✦ Chapter 20 – Moses (4) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
“Get ready, everyone! The grand finale’s coming up!”
The religious drama, <Exodus>, was racing toward its climax. Backstage, the mage responsible for special effects issued commands.
This was his domain, the realm of special effects—the most dazzling, realistic special effects the Otherworld had ever seen. It was a point of pride for every troupe to have at least one illusionist on their payroll.
“Activate the setup as soon as you get the signal! This part is the most crucial in today’s play!”
“Yes sir! ”
“Understood!”
With crisp responses, the staff scattered to their designated positions. The mage couldn’t help but chuckle as he went over the final, glorious ‘miracle’ one last time.
‘How does Phantom come up with these things?’
Bridging the gaps in the scriptures with speculation and imagination was nothing new, of course. Even though Divine One’s existence was undeniable, the lives and deeds of many ancient prophets and saints were shrouded in mystery. Was that what inspired Phantom? Whatever the reason, it was a time-honored tradition — weaving plausible narratives from the scant information available.
For example, there was a passage that mentioned a prophet using God’s power to part a body of water. Based on that single sentence, someone had invented an entire mystical epic.
Such scripts typically aimed to deliver a moral or sermon, often disregarding the need for a flawless storyline.
The core objective was to convey the messages of the scriptures, not necessarily craft a seamless narrative. Even with some embellishment or creative liberties, it didn’t involve outright fabrications.
“………………”
Yet, Phantom’s script was both similar to and fundamentally different from past works.
Phantom’s narrative was intricately woven, resembling a meticulously crafted tapestry. Each line radiated an almost divine holiness, as if it had been whispered by the Gods themselves.
Most remarkable was the climax, which was poised to cap the story.
‘He must have based it on that obscure legend about an unnamed prophet who parted a sea…’
The mage himself vaguely recalled hearing the legend. But he would never have imagined that someone could take such a fragmented tale and transform it into something so… monumental.
Phantom’s Moses wasn’t just a character in a play. He was so lifelike… so real… that it was almost as if he had actually existed, leading his people out of slavery in some forgotten era.
Just then, the frantic voice of an extra rang out from beyond the curtain.
[Moses! Moses! It’s terrible! Pharaoh… Pharaoh has broken his word! He’s coming after us! He’s bringing his army to destroy us all!]
“Alright, showtime! Is everyone in position? And no mistakes! ”
That was his cue. The mage hurried his assistants along, then began to mutter the incantation for the grand illusion under his breath, preparing for his most spectacular act.
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“W-What? He’s breaking his promise? He’s going back on his word and trying to kill them?”
“Damn you, Pharaoh! You treacherous and vile heathen!”
The paladins became agitated, their faces flushed with indignation. Being deeply pious, they were particularly sensitive to the breaking of promises.
In their eyes, an oath between individuals was a sacred and honorable vow; to break a promise, to deceive another under false pretenses… it was anathema.
……But if Moses was fazed by this turn of events, he didn’t show it.
Boom—! Crack—!
As if on cue, storm clouds gathered overhead. The sky turned a sickly green as thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Then, from the heart of the tempest, a pillar of fire descended from the heavens like a spear of molten gold, striking the ground.
The pillar of fire blocked the path of Pharaoh’s army, who had broken their promise and pursued the Hebrews with malicious intent.
[A-A pillar of fire!]
[God! Our God!]
[But… but there’s nowhere to go! Pharaoh’s army is behind us… and we’re trapped by the sea!]
The Hebrews were trapped between a rock and a hard place—Pharaoh’s army on one side, and the vast, impassable sea on the other. As they panicked, unsure of what to do, Moses calmly walked toward the roaring waves.
[Moses, my son, Moses.]
Just then, God’s voice, powerful and reassuring, boomed through the air.
[Do not be afraid.]
[With this staff, you will perform my miracles. ]
[……………]
Mr. Renoir, playing the role of Moses, closed his eyes, his hands gripping the staff. And then, slowly, deliberately, he raised the staff and pointed it towards the sea.
Fwooosh—!!
Before everyone’s eyes, the vast sea parted to the left and right.
The majestic scale of the shoreline, created through illusion magic and otherworldly stage technology, was awe-inspiring.
The waves, once so restless, now rose up on either side of Moses, forming giant, towering walls of water. Between them lay a path wide enough for the Hebrews to pass.
“The… the sea! It’s parting! ”
“Aah… Aaah…”
The paladins were speechless, completely enthralled by what they were witnessing.
Several of them had tears streaming down their faces.
They crossed themselves repeatedly, even as their rational minds told them that what they were seeing was nothing more than skillful stagecraft, an illusion created with magic and machinery.
But that didn’t matter, not to men worn down by years of endless war.
What mattered was that this play—this fictional story based on the religion they had given their lives to—showed them salvation. It showed the Hebrews—the people they now saw themselves in—being delivered from their hopeless situation.
And it was all presented in such a grand, miraculous fashion, a spectacle worthy of being recorded in the scriptures.
[The slaves! They’re escaping using dark magic!]
Despite having let the Hebrews go, Pharaoh, blinded by fury and pride, could not let them escape.
He brandished his khopesh—his curved, ceremonial sword—and roared—
[After them! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!]
His rage was mirrored in the eyes of every one of his soldiers. They, too, had lost their firstborn sons. The plagues had not spared them. And so, casting aside all fear, they charged after the Hebrews, right into the heart of the sea, onto the path that had been opened for their enemies.
It was a fatal mistake.
[Pharaoh! Foolish, arrogant king of Egypt!]
As the last of the Hebrews reached the safety of the opposite shore…
[See now the true might of God!]
Moses cried, raising his staff high above his head and bringing it down with all his might.
Craaaash—!!
The sea, as if awakened from a slumber, roared back to life, the towering walls of water collapsing, the waves crashing back together with unimaginable force.
And Pharaoh’s army, caught in the deluge, was swept away—
— there was no time for them to scream, no chance to leave a dying cry. The returning sea engulfed them instantaneously, erasing them from existence.
Silence descended as the waters calmed, the magically conjured sea once again placid and serene.
“…….……”
“…….……”
An eerie stillness settled over the audience.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They just sat in stunned silence.
[And so it was that the Hebrews, led by Moses, journeyed to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey…]
After an appropriate interval, the narrator broke the silence, his voice soft and measured, like a father reading his children a bedtime story.
[Although their journey was fraught with hardship and peril, the Hebrews persevered, eventually reaching the land promised to them by their God. And there, blessed by God, they thrived and prospered.]
It was… a highly abridged version of events, to say the least. To use a modern analogy, it was akin to summing up history as, “Hitler got rejected by art school, so he killed himself.” And I hadn’t even touched on the whole “golden calf” debacle that occurred shortly after the Exodus.
But when it came to the overarching message of <Exodus>, I’d say I’d nailed it.
The point was to rekindle the paladins’ faith; burying them in historical details was pointless.
‘Alright, the play’s over. Time to see if it worked.’ I thought, folding my arms and scanning the audience.
A shudder ran through one of the paladins as he let out a choked sob.
“…W…”
W?
“WAAAAAAAAGH—!!!!”
The next moment, the entire audience sprang to their feet, unleashing a unified roar like that of fervent devotees.
— End of Chapter —
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Translator’s Notes :-
Netflix posted this tweet to Prince of Egypt, red sea parting scene =>> https://x.com/netflix/status/1835091157346390465
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