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The Resurrection of Kaivash'tar
- The Resurrection of Kaivash'tar -
There was once a prince from a grand kingdom known as Luminos. The prince was young, beautiful, and androgynous looking, with many saying that he would make as lovely a princess as he did a prince. He had long flowing black hair, and sparkling blue eyes. He stood in the great hall of the temple that served as the palace, which itself lay at the heart of the capital city that bore the same name as did the kingdom itself. The prince looked at the rows upon rows of columns, statues, and small shrines which filled the interior of the palace's main entryway, and thought deeply upon the history of the place. This was the site of an ancient matriarchal theocracy, and his mother the Theocratic Queen herself had thus in her infinite wisdom decided that the prince was to embrace his feminine side entirely and succeed her one day as the next queen. Naturally, when the time came, he would be transformed fully into the woman he always felt he was anyway, but in the meantime he spent much of his days pursing this or that in terms of diversions, studies, or training in this or that of interest. Sometimes, he was bored and other times he had perhaps too much to do. On this occasion, he was on the way to the palace library in order to research more of various subjects that interested him, as well as to meet with two individuals who had become his best friends in all the world... a pair of twins who bore the names of Corin and Norine. They were both nobles from a family with close ties to the prince's own, and often were the life of the party when it came to how he spent his days. He could simply not wait to see what they might have in store on this occasion! It was a pleasant morning, and the library... upstairs... was a beautiful place with as many lovely plants and flowers to look at as books, scrolls, and tomes. The chambers of the library were well lit, and through the tall windows the prince could see the palace gardens outside. There was music being played somewhere... harp, flute, and singing of exquisite artistry. Various large tables and chairs were in the library for the use of its' patrons... nobles and commoners alike were ever allowed to partake of the library's services... and there were also couches and benches of comfortable design for those who might be spending several hours there. The prince had frequented this place a lot in his youth, and had many fond memories of coming here as a child and taking out his favorite books to read. Always books about myths, legends, and fantastic tales of every sort! He had a voracious sort of appetite for such stories, and often he fancied himself a warrior goddess out of the old sagas. His fair spirit was of that sort, and his mind keener than the more flighty nobles whose dull conversations bored him greatly. He was not like his peers, save for the twins. In them, there was something that was greatly complementary to his nature, and he was ever happy to indulge in their diversions. Perhaps too happy!
Gazing into a mirror on one of the walls, the prince regarded his appearance. He wore a pair of long, billowing pantaloons tied with drawstring as the waist and ankles... they were very full and baggy, and draped elegantly, golden in color. He also wore a silver blouse with short, puffy sleeves that was tucked into the pants and buttoned in the front with gold buttons. It had a low neck to it, and was, just like the pants, light and airy... perfect for the summertime. On his feet were a pair of silver slippers, and on his left wrist was a white pearl bracelet. A matching pearl necklace, he wore around his neck. His hair was tied back in a high ponytail today, with a gold hair cone, and in his ears he was wearing his favorite pair of earrings... white pearl, that went ideally with the necklace and bracelet. His makeup was elegant but somewhat tribal in appearance. Blood red lipstick, black eyeliner and eye shadow, with a black dot to mark the location of his spiritual third eye... the mark and symbol of his spiritual path in life. He wore some bronzing powder to downplay how pale he could sometimes be, though he was not too pale and always tended to tan well enough in the summertime. A bit of blush rounded out his makeup, and some mascara to give his eyes a doll-like quality thanks to his long eyelashes. He was, as was said, as lovely as any woman, and this was something he decided to own in life. Even had his mother not decided this to be his best path to choose. It was his choice even long before it had been her own... a very good one.
A light breeze blew through the library's foyer just then, through an open window. Not enough really to mess with any of the scrolls or parchments, but enough to blow through the prince's hair. It was that kind of a day... lovely, and golden. For many years to come, he could find idle time such as this, ever enjoying it with the twins who shared both his passions and his myriad flights of fancy. There were a dozen or so archways over which golden signs hung which told that here or there were various lounges, studies, and archive chambers. This was a place designed as much for comfort as for serious learning. The twins call to the prince from one of the study alcoves: “Greetings to you, prince Marylis! May we speak for a time? Or perhaps indulge in some measure of mischief if things should go that way!” it was Corin who thus spoke, ever eager for such misadventures as might cross his mind to orchestrate. The prince could hear the female twin, Norine, telling her brother to show some discretion. This was surely an indication that these two were definitely up to something... and Marylis was very eager to see what. “I am on my way, fear not!” the prince called out, striding into the study hall with a smile on his face. He did not smile often, but when he did it was said that there were angels less bright in comparison to the joy that such a smile could bring. People asked him always, to smile more often! Today, he did so. On the way into the alcove, the prince could hear various snippets of conversation from some of the other library patrons. Things such as: “I am sorry, but I do not know anything about this man. What is he dressed like? Ah! He is a soldier, I see, sir.” and “What? He looks nothing like his brother! We're not even sure they are brothers yet, madam, they were just born on that rather singular day after all.” and oddities that. Snippets of whispers and hushed words floating in the air, with little to no context for one overhearing the words being spoken. Pieces of peoples' lives, is what they seemed like to Marylis.
Corin was wearing a light, baggy looking wide legged sleeveless jumpsuit, green in color and belted a the waist with a teal colored sash. He had sandals on, and was short and overly happy almost all of the time. His curly red hair, dark eyes, and dusky skin said he was from the east someplace... and his sister looked at once almost exactly the same as her brother except that her hair was longer and her jumpsuit was red in color, with a black sash. She too wore sandals, and had a pair of black stud earrings that she wore. Her lips were adorned with black lipstick and she wore thick black eye makeup that gave her an exotic sort of appearance. Both wore colorful bangle bracelets on their wrists, in various colors. Marylis was highly attracted to both twins, and they all had known one another in ways a lot more intimate than many might assume. “I see you are both in uniform today!” exclaimed the prince with a slight chuckle. To which Norine replied: “A uniform is it! As if this was all we had to wear? I will have you know that although this look similar in style to our other jumpsuits, they are all different colors and I have yet to wear the same color twice in a single month. After all... a certain preference, my darling Marylis, is no indication of a lack of choice. Sometimes, the preference is the choice! As in love and in sex, so also in attire sometimes. There can be an attraction to a certain style, and my brother and I have our own. Just as you have yours, more oft than not! So cease teasing us, and have a seat with us by the table here. Be thankful to be in on our little council for this occasion! We've something in mind today you will like.” To which the prince eyed the woman's ample breasts and licked his lips, stating: “I see much that I like every time I am seated near you, Norine!” which never failed to make Corin blush given his long and sordid history of incest with his sister. Something that in this society was not frowned upon due to the often institutionalized hedonism and overt decadence of Lumine culture, where deities of love, pleasure and lust took prominence over all others. Heavenly bliss was considered achievable as much between a woman's legs as when one was kneeling before any sacred altar place. Norine sighed, replying: “Yes! I know how nice they are, believe me... are you really certain that you do like them?” to which the prince answered all too quickly: “Oh yes... I do!” and gave one of the woman's breasts a gentle squeeze, which caused her breath suddenly to quicken. She enjoyed that! He liked women, a lot... equally to being one.
“It feels so good when you do that!” the woman so exclaimed, clearly excited. Corin interrupted that moment by reminding those two: “Before you two decide to start going at it right here and now... might I remind everyone that we've an adventure to be about!” to which both his sister and the prince snapped from their lusty moment to say at the same time: “Tell us about it, then!” Marylis assumed that Norine had known about whatever the details were... but apparently not. The young noble then explained what he wished to get up to: “Well, I was thinking about going for a walk around the palace grounds, and on over to the chambers where the first shrine to the goddess Kaivash'tar is said to be. No one has ever in all the years I have been alive seen the place... probably never in anyone's lifetime, for that matter. And I would very much like to discover if it even ever existed at all! Who is with me?” to which his sister very childishly raised her hand, exclaiming cheerily: “Me!” Both of these two were still in their early twenties, compared to the prince who was only a couple of years from being fifty years old. An evident reality that was alleviated by the fact that Marylis did not look his age in the least... appearing always a great deal younger than he perhaps should have. Something he, fortunately, inherited from his mother. He had always wondered about that shrine also... it was in all the lore surrounding the palace, yet never had anyone claimed to have actually been there or even seen it. No art depicted it either! It was simply an accepted fact, but one that some people doubted the truth of. “Me too!” the prince said, raising his hand with a mischievous expression on his face. It was thus agreed upon, and they all went about this.
