The Usurpation of Tarkatan

Once upon a time, in the center of all that is, there was a beautiful and wonderful place known as the Celestial Haven. This divine place exists beyond the material worlds where mortal beings live, and is also where all the spirits and gods reside and live in. It is a home to all spirits. At the center of this haven, there is a great tower of platinum and white marble. At the top is home to a great dragon.

Though referred to by an infinity of names, He would be known as Sorax, the god of all gods, and a being without flaw. He can be seen with shining silver scales that glow with the light of His being. His mane flows from His chin and neck like the finest cloth (which does not even come close). His muscles bulge and ripple with divine power against the glossed, impenetrable scales. His eyes see all that happens, did happen, and will happen on all parallels of existence. He is the god who has created and knows all things, as He always was and forever shall be. And His all-divine, ever-present aura emanated from his great heart, and was experienced by all that are open to Him. No words, or the ones used here, could accurately describe his true appearance.

He lies on a sacred place in the tower that is His throne, by which only He lies upon. This throne is really a great circle of seven magic gems, each representing an element of each corresponding element: Ruby, for Fire; Sapphire, for Water; Emerald, for Life and Nature; Turquoise, for Ice; Onyx, for Earth; Topaz, for the Sun and Light; and Amethyst, for the Moon and Shadow. Above the center of the circle is a great magical diamond floating above Him.

But Sorax was not the only god in the tower, for there were many of the other gods and goddesses he created from his being. One of these gods was named Tarkatan, the God of Thought and Mentality who represents the minds of thinking beings. Being a lesser god, he was much smaller and less powerful than Sorax. Also because he was one of the children of Vandia, the Water Goddess, Tarkatan would have blue scales, as well as a tall, blue-green frill that runs from his head down his spine, ending towards the tail. At the end of his tail is a pair of flukes that is present in Vandia herself and all of her children. He was very intelligent among the lesser gods (though hardly like Sorax, of course), but also very restless. He always took his time to explore and think about anything he encountered. To make use of this ability, Sorax assigned him to guide thinking beings in several worlds as they survive in their crude, dense environment.

One time, Sorax grew bored of standing from His post all the time, so He decided to have a pleasant flight around the kingdom. But He was aware that Tarkatan was nearby, whose eyes were always open and penetrating. He was staring in thought at one of the fine jewels that dot the high walls. So He turned to the lesser god.

"Tarkatan!" Sorax called.

Tarkatan turned his attention to Him, silent.

"I am leaving my tower for a moment" He continued, "but I will tell you not to take my throne, for it is reserved only for myself. If anyone else were to take it, there will be chaos. Thereby they will be punished. Understood?"

"Yes!" Tarkatan answered blankly, though he was more interested in returning to his activities.

"Good" Sorax concluded.

And with that, He treaded towards the wide doorway. And then, with one quick leap, He spread the immense wings that would stretch across the realm, and left across the infinite.

Having known about this throne, Tarkatan looked upon the circle of gems. As with just about everything, he looked upon it and thought about it. Only then did a tiny and wily demon crawl up his body and into his frilled ear.

"If this is the place which a god like yourself could rule, then why don't you take it?" whispered the demon.

"I would delight in this honor," Tarkatan answered, "But Sorax has commended me that I not take it, lest I be punished."

"Oh, please!" spat the demon, "You know how He is. He doesn't want anyone to be at His level. He always controls this universe, including yourself! Why, by taking it you could become the king of all things! You could do any whim that you wish! Why, you could even become the new ruler of the Celestial Haven! The greatest of joy that you search for would be rightfully yours forever!"

Tarkatan soon became enthralled by the idea, and then felt he knew exactly what he was looking for!

"Yes" he said, this time with a tone of greed and lust for personal power. Then he hungrily crept towards the gemstone throne. "I will certainly take this most glorious place as my own!" By now he has approached very closely to the ring of gems, and he grinned wickedly. "And now, all of creation will come by my command! Never again will Sorax put me in such a lowly position as this! Never again!"

And thus he leaped forward into the ring and seized the magic diamond with his fore claw! But unaware of his undoing, he became insane and twisted with the incomprehensible power coursing through him, babbling mindlessly!

Meanwhile, the mortal beings below became inflicted by his insanity. They started fighting each other out of the same craving that Tarkatan had! Cut off and fleeing from the presence of Sorax, they fought in bloody wars over imaginary territory, stripping their world of their life - and finally themselves - in the process. They have mistaken him for their god; they have identified with him, and thus there was chaos.

But no sooner did Sorax, during His flight across the Haven, look below Him to find all the mortals in their new-found madness, acting in complete discord with His Divine Will! Immediately, He knew one thing:

"Tarkatan!" He realized, "He must have taken my throne when I told him not! Without doubt he shall be stopped!"

And so He teleported back to where He was to find Tarkatan twisted with the insanity as he embraced of the power that was too much for his small body. Then Sorax teleported him out of the ring of gemstones, and then placed Himself back inside. When that has happened, the mortals suddenly regained their sanity and wholeness. There was harmony.

Baffled by this sudden teleportation, Tarkatan looked around to find himself being looked upon by Sorax's gaze! He gasped with horror as he realized what he had done!

"You have disobeyed my order not to take my throne! I have seen the chaos that had been done because of your fault!"

Tarkatan has been stunned silent by Sorax's presence and gaze, and Sorax saw this.

"As for your punishment" He added, "I shall fixate one of my many visions upon you, never leaving you from sight to ensure that you never take my place! No more creations will be violated without necessity. In the meantime, you will resume to your duties."

And that He did.

As long as Sorax fixates His awareness to him, Tarkatan would continue to carry out his true task of guiding mortals in the dense mortal worlds. The atrocious calamity that had fallen to them in his short rule would never happen again…

The End