A Nagas tale

History will repeat

'Can you hear me? little one?' A voice probes my mind as I float in this void. 'you who asked for the tale of this dying world.' I sit up startled awake by the voice. I look around myself but find nobody in my messy room. 'You must come to me. Come closer.' The voice beckoned. I look at the large book my Dad had been working on for a long time. I look at the calendar on my wall 'March,' I sigh feeling frustrated that it's already been three months. I get onto my knees and look at the papers on my cot. The tests I've run on the stones the weeks before. These are all the same there is not a single thing different between the five stones. 'It's not a shock that they are the same at this point. The one thing I find most shocking is that the aura is alive.' I look at my hands recalling the pulsing that came from the stones. 'The pulsing felt the same as Kogens aura when we where home.' Those days I spent sitting in his lap feeling his heart beat against my ears. Each beat of his heart created a pulse in his aura. I shower to cool my body from the heat of this world. I change into my army-appointed uniform. I pull my hair up in a tight bun to keep away the heat. I gather my papers and walk out of the room stuffing the documents in my bag. "Audrey! Are you going to run more tests on the stones?" Sam rushed over to me. I smile at my new friend "Yeah, do you want to watch?" I ask. He shakes his head "No! You need to eat! You've been skipping meals lately!" he scolds. I frown "I'm not hungry!" I refuse. He shakes his head "No! I cannot let you go hungry under my watch!" he huffs grabbing my wrist and dragging me to the lounge. "Sam I understand it's part of your job but I can eat a protein bar and I'd be fine." He shakes his head "Sure it's part of my job but you are a friend. I am not letting you go hungry!" He scolds. I sigh knowing I wouldn't hear the end of it if I did not eat. 'Child, get closer.' I shudder to hear that voice again. I stop "Audrey!?" Sam huffs annoyed with my stopping. "D...Did you hear that?" I ask turning to the collapsed wall. "hear what? Audrey stop trying to get out of..""That voice!" I pull my hand free from his grip and rush towards the collapsed wall. The men guarding the area try to block my way. I quickly duck under their arms and jump over the concrete walls they put up. 'Can you hear me?' the voice asks again. I nod "I... I can hear you." I answer putting my hands to the rocks and pressing my ears to a stone. 'Ah, it's been a long time since I've been able to speak with a young naga.' "A long time?" I ask "Audrey!" I gasp as my dad pulls me away from the wall. I turn to him annoyed that they are getting in the way of me finding answers. "what are you doing!? this wall is unstable! any little shift can cause another cave collapse!" he scolds. "I heard something!" I tell him turning back to the wall. "you heard?" he asks. I nod pressing my ear to the stone from before. 'I see you are not the only Naga that has taken refuge in my home.' My eyes widen I grab my dad's arm. "D..Do you not hear him!?" He puts his ear to the wall "Hear who?" He asks. 'I do not think they can hear me.' The voice answers. "are you?" I lock eyes with Dad. "The ancestor of this world?" I ask only to get a soft chuckle. 'So you are aware of me.' He answers gleefully. I pull my ear away from the wall slapping my dad's shoulder. "We need to get into the cave behind this wall!" He moves away from my slaps "Audrey it's not stable enough for us to dig through." he explains. "What do we need to make it stable!?" I ask wanting to get answers to the questions I have. He nods "We have been putting up support beams in hopes of getting back there." He explains. I nod "So then! What's taking so long!?" I ask. He frowns "All of the convoys we have been waiting for have been attacked and stolen by that religious group." He explains. I look at the two support beams that have been put in. "I..is that why it's taking so long?" I ask. He nods "We are having more of them drop nearby." He explains. I nod "W..well we need to get them quickly!" He agreed with my urgency. I had to wait for them to get this shipment of support beams. So I sat at the edge of the concrete walls. I looked at the stones "Hello!" I call out hoping to get an answer. 'not' Whatever he was trying to say was getting cut out. "Am I still too far?" I asked but there was no reply. I spent two weeks reading my dad's book which carried only information that I already knew about. The men had started digging the wall which was 15ft thick and contained many large boulders. "I hope nothing Important caved in." I look at my dad who watched them dig out the wall. Two days passed until we were given the all-green. It took a day of digging for them to break through and another to set up extra supports on the inside of the cave path. I did not wait for them to gather their men. I sneak into the cave my eyes adjust to the dark that hides old runes. I walk to the edge touching the runes they start glowing a bright blue color. "Woah." I close my eyes as a light points towards me. I open my eyes again "Sam lower the light!" I whisper waving my hand so he would listen. "oh right sensitive eyes." He lowers the light to the ground. I trace the runes and the drawings carved into the stone. 'A village.' I can make out small houses and roads. I read the letters on the wall written in the ancient language. 'The home we miss dearly.' I look at the other runes following the wall. 'These are snake beasts.' I touch the carving 'Why are there snakes?' I turn my eyes to the glowing blue mushrooms on the wall. "Audrey! why are you in such a hurry!?" Dad walks up to me letting out a deep huff. I look at him before turning back to the walls. "These runes, did you see them before?" I ask following the letters down. "I...I did, but these mushrooms are new." He points out. I touch the mushroom watching the light fade from it. 'These are my way of guiding you little one.' I hear the voice stronger. I follow the mushrooms down the path with my eyes. I spot a picture that looks like a war depicted on the walls. ' A war?' I follow the pictures down seeing them change from a very wealthy land to nothing but ash. 'what happened?' I wondered "Did you see these?" I ask Dad. "No, The first scale was at the mouth of this cave path." He tells me. I look at him as he looks at the opposite wall. My eyes capture a picture of a naga and what looks like a pregnant woman. I walk over and touch the drawing 'If there was a naga on the way, what happened?' 