You’ve all heard the term ‘Mystical Force’, but what exactly does it mean?
“All beings radiate a life force, but some have an additional ‘Mystical Force’. Mystical Forces are divided into three main categories: Magical Essence, Demonic Aura and Spiritual Powers. Though on the surface these powers seem identical and indistinguishable there are subtle differences between them.
Magical Essence:
Is the generic term for beings with magic powers (called mages), regardless of what type of magic it is. The characters of Mystic and Noonien are two examples of characters with Magical Essence as their Mystical Force. Magic powers may be hereditary, natural to the species/race or from other/artificial means (magic potions, objects, and so on) Depending on the exact nature of the powers it may be necessary to recite incantations to engage specific spells. However, if one is powerful enough in their magic skills, they need only to think of the desired effect to make it happen, such as Mystic or Noonien simply casting a spell with a wave of their hand, rather than performing an elaborate ritual, or even saying a specific magic phrase for different actions to be taken.
Demonic Aura:
The generic term used to describe the powers demons have. Demonic Aura, like Magical Essence, can be natural to the race/species but is also hereditary and is passed down from one or more of the parents. Thus a human with a demon for an ancestor can inherit Demonic Aura via it being passed down through the generations, though in that case their Demonic Aura is generally weaker and may even not be noticeable (the individual may not even be aware that they have it). Unlike magic, the powers of Demonic Aura are less direct. Demons generally use their powers to enhance their abilities (strength, speed, stamina, healing). In some cases it may allow the user to change their appearance and or form (gaining claws/wings and so on) Any other powers/abilities their Demonic Aura gives them are more general in nature and unlike Magical Essence they don’t require spells or incantations to work. Tokijin is an example of a character with Demonic Aura as his Mystical Force. Despite the name, individuals with Demonic Aura don’t get their powers from the Devil, as the Order of the Cross claims, it would be more accurate to describe their abilities as natural traits of their race/species. Demons are simply another species living on Earth. Despite their appearance and abilities, they’re not much different than humans. Like humans, some are kind and compassionate, some are malevolent and hostile and most simply want to live normal lives. It is simple prejudice for being different from humans that makes people fear and hate them.
Spiritual Powers:
Is the generic term used to describe the third main type of Mystical Force. Characters like Shi-ria, Sister Rose and the other members of the Order of the Cross are examples of characters with Spiritual Powers as their Mystical Force. Spiritual Powers are more vague than the other two and are the most difficult to achieve. Unlike Magical Essence or Demonic Aura, Spiritual Powers take years of training and discipline to master. Most people who have these powers usually have strong spiritual/religious beliefs. They also tend to be monks or nuns (though this isn’t necessarily a requirement) and they tend to live simplistic non-materialistic lives in order to strengthen their spiritual beliefs and powers. Like Demonic Aura, Spiritual Powers are used to enhance one’s abilities (strength, speed, stamina, healing) as well as providing a form of ESP (such as visions of the future, a warning or ‘feeling’ of danger and so on). Some (like Shi-ria) believe that these powers lie dormant in everyone and with proper training and practice, anyone can learn to harness these powers. Others (like the Order of the Cross) believe this power only appears in certain people chosen by God and by extension, those who aren’t ‘chosen’ by God who have similar powers must have gotten them from the devil. While Spiritual Powers are developed through training, the time it takes one to develop such powers and their skill level may vary based on the individuals. Some have to train long and hard to master Spiritual Powers while others are just naturally gifted.
It should also be noted that these three categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, if a mage and a demon were to conceive and child then that child could theoretically have both Magical Essence and Demonic Aura. So which would choose? What’s your Mystical Force?
Chiyoko felt her insides churning. She was overcome with sadness, hurt, anger, and betrayal. Even though she should have known this, remembering what Akuma told her earlier, It’s everyone for themselves. If ya git caught, it’s ya own fault for not being fast or strong enough. Deep down, she knew this would have happened but somehow hoped she’d be wrong. She couldn’t help but feel foolish for thinking otherwise. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that now, for another feeling was smothering all others; the icy hand of fear and its cold grip on her heart. Just like her family, she had been abandoned by uncaring people. She was left all alone to fend for herself. At least, that’s what she thought.
“LEAVE HER ALONE!” a familiar female voice shouted. Everyone turned to face the door where the survivors had escaped just a few minutes ago. Now another person was standing at the door. It was Shi-ria.
The leader of the cult members turned to face her. He could sense Shi-ria’s powers. “You’re the one the prophecy spoke of,” he deduced. “The one who is not of this world.”
Thanks to her Taman senses, she realized this strange cult was tied into the prophecy about her seeking out the true light within the darkness. “I assume you’re familiar with the prophecy then.”
The cult leader nodded, “‘The descendant of the darkness will cause the shadows to rise, and darkness will envelop the world. Then the one who is not of this world will seek out the true light within the darkness, and the shadows will open the gates to the netherworld,’” he recited. “You intend to stop the Kage Dai Yokai from cleansing this world of the human filth that defiles it. We cannot allow that.”
“What is this Kage Dai Yokai?” Shi-ria asked. She recalled Tokijin once telling her it meant Great Shadow Spectre, but beyond that, she knew very little of it.
“The one who will destroy all humans on this planet so that it may be reborn,” the cult leader explained.
“Why does this Kage Dai Yokai wish to do that?” she asked.
“Because humans are nothing more than ignorant, violent, primitive savages. It was their inner darkness that gave birth to the Kage Dai Yokai in the first place,” he continued. “Hundreds of years ago, in the feudal era, various feudal lords fought each other for control over this land. Hundreds of people fell in battle. The souls of all the dead formed a creature from the darkness of the human heart—the Kage Dai Yokai. He seeks to destroy all humans because that is what humanity seeks—to destroy, maim, and kill. Look at the state of the world: war, poverty, discrimination, crime, disease, famine, climate change, and no one cares. Humans look upon the suffering of others and the destruction they bring upon the planet, and their only thought is, ‘how can I profit from this?’ They willingly destroy their world because the accumulation of currency is more important to them. There is only one true pandemic that is ravaging the world; a disease called the human race! Humans are a cancer infecting this land! A plague to be wiped out!”
