Book IV: The Curse of Y’AH-Way
Chapter 5: The Shard of Varysha
I’m the type of guy who’s not afraid to admit when he makes mistakes. My confidence can take it. Plus I know that I can always find a way to turn that negative into a positive.
With that in mind, let me tell you what happened to Debor. Mind you, I didn’t know about any of this for a long time. As I told you before, I thought the girl killed herself. Unfortunately I was wrong. This then is what happened to her…
The valley was shrouded in twilight, a heavy silence weighing on the air after the brutal murder of Abel. Whilst I was disguised as Yahway and browbeating Adam and Eve, Debor was at the same time grappling with her conflicting emotions as she hid herself in a cave network within the mountain range that ringed the valley wherein her family resided.
On the one hand, her nature was such that she surely felt a dark satisfaction at her hated brother Abel’s death, but curiously enough, Debore also felt a gnawing sense of discontent. The whispers on the wind that I’d been feeding her for her entire life, once a source of opportunity and power, now seemed sinister and oppressive.
As night fell, Debor wandered further within the cave, her mind a turbulent sea. Her hand shook as she held a makeshift torch but she soon found herself drawn to a secluded cavern she had never noticed before. The entrance was overgrown with ancient vines, as if nature itself sought to conceal it. Compelled by an unknown force, and perhaps not caring if she lived or died, Debor pushed through the foliage and stepped into the darkness – willing to be consumed by whatever forces lay within.
Inside the new cave, the air was cool and damp. The faint glow of luminescent moss illuminated the path ahead – so much so that Debor following her instincts and extinguished her brand. With the pull on her psyche growing with every step, Debor ventured deeper. How long she walked, she never knew. Yet eventually she stumbled upon a hidden chamber. At its center was an ancient pedestal, atop which rested an ornate box made of black stone, inscribed with symbols the girl could not decipher.
Without fear, Debor’s heart raced with excitement as she approached the box. With a trembling hand, she lifted the lid to reveal extraordinary beauty: a crystal shard that seemed to contain a swirling galaxy within.
Although Debor didn’t know it, this was the Shard of Varysha, another relic from an ages past. Crafted by the fallen angel Varysha whilst Zebub, Lucifer, and I were creating Terra, this magical shard granted its bearer the ability to traverse hidden pathways within the world. How or why Varysha hid it in this location, even I couldn’t say and since that lumenarc was still stuck in Illusia with Lucifer it was a mystery I’d never know.
As for Debor, when she held the Shard of Varysha, a surge of energy coursed through her. She could feel its power resonating with the remnants of her stellarone soul, guiding her toward a new path – filling her with the desire for rebellion – rebellion against me! Instantly Debor knew this was her chance to escape my influence and carve her own destiny.
Had I been paying attention I’d have immediately struck the girl down for her impudence. As it was I was preoccupied with branding Kane with the Mark of Immortality and also tormenting Adam and Eve in my Yahway guise. As a result, I never knew that Debor used the shard to open a hidden portal within that secret cave.
The Shard of Varysha caused a shimmering gateway to materialize before Debor, its surface rippling like liquid silver. Without hesitation, the girl stepped through, leaving the my protected valley — and her tormented past — behind.
As I would later learn, when Debor escaped, she emerged into a strange and haunting landscape: the Petrified Forest that lay to the east of Eden. The dead trees, frozen in time and turned to stone, stood like silent sentinels under the moonlight. The air was thick with my magic, and the forest must have whispered its warnings to Debor.
[This was yet another opportunity I missed to discover Debor’s rebellion – for had I been listening to my own trees, I’d have recognized their warnings. Sadly I’d quieted her noise in my head long ago].
Navigating the forest must have been treacherous for Debor. The ground was uneven, twisted roots threatened to trip her with every step, and the tree’s branches were sharp and clingy. Yet, the shard’s energy guided her, lighting the way through the confusing thickets.
As she moved deeper into the forest, Debor surely encountered strange creatures she’d never seen before —ethereal beings I’d toyed around with and cast off into the forest – creatures that flickered in and out of existence, remnants of the forest’s ancient past. Yet their only ‘weapon’ was fear and Debor was protected by the shard so they caused her no troubles.
After days of wandering, Debor finally emerged from the Petrified Forest into a lush and vibrant land. She found herself in a region known to the ancient world as Bharata, where a branch of the Amorosi lived. The people of this root race were tall and graceful with eyes that glowed like embers. As I told you before, the had an intrinsic connection to the natural world and could communicate even with the spirits of the forest.
I’m sure there’s a long tale here, but let me give you the cliff notes on what happened next…
As Debor stepped into their territory, she was met by a group of Amorosi warriors, their bows drawn and eyes wary. The leader, Raya, approached her cautiously.
“Who are you, and what brings you to our land?” Raya demanded, his voice a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
Debor, holding the Shard of Varysha tightly, spoke with a newfound resolve. “I am Debor, daughter of the man Adam and the woman Eve. I seek refuge and guidance to escape the grasp of Azazel.”
Raya’s eyes widened at the mention of my name. The Amorosi had long known of my malevolent influence. Sensing the truth in Debor’s words and the power of the shard she held, Raya lowered his weapon and signaled his warriors to do the same.
“You carry a relic of great power,” Raya said, his tone softening. “Come with us. Our elders will want to hear your story.”
Debor followed the Amorosi to their hidden village, nestled deep within the forest. There, she recounted her tale to the elders, who listened intently. The Amorosi, recognizing the significance of the Shard of Varysha, agreed to help her.
“Our allies from Lemuria possess knowledge that may aid you in your quest,” the chief elder explained. “We will guide you to them, but be warned, the journey is perilous.”
With a new sense of purpose, Debor prepared for the next leg of her journey. She knew the path ahead would be fraught with danger, but she also knew the freedom of her soul depended on it.
As she set out with the Amorosi toward the land of the Lemura, Debor surely felt a flicker of hope. She was no longer a pawn in my game but was instead she was becoming a player in her own right, ready to forge her destiny and challenge the darkness that sought to consume her.
At least that’s what Debor’s plan was – yet what she didn’t know is that although I may not have been aware of her treachery just yet, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t learn about it in time to stop her…
The Apocrypha of Azazel 