by W. C. Jasper
Sovereign Servants
The Sending
Being the first book in the
VIRGIN EARTH
series by
W.C. Jasper
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This is purely a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, and any other incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events and places is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Aman Sandilya.
Edited by Titus Christian.
Copyright © 2021 W. C. Jasper
www.wcjasper.com
This is for those of us who once had access to higher realms. For those of us who “grew up” and traded our divine nature for the dark magic that clouded our souls with the perceived limitations of “reality”. For those of us who would dare to embark on an adventure to regain our lost glory.
This one is for the broken and the battered, the hurt and the marred… for those of us who need a light in our lives to find our way home. And above all, for those special people in our lives who become the very light that guide us home.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
Chapter Zero
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
LOST CHAPTER
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
These are the accounts of a time when all the lands on Earth sat huddled together in one cluster. A time when the Earth was yet undefiled and in pristine condition. A time when the Earth was much fairer than how we behold it today, far more beautiful than anything our imagination can envisage. A time of which no memory remains now.
The drylands of this age were only a fraction of what we see today, and most of the land that we see today slumbered deep below the waters. The evening sky brought with it beautiful shades of all colours and the night skies often put on enchanting, hypnotising performances with colourful lights. Not only was the sky bejewelled with far more visible stars than today but also housed numerous more celestial bodies of several kinds flaunting their heavenly beauty like beautiful maidens strutting about in lofty adornings.
This era in history counted the years as the ‘Years of SHAR’.
THE LANDS
The lands on the Earth were divided into seven countries. In the centre of all the lands lay the Kingdom of Jerudia, the second smallest in size of all the seven countries and yet not the least by any rights. Jerudia worshipped ‘Aadhi-Sathyam Yashar’ and was home to King Jahous Ehbed, considered by all the Earth to be the greatest king in history and hailed as the ‘King of Kings’. Jerudia believed that human beings were spirits who possessed a consciousness called a soul, and that their physical bodies were flesh-vessels for journeying through their time on Earth. This kingdom that lay in the centre of all dryland on Earth also rested on the western end of the mainland. It was surrounded on the north, east, and the south by lands; but on the west, it faced the waters. Medical science was the only form of science they cared about; and their military, despite being the smallest known army in numbers, was feared greatly.
To the east of Jerudia, lay the country of Devaar - about twice the size of Jerudia. Devaar had innumerable gods and the people of the country lived strictly by hierarchy and segregation based on the class they were born into. Owing to their size, high rate of military recruitment, and advancements in warfare techniques and inventions, Devaar had a powerful military.
To the south of Jerudia lay the nation of Ketaar, a little bigger in size than Devaar and about two and a half times the size of Jerudia. Ketaar worshipped ‘Kallaizo’ with absolute and unquestioning allegiance. Anyone who questioned or refuted the ways of the religion of the land was beheaded without any trial. Ketaar was incomparably rich in gold and silver, and was probably the richest country of the day. All of its political matters were kept private and no information was divulged to other lands that they themselves saw no need for. Owing to their great size and dense population, their military power was great as well.
To the southwest of Jerudia, lay the Kingdom of Hedva - an island separated from the mainland by the strait waters of the ocean. And to the west of Jerudia and north of Hedva, lay Sitno. And same as Hedva, this kingdom too, was an island separated from the mainland by the strait waters of the ocean. Both these lands remained completely isolated from the rest of the world. Nothing was known about these two kingdoms by the other lands other than their size. Hedva was almost a fourth of a size larger than Jerudia; and Sitno was marginally larger than Jerudia, making it the second-smallest kingdom.
To the northwest of Jerudia and the north of Sitno, lay the island Kingdom of Paang. The people of Paang worshipped the sun god ‘Soroyan’ and the moon god ‘Laani’. Paang was similar in size to Devaar, yet their military was considered to be the weakest. Science and technology were not given as much importance in their kingdom as the others. They were content and happy with nature’s providence as it was and believed in living life enjoying the bounties of nature.
Sitting on the northern part of the mainland, Gessold was the largest Empire on Earth. It was about twice as big as Ketaar and about five times the size of Jerudia. Gessold had no major religion and did not believe in absolute morality. Majority of the people in Gessold believed in subjective morality and indulged in all their desires, completely unbridled. Their science and technology far surpassed every other land of the day. Their monstrous advancements coupled with the colossal size of the empire made their military the most daunting and feared.
HUMANS, FAUNA, AND FLORA
The humans of SHAR were quite different from today. This was a time when the human body was still in pristine and untarnished condition; and diseases and disorders were supposed to be a rarity. The human body and mind were capable of far more than what they are capable of today. The physical strength and durability of the time far exceeded that of today’s humans. While the outward appearance of humans was pretty much the same, the fabric of their cells was vastly different. It is what gave them physical strength far greater than us despite being the same size as us. The very quality and constitution of the fabric that formed the human bodies was immensely superior to those of today.
