Glossary

“When this world was originally created the gods sent down five blessings as they could not always watch over it, as they could not always be by our side. Therefore five blessings for mankind- not six as it has been taught- were sent down from the heavens.”

“The first blessing, Aemer,” Jonghyun continued, gesturing to Jinki whose palm was enveloped by the warm red magical force as well as the red spark he saw blaze in the depths of Jinki’s eyes, “granted us immense strength and power so that we could protect ourselves from any kind of threat. Those gifted with Aemer,” he gestured to the sword lying in front of Jinki, “can also use their force to manipulate weapons, giving them the power to wield and influence any weapon to do their bidding.”

“The second blessing they bestowed on mankind was Azaer,” he gestured to the soft blue waves glide along Taemin’s palm, lighting up their path as they travelled up and his magic giving his eyes a blue tinge, “the power of healing, a blessing mankind will definitely need to endure through the aftermath of the strength gifted to them. But this blessing came with a limitation that it could only be used on humans as the gods thought it would be excessive for a single human to heal mankind as well as the other beings they had created; and that’s how we got the third blessing.”

Jonghyun watched the pastel green vines twine around Kibum’s hand, soon getting distracted by a whisper the wind had within it’s waves as his eyes met Kibum’s, swirling with a dark green. He continued a few seconds after averting his gaze,“Aldaer, the ability to not only heal animals but plant life too. The gifted ones being able to provide us food in unfortunate circumstances, using their powers to grow magnificent trees without any water or sunlight. But then the gods thought how burdensome it would be for humans to constantly look after the plants with their magic and for that reason they endowed the fourth blessing.”

Minho let the golden spark start from his finger and allowed it spread across his hand, his eyes golden as his magic followed within him . “Asfaeyr, giving the one blessed with it the power to command and mend the weather according to his ways. Granting them the power of not only making it rain and shine when they want but also giving them the knowledge and understanding of the entirety of this world and its moon and stars.”

“The fifth blessing, Tahaer, wasn’t truly a blessing, but a precaution.” Jonghyun said as he let the silver waves web around his palm, making them disappear as he closed his fingers.

“I did not know that the power of Tahaer’s blessing had a tangible form,” Kibum commented as he watched the silver web around Jonghyun’s hand and a similar intricate web surrounding his pupils. “I am sorry, you can continue,” he added a beat later.

Jonghyun nodded as he continued, “The gods thought that with all these blessings, humans would go astray, would forget the gods who gave them these blessings and they needed a means through which they could communicate and relay themselves to maintain an order. As the people who are gifted by Tahaer can listen to words spoken by gods themselves, they can also hear the intentions, the feelings, sometimes even their thoughts, of even all the other beings inhabiting this world; the hope a seed has as it’s sprouting and growing, the worries an animal has as it enters a territory scented with it’s enemy, the soft whispers of the wind as it blows.”

“Then what is Shiraen? What is the black magic that the people from Qatem wield?” Jinki asked.

“Shiraen… Shiraen is not a blessing, but it’s a name. Name of the beast, the demon, created by the gods.” Jonghyun looked around the camp, he knew this one statement would spark a dozen questions within everyone’s minds.

“Wait, is it the demon we hear stories about?” Taemin asked. “The one that is chained up somewhere in Shaerir?”

“I thought those were just tales mother’s told misbehaving children,” Kibum commented, “So that demon is real?”

“I am not sure what stories are told about the demon, in your Kingdom, but his existence is true.” Jonghyun nodded. “After the blessings were sent down and the creation of this world and it’s dwellers completed, the gods decided to create a leader who would be able to guide the humans and this world perfectly. Instead of blessing the being with just one power, they decided to disseminate all the five blessings in it’s soul; a grave mistake they realized sometime later. The beast realized his strength, how he could overpower everyone with just a flick of his finger, could make it rain fire destroying everything around itself, could bend every creature according to his will, could give them ailments as well their cure. The beast revoked the gods, declaring himself the only being the world should look upto.”

Jonghyun paused as their surroundings were illuminated by a faint pink glow which eventually let the darkness settle in as the sun set, it was difficult to focus on his own thoughts and mind in the dark, as it made it easier to concentrate on the chaos he had pushed to the back of his mind. He waited for Minho to light the fire, the night getting darker and colder with each passing second, sending a shiver through him.

“Come here,” Jinki said, patting the space beside him, offering his blanket to share with Jonghyun.

Jonghyun smiled shyly as he closed the remaining distance between him and Jinki, leaning in, sharing the blanket Jinki offered. Once everyone was settled down again he continued, “After that came the first ever directive or prophecy from the gods. The birth of a child whose soul, blessed by Aemer, could drive the beast away. That child, Manara, grew up to be an all-powerful and influential leader, a great king, and led the people into a battle with the beast. Over the course of a decade or two, the beast grew weak enough that he was driven away as far as they could send him, chaining him up in a cave with magical restraints Manara had crafted himself. Those r