'If you are searching for answers child come closer.' I turn towards the dark pit illuminated by blue glowing mushrooms. I move away from the runes on the wall and follow the mushrooms down. "Audrey, be careful." Dad warns me. I can see this cave without much problem so I keep going. He follows after me I can feel a small aura coming from ahead that feels the same as the scales we found before. 'Ah, I see A child of my dear friend.' I stop in the center of a large room. My eyes find those glowing runes all around the cave walls before they settle on a lone fang at the center. "Are you the Ancestor of this world?" I ask 'Do not fear me, Although I am not your Ancestor. I appreciate your respect.' He answers. I take a step closer to the fang looking up to the end of it. 'it's just a large fang, where is the rest of its body?' I wonder "What happened?" I ask wanting to know how such a large being is now gone. 'If you wish to know, touch my fang and I can show you young one.' He offers. I turn to my Dad who is still looking at the runes around us. I get closer putting my hand on the fang "Audrey! Be careful!" Dad quickly pulls my hand away from the fang. "Dad!" I hiss pulling my hand out of his hold. 'Do not be angry with a protective father.' I look at the fang hearing the voice sort of chuckle. "I can hear the ancestor." I tell Dad as I reach out to the fang. "Audrey! there is no way you can hear the ancestor!" He seems skeptical. I frown before putting my hand back on the rough fossilized stone. He does not say a word and his aura feels weak. I look up at the fang turning my eyes to Dad who also looked at the fang. I take a deep breath and close my eyes before pressing my forehead on the fang. 'I apologize for being so weak.' He speaks up. I frown "It's not your fault." I mutter. 'Oh child how I wish your words were true.' He answers. "A... are you saying your state of being is your fault?" I ask. 'Yes, let me show you what happened to this world.' He lets out a huff. 'I will need to borrow some of your aura, do you mind?' He asks. "N...no go ahead," I answer. 'sit at the base of my fang and meditate so I can show you and your father.' He directs. I nod stepping away from the fang before I take my place at the base of his fang. I close my eyes and meditate 'This is what happened.' I shudder as I am put in a field of dead bodies. I feel my stomach churn seeing dead women and children. Some look like they are sleeping and others are mid-delivery. I cover my mouth and jump as the plane changes to a war. 'snakes!' I step back seeing an army of snakes using guns fighting the forest inhabitants who are using swords. My eyes widen as the forest is set ablaze by the snakes as they search. 'what are they looking for?' I asked 'My cave.' The ancestor answers. 'W...why are they?' I watch as a small group of people hide within the cave. 'It started with the women in the forest growing sensitive to strong auras.' He tells me. I watch as the people in the cave do their best to survive. "sensitive?" I ask before he turns the plane back. I am again standing in the trench filled with dead women and children. 'They contracted a disease that made their bodies too weak to birth any children with auras stronger than their own.' My blood drains as I recall what Kogen had told me before. 'The women started dying from an unknown disease during pregnancy.' I cover my mouth feeling sick just looking at the amount of women who have died. "D..Did they find a way to stop them from dying?" I ask. He sighs 'This was not the first time we encountered this problem,' he tells me. "It's happened before?" I ask. 'ions ago as we started evolving from beasts to beastmen, we encountered this problem with the much weaker women who had evolved differently from us.' He explains. "Women evolved differently?" I ask 'A woman's body can produce life, something only the gods were allowed to do, as punishment for their ability to bring life they removed their beasts.' He explains. I frown "So Gods are being petty." I huff annoyed at the explanation. He chuckles 'Yes, I guess you can say that.' he answers. 'Since their bodies are naturally much weaker to the beastmen they could not handle the aura that a beastmen child created within their bodies.' He explains. I nod understanding how that worked. "So women started losing their auras?" I ask 'Yes, this evolution happened too fast for those in this forest to handle. And history was not well preserved to prevent this mass extinction.' He sighs. I look at the women on the ground. 'If they had come to me, I would have told them that we can cultivate a woman's aura, influence it to be strong.' He tells me. "Cultivate?" I ask curiously. I flinch feeling his aura push against mine. Kogen's aura quickly wraps around my body pushing his away. 'huh?' I lift my hand to examine the aura. 'I see you've already created a bond.' He chuckles. "This is my aura bond with Kogen, how does that fit?" I ask. 'This aura bond you've created with your beloved is the way to cultivate a woman's aura.' He explains. I look at his aura slowly sink into my skin. "How?" I ask. 'A woman's aura has not been removed from their genetics. The aura did not evolve out of their bodies. Since they no longer have a beast form they cannot access the aura they are naturally born with.' He explains. I look up at Dad who is looking at what I have been seeing. 'When a man envelopes their partner with their auras. This will kick the woman's aura into action to protect them from perceived danger.' He explains. 'Can you tell me when you started bonding with your partner?' He asks. I nod "W...well it was pretty quick but it was after I was exposed to his aura." I explain he chuckles 'Must have been scary, huh?' He asks. I look at my hand remembering how scared I felt then. I nod "I felt like I was going to die." I answer 'That is what kick-started your aura, once your aura understands that the aura around you is not a danger but rather your partner, a bond will start. With this bond both your aura and your partner's aura find the perfect blend of each other, this will create a barrier between....' I feel a bit dizzy as the image before me starts going fuzzy. "Audrey! your eye is bleeding!" Dad quickly grabs my shoulders. 'I think I used too much of your aura. I apologize little one.' I nod as I pass out.