(Greek mythology series #1)

Safira is an ordinary teenage girl. As a grade 8 student, she was shocked to know that the greek gods and goddesses are real. And the most shocking, one of them was her lover in her past life and that is Zeus.

I was taken inside the camp. The centaur led me into a big house that had a light blue exterior. 
He was in front of me and before we got inside I asked, "what's your name? I just don't want to call you horse-man." A small grin formed on his face, that made him look 10 years younger. Was that just my eyes? 
He faced me and said, "My name is Chiron," that's when I remembered him now. He was the teacher of Achilles, Jason, Asclepius and many more. Chiron is really real. My eyes turned real big. But Chiron kept walking into the big house. 
He led me to his office. Chiron's office was bronzed covered from walls to the floor; he also had an old computer and a boombox. I wonder if Chiron likes the color bronze. There was another man in there, this time he's just a full-on human. "Take a seat there Astra." Chiron turned to face the man and said, "Mr. D, this is Astra Carter." Chiron announced while he sat down on a…. wheelchair? His horse legs disappeared into the wheelchair, he also had a blanket to cover his front limbs. "Whoa, what happened there?", I asked in astonishment, almost fell off my seat there. 
This Mr. D guy had curly, black hair and a red nose. He's wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts with purple sneakers. "Astra, that means "star" in Greek," Mr. D pointed out while he got closer to me like he was inspecting me. 
    "Anyway, I brought you here for interrogation. I want to know why you're here and how you got here without a protector." Chiron added. He went to his desk and got a clipboard and started writing.
    "I just have 3 questions." I said, "First, what are protectors and why am I being interrogated. Second, what is this place? Thirdly, what is going on? You were just a centaur, but now you put half of your centaur body in that wheelchair. What was that? Magic?"
"Slow down, child. I understand you are confused, but I need you to calm down.  Let me answer your questions. First, protectors are satyrs, half-man half-goat, that go undercover in schools to see if there is a potential demi-god"
I sat quietly while he answered my questions. Although I have so many questions that I may not be able to keep my mouth shut.
"You're being interrogated because we can't risk our chance letting an enemy in. A demi-god had been kidnapped." His expression was tense. Unwavering.
"Second, this is a haven for demi-gods. A camp called 'Camp Half-Blood', third, yes I am a centaur, this wheelchair is magic. It keeps half of my body in."
Magic? Haven? Demi-gods? A kidnapped demi-god? A lot of information to take in one day. I still have so many questions that just filled my mind. But Chiron continued, "Will you now answer my questions?" 
"Right. Well, I ran away. I was on the farm road behind the hills when a whisper that, uhm, said that I should go here. It also said I will find a haven here. Like what you said a while ago, a haven for demi-gods. Am I a demi-god?"
Me, a demi-god? It's possible, but I thought those Greek gods were just a myth. Even though Chiron said demi-gods [in the subtext of it] were real, I still can't help but ask, "Chiron, these Greek gods, they're real?" 
"They are real and everything you have heard about Greek and Roman mythology are too."
I didn't notice Mr. D until he said, "of course they're real. You're dwelling in the presence of a god right now." He spread his arms to emphasize his point.
"You're a god?" I try to remember which Olympian had a name that started with the letter D
"Dionysus. You're the god of wine, madness, and parties."
"Yes, dear. Wondering why I'm here and not up in Olympus with the other gods?"
I nodded my head and Mr. D continued
"My father punished me for chasing an off-limit nymph. And now I have to be the director at this camp for a century." 
A century. I guess that's not long for a god. Especially if he's the god of parties. He could just party every day here.
But when I looked at him, he seemed disappointed and sad simultaneously. My first impression of him was diva-like, but I felt like he's in painful sadness for being here. I guess he deserved it though.
"I have one request for you Astra before you leave" Chiron interjected
"Will you swear upon the River Styx that you are not an enemy to this camp and the people here?"
"I swear upon the River Styx that I am not an enemy to this camp and the people in it."
"Break the oath and you will face a severe penalty." Chiron looked at me with such a stern look to show me he meant it.
After a moment passed, his expression had changed into relaxed, which had also made me relaxed.
"Do you wish to stay here for dinner? If not, I will get you a ride home or wherever you want to go." 
I hang my head down. I wanted to say yes and I didn't have anywhere else to go to. My father is probably very mad at me right now. I wanted to avoid going home for now. But it's not a very wise choice.
"Do you guys have a phone here? I have to call my dad."
When I looked up, Chiron and Mr. D or Dionysus exchanged looks like they had a secret eye contact language or something. I wondered if they talked telepathically. 
"We don't have a phone at the camp. It attracts monsters and we can't risk that. So if anyone at camp needs to call anyone, Argus, our head of security, will come with them to the convenience store. You're also only allowed a minute." Dionysus said while a diet coke appeared on his hand in thin air. "I'll call in Argus" 
A few minutes later, a man, giant-like, came in. 
He had blond hair, he looked like a typical dude except that he has at least 100 eyes. It was everywhere, face to feet. My jaw dropped, but I immediately closed it.
He shook my hand, which by the way also had eyes on them, and had introductions. He agreed to take me to the convenience store.
We got into the van. Argus started driving. While on the way, I inquired, "when you cry, do all your eyes release tears?" 
Argus nodded. He's not much of a talker, from what I had observed in the last 5 minutes.
Finally, we arrived at a small convenience store. We got inside. Not much to see. Chips aisle to the right, soda fountain to the left. I went to the corner of the store and found a telephone then I took out 25 cents and dialed.
Ringing. A few more ringings. Then a few more. Then, the answering machine answered. Beep. 
"Hey, Dad. I'm sorry for the short notice, but I'm staying at a camp. I know, you think it may not be safe. But I want to stay. You know how you always wanted me to be social. I think this will help. Also, there are no phones allowed at camp. So I wouldn't be able to call you again in a while. But rest assured I am safe here. I don't when I'll be home. Probably in less than a week or so. Bye, Dad. Love you."
After the phone call, we went back to camp and into Chiron's office. 
"I would like to stay for dinner."

