MANDATES OF DIVINITY

EPISODE 7

I have just a change to enact, I have just a duty.

My appearance would incite wars, I will no doubt cause strives…

But all must submit

To the will of the Giver!

-The Godling

First great crusade.

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            Betty was standing on a plain field, the sounds around here were muffled, it was like she was placed in a vacuum. Turning here and there it appears that she was on a battle field, the armies were strange but certain things about them looked familiar.

As she observed, a figure turned in her direction, with a cold glint in his eyes and dashed towards her, sword drawn. Betty smirked but her expression soon turned bitter, she discovered that her powers had left her somehow. It was already too late, the man was within striking distance and she instinctively braced, closing her eyes while awaiting pain. Nothing came, she opened her eyes one at a time and the man was nowhere to be found. Just as she turned in awe, another man ran through her. It was like she wasn’t there, everything went through her and no one saw her either. Here, she was a ghost.

“This is a trance.” She finally realized what was transpiring, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the entire field. Trances always came with a message, she had to take in as many information as possible for the interpretation.

            The battle was fierce, what dazzled her was the incredible amount of higher beings active in the war. It was almost like the amount of higher beings matched that of humans, she also witnessed forms of powers she had never heard of or encountered. The figure that stood out was of a man, he had three horns protruding from his head and he held a trident. The trident gave off an eerie feeling and it had an engraving of what resembled an eye.

            The figure rode casually through the b****y field, like he was on a stroll. The trident with him glowed occasionally and anyone with hostile intentions within his vicinity basically decayed while alive. Maggots would drastically eat them inside out and their flesh would begin to rot.

“Aarrg-…” Another man turned into a heap of composite faster than he could scream, Betty was instantly drenched in sweat. She tried not to lose her composure but her face contorted every now and then.

            Suddenly, the figure turned in Betty’s direction, his cold gaze was fixed on her position and he steered his horse towards her swiftly.

“Can he see me? Is that even possible?” Like he heard Betty, he pointed his trident at her and his horse began to gain speed. Betty could feel the hair on her skin stand, the level of fear was abnormal. Gradually she could feel breeze, sounds also began to leak in, it was like she was gradually materializing on the field. “This means…” She gasped, the horse was approaching at full speed and she faintly heard it galloping. Now she was terrified.

            Just as she was about to scream at the top of her lungs and run, she felt a hand grasp her collar and pull her backwards. Whoever this was, they had inhuman strength because she floated like a piece of paper.

“Gasp!”

            Betty was back in her bed, she was sweating profusely, her heart was pounding and her breathing was ragged. Whatever happened just now should be impossible, trances were out of time and space, she could have been in the future or past back then, even an alternate realm and she should be untouchable. It was a trance after all. The big question became who pulled her out, whoever did this was equally terrifying or more because they must have stepped out of space and time too, willingly! Just who was that powerful in this room?

            Betty looked around, opposite her lay Bernard, Athion, Watt and beside her lay Father Bayo.

Later at day break…

“There was a day when the sun failed to appear, the moon was red and the stars were the size of a grown man’s fist. Many oceans dried, many more were born. Legendary beings were seen by the normal man and messengers from the Giver appeared on the surface like never before.

            On this very day, a lot of children were born, virtually every pregnant woman that was past seven months was compelled into labor and despite this, not a soul was lost. This day became known as the day of blessings, when the Giver showered his church with extraordinary gifts, gifts he even shared with the rest of the world. Praise the Giver!!!” At this point, Xandar’s voice rose like it had been enhanced.

“Praise the Giver!!!” Every living soul that heard him speak replied with in unison, it echoed far into the distance, it echoed to the edges of Nook.

“Look around you little ones, everyone you see standing with you was born on the day of blessings and as you must have discovered by yourself, each of you is extraordinary. Yours is a generation of geniuses such that the cosmos has never witnessed, your potentials transcend the current peaks of this age. You are the blessings of the Giver to his church.” Xandar was full of life, he barely moved but his words bore a powerful feeling of enchantment. “As we all know, blessings are made available by the Giver for the cleansing of the cosmos. The greater the magnitude of the blessing, the greater the evil to be suppressed and that is why you have been gathered.

            The time is upon us, the Pope might be dead but the mandate remains and we as the servants of the Giver must carry out his will. Darkness has morphed into something alien to us, our methods have been rendered ineffective, their strengths are no longer evaluated, day after day, the lackeys of the damned advance against the will of the Giver. The will of the Giver transcends all!” Xander yelled out once again, this time his right fist was slightly raised.

“All must submit to the will of the Giver!!!” The response was as swift as the first, it was like they knew he would say it.

“Our very mandates are being challenged, even in the earthly home of the Giver, his chief messengers are being slaughtered. I ask you brethren, do we sit back and watch the world overrun by darkness? Does the cosmos which was meticulously created by the Giver for the disciples of the godling become a domain of the damned? I’ll say no!” This time he raised a fist, he was quickly engulfed in what looked like rage.

“No!!!” The response was more vibrant, the spirit of everyone who listened had been kindled.

“The Giver knows all things and with the knowledge of these times, he had given unto us the day of blessings and you little ones are our response. We will build an army bound to the will, pioneered by saints and crusaders born from your generation. You are our response! To the darkness that now dares to haunt us. The Giver help us, there are indications that one of you might be a godling, one that is yet to awaken. If that be the case then the end of our adversary is nigh, their strength is nothing but dust compared to the fullness of the Giver.

            The time is at hand, when the Giver will finally arise to judge the damned and the fallen ones, the day ignorance would die and darkness would seize. Till then, we occupy till he comes, enforcing the fulfilment of his mandates, using you, the blessings from the Giver. The will of the Giver transcends all!!!” Xandar raised his fists with vigor, out of the clear sunny sky, a terrifying lightning struck. The thundering resounded with Xandar’s voice, the declaration travelled to the ends of Nook, the lightning bore it.

“All must submit to the will of the Giver!!!” Now the response, although far louder than the previous ones sounded sacred. The ground vibrated from their actions, only about a hundred people were assembled on the field where Xandar spoke, but from Xandar’s point of view, an elevated tower, he could see a sea of fists, even outside area far away from the field, the priests, knights, crusaders and even saints all raised their fists.

            Among the multitude Xandar addressed was Betty, Watt, Athion and Bernard. They stood side by side and applauded with much fervor. Betty in particular was filled with so much admiration that tears rolled down her eyes. After his speech, Xandar instantly left the premises and their very first instructor finally gave a detailed overview of what they would do.

They are initially trained to be ordained as priests, but since they are extraordinary they are expected to become priests in a shorter timeframe. The training to ordain them into elite units will commence immediately and everyone trains separately in units till they are deemed worthy of the second ordination. They could become saints or members of the inquisition. The final training was more of an evaluation, according to the instructor the Sanctus Primus would select the top one percent to form a very special squad. A force that had never existed before in the history of the church, the ones that will be granted the grace to meet the founding immortals of the church. Based on the level the training was, they had general instructors, unit instructors and even personally coaches.

Finally, the instructor revealed that a lot of hidden tests would be embedded in their routine quests and tests and this would probably push the godling closer to awaking, provided there is one. They were handed a special uniform, blue robes with black inscriptions and also specific badges. The inscriptions on both cloth and badges meant a word that had long been neglected by the church, it meant “Smith” and thus was the title given to the selected blessings of the church. The Smith.

The training of the Smith started the very next day and the intensity was far greater than the ordination trainings going on in every other camp. While this developed, far away, in a dark mountain far out of the reach of the church, a sect planned meticulously against the smith.