There was total silence all over the Desert Nisyan right from the morning. An overwhelming silence that was felt in that part of the world where only the calm wind lived, the scorpions, and other small creatures whose name is unknown until nowadays. Only here and there, a grain of sand was seen struggling with other grains of sand on the golden cloth of the dunes, slowly jumping up and down as though they were raindrops that touched a metallic surface and were thrown up again. After that, slowly-slowly, other grains of sand started to dance, fighting fiercely with the power of dunes. Those dunes that seemed to have widely opened their throats in the depths of the desert, swallowing everything in their way, especially those small grains of sand that were so powerless and couldn’t stand against their force, being swallowed by the hungry throats of the dunes eventually, making them vanish once and for all of the earth’s surface.
Yet, all this wasn’t real. It was only an illusion: the silence around, the blue sky that had suddenly cleared the black clouds seen above, the pleasant golden color of the sand, which reminded others about the ripe grains, just as the sand that seemed to be swallowed by something or someone was an illusion too. Yes, it was the illusion of the desert, which seemed to be a huge imaginary clepsydra.
What was real there was the world. It was real the air around, too suffocating for that late evening hour, just as there were real the Dunes Jiwa or the Dunes of Oblivion as they were also known by those who still knew the old language Kunat. This was the only universal language accepted by people of all times. A language that many knew, but nobody had ever found out where or how it stopped being practiced. Yes, Kunat became a language that could be whispered only because it was the language of Babylonia. Yet, this name didn’t minimize the importance of the Dunes Jiwa, which were both tall and short, changing their height in seconds only as though they would have listened only to the passing of time and the caprice of weather. Yes, that time that was controlled by winds and obedient to the past, a time that seemed to live above the seven dunes of the Desert of Nisyan, the Desert where one could find his soul in times of pain, which the Alshamals also knew as the Desert of Oblivion.
„Just as it happens to the scorpion over there,” Jrijuru suddenly said, breaking the silence while showing Morena to look to the right, toward a dune that was not that big, only up to Jrijuru’s shoulder. There, she saw a small black scorpion, which seemed to fight against the falling of the sand inside that imaginary clepsydra of the desert.
„Actually, you are right. It reminds me of us,” Morena murmured, making Jrijuru look at her, in amazement. Seeing his glance focused on her, Morena smiled and said, „I mean… our struggle against Time and Immortality.”
Jrijuru also smiled after this. „Yet, the struggle you’ve mentioned is one we lose right from the beginning. Why? Because we are so small in front of the Madness of Time. And of the Death, of course, because Mawt, which means Death in the language of Alshamals, was born here.”
„In the desert?” Morena asked, confused, and Jrijuru approved by nodding. „Why exactly here?”
„Because people can connect with their soul only here. It’s a perfect Alchemy of the Universe or as our elders used to say… it’s the perfect Rasjil Aldukhul.”
„Alchemy?” Morena frowned. „I don’t understand how one’s soul can connect with the soul of the desert. I think the Desert doesn’t have a soul. At least it’s what I think.”
„Actually, we thought the same about the rest of the world.”
„Why?”
„Because we understand the desert, but not the rest of the world. You instead… you understand the Sky, the water, the earth, the rest of nature, but not this desert. Let’s say this is a kind of Canyon of Fate between the Alshamals and the rest of the world.”
„Something that surprises me, actually.”
„What makes you think so?”
„Just… think about this: it’s said that this world was born from a seed, one thrown from above, which germinated once it had been covered by soil, watered by rains, and warmed by the sun. Then, loved by the air, the seed has turned into a plant, which has become what we see today: Planet Earth covered by life.”
„Maybe you’re right, but… still, we don’t understand each other or complete each other.” Morena frowned, Jrijuru smiled. He didn’t do that because he considered that he won that small argument with Morena, but because he knew a secret of the world that others didn’t know. „I was talking about the Secret of the Dunes,” he told Morena after that. „Siru Alhayaa” or the Secret of Life. The same Life you say that has been formed in fertile soil, we use to say that has taken a form in this desert. Here, in the center of the seven dunes of the Desert Nisyan.”
Saying this, Jrijuru approached Morena’s horse and, grabbing the horse by the bridle, the king stopped him. This movement made Morena feel confused because she couldn’t understand what was in Jrijuru’s head. Even so, she didn’t say anything or do something to let him know she disagreed with what he was doing. Morena only accepted Jrijuru’s hand when he offered her to help her descend off the horse. After that, touching the hot sand with her shoes, which had wooden soles like the Alshamals used to wear, which she got when they left the city, Morena looked around as the king was doing. Yet, unlike Jrijuru, who looked in delight at the dunes, with enthusiasm and admiration, Morena looked afraid at them.
Yes, the woman feared the dunes and the fire inside them. That fire that came from above, which the dunes and the sand swallowed inside them, as though they prepared for the war that was about to come. Yet, even if she feared the dunes to death, Morena didn’t tell Jrijuru about this because she understood one thing while looking at the amazement seen in his eyes: the king saw Life and not Death in the dunes, not that death that her eyes were seeing at that moment.