Venus' POV:

Many years later...



"Have you ever heard about Hades' love story?" Umiling kami. Welcome to 21st Century Literature class. My one and only favorite subject and welcome to Queenville International University. It's a night school by the way. "Maybe this will change your minds about Hades." And meet Ms. Dodds, our professor for this subject. 

Nag-story telling na ulit ang prof. namin. Mahilig kasi mag-kwento talaga 'to. Minsan dito na lang nauubos ang oras namin. "So you're telling me that Hades is not really the bad guy here." Ani ni Luna.

"Hades fell in love with Persephone and decided to kidnap her. The myth says that in one of the rare times he left the Underworld, he traveled above ground to pursue her, while she was gathering flowers in a field." Kwento nang prof. namin.

Lahat kami ngayon ay natahimik tungkol sa love story ni Hades. "He may look bad from the outside but he is all good; with a big heart inside of him." Dagdag pa ni Ms. Dodds. 

After all this time akala ko talaga bad guy si Hades hehe. Napaka judgemental ko naman. Well, sabi nga nila:




"A girl wants a bad boy who will only be good just for her." 







"If greek gods have histories and been involved in literature, why can't there be vampires?" I asked. 

Oh shame on me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Venus Serene Reignhart. And the other one is Luna Marie Cordelia. I love myths and histories. Kahit alam kong sabi-sabi lang 'yon, naniniwala pa rin ako na totoo talaga 'yun. Paano nila mailalagay sa libro 'yun kung hindi diba? 

"Oh Venus. Greek gods aren't real. Vampires mo pa kaya? It's just only a myth." 

Sabi nang medyo walang mood kong kaibigan ngayon, Halley Gem Estella. She's a bit cold pero kalog. Don't worry she won't bite. Pare-parehas kaming introvert actually. Halley loves music. She can even play guitar.

"Sobrang common na kasi nila Zeus, Poseidon at Hades. Bakit hindi naman nila i-kuwento ang tungkol do'n?" Sabi ko kay Halley. 

"Baby girl, kakanood mo nang Twilight 'yan. Isa pa pare-parehas lang sila hindi nage-exist." Sabi naman ni Halley. 

She's missing my point. Mukhang lutang din si Halley ngayon haha. Hindi niya ako magets eh. Bakit nga ba kasi ako sa kanya nagsasabi? Hindi naman kasi siya prof. namin hahaha! "Everything alright Ms. Reignhart and Estella?" Lapit nang prof. namin sa'min ni Halley. "Ma'am, I think Venus has something to ask you about myths." Sabi ni Halley. Argh! Wala naman akong sinabi eh. "What is it?"

Sige na nga minsan lang din naman ako magtanong at magsalita dito sa klase na 'to. Masyado kasi akong shy type eh. "Go on. Malay mo masagot ni ma'am 'yang mga thoughts mo." Bulong sa'kin ni Halley. Sabagay. Dapat naman kasi talaga sa kanya ako dapat magtanong hehe. 

"Ma'am, if there's a myth about greek gods, why there isn't about vampires? They are mythical creatures as well." Mukhang parehas lang ako ng maririnig. 

"Honey, they're not real. It's just a bad element and imaginations." 

"But greek gods aren't real too, right? They are also myths. Same as the vampires. So why they don't have stories like Zeus and Hades?" 

Mukhang mapapa-debate pa yata tayo nito kapag masyado kong pinaglaban ang tanong ko. Argh. I hate debates. 

"Look students, I'm just teaching what's inside the books and powerpoints. Ito lang naman ang nandidito. But it's an interesting question you got there Ms. Reignhart. But sadly I can't answer it. Maybe you can find the answers of  your own and write about them." Hmm. Kinda motivates me though. Umupo na ako ulit. 

Paano nga kung mayroon talagang gano'n 'no? "We have the same thoughts you know." Sabi ni Eliana.

