Chapter VI
I must be dreaming. This is but a nightmare – a ghastly delirious apparition summoned by the toxins of sleeping spores. Now I will simply wake up and it will all be gone, yes… I pinched my leg hard but… nothing happened – the horrendous creature was still moving towards me – slowly descending the smooth caved-in wall of the chamber. It was a kincher – well at least the lower part of this abomination undoubtedly belonged to a kincher – the massive brown and black chitin legs, the formidable mandibles, the curved segmented abdomen, but above it, at that very spot where normal kinchers have a head was attached a homin torso – a blue-skinned male zorai… Hands crossed on his chest, head slightly tilted he was watching me serenely while the legs of a kincher steadily carried him down. His expression was impenetrable – like any zorai he was waring a mask, only his mask was dyed pitch black with eye-slits outlined bright yellow and another yellow and red eye painted in the middle of his forehead. The creature climbed down, sprang lightly onto the moss beside me and froze there – silent - watching my utter stupefaction…
So this… thing… was master Xielu? How is this possible? If a homin receives such a horrible wound that his body would be cut in half – he dies, and if he dies – he immediately respawns at the nearest portal – such is the miracle of the nanoseed. But this being stood right in front of me – I could hear it breathing through the abdominal Trachea - and seemed as real as anything in this room.
-[font="] [/font]As I said, young man, – it uttered wearily – things will be clearer once you regain your eyesight. – Just make sure you don’t loose your sanity now… that comes all too easily in a place such as this.
-[font="] [/font]I once was Dai Xielu – a respected member of the zorai scholar conclave. Now I have become this… - he spread his hands trying to encompass his new form - … thing. I am unable to get out of this chamber, same as you, and even if I could – where would I go? Could I possibly show my face among homins? Would anyone accept me there, or would they rather hunt me down like a chimerous horror I have become? All of this is of no relevance… I have my task and the ability to work on it’s fulfillment and that is the only thing that gives any sense to my existence.
-[font="] [/font]Master Xielu…, - I finally managed a few words. – But how? How did this happen? Who could have done this to you? – I sat down - my legs turned to molten wax and couldn’t support me any longer.
-[font="] [/font]It is a long story, young man, are you sure you want to hear it? Not that you have any other options – trapped as you are in this “amber egg”…
I nodded, trying my best to adapt to the very thought that a conversation with a being such as this could be taking place.
-[font="] [/font]Well…, - he sighed, and the air hissed through the trachea of his abdomen, - you might remember the story of the “tear of the kitin” – a mysterious amber artifact shattered into many pieces but thought to be able to wield tremendous power against the “ultimate enemy”. The pieces where gathered one by one – some found, some fought over and taken from brigands and outlaws – and brought to my brother Meng Xielu – at that time the seer in zora. He carefully studied this artifact – it’s importance was a bit exaggerated by the political powers of both fyros and matis but still it was not a thing to trifle with. It’s origins were unknown and it seemed to affect the psyche of nanoseed imbued creatures, including homins of course, and even drive some of them mad. I have also studied the artifact and even theorized with my brother about it’s origins and possible applications until one day… my brother vanished. He left me a coded message saying that he has found a way to put an end to the kitin threat once and for all. He would go deep into the prime roots, penetrate the kitin hive and use the artifact there…
-[font="] [/font]Madness - that’s what it was – but who could stop my older brother – the head seer of the zorai scholar’s conclave, a man regarded almost as high as the great Mabreka himself? I couldn’t tell anyone, for this would ruin his reputation and our family standing among the people. All I could do was pack up and follow him underneath…
He sighed heavily again and shifted his kincher legs a bit as if redistributing some unseen weight.
- Search for my brother…,- he continued, - lasted 6 months... and proved absolutely fruitless… I looked everywhere – been in every corner of the prime roots, explored every region and respawned more times than I could remember, all in vain… I did not find a single trace of him. I had no clues to wereabouts of the “kitin hive” he mentioned and no ranger could help me… I confess I was just about to abolish all hopes when one day he appeared at the doorstep of our house like a ghost out of the jungle mist. His light clothing was ragged and torn, he was unarmed and his mask was stained but what really mattered he was alive. I ran to him and embraced him but he didn’t seem to notice me at all – he just moved on into the house, pushing past me as if I wasn’t there, came to the bed, lay down and fell asleep. He slept for 3 days – I tended to him – washed his body, cleaned his mask, clothed him. It was then that I have noticed that strange tattoo he had on his forearm – I copied it onto a wooden plate – for lack of anything better to do while I was waiting for him to regain consciousness. On the fourth day he awoke just as suddenly, stood up and walked out – not saying a word. He went through desertstock to Thesos and I followed him, calling to him, asking him to stop to take a look at me, his brother, to explain what happened, but he simply looked through me and pressed on. My brother was not himself anymore. Apathy settled deep within his soul, he recognized no man, spoke not a single word and cared for nothing but another cup of dandelion wine, which the barman in Thesos readily poured him.
So I have lost my brother. All that remained was the mystery that he has confronted deep within the recesses of the living planet. It was then that I have vowed to solve it and thus bring back my brother Meng…
(to be continued)
[font="][/font]