Shi-ria was tempted to point out that not all humans were like this; many were trying to save the planet and help solve the world’s problems. However, she felt her words would fall on deaf ears. But more than that, she noticed one glaring flaw in their beliefs, one she was surprised they failed to realize themselves. “You know that since all of you are humans, that means that if your mission succeeds and the Kage Dai Yokai is resurrected, you will be eliminated as well. Are you not, as you put it, the very ‘cancerous tumours’ that are also destroying this planet?”
“Those the Kage Dai Yokai deems worthy will survive to build a new world,” the cult leader boasted.
“Somehow, I highly doubt this Kage Dai Yokai will find you worthy,” Shi-ria countered.
“SILENCE!” the cult leader barked. “You will not interfere in our mission!” The cult members drew their daggers and moved toward Shi-ria. Using her Taman alchemy, she conjured up her sword. She dismissed using this same power to disarm her opponents since there were too many of them. To use her Taman alchemy to break down each of their weapons atom by atom would take too long. Besides, having to dodge multiple attacks would make it even harder for her to concentrate. Thus, as they lunged at her, she let the Taman guide her movements instead. She effortlessly dodged their attacks while using her weapon to deflect theirs. Relying on her kudai chenmol, or “air form,” Shi-ria twisted, spun, jumped, and dodged her attackers like air currents. Unaccustomed to this, her attackers grew more desperate. They began swinging their blades wildly, desperately trying to land a blow on her. As they grew more exasperated, their movements became wild and clumsy. Taking advantage of this, Shi-ria switched from defensive to offensive. Using her sword, she swung at them, striking their blades, forearms, and hands, forcing them to drop their weapons. Then she spun and kicked them, knocking them to the ground.
Chiyoko stood there watching with shock. Shi-ria appeared to also have whatever power Chiyoko had that warned her of danger. Not only that, Chiyoko couldn’t believe that Shi-ria managed to conjure up a weapon out of thin air. Now she was effortlessly evading the assault of multiple attackers. Chiyoko recalled having visions of Shi-ria. Could this be another one of her gifts? Was she predestined to meet this strange woman? Something deep down inside Chiyoko kept insisting that Shi-ria’s coming to save her wasn’t just a coincidence. Suddenly, another feeling arose inside her—a warning of danger. Chiyoko had been so focused on Shi-ria’s battle with this strange shadow cult that she forgot that they still wanted to kill her for “polluting” her demonic lineage with “human filth.” Thus, one cult member turned back to her. She lunged her dagger directly at Chiyoko. Fortunately, Chiyoko sidestepped her attacker. Reaching out with her right hand, Chiyoko grabbed this woman’s arm and twisted it, then pushed it back, resulting in the woman stabbing herself just below her right shoulder. Raising her free left hand, Chiyoko punched her in the face. Another cult member, this one male, turned and began slashing at her. Once again, Chiyoko dodged his swings, instinctively knowing where his blade would be and where to move to avoid it. It was the same power Shi-ria had. Chiyoko wasn’t sure how or why she knew this; she just knew it to be true. Thus, with their strange gift, the two women managed to take down these cultists. In the end, some of the cultists had fled, while most were sprawled on the floor. Chiyoko wanted to leave, figuring that the police would arrive soon.
Shi-ria seemed to sense this as well. She turned to Chiyoko, “Come with me.”
“Why?” Chiyoko asked.
“So we can talk.”
“About what?”
“About your future.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I turn you over to Shinjo, and he arrests you for your crimes.”
Chiyoko looked Shi-ria directly into her eyes, which she found difficult since Shi-ria had two pupils per eye. Having never seen such a thing before, Chiyoko found it unsettling. But what was even more unsettling was the fact that she had a feeling Shi-ria wasn’t joking. Ordinarily, Chiyoko would have run, but something compelled her to stay. Was she afraid that if she tried to run, Shi-ria would catch her? Was she afraid that if she tried to fight off Shi-ria, Shi-ria could take her down? Or was she afraid she might run into more of these cult members and wanted to stick with Shi-ria in hopes that she’d protect her? Actually, the more Chiyoko thought about it, it wasn’t fear that kept her from running, but hope. Deep down inside, she felt that what Shi-ria had to offer was something better than a lighter prison sentence. Chiyoko couldn’t explain it, but she felt that meeting Shi-ria would set her life on a new path. Where that path led, she had no idea, but she was more than curious to find out.
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU’RE OFFENDED BY WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO READ, THEN YOU’RE PROBABLY ONE OF THEM…
I received this email which I just had to share. It makes a very profound point:
What do we know about humanity?
That humanity can take literally anything and ruin it.
Take modern day American evangelical Christianity, for example.
They managed to take Jesus-a wine drinking, peace loving hippie who loved the poor and preached about loving your neighbor-and made him into a symbol of hate. They took Jesus and made him a symbol for transphobia, homophobia, and islamaphobia, not to mention not liking immigrants, poor people and being against free healthcare. Which is absolutely insane, considering:
1.Jesus never preached against being trans.
2.Jesus literally never once condemned homosexuality and never taught that gay couples went to hell.
3.Jesus was literally an immigrant himself.
4.Jesus was poor. In fact, he was at times borderline homeless.
5.Jesus literally gave out free healthcare. He never charged for his healing services, not once.
Modern day evangelical conservative Christianity is one big fat lie. It resembles nothing like the true teachings of Jesus, and if Jesus were here today, he would be ashamed and shocked that these people even call themselves Christian.