Eliana Soleil Sunniva, ang instrumental naming kaibigan. Instrumental tawag namin sa kanya kasi halos lahat yata ng instruments kaya niyang tugtugin. Super duper gifted ang ate mo. 

"'Yan ang epekto ng fantasies sa inyo." Sabi ni Halley. Wala talagang mood ngayon 'to. Ang sungit eh. "Try reading sometimes Hal. It's just the whys and whats, thoughts of Venus." Singit ni Luna. 

"Besides, I find vampires are really good." Sabi ko. Well, there's always a good side naman diba? Si Hades din naman hindi natin akalaing mapagmahal eh. 

"Seriously? They will just suck the blood out of you. They are not good." Depensa ni Halley. Mukhang parehas tayong may pinaglalaban haha. "Why are you so grumpy?" Tanong ni Eliana. Yeah, why you so grumpy ate Halley? Sinaniban ka yata nang alien at ang sungit mo haha. "Sorry. Maybe because second day ng red sea ko." Sagot ni Halley sa'min. 

"That's not an excuse. Second day ko rin naman ngayon." Sabi ni Luna. Wow ha. Sabay pa talaga kayo buti hindi kayo sumasabog nang sabay. 

"Sinisipsip din ba kaya nang bampira 'yang ganyang dugo?" Out of nowhere tinanong ko 'yon. Kung ano-ano kasi napasok sa utak ko ngayon eh hehe.

 "What the hill Venus?!" Gulat na sabi ni Luna. "That's the most disgusting  thing anyone will do. Ew!." Nandidiring sabi ni Eliana. Akala mo talaga siya hindi nag-iisip nang gano'n minsan "Dugyot." Sabi ni Halley. I just laughed at them. What am I thinking? Hahaha!

"That's all for today. Class dismissed. See you tomorrow. And go home straight." Sabi nang prof. namin. Uwian na guys. Makakakain na rin kami waaah! I can already smell the streetfoods waiting for us to make tusok.

Venus Serene Reignhart, a softie sixteen year old who believed that vampires, werewolves, and other myth creatures exist even she haven't seen one, yet. Until she met Daevin Valentine, a mysterious guy who made her world an adventure.

What if I told you God is real? So is Zeus. Even Ra and Shiva. Gods of all the great religions are all real.

DISCLAIMER: scientology is still pending because even we don't know what to do with that one.

Yes, all of our Gods are real. Why don't we know it? Because many gods left the mortal plane when humans began acting bold and disregarded their gods. Currently the mortal plain is in disarray. You might've noticed. It's due to many factors. The war in Heaven has gotten worse, many of the more sinister of Gods across all religions have partnered together to whisper in the ears of your politicians and big companies. Also many Gods have begun taking out their negative feelings on random humans. This behavior has caused a lot of turmoil and now many of the Gods are ready for a battle of their own and have called upon their followers. Who is following after these Gods nowadays? Many Greek and Roman temples are in ruins, Egyptian temples are barren and who the hell are the Yoruba? Truthfully they still have followers. Though you may not have ever noticed or maybe you did and assumed that they were part of the occult. The Gods that stay or visit the mortal plane do so because humans still bring about a fascination in them. After all the humans from 3200 b.c are quite different from the humans of today. The mythical and their blessed priests and priestesses are walking past you on the sidewalk. They are in your office buildings and schools. The mythical and magical are all around us. Now they have some work to do.

The lives of Gods are complex. Romance, deceit, faith, betrayal, jealousy and loyalty are all around. The Gods are in trouble when some underworld demons plan on taking over the human realm and have banded together. Na'eemah is an Egyptian Demigoddess who harbors a secret amidst the beginning of this war.

