by B L Barkey
As he looked around, he felt a curious sensation. By the time he had seen the entire painting, the pictures seemed to shift ever-so slightly, just enough to keep him wondering. Like the etchings in the corridor of water, the painting felt alive, though obviously in much different ways. The animals seemed to look at him and admire him. The plants even seemed to acknowledge his presence, bowing with furled leaves. So curious.
A deep voice rumbled behind him. “Welcome, Ammon of Cephas Island.”
Ammon spun, looking for its origin. What he found was a bearded man sitting in a chair at the head of the center table. I thought that chair was empty just seconds ago… He cursed the man silently for surprising him, but then remembered where he stood. He was still in the Sector Guard Trials. I am still being watched.
He looked at the man who appeared as a statue, staring straight ahead. The man finally blinked, then looked at Ammon. His eyes were a dark purple without whites. Or rather, instead of the white on the outside, it instead shined as countless dots within the purple.
His eyes are galaxies, Ammon thought. His hair was also white, though not the faded white of old age. It was more like the white of sunlight which contains every color in existence. His skin looked wise, with only a few wrinkles that complemented his presence like dimples do a smile.
Ammon stepped towards a chair at the table. He pulled it out and sat down slowly, all while keeping his eyes on the white man. He felt this the right thing to do. He looked around, then up again towards the head of the table. A new person was sitting to the right of the white man. Seriously, where are they coming from…
This new figure, also a man, had a more pleasant demeanor. His hair was oak, as were his eyes. Both men wore thick robes which remained unhooded. For whatever reason, this detail stood out to him. They were blatantly unhooded. The second man had his arms folded, while the first sat with both hands face-up on the table.
“Who are you?” Ammon asked.
“A great question, with an… illusive answer.”
Silence fell.
The first man studied Ammon with cool contemplation. The second man emanated a presence of brotherhood, and Ammon swore he recognized him. He was sure of it. Though how and from where, he could not remember.
“All you need to know at this time is that we are your third and final trial. We will decide if you have passed your tests, and whether you are worthy of the greater power within these walls.”
“How did I get here?”
“Did you not swim?” asked the second.
“What I mean to say is, how did I get in the temple at all? The last thing I remember was collapsing outside. How did I get in without using the two keys?”
“But you had the two keys,” answered the First. “You had the words on your heart, and the token in your pocket.”
“You have proven that you are worthy to enter the temple, which is no easy feat,” said the Second. “But do you deserve the secrets to even greater truth and knowledge?”
Ammon could tell that the Second expected an answer.
“Yes,” he said confidently. “I do deserve it.”
A twinkle sparked in the eye of the First. He chuckled, then said, “Well then. There are three questions left to determine your worthiness.”
“One question from each of us,” said the Second.
Each of them? But there's only two, he thought. Who will ask the third?
The First spoke.
“First question. You are offered three gifts, but may only receive one of them. The three gifts are unlimited physical strength, infinite knowledge, and eternal life.”
Ammon wrestled with the options. If he chose unlimited physical strength, there would be no limit to the things he could do. He could jump through the air from island to island. He could wrestle with sharks. I could move mountains. But what if someone became smarter than him, then learned how to steal his strength? What if he died, losing all his strengths?
Infinite knowledge would also be very rewarding. He would understand the secrets of all things. He would know how to manipulate the elements within the world, creating many beautiful and fulfilling things. But what if a man stronger than him crushed him before he could find the man’s weakness? What if he died, losing all his knowledge?
This left him with the third option. Eternal life would provide him with ample time to obtain both great knowledge and great strength. He would approach the top day after day, eventually summiting when all others passed away. And if there was indeed an afterlife, as Mother believed, he would use his new abilities to find a way to get there. He would find his family, seeking passage other than through the gates of death.
Ammon spoke his answer. “I choose eternal life.”
The First nodded, neither in approval or disapproval.
“Second question. Two parts,” said the Second.
“Of all your family and friends, whom do you love most? Choose one. And then, if it were only you and this one, you could obtain all the riches of every world to be yours, as long as you live. Which, if you receive the gift from your first answer, would be a very, very long time.”
The first person to appear in his mind was Mother. She was the first human being he had ever known. She was also the first he had ever loved. Who would he be without Mother?
But also, who would he be without Father? Together, Father had told them. It took two to create him. With love and affection, they brought Ammon into the world and raised him, together. Who would he be without them both?
