Origins (33)

“The Destroyer of the Ancient Lore!” he howled at me. I nodded to him with a sad smile on my face. Meli and Sert glared at me in wordless shock. “The child of Ishtar and the crazed god-priest from the Old Ones.” he stated to me. They still looked at me in confusion as Stavros slowly regained his seat. “Scion of the heavenly rebellion.” he continued blankly. He was now ignoring everyone at the table as he focused fully on me. I remained silent as I nodded slowly to his statements. “Son of Chaos to both the Greeks and Romans?” he concluded. My sad smile brightened as I nodded to his last note. This litany announced my origins as I willed it to be known without my true origins being whispered around me.

“I believe this requires some explanation to us Lord Kestrel, Envoy of the Ones on High to the Alton.” Meli remarked in formal Greek. I did not show my annoyance at being forced to explain this now. Stavros still stared at me but had calmed greatly from his first reaction at my names and regained most of his sanity.

“I am the child of madness raping passion which makes me destruction.” I said slowly. My eyes remained locked with Stavros who nodded his acceptance to my words. “Sent to a crazed monotheistic deity as his first celestial servant cast out for helping save his 'heaven'.” I continued. “Then I walked the earth as a pariah from the days sweet Annianka healed me after I fell from heaven.” I explained. “I used the name Meakita when I wished to be ignored while travelling the cradle of human society before my adoption into the Greco-Roman pantheons by their deities of Chaos gaining the name 'Melchia' .” I concluded. Stavros had followed the thread of names sometimes nodding and sometimes mouthing the word “impossible” but had remained calm and silent.

“But would that not mean that you are as old if not older than Her Holiness Annianka?” Meli sputtered. I did not glance at her feeling her shock flowing from her. Sert felt calm only listening in passing to the conversation as he slowly ate his pomegranate. “Since you existed before you meet her?” she added quickly.

“She existed before I called her forth.” I whispered in Atlantian. “I have lived many lives for a very long time.” I stated in Greek. Stavros eyebrow had shot up when Meli spoke of Annianka. “She speaks of one part of the Ancient Elemental Avatar Annabadurziagkia which rules presently as a holy being over the Alton.” I explained to him. His eyes widen as I felt understanding and sudden acceptance to all that I had revealed. The myths of my false origin was now firmly in place in his mind and that of my companies.

“It still sounds so impossible ...” the old man whispered slowly.

“So simply see me as a Roman named 'Melchia' escaping the war by running into the hands of an enemy.” I suggested with a shrug. “Or call me Lord Kestrel of the Alton.” I added smiling softly.

“Lord Kestrel it is then.” Stavros replied quickly. “The other names would have me appear as a madman to all.” he continued softly. “As an Alton, you will not be challenged when setting foot in Greece.” he added with a nod.

“I still do not understand any of it.” Sert remarked innocently. He shrugged before glancing at me directly. “I am sure Meli will explain to me what I need to know later.” he concluded in Atlantian. The corner of his mouth twitched upward as he spoke which made me believe he lied about his ignorance.

“Best we load the cart for the week long sail back to Greece with everything we can gather from here.” I ordered slowly.

“I fully agree on that note.” Stavros replied quickly. “But I will want to dispose of everything from this town once we reach Greece.” he continued slower. “The oddness here does not give me faith in the produce.” he muttered under his breath.

Sert did not wait rushing off to start collecting the edible supplies from the kitchen to load them into our cart. Meli had not moved from my side. I felt she still had questions about all that had been spoken of. I rose from my chair to bow toward Stavros before heading up to the rooms above. I heard Meli's footfalls behind me as I arrived to the farthest door in the small upper hallway.

“I want a better explanation than what you have revealed.” she stated bluntly at my back. I turned slowly to face her. “Sert is not the only one that is unclear at your heritage.” she admitted softly. I smiled to her with a slow nod.

“I received the name and title of Alal from my mother Ishtar, the Ancient One of Passion that had begotten me from being raped by the crazed god-priest of the Old Ones during the war between those two houses of deities.” I explained slowly. “Their war was in part silly since they were both children of the same upper planar beings.” I continued calmly. “In their tongue my name means destroyer so I am known as the Ancient One of Destruction.” I ended. I waited as Meli digested what I had told her.

“Alright, that part is clear now.” she returned with a nod. “Next part?”

