Page Eleven

Infinite realms are as inhomogeneous and bizarre as the issars who conceived of them. They don’t adhere to natural principles, but exist as quirky, expressive spheres limited only by the wild imagination of their creator. Deccolpa was one of the first finite realms that severed nature’s standard. Instead Deccolpa is a tweaked version of paradisal aspirations, boasting idealisms in meteorology, biology, and geology. Gwenliba devised and oversaw the Deccolpa project- an endeavor that initiated the creation of the entire issara frontier. He conceived of a flourishing, climatically moderate, municipal oasis that currently is the heart of issara. Deccolpa is the reigning domain of the infinite realms; the oldest and most powerful issars reside in the many manors lodged within its serene forest and teetering on top of its lush hillsides; or they at least have private residences there for mundane, business-related excursions.

A heavy wind has ushered the last of the clouds away, leaving Deccolpa with a clear, dusk sky as the Deccolpa population settles in for the evening. Night’s dense veil rises and marks the end of another tedious day whose steady cycle dictates the structureless lives of its citizens caught in an unadulterated bliss. At the summit of Deccolpa is the bustling Deom territory- a collection of facilities suitable for hosting festivals, fanfares, administrative assemblies, and provides spacious issarian, residential living. Barricaded by a fringe of foliate arbors, braided columns, and sparse trees, stands the junior dormitories south of the Deom estate where demi-issar orphans dwell and ripen in their juvenescence. Once every thirteen revolutions, Gwenliba walks the dorm’s passageways to offer an incantation that fortifies their dreams. In and out of the dormitory’s halls he marches, his prayers accompanied by the burning of a candelabrum. The imperial issara priest, Munpejay, thoughtfully devised this ritual. He initiated this antidotal formula after Gwenliba’s plea for a sleep aid that could purify the dreams of the demi-issar children whose spirits the Ged had escorted into issara. Gwenliba finishes his short vigil and walks the path back to his chamber. In front of his door, he places the exhausted candelabrum on the ground for Munpejay to retrieve and enchant once again. After forcing his senses to accept nature’s intention for periodic rest, he lays himself in the bed, fully clothed, without ritual.

      In the finite hours of the night, a cry awakens Gwenliba from his slumber. He recognizes the voice, for it bellows from the chamber of the Ged- the adolescent protector and intercessor of children. Immediately he rushes to Gide’s (aka the Ged) chamber located within the junior dorms, ready to subdue the terror that has broken the boy’s peace. Yet upon Gwenliba stepping through the chamber’s doors, the boy has already dashed to the entry. They met each other in a woeful embrace, the sobbing Gide clinging to his robe.