ATALANA

Order of Gods

  Hebe disappeared into the waterfall, and Letto went after him. Tom was standing there with a look of horror, wondering how or if they are still alive.
However, he did promise Ali he'd be more adventurous, and he followed them to the backstage of nature. Hebe's cave was located inside the waterfall.
  "Welcome to my humble palace."
It was humble indeed. Very minimalistic, thought Tom. One table, two chairs and two other rooms.
  "I'm going to cook some soup for dinner," said Hebe and created another chair for Tom.
  "Alright, I have to ask, what's the deal with the magic? Everyone can use magic in this place?"
  "Yes," said Letto, "you can try as well."
Tom was doing all those weird hand gestures, but nothing came out of it, except from Letto's awful laugh.
  "Letto, don't torture the kid."
Hebe sat down and eagerly started explaining the history of this enchanted place.
  "Letto is a sorcerer, but it is quite unique to be one. Only 4% of the population are sorcerers. It is both a blessing and a curse. Especially now, after the War of Darkness and Light."
  "What happened in that war?" asked Tom, but Hebe was quick to change the subject.
  "The civilization of Atalana is the work of twelve entities that came here, how to say it, from a higher civilization, and gifted us with their knowledge.
  "Are you talking about The Order of Gods?" asked Tom, surprised that his father's tales were actually related to the reality he is currently experiencing.
  "Yes, how do you know about The Order of Gods?"
  "My father told me about the six couples that arrived here and gave you knowledge and technology. Polemo is The God of War and Aria is The Goddess of Change, and my father told me that since a war without a will to change is a wasted war, they work well together."
  "Did he tell you about the other Gods as well?" asked Hebe.
  "Yes, he told me about Everima, The Goddess of Illusion and Donato, The God of Truth. He told me that the Atalanas believe that when one is daydreaming, he is captivated by Everima, until he is brought back to reality by Donato."
  "Did he tell you about Akira, The God of Destruction and Eliora, The Goddess of Creation?"
  "Yes, and he told me that the Atalans believe that both destruction and creation are basic trait in every human being. This is why he is born unbalanced and will always strive for balance."
  "Seems that you know a lot about our mythology."
  "He told me about Lia, The Goddess of Spirit and Orion, the guardian of our Galaxy, and about Helios, The God of The Sun, and Sahar, The Goddess of The Moon and Nature."
Letto brought the soup they started eating. Both Letto and Hebe seemed to enjoy their meal, but Tom thought it tasted like mud.
  "What," mumbled Hebe, enjoying himself, "don't you like our food?"
He explained that their sense of taste is probably underdeveloped, and used sorcery so that Tom will sense a different taste, one that suited him more.
Tom thanked the old man and enjoying every bite.
  "This mud tasted like French fries."

  "So, are these Gods always come in pairs? Is it always a man and a woman?"
  "Well, there are actually six entities, each have a male and a female side. They are not really a couple; in the way you understand."
  "Sorcerers, like me, use the powers of The Order of The Gods. We absorb their energy and project it anywhere we want," said Letto.
  "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now, see you guys in the morning," said Hebe and went to one of the rooms.
Letto went to his room as well, leaving Tom in an awkward position, as a guest that doesn't know where to go.
  "Alright, stop looking at me like that," said Letto, "you can stay in my room, but it's cold in the night so we'll have to huddle."
  "Wait, do you mean we're going to share a bed?"
Letto looked unbothered and just fell on the bed.
  "Letto," whispered Tom, feeling chilly. He wanted to ask for a blanket, but Letto already fell asleep. He faced the other side and as he closed his eyes, his mother appeared right in front of him. She walked on a thin ropeway, a deep abyss beneath her, and she looked as serene as he remembered her to be.
She held his father's hand and walked after him. They both stopped and pointed at the horizon, there was a magnificent castle, and the sky were painted in amber. "Mom," Tom screamed and held onto the ropeway. He only focused on the deep abyss and didn't notice anything else. He was afraid to fall.
  "Why did you send me here?" he yelled, "did you know this crystal is enchanted?"
  "Tom," his mother answered, "look at the view, see what you're missing when you're holding onto your fears."
  Tom raised his head and looked at the mesmerizing picture in front of him. His jaw dropped and he cherished every breath. His parents were no longer there, on the bridge. He froze and couldn't move, and he felt alone and afraid.

