NewSecret
03-24-2015, 03:07 AM
There weren't many who knew of the legend but of those who had,
they were a peculiar sort. They owned an artifact of great
wonder gifted to them when the legend was passed to them directly
out of the mouth of the half-god that won over extreme odds.
They called themselves the Chosen of the Relic, considering
themselves the higher order of blessed Earth beings. I couldn't
tell you how many they were, though the three of them who
visited me and told me of the legend were very tall and had the
appearance of a heavenly divine calmness not found in normal
humans.
Their names were Adella, Melinda and Hans. They appeared
on the road to Leevinsnire, where I was riding my horse to attend
the yearly spring market celebration. I was to trade my fine
goldwork and my fine musket for a newly fashioned saddle and armor
pieces.
I was adaze in a sunlit dream, merely following the road
with half my mind wandering through memories of my beloved.
They three took my attention with an excitement as I was not
forewarned of where they came to inquire of me at my side. I
automatically drew all my sword to the point but then eased my
tense action when I saw them closer.
Heavenly they were indeed and of a height and beauty
not known of any people I'd seen before. I hailed them then returned
my sword to it's sheath.
The sun gleamed on us all with a pure solitude only a
mid-morning could bring. Clouds rolled on through the blue sky.
"What might be thy names?" I asked of them with a hearty
welcome. "Your faces are not of the familiar kind, of what land
are you born?"
"I am Melinda." Said the young woman who wore an embroidered
intricate patterned dress. "Adella." The second young woman wearing
a dress much like Melinda's said. The man took a bow forward with
an arm across his middle and his other hand held high and he said,
"I am Hans, the Noble and we approach thee with confidence and
would like your consent on matters of great value."
Hans quit bowing and took Adella's hand in his then kissed
it with a gentleman's touch. "Beautiful Adella and I are betrothed."
I looked on at the empty clearing then said, "Where's your
horses? Is your house not far?"
Hans replied, "No. We came at a long interval through travel
not of any you could imagine. You might find our tale fanciful
and beyond belief but we bring an artifact to your amazement that
you not call us a lie if it not be for the length we've gone with
such fresh cleansliness intact out to this lonely road in the
wilderness."
I swung my leg over then got off my horse. I bowed momentarily
then said, "I am Render, the Knight of Jonasborough. A surprise it
is to see such alien folk of your refined nobility, and I shall
humor your want of ears to witness your tale as the journey has
been long and good people are rare on the road. Let us go to the tree
over yonder and I will break us bread and cheese and we will wet
our tongues with a delicious wine I brought with me."
Melinda replied, "We will accept thy decision to picnic. We
are grateful of your offer as we had no luncheon today and our bellies
would appreciate it."
Once my horse was tethered to the next tree we took our seats
on the soft wild grass. I broke bread as I promised them and handed
out the wine and cheese with a generous share. Hans then went on to
tell the tale of the legend that they were swift to speak about.
"For you see this artifact?" Hans said, revealing a small
bluish green rock, formed to resemble a miniature tree. "A figurine
of a tree, there is more to this artifact than being a finely crafted
relic to amuse. When held in the hand like so," Hans flattens his
palm out with the artifact upright on the center of it, "and when we
silence all of our words as a group for a time, a thing of great
wonder happens."
All four of us befell into silence. Slowly, around us, in a
bubble-like form, grew a surreal greenish orb that swirled with an
otherworldly appearance. The light breeze surrendered it's touch on
our skin and it was though time itself quit going forward. I felt a
sensation well into my body. A feeling of exuberant life filled me
and I was without mind, only with the motionless satisfaction of
peace.
Hans then closed his hand around the artifact and rehid it in
his cloak. The greenish orb that surrounded us faded and the gentle
breeze continued as before.
"What was that?" I asked. Adella replied, "The Orb of the Wilderness."
She said, "To all who are outside of the orb, they cannot see us and
if our will is great enough, the orb will repel them."
