More than a decade had passed since Tīrkkatarici and Kōpcāri’s family got to the Village of the Rophions. It’d been a long decade in Tīrkkatarici’s mind, who considered it an eternity if not more. The reason? Well, a sick child, Tīrkka, as his parents and the others got to call him, was forced to spend his days in bed, looking at the wooden ceiling of Dike’s ex-hut, which, after Kōpcāri’s family moved there, got to be theirs. There, on that wooden ceiling, the child got to see the infinity of the world and of the Cosmos at the same time. He was the only one seeing it, just as he was the only one seeing that gorgeous bird named Nēram (time) that was lazily moving her wings while floating above the earth. A bird that had gray feathers and blue eyes like the clear sky because, despite its ambiguity, Time still had innocence in its glance. Thus, often watching Nēram’s lazy flight, Tīrkkatarici understood that time wasn’t equal for all the alive creatures even if it flew in the same rhythm for all of them, and this was undoubtedly because of Mōrgaṉā, whom the Rophions feared the most.

Actually, also in time, Mōrgaṉā got to be Tīrkkatarici’s worst enemy. It was because he considered her the only one to be blamed for his solitude in bed, looking at Nēram while the other kids, the little wolves, were running over the blossomed fields of the village, a freedom that Tīrkkatarici had never had. That’s why he also got to compare his bed with a cell. Thus, the boy also got to hate himself for being weak and sick all the time because… how was that possible that a child that was seeing time would not be able to touch it? How was it possible that he was the only one forbidden to run outside, chasing the butterflies and smelling the beautiful and scentful flowers? Questions he had never had an answer for, eventually.

Despite all these thoughts and confused feelings about Time and Mōrgaṉā, the child knew that the only thing he could do at that moment was to dream about better times. Yes, he could only lie in his bed and dream about those days when he’d be strong enough to leave his bed, alone. He also dreamt about running over the fields like any other healthy child, chasing butterflies, looking at the blue sky in the morning and at the shining stars during the night while lying on the green soft grass, feeling the sweet caressing of the wind on his skin and the scentful perfume of the flowers in his nostrils. This was what spurred him to dream more and more… about freedom, Time, and Mōrgaṉā, even if these two seemed to be against him because, at the age of 13, he had painful crises that often left him powerless and forced him to spend even more days in bed, alone and forgotten by everybody.

Those days were really gray and exhausting for the teenager Tīrkka. Days that he got to compare to those that a person sentenced to death lives before his sentence: cold days and extremely dark. At the same time, Tīrkka got to feel his heart madly beating in his chest, painfully, while his hissing breathing was similar to the sound made by a snake when it saw its prey. Yet, despite those symptoms that weakened him inside and made him be against the whole world, the boy also felt that it was the right time for something. What for? He wasn’t sure. He only felt, with his soul and in his heart, that it was the time for something important. It was extremely important for him, in fact, because… he was sure that it wasn’t a coincidence that he got to feel something moving inside him as though he was feeling a killing pain at that moment, something that could make one bend to the ground or live in agony. A feeling Tīrkka hated eventually because it wasn’t making him feel pain or anxiety, but a strange hardness inside. At the same time, he started to hate the fact that he was forced to wait and be patient. Eventually, understanding that it was inevitable and absolutely necessary to do that, Tīrkkatarici decided to give Time some time while waiting for what was coming next.

To make it, he needed a lot of patience and strength of character because he had to struggle with himself at that moment because, even if he was used to waiting for something all the time and being alone, still, Tīrkkatarici couldn’t say that he was a patient person. Yet, understanding that it was what time wanted from him, as proof that he was ready to see the treasure hidden by the world inside it, the boy decided that he had to be extremely cautious and patient. For this, he started to meditate. He started to pay more attention to the way he was breathing, getting to control the flux of the air that entered his body and he also got to control the power of his mind by only closing his eyes and often entering a strange world, surrounded by darkness. Yes, the boy often got to enter a world where light didn’t exist, but which, strangely, never scared Tīrkkatarici. On the contrary, only when he was able to control himself, feeling no pain inside or in his body, when he stopped feeling the weakness flowing in his body and, in its place, he started to feel the energy, Tīrkkatarici understood how Time flew and what rhythm it had.

