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justshortofokay · 7 years

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A Grave Mistake

This is a flood myth that I wrote for my english class last year. I really like it and felt it would be a good start to this new blog. This piece does not reflect any religious views that I have, and is not intended to offend anyone of any kind. This is a work of fiction, that I have written for a class.

Let me know if you pick up on the small fandom references I made!

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In the beginning the great goddess Nova, gave life to the earth. Each day she would cut off a finger and cast it down to earth. And every day a new human was born. She did this until the world swelled with her creations. But then she vanished, winked out of existence. Leaving her beloved creations to themselves.

Soon other gods came into existence. They were born out of human wishes, and desires. Inanthe, goddess of death and handmaiden of fate; granted human’s souls passage to the afterlife. Although death was the one constant in their world, humans needed a shepherd to guide their loved ones to the afterlife.

Junous, goddess of life and vitality was born out of human's fear of death. They would come to pray at her altar for long lives, and healthy children. And she would kindly grant their wishes, guiding them through their lives with the care of a mother. But eventually would have to pass the lambs she had guided to Inanthe for harvest. Their fates were eternally entwined.

As the humans grew and discovered more about their world and the universe, more and more gods joined their ranks.

Alcor protected sorcerers from persecution and granted them power. Twin sister, Mizar brought light and danced among the stars. Aronia blessed the world with beautiful musicians. Heliok granted the blessing of art to many.

For a time the world was beautiful, Junous blessed the world with bulging vitality. It was like spring was everyday. New life, sprang from every crevice, ditch and gorge. Humans praised the gods, sacrificing a portion of each day's meal to the fire.

But as the humans became greedier and cared less and less for their fellow human, more and more sinister gods came into existence.

Kotanku, god of poverty, made once thriving cities fall. Alacai god of war and guardian of the heavens fed the hate in people's hearts. Drachma and Ima held the chains of the demons, bending them to their sinister will.

The world once so beautiful began to fall apart. Wars raged and famine ran rampant.

The state of the world left many of the gods deeply saddened. Many of them came to resent the humans for making their once beautiful home

One day, Junous and Inanthe decided to visit the earth to see what they could do. Disguising themselves as a pair of travelers, they walked into a town. In the middle of the town square, the humans were building a pyre.

"Excuse me what is going on?" Inanthe had asked a woman passing by.

"Oh they're burning Maharia tonight. He was caught consorting with another man. Good riddance I say." She had replied, then kept along with her business. Inanthe so horrified at the woman's answer could only stare.

That night, the man was dragged to the square, ropes bound around his hands, feet and neck.

A man stood in front of the pyre, torch in hand.

Junous had made to stop them, but Inanthe had said quietly "It is his time, don't interfere."

So the man was burned, and screamed. Inanthe felt his prayer, like a knife to the chest.

I have nothing, just please take me.

Inanthe, bowed her head. Releasing his soul, letting it pass into the afterlife with as much kindness as possible.

The flames died to embers, the people cheered, and the goddess's left. Having seen enough. The two goddesses returned to the heavens.

Later that night, when Marisha rose with the moon, and the songbirds slept. The two lovers lay beside each other.

"Alacai was right." Junous said

"What do you mean?" Inanthe asked, rising from her sleep. Puzzled at the goddess's words.

"The humans have grown too sinful, if we don't stop them now. We will surely regret it."

"How does Alacai supposed we stop them?" Inanthe asked.

"The only way to truly purge the world of all this corruption is to destroy them all. Start anew."

"That would mean killing millions of people before their time. Junous you can't really mean that." Inanthe asked horrified.

"How can you not? You saw what they did to that man! They would do the same to us! You of all the gods should understand this."

"Alacai knows only violence and hate, they know nothing of death."

"Inanthe if you go against Alacai, then they will win." Junous tried to reason.

"I can not sit by and let them destroy the world!" Inanthe cried.

"Please my love, make the right choice. Join Alacai and I. The humans are parasites that are starting to kill the very thing they feed from."

"I am their shepherd, I can not abandon them."

"You would chose parasites over your own?! Over me?!" Junous shouted.

"Yes I would." Inanthe whispered.

"You have made your choice." Junous said, and she left.