As they entered the chambers, which were wholly unguarded even though the trio half expected them to be, they noticed how very old the place was, with its' tall tree-like pillars supporting a celing not very much unlike that of a Gothic cathedral. There were no windows, and the only light came from lamps on the walls that were quite dim all things considered. The walls were filled with alcoves containing many statues of the goddess's saints and messengers, and before each statue was an altar and some candles. None of which had been in use for generations beyond counting. Where one might expect a magnificent statue or other such celebration of the deity's divinity to be... there was just an empty space devoid all such aspects. Instead, there was only an empty altar that had upon it an intricate symbol etched into the front of it, one that was of a seemingly alien design. Like nothing any of these three had ever studied in all of their learning as members of the nobility. “Why would anyone wish to build so grand a place and yet... for only this?” asked Norine, waving her hands widely about her to indicate the shrine's chambers. “No wonder nobody ever talks about this place or wants to go here... it is just so boring!” exclaimed the woman's brother, his voice filled with an evident lack of satisfaction. The prince then walked on over to the altar and ran his hand over the design upon it. It felt warm to his touch, though the whole place was cool otherwise. “I wonder why it feels like this?” he commented, and Norine hurried over to have a bit of a look. She noticed that it was warm to her touch as well. “I do not know!” she said curiously. “Not normal at all.” she commented further. Her brother was less than enthused by that, and was trying not to appear bored out of his wits. “Well, at least you two are having a good time it seems!” he said, with his voice dripping with sarcasm. He walked over to one of the stone benches that lined the hall, and sat at one of them, finding it uncomfortable. “People actually once sat on benches like these? Goddesses! I could not stand to live back then.” But indeed something strange was afoot, for Norine and Marylis had seemingly become entranced by the design on the altar, which held them fast in its' spell. If spell it was. Suddenly, the two kissed each other passionately, their hands caressing each others' bodies. “I do not know why... but I really want you right now. Right here! Let us do it.” said the woman, to which it was no secret that the prince was quite willing to indulge. “I thought you would never ask!” exclaimed the beautiful prince, and the two began to remove each other's clothes... practically tearing them off in their zeal to engage each other carnally. Corin watched them, and began to feel very aroused himself. Sliding out of his jumpsuit and taking his penis from his undergarments, he began to stroke it, pleasing himself.
While Corin masturbated, Marylis and Norine had very a rough and bestial intercourse... their bodies slick with sweat while the woman lay upon the floor behind the altar, with the prince heaving between her spread legs and moving in and out of her, over and over again as he licked her face and her breasts. She moaned and shrieked a bit at times, her breath quickening as she neared orgasm. She shouted many words of love and lust, driving her princely lover to further acts of sexual gratification for their mutual enjoyment. Soon, they each climaxed and lay in each other's arms having exhausted themselves with their ferocious efforts. Efforts that were well worth it for them in the end! Corin had likewise managed to pleasure himself to orgasm, and exclaimed as he did: “Oh goddess Kaivash'tar! Forgive me, I think I just defiled your shrine.” but it was no worse than the defilement the other two had just finished with. If the goddess has ever lived in that place, there was no sign of her displeasure at these acts of blasphemy. Or perhaps, being a goddess of primal pleasure, she would have approved! Yet no one remembered that this is what she had been the ancient mother goddess of, and all thought she was some queen of all the gods, some heavenly matriarch whose secrets had been lost to the ages. Some bearer of wisdom and all manner of knowledge and enlightenment. It was like mistaking the madame of a brothel for an oracle of the gods. Yet, the goddess herself was no longer walking the lands of the world to say what be truth or fiction regarding her. Corin fell asleep for some time, and had troubled dreams that were filled with all manner of darkness and terrors, and voices that sounded demonic and horrible to hear. He saw visions in the dark, and yet could not say what it is they contained. A voice called to him over the other sounds, and the voice was a beautiful, harmonious mixture of male and female. “Who are you?” he asked of the voice, and it answered only with the name of the ancient goddess. “Kaivash'tar!” was all it said, saying it over and over again repeatedly, until the name became like the rhythm of a song that was being sung, with the more inhuman voices joining in... making a chaotic music that caused Corin to scream. He did awaken from this nightmare... for in it, at the end, hands reached out to him from the darkness and they were scaly and inhuman hands, which caused him great fright. And that fright snapped him awake! He looked over at the altar as he dressed himself, but saw no sign of either his sister or the prince. Both of them had, he imagined, taken off while he slept. “Well that figures!” he exclaimed. “First time I close my eyes in two days, and they head off to goddesses only know where.” he then decided to check each and every alcove, but found them all just as silent as they had been before he fell asleep. He realized, at that moment, that he was the only person in the shrine after all. “Probably went back to the library just to mess with me.” he muttered to himself and made his way back there. It was nighttime now, and late. The library was open all hours though, and changed staff frequently throughout the day to keep things running smoothly. Thus it was not exactly an impossibility for the other two to have gone there after all.
At the library, Corin discovered nobody present who even remotely resembled his twin sister and the prince. He even asked the directors of the library, and they had not seen either of them enter. They had, however, claimed to have seen a stranger whom they had never seen before... one that spoke not a word and instead headed straight for the prime archives chamber, where the oldest and most accurate history texts were kept. Finding that curious, since the arrival of the stranger was timed perfectly with what had seemed to be the pair's disappearance... Corin decided to see if this stranger might know something of what had befallen them. Going down the stairs and into the chamber itself, Corin had an odd feeling so close to dread in his heart that he felt physically affected by it, his hands shaking a bit with nervousness. Seated at one of the tables in the chamber was a beautiful woman whose appearance had all of the best qualities of both Norine and Marylis combined. Her hair was long and black, yet with streaks of red all through it. One of her eyes, the right one, was blue... while her left eye was dark brown. Her body had Norine's build but Marylis' taller height. She was wearing Marylis' clothing so completely, right down to having her hair up using the prince's hair cone, that it could not have been simply a copying of style.
