By Justin Van Heukelom

Things were never quite the same in Clairidia after the Emash arrived from the south. Around five hundred of the maroon-furred Emash (almost a quarter-sized to our pale-colored population) came looking for a new place to dwell in, for they claimed to have been robbed of their past land and forced into exile by a ruthless society from the west. Luckily for the Emash, the sacred laws of our land are surely just, so the Human-Appointed family granted these drifters their Human-given right to settle down alongside us, and so they were made to be sheltered in our spare living sites across our four districts. Those that were old enough to do so were tested (just like every Clairidian) to become an efficient worker in our society, all in order to serve our Lords, The Humans. It was common knowledge to us Clairidians that The Humans, the mostly-furless creatures of this land from millions of years ago, not only created our world, but also left behind divine answers so that we as a species could prosper before Their disappearance. Still, after all these years, we can continue to communicate with all of Them if we so wished, for They were all magnificent and holy alike. We have been taught of Their all-knowing ways in Clairdia since we were but small children, but still, we cannot even fathom the intricate knowledge Their texts and other various materials continue to bring to us in times of good and bad.

The Emash had to obey our law to its full extent, which meant they were to glorify The Humans just as we did. The unlawful ones that refused to worship faced nothing less than a rightful, public death at our daily meetings, to be carried out by the Defenders of the Appointed, who were the brave ones that defended the Human-Appointed family and also promoted the morals of The Humans by force among Claridian residents, if needed. The Appointed family was the all-knowing and Human-trusted family that had reigned in Claridia for a great number of years with a dense lineage of hallowed leaders. They also made the laws of our land, which were supremely sent from none other than The Humans.

Vivarci was, at the time, the Head Member of the Appointed, thus meaning that he was the wisest and also was among the oldest of the family. He was the only member of the Appointed family that spoke to Clairidians, and likewise, he gave daily speeches during meetings to the masses of us from atop his renowned Head Member stone pillar in the meeting room of the great Sanctified Construct. The Construct, built long ago by Claridians that had construction jobs, was a beautiful, arch-shaped building in the district of Roh’vad that housed every member of the Appointed family. Improvements were constantly made to it to ensure that the family was given the most pleasurable life possibly conceivable.

I, Winarc (of the district Vleial), was a farmer, as my test results I took a little over four years ago portrayed. The achievements of my life at that period consisted mainly of supplying crops to the Appointed, which they distributed evenly amongst themselves and the society. Before becoming a full member of the society, I was educated for many years along with my fellow peers about The Humans and the perfect ways in which They functioned. My newly picked female mate Hansi was a hunter that killed mere animals of the water, sky, and ground during her instructed shifts, while I farmed by day on the land of our living site. I could not have been happier during this period of my life than to have Hansi as my mate- she was always more intelligent and sympathetic than I ever could be, and at the time, I felt satisfied in living for her. Being that she was picked by the Human-Appointed family to be a hunter, she was thus dominant over me, since I was but a farmer. The family never paired two mates of the same career together, simply to ensure that one mate was always dominant over the other; the law stated that the submissive mate was always to abide by the dominant. Being dominant in a mating relationship most certainly had its advantages, such as naming rights for children and the right to petition for a multiple mate every five years, but I was nonetheless quite content and confident in my newly established life with Hansi. However, I found the greatest purpose in life was to bring well-being to my community. My life was indeed great, but problems would surely arise that would bring conflict to its stability.

An influential and rebellious member of the Emash by the name of Sai’ren was said to have been firmly against the sacredness of The Humans. Although she worked in hiding with her initially small group of close Emash followers, word of her erroneous ideals soon got out. Vivarci warned us about her during a daily meeting in the meeting room of the Sanctified Construct after her name rose in prominence:

“Watch closely for her, be it day or night,” he boldly explained to us all. “Sai’ren is on an immoral mission, spearheaded by her selfish hatred for the true way of life. She will disgrace The Humans by any means necessary and will control and command your mind if you do not rebuff her or her deceitful followers immediately. Many that have had the chance of spotting her inform me that she has a distinctive patch of shining golden fur on her stomach, so beware of any Emash female that you see with this feature- and make sure to bring them to me however you can! Anyone that is caught helping or working with Sai’ren in any form is sure to face a humiliating public death.”

Sai’ren’s tight-knit clan traveled silently throughout the four districts of Clairidia, attempting to convince many (both Emash and Claridians) that The Humans were not the Lords of all species nor the creators of our world. Such audacity these imbeciles had! Many of them were killed by Defenders and even weaponless common Clairidians alike (for The Appointed had banned weapons of any kind for us commoners). Although Sai’ren and her followers were quite dumb, they were also very prideful in what they stood for, making it nearly impossible to cease the progression and motivation that was behind their movement.

