Universal Parallels: The Earth

© Marina Marli, 2025

ISBN 978-5-0065-7502-8

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Universal Parallels: The Earth

Prologue

There is always a ray of light to be found, even in a world full of darkness. No matter how ominously the storm clouds gather, the light will always find a way. Just as tree saplings always manage to grow and break through the toughest and inhospitable soil.

The inhabitants of other worlds left the Earth long ago, leaving its inhabitants to deal with what they had done on their own. People were divided, and constant battles mowed down the population no worse than diseases and crop failures. This lasted for centuries, until people almost exterminated each other. Only the strongest remained alive, who, despite everything continued to fight for power. They tried to recapture the remnants of habitable lands, and enslave the defeated. Over time the number of people decreased so much that it seemed that there was not only no one to fight, but also no one to save. Then the leaders, having gathered the survivors, left their usual habitats and retired to different corners of the vast lands.

People were divided into three clans. The ones known as the people of the earth inhabited the plains that could still support human life and built defensive walls and ramparts creating fortified settlements. Others went into caves and mountain ranges, where they built stone impregnable fortresses. They called themselves the Mountain Clan. The people who went to the water expanses and built a floating settlement there called themselves the Water Clan.

Ideologies and creeds disappeared as did the society that was previously huge and united. People were divided not only by constant power struggles but by the planet itself. Now everyone was on their own and against everyone else.

Seeing what was happening on earth, the Creators did not intervene. Long have they watched over the people with an all-seeing gaze from the distance: endless human conflict, acts of vengeance and vindictiveness passed on through generations, constant bloodshed, and the merciless hate of humans.

So much water under the bridge… The cause of the conflict has long been forgotten. The tangle of misunderstandings and grievances was too deep. People were not able to come to a resolution and no longer had the strength or willingness to try again. Everyone tried to save what was still possible.

And even though people took a temporary pause of several decades, the confrontation continued anyway. But only until they saw a blinding light, lighting up the silent night sky. This was a sign. A sign sent from the creators up above. They did not want the humans to disappear completely, despite the limitless evil. The Creators only wanted to save humanity and sent to the earth a wondrous maiden, made in the image of human, with the ray of light. She was endowed with knowledge of the earth – or how it was before creation, knowledge of other worlds so she would know that she is not alone in this universe. She was also granted immortality along with powers of healing and vision. However, she was denied the ability to side with or cause harm to anyone so she could not be manipulated by power hungry individuals. The maiden was made to be impartial and unbiased in her judgements. She should not have to make a choice because her mission was to help and unite rules out of taking sides or causing harm. Her destiny was to change the course of history and give the remaining humans a second chance at gaining a new understanding and rebirth.

CHAPTER 1

The dark forest. The silence. Not a sound. Deva opened her eyes and saw nothing in front of her but an abyss of dark sky studded with billions of stars. She lay on the ground, barely breathing, and stared into the very depth of the firmament. She was trying to find the worlds she knew: the world of Preservers, the world of Creators, the world of Defenders. But in vain. Above her, an endless dome hung silently, covered which scattered sparks, shimmering like pearls. A fascinating, wonderful world! And she was lucky enough to observe this splendor.

She couldn’t believe that people had forgotten about such indescribable beauties given to them many thousands of years ago. It was hard to believe that they preferred bloody battles.

She looked deep into the forest, listening to the deafening silence. There was not a single sound around. Deva frowned, trying to figure out how this was possible.

«How strange! Why is it so quiet here? Is nature really dying? Or is she crouching for the time of my coming? Not a breath of wind, not a creak of a branch, not a chirp of birds – nothing,» just arrived to this world maiden was surprised. «I need to get up. But where do I have to go?» The questions kept multiplying in her head. «People are separated and divided. There are constant wars between them. The Earth Clan, the Mountain Clan, the Water Clan… Who of them is still capable of compassion? There are only three clans left from a huge and previously united people. They are dying out. They need help. It is necessary to stop this endless hostility and reconcile them. But who should I start with?»

Deva smoothly spread her arms and felt the coolness of the night forest. The soft moss that became her feather bed could lull any traveler who accidentally lay down on it. She dug her fingers into it and felt the damp earth under it, into which numerous roots clung.

After laying down for a while, enjoying the silence and coolness of the forest, she sat up. Deva took a long look around the place where she found herself. The forest, silence and utter darkness. She peered into the darkness, as if trying to find something in it. Something long ago lost, but still existing, not forgotten, not lost in the endless labyrinths of the memory of time.

She felt the gloom pressing down on her. It was as if it was deliberately pinning her to the ground, forcing her to lower her head in order to grieve together. Closing her eyes and obeying this unspoken demand, Deva was sad about all the vain losses that this once fertile and gracious land had meekly buried in itself.

Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and looked at her robes. The only light here was her own. The remnants of the beam emanated with a smooth and soft glow from the fabric of the cloak. Raising her head and looking around, Deva noticed the shadows that quickly and silently moved behind the trees. She peered at their rapid movements, trying to catch a glimpse of at least one and figure out who they belonged to.

«Don’t be afraid of me. Come out. I won’t hurt you,» she said timidly into the silence of the forest trees, hoping that unknown creatures would have a conversation with her.

But the answer was silence: the Shadows moved absolutely soundlessly, as if they didn’t notice her presence. As if they didn’t hear her call.

After only a few moments, but it seemed to her that this game lasted much longer, Deva thought that they began to whisper.

«Navi1!» she gasped, finally realizing who these dark silhouettes were.

Hearing what suddenly burst from the lips of Deva, the Shadows froze. And time itself seemed to stop at the moment when their common name sounded. It’s like they’ve been remembered. As if someone else needed them. As if their deaths were not an empty sound.

They stirred and whispered again. Sometimes smoothly and quietly, sometimes violently and loudly. Deva listened to their voices, which seemed to come from the distant past. She couldn’t make out the words, but she could feel their general perplexity. None of the people had ever seen or heard them before. The Shadows were confused.

What they didn’t feel was fear. They knew that their human journey was over long ago. Now they were just faceless ghosts and wandered restless among the trees of this forest, through vast fields, but they couldn’t go far from the Earth Clan, because this place held them, as if they were sewn to it by an invisible thread.

Finally, the whispering died down, and one of the shadows floated forward and stopped a dozen of paces from Deva. It was probably their leader. His gloomy silhouette with human outlines stood out only a bit against the background of the dark forest and was slightly denser clot, barely noticeable to the human eye. She narrowed her eyes in anticipation, focusing attentively on him. The leader, who would not take long to wait, began to speak:

«Tell us who you are and where you come from. We don’t see you in the world of the dead or the world of the alive,» he asked cautiously.

«My name is Deva. And you are right, I’m not in any of these worlds. I was sent by the Creators to reconcile the inhabitants of the Earth and stop the senseless bloodshed,» she replied bluntly. «May I ask you a question?»

«Ask away. What are you interested in?» the leader became emboldened, finally seeing firsthand the one they had all been waiting for so long.

«How many of you restless souls live here?»

The leader did not answer her immediately. He plunged into painful memories of the last battle for him.

«So many that I’ve already lost count,» he replied bitterly. For year after year their ranks had filled up.

«I’m sorry,» Deva whispered. «Is there anything I can do for you?» she asked, reverently addressing all the shadows, not just the leader.

The Shadows begin to whisper again. They didn’t know how they could be helped to gain liberation and find peace. It seemed to them that they were forever chained to this place and there was no salvation for their deeds.

«Time will tell,» the leader replied dryly, retreating back into the woods, joining the others. He did not believe that after all they had done during their lifetime, someone would be lenient and grant them forgiveness.

As he left, he cast a doubtful glance over his shoulder:

«You can try to save them, but, as we can see, they have not changed over the past centuries. People are doomed, though, just like us.»

«I will try. I will definitely try to help! The Creators see everything and always give a chance even to those who have long been lost in their path,» she told enthusiastically and selflessly.

The Shadows disappeared into the forest, grinning at her ridiculous plans, but mentally wishing that everything would work out for her.

The oppressive silence fell again. Deva raised her head, gazing at the night sky, as if looking for support there or waiting for a clue. But the only answer was silence and the occasional wink of the stars. The first creatures she met in this world were the Navi, and a short conversation with them did not bode well. Her enthusiasm and zeal melted and dissolved, like the Shadows disappearing into the forest.

Soon she heard a dull noise. It rolled across the earth, covering her like a huge wave. It slowly crept up, filling the entire space with itself, and threatened to cover Deva with a giant shaft, burying both her body and all her aspiration under it. The sound of approaching hooves grew louder. It was inescapable, as if fate itself had gone hunting.

Despite the possible threat, Deva was not afraid. All she felt now was sincere curiosity and a great desire to do everything in her power to establish peace and prosperity in these lands. She was glad that people were moving towards her, but worried that the clans might arrive at the same time, and then she would become a new reason to fight. These thoughts made her uneasy. A chill ran over her skin, making her shiver, Deva felt her breath catch, vague images swam in front her eyes, and the stars rattled as if someone had hit the dome of the sky, wanting to get rid of them. A bit more and she would have fainted from all the thoughts that raced through her head, exciting her with the enormity of the conclusions.

«The Earth Clan,» said a raspy voice behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Diva quickly returned to the reality of what was happening. She turned slowly in the direction of the voice, but to her great surprise, she found no one.

Only giant trees and scattered fir-trees stood black against the sky. They looked at her speechlessly and shook their crowns in unison, as if they agreed with her perplexity.

