One thousand men and women gathered before Yana as he patiently sat.


    He graced them all with a smile that quelled the fear threatening to take root in their hearts, and he made sure the air around them was comfortably cool, regardless of the time of day.


    Most of the gathered uttered praises and thanks as they knelt, while a few begged forgiveness for whatever wrongs they may have done, but Yana was there for neither.


    After everyone was comfortable and calm, he finally spoke while turning to the sky.


    [To thee we pray, oh Kiln. Oh, all of all.


    So yond we may come close to thee.


    In thee, we find content and grace;


    From the first to the last of all days.]


    Yana sang out his prayer, laden with grief and longing, and this immediately caused all who were gathered to begin ceaselessly weeping.


    If the feelings of a human were like ripples in a pond, sometimes big and sometimes small, the emotions of an Angel were hurricanes that had no end.


    The Caesians all fell until their heads touched the dirt, and they prayed to he whom Yana longed for the most.


    They, too, wanted to soothe the ache that now tormented their souls, and this was sufficient for Yana, who pointed at five of them, three men and two women whose grief for their own resonated with Yana’s.


    He gently rested one of his feathers on each of their heads and blessed them with some of his own Kilnessence, giving them small pieces of his very soul, allowing them to all that was and had ever been along with the heart of all things.


    This linking of souls allowed him to see their lives as well, but through their eyes.


    Without speaking, the five chosen asked what Yana wanted them to do as they stood with eyes that glowed ever so dimly gold.


    [Tell them of Kiln, that it is through his every slumbering breath that they are given life. Tell them to call out to him, to pray to him, so that we may, even if ever so insignificantly, draw closer to him.]


    The five took to their knees and silently introduced themselves: Touma?, Taung, Daka, Aroeira and Petralona.


    Yana planned for only them to follow him back to the Hereafter when they died, but that wouldn’t be for some time, so he allowed them to learn of Kiln and join in searching while they were alive.


    With that done, Yana stood, shaking the world once again before ascending and dematerializing, leaving behind a crater that was fifty thousand kilometres wide and four thousand meters deep directly where Yana sat.


    The gathered then turned to the five chosen who walked up to the edge of the crater.


    “This here marks what will be the centre of all that we will ever be! Return to your homes with one of us each so that we may bring them here and begin what will be our greatest mission!” Touma?, the oldest among the chosen, declared. Only shortly before, had he been a frail, aged man who struggled to even stand on his own. Now, he stood poised and brimming with a vigour that defied his greyed hair and wrinkled skin.


    The gathered split into five groups as they returned to their respective regions and tribes, where they spread the word of what happened.


    Many didn’t believe them, claiming that it was a trick or scheme by Yana, who ultimately wanted to punish them.


    Those who were among the gathered assured the others of Yana’s true nature and intent, but the sceptical hid behind their fear.


    And so, only those who were willing to listen were chosen to follow along on the journey back to the crater.


    A pilgrimage of thousands followed.


    Led by the five chosen, they took the little they had and traversed immense distances, enduring hunger and the elements for months until they returned to that place where the weather always seemed just right.


    The gathered then built a small settlement along the southern edge of the crater.


    A place they called ?atal.


    The paths leading back to the tribes where everyone came from neatly forked out from the small town’s centre, which meant that anyone who wanted to go back home was free to do so without too much trouble in terms of navigation.


    The people of ?atal got their water from a river which ran a few kilometres to the south and, possibly due to Yana’s brief presence, the soil around the crater was really fertile.


    ?atal thrived, and while Touma? was asked to be the leader of gathered, he politely refused, choosing instead to live as a simple man.


    Before the sun rose on every day that came to pass, he made his way to the edge of the crater where he knelt and prayed, thanking Yana for his visit and for blessing them with knowledge.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Knowledge which he shared every day from morn till noon in the small school that was constructed for him by the willing.


    There, he taught every subject to everyone who was interested.


    The sciences, philosophy, mathematics and many more subjects, topics and thoughts were shared in those humble wooden walls as the years passed and as ?atal grew, always along the crater and never within.


    The other Chosen also made great efforts to share their blessings with their people.


    Taung, who never seemed to age from his prepubescence, tended to all children, educating and tending to them while their parents tirelessly worked to develop the burgeoning city.


    It was customary to always refer to him as Big Brother, despite his youthful appearance.


    Daka was in charge of the city’s construction, and he joined the men in the construction of every structure in ?atal, aiding them with his strength, which equalled that of a hundred men and his height, which made him stand twice as tall as everyone else.


    His stature earned him the title Daka the Mighty, but even with all this praise and power, he never spoke, and when he wasn’t joining Touma? and the others in prayer, his head was buried in work.


    Aroeira headed a choir of women that sang a beautiful song during sunrise and sunset. The song thanked Kiln for the day and asked for nothing but his continued presence.


    When women weren’t singing, they were tending to wounds of mind, body and soul in the Hospice of the First Song.


    Aroeira was especially blessed in that she could speak to the soul, and her words alone could heal any wound or illness.


