Madison G. Blackwell: Digital Download

madison g.
blackwell
digital download
two
witnesses
madison g. blackwell
Tat e P u b l i s h i n g & E n te r p r ises
Two Witnesses Copyright 2010 by Madison G. Blackwell. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.
The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Tate Publishing, LLC.
Published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC 127 E. Trade Center Terrace | Mustang, Oklahoma 73064 USA 1.888.361.9473 | www.tatepublishing.com Tate Publishing is committed to excellence in the publishing industry. The company reflects the philosophy established by the founders, based on Psalm 68:11, The Lord gave the word and great was the company of those who published it. Book design copyright 2010 by Tate Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Cover design by Leah LeFlore Interior design by Liz Mason Illustration by Brandon Wood Published in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-61566-645-4 1. Fiction, Classic & Allegory, Fantasy & Magic 2. Religious: Christian 10.04.08
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered, and a decisive victory is won. The hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellows.
chapter 1
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n a rocky ledge, very high above the beautiful valleys floor, a warrior dragon reared to his full height while blowing fire and sticking forth his pike at the hovering assailant. Undefeated in combat, fearful in appearance, he was transformed instantly into stone by the twinkling rays being projected upon him by the valleys guardian. Many thousands of years ago, before the earths poles last shifted their magnetic alignment, in a land which is now covered with ice and snow but was at this time green and wondrous, there were lands of dragons. Today, we no longer understand who dragons were or how they lived, but they were really very much like we are today. They
lived, loved, and died in their time and in their ways, just as we do now. They all spoke a common language, lived under a government with laws, had their social norms, taboos, their legends, religions, their wants, needs, and dreams. Oh, they could fly of course, and when war and hate reared their ugly heads among them, fire was indeed spewed forth from the warriors, but by and large, they were of a gentle nature, unless they happened to be riled up in some cause or another. Today when we think of dragons, we visualize something that differs from the way they really looked. Their faces were more like ours. Their wings, separate from their front arms, had a mature span of some sixty feet in width. Their bodies were somewhat like ours, although their front arms and necks were longer. They also had a covering of metallic scales, with fireproof fur and feathers in protected areas. The hands of these splendid creatures were also somewhat like the human hand, except that the outside areas and knuckles had a hard metallic scale and fur covering which was useful when walking on all fours. There was a type of hand on the end of their tails, and they also had hands where we now have feet. So many things about these wonderful creatures have been lost to the annals of time. One starry night, upon the hill of dreams, where the elder storytellers told legends each new moon to all who would come and listen, a young adult male dragon named Ogg reclined against the rocks and listened to the story of the hidden and enchanted city of Mu. Little did he know how this night would change his life. The very streets in the hidden valley are made of gold! The teller of legends continued, No creature there goes hungry, for the trees and bushes grow food of every type and flavor which could be desired! Those hungry for knowledge have but to ask these wizened ones to realize and have proof of the answers to any questions that
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bother them. Here we may sometimes wonder about what really happens to a dragon that dies or what lies beyond the stars above us. There they know all the answers to this lifes secrets, and they withhold them from us, instant death being their answer to any who would come to them seeking to enter the valley. Only our god Ruoh has any contact with the magical ones there, and by his wonderful graces we can know these things. When the wizened old silverback dragon had finished telling the tale, Ogg asked, If Mu really does exist, why dont we all go there? Surely there is a way! If the pleasures of the place are as you say, why would not all of us want to go there and stay? I would like to have all my questions about life and death answered in certainty. Who among us would not like to have all their desires and needs met without all of the work and trouble that we have to go through here? There must be some way for a dragon to enter the valley of Mu! Amid the gaggle and snorts of smoke that sputtered through the gathered crowd, the old elder growled to himself and briefly retold about the many times that brave warriors had attempted to enter the hidden valley and its enchanted city. Too many good souls have been changed into stone in the attempt to enter that mysterious valley of Mu; so many that we now know no one may enter there without losing his life. Ogg, you are in the militia, you know well that only our god Ruoh may have anything to do with the inhabitants of Mu, and you also know that this is for our own protection. Why, even our best warriors of old have been turned into stone trying to get into that valley. What would become of our women and children if these creatures from Mu were to become angry and come after us here in Dragon Land? It is for our own safety that we have our orders from the magnificent Ruoh.
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The old elder finished with smoke and sparks wafting up from his nostrils, showing all that his emotions were close to their ignition point. As his strong feelings on the subject were being conveyed, the females and young shrank back in fear, and the males threw out their breasts in a sign of bravado and agreement. As the matrons hummed forcefully to quell the rising commotion, Ogg walked through the group shaking his head and dove over the cliff edge. A curious, mischievous grin was on his snout. He flew high into the night sky to the layered clouds that misted the tallest reaches of it. His mind tossed around a puzzle, looking at the thing from every angle he could find within his bright, enquiring mind. Then, as he glided over the freshwater lakes that surrounded his favorite hilltop, a unique idea came to him. Ogg lit softly amid the flowers and clover covering this quiet scenic hill that overlooked the approaches to the broad sea beyond. Here he sat for a long while, pondering the validity of the idea that had excited the adventuresome spirit within him. Could it be that no dragon made it to this fabled city because of the way in which they had approached it? He questioned and remembered some of his earliest teachings at his grandfathers den, those about the inner workings of dragon nature and mind. We, as dragons, are pulled all of our lives between two great forces within us. His granddaddy had talked to him softly in the quiet stillness of twilight. Love is within us all and shows itself in our lives by its many actions and faces. The love we make, in all its many forms, is equal to the love we each take with us when we die. Hate, with its many faces of greed, fear, and war, also keeps its vigil within us. Without love, we could not survive as a family and country; but without the powers of hate, we would lose all to the enemies who come upon us with greed and
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war. Hold tight to each of these powerful pieces of your nature, but study and learn where each has its place in your actions. You must never again let the spirit of hate come out in actions within the family. Ogg was being disciplined for fighting with his brothers. His grandfather then held him with a firm hand on each shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. Ogg, as you go through this life, it will not be easy to know what others are thinking or what it is that makes them do certain things. However, always remember this: Be kind, for we are all fighting a tremendous battle. These forces within us all are very powerful. You must hold love and hate in check, or they will cause you to be destroyed by your enemies. All of your life you will have to make choices. It is not easy to choose correctly; yet, listen to the still, small voice within yourself and pray to God, for his grandfather was one of those rare dragons who truly believed in the one God, in whom we must place all our trust and hope. When you face the hate, ride high upon the war spirit. When it is love you face, be not afraid to let its spirit of warmth and good fully overcome you. That must be the key to this puzzle, Ogg thought quietly to himself. All of the brave warrior dragons who have gone before to find the city of Mu have girded themselves for battle and set out with the spirit of war, and therefore hate, high upon their minds. What if the other spirit should be chosen to reach this elusive goal? What if a dragon were to approach the quest with love foremost in the mind, feeling and acting just as if he were entering into his fathers house, rather than going forth to battle forces that could turn one into stone? But when the mighty monster guards come at me with their frightful eyes and horrid sounds, can I look on them with the spirit of love and keep the fear in me from bringing forth my spirit of war and hate? Will I be strong enough to be calm and loving and not let fear and other emotions set rise to my warring
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spirit? How could I make myself feel warm and loving to these powerful frightening creatures and not do the natural thing of responding in kind when facing the war spirit being set upon me?
For three days and nights Ogg fasted and prayed about this matter that puzzled his mind. On the dawning of the fourth day, he arose with a calm, purposeful spirit securely within himself. The quiet voice within him spoke comfort to his once worried mind. This must be the way he should go. No other known dragon had taken this approach; yet, somewhere in the unrecorded past one must have. He would go and find Mu, or the entrances thereto, and when he did he would place his mind at perfect peace, knowing that before him was a place of untold love, not a place to be feared. It would be a most strange and unnatural act to face a threatening monster guard with the spirit of love. Loving ones enemies was certain death on the fields of battle. Yet, within him this still, quiet voice said, This is the true key to unlock the gates of Mu. Ogg strode slowly into his fathers den one morning, days later, meeting the concerns and cares of a family who loved him, and one who had been much worried about his absence. Where have you been this fortnight, son? Your mother and I have been worried that you had fallen afoul of some bad thing. No one has seen scale or feather of you since you flew off from the legend telling. Are you alright? his father said as he gripped Ogg within his wings and arms. Here, let me look at you, Father said as he placed his
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hands on either side of Oggs face. You look pale and thin. Have you eaten? Are you sure that youre okay? Sit down here at the table. Mama, get our son some gravit stew and honey bread. Now, tell us, where you have been? Two days later, Ogg flew on into the gathering dawn, leaving behind a family and village who wondered about his reasoning. The village mostly thought that he had completely lost his mind. He was now the flying dead on a suicide mission. He was now an outlaw and an outcast because he was going in violation of direct orders from the supreme council of elder dragons not to approach the mountains of Mu. Yet, he was at peace within himself, knowing that the mission he had chosen was what he was truly being called to do with his life. There was great comfort in that. He knew what he had to do, and he was out to do it. He felt within himself a surety of purpose, a certain calling to do this thing. It came from within his very soul. He had now completely committed himself to finding and entering Mu or to die, but only after exhausting every effort. Blazing balls of fire, he thought to himself. Why cant they just let me do as I want? Why do they have to try to control everything? Its my life! I should be able to do what I want. Why do they brand me an outcast and sentence me to death for trying to enter into the valley of Mu? What are they so afraid of? They themselves say that within the valley is a paradise that holds all the secrets of life. Why are they afraid to let a dragon try to enter? These secret things should be brought out! They know more than they are saying. There is more to this whole thing than they want me or any other dragon to know. Well, some things are worth dying for, and this is one of them! They are not stopping me by telling me that I am a dead dragon for trying. I am going to find out whats really going on here, dead dragon or not! This line of thinking gave Ogg an inner peace. The
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fight or flight instinct came under his conscious control. He was on and committed to a mission he felt called to. His journey carried him over the sea toward the rising sun. For the whole day and most of the next night he flew over the vast waters. By the light of the moon and stars, he saw below him a shorelines white breaking waves. Slowly, hills started to rise up from the newfound land, turning themselves into mountains with snowcapped peaks which caught the dawns first reaching beams. He rested on a craggy peak and enjoyed some of the packed food his mother and sisters had given him. He fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming that he was a fish who had started to walk upon the land. When Ogg awoke with the midmorning sun warming his scales and feathers, he, in the groggy period between dreaming and awakening, thought he was still in his lair. As his senses returned, a chill ran through his backbone as he viewed the foreign landscape spread out before him. All of the land was desert and barren, without a hint of green or any living thing upon it. There were not even any insects or birds. He was in the land of death, which he remembered from the stories of the journey to the valley of Mu. Small vapors of smoke trickled from his nostrils, betraying his uncertainty at being in a place so strange and so far from familiar home and hearth. As he ate some waddle bread and drank a bit of the nuzzle juice from his kit bag, his mindset of the previous day returned, and he became once again calm, settled, and determined. The ridgeline on which he had spent the night was just a small peak in a large chain of mountains that grew taller and taller as they reached off toward the distant broken horizon. The mountain caps of snow stretched higher and higher into the sky, and the last run of peaks that he could just barely see reached up through the high altitude clouds, which he knew he could only just fly above.
