The Kind Beast Tortured by the Sun and Protected by the Moon
The beast called Lačnir was one of the six beasts that roamed the far skies1. It was not domineering like some of the other beasts, rather fair and kind-hearted.
One day, when the two lords of Čavijet took a trip to explore the far skies, they met on their journey the kind beast Lačnir. Interested in the strange new creatures, Lačnir asked them where they were from.
“The large earthen sphere in the distance,” Zaśtnir answered, pointing to their home, Čavijet. “Where do you call home, great beast? There is only vast space as far as the eye can see.”
“This vast space is my home,” it replied, “but it is not so barren. There is more hidden beyond what your eyes can see.” Saying that, it raised a claw to a nearby star and drew a line across it. The star peeled open, revealing within it a land of vast green mountains and misty peaks2.
Awed by the sight, Zaśtnir's brother, Vatribno, questioned the beast, “how did you manage to place such a world in the star?”
The beast replied with a chuckle, “it is the ability of all creatures if only they find it within themselves. Such is the nature of magic.”
“I wish for you to teach me this art!” Vatribno demanded with greed in his eyes.
“I cannot. Each must discover his path. Though I can explain its workings and perhaps make the answer easier to find, you must search for it yourself.”
“Foul beast. If you will not teach me then I will have you use it for me!” Vatribno shouted, flinging his hand out and binding the beast in his chains. “Dear brother, I will be returning home first. I did not expect this journey to have such a wondrous treasure.”
Watching his brother return to Čavijet, Zaśtnir was at a loss. He gave the hidden world within the star a glance before returning. Worried about what might become of the kind beast in his brother’s cruel hands.
It was well known that Vatribno was not a caring lord. All that he laid his eyes on would suffer until it was no more. Villagers whispered of the countless women he had ravaged only to be thrown out or killed once he grew tired of them, their bodies maimed and minds broken. Palace servants would recall the many pets that were tortured by his hand as a youth. If they were not obedient and barked when he wanted peace, fought back when he whipped them or tried to escape.
The beast Lačnir suffered no less than those before it. Unwilling to give in, the lord had him chained and confined in a small room unable to move. He starved it, giving only enough to allow it to live. Each day the beast suffered excruciating torture as Vatribno used it for target practice.
A few servants of the palace, though they knew the consequences of such actions, helped the beast when they could. With tears in their eyes, they would cradle its bloodied head in their arms gently, cleaning its wounds to prevent infection. They would sneak it extra food with pity in their eyes and muttered apologies for their lord’s actions. Although their kindness was not enough to save it, it kept it from losing its kindness and becoming broken.
It did not take long for news of the beast’s mistreatment to reach the lord’s brother. With furrowed brows, he secretly paid a visit. Knowing that his brother would not listen to his request to free the beast and that he was not strong enough to defeat him in a duel, Zaśtnir told the beast to wait for him when night fell.
And so the beast did, fighting the sleep that came over it and enduring the pain, it stared out the small window of the room with the last strand of hope it possessed flickering in its eyes. Arriving after the palace had fallen asleep, Zaśtnir broke the beast free of its bindings, waking his brother. Hearing a roar of anger from the other side of the palace, Zaśtnir quickly grabbed the beast and fled, not stopping until he was safe within his hidden cave deep within the mountains.
Over the course of a few months, the man cared for the beast, treating its wounds and helping it get back on its feet. But the beast had not yet recovered its strength to break free from Čavijet and return to its star in the far skies.
“I hope you do not hold a grudge against our kind for the actions of my brother. Though we do not agree with his actions, there is no one strong enough to stop him.” Zaśtnir said to the beast one day as they sat drinking tea together.
“I do not,” the beast replied, “for your kind has done what they could, no matter how small, to help me even if it puts their life at risk. I cannot hate a creature because it is too weak to do anything, but I can love it because it tries its best.”
“What will you do now? You are healed but cannot return.” Zaśtnir asked.
The beast sighed and looked out over the mountainside, “I do not know. But I do not wish to stay hidden here all my life. This place is new to me and I am curious about what lies beyond that small room and this mountain.”