The average lifespan of human beings was 180 - 200 years old. The human body reached its apex at the age of 20 and the physical prime of the human body lasted far longer - on average, it lasted from the ages of early 20s to late 70s. People became unfit for physical combat only after they crossed the age of 95 and even then, they led completely self-reliant lives and possessed considerable strength. Only the final year of one’s life was spent substantially weakened and physically limited. Deaths caused by old age were almost never a suffering, but more of a peaceful crossing to the afterlife. Free of the pain and distress one’s body experiences in their final years on today’s Earth. Devoid of the misery of losing control of one’s body and mind. Most people passed away peacefully in their rest as their hearts stopped beating in their sleep as if the heart received a message from ‘time’ itself that the moment had arrived. Death was a kind escort w
ho guided one to the other side.
Quite a few animals were bigger in size than how we see them today. Horses were the same size as today, but far more capable in terms of speed, strength, and endurance. Horses were the primary mode of transport and were seldom ridden without carriages or chariots inside the cities.
The flora of the day had medicinal properties that would seem supernatural today; but in those times, they were only natural. Most trees in the days of SHAR were humongous compared to those of today’s Earth. Most of the land in all the Earth was blessed with a wondrous variety of flora and every country and every land had abundant greenery, running waters, and diverse ecosystems.
MISCELLANEOUS
Time was counted as the hour of the day. With a total of 24 hours in a day, midnight started the first hour of the day and the noon of the day introduced the thirteenth hour. Each year had 360 days, and each month had 30 days.
Many minerals, elements, flora, and fauna existed in that age that are no longer found on Earth. And nature also provided wonderful alternatives to the man-made devices we use. Alternatives that were far more efficient and sustainable than our, quite frankly, inferior means. One could say that even most of the scientific advancement of that era was more in harmony with nature than ours. As if scientific advancement walked in a path parallel to nature’s. However, not all scientific advancement was such.
The scientific and technological developments of the age and the timeline of its progress differed greatly from ours. Electronic devices did not exist as humanity had not yet learned to harness electricity. Perhaps a better way to say it is that it never occurred to them to explore that avenue. Mainly because nature’s providence was so wise and great that human improvement upon it was rarely needed. But this era was still technologically advanced in many ways. However, the scientific avenues explored by them and the path of progress they chose were very different from ours. Printing presses were one example where the technology was quite advanced for the needs of the era. While the shape and form of technological advancement was far different from our day and age; speaking in terms of the level of progress, one could say that it could be compared to the 18th century time-period of our world.
The political science and the legal system of the day was surprisingly advanced in comparison to the progression pattern of the other facets of society. While the political structure of this forgotten era would be understandably queer to our eyes; a lot it was also surprisingly familiar to our systems.
Chapter Zero
The Beginning And The End
The thin, white border that separated the violet of the sky from the orange down below was so sharp that it could very well have been marked out with an architect’s scale. A giant, grey wolf, 7 feet tall, stood atop a cliff with a grave countenance. He was in his advanced years, but still in his glory days. Standing solemnly at the edge of the cliff, he peered out over the vast open land as the powerful wind crashed into his forehead. As the mighty winds stormed through his majestic and glorious grey fur with imperfect slanted white stripes around the body, his tears escaped his face and broke away in the wind. His tear-filled indigo eyes, like silent oceans on a strange planet, housed great pain and sorrow. A sorrow not only of loss, but of being forced into an action that went against one’s very nature.
Over a kilometre away, great lamentation covered a procession like a colossal cloak of sorrow pulled over a cavalcade. That which would have been the grandest procession in any other land, was a sober one in Jerudia. While kings were escorted into the afterlife strictly in processions of grandeur with chariots of gold, maidens laden in gold, and, well… lots and lots more of gold; King Jahous Ehbed of Jerudia was being sent into the afterlife in humble fashion, as per his orders. Hailed as the King of Kings, he was loved as much as he was revered.
Traversing beyond the city limits; the procession now consisted only of the Royal Family, top military officials, closest friends, confidantes, and the Council of Elders. The deceased King was being carried to a restricted area in the Forest of Ferianoy where only the members of the Royal Family were buried.
The open vessel that the King was being carried on was made of wood and was designed and built by the hands of the elder Prince - Prince Jeraash Ehbed. At the age of 17 years old, Prince Jeraash was already one of the best woodworkers in all of Jerudia. The vessel was made of a blended wood invented by the young Prince himself that was designed to last the longest and also look stunningly beautiful.