"O strong one, May I ask you a question?" Truthfully I'm cringing at the line myself but there really was something I needed to know.
"I SEE YOU KNOW YOUR MANNERS, YOUNG ONE. I'LL ALLOW YOU TO ASK ONE THING AND I WILL ANSWER TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES."
"What will happen to our original timeline?" Timetravel as we know it is impossible. That is because of a paradox. If i traveled back in time to solve an issue then the me of the past will have no reason left to travel through time once I have solved it and as such this will create an impossibility in spacetime. The only solution to this prospect would be alternate timelines. These timelines are branches of the original timeline where the timetraveler would only affect an alternate version of reality and be cursed to forever remain in that reality. The original timeline would thus still be unaffected and the paradox would be avoided.
AN: I probably explained that pretty badly. Just know that timetravel is impossible because of a thing called the temporal paradox.
"OH? HUMBLE AND INTELLIGENT, I'M LIKING YOU ALREADY! YES, YOUR PLANET ON THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE IS ON THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION. YOU PEOPLE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT WILL SURVIVE FROM THAT TIMELINE. IF I WERE YOU I WOULD START WARSHIPPING GAIA RIGHT NOW IN GRATITUDE FOR HER BENEVOLENCE!"
"Forgive my impudence but could you explain more?"
"HMM, YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT HOW TIMELINES WORK SO I'M GUESSING YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT GAIA?"
"Yes"
"TOUGH LUCK, KID! NOONE BUT THE GODS CAN UNDERSTAND THE SECRETS OF THE GODS."
I sighed. It truly is unfortunate. "Thank you, your benevolence."
"I AM NOW DONE ANSWERING QUESTIONS. I WILL BEGIN SENDING YOU BACK!"
I took one last look at the figure. He was about 3 metres tall with a long beard. He looked to be around his fifties although his real age is most likely way above that number. He had a staff with an ethereal clock on top. I suddenly think of a certain greek god. I think his name was Chronos. He ruled over the concept of time.
Wait a minute. If the god who ordered for us to be reincarnated was Gaia and the one reincarnating us is Chronos then doesn't that mean that the greek mythos is not fiction? What if other gods apart from the greek mythos exist? I suddenly grew very excited. Who wouldn't? He just got confirmation that gods actually exist! Moreover they are gods we are aware of! But before I could finish my thoughts, the figure, who I assumed to be Chronos, spoke once more. 
 "FROM THIS MOMENT ON YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU DESIRE BUT I MUST WARN YOU THAT YOU SHOULD PREPARE ADEQUATELY, FOR THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH. COOPERATION, EFFORT AND BENEVOLENCE TOWARDS FELLOW HUMANS IS VERY RECOMMENDED. ON A FINAL NOTE YOU ARE NOT ALONE. GAIA'S INFLUENCE IS SPREAD ACROSS THE GALAXY AND YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY INTELLIGENT SPECIES. IF YOU HAPPEN TO INTERSECT THEN COOPERATION IS ONCE AGAIN HEAVILY RECOMMENDED. MAY WE SURVIVE THIS DISASTER TOGETHER!"
Once again I experienced the extremely uncomfortable time travel.
Meanwhile in the empty white space an lone figure could be seen with a melancholic look in his eyes. 
"I have done everything I could do. It's time for a long slumber"

The apocalypse ended and mankind came out on top! Sadly, most of mankind would rather face the zombies again. 

Why? Because it wasn't the end! Rifts appeared in all major human cities. All of them with a countdown of seven days.  Each day adding more unease and fear into humanity all the way until the last second where... nothing?

I got reincarnated back two months before the apocalypse right as the countdown hit zero so I wouldn't know anyway. 



This is my first story so expect a couple of grammar mistakes here and there along with general issues that come along with inexperience. This is an zombie-apocalypse novel with a sprinkle of greek mythology. I do hope to produce the best novel I can so if you have some spare constructive feedback then please share it with me.

Family. That word means people you love and are close too, but not for me. My family is a little different. How I found out who my family is starts when I was 14.
    "Miracle! Up now or you're in trouble" My mom yelled upstairs.
    "I'm up mom…" I got out of bed and I walked slowly down stairs and looked around for my mom. I didn't see her so I grabbed my phone and sat on the couch. "Mom! Do I have my Greek Club today for that tomorrow?" I yelled. She walked to me and looked at me then the clock. 
"It's today and since it's 9am you have two hours to get ready and grab your stuff. I would go if I were you!" She told me. I ran back up to my room and threw on a light green shirt and blue jeans. I went to the bathroom and brushed my long curly brown hair. I then walked downstairs to the kitchen. I stopped as I entered the kitchen because my mom had my greek notebook in her hands. "Mom what are you doing?"
"I'm just looking at all the drawings in here!" She said as she held up my favorite one of a minotaur.
"Anyways… I'm ready to leave when you are but can I take a breakfast bar to eat?" I said with a smile.
"Yes you can, but why do you want to leave so early?"
"I want to help set up!"
    I grabbed my book and my bar. I ran to the car and got in the front seat. My mom got in the driver's seat and started the car. As we were pulled up out of the drive I got nervous and looked out the window. I would always wonder why I got nervous before every meeting, but I always said it was because we always talk about Typhon. Which is the "Father of all monsters". We pulled up to the Art Center and looked at my mom.
"Mom, why do I fear Typhon when he is not real?" I asked
"Well, what if he was real?" She giggled and moved her curly hair out of her face.
"What? Of course he is not real!" I looked at her and laughed. "He would be trying to send monsters to kill everyone!"
I got out of the car and smiled at her. She waved and left as I walked inside. I was surprised that I was the only one there. I walked over to the room with all the records in it of the greek gods. I found one that looked old and that I didn't recognize it. I picked it up and brushed off the cover. It read 'The prophecies of the gods'. I put the book in a bag and put it in my locker. 
"Hey Miracle!" my friend Jack yelled.
"Hey jack" I looked at him surprised. "I didnt know you wanted to join this club?"
"I'm not, your mom wanted me to come and stay with you." He said with a smile.
I nodded and sat down waiting for the club to show up. Jack started looking around and saw a cabinet the has a lock on it. "Hey Miarcle? Can i open this?". I nod and look at my phone. He picked the lock and opened it. Inside was a note and a picture. The picture was of a baby and the note said:


Dear Miracle,        Date: June 16, 1981
    If you are seeing this then happy 14th birthday, Elisabeth is not your real mom. I am, you coundn't stay with us because of your problems. Now these problems will be revealed on your 15 birthday. So please be careful. I love you.                        
Love,                            
Sarah/Mom


(So what do you think so far?)

