The Priesthood

The many hours, which soon turned into days during which he had to recall, explain, and share much of the history and other general information that he had garnered of his own species thus far, soon felt as monotonous and frustrating as he thought it would. And the information he received in turn was just speculation on his part. When he asked a question, it often went ignored, especially when the first members of the other factions came to see him, one by one. Making him tell the same thing that he had told just a few hours earlier.

In a way, it was a saddening development on his part. He had once loved history and the study of it; he would often get lost on its pages, pondering the very same questions that he had to now answer. That which had begun as a story that he told to the Atheians slowly began turning into a report he would tell on command, over and over again.

The only times he felt like he had a meaningful conversation was whenever Y’Kraun would escort him from his room to the baths, from there to the dining room, and from there to whichever room or chamber he had to sit in and tell his stories, until Y’Kraun would escort him back again, usually taking the same route they had taken earlier.

At least he remained somewhat helpful; the Atheian would after and before each meeting give some information about the different factions Kanrel would meet. Giving him a further understanding of the political climate as well as the hierarchical structure of the Atheian society.

“First, the lowest caste is the serfs, the common people, who have no real power; they are tied to the lands they work on... We call them, and ourselves, M’eu T’eu’n, The Poor.”

“The second caste is usually commoners that have received a meaningful education, usually one that is academic or artisanal in nature; they usually work in cities much closer to the nobles and more important members of society. The artisans have no unified faction that would be meaningful; they usually have just guilds that are related to their given craft.”

“But the academics, on the other hand, have a faction that has a considerable amount of sway in our society, since there is just one organization that deals with most schooling related to the more academic fields of study; they stem from the capital, as do all of these factions, and they are known as M’eu R’ou’rk A’r’teu’k, the Grand Library—most doctors, historians, and researchers are affiliated with this faction, and this has to be kept in mind when dealing with them... For them, information itself is of the utmost importance; their headquarters, which is the largest university in the land, collects this information in the library. For them, information is power.”

“The clergy forms the third caste; throughout history, they’ve been of much higher importance, but in recent times their place in our society has decreased."

"Many now believe that a more rational basis is better when leading a society toward the future; less occultism is needed, and the belief in gods that might as well not exist and in those gods that do but do not care for us is seen by many as useless and even archaic at times.”

“Two meaningful factions stem from the clergy... The Church of the Lord Above, and the Herd of the God Who Hung... The former is a newer religion; the engraving you saw in the chamber where I found you depicts that ‘lord from above’; and the former is a religion from the times of our grand empire above the ground, perhaps less of a god and more of a philosophical leader and a revolutionary, but one who was then elevated into godhood later on.”

“Both religions are useful tools for those who know how to use them.”

“Then there is the fourth caste, perhaps a newer development in our society, again, mostly of commoners, who have through their education or by other means risen the ranks of our society and reached considerable wealth; but mainly a caste that is made out of the nobles, landowners, and merchants. They often rule over the serfs and employ the scholars, the artisans, and the clergy for their needs. They have no unified faction, but we often lump them together and call them M’eu T’au’n, the Wealthy.”

“Then there is the second to last caste, the fifth caste, who we call M’eu Gu’u Tou’t, the Universal Truth. They are magicians, who have received their formal education in the only place in our lands that actually gives a further education for any Atheian who has a considerable talent or ability in magic, the allusive seat of learning that is the Sanctuary. One can expect that all mages that have received their education at the Sanctuary are members of the Universal Truth.”

“And at last, there is the final caste, the sixth caste, one above all else. The Council of Many Faces is an organization and a faction that rules over our society. There isn’t much information about them, since they hide their identity with masks; yet one can expect that they are powerful members of our society.”

“It is known that one is chosen to become a member of the council. But that is all that is known...”