At first, he felt the flowing of time like a clapping of wings. Then, he felt circles-circles of energy rotating around him. He felt them while he had his eyes closed, standing in the middle of that nothingness that lacked light because he was capable of connecting with the energy only this way. After that, when he felt a little bit stronger, Tīrkkatarici got to feel the energy of the world like foamy waves of a sea before and after the storm. You know, those waves that continuously hit the rocks, splashing everything around with life and energy?! Something similar to what the boy felt being in that world. Yet, despite all that he felt, Tīrkkatarici understood that it wasn’t enough and that he had to do something more than standing in the middle of darkness and feeling the energy like waves or circles around him. That’s why he opened his eyes, in that world, even if he feared it.

He saw nothing there, at least at first: there was only darkness and a sea of silence there. At the same time, he stopped feeling the energy floating around once he opened his eyes. However, deep inside, the boy knew that it was only an illusion and that Fate and Time were trying to check how strong he was or if he was another „bold young man,” who got there by chance. That’s why he told himself that it was absolutely necessary to find the way back to that energy, this time having his eyes wide-opened. Yet, even after days of trying this, he couldn’t. Thus, repeatedly failing, Tīrkkatarici got to feel what despair meant. And, because of this, he was often twisting and tossing in his cold bed, despite the big fire set by his parents in the small fireplace seen in the middle of the room.

This lasted until the day he felt that he was doing something wrong and that because of this he failed repeatedly. It was January 13 when the boy felt this for the first time: the middle of the winter when the energy of the wind and of the earth was stronger than ever, allowing him to feel them even in the real world. At the same time, the boy felt the energy of the fire in the fireplace, which was slowly moving its red-blue flames, raising them up in the air or lowering them down to the burning ashes, whose warmth was so pleasantly felt from the fireplace. Feeling all this, Tīrkkatarici said that day, „I think it’s time!”

„Time for what?” His little sister, Lalli, asked him. After asking that question, Lalli, who was four at that time, focused her little black eyes, the glance of a curious mouse, into the gray eyes of the boy, which were covered by that white peel, waiting for the answer.

Tīrkkatarici wasn’t ready to give her the answer for the simple reason that he also didn’t know it. That’s why he only looked into his sister’s eyes, the one that had red cheeks at that moment because of the run through the snow and who just entered the house when he said those words. After that, he told her, „Time for sleep and dreaming.” Then, playing with her blond curled hair that got to the girl’s shoulders, the boy smiled, letting the girl know that he was fine and that he just wanted to be alone at that moment.

The girl smiled too, as she often used to do because she was a cheerful and very playful girl. Yet, she didn’t leave him alone as he requested. The girl just lay by his side and stared at that wooden ceiling that was weirdly shining, bathed by the light of the sparkles from the fireplace. After that, rhythmically breathing, just as the boy was breathing, Lalli said, „Yet, Tīrkka, I don’t understand what you see there, looking at that ceiling for days in a row.”

Tīrkkatarici smiled again. „The World and the Cosmos,” he said eventually.

The girl frowned while looking at him. „And, if we are serious now, what do you see there?” She asked again.

„I’m serious, Lalli,” responded Tīrkkatarici, still looking at the ceiling. „I see the Cosmos there… the World and Time. I can really see them.”

Lalli didn’t believe him, though. Because of this, she frowned eventually, pursing her lips too, in a strange smile, when she told her brother, „I still think that you are losing your mind now.”

„Do you think so?” Her brother asked her, smiling.

„Yeah! Just think a little bit about this: if you were me, would you believe that I see the Cosmos only by looking at a wooden ceiling?”

„Why not? Everything is possible in a child’s mind.”

„Yeah, well, you aren’t a child anymore,” the girl hissed through her teeth eventually. „Since long ago actually.”

„Aaa, no? Then, if I’m not a child, what am I?” Tīrkkatarici asked, looking into those black eyes of his sister.

„Just… my elder brother,” responded Lalli, confused this time. „Actually, I don’t think that the big brothers can be children. They… just know more than us, and have lived more. That’s why they can’t be children. Like me.”

Tīrkkatarici smiled again. „Well, I hate to disappoint you this time, Lalli, but… being a child has nothing to do with your age.”

„No? Then… What's a child?”

„Hm… a child is the one who dreams a lot. I think,” the boy stuttered, closing his eyes for a few moments. „At the same time, I think a child is the one who feels the innocence of the world, who hears the flap of the wings of the bird Nēram, who smells the scent of the rain, and the sweet touch of the sky’s tears. That one is an eternal child… in his soul only because his body grows up.” Lalli looked at him, confused. „What?” The boy asked her, seeing the confusion in her glance.

