Bellkipeg - Part The Twenty-Third

69)

“We are now trapped…” Onyx stated. “What are your idea’s?”
“Well, surrounding it is out…” Alex joked.
“Your bravado betrays your hopelessness.” The priest mocked.
“Is that why you turned so willingly to the darkness?” Alex asked, walking towards the priest. The priest took a step backwards. “You can’t be scared of me, Pastor.” Alex said quietly. “Where’s your pomposity, your power now?”
“I have no need of it for you are no threat to me; you have no power over me.” The priest balked.
“And you have no power of me, so I guess that makes us even.” Alex stated. He’d backed the priest against the pulpit now; knowing how dangerous cornered animals could get Alex sat down on the first pew. “And since we’re not going anywhere I suggest we talk.”
“I agree, Creator,” Onyx said, interrupting Alex’s train of thought. “But they exist in a part of Bellkipeg that is difficult to get to. You may be the only one that can actually guide us there. I have never, in all my travels, found them.. or know of anyone who has…”
“So how am I going to find them?” Alex asked.
“With patience and love and light, Creator.” Onyx answered, aware of Alex’s building emotional turmoil. “But we must allow the village folk to regain their normal lives after such a period of enslavement.”
“Creator.” Onyx cautioned. “I would advise against this, the Deluge is outside and threatens to crush the Church.” Onyx looked to the windows and Alex followed his gaze. “It knows that it can not enter here so it will do everything in its power to bring the entire edifice down.”
“You worry about the people here,” Alex replied. “I’ll concentrate on the pastor and the church will look after itself. Things aren’t what they seem, and I believe he holds the key.” He said motioning to the priest.
“You expect me to help you?.” The priest snided.
“Oh, I don’t want you to help,” Alex stated. “I just want to talk. I want to know more about why you willingly turned to the dark.” The priest seemed uncertain of Alex’s motives. Onyx turned to the crowd, trusting Alex implicitly. “We’re trapped and neither 
of us can go anywhere. I don’t know what to do, I’ll be honest. Hurting you will not get me anywhere, but between us we may be able to find a way out.”
“I will be freed once you have been assimilated by the Deluge.” The priest stated, matter-of-factly.
“You think?” Alex smiled. He felt completely in control of the situation. He knew that the Deluge was outside gathering up enough strength to crush them all, but there was no way that he was going to worry about it. He shook his head as he answered. “I don’t think so. In fact when the Deluge crushes this church it will flatten you as much as everyone else!”
It was obvious that the priest hadn’t thought of this for all the bravado and venom drained from his face.
“No.. The Deluge will allow me to pass unhindered.” He said bleakly.
“I don’t think so.” Alex stated smugly. “You’ve failed, Pastor, for we’re still alive.” The truth of the situation dawned on the Priest and his whole demeanor drained along with the colour of his face. This was precisely what Alex wanted; now he could talk to the person behind the conceit and hate. Now he could understand what had made the man give in and, therefore, find a way to escape the Deluge.
“Tell me what happened.” Alex asked as the priest sat down next to him, the look on his face one of utter defeat and helplessness, ironically the very feelings he had wanted to instill in Alex.
Alex was a little surprised that the priest had given in so easily; he had put up little resistance to his arguments. 
“It wasn’t just one thing.” The priest replied. It never is, Alex thought to himself. “But what you must understand  about this village is that we feel things more than other places.”
“How do you mean?” Alex asked, trying to draw the priest out, to re-establish the connection with his true self again.
“The Heart Stone connects to the whole of Bellkipeg, therefore whatever happens we feel the ramifications of whatever happens elsewhere.” The priest explained. “We felt The Presence long before it had manifested in the form of the Deluge, and as I am the priest of the village, and more in tune with the Stone, I felt it more than most.”
“What did you feel?” Alex inquired.
“At first I noticed a shiver in the Stone whenever I touched it.” The priest explained. “I didn’t understand what was happening and didn’t think anything of it at first. We’ve had energy fluctuations in the past but that is the norm. Energy is constantly fluctuating, so I ignored it.”
“But it didn’t go away did it?” Alex interrupted.
“No, it didn’t. The feeling increased until the stone became cold to the touch.” He paused before continuing. “I know that might sound an odd thing to say, but in many ways the Stone is alive. It was always warm to those that could feel the energy moving.”
“And that no longer happened…”
“No.” The priest said.
“And then one day a visitor came to the village.” The priest hung his head low as he recalled the incident. “There was nothing unusual in that. People always came to the village; normally to connect to the Heart and find their own still-point. But this visitor was different; he was hooded, and wore ill-fitting clothes, similar to what your friend wears, but much shorter. Rather than walk up to the stone he came into the church to find me.” The priest shook his head.

