The War between Land and Sea
Cordelia, the angel of the seas, rose from the water of the Blue Sea. She was donned in a dress of emerald-green algae, woven with strands of seaweed and embellished with colorful corals and glittering shards of blue ice. She was on the brink of war with her older sister, Marcelia, the angel of the lands. They had agreed to meet in the neutral realm of the clouds to negotiate their demands and seek peace for one last time.
To parade her might, Cordelia arrived on a towering wave that soared higher than the peak of the highest mountain. She stroked Caprico, her pet poisonous multiped, who had coiled itself around her neck, and faced Marcelia with her ultimatum.
“Free my water that you trap under your sand and soil, or you will face the fury of the seas and learn how salty they can be. You are an angel, not a witch. Stop using such tricks to expand your land.”
“Give me my share of Ecovia’s Egg, or there will be no truce,” Marcelia demanded, slamming her rocky fist into her palm. She glared at her with her eyes as hard as flint and spoke with a voice as cold as steel, trying to intimidate her.
“My seas are the essence of freedom,” Cordelia’s deep blue eyes sparkled with pride. “If you break their tranquility, they will surge in tides and erode your precious land. If you defy me, I will swallow the entire mainland.”
“I am unshakable; your threats do not quake me,” Marcelia howled like her lupine mount, Ferro. “If your seas do not ebb back to your depths, I will wage war and claim the planet for myself.”
“Tsk, tsk,” Cordelia shook her head at her adamance. “What is so special about your rough, brown land that its greed drives you to the insanity of war?”
“I do not expect you to comprehend the value of my land. Unlike the waters of your seas, its terrestrial allure makes every plant and animal crave its possession,” Marcelia boasted. “They mark it, protect it, fight and die for it —it is a measure of power and glory! I delight in watching them battle in the name of my land. So step aside so I can give them more.”
“Stop your bickering!” cried Chasitia, the angel of the skies, wanting her elder sisters to settle their dispute. “You will commit a terrible sin if you resort to war,” she warned. “Mother Naturella will be appalled.”
“Please listen to Chasitia,” urged the other angels, the daughters of Botanella and Zooella. “The war will ruin plant and animal life on land and under the sea.”
Cordelia and Marcelia ignored their pleas, ending the talks without reaching a compromise. Chasitia was heartbroken, and it turned dark as night in the middle of the day as she sobbed a storm.
The birds eavesdropping on the conversation alerted the life on Ecovia about the looming war. However, there was nothing they could do but be at the mercy of the land and sea.
Marcelia, who was reckless and impulsive, got into her armor of diamond and smeared her face with the black soil from her eyes. Her orange hair blazed brighter than the lava spewing from the volcanoes. With an army of mountains by her side, she initiated the war. Red-hot magma replaced the rivers on land and streamed into the turbulent seas, causing massive explosions. The clash soon devolved into tsunamis and quakes.
Cordelia, being witty and intelligent, was strategic in her attack. She targeted Marcelia’s fleet of islands and, one by one, sunk them to the deepest depths of her seas. Those that remained fled far from the mainland to save themselves.
Marcelia was on the defensive and had to retreat when Cordelia’s waves crashed on the shores of the mainland. She shifted her tectonics to raise a wall of cliffs and mountains, ordering them to cluster into ranges to keep her water at bay. But the sea relentlessly pounded the shores with violent force and mercilessly eroded them.
Marcelia had underestimated water. What she considered a harmless liquid had the power to crumble even her strongest of rocks without sustaining any damage.
The soil was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water, unable to contain it any longer. It torrented to the center of the mainland and began flooding from the inside. It was only a matter of time until the sea completely submerged the planet.
The daughter angels of Botanella and Zooella wept in grief as the war tore through the land. It displaced flora and fauna, and many species perished in its casualty. They approached Mother Naturella in the playground of the universe and desperately implored, “Please do something to stop the war. It has left nothing but destruction in its wake. We can still recover from the devastation, but not if Cordelia devours the land.”
Mother Naturella did not want to interfere in the conflict between Geoella’s daughters. The two being the eldest of all the angels, she expected them to be mature enough to realize the error of their ways and reach a compromise on their own. But Marcelia approached her for help instead of talking it out with Cordelia.
“Please, Mother Naturella, I am desperate,” Marcelia fell to her knees. Swallowing her pride, she begged, “Please stop Cordelia from taking my land from me.”
Mother Naturella realized she needed to take matters into her own hands. She immediately cast a rainbow to the skies to visit Chasitia, still weeping in her realm of clouds. “There there, don’t be so gloomy and sad, little billow,” she consoled. “It is up to you to save Ecovia’s precious egg.” Handing her a vial, she instructed, “Sprinkle this elixir on your clouds, and it will bring a freezing cold winter lasting for ages.”
