The Age of Tribulations

"All the world will be your enemy.... And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner....Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed"


Quotation.

Jasmine Moonshade stood and looked out upon the Evangeline desert. She didn't know how long she had been standing there, the specks of sand that pecked at her face through her covering like an chaotic hourglass gave no determination of time.

The sanctuary was lost, reclaimed by the desert as all things were eventually, all of it's history lost like dust in sand.


For hundreds of years or more, so they thought,  the Inspirtu had hidden away from the world, finding peace in their reclusive nature. Their secret haven was known to only a few outsiders, who themselves were sworn to secrecy.

Now they were spread across the desert, once again wandering the unforgiven sands like nomads, as their ancestors had done millennia before. The blood had been spilt. Men, women, children. Slain by the creatures that fell from the sky or turned to dust by the ungodly weapon that had fallen to ground like the devil's own wrath.

She was partly responsible. She knew that and her heart ached with such sorrow. It had been her decision to remove the veil. Her decision to announce to the world, emboldened by the Albino Messiah, that they were here, that they existed. The Council had warned against it, feared the consequences of such actions. She had called them cowards and unworthy of the messiah's grace.

She turned from the desert to the crevasse that led to the deeper deserts. The remnants of the nomadic caravans that had ventured out into the dusty plains waited for her, her personal guards and advisors waiting patiently, understanding the sense of loss.

"The blood was spilt, Adherent. We knew this was a possibility."

The voice was a familiar one. Taryn peeled back her face covering and put her hand on the Adherent's shoulder.

"The ancient texts spoke of such a day", Jasmine spoke with a mournful anger, "The Tmiem Ta J'iem - the end of days. When the world would burn and the messiah would rise. I did not suspect that the prophecy would speak of our own personal world, our secret world."

Taryn stood silent and looked out to the Evangeline desert where the thick cloud of smoke still rose above the horizon for several miles.

"We should have suspected", Jasmine continued, "when the Holy Calina warned us of the Messiah's return from death. We believed we were wise but the prophecy dumbfounds us all. "

"Perhaps that is the way prophecies should be, Adherent. To know everything would rob us of that which makes us most human. Now, please come and be treated, let us cleanse your wound."

Jasmine stood quietly for a moment and then nodded, walking to the caravan.