Page Fourteen

Gwenliba

Joining the league of the issars was once a natural, graceful, and intricate transformation, dependent on the mortal’s journey through his finite body and the care he extended to his physical, mental, and spiritual prosperity.  Under the right conditions, the body would experience a rapid evolution, cell by cell miraculously regenerating as the multilocular system becomes unrecognizable to death’s venom. Yet, cautious issars found it profoundly necessary to tamper with nature’s generous proclivity; and with the formation of order, civility, and morality within issaria, the issars gradually implemented a new decree. For the past several eons, a counsel of severe issarian magistrates evaluate hopeful issars and hold deliberations over which mortals to bestow issarhood upon, putting an end to nature’s haphazard approach. By no accident, they narrowed the road to issarhood, formulating strict prerequisites so that no ‘undesirable’ could enter into the lavish immortal culture. And as the number of incoming issars plummeted (there might be one or two elderly candidates per finite realm) they needed to create a new status of eternal folk to aid them in their surmounting duties. They deemed them the demi-issars. The most striking distinction between them and the issars is quite in fact their ordinariness; there is nothing outwardly remarkable to boast, nor anything extraordinary to contend with if a particular demi-issar turned inimical (they could be easily dealt with). Most are the old who have merely survived for many ages as revered elders, cantankerous hermits, virulent cultist, raving oracles, restless saints, illustrious virtuosos, or charismatic statesman. The issars were compelled to admit these individuals into issaria, even if only as demi-issars; empathizing with the elder’s existential limitations as aged mortals awaiting death. Though not all were elders, some were mortals who met death early in life, while others were believers who consecrated their lives for an early ascension into the heavenly spheres, or wanderers who stumbled upon sacred gateways that opened to issarian abodes.  Whichever path, the most important characteristic of a demi-issar is a benign nature. Truly, demi-issars flourished and became the ornamental dross of a vacant issarian landscape, vassals in a land of needless plenty.

The issar’s nefarious meddling knew little bounds. In order to metaphysically hinder the matriculation of new issars, placating their desire for a totalitarian leadership, they needed to comprehend the compositional, physiological essence of life as an immortal. They conducted rigorous experiments on themselves, eviscerating their own luminous bodies, dredging up the deep recesses of their psychological/ preternatural extremities, all to discover the empirical source that devoured their mortality.  These select, truly ambitious issars concocted syntheses that weaved existence, insertions that generously transmuted genetic puzzles, and aberrant algorithms aimed at forging and destroying blocks of celestial bodies. Most importantly, the issars realized that they are not mere vessels capable of evading death, but are issars interwoven with the elemental forces that prolong their existence. To destroy an issar is to make an apocalyptic dent in the universe, compromising pillars of civilizations, ecosystems, and time (of unknown consequence). Yet, this knowledge is kept secret, scattered- and only a few, and only jointly, can utilize this power.  Those issars who have these critical fragments of information are as follows: Gwenliba, Thanton, Quanpo, and Vrestrot. Subsidiary to this aged magic, those who rule entire infinite realms have limited powers: Rontonc, Dosick, Niseka, Decantar, Munpejay, Jandergaus and many more.

The issars gather once every one hundred years to assess the expansion of the infinite realms and review current realm activity. With so many realms crowding the cosmos (juxstrata), it is necessary to survey known issars and their kingdoms as a way to discourage resistance and unlawfulness. It is also perfect timing for Gwenliba to reveal Gide’s tumultuous dream to a few select issars, a dream that implicates some of his comrades- issars he made certain to invite. Gide, who is probably against the sharing of his personal turmoil, is unaware of Gwenliba’s actions.

It is a mortal’s euphoric, expressive desire to not fade into the indistinguishable specks of dust- to live beyond one’s expiration and achieve an immortal’s standing. Within the perimeter of the Issaria, this feat came with benefits. Not only would one challenge the fortitude of death’s grips, but one’s evolution would exponentially speed up, rendering them creatures of myths.