Lost Soul: Chapter Six
A boy’s quest to remember his true nature [Fantasy fiction inspired by an ayahuasca journey in Putumayo, Colombia]
Guided by the blood moon, Alexander, Andrea, and Ivaylo entered the dense misty forest. Tree branches swayed and creaked. Most of their trunks were thicker than power station chimneys and extended up further than they could see.
With each step, the mist grew thicker. So thick they could barely see one another if they stood more than a meter apart. The mist carried an odd smell, like rotting fruit, sharp like ethanol. Ivaylo’s wolf also picked up on the scent. His snout twitched frantically as the potency increased.
Ivaylo reached beneath his shirt and pulled out a beaded necklace with a wolf’s head emblem. He held it to his forehead, then heart, and muttered some words under his breath. A spherical field of light surrounded them, dispersing the mist from their path.
“Wolf boy’s got a few party tricks has he,” joked Alexander.
“More where that came from my friend” Ivaylo smiled back.
Out of nowhere, a silvery green branch crashed down on top of them. The light field around them did its job.
“Stay close!” Ordered Alexander. “This way!”
They did exactly what Alexander said and ran behind him. More branches came crashing down, narrowly avoiding them. Another branch, one as big as a house crashed on top of the sphere protecting them. Its impact was so strong that the sphere couldn’t protect them anymore.
“In here! Quick!” Said Alexander.
He shoved Andrea and Ivaylo inside a large, dark crack in one of the trees. Alexander had to squeeze in sideways. With a few tugs from Ivaylo and his wolf, he reached safety, too.
Ivaylo performed a charm to light the space they found themselves in. “What the hell was that!?” He said, dusting himself off.
Alexander and Andrea shared worried looks. “The boy!” They said in unison.
Alexander rummaged in his pack until he pulled out a smooth, marble stone. Ivaylo’s jaw dropped. Even Andrea was impressed. Such soul stones are only gifted to the leaders of soul warriors. The true extent of their power is unknown, but there are plenty of myths surrounding them. For soul warriors, their main purpose is to keep tabs on the other warriors on expeditions into unknown realms. Alexander closed his eyes and turned the stone through his fingers like a poker player would their chips. He couldn’t see the boy, but he couldn’t feel his soul. It was weak and lost, but not in danger.
“He’s fine,” Said Alexander. Besides, that vessel is almost impossible to get into without pure intentions.” Alexander slipped the stone back into his pack as if it was nothing.
“We canne go back out there, it ain’t safe” Alexander continued.
Out of sight, in the darkness, Ivayo’s wolf howled. They turned to see him burrowing away at the furthest part of the hollow– both paws flailing damp soil in all directions.
“Whatcha found, boy?” Said Ivaylo.
His wolf howled again. He’d uncovered a hole descending into unknown darkness. Ivaylo, Alexander, and Andrea stared down into the darkness. They had no idea how far the drop was.
“Either that…” Alexander said, pointing to the ominous hole “…or out there,” unsure which was the best option. He hated small spaces as it was; especially ones with a potentially painful drop.
“I’ll go first,” Said Andrea. She beat her wings and hovered over the hole, lowering herself down. She soon felt the damp, slippery surface beneath her feet. “It’s okay!” She yelled up to the others. “It’s not far. You can jump.”
Alexander went next. He made himself as thin as he could: his arms tight by his side and legs pressed together as if he was about to launch himself down a water park slide.
“Give us a shove will ya, laddy,” Said Alexander. He made a huge thud but was surprised by the soft landing.
Finally, Ivaylo went. He puffed the air out of his lungs and let himself fall into the darkness. His wolf followed him without a moment’s hesitation. They both landed on their feet with the grace of an Olympic gymnast.
The light charm followed Ivaylo down into the hollow within the hollow. What lay ahead none of them expected. A labyrinth of fungi intricately woven together for as far as they could see. A bluish hue glimmered off the mycelium network as though electricity surged through nature’s veins.