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I am headed the right way, he thought. Those have to be the mountains that reach the sky. He steadied himself and mentally prepared for the days journey and its accompanying trials. Over the mountains that reach to the sky, and down through the valley of clouds. He could hear in his memory the legend of Mus chant. Well, Ogg said out loud to himself. I have come too far to turn back now, God help me! I know that Ill be meeting you sooner or later. I can feel that this is the way you want that meeting brought about, so here I come. Please help me! And with that, Ogg cast himself into the air, climbing higher into the thinning sky, striving toward the distant cloud-shrouded peaks. Ogg had never flown so hard to travel so little. With an enormous expenditure of effort and by resting frequently upon the increasingly higher mountains, he finally reached the three highest peaks after two days and nights of exhaustive struggle. Upon that cold, icy mountaintop he sat, shivering and looking through the clouds when they occasionally parted below. There was the valley that he sought, a cloud-covered ribbon running between the three towering peaks. The covering clouds formed a patchy blanket over the valley and the snow mingling with the covering clouds made the outline of this hidden valley very hard to see. He cast off from his frozen perch; flapping his wings violently to steady his quick fall through the thin, cold air. As Ogg reached the valleys edge, he slowed his descent through its clouds and circled down into the valleys opening as he looked to find a place to land upon and survey the valleys floor. When the cloud ceiling finally gave way to a view of the ground beneath, Ogg gripped onto an irregular, rocky ledge and looked up and down upon a scene unlike any he had ever seen. He had been told that, long ago when the world was
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formed, solid marble walls thrust forth from the broken bowels of the earth. The valley was tucked within the split between three colossal mountains; three gigantic pieces of the same broken block of marble earth crust. The mountains were split down the center to sea level, with a long, vertical walled valley. The walls of the valley were solid multicolored marble, interlaced with veins of precious metals and jewels. The floor sloped downward, gently in some areas but closer toward sea level, falling forward in cliffs. One branch of the river below fell into a run of rapids that culminated far, far below where what Ogg reasoned must be a connection to the sea. What a magical place! he thought. From below the snow line, the valleys floor was very much like Ogg had always envisioned paradise to be. A meandering river absorbed glistening streams as it flowed along toward the sea. Through fertile fields and forests down to lush tropical vegetation, the river received its spirit from countless towering waterfalls. Rainbows interfused the atmosphere. Flora and fauna from countless eons blended peacefully together. Plants brought forth produce so worthy as food that carnivores sauntered about fat and sleek from the taking of it. Brilliant flowers and birds sparkled with the glint of sunlight. Gold glistened its effervescence upon the mirroring waters. Billowing vapors formed clouds that drifted peacefully upwards. In the valleys center, a small city thrived. Buildings made of gold, silver, and jewels sat pronounced along golden streets. Several pyramids stood inverting toward the sky, looking timeless amongst the splendor. It was at this time that Ogg saw the other dragons. He had been following, with his eyes, the course of a rainbow to its origins in a high waterfall. On a ledge were stone dragons; or could they be statues? They were perfectly lifelike, yet frozen in mid-gesture, motionless. A cold,
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frightful shiver ran down the length of his back and to the ends of his curling tail. Ogg jumped slightly, looking quickly around himself, when he saw hideous, snarling, multi-winged and multi-armed monsters hovering around him. Their eyes glowed blood red while around them was a sparkling almost solid light, frightfully sharp and bright which looked menacing and seemed poised for an attack. This brilliant, twinkling light produced wavering lines which darted forth like serpents or spears intent on doing him serious harm. As Ogg froze in terror at the sight, his next reaction was instinctively to rear up in defensive attack mode. Just in that split second, the still , quiet voice within him said, Be calm. In a forceful flood, his purpose for being there came back to him. Just then, the terrible monsters started in for a frightful assault with their sparkling extensions shooting toward him, as if they were forcefully propelled spears. From the deepest depths of mind, memory, and emotion, Ogg reached inside himself and ushered forth the strongest incarnation he could muster of the spirit of love. He mentally threw this essence forth from himself toward the terrors onslaught with all the force that he could muster, while shouting in the midst of this stupendous effort, I love you! Time froze around him. The frightful, sparkling extensions stopped their advance inches from his head. Slowly they began to change the appearance of their razor-sharp edges. They became soft and gentle, and then started wrapping themselves around Ogg. The embrace did not frighten him, but rather comforted him with a feeling like that of his mothers embrace. The beings or guards lifted him from his perch and carried him away in the net constructed from the outer ever-changing portions of their bodies. Down into the lower end of the large valley
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they flew and gently sat Ogg to rest in front of a massive doorway. The valleys perpendicular wall facing had been carved out some three hundred dragon lengths deep by seven hundred tall and five hundred wide. In the center of this indenture, the door glowed a warm, radiant , silvery gold. Upon the entire visible surface surrounding it, meticulous and intricate engravings exquisitely adorned the walls. Ogg knew that he must enter this door. He knew because the guardian beings had communicated this to him, not by speech or sounds, but by entering thoughts into his mind while they transported him to the landing. It had been almost like a dream; however, while he dreamt, he knew that this was a communication from the guardians carrying him. As Ogg began his slow and steady ascent of the escarpment that rose toward the golden door, he began to feel as one does upon hearing a favorite piece of music. Somewhat like the warm sensation of greeting an old friend. He could feel the pleasant energy flowing with increasing strength, making his body tingle. The tingling grew in intensity, becoming an extremely short wavelength vibration within his chest. As he drew nearer to the door, Ogg began to notice a slight glow surrounding his person. He noticed that the more positive his thoughts were, the brighter this light became. Ogg felt that he was in some type of harmonious attunement with his surroundings. He was sensing and feeling things that he had only seen before. He paused and knelt until his dizzy head became clear. The almost overpowering intensity of it all took some time to adjust to. Ogg pushed on nearer and nearer to the golden portal until he was proceeding, hunched over as if walking into a powerful headwind. Upon having finally reached a spot about a dragons arm length in front of the splendid, glowing door, he knelt
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upon his knees and reclined forward. Summoning all of the power that he could muster, he knocked three times on the solid, bright translucent barrier. The thing that happened next would have been invisible to typical mortal senses. Ogg heard within his head three responding, answering knocks. Upon the moment of the last knock, he felt himself standing some arms length above his kneeling body. Connecting his newfound other self to his kneeling body was a thin, silvery-clear thread. He felt more aware of himself and all things around him than he had ever known or conceived as being possible. When he looked at the sky, he felt himself as a part of the sky. It was as if his very being blended with the vast and far reaching openness of the sky. When he noticed and started to concentrate on a butterfly that sashayed by, he felt himself becoming one with the brightly colored insect. Whoa! Ogg said to himself as he pulled his thoughts and focus back into his ethereal body. In this splendid moment, he realized that he could become, by exercising free will and concentration, the sky, the butterfly, a single drop of rain, or anything, anywhere. Moreover, the realization that space and time were thoughts that could be changed as easily as changing his mind swept over him as the silence following a loud noise. Ogg considered the door before him and found that when he moved out to touch it, his fingertips actually moved into the material. Knowing that he could enter at will, he went effortlessly forward and through the door.
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chapter 2
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n awe-inspiring void loomed for thousands of dragon lengths in all directions before Ogg. In its center, a bluish-white fiery, translucent figure floated. The overall effect of this presence, the surroundings, and his new state of being contributed to the long pause in which Ogg found himself pondering the moment. He continued to move forward, closer to this mystical power. With a communication Ogg heard throughout his entire form, the central being spoke, Son of dragon, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. Speak to your kindred and tell to them these things that you will see here. If I bring the fires of
destruction upon a land, and those of that land have taken one from among themselves and made him their watcher: and if he sees the fires coming upon the land and sounds the alarm; then if one who hears the alarm but does not take warning, and the fires come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the warnings and did not take action. If he had taken action, he would have saved his life. But if the watcher sees destruction coming and does not give the alarm so that the dragons are not warned; and destruction comes and takes any one of them, that dragon is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchers hand. So you, Ogg, I have made a watcher over the land of dragons, whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. Even as the full force and meaning of what he comprehended sank in, Ogg began to feel love in a new way, as if it were something from outside of his senses, a warm and caring substance that was blending with his inner being. He floated there somewhat stunned by the overall scope of it all. He realized that one of the guardians who had taken him to the doorstep had appeared beside him and was floating about a dragons length away, covered in a light, translucent blue glow. Come with me now, and you shall see the river of life flowing from early to the future, the guardian said, though he did not really say anything, his thoughts just somehow played out in Oggs mind so that Ogg knew his meanings and understood his thoughts. For example, when he understood river of life, Ogg realized that the guardian meant all life. Yet, he knew the fullness of the thought would not be with him until he had experienced this river himself with his own consciousness. Ogg and the guardian traveled back into times past. The sensation was like a current of water flowing all
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around them, with streamers of multi-colored light drawing in toward the pair of time-traveling spirit bodies. Whenever Ogg concentrated on any portion of the continuous flow coming toward him, the rush of light slowed down and he could see around him the details contained within that area of time and space. Once he stopped the flow to see what he knew must be the whole of the world silently turning in the blackness of space like a blue ball reflecting the sunlight, he then saw a space in which nothing existed, no light, sound, or anything else to touch any senses. A completely black void. They came later to a new place surrounded by stars and galaxies all around, as far as could be seen or sensed. The guardian looked at Ogg and communicated with him. Son of dragon, he began. You must learn to truly see and hear so that you can more fully realize what is before you. With that, he focused and extended his outer covering of light into Oggs spirit form. Ogg felt something new come into being within him. It was more like an awakening of senses he had never known before. He looked at the large galaxy that dominated the universe they were within. At first, Ogg saw the galaxy as it had appeared before the guardian touched his mind. As he stared at it, his companion once again touched him within, and he could see the scene in a very different manner. It was not just three-dimensional; it also existed in a realm within itself, in parallel dimensions. Before, it was as if he had seen all things from behind a distorted waterfall. Now he could see connections and forces unknown before for what they were and how they all interrelated. Everything was connected to and a part of the greater whole, which existed with it, yet apart from it in a separate parallel dimension. He not only looked upon the item, but he felt it with all of his heightened senses and awareness.
