In the beginning there was the Blackbird. And from its infinite magic hatched a world filled with life. But so powerful was the Blackbird’s magic, life itself was immediately corrupted by it. The land split in fire. Plants withered and burned. Beasts became monstrous in form and in mind. Men cried out in terror and in agony. The new world quickly descended into chaos.
The first Acolyte pleaded with the Blackbird. “The monsters are too strong. There are too many of them. We must flee, but before us, we see no safety, only chaos. We see no light, only darkness. We know not where to go. Please, Blackbird, I beg of you. I need your guidance.” And the Blackbird responded. “Devoted Acolyte, you have called to me in your time of need. In return, I give to you my voice.” That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. He could hear the words of the Blackbird in his mind. He guided his people through the darkness, away from the destruction that surrounded them.
But the people soon discovered that there was nowhere they could go. There was no end to the corruption that plagued the world. There was no end to the destruction. Many men perished. Those that didn’t, knew only suffering. The second Acolyte, though, was wiser than the first. She pleaded, “The terrain is forever treacherous, the danger unending. While we have guidance, we lack the strength to traverse it. Please, Blackbird, I beg of you. Come to us. Carry us through this chaos!” And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte. Allow me to take back those souls who have fallen. In return, I shall make you my vessel.” That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. Powerful magic flowed through her body and when she spoke, the chaos itself bent to her will. She carried her people under her wing. Man once again persevered.
But the people soon discovered that the abominations that plagued the world were stronger still. It did not matter what spells and incantations ended them, they always returned, more powerful and more dangerous. The corruption grew, unchecked. The third Acolyte, though, was wiser than the first and the second. He pleaded, “You have taken back our fallen. Our dead, we’ve freely given. But the monsters that surround us do not know death. Blackbird, I beg of you, we have the will to fight, but we do not have the means.” And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, You have shared with me your courage. In return, I grant to you my vengeance.” That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. He rallied his people behind him, and they began to fight the monsters that haunted the darkness. The battle was long, and not without its casualties, but the blue fire consumed the monsters completely, and their wretched souls were indeed forever stripped from the world, never to return.
But the people soon discovered that the monsters outnumbered them at least ten-thousand to one. They were but one small speck of order in the chaos. The task that lay before them, while honorable, was an insurmountable one. To dispel the corruption, to purify the world, seemed impossible. The people began to lose hope. The fourth Acolyte, though, was wiser than the previous three. She pleaded, “Blackbird, we now know that man alone cannot save this world from the corruption that plagues it. It is not enough for you to work through us. I beg of you, whatever the cost, we are willing to pay it. If our lives are forfeit, then so be it. The fate of the world rests upon our shoulders. Please, bequeath to me your very soul. Only then can the corruption be contained.” And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, your sacrifice has been accepted. In return, I send to you my valor.” That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a bright brilliant blue. And so did her most beloved companion’s, as a set of blue crystal armor appeared, not on her body, but on his. He became her holy weapon. And together, they banished the corruption once and for all. Together, they purified the world.
But the people soon discovered the cost of their crusade. For the Blackbird’s magic was infinite, and man was not. Even though it was a mere fraction of the corruption that once plagued the world, it was far more than could possibly be contained within a human soul. The companion, in exchange for the power of a god, was destroyed, wholly and completely, from the inside out. But unlike the monsters the people incinerated in blue fire, he did not burn. He only suffered, like the world once had, without end in sight. And the Blackbird suffered in turn. The Acolyte, being wiser than her predecessors, pleaded with the Blackbird one last time. “Blackbird, hear me. For this was my plea, and yet, it is not I who suffers. Please, I beg of you. Show us your mercy. Take my soul along with his. Use mine to repair the damage done to you. Relieve him of his suffering. And please, relieve yours…” And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, you have purified this world. I am touched by your devotion, both to me and to your people. In return, I offer my vitality. Return to me, my acolyte. Return to me my sacrifice. Return and Revive.” That night, as the sky went dark, the wise Acolyte took the Sacrifice into her arms. Together, in a blaze of blue fire, they sang in the Blackbird’s tongue the words gifted to them. The Devoted Acolyte became one with the Blackbird. The armor vanished. The sacrifice no longer suffered.
And because the wise acolyte became one with the Blackbird, the Blackbird now understood the suffering it wrought on its creations. In order to protect the now purified world, the Blackbird shrouded it with a veil. It retreated into the sky, where we still see its eye blinking slowly, following us, and watching over us. And there, it has remained, daring to lift the veil for but a fraction of a moment at a time, to give breath to a soul as it is born and to take it back again when it has died. Of course, so vast and incredible was its power that some of the magic still seeped through, as all truly powerful magic is wont to do.
And her companion, the sacrifice, because he had known suffering beyond what man could possibly imagine, dedicated his new life to protecting the world they had purified. He battled the corruption for a thousand years, until he grew tired, and asked the Blackbird to allow him eternal rest.
Of course, since the beginning, there have been many Acolytes and also many sacrifices. And we are fortunate. For even when monsters rise among men, when war and tragedy force the veil open more than it should, when corruption floods the world again… we can make our plea - And the Blackbird will lend to its Devoted Acolytes its voice, its vessel, its vengeance, its valor, and - to some - even its vitality.