The strange woman's skin was also the same dusky color as Norine's... yet the woman's facial features and structure were identical to Marylis' own. This unnerved Corin as he sat down at the table just across from her and asked: “Excuse me, my lady, but have you seen either my sister or the prince? I know you likely know what the prince looks like... everyone does... but my sister looks pretty much like a female version of myself. We had gone for a walk outside for a bit, but... ended up separated... and I thought it possible that perhaps the pair might have come back here, since this is where we met up for the day.” to which the woman replied: “Corin... I do not know how to tell you this, but... I am your sister. And the prince as well! We... combined... and this is the result.” Corin looked shocked and in disbelief. He then shouted loudly: “Combined! You are a liar, woman. That is impossible... and you are wearing the very attire of the prince himself. What have you done with them? I demand to know right now!” To which the strange woman explained: “Corin... brother... do you remember when we were both three years old and I dumped a bowl of applesauce on your head, and you made me promise never tell anyone except for our parents because it would embarrass you too much? Also, do you remember the first time we had made love together, despite being twins! It was in the gardens behind our house, in the last month right before autumn, and only we were there... only we knew of it. It was our little secret.” and to that, Corin knew for a fact that this was indeed his sister Norine talking. “Oh my good goddesses!” he exclaimed, standing up only to sit back down in a slump, looking defeated. “How did this happen to you? To both of you!” he asked... his voice showing his mind's inability to comprehend this occurrence. The woman then stated: “I have no idea! That is why I came back here to research that shrine we went to in the very oldest archives, and failing to find anything out about it I have been researching more about the goddess to whom the shrine was dedicated. It appears that there are obscure references in certain heretical texts that claim the goddess had an intersex condition with the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of both male and female. This matches my present physical state exactly! This was really considered by all the ancients to be the perfect divine form, the one all the ancient deities had as well, and in the days when the current matriarchy was established they tried to bury this fact so that they could raise up in place of the old religions a new faith... but, one with a stronger emphasis on goddess worship and reverence for feminine divinity at the expense of masculine divinity. When the ideal faith should have been one that allowed for the proper reverence of both, but in a perfect and harmonious balance. A religion like unto that of the ancients, but without all of the blood sacrifices of the old faiths.” And Corin looked gravely concerned, asking: “So, you are contemplating what? I mean, there is no way that your mother... and I am speaking of Marylis' mother here... can so ever insist on forcing you to undergo that transformation into a full female now, the procedure that would have been required for you to become the next queen. I mean... how intermixed is your anatomy at this point? You have not only my sister's breasts and curves, clearly, but I am assuming you have... a bit extra downstairs as well, if you get my meaning.” To which the woman nodded, stating: “I do indeed, Corin.” and then Corin continued his inquiry, saying: “Right, so there would be no separating of one gender from the other at this point... nor should there be, if you ask my opinion. I mean... this is something I believe was done to you by that goddess herself. There is no human being on this planet who has the right to deny her will! So, what do you intend to do? If you ask me, I think you should confront your mother, the current queen, and tell her that things are going to have to change now. And you will not be the one doing the changing! The laws we have been living by need to change, to allow for a greater gender diversity and expression... not women dominating men or men dominating women. But a truest balance... just like you said.” to which the woman who had been both Norine and Marylis agreed. She then told Corin: “I will have to do this, I will need to confront her in order to sort this whole matter out. I am in line to rule next, and that cannot be altered... but neither can I be altered, to be shoehorned into the role of a queen either, now that I am to be both a king as well as a queen it seems.” There had not been a king sitting upon the throne for countless thousands of years.
The being that had been both Norine and Marylis decided to call itself Kai... a name deriving itself in form, from the ancient name of the great goddess Kaivash'tar. A goddess who was also a god, just as it seemed that now Kai was both male and female. Kai entered the palace and knew all of the passwords and signs that allowed one passage to the throne room freely and without impediment. No one dared to question even a seeming stranger... who bore such knowledge, authority, and familiarity with all of the innermost workings of the palace. Kai merely stated that they were a friend of the queen's from a very long time ago, one who had decided to pay the ruler a visit. One of the servants saw the attire worn by Kai, and remarked that it was the same as that favored by the prince, to which Kai replied: “I was the one who inspired the prince's style... we go way, way back after all.” and the servant never so much as doubted the seeming noblewoman's words. The halls of the palace were vast, and it took some time to reach the throne room, but at last Kai reached it indeed. How many times had the prince seen this room, this immense, monumental chamber, and yet today they who had been the prince in the past saw it with new, fresh eyes. The ceiling was high and domed, with a mural depicting the divine heavens in which a multitude of goddesses were painted drifting about in... attended by countless angels and messengers of all sorts, with innumerable saints with shining halos granting the goddesses worship and praise. Many columns and pillars supported the ceiling, and everything had a grand opulence to it. Statues of queens of old lined the circumference of the chamber, with small shrines and altars dedicated to their worship as a part of the state religion. The floor was covered in rich carpeting, with pillows and cushions here and there for the comfort of guests and visitors. Musicians played on the harpsichord and lute, while a small group of talented little girls were singing pleasantly. Tapestries, murals, and paintings decorated the walls, and all of the chamber's windows were of colorful stained glass... depicting images of all the most important figures of the state religion and scenes from their lives and in some cases deaths. On a raised dais reached by many steps was the muted silver colored winged throne on which the queen was reclining, appearing bored by her duties. She was using medical arts to keep herself appearing young in both face and body... but in truth she was becoming older and older by the day, and she felt it. Her long crimson colored gown, a beautiful garment made of light cotton, with skirts of several layers, had long full sleeves and a very low cut to the neckline, revealing the cleavage of her perfect breasts. Around the queen's neck were several necklaces of delicate silver and gold, and she wore the rings of her office on her fingers. Her feet were bare, to show humility, and her face makeup was elaborate and a bit tribal in appearance, while her hair was done up in an elaborate coiffure that was of her own personal taste. She had large looped gold earrings on, and was in all fairness an image of supreme feminine perfection and beauty. Yet it was all false, all of it achieved through cheating age and trying to retain a youth very long since passed into bygone days. She might as well have been an enchantress using spells of illusion! And for the first time in their life, the being known as Kai noticed the imperfections in the queen's lifestyle. The hypocritical foolishness of attempting to appear humble when she was in fact haughty and vain in her mannerisms and thinking. Physical beauty only goes so far, when what is inside has begun to rot... and the queen's heart had rotted many years ago, with the betrayal of her husband that caused her to one day decide that all men were inferior to women. Kai approached the throne, bowed low, and said to the queen loudly for all to hear: “Mother... it is I, your child, Marylis. I am also the woman you may or may not know as Norine, of the House of Arqoris. We have become one due to a miracle that occurred when we paid a visit to the forsaken shrine of the goddess Kaivash'tar. I have learned the reason why she has become forsaken, that goddess, and had her entire history changed to suit the state's current regime and its' ideology. You will know it is I, when I say that the nickname you called me by as a child was Mary, in the hopes that I would embrace a fully female lifestyle even then. When you gave me that blue dress with the pink ribbon around the waist and said I looked like a princess from a fairy tale that you used to read to me often before bedtime. I have been remade after a new likeness... one both male and female.”
And Corin was called to the palace to appear before the queen and Kai, in order to verify the story as Kai had told it in full, which he proceeded to... adding that Kai knew things that only Norine could have known, just as the hermaphroditic noble had known things only Marylis could have known. A scientist physician was called in to check Kai's DNA and genetics in order to see if the noble did indeed have the combined physical form of both of the people they claimed to be. All proved to be exactly as Kai had stated, with the various tests all proving that indeed those two people had truly become one. The doctor told the queen all of the following: “It is impossible, to be utterly frank with you, my glorious queen, to know where one person begins and the other ends... so perfect is the fusion of the prince and the lady. This is, truly, the work of a divine agency! Were it medical or scientific in nature, this procedure, there would be scars in places at the very least. Certain imperfections. And there are none of that sort on this person's body anywhere... and I can conform that they are indeed quite harmoniously intersex in nature, in a way I have never seen before except in certain very rare cases. The rarest! And those are the ones that occur during birth. The ones many parents seek corrective surgeries for.” and so it was, that now in the face of this uncanny truth... the queen was almost speechless, knowing not what to say. She tried to articulate her thoughts, which were filled with countless questions, as she said: “Kai... if that is indeed the name you now wish to go by now... in order to name you my heir, you would now have to downplay this peculiar condition of yours, and hide it once you take the throne. The procedure we were going to use, would be utterly impossible to do now... and those corrective surgeries the doctor so mentioned are only options for when a child is first born. Therefore...” and Kai interrupted their mother and said in a very firm tone: “No, mother... I will not hide or downplay what I am. Instead, I am going to change the current laws and culture so that people like me, like what I have become, have all the rights that women currently possess. And I intend to restore in full the old rights that made men equal to women as well! I will make the case for these things being lawful by using the ancient texts that your religion has hidden away as evidence that not only is being intersex a divine blessing, a gift of the gods, but that in truth the original form of the deities themselves was hermaphroditic. Not feminine alone, unlike what your faith claims! And not wholly masculine either. But both, harmoniously. Just as our society must become! A harmonious one, in which both genders... along with intersex people and all other forms of variance of gender and gender identity, are accepted openly. No more using religion as an excuse to persecute or to disenfranchise people regarded as minorities by the state! No more treating people like less than second class citizens, no more hate, no more lies, no more heavy-handed deceptions. No more matriarchy! It is time for change, and I am the harbinger of that change. I am the change that must be!” and it was both a male and female voice, speaking at once, that emerged from Kai just then. Norine's voice and Marylis' voice, both speaking at once, their voices blending back into one again at the end. The queen saw this, and was deeply frightened by it. “Your voice... it... that is inhuman!” she screamed. But Kai was not in the least affected by their mother's fear. “Yes, mother... I am no longer wholly human. I am not simply Kai, but in all honestly I am the reincarnation of Kaivash'tar... I am the divinity you have chained with lies in order to control both myself and the people you rule over. My resurrection in this form, has thus made necessary the change that I bring to this world, to these times! It is time to tell the people the truth at last, and to put aside your own vanity, mistrust of men, and lust for control over the masses. As the 'goddess' that your very religion claims is supreme over all others, you thus have no choice but to agree to my wishes... unless you wish to call me, your 'goddess', a heretic and thus be labeled a blasphemer!” And never before in all that world's history, in all of the ages of its' recorded histories, had there been a divine intervention of this sort before. “Kaivash'tar...” the queen began to say, then realized for the very first time in her life that she was truly powerless. She knew the truth, and had been sworn to secrecy in order to keep anyone from ever learning it. The books at the library only told so much, and they were in the heresy section so that people would not follow after what they contained. But this, it was different!
