Chapter 3 — Cleansing and the Suits of Taben Rael

 

After the hour of meditation ended, the chamber remained still and warm. The five servant boys slowly opened their eyes and rose from the stone floor with disciplined grace, their refinement complete, their spirits in line, their bodies steady.

Aldwen gave a single nod.

Without speaking, the servants turned and walked toward the junction door that led to the Servant Showers — an adjoining chamber connected directly to Aldwen’s quarters. They entered in silence, for they had been taught for fifteen years that cleansing was not optional but covenantal. In brotherhood they washed each other, as Aldwen had instructed them since their youth: “They are one; no one above or under; they are one.”

The washing was deliberate. Each servant cleansed the other’s back, arms, and shoulders with reverence, symbolizing unity, equality, and the removal of any impurity before they could wear the suits of Taben Rael.

When the cleansing was complete, they dried themselves, movements synchronized, disciplined, and humble. 

Then they walked back into Aldwen’s quarters. 

They approached the massive wardrobe closet carved with ancient symbols of Taben Rael and opened it carefully. Inside hung five immaculate black suits, each paired with a crisp white shirt, a black tie, and polished black shoes — the garments worn only when the Brotherhood stepped into the world.

One by one the servants dressed themselves in silence, buttoning their shirts, tightening their ties, and slipping into their suits with reverence. The transformation was striking: the boys who had knelt in humility moments before now stood as refined men of Taben Rael, aligned and prepared for service.

When they finished dressing, they formed a straight line before Aldwen, shoulders back, eyes lowered, hands at their sides. Aldwen observed them without speaking, seeing not just servants but sons — men who had passed through ritual, purification, unity, and alignment.

The refinement was complete.

The cleansing was complete.

The dressing was complete.

And the Brotherhood was ready.

The Petition of Brotherhood: Chapter 2

 Chapter 2 — The Morning of the New Covenant

Early the next morning, Aldwen rose at 4:00 a.m. The chamber was dim and silent. The mountain outside was still wet from the storm that had clawed it through the night. He lay in bed for a long moment, staring upward, wondering if he had made the right decision. The new covenant rested on his hands and could not be undone.

He exhaled slowly. He could not rescue the world in a single sweep, nor intervene in every disaster. He must do what he was appointed to do — one day at a time.

Aldwen rose and slipped into his whitish nightgown, the garment worn only for meditation and prayer. He knelt on the stone floor. For three hours he remained there, unmoving, disciplined, breathing in the stillness of Taben Rael, praying with the quiet, ancient ritual of a man who had carried seventy-five years of turmoil and watched mankind tear itself apart.

When his meditation ended, he stood and turned on the television. The same trouble flickered across the screen — nations collapsing, sons losing their way, cultures devouring themselves. He watched in silence, knowing he could not fix it all. The Brotherhood was his assignment. The five young men were his responsibility.

Jabra entered the bedroom section of Aldwen’s quarters, walking quietly and reverently. He was dressed in fitted black briefs, a fitted black tank top, and fitted black socks — the garments worn after the ritual but before refinement. His posture was straight, his movements controlled, his face still carrying traces of the trembling from the night before. In his hands he carried a silver tray with coffee, fruit, and bread. He set the tray down gently on the end table beside Aldwen’s recliner, then lowered himself to his knees beside him, head bowed.

Aldwen smiled and lifted the coffee, sipping slowly.

Jabra spoke, asking when the chaos of the world would end, lamenting the suffering of mankind, insisting that the world was not to blame but the heathens within it — those tearing apart what God created. He asked whether they would burn in the lake of fire or be sent to the Corridor of Refinement, whether God would continue to have mercy on those who reject Him and praise the Dark One. He confessed that Aldwen had seen seventy-five years of turmoil while he was only twenty-five, and asked what they would have Aldwen do.

Aldwen rested his cup on the end table and looked down at Jabra.

“My dear servant boy,” he said, “the one who serves me as Father and Master, and the beloved son I never had. Chaos will end only when the prophecy of John in Revelation comes to pass — when Jesus returns. Mankind turned its back on God long ago, living lavish, lustful, ungrateful lives, not knowing many have already stepped into the chamber of Satan. When Satan was exiled to the earth and deception was planted, that was the beginning of turmoil — the wars, the killing, the seduction, the corruption. All of it is part of Satan’s plan.”

His voice strengthened.

“The Brotherhood must not sit and watch. We must do as God leads. We refuse to keep the ninety-nine and let one go astray. We must retrieve them.”