„You know,” Jrijuru said eventually, forcing Morena to watch him. „Each Alshamal was baptized here.”
„Here? Why exactly here?”
„Because here is the Heart of the Earth, the one that beats in the same rhythm as the Heart of this Desert. If you don’t believe me, touch the sand with your ear and listen to what it says to you! You have to listen to this with your heart and not with your mind. This way, you’ll understand the message the desert wants you to know.”
Even if she wasn't totally convinced of Jrijuru’s words, Morena nodded yes, that she understood. Then, helped by the king, who offered his hand for her to support while kneeling, Morena touched the hot sand with her ear and listened. At first, even if she carefully listened to the surroundings, she didn’t hear anything. This made her think that Jrijuru was rambling. Then, when she remembered what he told her before, to listen to the desert with her heart and not with her mind, the woman blocked the channel of her mind. Instead, she widely opened the gate of her soul, and allowed her inner ear to listen to what was happening in the depths of the dunes, where Jrijuru said that two hearts were beating at the same time.
To be able to listen to the two weak pulsations, Morena needed minutes in a row. Even so, she felt them, eventually, beating rhythmically, like two soul mates that were connected. That sound made her smile because „There are really two hearts under these dunes,” she murmured, opening her eyes to see the beauty of the dunes from close.
What Morena saw when she opened her eyes? It was a true beauty. She saw the mirage of the dunes, which seemed like mirrors at that moment and which reflected the color of the sky on the pure golden of the sand. Then, in the same golden mirror, she saw a red point. Yes, there, somewhere on the horizon, she saw a fire point, which made her heart pounce in her chest.
That image made Morena wince and kneel at first. Her glance was focused on the horizon, just as Jrijuru and his solders’glances were focused in the same direction. There, far in the distance, all of them saw the havoc in the form of flames. And, among the flames, they saw a big black bird with her big wings widely spread to the sides that was heading straight toward them, spitting fire through her wide open beak, to scorch the ground above which she was passing. Seeing the bird, one of Jrijuru’s soldiers murmured as charmed even if the terror was seen in his glance, „Mawt!”
„No,” Jrijuru suddenly growled. „That’s not the Bird of Death. That’s a bad copy of it, Tarther.”
„The bird from the legends?” Morena asked, frightened, suddenly standing up.
„That’s right. It’s that bird! So, let’s hurry!” The king gave the command, shouting. „Everybody on the horses and spur them to run like the wind because that bird is something we can’t fight against, just as we can’t allow her to kill us. Did you hear me?”
A weak „yes” was heard among the soldiers after this. Even so, Jrijuru didn’t insist on hearing that „yes” said even louder. He didn’t do that because he understood that it wasn’t the time to protect the ego of a king, but to save his men. Yes, at that time hell came on earth in the form of the bird Tarther, the one sent to scorch the ground and bring pain all over she passed above it, a fire that represented death and pain after Tarther lost his friend, the little Tarther into which Baradar often turned into. Yet, even if it wasn’t the fault of the Alshamals that Baradar vanished once he allowed Noea to rest in peace, Big Tarther wanted to punish them too, like he wanted to burn the entire world for his loss.
Big Tarther wanted justice for him at that moment. Jrijuru and his people wanted to survive. That’s why they spurred the horses all the time, trying to avoid being killed by the fire thrown from the throat of that big bird. Thus, spurring the horses, they headed like the wind toward the dunes, from where strange sounds were heard while the grains of sand were dancing on the cloth of the dunes. Yes, they seemed like beans on the cloth of a huge drum, one continuously hit by invisible hands. Dunes on whose surface the fire of Tarther was powerfully reflected, making everybody understand that the name of the Dunes had a strong meaning… Oblivion or, as they were also known among the Alshamals, the Road of the Ruins.
When or how the dunes got that name, nobody ever found out. It was clear only one thing: those who came there, having bad thoughts in their mind while intending to cross the path between the dunes, were sentenced to die in their depths. Why? Because, feeling the danger close or a malefic power influencing the Balance of the Desert, the Dunes got life and swallowed that evil force inside them, stealing that power in the end.
The same happened the moment Big Tarther approached the area of the Seven Dunes of the Desert Nisyan: the dunes started to powerfully vibrate under the hooves of the horses, seeming to be ready to swallow them too. The shake of the sand under the hooves of the horses made Morena swallow hard eventually. Not the same happened to Jrijuru. The king, even though clearly saw the dance of the sand, seemed not to be worried at all. Morena saw peace in his eyes at that moment. That’s why she said nothing. She only spurred the horse to run faster the moment she felt the arson of the bird’s breathing right behind her. Hot breathing that maybe would have scorched her too eventually if Jrijuru hadn’t jumped over her at one moment, knocking her down and covering them both with the cloak he took off his shoulders right before jumping off his horse.
