Alyselden

            Life does not end when Death cradles a soul like a newborn shortly after their departure from their Earthly life. No, far different. And religion had it wrong from their inception; all religion, and all beliefs had it wrong. There is no paradise, there is no joy for those that lived a fruitful and gracious life. Unity, bliss, pain, and comfort are all just cycled emotions that are cast upon from the Wardens that control the afterdeath, as it is difficult to consider it life. People wander the land of Alyselden as broken spirits, only to be fodder to the Wardens of the world: The Warden of Justice, The Warden of Wickedness, The Warden of Solitude, and The Warden of Harmony.

            The Warden of Harmony is almost laughable as its goal is to harmonize all spirits that walk this realm. The reason for its position to be in such a mockery of state is that all spirits derive from the human realm, and humanity is not known for its harmony. The few that cared to live peacefully were always decimated at the hands of the human spirits of Wickedness or, or by the desolate souls of Solitude. Pacifism never found itself in the hearts of people on Earth, and much like Earth, it has no real power here in Alyselden.

            The Warden of Solitude should be considered a relative to Wickedness, much as Harmony could be considered a cousin to Justice; at least a distant relative. Solitude will work by any means to gain enough power to break apart any form of unity, making it the antithesis of Harmony. And unlike Harmony, Solitude will decimate anything in its wake so that all spirits will be separated far enough so that no other Warden gains enough strength to ever reclaim the throne. Yet, even when the Warden of Solitude holds such a position, Wickedness is always there to smite any possible spirit to gather enough strength to overthrow itself from the claim.

            If Wickedness were to assume a body Wickedness would be the equivalent to the human’s interpretation to the devil in Christian mythology; an agent that seeks power for the purpose to torture others for eternity. The Warden of Wickedness’ sole purpose is to inflict harm to all other spirits that wandered Alyselden. The way that Wickedness gains strength is by killing spirits in this world, and lucky for it, spirits never die from the world, but are reborn weaker than before, so it can continue ravaging and decimating spirits until their heart’s content, which is never filled. This makes The Warden of Wickedness one of the stronger of the Wardens, only to be combated by The Warden of Justice.

            To counter The Warden of Wickedness, The Warden of Justice lives from the spirits that thrived from punishing the human spirits of Wickedness and Solitude. Justice’s sole purpose is to create an Alyselden where all evil is punish, thus created a world near to Harmony’s views, only in a more policed state. All sinful actions are deemed punishable, and with sin is a strict rule to Justice, the subjectivity becomes a thin line for all other Wardens. Which even makes some actions of Harmony victim to Justice’s wrath, such as: harmonizing through sexual encounters or recreational drug use, despite being harmless to other spirits and Wardens.

            What’s most interesting of all is how a Warden comes to power. Wardens are not some appointed god, but a soul that fought through the ranks of their course. Alyselden is a home of billions of spirits, and every one of them is fighting in their own way to becoming a Warden. The Wicked will kill all, regardless of their beliefs of other Wardens, while Justice will kill those that are wrong in their eyes of sin that is unforgivable. Harmony gains its strength by unifying spirits, while Solitude will be as cut-throat as Wickedness, but aim’s for an alternative goal.

            While it would be assumed that the way spirits lived on Earth would dictate how they would be manifested in Alyselden, that is actually furthest from the truth. As spirits are brought to Alyselden they are given an opportunity to view their future world, and their beliefs may change depending on the Warden in power, yet even before their view of the new world is complete, the chances of a spirit of Wickedness smiting them holds a higher probability than a nut falling from a tree. From there, they are forced to walk the land more damaged than their spiritual eyes first set them to observe.

            Alyselden is a melee for any spirit to pull their ranks and gain power, but caution to the wise, the damned will always be there to oppose their rule. But no matter which Warden gains control, the world of Alyselden is one of beauty. Mountains stand higher than any Early spirit has visually seen, encasing the land from all boarders. The reach for such mountains are leagues beyond what any spirit as ever attempted. The trees stand as if a gale of frost rode its tail, petrifying them in their swayed state. Monuments stand as tall as any Earthly spirit has created, and still more are tempted to be built, but in fear due to Wickedness’ wrath. Most that were built were under the control of Harmony, which the Warden at the time seemed to have a keen fascination with Gothic architecture. But most fascinating beyond the mountains that prevent a soul from escaping, beyond the frozen wilderness, beyond the monuments are what the Wardens do to the land. Let it be that Justice rules, Alyselden is engulfed in a world of blackness and purple, while Wickedness encases the world in whiteness and blue. Harmony covers the world in greenness and yellow, and Solitude encases its world in redness and blue. The worlds feel so different, yet all are just cycles Alyselden.

            This is the world a spirit is born into, and this is now your home.