Both sides prepared for war. Alacai swindled many of the other gods to their cause. While Inanthe sought out the kinder gods. Finding Aika, goddess of Rejuvenation, long time friend as her companion against the coup. Whether the gods had selfish reasons for preserving the humans Inanthe did not care. Kotanku joined so he could ravage their lands with poverty. Drachma and Ima joined so they could feed their demons the souls of humans. They understood that the humans were not the monsters, the gods were.

Not two months later, Alacai's forces marched upon Inanthe's fortress. Only to find a force just as great. The two sides fought for fifty days and fifty nights. The sun, moon, and stars shook with the force of their ferocity.

Monsoons washed over the earth, thunder and lightning shook the very ground. The gods were brought to the very edge of their humanity. When Aika burned Mizar from the inside out, Alcor was the epicenter of an explosion so large it scorched the earth, and scarred the stars. Leaving behind a milky white dust.

Drachma and Ima unleashed the hounds of hell upon Alacai's forces. Ripping apart gods left and right, until Archnose shot them down with their bronze arrows.

The war raged, until one fateful morning. Everything stopped.

Inanthe was on the verge of death, and her forces were culled greatly. Alor hacked off her feet, and the human’s fate was sealed.

After the heavens had calmed somewhat, the gods that opposed and survived, were dragged to the edge of heaven, heavy gold chains binding their hands and feet. Forced to kneel before the leaders of the coup. Inanthe was dragged to Alacai's feet.

"You have lost the war Inanthe." Alacai said, their tall frame towering over the kneeling goddess.

"You will regret this! Humans are flawed, that is their reason for existence! I thought you, Alacai of all of the gods would know this! They feed our selfish delusions that we are perfect beings." Inanathe pleaded, pulling on the chains.

"Delusions Inanathe? We gods do not make mistakes, the humans are wrong, they were made that way, and they will stay that way until we make them whole again. Then they will learn the respect of the gods." Alaci seethed.

"Without them we are nothing!" Aika wailed.

"What is a flock without a herder?" Junous asked.

"What is a herder without a flock?!" Inanthe pleaded, "Nothing more than a wanderer with a crook and a dog."

"The humans have to die. " Alcor said

"You have no idea what you are about to do!" Aika wailed, tears falling freely from her eyes.

"Silence you snake! We know you cry crocodile tears. I haven't forgotten what you did to my sister!" Alcor shouted, pointing at the kneeling goddess.

"Calm yourself, Alcor, they will pay soon enough." Junous snapped. She turned to Inanathe, barely controlled rage held behind her stormy eyes. "They will pay for all they have done."

Alacai stepped forward.

"You will all pay for the sins of the humans! Your blood will be the sacrifice that cleanses the earth! And your heavenly bodies will bring forth the new breed of humans!" Alacai shouted, from behind him the army of gods roared in assenion, beating their gilded weapons. Alacai raised his hands to silence them.

Junous stepped forward, drawing her sword. "You, Inanthe, Maiden of death and Leader of the blasphemous fools, will be the first to die."

"Junous, please. If ever you loved me or the humans don't do this.

"Its because I love you that I'm doing this, the humans were slowly killing us. I want to keep you safe." Junous said and slit her lover's throat. Inanthe's blood bubbled from the wound, and spilled over the edge of the heavens. In unison, the other gods slit the throats of the remaining gods, holding their heads over the edge.

It was time for the world to be reborn.

The rain that fell that day was gold. Glittering in the light of Solace's warm rays. On earth the humans looked to the sky. It was like watching the heavens themselves leach into the sky.

At first the people rejoiced, made greedy by the thought of overflowing riches. But when the rain collected in the mountains, and rushed down them, wiping out everything in it's path.

Humans fled to the sea, loading on to boats to save themselves from the golden flood. But when it reached the shore, the flood was too monstrous, no ocean could stop it. Everything, in its path was destroyed.

Humans crushed and drowned in the golden flood. The some made lasted longer, swimming to floating pieces of debris. But it wasn’t long before they succumbed to the churning vortex of goldy blood. The hot thick liquid filling their lungs, dragging them down into the endless flood

Animals met the same fate. The force of the thundering blood stripped the earth down to bedrock. Churning the rock, gravel and mud into projectiles. Tossing them down upon houses and humans themselves.