Jrijuru covered them with the cloak the moment he felt the dunes powerfully shaking. Not only did he do this, but all of his soldiers too. They also jumped off their horses and covered themselves with their cloaks. Thus, the moment the army of the King of Alshamals was lying on the sand, covered with their cloaks, even the horses were covered with a kind of cloth at that moment, a blanket of sand covered them suddenly, blown from everywhere by a strange gust of wind. A blow of the wind that had been felt the moment Big Tarther was only a few kilometers from the dunes, approaching them at full speed.
It didn’t take long until Tarther got above the dunes: it took only moments for the clepsydra to swallow the sand inside it. Thus, by swallowing the sand so fast, the dunes managed to form a huge hole in the place of the sixth dune, which, controlled by the strange force of the desert, swallowed itself in its depths, as though there had been the den of death. Yet… was that thought true in the end?!
Yes, it was, but Tarther understood this too late, just as he understood too late that he had been wrong in choosing his prey that time. Tarther understood this, but he couldn’t turn back because, suddenly, the area of the Dunes of the Desert Nisyan controlled him once he was above them. Thus, the moment Tarther got above the Six Dune, a geyser of hot sand had been spat up and caught the malefic bird inside of its killing tornado. A tornado that had been swallowed inside of the clepsydra of the Desert seconds later only, dragging Big Tarther inside it too. Tarther had no chance against that power, even if he fought like a mad soul to escape. He could only accept his fate eventually, swallowed in the throat of the Death that lived under those Six Dunes. Then… there was total silence again.
There had been total silence for a long time. A strange silence because, deep under those dunes, a strange sound was heard. The voice of the malefic bird Tarther was heard from there, the bird that died in the same depths from where it had been born once. Yes, Big Tarther vanished from the earth’s surface only a day after he had been released from the captivity of the soil of Rophion Forest. He died swallowed by the power of the dunes, those which seemed lifeless at first glance, but which kept strange secrets inside them.
***
„Tarther is dead!” Ahi suddenly said. Then he stopped and looked westward, where he knew the Desert Nisyan was. „He’s been buried under the ruins of the Seven Dunes of the Desert Nisyan, the same desert that has the name that all the Titans fear… the Desert of Oblivion.”
„The Desert made by the Power of the seven Gines of Death,” Gaea murmured, shuddering while staring in front. „Impossible though! I thought Tarther would never get there.”
„Yet, he got there, Gaea,” said Lodur. „This Earth is to be feared. I can’t explain in another way the fact that the devilish bird got there, to the area of Death, the one that controls all the souls with Dark Magic Power. Not after Tarther almost destroyed a Holy Forest like Rophion Forest. Yet, he ended up there.”
„A wise thought this one, Titan Lodur,” Anaya whispered, suddenly appearing to Lodur’s right. She, since they had gotten to Rophion Forest, discovered powers she had never been aware of. One of these powers was teleportation. „Honestly, I wouldn’t have liked to be in that bird’s place.”
Dike looked at her, confused. „Why?” He asked eventually. „As far as I know, nobody has ever seen the Seven Gines.”
„I saw them,” Anaya whispered again, looking at the ground. „Only once, when I got lost in the desert. I met them that day. Yet, even if I saw them only once, it was enough for me because… I thought that I met Death that day.”
„Really?” Bestla asked, distrustful as always. „Something strange, in my opinion, because, as far as I know, ghosts fear nothing.”
Anaya kindly smiled. „You are actually wrong, Princess Bestla.”
„Is it so?” Bestla didn’t give up on teasing Anaya. She didn’t give up on this not even when Boor pinched her arm. Bestla only showed her fangs to her father, a hint that she would have been grateful to him if he hadn’t interfered in her talk with the fox, one she actually didn’t love for the simple fact that Anaya was someone close to Mayar, someone who Bestla loved less.
Seeing Anaya suddenly in front of her, Bestla frowned, even if she was surprised by that sudden appearance. More than that, Bestla had been surprised to see Anaya looking straight into her eyes as though the old fox tried to read her soul. That’s why Bestla took a step back, intending to protect herself this way. Yet, as her ego was bigger than her will to protect herself, she right away stopped and looked back into Anaya’s eyes. There, she saw, reflected, even if she had never thought that she was able to see something like this, the truth: seven Gines standing in a circle around a red fox, one she had never seen before, but whom she understood was Anaya.
That image made Bestla shudder. „It can’t be,” she murmured, realizing that none of those seven Gines had a face. All that Bestla saw at them was an unclear image of the place where their faces should have been while their heads were covered by big hoods and wore black cloaks.
„Of course, it can be, Princess of Ice,” Anaya told her, as though they were alone, talking. „Do you know why?”
„Because the Gines are the Beasts of Death, even for the ghosts,” Boor dared to answer instead of his daughter.
Looking at him, Anaya said nothing. She kept silent only for a short while. Then, she whispered, „They aren’t Beasts, God Boor: they are angels! Yes, they are the Angels of Death in the Desert, those who actually guard two hearts: the one of the Cosmos and the second one that's of the Earth.”
