THE SECOND COMING OF GISELLE.
I realize that I may have explained myself badly in the previous chapter. This story is not about the second coming of Christ the Savior, but about the second coming of "the Apostle" Giselle who will have a similar role.
THE DAY OF THE PILGRIMAGE
Lorel was flying towards Bellnahgo. Her first task would be to be recognized by Hardy's priestesses and have the word of the goddess passed on to all that she was the new Apostle. There, her mistress would talk to her again and invest her with her first real mission.
Of course, Lorel was incredibly honored and proud to have been chosen as the new Apostle of the Great Goddess. What could she say in the face of this incomparable blessing?
She would never die. She was now one of the strongest creatures in the world. Wherever she went, she would be respected and even feared. Her family would no longer have to do menial jobs from now on. The temple would supply all their needs and more.
Eventually, one day, when 1,000 years had passed, she too would become a goddess. Goddess of what? She didn't know yet. She had 1,000 years to think about it.
And yet….
Yet something was wrong. A question remained unanswered and so, she doubt.
What had Giselle done to be fallen? What could she have done to be chosen? What was her merit?
Lorel hadn't asked Hardy for fear of incurring the wrath of her goddess and being rejected in turn, but the question remained. She told herself that in time, she would understand. She would learn the ways of the goddess and know where Giselle had gone wrong. She swore to herself never to commit the same fault, or any other, whatever it might be.
Soon Bellnahgo was in sight and as Giselle had entered her village, she entered the city. She introduced herself to the guards who still didn't know who she was.
"Give your name and declare your intentions. What brings you to Bellnahgo the holy city of Hardy and Jewels of the West? »
For a moment, Lorel felt intimidated. A few days ago she was still little more than a child.
"I am Lorel. Apostle of Hardy. I come to the temple to inform the priestesses of the wishes of the goddess. Here is the proof of my legitimacy," replied Lorel, raising her scythe above her.
The guards were surprised for a moment. A new Hardy's Apostle? What had become of Giselle then? They would have liked to ask, but it was not for them to question the Apostle of their goddess. The scythe in her hands was indeed the only proof they needed.
"I…. We…. How can we serve the Holy Apostle? » asked the guard closest to Lorel.
"Open the way for me and have one of you lead me to the temple. »
"Your holiness, this will be an honor. » replied the guard.
"ALL WALK AWAY! MAKE PLACE FOR LOREL, HARDY'S APOSTLE! » he shouted to the surrounding crowd.
Sure, the Apostle could fly without worrying about crowds, but Hardy had instructed her that certain protocols had to be followed when she showed up. Especially in Bellnahgo. The goddess took respect for the rites of her religion very seriously (note that she did not always follow her own laws, preferring to trust her mood at the time. Anyway, a deity changes her rules when it suits her).
Moments later, Lorel was at the temple. Other guards were waiting for her. Women to be precise. If anything could be conceded to Hardy, it was her firm commitment to feminism (or rather gynarchism). The only reason men were allowed to enter the temple was to kneel and pray. Hardy didn't care about their prayers, but she liked seeing them on their knees.
There were still some priests. She didn't like it, but her religion would have been weak compared to the others if she had systematically rejected all men. This is also why she tolerated the presence of priests.
However, it is fair to say that beyond death, Hardy made no distinction between souls and ensured that they went to their loved ones in a permanent state of peace, whether these souls belonged to men or women.
Another curiosity was the discrepancy in the "sacred outfits" of priests and priestesses. Priests wore a loose toga that hid as much of their bodies as possible, while conversely, priestesses and guardians, all women in the temple, wore more... Revealing. Stylized lace with flowers.
When Lorel entered the temple, everyone bowed as she passed except the High Priestess, who nonetheless lowered her head in deference. The Apostle was still very embarrassed. It was a dream to be treated like this but it would take her some time to get used to it.
"Welcome Lorel. Apostle of Hardy. The goddess has already informed us of your arrival. »
"The goddess commanded me to come here, to…. my ordination ».
"Everything is already ready for the ceremony of the ordination of the Apostle. Forgive me for daring to question you, but it is necessary for me to fulfill my role correctly. Are you familiar with the ordination rites of the Apostle? »
"According to the writings, the Apostle must walk a path of burning embers to the heart of the temple, below the Earth and there the goddess speaks directly to her again. Where her power and presence are strongest on the mortal plane. »
"It is almost that but part of the rite is kept secret and is not revealed until the day the Apostle receives the ordination. Burning embers are made to induce a certain level of suffering from the Apostle. He doesn't have to worry about being hurt, but he still suffers. No member of the dragon people has anything to fear from mere burning embers. So we had to replace the embers with nails and thorns".