"Now that we have proven our honor of word with an artifact of
great power," Said Hans while he broke a chunk of cheese off small enough
to eat, "I will now tell the legend of Quorthon, half-god, blessed with
the Will of the Universe, whose adventures led him to obtain this
artifact of ours. I will tell you what he told us about you and why we
approach you so sudden at this very time."
"Life is an elaborate thing," Said Hans, "Not all of those
subtleties can be minded or known, Quorthon knew nothing of his
clenching hold on those subtleties, but he would use them as though he
knew. Amazed were all who'd see him in action at his ease of control
over forces we cannot influence."
"Being half-god, Quorthon was landed onto Earth inside a machine
that flew beyond our skies. Thrown into the dirt with no clothes or
knowledge of this world, he was told one thing only before his people
abandoned him to the care of humankind. His father, a full god, said,
'Expect no mercy.' Then Quorthon was alone."
"He learned the ways of Earth and traveled far. He aged slowly,
and as others died and a new generation took the reigns of the world
he found he barely aged at all. His knowledge became massive and
eventually his own mind would tower over the minds of Earthlings."
"His demeanor was noble, he got along well with people. He would
move on every twenty years then pretend that he was younger than he
truly was. He lived like so for centuries, slowly, at a scale much
longer than those who would die around him. He would wonder what
torturous trick his father had done on him to force him to watch his
friends die over and over again while he remained nearly the same."
"He would one late eve, cry out under the moonlit sky and ask
why would such a cruel curse befall upon him. How he could reach an
apex of great knowledge and intelligence and could do little with it
for the Earth people were too slow and too short lived to really cull
a beneficial use of his great knowledge."
"They would easily eye him for his greatness over them
whenever it would show and in who they are that he feared they would
try him as a witch and burn him at the pyre."
"Then lo and behold, this otherworldly noble, Quorthon of the
Heavens, discovered an odd passage into a dungeon. He would hear the
voice of a young woman in grief, desperately calling for help."
"This was his chance to become a hero for all the things he could
not do with his great godliness. He could finally redeem himself and
make life more vibrant again."
"Inside the dungeon Quorthon found a series of chambers of
varying sizes. Each chamber featured a puzzling lock at it's end and
the key to the lock was always held in the vicious ownership of a
violent creature not of your knowledge and neither of our knowledge."
"The dungeon was long and harrowing. Quorthon barely made it
through with his life. When he unlocked the tenth door he found an
extending cavern before him. A long arched bridge over shimmering
water led to a wide area crowded with monoliths."
"Weary as he was and wounded, he sought out some time alone in
the chamber, locking both doors. He slept and ate and repaired his
wounds. Only when he felt good enough would he dare to advance across
that bridge."
"He went on cautiously. The water seemed shallow but he couldn't
see any definite shapes. Again the voice of the young woman called.
The sound of her floated through the cavern without echo and was eerie."
"There was a great boom at the end of the bridge and when Quorthon
turned around to see what the clamor was he watched the bridge crumble
into the water with a single crashing thunder."
"Water splashed high into the air and the cavern rumbled. He
had to get his footing because the earthquake nearly knocked him over.
Then at the area of the monoliths a loud shriek screamed at a high note
that made Quorthon cover his ears."
"The earthquake ended but the shrieks continued. Quorthon drew
his weapon then fearlessly advanced into the monolith area. He went
monolith to monolith, following the shrieks for they seemed to move
around him. The cavern was wider the further Quorthon went. The floor was
well tread dirt and smooth to his feet, clear of any small rocks or plants."
"He went a ways, and as the cavern grew dark he lit a torch to
see around him."
"The shriek went silent and for a moment the voice of the young
woman was easy to hear for she was very close and she said, "Look out!
Above you!"
"Quorthon looked above and a massive flying creature with beak as
long as a sword and long deadly talons was swooping upon him. He threw his
torch away and attacked the flying creature with all his might and killed
it."
"He rescued the young woman who was held inside a Hessonite gem,
Then took her as his wife."