Deva froze in anticipation. She didn’t understand what was going on or who this voice could belong to, which brought her out of her heavy thoughts.

Meanwhile someone spoke again.

«Look down,» the voice said hoarsely and irritably, as if Deva had already offended him.

Slowly lowering her eyes and stopping at the level of a human waist, the maiden screamed in surprise:

«Oh, who are you?» She covered her mouth with both hands so as not to say anything superfluous and not to frighten the creature unknown to her.

His normal-sized head was covered with disheveled thick hair. A well-proportioned body sat on stubby legs. A small rounded tummy bulged out from under a long shirt, belted in the place where it marked the waist. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and arms were covered with thick hair. The wide palms resembled saucers. Knee-length trousers covered even more hairy legs, and bare shaggy feet were twice as long as her own. Despite his small height, he bravely stood right in front of her.

«My name is Echo2 and I live here,» he said proudly and possessively. «I see everything, hear everything and keep order in the forests.»

«Do you often have to bring order?» Deva asked without a trace of irony.

«Right now, for example. It’s such a mess and I’m the only one to deal with everything,» Echo muttered with displeasure.

«Please forgive me for disturbing you. I’ve never met creatures like you,» the maiden sincerely confessed in an apologetic tone.

«Creatures? Well, tell me too! I am, one might say, the Lord of the forests, and you called me a faceless creature,» Echo said resentfully. He furrowed his shaggy eyebrows and slightly protruded his lower lip, showing his displeasure with what he had heard.

«Forgive me, please! I didn’t mean to offend you. I was waiting for someone from the human clans to appear, but you emerged so suddenly that I was confused. However, you are just in time, for what I thank you very much!» Deva spoke quickly, realizing that the conversation had started on the wrong note.

Despite the apologies she had made, she tried hard not to smile, being touched by Echo’s appearance.

«I don’t know, I don’t know,» he shook his head doubtfully. «Who are you and where did you come from?»

«My name is Deva and I come from the Creators’ world,» she introduced herself, slightly bowing her head in reverence to a creature half her height.

«The Creators themselves sent you to us!» he opened his mouth and widened his eyes in surprise.

«That’s true. They entrusted me with a very important task,» the maiden switched to a mysterious, intriguing whisper, trying to interest Echo.

«Of course, I would be happy to ask you more details, but I have to go.» Echo backed away when he heard the sound of hooves, which was already very close.

«Wait a minute. Maybe you can tell me about the clan that’s coming?» she pleaded, taking a step forward. From the sudden movement, her robe began to shimmer with silver, blinding Echo. «I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. My garment, it’s…»

«Magical. Like the world itself, where you came from,» he finished the sentence, removing his like a saucer-hand from his eyes. After a little hesitation, he nevertheless decided to ask a question: «Did you do something wrong, angered the Creators that they decided to send you here?»

«I was not sent away at all, but sent to help.»

«To help? I’m very curious,» Echo drawled and turned his head towards the noise coming closer. «They are riding so fast, clearly they are in a hurry for help.»

«Is something wrong? Do you think they don’t need help?»

«Who am I to argue with the Creators? If that was their decision, then that’s the way it should be,» said Echo, anxiously peering into the darkness behind the trees. «So, it’s good to be here with you. But I have to go now. Lots of things have to be done.»

«Well, I hope to see you again soon.» the maiden said cordially. «And thanks for telling me who to expect. I appreciate your help, Echo.»

The Lord of the forest only nodded and silently disappeared in the night, which like a thick curtain closed behind him, leaving no trace of his presence.

Deva was left alone again. After all these meetings, the feeling of faith that there was a chance to fix everything began to fade gradually. Her enthusiasm was no longer as fiery as it had been a few hours earlier.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the lump of disappointment rising her throat. Her temples throbbed with a mixture of feelings and emotions, but the inner strength and will inherent in her by the Creators were always here. No one and nothing could shake them. Deva was full of determination and courage to continue on a path that did not promise to be easy.

Having subdued all her worries, Deva hid deeper in the delicate fabric of the shining silver cloak and turned her face in the direction from which the rumble came.

She was ready for the meeting.

CHAPTER 2

A bright flash, and then a tail stretching across the entire sky, was seen in all corners of the Earth. People couldn’t notice or miss such a phenomenon that attracted their attention. Someone was frankly scared, someone was interested, someone was upset, some were angry and indignant. The people of the clans didn’t know its origin and therefore had no idea what such a sudden message from heaven could threaten. They’ve been fighting all their lives. The eternal confrontation has left a mark on each of them. Everyone wore scars. Someone had them hidden under their clothes, and someone hid them deep inside. And so they lived side by side: wounded in heart and soul, along with the physically mutilated. This night was a turning point for everyone.

«Sire! Stephen! Urgently report about the incident to the head!» a terrified guard shouted from the watchtower.

