• Why is there evil in the world? I ask myself, is it because of hate? Is it because of war? No, it’s because of sin! These questions I leave myself with make me wonder about society, life, and Deus. Speaking to myself again, I inquired, “Deus, I call out to you to answer me! Why is there sin?” I found myself very unstable and concerned.
    I have found myself on what appeared to be a larger-than-life tile of marble floating in the middle of a midnight starry sky. There was no breeze and everything was silent. Where am I? I asked myself. The mighty voice in my head powerfully commanded, “Approach the light.” I shouted, “Answer me now! What do you want from me? How am I supposed to approach the light if I’m stranded on a floating marble tile?” The mysterious disembodied voice enlightened to me, “Have faith in yourself, my son.” “How is having faith in myself going to help?” I yelled. I began to take a step off the marble tile I was stood on and felt tile under my foot. Sighing in relief, I began to approach the light step by step, telling myself to not look down or I might lose that faith.
    I continued taking slow steps until I reached the pillar of light I was directed towards. Once I arrived at my destination, I noticed I was on top of a hexagram of light and my body started to feel peculiarly lighter. As I looked around out of trepidation, my body was slowly fading away. “No! This can’t be happening! This is just a dream!” I shouted. All of those floating marble platforms that I stood on to approach the light disintegrated as the column of light grew rapidly more vibrant and blinded me.
    The next sound I heard was a woman singing beautifully in Latin. As my eyes opened, I noticed an emerald shine in the distance. The room I woke up contained a long red carpet and marble walls. The hallway I was in had no doors and was just as cold as the strange area I was in before I arrived. After checking my surroundings, I headed towards where the jade luminosity was. Approaching the figure, I could see a woman who resembles the woman from a painting that my mother cherishes. Once I reached close enough to the literally vibrant woman in the emerald dress, I asked, “Are you my-“Before I could get my question out, she answered, “Yes, I am your grandmother’s spirit,” she answered. The both of us looked each other in the eye. My mother said that I am the spitting image of her if she were male. Once I saw the similarity in her countenance to both the portrait and mine, I confirmed that she really was my grandmother. “Petrified, are you not?” she asked as I stood still out of animosity. The kindly spirit clarified, “Back in my younger days, I was a powerful magician, even known as the greatest sorceress,” I was puzzled. “How come don’t I know that?” I asked. She told me to prepare for a long story.
    “It all started many years ago when your mother was only a child. Your grandfather and I have left your mother in the custody of another powerful sorceress who taught her powerful magic as well,” she explained, “Back than, we were in the fabled world of Eonith-“”Eonith? I thought it only existed in fairy tales!” I interrupted. Grandma’s spirit told me that I did not let her explain. Now I know where Mom gets it from. The ghost continued. “Your grandfather was a legendary swordsman and I was, in my beautiful days, also the form you see me in as you see in the paintings. However, your grandfather never sparred with another warrior. Instead, he was known for slaying the mightiest of the behemoths which even the bravest knight would fear. He fought not for the empire, but for all the people of the land. At that time, I was known as the Sacred Mother, a sorceress gifted by Deus with mighty incantations that none another magician can evoke.”
    “We once fought the Dark Lord Lucius who tried to bring pandemonium upon the Eonith land,” grandma’s spirit informed me. Your grandfather, a man seeking justice to conquer all evil and I met under the stars of destiny. It was then that we decided to head on a journey to the Sinister Citadel, a stronghold built in honor of the Dark Lord which many a brave knight entered but never came back. Our journey to banish Lucius back to his universe was an arduous trek across the Forbidden Lands of Calvarias. However, the two of us were blessed by Deus on our quest across the monster-infested lands. After several weeks in the badlands of Calvarias, we reached the Stronghold of Pandemonium, the Sinister Citadel which was dwelled by the mightiest of evil beasts such as behemoths and dragons.”
    “You guys must have been really strong to have made it that far,” I stated.
    Grandma’s spirit recommenced, “this is why the lands of Calvarias are forbidden, yet they were no match to our strength granted to us by Deus.” I asked grandma’s spirit, “Are you telling stories? Mom always said you did.” “Feel free to believe whatever you want but don’t come crying to Deus when you see monsters trying to eat you,” she humorously told me as she began where I left off. “Eventually, the two of us reached our destination, the Sinister Citadel. That stronghold was also dwelled by almighty fiends. Even the two of us would struggle in slaying even the most minor of the Citadel’s denizens. Yet, they still fell to the might of your grandfather’s blade and my magic.”
    “The two of us continued along the trapped hallways of the Sinister Citadel until we reached the Sanctum of Vice, the very corridor of Lucius. However, the high priest of Lucius, Father Julius Bal, hindered our path to saving the world of Eonith was also in the Sanctum of Vice, seeking the power of the Dark Lord. As we came upon him, he berated us on how there will always be sin in the world. Your grandfather with all his might attacked the corrupt bishop, nearly killing him, until the vile sorcerer drew upon the power of Lucius but at the cost of his soul. Afterwards, we commenced our battle with Lucius. The battle was both long and difficult but we emerged victorious as Dark Lord Lucius was sent back to his Infernal Realm, but my powers were severely weakened from the battle. Eventually, I passed on from the exertion of power I released unto Lucius.”
    “But didn’t you die of diabetes?” I questioned. The spirit of my grandmother answered, “It was an intended hoax so that you would easily understand my passing away.” I stood silently thinking about how my mom has been lying to me about my grandmother for all my life. “Don’t be so dismal,” my grandmother said as I stood still, “For you shall undertake a similar journey. You always wanted to save the world from evil, did you not?” If I were to save the world as Grandpa did, then I would lose a loved one as well. “Anyway, your journey begins here,” the spirit continued. Everything faded much like the incident in the church.
    “Lord Rudolf, you have awakened!” spoke a soft and benevolent maiden’s voice. The next thing I noticed was that I was in an old shack and there was a beautiful young woman with brunette hair and eyes the color of the ocean. She wore an elegant dress of pallid pink and she smiled at me. In the distance there was a slightly muscular and tall man were a red vest with baggy beige pants and had his hair the color of the earth in a ponytail as well as carried a spear around. I weakly asked the damsel, “Excuse me, who are you?” Her answer was calm. “My lord, you should speak not. You shall rest from the fall.” I slowly sat up as the young lady approached the lean man with the spear who said, “Rest. You must rest milord for we are to embark to the Shrine of The Imperial Lake where you shall uncover your destiny.” With my sudden awakening in this shack and the meeting with my grandmother, something seemed rather peculiar. Is this a strange dream or another reality?