The Truth of Aeron

“Holy Mother of God! This is the best damn food I’ve ever tasted!!”

If anyone saw how I was acting at the dinner table they would’ve thought I lost my mind. And to be honest I kind of did. The moment my tongue touched the well-cooked food my taste buds were overwhelmed by the delicious flavors.

From a giant glistening turkey to a strawberry cake covered with marshmallow frosting I consumed everything as if I had never had food before in my life. As I swallowed every crumb and licked every sauce I felt the strength in my bones and muscles return.

“H-here you go Baxter!”

Sitting to my right was Gnavu who was holding out a glass cup of water. I took it from her and drank the water down in three gulps.

“Damn, that was good!”

“I’m glad you liked it!” Gnavu said with a smile. “I hope this earns your forgiveness—“

“Nope.”

After quickly shutting down Gnavu's attempt to try and get in my good graces I wiped my face with the fancy red tablecloth and turned to Aeron who was sitting on my left. The blindfolded priest slowly cut his turkey leg with his golden knife and fork.

“These rooms are gorgeous as hell yet the church itself looks so dingy! I think your offerings are being put into the wrong things! If you fixed up the outside you might get more visitors!”

“The beauty of these rooms has nothing to do with money.”

Aeron replied as ate the piece of chicken from his fork.

“They were constructed by the devoted passion of a follower of God who wanted nothing more but to save the lives of sinners.”

After swallowing the food in his mouth the priest drank some water and cleared his throat.

“Now that you have finished eating take a good look at yourself, Baxter.”

I instantly looked down at my hands to see that they were no longer wrinkly or shriveled. My flesh was back to be plump, clean, and full of youth.

“Baxter look!”

I turned back to Gnavu who was holding up a mirror with a big silly-looking grin. As I stared into the glass reflection I could see my normal young self again.

After letting out a heavy sigh of relief, I leaned back on my chair and my beating heart was beginning to slow down.

“Thank the Lord!” I said. “How did the food cure me? Did Gnavu put some time magic in it to revert me to my younger self again?”

The female gargoyle shook her head.

“I don’t use any magic while cooking! I only make my meals with love!”

“What are you saying? That was just normal food?”

“Indeed,” Aeron answered. “From being in the Spirit World for too long the life in your body was beginning to be pushed out of you. To replenish your life all you must do is eat, drink, and sleep. The basic functions for mortals to continue living in this world.”

“That’s all? So next time I start turning into an old man I just pop a grape in my mouth and I’m good to go?”

“A single grape might not be enough. You may need a fifteen or twenty.”

“Where the hell would I get…w-whatever that’s not important! If I keep using zen my body turning old is gonna keep happening?”

“For the time being yes. But as I said before all you must do is keep training. Practice keeping the fibers of your essence from slipping away as you force yourself through the waters of the Spirit World. Eventually, you will be able to master it and not age.”

“But how do I get back in?”

“Just remember the sensation you felt when fighting Ojorr and Gnavu. Remember the moment when you lost your life but returned with a greater command over it.”

“Greater command over life?”

“Yes Baxter, by embracing death and coming back your connection to life is more powerful. In return, you can cut the lines of life and manipulate them to your will.”

“Geez! You’re making it sound like I became a god or something!”

Aeron chuckled.

“I would never commit such blasphemy in the House of God. You are far from the level of a deity Baxter—as a matter of fact, you’re more human now than possibly anyone else in this era.”

“Don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.”

I stood up from the chair and started stretching.

“I still have more questions. How do you know so much about zen and the Tortoise? According to a nice gnome I met in the Library of Nicholas a few days ago, records of those monks were purposely erased from history.”

Aeron turned his head in my direction and responded in a deep voice.

“The knowledge of zen is honestly not mine to know. I came across the truth of that power many years ago when I was a young lad. An orphan who lived in the slums of Eleiweth and stole from any person who walked my path.”

After hearing those words coming out of the priest’s mouth I couldn’t contain my laughter.

“Holy crap you used to rob people!? That’s a crazy thing for a priest to admit!”

“People tend to see priests as the mouthpiece of God but forget that we are humans too. There are moments when we fall short of glory just like everyone else. However, I do like to point out that this was before I joined the church.”

“Don’t worry, I understand! You don’t have to be scared of me spreading rumors or anything like that!”

“Around the time when I was young the people of Eleiweth were in great distress due to the demon army that was invading the lands…”

“Okay…wait what?”

“The demons had magic that threatened the balance of the world and the knowledge to create advanced weapons that not even the dwarves could replicate. And the worst of them was Ira the Demon King.”

“Hold on what did you say before—“

“His power generated multiple calamities. You would honestly not believe the whispers I heard of his power and the destruction he left in his wake…”

“You were there when the Demon King…that can’t be true! You would have to be—“

“And around the age of twelve, I witnessed a miracle. Philip, a young squire pulls out Chronos’s Tongue from the podium and becomes the Hero of Light. Then years later I could perfectly remember the grand parade the king had held in honor of the war. The streets were riddled with confetti, fairies danced around with the birds, the elves played majestic tunes that warmed the hearts of all who heard, and we all drank ourselves silly with complete happiness in our thoughts. The great evil was vanquished and peace has returned to Ocaleveth once more—“

“YO!”

