The Immortal One

Chapter Ten - The Natural Order

I never really thought much about death. Maybe that is normal. Insects, animals, people...the Wiseman told me that entire worlds are born and die every day. Galaxies that are bigger than I can possibly imagine explode in and out of being in the blink of an eye, even the realms themselves eventually fade to nothing...but we do not want to think about that. We cannot bear to contemplate such things, because if we did then we would come face to face with our own mortality and how small we truly are.
Humans are strange, because we know that one day we are going to die. Plants and animals do not seem to be too bothered about it. Maybe it's a blessing, or a curse...to know. Entire cultures have been created around beliefs of what happens when we die, and what it all means. Civilizations have risen and fallen because of the stories that we tell ourselves so that we can sleep at night without fear of the moment when it all comes crashing down - and ends.
The Elfahs believe that all souls return and become One with the Great Spirit before being born again into the world. Like a river flowing back to the ocean, we all return to the place from whence we came. All souls are One, and thus death is naught but an illusion.
The Väräk of Silvä Gädón say that the greatest warriors who die bravely in battle will have their souls preserved by the Ahrahfir and will stand beside Kal, the God of War, and face the blackened gods in the great war to come; in the days when the red sky is cloaked in dark clouds and the world drowns in shadow, blood, and fire. When the war is won and the blackened ones have been cast down, then the victors shall rejoice with the gods and the Ahrahfir will welcome them with open arms into the land of paradise. It is a land filled with women and pleasure beyond compare, brimming with ale and honey while they sing the praises of the heroes and glories past.
The ancient texts of old Ätälenórliiä written by the Seer said that the nine realms will slowly dwindle away through the eons until only the Void and Menahlys remains. When the realm of thought and memory fades and all is forgotten, then the great dragon Time-Eater shall be unleashed and consume time itself so that another existence can be born from the depths of the abyss. Then the cycle shall begin anew, begetting new life and new realms, until they too return to the Nothing.
The stories that we tell are all that we have to stave off the madness born of the reality of death. The truth is, regardless of whatever belief we cling to or the Faith that we choose to endorse, none of us know what happens. We are all just seeking to come to terms with the mystery.
The moment that I saw Aetós Älder sitting beside the well, my life was destined to never be the same. The story of the Immortal One had taken root in my imagination, and there was no weeding it out again. Immortality, however, was not what I expected it to be. That was what he has been trying to teach me, to show me. He brought me face to face with death so that I could understand. Seeing it, raw and naked, filled me with anger and disgust. I wanted to erase death from the world...no...what I really wanted was to erase what I had seen and done from my own mind. To return to that state of blissful ignorance that the animals and plants enjoy. How else was I to live with such a burden?
It took me many seasons to recover from that fateful event. The night when I first took a human life with the edge of my blade. I blamed death itself for my suffering, and during those days I would have sacrificed anything to alter the very fabric of existence...to somehow kill Death. The irony is not lost on me.
I see now that I was just running from what I did not wish to see, what I refused to acknowledge. Death is not a sickness or an enemy to be conquered...it is necessary. I spent a long time trying to imagine the alternative. What would the world look like if nothing ever died? I did not like what came to mind.
A world of stagnation, devoid of change. If nothing ever died, then eventually nothing new would be born. If nothing ever changed, everything would remain the same. The stasis began to terrify me more than death; because in a world where nothing ever died, nothing could truly live.
So I resigned myself to the reality of death. I accepted the futility of immortality and embraced the mystery. I no longer needed to tell myself a story about some glorious afterlife, or of some paradisaic salvation that awaited me at the end of time. I just let go. I realized that I never had control to begin with, and what was to be would be. In doing so, in surrendering...I found peace. I realized what death truly was, and the lesson that my master wanted me to learn.
Death is peace.