Jesus preached love, not hate. Remember that.
This statement makes a valid point, even God says so. In the book ‘Conversations with God’, God outright states:
The Bible was written hundreds of years after Jesus died, the people who wrote the new testament never actually met Jesus.
Many so-called ‘devout’ Christians wouldn’t know Jesus if they bumped into him on the street.
This is why I consider myself a spiritualist. God, again in ‘Conversations with God’, says to seek spirituality not religion. Because spirituality teaches us to look within to find the answers. It shows us that the answers we seek are already inside of us, we’ve simply forgotten them. Religion by contrast teaches us to ignore our instincts, our inner wisdom and blindly accept what others say as indisputable truth. The reason many people do this is because it’s easier that way. It means you don’t have to think for yourself.
Now I should point out that this doesn’t apply to all religious people (not just Christians). I’ve met some religious people who are perfectly descent people. People who love and accept others regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious beliefs (or lack there of), politics and/or income level. The one’s I object to are those who feel a sense of moral superiority and feel it’s their right to force their beliefs on others, ironically while using arguments of ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ to justify it while simultaneously trying to deny that same ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ to anyone whose views don’t conform to theirs.
Ironically the same can be said about atheists. I’ve met some atheists who are descent people, who love and accept others and don’t care what their religious beliefs (or lack there of) are. I’ve also seen atheists who like these devout conservative evangelicals, think themselves superior for not believing in God and openly mock anyone who believes. People who can’t or simply refuse to see the difference between spirituality and religion and lump them both together. I’ve heard people debate whether atheism should be considered a religion with some arguing that it isn’t because there are no rules to follow. I find it ironic that there are those who would argue in favour of the later because of the lack of rules yet still insist that spirituality is no different that religion when there also are no rules in spirituality.
I suppose what I’m really trying to say here is it’s all about accepting others for who they are. It’s not a question of what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ but ‘what serves you’. If your beliefs serves you than keep them. If they bring you happiness, then enjoy and cherish them. If your beliefs however, cause you problems or distress, then perhaps it’s time to look within and re-examine those beliefs. Also, if others have beliefs or viewpoints that you don’t agree with, that cause you distress, then may you should ask yourself, “Is it because their view is ‘wrong’ or is because I’ve chosen to label it as ‘wrong’?”
“When you see beyond yourself than you may find peace of mind is waiting there. And the time will come when you’ll see we’re all one and life flows on within you and without you.”
I received this email from my father and thought it was so profound, that I just had to post it and share it with everyone. The following words are my father’s, not mine, however I do agree with what he’s saying. My own words are the brief snippets in bold, encased in brackets “[ ]”. I wanted to share this with you for the same reason I am writing both “Mystical Force” and “Liberator: the People’s Guard” to help encourage you to think for yourself. As the “Complete Conversations with God” says, most people don’t want to think for themselves. That’s why they follow religion, people on social media and elect certain politicians because it requires no independent thought. We’ve seen it with these Trump supporters/Capitol rioters whose only defence seems to be “I was only following Trump’s orders.” When people choose not to think for themselves, it removes all responsibility from them (at least in their minds). Then they sit and wonder why their lives haven’t turned out the way they wanted. They’re left wondering “where, when, why, how did it all go so wrong?!” Again, as the “Complete Conversations with God” says, It all went wrong when you abandoned your mind, the greatest creative tool you were ever given. Now with my foreword completed, I give you the email I received, courtesy of my father:
“A Journey of Souls” A must read book for those interested in what happens when you pass over to the other side. Why am I recommending this book? Because it verifies, clarifies and explains the things my father-in-law [my maternal grandfather] told me after his visit to the other side [the afterlife/spirit world, call it whatever you like] after his heart attack. Doctors and scientists call it a “near death experience” because they can’t accept the fact that someone can die for a few minutes or 40 minutes or more and then be revived or come back because it’s not yet their time to leave the earth plain. Someone can be clinically dead for a few minutes but have spent hours, days, weeks, or even months in the spirit plain. Time has no relevance between the two realms.
After his heart attack, my wife [my mother] and I went up to visit him. My mother-in-law [my maternal grandmother] came to me and said “Dad wants to talk to you alone in the bedroom and lock the door” He was recuperating from his recent heart attack and so spent most of his time in bed. We had a nice long talk about his experience. He told me “I love my girls (he had five daughters [my mother and four aunts]) but they don’t mean anything to me. They’re not my family on the other side.” That statement intrigued me and this book explains it. There was a women in the book who when she passed over was expecting to be met by her father from this incarnation whom she loved and was very close to. Instead someone else met her and later she saw her father in the background. He eventually came up to her and greeted her, but explained that he could only stay briefly and she couldn’t follow him because she was not part of his family. Once she met her own family (soul group) and her memory of her previous lives returned to her, she understood and was happy to see all her friends and family in the spirit plain.
We had a nice long talk about how the church is all wrong and actually keeps people away from God. The Christian Bible has been rewritten so many time by various ecumenical councils to say what the Church leaders wanted in order to maintain control that it no longer has any relation to what Jesus taught 2000 years ago. For example, the Book of Joshua which is referenced in the Bible and was once part of the Bible has been removed because it told the truth and that was something the church leaders couldn’t allow. In it Joshua tells how Moses and his council (the leaders of the various tribes) decided that they needed a set of rules or laws to govern their people. They went up into the mountains and created a set of rules and decided that in order to give them some authority, they would say these were commandments from God. In “The Complete Conversations With God” (another book I recommend) God tells the author “There is no such thing as the Ten Commandments”.