70)
“Creator, we don’t have much time!” Onyx shouted, and Alex looked up at the roof and walls. They were starting to shudder as dust fell from the rafters and a low rumble could be heard. The church wouldn’t hold out much longer.
“The villagers need to reconnect to the Heart Stone.” Alex shouted back. “They used 
to be as one with the heart and draw from its strength and they can now do that again! We can use that strength to protect us in here until we have all the information we need.” Onyx nodded his head and instructed the villagers to do as Alex said. The villagers were reticent at first but soon all bowed their head in deep thought. One by one they started to hum, a resonance that built into a crescendo that filled the very air around them with a vibration of such purity and power that the walls no longer shook and the Deluge was kept at bay. Alex turned back to the priest.
“This man… what did he say to you?” He asked.
“He spoke to me about the coming darkness.” The Priest replied. “I was surprised that he knew of such matters. Only those that are Recluse know of the feelings of Bellkipeg.” He saw the confusion in Alex’s eyes. “The Recluse are those that live only to commune with our land. They eat off the land and draw their life force from it; it is said that the Heart was laid by the first Recluse among us.” Alex nodded. “But this man was not a Recluse. I sensed a cold energy from him; as the Stone had become, however I never made the connection until it was too late…. He spoke of the changing cycles and how there would come a time when the Light would no longer be able to protect us, that the Stone had been cut off from its Source. I thought nothing of it, just the ramblings of a lonely man… But he had so much conviction.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“He told me to go to the Land of Open Doorway;” The Priest continued. “This is where the energy is at its purest and acts as the boundary to other places, if one knows where to find these doors.”
“How do you mean, other places?” Alex asked, curious now. “Where is this place?” Alex had a strong feeling that he knew exactly where it was.
“It’s deep in the wooded soul of Bellkipeg, many miles to the South.” The priest replied. Alex knew that he had first woken up in the Land of Open Doorways; that was where he saw the deer, and encountered the boar.
“What did you find when you traveled to the Land Of The Open Doorways?” Alex asked, intrigued.
“Once I had known it as a verdant green paradise with magnificent trees proudly displaying their branches, welcoming everyone to enter and share of their love.” The priest bowed his head. “But all the trees had become warped and huddled, worn and grey, covered in dense, thick brambles. None had any leaves and the sun light was weak and insipid grey, filtering through forlorn branches. The wood was cold, empty and had turned to despair.” Alex was shocked by this, because he had remembered the wood as being exactly as the priest had originally described.
“When did you travel there?” He asked.
“But two weeks ago.” The priest replied. Alex couldn’t believe he’d been in Bellkipeg for that long. He’d assumed that The Presence had been threatening the land for longer, years! But all this had happened in just two weeks? How long had he been in Bellkipeg? It was so hard to tell. “As part of becoming a priest we are birthed through a tree that rests in the Lands in a ritual. I frantically tried to find my tree, which had been a sturdy oak. But it had become petrified.” Alex hung his head, feeling the priests utter despair at seeing the tree in such a state. “My thoughts were ultimately selfish; if The Presence could do that to such a tree, then what would it do to me? How would I be able to stand against such a power?”
Alex now understood why the priest had turned against his own faith. In many ways it was not entirely his fault, his connection with the oak had been severed in such a brutal fashion, there was no way he could draw strength from the land so he did the only thing he could in the circumstances. By becoming part of The Presence forces, and turning the village against the Heart Stone he had actually saved them. Alex explained this to the Priest.
“That is an immense kindness that you show to me, Creator.” Alex turned to look at the congregation. They were still deep in chanting, and had been ever since Alex had 
asked them to; the power that they were exuding was immense, it had created an impenetrable barrier that kept the Deluge at bay. If only it could be more focused, they might all stand a chance of escaping! The priest sensed Alex’s quandary and spoke.
“Use me, Creator.” He said, solemnly. “I will be the focus to all the energy. Together we will banish the darkness from this village."

71)
“You know what will happen if we use you as the focus, Father.” Alex warned.
“I do; but all of Bellkipeg is in danger because of what I have done. I allowed the Deluge to block the energies and gave it free reign across this land. It is only fitting that I do my best to make amends.” Alex placed his hand on the priests shoulder and allowed his love to flow into him.
“If it hadn’t been you then it would have been someone else, surely you realise that.” He said, knowing that his words offered no comfort to the man. “You saved your congregation though. By allowing them to be taken over at the time, you have actually given us the ability to use them now.” The priest nodded his head. “I believe that everything happens for a reason and that the seeds of the future salvation are often planted in our pasts for us to find.”
“That is very true.” The priest agreed, “And that does bring me comfort, but now is the time for us to strike.  In many ways I am the perfect weapon because I still have The Presence inside of me and can use that against the Deluge. This has been pre-ordained, Creator, and so shall it be.”
Alex nodded his head solemnly and looked to Onyx. Onyx and the congregation stood around the priest in a circle, placing all of their hands over his forehead. Alex stood directly in front of him.
“Thank you for doing this.” Alex said, his words failing him.
The priest smiled. “I know that this will not be in vain and I thank you for this chance 
of redemption. Now.. use me as the focus of your energies.” He closed his eyes as Alex nodded.
The congregation began humming again, allowing their voices to grow louder, moving up an octave and widening their sound so it became a nasal hum full of power. Alex joined, in feeling the sound resonating at the roof of his mouth. His whole body vibrated with the energies flowing from him.
He could see the priests colour shift from a dull pink glow to a brilliant white radiance. Onyx then broke the circle by stepping to one side, allowing the priest to walk through; his expression was one of utter peace and serenity as he walked to the church door, the circle closing behind him. He turned back, faced Alex one last time and said:
“We are all one another, Creator. We need to face our darkness, not run away from it; for we only run away from ourselves.” Alex closed his eyes and concentrated on the energies circulating through the priest as he opened the church door and walked out.
No sooner had Onyx shut the door than an enormous blast of energy threw the doors open, knocking him off his feet; followed by an unholy roar then an unnerving silence. All in the church stayed completely still, unsure of what had transpired. Soon birds could be heard in the distance and they knew that they were safe once more. The priest had dispersed the Deluge, but at such a cost.
“The Deluge has indeed been disrupted, Creator.” Onyx finally spoke. “But it has not been destroyed. All the time there is the capacity for darkness then the Deluge will be there, growing in strength.”
“But is it safe to leave now?” 
“It is. We have nothing to fear from the Deluge for the time being. The Priest gave his life to disrupt its energies. But we need to leave now.” He continued as Alex agreed.
“We need to find the Unicorns, I need to find out how I can save Bellkipeg. Too much time has been wasted on these minor skirmishes; freeing the guardians and dispersing the Deluge.. I need to find out what the source of The Presence is if I’m going to defeat it.” Alex felt sickened for some reason by the priests sacrifice. The priest had done the most noble deed but Alex felt that he should’ve been the one to face the Deluge. He was also troubled by the priests final comments. What did he mean by running away from inner darkness?

Bellkipeg - Part The Twenty-Second

65)

It was the Deluge that surrounded Alex and had been the root cause of the blockage all along. It had not yet acknowledged his presence and seemed unaware that he was actually inside of it; somehow it was the arrowhead in his pocket that was protecting his psychic self. He knew that he didn’t have the power to fully defeat it here, but he could do enough damage to it to make sure that it would no longer be a threat to the Stone and block its energy.