Kanrel made notes of these facts that had been given to him; somehow, the clergy and the two different religions that he was told about were quite familiar to him, in a way. In Rant Jenkse’s hidden cellar, he found a book that mentioned the God Who Hung. How was such knowledge of an ancient religion of another species found by humans thousands of years later? And why had it formed into a cult, whose members wore grotesque masks and involved themselves with human sacrifice and the thing they called “true magic”?

Then there was the Lord Above; clearly one of the Sharan, one of the Angels that drove the Atheians beneath the ground and then locked them in... Why had that become a religion for them? Was it not logical to instead hate such a creature, for had it not brought them doom? Had it not locked them beneath the ground? Had it not usurped their ancestral homelands from them?

Perhaps they wanted to believe that they should blame themselves for what happened, that what happened was something they deserved, a divine punishment for the crimes they had committed...

Through elaborate engravings, Kanrel could observe the history of the Atheians as he walked with Y’Kraun to yet another meeting he would have to attend. The Spire, as it was built and as its walls were decorated, soon told a story of the Atheians, from the beginning of their first meeting with the Angels to the destruction of their civilization, through to the beginning of their imprisonment, how they settled the first cities, finding light anew; and the shadows that approached them from somewhere, gradually making the lands they could settle smaller and smaller until they figured out to block its approach; and apparently, the highest floors were yet to receive their own engravings, as that which was to come, hasn’t yet happened. Their history wasn’t finished; their time in the world hadn’t come to an end. They still were; they yet remained. But those walls without anything to populate them felt bare and empty, as if there was no more history to come if one were to look at it with such cynicism. The empty walls were either a history yet untold or the void they would all enter, as there’d be no one to remember them or to engrave how they met their demise.

There was one engraving in particular that caught Kanrel’s eyes. It depicted the founding of light anew and the city they built beneath it. A great crystal on the top of the engraving, with lines colored in blue casting downward where the awaiting Atheians basked in said rays, holding their hands together, forming a wall of people. Perhaps there was symbolism there that he wasn’t aware of.

They made their way down one floor at a time, as if going back in time as the style of engravings would change, as history became more bleak, until they reached the moment where the Lord From Above was depicted, its wings spread blocking the sun from view, casting a great shadow to the world, to the Atheians that looked from beneath, with fear and awe in their eyes. The angel's sword was in motion, ready to strike, to execute the eyes beneath.

But that engraving broke apart, the stones moved, and a door opened; an Atheian walked out, their eyes sparkling with some unknown intent, and yet another emotion Kanrel found difficult to name... He met eyes with A’Daur’Kra. In those eyes, there was a spark that would one day turn into flames and scorch his enemies as he saw there to be many of them all around him.

He smiled, “Serf, have you yet told our human which faction he is about to meet?” A’Daur’Kra asked as the engraving behind him became whole again. The stone doors closed, and it was as if there had never been an opening there.

Y’Kraun made a sign of respect and cast his eyes down. “I have not, my lord; I will do so soon.”

A’Daur’Kra chuckled, “Don’t 'lord' me; we both know where your allegiances lie.”

“Well, unless you one day wish to leave the shackles of your current position behind, for I believe I have much more to give than my dear old sister has.”

“Nonetheless, share with our human all the information that you might have; groom him to be understanding and obedient, ready to share his own knowledge with us, and he might live much longer than many anticipate him to live.”

“Not to mention, his next guest he might quite like,” A’Daur’Kra said and made his way down as well, as he would as well attend this next meeting.

What was behind those doors? Kanrel wondered; there must’ve been a reason why it was so well hidden.

Y’Kraun soon explained what A’Daur’Kra wanted him to share: “Now, you will be meeting a member of the Grand Library; apparently, it is someone who is more or less up-to-date to a certain point, but they apparently have many questions that they would like to ask; they basically want more information regarding what they know so far.”

“It is someone I’ve met before?”

“I’ve no idea; probably just someone who has read reports of the other scholars.”

