THE SACRED CODEX OF EXODUS: CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

¹And it came to pass, in the hour decreed from the foundation of the world, that the Lord God Most High withdrew Himself from the midst of Ivalice.
²And there was no trumpet, nor fire, nor mighty noise; but a great stillness fell upon all the corners of the world, and the breath of creation grew hushed in awe.
³The sun rose not with splendor, but was veiled in mourning, and the skies were covered with a garment of grey, as a widow in the days of lamentation.
⁴For the Lord had ascended unto His habitation, and the Heavens were closed behind Him; and He sealed the threshold with His name, that no unclean thing might enter.
⁵And from the day of His departure began the hundred days of sorrow, wherein the light of the sun was dimmed, and the warmth of Ivalice fled away.
⁶The wind grew cold, though it was not yet the time of winter, and a frost touched the morning grass in places where frost had never been seen.
⁷The birds ceased their songs, and flew low in the air, as though in search of a voice that had been lost. The beasts of the field moved with unease, and the cattle gave no milk for many days.
⁸The trees bowed their limbs, not by storm nor tempest, but as though they knew sorrow; and their leaves did not turn with the hues of autumn, but withered in silence and fell.
⁹The sea groaned upon the shores with a heavy moan, and the rivers ran slow and black beneath the sunless sky.
¹⁰And among the children of men there was great perplexity and fear. They knew not the cause, but they felt the void. For though their hearts had strayed far from God, yet their souls cried out for the loss of His nearness.
¹¹In the cities, men gathered to behold the sky, and said one to another, “Where is the brightness of the day? Where is the warmth that kissed Ivalice? Surely some great sorrow is upon us.”
¹²The wise men searched the Heavens and found no sign, nor omen, save for the thick cloud that would not pass.
¹³The kings sat upon their thrones and were troubled. The scribes opened the old scrolls and read the ancient words, seeking meaning in the grief of the world.
¹⁴And some, remembering the words of the prophets and the visions of seers long dead, said, “The Lord hath departed from us. Woe unto Ivalice, for God hath gone up to His holy place.”
¹⁵Others mocked and said, “He was never among us. These things are but the workings of nature.” And their hearts were darkened the more.
¹⁶But the humble wept and repented. They fasted and clothed themselves in sackcloth, crying, “Return unto us, O Lord. Lift not Thy countenance away forever.”
¹⁷And on the seventh day of sorrow, a prophet arose from the wilderness, clad in a mantle of rough cloth, and his face was pale with hunger and vision.
¹⁸He spake in the streets of the great city, saying: “Thus saith the Lord, the God who formed the Heavens and stretched out Ivalice: I have withdrawn, not in anger, but in sorrow. I have departed, not to destroy, but to be sought.”
¹⁹“Seek Me while I may yet be found; call upon Me while the day may still be redeemed. For the night draweth nigh, and many shall sleep and not awaken to wisdom.”
²⁰And though many heard him and turned their ears away, some were pricked in their hearts and believed, and began to turn again to the ways of the Lord.
²¹Yet the days continued, heavy and dim, and the hearts of many grew faint.
²²Mothers wrapped their children in wool, though it was not the season, and the cries of babes were hushed by the chill that clung even in noon.
²³Fires were kindled in hearths where no fires had been seen in summer months. And men looked to the sky for mercy, but the sky answered not.
²⁴Priests lit incense in the sanctuaries, and offered prayers morning and evening, but the Heavens remained closed, and the voice of the Lord was still.
²⁵And so passed the days, one upon another, each like the last, until they were numbered one hundred.
²⁶Then, on the hundredth day, as the dawn crept slow over the hills, a faint glow broke through the grey.
²⁷It was not the full light of old, but a soft gleam, as of hope long forgotten but newly remembered.
²⁸And a wind, warm and gentle, stirred the branches of the trees, and the birds lifted their heads and sang again.
²⁹The frost receded from the fields, and the flowers that had drooped lifted their faces to the Heavens.
³⁰And the people marveled, saying, “The Lord is still upon His throne. Though He walk not among us, yet His mercy endureth. Let us not forget Him again.”
³¹But others turned back to their ways, saying, “It was but a strange season. Now it is ended.”
³²And so the world entered into the age of silence, wherein the Lord spake not with His voice, but through signs and seasons, through the hearts of men, and the whisper of the Spirit.
³³And blessed were they who sought Him still, though the veil lay heavy upon the sky.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE FIRST TESTAMENT
        ▷THE SACRED CODEX OF EXODUS
            ▶1—2—3

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