The only way for him to banish the Deluge from the Stone’s energy field was to force it to become physical. That would undoubtedly create a whole new set of problems for them both to deal with which would probably involve a lot of running. Alex smiled to himself at the irony; even here, amongst such concentrated evil he knew that there was still room for humor; something he never thought possible before. Humor brought the light into existence, raised the vibrational energies and made it possible for people to triumph over anything.

Using the humor as a starting place, Alex focused on the light that he knew was deep inside of him. He concentrated on the spark amongst the darkness; allowed the spark to grow within him, nurtured it, fueling it with all the positivity that he could muster. He thought back to Allura and Anjinn and gave them love and strength as  they took back the Mirror of Sfel; he thought of Onyx and all the support and understanding that he had been given.

Alex drew on all those feelings and used them to nurture the growing spark. He could feel the energy build; his whole body shaking with the effort, but still the energy levels rose. He felt the very energies of the Stone resonate in harmony and merge with his own.

He experienced the love of the very earth itself; felt Bellkipeg flow into him until he could take it no longer. With a cry of such force and magnitude Alex released the energy in one huge blast like the start of a new universe. The Deluge screamed in pain and suddenly disappeared.

66)

Alex suddenly woke up and found himself lying flat on his back with the stone behind him; Onyx stood over him with concern crowding his normally calm face.

“We need to move, Creator, very quickly.” He cautioned. “Just as you came back to your body, so the Deluge suddenly appeared. It is writhing in agony at the moment but that condition will not last long. We need to find sanctuary.” Alex agreed, though he could barely stand; releasing that much energy had severely depleted his own. Onyx helped him.

“The church.” Alex pointed, “We need to go inside, the Deluge won't be able to attack us once we are safe inside there.”

“We will, however, be trapped.”

“We haven’t got time to argue.” Onyx took his shoulder and they walked slowly towards the church, keeping a watchful eye on the Deluge; which was phasing in and out from the shock of being forced into corporeality.

They were but a few feet away from the church, Alex stumbling along the best he could. Behind him he could hear the Deluge start to regain its physical form and he could now sense its anger and vile hatred for what he had done to it. Though it was still weak and could only move slowly it was rolling at a faster rate than Onyx could walk. Neither Alex nor Onyx were strong enough to offer any resistance this time if it attacked, but the church was so close now.

With inches to spare Onyx pushed the warped wooden door open and shoved Alex inside before shutting the door again. The Deluge launched a tendril of viscous evil at the door as it closed, sending a shock-wave of force through the wooden panels as it impacted. The noise echoed around the church, but they were safe; it could not penetrate their sanctuary.

67)

“Rest now, Creator.” Onyx consoled. “You’ve had a busy day.” Alex smiled.

“Now do you see why I said to run to the Church?” He asked. Onyx nodded. “We’re safe here as I’ve freed the blockage from the Stone’s centre.”

“Yes, I understand that, but my biggest concern is how we’re going to escape from here.” 

“Let’s cross one bridge at a time,” Alex remonstrated. “We both need to restore our energy and here is as good a place as any!”

Onyx nodded his head in agreement and helped Alex on to his feet again.They had been so preoccupied with escaping from the Deluge that they hadn’t realised that the church was far from empty. The stilted silence was at complete odds to the myriad faces that stared back at them. Nearly all of the pews were full and the people had the same vacant look in their eye. Alex initially mistook it as shock but upon closer observation he knew that he’d seen it before, back in the townage of Haywreath.

“Onyx…” He warned.

“Aye, Creator. I know, it would seem that by escaping the Deluge we may have walked into a situation far more dangerous.”

Row upon row of faces stared back at them, men and women of all ages, even 

children; Alex now understood why the village had been so empty. Everyone was dressed in their finery; immaculately tailored puppets.

“It must be connected to the Deluge blocking the energy to the Stone. But they should be free, surely…. The Deluge is no longer in control!”

“Yes!” The shout seemed to come from everywhere at once, reverberating from the walls, deafening in contrast to the silence that had haunted the church. Alex tried to pinpoint where the voice had originated from, he relaxed his gaze and scanned the church. Standing by the pulpit Alex could see a man in long, flowing robes of the darkest crimson he had ever seen.

“We know what you’ve done, Creator.” The man sneered, his voice booming with such power. “But it will do you no good here. This village is ours, regardless of your machinations.”

The man walked towards them slowly, his magnificent robes flowing after him. His form was surrounded in a similar dark red aura and pulsated with every footstep.

“Trying to read me, are you?” The man goaded. “And what do you see? No Skin-Crawler am I… I gave of myself freely to the Deluge; to The Presence, and so did the villagers you see around you now. They are all part of the darkness that will soon cover the whole of Bellkipeg.”

68)

Alex couldn’t believe what he was hearing, after going through the trauma of destroying the Guardians and banishing the Deluge from the Stones energy centre, it was a travesty to be faced with this monstrosity and to learn that he had given himself freely?

“NO!” Onyx boomed. “You may have given yourself to the darkness, but these villagers are under your thrall.” Alex saw the villagers react to Onyx’s voice.

“But your hold over them is weakening, isn’t it?” Alex shouted. “The Heart Stone is waking up and it’s angry. It knows what you’ve done and it won’t be long before its 

back to its full strength. When that happens I doubt you’ll be here…”

“Maybe not, Creator.” Sneered the priest. “But long enough to do this!” He pointed at Alex with both his hands, and emitted a low gluttural moan. Alex could feel the force emanating from the man, his whole psychic field pulsated, firing off sparks. The congregation rose and moved towards them.

“Creator, we must force this priest to release his hold on the crowd.” Onyx said. “As you managed to do in Haywreath.”

“But in Haywreath I had no idea what I was doing!” Alex stated, weakly. “And I was fit after resting…” He still felt so drained from freeing the Heart Stone.

“Your true self is endless, remember, changeless and boundless. Call on that energy; that life force and you will stand strong.”

