Chapter 2: Chapter 1: The Village of Rules

In an area that was once known as Athens, there lived a village. A village that would become a catalyst of history, because it held a man that would one day change the world. At this time, the man was just a boy aged fifteen, his adolescence was in full swing and he had reached that point in life where rebellion was thrust deep into one’s soul. This was the age where boys would reject their parents, and embrace their personality. They would fight tooth and nail against the status quo and would challenge any and all authority. However, this boy would never do that, nor would any young boy in the village and the reason for that is quite simple, this was a village of rules. 

Rules were supreme, and anyone who dared to rebel against them were cast away from their society. The juvenile stage that most boys go through would never be tolerated in this village of rules, so this boy, who would some day come to destroy any and all rules in his path, sat quietly in his room mumbling his prayers. 

“Friar!” a voice boomed from outside his door. The boy immediately ceased his prayers and ran to the holder of the voice, the man who was in charge of this village of rules, and the man who raised him, representing the ultimate authority over the boy’s life.

“Yes father” the boy stated once he entered the study, immediately fixing his posture.

“What have you been doing Friar?”

“Praying to Lexideus, as boys are supposed to do at this hour of day” he responded.

“No Friar! Don’t you know what today is? It’s a full moon! We all pray together at the town hall tonight, you are supposed to be helping the men catch fish for the feast.” the voice thundered.

The boy immediately got on his knees, made an ‘O’with the fingers on his right hand, and placed it on his chest where his heart beat on with fear and shame. This was the form of one that seeks repentance, and the boy was quite familiar with this form. He had always tried to be the son his father wanted but he always fell short of this ambition. There were so many rules to follow that he could not keep them all straight in his head, and sometimes one would slip his mind. For most people his age, a mistake like this would be reprimanded but quickly forgiven, but as the chieftain’s son, there was no room for error.

“Why in Lexideus’ name do you always do this? Do you know how hard I work to retain order in this village, especially with the savages that lie just beyond the river threatening our way of life? What do you think would happen if people found out that the chief cannot make his own house follow the rules? Chaos! Destruction and Desolation! Just as it was five hundred years ago when disorder ran freely until Lexideus stopped the madness.”

The boy retreated into himself even more now as he heard of the chaos that plagued the world five hundred years ago. He felt as if he had been hearing that story even before conception. The story of how the world went mad, and how people’s ambitions overtook that of nature, and for that humanity was cursed with power. The power to make any rule that one wanted.

“I am incredibly sorry father, I will not make that mistake again, I swear it,”

Upon hearing this, the father’s wrath subsided.

“Rules are the only thing that keeps this town in order Friar, it is imperative that you know that. The world is bursting with entropy and chaos, and I am doing all that I can to ensure that it never reaches the people here.”

“I know father, and for that, the inhabitants of this village are forever grateful, and so am I”

He gave a small bow and walked away once his father gave the signal to do so. As soon as he left the room, the boy immediately began to get ready to go fishing with the other boys of his village. He would be late, and for that he would be mocked, but he still had to follow the rules.

My failure to follow the rules is completely my fault. The boy told himself, but still he could not help but feel frustrated at the situation. He tried to force himself to avoid the thoughts bubbling in his head but could not. There was a spirit that dwelled deep within him, an evil spirit that the boy kept down for all his life, the spirit of rebellion. He often wondered if anyone else felt like he did but he dared not ask anyone such brazen questions.

As the days of his youth passed on, the spirit grew stronger, and the boy had to put more and more effort into suppressing it. The boy soon came to wonder whether his forgetfulness of the rules were an honest mistake, or a plot of the spirit, taking over his body and mind, forcing him to do wrong. Whenever a new rule was introduced, the spirit would rage, prompting him to defy it, but the boy would never listen. He could not listen, because listening to that spirit that possessed him was exactly what caused the destruction of man all those years ago. He had to follow the rules. The rules were sustenance to order, they were the gate that separated the savages from the peaceful, and they must be kept at all cost. 

I know that every fourth day of the month, the boys pray at this hour, with the girls following the day after. Every third day there is a fast, and communal prayer, and anytime that would overlap with personal prayer, the boys would have to pray the day after. The men pray every two days with the women praying the day after them. Men and women must not pray on the same days except for communal prayers on the third day or full moons. 

The boy would continuously get confused on which day was prayer day, and unlike the other children, he never got help from his parents. If he were to continue the legacy of their house, he would have to know the rules all by himself, his father would tell him. The strategy proved effective, as the boy soon turned to a walking encyclopaedia of rules, but once in a while he would falter, and that would be met by scorn by his father. His life was dictated by the rules of the village, and to his father's disappointment, he could never seem to follow all of them at all times.

