Gathering of the Faithful

Nasreen felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine as he recalled the promised prophesy. Time seemed to slip by but it was not important. His sight seemed to sense the grounds of the fire temple, noticed the night owl - flying to capture its mammalian meal, the shooting star that briefly streaked through the night air, the desert moths attracted to the light of the table candle as the heated wick melted the prismatic and lavender scented wax.

The wind blew briefly, raising a small dust cloud.

And then it stopped and the usual sounds of the night resumed.

In his lifetime, he witnessed the lunar eclipsing of Jupiter in the constellation of Aries on numerous occasions. But to have all the ruling planets present and then be supported by Mars, normally a male­ficent celestial body, was truly extraordinary.

On that one day, all the heavenly hosts had aligned signifying the birth of a great king.

On that one day, High Priest Nasreen, the Zaratoshtrutema, the highest title bestowed on a Zoroastrian priest dedicated to the worship of Ahura Mazda and a devout believer of the words uttered by the prophet Zarathustra, wondered. Could this mysterious newborn king be the Saoshyant, the one who will set the apocalypse in motion to purge the world of death and destruction?