“Who…what are you?”
I am Wraith.
“I don’t understand. What are you?”
Instead of answering, the inside glowed a golden light, and my heart beat faster as I carefully lifted the leather cover.
These are my origins.
When I flipped again, words appeared alongside moving images.
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1
* * *
1 And so claimed the humans that in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 But their God only did so with the permission of the darkness. 6 For the beginning was not the beginning as the humans told.
7 The true beginning was Eden and Terra. 8 And upon that Eden was the humans, who swelled and multiplied in great numbers, built and toiled in great fashions, but only by the light of their God. 9 And upon this Terra, were the Wiccans, whom from within spurred nature’s vast power and commands, small were their numbers, large was their might, cradled by their goddess, the moon, darkness, and night.
10 The God of Eden loved his people and blessed the work of their hands. 11 So the rivers flowed with milk and honey, the trees brought forth every manner of sweet fruit, every hill was fertile land, and the vineyards were never bare, 12 But never did the humans give thanks to their God. 13Proudly did they proclaim, “look what I have done, look what I have created with the strength of my own hands.” 14 “I am my own God.” 15 The humans warred with one another for more than what was their share. 16 They enslaved, raped, beat, and abused one another.
17 The Goddess of Terra said to the God of Eden as he watched and thought about the punishment of his sinful people, “Bring forth your light, and cast them upon Terra where the land is peculiar, the sky stubborn, and the rivers hard to find. 18 For the Wiccan are few and in need. 19 For this, they will protect the humans from the harshness of the land until the day
of their redemption.” 20 So the God of Eden agreed.
21 For a hundred and one years, the humans worked the land of Terra, their pride enabling them their redemption. 22 And so the humans were outraged with their God and spewed curses upon him for their fate. 23 Abandoning all thought of ever returning to their Eden, 24 they rejected their God and laid claim to Terra, 25 hunting and killing the Wiccan with the knowledge they had learned of their ways.
27 And the Wiccan were not enough to fend off the humans and blasphemed against their goddess for bringing the humans upon Terra. 28 Outcrying to the heavens, “Leave us. Leave us. For you have cursed us.” 29 The Wiccan pulled their magic from the deepest of the land, the moon, and darkness, kidnapping those of Eden to create creatures of the night. 30 Creatures strong enough to fight against their own. 31 But the creatures were vicious and mad, killing humans and Wiccan alike with their hunger for blood.
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2
1 Wiccans lost husbands, wives, and children as some had bound themselves to the humans. 2 In their grief, they sought vengeance against their own kind. 3 Calling upon the deepest of the land, the moon, sea, and darkness to transform themselves into creatures of the night. 4 Among these few was Octavia, a Wiccan enchanted beyond her peers, her powers enough to seek vengeance on its own. 5 Nonetheless, Octavia chose to become a creature of a night, stronger than all creatures of the night. 6 For she wished to spend eternity searching for the love that she’d lost. 7 Her gifts did not leave her in rebirth.
8 Nor did the gifts leave Awotwi of the south-south. 9 Or Hachiro of the east north, or Valon of the west-east, or Wanane of the south-west, or A??amasa and Mêru of the east-east, or Eeryll of the north-north. 10 For this, the creatures of the night armored themselves under them, 11 separating themselves for they were no longer Wiccan or human. 12 The lands were divided among them, but they were always warring. 13 Nothing could be done, for the God of Eden and the Goddess of Terra were nowhere to be found as their people cried out. 14 And thus, they faded from memory to became myths. 15 This new world of Wiccans, humans, and night things was called Earth.
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3
1 Upon this earth, anger, hate, and war reigned for a hundred thousand years. 2 The weak were broken by the strong. 3 The strong were eaten by the stronger. 4 None spared, among mortal or immortal. The Wiccans suffered greater as enemies to them both. 5 Hiding their magic, they sought to live as the humans lived. 6 Worst was their fate, for their magic was then weakened. 7 Once more, they cried out to their goddess. But her voice was silent to all but one. 8 A child born of magic stronger than any in generations.
9 Pure was the child’s heart even as it grew. 10 So pleased with it was the goddess that she offered a single wish upon the next full moon. 11 From far and wide, high and low, the Wiccan came beseeching the child to wish for the end of their torment. 12 To bring about a world for Wiccan and Wiccan alone. 13 The child refused. 14Instead, wishing for knowledge and wisdom of all magic, both known and forgotten. 15 And so the goddess gave a book. 16 Within it, the secrets, memories, and origins of all things magic. 17 Then once more, the goddess vanished.
18 Fury rose among the Wiccan, not toward the goddess, but the child. 19 Displeased by the wish, wanting not for answers, they swore vengeance against the child. 20 A new war arose, Wiccan against Wiccan as all now sought the book’s magic for their own. 21 Their hearts filled with lust and greed. 22 The child wept for the Wiccan. 23And the Wiccan had slain the child. 24 With the last of the child’s magic, the book vanished, and the child swore, should the book ever return, the world would freeze and burn by the wrath of the chosen one. 25 None would be spared, not vampire or human or Wiccan. 26 For the chosen one would uplift the day in one hand and crush night with the other. The chosen one shall bring about the end of this world. 27 The Wiccan ignored the warning of the child, turning the world over in a never-ending search.
28 Years passed, decades passed, millennia passed, and the memories of the book faded to all but a few. 29 None remembering all the truth, some called it the Book of Origins or the Book of Circe, but others recalled it, not as a book at all but as a daughter.
“Is…is the daughter of Circe, not a witch but a book?” I whispered, shaking in shock.
Yes.
“Druella!”
Immediately, I looked to where Theseus’s voice had come from, and it came from the door, not beside the bed. He came in so quickly that the wind it created blew strands of my curls across my face. He stood there for a moment, staring at me intently.