I have to be better. These monstrous thoughts I keep having of disobeying the rules must end. I shall ask my dad to schedule in an extra day of fasting to help vanquish this spirit of rebellion. From today on I shall be flawless in my actions, and abide by all the rules.

He was so sure that he could do it, he could be the son that his father wished for, he just had to push a little bit harder. After gathering his supplies he began his walk to the river. It was north of his village and he resided in the south, so he would always have to walk through the village to reach there. It was a small residence, with barely a thousand people living there. The houses were basic and unimaginative, the people of the village believed adding to one’s possessions besides the bare minimum needed for survival was an affront against Lexideus and nature itself. Long ago, humans would decorate their houses and possessions with vibrant colours, designs and art styles. According to the boy’s father, not only was that wasteful, it was also pointless and nonfunctional.

“Why would one need possessions that are so boisterous and flagrant? Look at the beasts of the forest. The bulls do not paint their horns purple, the lions do not carve in segmented spirals into their prey before devouring them, nor does the fowl engrave markings to its beak. No beast spends as much time on fruitless endeavours as man, yet they have managed to stay alive, and flourish in nature. The foolishness of our species is that we yearn for extravagance, we want everything we consume to be painted scarlet and to smell of roses, but alas, we know where that road leads. This is why we must live like the beasts. Do not let your senses overtake you, do not be deceived by the smell of flowers or the view of the sunset, only do what you need to live and nothing more. We have strayed from the path, but it is not too late to go back.”

This was the speech that his father had given the last full moon at the town hall. Everytime they gathered in the hall, his father made it his point of duty to inspire the people of the town with his words before they prayed. One day, it would be him that gave that speech as he took on his father’s mantle as chief, but until then, he had to put on a righteous facade, he must follow all the rules.

As he walked across town he would greet all that was in his path, most of the greetings were kindly reciprocated, but some were met with sour faces and jaded eyes. As the chief’s son, the boy had made a handful of enemies just by being born. If he had not come into this world, the position of chieftain would fall to another household after his father’s passing, but as the heir, the title fell to him. He tried to not pay attention to these ill-hearted looks, after all, it was not against the rules to hate someone. 

Upon arriving at the river, the boy was greeted by his peers, people that he had grown up with and whom he knew as brothers. They gave him the standard greeting of reverence, being the man that would someday rule the city, and he returned that gesture out of humility.

“You are late Friar, did you forget once again?” his friend teased once they had gone past the formalities.

“Tsk, Tsk, are you sure you are fit to be the chief’s son? Maybe I should become the next chieftain of this village.” another added.

“You all would have not even been here if your parents had not reminded you, so don’t even speak about rules, since none of you know more of them than I. This was just a mistake, an error I made due to my humanity, but don’t you fret, this shall be the last time I will be scolded by my father. From now on, I shall abide by all the rules, without reminder.” the boy responded.

The other boys continue to tease him but he paid them no mind, the truth of the matter is that none of them knew the rules like he did, and none could even hope to be the next chieftain of their village. He may not be perfect yet, but he was still leaps and bounds above his mates when it came to rules. 

“I see that you have broken the rules once more Friar.” a voice spoke from behind him.

He turned around to see the only man among all the boys, a proud and prudent man that followed the rules with such vigour that it rivalled his fathers’, and the man who hated him the most in the village. The man was called Theseus, a name that might as well be a slur among the children of the village. His strict adherence to the rules and swift dealing of punishment to all who broke them caused him to be hated by all of the youths. All except Friar, who despite being the recipient of a fair share of those punishments, could not help but respect a man whose passion for the rules knew no bounds, even if that man held a personal vendetta against him.

“I have, and I will ask for forgiveness from Lexideus at my own time tonight” the boy responded.

“Your cries for forgiveness are not good enough. As the chief’s son, you were born into power and will someday rule this village. You need not lift a finger to acquire the position, but you still fail to obey the most basic of our rules. If not for your lineage, you would have been cast out of the village already, but alas you are still here to my dismay. The chief does many things right, but the one thing he refuses to listen to is that we need more punishments for those who break the rules. It is nothing but a joke to you children, and if he is not careful the next generation of this village will fall to ruin.”

The boys that were with Friar kept quiet, but it was clear from their faces that they did not like Theseus’ outburst. His constant bellowing about stricter punishments were as infuriating as they were long-winded. Friar however had grown used to ceaseless speeches about the importance of rules from his father, so Theseus’ spouts never came off as abnormal.