„Atlas and Celia’s heart,” Lodur explained the fox’s words. „The hearts of two Titans that loved each other so much, but who couldn’t be together because of Helyos. The Titan of the Sun fell in love with the Old Titanide of the Limitless Sky. Yet, she, instead of accepting his love, preferred death. She chose death to be able to protect her love for Atlas.”
„Even so, they had never lost to each other,” Anaya said. „Atlas still keeps Planet Earth on his shoulders, where Celia’s heart is hidden.”
„Yeah, you are right,” replied Lodur. „Atlas holds Planet Earth on his shoulder because he has been punished for his daring to fall in love with his brother’s woman.”
„As far as I know, Celia has never been Helyos’s wife,” Tayakkam suddenly said, taking everybody by surprise. „She always loved the Guardian of Earth, Titan Atlas. She loved him so much, but she hadn’t been able to protect him or their love. Thus, as a vow of her eternal love for Atlas and fighting against Helyos for his injustice, she sent her heart to Earth. Not only Celia has done this. Atlas did that too. Thus, two in love hearts hid somewhere in the Desert Nisyan, where Seven Angels in black swore to protect their love forever. Since that day, since the beginning of the world, the Seven Gines had never allowed anyone to approach the two hearts.”
„Tayakkam, how do you know all this?” Asked Dike, astonished.
„I just know this,” the Titan of Doubt suddenly said. Then, as though he wanted to keep the rest of the legend only for him, he turned his back to them and approached Ahi, who seemed to sniff the horizon at that moment. Stopping to the Mago’s right, Tayakkam also looked around, amazed. Seeing nothing strange there or at least nothing of what they hadn't seen before, Akka asked, „Something happened, Mago Ahi?”
„Yes. The forest. It seems to awaken.”
„The forest?” Asked Taya, stunned. „How is this possible? This forest is dead.”
„This is what we think,” replied Ahi confidently. „Yet, there’s nothing like this here. This forest isn’t dead. At least not entirely. The part of the forest that is magic, where the secular trees can be found, which is covered by ruins and ashes at this moment, is awakening with each step we take in front onto this Path of Ruins.”
„Then… maybe it’s time to turn back, huh?” Kam innocently asked.
„Maybe” no,” replied Ahi drily, looking at Tayakkam. „We won’t turn back either. We’ll only go further. It’s the only chance we have to survive. Now, everybody should follow me,” he told the others. „The forest awakes, and this is not the forest we know. Don’t you also feel this, Dike?”
„Yes, I feel the same,” Dike said eventually. He also felt something strange about the forest, but he couldn’t explain what was different about it. Dike understood that the forest was slowly turning into a real danger for them only when Ahi mentioned this. Dike saw that danger in the almost unnoticed movement of the air, which he saw as unshaped currents of air that were quickly crossing the forest. At the same time, Dike saw the danger in the slow movement of the fog around and in the slow leak of the ashes down the trees’trunks, revealing this way to them, not those trees they knew, but strange creatures, trees that not even he had ever seen before. This all seemed strange to Dike, just as he considered the squeak of wood weird, the squeak that had been suddenly heard around them, as though an old wooden cradle was moved by the wind. „A squeak that seems to be heard from deep underground, even if I’m not totally sure of this.”
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„Can this be the effect of the Bird Tarther?”
„No, Boor, I’m sure that’s nothing like that. It’s something more than the influence of that bird. Something strange, something I’ve never experienced before. It feels as though this Forest awakens the demons from deep underground.”
Meṉmai’s shout, suddenly heard from in front of them, made everybody wince and look over there. Seeing the deer, with no wounds on his body, but still scared, Dike widely opened his eyes. The same the rest did because they thought that no living creature survived in that forest with the havoc Tarther left behind. They had been wrong in thinking so because Meṉmai not only seemed to be fine, but he also looked like their guide at that moment or someone who wanted to send them a message. A secret message, which none of the Titans understood, even if Meṉmai kept talking to them, worried, in his language.
Only when the deer ran away, but still stopping from time to time and looking back to see if they followed him, Dike told the others, „It seems that Meṉmai wants to follow him! So, let’s do this!” After that, without looking back, they started to run after Meṉmai, which took them on secret paths, known only by him, but still safe paths. Those places, also covered by ashes and smoke, were safe even if they looked like hell. It was a normal view after the fire turned them to ashes, those places that had been heaven for the magic wolves once, but which became unsafe places… the realms of beasts.
***
„To be damn!” Pakai suddenly growled, somehow furious. He growled the words through his teeth because he couldn’t speak normally at that moment. The reason? Tenebre forced him to grab the sleeve of her cloak, onto which Mayar was lying. Tenebre did that because she was afraid that Mayar would be hurt by the hot ashes or by the fire that fell from above. Yet, even if she tried to protect Mayar this way, Tenebre didn’t want to be the one who dragged the girl after her. Why do that when she had a slave with her?! Something Pakai hated. That’s why he kept mumbling while dragging Mayar after him, „I thought this place was magic! Yeah, right! It’s so magical that it gives me a thrill only by looking at it. The damn Fate that created it.”