Andrea, Alexander, and Ivaylo looked down. They were standing on the cap of a red mushroom as big as a Ferris wheel. Suddenly, the surface began to move. Surrounding mycelium twisted and turned their direction to the intruders. Their electrical currents were heading right for them like electric eels ready to strike. Alexander pulled out his axe ready to sever any attacks. Give the others time to escape back into the tree if he had to.
“Get back up there!” He shouted. I’ll hold ’em off.”
A thick, white mycelium spore was almost on them. Alexander unloaded the full force of his axe. The spore deflected the blow and wrapped itself around the shaft of his axe, ripping it from his grip. The first time he’s ever been disarmed by force in combat.
A voice boomed around the underground labyrinth: “Now, now, master Alexander, weapons won’t be necessary here.”
The three of them stood motionless, computing the voice’s meaning.
“We mean no harm. In fact, I’m glad you found us. Even the healer was getting worried.”
Alexander let out an obvious sigh of relief.
“By the way, sorry about the branches, but we had to get you below the surface somehow.”
“That was you’s lot?” Said Alexander unimpressed.
“I’m afraid so. We like to keep ourselves below ground and communicate above through the trees. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t go to such extremes. However, we are not in normal circumstances. I assume the healer filled you in about the darkness gaining momentum?”
Ivaylo stared in awe. He was starting to understand the magnitude of their mission.
“Ay, we’ve spoken to the healer.” Said Alexander.
Andrea, still hovering in mid-air, chimed in: “How do you know about that?”
“Well, we aren’t only connected on Earth, courageous Andrea. We spread much further than her. We alerted the healer many moments ago to Earth’s troubles. And we feel her pain. The darkness is destroying our planet, your planet. Ahh Such wonderful experiences she expressed through you humans.”
“Wonderful experiences,” scoffed Alexander.
“No more than you could handle Master Alexander”
Alexander knew this, but he couldn’t help holding onto some resentment. The healer trusted his capabilities on Earth; he knew his strength could help others find trust in theirs (even if it meant a troubled human experience).
“The boy…” The voice continued …he suffers greatly. He represents a growing number of humans falling to the darkness.” “In due course, he must face his. As they all will. It’s the only way” The voice trailed off as if contemplating the situation to itself.
“Ahem,” coughed Alexander. Look, I’d love to keep chatting…wise erm’ fungi chief…but we need to get to the temple. He took the coordinate beacon from his pack and raised it in the air.
“Can you help us get there? The mist is so thick we can barely our hands in front of our faces and I ain’t got a good feeling about that forest”
The presence in the forest you speak of arrived on your craft many moments ago. It still hasn’t revealed itself to us. Remember, we cannot protect you above ground, however, we can take you to the temple.
Thick, white mycelium veins wrapped around Alexander and Ivaylo’s stomachs like an anaconda securing her prey. Instantly, Ivaylo was lifted from the mushroom cap beneath his feet. Alexander, on the other hand, needed two more mycelium veins to clamp around his legs to raise him from the ground.
As they began to move through the labyrinth, they felt the pulse of the mushroom mind running through the mycelium as if they too were connected to her. Their minds flashed with information about the different realms the mushrooms inhabit. The information traveled so fast they could barely make out the messages, however, one image stuck in Ivaylo’s head. It felt familiar. It wasn’t an image. It was a memory. A memory from his human experience. He was standing around a fire on a crisp, clear day; the sun beat against his tanned skin; birds sang their high-pitched songs. And he was there with another man. The other man was sitting cross-legged on the grass. He was much paler and wore only black shorts and a worried look– the kind you’d expect from someone jumping into the unknown. They spoke together softly. It appeared to be a ceremony of sorts. Ivaylo burned a woody, herbal incense and traced the outline of the man’s body with the smoke. Then it clicked. The memory made sense. In his vision, Ivaylo and the man shared small, brown shrivelled mushrooms. They connected themselves directly to the mind of the earth; to the mind of the mushroom realm.