“You are quite right. As the chief’s son, I have fallen short of the expectations given unto me. I have already promised myself to follow all the rules from now on, but that does not excuse my current mistake. What punishment do you think is fitting Theseus?”

The man was taken aback with the boy’s forthcoming response, and for some reason, it only annoyed him the more.

“Well Friar, if atonement is what you seek, I think I have the perfect task. You see, we have already settled at this part of the river, and the fish here are starting to become scarce. If you really want to help, you should go upstream to find more fish and do not return till you have caught at least ten.”

The boys fell silent upon Theseus’ words, the implications pouring into their minds.

“But Theseus, isn’t the other village just upstream of this river? Aren’t we supposed to avoid contact with them?” a boy asked.

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“Yes, we must never communicate with those heathens. Those savages that hold no rules and live as they please. But we still have to collect more food for the town hall gatherings, and the rules state that everyone must feast after the prayer. Right now, we have not reached the point where we can do that.”

“But what shall he do if one of those savages attack him? My mother told me that they love to feast on human flesh.” A boy asked worryingly.

“My father told me that they kidnap children and force them to live with them like savages,” another added.

Soon, the conversation devolved to the terror stories about the other town that had been told to all the boys there, but that was soon silenced by Theseus.

“It does not matter what those savages do, we still need more fish and that is the end of the matter. Friar, are you going to refuse my order? And before you answer, do not forget about the rule that states all boys must obey the man in charge when on an expedition outside the village. I only state this because I know you would forget otherwise.”

Friar could feel that evil spirit rise up in him once more, it flooded his minds with thoughts he could not control, thoughts of defiance and disobedience. 

He knows you cannot refuse so he asks something that can get you killed, another reason why this system of rules is broken, people can abuse it to force others into a position where they would either break a rule or suffer a personal blow. Just refuse. Tell him that his idea is idiotic and that he should go get the fish himself instead of sending a child to do his biding.

These thoughts polluted Friar’s mind, but he managed to retain control. The evil spirit would not win this time.

“I did not forget, and of course I choose to follow the rules, because the rules are what bring order to life.” the boy responded.

Without hesitation, Friar bowed to Theseus and started his trek upstream with his fishing gear. Once he was outside of hearing range he let out a long sigh. What would he have to do to get rid of this evil spirit? Why must it torment him so much? He could not push its influence away no matter how he tried. It was only a matter of time till he acted on impulse and broke another rule. He began to whisper a prayer.

“Oh great Lexideus, the keeper of order and tranquillity. Please halt this evil spirit inside me, I do not wish to disobey, but I fear that one day my actions shall betray my thoughts and I will break a rule that cannot be taken back.”

It was a simple prayer that Friar often repeated. Lexideus is said to be omnipresent, but not omniscience. If one were to say their thoughts out loud, he would be able to hear them, but not even he knows the deepest secrets kept in your heart. That is why prayer is so important, to let Lexideus know the troubles of man so he can aid them.

Soon after his prayer he already started to feel better. He realised that the chances of him running into a inhabitant of the other village was unlikely at this time and he was seeing plenty of fish so catching ten would not take him such a long time.

“Thank you Lexideus, I now know that I was foolish to give heed to this evil spirit of rebellion inside of me. Theseus is a good man and would never purposely put me in danger.  I will never again doubt the ru - “

His words were cut short, as if the air was suddenly syphoned out of his lungs. His eyes went wide and his heart began to pound. His entire demeanour reacted so violently, that an onlooker would assume he had run into a wild animal or a bandit, but all that Friar had encountered was a girl.

A girl that he had never seen before, and one he knew right away was from the other village. She sat on the other side of the river, and had been watching him long before he had noticed. There was no doubt in Friar’s mind that she had heard his outburst, and his cheeks turned red out of embarrassment and fear.

“What are you doing on the other side of the river?” she asked.

Friar was frozen in place. His mind was racing and he counted at least five rules he would be breaking if he answered this girl’s question. These savages of the other village were ruthless according to his father, and he had no idea what this girl would do if he made any moves. 

“Oh please, don’t act so high and mighty. You are breaking the rules as well by being out here.”

Does she not know who I am from the other village? Why is she speaking so casually to me? The boy wondered.

He had expected her to start chasing him or to fling feces at him, but she was just engaging him in conversation like this was the most normal thing in the world. Soon her eyes widened and a smile broke out from her face.

