A long time ago, when the world was young and rainbows only had four colors, and storytellers everywhere still had hair… there was a kingdom. And like any kingdom of respectable disposition, this kingdom had a King. And like any king of grandiose aspirations, he had a son, the prince. And like any prince of organized composure, he had a general. And like any general of fantastic capabilities, he had an army.
But this was no ordinary army, or general, or prince, or king, or kingdom , this was the kingdom of the light, and it was the last barrier between our world and the absolute chaos of darkness.
And I don’t have to tell you that is is serious business, it requires incredible strength, wisdom and heart to fight against the oncoming doom and to keep it at bay.
You see, the army of the light was composed of the most capable, the bravest, the most impressive warriors the world had ever seen.
And the reason they were so impressive was, well, there were several reasons. First of all, they seemed to be larger than regular people, like a mystical force had made them a few inches taller, and more muscular than regular people.
Second, they always wore gleaming armor that sparkled in gold and silver and made them sort of difficult to focus on. And finally, they had the biggest… swords anyone had ever seen.
Everybody in the kingdom admired them, they all secretly wanted to be a warrior of the light, but everybody was also terrified of the trials.
See the trials were secret, no one really knew what happened when a soldier from the regular army went off to face them.
Sometimes they would come back defeated, and they would never speak of what had happened, but sometimes they simply disappear and never came back, and people had to assume that they had become full fledged warriors of the light and sent away to fend off the darkness.
So nobody knows what happened, but I know. And I am about to reveal, for the first time since the rainbow got its fifth color, what goes on during the trials of the light.
When a soldier aspires to join the army of the light, he must pass three trials.
He’s already a Soldier, so he has already proven himself. But will he have what is required of him?
The Soldier steps into the ring and looks around, he feels ready, he has waited his entire life for this moment.
The General comes into the ring and says “This is the first trial. You must pass or you will never become a Warrior of the Light, a Soldier forever you will remain.”
“There is a stone at the center of the ring. You must lift it”
The Soldier looks to the center of the circle and there is a rock as big as his torso laying there, defying him, taunting him, looking as heavy as the world. The soldier walks up to it and puts his hands underneath.
And he pushes, he pushes with every fiber of his being and it hurts. It hurts beyond measure. And it feels as though the rock will never give in. Ten whole minutes pass and he finally lifts the stone up to his chest. His heart is beating so hard he might just burst out of his body. As he drops the rock to the ground the General speaks again.
“This was the trial of your body. You have the strength that I require”
And the General steps away from the ring.
The Prince now Comes into the circle and speaks for all to hear.
“This is the second trial. You must pass or you will be cast out from this army, and never again fight for the Light”
“There is a stone at the center of the ring. You must lift it. And you must do so in one minute”
The Soldier runs without hesitation and he starts pushing again, this time he’s giving his very soul into it. Every single fiber of his muscles is screaming for release. His body aches beyond measure.
Just when his time is about to run out he lifts the rock, and this time, not to his chest, he elevates the stone beyond his head, towards the heavens, where the Light resides. As he drops the rock to the ground and makes it tremble, the Prince speaks again.
“This was the trial of you mind. You have the will that I require”
And the Prince steps away from the ring.
The King has now come and the trumpets announce his arrival. And at the same time a man, bound by wrists and ankles is thrown into the center of the arena.
“This is the third trial. You must pass or your life will be taken”
“There is a stone at the center of the ring, and there is a man next to it. You must lift the stone, and drop it on the man’s head”
The soldier looks at the man for a moment, he takes in his despair and his fear, and the he says:
“Please forgive me my King, I must ask: what is this man’s crime?”
“It does not matter, you must do as I say”
The soldier looks at the man again and then speaks once more.
“Forgive me once again my fair King. But is this man our enemy? Did he fall under the rules of war? will he have no chance to defend himself?”
“It does not matter. This is what I require of you”
He looks at the man yet again, in his eyes he sees himself. A single tear sheds from the soldier’s eyes as he says
“I’m sorry my King, I cannot kill this man. Not like this. I willingly offer my life as payment for this man’s freedom”
At that moment shadows start to lurk around the circle, and as they get closer the soldier knows that they are coming for him, the true warriors of the light have surrounded them and knows he is about to die for his failures.
Closer and closer they get until they are at an arm’s reach and then… they embrace him.
And as they do, the King Speaks.
“This was the trial of your heart. You have the love that I require. From this day forth, you shall be known as a Warrior of the Light”
Johan Vesnic 