The Doorways

The Doors stand before me again.

There was a time when the decision was easy. A life of pain and suffering, or joy and salvation. Two Doors, two choices, black and white. How easy this decision was for a young child’s mind.

No one ever told me of the consequences.

I remember the ceremony. All children do it when they reach ten years of age. I was no different. I remember the nervousness that struck me when I saw the Doors. They were different than imagined. Many children envision large and elaborate steel doors, one glowing red hot and fiery, the other gleaming white and radiant. But when we reached them, they appeared to be normal sized, mahogany doors, if slightly elaborate, and almost identical. The only noticeable difference is the slight change in color, as one was slightly green, and the other a tinge of blue.

My father had told me about the Ceremony a year before. He was a Devoted, a priest of the Church of Leomas. I remember him coming up to me and telling me after my ninth birthday.

“Come Aruen, there is something we must speak about.”

I looked up at him. “What is it da?” I asked as I followed him to the sitting area.

He sat in front of me, taking a deep breath before he continued. “In one year, on you tenth birthday, you will have to face the Doors.”

“I know da, I know about the Ceremony.”

He looks sternly at me. “You know what other children have told you. These aren’t the truth. The Gateway decreed a hundred and fifty years ago that all children must face the Doors.” He held up his hand as he saw me open my mouth again, and I closed it quickly. “The doors represent a choice. You could walk through the Door of Wandering, and that is your path for the rest of your life. The people who walk through this door are subject to the whims of society, they must work for their keep, and live life full of hard work.” He raised his eyebrows at me as he noticed the question on my face.

“Why would anyone choose that life?”

He sighed. “I suppose they are scared of the life behind the other door. You see, while the Door of Wandering promises a life of hardship, people believe this door promises freedom. The other choice is the Door of Promise. This choice will allow you to become a Devoted of the Faith, and you may serve any of the Churches. This life promises a life of ease, serving the people, but rewarded in return.”

I looked around at our home, noticing the expensive items that decorate it. “So you chose the Door of Promise? And that’s why we have all the stuff?”

“I did choose that Door, and I have been rewarded for my years of service.” My father said with a nod.

I grew excited at that answer. “What do the Doors look like da? Are they huge, and glowing, and-“

My dad cut me off with a chuckle. “No Aruen, the Doors are normal sized, and they don’t burn or glow.” He saw my disappointed expression and shook his head. “The Doors are sacred objects, enchanted by Weavers of the Church of Veuna.”

My interest piqued again. “They’re magic?”

My father shook his head. “They have been blessed by the priestesses, and the Light enchanted these so they may do his service.”

I nodded, but like most children, I didn’t fully understand his words. I spent that night imagining the Doors, what they looked like and how the ceremony would go. One thing I was sure of, was that I would choose the Door of Promise. Who would want a life of hardship?

A year came and went, and soon I was standing before the Doors. They were deep in a forest, housed in a small church or a large shrine. They came as a bit of a disappointment, after a year of my imagination. As the Ceremony began and the Devoted began to speak, I kept wondering what it would look like behind the Door.

By the time the choice came, I was so lost in daydreaming I almost missed my name. As the Devoted was calling the children foward, I hurriedly got up and joined the line. The Devoted came up and said when we chose, to open the Door. There would be someone inside who would ask us three questions, and if we answered well, we would pass through to the exit on the other side. If we failed, we would be sent out the way we entered.

I shivered. Failed children usually were sent to work in the fields, having to work the rest of their life as a farmhand. I found myself praying to the Light that I succeeded.

One by one, the children went through. The ones that succeeded didn’t reappear where we were, but there were some children who failed. They came back, dejected and crying. There weren’t many, but every time one did come back, I found myself hoping more and more I would succeed.

Finally, my turn came. I stepped up to the Doors. The Door of Wandering was on the left, shimmering green. On my right was the Door of Truth, shades of blue swimming across its surface.

