28. The Ferryman | Beyond The Firmament: Tales From The Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

28. The Ferryman

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

My Acolytes, you must believe me when I say that while there is war and sorrow, there is also hope. A hope that remains, however faint, and burns brighter than a trillion Suns combined. It is a promise, a prophecy given to your kind from the very beginning.

Remember the serpent in your garden, whispering to your ancestors with the voice of Sevaasi? Da Vaada did not curse it and its line without a purpose. The enmity, the perpetual war between it and the offspring of the woman, was a seed of redemption, a path back to him. A certain messiah, if you will. 

Ah, you know the tale. Very well, I would hope. It will be important later.

Sadly, this path involves the end of the physical body, however that may come, and the transportation of the soul to Udamu, where you will enjoy an eternity in paradise. 

That is, if you are allowed in. If you are not... *sigh*

These souls needed a guide, and so one was appointed, Emotar (Death), or the "Grim Reaper" as you might know him. I suppose you could liken him to a ferryman of sorts, taking the dead across the liminal space between Udamu and Teyra, and shielding them until their moment of judgement.

The Paadlan, some of whom still retained something akin to... sense, would largely keep their distance, daring not to impede him or the souls in his care, lest they be immediately and permanently cast into the Pla'dali, which, as I've already stated, they were and still are, actively trying to avoid. 

There were some demons whose hubris exceeded that even of Sevaasi's while lacking his diminished but still considerable strength. They were dealt with as has been explained.

Sometimes, though, if he was so inclined, Emotar would do as the black holes and the nebula serpent do, and he would eat them.