AMORC (The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) traces its origin to Mystery Schools established in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III 1479 – 1425 BC. According to the Rosicrucian records after the incident at Calvary, Jesus went to the arcane school that the Essenes had at Mount Carmel and taught his wisdom to the students there. He lived a long life and when he passed, the buried him in a secret spot. Jesus did not die on the cross until some centuries after his death when Constantine had the Bible rewritten to say that Jesus died on the cross because the church needed a martyr. The current Christian Bible only has 12 disciples and they are all male. Whereas Jesus had over 120 disciples and almost half were women. The most prominent was Mary Magdalene his partner and wife. I don’t know what Constantine had against Mary or women, but he had the Bible rewritten to say that Mary was a prostitute and so the Roman Catholic churches campaign to subjugate women and relegate them to second class status and servants of man began. How is it that I’m familiar with Rosicrucian literature? I’ve been a member since 1975. [my father is a member, I am not. Also I wasn’t born until 1982].
In the “Complete Conversations with God” there are several discussions about the current bible. The author questions God about the bible, he quotes “Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord” and God replies “I never said that. One of you made that up, and you believed it”. God also discusses about how he is portrayed in the bible. He says “These behaviors are the behaviors historically demanded of their subjects by monarchs – usually ego-maniacal, insecure, tyrannical monarchs at that.” He explains that the God in the bible does not represent Him at all. He tells the author to “Return to spirituality. Forget about religion”. When the author asks why, He replies “Because it is not good for you”. And that is obvious. One only has to look at countries where religion is dominant such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Taliban in Afghanistan with their control over women. And then you have the Taliban’s Christian cousins the Roman Catholic church and the Evangelicals with their extreme conservative views on controlling women’s bodies. But everything discussed in the book matches what my father-in-law and I talked about.
These two books I recommend for your reading. Why? To make you think, to open your mind, to free your soul so that in can evolve, grow. You have free will. You can ignore this or you can read the books and make up your own mind. Either way makes no difference to me. God says to “Love everyone”, and I love everyone and wish the best for them. And some people I know who mistakenly sincerely believe that they are faithful Christians [“Conversations with God” even states that most so called Christians wouldn’t know Jesus if they bumped into him on the street, even those who wrote the Bible never met Jesus. The Bible was written hundreds of years after Jesus died], I wish the best for them. And the best thing that could happen to them is that they have the same beautiful life changing enlightening experience that my father-in-law had. What their reaction will be when they discover that their church has been misleading and lying to them I can’t say. But it will do them good to learn the truth.
Here’s an interesting anecdote that happened to me on Wednesday Dec. 8th. I woke up having seen angel numbers, one of which told me to keep focused on positive affirmations and to be careful what I wish for. At the time I wasn’t sure what it meant, I soon found out later that day at work. First let me explain that while my career, my passion is that of an author, I currently work full time in a warehouse for a liquidation company. I always tell people, the warehouse position is my job, I do that because I get paid to. My writing is my passion, I do that because I love it. That morning someone delivered three boxes of 12 items called “Snowman kits”, along with the necessary invoice for the merchandise. While I’m not the receiver, I none the less accepted the delivery and signed for it. I left the three boxes by the shipping door and text the owner to let him know not only of the delivery, but that I left the envelope with the invoice in his inbox. Having spent most of my life catastrophizing, a bad habit I picked up from my mother, I immediately began imagining arguments ensuing between me and my employer. Him asking why I left them by the shipping door instead of putting them in a specific location, or why I didn’t give them to a specific employee, then I imagined myself giving my arguments to defend my actions: “it’s not my job/I’m not the receiver around here” and so on. What I got instead was a pleasant surprise.
When I sent the text to the owner rather than simply say “three boxes” I specifically said, “Snowman kit” (which was written on the box) and put those words in quotes. Similarly, in my text I put the word “in box” in quotes, without even thinking about it honestly. When the owner came in he told me he received my text and it gave him a laugh at my putting “Snowman kit” and “in box” in quotations. He told me he was tempted to text back “thank you” (the words in quotations as well). Had an incident like this happened to me five years ago, I probably would have been angry at him and took it as an insult, as if he were mocking me. However, thanks to my meditation and my reading, and subsequent re-reading of Conversations with God coupled with my spiritual growth, instead of getting angry I found myself laughing at the incident and thinking to myself that it actually was kind of funny.
It was after this that I realized what the message from my angels meant. It was a reminder of the law of attraction. Not only that “like attracts like” but how our thoughts radiate out into the universe, which responds in kind. Thus when we get angry, when we catastrophize and assume the worst, all we do is bring about the very things we fear are going to come true. I now see imagining the worst case scenario is just that, something we imagine, a horrible incident which plays out only in our minds. Usually what happens in reality is nothing by comparison. Fortunately I have learned enough that when I start thinking this way, I can now catch myself catastrophizing and stop that thought process.
It also showed me how much growth I’ve made as a spiritual being. As I stated above, had such an incident happened to me years ago, I probably would have taken offence to his remark, thinking it was meant as an insult, when it really wasn’t. I probably would have stewed in anger over it for several days, where as now, I can laugh it off and think nothing of it. I find now when encounter those things that still get under my skin, I might dwell on it for about half an hour or a few hours off and on before finally letting it go. As Conversations with God says, nothing in life happens by coincidence. All of our life experiences -whether we consider them ‘good’ or ‘bad’- happen in order for us to experience who we really are, who we choose to be, whom we decide to create ourselves as. This incident that happened on that morning was to show me, to remind me of how much I’ve grown as a spiritual being. To show me that events of our lives are neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’ they’re simply events, it’s how we react to them, the labels we specifically apply to them which makes us define them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
One of the things I’ve been debating for a while now is whether or not to expand my presence on social media. Aside from my LinkedIn account, I have no other social media platforms that I currently use. I used to have a Facebook account years ago, long before I decided to start publishing my writings. I stopped using it because I kept getting irrelevant notifications, even after going into the settings and changing it to only show me notifications that involve me. Eventually I got rid of my Facebook account because it was becoming an annoying distraction. Ironically I considered reactivating it when I published my first book. When I went to do so, they asked for identification to prove I was who I claimed to be. When I submitted my driver’s license photo with necessary the info (blocking out the information that wasn’t necessary) I got a message back saying it wasn’t valid. So I simply replied “if you don’t want me on Facebook, then fine. I’ll go elsewhere.”
