August 4, 2008

A quiet place at the end of the world

The air was shredded, the fragility of the cool night was utterly violated by fire and panic. Great tides of disturbed ether washed out across the world as the golden-hued Moon fell from its place in Heaven. It fractured and groaned loudly as it exhausted its strength to resist the pull of the vast ocean below, and gargantuan island-sized boulders were hurled in all directions. Entire villages were forever buried under brilliant, flaming moonstone.

Repeatedly struck by the rain of stone and fire, the shimmering veil of technologically-employed magic that protected Neduin City shuddered. The Arc, the city's computational and essential heart urged everyone to stay out of the streets, to seek shelter and to stay informed. Despite its best efforts, there were breaches in the barrier, and many parts of the city had at least a slight coating of dust, while others had larger rocks, and even fewer were decimated beyond recognition.

As secondary systems failed, the holographic and android city workers who were working to save as many people as they could, repair those failing systems, and ultimately preserve the city began to go offline, themselves.

Meanwhile in the distance, those who lived in Neduin's high-rise apartments could see to the south-west, the great mecha city of the Dragon God coming apart at the seams. It was tied directly to the crumbling Moon above; and as its place in Heaven failed, the Dragon God's city was also disintegrating before everyone's eyes.

This was the end of the Dragon God's age on Aira.

The vast, primordial entity who had many names, but who was known in Neduin as the Dragon God, has constructed his city on the lone island to the south and west of the vast floral plains called Dinoth. He instructed the Esün, the corporeal mortals who dominated the world of Aira in the arts of mechanics, technology, science, and the etheric arts that related to those disciplines. He helped them construct their technological jewel, Neduin City, over the geomantic heart of the element of Metal.

He had shown the Esün of the far South how to harness the heat and raw energy of live volcanoes and raging magma chambers to fuel their steam-powered cities that sat on rivers of flowing lava. To the Esün of the distant East, at the very edge of the Great Eastern Desert, he gave the gifts of alchemy and quantum transmutation before they began to build vast subterranean complexes.

Lastly, the Dragon God's city was built out of compassion, generosity and wisdom. It was tied to the one Sun, the two Peoples, the three Trees, the four Moons, the five Futures, the six Elements, the seven Temples, the eight Constellations, and to the Ten Thousand Things within and beyond Esün understanding. All things were brought into perfected harmony.

Yet, despite his great wisdom and incredible foresight, the Dragon God was unable to anticipate the interruption of that perfection by outside disturbances. Like a putred bile, the corrupted essence of the Abyss whispered the name of the fourth Moon. In those twisted words, that hollowing speech was etched a great curse that set Heaven against Earth, and the Moon began its descent. Before anyone knew it was happening, it was already far too late to do anything about it.

That night was, according to some, the first night of the end of the world. The Moon did not complete its fall and stopped in the sky shortly after dawn. Steam, smoke and gaseous essence billowed out of the fractured city of the Dragon God and was carried into the uttermost West by the Quiet Attendant of Blissful Presence. Neduin City's barrier was given a chance to rest and its people were given a chance to repair their bruised metropolis.

The golden Moon sat in the sky, with enormous cracks extending from the point closest to the ocean and extending past its equator to the other side. Sundered parts of the Moon, some as small as apples and others as large as cities drifted in a lazy, misguided orbit around their parent.

Ripe was the time for the Esün named Reilune to become the first and only of her people to attain enlightenment. Just as it had been designed by the Dragon God, centuries before, she would awaken and guide others to liberation's excellent bliss. As the age of the Dragon God waned, the age of the Great Awakening was about to begin ... at the end of the world.