2017, February 7th 

A few days ago, my friend; Jack found this weird book. "South of Broad" is a notoriously old, and particularly wealthy part of town. A family just bought a carriage house there and wanted to do some renovation. Jack's dad an architect as expected took the job. Apparently, the carriage house had never been renovated though, because they attempted to dig into the foundation and start their excavation, a shovel knocked into a wooden box buried underground. That immediately was a red flag for the construction crew, who then called in Jack's dad. He couldn't do much more other than supervising the remainder of the construction in a way that it was done without harming any other potential historical items underneath, but he really couldn't do much until the ground everywhere was breached.

However, he did dig up the box that they had originally bumped into. He said it was a pretty inconspicuous box, which had started to show early signs of rot, which means it wasn't in the ground much longer than 70-100 years. He properly categorized, documented, photographed and recorded the box, and opened it to reveal what was inside. The only thing inside of the box, was just a book.

He took the book back to his home and eventually forgot about it. The new owners never mentioned the book hence the book was just there untouched until Jack found it. I have to say he is kind of a history nerd, he has been obsessed studying this book for days. 

It looked incredibly old, even from the outside you could tell that the pages were yellowed and uneven, the binding was near the end of its life, and the title was in a language he couldn't decipher.

After a bit of research, he found out that book was written in Greek. I am worried about the guy. 

I haven't met him in days, he said that he will call me after he finishes the translating of the book. 

 So, I am here standing in front of his room. 

*Knock* *Knock*

What the hell? 

"Jack, opened the door."

*Knock* *Knock*

The door finally opened revealing Jack with messed up hair and tired eyes. Looks like he hasn't been sleeping. 

"Damien, come inside." He pulled me in and closed the door. 

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" I asked after finding some balance. 

"Just come here."

He didn't answer and sat on his chair near his desk. I came closer to take a look. Few pages and the book was there. 

"This?"

"The translations."

"Okay. What is the book about? Curiosity is killing me."

"The title of the book translates as the Varks." 

Varks? 

"You are not going to believe this... According to this first chapter... WE are gods"

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. What does that even mean?

He went on to explain the whole first chapter:

Varks, they explain are gods of the mundane, the everyday. The reason it's not so widely known, is that once someone realizes their domain, they can exercise total control over it, and cause chaos. They say that an unknown divinity bestowed a gift upon the human soul, that they were to be made like gods, gods of different things that he created for them, and as people age and create children, their domains merge, and children become gods of another item. Jack deduced that there must be multiple gods of the same item. There are not enough items for 7 billion people in the world. Most humans could not access this power, some who were able were considered superhumans. There were also those who's power could challenge gods. They were known as the Varks. 

The Varks in the age of the book had learned of their domains apparently due to a process and learning items known as the "forbidden knowledge". They began to challenge the traditional gods, pushing the boundaries of what their domain was, and the gods that oversaw their domain. They got feisty, they were intentionally creating children to form stronger and stronger domains. In short; they planned to rival the traditional gods for control of the known world.

The traditional gods went to war against the Varks. 

Zeus struck down every challenger, Aphrodite made humans of opposite items fall in love so their power negates each other, other gods wiped the memories of humans who knew about this.

Their plan worked, humanity slowly forgot their powers. 

The people who wrote the book may have been the last humans with powers.

The book itself, details the forbidden knowledge, how to access your godlike side, and to take control of your domain.

I will say, it was incredibly convincing. I could see how the author of the book genuinely felt this was true, and you could tell in the way that Jack was explaining, that he also believed in this information wholeheartedly. It would account for why the book was locked away and buried, maybe it is secret knowledge we weren't supposed to know.

"Damien, don't tell me you are not interested?" He asked. 

"I am not gonna lie, this looks pretty interesting. But I am not buying it."

"You know, if this is all real, I don't think it's a great idea to bring about the wrath of some deities onto you."

"It's obviously not real."

"Troy was a myth until it was found out to be real. Let's try the ritual and verify ourselves."

"It's not real, and I'm about to prove it. Let's do this. I hope you translated it word for word"

"I did" an exasperated Jack replied. "There's some Greek chants you'll need to recite, but I've written them out phonetically for you so that it's easier. You'll need to sit outside, specifically in a grass field, with a circle of candles with some symbols engraved put out around you. The key is to get in touch with the earth, as it's the earth that ultimately bestows this power to you through your connection to it. The entity gave us the gifts, but the Gaia is the one who makes sure we use them.

Once you're in the circle, you'll need to recite these phrases. You'll need to do it properly, so practice first. After that, it says the knowledge will be bestowed upon you and doesn't go much into detail after that, so I guess we'll see where to go from there"

"Let's do this." This is how I will spend my day. Doing this weird ritual with my friend. Two sixteen-year-olds. Who am I kidding? Teenage K-pop stans are weirder than us. 

