Interlude 4: Mystrix Pallas, Part 1

8:12pm, 22/01/2019, Crescent Street, Astoria, New York.

It is only now, fifty six sleeps since I found myself stranded alone back on Earth, that I have decided to record my experiences. In the unlikely off chance I finally meet my long overdue death, I have chosen to write this account in English (the primary language of the region I find myself in), so that my thoughts may live on even after my death. It brings me joy that similar sentiments have proliferated  in our long absence. I imagine readers of this account will, even with the new strangeness in the world, dismiss my account as the delusions of a mad woman, but I assure you it is entirely factual. 

My story begins long before my recent arrival, but it does begin on Earth.

I was born long ago in the Iberian Peninsula of what is now called Spain, to a culture historians of this age refer to as the Bell Beaker Peoples. A time of harsh lives and frivolous gods. I cannot tell you of the precariousness of those lives when life and death was in the hands of beings that could just as easily aid you as bring disaster. 

My talents were discovered early in life, leading me to be apprenticed to our small village’s Seer and alienated from everyone else. Such powers were necessary for the villages survival, but not something you wanted around. Seer’s always lived on the outskirts of the village, never at its heart.

They called us Seers even though we were as blind to the future as they were, but that wasn’t to say we were useless. Though looking back, if I could have seen the future would I have made the same arrogant and heartless mistakes? Would I have been swayed so easily? 

We had other duties they relied upon us for. Healing the sick, influencing the weather, calming beasts and warding our villages from harmful creatures of the hidden world were among our responsibilities. Even as an apprentice my powers were seen as remarkable. I could force rain, where my teacher could only pull water out of air to fill a pot of no great size. Such power only alienated me further. 

I was only in my second decade when a strange traveller passed through. Due to the sheer strength of his presence, at first I believed a God was paying us a visit, but he was just a human. Though a human with power like me and not like those in the village proper. He introduced himself as Atlas and proceeded to woo me with talk of gathering folk like ourselves and building a village, nay a city of our own. I must admit the thought of having somewhere to belong tugged at my loneliness and won me over.

That was how I came to be a disciple of Atlas, a magic user without peer. 

For many long years we travelled the world, seeking out others, building a tribe of Atlas. It was during this time I ceased aging, magic-locked in the grips of youth and good health. 

As our numbers grew into the hundreds, many began to tire of our endless nomadic journey and wished to settle down like Atlas had long promised. I must admit I also shared such a desire even if I loyally never voiced it. Eventually as more and more began to share and voice this sentiment, Atlas announced his agreement. 

Following the great ley lines that crossed beneath the land like mighty rivers of magic, we eventually came across a great convergence, a vast nexus of lines. It was an island within an island in the sea of many islands, that people now call the Aegean.

There we settled and would build a great city named after our leader Atlas. Such an event did not go unremarked by the many gods that walked our world. A great sea god of this region, that is remembered as Poseidon, blessed the settlement and in his honor did we build a shrine at the city's heart and take the bull’s head as an emblem in his honor. 

For a time we became very insular ignoring the outside world, focusing only on ourselves and our pursuits in magic, knowledge and application of that knowledge. It was during this time I was given the name Cleta as one of Atlas’s first and chief disciples.

I took on disciples of my own and found a love of teaching. One of my first and most difficult students was a girl named Circe. She was born outside of Atlantis in a time that many of the city’s youth were born within. Magic came almost naturally to her and a few of her fellow students out of jealousy even leveled accusations that she was a goddess or demi-goddess in disguise. Circe questioned everything which set her above her peers, but also set her apart from most of us. She was a firebrand who even questioned the motives of Atlas and our attitudes towards greater humanity.

Eventually she left us to travel the world and live by her own values. I like to think she still held a soft spot for her teacher considering we remained in touch for a span of many years, her sharing tales of her adventures and asking for news of home.

Over time we in Atlantis again grew curious about the outside world and a vast fleet of ships was built. Thus began an era of trade and expansion. Colonies and trading posts were set up across the sea, allowing for the first influx of new citizens in an age and the acquisition of land and resources needed for growth. First and chieftest of these was the settlement of Minoa.

