The Path To Redemption - Chapter 1

A story in progress, about a city with no emotion, and one mans travel through life, exploring the circle of human emotion, and exploring the truths of life

The path to redemption

He tilted his hat up to reveal the sight of the sun, glancing upon the fog surrounding the village of Thánatos. This village an enclave of that a mesmerizing shadow of grief. The man looked up towards it, the sun. It caught his thought how it was the only light in this city. The day that he was born, hence twenty years ago, was he destined to be the savior of his people. His name was Symvaíno, as given to him by his father, the leader of the village.

The village was painted in the blood of lost ones, their memories kept alive, to keep the river of grief flowing. Symvaíno remember that through all his life, he had been different. When he walked the streets and smiled at someone, they never smiled back, they never even looked at him. He lived in a village where love and happiness were vague rumors of feelings that once had been present.

The inhabitants of the village, had never felt happiness, it was like they lacked the ability to do so. But Symvaíno was different, and he knew this. When he first found out how he felt things the others did not, He went to his father with this matter. His father, Ghandos, did not approve his point of view and sent him off. Symvaíno then went to his mother, who revealed that she as well, was free of the curse of feeling nothing but grief and sorrow. She said that he had been chosen by destiny, to lead his people out of this path of sorrow. But that he first had to experience the trials of happiness by himself.

So this day Symvaíno left the village on a quest for redemption. He had with him nothing more than the essentials. He started walking on a path leading to somewhere, somewhere far past his imagination. He knew not where he was going, nor where he was going to end up, but with determination he put one foot in front of his other. As he rapidly approached the outskirts of the city, the fog kept getting less and less tense. The air got lighter, and the sun shined through the fog as a forest came to vision.

He hesitated before entering the forest, but it tempted him, the thought of leaving the village that had so long kept his spirit captured. He grasped his determination, and as he laid step into the forest, a sunlit path was put in front of him. He followed on the trace of no one, and let the surroundings catch up to him. He scented every smell, and touched the leaves on the trees as he passed them. A dazzling furthermore overwhelming feeling of tranquility strafed trough his body.

Symvaínos presence dug deeper and deeper into the flourishing forest, and the climate changed more and more to a subtropical setting as the pendulum of time once more had picked up pace. Suddenly appeared in front of him; a crossroad. To the right there was a high building reaching towards the skies with a spire on the pinnacle of its height. But to the right there was a pub. There were buildings similar to these in Thanátos, where the grieving went to drown their sorrow with even more sorrow, like two waves colliding, collapses for a second, but then clashes into an even bigger climax of its eruption. Symvaíno felt like home, and desired to check out this building, although he thought he would find just the same as in Thanatós. Reminded of his quest, it came to his mind that witnessing more grieving was not rewarding on his path, but he chose to enter still. 

What met Symvaíno in the door, was not waves of grief crashing, but dancing, and singing. A flow of happiness inhabited those of this place, as if they had been freed of the curse of sorrow. The men sang with screaming voices, and danced like fools, accompanied by women, singing just as high and dancing just as foolishly.

People looked at Symvaíno as he entered the room, and took place at the disk. He used some money he had with him, to buy himself a drink from the man roaming behind the mahogany desk. The man greeted Symvaíno with a kind voice, and smiled to him as he handed him his drink. It surprised him, how this man was so gentile, did he not have his own sorrows to tend to? Did he not have enough with his own problems, to dig into other and theirs? But he was content with how he treated him, and acted likewise. It was strange to meet someone capable of having a pleasant two-way conversation with another person. He sipped at his drink and felt the music, as it left a soothing print.

The drink was not even downed before a man sat down next to Symvaíno. He presented himself with the name of Mattahos. In his eyes he found no remorse, rather contentness. He was truthfull in his speech this man, and he told him his story. Mattahos had lived in a village far away, and one day he found out he did not want to cope with the everyday life anymore, so he took his belongings and started to wander. No longer had he a constant home to return to, counting on staying at taverns and camping. Symvaíno felt that this man was somewhat like himself, and he told “I come from the village of Thánatos, where the people are unknowing of true emotions, and so am I to be honest. I walk a path to redemption, seeking a greater meaning.” The man seemed to be moved by this, and took hold of his shoulder and said “I can see you have come a long way my friend, If you allow me, I shall join you on your path to redemption, and perhaps I’ll find some answers of my own along the way.” “Then that shall be it!” approved Symvaíno.

Of pure curiosity he asked his new, or rather first friend, about the tall building he saw earlier. Mattahos told that this was a religious building for those seeking comfort in faith, a church is it called. This was all new to Symvaíno, so he asked “What does that mean? "Religious that is.” Then Mattahos explained; how to be religious is to have faith in an entity, in life after death. Symvaíno found this most interesting, and he said; “Why would one long for life after death, when all I’ve seen so far in life is death itself.” As he said this, his voice was on the brick of breaking, just barely holding up. “It seems you were not that lucky when the dice was thrown, but you have much to learn my friend!” -Said Mattahos with a pitiful voice.