I bring this story up because of the issues the world has with social media. As an author I realize that such platforms (Facebook, Twitter and so on) are useful tools to help promote my work and build buzz around my writing, however as many articles have written social media has also brought many problems with it. As we’ve unfortunately seen, when people can hide behind the anonymity of a computer or a smart phone, it tends to bring out the worst aspects of people, causing them to say things that they probably wouldn’t in public. I remember hearing a story about how conservative social media platforms (like Parler and Frankspeech for example) haven’t been doing well because conservatives don’t want to share ideas with like minded people, but rather engage in flame wars with liberals on Twitter and other such sites.
Another problem with social media is that it’s all too easy to post misinformation without the need for fact checking. How many times (during the course of this pandemic) have we seen people spreading misinformation on the virus, vaccines and so on simply because someone else online said it and no one bothered to question it.
The reason for this is due to the fact that our society actively discourages people from thinking for themselves. And the reason for this is because most people don’t actually want to think for themselves. To quote Conversations with God, “most people don’t want to have to think. They elect leaders, they support governments, they adopt religions requiring no independent thought. ‘Make it easy for me. Tell me what to do.’… Classes in critical thinking, problem solving and logic are considered by many parents to be threatening. They want such classes out of the curriculum.” Look no further than the debates raging across America about Critical Race Theory. How many parents no nothing about it (or even what it is) yet don’t want it taught in school out of fear that it’s “bad” for children. Incidentally, how many of these people don’t even have children? Why? Because if we teach children to think for themselves, they might develop ideas and opinions that are different than ours. Even worse, they might point out the mistakes our society has made and find a new solution, one that would prove the way we’ve been doing things has been wrong. As someone, I forget who, once said, “Nothing compels a [person] to argue harder than being proven wrong.”
All of this stems from the fear-based religions that the world has had for several thousand years. These religions mistakenly teach us that God gave us free will so that we could blindly follow and obey God’s word, lest we face eternal damnation. Thus why we don’t want people to think for themselves because if we all thought critically, we’d realize that such a plan (God’s so called ‘plan’) is one where failure is the only option. How can God expect us to blindly follow his will when he gave us the ability to make our own choices? Such a plan is ultimately self defeating.
So the question then becomes, “How do I deal with social media platforms that foster division and spread misinformation?” The first step is to limit the amount of time spent on such platforms. Use them when necessary, but when your phone “pings” with a notification, don’t drop everything and rush to see what it is. Stop constantly checking to see what [Person X] posted or if they posted anything recent. If your life revolves around what others are doing/saying/thinking all the time, then arguably your not really living your own life, but trying to live someone else’s life.
Secondly, always remember to THINK FOR YOURSELF. Never blindly accept what you see online as the truth “So and so posted ‘X’ online, so it must be true!” Use your own instincts, your own judgments to decide that for yourself. Even this blog. If you agree with what I’m saying, then I thank you. If however you don’t agree with me, then I hope you find a better way, one that serves you better (and I mean that sincerely). Ultimately, the only real question we have to constantly ask ourselves in life is “Does this serve me?” If this (whatever “this” may be) serves you then believe it, use it, make it work for you. If it doesn’t then find a new “this”. One that does serve you. Remember, thinking should never be the enemy. Because again, if we weren’t meant to think critically, to question everything, why would we even have the ability to do so?
The Koldar Warriors are the evil counterparts of the Taman Knights. Unlike the Taman Knights who use the Kolri (inner light) to control their Koldar (inner darkness), the Koldar Warriors see the Kolri as unnecessary and even a hindrance that prevents them from reaching their full potential. The Koldar Warriors follow the same basic beliefs as the Taman Knights. They believe that the universe is energy which is composed of positive and negative energies (the Kolri and the Koldar). Unlike the Taman Knights, the Koldar Warriors don’t believe that they need the Kolri to control the Koldar. The Taman belief that good and evil exist in all people and in order to maintain balance in life one must use the Kolri (inner light) to control the Koldar (inner darkness) to maintain balance, peace and harmony in themselves and thus the universe is not shared by the Koldar Warriors. They believe that the Kolri weakens them and that using the unrestrained power of the Koldar makes them stronger. For them, power should be used to control and dominate. Those who do not share this view are seen as weak.
Since the Koldar Warriors are dark counterparts of the Taman Knights they have all the same powers as the Taman Knights. Like Taman Knights, their powers and abilities vary depending on the individual. Since they rely on their inner darkness, Koldar Warriors rely on their emotions (such as anger, aggression, hate) for their strength. The angrier or stronger their emotions are the stronger they are, but conversely it’s harder for them to control their powers. They are capable of using all the same powers as Taman Knights but they don’t necessarily use them, especially if they feel they have nothing to gain from it. Likewise Taman Knights are capable of using all the same powers as Koldar Warriors but chose not to because they cause more harm than good.
