"Among the human faces you see here on earth, some veil the souls of gods…most these gods… like you do not recall their home...
In your human form you are not supposed to remember your home...Anchora...the refuge of gods...but I will tell you more about it..."
A middle aged man talking to a clearly confused teenage boy narrates.
"am very sure you come from there…"the man continues
" you see those marks?"
Pointing at the boys legs
"Yes, those ones"
Young boy looks at his arms and thighs
"...here on earth, you call them birth marks but they are the reason I know you are from Anchora…"
chuckle from the man…Confused look from the young boy
"Patience...The gods at Anchora are distinguished by tattoos of their elemental weapons.
Maybe, you are Chaos this is a term used to describe the gods of war. Chaos are divided into two. First…Fire gods the Archers…these gods have a bow and arrow tattoo on their thighs.
A reverent sigh from the man
"If you were to walk in the fire kingdom you will be met by beings adorned in leather garments of various colors. The color of the leather usually represents the rank of the god, with gods wearing red leather being the highest of ranks."
Pause from Man
"Maybe you are not a fire god… these gods are fiery and passionate in nature. The best dancers amongst the gods… the life of the party if you may. Rumour has it that it is easy to recognize them on earth as they never loose their dancing capabilities.... but you can't dance ..."
Sigh from the Man.
"Or maybe you are a water god… These gods have trident tattoos on their thighs .The clothing of these gods is flowy and the garment color determines the rank as well with red being the highest.
These war gods are known for their extreme joy and rage...very volatile in nature ... they are the kind of gods you are afraid of crossing. The best wrestlers amongst the gods. Your feral nature makes me wonder...maybe...
But what I'm sure of is that you are not Esse. These are the gods of creation…Masters of earth and vitality, grounded in nature.... In all my years I haven't seen any nurturing qualities in you... clearly you are not a god of creation. And we thank Anchora for that.
These gods adorn jungle green garments, the darker the shade of green the higher the rank. As for their tattoos they have them on each arm... daggers."
Pause from the man
"Then there is Zephyr...the weather gods, the masters of air and love.... free spirited in nature...the whip crackers. (With emphasis on the whip).These gods are breathtaking.... (sigh) they are beautiful...they are beyond phenomenal.... these gods are gorgeous!!"
Scoff from the man
"...don't push it.... I have just said breathtakingly beautiful and paused several times trying to describe their beauty...not to be judgmental or anything but…you don't take that many breaths away....
These gods have whip tattoos on their backs with the tip of the whip starting at the back of the neck riding all the way down their backs. Unlike the other gods these gods all wear white garments. Their rank is determined by the belt worn diamond being the highest rank followed by gold all the way to bronze.
Zephyrs experience temporary rage from time to time...tsunamis, tornadoes, storms...You name it...yes it them… "
Man chuckles
"...the irony that humanity always blames these on mother nature the gods of creation when probably its just a zephyr seeking validation or attention...yes they like to be complimented from time to time.
And lastly, we have the Twilight...the fallen gods. Masters of metal and power, defiant in nature…. twilight roam the realms of earth and its core. They have shuriken tattooed on their shoulders .The city of metal looks like the inside of a clock. Their temples are architectural masterpieces ."
Man in an impatient tone
"no, you are not (sigh) please let me finish the story....
they too cannot trace their way back home.... but unlike you they may never be able to go back to Anchora and they are the only gods on earth who have vague recollections of Anchora...
Now ...the highest order in Anchora is the Collective...the ascension of gods the core and essence of Energy ...."
deep Sigh
"You are very impatient my boy...What are gods doing on earth you ask ?Well...we call them the elements...guardians of the gateway between earth and Anchora.
Their work is to ensure the balance of energy on earth.... Guardians are always dressed in robes representing one of the elements like Fire would have a yellow orange robe, Water blue, Air white and Earth green.
The entire back of a guardian is tattooed in an yin and yang symbol representing their element.
If the balance on earth is off then its the duty of the guardians to select gods down to restore it. And that explains the birth marks as they represent where a god's elemental tattoo used to be."
WAY WAY EARLIER BACK IN ANCHORA.... way before the young boy even came into existence.... The elements are seen to have gathered for a meeting. Pensive look on their faces. FIRE is the first one to speak
"We need to send a god down to earth"
AIR
"Very true there seems to be intense drought on earth but I can't seem to send enough rain. There isn't enough good energy to anchor my energy to"
WATER
"And my reserves are drying up as well"
EARTH
"same.."
The elements then turn to fire
AIR
"It has to be her"
FIRE shakes his head in disagreement
WATER
"With all that is going on down there you know we need to send a very powerful god..."
EARTH
"It definitely has to be her..."
Exhausted exhale from fire as the meeting ends he leaves the meeting looking distraught and walks to Fire city where IGNEOUS a fire god is in the metal smiths shop inspecting some arrow heads. He beckons her and she joins him.
They start walking to the gateway together. IGNEOUS trying to reassure the distraught Fire
"I know its my turn ..."
