Fractal Art project created by me in Canva
Author's note: This story is the second in the series of Eugenia, Omnipotent Being in Female.
Chapter 1: Before the guard escorted them from the Great Hall and they delivered the prophesy,
~
"It shall be on the day that the rains of autumn push against our shores, rushing into the temple. On that day, the sun will not set, neither will the dawn rise.
Those who banished us shall come by the thousands seeking refuge.
Our help they detest, for they fear us. But our help they will beg, for we are the only salvation of this land. On that day, one shall rise in love's embrace to rule the land that is Kyaco."
~
One mercenary broke free and yelled to King Sebastian, "there's already distrust and chaos in the kingdom. Your ways of ruling are outdated. The people want a new ruler, one who'll allow them to handle their own affairs. No more foreigners given the same privileges and earning the same wages!"
~
The next day, the King spoke: "My people. I tell you that I reject such ideas now and in the future as evil. And I forbid my heir to speak of it ever again."
~
Life settled back into calm. This was Kyaco in the days known by the world as The Aeon of Beauty.
~
But King Sebastian was old, his health was failing, and his heir bid his time.
Now, Chapter 2
The New King of Kyaco
Prince Kenai didn't have long to wait.
Three months later, on his nineteenth birthday, his father, King Sebastian died. Kyaco had lost its King and gentle ruler.
Laid to rest on the palace gardens of the People's Castle, the days of the kingdom known as the "Aeon of Beauty" had come to an end.
Except for a few members of the King's court inner circle, Prince Kenai's true makeup was yet to be revealed, having been carefully crafted and concealed starting at a young age.
In hushed tones, others loyal to the former King dared utter, "if it wasn't for his foreign-born mother, we wouldn't be discussing him as a potential leader."
Still others, despite the negative rumors they'd heard, offered a hopeful outcome. "True. But he may surprise us. There's something hidden behind those eyes. Exactly what, we can't promise."
Unlike his father, Prince Kenai was a few inches shorter in statue, but several feet taller in ideals and ego. What he lacked in kindness, he gleefully dispensed in cruelty. Quick to temper, his brows were frequently conversing with each other as they projected his disapproving thoughts.
Unlike his father, Prince Kenia reached out to other countries for his elegant wardrobe and expensive, premium foods. Rigid and tight fitting, the surcoats were ornately decorated. He discarded the simple dress with loose garments stitched lovingly by his citizens, as his father had worn.
His deep, round neckline of the jacket revealed a stylish royal tunic. The voluminous sleeves reached down past his wrist. His small, stubby hands were almost invisible under the long-sleeved shirt. His gold belts adorned with his country's jewels, hung heavy down the length of his coats. His shoes were crafted from imported leather. Long stockings appeared huge over his round, bulging calves.
Despite half the country's misgivings, Prince Kenai, the Beautiful One, as called by his people, ascended the throne through royal ceremony.
The people of Kyaco welcomed a fresh, young face.
The Winds of Change
On the thirtieth day of his reign, King Kenai paced back and forth in the Great Hall, overwhelmed by his thoughts.
The urge to tear the royal clothes from his body raged. The ship docked in the bay on the edge of the rain forest called to him. He wanted sail the seas in search of riches and adventure.
Gone was his mother. However, her voice jumped from the pages of the novels she read to him. As a child, her words of sea captains; monsters, treasures; and exciting adventure stirred in him a deep longing as he navigated in his mind sailing toward her native country.
Promising they'd visit, this unknown world he envisioned was buried deep within his heart. His father never understood his burning desire to leave Kyaco for unknown seas. He reasoned why visit a foreign country when Kyaco offered all he'd ever require.
So consumed was King Kenai with his own desires, ruling a country was second place. Thrust upon him, he accepted the role.
Slowly he realized the crown could assist in his goals. If only he could amass the wealth of the entire country, it would be his alone. Thoughts of his countrymen did not enter into his plans.
But how to amass such wealth?
He chuckled to himself as his thoughts turned to the foreigners. Surely given their worldly knowledge, he reasoned, the ones whom his father sentenced to prison could advise him.