HISTORY:
The officially recognized origin of the Koldar Warriors began during a period known as “The Dark Times”. Even before the start of “the dark times” divisions were already forming in the Taman Knights. Some felt that using the Kolri to control the Koldar had been keeping the Taman Knights from exploring the full potential of their powers. Like many new religions, the Taman Knights were persecuted in their early days for having different beliefs than the established religions. Due to this persecution and constant attacks the Taman Knights were forced to endure in their early years, many Taman Knights began using the Koldar to strengthen themselves under the belief that it was necessary to protect themselves. A Taman knight called Turai-thol believed the only way to stop these constant attacks was by launching counter attacks at the various hostile groups. He felt the only way for the order to survive was to attack and destroy their enemies first. His growing aggressive behaviour began to cause concern among the Taman Knights. He began to teach others that the Taman Knights were above right and wrong and that they were justified in doing whatever it took to accomplish their goals. Proof of this came after he and a group of students were ambushed by pirates while visiting a small coastal town. After witnessing several of his students killed Turai-thol murdered the pirates in a fit of rage. This was a main factor in the decision of the knights to expel him from the order. When he left he took many other Taman Knights with him. These dark Taman Knights began forming their own code, a twisted perversion of the Taman code, one that stated that the Koldar was the source of true power and that the Kolri was not only unnecessary to control it but also held the Taman Knights back. They used their powers to subdue those who had persecuted them and rule over them. Since they relied solely on the inner darkness of the Koldar they began to call themselves Koldar Warriors. Eventually this term came to refer to any dark Taman Knight.
The First Koldar War:
The Koldar Warriors originally were devoted to destroying their enemies but soon realized that their powers made them superior and thus felt they should rule. They soon began building their own empire by attacking many of the other nations of Thalia. Seeing the threat they now possessed the many of the nations of Thalia (which had originally persecuted the Taman Knights) formed a truce with the Taman Knights to defend them from this growing threat. This was referred to as the First Koldar War. The Koldar Warriors were now their own religion, albeit not officially recognized. Their ultimate goal was the complete destruction of the Taman Knights and the complete conquest of Thalia. Ultimately what proved to be the undoing of the Koldar Warriors was not outside forces, but their own philosophies. Due to their anger, greed and lust for power many of them turned to infighting and constant rivalries broke out as various Koldar Warriors constantly tried to overthrow each other and seize power all for themselves. This allowed the Taman Knights to defeat them, since the Taman Knights were able to unite against their common enemy, while the Koldar Warriors were too busy fighting among themselves.
While the Taman Knights were able to defeat the Koldar Warriors, they realized that as long as the temptation of the Koldar existed, the Koldar Warriors would never truly be destroyed. Thus the Taman Knights set up a strict code (the code of the Alderoth sect) which hid all knowledge of the Koldar for fear that any Taman Knight who learned of this would be tempted by its power.
While official records of the era stated that the Koldar Warriors were destroyed, the truth was that some of them survived and went into hiding, waiting and plotting their return and the destruction of the Taman Knights. They spent the next several hundred years living in secret, plotting their revenge. Since there was no united front or even common plan of action the term Koldar Warrior went from a person belonging to the original organization to any Taman Knight who fell to their inner darkness. As a result little progress was made as the various survivors like, their original order were just as busy trying to undermine each other efforts as much as the Taman Knights.
The Taman Civil War & Rebirth of the Koldar cult:
Hundreds of years later, the great reform movement began when a Taman Master named Kamatra began to publicly question the teachings of the Taman Order. He felt that forbidding knowledge of the Koldar didn’t stop Taman Knights from being corrupted by it but actually made it more appealing. He felt it was better to teach Taman Knights about the Koldar to help them see the destructive power of it and thus help them be able to resist its lure. Despite this the Taman council was still set in their ways. Kamatra felt the Taman Knights were stuck in the past and that their destruction was inevitable if they didn’t learn to change and adapt with the times. His teachings were considered heresy and he was expelled from the order. As a result he relocated to another region of Thalia and started his own branch of Taman Knights, later known as the Kamatra sect (the one Shi-ria belongs to). One that didn’t forbid emotional attachment, nor did they follow the one master/one apprentice model. Another key difference is that they believed all beings had the ability to learn and use the Taman, thus anyone could join as there was no age restriction compared to the Alderoth sect.
When word of this spread, Master Daisho (grand master of the Alderoth sect) claimed these “false” Taman Knights had been corrupted by the Koldar. He claimed they were really Koldar Warriors who just deluded themselves by following a “false prophet”. Using his position as grand master and his influence on the government he started the Taman Civil War in his mission to destroy the Kamatra sect. Eventually followers of the Alderoth sect and the government began to see that in his zeal to destroy these “Koldar Warriors in disguise” he was slowly becoming the very thing he was trying to destroy. He was eventually stripped of his title and expelled from the order. Under direct orders from the government, the two branches of the Taman Knights were officially recognized and made peace through the Treaty of Jungsai. Despite both sects being officially recognized as legitimate branches of the Taman religion and officially being allies there still remained some minor hostility due to their differing ideologies.
When master Daisho was expelled from the Alderoth sect he took many loyal followers. Despite the treaty of Jungsai, he still refused to accept the Kamatra sect. He felt that the Taman Knights were traitors for this treaty and vowed to destroy all those he now viewed as his enemies. Although they originally believed they were true Taman Knights the reality was they had strayed further from the teachings of the Taman Knights and became a cult. Meanwhile the Alderoth sect covered this up to avoid a public scandal. When Shi-ria (then still an apprentice to master Kalai-Udon) along with fellow apprentices Rirk, Kurai and their master were attacked by members of this cult, they spoke to the Alderoth council who dismissed their concerns and accused them of trying to slander the Alderoth sect.
Meanwhile this Koldar cult (currently under the leadership of master Shodo), having learned about Zolida and Scarlet Knightwalker, and their ability to transport anyone anywhere in the galaxy wish to obtain this power for themselves. With such power in their hands it would allow them to instantly transport anywhere in the galaxy, so they could conquer other worlds and destroy any who would stand in their way. All of this and more will be explained in the next exciting tale of Mystical Force: Vol. 3 the Kolri and the Koldar. Coming soon to book stores and online retailers.