“Wait! Don’t tell me that you are from the other village? I can’t believe it! What a lucky break, I have been wanting to meet someone from the other village for years. Everyone in my village is boring and dull, but the stories they tell me about you guys sound so fun! Tell me, do you really ride wild oxen for pleasure? Do you boil your meat with mead? Please say that you paint your heads scarlet on full moons and hunt each other for fun,” 

Her voice was overflowing with excitement. She could not contain her wonder of Friar’s people, but her zeal was only met with more silence from Friar who was now sweating profusely. This had been the last thing he had been expecting and his mind was now broken from the circumstance he had found himself in. Her eager look seemed to shake him up more than if she decided to chase him while throwing feces. He knew that it was against the rules to answer her, but he also could not just leave her in suspense. He finally managed to squeeze out a few words that were just audible enough to be heard across the river.

“Sorry… but … I am not allowed to talk with people from your village. It is against the rules.”

Upon hearing this, the girl’s face dropped and disappointment washed across her demeanour.

“I see. Your village is just the same as mine, with useless rules that govern everyone’s lives. I actually thought that your people would be the refuge I was looking for, an escape from this dull life I have lived so far, but you are the same as the rest of them. Boring and content living their lives under the thumb of useless decrees. Not me, one day I shall escape from this dreadful place and live my life how I want it. I shall sing loudly and dance rashly, I shall paint by body with the aroma of flowers and engrave spirals into my nails. I will look at the sunset till my eyes are burnt and then spend the night recovering only to do it again at sunrise. No one will have control over my life but I, and the only rules I will follow are the ones I make for myself. That is how I shall live my life when I finally escape from this awful place.”

Her words were fierce yet fluent, as if she had recited this many times. Afterwards she turned to walk away from Friar, who stood flabbergasted by her decree. There were many things he simply could not process from her words, the fact that the other village was similar to his, the fact that all he had known about the outside world had been misguided, but the biggest reality that he must now come to terms with was that there was another person possessed with this evil spirit. That spirit of rebellion did not belong to him alone, and this girl had embraced it, she had become one with it.

The spirit within him suddenly roared louder than ever before now knowing that it was not alone. It possessed him once more, taking control of his voice and mind, and suddenly, he did not care about the rule stating that he could not speak to her. He had to know more, he had to know how she was like this.

“Wait!” he yelled. The girl stopped and turned around to face him, her eyes sharp and questioning.

“So now you can talk?” 

He tried to fight the spirit within him, but he could not, it had taken control, his actions were not his own and he was filled with the overwhelming urge to ask her what he wanted to know the most.

“Why … I mean how … I mean …… Don’t you care about the rules at all? Don’t you realize that without them, mankind is doomed to destruction? That is what happened all those years ago, the reason why so many people died was because everyone wanted to live by their own rules. Do you not fear that happening again? How can you act with such disregard of the consequences of your actions?”

He had somehow managed to get the words out in an understandable manner. The girl paused for a second and then burst out laughing. Friar could not understand what was so funny and her laughter confused him even more.

“What is it? Why are you laughing?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. I didn’t realize that they fed your people the same nonsense they tell everyone in my village as well. Makes you wonder why they hate each other so much in the first place. To answer your questions, the truth is that I don’t care about rules, but not from a lack of effort. I tried for so long to be the person my village wanted me to be but the truth is that I could not live like that, and I knew that if I continued to try I would end up miserable for all of my life just like the adults in my village. I chose to prioritize my happiness over the satisfactions of others, and ever since, they have hated me for it. As for the destruction of humanity, frankly I do not believe in it, or in Lexideus the supposed saviour of our world. Finally, about the ‘consequences for my actions’ let me now ask you, who is hurt from my decisions of what I wear, or what I see or what I smell? I asked myself  this question too and then decided to run a test. I wore whatever I wanted and I sniffed flowers, I refused to pray and I skipped the meeting at town hall to watch the beauty of the moon, and to my surprise I was not struck down and the world did not cease to exist. All that occurred was that I angered a lot of people, but the sun still sets and the moon rises. This was when I realized that the world goes on regardless of the decisions I make, so why not make decisions that please me?”

Friar was once more flabbergasted, it seems like every time she opened her mouth this girl managed to shock him more than before. He did not know what to say or do, but even if he had, it was clear that she was done conversing and turned around to leave, but just before, she spoke out to him one more time.

“That spirit of rebellion inside of you is not evil, it is the real you trying to break free. Don’t try to fight it like I did. Embrace it. Trust me, life is better when there are no more rules.”

And just like that, she left, leaving Friar speechless and frozen in his spot. The girl did not know it but she had just changed the course of history in a way not most people could only dream of. A path had been set, and the boy now started his journey anew. 

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