Tabris
10-29-2005, 11:32 PM
This is my first fanfic. It is written in English, which is not my first language (quite naturally, since I'm Norwegian).
This is not a fanfic where I'm writing about the characters in the game. I've made my own character in the world of Spira. It came about as I am very fond of the game, and quite fascinated by the religious aspect of the story.
This is the first chapter, I am sorry if it is too long to be posted like this. In that case, the thread can be deleted and I can start a new thread with this chapter as an attachment.
Constructive critisism will be appreciated. (Oh, and the main character's name will NOT be Kilika when the story is done. That would be a bit silly since he lives in Kilika. I just haven't found a suitable Kilikan name for him yet - please bear with me on that aspect).
The Ancient Fayth
Chapter One
Kilika sat in his little study inside the Kilika Temple, studying the holy texts of Yevon. As a priest of Yevon, much of his time was spent like this. He would study the scrolls, the books and the comments, everything he could find that was included in the teachings of Yevon. He took his position as a priest seriously. To him, it was more than a job or just following tradition, it was a true search for divinity, something he was sure he had found underneath the tradition and the dogmas. His praying and studying had made him sure that there were true wisdom to be found in the teachings of Yevon.
He contiuned reading, occasionally scribling down some notes on his parchment. There was a knock on the door, and Father Brisku entered. With a curtious bow, he asked: “Good morning, Father Kilika. The ceremony will begin momentarily”. Kilika looked up, still holdning his quill. “Oh? Thank you, Father Brisku. I will attend shortly”.
After another two minutes with quiet scribling, he put down his quill and went out to join the other priests in the weekly ceremony of the Yevon's Gratitude.
---------------------------
Kilika walked out of the Temple and headed towards the beach. He liked to take a walk through the forest and down to the shore. It made him feel peaceful and relaxed. Well, expect for the fiends, all though they weren't that many for the moment. He knew the forest inside out, he had been running and playing here ever since he was a young boy. He was still a young boy when he started running up to the Temple as a young apprentice instead of playing among the trees.
He walked the final steps down to the beach. The small bamboohuts stood all around the rim, children were playing down at the seaside while their parents talked and arrangend their fishing equipment.
Kilika looked out on the sea, the calm breeze made small waves flowing gently towards him. He stood there, thinking about Sin. Somewhere, out there, it was. Kilika wondered what Sin was thinking - if such a creature was able to think. He was sure it could, in some odd way or another. When would it appear again? Would the children that ran so innocently around him live to grow old? He had noticed that even though the fiends weren't many, they were more than they used to be. This usually ment that Sin was on his way, the fiends was attracted to him.
One of Kilika's special interest field as a priest was to study how and why the souls of the unsent turned in to fiends - and exactly what made them increase when Sin approached. So far, his results were not impressive, all though he had discovered several interesting philosphical aspects that had kept him and his brethren eagerly awake more than one night.
The wind was getting more chilly as the sun was setting and Kilika turned back home to the Temple so he could be there in time for the evening prayer.
The ceremony was over, and Kilika was on his way back to his study when he noticed a young boy in the Temple, clearly waiting for him. He walked up to the boy and smiled encouringly. "Can I help you with something?" he asked. The boy handed him a stack of old books. "These books used to belong to Father Uska, and his last will was for you to have them. You are Father Kilika, aren't you? the boy ended, a bit uncertain.
"Yes, I am" Kilika replied in a low voice, accepting the books. He hadn't known that Uska was dead. He thanked the boy, saluted to him while muttering "may Yevon bless you" before he walked absentmindedly into his study. He thought of his old teacher. Father Uska had been the one that took Kilika in and trained him as a priest of Yevon when he was still a boy. He had been a good teacher, both kind and strict when he felt it necessary. Two years ago, Uska had told Kilika that he would set out for his last pilgrimage. Kilika didn’t understand what he ment, since he knew of few other pilgrimages than the one of a Summoner. And Uska was a priest. He opened his mouth to ask, but Uska just shook his head. ”I won’t be able to tell you more right now. But if I succed, you will know. And maybe also if I fail”. With these words he saluted Kilika and left.
Kilika missed his teacher and mentor, and he was also quite confused concerning his last words. But time went on, and he soon found himself preoccupied with the teachings, and he didn’t give that last scene much attention.
