Matilda Jane and The Abysmal Road

Chapter 1

          Matilda Jane knew from a very young age that she would one day leave the small village of Constante, around the same time she realized her soul power. Even as a child it was easy for her to figure out not everyone could draw from other souls like she could. Of course this made her a prodigy, and MJ also soon realized that being labeled a prodigy so young really sets a person up for disappointment. Constante was a place for the hive, a collection of souls all on the same wavelength, and while she could tap into that, she always found herself resonating with higher vibrations. So when she turned 18, she left it all behind her.

           The Abysmal road welcomed her with a hum that shook her bones. The hive always warned about the road, blaming it for any detour that rolled in with the winds. MJ always chuckled at this, because from her view, if you didn't go out looking for life you can't really be surprised when death comes looking for you. She traveled alone for the first year, learning what this new life meant for her. She passed some of the soulless, wandering mindlessly in circles and promised herself to stay true in her own path. She felt her own soul change with the seasons, and then watched as the dirt road became gravel, and then pavement.

          The city before her was breathtaking, and here she found that the souls here were connected similarly to the hive, but the threads that connected them wove differently, more chaotically. She looked at the fork in her path, she could keep on the road or veer to satisfy her curiosity. "Going my way?" came a voice from behind her. Riding on a white steed, a man approached and tipped his hat in greeting. For the first time ever, Matilda couldn't get a read on a soul. This alarmed her, but the man charmed her. "How long have you been riding behind me?" she inquired. The man smirked, "My lady, I haven't been behind you, I've been waiting for you. Have you traveled far to get to Chasm city?"

           "I don't make a habit of talking to strangers sir, especially not ones that claim they've been waiting for me." MJ started down the road to the Chasm. "My apologies miss, I am known as Scout, and I serve as one of the Chasm's guides. Directionally, I came from my post behind you, but energetically I have been waiting for you since your soul entered our territory." Scout gestured ahead, "Judging from the direction you came, this is your first time in a soul city." "Soul city?" MJ's curiosity caved and Scout smiled victoriously. "Like you I suspect, everyone here has a soul power." In the hive, there were some, but the majority of the souls there were dormant.

             Scout rode next to her all the way to the city's ornately carved gates, explaining that the Chasm was originally a pit stop for travelers, but eventually many souls decided to make residence there, rather than continue following that hum of the Abyss. "You'd be surprised how many people would rather end their journey early rather than see what waits for them out there." he grimaced and MJ chuckled, "I've seen it, though not to this extent. To me though, that would be equivalent to being soulless." Scouts head bowed, "That's a perspective I wish I'd heard a long time ago. Well, this is where I leave you, I have to return to my post for the rest of my shift. If you aren't planning on staying long, I recommend you head straight to the tallest tower, there you should find anything you need to continue your journey. And if you're feeling up to it,also check out the Chasm pub, it's got excellent soul food, and I'll be there myself when I get off duty later... If you want, of course."

            Matilda didn't like lingering much, but after a long quiet year of travel and many midnights of madness she found herself comforted by the familiar hymn of society. There was something nostalgic about Scout too, his soul became easier to read with the weeks, because it reflected hers. This was not particularly concerning until one night walking back to her rented room (this was also concerning, but this only occurred to her when she re entered the Abyss), Scout asked to kiss her. "Oh, thank you.. But no." came from her lips so rapidly that the reality fracturing happened in slow motion. She felt a deep crack in her soul when he walked away from her that night, the mirror ball shattered. Matilda Jane was young, but she knew enough about men and mountains, to pick the mountains. When the sun rose over them the next day, she made her way out of Chasm City and down the Abysmal road until it looked like broken glass pieces reflecting the last of the day's light.