    Petralona was blessed with a part of Yana that knew keenly of his plans, and so she had a specific segment of the crater’s circumference dedicated to the burial of the dead.


    However, this place was reserved for those who were willing to give themselves to him so that they may aid him in seeking closeness to Kiln.


    Those who were buried had their names marked on gravestones and recorded by Petralona, who lived in her small home near the gravesite.


    Yana was pleased by their actions and continued to watch over the Caesians as their world developed.


    It also became clear that the Chosen would live far longer than their fellow Caesians as Touma? would go on to celebrate his two-hundredth birthday.


    He was considered the spiritual leader, although the more administrative duties were left to the ministers of the city as it grew around the crater.


    Those whom the faithful had left behind had also developed in their own way.


    It was inevitable that some outsiders would visit ?atal for knowledge, which they would take back to their homes, which evolved alongside what was being called the Holy Seat.


    To the far west was the Golden Peninsula, so called because of its acres upon acres of evergreen trees that had brilliant yellow leaves. The region, ironically, lacked in gold deposits when compared to the rest of the continent, but they had plenty of other resources.


    And to the west were the Ashen Wastes, so called because of the decades of war that had ravaged the expanse.


    Things had settled down ever since the great tribes unified under the great war chief, Soyoo, who marched with his army of a hundred thousand men across fields of fire and smoke as they waged war.


    The now elderly chief, whose massive territory was split among his sons, had his sights set on the so-called Holy Seat.


    But it was no conquest that filled his eyes but curiosity.


    Because while ?atal may have adopted monotheism, the rest of the world still practiced ancestral worship.


    This led to tension and a bit of friction in some places, but it was never anything that got anyone killed.


    That was until Soyoo declared that he was going to pay the city along the crater a visit.


    He had spoken to a few travelling Kilnists, but they failed to convince him of whatever truth their faith stood upon.


    Of course, he had heard of the strange incident that had occurred centuries prior where the divine seemingly made contact with the people of the world but any reasonable person would have concluded that the object that made the crater of ?atal was just a fallen star.


    Belief in the ancestors, however, was natural.


    The living missed and, with time, revered the dead.


    What more was there?


    Soyoo needed to know and so, with a host of twenty thousand men, set out for the Holy Seat.


    The journey took months, and when the great chieftain arrived, he found a city that stood behind massive stone walls that eclipsed any structure Soyoo had ever seen.


    As if its height wasn’t already impressive at thirty meters, it also encircled the entire ?atal crater.


    Surrounding this massive structure were swathes of healthy farmland and smaller satellite settlements.


    Patrolling the five great roads that led out of the city were soldiers who were decked in armour of steel and gold.


    They brandished excellent weapons and marched under the banner of a perfect circle.


    Soyoo was amazed at this sight, but he wondered why such a peaceful and religious place was so heavily defended.


    He had long since sent out a scout team who announced his arrival to the local leaders and, after being given a place for his army to set up camp, he was told to wait so that he may be given audience with the legendary Chosen who, for some reason, had agreed to meet him without complaint.


    Days passed, and he was eventually allowed into the First Parish, a small wooden building atop which a massive cathedral was built.


    In this most sacred place was he greeted by the Chosen, all but one of whom were elderly.


    The youngest looked no older than ten, but his golden eyes reflected decades of life lived.


    Soyoo sat with this most profound council, and at first, there was nothing but silence as he, a great warrior and leader of hundreds of thousands of people, humbled himself.


    Even his interpreter failed to look directly into the eyes of those he was supposed to speak for.


    It was Touma? who eventually broke the silence, his voice still as clear as ever, even after having lived for centuries.


    “All you need do is pray.”


    “To who? Your god?” Soyoo asked through his interpreter.


    “To the One who grants you breath. The One who allows the sun to rise every day and to the One who we are most grateful. Call Him whatever your heart pleases, so long as you acknowledge Him as the Giver.”


    Soyoo bit his teeth as his eyes shook.


    He was sitting before a man who was older than any kingdom that still stood and a boy who was said to be immortal.


    How could he not question all that he knew?


    With the proof of something greater before him, he was ready to take the steps necessary to accept the truth.


    There was just one thing he wanted and so he swallowed before opening a mouth that was lined with fading scars.


    “If… if I accept your words… will I be blessed just as you?”


    The Chosen remained silent.


    Not a single part of their faces moved as Soyoo’s words were swallowed by the dimly lit walls.


    “Well?” Soyoo’s voice trembled with a deep desperation.


    “If Kiln wills it.”


    Soyoo’s heart fell.


    He didn’t know why, but Touma? ‘s answer was beyond disappointing.


    He stood up and, after bidding the Chosen farewell, he left the city and made his way to a camp just south of the city where he spent the next five days without eating or drinking as Touma?’s words rang in his mind.


    He eventually let out an anguished cry before demanding that his men return to the Ashen Wastes.


    He told his closest advisors, who were still ignorant as to what had transpired in the meeting, that the Chosen had insulted him in a way that he could not even repeat.


    He told his men to prepare for war.


    A war that would have them march to wipe ?atal from the face of the world.