The lord smiled, “then come travel with me. I travel this world helping those that I can in hopes that I can make up for the pain that my brother has brought to the people. Perhaps you can learn more about this world and its people.”
The beast agreed and the lord resumed his journeys, bringing along with him the kind beast Lačnir. They helped those who were troubled along the way and in return received the peoples’ thanks and gratitude no matter how small. The peaceful days did not last long, however, for one day the kind lord’s brother caught news of them.
“Dearest brother, please explain to me why you stole my precious beast from me.” A cruel voice bellowed from the sky. The two froze and looked up, seeing an angry Vatribno with his sword drawn. It was clear that no matter what they said he was determined to kill them both.
Zaśtnir turned to the kind beast Lačnir and said, “you have regained your strength. Flee to the far skies and find shelter in your star, he will not be able to get to you there. I will protect you.”
The beast disregarded his uncertainties, urged on by Zaśtnir who assured him that it would be alright and rose into the sky, quickly fleeing. Vatribno roared in anger and attempted to stop it but was met with his brother’s sword.
“Why do you oppose me brother, you know that you cannot stop me.”
“You have gone on doing what you like for too long. How many people have suffered unfairly from your cruel hands?”
As they fought, they rose into the sky following after the beast Lačnir. Though Zaśtnir was not enough to stop his brother, he was able to slow him down and Lačnir was able to reach the safety of his star. But when it heard the anguished scream of Zaśtnir who had been dealt a heavy blow by his brother, it quickly rushed to his side and pulled him into the star with it.
Seeing that the two had escaped to somewhere he could not reach, fury sparked in his eyes and his rage engulfed him, turning into a fiery rage that consumed his body and mind. With his last breath, he shouted, “I do not believe that I can’t kill you here today!”
Feeling the energy fluctuations outside of the hidden space within the star, Lačnir was frightened. If the star were to be destroyed then so too would they. The two quickly fled from the space and were met with the sight of a giant ball of flames. Suddenly, Lačnir found itself falling back to Čavijet. Shocked, it looked to Zaśtnir who had pushed it.
The man smiled with sadness in his eyes, “I’m sorry for the pain you had to suffer through, and for what my kind has put up with for all these years. It’s time I put a stop to it all or I fear that it will never end. Please, take care of yourself, my friend, and protect what little kindness my land has left.” He closed his eyes, his determination spreading out from him and forming a large shield that blocked the beast from the ball of fire. The fire was unable to get past the shield and so they circled endlessly.
The beast returned to Čavijet and continued Zaśtnir's journey alone. Each night he would stare up at the far skies and see Zaśtnir's form still protecting it and his people. As the years went by, the beast found himself getting weaker and weaker. His home was in the far skies but he could not go back. He returned to that hidden cave in the mountains, waiting for his time to come3. As a last memento to his promise to Zaśtnir, he formed from his will and the last of his power an artifact4 to protect the people of this world. Hidden deep within the mountains a lonely force that would continue to persist for millennia.
This fairy tale is well known in Baralj and its surrounding countries. It tells of a kind beast called Lačnir whose powers attracted the cruel lord Vatribno and his brother, the kind lord Zaśtinik who took pity on the beast. It is also the origin story of Čavijet’s sun and moon which share the names of the two brothers.
Notes
- Historians think that the story of Lačnir was created to make the number of stars in the Supreme Beasts constellation equal to the lucky number six as there are only five stars visible and ancient writings tell of six.
- This proves that the concept of spatial magic at the very least existed as far back as __.
- Lačnir’s Tomb in the mountains of Baralj is said to be Zaśtinik’s hidden cave because that is where Lačnir returned to await death in the tale.
- Curiously, although it is known to be impossible for anyone to travel to the far skies, let alone for a beast to live there, the The Eye of Lačnir is known to be real, though its power is far less than what is told in the tale. It is unknown whether the fairy tale was based on a true occurrence in the past or if the artifact was made later, based on the tale.
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