Alex did as he was told, focused on the energy that he felt when he connected with the Heart Stone. The inrush of energy was instantaneous and within seconds he was on his feet again.

“You have no power here.” He shouted back against the priests intonations, and clasped Onyx’s outstretched hand. Together the power surged through them and they directed it against the priest as the crowd moved against them. Alex had never felt such an rush of energy flowing through him; whatever he had felt connecting to the Heart Stone was now easily dwarfed by this; the very air crackled with intensity.

The priest was shaken by this force and stepped back. The crowd stopped and wavered. Alex intensified his efforts forcing his awareness to merge with Onyx. He felt another wave of strength emanate forth and this time the priest was knocked off his feet. The crowd was now free from his control and collapsed. Alex broke contact with Onyx who took a step back as the priest got to his feet again.

“You may have bested me, but there is no way that you are escaping this church.” He boasted. “The Deluge will never tire, it has feasted on the Heart Stone for so long its strength has intensified.”

Suddenly the church was plunged into darkness. Alex looked to the windows and could no longer see any daylight shining through them. The Deluge had swallowed the church whole.

Bellkipeg - Part The Twenty-First

63)

“You should not have come here.” The boy whispered, speaking in the same tongue as the Guardian. “You will suffer the same fate that befell me.”

“No.” Alex replied. “That will not happen. But you can help me.”  

“Why should I help you when you abandoned me?” The boy asked, his eyes accusatory and piercing. Alex could detect that his personality had not been completely submerged; and he sought to bring his personality out, to become more dominant.

“I had no choice, but I can save you now; I can save Bellkipeg, but I need your help.” He insisted, focusing his energies on the boy.

“I can not help you; your quest is your own.” The boy replied, his voice trembling with the effort. “I do know that he is scared of you.”

“Who?”

“Dark.” The boy responded, his voice almost his own now. “The Shadow Seeker. He is scared of your light.”

“Who can help me?” Alex asked. “Who can show me the truth behind the Shadow.” 

The boys face was now truly contorted and Alex could feel the pain seep into his own body, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep up this effort. The Presence was exerting more and more pressure over the child.

“..The Unicorns….” The boy replied, his voice now but a pain soaked whisper. “They are the only ones that will be able to help you. They see all truth… they will see yours.”

“Thank you, young one.” Alex replied, tears forming in his eyes as he saw the stabbing pain that the Guardian was now inflicting on the boy. “We will be reunited and I will take your pain away.” Alex closed his eyes from the pain, and from the very depths of his soul shouted, “Onyx NOW!”

Onyx heard Alex’s cry and scattered the remaining salt over him and chanted the last invocation:

“We call upon the West to cleanse itself of the Fear and Cruelty that has been placed here by the powers of the Guardian to disrupt your flow. We call upon the transformative power of the West to give us the Love and blessings to do your bidding and rid this village, and the land of Darkness. We do this in your name.”

Alex felt the Guardians scream when the invocation was finished.

“Rest a minute, Creator.” Onyx cautioned. “You will have surely been depleted by that ordeal.” Alex felt a gentle heat emanate from Onyx’s hands and let the heat flow through his body rejuvenating him.

“It seems that it was I that misjudged the situation this time.” Onyx conceded.

 “I really don’t know, I was able to observe you and the boy, the way that your energies interacted. You seemed so intent on deactivating the Guardian that you were oblivious to the girl’s pain. However it was the fear in her eyes that made me see that it wasn’t a projection.”

“Of course.” Onyx agreed. “Had it been a psychic projection fueled by the Guardian then the girl would have either goaded me into confronting it, or warned me away; she did neither.” He lifted his hands away from Alex’s shoulders and rubbed his left antler. “What did you discern from the Guardian, Creator?” he asked.

“I.. I can’t remember much. The only thing that I can recall is that we need to find the Unicorns. They can tell me how I can find The Presence; and save the land.”

“The Unicorns?” Onyx replied, shocked at the ramifications. “That will be a hard trek for they live in the deepest part of Bellkipeg where few people ever go.. I shall have to think on that. However, our task here is not finished. We may have defeated the Guardians, but we still need to clear the energy blockage.”

“How do we do that?” Alex asked. “We’ve run out of salt.”

“We will not need salt, Creator.” Onyx replied. “And to be honest, the only person that will be able to clear that blockage is you.”

“I knew you were going to say that.” Alex said wryly. It wasn’t that long ago that such a statement would have sent Alex on a spiral of negativity and fear. He now accepted the responsibility without reverting to type. “What do I need to do? Focus on my own blockages?” He said ironically.

“Yes.” Onyx replied.

“Thought so…” Alex walked back to the standing stone.

“Be careful, Creator. You have a healthy attitude, at last – but do not take unnecessary risks.”

“That’s not going to happen, Onyx.  I’m just no longer afraid of my responsibility. 

 Opening my heart will allow me to have the full access to my personality.”

“Not necessarily.” Onyx disagreed. “You will have a greater understanding of yourself, but you will not be complete. Not yet.”

“How do you mean?” Alex asked.

“You will still be out of balance.” Onyx titled his head from side to side as he looked at Alex, and frowned. “I can not see any more than that, Creator.” Alex was perplexed, Onyx could normally sense so much, but it was obvious that something was blocking him even now. Alex sensed that it was linked in some way to his mis-understanding of the final Guardian.

“Ok…” Alex replied. “We’ll have to look at that after I free the village.” He turned back and walked up to the standing stone.

64)

The stone dwarfed Alex and refracted the light from the morning sun. Even though he could feel no energy radiating from it, Alex was moved by its very presence and could feel his own blockage resonate in sympathy with the stone.

There was a numbness just below Alex’s heart, something cold; like a metaphysical pins and needles, he had felt it most of his life as a passing, phasing sensation but never thought anything of it. The numb feeling would gradually pass, but never go away completely. He had put up with it for so many years that it no longer felt any different to any other sensation, but as he walked closer the feeling increased in intensity and he knew just how unnatural it really was.

When Alex reached the stone he had to get down on his knees and it took great efforts to centre himself; he felt that he was synchronising with its energy.

