Chapter 20: Ancient forces stir: 4 of 5
Origin of their Rebellion
The Espers now roamed the Ivalice, with wings and limb, restraint was to them denied. Sought did they to accomplish what the God's expectance had been, for them to fulfill their bestowed duties with naught a flaw.
Fulfilled were their duties for the several eons upon which they had served the seraphs, otherwise looked up upon as scions, intact were their souls of the tainting gloom of Xabaam accursed.
And alas, high , high above the lofty heavens, high above the listless black beyond of the void, was Ahnas. Beholding thus the tranquility he had so longed to come to his people. Blanketed was Ivalice now, in peace and light. Prosperous were times ahead, and the future bore a greater promise than it had so when Eclipse and Xabaam wreaked havoc.
Yes! All was silent, for even in the cosmic void quelled was the voice of anguish, sorrow now plummeted into the abyss, all was at calm.
In trance Ahnas allowed himself to be lost. For it would seem that there would be no need for any more measures of drastic nature. Need be, would there only a steady mind and a fervent prayer. Hope made it so, that man and God alike could rest from the grief of Xabaam's dark.
And, below, billions of light years below Ahnas' stellar balcon, was Ivalice.
There as it had ever been since the dawn of its being. Now governed by proxy, Esper over watched, Seraph commanded, God created, Hume inhabited. Seem now would it that in flourish indeed was Ivalice.
There as it had ever been, a shadow closely stole by, Darkness, covering terror and all inhuman and evil. To strike, was it ready, than as it always had been. To guzzle the hope dry once more, to conjure vile instruments of death, of beings defiant of godly and natural laws, then as it always had been.
Of caveat devoid, it would most likely strike, again.
Xabaam's presence was to the Gods nothing, for as it had never been by them felt. For Xabaam is cunning and treacherous. It slinks here and there his accursed shadow. Even us an unseen and spiritual life force, plans of greatness, but of darkness. Part of his power he still possessed, even now when he had been reduced into Ivalice.
Difference, he could smell. Diverse were Ivalice's denizens. Beasts, Humes, and now, Espers. Yet for all diversity the inhabitants were given, frail were their heart strings, turn to the dark was of perpetual possibility.
Frail too, were the seraph's proxies. The Espers were too, subject to him. All who tread upon him were subject to him. For Ivalice was, then and will forever be him.
Spread once more did his darkness. But in motion small and discreet was this contamination done.
The Void knight fell victim first.
Yet even his had turned feral, he lied low. And waited for Xabaam's command. To mask his infection, he continued to carry his tasks, acting like the serpent, who bites when your back is fronted to him,
The Redeemer and the Obliterator were sent from the lofty clouds thus. To adjudicate the quality of the jobs done by the Espers.
Ultima, the Redeemer, was to pass her judgment upon the effects to the people done.
Zodiark, who had been suppressed of growth and the most powerful and deadly of the God's heavenly creations, had been kept an infant. Pass would he, judgment to the Espers personally.
Greet were they not by Espers and Humes, for it was Xabaam's darkness that hastily coiled in their hearts, with icy cold fingers.
And as Zeromus had been compelled to do, they hid their corruption with hypocrisy. Sought now did they to corrupt the ones to whom their judgment was due to pass.
Hid now did three serpents. Waiting to strike at the Gods from their shadow.
The Elusive fell Victim next. For all her scarcity to vision, mortal and eternal both, she could not deny the call of the Obliterator. Appear did she before his terrifying eyes, and soon, it was vision of darkness cloud that her eyes possessed.
Four serpents now. Pride and arrogance slowly growing. In the shadow they lay.
Shehemhazzai was now one of Xabaam's puppets. And with her elusiveness did she pilfer away a secret from the gods and planned to betray it to man But the fibers of her cosmic being felt painful as she even contemplated upon her plan's execution. Lie low did she, for it was willed so by Xabaam.
In the foundries of earth where the greater spirits lie, was the infernal refuge of the firey Belias. The shadow too did leech deep into the earth and had now reached the flaming hell to which was a haven for Belias.