Fire responds in a sad voice
"Yes…My god....it is time for you to walk among the humans....You will be birthed by a human and live like a human .You will have zero recollection of your life at Anchora. Life will not be easy, fair or tolerable because you are a god.... you will endure like all humans do...
But your core is god...you will illuminate the lives of humans without knowing it...once life's energy is balanced…you will be recalled home...what humans refer to as death…"
IGNEOUS nods
FIRE continues
"you will not be the only god on earth...there will be several of you...however, you will not be aware of each other's presence and you might or might not interact with each other. "
IGNEOUS in a cheerful voice
"I know, why do you sound so glum? It's my purpose for existence"
FIRE still glum
"Don't forget Twilight might be able to identify you...but since you will have no recollection of yourself...it is nothing to worry about…"
A deep sigh from FIRE as he continues
"When you come back Home... you will not recall your life back on earth because the sadness and injustice that results from human choices might make you long to go back and correct the wrongs especially for the humans you will call family.
As FIRE continues to brief Igneous the other three elements walk pensively behind them
"The gateway will rid you of your godly nature on exit and it will rid you of the human nature on your way back. Your family placement will be random and in your lifetime as a human, you may live and birth other gods... again neither of you will be aware of this...you will not even remember this conversation... "
IGNEOUS nods in understanding, suddenly she pauses in her tracks
"I have a favor to ask ..."
FIRE looks at her confused but nods hesitantly....She continues
"If balance is restored immediately please do not recall me as a child...I do not want to break their hearts"
No response from Fire he holds her hands with a worried look on his face as they continue walking towards the gateway.
Finally they get to the gateway where a monstrous door shaped like an anchor with images of the four elements depicted on what looks like a key hole stands closed. The other elements join them and place their hands on the key hole unlocking the gateway.
FIRE to IGNEOUS
"It's time...my god..."
IGNEOUS smiling and speaking to AIR
"If I ask you to hold back a little bit will you do it?"
AIR smiles sadly
"Not a chance my god...not a chance!"
IGNEOUS Smiles and walks into the gateway as the doors close behind her.
With a sad sigh, FIRE bows to the gateway
"Go well my god...I wish mankind knew that this time ...Anchora has gifted them the heart of Chaos."
With a sudden movement of his hand, AIR snaps his fingers, and a bolt of lightning streaks across the earth sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The earth trembles beneath his feet as the sound reverberates through the mountains.
His eyes are fierce and his hair crackles with electricity.
As continues to snap his fingers, causing lightning bolts and thunder to dance across the sky. The storm intensifies, and rain begins to pour down in sheets.
He smiles to himself
AIR
"A welcome befitting a god…"
As he snaps his finger one last time
Meanwhile on earth in Seoul, vehicle wipers are swaying frantically a vehicle is trying to maneuver heavy traffic with a heavy downpour accompanied by multiple lightning flashes and deafening thunder.
Three men(brothers)in their late twenties wearing Military uniform are in the vehicle
GREG the middle brother also the driver
"There was no forecast of rains today…"
TIM the youngest sitting at the back
"Who made the heavens this angry...this is not normal weather"
GEORGE The eldest sitting next to GREG slides down the window trying to wipe down the side mirrors and a gush of rain sweeps into the car he quickly closes it again.
Suddenly GREG's phone rings
GREG
"Who is it?"
GEORGE
"Your wife"
GREG
"Tell her we are almost home"
TIM jumps from behind and grabs the phone
TIM on the phone in a cheeky voice
"Honey...we are…"
He is interrupted by the voice on the other side of the line
GRACE GREG'S wife
"The baby is Coming!"
TIM
"The … baby!!"
Confused he places the phone on GREG'S ears
GREG
"Where are you honey"
GRACE
"Am at Seoul hospital with JOHN…"
(who was Greg's childhood friend)
GRACE lets out…a deafening scream…
GREG
"We are on our way honey…"
Foot on the accelerator as the brothers try to rush to hospital. Few meters from the hospital there is dense traffic as a result of the bad weather. GREG Parks on the side of the road and he and his brothers start running towards the hospital.
Finally, they get to the hospital three men in uniform soaked…they inquire at the reception and are shown to the labor ward. They walk into a room where JOHN is holding a new born baby girl while GRACE is lying on bed. GRACE smiles faintly at the men as they walk towards the baby. JOHN sternly shoos them away
JOHN
"You are dripping… you want the baby to catch a cold…"
The men stand at a close distance watching the baby while GREG moves by GRACE'S bedside.
IGNEOUS had been gifted to a military family and they named her BELLE.
Suddenly TIM rushes out and comes back with a camera and a nurse who takes a photo of the four men surrounding the baby girl...
SEVEN YEARS LATER... the framed photo of the first day she was born is on a desk by a window in a cottage.
BELLE, her elder sister BELLA, her father GREG and her two uncles TIM and GEORGE are seen to be wearing clothes from a memorial service. GEORGE opens the cottage door and comes outside with cans of beers hands one to GREG.