The ship rocked to and fro as it sailed atop the ocean waves. Säyä stared over the bow and wondered what kind of world existed in those dark depths. The sea truly was another world, and mankind only knew the smallest fraction of the wonders that it held. She found her thoughts drifting to her master, and she contemplated what it must be like to drown without being able to die as a result. She imagined that it was pure agony. Yet at the same time she was amazed, because he alone could explore the secret lands beneath the waves. Aetós approached her from behind as if he had read her mind.
"Four hundred years ago there was a tribe of people led by a man named Neläs. He saved the King of Ätäluviiä and all of his kin, thus sparing the royal family and the Kingdom itself from certain destruction. Neläs did this with no thought of reward or self-interest, simply because it was the right thing to do. Such was the King's gratitude that he offered him any boon that was within his power to grant. Neläs could have asked to become a noble of the land, or to be given vast wealth and riches. Instead, he asked only that his people be given a home of their own. The King was moved, and so he mustered the greatest architects and mages in the Kingdom and commanded that they travel to the continent of Lekäriiä, far away from the tribe's enemies, and build them a home where no one could ever threaten them again. The King then gifted Neläs with one of the nation's greatest treasures, the Mysefys, also known as the Eye of Seas. It is a crystal imbued with the power of the elemental of water, Sirah. They used the stone to command the ocean to obey, and they traveled to the bottom of the sea where they built a grand city. They named it Älu'neläsenvii, the City-Beneath-the-Waves. It still stands to this day."
Säyä was amazed.
"They built a city at the bottom of the ocean?"
"They did. The Mysefys remains there still, it holds the waters at bay so that the weight of the sea does not crush all that has been built. Without it, the waters would reclaim it all."
"That is...truly awe inspiring."
Säyä's thoughts returned to her original musings. What would it be like to drown without dying? It brought a question to her mind, one that she had considered often but never dared to ask. Until now.
"Master. How did you become Immortal?"
The deck was empty besides the two of them. Most of the crew was below, resting. Aetós had long expected the question and was surprised that it had taken her so many years to ask it. Had she inquired earlier, he probably would not have given her a satisfactory response, but something told him that the time was right.
"The world was a very different place when I was a boy. Mankind was different."
"This was a long time ago then?"
"Longer than I care to remember. These were the days when the Titans ruled over us; the days of the Elfahs Kingdoms and the Dragon Lords, when the continents were still one."
"But that was..."
"Yes. A very, very, long time ago. Mankind was young and weak, and thoughts of rebellion simply did not occur to us. That is how futile it seemed. Then a woman appeared before one of the tribes and slew our Titan master. When he fell, it split the ground like a quake and swallowed many. I was there that day, along with my family and friends. We had never even imagined that Titans could be killed, they were as Gods to us. We called her the Lady Snow, for her hair, eyes, and dress were as white as the frozen winters of the Mighty South. She chose eight from among us and blessed them with astounding power and taught them how to do battle with the Titans. My best friend was among them, his name was Aris. Like many of my people, I followed the Eight Exalted and waged war to free our people, and when the battle was won I was there when we chose to found a nation of our own. We followed the example of the Elfahs and created a Kingdom. It was the first nation of men, and our King was Lesónis - the first of the Ämärändae Clan. Aris and I became Titan hunters, we and many others tracked down every Titan that we could and exterminated them.
This all took place in a single generation. The world was transformed overnight, so to speak. Mankind was new to politics and the intricate complexities of a functioning nation. There was a rebellion and Aris' son was murdered. He left the city, and I followed after him. He was my friend and I wished to bring him back.
We encountered...a man. He attacked us and during the battle a strange rift was opened and Aris and I fell through. We found ourselves in an unspeakable realm, devoid of space and time. We call it the White Road. There we found the Door. A being spoke to us from behind it and offered us a deal. Aris refused, but I accepted. I was granted immortality and freedom to return to this world. In exchange I must now accomplish the Will of this being, and free Him from its confines. So, here I am."
Säyä had so many questions, she knew not where to begin. She settled upon the first thing that came to mind. "Who is this being?"
"His name is Gul. He commanded that I find others and send them to the White Road, until our number equal seven. When that day comes, we will claim the pieces necessary to break His chains and free Him from his bondage, so that He might continue his mission."
"What is his mission?"
Aetós was clearly hesitant to answer, and instead asked a question of his own. "What have you learned about death?"
"Death is peace. It is necessary in order that new life might be born. Without it, things would stagnate and life would become meaningless."
"This is a lesson that I learned well, and it has haunted me since he forbade death to lay a finger upon me. Just as death must claim the life of a man or a woman so that new life can be born, so too must death claim the life of worlds for the same reason. Do you understand?"
"So...Gul wishes to...destroy the world?"
"Yes. So that a new one may be born in its place. This is the natural order."
His words weighed heavily upon her. Säyä understood the grave implications of such a plan.
"If this is the natural order, then why is He sealed away?"
"There are those that oppose the natural order. It is they that we do battle against. They call themselves Anomaly, and the six shadows are among them. Without the death of this world the balance will be broken, and the consequences reach farther than you can imagine. Life needs Death, or it ceases to be Life. They reject this truth."
Säyä paused a moment to reflect, and asked herself honestly...Do I reject it as well? Could I watch the world die? Could I help them kill it?
"What will happen to you...after the world dies?"
"I am sworn to serve my master, as you are sworn to serve me. Yet the bond between Gul and I is far deeper still. I shall be at Gul's side, in this world, and the next."
"Do you want to be?"
Aetós smiled. Her insight was keen. He had grown weary over the course of the ages. Death would come as a relief to him. Instead of answering, he turned to her and gazed deeply into her eyes, past them, into her soul.
"Do you?"