While dragging Mayar after him, on a strange path, covered by gray ashes, black smoke, thick fog, and the stumps of the trees practically scorched to the ground, the poor jackal kept complaining because only enemies were all around him. Something he actually hated. Just as he got to hate Tenebre for using him like a draught horse for the twin, useless at that moment once she seemed dead.
„She’s only unconscious,” Tenebre suddenly hissed in the jackal’s left ear, making him wince. „Yet, you, like a broken record, keep saying this traca-traca, traca-traca. Just… keep your mouth shut at once or you’ll scare the crows!”
„Do you have visions?” Pakai growled at her. „Where do you see crows in this ghost forest?”
„I see you, that’s enough for me,” Tenebre growled. Then, she deeply breathed in to calm down. If she hadn’t done that, she would have turned Pakai to ashes for sure. Actually, she thought about getting rid of him long ago. Yet, as she still needed him to help her with things like dragging Mayar behind them, she decided to leave him breathing for a while. Also, Tenebre was a little bit grateful to the jackal because he’d been the one who took Mayar from the Glade of Shadows when Tarther awakened. Then, they took Mayar away from that glade, thinking that she’d awaken soon and help them with their plan. Something that didn’t happen eventually and this started to piss them both off.
Eventually, hearing Pakai spitting, she frowned. Moreover, she seemed enraged when she heard the jackal saying, „To be damn! It’s the only thing I haven’t done before: tasting a fox’s fur.” Seeing a red fox instead of Mayar, Tenebre widely opened her eyes, forgetting about her upset.
„What the hell is this?”
„You should tell me,” Pakai shouted. „She changed so suddenly that I didn’t even have time to breathe. And yes, I thought she was dead.”
„The dead one is you,” the Titanide growled again. „Where have you ever seen a dead body to be warm?”
„Do you think I checked her temperature or what? I only tasted from your cloak, not her meat to know if she’s warm or cold. More than that, what is the deal with her change?”
„Should I know that too?”
„And who should know this if not you? You are her grandmother!”
„Only by name! In case you didn’t know, I had no idea she existed until a few months ago. And yeah, I wouldn't have ever known this if I hadn’t needed her to release Mannar.”
Pakai showed her his fangs. „What can I say?! You have such a lovely family! Your granddaughter hates you, your son looks for your death, your husband passed away, while you are looking for wild goose chase in a ghost forest. You are definitely lucky, Tenebre… like a frog with hair…”
„The one with only one eye talked about luck…”
„I at least know what my place is.”
„And you think I don’t know what my place is?! Of course, I know it. Just… let’s say I have one little hitch: I have no idea how to revive the dead ones and bring her to her senses too.”
„Do you think this helps?”
„What exactly?”
„If you know how to revive the dead ones,” Pakai teased her, chortling. „Yet, I think it’ll be useless to know that. So, better than this, what about using your brain and making up the perfect plan to get the Palantir back? Without it, as you said, having this beauty with us will be useless too.”
„Then, what do you propose?” Tenebre asked after a few moments of thinking.
„Let’s tie her, for starters.” Tenebre frowned. „Or what, do you prefer to be cooked on the grill if she wakes up? If yes, it’s your problem. I care about my skin. That’s why, do as I said!”
Reluctantly, Tenebre used the weak power she still had and created four ropes, thick enough. Why four? She had no idea. She only felt that she had to use four. After that, she tied Mayar’s legs and hands, tight enough. While doing this, the Titanide kept mumbling incomprehensible words about the jackal, even though the poor soul did nothing to deserve being „petted” like that. Pakai even shook his head several times when he heard a strange buzz in his ears. Then, when Mayar changed again, both he and Tenebre pulled back, thinking that the girl had awoken. Yet, nothing of this happened: Mayar only opened her eyes and kept staring at them as though she was charmed by something. To make sure that the girl wasn’t conscious, Tenebre passed her hand in front of Mayar’s eyes several times. After that, when they made sure that they were safe, they tied Mayar to the trunk of the tree under which they left her. Then, squatting in front of her while staring into Mayar’s eyes, Tenebre started to snap her fingers, trying to make Mayar react. Yet, nothing like this happened again.
„Is she daydreaming or something?” Pakai suddenly asked, hissing the words into Tenebre’s ear. The Titanide, unpleasantly surprised by the jackal’s daring, told him with hatred:
„Do you think I have the power of the cobras or what? I can’t see others dreams.”
Pakai frowned, as though he tried to say, „Are you stupid or only pretending to be one? Since when can cobras see dreams?” Yet, the moment he remembered that those who had the power to control the cobras could also see the dreams, he burst into laughter.
„Have you lost your mind?” Tenebre asked him furiously.
„The one who lost her mind is you.”
„I? Since when do I have such… honor?”
„Since you have forgotten which power you have. For example, you can control the cobras.”
„Honestly, I don’t get the point.”
The jackal shook his head, mumbling, „I can’t believe you are so stupid. And you are, once you forget that the master of the cobras can see dreams.”
