The Strength of Terabi (Catin: Terabi Tana) is the second of the two powerful gifts in the collection called Great Catin Gifts, the first being The Gift of Osai (also called Osai's Gift, Catin: Osai Naori). Unlike Osai Naori, which can only be bestowed upon a direct descendant of the original Men of Osai, Terabi Tana is given to any man chosen by Terabi before their birth.
The Realm
The Realm was originally created by Jinjo long before the countries of Catarika and Rakia separated from each other with the intention of housing the power of the mages that roamed the lands. Under his direction, these mages used their powers to help further the creation of landmasses, quickly turn elements into others without natural chemical means, and to create things like weather that would later be in effect all on its own. The Realm was a place to contact the dead as well as the means to teleport quickly around the lands. Sometime later, when the knowledge and practice of dark forms of magic became available and abused, the Realm was conquered by an evil mage, who became twisted and deformed as his soul became more and more involved in the dark ways. His followers also became beasts and demons of the Realm and began to attack innocent people, planting curses into their souls (Catin/Keòen: Teracor) and attempting to drag them completely into the Realm to destroy them and make them beasts themselves. Rinniken directed the closing of the Realm, instructing the mages to withhold the information of how to enter from the next generation so that the knowledge would die out. The corruption of the Realm started the slow extinction of the mages from that era. Over the next era the existence of the Realm was long forgotten as a place of comfort and was only viewed as a place of curses. There was no way to rid a curse and nothing to stop the demons from attacking people.
Terabi's Origins
Of course, action was to be taken to restore the Realm to what it was meant to be. Terabi, a full-power deity, pre-ordained as the true inheritor of the Realm, was sent down to reclaim what was rightfully his. However, he was sent to Catarika with no knowledge at all of his past or power with the intent that he would learn the ways of man in order to gain compassion and help people. He appeared outside the city of Rihanu in a thickly forested area called Das Verdun (The Greens) as a late teen and knew nothing except his name and the Catin language. After wandering for a time he made his way to the Circle of Mages where he was met at the gates by Seranu, one of the Guards of Osai. They spoke for quite a time and Seranu, picking up on the peculiar nature of this young man, sent him before Osai. Of course, Osai knew exactly who this man, only known as Terabi, would become due to the lore passed down from Rinniken. It was written and believed by all of the people (interested in the ways of the Mage, at least) that the rightful heir to this Realm would appear in a stable age and be born of the forest in the form of a youthful man. Osai didn't reveal this vision to Terabi but instead instructed him to return to the Circle of Mages, for he had immense power and potential that would be harnessed for great use. (Even though Osai and Terabi are of no carnal relation, they are both gods of the same level and are suspected by most to be cousins.)
The Circle of Mages
Terabi obeyed and made his way northwest of Rihanu to Osa'refina where he was quickly accepted into the outer Mage's Circle and began his studies. It was soon evident that he had as much knowledge as those who had been studying for years and quickly advanced ranks. Within a year he was appointed to the Lesser Mage Circle and after 3 years he was promoted to the Greater Mage Circle and then to the Lesser Wizardry Circle. His talent for magic was almost unmatched and was easily of prodigy status. He became very interested in the art of Kalotano (dealing with the feelings and happenings of spirits) and just 10 years after he was first found he was appointed to the Lesser Kalotano circle. His unique, godlike aura and love for everyone gained him national attention and he quickly built a great friendship with Osai.
Terabi enjoyed reading from the incredibly old books, perfecting spells and discussing the history and writings with the other mages. One day, he came across the old and forgotten writings about the Realm and as he read the words a tiny piece of his previous life came back to him. He ran to Jahi, the Master of Kalotano, and had many questions about this possible 'other realm' that was on the world. Jahi had only vaguely heard about the Realm being used for anything other than a place for the beasts to roam and steal their victims but encouraged Terabi to look into it. As he read, he realized that the Realm was a place for good and that it had been overrun with evil but that one day its rightful owner would come back to claim it. Suddenly more of the memories of who he was came back to him and he had a burning suspicion that he was the Realm's rightful owner. As he studied the vast array of writings he realized that there were hints and clues everywhere as to a 'tear' between the realms.