“Will you take me to this building? I want to see what these people believe, and why,” Asked Symvaíno. Mattahos agreed to this with eagerness in his speech, and soon they were on their way. The two men approached the church with fast paced steps, led by newfound motivation. The building rose in front of them, and the sun covered the otherwise pink brick building in an orange harmonious tint. The door was bigger than any door Symvaíno had ever witnessed before, and after Mattahos had opened the door, they entered a spacious room. A wave of tranquility, and a feeling that he was welcome here, hit him immediately. He saw benches, organized into a half circle facing some sort of an altar in a golden coating, making up detailed pictures of flowers and nature inspired motives. among the many rows of benches, was a clearing in the middle, to make an alleyway from the altar to the door. But what most caught his eye, were the windows. The windows were made out of all sorts of colors. And as the sun shined through these windows, a light was cast with the finest of tints.

Behind the altar, in the end of the room, was a wall. The wall was transparent and had a half moon with a sphere cut out in crystal in the middle. On the wall itself were details in many colors, presenting two sides, one dark, and one light; on the left side there was painted a dark and cloudy sky, and the moon was shining down in the corner. On the right side, there was a blue sky with a sun in the upper corner.

Together, these beautiful elements made up a house, confined in a cloud of serenity. The two men went up to a man who was kneeling by the altar. The man was wearing light blue robes and a black hood. Around his neck hung a necklace, engraved with the same symbol as the one on the wall behind him. Mattahos greeted the man kindly. He presented himself as Father Williams. “It is an honor to meet you Father Williams, I am Mattahos, may I present you to my mate, Symvaíno.” “It is nice to meet you both; Mattahos, Symvaíno, may I ask in what matters you have came to visit?”-Asked Williams as they shook hands.

Mattahos went on explaining “My friend here; comes from the village of Thánatos, where the people have lived under a curse for decades” - go on, Williams motivated him. “ His people have not been able to feel love nor happiness, as they are confined to grief and wistfulness.” A grin had appeared on Father William's face. “So we are here today to ask you, humbly; what more is there to life?

The question mocked Father Williams, and he did not seem to make out a clear answer on the run. As soon as he had gotten a better grip of himself, he told. “I cannot say what happiness nor what love is, but I can tell you the believes in which I have laid my faith. I am the religious leader of this village, the village of Písti. I shall now tell you, what we believe.” Both Symvaíno and Mattahos were getting impatient. “ Sit down my friends, for this may take some time.” The three men sat down on one of the front benches, and Father Willams started telling his story:

• Our beliefs are based, not upon a greater entity that keeps track of everything, but rather us humans ourselves. Because what man wants in life, is true happiness, and that is not something one finds out in the open. No, happiness is something one must find within himself. We walk through life, facing countless trials and tribulations, but when we face ourselves, and look inwards, we find what makes life worth living. One must face the truth that there is no good without evil, no dark without light. And that is where we have bestowed our faith. Our faith bases on the balance between dark and light. For what man can say he truly knows love, if he yet has not lived trough sorrow? What man can say he knows what is right - without ever knowing what is wrong? We here in Písti believe, that if we live our lives in benevolence, clinging on to the line between light and dark, we shall live on trough death, in a paradise of our desires.

The story had left Symvaíno with a pensive grin on his face, pushing his sanity to its boundaries, attempting to fully comprehend the words he had just been told. His grin changed, and he asked. “So what does that symbol you carry around your neck mean?” “Ah! The symbol of balance, it is about time.” The father stood up and walked towards the altar. The men followed in curiosity.

A few moments later, the sun shined directly through the symbol on the wall. The light was reflected and resulted in a dance of colors. All the colors of the rainbow spread across the white walls of the building, dancing like waves on the ocean. In the middle of the circle of benches, a shadow was formed, recreating the symbol of the moon caressing the sun.

“Behold my friends! Witness the dance of the colors.” The two men were mesmerized and totally overwhelmed by the sight. “This phenomenon, has been created to occur once each day, when the sun is at the peak of the day, to create the scenery for prayers and ceremonies.” Symvaíno and Mattahos were to struck to shape any sentences, and appeared dazzled, surrounded by colored shades of light. “I guess the surroundings are perfect to proceed the explanation.” And he went on;

• The symbol shows a half moon, surrounding a sphere, representing the sun, in the center. As I said earlier, there can be no light without dark, and no good without bad. The sun and the moon is a great example of this. We all make ourselves dependent of the sun, and when it goes behind the clouds we complain. At nighttime it disappears, in the shadow of the moon, providing it with light to be able to shine. Some may curse the night, and wish for eternal day. But without the night, life would be impossible. Furthermore the moon, without the sun, would not shine. The sun and moon are symbols of the day, and of the night, of light and dark, of bad and good. But they harmonize, and without one, the other would not be able to function properly.