Many of my fellow Clairdians were deeply skeptical of the majority of the Emash, whom had all claimed affiliation alongside us,. Hansi instructed me to be as tolerant as I could towards them, and not soon after this dictation, my beloved Hansi and I befriended an Emash family that lived in a living site very near to us. The first member of this family that we met was a kind female by the name of Maneech. Maneech had a young daughter by the name of Kwaneind, who was no older than five years. She had only one male mate, named Decrius, since all Emash practiced monogamy. In their old land, no one mate was made dominant over the other; however, this changed for them when they came to Clairida. Those that were tested and had the same career were forced to split apart and were paired with another mate. Luckily, this was not the case for Maneech (who was now a farmer) and Decrius (who was a construction worker). This family worshipped with Hansi and I daily, and we soon developed a strong relationship with them; I remained privately cautious of them, however.

Meanwhile, all throughout the land, accounts were continually reported of the disobedient Sai’ren and her increasing amount of followers, many of which were at this point allegedly Clairidian! The Defenders of the Appointed searched for and killed both Emash and Clairidian followers of Sai’ren daily. I questioned both Maneech and Decrius many a time about the words and beleifs of Sai’ren, considering that Sai’ren was one of their own, but they always assured Hansi and I that Sai’ren spat nothing but fallacious lies. I strived to take the two of them for their word, but sometimes my animosity towards their group did get the best of me, and so I often had trouble in trusting in them. However, Hansi had great love and understanding for our neighbors, and never disagreed with nor questioned their explanations.

During one midday, an emergency meeting at the Sanctified Construct was signaled. Once in the vicinity of the building, all of the Emash were ordered by numerous Defenders to wait outside in parallel lines and were monitored closely by armed Defenders. Something certainly seemed troubling about this situation to the Emash, and Hansi made a worrisome comment about it one the way to our seats. When I and my fellow Clardians were completely settled down in the colossal meeting room, I was not too surprised to hear what Vivarci had to yell from atop his stone pillar with immeasurable fury:

“Enough is enough! Their beliefs cannot be trusted and they have proven to be disloyal towards us, and most importantly, The Humans! Kill all remaining Emash you see if you can! Defenders are currently killing them right now as I speak these orders to you! They cannot, and they will not, thrive in our lands, or any lands, for that matter! I have been told by The Humans that they are nothing less than enemies! Go forth and do what must be done in the name of our creators!” It had been done: war had officially been declared on the Emash.

A great Emash bloodbath showered much of Claridia, starting outside of the Construct and spreading throughout. I witnessed many Defenders slaying the Emash with their various advanced sharp staffs while my common peers resorted to killing them by hand, for we were not granted our own weapons by the Appointed. I spotted a group of five of them ripping the limbs apart from a foolish member of the Emash. Hansi rushed me through the scene and commanded me to run to our living site immediately. When we returned, she told me that she was greatly distraught over this matter. I, on the other hand, had long recognized that this was an inevitability. I aimed to make Hansi understand that The Humans did not want the Emash to live anymore, but she could not open her mind to it; her loyalty towards Maneech and her family had finally caused her to betray The Humans. Hansi commanded that I would neither kill nor report Maneech and her kin; that is if they had even survived the opening slaughter. Hansi was well aware of the deadly punishment that the Appointed would bring down upon us for affiliating with the enemy, but what could I realistically do to prevent a public death by the Defenders from being a possibility for me? I could not disagree more with her wrongful stance, but the law stated that I had to comply with Hansi or else I would face the same punishment! I would be breaking the law and facing death by the Defenders regardless of what I did, which put me in quite an uncomfortable position.

In the earliest hours of morning, Maneech finally arrived at our living site in a rather discreet manner. Maneech, covered in bruises and wounds, told us in agonizing words that her mate Decrius and her young daughter Kwaneind had both been killed, and that she had hardly escaped herself. Hansi comforted her and told her that she was not to worry anymore, for she was in safe care now. Maneech recollected herself for a brief amount of time before she opened up to us about the true ways of the Emash:

“I tell you this not to offend you, but so you can see things the way they are meant to be seen,” she told us in a sorrowful yet solemn tone. “These Humans that you speak of were not perfect and They did not pave the way for our species.”

“How can you believe such a thing?” I intensely questioned to her. “Are you even among our species, you dark creature! The Humans left us great answers for our future, how can you state that there is nothing truly almighty about Them?”

“Quiet, Winarc, let Maneech continue,” Hansi inserted.

“Winarc, They did not leave true answers for us!” Maneech impatiently exclaimed to me. “You have been told that They were supreme and all-knowing, but I assure you, They were intelligent creatures not unlike our own species. We Emash had great knowledge of this in our homeland, considering we’ve reviewed the remains and artifacts that exist. They worshipped to Their own various higher beings, and They held these beings in the same esteem that you hold Them in. There is no proof of them even knowing of our species’ future existence according to the facts that we Emash are aware of. The Appointed are lying to you, and they are unquestionably controlling your society with superstitious beliefs and teaching you just enough about The Humans so that they can control and maintain you with an unfair advantage!”

While I remained silenced in a hybrid emotion of both shock and anger, Hansi told Maneech that she trusted and believed her! How could I claim such a female who believed these despicable words to be looking after my well-being?