For those of you who can’t wait for Volume 3 of Mystical Force (The Kolri and the Koldar), well you don’t need to wait anymore since the book is now available. However, if you haven’t read it yet, here’s an exclusive sneak peek at the book:
Location: Base of the Koldar Warriors, Planet Thalia
The base of the Koldar Warriors was old and run-down. It once belonged to an ancient cult that worshipped nature. Similar to the ancient tribe that taught princess Alderoth. What became of this tribe however, was lost to history. The Koldar Warriors didn’t know and didn’t care. As far as they were concerned, if this tribe no longer existed, it simply meant they were too weak to defend themselves and their home. This was the philosophy of the Koldar Warriors: the strong survive, the weak perish. This particular group of Koldar Warriors had originally been Taman Knights who willingly followed Master Daisho after he had been expelled from the Alderoth branch. Like him, they foolishly believed themselves to be “true” Taman Knights. While Daisho’s original mission had been to destroy the “false” Taman Knights, the Kamatra sect, they had allowed their self-righteous prejudice to expand until they saw all other religions as false and all other people as “infidels” to either be converted to their religion or to be destroyed. This was their new mission: to spread their teachings across the galaxy and to force everyone to convert to their religion, whether they wanted to or not. They wanted to build a galaxy-spanning theocratic empire.
This was how they ended up inadvertently playing a part in both Zolida and Knightwalker’s game. They had learned about the same magic spell Zolida used to send Shi-ria to Earth, and they were planning to use it to spread their teachings across the galaxy. As far as the governments of Thalia and the other worlds of the Galactic Alliance were concerned, the Koldar Warriors were criminals and terrorists. If any of them were discovered on any alien worlds, the authorities would have them arrested on sight. While the Koldar Warriors’ powers gave them an advantage over ordinary species, beings with a mystical force, such as mages, could hold their own against them. If they could gain access to the same magic Zolida used, they would be able to travel instantaneously to any world in the galaxy covertly. And once they were entrenched in said world, it would be very difficult for the authorities to have them removed.
In the original timeline that Scarlet Knightwalker came from, the cult found this spell five years ago. It was around the same time that Kurai had been taken. Having another Taman apprentice from the “false” Taman branch convert to their “true” religion was a pleasant bonus for them. When Shi-ria went to rescue her sister, the Koldar Warriors used Shi-ria as a test subject. They used the spell to send her off to a remote corner of the galaxy, not knowing where she’d end up and not really caring. They never knew she ended up on Earth, trained an apprentice of her own, only to die with Tokijin and Noonien. They never knew about the future that Knightwalker had come from. They never knew because Knightwalker had travelled back in time to prevent this incident from happening. Using the same concealment Zolida used at the police station, coupled with the potion Knightwalker used at the station, she convinced the Taman Knights to follow Shi-ria and rescue Kurai; thus, preventing this cult from sending Shi-ria to Earth. Knightwalker then used her magic to take the spell and destroy it so that it would never fall into their hands. No one knew that Scarlet Knightwalker had been there the whole time, making sure that history didn’t repeat itself. The only one who knew the truth was Zolida. Thanks to Knightwalker, the future had been altered, so Zolida was determined to make Knightwalker’s job as difficult as possible.
Using her magic, Zolida teleported directly into the central chamber of the temple of the Koldar Warriors. Unlike Scarlet Knightwalker five years earlier, Zolida didn’t bother to conceal herself; she wanted them to know of her arrival. Thus, the Koldar Warriors were genuinely surprised when this strange woman magically appeared before them. “An intruder!” one of the warriors shouted.
“Trespassing in our sacred halls is an act of sacrilege!” another called out.
The various other members all murmured in agreement. Using the same Taman alchemy that the Taman Knights possessed, they created various melee weapons. They moved toward Zolida, preparing to attack. Zolida simply waved her hand and lifted each of them up in the air and hurled them backwards with her magic. Some slammed into the walls, others into each other. Master Shodo, the current leader of this cult, was the only one not affected by this. He was a middle-aged man, though years of relying on the power of the Koldar began taking its toll on his body. His hair, what little of it he had left, was grey. His face was pale and pock-marked. His skin was saggy and wrinkled, and his purple eyes were bloodshot with dark circles surrounding them; he looked as though he hadn’t slept for days. Despite this, he was still quite muscular, though it wasn’t noticeable as he wore a bulky suit of metallic armour over a black silk dress shirt and baggy black trousers tucked into heavy black leather boots. He simply stood watching. Using the power of the Taman, he tried to read her, just as Shi-ria had when she first encountered her. All he sensed from her was her presence, nothing more.
Zolida turned to face him, “If your followers are finished making fools of themselves, perhaps we could talk.”
Various Koldar Warriors slowly got to their feet, weapons at the ready, but Shodo, without taking his eyes off Zolida, simply raised his left hand. The Koldar Warriors stopped in their tracks. Obviously, Zolida’s power had piqued his curiosity. So he was willing to hear what she had to say. “Who are you?” he demanded.
“My name is Zolida,” she responded. “I’m a sorceress. Beyond that, who I am and where I’m from is of no importance to you.”
“And what is it that you want?”
“The question isn’t what I want,” she corrected, “but what is it that you want? I know about your history, Master Shodo. How over a hundred years ago, Master Kamatra left the Alderoth branch of the Taman Knights and formed the Kamatra branch. How Master Daisho saw these heretics as traitors who distorted the teachings of the Taman Knights and how the rest of the fools on the Taman Council kowtowed to the Taman government; too afraid to stand up to them.”
“They were fools!” Shodo barked. “Cowards! Too spineless to see that Kamatra was a traitor and that his followers were perverting the teachings of the Taman Knights! Master Daisho knew this, but the rest of them couldn’t see beyond their own selfish needs! The need to appease the government to remain in their good graces! ‘Cause they were afraid of losing their favour with the government. A true Taman Knight wouldn’t submit to the whims of the ignorant masses! He’d use his superior skills and intellect to make them see they’re the ones who are wrong! That they are the ones who must be forced to submit to the enlightened!”