Until now, when he stood there with the late Uska’s books in his arms. Sadness filled his heart when he sat down and leafed through the books. At first he didn’t really take any notice of the text, he just flipped the pages while he thoughts were elsewhere. But he started to take interest when he couldn't reckognize the words. He read a chapter hurridly, but couldn't recall having read it before. He quickly looked at the front cover of the book. "Summoning and praying..." was all he could make out in the ancient, almost vanished title. He had never heard of this book before. Curiously, he started to read the book from page one.
First he thought it was just an older book of the summoning of the Fayth, as he reckognized some of the procedures and theories in the book. But there were some oddities in the text... things he had never knew...
He stared transfixed at the text in front of him. He had never seen this particular phrase before: “The ancient Fayth is for the true seeker to find, the roots of summoning lies within the Prayer of Dedication”
“The Prayer of Dedication”? “The ancient Fayth”? Kilika was nonpuzzled by the words. Sure, there were seperate chapters of the holy texts dedicated to the Fayths, he knew them well. But he had never heard anything about the anicent Fayth nor anything about this particular prayer. His heart beated fast in excitment – could this really be an unknown part of the Believe? Was this why Father Uska disapperead?
Kilika flipped hurridly back and forth in the old book, his eyes running speedidly over the pages. This whole chapter was new to him! He had no idea...
The night came and went, with Kilika only leaving the table occaisonally to fetch some bread and tea. Father Brisku knocked on the door a couple of time during the next day, but Kilika just answered that he was deep in prayer and would return from his quarters when he was ready. Father Brisku accepted this instantly, as it was normal for a priest to retire for a couple of days in a row for prayer, meditation and studying. This strenghtened the profound knowledge and understanding the priests had of the teachings of Yevon, and was a normal procedure in the life of the priests.
Three days later, Kilika emerged. He looked pale and tired, but acted surprisingly eager and awake. He attended the ceremon and retreated back to his quarters as soon as he could without breaking the etiquette. For the next days he prayed with more dedication than he had done in a long time. He stood in the midst of the temple, facing the statues of the High Summoners of the past, performing the prayer's salutation - with the hands out to either side before bringing them into the chest, as though holding a sphere, and bowing. He had done this repeatedly while whispering a Yevon-prayer to himself, when he suddenly heard himself praying "O Ancient Fayth, I pray for Thine assistance in revealing the Ancient Mystery. Thine Knowledge, Thine Understanding, Thine Insight, please grant me Thine thrice assistance. Hear my bidding, Fayth of the Ancient".
Kilika nearly lost his concentration, he stopped for a moment, in the middle of a bow. What words were these? He hadn't.... yes, he remembered. There were in the unknown portion of the teachings. A prayer he had read about the Anicent Fayth. He wasn't aware that he had memorized it. Quickly he finished his bow and started praying again - now with the new (or should he say - ancient) wording.
After the first three resitings, he felt the usual sense of calm and spiritual presence, but after he had performed this prayer for a while, he sensed something else, something he hadn't felt before. Deep, deep inside of him, he could feel - he could only call it presence, in lack of a better word - that he couldn't reckognice as any of the Fayths he had experienced. He took a deeper breath, continuing his prayer with a deeper dedication and trying at his best effort to contact the presence he could feel, with reverense and sincerity, he repeated the words over and over again: "O, Ancient Fayth, I pray for Thine assistance...." It resonnanced with the Hymn of the Fayth, he made sure he whispered every word with sincerity, consciusness and meaning. He reached a state of deep meditation that he had not reached before, his every breath and every part of his being was dedicated to the prayer, he ment every word he whispered, they gave him a more profound meaning for every resitation. He closed his eyes, he could sense the Fayth inside the deepest part of his soul. It grew stronger and clearer for every word he whispered. The Fayth saluted him with the prayer's salutation, only Kilika could see a sphere between his hands. He salutated back, still whispering the prayer. Without a word, the Fayth gave him the sphere before dissolving itself...
Kilika had a strange sensation that the sphere was inside himself in one way or another. That he could access it if only... he caught a glimpse of a strange, barren land before the image too vanished, just like the Fayth. He realised he wouldn't be able to go any further for now, so he gradualy began the process of returning to the mundane world again. He whispered the prayer a couple of more times, now with a thankful tone, before ending with the normal prayer to the Fayth of the Temple. He then took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been standing here, praying, but he noticed that the sun was about to set. Quickly, almost in a daze, he returned to his quarters to write everything down while he could still remember every detail. He scribbled for several pages, intending to add them to the book after he had finished his work with the Anicent Fayth. When he had finished, he closed the book and fell down on his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
This is not a fanfic where I'm writing about the characters in the game. I've made my own character in the world of Spira. It came about as I am very fond of the game, and quite fascinated by the religious aspect of the story.