Alex bowed his head and placed both hands onto its surface, it was freezing to the touch. He felt a deep stirring within though, as if there was some residual energy trapped inside and he allowed his consciousness to find that energy inside of himself. By relaxing, he felt himself flow to where the blockage was and he allowed the numb feeling to flow into his whole body.

At first the pins and needles covered every inch of his torso; it was torment but he endured it, the blockage needed to be cleared, otherwise the whole of Bellkipeg would be at the mercy of The Presence.

The pins and needles increased in intensity until it became a burning sensation; Alex was unsure how long he could put up with the pain. He resolved himself to push deeper, none of it was real, it was just another illusion; and upon seeing through the ruse he let the pain wash through him.

Then the pain simply vanished, leaving Alex floating in a void of blackness and serenity. It felt cold here though and there was no sense of presence; he was adrift and alone. In a way Alex belonged here, there was no sense of urgency, no Bellkipeg; no Dark; simply nothingness and no responsibility. He knew this was what had been blocking him; it was an absence of feeling. Its solidity was only in relationship to the depth of Alex’s emotional state, it stopped him from caring or feeling too much –he could see that now.

Not feeling….. It was far easier not to feel anything as it protected him from the world around him, but that too was just a lie. Feelings weren’t dangerous in themselves, but if one ignored them for too long then they could strike without warning. Alex suddenly understood what the boar had represented; and why it had attacked him when he first entered Bellkipeg. The blackness that surrounded him suddenly writhed and contracted around him as if in response to his thoughts.

And it was then that Alex suddenly realised what he was floating in, and what was blocking the Stones power.

Bellkipeg - Part The Twentieth

59)

“We’ll find the Guardians at the four cardinal points.” Alex said, “Each Guardian will be itself protected and will need to be disarmed itself before we can progress on to the other, but first we must ground ourselves.”

“You are correct,” Onyx agreed. “But we must be careful, and take this slowly. Each Guardian will have its own set of problems that will need to be dealt with. We need to walk around the periphery of the village before we go any further.”

“Yes, I think I know why.” Alex responded. When Onyx raised his eyebrow Alex continued, “We need to assess the situation, find out exactly what we’re dealing with here. It’s no good just rushing in.” Onyx found it hard not to smile, despite the situation; it wasn’t that long ago where Alex would’ve just tried to disarm the guardians without thinking.

They walked around the periphery of the village slowly, adopting the true walking stance, more deliberately this time; Onyx explained: “The more consciously you walk, the more aware you are of your surroundings. The moment you take your surroundings for granted…”

“Everything changes.” Alex interrupted. Onyx nodded. Even though it was a fine, crisp and sunny morning there was no one wandering around; the village looked deserted which seemed strange to Alex for even the communal building was empty.

He could see the four guardians simply by their colour change: they glowed a sickly green and he felt fear and apprehension when walking close to them.

“They are drawing their power from the same darkness that flows through the Deluge. For each of these barriers we must intone a prayer and cleanse the area with salt, which I took from the communal building last night. We must walk to the North Guardian first.”

“Why did you take the salt last night, if you didn’t know about the energy blockage?” Alex asked, bemused.

“Salt is a powerful cleanser, and absorbs negative emotional energies.” Onyx replied. “I saw an opportunity to appropriate a small supply, which I keep in my pouch around my neck. It is also a good protector. I took the liberty of collecting some for you as well.” Onyx handed Alex a roughly sewn leather pouch, with a drawer-string. “Use this when I say to, and join in with me when I start the prayer.” Onyx explained.

“How will I know what to say?”

“Open yourself to me, let the words flow.” Onyx replied. “But be warned, the Guardians will not give up easy. Remember, they are connected to The Presence source.

Alex was apprehensive approaching the first of the Guardians, he didn’t know what to expect; was the Guardian going to be a physical presence or an apparition? Onyx sensed his apprehension. “Stay focused and centred. Do not let the Guardians get into your head, Creator. I may not be able to help you.”

Alex concentrated on what was about to happen; drawing on his calm they walked up to the Northern perimeter of the village. As before, he was aware of the green hue to the area directly in front of him, and it was then that he started questioning exactly what was going on. There seemed no point to what they were doing. What did Alex care what happened to the village? His destiny was elsewhere, he certainly had no business deactivating the Guardians, for all he knew they could be protecting the village, not suppressing its power. Onyx could easily be wrong.

“I don’t see the point in this, Onyx.” He snapped. “We haven’t got time to waste.”

“Stay focused, Creator.” Onyx cautioned.

“But I don’t want to do this.” Alex sounded like a petulant child, which surprised him.

“Centre yourself!” Onyx reprimanded. “This is not the time to indulge. It is simply the influence of the Guardian, trying to sway you, resist it!”

Alex grimaced. He hadn’t even been aware of the change in him, the feeling had come over him so quickly. He chastised himself quietly and redoubled his efforts. The feeling didn’t go away but he was aware of it, so he could observe it dispassionately and not let it affect him.

Onyx motioned to him that it was time for them to intone the prayer so he opened himself to Onyx’s energies and let the words flow forth.

“We call upon the North to cleanse itself of the pain and rigidity of the Guardian, placed here to disrupt your flow.” Alex could feel the pain course through his body as they intoned the words, all his joints became rigid and inflexible. It became almost unbearable, but he knew this was but another attempt by the Guardian to warn them off. “We call upon the grounding power of the North to give us the Strength to do your bidding and rid this village, and the land of Darkness. We do this in your name.” Onyx took the pouch of salt from his neck and scattered a handful, Alex did the same. As he did so, he felt the aura of the place change again, the pain subsiding in his joints. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad.” Alex remarked. Onyx shot him a look of disdain.

“Be wary, Creator.” He remarked. “Don’t become too self-assured just yet. This is but the first Guardian, and I deliberately chose the North first because it would be the easiest to tackle. The other Guardians will be aware of our presence now and will intensify their efforts to stop us from deactivating them.”

