed the world's spiritual ecosystem more than some remote island," Aaradhya summarized the peanut gallery's words as they spoke about the lords embrace, the emerald sheet, and the filter that separates true believers from the faithless. It seemed to him that they were all using made up names for the Emergent Fog and the Verdant mists that served as the world's spiritual signature.
"I am in agreement with the other elders on this matter. High priest, you know that our lord caused this world's spiritual entities to test our fortitude. Those who follow our lord's teaching are still being haunted and plagued by the dead. Even our counter attacks were met with disaster," one elder that appeared to be in the neutral faction shuddered and lifted his robe. All over his chest and arms were cuts from what looked like claws and fangs but the oddest part about the wounds is that they were not physical malformations. According to every doctor this elder has been to, there was no detectable scarring or bruising yet, it clearly appeared as though this man were mauled by a savage beast. The elders who were not at the main temple when Aaradhya was born and were seeing this for the first time, gasped out of fear.
The ninth elder, a member of the high priests faction then stood up to convince their brethren. The old man wore shades and possessed a walking stick. They lowered their glasses to reveal glowing green eyes. The fourth elder, another member of the high priest faction, revealed wounds across her bodies that looked even more violent or exaggerated than the other elder that showed his wounds. It was almost as if her flesh were flayed from the bone and stitched back on. Some of the elders couldn't help but reel back in shock.
"Do the lost souls they speak of look like people or monsters that are decomposing into warm colored dust like that eyeless creature I saw today," Aaradhya leaned back with an even deeper frown as he addressed his father with a mental image.
"The lost appear just as you are thinking my lord. The worst abominations amongst the lost, according to our texts and some firsthand accounts by those bestowed with gifts by you, do not show the same decomposition my lord. Instead, they seem to be shielded by some sort of mystical haze. It is difficult for me to see clearly but there are some who you have gifted with the vision to peer into a miniscule layer of your realm and they all say that it is as if the dead walk with shadows affixed to their forms," Masih Sr turned his head to Aaradhya as he spoke. The elders paused, completely caught off guard by their god and high priest's apparent disinterest and the one sided conversation.
"From what the elders are saying, am I to assume that everyone who was attacked by the lost when I was born and survived, have received some sort of gift," Aaradhya activated soul sense almost by chance as he focused and eyed the glowing lights that coalesced around the wounds on each elder that showed their scars. It was different for the ninth elder as it appeared as though his spiritual body overlapped with his physical one.
"That is correct my lord," Masih Sr nodded.
"Then you can hear these lost souls," Aaradhya guessed what his father was capable of based on the depth of his connection and how his spirit appeared.
"I can. I can also somewhat see the boundless ocean of your power that brings life to all things beyond death," Masih Sr sent the mental image of a wall of green. The very same ambient spiritual energy that Aaradhya could barely parse through to see the world in a new light.
"Interesting, then before I came to this island, was the boundless ocean over everything?"
"No, I don't remember as such. There were several reports of lost souls wandering your island but over the past few weeks, such sightings have become near negligible."
"High priest, who are you talking to," the first elder didn't know why but he had to ask. Sweat erupted down his back like a waterfall just like every elder on his side. Their whispering reached a crescendo as they now echoed questions to their high priest. They all wanted to know why he asked a question then proceeded to ignore them and talk with someone who wasn't talking. Were his thoughts more important than their curiosity? Absolutely not in their minds.
"SILENCE. I am conversing with our lord, my son. Do not interrupt his divine communication," Masih Sr roared at the elders who dared to disrespect Aaradhya. They've only seen him erupt like this once so immediately, they were dumbfounded and rightfully silenced.
"Thank you father. Now that it's quiet, look at this...", Aaradhya opened up the spirit realm tab and turned the dial to the fourth option as he shared the (Silvery white) of the Emergent fog, (Green) of the Verdant mist, and (Blue) of the Spiritual Energy options.
"(Red) The antithesis to the essence that fosters life within the Emergent Fog. This is the poison that exists wherever spiritual energy remains stagnant. When a world or person becomes corrupted with this particulate, they spiritually decompose and destabilize. This rot clings to life through any means," Aaradhya explained the inner workings of the spirit world as he understood it.
"Tell them this but embellish and leave out what you think you must, just get my meaning across... ", Aaradhya explained his livelihood as Death's champion from the perspective of him being an Avatar of Death itself to better fit the religious malarkey that his father believed. Silence reigned for a few seconds then an entire minute. Every now and then the high priest would exclaim in surprise and interest but overall, the tense atmosphere reached a palpable level of fear, worry, and excitement.
"I have just conversed with the lord about the inner workings of his realm...", Masih Sr cleared his throat.
"What we experienced in the weeks following our lord's birth was not a trial of our lord's design. Rather, it was the cost of our fervent prayer. For generations we begged our lord to show himself but in our hubris, we did not understand the price. The moment he answered our prayers and reached out a hand to save our world from a violent force, his domain suffered a catastrophic blow at the hands of a vile corruption threatening all life. Our lord sacrificed his divine form to keep that corruption within his own domain. The creatures we saw or felt roaming the shadows of our world, were once criminals within our lord's domain but now they are drawn to the living world by the corruption our lord once contained....", Masih Sr spoke with such calmness and understanding that even the first elder couldn't find the footing needed to shut it down. More than a few minutes passed by as the high priest explained everything that his son said to him. It was not exact, and it was full of interpretation thanks to the inability of a tethered target receiving thoughts but it was something.