"Easy enough" he replied, grabbed some candles and twine out of the cabinets and marched out the door. 

Both of our parents are out of town. I got nothing else to do. What am I doing with my life? 

"Let's go," He said with a nod towards me. "We're going to Hampton Park after dark"

Since the sun was setting, we didn't have long to wait, so we pulled into the parking lot and marched ourselves with armfuls of candles into Hampton Park. The crowd luckily weans as it gets darker, so we didn't have much of an audience for what may or may happen in a few minutes.

I engraved the symbols on the candles as accurately as I could. 

Jack had been constantly reciting his lines in Greek, even doing a few Google searches to make sure he was pronouncing them correctly, as I set up the candles in a circle around where he would sit. We lit each candle with a match, and Jack stepped into his illuminated circle, and sat down.

He sat in the circle, with legs crossed, and the candlelight shining off of his hair. He slowly closed his eyes, reached his hands down and grabbed fistfuls of grass underneath him. His lips started moving, and as a minute went by the world grew quiet. The frogs no longer sang, the cicadas didn't chirp, there wasn't even the usual car alarm going off somewhere else downtown. He continued in his trance, and things grew even quieter. It was as if the air was sucked out of the atmosphere itself, and I could do nothing but stare at my friend with wide eyes and a hopeful heart.

He kept reciting, until apparently he finished. He eyes opened, the sound returned to the world, and he slowly stood up. "Look, nothing's happened. Nothing's different" he said with a laugh. As he laughed, he turned and opened his palms toward the sky. 

"I told you, nothing ma…"

*Drag*

Awww, something pushed me. What the hell was that? 

"Jack"

I looked at him with shock, a tiny tornado was swirling on Jack's palm. 

"Wind"  Jack gasped. "D-Damien, my domain is wind…"

Duskwood,
2017, February 7th 

A few days ago, my friend; Jack found this weird book. "South of Broad" is a notoriously old, and particularly wealthy part of town. A family just bought a carriage house there and wanted to do some renovation. Jack's dad an architect as expected took the job.

Apparently, the carriage house had never been renovated though, because they attempted to dig into the foundation and start their excavation, a shovel knocked into a wooden box buried underground. 

That immediately was a red flag for the construction crew, who then called in Jack's dad. He couldn't do much more other than supervising the remainder of the construction in a way that it was done without harming any other potential historical items underneath, but he really couldn't do much until the ground everywhere was breached.

However, he did dig up the box that they had originally bumped into. He said it was a pretty inconspicuous box, which had started to show early signs of rot, which means it wasn't in the ground much longer than 70-100 years. He properly categorized, documented, photographed and recorded the box, and opened it to reveal what was inside. The only thing inside of the box was just a book.

He took the book back to his home and eventually forgot about it. The new owners never mentioned the book hence the book was just there untouched until Jack found it. I have to say he is kind of a history nerd, he has been obsessed studying this book for days. 

It looked incredibly old, even from the outside you could tell that the pages were yellowed and uneven, the binding was near the end of its life, and the title was in a language he couldn't decipher.

After a bit of research, he found out that book was written in Greek. I am worried about the guy. 

I haven't met him in days, he said that he will call me after he finishes the translating of the book. 

So, I am here standing in front of his room. 

*Knock* *Knock*

What the hell? 

"Jack, opened the door."

*Knock* *Knock*

The door finally opened revealing Jack with messed up hair and tired eyes. Looks like he hasn't been sleeping. 

"Damien, come inside." He pulled me in and closed the door. 

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" I asked after finding some balance. 

"Just come here."

He didn't answer and sat on his chair near his desk. I came closer to take a look. Few pages and the book was there. 

"This?"

"The translations."

"Okay. What is the book about? Curiosity is killing me."

"The title of the book translates as the Varks." 

Varks? 

"You are not going to believe this... According to this first chapter... WE are gods"

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. What does that even mean?

He went on to explain the whole first chapter:

Varks, they explain are gods of the mundane, the everyday. The reason it's not so widely known is that once someone realizes their domain, they can exercise total control over it, and cause chaos. 

They say that an unknown divinity bestowed a gift upon the human soul, that they were to be made like gods, gods of different things that he created for them, and as people age and create children, their domains merge, and children become gods of another item.

Jack deduced that there must be multiple Varks of the same item. There are not enough items for 7 billion people in the world. Most humans could not access this power, some who were able were considered superhumans. There were also those who's power could challenge gods. They were known as the Varks. 

The Varks in the age of the book had learned of their domains apparently due to a process and learning items known as the "forbidden knowledge". They began to challenge the traditional gods, pushing the boundaries of what their domain was, and the gods that oversaw their domain. They got feisty, they were intentionally creating children to form stronger and stronger domains. In short; they planned to rival the traditional gods for control of the known world.

The traditional gods went to war against the Varks. 

Zeus struck down every challenger, Aphrodite made humans of opposite items fall in love so their power negates each other, other gods wiped the memories of humans who knew about this.

