CH15 - Faith's Creation
Caesar feels the world's weight on his shoulders as he walks through the homestead. So many lives are being held within his hands. Few men know leadership is a curse because few dare to shoulder the burden.
He desires a harem to fit his every need. To bend to his whim seems like the envy of any man. The knowledge that all he has to do is merely speak his want, and someone will satisfy is alluring. It seems like a dream within the world, unlike any other.
His desire is almost insatiable as he witnesses their eagerness each day. A willingness to please builds within each of them to serve the needs of their savior, the one man who pulled them from certain death. He almost wishes that he didn't heed Gabriella's call to arms.
He slumbered for years, allowing the world to fall apart as he existed in the red dawn's darkness. Hidden within the desires of monsters and demons. He has enslaved himself to his passion for more, a camouflage of his strength. The seeping desire for more incredible things allowed him a peace he had never known.
In truth, hunger and service of a guiding force keep the women of the homestead safe. His brother's writing of the cursed scriptures was one of Caesar's most significant moments of pride and deepest regrets.
The world was a different place a millennium ago. Mankind was on the brink of extinction when villages were indignant, and men and women lived in small scattered homesteads.
The world is a sea of darkness as monsters are drawn to hope like moths to a flame. Their strength wanes through the ages, so when hope is born. Strengthened within the family bonds of love, the demonic come to the feast.
His hunger for power had been allowed to fester for so long that even he became one of the cursed. Caesar became one of the creatures with the blinking red orbs of hunger and desire.
The world changed when he and his brother came across a house. The family of a father and son was defending the birthing by a young mother. Where his brother had devoured the men to capture the woman and child, Caesar had been drawn to one of the monsters.
He had witnessed over the years the transformation of small parties of hunters seeking the guidance of more substantial entities. Allowing their desires to be met so that together they could feed. Eventually, the leaders grew so strong that the pack provided independence to ensure survival.
The strongest of the creatures became God's as no amount of animals could destroy them. They were left alone to feed on the strongest of the world. When the strongest had perished and weakness remained, the Gods slumbered to preserve their strength. Only to be awoken every few millennia to choose a champion and conquer the powerful.
As Caesar arrived on the scene, he saw a coven of demonic witches turned upon their leader. There was something in the creature's voice that called to him.
The desperation as her followers reached out to tear her apart caused something to snap inside him. He had lost the hunger for innocence and desired the wicked. In the act of true vengeance, he struck out at the pack and cannibalized the flesh of the creatures within.
Caesar laid waste to the starving and pitiful beings to rescue the witch. Her body was broken and battered as the darkness of her life force seeped from her pale skin. His body, with hunger and desired to devour her. To take the power she held within ad his own as he had done with her followers.
His body pulsed with radiant energy as he desired to feast upon her. To conquer and devour the flesh before him, but something broke in the desperation of her eyes. A long-dormant piece of humanity surfaced in his eyes as he saw a cursed woman dying before him.
His brother escaped the clutches with a wife and daughter. A daughter to raise as his own to serve every demonic need and whim. The mother merely continues giving birth to feed his hunger for innocence. It would be centuries until they found one another again.
Caesar hid within the shadows of the world, fearing the destruction of his humanity. Protected and treasured by the loyalty of a witch. His devoted and loyal servant brought out the best in her Lord and Master.
Caesar could not ask for anyone more reliable than that of his Gabriella. The soul who, like him, cast off the hunger for power and retained their humanity.
Whereas in the centuries that passed, his brother had created faith itself. His brother's desire to father children with his offspring caused a perversion of truth.
Where Caesar embraced his humanity, his brother, the Oracle, embraced his monstrosity. Utilizing the service of his granddaughter, the Oracle conquered tribes through the devotion of Olivia, his child bride.
Caesar pulled Gabriella into the wasteland of slumber. There he slept until the power of a trinket of the Gods pulled his mind awake. Within the belly of a deep volcano, a dark crystal orb called out to every living being.
Pulsing with energy and the promise of endless devotion, the Orb promised eternity. Recognizing the corruption of an object of fate emboldens the hunger of the Gods.
They fought one another for the greatest gift and corruption of all. Luckily, the Oracle had found the prison of the ancient God of hate. At the moment of the Orb's use, Caesar felt his brother's humanity ripped from his soul.
Every creature of power and God had felt the shift of power. Fed by the faithful's devotion, the creature conquered the Oracle to pull his power. To provide constantly for the world's desires like the old Gods, turning worship into force.
Caesar closes his eyes and feels the curse of leadership wearing him down. He knows that belief in one's self and power will only feed the hunger and desire of the world. Unlike Caesar himself, the women of the homestead, if left to fend for themselves, are strong enough to be desired but not feared. Who would ever believe throwing off the shackles of slavery would endanger their souls?
The holy scriptures speak of the mercy of the Gods. In their compassion, the prey embodies the strength to satiate their God's hunger and desires. The Gods are all-powerful, and the people were created in their image.
Which is why Nica's God is so different; why in the world would such a powerful creature ever cloak a warrior in the armor of slavery? Caesar shrugs his shoulders as God's desires are a mystery. He is far too burdened with the protection of a few. He will let the Gods see to their own.