With our renewed exposure to the outside world, we could see that things had advanced somewhat in our absence, but some things remained the same. Those with magic were segregated even as they were relied upon and people were still at the mercy of magic creatures and the fickle nature of gods. 

It wasn’t that people were afraid of knowledge. No, but thanks to the precariousness of life they had been forced to rely on the power of magic users and the generosity of gods. Even as they were subject to the ever present dangers of the magics and beasts that dwell wildernesses that surrounded man as well as the endless feuds and games of gods.

Atlas professed to be moved by the plight of the peoples beyond our borders and of our so called lost kin. Eventually as our naval power came to dominate the seas around our home, Atlas called for a great conquest, a crusade of enlightenment and rescue he named it. We would rule the people of this world for their own good, as was our supposed right as an enlightened civilisation. 

Although many of us considered ourselves scholars among many other things, rather than warriors, few refused the call to arms. We were not alone, one god who felt his aspect had been usurped by one of his kin had sided with us and provided us with many of his servants as soldiers. A god named Anubis. It was around this time that I lost contact with my former student Circe. She must have disapproved of our actions.

Already in this account I have mentioned gods many times, but not explained what exactly they are. To any readers, you may think of a god as a formless omnipresent and omnipotent being or you may think they are merely fictional beings. It is understandable, Earth has not had gods of any power for a long time since most have disappeared or long since faded in power due to the loss of ley lines. 

Gods were real, but they were neither omnipresent or omnipotent. Gods can also be referred to as Aspectals, a concept with a similar implications as elementals. Aspectals are aspects of mass consciousness given form and empowered by magic. Immortal, vastly powerful within the idea or aspect that gave them form and with time learn, grow and become just as individual as any being. Many chose forms in mimicry of humans, but many took on the forms of the beasts of the land or even mountains and trees.

The war was initially swift and overwhelming force destroyed any resistance, minimizing losses on both sides. Rebels were punished, and if they continued their resistance they would be executed. New laws were established, followed by construction projects and plans for education. Gods were subjected to the new laws or forcibly banished.

What we never expected was for the many families, pantheons of gods and their servants to unite and wage war against us. Even gods from unknown lands far beyond the known world came. Long famous for their rivalries and feuds, they had defied expectations and unified under a single banner.

Prior to this we had been able to evict and subjugate gods because they fought as individuals and we had numbers and tactics on our side. Now we were losing ground as fast as we had taken it.

Magi are powerful but a god is much more so. They were born out of magic, individually their use of magic is equal to our best, but each have powers in their aspect far beyond what magi are capable of. Not to mention not being made of mortal flesh, they are hardy, heal grievous wounds and do not perish easily.

Eventually we pulled back our forces to and into the city of Atlantis, but the gods were closing in. Gods had destroyed many places through accident, indifference or even spite, but we had awakened their wrath. There would be no survivors or rebuilding afterwards. To continue fighting would be folly and surrender would be suicide.

The plan, our only plan was escape! We had theorised the existence of not just other worlds but also other planes and if there was nowhere for us to flee to in this world we would make the gamble of fleeing elsewhere.

The algorithm of a spell can be complex and navigating its path through the many roots and branches of the weave of magic is a difficult task. Even more so with a spell of this size. For a teleportation spell of this size we broke It down into an immense number of small but achievable parts. Each magi responsible for one part of the greater whole like the cogs of a great machine fuelled by the nexus of ley lines below us.

We had begun the casting by the time the gods had made landfall. Even in the early stages the spell began to destabilise the island as it drained the many ley lines of magic and encapsulated the city and the rock it was built on. Tremors began underfoot and the city’s hot spring baths boiled into steam.

The island was already destabilizing below us, there was no going back if the Gods didn’t destroy us, the island would. The only remaining chance for our survival was in finishing the great spell and placing our hopes in its success and a safer destination.

Then the city was thrust into the unknown, tearing through reality itself in the process and plunging us into darkness. The veil of darkness was ripped away as swiftly as it had descended revealing a new land that lay beneath a green sky.