Lorel was suddenly less reassured. As an Apostle she had no fear of injury, but she had not yet learned to get used to great pain as all Apostles do. It would be her initiation into the thing….. But her faith did not waver. It was a small price to pay to be able to speak to her goddess in her most sacred sanctuary.
"Is there…. Is there anything else I should know? »
"Yes. At the beginning of the path, you will have to get rid of your mortal clothes. You'll go naked all the way without artifice. You will only carry your scythe. As you move forward, the temple acolytes will sprinkle holy water on you to the end of the path. Once you reach the end, the first 4 priestesses of the temple will wipe you clean. The first will wipe your legs up to knee height. The second will wipe the thighs up to the height of the navel. The third will wipe your upper body up to your neck and the last will wipe your face. Then I will appear before you and help you put on the sacred Apostle attire of the Goddess. Then I would open for you the door of the underworld where I myself cannot enter. Where no mortal can go before his time. Any living being that passed through this door would enter the realm of the dead and could never return. The renunciation of life is the price that must be paid to anyone who wants to cross the door of death. As an Apostle, you have nothing to fear. There, you will meet Hardy in person. What happens then will be between you and the goddess and no one will have the right to question you about what will transpire between you. »
"Uh…. I understand the importance of the ritual, but am I going to have to walk naked in front of everyone? »
The High Priestess couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry, only women will see you. No man is allowed to attend the holy ritual. »
Lorel heaved a sigh of relief.
"The ritual is already ready. Do you want to take some time to prepare beforehand? Do you require our assistance in anything? »
"N… No. We can start. »
So Lorel took the first step down a path of penitence strewn with thorns and nails, descending into the darkness of the underworld. Fear and pain were her companions.
-O-
For several days, Giselle had been walking towards the largest volcano in the chain of eternal volcanoes.
The mountain of life. This is what this volcano was called where not a blade of grass grew because, according to Hardy's book, this is where the dragon people came from at the beginning of their history... And it was also where some members of the dragon people led "the last pilgrimage".
It was a form of ritual suicide. Once arrived at the edge of the volcano, the pilgrim advanced on a rocky peak which overhung the volcano and from there, he threw himself into the lava. Even a member of the dragon people couldn't resist this for more than a few seconds. Then, from the place where their people were born, they would die and join by fire the depths of the underworld.
The pilgrim walked for several days, without using his wings. It was the time he had to meditate on his life and possibly change his mind.
Giselle had no intention of changing her mind. She reflected on her life for the past 400 years.
Her earliest memory was her mother, feeding her with dried Juba berries. These berries represent the main food of the dragon people during their first years, until their teeth have grown sufficiently.
She even remembered the taste then. It was really good.
Then she remembered the traumatic event of that time: the death of her brother. A hunting accident. She was only 5 years old then. It was then, in her mother's arms, that Giselle discovered and understood what death was. It was this event that then pushed her towards religion and the veneration of Hardy.
In theory, each member of the dragon people can worship whatever gods he want or even multiple gods if he want…. But as far back as they can remember, Hardy had always favored them, which is why she was especially revered.
Giselle, in her, then naivety, hoped that by taking an interest in Hardy's cult, she could talk to her brother. Of course, that was impossible... But, in the end, that's what really happened.
She was 14 when she traveled to Bellnahgo to become an acolyte of the Holy Order. Her parents were already proud of her for that.
The age of 16 would be the culmination of his mortal life: some days after her birthday, Hardy was appeared among her followers. There was no particular reason. The goddess liked to inhabited a priestess body from time to time to eat and to engage in carnal activities.
The priestesses of her temple were more than honored to let the goddess descend into them. Giselle was no exception. Hardy had chosen her to host her presence for a few hours. Although she favored them for a long time, this was the first time she had inhabited the body of a member of the dragon people.
She had eaten, eaten, eaten like never before. Giselle's body could absorb about 3 times more food than the body of the majority of Falmart races.
Then the goddess had slept. For the first time since her ascension to godhood, she had slept. This had never happened before. Anyway, after sleeping, she was no longer in the mood to engage in "carnal activities" with other women as she used to.
When she woke up Hardy was in a great mood…. So much so that she had made Giselle her first Apostle.
Needless to say, for the dragon maiden, it literally felt like the gates of heaven were opening for her. Of all beings, she had been chosen by the goddess herself?
It was euphoria for herself and such joy for her parents. She had gone through the rite of ordination without betraying the slightest emotion of pain or hesitation. Several times the claws of her feet were broken to be healed almost instantly. Then she was the first to walk through the gates of death and back. The goddess had even authorized a conversation with her brother.
