The Enlightenment of Nespi IV (Or the relunctant king)

The space junk hovered, orbiting my planet like a dark rain cloud; A reminder of the wars waged by my ancestors. The elders told us our forebears were vicious, savage, waging wars over petty arguments. They eventually destroyed themselves in our skies and far away. The Elders were the survivors and they controlled everything here on Nespi IV. The clothes we wore, the images we saw and sounds we heard. Music was prohibited and emotion was abhorred and censored. Yes, the Elders controlled everything, until the Empiads came…

As I said, the Elders abhorred emotion. They naively believed it was the reason our ancestors waged such terrible wars and if they controlled emotion they could end suffering. If these sounded like good intentions, it was hard to tell with the way we were treated. Children were beaten for laughing and singing, and deprived of their dinner for crying their beatings. Despite what the Elders taught, my father did not hold with their dogmatism and secretly raised me not to be as stoic as my peers. Secretly my family sang songs of old. We were nearly arrested a number of times but my father knew the Elder’s Chief Guard and he was easily bribed. Still I had to keep my emotions in check for fear of repercussions from the Elders. I was pretty good at towing the line….until my father died.

I could not control the forbidden tears and sobs at his funeral, while my mother and sister’s dry eyes shamed me. For my lack of composure, I was exiled from the Great City of Seneca.

And so it was that I came to the forest of Fengi that surrounds the City. No one had entered these woods in recent memory, but there was hushed talk of strange, wild people living there. I once believed this was just a story. Until this point. I walked through the forest for several hours, stopping only to refresh myself, when I saw a strange sight…

Because of my censored upbringing, I had never seen such a thing….a young woman, naked and dancing by a pool of water, singing a song sweeter than any of our ancestral songs. I could not help but stare. Not out of lechery but out of sheer enchantment. I had never seen anything more…beautiful. When she finally noticed me, she was not surprised or afraid or anything. She just smiled a knowing smile and continued to dance and sing her merry tune. She skipped down a path. Somehow I felt she was inviting me to follow. So I did and after a while we came to what our ancestor would have called a caravan. The young woman disappeared and I was greeted with the heartiest laughter and savory smells of cooking the like I had never smelled. It all seemed so foreign...and yet inviting. I entered their camp and silence fell.

These strange people just stared at me with hushed whispers, as a exotically clad man approached. He was an older fellow with a purple turban and a long gray beard.

"Greetings, greetings" he trumpeted. "We’ve been expecting you!"
"Ex-expecting me," I stammered.

"Why, yes! You are the one foretold. The Spirits told me you would come, a stranger from the savage city who will lead us to meet the Messiah!!"

"I-I think you’ve got the wrong person. I’m only an outcast" I tried to explain.

"Ah, but the spirits said you would be an outcast. An outcast from the savage race!!"

"Now wait a minute. My people are not savage. They’re just well….backward."

What could I say to defend the very people who exiled me for the mere crime of showing emotion?

"But enough of this," the old man said. "You must be tired, hungry, and thirsty from your journey through our woods. Nashira!"

The naked nymph now clothed appeared and smiled that knowing smile.

"Ah, yes", the old man said, "I see you’ve met my daughter. It’s alright. I’d be honoured to give her away as a bride."

"I…I…I…" was all I could manage. Things were progressing a little more quickly than I could process.

"Take this young gentleman to our tent and see that he is fed. Later we will discuss the wedding and the Spirits’ will.

"As you wish, father," she said with a wide smile, clearly pleased to accept her charge.

Nashira, as she was called, led me by the hand to her family’s tent which was as big as
three rooms in a city household. The ground was lined with some kind of animal fur, and the whole place had an enchanting smell, far superior to the perfumes of the city.

"My father has talked of your coming for ages," she said breaking the silence.

"I don’t wish to be rude," I said "but who does he think I am?"

"My father is a great oracle. He has received visions from the Great Spirits of an outcast from the wicked city who will lead our people to meet the Messiah"

"Again, you’ll have to pardon me, but who or what is the Messiah?"

"Why the Spirits’ messenger, the Guardian who will restore order and harmony and anoint the King of All-Lands. Don’t they teach you anything in the city?"
"Nothing of value it seems," I said with a small laugh and sighed. "My father tried to teach me of the old ways but the Elders won in the end."

"Well now you are among us and everything is going to be much better". She leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. It was the most wonderful feeling in all the world that I burst into tears

"What’s wrong?"