What was I to do in this dilemma? I concluded that I would disobey Hansi for the greater good of the legacy of The Humans. I thought, surely the Appointed will understand this and spare my death.

After Hansi and Maneech had rested themselves inside, I quietly crept out into the dawn air. The scenes I witnessed on my brief travel to the Construct of the hundreds of Emash and Claridian corpses of all imaginable ages were indescribable and absolutely horrendous, but nonetheless justified in the case of the Emash bodies. I also spotted many Defenders along the way, drenched in Emash blood, awaiting the appearance of any more Emash with their pointed staffs, which now featured the guts of Emash bodies on the pointed tips.

As I approached the Sanctified Construct, a group of at least twenty Defenders guarding its doors asked me what my purpose for appearing before the Appointed family was. After informing them, Vivarci accepted my request and a couple of Defenders hesitantly escorted me into to his great office. There, I explained everything to the wise Vivarci, while he patiently listened to my story.

“My son,” he proclaimed to me in his aging but sturdy voice, “do you realize that you have broken the law by betraying the head of your living site?”

“Yes, I do,” I answered confidently, “but I have done it to preserve the sacredness of The Humans. Let Them do what They must upon me, but I know that I did what had to be for the betterment of the way of life.”

With an understanding smile, he disclosed to me that I was free from a deadly punishment, but would still be disciplined in some form, for what I did was nonetheless displeasing to my Lords. However, his top priority at this point was to punish Hansi and Maneech.

After being captured and brought back to the Construct by a group of Defenders, Hansi and Maneech were both sentenced to death by Vivarci. I must admit that it made me quite sad to see those Defenders stab and kill them mercilessly them amongst my Clairidian companions at that day’s meeting. I often ponder if I should have reported them, but I ultimately understand that what I did was all for the best, so I attempt to not get too preoccupied in thought regarding the matter.

Since Hansi was now dead, I inherited the living site and was matched with a young female, whose name was Fenius, that had just completed career testing. She was quite lovely and I adored her very much, more so than the rotten Hansi, whom I now possessed stale memories of. Although Fenius was a construction worker, I was made dominant over her, as is written so in the law for a widower, regardless of career. However, I still had to farm nearly double my usual time to serve as my punishment.

Most of the surviving Emash fled to places beyond, and the Defenders were ordered to track down and kill them, which was largely unsuccessful for the most part. However, Sai’ren was captured and later tortured to death from midday to darkness. I assumed that we had nothing more to worry about after she was killed, but I was most certainly mistaken.

The process of decay in our society spread rather rapidly after many of our citizens fled our land, considering that the Emash had most likely converted them to immoral thinking and reasoning. At that time, there were no laws that prohibited a citizen from leaving Clairidia, but after three hundred or more ran off within the span of a month, Vivarci explained to us that The Humans did not want anybody else to leave and thus it was made it illegal for any of us to do so. If anyone were caught trying to leave, they would immediately be killed by Defenders stationed near the borders. The Appointed also planned for a huge wall to be built around the four regions of Clairidia to not only cease citizens from departing, but also to prevent distrustful communities from entering. However, after this announcement, many workers of all careers banded together and refused to work, so the wall never even reached physical commencement.

Vivaraci announced that the seven hundred citizens that went on strike were to be put to death, but these seven hundred easily outnumbered the three hundred that made up the Defenders of the Appointed. The rebels crafted their own weapons from their own materials to attack the Defenders with, and also successfully recruited many more Claridians to revolt with them. After many Defenders were killed by these traitors, the Appointed family made it law for all citizens to join the Defenders, but few actually did. Many Clairdians simply did not fear the law anymore, and thus, did not fear The Humans anymore, due to the harm Sai’ren and the pitiful Emash caused to the minds of our citizens.

I did not join the Defenders because I knew that I would undoubtedly be killed by the growing amount of spineless revolutionists. Although I would die for The Humans, it was quite clear to me that They did not care for Clairidia anymore. The rebels claimed the Construct not soon after Vivarci’s plead. I had no plans in waiting around to see what would become of our society at that point. I instructed Fenius that we had to leave, and so we stuffed our baggage with as many belongings and necessities as we could and left Claridia that very night. I am uncertain of what became of the Appointed family and whether or not they escaped the horror that occurred. I hoped to The Humans that they did, but I accepted that whatever had happened was all part of The Humans’ plans.

Fenius and I are still searching for another community to settle in, but have yet to find any after a couple weeks of journeying. We have stumbled upon nothing but claimless land. I wondered to myself after great thought if The Humans would despise us for fleeing the land they gave us, but realized that we surely must be doing the right thing and can find another society to spread Their truth in. Yes, I most certainly did break a couple of laws, but I accept that they were the best decisions not only for me but ultimately for The Humans. I have no intentions of ever returning to Claridia; I believe I will fear what I will find there. The Humans have obviously completed whatever it is they wanted to in Clardia, and so now I will carry the holiness of The Humans to other places. I have faith that things will get better, and when they do, then I will finally be at peace.