This was the heir to the throne itself, a person now claiming to be the oldest of all divinities. A person whose words were filled with truth, even though that truth had been labeled heretical by the matriarchal government. The queen's child was the bringer of the end of things now... and all that lay beyond was a vast sea of the unknown, and that frightened the queen greatly. No one had ever expected something of this magnitude to take place! And a terrible, wicked thought entered into the queen's mind. She could just kill her child, this being, and then no one need ever know. All could remain exactly as it had been since the establishing of the matriarchy! Yet, she would have no heir and her death would cause chaos when this faction or that, or this family or that, could end up warring in order to decide who would be best to reign as the next queen. At worst, it could lead to a period of civil war! With countless factions, all claiming the right to the throne. Was it worth so much bloodshed, and the life of her own child, just to keep the people enslaved to a lie? She could not bring herself to do such a thing. Instead, she said... very meekly... as a woman wholly defeated, in every imaginable way: “Kaivash'tar... I have no choice but to allow you to do as you must. I am tired, weary, of perpetuating the current system! I will be hated by many within the government as the queen who allowed the matriarchy to be dissolved, but it seems that divine forces are at work here, ones that have something else in mind for the people. I will not be the queen who raises a hand against the divine! Do as you must... my child. My deity.” and thus did it transpire that Kai did not wait for their turn as ruler in order to begin the necessary changes. Kai went out and addressed the people, holding speeches in countless cities, bringing along heretical theologians who had once had their works and voices suppressed... and revealing to all, the truth that had been for so long hidden away in darkness. Some accepted what was revealed... some did not. And there was a period of war and strife all the same, one in which the current matriarchal regime turned against even the people it claimed to serve in order to hold on to its' fading power. More and more, people rallied to Kai's side, to the side of the great Kaivash'tar... and the more that people came to accept Kai as that very deity, the more that things began to turn against the corrupt matriarchy. The queen herself joined with those who followed after Kai, and it became evident that this new messiah was in the right. When this era of strife ended, the matriarchy was overthrown and Kai was installed as the living divinity of a new Divine Theocracy, one established by the resurrected god and goddess itself. The queen grew too old in that time to continue to remain in any position of power any longer, and she finally decided to retire and to let go of any reins of power she once possessed. Kai was the supreme authority in all the land, and in time... in all the world, as countless nations flocked unto the divine one's banner. It was, at the last, the beginning of a golden age for people of every sort. Rights were established for all that could never be taken away, and Kaivash'tar made certain that any ruler who followed after them would be forced to in turn keep those rights alive and well. Checks and balances were put into place to prevent tyrants from coming to power, and everything was indeed changed at last, all as the divine being had desired it to be.
King Corin ruled wisely and well at the side of Queen Kaivash'tar, from the grand capital city of New Luminos... the old city of Luminos having been destroyed during the Holy Wars as they became called, in which peace was at last established over all the known world. When all was said and done... Kai had chosen to express herself in a feminine way, not by dictate this time but by choice. Though she kept her intersex body just as it was, and everyone accepted her just as she was. The days when people might be judgmental over such gender variance were now in the distant past, which made the Divine Couple very pleased. Corin had been declared a saint while still living, for having been present when the miracle of the divine Kaivash'tar's earthly manifesting as Kai took place. It did not matter that he did not witness it firsthand... and he had not the heart, to tell anyone that he had been asleep when the whole thing finally happened. Nor, what he had been up to beforehand. It was enough for the people that he was there, and that he loved Kai very deeply. Their marriage, was considered a holy union between heavens and earth.
On the anniversary of the day of Kaivash'tar's manifesting, Corin and Kai went back to the rebuilt city of Old Luminos, which was only just beginning to resemble its' former glory once again. There, the pair went to the library... it was back in service again by that year... and decided to just hang out. Exactly as they used to, back when it was still three of them instead of two who were three. Corin was dressed for the occasion in his old “uniform” as Marylis had once called it... while Kai wore the very outfit that the prince had been most fond of dressing in. They sat at one of the tables, with the sunlight shining in by way of the great library's windows, and began to talk and reminisce about old times. Kai had ceased to age in any way, shape, or form and remained the exact age that she had been when her transformation had taken place... and Corin likewise was untouched by the years, though he could not explain why. “I can understand you being eternal now, Kai... I mean, you are a divine being, after all. It makes a bit of logical sense when you think about it that way. But whatever happened to me? I seem as blessed as you, though my body is the same as it ever was appearance-wise.” to which Kai looked over at Corin with a great deal of love and more than a bit of hidden wisdom in her eyes and cryptically replied: “Oh, Corin! You are saint, after all... should there not be some miracle further associated with you than just being a witness to my incarnation?” to which Corin swallowed hard and responded half in jest, half seriously: “Oh good gods and goddesses, Kai! We both know I am not really a saint. I am the biggest sinner that I know personally... and I have known a whole lot of sinners in my lifetime too.” They laughed together a bit after that, and passed the day pleasantly with a walk through the gardens and a tour of all that was being done to restore the old city. The trees were lush and green, for it was summertime, and the skies were blue and pretty much cloudless on that day... and once the afternoon came, the moon could just be seen in the heavens above as dusk approached inexorably. “The buildings have always been classical in their style.” Kai explained, elaborating: “As you can see, the new buildings for this city will also have a lot more modern elements as a part of the city's look.” and indeed, the newly constructed buildings all had a look that was a unique blend of the classical and the modern, of the old and the new. A balanced harmony that fit in ideally with Kai's personal philosophy regarding not just architecture but everything. In time, the city would surpass its' former glory by a great deal... and the old mural in the palace's dome would be replaced by one that depicted gods along with the goddesses. And deities of both androgynous and hermaphroditic varieties as well! It was a new era of enlightenment regarding spiritual things, and people were rediscovering themselves in countless ways. In one of the oldest books in the archives, a prophecy had been written which was even now seeing its' fulfillment: “When the return of the Divine One to the world is at last fulfilled, thou shalt behold a time in which sinners will become saints and the laws of the land all will be changed. The old ways shall be discarded, and many shall put on new attire, finding the old no longer to their liking. From the ashes of all that was, a new world will arise and with it a new hope for all the peoples of the world. So rejoice! And be not afraid, when thou dost hear that the Divine One hath returned. Take that one to thy bosom, and they shall take thee unto theirs as pure children of a world cleaned of the evils of the past. Cleansed not in wrath, but with love!” and many so committed the words of that prophecy to music and song, and it was played in many grand celebrations.
This is an ancient story from a world far removed from the one you know as Earth. One in which I so lived many lives, in many forms, as the divinity known as Kaivash'tar. A world in need of change, in the end, and into which I was born and died many times in order to see the great changes through. I became the embodiment of a myth, a legend, even in seeking to show people my truth... and even in this telling of those past events, it is impossible to tell of them without including the mythical elements that were a part of all that transpired. And now, on your world, on Earth... I have likewise been born and died many times, and come unto humanity in many guises, in order to see new great changes through. For through my words and deeds, for words contain great power indeed, such changes may in time become realized.