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Seeing the whole of the universe as one interconnected reality, Ogg could narrow his focus on any certain section of it and see what was actually transpiring. To his amazement, he found that many of the forces he was able to distinguish were actually intelligent beings all aligned with each other. They knew and interacted together, even though they were sometimes in completely separate parallel dimensions through time and space. Ogg became momentarily stunned to realize that many of the things he saw were actually in two or more places at the same instance. Within it all, he could ascertain that one central force or power was the focal point of everything everywhere. It existed in the center of all things, and all came and went by the culmination of its powers or thoughts. The more that Ogg looked, the more he found that within all things was a reflection of this central figure or being. He had found the God of the entire universe. Then he could see that from within these interlocking fields of power and forces, as time passed, a fraction of these beings started to absorb and usurp the flow of energy and function. His focus was once again transformed, and he could tell that the disturbance was being manipulated by a being who coveted the power and might that the central God alone was capable of producing. Only God could produce a life force that continued in its own accord. The other being was trying to find a way to do this also. He bent and twisted the forces which he could availably grasp. He persuaded any other beings that could be twisted into this covetous endeavor to align with him, in hopes that together they also might somehow master the ability to create and sustain life that would originate and culminate from within them and back to them; thus, bypassing and becoming independent from the God who had started the processes off. As time passed and the alliance of the secondary power group grew, Ogg could see
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how a third of all the power, beings, and forces were being held within the deviant group that sought to use these forces for their own purposes and ends. Then, with what looked like a tremendous explosion of lightning ripping through the universe, everything changed. By this energy release, the entire group of deviant, misdirected entities, about a third of all those super beings in existence, were removed from their connection to the force fields and powers that make up true reality. God set them apart from all else, completely devoid of all energy and power, mere shells of what they had once been, now separate entities apart from the whole. The guardian next took Ogg to a place of utterly empty darkness. It was the absolute epitome of void and nothingness. Then there came upon this place three bright shining beings that were all the same being, yet, were separate from each other. They were the same thing, and yet in three different places at the same time. As Ogg watched these astonishingly beautiful entities, he recognized one of them as the being that he had just seen inside the door in the room. The brightest of the group he could not look upon directly, but it was always seen as if it was just beyond the outside edge of his vision. They began to create an entirely new existence around themselves. First, they made light to come forth. Then they created a semblance of form that flowed together into a separate universal dimension with spheres, suns, and new galaxies, interlocking before his amazed consciousness. Although vast in size, this new dimensional universe had at its central concentration hub one planet which Ogg realized to be his own. Into this newly created world the whole group of estranged and detached outcast beings, who had tried to usurp Gods power, was placed. They were in this world, tied to it by forces that controlled the planes of their travel
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and scopes of their influence. Although this multitude of outcast spirits were in and upon this planet, their presence was only noticeable when Ogg viewed the scene within the total scope of his newfound seeing abilities. When Ogg looked upon his world with the senses he had originally possessed, the outcasts were invisible to him. Looking upon the world with these new abilities, it was indeed much different from what could be seen by traditional dragon sight. Usually, three dimensions were all that could be seen. Knowing only this perspective, things seemed to be complete. Yet, in total reality, many other dimensions interplayed to form the completed perspective. Where there had once only existed a blue and white planet floating in the loneliness of space, now it could be seen as having different layers and threads of forces and influences intertwining and mingling around and within its sphere. By varying his concentration and perspective, Ogg could see that even in an obscure and otherwise overlooked anthill in the far reaches of a seemingly neglected desert region, many of these over -watching spiritual entities lent their concentration to this remote ant cultures life and existence. How much more was the interaction within the communities of dragons he could see going about their lives. Many times circumstances that appeared to be unfortunate were actually performing a service to the individuals, by causing a strengthening or cleansing of their souls. To Ogg, it now seemed that the normal dragon was much as the blind translucent cave fish he had watched as a boy, in the deeper water pools of the caves within his grandfathers lair. Whereas these fish could not see, the fish must have thought that their limited perception was the sum total of reality. Now, seeing things as they really existed, he was continually amazed at the care and interaction given to all living things upon the planet by
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the overlapping circles of dimensional realities served by the spiritual beings, forces, and entities that surrounded it. By broadening his perspective, Ogg could see that once again the natural order of all life, emanating from and culminating within the presence of God, gave a harmony of overwhelming magnificence to the whole of it. Although new souls were being introduced within the wombs of the creatures that the planet held, some of the ostracized outcasts were also occasionally enjoined into elemental spirit forms or souls, who were allowed to be reborn in the physical realm. These, he could sense, were unaware of their past existence, but had within themselves both the knowledge of right and wrong, as well as a free will, to make choices in the ways and paths their lives developed. Newborn souls were continually influenced by the lighter otherworldly forces of good that surrounded and influenced life on the planet and the darker evil powers coming from the hardened sinister forces that were the central core of the outcast group. Ogg saw that as the spirits of those born on the planet left their material bodies, when their physical deaths occurred, the choices they had made during the total of their lives had caused the light that emanated from within these souls to either glow with a renewed clear white brilliance or to be tainted and dark from the absorption of the forces they had allowed the outcast beings to exert upon them during their lives in physical form. It suddenly dawned upon the young dragon that a final choice was clearly being given to some members of the offending group of outcasts. Those of them allowed to be reborn in physical form could choose once and for all to follow the good path of light or to continue as they had before in the absorption of evil forces from the influence of their doomed companions. Having no knowledge of their past existence, the basic natures within them allowed their
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spirits to, by free will, exercise the decisions and choices which in effect tested their souls. When a soul from one of these who were previously outcast threw off its material body in death, the soul of it appeared as either a bright white light or dark sullen void, and it was either carried forth into the otherworldly realms by flights of beautiful, bright welcoming beings, or it was consigned to join the dark-spirited, internally festering, and now hideous group of outcasts in their most unhappy and desperate lot. Most dragons never heeded the good, but held their fate with the material selfish aspects of the world. Ogg watched as a young dragon that had just eaten its fill carried a sack of waddle bread to the larder in its lair. As it passed a starving child, the dragon simply looked the other way and went a bit faster. Within the realms of the universes in which this unique division had transpired, all was growing even beyond its original magnificent splendor. The one third of the whole which been set apart was being replaced by newly created souls. Even more souls were there than had been at the first, and their ranks increased steadily. What was at first a loss was being worked for the good. The new souls, formed and created in this new earth, had within them the knowledge of the evil that had caused the original turmoil and would forever flee from this force, as their lives on earth had proven. The now redeemed but once outcast spirits had been cleansed by their free will acceptance of and purification through the gift of redemption given to them as they lived their lives out upon the earth. Ogg saw that when a dragon died and his spirit left the earth, the soul of the one departing material existence was in a form like the one he was in. Time and space no longer encumbered them. They were gifted with other new powers as well, for they could now make their thoughts transform into realities both large and small.
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Ogg paused for a moment and his mind turned to the memories of his youth. He remembered the warm, caring presence of his grandfather. The thought brought a smile and happiness to him. As he was remembering some of the pleasant times they had once shared, he then saw his grandfather smiling and talking with a group of dragons in the shade of a grove of large trees, beside a broad crystal rivers edge. They were far away, on a distant planet, but, the distance disappeared as he continued to watch them. Oggs grandfather looked up in his direction and smiled to him. Wanting to be there, Ogg instantly found himself beside his granddad. He was joyously welcomed as he gave the now young and robust dragon he knew to be his grandfather a mighty hug. We were just talking about you, lad, his grandfather said with a broad smile. You are the first undead dragon to make it to this side of the great river of death in a very long while. Congratulations, I always knew that you were a special one. Saw it in you when you were just a wee puff. His grandfather squeezed Oggs shoulders between his hands. I have been watching you and saw you come over into Mu valley. Takes quite a dragon to make it to where you are now! Thank you, Ogg replied, smiling warmly. This whole thing is a great deal beyond me. I am sure glad to see you! Well, we are all mighty glad to see you also! his grandfather said, and as Ogg looked at those gathered around him, he saw they were relatives and friends. Those he had known and loved that had died while he was still in the land of dragons. Wow, this is wonderful! Ogg said. The feelings of love coming to him were so intense and gratifying; the joy that he felt so complete that he wanted only to stay with these dear souls in this place without sorrow or pain
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forever. The only thing that Ogg had ever known that had given him anything close to the feelings he continually felt in this place was sharing love. The more he brought the thoughts of love, caring, joy, and other related feelings into his thoughts, the stronger and more intense the feelings became. Ogg had never been happier as just being around these treasured dragons gave him great pleasure. As they talked together, he felt as if he was truly no longer alone for their presence warmed him with a comfort he had never known in the dragon lands. For a long while, they stayed together and enjoyed this most wonderfully fulfilling companionship. Together they flew among the stars and absorbed dazzling rays of pure love and healing completion that were showered upon them by some of the beings that they passed. They went to see anyone and anything that came to mind within an instant of thinking about it. Time and space were within their control. However, when they were visiting their home village, Ogg became sad. Grandfather, he began, most of these dragons, even those in our own family, do not care about anything but the things of the world which surrounds them. They do not give any thought to anything but the things of this small world in which they live. They know that they will die one day, but they do not think about it at all. Their thoughts and their actions are only upon their day-to-day lives. Ruoh and the previous rulers have convinced these dragons that they have only to obey the false rules they have been given and they will all wind up in some type of paradise after they die. Most dragons think that some of the dragons on this world are the only gods there are! I know, Ogg, his grandfather replied. We cannot talk to them and tell them that their lives on earth
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are short. We try to influence their thoughts, in order to change their ways, but many will never make it off that world. Many will have to stay there forever because of the choices they make and the way they live out their lives. In fact, they are trading a few short miserable years on that world for an eternity of happiness, and they do not even realize the error of their ways! His grandfather turned and looked deep within Oggs eyes, to the center of his being. Ogg, this is what the being you first saw intended when he said that he was appointing you as a watcher for the dragons. You can go back and try to help those still on earth realize what is really happening! Some of them will listen and make it out of there! You must do this thing, although the price you will pay in doing itthe ancient dragon pausedwill be a heavy one. Some of the dragons on earth are so tainted by the forces of the evil, outcast ones that they are the same as the outcasts. Some of them have even had their very souls lost, and inside of their bodies now dwell the spirits of the dark outcast ones. These outcasts in dragons bodies will do all that they can to keep you from redeeming any possible souls. You see, to the outcast, this is all about keeping these souls on this earth. What the outcast really want is for all other dragons to be condemned as they are! They will never again feel the love of God, and they are so twisted by this that they want to draw all whom they can down to their same dismal fate. I see, said Ogg. It was all coming together now in his mind, and he was not sure that he liked the feel of it at all. Grandfather, I dont want to go back to the land of dragons. I am happy here. I dont ever want to leave! he impetuously blurted forth. The overall scope of the idea was now dawning upon him. After a long pause, his grandfather said to him, Grandson, you have been granted a privilege unknown