And then they gave birth to his beloved little brother, his best friend, Mikael. Ammon could not imagine a world without him. And what about his basically adopted siblings, Bastion and Krystal? And Jonah? All three had been crucial friends since his adolescent years. He would need them all for the rest of his life.
“I would choose all of my loved ones, and even the ones I have not yet come to love, for there are many more people for me to meet and get to know.”
“If you don't choose one, you cannot have any riches. Instead, if you choose multiple, you must live in poverty, with just enough sustenance to survive. Are you sure?” asked the Second.
“That is fine,” Ammon said. His voice shook with the weight of the question. It would be a hard life. But life without his loved ones would be impossible.
The Second then nodded in the same manner as the First. Who will ask the third question? Ammon wondered.
“Last one,” came a voice from behind him. It was gentle like that of a woman, or like the wind on a summer’s evening.
He felt a soft hand rest upon his right shoulder, like a warm breeze brushing the nape of his neck. Terrified at first, plagued with the images of the stone woman in the well and the charred one in the false temple, both of which reminded him of Venetia, he then settled into the cool touch which gently carried him into a state of immense comfort.
She stepped into his window of vision. She was an older woman, yet her beauty was still apparent, transcending that of just physical appearance. With one look at her, Ammon could tell she was very wise. Her hair was long and black, cascading down her back. Her eyes were jungle green. Wild. Calm. She had seen many things in her life, however long she’d been breathing.
It was hard to imagine a woman like her ever being a child or infant. She ran her hands gently through his hair. It was more of a mother’s touch than that of a lover, though he still felt as if he wanted to hold her, or rather, for her to hold him.
“I will give you two options. The first is to obtain all that of which you have already been asked. Unrivaled strength, infinite knowledge, eternal life. Loved ones and riches. You may have all of this, in peace. You may have it all, right now.”
Ammon waited for the catch, for the downside.
“Or…”
What could possibly be better than having all my loved ones and riches in the world?
“You can go about your life as is, earning your treasures piece by piece, knowing that it will all be yours in the fa
r-away future. The time and effort to acquire them would be much greater. That being said, you would gain far more riches in the end, including experiences and memories.
“You will have dreams, to then seek them. You will have ‘want’ and ‘desire’, to then discover your own answers. You will feel the satisfaction of making the right choices, as well as the disappointment of making wrong ones. You will have the risk of losing it all, should you travel too far from the path.”
The Third walked around the far side of the table then stood across from Ammon. She leaned forward, her hands supporting her on the backs of two separate chairs, and looked into his eyes.
“The simplified version? Instant gratification, or gradual progression. You choose.”
Ammon was stumped. The answer seemed so simple. Of course instant gratification would be the best choice. Who wouldn’t choose that? It was guaranteed, and he would get it right now. Can she really make that happen? He found himself thinking. And deep down, where truth lives in all things, he knew that she could.
But he stopped himself. In that place of truth, there was another voice. It was a small whisper, nudging him to consider the alternative. Hesitant, he thought about his life thus far. The experiences and memories he had already collected through his life.
Though he had made too many mistakes to count, he was also where he had always dreamed to be. Sure, he could have gotten here in other ways. Yet standing there now, he was perfectly content to be where he was, and more importantly, totally satisfied by the path he had traveled to get there.
The biggest question of it all loomed above. If he chose the path of gradual progression, there was the chance of failure, the chance of losing everything. Was it really worth that risk?
“Well…the answer seems obvious,” Ammon said, hoping to convince the Third, and himself, that he was giving an honest answer.
“Obtaining all of those things, without pain or strife, and most importantly, without risk, would be pretty incredible.”
The whisper from within spoke again, summoning a memory from his childhood. As he saw it and relived it, he spoke it to the Third.
“It reminds me of a lesson I learned as a kid. It's.. simple, but clear. For most of my life, food has been prepared for me. Mother or Father gathered the food from the Garden storages, and prepared the meal at home. Food at the Leviticum was also prepared for us, allowing this instant gratification.
"One day, my mother invited me out to the Gardens to harvest my own dinner. Reluctantly, I accepted the offer. We spent all day in those Gardens. I don’t think I've ever sweat so much in my life. It was tough work.”
He paused.
“I remember very few meals in my life. That is the one meal I remember most vividly. I had to work for it, true. But the reward was far beyond that of which I would've ever imagined. I also helped feed others with my efforts, which brought even greater joy.”
Ammon smiled at the memory. “So, that’s my answer.”
The Third nodded, taking a seat on the table.
All three beings looked at him, as if he were the only person in the whole world. It was both endearing and terrifying.