Yes, Giselle considered Hardy not just her benefactress, but her second mother. This was all the more true because when the last member of her family, her mother, had died, it was Hardy who in many ways had replaced her. Instructing, guiding Giselle, for more than four centuries.
Then she had faithfully fulfilled her duty for four centuries. Killing those Hardy told her to kill, carrying her message and his authority wherever Hardy told her to go. She had spoken as equals… no, with superiority, to princes, kings and emperors.
Which brought us to the present tense.
Four centuries of considering Hardy not only as her goddess but also as her mother, shattered in an instant, without explanation.
She wanted an explanation and she doubted she would get it by going to Bellnahgo to try to meet Hardy. The guards wouldn't even let her into the city anymore. Even less in the temple. There was only one way for her to see her mistress again: To die.
That's what she was going to do, die. When she stood on the rocky peak at the edge of the lake of fire of the mountain of life, she would say one last prayer to Hardy, then she would throw herself into the lava.
There were still a few hours before she reached her final destination. She thought of Lorel and wondered what would become of her, later. Giselle didn't hate her. The girl had not plotted against her to take her place. She even tried to help her.
Her decision to banish her was the best one actually. At the time it had seemed awful but she was right. Judging by the attitude of the villagers, her life would have been hell if she had stayed.
Giselle therefore sincerely hoped that Lorel would achieve her own goals with Hardy. She would live 1000 years among mortals before becoming a goddess.
"Goddess of what anyway? » Giselle wondered.
When an Apostle became a deity, he could choose one or more areas that would become his responsibility.
Personally, Giselle had wanted to become the goddess of dragons and the hunt. Her people were hunters by nature and Giselle basically hunted for her food. One of Hardy's gifts allowed her to speak to any sufficiently intelligent creature, and dragons, along with wyverns and other such creatures, were the most intelligent beings in the world after mortals.
This dream was shattered. She would never become the goddess of dragons, or the hunt, or ANYTHING.
Her only hope was that in the afterlife, her mistress would be kind to her and that she would be reunited with her family. At the point where she was, dying would be a marked improvement in her situation.
Now Giselle was almost at the edge of the volcano, the rocky peak was in sight. She decided to sit down for a few moments and take one last pleasure in life. He still her water and food. She was going to have her last meal, saving some dried Juba berries for last. What had been her first food would also be her last.
She savored every bite of her bread and jerky, every sip of the Poruro wine she'd been saving for the past few days, and finally, every Juba berry. After that, she decided to take a short nap. A last sleep before the eternal sleep.
She wasn't trying to stall or delay the inevitable. She just wanted to savor her last moments as best she could. As an Apostle, she had experienced far greater suffering than the lava of the volcano would cause her to suffer. Death didn't scare her either because Giselle knew better than anyone that it was nothing more than a door to cross and which closed behind you.
This is why she felt no form of fear or apprehension. She just hoped that Hardy would talk to her again when she received her soul.
Giselle left her bag behind and started walking. Soon she reached the peak and bowed down.
From where she was, the volcano's lake of fire rose up in front of her. This place was called the lake of fire because despite the presence of lava, the volcano was calm. No stone throwing, no lava flow outside the lake. If the place had not been sacred and so difficult to access, it would have made an excellent tourist site.
Perhaps it would be in a few centuries? Such considerations were, of course, far from Giselle's mind.
The Ex Apostle knelt down and said her last prayer. A prayer asking Hardy to forgive her for her faults, whatever they may be, to welcome her soul into her kingdom and allow her to find those who had gone before her.
"Giselle. »
The dragon maiden thought she heard someone calling her name, but there was no one here except her. It must have been a false impression.
"Giselle ». the voice said again with a little more firmness than the first time.
"Who's calling me ? » Giselle asked without waiting for an answer, thinking it was more like her mind playing tricks on her.
Perhaps some form of instinct trying to dissuade her from what she was about to do?
Giselle threw it all away and took a step forward to fall into the fiery lava of the volcano.
But her foot landed on soft ground. Surprised but without await, Giselle took a second step and again it landed on pure land not burned by the lava.
Before she could try to figure out what was going on, a path emerged from the lava,leading to the center of the lake of fire.
The path that emerged was covered with flowers and soft grass and at the end of the path there was a small spring of water.
Then a voice was heard, an imperious voice…. but gentle, that reverberated on the walls of the volcano.
"Advance without fear Giselle, for you are on holy ground. » the voice said.
So Giselle took the first step on a blessed path, strewn with grass and flowers. Peace and gentleness were her companions.
To be continued.
-O-
End of the second chapter. I will try to write a third one in the next days, then after that it will be necessary to wait until next year because I am leaving for a LONG walk through France. Give your impressions please, it will be appreciated. Goodbye.