This is the first chapter, I am sorry if it is too long to be posted like this. In that case, the thread can be deleted and I can start a new thread with this chapter as an attachment.
Constructive critisism will be appreciated. (Oh, and the main character's name will NOT be Kilika when the story is done. That would be a bit silly since he lives in Kilika. I just haven't found a suitable Kilikan name for him yet - please bear with me on that aspect).
The Ancient Fayth
Chapter One
Kilika sat in his little study inside the Kilika Temple, studying the holy texts of Yevon. As a priest of Yevon, much of his time was spent like this. He would study the scrolls, the books and the comments, everything he could find that was included in the teachings of Yevon. He took his position as a priest seriously. To him, it was more than a job or just following tradition, it was a true search for divinity, something he was sure he had found underneath the tradition and the dogmas. His praying and studying had made him sure that there were true wisdom to be found in the teachings of Yevon.
He contiuned reading, occasionally scribling down some notes on his parchment. There was a knock on the door, and Father Brisku entered. With a curtious bow, he asked: “Good morning, Father Kilika. The ceremony will begin momentarily”. Kilika looked up, still holdning his quill. “Oh? Thank you, Father Brisku. I will attend shortly”.
After another two minutes with quiet scribling, he put down his quill and went out to join the other priests in the weekly ceremony of the Yevon's Gratitude.
---------------------------
Kilika walked out of the Temple and headed towards the beach. He liked to take a walk through the forest and down to the shore. It made him feel peaceful and relaxed. Well, expect for the fiends, all though they weren't that many for the moment. He knew the forest inside out, he had been running and playing here ever since he was a young boy. He was still a young boy when he started running up to the Temple as a young apprentice instead of playing among the trees.
He walked the final steps down to the beach. The small bamboohuts stood all around the rim, children were playing down at the seaside while their parents talked and arrangend their fishing equipment.
Kilika looked out on the sea, the calm breeze made small waves flowing gently towards him. He stood there, thinking about Sin. Somewhere, out there, it was. Kilika wondered what Sin was thinking - if such a creature was able to think. He was sure it could, in some odd way or another. When would it appear again? Would the children that ran so innocently around him live to grow old? He had noticed that even though the fiends weren't many, they were more than they used to be. This usually ment that Sin was on his way, the fiends was attracted to him.
One of Kilika's special interest field as a priest was to study how and why the souls of the unsent turned in to fiends - and exactly what made them increase when Sin approached. So far, his results were not impressive, all though he had discovered several interesting philosphical aspects that had kept him and his brethren eagerly awake more than one night.
The wind was getting more chilly as the sun was setting and Kilika turned back home to the Temple so he could be there in time for the evening prayer.
The ceremony was over, and Kilika was on his way back to his study when he noticed a young boy in the Temple, clearly waiting for him. He walked up to the boy and smiled encouringly. "Can I help you with something?" he asked. The boy handed him a stack of old books. "These books used to belong to Father Uska, and his last will was for you to have them. You are Father Kilika, aren't you? the boy ended, a bit uncertain.
"Yes, I am" Kilika replied in a low voice, accepting the books. He hadn't known that Uska was dead. He thanked the boy, saluted to him while muttering "may Yevon bless you" before he walked absentmindedly into his study. He thought of his old teacher. Father Uska had been the one that took Kilika in and trained him as a priest of Yevon when he was still a boy. He had been a good teacher, both kind and strict when he felt it necessary. Two years ago, Uska had told Kilika that he would set out for his last pilgrimage. Kilika didn’t understand what he ment, since he knew of few other pilgrimages than the one of a Summoner. And Uska was a priest. He opened his mouth to ask, but Uska just shook his head. ”I won’t be able to tell you more right now. But if I succed, you will know. And maybe also if I fail”. With these words he saluted Kilika and left.
Kilika missed his teacher and mentor, and he was also quite confused concerning his last words. But time went on, and he soon found himself preoccupied with the teachings, and he didn’t give that last scene much attention.
