Salvation Through Surrender: Chapter 1 – Learning and Searching

Chapter 1 – Learning and Searching

While looking through my books, I realize that I’m getting nowhere new with them so I look outside the window of the library and reflect on my next step. I look at the grey and white skies as it lightly snows before looking down at the towering buildings, libraries, some of the other buildings on the ground, and those that are suspended in the sky. In the sky, those proficient in magic fly around on wings of ice or flying birds, chimera, and giant insects made of ice. I’m going to have to go to a different library if I want to learn more. The search for truth is the search for God since He is the living truth after all and the more truth that I know about the world, the closer I’ll be to God.

Looking through a book of libraries, I see that the next closest library that I haven’t visited is one that sits on the border of my kingdom, Polypus, the one I’m currently in, and another kingdom of the east called Draco. Since it’s on the border, it may be dangerous, but I’m sure the magical spells I’ve learned are enough to meet whatever foe I may face. Besides, nothing worth doing is easy. Going to the nearest mirror, I fix my long dark hair and look into my dark blue and light blue eyes which have two pupils and irises each, and then into my third eye in the cross-shaped cut that’s in the center of my forehead. My third eye is continuously looking up at Heaven to contemplate God’s will for me.

Despite all the knowledge I know, I don’t know where I should be going in my life. I could use my magic to keep the ever-shifting lands of Polypus together, use it to become a soldier or a guard. Maybe I should be a librarian because of how much I know. There is the life of a nun, that of a wife, or of taking care of the frost-born animals and vegetation.

“Lead me in the right direction, Lord,” I say before kissing my cross necklace.

Next, I walk up to the nearest open window, jump out, and then activate my gliding spell that allows me to safely float down from the floating library. On the ground, I see other people like me dressed in blue flowing outfits, that have pale white skin, and have octopus-like tentacles for limbs, some of which also have the heads of an octopus. My arm is that of a tentacle with an eye in the center of my palm as well since it acts as a catalyst for my magic. Those who are born octopus-like or who train to be through constantly practicing magic, absorbing knowledge, and meditating on the truths of God can use more advanced magics more easily and are more intelligent than even the most learned people inside and outside of Polypus. It’s not a goal of mine to become a complete octopus person like some are since I don’t even know if I should yet.

On the outskirts of the city, the ground lifts and descends thanks to those who are adjusting the land to keep it together. It’s said that the war that ended the future caused the lands of Polypus to be this way, and as far as we know, that has to be the case since this land was never noted as ever-shifting in the ancient letters that have managed to survive generations of decay. Because we try to learn from the lessons of the past, Polypus tends to stay out of the politics and conflicts of the world and just keep to ourselves unless we absolutely have to such as when we lend aid to those who are facing the scourge of beastmen, ratmen, and other traitors who have formed their own factions against the Church. Our land is mostly peaceful with the wildlife typically sleeping in hibernation or appearing statue-like as if they are meditating. The vegetation is all frozen, and yet, it grows to have crystal leaves that look like snowflakes.

After leaving the city gates, I use my magic to fly to get to my next location faster and then rest under a tree to replenish my strength. As I conjure a snowflake the size of my hand and look at it as it rotates in midair, I think about the nature of this amazing gift. Very few cultures are capable of using magic such as the elves and the kingdoms of Corvius, Canis, Onocrotalus, Noctua, Phasianus, and Draco. Every other kingdom besides them is incapable of even casting the most basic of spells that hardly use any strength such as the conjuring one I’m using now. As in all miraculous things, we don’t know the particulars for this reason other than being a mutation as a result of the war that ended the future, however, both the ratmen and beastmen are both mutated peoples and can’t use any magic other than the satanic kind that all men can use if depraved enough. It’s also theorized that the kingdom of the far west is capable of it, but since no one besides the beastmen that walk across bridges that appear and disappear in a mist is capable of getting to the Americas, no one can say for certain if this is the case. No one even knows if the continents over there still exist or if it’s just a series of large and small islands now similar to Polypus.

Seeing that the sky is beginning to darken, I decide to close my eyes for a bit to take a quick nap before continuing on my journey. No time seems to pass until I hear someone talking to me and shaking my shoulder. When I open my eyes, I see that it’s a group of travelers wrapped up in heavy coats, wearing armor and weapons, who have horses, and a carriage. The one who woke me up appears to have been slightly startled for some reason.

“Um, are you okay?” the man asks.

“Yes. Is something wrong?” I say.

“Aren’t you, uh, freezing out here?”

“Not at all. I’m fairly comfortable.”

“Told you she was a native of Polypus and didn’t need our help,” one of the travelers with the man says.

“How was I supposed to know? I’ve never been here before.”

“I told you. The dress, pale skin, and tentacle arm are dead giveaways.”

“Is it true that you people only eat ice?” another one of the travelers asks.

“No. The vegetation and animals nourish us the same as the vegetation and animals from your kingdom despite being made of mostly ice,” I say.

“Huh. I’d prefer a mostly hot meal.”

“I’d like one too, so come on, you two. Stop bothering her with stupid questions. We’re the only ones who need help getting warm in this freezing weather.”

“Stay safe. The city down the road has a place that makes hot foods for foreigners like you,” I say before closing my eyes again.

I am again awakened by something nudging me. This time it’s an ice lion that curiously looks at me. Next to the ice lion is a tundra elephant that has smaller lions playing with its trunk and another large lion lying on top of the elephant.

Not knowing what to say to it, I ask, “I’m sorry. Is this where you usually sleep?”

The lion tilts its head curiously again before nudging my face with its own, licking me, and getting on top of the elephant as it starts to walk away. That was strange. God acts through the creatures here so I wonder what that could’ve meant. Again, I go back to sleep since the sky still looks dark and my strength is still not at its fullest, and again, I am awakened by someone touching me except this time I feel a blade cutting at my arm. In an instant, my tentacle arm grabs the blade and my fingers stretch so I can grab my assailant’s arm before even opening my eyes that now see that I’m surrounded by five armed masked bandits. They cautiously look at me with their weapons raised and eyes darting from me to the other bandit I have in my grasp. Using my magic, I cast a spell on the bandit whose arm I’m holding to make him talk and answer me honestly.

“Why are you attacking me and why did you try cutting off my arm?” I ask.

“Be…because we know that your weird tentacle for your magic and that even if you didn’t have anything valuable on you, we could sell the arm to the ratmen who use it for research,” the bandit says as he resists my influence on his mind.

I don’t need my magic to tell that he still wants to kill me despite already being caught. Casting a subtle mist spell, I can feel that the others feel the same. They think their advantage in numbers will scare me or win them the fight, however, they are mistaken. Using my ice magic, I turn the blood of the bandit whose arm I’m holding to ice and make sharp icicles impale him from the inside out. He dies in an instant and I push him over as I face the four other bandits now charging at me at once.

They don’t know it yet, but they’ve already been beaten since they’ve unknowingly been breathing in the magical mist I used to read their emotions and that’s been blending in because of the frosty weather. I use the mist to choke the air in their lungs and bodies, which immediately makes them keel over and suffocate, and then I immediately turn the mist into icicles to impale them from the inside just like the first bandit to bring a swift end to their suffering. Thank you, God, for giving me the knowledge and expertise to use these spells to protect myself. It is my hope that you gave these ignorant sinners a chance the clarity to repent in the moments before their death. May this icy weather, that You bless this kingdom with, preserve their bodies for whatever use You have in mind for them whether it’d be food for the animals or an example for others like them. My rest has restored my strength and this warm-up for my magic makes me feel ready for the road ahead, so I cast my flying spell and continue on my way.