A gold stone lay on the ground,
And very soon, it would be found.
The forest trail began to sound.
A scribe en route was wandering down.
A single sunbeam glanced over the stone
And blinded the scribe as he thumbed through his tome.
He pushed through the brush, grabbed up the stone
And stared as its crimson lettering shone.
The cryptic writing upon the stone
Was not a language he'd ever known.
The scribe was a poor man but with this new treasure
He knew he could provide for his wife forever.
He would have time to teach, write for himself,
Help his whole village to prosper in health.
Of all the dreams that welled in his chest
The thought of having children seemed best.
Packing the stone, he started back home
But he did not know that he wasn't alone.
Two boys above, sat in a tree,
Silent and thrilled, they held back their glee.
They hurried to town and told all their friends.
Word of the stone had started to spread.
Then, one evening, asleep in his cabin,
Something terrible began to happen.
A pounding sound shook the scribe's little wood door.
Out the window was someone he'd not seen before.
A fierce-looking man with cold eyes like a shark,
He shouted commands, his voice like a bark.
"Open this door, Satoshi, the scribe.
My name is Arepo. I will come inside."
Satoshi opened the door and procured a blade.
He was taken aback but was not afraid.
"I've heard, in the village, you found a gold stone,
In the east forest, near to my home.
You know the truth, as well as do I.
The gleaming gold stone should truly be mine.
Now give it to me, or I'll break all your bones.
Give it up now, and I'll leave you alone."
Satoshi, the scribe, reached down to his side,
Drew out the stone, and he cast it aside,
"The stone is mine, thief. No one would contest,
But it's clear that your strength isn't something to test.
The stone is now yours, but not by my choice,
Now listen to wisdom and heed my voice.
Theft will always lead to regret,
For an object stolen is a spiritual debt.
You gain my gold, but with it, a curse
You can never know what it's truly worth."
The man snatched the stone off the ground with such force,
He shook the whole house and scared his own horse.
He gazed at that crimson writing on gold,
And knew the stone was some magic of old.
"I have long thought that this kingdom should taper.
This stone came to me because of God's favor.
Our kingdom is wicked, foolish, and odd.
That's how I know that this stone is from God.
The people will see this, and they'll make me king.
Despite what you think, I will do the right thing."
Arepo noticed Satoshi's fair wife,
She peeked from her hiding to observe the sharp strife.
"This scribe cannot give you the life of your dreams.
If you ever desire to leave and be free,
Come to the castle and live with me."
Arepo bowed and began to depart
With the stone in his hand and hope in his heart.
The two children who told of Satoshi's great find,
Realized that they had put him in a bind.
They meant no harm by telling the tale.
Satoshi was kind. They felt they had failed.
They went to his cabin the very next day
Expecting Satoshi to be in dismay.
Satoshi was glad to see the two boys.
He offered to carve them some new wooden toys.
They cried at his kindness and turned to go 'way.
He was concerned, and he told them to stay.
"What is it, my friends, that would cause you to cry.
I won't let you leave without telling me why."
"It's our fault that your stone was stolen away.
We told all our friends after you left that day."
"Oh, little ones, don't think of me.
All that I truly love is free.
Natural beauty, a meal, loved ones, a song;
Life's true treasures can't be stolen for long.
Even without a coin to my name,
I make what I need with my hands and my brain.
Money does not make a meaningful life.
Believe it or not, it will often bring strife.
Great piles of gold always bring dragons,
Friends become scarce, and so do one's passions.
A vibrant life, pure soul, and good friends,
Thieves gain none of these things in the end.
I sleep like a babe every night,
But now Arepo must sleep with a knife.
I've had no loss. In fact, my hopes doubled.
It's that crimson lettering that's causing me trouble.
I wrote it all down, for I love to write.
I've never seen a language the like."
He showed them his scroll, mostly for fun
But the children could read it, either the one!
"That is impossible, my young friends.
I'm a master of words, and I'm at my end."
"We can both read it, clear as the day
Ask us in separate; we'll tell you the same."
"That won't be needed, go on my friends.
Tell me what's written. Please don't pretend."
"This stone was enchanted by the Greatest of Mages.
Passed through the gate at the top of Mount Aegis.
