Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
The Rite existed then and was an honored tradition. The Chosen—third sons and daughters—crossed into Iliseeum to serve the gods. They were then given a choice of whether to Ascend and become immortal or not. That all changed when the power shift in Iliseeum happened. Kolis took away the Chosen’s free will and brought them to Iliseeum to be treated as objects—used, traded, toyed with, and ultimately tossed aside. If they were Ascended, it wasn’t like it should be. Either Kolis used the blood of the gods in his Court to transition them, making them what we know now as the vamprys—dark-dwelling near-immortals with an insatiable thirst for blood; or his twisted essence coupled with their mortal death made them into something not alive or dead, turning them into what we know to be Revenants.
In more recent times, the Rite became something very different. The vamprys needed a food source, one that wouldn’t be questioned, so they convinced the mortals to hand over their children to honor the gods. They even created an entire religion around it, forcing families to turn on each other if one refused to relinquish their children.
During the Rite, the Ascended take the third sons and daughters to feed upon. If they don’t drain them dry and kill them, they become Craven—though most are dead before they even learn to speak. All second sons and daughters are used to make more Ascended—this is different than the time of the gods, when the third sons and daughters were those Chosen to Ascend. However, the dirty little secret there for the vamprys is that Atlantian blood is required to complete an Ascension; therefore, the Ascended always have an Atlantian held as a prisoner to use for bloodletting.
All history of the Atlantians was erased within Solis, and the Ascended don’t tell people that it is absolutely possible to survive outside the Rise. A crucial part of their control is to create a rift between the mortals who have and those who don’t, causing the poor to turn their hatred on the wealthy and never the Ascended. They believe the Ascended are their direct access to the sleeping gods and thus an answer to their prayers, therefore above reproach.
Let’s take a closer look at how Ascension ultimately became the start of the vamprys…
The First Ascension After the Time of the Gods:
Atlantian King Malec O’Meer fell in love with a mortal woman named Isbeth. When she was mortally wounded, Malec committed the forbidden act of Ascension in a bid to save her. He drank from her, stopping only when he felt her heart begin to fail, then shared his blood with her. While this should have created the first vampry, it ultimately turned her into a demis because Malec was much more than a King, and Isbeth wasn’t a third daughter. Malec was a god, and gods cannot Ascend mortals—in the traditional sense of the word.
After Isbeth’s Ascension, King Malec lifted the Ascension ban, and many others followed suit, making the first vamprys. As more were created, many were unable to control their bloodlust, thus creating the pestilence known as the Craven and decimating mortal populations. The Craven are created when a vampry feeds on a mortal to the brink of death—or to death—but does not complete the process. Originally, this was thought to be the result of them not feeding the mortal their blood, but we have since come to understand that it’s the magical missing piece: the Atlantian blood—blood with the essence of the gods.
After Malec was exiled and subsequently entombed, Queen Eloana forbade Ascension again and ordered the destruction of all Ascended to protect mortalkind, ushering in disharmony between Solis and Atlantia. The Ascended in Solis revolted, thus starting the War of Two Kings and changing history. As I mentioned, Solis’s recorded history is very different from the Atlantians’ recorded history, and is full of lies, misleading details, and half-truths.
There are different kinds of Ascension.
God and Mortal
If a god Ascends a mortal, especially one who is not a third son or daughter, they do not create another god—a god can only be born—they instead create a demis. Which is why it was always forbidden. Demis are things that should never be: beings with godlike powers who were never meant to carry such gifts and burdens. They are abominations.
God and Godling
If a god Ascends a godling, it results in a godling who lives. Most godlings cannot handle the Culling process because their bodies are still mortal. A godling must drink from a god during their Culling to survive. It’s not entirely clear if that is a full act of Ascension or just them drinking as a way to help the healing. If they do not receive the immortal blood, the eather will ultimately kill their mortal bodies—the Culling happens around ages eighteen to twenty-one.