"In summary. The lost souls we have encountered, have endured the corruption and decay that our lord has been keeping at bay by himself but in doing so, most have become nothing more than roaming demons or husks of who they used to be. Only now, with the corruption at the gates of the living world, our lord has decided to ask us for help. Even now, his presence finds its way into our bodies in an attempt to empower us for the coming battle. We should all be grateful that even in such a stressful situation, our lord bestowed gifts that would help us counter the corruption that threatens our world," the high priest finished. His eyes glinted with a blue sheen so perfectly at that moment, many of the elders not on his political side nodded in agreement.
"You are right, high priest but my point still stands. How will we convince anyone to follow us again? Nearly all of our flock left after we abandoned the temple. And those that know nothing of what happened will not take kindly to being attacked by these corrupted denizens of our lord's domain," the second elder grit his teeth and pressed the matter.
"We have our lord's direct guidance now. His plans for us and the world extend beyond what any of us could possibly imagine...", Masih Sr spoke for another hour. The topic, world peace and control. He spoke with such assurance that nearly all of the elders were convinced. Aaradhya slouched around halfway through his fathers talk and locked onto the first elder. The man's muted anger seemed to subside, and what replaced it was a smile of schadenfreude. Even though Masih Sr copied what Aaradhya said to him, it seemed that there were some that were lacking in faith.
"This plan may actually work for the high priest. We can even hold a display of what's possible if people follow our lord...", the ninth elder gripped their cane and leaned forward in their seat even though they were blinded by the spiritual energy of the world much like how Aaradhya couldn't see beyond the green filter when he first woke up.
"Display what! A lost soul, one of those foul creatures," the second elder grimaced.
"We could, but I was thinking of showcasing our gifts," the ninth elder said.
"How do you suppose we do that," the first elder, believing it would go nowhere, posed the question.
"I don't know about anyone else but about a month ago...", the fourth elder stood and grunted really hard. A second or two later, she waved her arms. Even those without any spiritual senses could see a dense bright emerald mist swirl around her body. The elder dropped to the floor, pale as a sheet and gasping for breath. Murmurs spread throughout the room as Aaradhya clapped his hands a few times.
"Trickery," the second elder screamed. The first elder's jaw dropped for a moment but he quickly contained himself and the sparkle of greed that flashed through his eyes.
"Pfth, old first. I see the desire for power coursing through your veins… ", Aaradhya rolled his eyes at the first elder then he turned back to observe the room alongside his father.
"You on the other hand. I can use someone like you ", Aaradhya clapped his hands and nodded at the elders' efforts. Half shocked and excited, another elder in the neutral faction shot to his feet to garner some praise.
"My lord. Look at this, it was around two or three weeks ago for me...", this elder stood and did the same thing except, he screamed even louder. The only mystical effect was that a single finger made a trail in the verdant mist or boundless ocean that Masih Sr spoke about.
"Oh my. This poor old man is so red. Ah, and those eyes, he must really want my praise despite the pitiful display," Aaradhya didn't clap this time but he gave the old man a thumbs up for effort. The next elder to stand up was a very short and balding old man. He was the only elder who didn't grunt in strain, and he was also the only elder that managed to cover his entire body with the emerald particles. He held the aura for more than five seconds before he sat down with a bright smile. The particles still held in the air like some sort of mirage.
"Incredible. Father, I'm interested in what he can offer. Introduce him to me later. He also seems to know his place. For his effort, I will put on a display," Aaradhya leaned back with a light nod. He crossed his stubby leg over the other and motioned for the elder to speak.
"Thank you my lord. On the eve of your birth, I found myself capable of sensing things I've only ever caught glimpses of. Now I can sense those forces whenever I please and interact with it for but a scant moment. I never knew this was our lord's presence. I should have known, considering the warmth I received with every interaction in my past," the second elder explained as he bowed to Aaradhya. One common element between all of the old men who showed powers was, they were all at the temple when Aaradhya was born and they all had fully grey or bald heads. Which went to say, why didn't the first or third elder show any signs of this very same power when they were also present at the lord's birth. Aaradhya thought of the matter and guessed that it may have had something to do with age considering that the first and third elders still had black and brown in their hairs, respectively.
"There we are elders. Proof that our lord can grant powers to those willing to follow him and take up arms against this corruption. If we address the followers, I am sure that we will find others who are gifted. The third elder here is a perfect example as he is the only one among us who I would surrender to in a battle of faith," Masih Sr waited for another excuse as he spoke but no one said anything after him. Even now, the agitated particles of spiritual energy vibrantly pulsed and swirled around the room, visible to the naked eye
"Alright, since we are all convinced. Let us talk about what we have recovered from the temple last month before we get to matters concerning the conclave," Masih Sr made a mental note to contact the third elder later. His lip service was a small acknowledgment to everyone in the room that the second elder was currently their lord's shining star.