The blue was mesmerizing. I walked toward the Door, and reached out to touch it, but my hand was stopped an inch away from it. I tried to reach for the handle, and found this was the only part I could touch. Carefully, I turned it, and stepped inside.

It was dark inside. It looked like the bottom of a lake, dark but still blue. The walls shimmer with an iridescent blue light, the soft glow mesmerizing to my young eyes.

As I gazed around the room, I noticed a small dais in the center, with a stone seat on top of it. There’s a figure sitting there, a stunning woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. Silver hair flows from her head and stunning gold eyes study me as I enter.

“So I see you have chosen the Door of Truth, Aruen. I must confess, I was hoping to have you. There is so much potential within you.”

I struggled to speak, finally managing to say, “H-how do you know my name?”

She let out a small laugh, and it seemed to echo long after she stopped. “I know all who enter here, just as my sister will know all who enters her province.” She stopped speaking and looked at me, got up from her seat and took a graceful step towards me. “But I digress, and time is precious,” she said abruptly. “Tell me Aruen, what do you want out of life?”

I stammer nervously. What did I want out of life? “I w-want to be good. I want to have a good life.” I manage to say.

She tapped her chin with a delicate finger and took a second step towards me. She’s tall, very tall, I realized with a jolt. She towered over me, and even as small as I was I could see she would be much taller than even a full adult.

“And what do you believe is the path to a good life?” she asked, her voice becoming louder. I wanted to cringe away, but I was rooted to the spot.

“I-I suppose helping others and being a good person!” I said frightfully, my voice rising in fear. She was awfully close to me now. I wanted to run or hide, but I was frozen from fear, and something else as well.

The woman took another step towards me, mere inches away from me, and said something in a strange tongue. Then, as fast as a viper, her hand plunged towards my heart and…passed through it!

Suddenly, I was blinded by a flash of light. It filled my vison, and it seemed as if nothing existed, only this blank whiteness. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to be an eternity. I felt something in me, however. Something foreign. It asked a final question, one not to me, but to my soul. I don’t remember what it was, or even if I ever knew, but after that, the blinding light stopped, and I found myself back in the room. The woman was seated back on the seat. I stood petrified. “What was that?”

The woman didn’t respond to my question, but waved her hand to her right. A shimmering doorway opens. “Congratulations, Aruen. You have passed the trial, and you may pass through the Door of Truth.”

As I stepped through, I found myself in a large cathedral. There were cheering families, priests, and even children, all gathered there. I looked around and smiled. I had done it! I passed through the Door of Truth!

As I searched the Crowd, I saw my father, clapping and smiling. I ran to him and hugged him. “I did it Da! I passed!”

He smiled down at me, the pride written all over his face. “Yes you did son, yes you did.”

As the years went by, the charm of luxury and ease began to wear off. I had risen above a Devoted, and I was given the position of Enchanted in the Church of Leomas. At first I was thrilled, as the Enchanted were given more power over Devoted.

But soon the great life was over, and I discovered something darker in the Faith. It began with a little corruption, but of course, no one minded that. How could you bribe someone who already had everything?

With more power.

There had been a growing divide in the Faith, and many of the more ambitious priests and priestesses began siding with the separationists. I supported the Gateway and strove to protect the Faith and Light. However, darkness truly began to grow in their hearts.

Or at least, that’s the story I was told.

The Divide, as the movement came to be called, ended in a revolution that was crushed by the Gateway. The revolutionaries were punished, and the supporters of the Gateway were rewarded. For a while, all was good.

Soon after this, I started getting some strange orders from the Enlightened. I was a bit suspicious at first, as many of them did seem to be a bit oppressive, but I did them.

This went on for many months, and I thought nothing of it. But my work, and the work of many others, were being used to begin the oppression of many people, ones the Church of Light saw as unworthy.

When I realized this, I was horrified. I knew this was directly against our religion. Desperately, I went to the priestesses of the Church of Veuna, who I knew were less corrupt than the other sects.