Hidden from merchants, priests, and sages
As a guide to land free from theft or invasions.
It is obscure to those who would take it,
Revealing itself to those able to make it.
This cypher will guide you to that strange land.
Pass through the gate, but leave what's in hand."
Satoshi knew then that the gold he had tossed
Was only a vessel for knowledge t'was lost.
He set his resolve that very same day
To go to this place and pass through the gate.
Arepo became mighty; he ruled for ages.
The stone gave power over peasants and patrons.
He had fastened the stone to a staff and ruled all,
From ocean to ocean, never to fall.
Even Satoshi's precious wife,
Had left him to be with Arepo for life.
The stone had more power than he could imagine.
He cherished and studied its magic with passion.
Courts of wise men, prophets, and sages
Couldn't decipher the magic stone phrases.
He fashioned the stone from his staff to a crown.
Its power was fame, known the world 'round.
Arepo brought peace but insisted with patience
That all of the people give homage with payments.
The king's court was so grand the fees drained from the fiefdom.
The people had peace, but the king took their freedom.
Till one fateful day, his power declined.
All of the poor had stopped paying their fines.
He went out to find them, to punish them all.
In many villages, there was no one at all.
He began to hear whispers among all his pages,
Many had fled to a different nation.
"Who could steal half my kingdom in such little time?
Don't they know that my rule is divine?"
At night, he was restless, and to his surprise,
Came nightmares of Satoshi's haunting eyes.
"This is the doing of Satoshi. I feel it inside.
More than my people, it's him I must find."
Arepo summoned the people of the desert,
They were the most feared trackers ever.
Arepo sent them to the kingdom's corners
And offered a bounty for Satoshi, the reformer.
While they never found the scorned scribe,
They tracked the path that he took to hide.
They drew Arepo an expert map to the Black Gate of the Immortal.
They wouldn't cross that strange gate, for a spell was upon the portal.
Arepo began planning a great expedition.
There was no stopping his inquisition.
He needed more funds from his dwindling population.
If he couldn't get taxes, he'd just have to make them.
He used the stone to replicate gold coins,
He gathered a band that made a great noise.
With armies and journeymen, women, and cases
He made his way over to scale up Mount Aegis.
The rivers were wide, and the mountains were tall.
The plains were vast, from winter to fall.
Day by day, Arepo's army would shrink.
"This isn't a problem," Arepo would think.
He made more gold to double their wages
Surely, they'd stay now. The pay was outrageous.
Arepo's army continued to leave.
By the time they arrived, their party was three.
One zealot believing without the king's power,
There couldn't be peace, not for an hour.
A priest believed that the stone was divine,
Given by God to his chosen ally.
The gate had a spell, and they couldn't pass by
Without leaving their greatest possession beside.
Arepo knew what he must leave behind.
He hid his crown in some rocks nearby.
The priest hesitated at the gates' mystic border,
His greatest possession was an amulet of his order.
He would not remove it and risk his grand rank.
He turned back at the magical gate.
The zealot, a dagger, a gift from the king
He wouldn't cross over defenseless, you see.
So Arepo alone passed through the gate
Ready for whatever he would find in wait.
Arepo gazed out at this alien land
And marveled at what he could not understand.
There were no castles, banners, or steeples.
About their business were disparate peoples.
Beggars, slaves, tradesmen, magicians
Worked together with no inhibitions.
The shelters were hidden all around.
There seemed no central city or town.
Marvelous, truly creative, and colorful,
Even the simplest cabins were wonderful.
All of the people were skilled but quite odd.
He learned that the name of this place was Karkon.
Arepo was hungry and needed provisions.
He had brought gold to complete his mission.
When he found merchants with food and lodging
They laughed at his gold and sent him walking.
In the land of Karkon, they use Edom to trade,
A blue crystal stone that smelled of the rain.
It couldn't be made with magic or tricks.
When it was stolen, it shrank to a blip.
Willingly given, Edom must be.
Not one bit was given for free.
It weighed but an ounce and was quite hard to earn.
A way to create it, Arepo could not learn.
Edom had been made by hermit mages.
That cultivated their magic through ages.
They were called the Sons of Light.
Despite their might, they did not fight.
