Chapter Twenty-One: Tabula Rasa — Ludus

"Devada was one of Rûm's other disciples, one that we others imagined as the most spiritually acute— farthest along the path Rûm was leading us along. He was not from our home village, but from one of the great cities, near the capital itself. His ability… whatever precisely it was, spiritual or imitative… was great.

The beginning of the end came one day, when all of Rûm's followers had camped in a certain forest.

Devada, who had been gone on a journey for several days, suddenly appeared among us other disciples. He was wearing a gray cape similar to the one that Rûm so often wore. With a flash and a strike of the arm he transformed himself into a spinning whirlpool of water, crackling and flashing lightning within violent cyclic waves.

'I, too, can transform!' Devada declared, 'I can see straight through the world, into the ocean below! I have seen all of Rûm's revelations, and farther still! I have seen the ocean beneath the ocean… and the eighty-eight oceans below that!'

That was nonsense, but Devada's words astounded Rûm's simpler followers, and his ability to physically transform astounded everyone. There had to be some truth to his words, if he could make himself into water, or perform other miracles besides... he soon proved himself capable of harnessing the wind, and breathing fire.

That last act, of breathing fire, was terribly dangerous, for it was well known that only kingdom royalty had the ability to breathe fire— Devada's act of breathing fire, something Rûm had avoided, was an outright statement against the royal family.

In confusion the news of the fire breathing reached the capital. It was said the false prophet Rûm was breathing fire as proof to his claim to the kingdom throne. Devada himself was still an unknown.

The Churches began to consider the rumors excuse to send an army out to capture Rûm, and in case of resistance, to cause massacre. They began to demand the king for permission.

Rûm, meanwhile, had said nothing about Devada. Devada himself went all around, continually practicing acts of transformation and boasting of his superiority to Rûm. Finally, Devada declared that he was going to form his own following— that all who would should follow him.

Rûm's followers, myself included, begged Rûm that he arise from his tent and stop Devada. Preach truly, and show that Devada was some kind of fraud.

But now Rûm, who so far had been calm, seemed to have some dark aspect come over him. He said Devada and those who followed him could leave— If, after all this time, they still did not understand his, Rûm's, words. If they would leave and follow someone else… then they could do so.

For as I saw it, Rûm preached the truth and the way to life… but he would not force people to listen.

At the same time that we spoke to Rûm, Devada's followers were speaking to him, demanding that he truly prove his superiority to Rûm— that he "defeat" him. They were fools and troublemakers: fools who wanted a magic show, who did not understand the spiritual road in the least, and troublemakers who wanted a revolution, who wanted to see who of Rûm and Devada was more powerful, and more likely to take on the Churches and the royal family.

Devada was brash… and though he did have some spiritual insight, and had somehow claimed the transformational powers that only the prophet had wielded before… he now seemed possessed by some miserable devil. Rousted by his followers, he turned away from his preparations to travel, and headed straight for Rûm's tent. He shouted for Rum— the "coward", he said, wretched fool— to emerge, and "face" him.

Devada called for three minutes before Rûm emerged, wearing the gray sheet over his head. He was quiet, and his previous darkness seemed to be gone.

'Ha, there you are!' Devada shouted. 'Hiding under your bedsheet! What are you afraid of?'

Rûm turned to the circle of followers who had crowded around them. These were only the most serious followers— the lay follower villagers who had come along on Rûm's journeys were staying in a nearby village.

Turning around and round slowly, looking at us all, Rûm asked gravely: 'Is this what you want?'

Devada's followers readily agreed. Us of Rûm's more loyal followers were silent, but in our hearts… Yes, in our hearts, we wanted to see. We wanted to see the foul Devada struck down… we wanted to see Rûm perform a greater miracle than any before…

So even if we said nothing, some of us nodded, very slightly. And even… through Rum's sheer intuitive powers, his deeper abilities granted by God, he could see right into our hearts, and see what many of us wanted: we wanted a fight. We wanted conflict. We still hungered for a demonstration of Power, the most fundamental of all material desires, perhaps that very clash and strife that we seek to escape in finally finding accordance with God.