The Search for the Realm
He would spend the next 200 years studying all he could on the Realm and set off to try and find the tear. Though the exact location is unknown to anyone but Terabi himself, it has been confirmed that it was on the expansive landmass known as Kiillaana, a newly formed continent sparsely inhabited by a couple groups from other lands. After decades of searching, study, and pondering Terabi found the tear in the realm. He spent the next few years trying to get in and out and after a long time he finally mastered the spells and power required to enter. He found the Realm comforting and as soon as he discovered the Palace of Aura and the Portal to the Land of the Dead his full memory came back to him and he realized that he was to slay the demon king and regain control of the Realm as a place for the mages to traverse. (By this point he had lived several decades longer than most of the other mages so he already had suspicions of his deity.)
Regaining Control for Good
He used his knowledge of Lovelight, a radiant, light blue pure energy taken from his very soul to create a powerful sword to fight off these creatures. Based on his actions and traits, his sword of Lovelight formed a unique shape with an equally ornate hilt. The monsters of the realm could not overcome this sword and were forced to retreat. Finally the day had come for him to overthrow King Tikusih, the evil leader and nastiest of all the demons that had taken up residency in the place meant for good. The two fought for three days and nights but finally on the dawn of the fourth day the evil king made a critical error and was slain. Terabi was now the rightful ruler of the Realm of Aura. He gained control over the other demons and was able to stop them from preying on the innocent and accursed. He realized that his purpose was to open up this realm and he was directed to teach his select the ways.
The Strength of Terabi
Though the mages eventually died out as the times and eras changed, they did not go extinct. Terabi became the Master of Kalotano in the Elite Circle of Mages and currently only the mages of this strand of magic are present on the earth. However, their magical power inside them is referred to now as The Strength of Terabi (Catin/Keòen: Terabi Tana) and instead of mages, they are called Men of Terabi (Catin: Terabikai). While they no longer meet in the Circle of Mages, Terabikai often meet each other in the Realm. With its original purpose restored, the Realm is a place to speak with the dead, communicate with other Terabikai, receive guidance from Terabi, and to teleport around, with the extra ability of being able to fight off demons that prey on the accursed. Terabi bestowed on his chosen the ability to wield a blade of lovelight with which to fight off these demons. Over the years, especially after the creation of Jadali, other unique traits have been added.
Traits of Terabi Tana
- A blade of Lovelight, usually a sword or scimitar, but sometimes a bow. This blade is uniquely shaped with pieces called "bites and flares" based on their unique individual aura.
- The ability to traverse the Realm freely, both in spirit and in body.
- A slash (/) that glows diagonally across the eye, visible when reciting the Terabian Code, traversing the Realm, if the spirit traverses while the body stays behind, when actively fighting demons, or when two Terabikai stand together. It runs from bottom left to top right, symbolizing Terabi's walk in life and rise to power. It also symbolizes uplift.
- A prevalent aura of peace.
- The ability to sense another's aura and the feelings they are experiencing in that very moment. This component of Terabi Tana is called Perfect Empathy and allows Terabikai to say and do exactly the right thing to minister to their fellow man.
- The ability to fight off monsters within the realm and to remove any additional embedded curses a victim may obtain. After the slaying of the next most powerful demon (see below) curses on a victim are able to be removed completely.
- The ability to cure and heal others through auras and the commanding of energy in one's body.
- The ability to know of any pain anywhere in another's body through aural energy.
- The ability to throw auras and curses on others, under the direction of Terabi.
- The ability to converse with Terabi anywhere.
- The ability to speak with the dead through a series of windows as well as a portal that connects the Realm of Aura with the Realm of Souls.
- A strong emanating power that could be felt when touched, especially by those who could sense auras.
- The ability to teleport over large and small distances (known as Traversing). Most everyone blessed with Terabi Tana only enter the realm with their spirit although they can enter with their body as well if needed. They have been commanded not to freely take their body into the Realm in front of other people or to use the Realm to get into places they don't belong.