  He woke up sweaty and noticed Letto, using a sharp knife to color his face tattoos red. On his right cheek the tattoos were in fact scars.
  "Why are you painting your cheeks?"
  "It is a tradition of sorcerers. Every sorcerer must have these tattoos. They vary but their essence is the same."
  "Why do you do that?"
  "A face is the first thing anyone notices in you, so these tattoos are meant to signal Atalans in need to contact us in times of need."
  "It's quite wise."
  "It was, but it has lost its meaning after the war."
  "That war... I was about to ask..."
  "Tom, did you have a nightmare?" asked Letto.
  "How did you know?"
  "Cause you didn't stop screaming," he let out a laugh.
Tom rolled his eyes and went to the living room. Hebe was sitting there, waiting for them to wake up.
  "Oh, finally, we can leave now."
  "I'm sorry, did you say 'we'?"
  "Yes."
  "What happened to 'I can't leave this hideout' or else I'll die?"
Hebe got up his chair, using his walking stick that was made out of a granite stone, and pulled the bricks under the table while mumbling: "some things are worth dying for."
Letto got mad at the response he got and helped him. He moved the table aside, and Tom helped Hebe pulling out the bricks, until a black vehicle, that looked like a jet ski, was exposed under those bricks.
  "All this time you had a Motorantis?" asked Letto.
  "I was saving it for a rainy day. Come on, hop on."
  "Where are the wheels?" Tom wondered out loud.
Hebe sat in the driver's sit and Letto and Tom sat behind him.
  "Hebe, when was the last time you drove?"
  "I think twenty years ago," he mumbled, "but don't worry, it'll be fun. If not – it'll be funny."
  "Wait," said Tom, "shouldn't we move out of the waterfall fir-"
But Hebe didn't let him finish his sentence and drove through the water fall and when Tom opened his eyes, he noticed that the Motorantis flies.
Hebe was flying the Motorantis as if he's late to a meeting, zigzagging fearlessly between mountains and was flying in excessive speed.
  "How beautiful is the landscape, huh?" asked Hebe.
  "Yes, very beautiful," replied Tom, his eyes closed. He was too scared to even look at the flying chaos that is Hebe.
  "Now open your eyes and say that again," giggled Letto.
Tom opened his eyes and suddenly the world around him stopped. He looked in every direction and cherished the breathtaking view.
  "What are those shining things over there?"
  "There are not things," said Letto, "They are water nymphs."
  "Are they people?"
  "Spirits of the nature."
Hebe lowered the Motorantis so that Tom could see the true beauty of the nature. Their pointy ears and their fairy like features were hypnotizing.
  "That is amazing."
They flew across a small village down the hills, and Letto pointed at that village and said that he lives there.
  They flew across what is known today as the Atlantic Ocean, and reached the third island, named Tamera. He dropped them on a crossroad, leading to the tavern where Letto and the Sorcerers of Light Troupe arranged to meet.
  "Alright, boys, I'm leaving you here," said Hebe, "I wrote a letter for my friend that works in The Castle of Orasod. Show it to him, Tom, and he'll help you."
Tom took the letter and nodded.
Both Tom and Letto waved at him and he disappeared into the sky, leaving nothing more than dust in the air.
  "During all these years, he never left the cave," mumbled Letto, "so whoever you are, you're bad news."
  "Why can't he leave that poor cave?"
  "Hebe adopted me after The War of Light and Darkness," he said, the look on his face shifted to a serious one. "He raised me and taught me sorcery, and when I left him and moved to Agorra, to grow up with people my age, as he encouraged, I was afraid he'll find out that I joined the Sorcerers of Light Troup, which is a group of sorcerers that are still using their powers for the benefit of the citizens. Not all sorcerers are good, Tom. Most of them joined forces with the darkness. This is why we work in the shadows."
  "I didn't want him to know I had joined them, because I am the only person left in his life. He was once the royal sorcerer of King Egoan himself. He worked in The Palace of Orasod, but after the war he exiled himself and left his daughter in the palace. He found me inside a tree trunk and named me "Letto", which in Atalanese means "the hidden one".
  They continued to walk towards the tavern. Tom was wondering about the aftermath of that infamous war and Letto preferred to forget. The amethyst crystal began to get warmer and almost burned his hand. So he switched hands and stopped for a moment.
  "What happened?"
   "I don't know why this crystal got warmall of sudden."
Letto thought about Hebe's words: "Whoever he is, he is in a possession of animmensely powerful object."
What is that object? He thought. And why is it powerful? 

  An old Atalan man stopped them, beggingfor money. His face was covered in mud and his wore a black hood. Tom looked athim apologetically and didn't have much to offer.
Whilethey were busy talking to the old man, a thief grabbed the crystal and ranaway. Letto ran after the thief and his gang. Tom ran after him as well, butonce he looked back, he saw that the old man was gone.