Do you know the Vengelys?
When I was young, I wasn’t afraid of
anything, except Rigor and my father…and maybe the transition and sealing. Transition
was spoken of with such reverence and whisper that it must be terrible. You
never heard anyone shouting about it. There was no celebration for it. ‘Once
you are through transition and sealed into form and purpose…’ seemed to be the
lone context, not so helpful.
I had hoped once Rigor or Dom went
through and sealed that they would be more open about it and toss a guy a hint,
but secrecy seemed to be part of it when I saw them, which after they paraded
was not much at all. A package deal so to speak…transition, seal and keep your
mouth shut. Whatever you do, don’t tell
your brother. Fuckers. I knew my
purpose and I didn’t need to transition or seal, or to be quiet to know. I am a
Vengelys. I will be a warrior for the high house of Amaranth, seat of the god
of the Aradian people, period.
Growing up Vengelys there are
expectations or there is failure. Failure is not an option. We are a family of
warriors for the throne for generations farther back than I can fathom. It is
an honor to serve. The name Vengelys itself is synonymous with the warrior
class of our kind. Only three other families can boast anything near the
centuries of service. All counted together would fall perilously short in
numbers or time to the Vengelys’ tenure in comparison. We were old. Still are.
Currently there are sixteen generations
of Vengelys with at least one member serving. Usually there is more than one. Impossible? Hardly. When time is
uncounted and death is a decision, the choice to continue to fight is an easy
one. For the warrior class, sometimes death is someone else’s decision, but a
decision nonetheless. For the Aradian people, when we have completed our
purpose or feel we have finished our journey, it is a choice to lie down and
surrender our life force to the well of souls and be renewed to the plane. How
we return is also a choice, but solely the choice of the god, and dependent on
which face of the god was showing.
In the high house of Amaranth we follow
a three-faced god. Amaranos favored the laborers; Amarine, the thinkers; and
Amarus the warriors. Amarus had been seated the day each of my six brothers and
I was born into this life. Thankfully, it had been Amarine when it was my
sister’s turn to come into this world or there could be eight Vengelys serving
the warrior class from our generation. Gender is irrelevant.
Every male Vengelys and a few of the females for
thousands and thousands of years had been a member of the warrior class. I was
no different. I had been a warrior from the day of my birth to this life. Amarus
in the seat the day of my birth said so, but given the choice, I would choose
it anyway. Win-win for me, who was I to fight destiny? Those lying down to return
to the well of souls hoped that they would be born unto a day of Amarus in the
seat. Many wished to be Vengelys as well...
~Through the Oracle's Mist, Aedan Byrnes
2 comments:
Transition and sealing? The world-building must be interesting. How did you vision it before starting to write?
capefearlibn at gmail dot com
Such an amazing introduction to the Vengeleys, their world and their three faced god. I was curious as to what the Vengeleys transition into after their sealing but you have to read it to find out...
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