There was once a prince from a grand kingdom known as Luminos. The prince was young, beautiful, and androgynous looking, with many saying that he would make as lovely a princess as he did a prince. He had long flowing black hair, and sparkling blue eyes. He stood in the great hall of the temple that served as the palace, which itself lay at the heart of the capital city that bore the same name as did the kingdom itself. The prince looked at the rows upon rows of columns, statues, and small shrines which filled the interior of the palace's main entryway, and thought deeply upon the history of the place. This was the site of an ancient matriarchal theocracy, and his mother the Theocratic Queen herself had thus in her infinite wisdom decided that the prince was to embrace his feminine side entirely and succeed her one day as the next queen. Naturally, when the time came, he would be transformed fully into the woman he always felt he was anyway, but in the meantime he spent much of his days pursing this or that in terms of diversions, studies, or training in this or that of interest. Sometimes, he was bored and other times he had perhaps too much to do. On this occasion, he was on the way to the palace library in order to research more of various subjects that interested him, as well as to meet with two individuals who had become his best friends in all the world... a pair of twins who bore the names of Corin and Norine. They were both nobles from a family with close ties to the prince's own, and often were the life of the party when it came to how he spent his days. He could simply not wait to see what they might have in store on this occasion! It was a pleasant morning, and the library... upstairs... was a beautiful place with as many lovely plants and flowers to look at as books, scrolls, and tomes. The chambers of the library were well lit, and through the tall windows the prince could see the palace gardens outside. There was music being played somewhere... harp, flute, and singing of exquisite artistry. Various large tables and chairs were in the library for the use of its' patrons... nobles and commoners alike were ever allowed to partake of the library's services... and there were also couches and benches of comfortable design for those who might be spending several hours there. The prince had frequented this place a lot in his youth, and had many fond memories of coming here as a child and taking out his favorite books to read. Always books about myths, legends, and fantastic tales of every sort! He had a voracious sort of appetite for such stories, and often he fancied himself a warrior goddess out of the old sagas. His fair spirit was of that sort, and his mind keener than the more flighty nobles whose dull conversations bored him greatly. He was not like his peers, save for the twins. In them, there was something that was greatly complementary to his nature, and he was ever happy to indulge in their diversions. Perhaps too happy!
Gazing into a mirror on one of the walls, the prince regarded his appearance. He wore a pair of long, billowing pantaloons tied with drawstring as the waist and ankles... they were very full and baggy, and draped elegantly, golden in color. He also wore a silver blouse with short, puffy sleeves that was tucked into the pants and buttoned in the front with gold buttons. It had a low neck to it, and was, just like the pants, light and airy... perfect for the summertime. On his feet were a pair of silver slippers, and on his left wrist was a white pearl bracelet. A matching pearl necklace, he wore around his neck. His hair was tied back in a high ponytail today, with a gold hair cone, and in his ears he was wearing his favorite pair of earrings... white pearl, that went ideally with the necklace and bracelet. His makeup was elegant but somewhat tribal in appearance. Blood red lipstick, black eyeliner and eye shadow, with a black dot to mark the location of his spiritual third eye... the mark and symbol of his spiritual path in life. He wore some bronzing powder to downplay how pale he could sometimes be, though he was not too pale and always tended to tan well enough in the summertime. A bit of blush rounded out his makeup, and some mascara to give his eyes a doll-like quality thanks to his long eyelashes. He was, as was said, as lovely as any woman, and this was something he decided to own in life. Even had his mother not decided this to be his best path to choose. It was his choice even long before it had been her own... a very good one.
A light breeze blew through the library's foyer just then, through an open window. Not enough really to mess with any of the scrolls or parchments, but enough to blow through the prince's hair. It was that kind of a day... lovely, and golden. For many years to come, he could find idle time such as this, ever enjoying it with the twins who shared both his passions and his myriad flights of fancy. There were a dozen or so archways over which golden signs hung which told that here or there were various lounges, studies, and archive chambers. This was a place designed as much for comfort as for serious learning. The twins call to the prince from one of the study alcoves: “Greetings to you, prince Marylis! May we speak for a time? Or perhaps indulge in some measure of mischief if things should go that way!” it was Corin who thus spoke, ever eager for such misadventures as might cross his mind to orchestrate. The prince could hear the female twin, Norine, telling her brother to show some discretion. This was surely an indication that these two were definitely up to something... and Marylis was very eager to see what. “I am on my way, fear not!” the prince called out, striding into the study hall with a smile on his face. He did not smile often, but when he did it was said that there were angels less bright in comparison to the joy that such a smile could bring. People asked him always, to smile more often! Today, he did so. On the way into the alcove, the prince could hear various snippets of conversation from some of the other library patrons. Things such as: “I am sorry, but I do not know anything about this man. What is he dressed like? Ah! He is a soldier, I see, sir.” and “What? He looks nothing like his brother! We're not even sure they are brothers yet, madam, they were just born on that rather singular day after all.” and oddities that. Snippets of whispers and hushed words floating in the air, with little to no context for one overhearing the words being spoken. Pieces of peoples' lives, is what they seemed like to Marylis.
Corin was wearing a light, baggy looking wide legged sleeveless jumpsuit, green in color and belted a the waist with a teal colored sash. He had sandals on, and was short and overly happy almost all of the time. His curly red hair, dark eyes, and dusky skin said he was from the east someplace... and his sister looked at once almost exactly the same as her brother except that her hair was longer and her jumpsuit was red in color, with a black sash. She too wore sandals, and had a pair of black stud earrings that she wore. Her lips were adorned with black lipstick and she wore thick black eye makeup that gave her an exotic sort of appearance. Both wore colorful bangle bracelets on their wrists, in various colors. Marylis was highly attracted to both twins, and they all had known one another in ways a lot more intimate than many might assume. “I see you are both in uniform today!” exclaimed the prince with a slight chuckle. To which Norine replied: “A uniform is it! As if this was all we had to wear? I will have you know that although this look similar in style to our other jumpsuits, they are all different colors and I have yet to wear the same color twice in a single month. After all... a certain preference, my darling Marylis, is no indication of a lack of choice. Sometimes, the preference is the choice! As in love and in sex, so also in attire sometimes. There can be an attraction to a certain style, and my brother and I have our own. Just as you have yours, more oft than not! So cease teasing us, and have a seat with us by the table here. Be thankful to be in on our little council for this occasion! We've something in mind today you will like.” To which the prince eyed the woman's ample breasts and licked his lips, stating: “I see much that I like every time I am seated near you, Norine!” which never failed to make Corin blush given his long and sordid history of incest with his sister. Something that in this society was not frowned upon due to the often institutionalized hedonism and overt decadence of Lumine culture, where deities of love, pleasure and lust took prominence over all others. Heavenly bliss was considered achievable as much between a woman's legs as when one was kneeling before any sacred altar place. Norine sighed, replying: “Yes! I know how nice they are, believe me... are you really certain that you do like them?” to which the prince answered all too quickly: “Oh yes... I do!” and gave one of the woman's breasts a gentle squeeze, which caused her breath suddenly to quicken. She enjoyed that! He liked women, a lot... equally to being one.
“It feels so good when you do that!” the woman so exclaimed, clearly excited. Corin interrupted that moment by reminding those two: “Before you two decide to start going at it right here and now... might I remind everyone that we've an adventure to be about!” to which both his sister and the prince snapped from their lusty moment to say at the same time: “Tell us about it, then!” Marylis assumed that Norine had known about whatever the details were... but apparently not. The young noble then explained what he wished to get up to: “Well, I was thinking about going for a walk around the palace grounds, and on over to the chambers where the first shrine to the goddess Kaivash'tar is said to be. No one has ever in all the years I have been alive seen the place... probably never in anyone's lifetime, for that matter. And I would very much like to discover if it even ever existed at all! Who is with me?” to which his sister very childishly raised her hand, exclaiming cheerily: “Me!” Both of these two were still in their early twenties, compared to the prince who was only a couple of years from being fifty years old. An evident reality that was alleviated by the fact that Marylis did not look his age in the least... appearing always a great deal younger than he perhaps should have. Something he, fortunately, inherited from his mother. He had always wondered about that shrine also... it was in all the lore surrounding the palace, yet never had anyone claimed to have actually been there or even seen it. No art depicted it either! It was simply an accepted fact, but one that some people doubted the truth of. “Me too!” the prince said, raising his hand with a mischievous expression on his face. It was thus agreed upon, and they all went about this.
