In Wood Faith

In Wood Faith

Year 222 (continued)

Arbiter Raph, were here. Welcome to Treehome. His companion seemed unsure as they stepped through the portal, and onto the world of Treehome.

He emerged in a special platform in the tower of the void mages, with Stella and Lumoof leading the way. Stella nodded briefly, and then vanished in the poof of blackness. Lumoof smiled at Raph, and guided the guests out of the tower.

Welcome to Freshka, the Root of the Central Continent. Lumoof nodded. Some would say the Heart, of course. Freshkas sprawling towers of trees seemed to stretch till the horizon, and the three angels didnt know what to say. It is here that our Guardian, Aeon, made his stand. The earth is his, and he is the earth.

Raph nodded, and instead, looked above, past the leaves and canopies. Your skies are empty.

Lumoof wasnt sure what he was talking about, and looked up to see stars and skies. It is, without the paths of the demons.

The demons. What have you done to their path?

Lumoof paused, suddenly understanding what he meant. You could see the starpaths?

Every angel can. It has been our ability since birth. Raph answered. With practice, the humans can too. Those born with many wings, like me, can see it easily.

Is that not an astral or void power? Lumoof asked.

It is. But we are linked to the heavens, and the heavens grant us the ability to observe the skies. Raph laughed, and I was so tempted to capture one of these angels and put them in the biolab for analysis. Perhaps some other time.

I see. Lumoof nodded, as they were led to a gigantic beetle with a carriage, stairs and really comfy seats. A tour bus, essentially, with protective screens.

Actually, before that, I would like to fly up to the sky, and see the city for myself. Raph suggested. May I?

Lumoof paused, and shrugged. You will attract a lot of attention.

Ah. Nothing an illusion cant hide. He activated some kind of illusion ability that turned himself almost invisible, but we could still sense his presence. The illusion glowed brightly to my spiritual eyes. In fact, all the angels glowed brightly in my spiritual eyes. They have robust souls, and Raphs glow was very much like a creature attuned to the spiritual realm.

He took to the skies, invisible to almost all regular folks, except those skilled enough to see him. Lumoof immediately issued a warning to the Valthorns, to notify that there was a friendly flier in the air. It wouldnt be nice to shoot down our guest.

My roots lifted Lumoof up to the skies, where he stood next to Raph.

Interesting way of coming with me. Raph said.

I couldnt leave my guest alone, could I? Lumoof said. The two other angels were on the ground, surrounded by other Valthorn members.

Very interesting city you have, but are all cities like this?

No. This city is unique, due to its founders presence. Lumoof said. You wish to see the cities beyond?

I feel a very strong presence coming from there-. Raph pointed in the general direction of the Valley. What is-

Aeon.

Ah. Then Id like to see him, for the horror that he is.

Oh? Lumoof smirked.

Raph landed back down. Id like to meet your... Guardian.

You can meet him through me. Lumoof said.

Thats not the real- My avatar activated, and my presence was felt through Lumoof. ...I misspoke.

Greetings, Raph. Welcome to Treehome. I said through Lumoof, his eyes glowed, and the air rippled as my presence washed through Freshka. I could control it quite well, but even then, each level I gained, I had to work harder to hide my domain. I shall not stay long. My presence... is not for the faint of heart.

The world bent around me.

My apologies for assuming incorrectly. Raph said. He wasnt pale, but I could feel his nerves tensing, his body straining to bear the weight of being in the same space. I shall speak to Lumoof instead.

Thank you for your understanding. Lumoofs eyes returned to normal and he grinned.

I am Aeons avatar. My priest repeated.

Raph relaxed, and nodded. Did your kind once believe in gods?

Lumoof paused, as they sat on the giant beetle. The beetle would carry them throughout the city, and then to the outskirts. Yes, and many still do. The other continents are home to those who believe in the four gods, Aiva, Hawa, Gaya and Neira.

And your kind dont. Raph remarked as they took in the view.

Many once did, but now we are Aeons faithful. He is, in many ways, a growing god. Unlike the other four who are further, much further away. There is nothing quite like standing in front of a real god, even with my own power.

Raph thought about it for a moment, and then laughed. It is an incredibly tragic thought that we, the angels without a god to serve, are here, visiting a world where a god lives with them.

...they said you were the closest to god.

Bah. Closest to a god that mostly ignores us and sends us heroes. Raph answered. What is angelic fervor without a goal? Our god neither gives us commandments nor guidance, our existence and structure an illusion constructed by our predecessors to delude the lesser angels and mortals. Our wings of faith cannot bear the thought that our god cares not for us. In its place, we built a society of rules, and imposed our version of order on the world, because we cannot exist without it.

I see we are not that different. Lumoof smirked. In the chaos of this world, we find our own ways to survive, with what we have. We do what we must to live.

And dispense with what we dont.

The beetle led them through the outer areas, farmlands, and smaller villages. Not unlike the outskirts of the Angelworld.

It is strangely... orderly. Raph was fairly impressed.

If you wish to see something less manicured, we shall take you to the places where Aeon does not exert his rule.

Your people consider choice and life as the core tenets that guide your decision. Mine considers law and order as the only single tenet. Yours are content to let men be, so long as they live, correct?

Fair. We do intervene occasionally.

But the law must be consistent. Raph said. I admire your world and your civilization, for achieving what it did, but more than that, it reminded me of our failings.