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to all but a very few. Look behind yourself and see the silver thread that still connects you to your material body. You still exist in the land of the living. There is a good reason you are being allowed to know the things you are learning. Come with me and let me show you something you need to know. Instantly, the pair were at a lair on the top end of Falling Waters Valley, which Ogg knew well. It was the lair of his Uncle Whup. Uncle Whup was the richest dragon in the entire valley. He had platinum in dragon weights. (Nowadays, the way of life for dragons has been lost in the murky regions of time, so it is good to know that all dragons needed to eat some platinum occasionally. Platinum was used within a dragons body to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen was vital for flying and for breathing fire.) The platinum and gold that Whup had amassed brought to him all of the things a dragon normally thought they could want. He had a magnificent lair carved out in the top of the valleys highest surrounding mountain. He had many slaves of different types, from laboring giants to beautiful maidens. Always there were parties and guests at his lair, with rare foods being brought in from far countries. He never flew himself. He was carried whenever he traveled anywhere in a specially built room that seven warrior dragons were harnessed to carry about. He was a member of the high ruling council for the countrys government. Other dragons were forced to acknowledge him as a god, and his words were unquestioned and followed. Now, Whup was lying upon his padded ledge in his splendid sleeping chamber, dying from old age and disease. Being there in the spirit, Ogg and his grandfather could shift backward and forward in time, seeing the many magicians, healers, religious dragons, and half-breeds that had come to try out a cure, spell,
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or prayer to save him. All were to no avail; his life force was leaving him slowly but surely. Ogg could see through eyes that were no longer merely physical, and he therefore saw the intertwined force fields surrounding the old dragon. His soul within the aged body glowed with a tainted, dark reflection from the many years of influence he had allowed the outcast to have upon his life and decisions. Beside his sleeping ledge was an elder of the religious, pleading with Whup to accept the one God and his redemption for the soul. Above and around them, unseen by the physical eyes in the lair, luminous beings pulled at Whups soul, the forces of darkness and light in their eternal battle for the souls of dragons. Their separate influences caused thoughts from each camp to in turn enter the dying dragons minds eye. There was a decision being made by the dying Whup, one that would predestine where this soul went when it left this physical housing. Ogg, his grandfather spoke to him quietly. This is my son you see here dying, your Uncle Whup. Come with me and see. He took Oggs hand in his, and together they went backwards through the intertwined fabric of Whups life. The experiences and interactions from Whups life wove themselves into something similar to intertwined fabric, which the pair passed over and through as they went. By concentrating on the junctions and lines of colorful force, the scenes and actions that had created them in Whups life came into view, and therefore reality. Ogg remembered a time and place when he was an adolescent and unable to fly. His family was visiting with Uncle Whup at his seaside palace. Something had happened to his best friend Wynn on an island off the shore that could be seen from the palace, and no one would take him to see or tell him what had happened to Wynn. The only thing he had been told was that sometimes evil
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things happen to good dragons. Yet, Ogg had lost his best friend and playmate that day and now he wanted to go and see what had actually happened. When Ogg started to materialize into that particular place and time, he found a glimmering wall of water like light stopping both him and his senses from entering. His grandfather was there beside him and said to Ogg quietly; as he gently placed his arm around his shoulder There is evil there, and we are loved and protected from it here! Let us go now grandson: a dragons path through the completion of his obligations in life has times and places in it for which we have been pardoned as if the incidents never happened. For this, we give thanks to God. Let us go now. With that, the pair turned from the place and continued their journey through the traces of Whups life. The pair slowed their regression and entered unnoticed into a scene from many years past when Whup was a younger dragon, making his fortune in the world. It was the retirement party for a worker at Whups first commercial farm. The dragon named Bog had worked on this farm as Whups servant for many years. See how Bog and his family have suffered through the years from wants that Whup could easily have remedied were he not laying up wealth for himself? You can now sense within that familys life that they have been forced to live under the you-get-along-on-your-ownor-you-die reasoning of this world. We have seen too much of that. The more those rich dragons have, the more they tend to feel that way. The outcasts and their embedded forces always could show, with their presence in this world, that their way was the thing to do. Yet, as you can see, Whup has no experience in all of his long life to show that the forces of the eternal light are the way to redemption. Up until now, only faith born from a longing within and having a harmonious attunement to the forces
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of God has caused the soul of a dragon to rise into the eternal blissful realms that you have seen part of. Dragons need to see and know more while they are still able to choose. They must know, they must have at least some sliver of real proof within this world that there truly is a God and that they are making a choice to either join the doomed forces of evil or to grow out of this limited world within the forces of the one God. Who will show them these things? The forces of light will notno, cannotgo into the tainted material realms of this world in a physical form or they would become also tainted by the corruption of the outcast vile forces. Whup is like most dragons. He reasons things out and acts according to the balance found in the weight. You and I always listened to our hearts and acted according to what we felt inside was right. We are different because of the way we go on our feelings, not our reason. Whup considers all things from what he can see in the world. The forces of something solid in the world are what he can reason on. Something other than the few weak and poorly equipped religious dragons telling everyone to give up the pleasures of this world and then not being unable to show any demonstrable reason as to why that is needed. Why, you know how silly the magicians make the religious ones look and sound when they chase them about. Something has got to be done, and you have found and been given a rare opportunity to perhaps help these dragons save their souls. It may soon be too late for my son, Whup, but there are thousands like him who would turn to the light if there was only some solid presence or even a history of the righteous light that stood against the forces of the outcasts who now dominate this world. Go back into this lost world, grandson, and bring some light of truth upon it. Give dragons like Whup a reason that they can see. Leave them a history they can
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consider. Show them that there is more to their life than what they have gotten or can see in it now.
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chapter 3
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hen Ogg awoke among the soft clover and flowers in which he had slept, he laid there for some good long while, thinking about the many wondrous things that he had seen in his journey through the door. The day was yet young, with the sun casting a rosy hue into the sky. He stretched his neck and plucked with his mouth one of the succulent red fruits growing from the tree beside him. It tasted wonderful, but not quite as much to his liking as the golden ones that were on the bush growing under and behind it. Now this is the life! Ogg said to himself out loud. No toiling for your needs here! Just reach out and pick
up what you need! He stretched over and sipped the clear stream of water that flowed down the small brook beside him. Within the bottom of this water were also nuggets of gold and platinum, with jewels forming sparkles about them. He could see the village starting to stir about below him. Many types of creatures intermingled about its buildings and streets. There were dragons, griffins, phoenixes, and several types of creatures that Ogg had never seen before. In the sky above him, a round, disc-shaped object moved slowly into a large cave cut into the cliff facing on the far valley wall. The smells about were wonderful, and most of them were things he had never encountered before. As he relaxed in the paradisiacal surroundings, he noticed that a young dragon was starting up the golden path that wandered beside the grove in which he laid. He watched the young handsome male as it approached, noting that he was occasionally looking over and in typical greeting had turned up his tail, pointing it in Oggs direction. Ogg raised and pointed his tail tip to acknowledge the greeting. Something about this particular dragon gave him a pleasant feeling. He sat up on his haunches and smiled at the stranger as he grew nearer. Well, good morning, Ogg, the stranger said. I trust you rested well! he continued, returning the smile. But of course! replied Ogg. What else could one do with paradise at his claw tips? How do you know my name? The stranger laughed softly. I am Revorg, he said softly. I have been waiting for you to get here! Besides, everyone here knows your name now. You are going to be a legend! Ogg looked at him with a puzzled expression spreading over his face. Not the Revorg of legend? But of course
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you are; but waiting on me? How? Why? I am afraid that I do not understand. But of course, you could not. Revorg chuckled. For a good long time I have been enjoying the valley, knowing that sooner or later the dragon, which is you now, Ogg, would come to the valley, make it past the guards and in and out of the door, just as I did before you. Three hundred and seventy six other dragons tried to enter here after I did and before you made it through. They are there, up around the rim of the valley frozen into stone. I am very glad to see you here alive and smiling! Whoa! Ogg exclaimed. But what about the dragons there in the city below? All here from before the last earth-ending cycle, about two thousand dragon lifetimes ago. No one ages here, and all have mastered the ability to separate body and soul when wanted. That is why some of these creatures exist nowhere else. They have been here from this start of the world. Revorg explained. For lifetimes we have entered the facts about the valley into the dreams of elder dragons, creating the legend, waiting for one who would follow the truth of it, just as I did, and now as you have. Congratulations, but I am ahead of myself and being most rude. Is there anything that you need? Is their anything that I can do for you? Anything that you want? Allow me to be at your service! This valley now belongs to you, as much as it does to any other creature here! But, you are new here and therefore a guest by custom. Thank you. I feel better just having someone to talk with about what is happening here. You know, I came over the valleys rim, and my whole life has changed. I know that I must go back outside and tell about what I have seen and done and what is really going on in this world, but I am confused about how I am supposed to do any such thing. And then you are here telling me that you
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have been here waiting for me to show up Ogg was at a loss for words. Ogg, Revorg said, again smiling as he placed his hand on Oggs shoulder. Try to relax. You have been through a lot, and there is no need to be worried about anything in front of us now. We will take our time and sojourn here in the valley. Enjoy yourself! There are others that you need to meet and talk to as well. Everything you need is and will be provided as needed. Remember what life is like outside of your physical body? Well, you can go there at anytime you want to now. Also, try to focus like you did while you were in the spirit, and you will see that you still have most of that power in the body now! Ogg thought to himself for a moment, and then while staring into the sky, broadened the feel of his focus. He saw his grandfather hovering above him, smiling and pointing his tail in greeting! Around about him were many other friends and departed family members, all doing the same. Ogg bust out into a great happy laugh, tears starting to stream from his eyes. Relief came over him in waves, and he said out loud, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I no longer am alone, but there is always love around me. How wonderful! How can I visit them again, you know, outside of this body? It is all in your mind to think out. Simply take other thoughts out of mind and envision your spirit flowing in an unbroken move from tail to head going out. Sometimes it takes a bit of practice, and if it is at all difficult, do it the first few times when you are falling into sleep. Just before you enter the sleep state, when the first signs of a dream start to appear, move the spirit out. You will have to be a bit careful because in the spirit state, time and space are not relevant. You were inside the door for less than half the day. How long did you think you were gone? Revorg questioned.
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I thought that I had to have been inside the door for at least three days! exclaimed Ogg. Thats what I mean, said Revorg. It all happened yesterday, and you have been sleeping here since the guardians brought you back from the steps before the door. But I have been in the spirit for what I thought was only a few minutes and been away for three days, so always pay attention to earth time as best you can. Also, if anything starts to happen to your body while you are in the spirit, that thin, silver thread will let you know and pull you back into your physical form. That is what happened to me on my three days out of body. My body needed care, and I was pulled back to it. I can see how one could get completely absorbed in all that there is in the universe, especially when the other dimensions of it are factored in. The world is such a small part of it all, but it all seems to center around this world. Ogg mused. It does from the perspective we have as we are entering from this area, but once a soul is completely freed of the body, new levels of a greater reality start becoming recognized. The wonder of it all is beyond words. But, even now, this is not our fate. For soon, we will return to the outside world and show all there some insight into truth, and leave a history of what happens during our return to be considered and reasoned on. For the first time in the history of dragons, a witness will be given. Through us and the mission we are given now, signs and wonders will let all know that there is more to life than has met their eyes before. I feel like wisdom and strength are being sent to me for this, Ogg commented. We are like an instrument being used to achieve a great end. These greater powers and forces can work through us to influence the world as has never before been seen.
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Exactly, Revorg spoke. We are to receive these powers, and I must freely admit that the vastness of it all before me leaves me a wee bit afraid that I am unworthy of the task. He looked toward and beyond Ogg to the colorful, reflecting, rainbowed mist, refracting into the air and area around them. Ogg also had turned, But we can feel the hand and fingers of God within this thing. Its current is that of love, strength, and wisdom. The wondrous waves, lines, light, and love forces became visible, streaming to them through veils of reality perceptible beyond. All flowed from God to the world in an encapsulating light field intermingled with the suns forces and light lines. Their own lifelight, lines, colors, and forces returned with the rest of the earths, outward to the same source. It is really rare that we journey to this task knowing that death is but lifes cocoon, Revorg added as they could see the veils of extending realities beyond, their forms appearing as if seen from within an awesome cocoon, revealing ever-diminishing veils of expanding realities beyond. But enough of this. I am rude once more. Please pardon me, Revorg pronounced. What would you have of me? he enjoined. Let us fly forth, Ogg exclaimed.
