The Rites of Man at the Threshold of Civilization

Like most of my writing, this was an exercise that slowly developed into something important, and after letting a friend read a bit of it, he realized that I was writing my version of a man going through the alchemical process of turning into gold. Yes, I see that. And, it does begin this way, but it slowly transformed into my fantastical take on the establishment of a civilization and religious practices at the transition between the twilight era and that of the ancient overlords.