Neytopia › Part 1: Dawn › Chapter 1

Birth

Nobody ever learned how or why she and her sister were born. Intellectuals would waste centuries looking for an explanation. Only one thing is clear: mankind was born with her.

She was separated from her sister at birth. Her sister spent centuries hidden in dark caves, alone. Meanwhile, she was showered with love and praise. Many devoted their whole lives to her. She spent centuries as a child, but a child that could win a debate against any man.

She delighted eager audiences with tales of old, saying,

There are gods above in the blue sky, far beyond man’s reach. They share our joys and pains, but they are much more powerful, as you can see all around you. The sun shines, giving life to all things. Then night comes, bringing its terrible darkness. The clouds and the rainbows, the earthquakes and the rain: the gods cause them all. But gods are merciful and take pity on us, specially when we make sacrifices in their name.

When she was a few centuries old she felt the urge to travel, to roam the world which she knew was hers. Helped by a large entourage, she explored all the continent by foot. Those who accompanied her were born and died before her eyes, seeing little change in her during their lives. In only a few years she had claimed all the land she could, but still she craved more. So she ordered her people to build the first ship.

Then she selected the bravest and strongest to accompany on her journey. They made a peace offering to the god of the seas, as she had taught them, said goodbye to their families and set sail. For a week their ship cut through the sea like a knife. But on the eighth day, the waters calmed. Winds ceased to blow on the flat ocean that now laughed at their sails. The god of the seas left them stranded, as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean. A week under the scorching sun, then two. Supplies ran out, thirst, hunger and disease soon followed.

The sailors first turned on each other. She tried to reason with them, but thirst knows no reason. They cursed her for deceiving them, for leading them to their untimely deaths. They pointed at her and said,

The gods are easily offended, and they sure don’t like your magic.

So one night, while she was sleeping, the crew tied her to a long wooden plank and set her looking downward at the sea. She woke up already on fire and cried for mercy, but her pleas were ignored. The sailors, in their insanity, delighted themselves watching her burn. They were convinced that she was an evil being, a devil who was enemy to the gods. Therefore they knew their acts were righteous. They were sure that after killing her, the gods would deliver them from their troubles. It was, after all, a mighty sacrifice.

She burned under their silent gaze and her screaming soon stopped. The burnt wooden plank broke and her lifeless body sank into the cold ocean.