Central City, Basilica, Kingdom's Religious Council Hall.
"Moctezuma… I recognize that these questions could leave anyone perplexed, and perhaps now you believe that we possess the answers, but the truth is quite the opposite… The essence of these questions lies in the fact that we will never truly reach a complete understanding of the Gods, therefore, it is our constant endeavor to study them."
"The priests you see here… They ask themselves the same question daily… They seek new knowledge, review the knowledge we already possess, or simply observe the world in search of answers, signs, or a profound understanding of the divinities."
"The gods far transcend what we, simple mortals, are capable of discerning."
"Our existence is ephemeral, and only if we live in accordance with divine precepts, can we aspire to be welcomed into their sacred domains once our earthly journey concludes."
My discourse had reached a culminating point.
I trusted that I had opened the possibility for Moctezuma, with his keen intellect, to embrace this renewed perspective of faith.
"I understand that my words may seem ineffective or confusing, so we could analyze a specific deity to clarify the situation… The Sun, giver of life and sovereign of fire, is one of the great deities. What is the name by which you refer to the Sun god?" I asked Moctezuma.
"Huitzilopochtli is the unique and most excellent of the gods… There is no other solar deity," he replied with a resolute voice, although now his eyes betrayed a slight indecision.
"Your god is powerful, and your devotion exalts him, but tell me, Moctezuma, have you never felt that other deities observe you from the firmament? That in your rituals, offerings, and chants, you are not alone with him, but with something grander… more ancient?"
"Huitzilopochtli, as you know him, we call by different names. In the heart of our territory, Sua. In the lands adjacent to your empire, they invoke him as Kinich Ahau. In the high southern lands, they call him Inti."
"All burn with fervor. All glow. All fight the darkness of the night… Do you truly believe that there are multiple suns… or that it is a single entity, to which human beings give names according to their dialect?" I questioned him directly, leaving him visibly moved.
"The gods cannot be encompassed in a single word, nor in a single countenance."
"What we perceive are mere fragments."
"Your Metztli, our Chie, are tears from the same lunar face," I mentioned other appellations to further reinforce our argument.
"Why do the names differ?"
"Because our languages are perishable."
"But they are not."
"Moctezuma, I do not demand that you accept our words as absolute truth; I only yearn for you to grasp the true magnitude of the gods, as grand as our cultures describe them."
After these words, Moctezuma began to inquire about the origin of the deities in our pantheon, incessantly defending his own convictions, but now listening attentively to the accounts of the other Bishops and Cardinals.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere vibrated with intensity.
The conversations, though charged with a certain tension, were woven with nuances of mystical knowledge and the search for a supreme truth, which made the discussion even more fascinating for those who dared to ask the right questions.
Moctezuma immersed himself more and more in the conversation, even sharing his own visions of the gods, which he had assimilated from the codices left by ancient priests.
Although his initial participation was limited to trying to refute the assertions of some priests about the gods, little by little he began to question aspects more deeply and comprehensively, even casting doubt on certain notions related to his own deities.
At the end of the meeting, the new general ceremonies for the current year were established, and upcoming festivities and carnivals were announced.
Finally, we showed him the deep veneration for the moon, using the replica employed in the first sacred ceremony of the previous year, which now hung majestically from the ceiling above the central nave of the Basilica.
Moctezuma and the Aztec emissaries were astonished by the sight of the moon.
Upon leaving the Basilica, I stopped Moctezuma for a moment and proposed a short walk to converse privately.
"Moctezuma… I believe you have already understood who I am to these people, haven't you?" I asked him, as we both walked side by side at a slow pace.
"Yes, before I only thought you were an envoy used to evoke compassion," he replied frankly. "But now I know that your gods have sent you to guide them," he added, and each time he looked at me, he focused precisely on my left eye due to its heterochromia and its connection to the ancient prophecy.
"I like to share that same idea… That I am a humble guide who teaches them to act with righteousness… Who offers them support and hope… Have you observed how common people look at their leaders in this city?" I asked him suddenly, as we both noticed a Priest walking among the crowd, occasionally offering help or imparting divine knowledge to the curious.
"No, I don't understand what you mean," he denied, trying to find something unusual in the scene he was witnessing.
"How does your people treat their Priests?"
"With reverence."
"Is that all they show?"
"Umm… They also show some fear and…"
"Do you grasp it now?" I asked him, stopping abruptly, I slowly raised my head and fixed my gaze at him.
