Enderal:The Path, Tome 12: The Star Summer Night
From sureai
The Star Summer Night
XC
Strengthened and full of trust in Malphas, the vassals, from whom the Endraleans originated, progressed from these trying times of construction and treason.
XCI
The city underneath the Sun Temple grew and became more magnificent day by day. Its inhabitants dubbed it Ark, the city that would exist eternally, guarded by Lord Malphas for all time.
XCII
And the land surrounding Ark, vitalized by the holy water of Larxes, endowed the people's crops with such yield as they had never seen before. Forgotten were the times of famine and deprivation, for bread and fruits covered the tables of all, from the temple to the simplest home at the edge of the city. From this time on, the seventh moon of a year would be called “First Harvest.”
XCIII
The vassals gave thanks to Malphas for his gifts and hosted a great feast in his honor at the foot of the Sun Temple. That is when the Light-Born spoke through Selna's voice for the last time: “Now you have subjugated this land. It has become your home and the thread, which spins the future of Enderal, lays in your hands. However, know that you will remain under my protection, if you continue to abide upon the path. And even if I may not be in front of your eyes, always live by my virtue.”
XCIV
After these words of the Light-Born, Selna spoke to the vassals with her own voice: “Return to this place in a moon and bring your families with you, so that we can all gather to the last person. We shall pray collectively to honor Malphas and reassure him of our faith.”
XCV
Selna began preparing the ceremony and assembled those who would build the holy order with her. She held her son in her arms and spoke to the Keepers: “Look, this is my son. He will become the first Grandmaster of the order according to Malphas' will and he shall, once the time is right, designate his successor. He is still but an infant and I will teach him everything a path-abiding Endralean should learn. The first stories he will hear will be those of our journey to this land. He shall write those down and give them to the Chronicum, once he has mastered writing, so that the holy opus may be duplicated for all Endraleans. The holy writing will be titled ‘The Path,’ and so I baptize my son, the first Grandmaster of the Holy Order, Dagis, the scribe.”
XCVI
Selna now assembled the Keepers every day and recited the words which would be recorded by her son and would become known as “The Path.” And so it came to pass that all the members of the order were able to recite the words in their entirety, and this would continue until the end of time. The scribes of the Chronicum began to create laws based on the wisdom in Malphas' words, and they set down parables which were to serve the Endraleans as examples of how to live a path-abiding life. These writings were distributed across the land, to spread the words of the Light-Born's wisdom even to those who lived far away from the temple and Ark. Yet not one of the scribes wrote down even a single word of The Path, for that was reserved for Dagis, the Grandmaster, once he had learned the written word.
XCVII
And Selna, the first Truchessa, anticipated that the number of those who wanted to join the Holy Order would be large, yet only a few of them would be chosen. She decreed that a long period of apprenticeship would be finalized with a strict and difficult test of spirit to pick only the best and most loyal from among all the novices who wanted to become keepers.
XCVIII
During the warmest part of the summer, the great ceremony to honor Malphas was finally held, during which the Endraleans swore their eternal faith. The temple was decorated with banners depicting the sun-eye, which symbolizes the light and wisdom that Malphas emits. And a snake could be seen that was formed into a circle, symbolizing the beginning and the end, for Malphas united both in himself.
XCIX
All of Enderal appeared and gathered in front of the temple. The firmament was lit with wild, red starfire, and so the eighth moon, which ended the year with this festivity, was called “Star Summer Night.” The society of path-abiding ones recited with a single, tremendous voice the holy words which Selna had spoken and which shall honor the Light-Born Malphas until the end of time:
C
“Thou art my light, my glimmer at the horizon. Thy name is my sacrament, and thy Path I will honor … in life as in death.”
CI
“May your Path guide me.”