Many of them did not know anything that could be useful, but I found one who led me to their library. She gave me a scroll, recording the creation of the Doors. I thanked her and left, but as I went, I saw an Enchanted watching me with suspicion. I hurried to my carriage, praying that I hadn’t been overheard, but as I left the monastery, I had a feeling my prayer went unanswered when I saw a small messenger pigeon fly into the air. I felt a jolt of fear. I knew it was only a matter of time until they came for me.

When I got back to my quarters, I locked the door and read through the scroll. There was so much knowledge within, just from one era, far too much to remember. I memorized the more important parts and tried to hurry.

When I finished, I rolled it up and prepared to leave, and none too soon. I heard a knock at my door, and a gruff voice call out. “Open this door, Aruen Enchanted!” I complied, trembling slightly.

The owner of the voice was a big man, looking to be in early thirties. “By the order of the Church of Damus, you are to be brought in for questioning.” I gulped nervously. The Church of Damus was the Faith of Light’s enforcement branch, and they were responsible for security, of both outside and within the nation.

“Very well, let me gather my things.” I said shakily. The guard frowned, and as he opened his mouth to object, I bolted, straight for the back door.

I barred the back door with an old chair I saw and ran. I didn’t know where to go, I only knew I needed to get away. The first few minutes were scary, but I slowly lost them in the maze of the city streets, and my panic subsided as I heard their voices fade away.

I had to think. I didn’t know where to go. I knew the Church of Light viewed people not of the Faith as inferior, and from the orders I received, I felt confident that they would be rounded up, their homes and property taken away, and the Light knows what else. I knew there were not many people who did not practice the Faith, but there were still some, and this oppression was directly against our teachings. We were meant to spread the Light, to bring it to the ones in the dark, not to punish those who didn’t know.

I lay there, pondering these thoughts far into the night. As I thought more and more, slowly the scroll came to mind, and I knew one place where I could be safe- where I would be free to resist the Church of Light and stay true to the Faith. When the morning came, I got up and found a horse for sale, and I began my journey. I traveled many miles, trying to warn people as I went, but many of these attempts were met with more soldiers hunting me, but with the Light guiding me, I continued my journey safely. After weeks of travel, I finally made it to my destination.

A rather large shrine, or perhaps a small church, stands nestled deep within a forest. There is no one else here. Inside are two Doors, perched on a large circular platform. I look back upon my life as I stand in front of it.

As I stand here, remembering what the scroll had said, I now know the power and purpose of the Doors. I knew they were made to set children on their life’s path, but I never understood the significance of that until now.

If you choose the left door, the Door of Wandering, your life will be one of hard work and reward. You will rise and fall by your own hand, and your success is determined by your hard work, luck, and your own intelligence. However, no matter how much control you have over your life, you are forever bonded to it, forever trying to make more for yourself, and it is a rare thing to be satisfied. This is the price of the Door of Wandering

However, if you choose the right door, the Door of Promise, your life will be luxurious and carefree. You will have all the wealth, food, and lovers you could ask for. Yes, the Faith teaches service for the citizens in exchange for this, but this is not the true price. This life takes away your free will, and puts you at the whims of the Church of Light and the Gateway.

“Then what is the right choice?” I ask myself. Both lives require a sacrifice. Both have a good and a bad side, and for most people, the ones who think about both sides anyway, the choice is would you rather have luxury but no choices, or choices but hard work.

I think back to the scroll, and remember something that was written, a small detail that could be easily overlooked. I knew what to do, or at least I hoped I did.

I stepped up to the Doors. I looked at the one on the left, then the one on the right. I took a deep breath.

And walked forward between them.

A third door appeared directly between the other two, shimmering pure white, materializing from nothing. I stand there, stunned, and I remember what this door had been called.

I smile slowly and feel the joy rushing through my body. This was not the end, and if the Light wills it so, I can still protect and spread the Faith of the Light.

I reach out to the Door of Freedom, and I open the door.