After a short while, the man in the memory cried and cried. Wherever he’d gone, to whomever he spoke with, the experience moved him profoundly. Ivaylo felt fulfilled knowing that he’d helped another human recognize the divinity within themselves. He’d found his authentic expression on earth.
“IVAYLO!” Bellowed Alexander for the fourth time. His hands were on his knees, sniffing out the last chunks of vomit from his nostrils. He’d had a rough journey. Rougher than the portal jumps he loathed so much. The mycelium veins had carried them below the forest to directly underneath the temple. They’d travelled almost as fast as the electrical currents running through them. Even Andrea struggled to keep up despite her blistering hummingbird speed.
She flew over and helped him to the ground as the mycelium released its grip around his waist. Ivaylo shook himself out of the trance– still dazed by what he’d just seen.
“As we said, we cannot protect you up there, however, do take this.” One of the mycelium veins raised from the damp soil, and presented Ivaylo with a single mushroom about the same size as Ivaylo’s hand. As he observed it in his palm, it glowed blue like a moon in a twilight. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.” The voice said.
“Well, friends, we wish you good luck. Be safe.”
Above them, a gauze of intertwined mushrooms unravelled and a mound of soggy soil fell to the ground; a dull, red beam of light cut through the darkness stopping short from where they stood. Beneath their feet, the mushroom cap trembled. Instinctively, Andrea shot into the air. Alexander and Ivaylo steadied themselves as they were guided toward the opening. As they approached the hole, the blood moon looked bigger and bigger. And when they clambered out of the labyrinth below the soil, they stood at the foot of the temple.
The temple looked as though it had been forgotten for eternities. It still had its pyramid-like shape, however, deep cracks in the brickwork showed its neglect. Fungi and moss from the forest did their best to paper over them.
“There must be over 10 thousand steps!” Said Ivaylo. Andrea fluttered her wings with a grimacing smile on her face. “Race ya!” It was the first time Ivaylo had seen her smile. And the first time Alexander had since arrived at Soul Station MCXI. With everything going on, he hadn’t given it much thought until now but decided to put it out of his mind.
“And the rest!” Alexander replied.
They looked at the climb ahead. Somehow the temple looked even steeper up close. Almost vertical. The blood moon looked as though it were perched on top like a giant street lamp. Alexander took the first step. An image flashed through his mind’s eye with a piercing screech, knocking him off balance. He grabbed his head on the way down, but Ivaylo and Andrea grabbed his arms to steady him. He felt the presence of the temple.
“Are you okay, Alexander?” Said Andrea with concern.
“Yes, yes, I had a feeling that would happen.” He opened his eyes, puffed out his chest, and continued up the steps. Andrea and Ivaylo looked at each other as if to say: this guy is something else.
The three of them trudged up the steps. Andrea and Ivaylo’s wolf had to slow their pace, so as not to get too far ahead.
“Does it ever get light here?” Ivaylo panted. “It feels like we’ve been walking for days!”
“Shh! Did you hear that?” Said Andrea.
They were so high up the temple now they couldn’t see the forest canopy below. The only light came from the blood moon illuminating the worn-out steps in front of them.
They stopped dead. This time they all heard a faint scurrying noise.
“If we’ve got company, we’ll find out soon enough,” said Alexander. “Stay close”
They continued the accent in silence, weary of what hid in the darkness. Their pace quickened; they’d had enough of this strange realm. Now and then Alexander checked on the boy with the soul stone.
Then, for what felt like an eternity later, they reached the top of the temple. It was a flat, stony surface. Surprisingly immaculate given the state of the steps. In the middle, parallel to one another stood two unworldly statues mounted on plinths. They were insectoid-like creatures with pointed cone-shaped antennae protruding from the middle of their heads.
“It can’t be,” said Alexander in disbelief. “We need to get out of here now!”
He fumbled in his pack for the coordinate beacon. Andrea and Ivaylo had never seen him so spooked.