By the time the flood reached a small island nation, everyone had evacuated to the mainland. Fleeing in every available boat. They left behind their homes, livelihood, and possessions. Everyone except a woman who stood in her house. Newborn son in her arms.

Kanera was her name, named for the god of luck. In that part of the world it was said that if you named your child after a god, said god would bless and carry them through life. Her family fled when news came of the god's anger. Leaving her with selfish abandon, for she could not run while she gave birth.

So she gave life to her child alone.

Not long after, a small trickle of gold came through the crevice under the door.

Kanera ran to the port, wishing for a boat, even a small rowboat. But none was found. Desperation caused her to run to the mountain. It was high, high enough it almost touched the stars. Her ancestors were said to have descended directly the heavens, blessed by Nova herself.

Using nothing but a scrap of cloth and some vines from a tree, Kanera strapped her son to her back and began to climb. The sharp rock face scraped her hands and feet, but the thought of her son dying kept her going.

For five days, she climbed. Finding small outcroppings to rest. The golden flood still raging beneath her, churning and writhing with animosity.

"He is innocent, he will not die today." She said this to the gods everyday. And every day she climbed higher and higher towards them. But the rock face was barren, and no animals lived this high up. So everyday she grew weaker and weaker. Bones stuck out as though she was only a skeleton covered in skin, stretched tight like a drum.

Each day the churning golden flood grew higher and higher up the mountain. Forcing Kanera to climb higher and higher. But no matter how far she climbed, she slowed each day. Growing steadily weaker and weaker.

It was on the tenth day that her breasts ran dry. Alberus cried and cried as the rain fell around them. The flood had caught up to them. The hot golden liquid churned around Kanera’s ankles as she made a desperate request. She raised her child into the air, and pleaded to the gods.

"You can take my life as well, but please my son is innocent. If I must die, then please let him live!" Kanera cried. Her weak body shook with the force of her words. Thinned legs starting to sway as the flood crashed against them.

Her words rang through all of the heavens. They sunk a dagger of guilt and desperation into the hearts of the gods. Never in all of their many years of being, did they hear a human plead with such conviction in their words. Such willingness to die, if not for the life of their child.

The gods turned to each other, Alacai, Junous, Alcor, Marisha, Heilok, and many many more. That day they wept for the last woman on earth. They wept for the loss of humanity, they wept for the sinners they had condemned. They wept for the innocents that perished, they wept for the children they had murdered.

That day all of the gods came to an agreement. Never again will they hear those words. Never again will a mother offer her life to save her child. They would create a new world where that would not happen.

The clouds in the sky parted, and Alacai stepped down.

"Your love for your child, and courage in this time of apocalypse, has made the gods in the heavens, weep, both your lives will be spared." Alacai said, placing his hand on the child's forehead. “Bring him to us, he will be blessed.”

They reached a hand down to the frail woman. They helped Kanera into the Heavens, where she and Alberus were taken to the holy gardens. Maidens and attendants treated to wounds and fed Kanera.

Finally when the flood receded, Junous fell to her knees and wept at the death of her great love. Her tears fell through the clouds and found the seeds buried deep in the earth, causing them to grow and replenish the earth, swept barren by the great flood.

To atone for her crime of murdering her great love, Junous bled into the ground, the holy ichor finding the bones of animals, causing them to breathe with life once again.

The two lovers. Great forces of nature. Life and Death, forever together and yet apart.

Alcor broke his sword and cast the shards into the sky, honoring his beloved sister with new stars.

In the end when Kanera had been spared. And Alberus was blessed, they returned to earth. The gods making Kanera the direct voice of the humans to the gods.

The gods, as an act of remorse, split the bodies of the slain gods, casting each piece of them down to earth. Each piece of the their bodies grew into a new human. Kanera spoke to the new population, Alberus in her arms.

"We must be forgiving of the gods, each one of you has a piece of them in you, your children will have it in them, your children's children will have it in them. The gods that died for you, gave you new life, remember and honor it."

The new people of earth, cheered and praised the gods. Raising their arms, to thank them for their lives. The gods felt nothing, but guilt.

From that time on, the gods in heaven listened to the human’s wishes. Alberus succeeded his mother when she had grown too old to converse with the gods. Then his son after him, and his daughter after him. And her child after her.

The gods never forgot their grave mistake. And they never will.

#writing #my writing #fiction #flood myth #original work

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