Aurora: Vision 4
Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:58 pm
After the exodus, they came to the promised land.
[CENTER][/CENTER]
The general led his disciples up the trunk of the world tree, while the worms appeared below to feed on spirits left behind.
As the general neared the top of the tree, he caught sight of new worlds blossoming. His eyes glowed at the sight of them. He spurred his horse and led his people towards the purifying fire of trials.
Spirits entered their worlds. They built cities. They farmed resources. And then they began to battle.
I saw two great armies clash on the field. Soldiers cut one another down, spears flashing in the sunlight, war cries filling the air. There was grace in their fighting and hope in their faces. Even the wounded, even the dying, gritted their teeth through the pain and turned their eyes forward. Because they knew their mission was true.
There was a moment in the thick of battle when time seemed to stand still. The sun reflected off a knightâs blade as he swung it with all his might towards his opponent. I heard the felling stroke slice clean through the enemy.
Then that sound crescendoed into a thunderclap, and, as if on signal, the battlefield cracked open. Some soldiers fell into the chasm rapidly expanding beneath their feet. Others dropped their swords and ran. The earth yawned wider, and from the depths, a giant bloody crown rose slowly into the air.
The enormous circle of gold hovered above the two armies, prongs reaching towards the sky like pillars proclaiming victory. But death stained the otherwise shining metal. Those prongs were marked with the red liquid of sacrifice. The central jewel moved left, then right, like an eye searching for a loved one. Blood dripped into the thirsty ground.
For a long moment the crown glistened red and gold in the air, then it began to shrink. It diminished in size and floated away from the gaping hole in the earth, which also started to close. The crown moved towards the lord of the winning army, sitting tall on his horse away from the main battle. The circle alighted on his brow at the same moment that the sides of the chasm groaned shut.
In the Time of Trials, crown and blood were tied together. No glory came without death. But there was also no death without glory. For to die in the jaws of such trials and on a quest of such magnitude was no shame. It was another step on the road to Valor.
[CENTER][/CENTER]
The general led his disciples up the trunk of the world tree, while the worms appeared below to feed on spirits left behind.
As the general neared the top of the tree, he caught sight of new worlds blossoming. His eyes glowed at the sight of them. He spurred his horse and led his people towards the purifying fire of trials.
Spirits entered their worlds. They built cities. They farmed resources. And then they began to battle.
I saw two great armies clash on the field. Soldiers cut one another down, spears flashing in the sunlight, war cries filling the air. There was grace in their fighting and hope in their faces. Even the wounded, even the dying, gritted their teeth through the pain and turned their eyes forward. Because they knew their mission was true.
There was a moment in the thick of battle when time seemed to stand still. The sun reflected off a knightâs blade as he swung it with all his might towards his opponent. I heard the felling stroke slice clean through the enemy.
Then that sound crescendoed into a thunderclap, and, as if on signal, the battlefield cracked open. Some soldiers fell into the chasm rapidly expanding beneath their feet. Others dropped their swords and ran. The earth yawned wider, and from the depths, a giant bloody crown rose slowly into the air.
The enormous circle of gold hovered above the two armies, prongs reaching towards the sky like pillars proclaiming victory. But death stained the otherwise shining metal. Those prongs were marked with the red liquid of sacrifice. The central jewel moved left, then right, like an eye searching for a loved one. Blood dripped into the thirsty ground.
For a long moment the crown glistened red and gold in the air, then it began to shrink. It diminished in size and floated away from the gaping hole in the earth, which also started to close. The crown moved towards the lord of the winning army, sitting tall on his horse away from the main battle. The circle alighted on his brow at the same moment that the sides of the chasm groaned shut.
In the Time of Trials, crown and blood were tied together. No glory came without death. But there was also no death without glory. For to die in the jaws of such trials and on a quest of such magnitude was no shame. It was another step on the road to Valor.