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chapter 4
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ome days later, they arrived at a far corner of the valley that was covered in mist and clouds from numerous waterfalls. On a wide beach of jewelspeckled sand, they landed alongside the crystal clear stream. You need to meet someone who will play an important part in what happens in our return to dragon lands, Revorg said as the pair came to a full stop. He is called the water spirit, and he is a celestial being that has been given charge over all waters on this earth. As Revorg finished speaking, there arose from the clear stream before them a creature that came to the waters surface. He walked over on the waters surface toward the
streams edge. The being was less than shoulder height, and he had no hair or natural covering on his body except for the hair that covered his head and the top part of his chest. A veil of glistening water covered him like a cloth. He walked upright on two legs and had two arms extending from his shoulders, upon which his head was centered on a short neck. Greetings to you, Revorg, and very much a pleasure to meet you, Ogg. The entity spoke to the pair of dragons as he raised his right arm and waved his hand, coming to a stop while still standing upon the streams surface. Hello, water spirit, replied Revorg. Nice to make your acquaintance also, I am sure, Ogg said. So you fellows are taking the truth and proof to the world outside. Congratulations! The water spirit continued, I have my orders to give you full control over any and all waters you want or need controlled. This should be quite a show for those unsuspecting dragons out there. Ill always have a wispy feeler out on you two, so just give your desires a hard thought, and Ill make the waters comply. You really said a lot in a few words, Revorg replied. Ogg, can you make out what the water spirit means? Ogg smiled with a bit of a puzzled expression on his face and half closed his eyes, concentrating his focus on the water spirit. What he saw was that the field of light surrounding this creature extended out in all directions, going into the earth as well as disappearing into the sky. Ogg could tell that what he was seeing before him was only an infinitesimal part of some great whole. Well, sort of. But, no, not really, he answered. But of course, said the water spirit. You cannot really see me because I am all around and even in you. He laughed quietly with a sound like that of water rolling over rocks. The next time you go out of body, track
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any of the control force waves you see mixing with water, and you will better understand how I really am. You see, unless you are viewing the world from high above, it is impossible to see me in clear view, for I am in all the earth; wherever there is any water present. I think that I understand what you mean now, Ogg replied, smiling. What do you mean about control over water when we return to dragon land? Well, the extent you use it is up to your reckoning, I suppose; however, I can make the desert turn into green meadows quicker than you can fly over it, or dry it out in the same amount of time. Rain can fall or not. Rivers and even the sea can rise or fall. If it is part water by composition , its form can be altered. The water spirit explained. Wow, exclaimed Ogg. That takes some time to get secure in my head. Youre right, said Revorg. Youll have to think about it for a while to realize its full ramifications. Talk about supernatural control of the environment. This is part of it. Part of it? Ogg questioned. Thats right. It is so that all will know we are representing more than ourselves. Wind and fire are also to be available in a somewhat more limited form, though more than any dragon ever imagined! Water, fire, and wind. It is all more than I can imagine, Ogg replied. True enough, said Revorg. Yet, when the time is upon us, we will have the gift of wisdom and strength to aid these feeble minds of ours. We will surely need it! I am truly glad that you are here, Revorg, Ogg said softly. This is more than one dragon can handle! Youre truly right about that, replied Revorg with an intense look in his eyes. It takes at least two or more
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working together to even start to think about what we are to do. The water spirit spoke softly, his voice like that of rain falling upon water. It really takes the whole of all concerned with this blue ball floating out in space to bring about what is to be done here. This world is like unto a portal, from which new life and eternal souls are brought forth, tested, and sent on to their just rewards. When do you think you two will go back into the door again? Ogg looked startled and Revorg smiled slightly as he said, Dont quite know. I thought that I would talk it over with Ogg first and see what he thought. The sooner the better, as far as I am concerned. But then, you know that I have been waiting around, and Ogg just arrived. I understand. You know that I am with you always, by the water you hold. Just think to me, and I will comply per your needs. The water spirit began to evaporate in a rainbow-tinted mist as he said with a voice like a long wave breaking upon sandy shore, Think to me when you need me. I am at your service from now til this is done! And with that, he was gone. Or was he? As Ogg looked around, he could see that the water spirit left a part of himself in any form of water in which Ogg looked. He looked down into the pool of water and the rainmaker vaguely appeared, smiling up at him. Revorg, Ogg said with quiet respect lacing his voice. I used to have a pet lupo who liked to chase puleps, and you know how they run from anything unless cornered or caught, and then how dangerous they can be? I often laughed at this lupo, saying that I was glad he didnt catch a pulep. Well, now I feel like the lupo who caught a pulep. This is really more than I ever wanted into, and it is a bit intimidating to contemplate. I know how you feel, my friend. But I also must let
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you know that we will be aided in this task by a spirit form known as the Comforter. Were it not that I know this, I myself would be indeed frightened by the prospect. The fact that you did not know that this spirit would be with us, and yet you still are ready to give it all a go, makes you the better dragon! Revorg looked at him with wide open unblinking eyes. Sure! Ogg chuckled. Just like that pet lupo out after puleps. They both laughed. We go into the door again. Ogg said after a short while. What awaits us there this time, Revorg? I dont rightly know just what we will find, I know that we must go back, but what awaits us, I dont know. I think that we are most probably to receive some type of marching orders to do with our return to dragon lands, of course, but there is more in store. We will find out soon enough. As soon as we decide to go in again, that is. Well, if you are asking me, I say let us get on with it. Cant help but be something that should not be put off any more than needs be. Its getting late today, but we could go in at twilight tomorrow morning, if you are of a mind to! Ogg said softly. Sounds right to me, Revorg replied. You know this valley fairly well now, and it seems that a lot of beings may well be waiting on us now. We will do it then. He sighed, and then smiled gently. You never know what the morning brings until the day is done.
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gg just could not find sleep that night. His mind wandered and tossed about, leaving him far from a peaceful, quiet entry into the land of dreams. His stomach turned in a tight knot as he thought of the situation that he had come to. He began to think that his impetuous entry into this netherworld had cost him the peace of mind that his prior ignorance of things had granted to him. The stress which lay upon him in a near to physical force began to break his will and overlay him with sadness. Tears came into his eyes as he pleaded to those he knew could hear and understand his dilemma. Grandfather, I cannot handle this thing that is placed before me to do! he spoke aloud, feeling that he was
being heard by those he had before seen about him. I do not have the strength, and this is all too much for me to carry through. Ogg thought about the real meaning of their going back into dragon land. He saw between the lines and could feel death waiting for him, somewhere in this path stretching out before him. Please help me to get through this. I need help. It is more than I can handle. I need help, for I cannot do this without clear and near help from beyond myself. Ogg prayed as a tear trickled from his eye to the ground beneath him. For hours that night he prayed and spoke to those he knew had passed into the realms he had entered and seen since coming into this valley. He could not see or hear beyond the world of the flesh this night. He knew, however, that those outside this plane of existence could hear and see him. He began to have a feeling that grew stronger; that all would be right and good in the end of it all. This was not something that he could reason as to why, but a clear sense or feeling that comforted his mind and loosened the knot in his stomach. This feeling drew his thoughts to the entry into the door. The more he concentrated on entering there, the more his mind quieted and his body relaxed. As sleep would not come, he arose and started to make his way toward the pending meeting with the door. The moon and stars gave forth light enough for him to see and fly above the valley. He wondered what waited within for him this time. He felt good about going back in. He felt that he was to see and feel the splendid love that had swept over him the first time in. He thought about the life he knew as a dragon. A dragon was always alone, bound within the world of his mind by the limits that earthly senses and body imposed. Sometimes
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a dragon could feel the bonds of love that existed with another dragon, and that eased the knowledge of one being a separate entity. Yet, always at the end of the day, a dragon was alone within the limits of his mind and body. Briefly, in love, they felt joined to others, only to return to the natural state of being, an entity apart from all else and others. This is why I look forward to returning through the door. he realized as he saw the entry below him. It is only when out of this body that I lose the sense of oneness of person, and I can become joined completely through love to others. This realization and the knowing that its experience was to be forthcoming gave him comfort and eased his worried mind. He perched high on the valley wall, near one of the frozen dragons who had come to this valley before him. As he looked at the fellow dragon, with the expression of war frozen timelessly across his statue of a body, Ogg slowly came back to the realization that had carried him through the trial imposed by the guardians when they had first met him in the valley. Love is the key. Ogg said to himself. Love is the force most powerful and eternal of all. he told himself, echoing the still, quiet voice that had once again started to speak from within his mind. These things that I am set to do are because of love; that love I have for the other dragons that have love for me. Even for the ones whom I know not; the love within them calls me to take these actions that must be done, he found himself saying out loud. Ogg realized that the whole of it all was much larger that he could comprehend. In his minds eye, Ogg saw himself resting on his favorite flowered hilltop. As he thought, he pulled his viewpoint higher and higher in prospective. Soon he was only a dot in the flowers, then the flowery hilltop was only a speck upon the broadening
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landscape, finally the world itself appeared as a glowing blue, white, and brown ball floating in the black void of space. Who am I really when I am so small a thing that I disappear within the vastness of this universe? He looked sadly at the dragon frozen beside him, scales wet and shimmering with dew in the moonlit night. We dragons are like tiny sand grains upon the beachs shoreline, important to ourselves, but lost easily by the scope of it all! Yet, we are all we have or know, and if we cannot or do not aid and assist each other as we are able, what will truly become of us all? The perspective of realizing his size in relation to the universe he now knew gave him an additional calming peace within, stilling the rampant rumblings of his mind. As he saw the first faint hint of light beginning to appear above the eastern sky, he sat, relaxing his head upon his propped up arms. While the voices within his head quieted, he looked through half-closed eyes into the first rosy peal of dawn coming upon the high skies. There, he began to once again see through the veil covering life, and the face of his grandfather appeared before him. Although Ogg could not hear the words being spoken, he knew what was being said. He smiled as his heart became lighter with love being multiplied within. Thank you, again. he said quietly. I had forgotten that I am alone no more and had allowed the dark forces of opposition to enter me another time. Thank you for coming to me. That I may remember more fully, we are all truly joined in love and not separate or alone. Ogg saw Revorg flying below, beginning to spiral downward toward the stairway leading up to the door. He smiled broadly and stood up feeling refreshed and ready for what he knew now would be a great and wonderful day. With a skip and a bound, he cast himself forth from
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the ledge and quickly headed to join Revorg at the base of the steps. As he flared his wings and slowed to a stop, settling on his back legs upon the ground, Ogg smiled widely, and a small happy growl of a laugh escaped his snout. Hello, friend, he said. I hope that your night passed more tranquilly than mine! You know it did not. Revorg smiled back with a sparkle in his eye. Yet, here we are, both ready to go into the unknown again. Glad I am not alone! And I also! Ogg assured his friend. There is much wonderment inside there, and my mind knows that I have not even started to know the most of what really is inside. Guess that the real problem with going in is that I really do not want to come back out. Well. Revorg cleared his throat and a puff of smoke slipped upward. Soon enough we will all leave behind the bodies we dwell in now, without the chance again to return to them. All things in their due season! They stood and stared for a short while at the steps and door leading up before them. Then, without another word or gesture, they began in unison the ascent. Again, the forces and processes from the first entry were true to form. As they floated above their earthly bodies at the doorway, in one easy motion, the entry was achieved. Before them the awe-inspiring void of a room appeared. In its center was again a luminescent being. Tears came from their eyes when the central being spoke. Welcome home, my good and faithful dragons, come unto me that I may comfort you and fill your souls with a portent of those things forthcoming. The pair moved smoothly inward toward the light. You know now the truth of life and what awaits after the body. Those whom you have left behind, will, through your actions, find that they can freely choose the way their
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souls pass the eternities before them. The brilliant creature spoke. As Ogg and Revorg came closer to the radiant being, its form began to be discernable. It was the same type of body that the water spirit had presented to them by the pool. Standing upright on two legs that were almost half its height and having two shorter arms on shoulders just beneath the head, it carried hair on the face and head, which in turn perched on a rather short neck. From the shoulders down to almost the feet, a brilliantly glowing, white, thin article resembling cloth covered the form. The being itself glowed with radiance beyond that of anything they had ever seen before, and the sparkling prism of colors projected from it changed to accompany the feelings conveyed by the words it spoke. When this radiance came to the pair of dragons, it shone upon and passed through them, leaving within them feelings of pure love heretofore unknown. It produced a feeling of completeness, comfort, and joy that he had never even imagined existed. I am the beginning and the end of this world from which you have come, the wondrous being continued. My Father and I created this world. Within it grows the harvest of life, which fills the universe abounding. As it spoke, Ogg saw within his minds eye the scenes being told. Three times the harvest has been sent unto this world, and four times has it been planted to produce again. The time for the fourth harvest is at hand. The completeness of meaning conveyed as the being spoke was total, for each word conveyed the actual reality of itself within Oggs mind. Go ye therefore among the crown of this harvest, the very dragons about the world and give unto them signs and wonders that they may freely choose, each and every one within their souls, where it is that they shall pass the eternities. Through you the truth may come among them,
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and through you the principal price set at the beginning of this world shall be paid! A knowledge and reality of things to be and those that had passed came upon Oggs mind with a more certain experience than those he had actually lived. It was as if the missing pieces that his mind had lacked and somehow knew it needed had been instantly added into place. In this presence, he had no conception of time or space, for time and space were but a small part of the almost incomprehensible completeness.