60)

“Learn to trust in your own flow.” Onyx remarked as they walked to the East quadrant of the village. There were still no villagers to be seen and the village was as silent as a cloudy winters day.

Alex felt this emptiness inside of him increase the closer he got to the Guardian. It started off as a prickly feeling in the base of his stomach and with each step it grew in frequency, as if the Guardian itself was sending out waves of fear and insularity. Alex looked to Onyx but he seemed oblivious. It was obvious that he no longer cared; he didn’t want to know when Alex had trouble with the first Guardian and was clearly distancing himself now.

That was absurd though. Onyx was concentrating on the Guardian, which was exactly what he needed to do. He could still feel the waves of loneliness and depression buffet him like ripples on a pond; however they no longer affected him. By disassociating himself from his mask and the self he was no longer influenced by the petty emotions of fear or insecurity, for being connected with his truth he was part of something far bigger than himself.

He could see the ripples change frequency to deep depression and he laughed to himself. He was no longer affected by these emotions and it was a joy to finally be able to step outside them and see his own truth.

At the given signal Onyx took a handful of salt and scattered it over the ground intoning:

“We call upon the East to cleanse itself of the Fear and Anxiety of the Guardian, placed here to disrupt your flow.” Alex felt the strength in the words and even allowed himself to take the lead saying, “We call upon the uplifting power of the East to give us the Knowledge to do your bidding and rid this village, and the land of Darkness. We do this in your name.”

Suddenly, like a switch being flicked, the waves of fear stopped. Onyx turned to him and said: “You understood exactly what I meant, Creator. When I taught you the correct way of walking I actually taught you the correct way to be.”

“I can see that now. Allowing the eyes to cross was really just a gimmick, isn’t it?”

“Yes, in some ways it is.” Onyx conceded. “But it did force you to see things in a new way, and from a slightly different perspective.” Alex understood the logic behind this and smiled. “However, we still have two more Guardians to deactivate, and they will be the hardest to shut down.”

They turned to face the South and walked towards the third Guardian, Onyx leading the way. Alex wondered what form the Guardian would choose to show itself in.

The heat wasn’t noticeable at first, but as they walked closer Alex felt his cheeks burn. It was then that he saw the flames. They appeared out of nowhere, a wall spreading around the area where Onyx felt the Guardian stood, the heat unbearable.

Alex didn’t know what to do at first, he wasn’t expecting something physical as the previous two Guardians had simply been psychic barriers that had to be breached. This one was different, and there seemed no way past it. He could see Onyx simply standing there, seemingly unsure of the way forward too.

The flames roared higher the closer Alex tried to get, and he felt his own anger start to burn as he took a step back. What was going on? There was no way he could get past this fire, there was no water around to douse it, besides which he knew that water alone would have little effect on the flames.

However, Alex noticed there was something different about this fire. As he walked closer the flames grew higher and more intense, as if they had reacted to his presence… or his thoughts. 

He remembered that flames needed fuel to burn, and this fire seemed to feed off psychic energy. Simply by focusing on the flames he was actively fuelling them, which is why they grew when he walked closer. Were the flames real or were they just another psychic projection?

Alex tried shifting his perception to no avail, the flames were still burning and became hotter still. Onyx hadn’t advanced any further and seemed to be waiting for Alex to make the first move. All the time he saw the flames he felt the head so he closed his eyes in order to distance himself from the problem.

Surprisingly the temperature abated, he could feel the air cool around him a great deal which prompted him to open his eyes. The flames suddenly shot out at him and he only just stepped back in time. His eyebrows were singed by the heat. He closed his eyes again just to see whether there would be another drop in temperature. Sure enough, Alex no longer felt the heat. He smiled at himself for taking so long to understand the situation. Flames were a representation of anger, the more he concentrated on the flames the higher they rose and the more heat he had felt. Alex knew that this fire wasn’t real, not in any physical sense and that by keeping his eyes closed and focusing on the village becoming clear of the Guardians influence he would be able to deactivate this one.

Onyx sensed that Alex had understood how to neutralize this Guardian and threw his handful of salt. Alex, still with his eyes closed, threw his and they both intoned:

“We call upon the South to cleanse itself of the Aggression and destructive powers of this Guardian, placed here to disrupt your flow. We call upon the transformation power of the South to give us the passion to do your bidding and rid this village, and the land of Darkness. We do this in your name.”

“It is safe to open your eyes now, Creator.” Onyx finally said. Alex complied and sure enough, the flames had disappeared. “I knew that you would figure it out in the end.” Onyx smiled.

“It took a while.” Alex conceded and smiled back. “One Guardian left.”

“And this one will be the most difficult of them all to disarm.” Onyx cautioned. “This one will play on all of our emotions so we will have to be on our guard.”

61)

Turning to face the West they could see in the distance a small girl of no more than five or six. As they walked closer the girl seemed to wince in pain, but she stayed exactly where she was, her long fair hair blowing in the wind.

Alex shifted his perception and saw nothing untoward, this was just a normal girl.

“Are you alright?” Alex shouted to her.

“Creator.” Onyx remonstrated.

“It’s just a girl, Onyx.” Alex replied, now concerned as the girl seemed in a lot of pain the closer they walked.

“Do not be fooled, Creator. Not after we have come so far” Alex stopped walking and simply observed Onyx and the girl. Onyx seemed oblivious to the pain that he was causing the child. He was convinced that the child was simply another illusion like the other three but Alex wasn’t so sure. It was the perfect distraction though, a child in agony. But what if this time it wasn’t a distraction?

“Onyx stop!” Alex said firmly.

“You are mistaken, Creator.” Onyx reprimanded. “This is but another psychic construct that will disappear once we deactivate the Guardian.”

“But it’s not!” Alex argued, sternly.

“This Guardian will use everything in its power to stop you from freeing the village, Creator. You have to be stronger than that!”

“This quarter, the quarter of the West will also use gullibility against you, Onyx.” Alex was shocked to hear himself utter those words, but this was too important for them to get it wrong.