"Bring the foreign prisoners here," he ordered one of his loyal guards. Sitting as stately as he could manage, he entertained the prisoners.
"First, let us congratulate you, King Kenai. May you enjoy a long reign. How may we serve?" The three mercenaries held back from smirking, knowing the former king would die soon and remembering their previous conversations with Kenai while his father was alive.
These men were anxious to gain control of Kyaco's rich rain forest's resources for their own rewards from their native country.
Jorang, the leader of the mercenaries, stepped forward. "We could better serve you were we free to meet with your countrymen and put forth our...I mean...your proposals."
King Kenai smiled broadly, then nodded rapidly in agreement, declaring for all to hear, "From this day, I bestow upon you three foreign born citizens the titles of Advisors to the Kingdom.
Jorang had already advised Kenai when he was still a prince the changes that would be prudent to put in place immedately rules to bring the citizens more in line with the new, progressive Kingdom so that citizens wouldn't question his authority in the future.
The next day, King Kenai issued his proclamation effective immediately:
The castle would no longer be accessible. Appointments would be granted upon request.
Citizen visits to the castle to register complaints or grievances were discontinued.
Citizens would now be classified and placed into a new hierarchy being developed, with different laws and rules for each level.
Assembly by citizens in opposition to any proposed changed were forbidden.
Increased taxes would take effect immediately.
Improved harvesting techniques would be introduced.
Feasts every thirty days distributing free food and coin would be cancelled. Entrance desired to any planned event by the court must obtain approval, with citizen bearing gifts for the King.
No citizen allowed to travel outside the country.
Foreigners were no longer welcome.
The King's dwelling will henceforth be named: Kings Castle of Kyaco.
Within days, Jorang and his other mercenaries set out to spread the word about the new rules they were to live by.
Shock and panic consumed the citizens of Kyaco as Jorang, together with his band of mercenaries, scoured the countryside to the far ends of the rain forest.
The beautiful place of love and respect built by the people would no longer bear the name, The People's Castle.
The citizens mourned the loss of their former King Sebastian. They wept for him, happy that he wasn't alive to see his beloved rain forest of Kyaco unrecognizable. But most importantly, they wept for their loss of freedom in their beloved country.
Like all things worldly, the People's Castle continued to look beautiful on the outside, but inside, evil ran rampant, unchecked, until sanity oozed from its royal chambers.
The citizens no longer spoke lovingly of Kyaco as prosperous in the land of plenty.
The days of the Aeon of Beauty had come to an end.
The Promise of the Caste System
Darkness followed.
The Kings Castle of Kyaco witnessed its new ruler, now alone in his Castle, turn away from his people. Ruthless, destructive and manipulative tendencies blossomed. He absorbed from the mercenaries' instructions on the art of towering over this subjects despite his short statue.
Consumed with greed, his people were only subjects with which to extract wealth. The citizens whispered, referring to him as the Impressionist King of Kyaco, as foreign countries now ruled his kingdom.
King Kenai grew dark in mind, spirit, and appearance.
Darkness also pervaded the kingdom. The country once a modest, but dense rain forest unaware of the seasons, began to experience rapid changes.
King Kenai raped the land. Without regard for the old ways of preservation, the rain forest suffered. Infestations and crop failures caused the country's resources to dwindle.
The area to the south, formerly blanketed with a lush emerald forest canopy supported by a mild, humid climate gave way to rot and decay. Vegetation and wildlife that once flourished in their habitat slowly decreased in variety and numbers. Exotic animals were rarely seen.
Wealth by natural resources conducive to health and longevity of life declined.
At dusk, from atop the tallest trees, the iridescent landscape no longer revealed a shimmering array of auburn, emerald, and gold colors intertwined as fireflies failed to weave through the branches.
A majority of the population felt the negative effect of the changes, especially the ancient people known to be original to the rain forest, together with their customs.
The mercenaries were successful in reaching a multitude of Kyaco's population. Indeed, as they predicted, a crack in the long-standing foundation of the country could be felt by all.
