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On a chilly night, a young boy looks up to the stars in amazement.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” A deep voice asked him.
The boy only nodded, his jaw hanging open.
“You know, I was around your age when the goddess first appeared.” He chuckled.
“Really, grandpa?!” The boy took his eyes off of the bright, glowing white star. “You mean she wasn’t here forever?”
“Nope!” He answered. “She only appeared… Well it would have been about sixty some odd years ago, I reckon.” Both of them turned their attention back to their goddess. “At first her light was faint, but ever since then she’s been steadily glowing brighter and brighter. Even now, you can feel it if you reach out.”
The boy did just that, stretching out his arm to the star as if to grab it. A comforting warmth radiated through his body, and it only seemed to grow more intense by the second.
“Not too much now.” Grandpa warned, nudging the boy. “The goddesses’ warmth cradles us all, but only a sacred priest can reach out to her for more than a few seconds… Did she tell you anything?”
“I don’t think so?” The boy replied, rubbing his warm hand. “What do you think will happen when she gets SUPER bright? Will nighttime look just like daytime?”
“I dunno. But I doubt we’ll ever see that in our lifetimes.” The boy looked disappointed. “Oh don’t give me that look… Listen, Georgie, in this world there are those who fear the goddesses’ warmth. They see it as some kind of bad omen and flee underground like moles to escape the light. Do you know what we call those people?”
“Heretics?”
“Correct.”
“But why do-” Georgie was cut off as a maid burst out onto the balcony.
Out of breath and panting heavily, the maid could only speak in short bursts. “The king! He… He’s…”
“By the goddess! Out with it!” Grandpa barked.
“He’s dead!” She cried.
***
Georgie woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. This certainly wasn’t the first time he dreamed about the day his father died, but it never failed to shock him awake. He got out of bed and stepped out onto the balcony, the same one from all those years ago.
(I must have dozed off.) He thought. (I haven’t slept much lately.)
Much had happened since then. Being the heir to the throne, Georgie became king soon after his father’s death. The kingdom thrived for many years after with the help of his grandpa, but sadly nothing was meant to last.
Though no one would admit it, Georgie was certain the cause of death was the same as his father’s, The Goddess Star. He could never forget the day his father died, the way his body was a ghastly pale white as it lay on the floor. How despite being a corpse, it was burning hot.
Looking at, or reaching out to the star was known to cause these symptoms, yet it was covered up by the court. It would look bad if not only one, but two of their previous kings had died at the hands of the goddess.
Reluctantly, Georgie looked up at the star. It was bright. Brighter than before, certainly, and the night sky was lit up almost as if it were dawn.
(Why? Why does it keep getting brighter?) He couldn’t help but wonder. (The shamans and priests say it’s a sign of the goddesses’ growing power, but… what does she intend to do with that power?)
He sighed, leaning over the railing and looking out on his kingdom. (No goddess would do this.) Many buildings sat in disrepair, nobody dared walk the streets, even the animals lay silent. (This vile plague…)
A maid burst into the room. “My liege!”
Georgie sprang to life, his heart pounding. “Has she delivered?!”
“Yes… my liege.” The maid replied, albeit reluctantly.
Georgie ran as fast as he could to his wife’s room, though what he saw was not at all what he expected.
His wife, the queen, cried and wailed as she clutched a pale child in her arms. The baby lay completely silent, and unmoving, its skin as pale as snow.
“Please…” Georgie exhaled. “That is not- This isn’t- Why MY child?!”
“Please sit down, my liege.” One of the nurses urged.
“The Ivory Plague…” He sniffled.
“I am sorry, my liege.”
“Can anything be done?” He asked.
“I’m afraid all we can do is comfort the child in its final minutes.” The nurse consoled.
Georgie stumbled over to his weeping wife and put a hand on the infant’s head. It was scorching hot, just as his father’s and grandfather’s was…
He pried the baby from his wife’s arms, which were burned from prolonged contact with the child. “I wish to show him the outside world, at least once.” She had already passed out, but he kissed her on the head and headed to that balcony that haunted his dreams.
He cradled the child close, looking up at the sky with it, despite the fact its eyes had not even opened. “Look there! That’s our goddess.” He smiled.
That's when the newborn actually began to move, catching him off guard. “Y-yeah. That’s right!” The baby’s arms stretched out as if trying to grasp it, and its eyes opened, revealing blank white eyes.
“Dear goddess…” Georgie sighed. Despite being skeptical of her intentions, he still had no other to pray to. It felt comforting, strangely comforting. It was a feeling no one could ever really put into words, but… looking up at the goddess gave an almost maternal warmth. “Please… Please guide this little one to the afterl-”
“Huuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” The previously dead silent infant let out a low whisper before beginning to speak in a tongue Georgie had never heard, which caused his blood to run cold.
Moments later, it went silent and limp once again. After regaining his composure, he left it with the nurses and isolated himself within his room.
The king would never speak of this incident, and life would continue on in relative normality, the king and queen would even produce a legitimate heir several years later. But despite that, the plague continued ravaging the land. It not only affected people of all races, but also animals and even plants as well.
Populations everywhere would plummet, and the world seemed to slowly be bleached white as the carrion of these victims spread a white ash across the land. And just as things seemed as if they couldn’t get any worse, one night the Goddess Star turned from a pale white to a fiery red.
The world turned into complete chaos as they witnessed their goddess would come crashing down into the Earth, sending dust and violent shockwaves across several continents.
Oddly, the world soon returned to peace afterwards. With the Goddess Star gone from the night sky, everything seemed to return to normal overnight. The white ash began to fade and Ivory Plague cases dropped to zero. King Georgie and his wife, Queen Angela would rebuild their kingdom and return it to a somewhat stable state…
Many years passed, and life went on. Yet troubling reports of the fallen goddess kept coming in. Though the king never traveled near the crash site to confirm these reports, it was said that the orb pulsated a fiery red at night, which was clearly evident in the night sky. It was also said that the earth was completely bleached white around it, as it seemed to suck the life out of everything in its vicinity.
Each month, a new report, and with each report it was said the bleaching spread ever further. It was all but confirmed; the Ivory Plague came as a direct result of looking directly at the goddess, but why?
More time passed. King Georgie, now in his twilight years, struggled in vain to keep his kingdom afloat. No more reports were coming in. They had ceased several years ago, but it was plainly evident the star was becoming active, as it began to peak out from beyond the horizon, causing the Ivory Plague to rear its ugly head again. Every night now, a strange alien tongue echoed across the kingdom, originating from the goddess. It was the same voice that his child had spoken all those decades ago, Georgie was sure of it.
Fortunately for the king, and the rest of his people, the mystery of their so-called ‘goddess’ would never be revealed to them. As on one particularly bright night, the world would be illuminated in a bright, cleansing flame. And all ceased to be…