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hey flew in upon the first rays of the morning sun, returning to their homeland. The land Ogg had gone forth from in his quest had not seen rain or even dew during the time of his absence. Although it had been but a brief time away for the young dragon, it had been almost a year for those he left behind. For Revorg, many lifetimes had passed in his absence; although, he was physically younger than his body had been upon his leaving the land of dragons. When they flew over the coast it was brown, dry, and dusty. Grass and flowers sprang up green and lush at their passing. As they came to settle upon that hilltop by the water that Ogg so favored, soft flowers at once grew forth
under their feet. Upon the hillock they rested and renewed their strength.. After a brief interval they began their walk westward toward the capital city. They traveled at a steady unhurried pace as a few dragon lengths in front of their path a multi-hued rainbow wavered delicately in the air. Where this shimmering sparkle passed over the barren, brown, and dusty dry earth, a green carpet of grass and flowers appeared. This left before and behind the pair a strip of abundant green growth contrasting sharply with the parched landscape. High above them on coastal dawn patrol, two military guards were making their way along the coast. Seeing the contrasting foliage they swooped down lower to survey the scene. They circled above Ogg and Revorg for some time before racing off toward the west. Soon many other dragons, griffins, and even two phoenixes appeared. At first, they all flew by at a distance, and then some of them began landing away from the pair, some of the curious even started following behind at a distance, and others of them were flying off in great haste. Around midday, the village where Ogg had lived came into view before Ogg and Revorg. A crowd was gathered in the central circle, with several official government transport carriages parked along the sides of it. A group of some seven officials, robed with their vestments of purple, started out of the circle toward the approaching pair with the villagers following closely behind. The lead official, with one gold line bordering the edges of his robes, kept his tail raised with the fingers of its hand pointing toward Ogg and Revorg, a recognized signal that he was the head dragon in charge and wanted to see and talk with them. Behind the governments greeting party, Oggs family followed at a respectful distance. They also were waving their tail hands in an enthusiastic greeting whenever they
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could see that the officials were not watching. As the two groups came within ten dragon lengths of meeting, Ogg and Revorg raised their tail hands and waved toward the approaching crowd in greeting. When they did so the area of rainbows and green around the pair stretched forth to encompass not only the dragons approaching them, but unto the entire area of the village as well. Once again, the central fountain in the circle began to flow with water, leaping up in spurts, as it had not done for many months. Butterflies of varied and bright colors appeared with songbirds, making their music in the area. The lead official, Resp, a message carrier of Ruoh by position, appeared to be completely startled and unnerved by these occurrences. He looked around at the rapid changes that had come to pass, and then slowly back at Ogg, speaking in a loud but noticeably shaken voice, Ogg, you are under sentence of death from the high council. You are hereby under arrest for your violations. Who is this with you, and what is this magic that you are unlawfully casting about yourselves? Speak now, or these soldiers will pierce you where you now stand. Even as the seven soldiers accompanying the party raised their throwing pikes in preparation for a possible order to throw, Ogg and Revorg looked in their directions. The upraised pikes started to smolder before bursting into flames. The pair then looked back at the official committee without speaking a single word. This was all too much for the officials, who began to intermittently jump nervously about and hurriedly looked from the flaming pikes to the smiling pair of newcomers. What is this? What are you doing? What is it that you want? the message carrier shrieked loudly. Who do you think you are to disobey me, a messenger of the god, Ruoh? Revorg looked back at the frightened group of officials
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and soldiers, meeting the eyes of each with a peaceful, penetrating smile upon his face. Yours is not the highest council, he began. We have returned, bearing a message from the highest power, and that is this: the world as you know it is coming to an end. Each dragon must now choose if they are to place the faith of their souls future in the one true God who rules over the entire universe, or the things of this passing world! This is treason and blasphemy! Resp the messenger shouted back with smoke and flame coming out with the yelling. You cannot think that some magic will protect you two from the forces of the high council once it hears of this poison you are spewing. There is but one power that rules this world, and that is the high council and the living god, Ruoh. This talk of other gods is for the foolish, religious crazies who believe and worship in secret things that cannot be seen! Only Ruoh and the supreme council rule this world, and their words are final! Resp was livid with rage, and his color turned a brightening red, with smoke freely flowing from his nose and mouth. You are both now doomed to suffer the councils wrath! he yelled as he started to step backward, somehow afraid of the peaceful smile that still remained on the faces of Ogg and Revorg. When Revorg stood up to his full height and gave Resp a hard, deep look. Resp tried to meet the stare, but could not. He started to panic, knowing that he was far out of his league and that all the other dragons around him were realizing this now. Your magic cannot stand before the forces of the council. You are doomeddoomed I tell you! Resp yelled loudly. With that said, they all turned, and the party ran away through the crowd of village dragons and toward the carriages waiting with their entourage. The councils
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party quickly fled into the sky, speeding westward to the capital city. Ogg opened his arms and began walking toward his assembled family and friends. I have missed you all so very much! he said. Son, what has happened? We thought that you had died in that faraway land. His mother hugged him with tears in her eyes. Yes, when you did not return for so long, we thought you were lost. The government started saying that it was because you had trespassed into the secret valleys territory that our lands have a curse, a drought placed upon them! his father told Ogg as he was group hugged by Mother, Father, kith and kin. Not so, my loved ones. I bring tidings of great joy and splendid hope from the one God and the beings that are with him. Come, let us do the telling
In the capital city, the entire populace was abuzz with rumor and speculation. The high council was being summoned to special session. Its chair dragon, called god on earth, the most mighty and worshiped Ruoh, was meeting in the most sacred chambers with his most trusted advisors. Word of the two magical dragons who were walking toward the capital had reached town shortly after dawn. The military patrol had advised their commanders, and the news soon leaked out throughout the area, laced abundantly with rumor and speculation. Where is that messenger, Resp? Ruoh snarled impatiently. He should be reporting back by now!
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They come! shouted the rooftop watchers. We count seven carriages on the horizon! the watchers continued. They are flying at full speed, coming quickly! they concluded. And about time, too. Hret, Ruohs first attendant dragon intoned. Now we will finally see what this entire ruckus is about. Go, meet and bring Resp into my private chamber, Ruoh said quietly into Hrets ear. And be sure that all the others with him are under orders to keep silent. This thing must be turned properly and not blundered about! Yes, most worshiped Ruoh. As you speak, so shall it be done! With that, he hurried through the group and up to the landing area. Ruoh motioned to three goldencloaked dragons, and together they made their way into Ruohs private chambers. The party made its way into and through these chambers over to a large window that overlooked a considerable swath of the busy city. Ruoh sat down in his high-cupped perch, which by design was specifically built to frighten any dragon brought before him. Several severed and preserved heads were on display at each side of his perch with the slogan, There is no higher power than the council, inlayed deeply in precious jewels and gold at the base of this throne. Light had been specifically manipulated to shine from behind the seat, giving the impression that the occupant of the roost was himself glowing with radiance. Shortly thereafter, the doors were opened by the outside guards, and Resp came in with the portal being closed behind him. He hurried quickly to an appointed space in front of Ruohs throne and prostrated himself upon the polished stone floor. Arise faithful messenger, Resp. Tell us of your orders completion! Ruoh said in a loud booming voice. Resp was visibly trembling as he raised his head and
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neck from the floor, remaining prostrate, but supporting himself upon his elbows and arms. Oh mighty and most worshiped Ruoh, leader of all dragons and unquestioned ruler of the council and of this our world, have mercy upon thy poor messenger. The outlaw and condemned dragon, Ogg, who has by his actions caused the lands to suffer, has indeed returned. With him is a powerful wizard who does indeed cause the fields and land to become again green before their approach. They are profane and treasonous, saying that the world is ending andandand Resp paused, afraid to say more in the presence of Ruoh. Speak and deliver truly! Ruoh boomed down from the perch. Tell us all what has been found and done! Resp trembled and turned a darkening shade of blue as he continued with a shaking voice, They have said that there is another God of this world, and that all dragons must choose between him and your most worshiped highness! The other dragons in the chamber instantly roared and began to growl deeply. Ruoh put up his hand in a motion for silence. In his excitement and dread, Resp began to wet the floor under his hips. Continue! Ruoh commanded. Resp started again, his voice was in a higher tenor, and his words were more hurried than his normal eloquent delivery. He himself had seen many other dragons put to torture and death for less than he was to convey now. I commanded Ogg, in the name of the most high council, to be placed under arrest, but he said that there is another council that is higher than yours, oh mighty god of this, our world. Before I could have the soldiers impale him for this damnable treason and sacrilege, the wizard caused the soldiers pikes to burst into flames. It is strong magic that they carry, and we, not having the protection of the most high councils wizards to safeguard us, could not
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punish them. I told them that they were under punishment of death, and when they threatened us with incantations, we backed away slowly and came back to make our report! Oh most gracious and merciful one god who rules the earth and all that can be seen and known, oh mighty Ruoh! With that, Resp again spread out upon the floor, still shaking. His color had begun to return, though only slightly, for he still feared for the life of himself and that of his kin for having had to deliver such abnormal news. The chamber was deathly quiet as Ruoh sat still upon his perch. He reached into a nook hidden in the sculptured side of the throne and produced a crystal globe, into which he stared while turning it to and fro for some long while. Finally, with a loud sigh he spoke, Leave us now, Resp, but carry orders to all that went with you. This is to remain secret under penalty of the councils displeasure. Yes, your holiness. So will it be done, your holiness! Resp intoned loudly as be began to crawl backwards, bowing and cleaning the soiled floor with his cloak as he went out of the chamber. When the large heavy, golden doors closed behind Resp, Ruoh came down from his roost, walking over to the wall-sized window and looking out over the city beneath him. This is as bad as I had feared, Ruoh said finally in a harsh voice, still looking over the city and away from his three closest partners. This event has been foretold by the Imperial Wizard. We have but two ways to proceed. He turned to face the three awaiting officials. We must dispirit these two, making them of two minds, or we must kill them as an example to the people. Kill them quickly! said the foremost dragon, Twill. He was the head of all military forces in the land. I will send forces out within the hour, and they shall be no more
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a worry! he said with a sweep of his hands and a determined look upon his face. Killing them, especially quickly, is the poorer of the choices, continued Ruoh. And if we must kill them, it must be done as a public execution to set an example and prove our standing. However, the better is to first have them show doubt, or have it made to be realized that the message they bring has more than one meaning, or otherwise confuse the dragons as to what they are saying. Martyrs are not what we want to make here, but false prophets. Or better yet, fools. Ruoh turned to face Mer, the dragon in charge of wizards and all sanctioned magic in the lands. Mer, assemble a group of your best, and encounter this pair where they have a crowd gathered. Do what you must to show them to be evil wizards or false prophets, that they may be ridiculed and laughed at. Take care that your preparations lead to such a response, and leave yourself a way out if the efforts fail. It shall be done as you say! Mer barked out forcefully, spinning about and making hastily for the doorway. Ruoh looked back to Sher, the head dragon in charge of intelligence gathering. I want to know everything these two are doing, every moment of the day and night. We must know who they talk to, where they go, what they do, everything. Keep eyes and ears on them completely. Do you understand? he was exasperated, and it showed in his voice and mannerisms. Find their weaknesses. Know what they need and have to have. What they say can be turned against them. You do not realize just how serious this thing is, but our very way of life is at stake here! If the dragons at large start to believe that there is a God other than us, and the beliefs we have them believing in are not the only way, then
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well, these two must be stopped. They must be shown as false. Do you understand? Twill and Sher had never seen their longtime friend and conspirator so perturbed. Their positions had been handed down to them by their fathers, as was the way rule had been kept for as long as history told. Ruoh knew more than he was telling. Yes, our god, Sher began, as you have spoken, so shall it be done! They started to turn when Sher turned back to Ruoh, asking, Can you tell me anything more about these two? Yes, faithful friend. This is a war for survival! It is them or us. Their coming was foretold by the sorcerers when the dragon Revorg left for the valley before our fathers time. You must remember the legend of his return. We have kept the legend secret. Well, now it has become real, and we must either defeat them, or lose all that we have. Now go, leave me! Ruoh snarled with sparks and smoke issuing in his every breath. Twill and Sher saluted and turned smartly, heading hurriedly for the door.