However, King Kenai pressed on toward his goal of riches and wealth.
His new attitude now prevailed. He welcomed all who desired to dwell among them only if they were of a certain social standing. Their wealth added resources to his private treasury.
Not all the King's citizens resisted such change.
Those in favor of his new policies, lauded it as a welcome step into the future for the Kingdom's sake.
Those were the people whom the mercenaries brought word to King Kenai that secret audiences with him would be forthcoming.
Those were the people who were rewarded for their loyalty with raised status among their brothers and shared in the wealth of the new Kingdom.
Those were the people who produced the majority of products and were considered most valuable for their contributions to society and to the long-term success of the country.
Those were the people who banded together in a secret society. Their mission was to assist the mercenaries in contacting the individuals of like mind who believed that they must not uphold and burden their shoulders with others who relied on them for sustenance; who were weak and couldn't survive on their own accord. They believed those individuals were a drain on their country and its natural resources.
Those were the desired citizens.
King Kenai recognized his Kingdom and his dream of wealth were dwindling.
He couldn't expect the wealthy and those of social standing who had moved up in the hierarchy to perform manual labor.
He needed laborers. Not just for the harvest, but to rebuild Kyaco. And he needed a considerable number.
The Advisors to the Kingdom stood ready with the solution.
They had previously assisted other countries with securing workers from beyond the waters in the East. The expeditions proved profitable. There was no reason to believe it would not work for Kyaco.
The idea of a distinct caste system promoted and hailed as the future filtered throughout the country.
However, for a small number of the citizens, work without compensation was unimaginable. But to bring foreigners to their land of plenty to toil the vast forest without pay or shelter, was cruel punishment.
They'd never heard of such dealings during King Sebastian's reign. He was a fair man to all.
But then, others would remind them that King Sebastian was dead. King Kenai was now the ruler. The ruler they had chosen. For better or worse.
King Kenai gave no thought to the grumblings and protests of his people.
With pride, the mercenaries provided the King with a name and classification for those unpaid workers the King paid a paltry amount for, but expected to recoup his expense a thousandfold.
Slaves.
What a novel idea, the King thought. Reflecting the new country's values and urgency, King Kenai ordered ships be built immediately to bring the new Slaves to the shores of Kyaco's rain forest.
Anticipation was high. It didn't matter which people and where they originated, as long as they were submissive.
King Kenai sat on his throne in his Castle anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new Slaves.
My Fractal Art and Stable Diffusion Project
In approaching my current stable diffusion project, my second series dealing with powerful women I titled: "Omnipotent Being in Female". My second female in this series is Eugenia. In creating Eugenia, I wanted to portray a beautiful African princess. Her story is one who rises to power to defeat an oppressive dictator ruling in a beautiful land.
The images for Eugenia will be an array of pure fractal art, stable diffusion or generative images.
Eugenia is a multi-part story.
Part 1 depicted the land of Kyaco, a beautiful rain forest.
Part 2 tells above of the decline of the kingdom after the King's death.
Please stay tuned for Part 3 and beyond as Eugenia comes into her own in a land desperately requiring the gifts she have to offer.
To complete the images I included in Part 2 of my story, I utilized two of my beautiful pure fractals I created in an advanced version of the open-sourced, free fractal rendering program, Apophysis 7X. I rendered the image on a transparent background. However, for purposes of providing a detailed version, I wanted you to see its full effect on a black background:
I titled this fractal, "Blue Crown of Thorns". I knew I'd use it for my Eugenia story in some capacity. I feel it worked perfectly.
Adding the image of a man with a crown and his alter ego, I used the following images.
For my pure fractal of the rain forest I presented in Chapter 1 with the procedures for its rendering, then utilized the stable diffusion feature of Deep Dream Generator to create the mystical galaxy rain forest.
Using Canva with my Annual Pro Membership Subscription, I was able to blend the images to create my projects.
Pure fractal created by me in Apophysis 7X
Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my fractal art and stable diffusion project.
Thanks,
@justclickindiva
Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