Until now, when he stood there with the late Uska’s books in his arms. Sadness filled his heart when he sat down and leafed through the books. At first he didn’t really take any notice of the text, he just flipped the pages while he thoughts were elsewhere. But he started to take interest when he couldn't reckognize the words. He read a chapter hurridly, but couldn't recall having read it before. He quickly looked at the front cover of the book. "Summoning and praying..." was all he could make out in the ancient, almost vanished title. He had never heard of this book before. Curiously, he started to read the book from page one.
First he thought it was just an older book of the summoning of the Fayth, as he reckognized some of the procedures and theories in the book. But there were some oddities in the text... things he had never knew...
He stared transfixed at the text in front of him. He had never seen this particular phrase before: “The ancient Fayth is for the true seeker to find, the roots of summoning lies within the Prayer of Dedication”
“The Prayer of Dedication”? “The ancient Fayth”? Kilika was nonpuzzled by the words. Sure, there were seperate chapters of the holy texts dedicated to the Fayths, he knew them well. But he had never heard anything about the anicent Fayth nor anything about this particular prayer. His heart beated fast in excitment – could this really be an unknown part of the Believe? Was this why Father Uska disapperead?
Kilika flipped hurridly back and forth in the old book, his eyes running speedidly over the pages. This whole chapter was new to him! He had no idea...
The night came and went, with Kilika only leaving the table occaisonally to fetch some bread and tea. Father Brisku knocked on the door a couple of time during the next day, but Kilika just answered that he was deep in prayer and would return from his quarters when he was ready. Father Brisku accepted this instantly, as it was normal for a priest to retire for a couple of days in a row for prayer, meditation and studying. This strenghtened the profound knowledge and understanding the priests had of the teachings of Yevon, and was a normal procedure in the life of the priests.
Three days later, Kilika emerged. He looked pale and tired, but acted surprisingly eager and awake. He attended the ceremon and retreated back to his quarters as soon as he could without breaking the etiquette. For the next days he prayed with more dedication than he had done in a long time. He stood in the midst of the temple, facing the statues of the High Summoners of the past, performing the prayer's salutation - with the hands out to either side before bringing them into the chest, as though holding a sphere, and bowing. He had done this repeatedly while whispering a Yevon-prayer to himself, when he suddenly heard himself praying "O Ancient Fayth, I pray for Thine assistance in revealing the Ancient Mystery. Thine Knowledge, Thine Understanding, Thine Insight, please grant me Thine thrice assistance. Hear my bidding, Fayth of the Ancient".
Kilika nearly lost his concentration, he stopped for a moment, in the middle of a bow. What words were these? He hadn't.... yes, he remembered. There were in the unknown portion of the teachings. A prayer he had read about the Anicent Fayth. He wasn't aware that he had memorized it. Quickly he finished his bow and started praying again - now with the new (or should he say - ancient) wording.
After the first three resitings, he felt the usual sense of calm and spiritual presence, but after he had performed this prayer for a while, he sensed something else, something he hadn't felt before. Deep, deep inside of him, he could feel - he could only call it presence, in lack of a better word - that he couldn't reckognice as any of the Fayths he had experienced. He took a deeper breath, continuing his prayer with a deeper dedication and trying at his best effort to contact the presence he could feel, with reverense and sincerity, he repeated the words over and over again: "O, Ancient Fayth, I pray for Thine assistance...." It resonnanced with the Hymn of the Fayth, he made sure he whispered every word with sincerity, consciusness and meaning. He reached a state of deep meditation that he had not reached before, his every breath and every part of his being was dedicated to the prayer, he ment every word he whispered, they gave him a more profound meaning for every resitation. He closed his eyes, he could sense the Fayth inside the deepest part of his soul. It grew stronger and clearer for every word he whispered. The Fayth saluted him with the prayer's salutation, only Kilika could see a sphere between his hands. He salutated back, still whispering the prayer. Without a word, the Fayth gave him the sphere before dissolving itself...
Kilika had a strange sensation that the sphere was inside himself in one way or another. That he could access it if only... he caught a glimpse of a strange, barren land before the image too vanished, just like the Fayth. He realised he wouldn't be able to go any further for now, so he gradualy began the process of returning to the mundane world again. He whispered the prayer a couple of more times, now with a thankful tone, before ending with the normal prayer to the Fayth of the Temple. He then took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been standing here, praying, but he noticed that the sun was about to set. Quickly, almost in a daze, he returned to his quarters to write everything down while he could still remember every detail. He scribbled for several pages, intending to add them to the book after he had finished his work with the Anicent Fayth. When he had finished, he closed the book and fell down on his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.