“What do you mean?” Onyx asked, turning back to face Alex. “How can it use my gullibility? I can see what it’s doing, there is no girl.” Onyx walked closer towards the girl, oblivious to her silent screams of anguish. Alex grabbed Onyx’s arm without thinking and spun him around to face him. “YOU DARE!” Onyx exclaimed. Alex had never seen him this incensed, but this was far too important for Alex to back down now.

“Yes. I feel you’re about to make a huge mistake, Onyx.” He explained quickly. “What if there is no psychic projection this time; what if the Guardian is actually using this against us.” Onyx listened. Alex continued speaking. “What if she is real and you actually end up killing her?”

“I hadn’t considered that.”

“We must find a way of separating the girl from the Guardians influence without hurting her in any way.” Alex said. He tilted his head sideways and switched perspectives. “She is surrounded by an energy barrier that keeps her in place, if we disrupt that energy barrier then we can free her and destroy the Guardian.”

“How do we do that?” Onyx asked.

“I will use my salt and throw it in a rough ring around her, the salt should interrupt the flow of psychic energy. We should then be able to rescue her.”

“What is to stop the Guardian from re-capturing her?” Onyx asked.

“I will take her place.” Alex stated “The Guardian can try and use me… Whilst I’m fighting the Guardian on the psychic plane you can disrupt it physically.”

“Are you sure that you feel strong enough to fight the entity?” 

“Yes,” Alex replied. “I’m hoping to use the Guardian as a way of finding more information about what is behind this blockage. The Guardian must be linked in to the same power that the Deluge derives its energy from therefore if I link to the Guardian then I should be able to learn more.”

“That seems risky, Creator. How do you not know that you will not be taken over by the same energy?” 

“Because it’s tried to take me over before, and it didn’t succeed. We can’t spend any more time talking. We must act.”’

62)

Alex centred himself and took a few deep breaths before scattering the first handful of salt around the girl. Keeping his gaze relaxed, and his head to one side, he could see the energy field start to flicker and become more transparent. Once the circle was complete the flickering became more pronounced before it suddenly disappeared.

“NOW!” Shouted Alex, Onyx ran forward and snatched her from the Guardians clutches. Alex immediately stepped forward as the energy barrier came crashing down again, trapping him inside.

All of a sudden he could feel the energy field trap him. “You should not have come here, boy.” Whispered the voice in Alex’s soul. “Bellkipeg is lost to you now.” The voice seemed to fill Alex’s head, sparking off nasty memories where it reverberated. He remembered being a child, and all the times he had been humiliated or bullied at school. “You are ours now.”

“No no.no” Alex stammered, gritting his teeth against the memories. He clenched his fists and squeezed them, digging his nails into the palms of his hands, anchoring him to the present. He knew that the energy could only possess him if he allowed it to. The boy had no choice, and probably wasn’t even aware of being taken over until it was too late; Alex wasn’t about to make the same mistake. He remembered how he had first met Allura and Anjinn; he thought back to the time he was possessed by the evil force then. He needed to use it to find more about The Presence.

With great effort Alex lifted up his left hand and focused on the ring that he wore on his little finger that had been given to him by the Faire. The ring glowed like embers sending its fire through him, giving him the strength he needed to endure.

“Yes, come deeper into our presence.” The voice hissed insidiously. “Surrender yourself body and soul; become one with us.” Alex knew that all the time he wore the ring the Guardian would not be able to possess him completely.

In amongst the blackness he saw a figure huddled in a fetal position. As he drew closer Alex saw that it was a small boy, sitting with his arms wrapped around his tightly bunched knees, rocking. The boy was clothed in faded jeans and a white t-shirt.

Alex gently placed a hand on the boys shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asked. The boy slowly unfurled his arms from his legs and almost unwrapped himself. As he got up off the ground Alex was startled to see that the boy was in fact the younger version of himself; it was the same age boy as he and Onyx encountered in the wood days before.

Bellkipeg - Part The Nineteenth

 56)

With the Mirror Of Sfel now in his hands, Alex knew that he no longer needed to dwell in his Labyrinth. It had served a purpose all through those years and it had kept him safe and shown him guidance, but it no longer served a purpose for him. Focusing on his light he let the darkness around him disperse until he was back in the valley again. Sure enough he was sitting on the same rock that he had been before entering the labyrinth, but this time he was holding an ornate, guilt edged mirror.

“Now do you believe, Creator?” A voice boomed out, one that Alex knew instantly. Looking up from the mirror he rejoiced to see not only Onyx walking towards him, but Anjinn and Allura too.

Allura smiled at him, pride shining from her eyes. Anjinn thrust his hand out and said, “You have truly proved yourself worthy of the Wyxann, Paige. You will forever be known as The Creator in our townage. Now we will be able to turn the tide against the Deluge, and restore Bellkipeg to its former glory.”

“How do you feel, Creator?” Onyx asked, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not sure, Onyx.” Alex replied. “…I’m not sure what actually happened in there.”

“Take your time, Creator. Just explain what happened from when you first walked into the Labyrinth.” Alex explained as best he could, it felt  so subjective, but he felt so changed by the experience.

“Yes, Creator.” Onyx agreed. “You had spent so much time walking away from your truth. So, how much do you remember of your past life?” 

“Almost all of it.” Alex replied. “Some of it doesn’t make sense, and the rest just doesn’t seem to matter anymore.” He chuckled.

“It will take a time for all the memories to settle, Creator.”

“The thing is, I don’t recognise the person in the memories.”

“Why should you?” Anjinn interjected. “Looking at how you are now, how you hold yourself… You are completely different to how you were when we first met. You were a child then, a man now.” Alex smiled for that was truly a compliment coming from Anjinn.

“So those memories are quite useless now, is that what you mean?” Alex asked.

“No, Creator.” Onyx replied. “The memories serve to tell you how far you have traveled and how far you’ve come. Do not feel disheartened by your memories, cherish them and let them go for they no longer govern your life. You live purely in the present now, and the past no longer has any bearings on who you are.”