How so?

Raph walked to the two angels, and then declared to his two countrymen. I once believed that our world displayed the flaws of overextended orderliness. But here, in these other worlds, there is none. Given a choice between order and chaos, Order should be the default. Law must hold, as far as we can.

The two angels listened.

Once we return, we must expand and join this crusade against the demons and uplift the mortals from their suffering. We will bring order to the worlds beyond ours.

My priest listened. The two angels immediately stepped in. Arbiter Raph, that is a decision of the-

I will not be denied. Our society has lived in those ivory towers for too long. We, angels created by gods long past and abandoned, were meant to wage war and bring progress! They may have forgotten us, but I now realize what our purpose is as a people. Our wings and spears were meant to send us across the stars! Instead, we turn it on ourselves. It is time for our obsession with Order to be directed outwards. To uplift the faithless, to guide the faithful, to impose a structure in the chaos and to smite the unholy.

The two angels cowered as his passion leaked.

Patriarch Lumoof, I must thank you for this incredible trip. It has been enlightening to see the suffering that goes unfettered throughout the worlds beyond our own. It is great to be reminded how much rot and failure is in the natural state without guidance of their betters. Order shall spread!

Lumoof just shrugged. A mortals struggle is what leads to levels. Would you be keen to carry out that under our auspices?

Raph shook his head. Your world and your people hardly need one more, but my world, my beloved angelworld, more than ever, would require my perspective. My kind had slept through our purpose, and when I return, there will be revolution.

I wasnt sure why I didnt feel that excited to hear that. It felt like I had just awakened a more zealous, more... extreme version of our own expansion. Uplifting worlds and orderliness has colonialist vibes written all over it.

If there are many worlds just like this, then it is our failure. We had been complacent, confident in our success to prevent the demons from coming to our world. If there are worlds that suffer regular demonic attacks, it is our duty to assist them. We are giants in our little pond, but now we discover that there is an ocean out there for us to liberate. The people of the multiple worlds are misguided, and they need to be improved. It is our duty, as angels, to do so. Why else are we granted a connection to the stars, if not to go there?

Lumoof felt my concern. I highly recommend caution and a light touch. What you do, is very much what an invader does.

Raph nodded. Your concern is noted, Patriarch Lumoof, but we are angels, and we will do better.

I felt like I would regret our collective decision to introduce the demonworlds to the angels. Those who sought to impose their will, for the benefit of others, were not much better.

Our first task, once we return, is to discover a method, to channel our own connection to the heavens, and open these gates. Raph declared with fervor. The two angels didnt dare oppose him.

Lumoof looked at the other Valthorns accompanying him, and sighed. We occasionally see zealots, but they were always our own.

Raph was not.

He might be a force for good. There are worlds that might accept him. No, I could easily see worlds that would accept the angels as the messengers of their gods. His kind, if spread throughout the stars, would help many worlds from the fury of the demons, but I could also see the great destruction and the dictatorial order that they would inflict on worlds.

The perfectly manicured version of their homeworld, copy pasted across many others.

He would be the burning fury of ancient angels, imposing their laws.

A part of me wondered, do I let him go, or do I stop him here?

Was he that different from me? I impose my will on the worlds I touched, for all I claim to have a light touch. Is he all that different? Was he better for the greater world in the long run? Or would they, some day in the far future, be something else entirely?

Raph looked at the two angels. I had seen enough. Let us return to our world, and call for a great council. Action, and then, revolution.

If it is something you want to achieve, then let us work together. Lumoof proposed, trying to see whether Raph could be absorbed into our structure.

Raph shook his head. Once again, I thank you for the offer. What I have in mind must be done through the angels. Our kind finally has a worthy purpose, and I must return to them to deliver it. But we shall be friends, I shall see to it.

Lumoof sighed, as he sensed my discomfort. Maybe this idea of a multiverse alliance may not be a great idea. I sometimes forget creatures of other worlds have different core values.

Raph had done us no harm, and his goals aligned with mine in the long run, even if we had slightly different visions of that end.

He could set up a concurrent entity, a force that supports us where we cant. We wanted to defeat the demons. The demons were the true enemy. They wanted to impose order, and the demons destruction was tangentially related.

They were not the enemy, even if I saw the seeds of disagreement. Just as I left the crystal king be, I shall leave them alone, for now.

We have to steer this rabid dog in a direction that would not harm us. Lumoof spoke via our mental link. Engagement is the only way to manage them. They are passionate, but perhaps, misguided.

Killing him would end the problem here and now. A part of me wondered. It would make him a martyr, an enemy of their world. Yet, until the deed is done, I strongly did not want to pass preemptive judgment.

I know from experience that arguments with zealots did not go well. Those who sought to expand, would expand constantly. It is a need, a craving. A desire for more power, more land. This was, in a way, a demon-like behavior. I wasnt sure Raph would be that sort of zealot.

As Stella stood at the edge, Raph bowed politely to her. This has been an enlightening experience, Lady Stella. I now see that my kinds failing. Once I return, I will guide my people to step out.

Dont sell yourself short. Your kind has done great things for your world. Stella said, oblivious to the exchange between my priest and Raph.

Stella opened the void portal and sent him back.

He stepped through, and I felt like roots tangled in my soul. We may have an ally in the war against the demons, after all. We had given them perspective.

I just hope I didnt regret it.

Spaizzer

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