When destiny comes knocking, will you rise to its siren call? If FATE was carved in stone, do you have a choice to change the course of your life?
"One hundred thousand lifetimes,
Twenty-five to a fragment,
Four chances to a rotation complete,
And b...
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It is late evening when consciousness takes shape. In her wreaked state, it takes her awhile to regain her senses. She feels warmth along the length of her arms and realises that her fox is nestled against her, keeping her safe and warm. She hears the sound of running water and turns her head, to look at the river cutting through the mountain, snaking its way through its course.
Her fox bops her on her cheek, nudging and rubbing his head against her. She turns with a smile for him, and returns a nudge and a rub of her own. He licks her then, happy that she's awake and alright. Belatedly, she realises that he seems more listless, and notices that his fur is matted and dried a dark purplish-red. His coat is stickier too and when she lifts her hand, her palms are covered in blood.
Ice-cold dread floods her veins as she's shocked into action, a silent scream caught at her throat, tears flowing freely, blurring her vision. Her little fox is dying before her very eyes and she doesn't have a clue what to do. She wants to scream out the helpless wretchedness that is slowly consuming her, but all that she manages is a hoarse croak. Her little one is struggling to inhale, on his last breath, having pulled through and waited until she was conscious. He has brought her this far, but no more.
It is a strange phenomenon when the mind goes into distressed, panic-attack mode. Noise around her quietens, and stops. Her thought-processes are more sluggish, as her cognisant mind compartmentalises the situation and the events that transpired, bringing clarity and focus. In a second, she's gone through various fragments of splintered scenarios and meaningless reflection:
'The tiger actually came after us? I had hoped that it probably got scared turning to ice, it didn't dare to pursue us.'
'Is that the king cobra from yesterday? Did it follow us? Looks dead. Did it try and save us? Save me? Thank you, kind friend.'
'My little fox was so brave, fighting the beast...where is it anyway? Why am I still alive if it has killed my beloved pup? Shouldn't I be dead too?'
'What am I going to do now I am alone? How will I go on?'
'Oh? Is this the Orange River of the West? It glimmers like Sphalerite. Exquisite. I'm glad it's this and not the black river. What would we have found in the black one, I wonder?'
'Ah! So it is real! I thought it was a dream, a random story I fantasised in my feverish state.'
Then... 'Isn't this the Inner Sanctum of Holies? Why am I here?...Oh! Is that me sitting there? What am I learning today?' Walks closer and hears a voice, ethereal like the glass chimes tinkling during a breezy Spring day "...rtant...a life for a life, that's the Law of the Universe. You understand chaos and how it works. There is always balance and there is always a sacrifice, my child."
She had been privy to the Knowledge of the Clouds, Forbidden Knowledge of Eternal Secrets. The Word that brought all things into being and the Wisdom behind that Word. She had learnt it all and pondered upon it. The Butterfly Effect, The Temptation of Fate.
It matters not. Not the effect, nor the consequences. She will be unravelling uncountable treads of interwoven destinies. She has no idea what she will be doing to her own, never mind the others. But she's decided. She will be selfish in this.
She's bringing her fox back.
Brought back to awareness, she looks at her pup, and finds he has stopped breathing. Her breath stutters so hard, her ribs hurt. She's got a choice to make. When she started on this journey, she was lost, unsure of her direction, her quest. She didn't believe that it was real, and all throughout the wandering, she was doubtful, questioning every step of the way, even when she had her guardian, her friend. But reality has slapped her in the face and woken her up to her mission.
If this was indeed true, the other mountains embroidered by the legends, are true. She could use the elements present to her and carry them there, now that she knows she is able to use them so freely through her chants. She could go and be back in a jiffy, with her fox all better. The only downside to it is that it will take her awhile, as the energy to use the chants would render her useless. She cannot take the risk of having him dead for so long.
Or. She could stay right here, and transfer her energy to her beloved fox. By height and length, they were approximately half; which means she would most likely lose half her life force. That's fine with her, but will it take, a human to a fox? And if it doesn't, then what? Does she lose her half of her life force to the ether or will she gain it back, having not found an anchor?
She makes her decision. She'll risk it. And if this doesn't work, she'll just have to go on another quest to the other mountains. She's got to at least try before she gives up.
She sits on the pebbled shore, legs crossed. She places her fox on her lap. Then taking a deep breath, bringing to memory the exact words, she sounds the ancient words of the 'Transcendental Unbinding of Conscious Essence From The Bottomless Chasm.'