„I just…,” whispered the girl. „I was just wondering who’s that bird.”

„Nēram?”

„Aga. I’ve never heard about her before, even if you whisper her name all the time.”

„It’s because I gave her this name,” the boy melancholically said. „Nēram means time. She’s a unique bird, Lalli. She has gray feathers, shining ones. She also has a long tail with almost black feathers and blue eyes that remind others about innocence and life. Actually, when I hear her song, the one I hear all the time in my ears, I understand this world better. At the same time, seeing her flying above, I realize that I’m not alone in this world. She’s also alone. Nēram, I mean. It can’t be different because… Time is always lonely, just like our soul that looks for a pair all the time, longing for someone by its side, without being aware that maybe we should be lonely eventually.”

„Why? Really cannot exist soul mates in this world?”

„Of course, they are, Lalli. There are soul mates in this world. Just… they are so few and they are also lonely. Why? Because… even if they are meant to be tied forever by another soul, so few of them find their pair. The rest… just wander the world looking for their soulmate without being aware that they are looking for loneliness, in fact.”

„What about the bird Nēram, Tīrkka? Is she also looking for her soul mate?”

„No, Lalli! Nēram doesn’t have a soul mate. It is written for her this way: just to wander the limitless Cosmos and this Earth forever, fly in the height looking for loneliness, control the flow of our existence while carrying it on her big wings. And her song, the one that only a pure heart can hear, is the longing that we are carrying inside: the one for eternal life.”

„Then? How can you understand all this? More than that… how is it possible that you see this bird, Nēram?”

„I just… can see her! That’s all! I don’t think there is an explanation for this.”

„I think there is one for sure because… there cannot be different. For everything we meet on our way, there is an explanation. For example, why there is dew on the leaves in the morning, or why the sun goes to bed at sunset. Thus, there should be an explanation for why you see the bird Nēram too.”

„What if there is no explanation for this, Lalli? What if I can see her just because I want this?”

„Impossible.”

„Why?”

„Because, otherwise, nothing will make sense in this world. More than that, everything we know about this world will be useless because we’ll consider that if there isn’t any logic in this world there is no sense for us to be wise. At the same time, we’ll be useless because it can’t be otherwise when you don’t understand anymore the meaning of one thing or another. The same happens to the bird Nēram: if you are the only one seeing her, I think that’s because she only has to send a message to you.”

„Do you really think so?”

„I’m sure of this because… just think about this: you see her only when you are alone, right?”

„Right.”

„This is because the bird Nēram is also lonely. And, as you said before, soul mates always look for their pair, even if they don’t find it eventually. I think the same happens to Nēram and you: you can see her, but not touch her or be with her. The same happens to her: she can only appear in front of you, floating on the wings of energy, and spur you to dream. At the same time, even if you can't have the other one, you can be together: thinking about the other one and feeling the other’s presence. Thus, this is the explanation for why you see her: it’s because you shouldn’t be lonely anymore. Don’t you think so too?”

Tīrkkatarici kept silent, looking at the ceiling. He felt confused because, on the one hand, he understood what his little sister was trying to say, but, on the other hand, it was something impossible to believe. It was too simple, too easy to explain the existence of bird-time this way. At the same time, was it really true that Nēram was his soul mate? No, it couldn’t be so. It was possible in Lalli’s innocent heart only. She was the only one who could think that her brother was the soul mate of a bird as Nēram. Yet, what if he was the one in being wrong? What if it was real and logical what his sister said and he was just stubborn in believing it? Or maybe…

He winced eventually the moment he felt Lalli moving next to him. That’s why he looked at her and saw her pulling closer to him, somehow cold, despite the thick clothing she was wearing and the fire that almost died in the fireplace, but which kept warming the room with its hot ashes. And, as any other soul that feels cold looks for some warmth next to another alive soul, the little girl looked for that warmth by her brother’s side because only by his side could she feel the warmth of life. Then, when she lay her head on his skinny arm, the one he took from under the blanket to offer her as a pillow as he always did when she was lying next to him, waiting for him to tell her stories, Lalli looked at the ceiling again, saying, „I wish I see her too.”

„Nēram?”