“Now, it is your turn. You may ask us any three questions you wish,” said the First.
“We will answer them all truthfully, to the best of our knowledge,” said the Second, smiling.
“After the last question, you will be dismissed from the temple and will know the results of your Trials,” said the Third. She leaned forward, her hands clasped together at her mouth. She really was very pretty, though she seemed to shift slightly with every angle. And is she now.. younger?
“The only questions you may not ask are those pertaining to the essence of the three before you. Now, ask your questions.”
Any three questions… Ammon had far more questions than three come to mind. Which should he choose? How much could he actually trust their answers? Some questions were worth more than others, as were their answers. A great one would be for the identity of these strangers. Or perhaps, their origins. Of course, this had already been forbidden.
He could ask about his dark dreams. Though for some reason, as he stood there, the dreams felt unimportant. The names of Venetia, Conqueror, and even Morningstar seemed inconsequential. Though he might need answers about them later, he felt in his heart that this was not the time to ask.
Then it came to him. He knew exactly which questions to ask. He would first ask them one he vaguely knew the answer to. This would be a test, as well as a way to confirm his own knowledge. It was a callibration of sorts. It had to be a specific question, proving both accuracy and precision at the same time. If they gave him a reasonable answer, he would trust their following answers, no matter how unbelievable.
“My first question,” Ammon started, “is this. Through what process was Cephas Island created?”
A laugh escaped the Second, and the First revealed a smile. The Third beamed with her emerald eyes.
“A broad and well-worded inquiry. I will answer this one,” said the Second.
“Cephas Island was created as one of the protected islands. These handful of islands are each unique in their purpose. Each purpose is crucial to the state of the world, despite the humble people who inhabit them. When the so-called Great Fire swept across Proelum, all the landmasses came together and formed one large continent. From this matter, the protected islands were created. Each island was then scattered around the reformed Proelum.
“Throughout the time of Great Peace, incredible leaps in technology were made on these islands. Not only that, but the planet was able to heal itself and return to its former glory. However, this period of peace would not last forever. Darkness would begin to stir once more, threatening Proelum like never before.
“For this exact purpose were the islands created, populated, and protected. The ever-present Darkness that had slept for so long would return with a power unlike existence had ever seen before.”
Ammon’s heart was racing. So much of what he had studied in the Leviticum now seemed indisputable. Either that, or they had just told him exactly what he wanted to hear. But how could they know his thoughts? So it seemed, all at once, he had received three answers to his one question.
The first answer was that Cephas Island, along with other islands, was indeed created with significant purpose. The second answer was that, since the theories behind the creation of protected islands was true, then many other gliscs speaking legends of hidden purpose were likely to be true. The third answer, and most significant of all, was that he could trust these three. Not completely, of course, for complete trust was always reckless. But he would trust them until proven untrustworthy.
“What is the Darkness?” The way he emphasized the ‘Darkness’ mirrored their own meaning, as if the Darkness were a universal power, and not just the shadow of a tree. It refered to the power and kingdom of the one called Morningstar. It slipped from his mouth before his mind could consider it.
Though he had hoped to think of another question, as the seconds passed, he accepted this question for what it was. A necessary evil. Later, he would ponder thousands of other questions he could’ve asked those mighty Three. He knew he would. In the end, though, he remembered the truth of it. There had only been one question on his mind at that time.
“Another great question, even if unintentional. I will expound on this one,” said the Third.
“The Darkness, in short, is the greatest downfall of the human race. In one word, it is pride. In one name, it is Jinn. In one form, it is behind the hearts of all living as fallen angels. In its original form, it is chaos. In its color, the Gray. In its origin, it is from the outside. The Outer Darkness. This is perhaps its most accurate name, though it is always difficult to find the defining outline of a shadow.”
Chills crept over Ammon’s flesh. Ice rushed through his veins, making him feel dizzy, excited, and tingling all at once. He committed their words to memory then, knowing he would have to sort through the
meanings another time. Yet the greatest meaning of all beamed bright in his mind. My dreams are real. They have shown me real places, real power, and perhaps, real people.
Though it was a scary revelation, it was also a relief to know the truth. It felt like stumbling upon a satchel of glowing treasure, knowing the contents were priceless, while lacking the knowledge to estimate their true worth.
Ammon sat up straight. “I would like to ask a general question, before asking my final question. If that is okay?” He looked for approval in their eyes. They nodded.
“We will allow it,” said the First.
“May I save my third question for another time?” he asked.
