Note: The story below will appear in an upcoming novel in the Phantammeron epic fantasy series. The tale of Fey-Bala will appear in book three (3) of the Phantammeron. As of 2015, only book one (1) of the Phantammeron has been released, and is for sale as an eBook at Amazon Kindle. Books two (2) and three (3) will appear in 2016 and 2017. – the author

In the Phantammeron, I am building a vast array of protagonists and antagonists that drive the central story and theme forward. The most important of these is Fey-Bala.

In the story, and certainly in the Amanakra, or the initial “Creation Myth” story, Fey-Vala and Fey-Lil, his sister are born of Aman and Ava, Lord of the Forest of Phantaia and Lordess of the River of Time that flows through it. The original tale is very complex and there are lots of sub plots and story lines to it. I’m not going to reveal in detail here exactly all the parts. But the main story goes, that Lil dies, and her death is the impetus for both the creation of the world by her Father, Aman, and as well the source of revenge for her brother, Bala, against the Maker, Ma-rael, and especially the Gomi.

As in many creation stories, mine too involves the “Fall of Man” motif. In that motif, say, from the story of the Garden in the Bible, we have the original purity of man and his closeness to God expressed as a metaphor; a garden. Man is tempted, eats of the fruit that is forbidden, and is cast out; he is Fallen. Many people have analyzed this story and the meaning of it. But my characterization of it, and its influence in the Phantammeron, is that of a representation of two states: Perfection of Being and Imperfection of the Material Body. In a sense, the story is that of a choice that mankind is given; to be in heaven or alive in the flesh. That which is Perfect cannot live. It has no association with the drama of life and death, the choice of good versus evil, and no struggle as all is perfect and one with God. It essentially is also about being given the power to choose, which is what life is also about. It is about freedom, as a gift from God, but with a price.

In the story of Fey-Bala, he represents the act of making that choice; of good or evil. But the choice of a Fall from Grace is implied as well, with a desire to return to that Grace (which we know in the Bible, is mankind’s eternal struggle). Pure Evil through vengeance and anger and power and control is not just about taking life or choosing to Fall. Its about being the One Personified Source of that struggle of good to live in that “fallen state”, and not have it taken from those that choose to live. That then is the source of evil, and Bala’s purpose. His other purpose is to destroy the world, so that the Argyl Pyrr can be returned and the waters restore the one tree (Celebreava). In the cosmic sense, he is both a source of life but also of a death; a soul divided. But he is yet evil in that he refuses to allow those who are of the world and choose life, though it is a source of his original Fall. He is in a sense trying to also resurrect his sister and restore his broken family to the gardens of Phantaia. But those who accept the Fall and death and sacrifice of his sister, Lil, and those that choose life in this new fallen world, defy his will. So they battle against Bala and his evil hoards for the world and power over it.

The story is much much deeper and goes to another source of evil I wont reveal here. You will have to wait and read my book. But the purpose of Bala is ultimately as a major antagonist in the story. Here is a short piece of writing about him after he loses one of his great shining eyes in battle:

When Bala, ancient Lord of Light, fell to the final deception that was the end-game of his own evil, all the world fell under a vale of silence and peace. The primal hush of the world, descended from above and blanketed the forests and glades of the land, and the dark shadows that were, retreated. And a tiny Hope that for ages unnumbered seemed diminished regained its ground in the hearts of the children of this world. Of the evil hoards that flooded the forests and wilder lands, those that remained, leaderless, fled into the the mother underworld, past the limitless chasms and vast catacombs of Ramaratha’s putrid black maw, into the dark bottomless soulless shadowed halls and hollow heart of the world. In a half-light place, beyond the Vales of Time, lay Bala, wracked with pain and sore wounded in his left eye. There he lay bleeding from his wound and the curse of his mortality lay in full before him, as Ma-rael had promised him would someday be his.

Half a creature became Bala, a piece of a once great being that was now this fallen fey. Wounded still, Bala then fell into a dizzying sleep, his mind tortured. But soon he awoke and regained strength; once more full of evil intent. He sought the wellspring of his original anger and vengeance and would unleash it on the minions of the Maker and Ma-rael, and the peoples of Galaia. For no one knew the true purpose of Bala, but the Maker. And his will would be done. But the wounded God, had yet a price to pay, for his great eye, lay before him, extinguished forever.

Fey-Bala, it is said had two great eyes that like prisms shone out a wild and untamed light. One eye allowed him to see the unlimited future; the other see into the past, such that he could learn from the truths of that past. His heart and any hope of its goodness returning lay in knowing that past. Yet, he only chose to see before him, the destiny of the world revealed and his power over it, and thus the source of his evil endured. Now, the eye of his past, permanently maimed by Endymann, left him blinded to that past, but not of sight, but of wisdom, such that without the knowledge of that past, he could not repent. Such a wound was a victory for the Children of Shining, yet a curse to them, for with that loss, his ability for his black heart to learn from his mistakes was forever stripped from him, and with it, his morality. All that was left was a deep desire for destruction of all that was and would be in his Father’s World, until the final days when he could hold the cursed cup and pour the last of the blackened waters into the Pool of Eternity and resurrect she who he once loved.  He had but one great eye left, and it yet knew the fate of the world. Only in the dark cobwebbed catacombs of his twisted mind, did he hold knowledge of the destiny of this broken world and thus of so many people and creatures. And the world would wait to see how he would work to fulfill that future towards a bitter end that would be his alone to cherish.

Yet, far away in the depth of the Forest of Phantaia, in a small moss-covered stone sepulchre buried deep beneath the hill, slept tiny Lil, who would wait for the return of the two that so loved her and would sacrifice so much to see her shining light return.