51. The Depths | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

51. The Depths

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

My acolytes, do you remember the misconceptions of Pla'daali (Hell) we discussed? Of a place of fire or a place of eternal darkness? The Depths, where the Puraserpa sleeps, embody the latter. 

Hasira grew fearful because the creature craved her essence above all, but it would remain still so long as Da Suun was present. 

Above its immeasurable jaws circled the Arbiter. His great wings had become long and string-like, thrashing about like tentacles of a sea creature, though his avian fascimiles remained, and his eyes, the ones he had left, remained closed.  

50. To Atone or To Escape | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

50. To Atone or To Escape 

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Da Suun did not move as the hosts do. He walked upon the trail of destruction left behind by the Arbiter and the Titaness' campaign, leading down into the Depths where Makar Joga slept, and Diohlatas escaped. 

The Depths are the very bottom of the material universe, directly above Pla'daali (Hell), home of the damned. 

As He walked, angels circled and sang. Hasira simply shrank herself behind Him. She had done all this.

49. Unworthy | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

49. Unworthy

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

How to describe the Titaness in the clutches of the Archangels, Huun and Laam? 

There are some who would liken her to a rabid dog in chains. I would not. She violently struggled, thrashing about and even biting. It was all in vain. She was utterly helpless in their grasp as they brought her before the throne.

48. Judge and Executioner | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

48. Judge and Executioner 

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

The resurrection of Da Suun brought a new level of understanding and inspiration among the hosts, so much so that many of them sought to create life as well and set out to take new worlds in the ever-expanding cosmos. 

Their newborn peoples would be the first casualties. 

47. Rage | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

47. Rage

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Diohlatas and Fari returned to what had once been the Chiliad Front, where they had been confined to fight that monstrosity Sevaasi created. No, that Da Vaada allowed to be created. The same beast they could still hear within the confines of Kurisstac, drowning out the celebratory songs of the hosts beyond the Umtlik's wall of silence.

That very same Kurisstac was inhabited by Da Vaada's so-called kin, Grubass and Soragna. They, too, were allowed to exist and wreak havoc once. Just as the Jarwan worlds were allowed to exist and their peoples allowed to defile and desecrate the Jarwa themselves, only to be forgiven. Just as the humans, his so-called children, so-called inheritors, were allowed to murder the true child, the true Son, and be forgiven.

These were the thoughts of the Arbiter. Not of the Titaness. For she had no thoughts. She was a black void with embers now, and he saw this.

"Why follow me?"

"Bring you back. I promised the Father."

"Go, I will not."

"We have to... I promised."

That word again. Promise. There was always a promise.

46. Witness | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

46. Witness

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Onárstil, Duuskor, Moyon, Sevaasi. Many names, but one purpose. One that he chose, no matter what he or anyone else tries to claim. That is to be the enemy of all creation and the Creator Himself.

And yet, Diohlatas, the arbiter of justice, the champion of righteous causes, had asked him to give testimony; to share what he had witnessed while they had been confined to the Chiliad front for a thousand years.

Sevaasi laughed, which served to enrage the Titaness further. She raised her vast, colossal fists to strike, but again the arbiter blocked.

"Hold, I told you!"

"YOU would protect HIM?!"

"Calm yourself and wait! How many times must you doom us with your Fury?"

She fell silent at once.

Sevaasi continued to laugh, "Yes, beast! Do as your master commands."

"Speak, I said!"

45. Audience | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

45. Audience 

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Diohlatas stood before the throne of Da Vaada. The archangels, Laam and Huun, were there. All the living Jarwa were there. The Titaness, Fari, was there. Da Suun... was not.

They shielded their eyes, as they had always done. As they could only do.

"What have you to say?" asked Da Vaada.

"What have YOU to say?!" the arbiter challenged, stunning and angering those who were present, though they did not speak.

44. Sorrow and Sin | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

44. Sorrow and Sin 

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Diohlatas had seen mortal barbarism across the many worlds. He had empowered it where Da Vaada deemed it righteous and necessary. Even if humans had a seemingly limitless capacity for it -Again, not judging- it did not trouble him. 

No, it was not what they were doing that day, but whom they were doing it to. 

Though He appeared as a mere man, He could not hide who He was. It was Da Suun. The living image of Da Vaada, in face, voice and authority, beaten, mocked, wounded, spat on while carrying some sort of... stick. 

Diohlatas finally spoke.

"An... execution?"

"Indeed," answered Sevaasi.

43. Of Many Eyes | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

43. Of Many Eyes

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

When the stars awoke, Diohlatas, having left the Chiliad front, could finally see again, with the eyes he had left, for he had lost so many, yet had many still. He could see his superiors, the archangels Huun and Laam, pacify Puraserpa and route the Oztāpo. He could see, as his ward, the Titaness, now simply known as Fari (White), casting Yenaati into Kurisstac. 

Once again, Moyon's machinations had failed, as they always do, eventually.

"All of this for them. The mortals."

Speak of the Devil... Sorry, I had to.