It consisted of three sections. The midsection that housed the King’s body was the largest and was filled with herbs that would preserve the integrity of the body and spices that carried a wonderful fragrance. The base of the sections on the sides were covered with a velvet layer. And the edges of the borders had carvings of some script in an ancient tongue rising out of them. The polished carvings in ancient tongue, shining in the orange sun had a thin golden lining running through the middle. Every part of the vessel did justice to the young Prince’s unmatched workmanship and creativity in the work of his hands.
The section on the left-hand side housed the King’s crown and a small box that contained his ring with the family signet. While it was not the custom to bury the crown, Prince Jeraash convinced the Council of Elders with the help of his uncle to allow this. The section on the right-hand side housed the legendary longsword and shield - Vaartha and Visuvia. A sword and shield that were rumoured to be crafted by the hands of angels. Crafted with sifith (the metal of choice for elite weaponry in the days of SHAR), and decorated with platinum, and black gold; they looked as glorious as they did powerful.
The King was clothed in his warrior-attire of red, white, and gold. While his ring with the family signet was removed from his finger and rested inside a wooden box, his wedding ring remained well secured on his index finger as per his request (as the norm in the days of SHAR was to wear the wedding ring on the index finger). His face was covered with a red velvet cloth, according to the tradition of Jerudia.
Standing atop the cliff, Aleph could not see everything clearly. But his powerful ears, with the help of the wind that seemed to have a mind of its own, could hear the loud wailing of the 12-year-old, younger prince - Prince Jared Ehbed. Even though the wise and splendorous wolf could not see everything at such a great distance, he still knew that Prince Jeraash would be maintaining a mountain-like solidity for the sake of his younger brother. And true was his knowing, for his elder brother was the only rock that Prince Jared held on to in his grief. As the fragile heart of the little Prince violently refused to be consoled, his fingers crumpled his brother’s clothes and drenched his chest with bitter tears. While Prince Jared’s eyes refused to open and face reality, Prince Jeraash kept his eyes as steady as a rock. Despite the involuntary lurches in his face and the unnatural number of blinks it took for him to maintain his rock-steady eyes, he upheld his firmness. However, one of the rare visible chinks in his otherwise sturdy armour was the abnormal number of times he swallowed his spit as he struggled to hold his head upright.
While Aleph’s soul howled incessantly in mourning, his throat stayed as mute as a cemetery. As the procession moved further and only the Royal Family was allowed to continue, Aleph dropped his head low and bowed down on one leg. After a moment of paying his respects, Aleph got back on four feet as his silent eyes sent out an apology into the future. As the red sun now burned strong and etched the sorrow of the evening permanently into the grieving souls; he turned and walked away silently. As he drew away from the cliff, his walk was heavy. Heavy, as if he himself were carrying the King’s corpse on his back.
Chapter One
Sons Of Jerudia
SHAR 3305
This saga follows the lives and exploits of the 24th Crowned King of Jerudia, King Jeraash Ehbed; and his younger brother, the Crowned Prince, Prince Jared Ehbed. The king who currently held the reign was recognised as the ‘Crowned King’ and all former kings were referred to as ‘Kings’; and all siblings who shared the same
mother and father as the Crowned King were recognised as ‘Crowned Princes’ and ‘Crowned Princesses’. The telling of this story begins in the year SHAR 3305 when news of an attack arrived from the 3rd troop stationed in the 4th district in the capital city of Radaa. Radaa was situated in the centre of the kingdom, and there lived the Royal Family of the House of Rash-Yaph in the Heiwa Palace, ruling over the Kingdom of Jerudia.
The news arrived when King Jeraash Ehbed was engaged in a meeting which expected the attendance of the Council of Elders (12 Elders with great knowledge in various spheres - much like the ministers in today’s government) and the three Generals of the Jerudian army. The newest of the three Generals was Prince Jared Ehbed, who, to the pride of his elder brother, had only a month ago become the youngest General ever at the age of 24 years. His elder brother, King Jeraash Ehbed was the youngest king in Jerudia who took the throne at the age of only 19 years with a full vote of confidence from the Council of Elders which was unfathomable, to say the least. Now, at 29 years old, King Jeraash had already proven himself to be a worthy and wise king.
Witnessing the meeting for the first time was a 22-year-old lad named Thaymas Riasmas who had been newly appointed as a guard in the King’s Courts. Thaymas was the second born son of General Thayman Riasmas (the closest friend of King Jahous’ youth who had been received into the Royal Family by him as a brother and had become a lawful member of the Royal Family). Thaymas was a very sincere young man who was greatly enthused to be entrusted with the opportunity to serve as a guard in the Royal Palace. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, had beautiful skin like dark brown clay and was very lean in form. His very short and tightly coiled hair suited his beardless, lovely face quite well. He was a handsome and diligent young man with sharp eyes. Sharp, yet gentle eyes.