As they entered the chambers, which were wholly unguarded even though the trio half expected them to be, they noticed how very old the place was, with its' tall tree-like pillars supporting a celing not very much unlike that of a Gothic cathedral. There were no windows, and the only light came from lamps on the walls that were quite dim all things considered. The walls were filled with alcoves containing many statues of the goddess's saints and messengers, and before each statue was an altar and some candles. None of which had been in use for generations beyond counting. Where one might expect a magnificent statue or other such celebration of the deity's divinity to be... there was just an empty space devoid all such aspects. Instead, there was only an empty altar that had upon it an intricate symbol etched into the front of it, one that was of a seemingly alien design. Like nothing any of these three had ever studied in all of their learning as members of the nobility. “Why would anyone wish to build so grand a place and yet... for only this?” asked Norine, waving her hands widely about her to indicate the shrine's chambers. “No wonder nobody ever talks about this place or wants to go here... it is just so boring!” exclaimed the woman's brother, his voice filled with an evident lack of satisfaction. The prince then walked on over to the altar and ran his hand over the design upon it. It felt warm to his touch, though the whole place was cool otherwise. “I wonder why it feels like this?” he commented, and Norine hurried over to have a bit of a look. She noticed that it was warm to her touch as well. “I do not know!” she said curiously. “Not normal at all.” she commented further. Her brother was less than enthused by that, and was trying not to appear bored out of his wits. “Well, at least you two are having a good time it seems!” he said, with his voice dripping with sarcasm. He walked over to one of the stone benches that lined the hall, and sat at one of them, finding it uncomfortable. “People actually once sat on benches like these? Goddesses! I could not stand to live back then.” But indeed something strange was afoot, for Norine and Marylis had seemingly become entranced by the design on the altar, which held them fast in its' spell. If spell it was. Suddenly, the two kissed each other passionately, their hands caressing each others' bodies. “I do not know why... but I really want you right now. Right here! Let us do it.” said the woman, to which it was no secret that the prince was quite willing to indulge. “I thought you would never ask!” exclaimed the beautiful prince, and the two began to remove each other's clothes... practically tearing them off in their zeal to engage each other carnally. Corin watched them, and began to feel very aroused himself. Sliding out of his jumpsuit and taking his penis from his undergarments, he began to stroke it, pleasing himself.
While Corin masturbated, Marylis and Norine had very a rough and bestial intercourse... their bodies slick with sweat while the woman lay upon the floor behind the altar, with the prince heaving between her spread legs and moving in and out of her, over and over again as he licked her face and her breasts. She moaned and shrieked a bit at times, her breath quickening as she neared orgasm. She shouted many words of love and lust, driving her princely lover to further acts of sexual gratification for their mutual enjoyment. Soon, they each climaxed and lay in each other's arms having exhausted themselves with their ferocious efforts. Efforts that were well worth it for them in the end! Corin had likewise managed to pleasure himself to orgasm, and exclaimed as he did: “Oh goddess Kaivash'tar! Forgive me, I think I just defiled your shrine.” but it was no worse than the defilement the other two had just finished with. If the goddess has ever lived in that place, there was no sign of her displeasure at these acts of blasphemy. Or perhaps, being a goddess of primal pleasure, she would have approved! Yet no one remembered that this is what she had been the ancient mother goddess of, and all thought she was some queen of all the gods, some heavenly matriarch whose secrets had been lost to the ages. Some bearer of wisdom and all manner of knowledge and enlightenment. It was like mistaking the madame of a brothel for an oracle of the gods. Yet, the goddess herself was no longer walking the lands of the world to say what be truth or fiction regarding her. Corin fell asleep for some time, and had troubled dreams that were filled with all manner of darkness and terrors, and voices that sounded demonic and horrible to hear. He saw visions in the dark, and yet could not say what it is they contained. A voice called to him over the other sounds, and the voice was a beautiful, harmonious mixture of male and female. “Who are you?” he asked of the voice, and it answered only with the name of the ancient goddess. “Kaivash'tar!” was all it said, saying it over and over again repeatedly, until the name became like the rhythm of a song that was being sung, with the more inhuman voices joining in... making a chaotic music that caused Corin to scream. He did awaken from this nightmare... for in it, at the end, hands reached out to him from the darkness and they were scaly and inhuman hands, which caused him great fright. And that fright snapped him awake! He looked over at the altar as he dressed himself, but saw no sign of either his sister or the prince. Both of them had, he imagined, taken off while he slept. “Well that figures!” he exclaimed. “First time I close my eyes in two days, and they head off to goddesses only know where.” he then decided to check each and every alcove, but found them all just as silent as they had been before he fell asleep. He realized, at that moment, that he was the only person in the shrine after all. “Probably went back to the library just to mess with me.” he muttered to himself and made his way back there. It was nighttime now, and late. The library was open all hours though, and changed staff frequently throughout the day to keep things running smoothly. Thus it was not exactly an impossibility for the other two to have gone there after all.
At the library, Corin discovered nobody present who even remotely resembled his twin sister and the prince. He even asked the directors of the library, and they had not seen either of them enter. They had, however, claimed to have seen a stranger whom they had never seen before... one that spoke not a word and instead headed straight for the prime archives chamber, where the oldest and most accurate history texts were kept. Finding that curious, since the arrival of the stranger was timed perfectly with what had seemed to be the pair's disappearance... Corin decided to see if this stranger might know something of what had befallen them. Going down the stairs and into the chamber itself, Corin had an odd feeling so close to dread in his heart that he felt physically affected by it, his hands shaking a bit with nervousness. Seated at one of the tables in the chamber was a beautiful woman whose appearance had all of the best qualities of both Norine and Marylis combined. Her hair was long and black, yet with streaks of red all through it. One of her eyes, the right one, was blue... while her left eye was dark brown. Her body had Norine's build but Marylis' taller height. She was wearing Marylis' clothing so completely, right down to having her hair up using the prince's hair cone, that it could not have been simply a copying of style.
