About the gods and how Cherner was born

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.