Chasitia scratched her head in confusion, unable to comprehend how the freezing temperatures could resolve their war. Regardless, she followed her command, knowing Mother Naturella knows best.
The icy winter breath froze the sea in its tracks, preventing it from advancing further inland. Ice sheets, glaciers, and other frozen formations shaped the water, trapping Cordelia in a massive iceberg.
With the threat of the sea contained, Marcelia could reclaim some of her lands. “I appreciate your help in saving my realm,” she expressed her gratitude to Mother Naturella. “I am forever in your debt.”
“Do not thank me, Marcelia,” Mother Naturella dismissed. “I did not stop Cordelia for your sake. You are just as guilty as her. You started the war all because of your selfishness and greed. As your punishment, you must help the plants and animals by rehabilitating your land.”
“I would rather be grounded,” Marcelia stomped her feet.
Ignoring her tantrum, Mother Naturella cautioned, “The effects of my elixir will eventually fade, and Cordelia and her frozen waters will thaw. If you want to keep her restrained and stop her from conquering the land, your mountains must shoulder the weight of her iceberg in the freezer of altitudes. They must wrap their peaks in the blanket of frozen water for the rest of eternity.”
“No! No! No! That is a cruel punishment for my land!” Marcelia whined.
“You must live with the consequences of your actions,” Mother Naturella sternly reminded her of the harsh reality. “Next time, think twice before acting on your greed.”
Marcelia’s conscience wouldn’t let her ask her landforms to bear the brunt of her mistakes. However, when word of Mother Naturella’s warning reached them and they learned what was at stake, her strongest mountains frantically raced to the shore. They lifted Cordelia’s iceberg on their shoulders to separate her from the sea.
Marcelia’s heart ached to see them hunched, silently enduring the weight. “I am sorry,” she apologized, bowing before them.
“Do not be, Angel Marcelia. We are always at your service,” the mountains forgave with a smile. “We are strong and capable and are willing to carry the load for the prosperity of your land.”
Meanwhile, in the prison of ice, Cordelia was seething in rage and indignation. She bellowed for a meeting with Mother Naturella every day. When winter ended, her demand was finally granted.
“Free me at once so I can reunite with my sea and claim the victory that was rightfully mine. Free me! Free me!” Cordelia pettishly insisted over and over again.
“What you call ‘victory’ would have destroyed the exotic diversity Ecovia painted on her egg,” Mother Naturella scolded through her whining. “You can throw a fit if you wish, but you will remain grounded for reckless inconsideration.”
“You are cruel and unfair,” Cordelia protested. “I am the embodiment of freedom, yet you get the mountains to imprison me on land. You sided with Marcelia when I was only finishing what she started.”
“You might be the embodiment of freedom, but you do not have the right to cause chaos,” Mother Naturella dismissed. “You did not heed the pleas of the other angels despite being told to get along with them. You were on the verge of victory, but in your arrogance, you did not even consider negotiating with Marcelia for the sake of the plants and animals.”
“Leave me to my solitude,” Cordelia crossed her arms, refusing to meet her eyes anymore. “I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”
Mother Naturella sighed at Cordelia’s petulance, realizing she had lost her way. Before leaving, she gave her something to think about, “If you truly believe you did no wrong, you can ask the plants and animals to break you free.”
Cordelia glanced outside the iceberg and spotted her pets and a few sea creatures who still supported her. They were burrowing into the ice and trying to scale the slippery sides to reach her. But she knew it would not be enough. She had given up all hope, acknowledging that no other plant or animal would join their efforts to free her.
The tides of the sea called out to Cordelia, agonizing her even further. She was hellbent on resuming her takeover when she escaped, determined to submerge Ecovia’s Egg under her sea.
As the temperatures warmed, the trees, flowers, and fruits sprang into vibrant and colorful hues. Animals finally emerged from their hibernation, eager to explore the thawing landscape. Birds sang melodious tunes, filling the air with their sweet music. Insects and reptiles scurried about, free to haunt the lands. Ecovia’s Egg was alive once again.
The daughter angels of Botanella and Zooella were finally at peace. They gifted Mother Naturella the season of springin gratitude for her help.
Mother Naturella rejoiced in their celebration, but her joy was tempered by concern. “I fear this is not the end,” she said. “I worry there will come a day when Cordelia is free, and she might resume drowning Ecovia’s Egg in her anger.”
“Is there anything we can do to prevent the possible calamity?” the angels anxiously asked.
“Chasitia, with her control over the weather, is the only one who can free Cordelia. Being close to her, she feels guilty for bringing the winter that imprisoned her. Chasitia is moody and temperamental, so try not to upset her, or she might release Cordelia.”
“We will try our best, Mother Naturella,” the angels assured.
Seeing the look of concern on their faces, Mother Naturella advised, “Heed my warning but appreciate the wonderful beauty of Ecovia’s Egg. Live your life without worrying about the uncertain future.”
THE END