Meanwhile, back at Oggs village, as the twilight turned into darkness, the central circle within the village was the scene of a festive occasion. Lanterns shone brightly, and a large crowd had gathered. Beside the center fountain, two large trees had grown up in a matter of hours, laden with fruits that were before found only on the secret valleys floor. Ogg and Revorg sat under them, surrounded by the village dragons and others who had made their way to this
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place to see for themselves. The delicious, meaty fruits from the trees replaced themselves upon the branches almost as soon as they were picked. Everyone was full and happy for the first time in many months. The conversation was about the message. The world is ending. Choose between the gods of this world and the eternal. But, Ogg, the elder storyteller of the village was speaking. What you say sounds very good; however, there is no proof. How can a sensible dragon put his or her faith in something that cannot be seen or heard? Truly the signs and wonders you have brought here with you are remarkable. Green plants, water flowing again, and the fruit of these trees are simply amazing; yet, to renounce the god Ruoh, in favor of a God who is not here on this earth and who cannot even be seen, is not only very dangerous but most probably foolish. Most of those listening murmured their agreement. Fellow dragons, Ogg replied. I understand what you are saying. Your fathers fathers before you have taught you thus; however, much exists that we cannot see with the senses we possess. Consider the small, blind fish that lives in the dark caves. Could they understand the sense of sight? Much exists around us that we cannot see. Consider the wind. We cannot see it, but we know that it is real. We will each die one day, yet who among you truly believes that everything ends with our last breath? We all feel that we continue somehow, someway past the point of death, yet have we any proof of this? These bodies we live in offer no proof, yet we believe and have faith that our life does not end at death. Did Ruoh or his fathers gods before him create our world? Have they the power over death? Except that they can give death, can they give life back to one who has died? You cannot see them, but around us there hover members of your families and friends who have already died but now live in a dimension we can no more see than
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the cave fish can see us. Who among you has ever seen any dragon bring forth life from death? In believing that we exist after passing deaths door, do we not know there is something more? Ogg paused to look about the crowd, and then slowly continued, One day, soon, you will see death defeated. When you see this sign, decide if there is truly a God beyond the forces of this world! With this, Ogg arose and walked from among them, taking to flight when he had gotten out of the crowd. What can he mean by this? they said to each other as they watched Revorg rise also and follow Ogg into the dark sky. News of the days occurrences swept through the lands unto the entire world inhabited by dragons. During this time, the old legend of Revorg came to light and spread intermingled with the new. Ogg and Revorg were nowhere to be found, although the council spared no pains to find them. After a full cycle of the moon, when all had heard and discussed among themselves the things that had come to pass, they were back. Once again, the morning patrol spotted the pair first as they were walking from Oggs village in the direction of the capital. In the village, the two trees still grew their meaty fruit and had become a point of pilgrimage for those dragons who wanted some proof of the stories they had heard. Once again, the earth was being transformed around and in front of them. This time, however, a growing crowd started following the pair at a respectable distance, yet continuing to grow in number as the day progressed. About midmorning, a mother dragon flew down and landed some distance in front of Revorg and Ogg. She walked over to a point directly in their path and deposited a young dragon child on the barren, rocky ground. She
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then flew off some twenty dragon lengths, landed, and waited for the pair to reach the child. When the pair did reach the child, they stopped and picked it up. It was crippled with only deformed stubs for wings. Revorg held the child out toward Ogg, and together they said a prayer. Ogg gently pricked the deformed wing stubs with his talon, causing them to give forth a small amount of blood. Revorg then placed the child upside down upon the ground and the pair walked on. The small dragon sat up and shrieked with joy, leaping into the air and flying swiftly to his waiting mother. The following multitude became abuzz with excitement, and many of them flew off in great haste. By the afternoon, the path before them was littered with dragons suffering from every type of malady. All the way through these pitiful souls the pair of witnesses continued to walk. At each, they repeated the same small ceremony. First, they laid hands upon the unfortunate, they said a quick prayer together, brought forth a small amount of blood from the intended, introduced this blood onto the ground, and walked onward in their path. Always when they left, the ill, crippled, blind, suffering, or otherwise unhealthy dragon became cured and whole before he was overtaken by the following crowd. Always, the cured dragons told the multitude that they had been cured in the name of the one God who owns the world. The following crowd marveled and was in deep wonder as to the miracles being shown before them. Even the servants of Sher and Mer, who were constantly sending messengers back to Ruoh and the council, began to wonder silently in their hearts just what was coming to pass before their eyes. As the day turned toward late afternoon, Ogg and Revorg came into a natural amphitheater made up of the surrounding hills with a clear stream flowing through its
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center. The pair made their way up the far side of this valley, to where a cave entranced into the hillside. Here they stopped and sat down in the caves mouth, looking back to the multitude that began to fill up the area. Revorg stood up and gave forth a loud howl with flame and smoke billowing from his mouth and nostrils high into the sky. This emission moved rapidly away in an expanding circle outward from their location, reaching into the far areas of all the lands. Wherever this cloud passed over, the earth was once again green, and waters once more flowed like they always had in the midst of springtime. Revorg then looked around to the assembled gathering. He began speaking to them using not only words, but also mental images that went forth with his speaking, reaching all within sight. Hear now the message to which we witness, he began, and relay it throughout all the lands, that each and every dragon alive may hear this revelation and have the chance to be saved from this life into life eternal. he continued. This world in which we live and as we know it is to end soon. Nothing will remain, not the lands, the waters we know, nor the creatures here. All will be changed. Most will be destroyed in a fiery blast sent down from the heavens that will blow apart the lands and cast the sea into the air. With this, all dragons will perish from the earth. Most will be lost forever, but each has the chance now, by their own free will, to save forth their immortal soul into timeless eternity. There is but one God who rules the earth, the heavens, and all of eternity. This God is not a dragon who has made his home on earth, nor is he of this world, but this world is like unto a garden for him, whereby he harvests the souls of those who are to dwell within the heavens for eternity. The great harvest is coming soon. You will each choose by commission and omission to follow the true God or the gods of
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this world by the actions that you take from the hearing of this message onward. Your very lives and how they are lived from this moment of decision on will determine whether each of you is saved or lost for all time to come. Love one another. Care for those around you who are in need. Those around you who are in need while you yourself have abundance, give unto them that they also need not. Be your brothers keeper and store not up in caves and towers the abundance of blessings that you have been given while your brother is in need. Consider your brother and sister dragons, if they be lazy and slothful, they should not be provided for, neither should they be fed; however, if they are earnest in their ways but in need of that which you can provide, give unto them as you would to yourself. When you are blessed that your cup of life overflows, let the overabundance flow into the cup of your neighbor and your brother, that all may be filled. Care for those among you who are widows and orphans. Live your days with a mind to that which is coming soon, and forsake the greedy and carnal ways of this passing world, lest you also pass with it. Sacrifice your time and possessions for and unto others, that you will be truly blessed in the eternity to come. You cannot see nor know what is truly coming to pass around your life. Could you but see the multitudes of souls amassed about you even now, you would behold the faces of family and loved ones who watch over and pray that you will choose to serve an eternal God and join them forever, rather than succumb to the easy pleasures and greed of the flesh and blood gods who are followed in this world. Revorg turned and walked over to seat himself beside Ogg, who then stood up and walked to the hillside edge. Ogg raised his arms and wings toward the sky, and the air above him wavered with a shimmering translucence. In a widening cone above the point at which he stood, an
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inter-dimensional opening occurred. A multitude of dragons and unknown beings appeared therein. Sounds, sights, smells, feelings, and flavor issued forth from the wavering dimensional opening and covered over the astonished masses of assembled dragons. They each were transfixed and immobilized with astonishment and inability to take in or comprehend the totality of it all. Briefly, the bounds of time and space were released from the area. Ogg then slowly folded his arms and wings to his sides and began to speak. Fellow dragons, carry forth this that you have seen and heard into all the lands. Once more we are to leave, but upon our returning, we will bring to you, from the one God, the truest sign and wonder of all! When he had said this, he turned and started slowly walking toward the cave entry. Revorg rose to walk beside him, and the pair entered into the darkness therein. The assembled multitude was in a state of awe and amazement from what they had seen and experienced. For some time there was an eerie silence in the valley, and even the sound of the water running in the stream could be heard. Soon the assembled began to stir as if awakening from a dream. They started to move about and then take to the air, flying off in various directions. By the setting of the sun, when the soft light of twilight was upon the area, only a few dozen of the previously massive crowd remained. From high above the valley, a sound was heard of wind streaming through wings at great speed. An attack force of the supreme councils elite special forces was commencing a rapid strike and secure operation to capture the pair of witnesses. With strikingly sudden speed, the seventy or so soldiers secured the valleys perimeter while a contingent flew directly to and some into the caves entry. Shortly, the roaring, barking, and flame spouting stopped as the squad
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at the cave saw their fellows come out from inside it. They were alone. Ogg and Revorg were nowhere to be found.
