Chronos opened the door to the oldest Epoch disks ever stored. Like the musty hallway,this place was also caked with dust,the only difference however, was the shelves filled with Epoch files. An odd sense of nostalgia washed over him but Chronos immediately dismissed it. He walked by examining the Epoch files,each painstakingly labelled with a certain generation era. Estimating, he decided there were over a thousand Epoch files in the room. Plenty of work for over a lifetime. He laughed. Each Epoch disk contains at least 2 thousand detailed autobiographies of every single individual in that certain time period, even more remarkable each was narrated by the people themselves. Their thoughts,their lives.Almost as predictable as the Mesias.
Chronos noticed one Epoch file left on the table. I better pick up where the last caretaker left off. He walked over to examine the amount of dust on the file itself. There was more than any duster could handle. He looked around trying to see if the old viewing device was around. Fortunate he was to find one just as obsolete as the Epoch disks. Stupid outdated machinery.
Chronos wiped the dust off the disk and carried it over to the viewer. Model 018245,silent commands available? The machine did not stir. That's why I hate using this.All these you have to do manually. "Voice command: Model 018245 on." The machine lit up. Chronos inserted the file in. "Catalog file; show listings of each name by length" 3 seconds later the names were listed onscreen."CATALOG UNAVAILABLE BY DATE" The screen flashed. Stupid slow piece of shit.
"Set to manual by view and logging files." Chronos commanded and the screen showed all the files in terribly mismatched condition.Better start now right? Chronos studied the names onscreen.Hm..well looks like this file...CLIO is first. "View data file Clio" The machine began to whirr and it started up the file.
At first it seemed uncertain what era it was, however the trees onscreen suggested it was natural though. It was in a field, untamed long whips of grass swishing in the wind.Strands of dark hair flailed in front of the screen.Stars shined overhead and the dark skies shadowed the moon. It's cold. A sweet and girlish voice broke the wind's whistles. Why must he make me wait? The voice was very mournful in tone.This was the thought of someone speaking.
Remarkable, thought Chronos as he watched on intently,eyes glued to the screen.
"Clio!Cliio!" A boy's voice interrupted the thoughts of the girl. "Where are you?" He shouted. The screen turned around to see a boy frowning back.
Delichian. The girl's thoughts echoed.
"I'm sorry, Delichian." The girl's voice answered ashamed. "We must hurry,though. There's not alot of time.The woods,he's in the woods." My father's in trouble. She ran toward the woods in the horizon. The boy,Delichian,followed.
Oh please Lord,let him be alright. Clio's mind wandered as the surroundings around her.Around her the trees seemed to be dodging her as she ran by. She stopped at a clearing to catch her breath. Delichian caught up with her. Then she heard it,a faint noise of a drum. "What was that?" She turned around.
"I think it came from over there." Delichian pointed toward the distance. Clio ran following the noise.She began to hear faint chanting accompanying the drums. "Delichian..call help.I'll be fine." She whispered and he ran off.
Clio saw a fire in the distance and stepped nearby it hiding behind a tree. Around the fire was a small crowd of six. Two men were pounding on drums,another man and a young girl were chanting,one man was tied up and another man in flowing robes was dressing the one tied up person with some kind of ornamental decoration.Father! Clio's eyes widened in disbelief.The bound and gagged man was none other than her missing father.
A man was thrashing about wildly as the man in long flowing robes placed heavy glassy ornaments on his body. "You're alone, just as we are." The man in the robes laughed. He slapped the bound and gagged person. "You dared to cast us out because you do not believe in the ways of our truth.You feared! We sense it even now! We are the Messengers of the New Creation. We dictate what is right and what is wrong!" The man in the robes walked closer to the fire. His face was still unrecognizable as the flames' light flickered across his face. "Soon..my disbelieving cretin.You will see that you've damned your soul." The robed man sneered as the rest of his followers kept chanting and beating drums. "Come my lord and recieve this sacrifice of an unbeliever! He will believe!He is of the damned!"
Sacrifice?!? "STOP!" Clio screamed. The group turned around to the tree. The bound man's eyes went wide in fear. He shook frantically at his gag and tried to scream. Clio remained frozen as a deer.
"Grab her." The robed man growled. Clio could not move. Her muscles had refused to cooperate. The followers grabbed Clio and dragged her before the fire. The robed man stepped forward to her. His familiar face finally revealed, a permanent grin plastered to it.It can't be..
"Ezarist Archanios!" Clio's eyes grew large. "I thought you died months ago..." Tears began streaming down her face.
"My dear Clio, I'm glad to see you have decided to join me." Ezarist smiled.His hand touched her cheek. "I've missed you so much Clio..Ever since I last saw you on the morning I left for Meloposhia."
"But you died in Meloposhia,there was a landslide and.." Clio stammered.