Rûm was disappointed. But he saw the direction all of us were looking, and it was no longer down the path.

Rûm realized the message had been lost, and in that instant, something changed in him.

'Then,' Rûm said, 'Let it be'.

His cape rippled silently and he transformed into a great pillar of fire, scorching hot and bright.

The followers fell back. Devada took a step back as well, but then grinned and laughed. Now he transformed— into his favorite cyclone of water.

Now Rûm became a great tree, roots digging firm into the earth, branches abound with shining golden fruit. And Devada became a great snake, an awful form none had seen before, wrapping itself around the tree.

And Rûm became, bursting, flying out of the tree which was tossed up in flames, a fiery bird. A phoenix— legendary, impossible.

And Devada attempted to become the wind, to throw the phoenix to the ground, but the phoenix became a mountain peak, and the wind blew futilely against it—

We disciples were tossed back, and struggled to see through the brilliant flashes of magic and miracles…

And Devada, exhausted, was falling back into his ordinary mortal form, kneeling on the ground, face shining with sweat and determination.

'I will become pure energy!' Devada groaned, 'And nothing is greater than that. Give... up.'

But the mountain peak said nothing.

Devada dragged himself to his feet, and began concentrating. His form was slowly enveloped by flame, and soon he was entirely on fire… standing in meditative concentration, but with the exact opposite of bliss on his face.

'I can g… go farther!' Devada declared, 'Watch… watch…'

'You, Devada, will never reach the end,' Rum's voice reached out from his mound of earth, 'You lost the path a long time ago. Behold… the end.'

And like a body emerging from its grave, a form began to break free from the earth. Devada was frozen… ironically frozen in his flame, watching the emergence of the four lights.

I can describe it no better… four lights, piercingly bright beyond the sun, like holes cut into space. Arranged in a diamond pattern, pointing straight upward. They rose in the air, and yet moved not at all— as the true reality.

Devada's flame was like the trembling of a dull eye in comparison.

'Follow,' the lights said, and in a movement they became three, as a triangle.

Then again, higher, they combined and became two.

And then, they combined again— and everyone became blind, and Devada cried out in a great wailing.

I don't know how much time passed after that… but gradually, our visions returned. When we were able to see again, we discovered Devada unconscious but alive on the ground… and Rûm gone. Utterly, irretrievably gone. Vanished— never seen again.

We disciples struggled to understand what had happened, and what we would do next… All we were certain of was in this forest, in this place, the greatest of all miracles had happened. And we now stood on what was essentially holy ground.

It was not more than a day later that soldiers from the capital came to take Rûm before the judgment of the Churches. When it was told that Rûm had disappeared, the soldiers became angry, and threatened violence.

Devada had awoken by this time, and something had utterly changed in him. Weak but certain, he came before the soldiers and declared himself as Rûm— and he created a flame from the air as 'proof'.

In one sense it seems that Devada did this to cement his fame… but I believe he did it to save the lives of the other followers. The soldiers accepted his claim as Rûm, and took him away with them.

We followers, left behind in the place of Rûm's miracle… decided to build a church. To continue Rûm's teachings, and to make memorial of this place where the greatest of all miracles had happened. Deep in the forest, away from society… where the Churches would not immediately destroy it. We prayed and worked for a day that Rûm's words could be spread all over our kingdom and beyond. I, myself… I left the Koopa Kingdom, and traveled far and wide to try spread our message.

That is why I came here, to Sarasaland so long ago… back when it was known as the Sarasan Empire, and was a terribly foul place. Yes, but then… all the world seemed so full of grief then. However you may feel now… understand you live in a far safer world.

Yes, we built our church, and we sent out our messengers, but in the end… our small faith was forgotten. Rûm only spoke for a few years, and our church survived for perhaps only a hundred. As the earth rises and covers up the depths that valleys millenia later reveal, our story was lost too…"