Aeron stopped talking and frowned.

“Baxter it is rude to interrupt others when they are telling a story.”

“I’m pausing your story because there seems to be an error in it! You claim that you were a child during the era when the demons attacked Ocaleveth!? What type of bullshit are you spouting!?”

“Halt those blasphemous words, my friend!”

Standing up from his seat and approaching with an intimidating glare was Ojorr.

“Master Aeron is no liar! The words he speaks are as honest as a child who knows no better!”

Refusing to back down I stepped up to the gargoyle and shouted back.

“Either he’s a liar or he’s insane! There is no way he was there when the Demon King was trying to conquer the world! That was a thousand years ago! No human can live that long!”

“To be more accurate it was one thousand and five hundred years ago.”

I snarled as I turned my head to Aeron.

“And how do you know that huh? Looked it up in a book or something?”

“I need no book to remember the past…”

The blindfolded priest slowly got up from his chair and walked over towards me and Ojorr.

“I was present when it all took place.”

“That can’t be true! Stop fooling and just tell me what really—“

Before I could finish my sentence Aeron performed a great sequence of movements in a fraction of a second.

As fast as a whip being cracked down, the priest's left arm went onto the dining room table and picked up one of the knives. As the cutlery was in his hand he then did something I did not expect.

With a normal smile on his face, Aeron stabbed the side of his head with the knife.

I let out a loud scream as blood exploded from the side of where the knife was embedded.

“W-WHAT THE FUCK!?!”

But instead of Aeron keeling over and dying like he should have the priest just remained calm with a small grin plastered on his face.

“Your words hold truth, Baxter. No human could live for thousands of years it is indeed impossible for our kind. God made us the Children of Death the beings with the shortest lifespan. If I was still a normal human I would have long been buried with the rest of my loved ones who have since passed away before me.”

“W…what are you Aeron?”

“I am as you know me…I am Aeron.”

The priest then pulled the knife out of his head which caused more blood to spill.

“However, there is more to me than meets the eye. I was a human who lived in the ancient era and during that time I had met my end around my mid-twenties. But my compassionate master—the former keeper of this church used forbidden magic to bring me back to life…”

“No way…y-you’re undead…?”

Aeron then put his hands on his blindfold and took out his face. That was the first time I ever saw him take it off and I believed he never did due to the religious doctrine. But on the other side of the black cloth, I saw the horrifying truth.

In front of me was a man with no eyes. All there was his empty sockets that showed nothing but the darkness within his body.

“Yes…I am a zombie.”

The shocking revelation was too much for me. I recoiled back and looked around the room for a potential weapon to protect me.

Sensing my fear Aeron held up his hand and spoke as softly as he possibly could.

“Do not be afraid, Baxter. I will not harm you.”

“Oh yeah? I heard the stories! Undead are known for brutally killing and devouring the flesh of the living! How…how the hell does a priest use forbidden magic!? Isn’t that against your doctrine!?”

Aeron nodded.

“My master was an…interesting priest to say the least…”

“What was he, a demon!?”

“Close he was a warlock.”

“A warlock!? A devil worshipper was the keeper of this church!?”

“Watch your tone, Baxter…”

Aeron’s voice had become so rough in a way that I had never heard before. It was as if his body was a costume that hid a monster on the other side and I felt terrified simply just being in his presence. I feared that at some point the monster would jump out and bite my head clean off.

“Yes my master dabbled in the practices of evil magic but he was still a very devoted follower of God! I would argue that he is surely up there with the other saints resting with the Heavenly Father!”

“S-seriously…?”

“Seriously! He believed he could use the ancient forbidden spells of devil worshippers for the good and he has! He never fully divulged into gross and satanic rituals of the warlocks and only got himself into spells of healing and resurrection. He was trying to find the answers to life’s greatest questions but in the most…unorthodox way…”

“S-sure…but how did you die?”

“…years after the Demon King was sealed Eleiweth was engrossed in the rebellious battle which has been dubbed the Riot of the Scarlet Sin. When chaos flooded the streets I was one of the unlucky passerby’s who received the worst of it. A huge stone that was in the air slammed against my skull and I died instantly.”

“Damn!” I winced. “That must have hurt!”

“I didn’t feel a thing. The first moment I was out of the street and the next—POOF! Darkness took me and I left the world of the living…then about maybe an hour later I woke up inside the church resting on the altar where my master was right next to me crying tears of joy.”

“That is insane…so you died and came back. What was…what was the afterlife like?”

Aeron shrugged.

“I do not remember. Memories of me ever entering the other side were taken from my mind when I returned.”

“Darn, that blows! Would’ve liked to know what the afterlife would have looked like! At least I know what to look forward to!”

Aeron let out a small chuckle.

“Maybe first you should start being more connected to God and maybe He will be kind enough to award you promises of what Heaven would be for you!”

“Tch! Whatever! Anyway, I interrupted you a lot! Can you continue the story about the Tortoise?”

“Yes the twelve warriors…the brave and determined knights who were friends from long ago…”