Prompt 4: in the form of a creation myth
The first Acolyte pleaded with the Blackbird. “The monsters are too strong. There are too many of them. We must flee, but before us, we see no safety, only chaos. We see no light, only darkness. We know not where to go. Please, Blackbird, I beg of you. I need your guidance.”
And the Blackbird responded. “Devoted Acolyte, you have called to me in your time of need. In return, I give to you my voice.”
That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. He could hear the words of the Blackbird in his mind. He guided his people through the darkness, away from the destruction that surrounded them.
But the people soon discovered that there was nowhere they could go. There was no end to the corruption that plagued the world. There was no end to the destruction. Many men perished. Those that didn’t, knew only suffering.
The second Acolyte, though, was wiser than the first. She pleaded, “The terrain is forever treacherous, the danger unending. While we have guidance, we lack the strength to traverse it. Please, Blackbird, I beg of you. Come to us. Carry us through this chaos!”
And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte. Allow me to take back those souls who have fallen. In return, I shall make you my vessel.”
That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. Powerful magic flowed through her body and when she spoke, the chaos itself bent to her will. She carried her people under her wing. Man once again persevered.
But the people soon discovered that the abominations that plagued the world were stronger still. It did not matter what spells and incantations ended them, they always returned, more powerful and more dangerous. The corruption grew, unchecked.
The third Acolyte, though, was wiser than the first and the second. He pleaded, “You have taken back our fallen. Our dead, we’ve freely given. But the monsters that surround us do not know death. Blackbird, I beg of you, we have the will to fight, but we do not have the means.”
And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, You have shared with me your courage. In return, I grant to you my vengeance.”
That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue. He rallied his people behind him, and they began to fight the monsters that haunted the darkness. The battle was long, and not without its casualties, but the blue fire consumed the monsters completely, and their wretched souls were indeed forever stripped from the world, never to return.
But the people soon discovered that the monsters outnumbered them at least ten-thousand to one. They were but one small speck of order in the chaos. The task that lay before them, while honorable, was an insurmountable one. To dispel the corruption, to purify the world, seemed impossible. The people began to lose hope.
The fourth Acolyte, though, was wiser than the previous three. She pleaded, “Blackbird, we now know that man alone cannot save this world from the corruption that plagues it. It is not enough for you to work through us. I beg of you, whatever the cost, we are willing to pay it. If our lives are forfeit, then so be it. The fate of the world rests upon our shoulders. Please, bequeath to me your very soul. Only then can the corruption be contained.”
And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, your sacrifice has been accepted. In return, I send to you my valor.”
That night, as the sky went dark, the Acolyte’s eyes glowed a bright brilliant blue. And so did her most beloved companion’s, as a set of blue crystal armor appeared, not on her body, but on his. He became her holy weapon. And together, they banished the corruption once and for all. Together, they purified the world.
But the people soon discovered the cost of their crusade. For the Blackbird’s magic was infinite, and man was not. Even though it was a mere fraction of the corruption that once plagued the world, it was far more than could possibly be contained within a human soul. The companion, in exchange for the power of a god, was destroyed, wholly and completely, from the inside out. But unlike the monsters the people incinerated in blue fire, he did not burn. He only suffered, like the world once had, without end in sight. And the Blackbird suffered in turn.
The Acolyte, being wiser than her predecessors, pleaded with the Blackbird one last time. “Blackbird, hear me. For this was my plea, and yet, it is not I who suffers. Please, I beg of you. Show us your mercy. Take my soul along with his. Use mine to repair the damage done to you. Relieve him of his suffering. And please, relieve yours…”
And the Blackbird responded, “Devoted Acolyte, you have purified this world. I am touched by your devotion, both to me and to your people. In return, I offer my vitality. Return to me, my acolyte. Return to me my sacrifice. Return and Revive.”
That night, as the sky went dark, the wise Acolyte took the Sacrifice into her arms. Together, in a blaze of blue fire, they sang in the Blackbird’s tongue the words gifted to them. The Devoted Acolyte became one with the Blackbird. The armor vanished. The sacrifice no longer suffered.
And because the wise acolyte became one with the Blackbird, the Blackbird now understood the suffering it wrought on its creations. In order to protect the now purified world, the Blackbird shrouded it with a veil. It retreated into the sky, where we still see its eye blinking slowly, following us, and watching over us. And there, it has remained, daring to lift the veil for but a fraction of a moment at a time, to give breath to a soul as it is born and to take it back again when it has died. Of course, so vast and incredible was its power that some of the magic still seeped through, as all truly powerful magic is wont to do.
And her companion, the sacrifice, because he had known suffering beyond what man could possibly imagine, dedicated his new life to protecting the world they had purified. He battled the corruption for a thousand years, until he grew tired, and asked the Blackbird to allow him eternal rest.
Of course, since the beginning, there have been many Acolytes and also many sacrifices.
And we are fortunate. For even when monsters rise among men, when war and tragedy force the veil open more than it should, when corruption floods the world again… we can make our plea - And the Blackbird will lend to its Devoted Acolytes its voice, its vessel, its vengeance, its valor, and - to some - even its vitality.