Pakai’s mocking words reminded Tenebre of her power to see dreams. A power she would have liked to be able to use at that moment and see what Mayar dreamt or thought. Yet, she couldn’t because „Those who are mothers and wives don’t have it anymore,” she told Pakai eventually, surprising him a lot.
„What you want to say now is that others called you the Queen of Cobras for years in vain? A queen that controls them in her dreams?”
„Actually, the irony in your voice pisses me off,” Tenebre growled. „I’m not a saint to be pure for an entire life just to have the power of seeing dreams.”
„Something damn useful in our case. Yet, you don’t see this, it seems to me.”
Tenebre sighed. Pakai was right then because if she still had the power to see dreams and memories, they would have had a huge advantage in that fight. At the same time, she was also right because she wasn’t to stay alone for an entire life and not know what love meant only to keep that power for her. Something she started to doubt at that moment because she started to dream about having the power to turn the Wheel of Time back and change some things. At least for a short time to be able to read Mayar’s thoughts. However, as Fate had other plans for them, she couldn’t do that. She could only make those plans in her head, without knowing how to fulfill them.
***
The image of a black-like pitch sky was seen stretching toward the horizon. It wasn’t a real image of the sky, but the projection of it on the Ring of Fate, the same Ring that was found in the depths of the Tunnels of Ārakkiḷ. A sky that constantly changed its color from red to blue and back. That change was so sudden, in seconds only. At the same time, not only did these two colors persist but also the deep dark that was clearly seen on the almost transparent mirror that was seen on the Ring’s surface, making its mechanism seem so alive.
Then… a shout was heard. A frightening shriek that made Akita, Yāṉutā, and the other two priestesses wince. Only Mai, Yellen, and Kkuṟai didn’t wince but kept staring at that weird image reflected in the mirror of the Ring of Fate. There, they saw the deplorable view of the earth after the war, that earth that was drained by forces, illusions, and life. At the same time, it was the earth that fought until the last drop of blood, but which remained deserted eventually because there wasn’t any green color seen in those images. More than that, there wasn’t any blue of the waters or of the sky either, just as no music of the nightingales or blackbirds was heard on the blossomed fields or full of ripped grains.
What was seen in those images was the result of the havoc that had passed by there. A havoc that left only fog and smoke behind. Here and there, a few skeletons of the burned trees were seen, trees scorched to the ground. Then, next to those trees, the bones of the creatures that died in the fire were also seen, beasts that had been turned to ashes, and their ash blown by the wind eventually, swept and soaked by the rains. Under those bones, scorched grass was seen, making that image look really awful.
„This world will look like this if we lose this war,” Mai murmured eventually, in a low voice. The terror from her soul was also felt in the shaking of her voice as though she had a hunch pressing over her chest at that moment, making her feel as though she lacked air.
„If we lose it? What do you mean, Mother? That the image we see is the future?” Kkuṟai asked, extremely confused.
Mai nodded yes. „At least it looks like being so, Kkuṟai. It's the only way I can explain what we see.”
„This seems to me to be the image of a different world,” whispered Yellen, taking everybody by surprise.
„Of a different world? What do you mean?” Akita asked, taking a few steps toward Yellen, next to whom she stopped in the end. „That we see what we shouldn’t have ever seen?”
„That’s right,” they all heard the voice of a man behind them. That voice made everybody wince and look at him, frightened because they didn’t expect that someone would follow them, especially a man when the majority of the Rophions had remained outside the tunnels. Seeing an old hunched man instead of a young one, even though his voice sounded so young, they’d been stunned. It was a game of Life or maybe of Fate for an old man to have the voice of a young one.
The old man wasn’t alone but accompanied by a young girl about 17. Who was she? Nobody knew. They were sure only of one thing, that she wasn’t a Rophion. Her physical appearance was different from a Rophion and her glance also was. Only the clothes she wore and the way she moved seemed familiar to Mai. That’s why she carefully looked at each of the girl’s movements. Each of those movements was elegant, something she hadn’t seen before at the young girls from her tribe or at the women of Rophions. This let Mai know that the girl could be an ancient Titanide or maybe a magic creature whose name she didn’t know.
The old man instead… seemed so familiar to Mai. His voice was something she knew. It powerfully resounded in her ears, making her feel itches on her skin. She felt those itches like thousands of needles dancing on the skin of her arms. That’s why Mai rubbed them with her palms, trying to chase that unpleasant feeling away to be able to focus her glance on the old man again because she wanted so badly to remember who he was and where she knew him from. More than that, Mai was curious about why he was there and what he wanted from them.
She winced eventually when she caught the old man’s glance focused on hers. Moreover, she winced when he asked her, „Do you recognize me?”
„Should I?” Replied Mai with another question.
„Of course,” the old man calmly responded. Then he smiled. „I often appear in your dreams. I also talked to you many times before in the moments of prayer when you came here, in these tunnels, to fill your soul with energy and wash it of sins and of the dark influence of the external world. The only way an Oracle can have a clear mind and be wise with other people.”
