Aliyel's Crime

 Aerogena city, Aerogena

 Two thousand, five hundred years ago



 The city was marvelous. Even by standards set   by cities a thousand years in the future, it was magnificent. Stone pillars head up archways over paths down the winding mountainside. Lines and layers of Greco-Roman looking cityscape covered the tip of the mountain that was Aerogena. At the very tip, the largest structure stood. It was thirty feet tall, with two magnificently large pillars out front, on either side of a massive entryway. Above that entryway, a circular carving stood out prominently. It was engraved with a type of lettering that was insanely intricate. Had the writing been translated into modern day English, it would have read “Herein is the temple of Aliyel, most high goddess, Lord of Aerogena.”

 Inside, there was a throne. On that throne sat a woman. The woman wore all black, with a blood red cape. Her hair was neck-length and the color of fire, red and gold dancing together as she moved. Aliyel sat as if ruling over the entire world. And, in her mind, she did. Her little island was her world. It was all she ever needed. Until now. Now, unbeknownst to her, her people were burning themselves alive. Her high priest, Toxalen, had convinced them that Aliyel wanted them to burn themselves alive to become pure. She was the goddess of Fire, after all.

When her sacrifice failed to arrive on time, Aliyel stood and walked from her throne, to the stairs of the temple overlooking the city. A great fire had arose, and consumed more than half the city. Aliyel was shocked. They were destroying themselves!

 "And through the fire, we shall be cleansed, both our flesh and our spirit. And Aliyel shall embrace us as her children in the higher planes.” Toxalen’s   voice rang out, over the crackling of the flames and the falling of buildings. It angered her. She had put so much work into this city, Advancing them past any society of the time. And they had to go and ruin it in one day! No, I’ll ruin it for them. Aliyel thought, and shot into the air. Her hands raised as if scooping up a great weight, and the temple exploded. Liquid fire spouted from the depths of the mountain, consuming the entire civilization in a matter of minutes. The city fell into the depths of the newly-formed volcano, never to be heard from again, and completely lost to history and the rest of the world.

It was not over for Aliyel, however. As she stared down at the ruins she’d created, she felt a sense of satisfaction. And for the people above her, It was too much. As if a great hand had scooped her up and threw her, she plummeted into the volcano.

She found herself in another realm, a place seemingly devoid of light. Everything was black, from the highest point to the lowest corner. Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared in front of her.

“Aliyel. We’ve put up with your madness for long enough. No longer. We strip you of your power, and all of your memories before this day. And you no longer have a right to identity. You will be unable to speak your name in reference to yourself, or describe yourself in any way other than to recite chronicled events. You will be unable to have any relationships with ANYONE, and you will live for eternity ALONE, Unless you have a serious change of heart. You will be unable to name yourself anything but Fallen, for that is what you are. Now fall, endlessly, until you awake….

Fallen awoke in a cave. There was nothing around her but mold, stink, and grime. And despite having rolled around in crap for who knows how long, Fallen stood up, and screamed in defiance at her betters.

“I AM ALI---! I AM ALIY---! I AM AL---!” She screamed, unable to finish the sentence. “I will not take this! I am the goddess of the Aerogena! I am Ali---!” She suddenly looked like she was about to cry. “I am Ali--- I am…. Fallen.” And utterly spent, Fallen fell asleep in the cave.