„Aha. Yet, no matter how hard I try this, I can’t see her. I only see the wooden ceiling, nothing more. It’s probably because you are the only one allowed to see her.”

Tīrkkatarici smiled. „I think that if you want this, you can also see her.”

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„No, there’s nothing like that,” said the child sadly. „I can’t see her by looking at the ceiling. Yet, I might see her if you tell me about her. Yes, this will be the ideal because I can see things when you tell me about this.”

„It won’t be the same, Lalli, because you’ll see her through my eyes, thus. It’s not fair. You must see this bird with your heart and not with your mind,” the boy responded almost in a whisper, staring at the ceiling, which, right in front of his eyes, stopped being square or wooden, turning into the limitless Cosmos, covered by shining stars.

Looking at the same ceiling, Lalli saw it differently. That ceiling turned into a field covered by multicolored and scented flowers, above which the white butterflies of innocence were flying. And, seeing all this, Lalli smiled and said, „You should try it anyway! To tell me about Nēram, I mean! I promise that I’ll try to see her through your eyes because I don’t think that she’ll look differently if I see her this way.” Then, smiling again, while seeing herself running through those flowers to catch multicolored butterflies, she listened to her beloved brother’s stories, those he invented about that secret bird Nēram that lived in the Cosmos.

***

After the long talk he had with Lalli and especially after the long hours he retold her about the adventures of the bird-time, Tīrkkatarici finally fell asleep. Thus, he got into the magic world of the bird Nēram, where he often got during meditation, into that world where it was darkness all over and where he felt the pulsation of energy and life, like circles around him or waves that were washing his bare feet, making him feel a pleasant fulfillment inside.

Once there, he realized that the world was different from the last time he saw it. It was a world bathed by a strange light at that moment, a Cosmic light. Also, all around him, the stars were shining, having different sizes and shades of golden. More than that, in that world, the boy understood that he felt the energy differently: he didn’t feel it only on his skin as it happened before, but also in his heart, too, as though the energy of his life and of the Cosmos became one. Thus, feeling that change, Tīrkkatarici frowned. Then, looking around, he wondered, „What is all this? More than that, why did this world change?”

There was nobody in that world to give him an answer. He was alone there. Yes, he got there alone even if he fell asleep next to Lalli. Yet, even if he was alone there, he still felt his little sister sleeping by his side and still heard her words in his ears, „And… I think that the same happens to Nēram and you: you see her because she has a message to send to you.”

„Is it so?” The boy wondered, thoughtful. „Is Lalli right that Time has a message to send to me and, because of this, I see Nēram floating in front of my eyes?! Then, if this is true, how can I realize if this is really so?” Yet, even if he asked himself such questions, he had no answer for them. Because of this, he turned sad, feeling that he failed again. And, feeling disappointment sneaking inside him, he told himself that it was time to give up on that idea and return to the real world, where he should live his life like a sick and helpless creature, one meant to live alone and in total silence.

Nevertheless, turning his back to the most shining star, one that he didn’t know, intending to wake up, Tīrkkatarici felt a strange calling inside. Because of this, he stopped and looked around again. He saw nothing strange or different this time… everything looked exactly as he saw it when he got there that day. Even so, he kept feeling that strange sensation inside: a kind of calling that he couldn’t understand, of someone he’d never met before. Thus, feeling that it was time to allow himself to connect to the energy of that place again and stop fighting against himself, Tīrkkatarici closed his eyes and waited.

He waited for minutes in a row after he closed his eyes, until his breathing slowed down a lot, until his heartbeats were barely felt in his chest, and until he felt the blood flowing through his veins at a snail's pace. Then, feeling it deep inside, he deeply breathed in the Cosmic air, feeling his chest to the brim with energy, which he released later from his lungs as though breathing the air out. After that, he allowed himself to fall on his back. Yet, even if he thought he’d fallen into a bottomless chasm or something, Tīrkkatarici felt himself floating eventually. Because of this, he opened his eyes and looked at the Cosmic sky: the one made from shining stars and celestial bodies, those bodies that kept floating in front of his eyes, making him feel so alive and calm. At the same time, he felt fulfillment inside and peace, one he never felt before, just as he felt that he was protected there as if someone was holding him in his arms. Understanding this, he widened his eyes, in amazement, frowning right after that because he was confused with everything that happened to him that day. It was definitely weird and confusing, something his mind, limited in knowledge about life, couldn’t understand, just as he couldn’t understand the greatness of the world and the power of the Cosmos.