The floor where they would have their meeting had engravings of the grand empire of the Atheians. Tall buildings that populated the earth, some reaching the clouds and touching the skies, told a tale of the time when the Atheians ruled the world and looked down on nature itself as they saw themselves as far superior to even its powers.

They entered through the doorway, another familiar room where Kanrel had by now spent many hours harassed by questions and the curious eyes of the far too many Atheians to name who had come to see him, the human from above.

A comfortable room at least, a circular room with couches running along its edge; there were three people there already. A’Daur’Kra, seemed rather smug as they were not too far away from his sister, A'Trou'n, who seemed unamused by the situation. Vaur’Kou’n stood further away, his gaze directed toward the doorway; he would not even glance at the siblings to the left of him.

In the middle of the room, there was a low platform on which pillows were placed; again, Kanrel sat in the middle on those very pillows and waited for whoever might grace them with their presence. His back was toward the doorway and his face toward the siblings. Y’Kraun went on his knees on the ground right next to the platform.

The silence was uncomfortable. It was far more awkward than it should be allowed to be. There were three Athieans whose history was far too complicated for him; things had happened, and they seemed to mostly hate each other, and those reasons, be they justified or not, were almost completely unknown to him. Were they once not like this? He wondered, glancing at each of them in turn. One had tried to, possibly, murder the other; one was the victim of said attempt; and one had been lovers with the first one...

This hostile atmosphere—he wanted to understand it. This history needed to be explained. Perhaps if he ever got the chance to candidly ask, then he would, but one, any one of them, wants to answer. Or would they all be offended by his questions?

His line of thought was soon strayed and broken as he heard footsteps behind him. Someone had entered through the doorway, and in an instant, Kanrel could witness how A’Trou’n got up to her feet and walked forward, her eyes ablaze; A’Daur’Kra’s smug smile birthed a grin; and Vaur’Kou’n seemed as uninterested as ever; there was no change of expression on his face, not even when his ex-love had such a reaction.

“Well, well, well, the rat has found his way back in.” A’Trou’n sneered, her words spat out at the sight of the person.

Kanrel turned around at last to see the person who had caused such a reaction to come out of her.

A proud-looking scholar stood in front of A’Trou’n; at this moment they seemed as if an equal with his superior, unafraid of the words that she might tell him. “You hurt me, my liege,” the scholar smirked. “I am, after all, your brother’s esteemed guest.” Lou’Deu’n feigned offense.

A’Trou’n stared at the scholar for a few moments before snorting, “Then I’ve said nothing that could offend you... To my knowledge, and you can correct me on this one, my pompous friend, don’t rats squirrel around usually in packs?”

The scholar chuckled, “Well yes, and do you know what they call a group of rats?” He asked.

A’Trou’n scoffed, “A mischief...”

The scholar’s grin widened as they then ignored and walked past his superior, stepping past Y’Kraun, who had kept their gaze downward; he walked to A’Daur’Kra and fell to his knees, “My lord, I am most grateful for this chance to meet someone so great and just as yourself; I am nothing more than your most humble servant.” He said and offered his hands toward A’Daur’Kra as a sign of total submission.

The lord of the City of Creation stared only at his sister. “We are most pleased that such talent has found its way under the wings of my sister; you may stay for as long as you wish.”

“I thank you, my lord,” Lou’Deu’n said and got up, his gaze turning toward Kanrel at last. He walked to him and stopped right in front of the platform. “And after all this, we are united, me and my most wonderous specimen... We will spend so much more time together from now on; no more useless translators or filtering of words; at last, there might be truth... Well, at least a form of it.”

And at last, Kanrel could see the pearl in his right ear. Now, the scholar could understand all. There’d be no more secrets kept from him.

An ominous feeling crept into his mind as he looked deep into Lou’Deu’n’s eyes, how they sparkled in colors of blue, and an unexplainable desire showcased itself, just for a moment. And so began a long session of questions, and for each, Kanrel had to give a detailed answer, as that was what the scholar demanded.