- The inherent ability to speak Keòen. Before the creation of Jadali the universal language of the Realm was Catin but was switched over to Keòen in 1020. No matter where a Terabikai is raised, they all can speak Keòen and speak it in the Realm.
Terabi "died" as soon as he slayed the king demon and realized his true self; that is, he took his body into the Realm and no longer lived on the earth, being fully transfigured into the God of Aura. However, he appears on the earth in several points in history. He often appears out of nowhere to save people (the most famous being the saving of Jeneiyl-Alihi, future queen of Kiillaana). He still does this to this day. Many people have said to have been saved by a mysterious man who seemed to vanish moments later. He has also been known to disguise himself and put himself among the people. However, he doesn't do this often as his aura is strong enough that most people of Terabi (people given traits dealing with auras, not necessarily just Terabikai) would immediately recognize him. He appears in all natural forms as a Catin man, about 5'8'', with long black hair and a soft, kind face.
Facts About Terabikai
There are between 500 and 1500 Terabikai on the earth at one time, as opposed to the 27 Men of Osai. Sometime between their 7th and 10th birthday, Terabikai are pulled into the realm and are taught by Terabi, initiated in as a fully operational mage. They are gifted with their blade of lovelight and the mark is put into their eyes. After the formation of Jadali about 100 years after Terabi conquered the Realm, the universal language of the Realm changed from Catin Keòen. There are Terabikai in every country of the world, especially in the Rinniken Dominion which includes Catarika, Morley Atoll, Rania, Kiillaana, Jadali, Corinor, Cayadora, Jangen, Jangua, Tia, and Lisjovala. Most Terabikai are pre-ordained but Terabi also plays a big role in the lives of some people and has been known to send Terabikai to his most beloved as a gift.
When a Terabikai dies, he takes his body permanently into the Realm. Every Terabikai, living or dead, can be seen by anyone else there so it is possible for two friends on opposite sides of the country to meet in the realm. Many of these people go to the realm to ponder or to talk.
The Man With Both Gifts
Terabikai are not yet strong enough to slay a demon of the Realm. However, one reason that Terabikai keep their body when they die is because one day the army of countless Terabikai will have enough power to slay all the demons.There is one exception to this. The second most powerful demon was slayed by S. R. Sorela in 1963. In addition to being a Terabikai, S. R. Sorela is also an Osanokai, the only person in the history of the world to have both of the Great Catin Gifts bestowed upon him. He was born subject to the Curse of the Realm in addition to Osai Naori but because of the Power of Threes, he was able to withstand much more attack than anyone else and as the demon fought him it weakened. In the final moment, when Sorela was about to be destroyed (though this is impossible, for Osanokai never die until their time), Terabi presented him with his blade of Lovelight which Sorela then used to slay this powerful demon. Though this act left him permanently scarred, it also broke several curses. The biggest victory from this was the ability for Terabikai to completely remove curses from people. With this victory, he went from having the curse to being a Man of Terabi, predestined from the beginning to be the man with both gifts. He is seen as a Jadali hero as well as a hero to the accursed. Both gifts work together in harmony within him and go together almost seamlessly.
Jadali and Terabi's Role
The land that would become Jadali was given to Osai and Terabi from Jinjo to symbolize their friendship, for they grew very close in the 150 or so years that they were together on the earth. It should be noted that Terabi never took a wife and established a line and is considered by many to be asexual. However, when the Jadali-Kiillra race was created the original 13 were transformed and now carry Terabian blood. In this way, Terabi isn't the father of a line but is the father of an entire race. They also carry some of Osai's blood but especially the blood of Seranu, the brother of Osai whose line became the Sorela crest.
The Symbols of Terabi
Just like Osai has two symbols (the dark eye and the moon), so too does Terabi. The first is the Teracor, a heart-shaped symbols with the point crossing, which represents arms in embrace and is the sign for compassion. This symbol is also in the Sorela crest and has become the national symbol of Jadali, seeing as all descendants of the original 13 have Sorela blood. The other symbol is the butterfly (Keòen: Terabhan) which represents nature, purity, and power. During times in the Realm when Terabi displays the extent of his aura, it forms around him in the shape of a butterfly.
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