"Heliova is the God of Beasts, The Ruler of the Lands, The Creator of Mountains, the Guardian of Forests, and the Emperor of the Earth. He is the Creator of us Beastfolk, of Life itself, and our guiding light."
Igimo explained to Ethan, his tone contained reverie for his God, as well as an immense amount of respect, and hints of regret, or perhaps sadness. Ethan struggled to understand the final emotion. Ethan hadn't thought he would be learning about this Beast God in this session. They were currently sitting in the small gazebo Ethan had built in the backyard of the Church, surrounded by the garden he had cultivated.
The only source of light was a small oil lamp, but neither Ethan nor Igimo needed it; both could enhance their eyesight in the darkness. It was more of a courtesy. There was also a magical barrier in place to prevent anyone from hearing what was said. The sun receded an hour or two ago, and by this time, most of the villagers were asleep, but of course, some precautions were necessary.
Ethan had hoped to learn more about language and the system of power of Alapur in this session, but it wasn't as if he wasn't curious about Beast God, Heliova, according to Igimo, part of the reason he was so supportive was that Beast God had deemed Ethan not to be a threat.
That was what had spurred Igimo's guilt to action, helping Ethan in any way possible because he knew he wouldn't bring harm to the village. This God of Beasts had also revealed to Igimo that Ethan may or may not be helpful to the village, which had given rise to Ethan's curiosity regarding the matter.
However, he didn't push for it, aware that Igimo might take it as an insult. Ethan wasn't religious, which made him stay away from such matters.
'How do I even begin to ask about something like this, without appearing rude?'
Igimo had apparently decided to talk about Beast God in this session, and Ethan didn't mind; he was eager to know more. Even if the matter of Beast God and his revelation about Ethan wasn't taken into account, Ethan was eager to find out more about the God behind the Beastly Aris.
Igimo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and recited a prayer.
"Ye Ruler of the Land, Creator of Mountains, Ye Guardian of the Forests, Emperor of the Spirits of the Earth.
Ye Mighty Beast, Ye Fearless Beast, Ye Caring Beast, Bless thy lamb with abundance, protection, and courage.
Bless thy pitiful lamb with the knowledge of your might. Ye Progenitor of Life."
Igimo exhaled, and Ethan noticed a faint glimmer in his eyes. Instinctively, he paid close attention to his surroundings, but failed to notice anything. However, his body grew tense, and as time passed, his Ki began to fluctuate, but there was no change in his surroundings.
'Is this because I'm worried...?'
He thought, but at that moment, Igimo began to explain.
"At first, there was nothing; the sea encompassed the world, and the sky encompassed the heavens. The Sky and the Sea ruled the world, with nothing in between. At some point in time, something else arose to combat this natural order. The Land Arose, and the Wolf of the Plains came to be, Heliova, the God of the Land, the God of Beasts. His birth brought forth the first instances of land in the world, land above the Sea, below the Sky. However, this Land was flat, an endless flat plain with nothing in between.
As Beast God awoke, he leaped from the edge of his land and created the Helio Mountain Range. He landed at the other edge of the continent, giving birth to the Black Mountain Range. Between these two mountain ranges, he filled the continent with forests, lakes, and small hills. He carved out the Rivers, allowing the continents to be filled with life. With his arrival, grass came to be, trees arose from the ground, and following this, Beast God created Life, Beast Folk, Humans, and the other various species to inhabit his Land. Following the example set by Land, the Sky, and Sea also created life. The Sky chose to create only a few, whilst the Sea created many; however, Land had been the first.
Land had birthed us, Land had fed us, and Land had taken care of us, and the Land has always been the final rest.
BeastFolk and humans, the former more reverent than the other began to worship the Land, and this aroused the interest of the Sky and Sea; however, this interest was not borne of good intentions. The Sea and the Land were always at odds with each other, because the children of each both fought with each other. This feud had reached its peak when Sea threatened to devour the Land. The Sea rose in tide, and came to devour the Land.
In Response, Land fought against the Sea, Heliova and the Sea fought for nine days, and ultimately, Heliova emerged as the victor and protected the Land.
However, this fight had garnered the attention of Sky and made it aware of something else entirely."