Lichtarr, Banaad, Gintaar.
That which is meant to happenwill happen. It was the fundamental philosophy by which the world worked. Everything is as written by the Ancient, and what the Ancient wrote becomes reality. Liza had grown up hearing this mantra every day. She was part of a large clan that lived in the Shivering Pines, the enchanted forest. The worship of the Ancient was salvation, and the teachings of the Ancient were absolute. Liza knew this.
But this day was unlike any other. Something had shaken her unquestionable resolve to abide by the laws of the Ancient. She had to do this! Growing up in one of the smaller villages among the clan, her only family were her mother and her brother. Liza’s brother had been called to a village meeting four days earlier and sent on a hunting mission to secure a sacrifice for the Festival of the Many.
Rior never came back to the village, and the elders had declared him dead. In the Reultsi belief, a hunter who died during a hunt was declared a failure, and his family would be bound to two decades of servitude to the temple of the Ancient. She knew her brother well. He was one of the best Reultsi hunters alive. He would not have died to any beast in the forest. There was something amiss about the way things were happening. For one, the village council did not send out a scouting party to determine his death. Second, the hunting mission was given to Rior unannounced in the middle of the night with no time to prepare.
Liza was not going to stand quietly and let her family be shunned. She had heard of one capable of opposing the Ancient—a being dwelt in the black lake. The children grew up hearing stories of how the Ancient had stood up against this creature and bound it to the lake. The Reultsi were prohibited from going anywhere near the lake as the creature could apparently take control of someone’s mind. It was a significant risk. But Liza was desperate and needed help. She had to find out what happened to her brother. Her mind was made up.
***
Her vision blurred as she tore through the thick forest with everything she had. Her legs powerfully kicked down, causing her body to be propelled forward with practised efficiency. West! This has to be West! There were footsteps behind her. She dared not turn around and look. She threw down one of the round, grey spheres she had packed in her bag and quickly darted to the side as the dung bomb exploded. She continued running as the stench of feces swiftly spread. She and her brother had devised the idea of modifying the smoke bomb into a dung bomb to cover up their scent from tracking beasts and rogue hunters.
The bomb seemed to have done its job as the footsteps behind her stopped. She could hear the sounds of the black lake ahead. She made it! No village hunter would willingly enter the lake. She had to reach the inky water, and they would stop pursuing her. She saw a glimpse of the dark, splashing water, its colour seemingly absorbing all light around it. She kicked herself forward by using a nearby tree trunk as a platform. Her body plunged into the inky black surface of the lake. She felt herself entering a thin, invisible layer of air. A barrier? Before her thought could go any further, she heard a swoosh and a loud, wet thunk! A scream escaped from her throat as she felt the sharpened tip of an arrow sink into her spine.
***
Liza opened her eyes. And quickly closed it again. Everything was bright. Had she died? Was this the afterlife? It has to be because the last thing she remembered was diving head first into the black lake, the inky black water swallowing her vision as she bled from her wound. She moved her shoulders and winced at a sharp pain shot through her. Wait! Why am I still hurting if I’m dead? She forced her eyes to open again and blinked several times, slowly adjusting to the bright light.
The scene before her was almost unbelievable, circling it.
“So you came here to find what happened to your brother, child?”
The voice echoed inside her head. It sounded similar to that of her mother’s. She was too dumbstruck to speak. She nodded, unable to move or speak for the time being. Was this the dark creature bound to the lake? Was this the black lake? It is so bright here. Is this a dream?
“Yes. Yes. And no.” The voice replied as if it could read her thoughts. “You see, I was bound to the lake by the one you call the Ancient. But neither myself nor this lake is dark. You see it as such because of the barrier the Ancient had raised around this place. I am Lilori, once the goddess of pathways. If you are determined to walk, I can show you the path you need to take.”
Something about the being made Liza feel at ease. Her heart no longer felt the presence of danger nearby, her pain had reduced from the water touching her wound, and her voice slowly returned as she responded to Lilori. “Yes, I want to find out what happened to my brother. He… He is still alive, isn’t he?”
There was a pause. Then, the doves flapped their wings, flying toward Liza. A wave of water lifted Liza’s body gently. The arrow that was stuck in her back was slowly pulled out. She winced but straightened up, standing in the waist-high waters of the lake. The doves quickly dipped into the lake and came out. A large bubble of water floated between them. As they approached Liza, she noticed that the bubble showed a scene. A Sunset in a distant land she had never seen before, with rocky shores and strange-looking wooden contraptions that floated in the water. This must be a vision, she thought.
“The road you must travel is long and hard, child. You must gain power and knowledge of the Ancient to know the truth. I cannot answer your question now, but I can tell you this is the path you must take if you want to know the truth.”
Wordlessly, Liza nodded. She would do anything to save her brother. She thought about her mother. She would be made to serve the temple now. However, since Reultsi considered that to be the ultimate punishment, she would not be subject to anything worse. She looked up at the pair of eyes and then the water bubble. “Yes, I’m willing to do anything to save my family.” Tears rolled down her cheek as she slowly extended her palm. I’m sorry, mom. I will return soon, with Rior! she thought to herself.
The doves placed the water bubble on top of her hand. It did not burst like she expected it to. It slowly started expanding in size, becoming larger and larger in her palm. The scene inside it seemed to get closer and closer to her. She held the bubble with both hands as it continued to grow in size.
And before she realized it, she was being pulled into the now child sized bubble. Was this one of the pathways that Lilori mentioned? Before she knew the answer, she felt a tug in her back as she felt like she was falling face-first into nothingness. She closed her eyes tightly as her stomach was getting ready to hurl. Then, the sensation suddenly stopped. Her feet were planted once again on solid ground. She opened her eyes to see the Sunset. The Sunset from the bubble! Surprised, she looked around to find herself standing on the sandy beaches of a strange land. Broken, massive wooden vessels could be seen in the distance. Her hand gripped the dagger at her waist.
I will walk this path! I will get stronger! And I will find my way back home!