Mai again winced. „The Oracle?” She murmured, confused. „This is impossible,” she said eventually. „As far as I know from the priestesses of our people, the Oracle Tīrkkatarici disappeared a long time ago. Centuries ago he vanished… the day his sister fell prey to Mōrgaṉā.”
When she remembered the name of Lalli, Mai looked again at the girl who accompanied the old man. She was extremely beautiful, but she didn’t smile. If Mai hadn’t seen her moving while approaching along with the old man, she would have definitely mistook the girl for a doll or a stone statue. Even so, Mai couldn’t deny the fact that she would have been a perfect stone statue, a masterpiece. With all her grace and beauty, Mai understood eventually that the girl couldn’t be a magic creature or a Titanide because the Titanides don’t generally live underground. Only those that „Try to hide something,” Mai murmured. Realizing that the others also heard her words, she covered her mouth with both palms, staring in amazement at the others to see how they would react.
Mai’s words made the old man smile. „You are actually right,” he said. „That’s why you don’t have a reason to be afraid of what you said. And… you are also right in thinking that this girl is the same whom Rophions said that I hid in the depths of these tunnels, protecting her from Mōrgaṉā.”
„Did you hide her?” The old man heard Yellen asking. Looking at her, he saw the girl staring at him, with no fear, even if Mai was making signs to Yellen not to watch in the old man’s eyes because, according to the Rophions’believes, nobody should ever look into the eyes of the Oracle. Yet, Yellen seemed not to care about this: neither that she kept staring into Tīrkkatarici’s eyes nor that she was talking to him like a friend. At the same time, Yellen had no fear about what could have happened to her if she had kept talking to Tīrkkatarici as she did before. That’s why she said shortly after this, „This soul hasn’t been hidden only from Mōrgaṉā, but also from herself. And, to inform you because I see you have no idea about this, Mōrgaṉā has always known where this girl is.”
Hearing Yellen talking like that, the young Lalli winced. And, for the first time since they came there, Mai and the rest saw that her eyes were alive. They saw a strange sparkle in them while Lalli’s hands started to shake slowly. Then, so suddenly, Lalli turned transparent, almost invisible, something that scared Akita and Yāṉutā, who covered their mouth with both palms so as not to be heard shouting. Their frightened looks passed unnoticed eventually because the rest focused on Lalli when she asked Tīrkkatarici, „Is this true, brother?”
„Brother?” Kkuṟai asked, confused. „Do you mean that he is…?” Seeing her younger son pointing at the old man with his finger, Mai slapped Kkuṟai’s hand.
Tīrkkatarici smiled again. After that, he stretched his hand toward Lalli, as though he would have assured her that everything was fine. Then, he looked into Mai’s eyes, telling her, „Your boy is right, Mai: I am who I am, and I can’t change this. So, there is no need for punishment. At the same time, there’s nothing wrong with pointing at someone with your finger if you want to make sure that there won’t be mistakes.”
„Even so, Great Oracle: it’s not nice to point the elders with your finger. Especially those you don’t know,” said Mai, looking at her son with a scolding glance.
Tīrkkatarici smiled for the third time. „It’s what you think: that I and this young man don’t know each other. Actually, he also saw me, in dreams. Yet, unlike you, who is able to read the dreams, he hadn’t the power to understand them. And, to answer your question, young man: yes, I’m Tīrkkatarici, the famous Oracle of the Rophions, the one who predicted the death of this forest once. Yet, nobody believed me when I said that. They just considered me a fool who said big words.”
„No, Great Oracle,” Mai rushed to say. „We always listened to your words.”
„Yeah, you listened to what I said. Even so, the meaning you wanted to believe in is different from what I wanted to tell you,” the old man said, bitterly smiling this time. „There’s nothing wrong in this either: to understand life as you want and feel better after this. It’s human nature to dream instead of facing reality and evil. Maybe… it’s better this way because, having hope in our soul, we also have faith and force to survive in times of war. What we’ll do eventually, Mai: we’ll fight to make sure we bring triumph at the threshold of our house.”
„To bring triumph at the threshold of our house? What do you mean, old Tīrkkatarici?” Mai asked, baffled.
Tīrkkatarici didn’t answer her questions. He kept silent for a long time, looking at the slow movement of the mechanism of the Ring of Fate. There, the old man saw the image of the world in flames. After that, he saw a world covered by ashes and darkness. This made his heart strangely beat in his chest and started to regret that he’d been weak and unable to make people listen to his words many years ago when he talked to them about the end of the world. He would have liked to turn back time and change something or at least teach humans to fight against evil. Yet, he couldn’t do that because even if he had done this, even if he had turned back time, humans wouldn’t have believed his words again. Why? Because humans tend to idolatrize Fate and not believe the words of those who warn them about evil things. That’s why they forgot about the Oracle and his prophecies because it was easier for them to live in ignorance than with fear.