The news spread among the inhabitants quickly. The head of the Earth Clan didn’t sleep well at night. Tossing and turning in bed from the evening until midnight, he did not fall asleep at all. After all, he pulled off the covers and got up to stretch his legs. Stephen paced back and forth and measured his chamber nervously. His head was full of thoughts that didn’t let him go to rest, and his heart was beating rapidly, as if he had a premonition that something was wrong. «And how can I fall asleep if there are only enemies around? I can’t rely on anyone in this clan. My son is also up to something. But anyway. I keep them all here,» he clenched his fist and shook it at the window. Suddenly, a flash lit up the dark sky. It illuminated everything around. The head recoiled, covering his face with his hand. As soon as the flash went out, turning into a long tail, he looked out through the glazed frames again and followed with its gaze. «This is it,» he said dryly, as if he had been waiting for a sign from heaven itself for a long time. «It’s time for action.»

Stephen was determined. As soon as the star fell into the Dark Woods and disappeared, Stephen called the guards and commanded them to assemble the council. The decision to send reconnaissance detachments to the crash site was made unanimously. No one knew what they would have to face, but Stephen understood that the Mountain Clan would also rush there to get what had been sent to them by the Highers.

«It doesn’t matter what awaits us there, the main thing is who will arrive first and who will get this something unknown. The Mountain Clan is located further from the forests and the place where the ray landed. But that won’t stop Conrad. They are also ready to fight for the right of primacy. However, the head of the Water Clan has not been involved in wars for a long time. Having isolated themselves on the expanses of water, they chose to cowardly hide. Well, let them die there in oblivion and loneliness. We will get more,» Stephen mused, pacing the lonely corridors of the castle in a wearisome expectation of news.

The best warriors were equipped with the best weapon; the fastest horses were prepared. Everything was done to get what was sent to the earth with the ray of light. Stephen planned to use it for his own purposes, of course, related to the conquest of the enemy clan and the development of new, habitable lands. Deep down, he hoped that they had been sent something that could overcome the enemy. But if this something was aimed at destroying the Earth’s Clan inhabitants, the warriors were ready to deal with it without sparing themselves. Stephen gave the command to get the ray at all costs. With such guidance, the warriors set off under the cover of night. Urging their horses on, they moved quickly and smoothly, wanting to get to the crash site before the glow faded. Nothing could stop them, not even the surrounding Dark Woods. The brave warriors were ready for anything: either to kill a creature that invaded their lands uninvited, or to fight with an enemy clan if it arrived first.

However, the Earth Clan had the advantage. The Dark Woods was very close and it didn’t take long for the warriors to cross the valley and invade its gloomy lands.

It has been a long time since the common people came here. All the animals were killed, the birds were caught, there was no one else in these lifeless thickets – that’s what they thought. Only the trees still kept their green robes, though not as rich as they once were. Perhaps, somewhere behind them, the remaining birds or small animals could hide by occasion. Now, passing the gloomy trees, the guests felt the dead spirit of the local places. However, it didn’t touch them. As they made their way through the thickets, drowning in blackness, they were guided only by a faint glow, which grew brighter as they approached. Finally, they came to a lawn and stopped at the very edge of the trees. They saw a young maiden. That was the falling ray they were hunting for.

Shocked by the purity of the radiance emanating from her, they lowered the weapon they held ready. Absolutely. Perfect. The flawless light emanated from her, who was clad in a weightless cloak. It was a remnant of a gradually fading glow and the people of the Earth Clan continued to stare at it with widened eyes and their mouths slightly open. They couldn’t even imagine that a person could look so innocent. Everyone already forgot that people not from another clan may not be dangerous, that they are not in danger. But even this picture could not melt their hearts.

After a while of silent contemplation, they raised their weapon again. Spurring their horses, the warriors broke from the edge of the meadow and rushed headlong to the uninvited guest. Surrounding her, they didn’t slow down, moving around, pointing the swords at her. She was motionless and silent, as if she had already resigned herself to her fate, knowing the ending in advance. They stared, grinned, growled, whistled, as if they were intimidating a trapped animal. A beast who wished to sacrifice its life. The maiden still remained humble and silent. It could seem that the fear was unknown to her.

Finally, having finished their demonstrative but meaningless race, they stopped, surrounding her in a tight circle.

«Who are you? Tell us!» Without ceremony, one of the warriors commanded her. He was sitting on his horse and looking down at her, which made Deva seem tiny and vulnerable in his eyes.

«My name is Deva,» she replied meekly.

«Look at me!»

She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. In them, in these blue bottomless oceans, he saw a child who trusted him and was not afraid at all.

«Why did you come here?» another warrior asked her menacingly, seeing the pause that suddenly occurred.

«To help you,» she replied softly, shifting her eyes to him. The warrior also felt something strange. It was as if his mind was covered with nets and he was drowning, sinking into the bottom.