GREG
"I can't believe it's been seven years already…"
GEORGE adjusting the porch chair ,in a pensive tone
"Yep…she gave us a gift and left us…"
As the two men continue to sip beer, their younger brother TIM sets up targets and takes out his sniper riffle. BELLE and her sister are sitting on the cabin steps.
BELLE In a disappointed tone directed to UNCLE TIM
"Why are you not getting the shot?"
Looking at her uncle TIM disappointedly.
GEORGE
"Yes, why are you not getting the shot?"
her dad and GEORGE nudging each other amused.
TIM
"you think its easy sweetie? this takes years if not a lifetime to master..."
BELLE
"It looks easy..."
she shrugs
TIM scoffs
"Really?... You want to try?"
GREG
"Noo!... no!"
putting his beer down rushing towards them
BELLE
"Yes, Sure....but I want a milkshake if I get the shot..."
she states as a matter of fact
TIM shrugs
He then reassures GREG
"...let's just see its not like she's going to shoot anything...besides let's see if one of our girls will wear the uniform one day. "
GREG reluctantly looks on
BELLE takes the gun starts to adjust her aim
GEORGE
"Princess The way you are handling the gun you look like you have done this before"
TIM tries to assist her. She pulls away from him and with all the attitude a seven-year-old could master....
BELLE
"You couldn't do it in ten tries how can you teach me how to get it right? are you trying to sabotage me so that you don't buy milkshake?"
TIM scoffs
GREG and GEORGE burst out laughing
GEORGE
"Baby....he is trying to sabotage you"
still laughing his head off
TIM throws his hands up in defeat... and watches on bemused.
BELLE adjusts the sniper riffle aims and shoots immediately landing the shot.
GEORGE chokes on his beer almost falling off the chair
GREG gapes in shock and TIM swears involuntarily!!!!....
GREG
"Stop swearing in front of the kids" As he smacks the back of TIM'S head
TIM
"Shi…did …you ...see … of all the things that have happened now you are more concerned about my swearing?"
Shocked silence amongst the adults
BELLE Innocently
"…When do I get my milk shake? … "
Both her dad and TIM still looking at each other dumb founded GEORGE in disbelief put his beer down and walks next to her
GEORGE
"Baby....do you think you can do that again?"
BELLE
"Sure…"
GREG
"Waai…t waa… "
speaking like someone out of breath
GEORGE
"The only way any of us can confirm that what we saw was not an illusion is for her to do it again
…I mean I saw her shoot but I don't believe it and I know none of you believes it either…"
TIM shrugs in confused agreement
GREG stands in helpless confusion with no response
GEORGE Holding BELLE by the shoulders
"Princess... If you get the shot again Uncle TIM will buy two milkshakes."
She nods, takes the rifle...aims and shoots the target again...The brothers look at each other in horror when she lands all the targets in a row
BELLE
"That's five milkshakes "
and hands the rifle to her dad who is so confused almost drops the rifle
GREG
"Princess...I will not be mad… (heavy sigh)...did you see ... did you...how ..did who.. how...(another deep sigh) did you learn that on…I mean where did you learn that..did one of your uncles teach you...?"
GEORGE AND TIM
"really?!!..."
GREG Looks at his brothers suspiciously
GREG
"Did any of you secretly teach her ...(sigh) I Mean"
TIM in an Accusing tone
"You are her father…probably you taught her in secret and are playing reverse psychology on us…"
They all look at each other suspiciously
BELLE
"No… I just saw Uncle Tim doing it now and I did it ...its not that hard Papa.When do I get my milk shakes?"
GREG
"Princess ...when .... (exhausted sigh)when.... we get back to the city, I promise we will buy the milk shakes"
Confused the men whisper amongst themselves as BELLE walks away unbothered and joins her sister.
TIM
"How the hell…. how are you this calm when you have a seven -year-old who can shoot two thousand meters away with no training whatsoever...even crazy Brad can't do that yet... "
GREG
"Do I look calm... now I know the feeling behind the phrase ... shocked beyond words…
Am trying to mouth an explanation but I cant"
TIM
"We should try the other one too…may...be…"
GREG gives him a death stare…he meekly stops mid statement
GEORGE in deep thought in a pensive tone
"Do you remember the day she was born…The heavens were angry! We have never experienced a storm like that again I always tell you that child...there's something in her…it might be great it might be dangerous… (sigh)"
The confused men walk back to the cabin each in their own thought.
TWENTY THREE YEARS LATER...
BELLE all grown is standing next to a fighter jet. Her father and her uncles are all saluting her looking at her proudly. She salutes them back.
GREG
"Be safe my princess" whispers trying to maintain his cool.
BELLE
"I will papa .Uncle Tim take care of them"
TIM
"I will sweetie"
BELLE speaking to GEORGE
"…. make sure they don't fight"
GEORGE
"...yes princess..."
the men take a step back and give her the sharpest salute ever, she smiles and climbs into her jet.
strapped inside looking back at them, they salute one more time.
The roar of the engines fills the air as she taxis down the runway, the fighter jet's afterburners kicking in and propelling her into the sky.