In the steps of Eternity

Ocean's Acquiescence: Part 3

Day into night. Night into day. My feet crunch beneath my feet as I travel ever along the road towards the capital. Silent and barren the roads are for some reason or another. “I wonder where all the people are? These should be the central routes.” I could only think to myself after going this long.

Giving the whole ordeal more and more thought I finally catch a clue. “This rock. I have definitely seen it once before.” I can't help myself but shout in realization. Upon understanding what I think is happening I think to get a look at the stars and try to grasp if I was bound in a spell or perhaps jut had beyond awful sense of direction.

Looking at the stars they feel unnatural. As if they are many eyes that are looking down on me with both interest and disgust. My skin feels like it is crawling as I try to step beneath the trees to hide from their range of view. But as I began to move I lost all control of my own body. Forced to stand as still as a statue.

Cold. That is the only way I can describe the growing feeling around my body as it starts to pierce deeper and deeper into my body. “What is this?” I can't help but scream in my own mind. The chill only grows stronger. Though I am unsure if I was imagining it or if the voice I heard shortly after my thoughts caused it.

“Shhhhhhhh” Reverberated in my mind as I stood there. Though I struggle to really call it a voice, the very thought that someone was actually looking down on me set my mind to a very alert state. “Who is it. Why are they targeting me?” I think to myself once again as I try to analyze what is happening.

Before I could really begin to plan. Warmth started to spread from my very feet and through the rest of my body. The greatest feeling of liberation and comfort starts to fill my body and mind. But just as I was broken free completely from the frozen state. All I could hear was a low growl before a hollow scream filled the whole of the space.

I make myself ready to run, but suddenly I feel drowsy. Flooding my body with both Anima and Mana I force myself to power through the sleep spell. Taking one step after another towards the edge of the woods off to the side of the road.

Blinking my eyes. I find a very strange scene before me. The sun hangs barely over the eastern walls of a ruined city. Looking down I find myself sitting on a rock. In front of me is a crystal clear lake containing the ruins of an ancient city. A statue sits in the center of the entrance. Cast in my own likeness. Bridges and homes are built upon the large trees that have taken root as Women, Men and Children play in the water that “blesses” them with a warm and gentle sprite of light.

Standing I release my magic. Letting the moisture in the air to fade away and reveal myself. Tucking my head back into my hood I walk in the opposite direction that I had just before. The memories I can actually muster the knowledge from begs me to memorize what happened and to avoid it in the future. The likes of such events can only occur when a 'Being of higher existence' tries to influence the world.

Closing my mind of to the world as I walk off and out of the ruins, I contemplate on a way to hide myself from the vision of those that would decide it was fun to peek at me and my doings. Stopping at the outer walls after leaving I pause my thoughts on an idea that might hold some worth.

“If their power felt cold, gross and foreign to me. Then let us focus on using the power that washed it all away...” I think out loud as I turn to find a spot to sit and concentrate.

Once I find my spot to sit I start to focus on recalling the feeling. Like bathing in a warm gentle light. The sun rising over the peak of a mountain to bless a cold night with a warm gentle morning. As I began to think and recall more and more on the warmth I feel a slight prick in my barely beating heart.

I realize within the warmth is a tender kindness, almost as if there was a loving parent watching over and giving you their whole hearted protection. My chest begins to tighten with what I think to be... Loneliness. The warmth feels extremely familiar.

I am reminded of Elvithal. His warm and gentle Anima coursing through me. Yet this one feels different. Almost as if I was much more than the love for an adopted child. Almost like the love of someone closer and stronger.

Opening my eyes to look upon the world around me I actually find myself back on a lone island. Though the ocean around me is no longer a blackened abyss it still runs for as far as I can see. “Let us become closer to mother.” I hear behind me before arms wrap around me in a gentle embrace.

Without being startled I find myself nodding without much thought. Closing my eyes once more I return the embrace as the arms begin to fade away. Before my eyes open once more I feel that I have become much more comfortable in this strange world that I find myself returning to quite often.

Standing up and walking to the edge of the small island I lift my hand and pull in my finger as if beckoning something or someone. The water before me begins to bubble and churn releasing a silent groan from beneath the waves as land begins to rise ever so slowly. “Interesting.” I think to myself and the world around me.

With realization that it was me that changed this world when I had been here times before I start to expand the island just to test how far I could go. In the end I made land that expanded long over the horizon. Growing tired of toying around I sit on a mountain scape that I had made in a very vaguely familiar shape. “These mountains. I must visit them in the real world some time.” I think to myself again when I remember they were the mountains that I lost consciousness near once long ago.

Concentrating on leaving the world a door appears right before me. Small and simple. Made from 3 fine carved panels with a silvery handle. I reach for the handle and give it a gentle turn. The clunk of the latch echoes around me as the door begins to open wide revealing the place I had sought to go. “It looks like it is time to look and see what I can find in this old place.” I think out loud as I look at the cave entrance I remember floating my way out of.

Twining both Anima and Mana around me I feel a great sense of warmth fill my body once again and the world feels even more peaceful as I take my first step towards self discovery.

Each step I take crunches the stony gravel beneath me as I come up closer to the craggy cave entrance. Darkness spreads from the entrance to the very depth. “If I remember correctly. This should be a pretty steep fall.” I think out loud once more as I take a step thinking I am to fall down into the void. Instead I find a loose footing in what feels a solid mound of dirt and gravel.

Time hadn't left this place alone since I had left. Perhaps Elvithal took more interest than he let on when he was 'Watching over me' while I was sleeping. Or... Perhaps there was something else larger at play?

Giving things one final thought. A gentle brown light began to radiate over my body as I readied to clean the place up some. “I better get to work either way.” I say just to say. I mean. It makes me feel better okay? Sheesh.