"They raised a family and lived for many years in love with each
other, as time wore on she got older but he barely appeared to gain any of
the signs that showed his true number of years."
"Quorthon knew all too well the sorrow of loss for he already watched as
a great many of his loved ones died through the centuries. He knew what was
ahead for him and he had to devise a plan so that he could hide his
secret of his longevity."
"Quorthon's children had become adults. As time went on more and
more people were noticing his seemingly immortal defiance to the cruelties
of time. He only had one choice, he had to fake his death."
"So he did."
"Then he went far away so his god-like immortality could continue to
remain a secret or else they would take him to a laboratory like a mouse
and his freedom would evaporate forever."
"At that length of time he observed his family disappear into the years
behind him and fade into his memories. He would track his descendants, caring
for them whenever he could but the ever-devouring pirahna of time chewed
away at his soul and the value of love became a hardened rock inside of him."
"Quorthon eventually became a hermit in a farmhouse outside of a
township on a river. He would retain his anonimity for decades while he
shut himself inside his farmhouse all alone, damning his father for exiling
him on this god forbidden world of short lived people."
"His knowledge was already great and went beyond any Earth human he
ever heard of or knew, but he vowed to take his knowledge ever further in
the determination to build a ship like his father's ship that could enter the
heavens above so he could once and for all leave Earth and find his true
world of origin."
"Decades burned into his calendar as he amassed knowledge ever more
refined and ever more advanced. He made discoveries of his own and drew the
plans for inventions modern humans could never dream of attaining for
centuries in the far future. Eventually he created the blueprints for
his flying ship that would take him away forever."
"He recruited the help of some builders to realize his invention. In
secret in his barn they built it. They had no idea what they were building,
and alas, he would not tell them. They honored their secrecy although they
were suspicious of his intentions."
"Finally, the flying ship was done and he covered it on a trailer,
then used two horses to deliver it to another location at a clearing in the
wilderness."
"Quorthon was very excited to lift himself into the heavens above. His
godliness would bother him no more when he reunited with his true people."
"And when Quorthon readied his flying ship then took to the skies it was
under a full moon. Then, yes, his flying ship went without issue and up he
went, flying far beyond any Earth man's reach."
"As he flew up further and further, suddenly a wizard of great power
appeared on board with him at the pilot's wheel. He halted his flying ship and
was motionless in the air."
"Quorthon inquired of the wizard, whose cleanly shaven chin and the odd
thick clothing he wore was a far departure of the clothes told of in the tales
about how wizards would appear. The wizard held a hand out to hush Quorthon
and said, 'We, the Wizards of Earth had watched you for endless years. We
know of your nobility and vowed not to interrupt your life for we thought
you would never bring about a thing of inquiry. Ah, but now you rise to our
realms beyond and we now are required to interfere.' "
"The wizard continued, 'You do not know of what you'd done to get this
far in the ways of what you cannot see but I, Fentkross, the Wizard of the Sky,
will now present you with a choice before you leave this Earth for good.' "
"Fentkross, the wizard revealed the artifact to Quorthon that I
showed you earlier then told him, 'You cannot leave Earth like so. Should you go
any higher you would die. This relic that I show you will protect your ship
and yourself should you go any further.' "
" 'Beware, we wizards know the ways of this world and cannot allow
you to proceed without this relic. You would surely die, Quorthon. But also,
we cannot freely cede such a valuable item to any man, even a man of your
great eccentricities. You will trade a part of your hard earned knowledge
for this. If you do not accept my advisory you will surely perish in the
barrier above us. What say you, Quorthon?' "
"Quorthon thought for a time before he replied, saying, 'Oh wise Wizard
of the Sky, how can I not heed your wisdom and dare challenge the barrier
I know nothing of? For all my knowledge, I know nothing of what I will find
in the Heavens above. I tell thee, Fentkross, I will trade my knowledge
for the relic that I might pass through the barrier and perish not.' "
"The wizard smiled then handed the relic over to Quorthon.
