By David C. Daoust
This is a tale of the Nightsky- also known as a clever little fox named ‘Indigo’.
Indigo would be known by many names throughout existence, the Holy Spirit, Justice, Death, The Fox God, the Trickster—and someday, The Father; The Creator, even, though he was still young. Indigo knew he had time to create all things much, much later… He would probably wait until it was all over, then just go back to the start, maybe then he’d feel like doing the work… He had plenty of time, now, to enjoy it all.
In the beginning, it all started with that first trick– he knocked Turquoise, a stalwart little tortoise, from her place in the rainbow. Indigo wanted the space, or maybe just the attention. It was that simple.
Through this, Indigo inadvertently knocked his friend into the Eternal Night where she spun and shifted. She fought hard to survive while Indigo, oblivious to her plight, played all kinds of different games, different tricks.
The turtles shell became strong, she became so much more… A small frozen sphere in the vast Eternal Night. This threatened her very being. Which, at last, called indigo’s attention back to her. As she was ever so much more to him than any could know… He did what he could to pull her back, as her plight, while caused by him, was ultimately just a trick.
A game.
They were so young then.
Indigo, after snarling and yapping, running from the heavens edge to heavens edge, at last formed a plan… he hurled a great comet from the cosmos… and when that did not work… even more would follow– A barrage of comets! Very few did any good. One knocked an icy moon clear from its orbit; not the forgiving sort either.
Indigo never stopped trying to rescue Turquoise. Great icy comets hurled forth, one at last struck her! Alas, they did not receive the desired effect. A great chunk was torn asunder. Yet, this sundered moon allowed Indigo a bridge, allowed him to visit, though only within an allotted time.
As the nights steadied her, Turquoise began to cool. And as they found their own way—the seasons began to form; life began to grow. Indigo knew that even if he could rescue Turquoise—she would not want to leave what life had blossomed.
Yet, he visited.
He would see himself from time to time, the Creator— old and wise, sometimes angry. The young fox steered clear, frustrated that life took up so much of Turquoise’s attention… life grew more and more as time continued.
Eventually, mankind appeared. Indigo didn’t really know the details—he would get there when he got there.
To say the intelligence of man was not stirred by Indigo, though, would be false. Surely it was his dreams that inspired them. As man grew, however, they found other ideas.
If a demon is a bad idea, and an angel is a good idea… then God, surely, is a Paramount Idea.
Plain and simple, the primitive humans could not agree on what paramount idea was best. It was clear that the heavens were riddled with such beings. All indifferent to their plight.
Humans fought and bled and died, all in the name of the wrong idea. The wrong story even.
It was clear to Indigo– Mankind needed a better story.
It was the Trickster that stepped in, Indigo himself, the fox went to each such ‘god’ in turn– And talked to them; each and every one.
Indigo did not demand anything of these ‘gods’. Instead, he pled his cause– asked each in turn, not to give up anything, but to only answer to the same name. One God. He approached gods of intellect and thunder, wisdom and the hunt, primal gods- animal gods, eidolons— even rumbling volcanoes.
He spoke to each in turn, and each in turn, not only agreed, but took a knee before Indigo. And as each did, they each, in turn, became Great Angels or Vile Demons, as the Fox God won each over in turn.
With, quite simply, the idea that each human loved, each in their own way —thus, would stop the wars, and stop the bloodshed, if they could agree on the best; To agree that the only true Paramount Idea, was Love. An idea which the Fox God was one with, as he had been, from his first moments with Turquoise.
As they, themselves, now did as well.
The One God prevailed.
And Indigo returned to his games, and all his dreams.
—
Many lifetimes later did the humans folly disrupt his leisure time again.
The human’s need to atone for their sins, brought about sacrifice.
Yet, as the population grew, the sacrifices became harmful. Offerings of food, set aside—while others starved. Yet, those starving, despite not having enough for their own bellies, were wrought with regret that they had nothing to offer up for their own sins.
It was clear to the Nightsky that, once again, mankind needed a better story.
The sacrifices were all too much. Thus, it was, Indigo, took on a life of his own. He became son to himself, known now as ‘The Son’. He lived a life among the humans.
The humans clearly needed a sacrifice so great, that it would end all other sacrifices.
Indigo offered himself up in life, though found ever so much more. The Human life showed him Justice; a paramount Idea. It became a part of him, just as Love had. In life he spread justice, he spread forgiveness, and more.
And in his human life he realized man needed even more.
Because as faith in the One God elevated man–they lost the ability to recognize such a simple, obvious fact: just because there was clear personal benefit to self, if it harmed just one other being, it did not come from Love.
Mankind was in such a sorry state, even the good and the just, could not see.
And so, he brought up a reflection. The Trickster gave man the enemy, the nemesis, the Adversary. One that represented itself as possibility, though in a way that showed humanity that just because it was good for them, did not mean it was a gift from the One God; Did not mean such acts could not bring harm to those around— anything but.
Too many felt that such benefits were a reward, while those it harmed were being justly punished by whatever idea soothed their guilt.
What humanity needed was to recognize that if something that benefitted the one, harmed others, then such a thing did not come from the One God. Could not come from Love.
And the Devil was put there, in the Darkness, to claim all that it could.
It was with the end of his human life, that Indigo knew death. As he knew Justice and Love, he was now one with Death. Power over angels and demons, and the afterlife. Truth be told, he had to wait a few days to fulfill some scriptures, though with it he seeded Hope deep within the mind of humanity.
Indigo had spread hope in life; become Hope in life… but in the heavens, he went back to his games… Back to the dreams…
What else should any young fox do, but play games and dream?
—
The Fox God left many more marks throughout history, recognizable if you look.
Much later when Turquoise began to lose her balance, humanity turned to the Eternal Night. Humanity leapt into the dark, risked it all. Humanity left both Indigo, the Nightsky, and Turquoise, which bore them all, far behind– as they ventured into the Eternal Night.
The Eternal Night was vast and open; it did not rule, it did not push. It did not change, nor did it grow… It had nothing to give.
Only with the coming of the Second Sun, did humanity find the Nightsky once again. Such a sky was the promise of a coming dawn, a new day, more importantly, hope of a new life…
Only then did the Eternal Night relinquish power to the True Night… and its indigo sky.
Tales of Indigo were told often in the Chantry, although, only recently, had Turquoise been added to the tellings— not surprising that the very mineral, turquoise, was recently found within the mines of Twin Crown.
Thus, the craftsmen, carving it into stylized turtles, to quell the sudden demand among parishioners of the now ‘Cathedral of the True Night’, throughout the Onion, which promised to make the newly built cathedral a small fortune.
——–
And that… is how we’re wrapping up aWLoN!Part4.
Check back for aWLoN!Part5,‘Swan Song’ soon– that’s right, we’re making another pass at it! ty,DD
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