Their plan worked, humanity slowly forgot their powers. 

The people who wrote the book may have been the last humans with powers.

The book itself, details the forbidden knowledge, how to access your godlike side, and to take control of your domain.

I will say, it was incredibly convincing. I could see how the author of the book genuinely felt this was true, and you could tell in the way that Jack was explaining, that he also believed in this information wholeheartedly. It would account for why the book was locked away and buried, maybe it is secret knowledge we weren't supposed to know.

"Damien, don't tell me you are not interested?" He asked. 

"I am not gonna lie, this looks pretty interesting. But I am not buying it."

"You know, if this is all real, I don't think it's a great idea to bring about the wrath of some deities onto you."

"It's obviously not real."

"Troy was a myth until it was found out to be real. Let's try the ritual and verify ourselves."

"It's not real, and I'm about to prove it. Let's do this. I hope you translated it word for word"

"I did" an exasperated Jack replied. "There are some Greek chants you'll need to recite, but I've written them out phonetically for you so that it's easier. You'll need to sit outside, specifically in a grass field, with a circle of candles with some symbols engraved put out around you. The key is to get in touch with the earth, as it's the earth that ultimately bestows this power to you through your connection to it. The entity gave us the gifts, but the Gaia is the one who makes sure we use them.

Once you're in the circle, you'll need to recite these phrases. You'll need to do it properly, so practice first. After that, it says the knowledge will be bestowed upon you and doesn't go much into detail after that, so I guess we'll see where to go from there"

"Let's do this." This is how I will spend my day. Doing this weird ritual with my friend. Two sixteen-year-olds. Who am I kidding? There are kids doing more weirder shit nowadays. 

"Easy enough" he replied, grabbed some candles and twine out of the cabinets and marched out the door. 

Both of our parents are out of town. I got nothing else to do. What am I doing with my life? 

"Let's go," He said with a nod towards me. "We're going to Hampton Park after dark"

Since the sun was setting, we didn't have long to wait, so we pulled into the parking lot and marched ourselves with armfuls of candles into Hampton Park. The crowd luckily weans as it gets darker, so we didn't have much of an audience for what may or may happen in a few minutes.

I engraved the symbols on the candles as accurately as I could. 

Jack had been constantly reciting his lines in Greek, even doing a few Google searches to make sure he was pronouncing them correctly, as I set up the candles in a circle around where he would sit. We lit each candle with a match, and Jack stepped into his illuminated circle and sat down.

He sat in the circle, with legs crossed, and the candlelight shining off of his hair. He slowly closed his eyes, reached his hands down and grabbed fistfuls of grass underneath him. His lips started moving, and as a minute went by the world grew quiet. The frogs no longer sang, the cicadas didn't chirp, there wasn't even the usual car alarm going off somewhere else downtown. He continued in his trance, and things grew even quieter. It was as if the air was sucked out of the atmosphere itself, and I could do nothing but stare at my friend with wide eyes and a hopeful heart.

He kept reciting until apparently, he finished. He eyes opened, the sound returned to the world, and he slowly stood up. "Look, nothing happened. Nothing is different," he said with a laugh. As he laughed, he turned and opened his palms toward the sky. 

"I told you, nothing ma..."

*Drag*

Awww, something pushed me. What the hell was that?  I just fell on the ground because of some force.

"Jack..."

I looked at him with shock, a tiny tornado was swirling on Jack's palm. 

"Wind" Jack gasped. "D-Damien, my domain is wind..."

I never expected that my life would take such a wild turn. From a normal trouble maker to what have I become today. 

Life and death live in me at once 
Never held one above the other 
When one stands far, life I offer 
In closeness, only death I deal 
In death of the limited 
Will the deathless be 
How to tell the fools 
Of my taintless evil



This novel is going to get more offensive as it progress.