"I’ve never felt so much…." Even my father’s teachings could not prepare me for this.

She pulled me close and held me for what seemed like an eternity.

"Now, my love, you are free," she whispered softly

It was dark by the time I came to my senses, and we were summoned to see Evalorn, Nashira’s father.

"Ah, the one-foretold, and my daughter. It is the will of the Spirits that you should wed. But first I must speak to the one-fore told alone.


"One Foretold…" He started

"Adosh, sir, my name is Adosh."

"Adosh, the One Foretold… You have come to show us the way to the Messiah. Yes The Messiah! The Spirits will send the Messiah now that come. Fear this day oh savage city!!! Evalorn turned to me. We, the Lorads were once outcasts like you but the Spirits smiled upon us and we were told a Saviour would come from the abomination itself, one uncorrupted by that great evil And here you are, my friend."

"I don’t understand," I said "What am I supposed to do?"

"When the time is right, we will march upon the great city. The Messiah will come an anoint the King of All-Lands," he answered

"Who is the King of All-Lands?

"The One Foretold."

"But I…I, " I began.

"When the time is right, you will be ready" He put his hand on my shoulder and reassured me with a kindly smile
"But first, the ceremony of marriage!" From nowhere the whole congregation formed and Nashira appeared wearing a silky dress. I was nervous before, but the way Nashira held me told me there could be no one or no way else. I stood proudly, nearly as proudly as Evalorn himself, as he performed the ceremony of marriage.

"By the sacred fire, you are bound together
By the sacred water, your love is purified
By the sacred air, you breathe as one
By the sacred ground, you walk all paths together
I pronounce you, Adosh, the One Foretold, and Nashira, my beloved daughter, married by the Will of Spirits. May They bring you prosperity."

We embraced in a passionate kiss.

Many months passed and I learned the was of the Lorad people. I learned to hunt, to dance to sing their merry songs. I learned about love with my wife, Nashira. I had not known such peace, such happiness. Then one day Evalorn came to me and said solemnly "It is time."

We all assembled that night, some carrying torches. The Lorads were singing a song I had not heard before. One of the One Foretold leading the masses. Appropriate. It was a song more solemn than their hymns to the Spirits. Evalorn placed some kind of ornate headdress upon my head and he spoke to the crowd. "Here is the One Foretold come to lead us this night to Wicked City. The Messiah will come and we will have justice!!!!"

We marched until we reached the city and singing got louder and louder. I wondered what the city people would say or do. I didn’t have to wonder for long. One of the Elders present at my banishment recognized me and with a loud authoritative voice he said: "So it is Adosh the weeper returned from exile. Who are these heathens you bring with you?"

"You are the heaths city-rotter," cried Evalorn

"You violate the laws of the Great City of Seneca. By such violation I am authorized to call out the Guard" The Elder said with smug smile. With the touch of a button, the Guards descended from their barracks and began. The Lorads fought gallantly but they were soon outnumbered, when the sky seemed to open up and large disk-like monolith descended from the sky. So apprehending was the sight that silence fell where but a minute ago there was chaos.

The thing, a ship I gathered, the like of stories of old, landed. A door opened and godly creature came gracefully out. They had long necks, wide innocent eyes and mirthful looks on their faces.

With Godlike voices they said in unison in a kind of musical harmony: "People of Nespi IV. We have been monitoring your plant for many years. It has become clear that we must intervene. The pollution of Seneca city and the mistreatment of its people and the people known as the Lorads is criminal. It ends now!!"

With a song that seemed to come from their very beings , the buildings of the great city, the city itself, began to melt away and the Elders and their Guards turned to dust.

"Bring forward the one known as Adosh" they said after the destruction of the city had ended. I came and knelt before them. "You have been chosen to lead these people. Your incorruptible nature will prove to be a valuable quality in a leader, and these people will have need of you"

"Thank you, but if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?"

With a kindly laugh, they said "We are the Empiads, chosen Guardians by the Cosmic Order. We monitor the planets but only interfere when it is absolutely necessary. Your task is to be what we cannot, ruler of this planet. Rule with firmness but with compassion and love as well. You will not let us down" Then they gathered and their ship ascended in the sky until it was out of sight.

Where the city once stood grass trees and all sorts of vegetation began to grow. I turned to my people and began the task to rule these people as their reluctant king