In the darkness, faint scurrying became loud thuds. It approached faster and faster. Alexander dropped the pack and turned toward the noise.
“Ivaylo, give us light!”
Ivaylo lit the space with pure white light. Descending upon them was the creature from the statue. It made itself look as big as possible, standing on its thick, armor-clad legs. And despite its insectoid appearance, it was oddly beautiful. Its scaly, beetle-like body supported the head of a jaguar wearing a crown. Its antenna shone blood red like the moon above them. Its screech made the companions fall to their knees, covering their ears.
Alexander ripped his shield from his back, planted it into the ground, and created a forcefield around them. The creature continued its charge. Its glowing red antenna crashed against the energy field. The blow deflected and the creature circled back for another charge. It steadied itself and bowed like a rhinoceros ready to skewer its attacker.
Alexander threw his shield to his right; the forcefield faded immediately. He showed both his empty hands to their attacker while speaking in a tongue Ivaylo and Andrea hadn’t heard before. The creature relaxed its attacking stance while maintaining its distance.
“Friends…” whispered Alexander “…this is Rorzak, Queen of the Dinago.” Alexander got to his knees and bowed before the creature.
“Psst!” Alexander side eying Ivaylo and Andrea, so they too got to their knees and bowed.
Rorzak spoke in her tongue and Alexander pulled himself up.
“You are a little far from home,” she continued in a language they all could understand.
“You could say that,” replied Alexander nervously. “It’s a great honour for us to be in your presence my lady. But, It wasn’t our intention to come here. Far from it actually.”
“Where are we?” Ivaylo said to Andrea out of the corner of his mouth.
“You are on my planet, in the Dinago system. What’s left of it anyway,” Rorzak replied.
Both Ivaylo and Andrea’s heads dropped. They knew what that meant.
“If you don’t mind me asking, my lady. What are you doing here? Everyone believes the Dinago returned to the source.”
“Most of us did. My husband and I came back to save our planet from the darkness, but it was too late. As you can see, our once vibrant, thriving planet is shrouded in eternal darkness. When we left, it had nothing left to destroy. Some say the darkness can only survive by feeding off light. Every now and then it shows itself to me. That’s why I attacked without thinking. I didn’t expect to ever see another soul again”
“We didn’t expect to end up ‘ere either, ma lady. We hopped in ‘cos our coordination beacon malfunctioned.” Alexander picked up the reserve beacon from the floor. “We’re here trying to get back on course.”
“You hopped in, you say.”
“Yes, ma lady. We found an Eternity Hopper at Soul Sation MCXI. The last vessel left it was.”
“The one I sent back,” said Rorzak pensively. “A fine vessel. Where is she now?”
“On the border of the forest. Our friend is inside waiting for us.”
“You’re going to walk back through the forest?” Said Rorzak in disbelief. “It’s not safe. I won’t allow it! I’m surprised you even made it this far.”
“What do you suggest we do, ma lady? We need to get back to our friend.”
Perhaps I can help and then you can tell why you are hopping into abandoned planets.”
Alexander gave Ivaylo and Andrea another look; the three of them bowed. “Yes, of course, ma lady.”
The tension in the atmosphere subdued. It was clear to Rorzak that the three wandering souls were no threat. She’d lived enough conflict to distinguish friend from foe. If anything, she was glad for the company.
Rorzak gestured to Alexander, Andrea, and Ivaylo (and this wolf) to move clear of the statues. They could see the resemblance in one of the majestic statues to Rorzak. She and her husband stood side by side at the top of the sacred temple looking out over their fallen land. Her once great people were wiped from existence by the darkness. Ivaylo couldn’t help but wonder if Earth would face a similar fate.
Rorzak stood between the two statues. She walked with the grace of a queen, of a warrior. But how much longer she could endure, alone with the darkness, only she knew. She raised her rigid, wiry arms into the air and her antenna glowed red.
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