The tasks set to him by the gods was he amid, and as he toiled, did the shadows creep to his stern.
Belias raised his hammer for a strike, and then did the shadows plunged itself to the hapless Gigas, and tugged were his heart strings. Ruptured. And so was another serpent added to the gathering shadow.
In the vastness of the void, the ethereal herald traveled yonder. Missives, proclamations and such delivered at a stellar basis were by him sought done.
But not even the vastness of space gave quarter to immunity from the depths. Xabaam's shadow radiated from Ivalice, and ensnared the formless essence of Famfrit.
Thus another traitor, another follower.
The Ahisma had engaged in a contest with the Zephyr. Power, the knowledge for its application, and thus further control of elements, set was the prize.
But a small flame of darkness, did in their hearts burn as they carried out what would have been a mutual barter. Thus would it have been, but the shadow had found its way towards the distant flickering.
Ensnared were they, effortlessly by the shadow. A giant wave, that had eaten up the Ahisma and the Zephyr. And subside did the wave, reveal thus a new corruption which soils the hearts of the captured Espers.
Chaos and Addramelech were not themselves hence. Puppets were they now, tugged were their strings.
Four Espers, all who remained true and pure in their heart and their task.
Quarter, the shadow showed none, not even to those who held fast and who were defiant.
Testify did Mateus to this. As he fought an Icarnation of the Shadow. Mighty a summoner was he, and thus in his battle did he summon an ice goddess. To no avail did the godless or his terrible magickal repute save him from the shadow.
The shadow bound the goddess to Mateus, and the shadow had too, bound his soul to Xabaam.
In the highest peaks of the Pharos, Hasmal was set post. But the incarnation found him there, erupt did a battle.
It brought the end of the incarnation, but too terrible was the price in part of Hashmal.
Through the course of conflict bloody, chains of fetters, coil around his arms it did. As helpless rendered was he, the incarnation of the shadow cut off his arms and replaced with tainting hooks.
Bring about did this the end of the incarnation, and also to Hashmal's allegiance.
Now, ten vipers piled, ready to spring at the Gods, the clairvoyance of the Gods, was useless, for mask did they their essence of darkness with care utmost.
In the depths of Ivalice, a shaft betrayed a mine, and thus led to a solitary chamber. The chamber to a waystone. The waystone to the place beyond darkness.
For in the place beyond darkness, Zalera was tasked to pass judgment onto the dead. But an entity so pure, be strand on a place beyond darkness would only result in corruption. And thus did this hold true. Zalera was no more than a shadow and a toy of Xabaam.
The shadow, trouble did it have with the Esper Exodus. For exodus was more crafty than the shadow, and thus was he able to dodge assails. But not for long enough to surpass an epoch, for in centuries time, the shadow had learned to outmatch Exodus. A scale did it make, from the dust of a great meteorite that fell on a distant planet. It clung to Exodus, and pulled his soul into darkness, into oblivion.
Cuchuclainn had long ago heard wind of this epidemic. Try it did to fool the shadow by transforming into a Hume, yet too cunning a darkness was the shadow.
Reveal itself to Cuchuclainn, it did not. Employ it did a more clever subterfuge. It tainted the Humes which Cuchuclainn did mingle with, and thus did they conduct their shadow, unwillingly and unknowingly to Cuchuclainn.
And so Cuchuclainn was lost to the twistingnether of darkness.
As the last of the Espers were wrought to the Darkness, Exodus was fleeing, He sought to ascend, but the darkness is, was, always more crafty. It reigned the fleeing Esper to a cursed scale which weighed more than the stellar dust an Esper could bear to carry, it thus then plunged Exodus into the abyss. Darkness engulfed him. And so was he lost.
To insult the Gods, to insult Ahnas. To overthrow the Gods, to overthrow Ahnas. To challenge the Gods, to challenge Ahnas. To become the opposite of the Gods, to become the opposite of Ahnas. Thus was Xabaam born. Thus was he metamorphosed.
Thus was his Darkness born. Thus had he turned the Espers against the Gods. Thus had he completed his first step into originating: The Rebellion.
Mustapha Mond
Ordalian Historian