Eon

Chapter 18

Carson made his way across the plains on the opposite side of the mountains. The long grasses clung to the black cloth of his suit, shifting in ethereal waves. The Cheson watched the Insurgent leave without intervening. Eventually Carson was but a mere mark on the horizon, another shade formed of reeds. The crystal trees called out to the lost then as a gust of wind went through the valley.

With the passing of the day the shadows of the twin mountains overlapped the Cheson camp. The Insurgents searched for Carson but he was far gone, lost among the plains.

The blood moon of Eon had just reached the northern skies when Carson found the forest from his dreams. This forest was small compared to the others the Insurgent had witnessed. He continued on, his face gleaming with sweat underneath moonlight as he struggled to reach the treeline. His heart beat fast and he was finding it hard to breath, but still the Insurgent proceeded, driven by the demons that now plagued his every thought.

Carson found himself gasping for air as he entered the oasis. The forest itself drew the Insurgent inward, an almost physical tug pulling him, a literal yearning to unearth, to be free. This pull allowed Carson to continue forward despite having exerted himself fully.

He came to the center of the forest. A almost perfectly-symmetrical hole had been carved here by some unknown force. The incision was large and made its way into the ground until the depth was knee-high. Carson paused to stare at the strangeness of the hole. It had appeared so suddenly that in the back of the Insurgent's mind he wondered if he was imagining the phenomenon.

Not a sound could be heard. Slowly Carson etched his way into the division, the same physical force from before pushing him in. The Insurgent's hands began to shake and his eyes grew wider as he descended into the hole. And before he was aware of it Carson was in the true center of the forest, an absolute median of everything that existed in Eon.

A great force of alien energy flung across Carson, knocking him to the ground. The Insurgent gasped and then began to hyperventilate uncontrollably. Visions flashed in his head now, pictures of the past, images of his family, of friends he had forgotten, of places he was only vaguely aware of. The golden locks of his mother hair draped across her shoulders and sat curled above her dress. His father gazed down on him, his demeanor punctuated by his monstrous jaw and shadowed face. Others flashed by, people Carson could barely recount let alone recognize. The stars above passed by at an increasing rate, the very rotation of Eon barreling forward without regarding those below.

The visions went away in an instant. Carson had control of his body once again. His hands were curled in front of him, as if he had been grasping some nonexistent thing. As he gained consciousness the Insurgent passed a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh of relief. To his surprise he felt himself tear up, and for a moment he thought he would cry there, his body curled up in the middle of the strange hole in the dirt.

Far away a cry sounded from some strange animal. A soothing sensation fell onto Carson then. His skin felt warm and there was a tingling in his fingers he did not recognize. From the corners of his vision he saw a glow. He turned to see the light, which was being carried by a Cheson women whose image sparkled underneath diamonds. And then she was gone, disappearing before Carson could cry out to her. The Insurgent slumped into the dirt and exhaled softly. He found himself wondering what time it was.

As Carson lay with his eyes closed an entire colony of white flowers began to bloom underneath him. The plants continued to grow in number until the entire hole in the center of the small forest was filled with the white creations. Carson reared upward as he watched the flowers grow. He turned to the moon then, Eon's white moon, which was full and shined brightly.