“During the ending of the war between the Ancient Ones and the Old Ones, they decided to summon an Elemental Avatar to represent them upon the Earth as helper for the humans.” I told her. “This would have allowed them to focus upon the war while knowing that the humans were not being abandoned by them.” I explained slowly. “They selected a being from the myths of their parentage to become their Avatar but she was split into four parts when she manifested into our existence.” I continued. I did not hide the false exasperation in my tones while speaking of the mishap that occurred. “The one known to the Ancients as 'Hope' is your Annianka.” I concluded softly. I watched her eyes for reactions while holding back touching her mind directly.

“Next?” Meli interjected as she nodded her understanding.

“Since some of the Ancients blamed me for the accident, I was sent to serve as first angelic name Seraphim to a lesser monotheist deity.” I reported. My hand found the handle for the door at my back to open it silently. “It copied me to create his army of half-baked celestial servants known as angels in the world now.” I continued calmly. I leaned against the door frame casually. “After the failed rebellion by one of his creations, I was cast from his heavens as a betrayer for having given his loyal angels weapons and armour to end the heavenly war.” I stated bluntly.

“That is when you first meet Annianka in this world?” Meli surmised softly. I smiled back as I nodded.

“I crashed to earth broken and near death trapped in the form of a kestrel which she healed.” I returned softly. “For this, I stood with her in my angelic form to help defend her village from attackers but it caused them to turn on her.” I continued. I could not stop myself from forming tears in my eyes at those thoughts. “When they came to attack her, Annianka released her righteous rage upon them slaughtering them all to the last man.” I concluded with a sad sigh.

She stared at me in silence. I slowly touched her mind realizing she could not link this moment with my arrival upon Atlantis. I waited in silence for her to tell me to continue while she glared at me for not continuing my tale. What more, I could see in her mind that she believe the Ancient Ones had sent me to Atlantis to watch over Annianka preventing another destructive ending. I finally sighed and grumbled before continuing.

“I travelled the lands after Annianka was pulled back to the Ancients' seat of power thinking she was a defective aspect of the entity called forth.” I explained slowly. “I brought destruction and chaos everywhere I set foot regaining in earnest my Ancient title of Destroyer under the name she had given me, Kestrel.” I told her with a vicious smile on my lips. “The dread bird Kestrel was finally put down by a great army.” I continued. “But I was adopted by the joint goddesses of Chaos to be reborn as Melchia in the Roman lands.” I concluded simply.

“It does not explain Meakita or why you were sent to Atlantis.” she remarked drily.

“Even while angered and living one life as the dread bird Kestrel, I performed great acts of nobility using the name Meakita.” I explained with a soft chuckle. “Many saw Meakita as the opposing force to the evil creature Kestrel during the time when humans spread over the lands like a plague.” I stated. I looked away from her embarrassed by admitting that I played my own opposite in the world. “But rebirth turned all that into legends until they came to me once more.” I continued

“Who did?” Meli asked in a whisper.

“I was approached three times by both the Ancient Ones and their progenitors ordering me to protect Atlantis for the common good, but I refused them without even giving it a second thought.” I admitted sadly. “Then a being that sat far above all of them came to me.” I said slowly. My eyes rose to meet hers seeing both disbelief and understanding there. “They asked that I intercede for his people to help Atlantis offering to freely enhance my gift of seeing the possible futures as explanation to their request.” I explained to her. “Once I saw what was to come for both Atlantis and the world, I could not refuse his request making me charter a ship to Atlantis immediately.” I concluded slowly.

“Even the pleas of your own people or their progenitors could not sway you to come protect Annianka?” she sputtered at me angrily. I glanced away from her. “They never told you she would be there?” she added suddenly. I glared at her darkly while seeing the thoughts that I was sent to be Annianka's protector faded from her mind.

“I was told nothing but commanded to protect Atlantis until a higher power showed me why I should intercede on their behalf.” I growled at her. I kept my face in a false snarl of anger to hide my true feelings. “No word was given to me of who would be waiting to receive me there.” I continued harshly. “I arrived blind and I am still unsure if Annianka and that sweet child that healed me are still one and the same.” I commented bluntly. “And this is all I can reveal to you at this time, Meli.” I added quickly. I back stepped into the room closing the door between us. I had solidified the myth of my origin which would be related to Annianka and whatever else would be listening around her.