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uring the month that followed, a war of ideas raged throughout the land of dragons. Ruoh and the government told of an evil plan by the forces of the hidden valley to overthrow and conquer the lands. They said that the two evil wizards who had come to the lands with signs and wonders were sent to trick unsuspecting dragons into believing that they had a better way of life and that they knew about the unknowable afterlife. They were said to be a vanguard of forces that were really out to destroy and enslave all dragons. War was declared against all who believed the lies being spread about the land of dragons. Praises to Ruoh! became the common greeting given by all who wished to keep their standing
and lives within the lands. Those who did not openly display allegiances to the councils policies were persecuted vigorously by bands of roving enforcement patrols for being traitors and spies. At Oggs village, a continuous attempt was made to cut down or otherwise kill the two trees that grew beside the fountain. The trees reappeared each morning, flourishing and laden with fruit, to the embarrassment of the assembled soldiers and wizards. A large covering had finally been erected that enclosed the entire village circle and shielded it from view. The official message was that the trees produced fruit that contained mind-altering drugs that had caused dragons to be mentally corrupted. The policies and actions put into place by Ruoh and the government were less than effective. A hidden subculture thrived and spread throughout all the lands, with true believers spreading the message far and wide to all places. Secret gatherings were constantly being held by dragons who had been in the valley the last day the pair of witnesses were seen. The message that they saw, heard, and felt was passed on to each and every dragon, young and old, so that by months end, all had heard the message that had been given that day. Each dragon considered and determined within their own hearts the truth of the matter. With the completion of the lunar cycle, all of the lands were abuzz with anticipation. Government strike brigades were posted at the valleys cave and Oggs village and hilltop. The military was on high alert, although its ranks were now divided in their true allegiances. Throughout the lands, everyone sensed the new dawn would bring on a new occurrence. Their senses were correct. With the start of morning twilight, a squad of elite guards stationed within the now famous cave where Ogg and Revorg had last been seen came out of the cave. It
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was as if they were being forcibly pushed out of the cavern by unseen forces. They struggled, sliding backward with motion and resistance against the pressures that effectively ejected the loudly protesting squad. The alarm went out, with the military forces waiting in the surrounding valley surging toward the cave entrance. An invisible force field grew outward from the cave entrance in a circular shape, and all of the soldiers were forced away from it to a distance of some twenty dragon lengths. Fire, pike, or sword, nothing would penetrate the barrier that, though it could not be seen, was very effective in removing and keeping at bay all of the forces assembled and pressing against the outside of it. Then Revorg and Ogg reappeared from within the entrance. The pair walked upright into the gathering daylight, looking about them at the seventy or so soldiers, wizards, and officials gathered before and around them. They continued up the hill, to its summit, amid the shouted orders for them to stop, submit, and surrender. The first clear rays of the sun illuminated the pair as they stopped upon the hilltop. There they stood, until the sun cleared the horizon, when they began walking onward toward the capital city. When the sun was full in the cloudless, blue sky, Revorg and Ogg leapt into the air and flew. Round about them a gathering army accompanied their flight. A sphere of resistant force still surrounded the pair, keeping them apart from the others. When they reached the capital, the pair circled around for seven laps of the city. Like a giant, disturbed beehive, the inhabitants rushed up to meet them. So full of flyers did the skies over the capital city become that it looked like a clear globe was revolving overhead, with Ogg and Revorg at its center. The pair came to land upon the announcement tower, the highest and most easily seen spot in the entire city. Here they stood, protected
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by the sphere of force, as the sky was crowded about as far as could be seen with the flow of dragons curious to see, grateful for, or angry at the silent pair. Periodically, soldiers in the crowded sky would attempt to penetrate the encircling field with pikes or flame, yet it was impervious to all. Dragons, hear us that you may live, the pair began to speak in unison and with their words also came the mental images being conveyed to all within sight, The world is coming to an end. Soon it will be destroyed by a fiery ball falling from the outer heavens. You have not much time to decide if your life will end when this happens, or if you will pass through death into life everlasting. There are those here in these cities who call themselves gods. They tell you that this life is all that there is, that when you die there is nothing more, that it is best to do here as you will for your own gain. Follow the laws they provide and worship them. This is not true, but a lie. It is wrong for dragons to call themselves gods. In your hearts, you know that it is wrong to lie, steal, and kill. If you live for this world and by their laws, you will die with this world. They tell you there are many gods and that they walk among you and grant you platinum, silver, lands, and other gifts. We tell you that there is but one God who is eternal and who created the world and all that is in it. God is more than some dragon who can punish you if you do not obey him. God is the giver of all life. We did not create ourselves by birth. Dragons did not evolve from small lizards that jumped around and over much time grew wings and size. We were created as dragons by the one God who made all things. We come from and go to dimensions that we cannot see while we live upon the earth. All dragons are brothers and sisters in the overall scheme of existence, each with the same feelings, wants, and needs that we all have. Love your fellow dragon as you do yourselves. Give your
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worship and praise to the only God worthy of it, the one who created all things. Do not lust after your neighbors possessions or make love with others to whom you are not joined in holy ceremony. Be content and enjoy that which is yours. You must each choose, within our heart of hearts, to listen to that still, quiet voice within yourselves. You can as well continue to believe that this world is all that there is, and so pass into death with it. The time is short, search your heart, use your free will, and decide. Consider the final signs and choose. Are the outcast religious ones among you or the dragons who call themselves gods the true path to take? Then govern yourselves accordingly! Ogg and Revorg stopped speaking and raised their wings and arms to the sky. Once again, the sky began to transform, shimmering with a reflective translucence. By the time the sun was a wings breadth from setting, the rooftops were crowded, and dragons filled the area and air about, wondering and watching for what would happen next. Then it happened. The sphere of resistance disappeared. Ogg and Revorg still stood there, peacefully looking about from atop the tower, a smile and an unfathomable look upon their faces. From high above, a squadron of pike throwers rolled over and down toward the awaiting pair. At their maximum speed of dive, they released their pikes aimed at the peacefully watching Ogg and Revorg. Every dragon watched for the pikes to explode in flames, or for the offending squadron to do so also, but neither happened. Instead, the missiles found their mark. The pair of witnesses, Ogg and Revorg, the prophets who had brought a message of redemption to this lost world, died. There upon the tower, in plain view, impaled by countless pikes, they died quietly and quickly as the amassed populace looked on in awe.
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As blood began to fall from the sides of the tower to the ground below, a joyous celebration instantly started. All of the dragons that had thought their way of life was being compromised rejoiced. Those who believed that the pair had brought hope and promise were stunned at the sudden change that had come to pass. The council proclaimed a weeklong celebration of feasting to be held, starting immediately. They ordered that the two impaled bodies be left where they now lay. A sign for all who would come and see these false prophets; thereby knowing who truly rules the world. The warehouses of the government were opened for the feast, and celebration was the order of the day. It became the largest gala in memory. All other work was postponed, and from all over, dragons came to join in the festival and see the remains of the once-feared pair of false prophets and mad dragon wizards. Mer commanded that the imperial wizards give demonstrations twice daily to show how the populace had been tricked by the now dead pair of wizards. Free platinum, gold, slaves, maidens, food, and drink flowed out from the councils reserves as a show of benevolence from the true god of the people, Ruoh. Some among the dragons were not into celebrating, however. They gathered in groups away from the festivities and discussed what had happened and what they thought would now come to pass. The religious leaders, who had enjoyed a brief respite from the norm of persecution while Ogg and Revorg had lived, went once again into hiding to avoid the resilient discrimination. Their solace came in private, when they gathered with other believers who strongly felt within themselves that this thing that had come to pass was not over yet.
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chapter 8
Q
I
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t was a beautiful morning that fateful day. Cool and clear, the first gentle, rosy rays of the morning sun lightly brushed upon the capital city announcement tower. The city beneath was quiet, having undergone a raucous night of debauchery and pleasure mongering. Well after the day became bright, under the clear-blue cloudless sky, intoxicated and drugged dragons still lay about the streets and byways, not ready for the new days dawning. By midmorning, the city was finally beginning to stir, and another day of the scheduled festivity was starting. This was the third morning to rise since Ogg and Revorg had met their deaths in plain view of all. Almost every
dragon alive had at least journeyed to the capital to see the dead pair, and many received gifts for their coming. These same dragons even stayed a while to enjoy the occasion. Ruoh, half of the council, and their friends had passed the night in the palace, being given lusty pleasures by the brigade of joy. This was a special group of maidens and pleasure-givers trained from early youth in the art of ways to please. Ruoh rose late and went to private chambers, being bathed and dressed for the day. He now sat refreshed upon his private balcony, enjoying the pleasantries being paraded to him. As he sipped upon a nectar of commingled juices, he congratulated himself silently for a job well done. He had worked what he had feared into his advantage. His rule was now more secure than ever, and his appointed would continue easily in his stead when that necessary time finally came. Better to have that pair removed from the tower today and placed on a mound in the city trash pile, he was thinking. He paused for a moment, noticing that none of the usual birds or animals were about. Strange, he thought as he took another sip of nectar. Then the world about him started to shake and roll. An almost inaudible sound of a powerful rumbling reached his ears. The very earth was quivering and shaking, rolling violently under the lands. When it finally stopped, dust rose up from the great city where many structures had fallen during the severe earthquake. Screams and cries filled the air. Ruoh was standing alert and shaking from what he saw before him. The grand announcement tower had fallen. It lay in a mound of ruin beneath two dragons that stood motionless in the air above it. They were surrounded by clear white light that radiated out from them. Ogg and Revorg had
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not fallen when the tower had, but remained where they had been. Only now, the pair were not lying dead in a festering pile, but standing side by side on air. They appeared to act as if nothing had happened, and they were talking to one another while looking about and again smiling, sometimes laughing, with a very pleased expression on their faces. A mixed noise of cheers and horrified yells went up from the city as the population noticed the strange sight. Directly above them, something like a second sun appeared brilliantly in the sky. It turned into a bright, clear, white light that could be looked upon directly. From the center of this light, a being descended toward the pair of waiting dragons who were rejoiced in its appearance. Ogg and Revorg raised their arms and wings, saluting and praising the radiant entity which had so miraculously appeared. The radiance of the being outshone the sun, even though it could be looked upon without pain or discomfort to the eyes. When looking at the being, a feeling of inexplicable joy and love filled the hearts of all who beheld it. In a voice that sounded like a barrage of powerfully clapping thunder, the entity spoke with personal mental imagery, imposing clarity to the words that none who heard them would ever forget, Come home, my good and faithful dragons! Ogg and Revorg began to ascend toward the light, merging with it. The brilliance pulled into itself and disappeared, leaving behind a clear-blue cloudless sky. The world was never the same after that much-talkedof morning. The land of dragons divided among themselves in clearly defined camps of thought. From out of the shadows and caves, the religious dragons emerged with a newfound respect among their growing following of believers in something more to life. They drew apart from the cities and villages where the coun85
cil believers lived, and found their peace in out-of-theway places, away from the ways of the world. Daily, they were joined by others who had found the balance of life changed by the departed pair of witnesses. Those hardened, and oftentimes possessed, dragons who continued in the old ways unified their forces with aims of rebuilding a consolidated rule among the divided land of dragons. They imposed restrictions on trade and commerce, with pledges and insurances necessary for transactions. None could buy or sell without council assurances of their loyalty. All able-bodied souls, both male and female, were required to have military positions in the structured, intrusive, and overbearing government. These dragons all looked forward to conquering and killing the religious zealots as soon as their organizational structures were properly intact. Families found themselves divided and separated by their beliefs about truth and God. Brothers and spouses became frustrated with each others viewpoints, causing widespread disruption of the social fabric, and violence became commonplace. As magnets among iron filings, the two opposing philosophies divided the land of dragons. Not long thereafter, on a starry night when the full moon was shining brightly and casting dim shadows everywhere about, a star began to glow brighter than its fellows. As it grew in brightness, it also started to move across the heavens with increasing speed. In the darkness just before the dawn, this star burst into showering flame as it streaked across the sky. It impacted the earth in a spectacular explosion that covered the horizons from sky to sky with a cloak of dust, turning daytime into darkness. The entire globe vibrated from the force of this spectacular intrusion, causing earthquakes and gigantic tidal waves to power themselves around about the world. The enveloping covering thrown up by the impact dispersed
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and covered the earth, causing a veil that sunlight could not penetrate for many weeks. Darkness, death, and cold reigned supreme. None in the land of dragons survived within their physical bodies.
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