42. The Archangels | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

 Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

42. The Archangels

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

The cosmos had gone dark. The stars slept. Makar Joga was on the hunt, but not for them. Not even for the defiant who refused to die and therefore refused to sleep. The only one that still shone. No, its target was the Archangel Laam, who continued to lead it away from the Chiliad Front.

41. Father Never Forgets | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

41. Father Never Forgets 

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Near the end of the 1000-year war that the Titaness, Fari Hasira and her guardian, Diohlatas, had with Sevaasi's hideous imitation, Yenaati, my Titaness' characteristic fury had waned. 

And when she wasn't angry, she was afraid. Very, very afraid. 

No matter what she did, how bright and hot her radiance, how hard she struck, the beast would not relent. In fact, it was empowered further, having been born from feeding on her essence; its roars growing louder and louder, straining against the wall of silence that the Umtlik had erected. The arbiter, whose power lay in empowering the righteous, only served to worsen the situation. 

40. Brain Food | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

40. Brain Food

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

From the moon of a gas giant to a gas giant itself. As I have told you, Qlanik, a being of great wisdom, had chosen a purple one named Ipómatus (Infinity), so named for the path it took when orbiting its two suns. Were it made from Earth and Rock, then there would always be a time when Odic had no presence. However, no light can reach beneath its atmosphere, so much of the life within has either incredibly large eyes or no eyes at all. 

39. Mermaids | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

39. Mermaids

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

You humans, to your credit, planted yourselves on your moon and are still taking steps to take Mars. There's nothing there for you, so maybe... don't, or do. I do not judge, but I will laugh and ask the Father's forgiveness. 

But there's somewhere else in this solar system of yours that you are very obsessed with. A moon belonging to the planet you call Jupiter, the fifth and largest, named after a so-called "King" of so-called "gods"... Hmm...

38. Elves and Vampires | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

38. Elves and Vampires

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Lato Prit (Golden Mind) was a beautiful being, appearing to have golden skin and white wings. She had chosen a most interesting of small terrestrial worlds, dense in its forestry and just close enough to its large white sun to prevent any freezing and a core so hot it created "pools" and "rivers" of golden plasma. So, it was named Lato.

37. Dragons and Cats | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

37. Dragons and Cats

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

As I said, the Jarwa, Dioretaar, loved the colour blue, so he chose a blue planet orbiting a blue sun to match his great blue crown of flames. As you might know, a blue sun is much, much hotter than a yellow one like yours, and though the planet Zul was richer in Ozone than Teyra at its peak, it would not be 100% effective, so the life that he raised was especially hardy and resistant. 

He was not inspired by the humans on Teyra, aside from their intellect and language, and he did not want to imitate the likeness of Da Suun, who was Da Vaada. No, he took a liking to the beasts that walked alongside man and crafted his own, and from them he raised two sapients. We who know call them the Levca and Krozna. 

36. Spiders and Dwarfs | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

36. Spiders and Dwarfs

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Lutoro had felt sadness for the littlest planet in your solar system, so cold and far away from your Sun. She called it Mortó (Baby) and used her veil to warm it, taking it away when it needed to cool, creating her own Alta and Odic that the life on her world would learn to live by.

She had actually created two sapient races, not one.

35. Like Fire | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

35. Like Fire

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

Ihri's dominant species are what we who know call the Ingyanites (Like Fire), though they have their own names for themselves in their own languages. 

The first of them were a beautiful people with skin like marble, blessed with absolute immunity to the planet's scorching heat, bathing and drinking the boiling water, playing in the molten rock as one would play in the mud. Faatura walked along the planet's surface and taught them how to cultivate the land, bringing about fruit and plant life that would melt your insides. 

34. The Jarwa | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

34. The Jarwa

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

I have spoken about Jarwa, Heavenly Hosts who had sought Da Vaada's favour and blessing for the worlds he had given them, by giving these worlds back to him, so that their peoples could have a place in his kingdom. The few who succeeded among the many who attempted. 

I have not introduced you to any of them yet, have I? Or their peoples, for that matter. Very well. I shall tell you of six. Maybe you'll learn about the rest at some point or another; maybe you won't. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

33. The Silent Choir and the Watchers | Beyond the Firmament: Tales From the Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

33. The Silent Choir and the Watchers

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

When the Chiliad screamed, the echoes tore across creation, rattling even the strongest among the Heavenly Hosts. The cries of a thousand damned Paadlan trapped within a singularity resonated in ways no sound should.

The hosts were shaken. Some began to doubt. If such a thing could be made not by Da Vaada, but by corruption, then what else could follow? Would Sevaasi find new ways to mimic creation, to force monstrosities into existence?

32. Nemesis | Beyond The Firmament: Tales From The Cosmos

Beyond The Firmament

Tales From The Cosmos

32. Nemesis

- Written by Gift C Enyadike Jr

"Evil cannot create, only corrupt."

A great old saying, if not a bit cliché. Truth be told, there's a stubborn part of me that has always wanted to disagree with the first part of the sentence. Yet for all my wisdom and knowledge, I struggle to refute it. Many of the tales I have told you up to now have certainly proved this adage true, time and again. 

Listen to this one and decide for yourself.