Keledus' Birth

Keledus, son of Lord Delphi (Alle Adonis), was a boundlessly just and intelligent child. His name was known everywhere, and only the best master teachers of the four cities were called upon to instruct him. Once they all agreed that they could teach him no more, he embarked on a journey to test all the knowledge he had acquired.

Keledus had heard of Papyrus, but he was disappointed by the city's religion, which differed greatly from his views. The teachings of the Church of Misilen were not what he had believed them to be. Their contrived and authoritarian religion was worlds away from what he was searching for. Having seen the difficulties and problems that the Four Big Cities faced, Keledus decided to embark on another journey to gain some insights.

With his strong sense of justice, Keledus could not help but see the people of the Earth as they were, in their oppressed and exploited state. It was because of this that decided that the deeds of the religious leaders of Misilen must be exposed as unjust. Yet there were people who took this twisted “justice” to be a fact of life. They lived and died under those inhumane conditions because they had not known it any other way.

There were, of course, young people who yearned to live their lives according to their own will. Yet anyone who dared raise their voice to criticize the system would be immediately charged with high treason against the Church of Misilen and banished to a cold and windswept plain far away.

The religion of Misilen deprived the people of their right for free thought and freedom of speech. However, when Keledus raised his voice in prayer, pleading for justice, a surprising thing occurred: Although the prayers of the Church of Misilen had not been answered for many years, Keledus received an answer to his. Ia bestowed him with the Key of Justice, honoring his just way of thinking, and the message was passed quietly among the people.

A further miracle occurred when Keledus, now strengthened in his belief, embarked on a journey to the consecration of faith. For no one had ever seen the face of the goddess, but it came to pass that she revealed herself to Keledus at the consecration—Keledus, the only one capable of saving corrupt Misilen.

THE TRIALS OF A MAN OF HONOR
During their encounter, Keledus told Ia of all the thoughts that had preoccupied him. The goddess answered some of his questions, others she countered with a soft smile. Gathering all of his courage, the youth asked Ia to meet him again.

Driven by his strong desire for enlightenment and the wish to change the world, Keledus approached Ia to take him with her when she returned to the Island of the Heaven. She heeded to his request and, in turn, asked him a few questions. But after she had heard what he had to say, she shook her head and explained to him that he would find the right answer one day. She bequeathed him with the Key of Faith and departed on her way to the island.

The encounter left Keledus bewildered, as he had been so sure of his devotion. There was nobody, not even among the master teachers of the four great cities or the highest religious leaders of Misilen, whose faith ran deeper and whose devotion would be comparable to his. And yet Ia was still not fully satisfied with him. So Keledus continues his journey, seeking the truth.

In her last question, Ia had asked him to tell her if he saw himself as a man of honor. He had been born in the magnificent Delphi, taught by the greatest master teachers and conversed with many famous people. All of these things distinguished Keledus, and no matter where his path would take him, the people along his way would treat him with reverence and veneration. And so it was natural for him to consider himself a man of honor, and just as natural for him to offer this as his answer to the question that Ia had asked. Yet it was not the answer that she had wanted to hear.

In an act of compassion for the laboring Keledus, the goddess sent him a series of tests that would help him on his search for enlightenment. The honor of a man cannot be described by his status, nor is it comparable to power or intelligence. As he took on the tests, one by one, he began to realize that that sort of honor was but an empty husk, a facade.

To be born on Earth, with a life that was bestowed upon oneself by Ia—that alone is an honor. In other words it means that the very existence of life, in any form, demands appreciation and respect. When Keledus had finally realized the splendor of life itself, the goddess, fulfilled with satisfaction, gave him the Key of Honor.



THE CHURCH'S OUTCASTS
The keys! The seven keys that had been sent by Ia, gave Keledus the right to enter the Island of Heaven. It had been Ia's wish that Keledus first discover these truths for himself, before he could ascend to the island. When Keledus had received the Key of Honor he realized that he must embark on a long journey. At this point in time, he already had 3,000 followers who had all given up the little they had to follow him.

All those who called themselves followers of Keledus gave up their work and had since been ostracized from the Church of Misilen. Having no choice but to survive on their own, they believed a new path would reveal itself to them, if only they follow Keledus. It was the supporters who hoped for a great change: those who wanted to help create a virtuous and honest world. Clad only in animal skins and sporting simple helmets, it was the hope that they had cloaked themselves in that stood out. It was with this hope and a strong feeling of solidarity that bound and unified them that they could stand up to the monsters of this world.

In the meantime, the news of Keledus' encounter with Ia had spread and the religious leadership of Misilen grew anxious. Many would leave the church and free themselves from the hegemony of its leadership, turning to Keledus, whereby he and his followers came to be seen as an ever-growing threat by the leaders of Misilen. In their eyes the once so promising young man had now become their most dangerous adversary.

Keledus was protected by his 3,000 soldiers when the leaders of the church sent out their armies to destroy him. His soldiers were convinced that if Keledus was to be destroyed, their hopes and dreams would die with him too. It was at this time that people started to address him as Your Majesty. Keledus never saw himself as a king, but the people had already put all their trust in him. Ia, who was looking down from the island, gazing in wonder and satisfaction at the fate of the young man, sent him the Key of Respect.

THE PATH TO THE ISLAND OF HEAVEN
His life was in constant danger, likewise the lives of his followers, due to the continuous threat posed by the leaders of the Church of Misilen. Keledus left on a journey alone, so as to ensure the safety of the others, traveling to a distant rugged land. Not being able to take his vast army with him, he promised to return soon.

In that most distant and harsh corner of the Earth, Keledus met all those who had fled from the Church of Misilen, or had been banished there. Those people had built a village in that land of relentless cold, founding their own society. After having listened to their stories for a while, Keledus knew that no one could accuse them of having done anything wrong. Some had simply suggested that the system be changed; other had been banished because they refused to do the work allotted to them, wishing to go their own way instead. Others still had been punished for wanting to practice their religion freely.

Keledus slowly began to realize the extent of the tyranny of the Church of Misilen. The path to the Island of Heaven! The keys that Ia had betrothed to him! They were the tools he could use to free humanity from its desires. When he had recognized the path that would lead him to the Island of Heaven, Keledus stepped into the pillar of light, through which Ia had sent down the apostles so many centuries ago. He took off his weapons and armor. The pillar became aglow with a bright light, and as it did so, it lifted him up to Island of Heaven.