Quorthon accepted, setting the artifact on the dash of the
captain's wheel. The wizard then revealed a golden ball that
shined like a lantern but was not made of gold. He said to
Quorthon, 'Now bow your head and close your eyes. The power
of the relic will now protect your ship but I warn thee,
speak not one word for all of the time you fly about the
Heavens or the power of the relic shall diminish and you
will surely die.' "
"Quorthon obeyed the wizard, bowing his head. The wizard
raised the golden ball to Quorthon's forehead. His knowledge
was drawn out and the power of the relic protected the ship
in the same orb I'd shown you. The wizard vanished the way he
appeared. Quorthon then took to the Heavens with nary a single
word on his lips."
"He explored the Heavens, traveling intervals so great
that no Earth man had ever gone, I should say, hundreds of
Earth men had ever gone. For the Heavens are infinite and
infinite are the number of worlds like Earth."
"He no longer had his advanced knowledge but his
memories of his life he could continue to recall. He
remembered not of the skills he learned to build his ship.
His advanced science was gone as well. Should he crash he
would be unable to repair the damages. He had to go forth
with caution or face certain calamity. For all his years
his mind was renewed and he once again saw all things
with a curious wonder again."
"He went far, searching for the world of his people.
He found worlds so unlike Earth we could never know what
he would speak about were he to try and describe them to
us."
"Time regained meaningfulness to him again as he
was not surrounded with short-living Earth humans anymore.
Then also, time was now a form he set forward or inverted
as he traveled the unfathomable interval of Heaven."
"Eventually he disconnected into another form, unaware
of how far he had gone in his search. That is when he landed
on a world of lightning and clouds. The air was thick
like the blood of our hearts, and alas, he was lightning
and clouds himself and his ship was the bolts that hit
out of the unseen."
"Definitely, this new form was not a surprise for
he had found this form while his mind went into slumber
and his heart would no longer arc to reunite with his
people and he would see that the reasons for his journey
no longer mattered, for all reality was a new form and
his inner drive had a new hunger."
they were a peculiar sort. They owned an artifact of great
wonder gifted to them when the legend was passed to them directly
out of the mouth of the half-god that won over extreme odds.
They called themselves the Chosen of the Relic, considering
themselves the higher order of blessed Earth beings. I couldn't
tell you how many they were, though the three of them who
visited me and told me of the legend were very tall and had the
appearance of a heavenly divine calmness not found in normal
humans.
Their names were Adella, Melinda and Hans. They appeared
on the road to Leevinsnire, where I was riding my horse to attend
the yearly spring market celebration. I was to trade my fine
goldwork and my fine musket for a newly fashioned saddle and armor
pieces.
I was adaze in a sunlit dream, merely following the road
with half my mind wandering through memories of my beloved.
They three took my attention with an excitement as I was not
forewarned of where they came to inquire of me at my side. I
automatically drew all my sword to the point but then eased my
tense action when I saw them closer.
Heavenly they were indeed and of a height and beauty
not known of any people I'd seen before. I hailed them then returned
my sword to it's sheath.
The sun gleamed on us all with a pure solitude only a
mid-morning could bring. Clouds rolled on through the blue sky.
"What might be thy names?" I asked of them with a hearty
welcome. "Your faces are not of the familiar kind, of what land
are you born?"
"I am Melinda." Said the young woman who wore an embroidered
intricate patterned dress. "Adella." The second young woman wearing
a dress much like Melinda's said. The man took a bow forward with
an arm across his middle and his other hand held high and he said,
"I am Hans, the Noble and we approach thee with confidence and
would like your consent on matters of great value."
Hans quit bowing and took Adella's hand in his then kissed
it with a gentleman's touch. "Beautiful Adella and I are betrothed."
I looked on at the empty clearing then said, "Where's your
horses? Is your house not far?"