The strange woman's skin was also the same dusky color as Norine's... yet the woman's facial features and structure were identical to Marylis' own. This unnerved Corin as he sat down at the table just across from her and asked: “Excuse me, my lady, but have you seen either my sister or the prince? I know you likely know what the prince looks like... everyone does... but my sister looks pretty much like a female version of myself. We had gone for a walk outside for a bit, but... ended up separated... and I thought it possible that perhaps the pair might have come back here, since this is where we met up for the day.” to which the woman replied: “Corin... I do not know how to tell you this, but... I am your sister. And the prince as well! We... combined... and this is the result.” Corin looked shocked and in disbelief. He then shouted loudly: “Combined! You are a liar, woman. That is impossible... and you are wearing the very attire of the prince himself. What have you done with them? I demand to know right now!” To which the strange woman explained: “Corin... brother... do you remember when we were both three years old and I dumped a bowl of applesauce on your head, and you made me promise never tell anyone except for our parents because it would embarrass you too much? Also, do you remember the first time we had made love together, despite being twins! It was in the gardens behind our house, in the last month right before autumn, and only we were there... only we knew of it. It was our little secret.” and to that, Corin knew for a fact that this was indeed his sister Norine talking. “Oh my good goddesses!” he exclaimed, standing up only to sit back down in a slump, looking defeated. “How did this happen to you? To both of you!” he asked... his voice showing his mind's inability to comprehend this occurrence. The woman then stated: “I have no idea! That is why I came back here to research that shrine we went to in the very oldest archives, and failing to find anything out about it I have been researching more about the goddess to whom the shrine was dedicated. It appears that there are obscure references in certain heretical texts that claim the goddess had an intersex condition with the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of both male and female. This matches my present physical state exactly! This was really considered by all the ancients to be the perfect divine form, the one all the ancient deities had as well, and in the days when the current matriarchy was established they tried to bury this fact so that they could raise up in place of the old religions a new faith... but, one with a stronger emphasis on goddess worship and reverence for feminine divinity at the expense of masculine divinity. When the ideal faith should have been one that allowed for the proper reverence of both, but in a perfect and harmonious balance. A religion like unto that of the ancients, but without all of the blood sacrifices of the old faiths.” And Corin looked gravely concerned, asking: “So, you are contemplating what? I mean, there is no way that your mother... and I am speaking of Marylis' mother here... can so ever insist on forcing you to undergo that transformation into a full female now, the procedure that would have been required for you to become the next queen. I mean... how intermixed is your anatomy at this point? You have not only my sister's breasts and curves, clearly, but I am assuming you have... a bit extra downstairs as well, if you get my meaning.” To which the woman nodded, stating: “I do indeed, Corin.” and then Corin continued his inquiry, saying: “Right, so there would be no separating of one gender from the other at this point... nor should there be, if you ask my opinion. I mean... this is something I believe was done to you by that goddess herself. There is no human being on this planet who has the right to deny her will! So, what do you intend to do? If you ask me, I think you should confront your mother, the current queen, and tell her that things are going to have to change now. And you will not be the one doing the changing! The laws we have been living by need to change, to allow for a greater gender diversity and expression... not women dominating men or men dominating women. But a truest balance... just like you said.” to which the woman who had been both Norine and Marylis agreed. She then told Corin: “I will have to do this, I will need to confront her in order to sort this whole matter out. I am in line to rule next, and that cannot be altered... but neither can I be altered, to be shoehorned into the role of a queen either, now that I am to be both a king as well as a queen it seems.” There had not been a king sitting upon the throne for countless thousands of years.
The being that had been both Norine and Marylis decided to call itself Kai... a name deriving itself in form, from the ancient name of the great goddess Kaivash'tar. A goddess who was also a god, just as it seemed that now Kai was both male and female. Kai entered the palace and knew all of the passwords and signs that allowed one passage to the throne room freely and without impediment. No one dared to question even a seeming stranger... who bore such knowledge, authority, and familiarity with all of the innermost workings of the palace. Kai merely stated that they were a friend of the queen's from a very long time ago, one who had decided to pay the ruler a visit. One of the servants saw the attire worn by Kai, and remarked that it was the same as that favored by the prince, to which Kai replied: “I was the one who inspired the prince's style... we go way, way back after all.” and the servant never so much as doubted the seeming noblewoman's words. The halls of the palace were vast, and it took some time to reach the throne room, but at last Kai reached it indeed. How many times had the prince seen this room, this immense, monumental chamber, and yet today they who had been the prince in the past saw it with new, fresh eyes. The ceiling was high and domed, with a mural depicting the divine heavens in which a multitude of goddesses were painted drifting about in... attended by countless angels and messengers of all sorts, with innumerable saints with shining halos granting the goddesses worship and praise. Many columns and pillars supported the ceiling, and everything had a grand opulence to it. Statues of queens of old lined the circumference of the chamber, with small shrines and altars dedicated to their worship as a part of the state religion. The floor was covered in rich carpeting, with pillows and cushions here and there for the comfort of guests and visitors. Musicians played on the harpsichord and lute, while a small group of talented little girls were singing pleasantly. Tapestries, murals, and paintings decorated the walls, and all of the chamber's windows were of colorful stained glass... depicting images of all the most important figures of the state religion and scenes from their lives and in some cases deaths. On a raised dais reached by many steps was the muted silver colored winged throne on which the queen was reclining, appearing bored by her duties. She was using medical arts to keep herself appearing young in both face and body... but in truth she was becoming older and older by the day, and she felt it. Her long crimson colored gown, a beautiful garment made of light cotton, with skirts of several layers, had long full sleeves and a very low cut to the neckline, revealing the cleavage of her perfect breasts. Around the queen's neck were several necklaces of delicate silver and gold, and she wore the rings of her office on her fingers. Her feet were bare, to show humility, and her face makeup was elaborate and a bit tribal in appearance, while her hair was done up in an elaborate coiffure that was of her own personal taste. She had large looped gold earrings on, and was in all fairness an image of supreme feminine perfection and beauty. Yet it was all false, all of it achieved through cheating age and trying to retain a youth very long since passed into bygone days. She might as well have been an enchantress using spells of illusion! And for the first time in their life, the being known as Kai noticed the imperfections in the queen's lifestyle. The hypocritical foolishness of attempting to appear humble when she was in fact haughty and vain in her mannerisms and thinking. Physical beauty only goes so far, when what is inside has begun to rot... and the queen's heart had rotted many years ago, with the betrayal of her husband that caused her to one day decide that all men were inferior to women. Kai approached the throne, bowed low, and said to the queen loudly for all to hear: “Mother... it is I, your child, Marylis. I am also the woman you may or may not know as Norine, of the House of Arqoris. We have become one due to a miracle that occurred when we paid a visit to the forsaken shrine of the goddess Kaivash'tar. I have learned the reason why she has become forsaken, that goddess, and had her entire history changed to suit the state's current regime and its' ideology. You will know it is I, when I say that the nickname you called me by as a child was Mary, in the hopes that I would embrace a fully female lifestyle even then. When you gave me that blue dress with the pink ribbon around the waist and said I looked like a princess from a fairy tale that you used to read to me often before bedtime. I have been remade after a new likeness... one both male and female.”
And Corin was called to the palace to appear before the queen and Kai, in order to verify the story as Kai had told it in full, which he proceeded to... adding that Kai knew things that only Norine could have known, just as the hermaphroditic noble had known things only Marylis could have known. A scientist physician was called in to check Kai's DNA and genetics in order to see if the noble did indeed have the combined physical form of both of the people they claimed to be. All proved to be exactly as Kai had stated, with the various tests all proving that indeed those two people had truly become one. The doctor told the queen all of the following: “It is impossible, to be utterly frank with you, my glorious queen, to know where one person begins and the other ends... so perfect is the fusion of the prince and the lady. This is, truly, the work of a divine agency! Were it medical or scientific in nature, this procedure, there would be scars in places at the very least. Certain imperfections. And there are none of that sort on this person's body anywhere... and I can conform that they are indeed quite harmoniously intersex in nature, in a way I have never seen before except in certain very rare cases. The rarest! And those are the ones that occur during birth. The ones many parents seek corrective surgeries for.” and so it was, that now in the face of this uncanny truth... the queen was almost speechless, knowing not what to say. She tried to articulate her thoughts, which were filled with countless questions, as she said: “Kai... if that is indeed the name you now wish to go by now... in order to name you my heir, you would now have to downplay this peculiar condition of yours, and hide it once you take the throne. The procedure we were going to use, would be utterly impossible to do now... and those corrective surgeries the doctor so mentioned are only options for when a child is first born. Therefore...” and Kai interrupted their mother and said in a very firm tone: “No, mother... I will not hide or downplay what I am. Instead, I am going to change the current laws and culture so that people like me, like what I have become, have all the rights that women currently possess. And I intend to restore in full the old rights that made men equal to women as well! I will make the case for these things being lawful by using the ancient texts that your religion has hidden away as evidence that not only is being intersex a divine blessing, a gift of the gods, but that in truth the original form of the deities themselves was hermaphroditic. Not feminine alone, unlike what your faith claims! And not wholly masculine either. But both, harmoniously. Just as our society must become! A harmonious one, in which both genders... along with intersex people and all other forms of variance of gender and gender identity, are accepted openly. No more using religion as an excuse to persecute or to disenfranchise people regarded as minorities by the state! No more treating people like less than second class citizens, no more hate, no more lies, no more heavy-handed deceptions. No more matriarchy! It is time for change, and I am the harbinger of that change. I am the change that must be!” and it was both a male and female voice, speaking at once, that emerged from Kai just then. Norine's voice and Marylis' voice, both speaking at once, their voices blending back into one again at the end. The queen saw this, and was deeply frightened by it. “Your voice... it... that is inhuman!” she screamed. But Kai was not in the least affected by their mother's fear. “Yes, mother... I am no longer wholly human. I am not simply Kai, but in all honestly I am the reincarnation of Kaivash'tar... I am the divinity you have chained with lies in order to control both myself and the people you rule over. My resurrection in this form, has thus made necessary the change that I bring to this world, to these times! It is time to tell the people the truth at last, and to put aside your own vanity, mistrust of men, and lust for control over the masses. As the 'goddess' that your very religion claims is supreme over all others, you thus have no choice but to agree to my wishes... unless you wish to call me, your 'goddess', a heretic and thus be labeled a blasphemer!” And never before in all that world's history, in all of the ages of its' recorded histories, had there been a divine intervention of this sort before. “Kaivash'tar...” the queen began to say, then realized for the very first time in her life that she was truly powerless. She knew the truth, and had been sworn to secrecy in order to keep anyone from ever learning it. The books at the library only told so much, and they were in the heresy section so that people would not follow after what they contained. But this, it was different!