Zolida smiled subtly. It was just as she hoped. Like Knightwalker had done earlier at the police station, she used the same magic potion to make the Koldar Warriors more susceptible to her suggestion. Of course, there was the risk that, like Shi-ria, the Koldar Warriors might realize what was going on. Their Koldar senses might warn them something was off, but this was less likely to happen. Unlike the Taman Knights, these Koldar Warriors were ruled by their emotions, their passion, their aggression. This made them easier to manipulate. As long as Zolida told them what they wanted to hear, they’d be more inclined to do as she said. Strong emotions often tended to cloud one’s better judgment. By appealing to their arrogant assumption that they were “true” Taman Knights, a lie that they had successfully fooled themselves into believing, by telling them what they wanted to hear, she could make them do whatever she wanted. All she had to do was make them believe it was their idea.
“Just as you do,” Zolida soothed, appealing to his ego. “Unfortunately, when the enlightened are greatly outnumbered by the ignorant masses, it’s hard to make them see the light. Which brings me to why I’m here. Do you remember how five years ago you were searching for an ancient spell—one that would allow you to instantly teleport anywhere in the galaxy without using the gateways and going through official channels at Orathos?”
Shodo nodded; he remembered the incident perfectly. Normally, beings were forced to use their planet’s gateway to travel to the central hub on the planet Orathos. Without such gateways, the only way to travel from one planet to another was via a spaceship equipped with a means to travel faster than light. Since Shodo and his band of Koldar Warriors were labelled as terrorists, they were banned from leaving Thalia. Even if they had managed to gain access to Thalia’s gateways, make it to Orathos, then travel to another world, the authorities would be alerted. Thus, they’d be forced to fight off hordes of Taman Knights or other mages who would try and stop them. However, if they had the means to bypass the planetary gateways, they could sneak onto various alien worlds, spread their doctrine, recruit new followers, all the while conquering and subjugating other infidels. And by the time the Taman Knights—or other planetary governments—realized what was going on, they would already be too deeply entrenched to be removed. This was their plan. Shodo heard rumours about such an ancient spell—one thought to have been lost centuries ago. He had his minions searching Thalia for any relics that supposedly held clues as to how to find or perform this spell. It was five years ago that he had been close to finding it when one of his followers had tried to recruit a Taman apprentice named Kurai. However, it turned out to be an ambush by the Taman Knights; at least, he believed it to be one. Kurai’s fellow apprentices, Shi-ria and Rirk, along with their master Kalai-Udon and the rest of the Kamatra sect, followed her and ambushed his followers. With their plans discovered, Shodo and his followers were forced to go into further hiding.
“You remember how the Kamatra sect found out about your group and stopped you? What you didn’t realize was that a sorceress named Scarlet Knightwalker was behind it all,” Zolida lied. The truth was that originally, Shodo and his cult found the spell when Shi-ria showed up to try and rescue Kurai. In the process, Shi-ria was sent to Earth. This was how events unfolded in the timeline Knightwalker originally came from. When Knightwalker later travelled back in time to alter history, she made sure to prevent the Koldar Warriors from finding the spell. She covertly made sure the rest of the Taman Knights followed Shi-ria to stop this cult and prevent Shi-ria from coming to Earth. Unaware of this, Shodo and his followers were forced to go back into hiding and continue their futile search. So, they continued searching caves and other ancient archaeological sites for any relics that could help them. One such site was a cave. The very cave Shi-ria had been assigned to guard three months ago. Shodo had hired Dead-Eye to search and steal any relics in said cave in the hopes that there might be something there he could use to bring him one step closer to this power. Unfortunately, none of the relics there were of any use to him. “Scarlet Knightwalker used this spell to send Dead-Eye and a Taman Knight named Shi-ria to a planet called Earth,” Zolida continued lying. “With them out of the way, she took the ancient scrolls the spell was written on and hid them away to ensure no one would ever find them. Surely with your powers, you know this to be true.”
Shodo reached out with the power of the Koldar to see if she was lying. Unfortunately, Zolida’s magic, combined with the potion, allowed her to manipulate him easily. Using her magic, she allowed his retro-cognitive abilities to see the events unfold the way she wanted him to see, not what really happened. “So, this Scarlet Knightwalker is to blame for our failures at procuring this spell,” Shodo incorrectly deduced.
“Indeed she is,” Zolida said and continued spinning her elaborate web of lies. “What’s more, she’s from the future. Originally, you succeeded in obtaining this spell and spread your empire across the galaxy. She’s travelled back in time to prevent this from happening.”
“WHAT?” Shodo shouted, his anger building up inside him.
“You succeeded in your mission,” Zolida continued, “until she came back in time, altered history, and undid all your successes. That’s why I’m here. I’ve also come back in time; to try and stop her and try and set history right once again.”
Shodo stood up and roared, “This Scarlet Knightwalker will pay for her actions!”
A faint but sinister smile crept up in the corners of Zolida’s lips. “In the future, I am but one of your many followers,” she continued weaving her misleading tales. “My magic, combined with your powers, can overpower her. Together we can set things right again!”
Shodo smiled at her. Despite his arrogant belief in his superiority, Zolida had successfully played him like a fool. “Bring me this Knightwalker and the spell, Ms. Zolida, and I shall not forget your loyalty when we conquer the galaxy.”
“Yes, master,” she said, bowing. “And I know exactly how to bring her to you . . .”
To find out what happens next… well buy a copy of the book. Don’t forget to give it a good review. Please, please PLEASE…. give it a good review! I need all the good reviews I can get! Also, keep an eye out for Mystical Force Vol. 4: Many are 1, 1 is 0, coming soon…