Hans replied, "No. We came at a long interval through travel
not of any you could imagine. You might find our tale fanciful
and beyond belief but we bring an artifact to your amazement that
you not call us a lie if it not be for the length we've gone with
such fresh cleansliness intact out to this lonely road in the
wilderness."
I swung my leg over then got off my horse. I bowed momentarily
then said, "I am Render, the Knight of Jonasborough. A surprise it
is to see such alien folk of your refined nobility, and I shall
humor your want of ears to witness your tale as the journey has
been long and good people are rare on the road. Let us go to the tree
over yonder and I will break us bread and cheese and we will wet
our tongues with a delicious wine I brought with me."
Melinda replied, "We will accept thy decision to picnic. We
are grateful of your offer as we had no luncheon today and our bellies
would appreciate it."
Once my horse was tethered to the next tree we took our seats
on the soft wild grass. I broke bread as I promised them and handed
out the wine and cheese with a generous share. Hans then went on to
tell the tale of the legend that they were swift to speak about.
"For you see this artifact?" Hans said, revealing a small
bluish green rock, formed to resemble a miniature tree. "A figurine
of a tree, there is more to this artifact than being a finely crafted
relic to amuse. When held in the hand like so," Hans flattens his
palm out with the artifact upright on the center of it, "and when we
silence all of our words as a group for a time, a thing of great
wonder happens."
All four of us befell into silence. Slowly, around us, in a
bubble-like form, grew a surreal greenish orb that swirled with an
otherworldly appearance. The light breeze surrendered it's touch on
our skin and it was though time itself quit going forward. I felt a
sensation well into my body. A feeling of exuberant life filled me
and I was without mind, only with the motionless satisfaction of
peace.
Hans then closed his hand around the artifact and rehid it in
his cloak. The greenish orb that surrounded us faded and the gentle
breeze continued as before.
"What was that?" I asked. Adella replied, "The Orb of the Wilderness."
She said, "To all who are outside of the orb, they cannot see us and
if our will is great enough, the orb will repel them."
"Now that we have proven our honor of word with an artifact of
great power," Said Hans while he broke a chunk of cheese off small enough
to eat, "I will now tell the legend of Quorthon, half-god, blessed with
the Will of the Universe, whose adventures led him to obtain this
artifact of ours. I will tell you what he told us about you and why we
approach you so sudden at this very time."
"Life is an elaborate thing," Said Hans, "Not all of those
subtleties can be minded or known, Quorthon knew nothing of his
clenching hold on those subtleties, but he would use them as though he
knew. Amazed were all who'd see him in action at his ease of control
over forces we cannot influence."
"Being half-god, Quorthon was landed onto Earth inside a machine
that flew beyond our skies. Thrown into the dirt with no clothes or
knowledge of this world, he was told one thing only before his people
abandoned him to the care of humankind. His father, a full god, said,
'Expect no mercy.' Then Quorthon was alone."
"He learned the ways of Earth and traveled far. He aged slowly,
and as others died and a new generation took the reigns of the world
he found he barely aged at all. His knowledge became massive and
eventually his own mind would tower over the minds of Earthlings."
"His demeanor was noble, he got along well with people. He would
move on every twenty years then pretend that he was younger than he
truly was. He lived like so for centuries, slowly, at a scale much
longer than those who would die around him. He would wonder what
torturous trick his father had done on him to force him to watch his
friends die over and over again while he remained nearly the same."
"He would one late eve, cry out under the moonlit sky and ask
why would such a cruel curse befall upon him. How he could reach an
apex of great knowledge and intelligence and could do little with it
for the Earth people were too slow and too short lived to really cull
a beneficial use of his great knowledge."
"They would easily eye him for his greatness over them
whenever it would show and in who they are that he feared they would
try him as a witch and burn him at the pyre."
"Then lo and behold, this otherworldly noble, Quorthon of the
Heavens, discovered an odd passage into a dungeon. He would hear the
voice of a young woman in grief, desperately calling for help."
"This was his chance to become a hero for all the things he could
not do with his great godliness. He could finally redeem himself and
make life more vibrant again."