He didn’t understand anything of what happened to him until he clearly heard the scream of the bird Nēram, that scream he often heard in his ears while staring at the ceiling of their hut, but which was so alive heard in his ears at that moment, coming right from under him. Right after this, he felt that he wasn’t floating, but lying on someone’s back. At the same time, he clearly heard the flapping of two big strong wings, widely stretched to the sides. This made him look to his left where he saw the limitless Cosmos and a big wing covered by gray feathers. Looking to his right, the boy saw the same thing. Because of this, he pumped his eyes again, amazed and confused to understand that he was actually lying on the back of that bird that stole his heart a long time ago, after whom he longed so many times before: the Bird-time. And, also because of the amazement felt inside, Tīrkkatarici whispered, „This can’t be!”

He’d been even more surprised than before, hearing an answer to his thought, an answer that was floating around him at that moment, but which he heard so clearly, „It’s possible, Tīrkkatarici because it’s the time!”

„The time for what?” The boy asked.

„Time to give Time some freedom and allow the energy to flow in its rhythm. At the same time, it’s time to give you freedom because you’ve been chained for so long and kept in place when you have so many things to do.”

„Things like what?” The boy asked again, even more surprised than before.

„You’ll see! Now, you should only wide-open your eyes and look around, connecting your energy with the one of Life and Time,” he heard the bird’s answer again.

Finally understanding the message of Time, Tīrkkatarici climbed on the back of that big gray bird as though riding a horse and looked around. Thus, he saw the Cosmos in a different light than he’d seen it by then. He saw the light of the stars powerfully shining and he felt the energy of the world even more intense. The boy felt that energy like foamy waves, but not on his skin… right in his soul. At the same time, he felt the energy madly flowing through his veins, making him feel weird and dizzy, feel that it was too much for him, that his weak body, which lay for so long in bed, not being able to stand or see the external world, was unable to stand for at that moment. Yes, he had seen the external world before, carried by his father on his back or through the eyes of his little sister, but, seeing it with his own eyes at that moment… It was too much for him.

At that moment, on the back of the bird Nēram, Tīrkkatarici not only felt that he was able to see the world but also to conquer it with his power. He felt that he was able to fight for the world to be safe because he dreamt about this so many times before. At the same time, he felt that he was able to control the power he felt inside, a power that would allow him to see the world staying on his own feet and not on someone’s back. That’s why he looked down, eager to see the world with his own eyes.

Looking down, he saw something strange. He saw darkness there and no sparkle of light. And, in that darkness, which seemed like a big black blackboard, the boy saw six circles. They were drawn with red chalk as if outlined by flames. Circles that had been drawn not by the Cosmos but by the power of the bird on whose back he was at that moment. Yes, their power, the one that they finally joined, managed to paint, on the Cosmic Sky, the Six Circles of Destiny, circles that had the same size. Seeing them, right in front of his eyes, moreover, when he felt the energy coming out of them, Tīrkkatarici finally felt himself fulfilled, as he had never felt before. Something that made him smile and say, „They exist! I thought that they were only a product of my imagination, just as I thought you were, Nēram! Yet, you all are real!” After that, extremely happy, the boy started to laugh, looking at his skin, which had been purple by then but which had a pink color at that moment… the color of a healthy body, given to it by the blood that madly flew through his veins.

***

It was a Sunday morning when Tīrkkatarici finally managed to draw the first Ring of Fate. He drew it on the transparent wall of the air seen in front of him, at dawn when the first ray of the sun pierced the blue cloth of the morning sky. And, right after he outlined that perfect round line, the color of the flames, in the air, a pleasant ring of bells was heard all over that blossomed field that was next to the village of Rophions. To be more precise, the pleasant sound wasn’t heard only over the field that was to the right of the village. It was also heard above the village, as though that was a melody that had broken into many pieces, turning into birds later, which widely spread their wings to the side, allowing the melancholy and the sweet kiss of the morning to comfort them.

Then, when that clink of bells was heard even more powerful than before, as though the cloth of the morning air was vibrating, the Rophions got out of their houses, and, quickening their pace, they headed to the field where the boy was. The reason? They were curious about the miracle that appeared there because that ring of bells was really divine. The same happened to the air: it gave them a pleasant feeling when entering the nostrils, making those vibrations of energy feel so well while dancing on the skin. And, while heading toward the place where Tīrkkatarici was, the villagers kept looking up, at that beautiful blue bird, almost transparent, that suddenly appeared above them.