"So, you want to know more about mythology now, huh?" Father Zhang was a little surprised, "I thought you lost interest in such things after you graduated from sixth grade?"
The four had finished their dinner, and after cleaning up the tableware, Mother Zhang and her father were going through some old photos in the study room. Outside, Zhang Heng and his dad were in the living room, eating fruit while watching TV.
"Okay, what do you want to know? I will try my best to tell you everything I know. Just go ahead and ask me questions," said Father Zhang after picking up an apple and taking a bite.
Zhang Heng silently pondered for a moment. 
"Is there really a god in the world we live in?"
"Hack!"
Father Zhang almost choked on the apple he just swallowed. He coughed twice and asked, "What's the matter, do we really have to pretend that you are still a sixth-grader?"
He took a sip of water to soothe his throat.
"I remember us discussing this a long time ago. Although your mother and I are theology majors, we do not have any beliefs. In fact, I am interested in mythology, but only the history and humanity parts of it. Your mother... well, she is just interested in all the weird stories. She likes to travel around, take pictures, and taste food in the name of the archaeology of religion and cults. If I remember correctly, her master's thesis was about the diet of medieval believers.
"From my point of view, the so-called myths are just stories written by mortals, just like fairy tales, but myths are for the adults. For example, 'Odyssey' was said to be written by Homer, a blind poet in ancient Greece. And we all know that the book's theme was about the Trojan War. There weren't only mortals, but there was also the demigod, Achilles, the Sun God Apollo, and Poseidon, God of the sea.
"But in reality, the Trojan War was the only actual historical event. The rest are Homer's artistic add-ons. Academicians generally believe that even if Homer was real, there were no proper historians in the era he lived in, which was in the ninth century BC. At that time, no one paid too much attention to history's authenticity. Thanks to that, people concocted their versions of history and incorporated real events with myths and legends. Hence the birth of Odyssey."
Father Zhang paused, "In fact, if you properly study the system of myths and legends, you will find that they all have their origins. Usually, these tales are passed down verbally, constantly evolving based on the society they originated from. For example, Celtic mythology originated from Celtic folklore and was influenced by ancient Rome and Christianity. If the stories in it were real, why then would they be influenced by the civilization of the time? Greek and Roman mythology are typical examples."
Father Zhang continued while gnawing at the apple. "Roman mythology was completely born out of Greek mythology. Many gods have different names because of different pronunciations. As for their legendary tales, they are all the same. How could this stuff be true?"
Zhang Heng was silent. Whatever his father told him matched what he thought about mythology. But then again, where did those so-called gods come from? He met an ancient Celtic god in his Black Sail quest. Other than that, there were also the supernatural creatures he encountered in the real world. If the legends about them were all made up, how on earth did they exist in the real world?
Zhang Heng remembered the man named Einstein he had met at the Apollo Training Camp quest. Judging by what he said, it seemed that he was on the same level as the man in the Tang suit. However, he didn't feel that he was connected in any way to the myths and legends. As for the game items he saw at auction, some of which obviously products of modern society...
Zhang Heng decided to put this question aside for now and asked one of the most pressing issues in his mind. "How about gods that have something to do with time?"
Father Zhang raised his eyebrows, "The god of time? Indeed, there are gods related to time in many mythological systems, but the most famous is the protogenoi in ancient Greek mythology, Chronos. He is the supreme god worshipped by Orphism. It symbolizes the first cause that transcends everything. He existed before everything began, and is the supreme god in the 'Twenty-Four Sacred Narratives.' He also possesses power above all things. He doesn't have a physical form, but he sometimes appears in the image of a snake, a three-headed man, a cow, or a lion. He is, however, better known as the image of an old man, usually described in modern artworks as an old man holding a sickle."
"Old man, does the old man look like this?"
Zhang Heng took out an old photo from his pocket that he picked up after cleaning the study and put it on the coffee table in front of his father.
Father Zhang was taken aback when he saw the photo, quickly picking it up.
"Huh... where did you find this photo?"
"You have participated in many research projects, and mom takes lots of pictures all the time. Why did I only find this after I searched the entire room? Where are the others?"
"That's because we lost a sled and four sled dogs at the end of the research. They fell into a hole on the ice along with all the things on the sled. That included our Kodak. We tried out best, and in the end, we still failed to rescue the four poor little guys, let alone the things on the sled. As for Mr. Time, he was the sponsor of the expedition, but we haven't seen him for more than ten years since it ended."
Although his dad tried his best to maintain a relaxed tone, Zhang Heng could sense that his heart wasn't as calm, especially after he saw the photo. His pupils were contracted, and clearly, he was hiding something. However, what surprised Zhang Heng the most was that the incident didn't seem to involve Mr. Time.
Later, when Zhang Heng's father talked about Mr. Time again, he had relaxed and had settled into a more comfortable position. Zhang Heng didn't quite understand why his father would lie about the film. Even grandpa knew about this expedition. In other words, he was the only one in the whole family who had been kept entirely in the dark from the project. The question was, why did his parents get rid of the photos, and at the same time, reluctant to talk about the expedition to Greenland 18 years ago?
What happened on that island in the Arctic Circle, and what did it have to do with him? He was only a year old at that time. If the strange man in the Tang suit had met his parents 18 years ago, he obviously didn't choose Zhang Heng 18 years later based on appreciation and coincidence.
Instead of seeing it as a random encounter, it looked more like a meeting that the mysterious man had been waiting for 18 years.


Growing up with eccentric materialistic parents who left him in the care of his grandfather for a job overseas, Zhang Heng had learned to adapt and be unfettered by the oddities and challenges in life. But he would soon learn the baffling truth about the world he thought he knew when one day at midnight time froze and he found himself in a world so quiet and still it was deafening. That night, he discovered that he had 24 hours more than everybody else and thus, marked the beginning of his adventures. The mysteries surrounding his newfound ability only deepened when a strange old man claimed to have given Zhang Heng that ‘gift of time’ and recruited the young man to participate in a cryptic ‘life-changing’ game on his behalf. Little did Zhang Heng know that accepting those terms meant embroiling himself in many versions of reality and exposing himself to the hidden secrets of the world—a decision he could never undo.

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