"Inside the dungeon Quorthon found a series of chambers of
varying sizes. Each chamber featured a puzzling lock at it's end and
the key to the lock was always held in the vicious ownership of a
violent creature not of your knowledge and neither of our knowledge."
"The dungeon was long and harrowing. Quorthon barely made it
through with his life. When he unlocked the tenth door he found an
extending cavern before him. A long arched bridge over shimmering
water led to a wide area crowded with monoliths."
"Weary as he was and wounded, he sought out some time alone in
the chamber, locking both doors. He slept and ate and repaired his
wounds. Only when he felt good enough would he dare to advance across
that bridge."
"He went on cautiously. The water seemed shallow but he couldn't
see any definite shapes. Again the voice of the young woman called.
The sound of her floated through the cavern without echo and was eerie."
"There was a great boom at the end of the bridge and when Quorthon
turned around to see what the clamor was he watched the bridge crumble
into the water with a single crashing thunder."
"Water splashed high into the air and the cavern rumbled. He
had to get his footing because the earthquake nearly knocked him over.
Then at the area of the monoliths a loud shriek screamed at a high note
that made Quorthon cover his ears."
"The earthquake ended but the shrieks continued. Quorthon drew
his weapon then fearlessly advanced into the monolith area. He went
monolith to monolith, following the shrieks for they seemed to move
around him. The cavern was wider the further Quorthon went. The floor was
well tread dirt and smooth to his feet, clear of any small rocks or plants."
"He went a ways, and as the cavern grew dark he lit a torch to
see around him."
"The shriek went silent and for a moment the voice of the young
woman was easy to hear for she was very close and she said, "Look out!
Above you!"
"Quorthon looked above and a massive flying creature with beak as
long as a sword and long deadly talons was swooping upon him. He threw his
torch away and attacked the flying creature with all his might and killed
it."
"He rescued the young woman who was held inside a Hessonite gem,
Then took her as his wife."
"They raised a family and lived for many years in love with each
other, as time wore on she got older but he barely appeared to gain any of
the signs that showed his true number of years."
"Quorthon knew all too well the sorrow of loss for he already watched as
a great many of his loved ones died through the centuries. He knew what was
ahead for him and he had to devise a plan so that he could hide his
secret of his longevity."
"Quorthon's children had become adults. As time went on more and
more people were noticing his seemingly immortal defiance to the cruelties
of time. He only had one choice, he had to fake his death."
"So he did."
"Then he went far away so his god-like immortality could continue to
remain a secret or else they would take him to a laboratory like a mouse
and his freedom would evaporate forever."
"At that length of time he observed his family disappear into the years
behind him and fade into his memories. He would track his descendants, caring
for them whenever he could but the ever-devouring pirahna of time chewed
away at his soul and the value of love became a hardened rock inside of him."
"Quorthon eventually became a hermit in a farmhouse outside of a
township on a river. He would retain his anonimity for decades while he
shut himself inside his farmhouse all alone, damning his father for exiling
him on this god forbidden world of short lived people."
"His knowledge was already great and went beyond any Earth human he
ever heard of or knew, but he vowed to take his knowledge ever further in
the determination to build a ship like his father's ship that could enter the
heavens above so he could once and for all leave Earth and find his true
world of origin."
"Decades burned into his calendar as he amassed knowledge ever more
refined and ever more advanced. He made discoveries of his own and drew the
plans for inventions modern humans could never dream of attaining for
centuries in the far future. Eventually he created the blueprints for
his flying ship that would take him away forever."
"He recruited the help of some builders to realize his invention. In
secret in his barn they built it. They had no idea what they were building,
and alas, he would not tell them. They honored their secrecy although they
were suspicious of his intentions."
"Finally, the flying ship was done and he covered it on a trailer,
then used two horses to deliver it to another location at a clearing in the
wilderness."
"Quorthon was very excited to lift himself into the heavens above. His
godliness would bother him no more when he reunited with his true people."