"I understand your point, but I don't know why they act differently from our people."
"Moctezuma, your Empire, its leaders, nobles, and priests, possess the knowledge of the Gods, but the common people do not… When they participate in ceremonies, offerings, and prayers, they do so because they fear you, not the gods… They are there seeking your compassion, not the Gods'… And your leaders seek to be worshipped, not for the common people to worship the gods."
"I don't… This is because our convictions are stronger than yours," Moctezuma tried to explain, but unlike before, where he debated with ideas or knowledge, his replies were now more comparative and subjective.
"We both understand that the scope of faith is immeasurable; only we ourselves can know the depth of our belief in the gods… My purpose in telling you this is that you try to know your gods better and make your people also know and worship them with devotion."
"Understood."
"Well, having finished that topic… I hope this visit to our kingdom has been welcoming. Soon I might visit your Empire, and I would like to be received in the same way we welcomed you here."
"Of that there is no doubt… When you venture into our territory, I will reveal the magnificence of our gods."
"I would prefer to see the greatness of your people."
One month later, Northwest Region, North Sea City.
A month had passed since the visit of the Aztec envoys.
The first two weeks concluded with several meetings and also saw the entry of the fourth generation of students from the Simte Academy, as well as the celebration of the second graduating class.
Subsequently, I set out from Central City towards the Northwest region, specifically to North Sea City.
This city had been conceived as a modest outpost when the mouth of the Suaza River was explored in year 2 of the SuaChie calendar.
Later, with the annexation of the Tairona the following year, the small coastal settlement experienced notable improvement until it transformed into one of the 5 largest cities, excluding regional capitals and Central City.
Over the years, this city flourished thanks to the new system of coastal trade and also due to increasing exploration missions. From being a simple commercial town, it became the strategic outpost of the Northeast Zone armada.
It had facilities of all kinds, including multiple shipyards of varying capacities, numerous commercial streets, an imposing cathedral, and countless ports. Furthermore, progressive work has been done to optimize the conditions of the river mouth to allow for smoother boat transit to and from the interior of the Kingdom.
On this journey, I was accompanied by my mother and my father, Umza and Nyia.
Although I was also assisted by a retinue of helpers, who constituted a specialized group for the protection of The Shadows.
The presence of this disproportionate group of helpers was because the destination was not the Northwest Region, but rather we would continue our journey to the Taino territory in the future Caribbean islands.
This would be the first sea voyage for all of us, and we were all immensely excited.
"Do you have your things ready, Nyia?" I asked her, entering her room after knocking on the door.
"Yes, everything is ready," she replied, approaching me with her characteristic shyness.
"So, this is the painting… I thought you had kept it somewhere in Central City or that you had it in your Academy office," I commented, observing the work Nyia had created of my face in her first week at the Academy.
"It's time to go! Let's go! Let's go!" she exclaimed, quickly pulling me out of her room, her face visibly red.
Two weeks later.
"Phew… Wow, if you hadn't brought the cards and chess, I would have died of boredom," Umza complained, lying in a hammock covered with a sun-protection fabric.
"I also thought it would be shorter," I told her, as I looked at the sea near where Umza was. "In case you're still bored, you could read the new books, just like Nyia."
"'Me… Read a book? Never!" she retorted vehemently.
"Hahaha… I'm sure you'll like the stories."
"Young Chuta, we are about to arrive," one of the crew members informed me.
"Finally!" Umza shouted excitedly, she jumped from the hammock and hurried inside the ship.
"Thank you very much for informing… Please tell everyone to get ready, I don't want any surprises," I ordered him.
"I hope the Tainos receive their visitors kindly," I thought as I glimpsed the silhouette of solid ground in the distance.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Chuta shows us the religious perspective the kingdom adopts. He also plants some ideas in Moctezuma's mind with the goal of improving the lives of the common people in his kingdom.
Finally, we have our first boat trip. I didn't want to go into too much detail about the experiences because I think it would practically be filler, but from the perspective of one of the characters, we'll see what traveling on these wooden boats is like.
Unnecessary Fact of the Day: The Tainos, who were one of the most extensive cultures in the Caribbean, were divided into different zones. The Western Tainos (Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas), Classic Tainos (parts of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico), and the Eastern Tainos (Virgin Islands and other islands in the Lesser Antilles).
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Read my other novels.
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis from Visions of Future Saga.
You can find them on my profile.]