Not the same happened to the old man. He didn’t forget about the world or his role on that planet. Yet, as it wasn’t time to fulfill his role, Tīrkkatarici had to wait for centuries for that moment… to activate the Rings of Fate and save the world this way or at least to try to save it. To be able to do this, Tīrkkatarici had to fight with Fate all those centuries, not allowing it to bring him to his knees or send him beyond the Light of Life. A fight that Tīrkkatarici always won and he won only due to his wisdom, which he used in everything because it was the only way he could get to the time when the Rings of Fate would be activated. He had to do that because it was what he had always dreamt about: to be able to save the world or at least to prepare those who would have survived that war to live without bowing their heads in front of Fate, even if they had walked onto the Path of Ruins for an eternity.
In the end, when he felt that there wasn’t time for silence, Tīrkkatarici looked at Yellen, to whom he said, „You know, my child: your role in this world is another one and not what others made you think that was.”
„I have another role in this world? Which one?” Yellen asked, confused.
„That you aren’t blind as others often made you think. Yes, even if the Eye of Mind was „blinded” by Gaea’s power when you were born, and she did that to protect you from enemies, the Eye of your Soul had always been able to see what was around you. Because of that eye, you got here, deceiving Fate and your enemy. You defeated that evil that had been always around you, trying to turn you into a Yātrīkar. Something they have failed to reach once you are here, in these tunnels, where a new chapter of your life starts, Yellen.”
„A new chapter of my life? But… I… I don’t understand,” the girl stuttered, shaking her head. „I don’t have another role. I have only done what I feel.”
„And you did this great, following the path of your soul, I mean! Something you’ve done while still being a promise to your parents when you headed toward Earth from Aeon. It was written that way: for you two to leave that Star of Life, together, to split up when you were born, and meet again the moment your heart was ready to love.”
Saying this, Tīrkkatarici suddenly moved his hand in front of Yellen’s eyes, making her wince. Soon after that, she heard that heartbeat she had called the Heart of Earth once. This made her look at Kkuṟai, understanding that half of that heart was beating in his chest while the other half she heard was beating in her chest. A sound that made her wince and look at the old man, frightened, to whom she said, „It’s impossible what I hear. Earth can’t be split up in two.”
„Of course, it can be, child,” Tīrkkatarici said. „Yin și Yang, remember?! Sky and Earth, the Sun and the Moon, the man and the woman that become a whole. This is the purpose of the Rings of Fate in fact: to show the path to those who thought that they had lost it in time.”
„As I thought once,” murmured Yellen the moment she remembered that time when they were still in the Camp of Siars, in the depths of Tenebre Forest. She thought then that she had another purpose on earth.
„A purpose you should leave behind today,” Lalli said, making everybody wince and look at her. „Starting today, you two don’t have only the Power of Earth in the form of a heart that rhythmically beats in your chests, but also the purpose of controlling the Rings of Fate, those which should work continuously in Time of War. If not, if the mechanism of at least a Ring of Fate stops, even for a few seconds, then everything is ruined and time cannot be turned back. Not even Fate will have the power to do this.”
„Fate? But… What power does Fate have here?” Kkuṟai asked in a serious tone as though the answer to his question would have been the solution to all of their problems.
Who answered was the old man, who approached Kkuṟai eventually. Looking deeply into his eyes, the old man sent a thought to Kkuṟai, „Of course, Fate influences Time, boy. This war isn’t only between Maranam against the rest of the world, but also between Fate and Life. Better to say, it’s a war where the future of the entire Cosmos is at stake. Just as it had been once with that Eden that’s history today, the Eden which Fate has destroyed and which It doesn’t want to see restored. Yet, it's a world Life wants to restore at any cost, even fighting against Fate.”
„Then, if this world is in danger because of Life, let’s impede her restoring Eden,” the boy told Tīrkkatarici telepathically. „If Life doesn’t have the chance to establish the lost bond with that old world, then our house and the rest of the world will be safe, right?”
„No, boy,” Tīrkkatarici replied loudly this time. „There’s no happiness in a place that has been saved by destroying another one. There is a triumph only where two worlds survived, something we should try to achieve in this war.”
„Something impossible,” the boy stubbornly insisted in his theory.
„Of course not,” the old man whispered in Kkuṟai’s left ear. „There’s nothing impossible in this world. There hadn’t ever been something impossible for the world. There had only been two hearts afraid of Fate, who didn’t want to defeat It. Something we should do: to fight against Fate and take from her what’s ours - the Victory, a Triumph that will be fully achieved the moment that Lost Eden will be restored and our World saved.”
„Then, if this is possible, how to do that?”
„Simple,” a whisper was heard in Kkuṟai’s right ear this time. „Believing that this World has its own Fate. At the same time, we’ll win this war if we believe in those who stay by our side. When I say this, I don’t mean believing only with our mind, but with our heart, strategically planning each of the steps we take in front and accepting no compromises or weaknesses. For this, I’ve created Six Rings of Fate: Love, Kindness, Hope, Belief, Power, and, of course, Union because we can defeat Fate and Evil only together.”