He softened again.

“Taben Rael is not a shelter for the sinless. It is a hospital for sinners. Its history is not always good. There have been moments of bloodshed and turmoil. It even produced a boy who was lethal, sinful, and would devour anything or anyone.”

Jabra gasped. “Is such a thing true, Master?”

Aldwen nodded. “There is much you do not know. I will only say this: the boy was named after a planet.”

Before Jabra could speak again, the outer door opened. The other servants entered quietly, dressed in the same fitted black briefs, tank tops, and socks. Joseph stepped forward.

“Master, we are here as you commanded.”

Immediately all of them fell to their knees — one beside Jabra, three beside Joseph.

Aldwen rose from his chair and walked to the cabinet beside his massive bookshelf. 

He retrieved the Paddle of Refinement — carved from dark polished wood and used only for alignment and purification. He returned and set it on the table.

“Refinement will begin before the boys arrive. I need to ensure your purification is in place.”

All the servants answered in unison: “Yes, Master.”

Aldwen took his seat. One by one, the servants approached, each rising from their knees and presenting themselves with disciplined posture.

 Refinement was issued — not as punishment, but as a means of alignment and purification, the ancient ritual preparing the Brotherhood for service. Each servant received his portion, bowed, and returned to his place in silence.

 The chamber remained still, warm, and sacred as the quiet morning of Taben Rael unfolded exactly as it had for generations.

After all five of the servant boys had received their refinement, the chamber fell into a deep and reverent stillness. Their bodies returned to their humble and immediate state, their breathing calm, their posture lowered, their spirits quieted. Then, in perfect unison, all five spoke with disciplined clarity:

“Thank you, Master, for the refinement, for we have gone astray but now we are in line.”

They repeated this seven times, each repetition softer, deeper, more aligned than the last, until the words felt like part of the stone walls themselves.

When the final echo faded, the servant boys rose. Jabra stepped forward, retrieved a bowl of water, and placed it gently on the floor before the long wooden table. The servants sat together and washed each other’s feet — a ritual of humility, brotherhood, and purification.

Aldwen watched in silence, saying nothing, allowing the ceremony to unfold exactly as it had for generations. When the washing was complete, the servants rose again and walked toward their master. With reverence and discipline, they removed Aldwen’s night garments, washed him with warm water, dried him carefully, and dressed him in his morning robe.

The ritual was not one of servitude but of covenantal honor — an act of restoring the Master to the state required for leadership. When the ceremony and refinement were complete, Aldwen and the servants all took their places on the stone floor, entering meditation together for one hour. The chamber filled with nothing but breath, stillness, and the quiet presence of God.

Tomorrows Episode

 

Taben Rael- Discipline is needed

 

THE PETITION OF BROTHERHOOD: Episode 1: The Chamber Stirs

 

THE PETITION OF BROTHERHOOD: Episode 1: The Chamber Stirs

The decree had been spoken.

The Bishop’s voice still hung in the air like thunder refusing to fade.

Then silence — heavy, sacred, absolute.

The pillars trembled once more, as if the mountain itself exhaled.

Dust fell from the vaulted heights.

The crimson carpet rippled under invisible power.

The Arms of Taben moved swiftly, clearing the chamber, guiding elders and witnesses out until the hall stood empty — a cathedral of breath and echo.

Then the mountain moved.

Not violently, but mystically — a rearranging of stone and spirit.

The pillars straightened.

Benches realigned.

Lanterns brightened with holy fire.

The crimson carpet smoothed itself like a living river returning to calm.

And the servant men returned.

Barefoot, hairless, disciplined — dressed in shining gold briefs, gold tank tops, gold socks, and white aprons — they entered in perfect formation, restoring order to the sacred room where the petition had been judged. Their movements were silent, their faces expressionless, their purpose divine.

The Bishop did not remain.

He ascended the mountain stairway to his private quarters at the summit of Taben Rael — the place only two may enter:

the servants he redeemed from exile in the Corridor of Redemption last year, and his son, Edward La’Mar.

Aldwen returned to his council, his robe still heavy with decree.

He spoke the names that now carried destiny:

Kareem Jubilee.

Daren Gamble.

Joshua Upright.

Lovett Jones.

Jason Albright.

Five young men — standing at the edge of darkness — approved by the Bishop’s hand.

Jabra, still trembling beside him, was excused to his quarters to wash, rest, and prepare for what would 

come next.

Outside, the storm clawed at the mountain.

Inside, the Brotherhood had begun.