Through Smoke and Ashes

One||Seasons Changing

The trees were changing. Tiny green buds spotted their bare branches bursting with vibrant green colour. I've always loved the colder weather. From snuggling up in front of the fireplace with a cozy blanket and a good book to the beautiful colours, the trees had to offer us as their final goodbye. My feet crunched over the fallen dead leaves, browned from the colder season's harsh chill. Snow clung to the land far longer than we were accustomed to this year, but now the trees were finally showing signs of life as the sun warmed their hibernating minds to awaken.

Gentle whispers passed by my ears as I walked through my village. Being born and raised in the village of Acrine, I had grown accustomed to the quiet lifestyle. Acrine was the smallest village out of the six that rested on the lands of Pontheugh. The largest being referred to as a city held most of the population and was where the annual celebration of the warmer weather was held, which would take place within the next few days as nature bloomed with life.

My family and most of the village were on their way to Solaris, where we would stay a few days to attend the celebration. I was giddy about the trip, unable to contain my excitement. I wasn't sure what I was excited about—Whether it be the celebration or seeing the statues of our Gods we worshipped wholeheartedly. I knew I was dreading the crowd, the bustling streets and the loud noises, but the overall experience of participating in the celebration was enough to give me a skip in my step.

The Gods were the very first beings to have existed in this world. Before anything in this world existed, they were there. No one knew how they came to be, but they were the first thing anyone could remember about our world. The Goddess of Water, Onera, created the oceans surrounding our lands. Vast open seas with secrets in the deepest parts where no one has ever been able to explore. The God of Fire, Fydyis, gave our people the ability to have light when the world turned dark. We were able to warm ourselves and cook food that was not to be eaten raw. The God of Air, Sydar, gifted us with the ability to breathe and expanded our lungs with sweet-tasting air. His presence was all around us, and we could feel him in the gentlest of breezes to the most tormenting winds. The God of Earth, Idon, covered the world with fertile soil so we could plant crops of every degree. We grew food as well as crops to harvest for clothing. The trees grew tall to shelter us from the sweltering sun and anchored the soil so it would not blow away from the wind.

Lizarae, the Goddess of Lightning, was revered by all of the townspeople. She poured her heart and soul into giving us the gift of rain that drenched our soil with life to grow lush and green. However, we could see her anger through the storms created that tore through cities, damaging homes and destroying crops. When she was mad, we knew about it.

Most people supported the Gods because they gave us the ability to live and grow. They also gave us protection in the form of gifting certain people who would defend our lands from the monsters that plagued us. Every season the Gods would come to earth, gifting our people with their stones to show us who would be next in line, destined for greatness.

There are others who did not support the idea of binding their children to death and war. I could understand this, but if we had no one to protect our lands from the demons hiding in the shadows, then who would?

There was one God that no one spoke of much, but he was known to be around. The God of Darkness, Deimos. He made it so we could have a break from the sun that blistered mercilessly all hours of the day. But when darkness comes, so did the corrupt. The darkness allowed for sneaking around, and the demons had an advantage with the element of surprise when we couldn't see a thing.

People don't enjoy the thought of someone being bonded to shadows. If someone were, then they would be bonded to a dragon that was uncontrollable and the person's soul would be just as ruthless and terrifying. But, he hadn't visited these lands in centuries, and I'm sure I wouldn't be alive to see the day when he would appear again.