That bird was Nēram. Yes, the same bird that the teenager Tīrkka imagined so many times before, while lying in his bed, was real. The difference between the one seen on the wooden ceiling and the one that was flying above the Rophions’village and above the field was in the color of their feathers. The imaginary one had gray feathers while the one that appeared after the first Ring of Fate was drawn was blue - the color of the purity of the soul and of the Infinite. Thus, with that magic bird flying above them, the Rophions eventually got to the field.

Once there, they stopped and looked in the distance. Extremely amazed, they looked at that slow dance of creation, which the teenager Tīrkkatarici seemed to dance at that moment. Yet, he wasn’t dancing. The boy only slowly moved his arms and legs, drawing different symbols on the cloth of the morning air with his hands. Thus, when he finished that dance, a movement that seemed chaotic at first, in the middle of that first Ring of Fate, the curved line of the Infinite appeared. After that, two black circles were also seen, up-left and bottom-right. Then, humble, Tīrkkatarici worshiped in front of the Ring, whispering, „It has been possible, though!” After that, still bending in front of the Ring, he smiled because he was really happy with his success. He felt fulfilled because he had often felt the necessity to give up. Why? Because, in those four years since he started to move on his own legs and decided to create those Rings of Fate, which he saw in his dreams, he met a lot of difficulties on his way and he failed many times too. Yet, stubborn by nature, Tīrkkatarici told himself, „It’s not the moment yet.” He said that to himself every single time he felt he was about to give up. And, to comfort himself and convince himself to continue, the boy also told himself, „If I give up, who’ll fulfill this sacred mission then?” Thus, part because he was stubborn and part because of his luck, because Tīrkkatarici had never believed in talent or mission, he got to create the wonder of the Rophions: the First Ring of Fate.

Actually, the first time he mentioned those rings to the Rophions, they thought he was crazy. Some of them even laughed, saying that there were simple inventions of a boy. The others kept silent and took thoughts because, even though it was a good idea to create the Six Rings of Fate to protect their village and the whole world, none of them knew how to do that. That’s why they preferred to think, allowing the rest to get used to that idea too.

The Rophions, who were skeptical at that time, or at least a big part of them were, didn’t believe that it was possible to fulfill the boy’s dream. That’s why they simply continued their lives, often smiling when someone was still mentioning the idea of the Rings of Fate. For the rest, they preferred to do nothing because they were sure that it was a waste of time and useless to try to fulfill an impossible dream.

Nevertheless, Tīrkkatarici’s dream wasn’t impossible. Actually, after that council, it stopped being only a dream for him and became a mission. He decided this when he felt that the elders of the village mocked him. Then, he said, „I’ll prove to everybody that you are wrong and that the Rings of Fate exist and they can do wonders! I’ll prove it for sure!” Yet, he said this in his head only, determined not to shame his parents more, who were already ashamed because they stood with their heads bowed during the Council. What Tīrkkatarici didn’t know was that his parents stood like that not because they were ashamed because of their son’s „madness,” but because they considered this right: to show their gratitude for being accepted as part of that people without explaining too many things or questioned about their intentions and their manner of living. Because of this, they preferred to keep silent even if they knew that neither they nor their son was wrong. Thus, by showing respect and humbleness, they could understand better the world where they lived. At least this was what they thought was right.

Not the same happened to Dike. He, when he found out what the boy wanted to do, many days after the Council of Elders, when he returned from his long trip, came to see Tīrkkatarici at his parents’house. There, he found only the boy, lying on his bed, as he used to do, and looking at the ceiling. He was alone because the rest of his family went to the woods to bring dried branches to feed the flames. The boy didn’t go with them because, at that time, he wasn’t able to move on his own and the only thing he could do was meditate. Thus, he had plenty of time to make his great plan of creating the Six Rings of Fate, which he was determined to fulfill the moment he would have been able to move on his own feet. Yet, days went by, but the wonder was late: he was still trapped in his bedding, unable to move. The boy even thought that it was his end because, after that dream with him riding the bird Nēram, he felt weak inside, something that often hinted to him that maybe the Rophions were right and his dream was just an impossible thing to do.