"Lies.Do you believe only your father's story? Wouldn't you like to know what really happened?" Ezarist paused. "We found the Meloposhia shrine your father went on about. The only reason we went were because of your father's grandoise descriptions of it once was. Remember that day before I left you that I promised I'd come back for you? It was your father's fault I couldn't come home..For you see as we were reading the glyphs on the walls your father snuck out carrying the sacred book the Meloposhians lived by.He created the chain to be broken and the landslide! We were buried alive in that empty shell of a shrine." Ezarist's eyes burned with pure hatred. "The food depleted,resourceful we tried to be in the last hours.Erato found some berries near the altar of Melopos." He motioned toward the girl whom was chanting earlier. "She wanted something in exchange for the berries...and I feared I would never see you again..That night we feasted as the God Melopos came to us. We danced to the scriptures and sang with the psalms.It was then we knew we were saved." Ezarist grabbed Clio's hand. "He motioned for the rocks to crumble once more and so we were freed!" Clio did not stir,still in horror. "It was then we saw your father bring the book back.We wanted to tell him of the great god Melopos and he panicked.He ran off like a madman screaming the ghosts live."
"My father saw your bodies!" Clio protested,finally allowing herself to speak. "The life in you is gone.You loved my father as if he was your own. Why do you do this to him now?"
"HE LEFT US THERE TO DIE!" Ezarist growled. "For that punishment alone he shall see the god Melopos and be judged. Then Melopos shall come to us once more with the fruits for all creation.We shall bring the coming!" He cackled with laughter. Clio dropped her hands and faced the ground.
"Father.." She whispered and looked in his direction. Her father refused to look at her. "This man is guilty.But he is my father. Let me see to his fate so that he may live." Then Clio's father, Zeus, began to shake violently as he protested the only way he could. The girl, Erato smiled and walked forward to Clio.
"Clio...I will not allow this." Ezarist looked at her in surprise. Clio did not look at him. "No.I shall not allow this!" He yelled.
"She insists, Ezarist,my love." Erato frowned. Clio trembled slightly at the sentence but didn't not face forward. Erato walked to Clio and began to bind her hands together. "She is willing to be judged by Melopos and die in wisdom. You cannot overrule her choice,for she's made a wise one." She stopped binding Clio's hands and walked toward Ezarist. "My love, you've pledged you'd be with me and if you do save her you go beyond your word." She smiled. "You love no other but me." She began to chant odd phrases and walked back to Clio and tie her legs.
"Untie Zeus." Ezarist replied in a cold voice. "He shall be made to suffer the horror of his daughter burned alive." He looked away.
"My father shall see no such thing." Clio looked up at Ezarist. Her eyes were icy and Ezarist's face fell. What's wrong with me? Clio thought a little scared.
"Clio..." Ezarist spoke sadly. "No! I shall not allow this to take place! Erato!Untie her this instant!" Clio did not move,she smiled.
"Ezarist. You dare betray me?!? I saved you when she could not!" Erato screamed.
"Betrayal follows the betrayer." Clio said quietly. "You have forsaken my laws and claim for your own benefit," She pulled at the ropes that bound her. They snapped loose as twigs and fell. "Now, you face my wrath." Clio looked up at Ezarist. Her eyes had changed from their earthly color to a more otherworldly color of red.
"Melopos! No you cannot posess her! NO,it can't be! We are your humble messengers!" Ezarist screeched.
"You've proven yourself fraudulent. My true followers do not take revenge,and I do not condone this." Melopos walked to Ezarist. "I strike at you. My laws not upheld by my own messenger. I condemn you to the place you belong. A place where your lust is stuck to you for all eternity. For my vengence is swift. Now burn with your lies and leave me at peace!" Melopos screamed. Ezarist and his "cult" fell down to the ground struck by lightning.They screamed and writhed in agony. Clio fell to the ground in a faint. The spirit of Melopos left her and the last breath of the cult had extinguished.
"Cliiio! Cliiio!" Delichian yelled at the begining of the woods followed by half the town. They reached the clearing to see Clio and her father surrounded by charred ashes of flesh. "Clio? Are you okay?" Delichian ran to her. Clio's eyes opened revealing the same earthly color as before.
"Delichian? Where am I?" Her voice quavered. Father! Clio turned around to see her dad getting up.His face had several bruises. Ezarist? Clio looked back at Delichian. "What happened?"
"What do you mean? When we got here you were like this." Delichian explained.
"Where's Ezarist?" Clio asked him with her eyes wide open.
"Clio, my brother's dead.He's been dead for months." Delichian looked away. "I know it's still pretty hard for you to forget but he's gone."
"I want to get out of here." Clio tried to stand up.
"Then let's go. Your dad's over there.He has a few minor injuries,nothing serious." Delichian offered his hand to help her. She took it.The townsfolk followed them out of the forrest.
If only I can remember what happened to me.. Clio turned around to look at the woods. WInd rustled past once more as the day began to break.
"END EPOCH DATA FILE" The screen flashed. Chronos snapped out of his trance. What happened?What happened after that?! He looked at the screen which had gone blank and a cursor flashed every second. So she was betrayed too...Chronos laughed. This goes beyond the Mesias. So they call this some sort of following, a cult.Interesting indeed..and always expect the unexpected..He looked at the screen again and it began listing more names of the data files.Chronos smirked. I wonder what the next file has to tell me...