They captured lightning with practice and patience,
Transmuted the light into something to trade with.
The land was transformed by what they had made.
Honest work was the only way to a day's wage.
Governments could not confiscate from their patrons.
War had to be funded by people's own wages.
Violence helped little in taking from others
So all work together, one with another.
All did contribute, and with less corruption
They built and they built, almost no interruption.
So Arepo worked on a farm for some time.
He knew he'd need Edom if Satoshi he'd find.
He learned in Karkon that there was no king,
But there was a clairvoyant who knew many things.
He lived in a grove, known for despair.
Arepo set out to meet him there.
When Arepo found him, he was chilled to the bone.
The wise man lived like a dog all alone.
He was cloaked in wool, with eyes of red.
Arepo approached with a great deal of dread.
"My name-"
"You are Arepo. I know who you are.
I know you have traveled exceptionally far.
You come in search of Satoshi, the scribe.
He's a man that the lowly can't find.
He is the keeper, the keeper of gates.
If you plan to catch him, then it is up to the fates."
"Surely you know the place that he stays.
Please, do not send me away in dismay."
"To go to Satoshi would take you a lifetime,
But you dare to ask twice, so I'll give you a lifeline.
If you are sincere, and you call him by name
He may appear despite your great shame."
Arepo departed deeper into the grove.
He schemed and thought through all magic he'd known.
He searched that vast land, and several a time,
Got near, but Satoshi he never could find.
After some years, his spirit was broken.
He remembered the words the clairvoyant had spoken.
He whispered, "Satoshi", at last understanding
Satoshi's magic he had no hope of matching.
As sure as the clairvoyant had told him before
A gate had appeared, like a mystical door.
It was silent as death, and from this strange portal
Satoshi stepped forth, looking less like a mortal.
Arepo wept as Satoshi stood by.
"Teach me your ways; do not cast me aside.
The first time we met, I took what was yours,
You toppled my kingdom with such little force."
Satoshi looked down with a placid gaze.
"I cannot teach you the power of gates.
It was gifted to me by one greater than I,
But I can show you what you cannot find.
If you are ready, follow me through this gate.
I will take you to your kingdom of late."
The two passed through to Arepo's old kingdom.
Arepo looked up to see who would greet them.
The land was now laden with gold all around;
Golden buildings, gold even lay on the ground.
Almost too magnificent for the eye to behold,
It occurred to Arepo that this was all of his gold.
The gold he had stockpiled, the gold that he made,
So abundant they used it for cobblestone pave.
The city was silent, abandoned by all.
There was no bustling or presence at all.
There was no music or food scent in the air.
There was no culture, market, or fair.
Gold was all that this grand city now had.
The people thought there'd be nothing to add.
All became rich, but with no one to work,
It became a golden prison for the mad to lurk.
"I did nothing at all after crossing your borders,
It was your cursed gold that brought about this order.
The power you gained from that mystical stone,
Gave you all things but left you alone.
It gave you no meaning, for you searched for me,
Instead of pursuing what could make you free.
Firstly, you must learn to love all others,
All things you have, have come from another.
Secondly, you must understand your purpose,
Without a purpose, all power is worthless.
Lastly, with unwavering stoic resolve,
Master your skill until it serves all."
They passed through the portal, back to the journey's start
With nothing in hand and gold in their hearts.
Arepo felt free now from power and fear.
Trinkets and gold brought him no cheer.
Leaving his stone in the crook of Mount Aegis,
He pursued inner power, true and courageous.
Known by many as "Arepo the Might",
He use his great strength to build something right.
Building upon a foundation of gold,
He couldn't have imagined what would unfold.
He found his wife and brought her to Karkon,
He restored many things that he once thought were gone.
He found a small village and lived a pure life,
Diligent, patient, avoiding vain strife.
He worked, and he worked until one fateful day,
He discovered work that felt like play.
He became a grandmaster, a maker of clocks.
So great was his work it left others in shock.
His clocks were so masterful they could conjure odd spells,
Some could turn back time itself.
Yet, with this new power, he made no great play
To conquer the world, he left it this way.
In the end, Arepo discovered true wealth
Was not gold or power, but life, family, and health.
I love this book and love sharing it with my kods