„Impossible!” Dike told the boy when, staying next to him, on the floor, Tīrkkatarici told the Titan that maybe it was the right time to give up on his plan. Why did Dike say that or better to say why Dike shouted „Impossible!” was because he knew something that others didn’t know: he knew not only about the Power of the Oracle but also about the meaning of the Six Rings of Fate. That’s why he told the boy, „Keep believing in what you want to do, Tīrkka! If you believe in this enough, it’ll be possible for you to turn the impossible into something real.”

„But… how to do that, Master Dike? I can’t even stand up from this bed. I feel I’m losing this fight for life. So weak I feel inside.”

„What if everything you feel is just a cunningness of Fate?” The Titan asked the boy.

„What do you mean by saying this, Master?”

„Nothing out of the ordinary, son. I just mean that Fate doesn’t want you to create the Six Rings of Fate. What she wants or better to say what she tries to do is to plant moles in your midst, not allowing you to fulfill your plan. Yet, you have to do this, at any cost.”

„Why?” The boy asked, amazed and confused at the same time. „I mean why does Fate try to make me fail when the Rings serve its purpose too?”

„It’s because those Rings won’t be useful only to her, but to the Rophions too. Actually, the Rings will serve as a shield for the entire world because, protected by the Power of the Six Rings, the world will be outside of Fate’s power. Thus, not having control over the Universe or over our world, Fate feels vulnerable. That’s why she tries to impede you to create those Six perfect Rings of Fate. At least Fate won't allow you to create them here, on earth.”

„Then? What should we do, Master Dike? Should we fight against Fate? I don’t think that’s a good idea because we aren’t strong enough to fight against Fate. I don’t also think that’s a good idea to give up on our plan because our Fate depends on the existence of the Six Rings of Fate.”

„And you are actually right, Tīrkka: we can’t give up! Not now! So, to succeed in our plan, I say to give Fate some headaches! How? Simple: playing as dirty as she plays with us.”

„Playing dirty? How?”

„Just…,” Dike smiled, conspiratorially, „we should use the same weapons to defeat her.” After that, still smiling, Dike took his bracelet of black wooden beads he had under his clothes and gave it to the boy.

Tīrkkatarici, extremely amazed by Titan’s behavior, and because of the gift, stared at the wooden beads for a while. After that, he looked at Dike, who also looked at him. The Titan was smiling, sure of their success. Not the same thought the boy had because he asked Dike, soon after this, „What’s this?”

„A Talisman. An extremely powerful one, capable of fighting against Fate. Its name is Alabar.”

„The Gate of the Galaxies?”

„Not… really that Gate. Just… let’s say that’s part of that Gate.” After that, standing up, Dike looked at the boy and said, „This bracelet is unusual. It has impressive powers, unknown even to me. That’s why, if you really think that its power is helpful, then it’ll be so for sure and will help you to succeed in everything you want to do.” After that, Dike left Kōpcāri’s house.

Tīrkkatarici looked behind Dike until the door closed behind the Titan. After that, he kept looking at that door until his parents returned home and found him sitting when, before that, it was something difficult for the young man to do on his own. At that moment, the boy was sitting without supporting his body on something, staring at the door. He seemed thoughtful and confused. That’s why his mother and Kōpcāri exchanged glances and asked him after this, „Something happens, Tīrkka?”

The boy, completely immersed in thoughts, only murmured, „The dirty game of Fate. This is what is happening now.” Answer that made his parents feel even more confused than before. Yet, used to his strange behavior already, they decided to give some space to the boy, sure that he’d be fine soon. Then, as there were still a lot of things to do outside, they exited, leaving the boy alone.

That day, Tīrkkatarici meditated a lot, staring at Alabar, which he received from Dike. He squeezed it in his hand, murmuring repeatedly, „If I really want this, I’ll succeed! If I believe in myself, I’m able to do everything! I have to do this! I have to.”

He actually made it, at the beginning of spring. That day, all his family was working the soil behind their hut, to cultivate vegetables, thinking that it was a usual day. That’s why they’d been so amazed to see the boy walking on his own. Yes, the moment they saw Tīrkkatarici in front of them, walking, their mouth dropped because that was a miracle: the boy, who nobody ever thought would be able to stand up on his own, was walking, even if still stumbling on his skinny feet. Soon after this, when they’d been able to control their emotions, his parents and sisters ran and hugged him, praising him for such courage. This made Tīrkka believe in himself, giving him strength for what was coming.