Giask - Part II
The Science of Transmutations
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"The changing of Bodies into Light, and Light into Bodies, is very conformable to the Course of Nature, which seems delighted with Transmutations." - Sir Isaac Newton
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Henrich had learned long ago that he was a temple within... then, he preferred to walk around Giask before visit the temple built by the new King. His presence and that of his followers was not easy to ignore, opening the way through the streets in a colorful and vibrant parade. The young priestess beside him had tied his belt with a well-polished bronze sword, a ceremonial blade. Along the way he let a girl put a necklace of shells and seeds around his neck and when he sat down to rest in a square, under a tree, the priestess bared his arms, drawing hypnotic spiral patterns in blue ink, concentrating there all the omens and auspices of the Tongue of Prophecy.
Henrich Eyolf: "I like this place... I will rest here for a while."
The followers were happy with his choice. There, in those gardens, indifferent to the city around them, they pitched their tents, spreading rugs and cushions. Soon the square was a colorful amalgam, smelling of incense and scented oils. There they shared their wine, beer and bread. They danced and sang, inebriated with the sacred. They attract the people and there Henrich preached to them, shared his advices and his potions. There, under the tree, he decided to show them a miracle of his powers. Under the astonished eyes he improvised his small "lab", putting a good portions of his gold coins to melt. When gold reached a good color, he did his magic, using his alchemical ingredients. Sinopia red, misy and cadmia. With a magic formula he sealed the process and allowed the gold to cool, then showing a solid piece twice the size. The miracle that transformed the ordinary into extraordinary. A silent lesson, but one that would know to be heard. Were not the humble farm workers that turned food into wealth? That was not the work of merchants and commoners of all kind? The young men were not transformed into soldiers covered in gold and glory? Weren't the noblility a shinning extension of those below, taking the riches from the land, paying with their lives and their blood? Fools would see only the gold, but the true believers would see there the transmutation of the ordinary into the divine.
Obviously, that was just an alchemical trick. The real magic was not transforming mundane materials into other materials valued only by the greed of man. But the process itself was full of wonder and showed to everybody that Henrich was the guardian of occult knowledge, powers that could bend men without the urge of swords and armies. Moreover, it was necessary to display some superhuman power to conquer the fervent mind of those he wished to convert. He had to show something capable of show them the world of faith couldn't be ruled solely by the lonely stars in the night sky, deaf to the appeal of men. He was a path to the stars and he had the necessary knowledge to illuminate the way. He has the key to open the doors of enlightenment.
Henrich Eyolf: "Why do you care for gold??? What transforms this world is knowledge. Nothing else can change anything in this world. Knowledge alone is capable of transforming the world, while at the same time leaving it exactly as it is. When you look at the world with knowledge, you realize that things are unchangeable and at the same time are constantly being transformed. Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place. Life isn't about just having dreams, it's all about transforming them into reality and an army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
The High Priest raised his arms as a new horde of followers took part in that small squere surrounded by gardens where the true miracle of transmutation happened. Where Henrich disarmed the ignorance and opened the seas of darkness to bring illumination to the common people, always living the worst vicissitudes of life while the nobles sprawled in their feasts planning new wars and conquers.
Henrich Eyolf: "I don't just wish you rain, Beloved - I wish you the beauty of storms!!!"
