Once upon a time there were only the
gods – Nebes, who was to care for all Form in the universe, Zhivana, who was to
care for all Life in the universe, and Morana, who was to care for every Force in the universe. They were left to inhabit three worlds – Prav,
Yav and Nav. Prav was the unseen world, where the gods created life, where the
Sun is king and the Moon is queen, where every creature is light and where
every measure is written. Yav is the world of men - children of Zhivana, where
the thoughts of the gods are displayed, where me and you live up to this days.
Nav is a world which is everywhere, sometimes seen, sometimes unseen, scary,
unknown, unwelcoming, but full of different creatures and different life. Those
three worlds are intertwined, connected and can’t exist if one of them is
missing.
When the gods roamed all three
worlds, there was a strong life force filling the air. Even men could feel this
power, so they asked the gods if they can teach them to use it. Since men were
calm and peaceful creatures, the gods decided to teach them the art of magic.
Dazhbog established a school for all the people who wanted to learn how to use
the nature’s force – the force, which came directly from the creator of all.
Many years have passed since
Zhivana created men. Both gods and people lived together in harmony on Yav,
until one day a child was born. The baby took his first breath in a cold winter’s
night and when he cried thunders could be heard in the sky. The mother was a
fragile human girl with pale white skin, long dark hair and deep green eyes.
She was the precious jewel in the crown of the human king. The father of the
child was the god Veey, he was the god of light, enlightenment and order and he
fell in love with the beautiful Kosara.
Their son Cherner, named as the
black night in which he was born, was a very strong and healthy child, and he
always asked millions of questions. So one day, when he was of age, his mother
decided to send him in the Mag-ur, the magic school. There Cherner learned all
that it is for only two years. At first, his teachers – the gods of Prav,
admired his curiosity. But in time, they started to see in him a strong ambition
for gathering every knowledge in the universe. He started to look down on his
classmates, because they were slow and because he was smarter, then they were. He
became arrogant and stopped listening for what other people had to say.
The god Lado feared that Cherner
could turn against his teachers, if they refuse to give him more power and
knowledge. He gathered all gods to discuss how to deal with the boy.
-
For many years –Lado started, - we taught the
children of Zhivana, our mother, magic. They
all accepted the knowledge as a gift and they never abused it. Now, this child
… he is different. He has no sense of right and wrong, he has no love for his
brothers or his family. He started dividing the people on this world and he is
still so young. I fear that he will cause an immeasurable damage if he decides
to stand against his roots… and against us.
-
You speak your hearth, Lado – said Veey, - now I
will speak. Brothers and sisters, first I have to ask for your forgiveness. I’ve
been keeping this secret far too long from you and now it is the time for me to
tell you that I am the father of Cherner. He is so skilled with the force
because my blood flows through his body. I tricked his mother into lying with
me and since then I have been carrying this truth like a stone in my chest… I
am not fit to sit among you… I have betrayed the unwritten laws and now all
creation is facing a terrible treat. If you see fit to punish me for my
actions, I will accept your judgement.
-
Indeed, you have done a mistake, Veey- said
Svarog, - But now it is up to you to deal with the consequences of your
actions. And all of us are going to figure out a way to tell the boy the truth
without hurting his big ego. Because if we do hurt his ego, he could became
vengeful and cruel.
For many days the gods
contemplated and disputed among themselves. They wanted to leave Cherner with
the freedom of choice, but in the same time they wanted to gently push him in
the desired direction. The gods had decided to gather all knowledge and lock it
in different artefacts. Those artefacts are going to be stored in a sprig on
the edge of the worlds. They made keepers – terrible and fearsome creatures
that protected the knowledge from people with bad intentions. Once the
artefacts were sealed away, they could tell Cherner the truth.
As his father, Veey had to be the
one who delivers the news to his son. So one day, when Cherner was absorbed in
the problem of measuring time, Veey came to him with a proposition.
-
You are the most clever and bright among the
students of Mag-ur – he said. – Have you ever wondered why it is like that?
-
Actually no – replied Cherner, - I always
thought this is because of some kind of evolution and I took it for granted so
I could do as I please.
Cherned didn’t even look at his
father as he was talking. He was playing with some sort of mechanical device,
so Veey decided to speak directly.
-
Cherner – he said with an imperious voice, -
listen to what I have to say and remember it, because I won’t speak of this
ever again.
Cherner slowly turned his head
and looked into Veey’s eyes. The boy’s eyes were cold and empty, but Cherner
had a smile on his face.
-
I already know that you locked away the
knowledge - Cherner could see the shock that ran across Veey’s face for a
second. – You feared that someone would abuse it, I presume.
-
Yes, but this is only one of the things I had in
mind to tell you – started Veey - We decided to lock it, because we are going
back to Prav. Our father, Nebes, has spoken and we have to obey his words. Men
can live by themselves from now on. We have thought you all you could learn
from us. We haven’t thought you more, because there are things that only gods
can know. We locked this power, but not for all men. If one is worthy of the
knowledge, he could reach it. You, Cherner, are our pride. You are my pride,
because you are my son. I felt deeply in love with your mother, and then you
came. I always looked out for you, I tried to keep you from harm from a
distance, but now I see I was wrong. I should have told you that I am your
father the day you were born. Now I want you to be the head teacher of the
Mag-ur. I want you to care for the students and the other teacher you are going
to pick to help you. I want you to become worthy of the power you could one day
reach. Now you are too young to deal with the sacred force and if you obey me,
like I obey my father, the day you reach maturity is going to come sooner than
you think.
Cherner was shocked. He stood
with his mouth open looking at Veey and he tried to assimilate what he heard.
He was sad and joyful at the same time, he didn’t know how to react or what to
say.
-
Here – said Veey as he handed a piece of alathyr
to Cherner, - you can use this to contact me if you ever have any troubles or
questions. I will come as quick as I can to aid you. Take care of Yav, son, but
remember – respect those who are older than you. They are going to teach you
what you need to know if you want to reach all knowledge.
With those words Veey dissolved
into thin air leaving Cherner with the alathyr in hands standing petrified
among the trees. His metallic gadget was lying on the ground soon to be crushed
by his feet running towards the Mag-ur. When
he entered the school all gods were gone. The students were gathered I n the
great hall and they were waiting for Cherner to arrive.
To be continued…
P.S. The names of the gods are all from the Slavic mythology. The three worlds Prav, Nav and Yav are also from the Slavic folklore. The story is made up and written by me.
