The Resurrection Of The Gods (ePub)

The Resurrection of the Gods is the story of Justus Longanimus, a veteran Roman centurion who accidentally resurrects the ancient Roman gods when he uncovered a black cylindrical box while digging the foundations for a new Saint Benedict's church. With the resurrection of the gods, not only does his former soldier strength and stamina begin to flow through his veins but also reason, intelligence and self-esteem return to mankind. By the 6th century AD, the Roman Empire had already fallen and converted to Christianity as the whole of Italy was about to be invaded by an Islamic army, and Justus Longanimus' legion of pagan tough soldiers were the only military unit the Catholic Church bishop had at its disposal to save them.

'...Having removed the earth off the top, he saw that the hard object he had struck with the shovel was perfectly round. Then he knelt down and wiped it clean, with the tunic hem, exposing a series of familiar figures that stood out to be seen clearly; a golden owl, a fire, a spear and a shield, an oak tree, and other symbols that represented the twelve major ancient gods he still believed in. The ancient sacred figures seemed to be made of gold and were embedded in a hard pitch-black material as they were arranged in a perfect circle around a central golden point or hub....

It did not seem to be made of wood at all, for the surface of its sides was extremely smooth and glassy. However, it did not look like marble or any other stone either. He wrapped his arms around the cylindrical object to raise it and take it out of the pit, but when he tried to lift it off the ground he could not move it. It was too heavy and its glossy sides slipped off his arms and hands. Then he sat down on the ground, looking at it in awe and wonder at the same time, puffing.

He stood up, grabbed his tunic hem once again and thoroughly cleaned the top. As he rubbed and polished hard the twelve golden figures, suddenly all of them twinkled three times as he caught a glimpse of a tiny little star arising from the miniature golden fire of Vesta. It fleetingly went up into the sky.

He quickly followed it with his stare until it disappeared in the distance. Then he noticed that more clouds had gathered above in the sky as the wind started to blow stronger and sharper than before. It became very cold as he hugged himself, his face distorted by the strong gusts. Then he began to shiver uncontrollably. He looked around, but he could not see very well; the tiny little star of Vesta had partially blinded him.