”So you believe in balance? What does that translate to in your daily life?” Symvaíno interrupted. -We live upon that line, following a path in between of dark and light. As Father Williams was now done sharing all this, the two men were left thoughtful. A pensive grin appeared on Symvaíno’s face. ”Thank you for sharing this with us Father, i think we both have learned something useful” Mattahos said to Father Williams. ”Spare me my friend, for the pleasure was at my side.” And with this, the two men left the church. On the outside Symvaíno took a few minutes to get a grasp of himself. There was much for him to think about.

Mattahos said little, as he saw his friend needed a moment on his own. Meanwhile, Symvaíno collected all the pieces in his mind, like a puzzle, trying to solve a fraction of the questions that had occured during the travel so far. Instead of finding answers, he had ended up with even more questions. It was like his path was growing denser, like a jungle. Making it harder to find a way through. But If there was one thing Symvaíno did not lack, it was determination. He had an ability to focus on what laid beneath all obstacles.

”Let’s proceed” Suggested Mattahos. ”Yes, surely that we shall do my friend, our journey has barely just begun.” Answered Symvaíno, he seemed more confident now, as he had got a grasp of something more. Like if some of the new bricks that had been laid in front of him, had found their place in the puzzle, it was now beginning to constitute a lesser impression of the entire image. But there were still many pieces remaining.

The two men started wandering further along the path that was put in front of them. Worrying by nothing but finding truth and meaning in life. As the shadow of the sun diminished, the moon arose with a crescent body, caressed by the fluorescent light from the sun. Mattahos had brought with him a tent, which would now prove its usefulness. They set up a campfire near the tent, and cooked some food to tame their hunger.

A sentimental breeze affected Symvaíno as they sat by the campfire this starlit evening. “Thank you for joining me on my journey Mattahos. I am glad that youdid so, if what I define as happiness is right. I think that now I can understand the meaning of true companionship” Mattahos was moved by Symvaíno’s words, and a tear almost appeared in the corner of his eye. “If everyone were like you Symvaíno… Then the world would see no more sorrow, and of that I am sure. You condemn no one without reason, and you expect nothing, yet whatever you receive, you appreciate and render. I am glad I met you too my friend, for from you I have much already learned, and yet more I shall learn.” Through the night they kept on talking, until they finally pursued the sleep their bodies had for long craved so intensively.

The time during the day came, when the sun again conquered its throne upon the azure sheet above, lighting up the surroundings, hushing the sounds of the night away. The sun gave new light to the surrealistically beautiful surroundings. In the west arose mountains of white rock, reflecting light upon the roof of green crowns, confining the forest within its boundaries. In the east was the ocean, widespread with its constant ripple. The sunlight entrusted the landscape with beautiful color, spreading the word that a new day is born. With the singing of countless birds, the two travelers lift their eyelids, to welcome the new day. And after an animating cup of coffee, they were both fit to continue.

The following days brought not much of excitement, worth of mentioning that is. But after three days of wandering, they reached a clearing. A beautiful sight it was. The nature had bid on many varieties of sightings, and after having experienced so much of it, Symvaíno had learned to appreciate its tranquility, and beauty. The rays of light touched the moss on the ground, illuminating droplets of water, encaged upon the moss. The scent of summer was in the air this day, and the birds soared upon the vivid blue seas of heaven. The trees reached high all around them. In this clearing they decided to stay for a few days, to reclaim all the energy they had lost walking.

After some days of soothing recreation, they continued yet again, searching. The two men had weaved strong bonds during the travel so far, achieving mutual respect and understanding between the two. Furthermore they had shared experiences, expanding the outskirts of their mental comprehension.

The vegetation got yet denser and denser, and the variety of animals exceeded that of previous observations. As the sun once more took place above the leaves, there was left more and more footprints upon the pitch black soil. A chasm appeared in the wilderness, the only way across the darkness was a seemingly old, wooden suspension bridge. They had to get across, so Symvaíno went first.

The bridge was long, and it swayed by the antique looking rope as they walked on it. The lumber planks creaked with a low pitched disquieting sound. The travelers held their breath as all that divided them and the mere abyss was a slender suspension bridge, impregnated by the erosion of time. The bridge swayed so much that it seemed to the two horrified men that it would swing all the way around. Symvaíno stepped carefully, followed by Mattahos right behind him.

A rupturing sound of breaking wood made Symvaíno’s heart skip a beat. He turned his head rapidly, to find his friend dangling down towards the dark void. “Help” "Screamed Mattahos, just barely managing to cling on to a cracked plank. The wood screamed, it was about to break. The sound escalated and escalated as Symvaíno laid down on the bridge to reach out for his friends pale hand. A scream sounded when the wood broke, and down fell Mattahos, towards the dark void.

Author's Note

I hope you like this, leave a response saying what you think about it, and eventually what you like, or what you think i should concentrate on improving.
Since i am seventeen years and speak English as my second language, a few grammatical errors are bound to exist, so what i am most interested in, is what you think ot the story. -Thank you