"And when Quorthon readied his flying ship then took to the skies it was
under a full moon. Then, yes, his flying ship went without issue and up he
went, flying far beyond any Earth man's reach."
"As he flew up further and further, suddenly a wizard of great power
appeared on board with him at the pilot's wheel. He halted his flying ship and
was motionless in the air."
"Quorthon inquired of the wizard, whose cleanly shaven chin and the odd
thick clothing he wore was a far departure of the clothes told of in the tales
about how wizards would appear. The wizard held a hand out to hush Quorthon
and said, 'We, the Wizards of Earth had watched you for endless years. We
know of your nobility and vowed not to interrupt your life for we thought
you would never bring about a thing of inquiry. Ah, but now you rise to our
realms beyond and we now are required to interfere.' "
"The wizard continued, 'You do not know of what you'd done to get this
far in the ways of what you cannot see but I, Fentkross, the Wizard of the Sky,
will now present you with a choice before you leave this Earth for good.' "
"Fentkross, the wizard revealed the artifact to Quorthon that I
showed you earlier then told him, 'You cannot leave Earth like so. Should you go
any higher you would die. This relic that I show you will protect your ship
and yourself should you go any further.' "
" 'Beware, we wizards know the ways of this world and cannot allow
you to proceed without this relic. You would surely die, Quorthon. But also,
we cannot freely cede such a valuable item to any man, even a man of your
great eccentricities. You will trade a part of your hard earned knowledge
for this. If you do not accept my advisory you will surely perish in the
barrier above us. What say you, Quorthon?' "
"Quorthon thought for a time before he replied, saying, 'Oh wise Wizard
of the Sky, how can I not heed your wisdom and dare challenge the barrier
I know nothing of? For all my knowledge, I know nothing of what I will find
in the Heavens above. I tell thee, Fentkross, I will trade my knowledge
for the relic that I might pass through the barrier and perish not.' "
"The wizard smiled then handed the relic over to Quorthon.
Quorthon accepted, setting the artifact on the dash of the
captain's wheel. The wizard then revealed a golden ball that
shined like a lantern but was not made of gold. He said to
Quorthon, 'Now bow your head and close your eyes. The power
of the relic will now protect your ship but I warn thee,
speak not one word for all of the time you fly about the
Heavens or the power of the relic shall diminish and you
will surely die.' "
"Quorthon obeyed the wizard, bowing his head. The wizard
raised the golden ball to Quorthon's forehead. His knowledge
was drawn out and the power of the relic protected the ship
in the same orb I'd shown you. The wizard vanished the way he
appeared. Quorthon then took to the Heavens with nary a single
word on his lips."
"He explored the Heavens, traveling intervals so great
that no Earth man had ever gone, I should say, hundreds of
Earth men had ever gone. For the Heavens are infinite and
infinite are the number of worlds like Earth."
"He no longer had his advanced knowledge but his
memories of his life he could continue to recall. He
remembered not of the skills he learned to build his ship.
His advanced science was gone as well. Should he crash he
would be unable to repair the damages. He had to go forth
with caution or face certain calamity. For all his years
his mind was renewed and he once again saw all things
with a curious wonder again."
"He went far, searching for the world of his people.
He found worlds so unlike Earth we could never know what
he would speak about were he to try and describe them to
us."
"Time regained meaningfulness to him again as he
was not surrounded with short-living Earth humans anymore.
Then also, time was now a form he set forward or inverted
as he traveled the unfathomable interval of Heaven."
"Eventually he disconnected into another form, unaware
of how far he had gone in his search. That is when he landed
on a world of lightning and clouds. The air was thick
like the blood of our hearts, and alas, he was lightning
and clouds himself and his ship was the bolts that hit
out of the unseen."
"Definitely, this new form was not a surprise for
he had found this form while his mind went into slumber
and his heart would no longer arc to reunite with his
people and he would see that the reasons for his journey
no longer mattered, for all reality was a new form and
his inner drive had a new hunger."