This was the heir to the throne itself, a person now claiming to be the oldest of all divinities. A person whose words were filled with truth, even though that truth had been labeled heretical by the matriarchal government. The queen's child was the bringer of the end of things now... and all that lay beyond was a vast sea of the unknown, and that frightened the queen greatly. No one had ever expected something of this magnitude to take place! And a terrible, wicked thought entered into the queen's mind. She could just kill her child, this being, and then no one need ever know. All could remain exactly as it had been since the establishing of the matriarchy! Yet, she would have no heir and her death would cause chaos when this faction or that, or this family or that, could end up warring in order to decide who would be best to reign as the next queen. At worst, it could lead to a period of civil war! With countless factions, all claiming the right to the throne. Was it worth so much bloodshed, and the life of her own child, just to keep the people enslaved to a lie? She could not bring herself to do such a thing. Instead, she said... very meekly... as a woman wholly defeated, in every imaginable way: “Kaivash'tar... I have no choice but to allow you to do as you must. I am tired, weary, of perpetuating the current system! I will be hated by many within the government as the queen who allowed the matriarchy to be dissolved, but it seems that divine forces are at work here, ones that have something else in mind for the people. I will not be the queen who raises a hand against the divine! Do as you must... my child. My deity.” and thus did it transpire that Kai did not wait for their turn as ruler in order to begin the necessary changes. Kai went out and addressed the people, holding speeches in countless cities, bringing along heretical theologians who had once had their works and voices suppressed... and revealing to all, the truth that had been for so long hidden away in darkness. Some accepted what was revealed... some did not. And there was a period of war and strife all the same, one in which the current matriarchal regime turned against even the people it claimed to serve in order to hold on to its' fading power. More and more, people rallied to Kai's side, to the side of the great Kaivash'tar... and the more that people came to accept Kai as that very deity, the more that things began to turn against the corrupt matriarchy. The queen herself joined with those who followed after Kai, and it became evident that this new messiah was in the right. When this era of strife ended, the matriarchy was overthrown and Kai was installed as the living divinity of a new Divine Theocracy, one established by the resurrected god and goddess itself. The queen grew too old in that time to continue to remain in any position of power any longer, and she finally decided to retire and to let go of any reins of power she once possessed. Kai was the supreme authority in all the land, and in time... in all the world, as countless nations flocked unto the divine one's banner. It was, at the last, the beginning of a golden age for people of every sort. Rights were established for all that could never be taken away, and Kaivash'tar made certain that any ruler who followed after them would be forced to in turn keep those rights alive and well. Checks and balances were put into place to prevent tyrants from coming to power, and everything was indeed changed at last, all as the divine being had desired it to be.
King Corin ruled wisely and well at the side of Queen Kaivash'tar, from the grand capital city of New Luminos... the old city of Luminos having been destroyed during the Holy Wars as they became called, in which peace was at last established over all the known world. When all was said and done... Kai had chosen to express herself in a feminine way, not by dictate this time but by choice. Though she kept her intersex body just as it was, and everyone accepted her just as she was. The days when people might be judgmental over such gender variance were now in the distant past, which made the Divine Couple very pleased. Corin had been declared a saint while still living, for having been present when the miracle of the divine Kaivash'tar's earthly manifesting as Kai took place. It did not matter that he did not witness it firsthand... and he had not the heart, to tell anyone that he had been asleep when the whole thing finally happened. Nor, what he had been up to beforehand. It was enough for the people that he was there, and that he loved Kai very deeply. Their marriage, was considered a holy union between heavens and earth.
On the anniversary of the day of Kaivash'tar's manifesting, Corin and Kai went back to the rebuilt city of Old Luminos, which was only just beginning to resemble its' former glory once again. There, the pair went to the library... it was back in service again by that year... and decided to just hang out. Exactly as they used to, back when it was still three of them instead of two who were three. Corin was dressed for the occasion in his old “uniform” as Marylis had once called it... while Kai wore the very outfit that the prince had been most fond of dressing in. They sat at one of the tables, with the sunlight shining in by way of the great library's windows, and began to talk and reminisce about old times. Kai had ceased to age in any way, shape, or form and remained the exact age that she had been when her transformation had taken place... and Corin likewise was untouched by the years, though he could not explain why. “I can understand you being eternal now, Kai... I mean, you are a divine being, after all. It makes a bit of logical sense when you think about it that way. But whatever happened to me? I seem as blessed as you, though my body is the same as it ever was appearance-wise.” to which Kai looked over at Corin with a great deal of love and more than a bit of hidden wisdom in her eyes and cryptically replied: “Oh, Corin! You are saint, after all... should there not be some miracle further associated with you than just being a witness to my incarnation?” to which Corin swallowed hard and responded half in jest, half seriously: “Oh good gods and goddesses, Kai! We both know I am not really a saint. I am the biggest sinner that I know personally... and I have known a whole lot of sinners in my lifetime too.” They laughed together a bit after that, and passed the day pleasantly with a walk through the gardens and a tour of all that was being done to restore the old city. The trees were lush and green, for it was summertime, and the skies were blue and pretty much cloudless on that day... and once the afternoon came, the moon could just be seen in the heavens above as dusk approached inexorably. “The buildings have always been classical in their style.” Kai explained, elaborating: “As you can see, the new buildings for this city will also have a lot more modern elements as a part of the city's look.” and indeed, the newly constructed buildings all had a look that was a unique blend of the classical and the modern, of the old and the new. A balanced harmony that fit in ideally with Kai's personal philosophy regarding not just architecture but everything. In time, the city would surpass its' former glory by a great deal... and the old mural in the palace's dome would be replaced by one that depicted gods along with the goddesses. And deities of both androgynous and hermaphroditic varieties as well! It was a new era of enlightenment regarding spiritual things, and people were rediscovering themselves in countless ways. In one of the oldest books in the archives, a prophecy had been written which was even now seeing its' fulfillment: “When the return of the Divine One to the world is at last fulfilled, thou shalt behold a time in which sinners will become saints and the laws of the land all will be changed. The old ways shall be discarded, and many shall put on new attire, finding the old no longer to their liking. From the ashes of all that was, a new world will arise and with it a new hope for all the peoples of the world. So rejoice! And be not afraid, when thou dost hear that the Divine One hath returned. Take that one to thy bosom, and they shall take thee unto theirs as pure children of a world cleaned of the evils of the past. Cleansed not in wrath, but with love!” and many so committed the words of that prophecy to music and song, and it was played in many grand celebrations.
This is an ancient story from a world far removed from the one you know as Earth. One in which I so lived many lives, in many forms, as the divinity known as Kaivash'tar. A world in need of change, in the end, and into which I was born and died many times in order to see the great changes through. I became the embodiment of a myth, a legend, even in seeking to show people my truth... and even in this telling of those past events, it is impossible to tell of them without including the mythical elements that were a part of all that transpired. And now, on your world, on Earth... I have likewise been born and died many times, and come unto humanity in many guises, in order to see new great changes through. For through my words and deeds, for words contain great power indeed, such changes may in time become realized.
Published 5th Aug 2022
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