 “I suppose we’ve got to decide where to go next.” Alex remarked. It was Anjinn who spoke first, surprising Alex with his answer.

57)

“Our destinies are set for us.” Anjinn replied, “and our paths now lead us back to our village.” Allura nodded sadly in agreement.

“Anjinn is right, Creator.” She said and kissed Alex on the cheek. “We need to take the Mirror back to our village, to its rightful place. Then we will be able to turn back the tide against The Deluge and the darkness that has been threatening Bellkipeg.”

“But maybe we can go with you.” Alex replied, not wanting to say goodbye to them. He’d been through so much with Allura that he now didn’t want to be away from her. The irony did not escape him. Onyx shook his head.

“That is not our way, Creator.” He spoke solemnly. “Our path is into the heart of Bellkipeg itself. Allura and Anjinn have their destiny, you have yours. We have walked together, but now is the time for us to part.” Alex nodded.

“I’ll not forget you.” He said to Allura, placing a hand on her arm. “Either of you.” He continued, looking at Anjinn. Allura held Alex, hugged him like a brother.  Anjinn shook Alex firmly by the hand again and thanked him for all that he had done. Alex nodded and when they finally walked away up the hill to the wood he felt disheartened.

“We have no time for indulgences, Creator.” Onyx explained, slapping Alex on the shoulder. “They have not truly left us, because they were never truly with us. For a time it seemed as if our lives were running along parallel lines, but that is all.”

“What do we do now?” Alex asked. “You said something about walking to the heart of Bellkipeg.”

“Yes, that is where we will be able to confront the true source of the darkness that threatens the land.”

“So I guess time is of the essence then.” 

They walked in silence for some time, utilizing the power walk. It was second nature to Alex now, and he even found himself leading the way intuitively, Onyx smiled; he knew that Alex had no conscious idea of where they were heading, it was something that they hadn’t talked about, but by scanning the area and walking properly Alex was going in the right direction.

Alex, for his part, was oblivious to this irony. It was now natural for him to walk this way; it was far less tiresome and he could cover much more ground in the same time. 

“Where are we going?” He finally asked.

“Where do you feel?” Onyx replied. Alex chuckled at this; it wasn’t so long ago that he would have balked at such a retort, but now he welcomed the chance to allow his feelings free reign. He stopped and closed his eyes.

“I feel that we’re heading towards a village, smaller than Haywreath.” He said. “This is a place of so much peace, with deep connections to the heart of Bellkipeg.”

“You are right, Creator. However,” He smiled, “next time I expect you to connect without stopping and closing your eyes! It’s not very practical and is also dangerous!” Alex smiled sheepishly; it did seem a very stupid thing to do, there wouldn’t always be the luxury of doing that.

“How far away are we?” He asked.

“Not far, just over the brow of the hill.” He motioned. “There was a time when Slauwood was linked directly into the heart of Bellkipeg. I fear now that may not be the case, after talking to Anjinn, the Deluge is spreading it’s corrupting influence further than I had originally thought.”

“What can we do to stop it?” Alex asked as they carried on walking.

“You have found the Mirror of Sfel and that will help a great deal in our battle.” Onyx explained. “But your biggest task is still to understand yourself, Creator. You and the land are one, remember. To understand Bellkipeg, you must first truly understand yourself.”

58)

The village of Slauwood consisted of a stone church, a few ramshackle wooden huts and a thatched communal building. Quite the opposite from the energy he had sensed from earlier; however the village was surrounded by a circle of large standing stones and further ahead, on the brow of the hill, stood the largest of the stones, tapered at the top to a point. It shimmered in the light and hurt Alex’s eyes to look at it for too long.

“That is the source of Slauwood’s power.” Onyx explained. “It taps right into the very soul of Bellkipeg and shines forth its light.” He motioned to the church, and then to the communal building. “We won’t visit the church today for we need to rest and replenish our own strength. The vicar is an old friend of ours and will not mind waiting another day!” Onyx smiled. “The beds are soft, and the food is reasonable, and this time we will not have to worry for our lives. What say you, Creator?” Alex could only smile at this; although he had slept well after his initiation with the Faire, this would be a chance to be in a real bed again! He beamed at Onyx. “I take that as a definite!” 

For once the afternoon and evening passed without incident. Alex and Onyx were welcomed into Slauwood, with a hearty meal in the communal building before being shown to their own hut. The village was everything that Onyx had promised and for once Alex relaxed. He slept soundly, the first time that he’d been able to since arriving in Bellkipeg. Onyx had warned him to be wary of any dreams that he might have, especially in such a hallowed village and being so close to the heart, but Alex had no such dreams. When he had woken up and dressed Onyx quizzed him about the lack of dreams:

“That is strange, Creator.” Onyx remarked, “I find that very strange indeed. We are so close to the Heart that both of us should’ve received some form of communication from the Stone.”

“So you didn’t dream either, then?” Alex asked.

“No. For me not to dream is a rare occurrence for that is how Bellkipeg imparts its knowledge to me. I had hoped that the same would’ve happened to you.” Onyx opened the door and stared at the Stone, and intimated for Alex to do the same.

Alex shifted his gaze and tilted his head to one side. This allowed him to See the stone. “What am I supposed to be looking for?” Alex asked.

“First, tell me what you see.” Onyx replied.

“I’m just seeing the Stone.” Alex shrugged his shoulders and tried harder, really concentrating on the Heart, allowing it to fill his vision completely. “For such a powerful stone it’s a very dullish colour, and I know this may sound silly, but there’s no life to it.” 

“You are right to make such an observation. There is something wrong with the Heart, something is blocking it; something is blocking the energy flow for the entire village and this could be disastrous for Bellkipeg if left unchecked!” Alex was shocked by this, because it meant that the dark forces were already turning this place of power against itself.

"Why were we not attacked last night, when we were both asleep?" Alex asked, suddenly very wry of his surroundings.

"Two reasons - I ensured that we slept on spots that were most beneficial to us, so that if anything did happen we would be warned. And, I always take great pains to set up adequate protection so we will not be disturbed." Onyx explained. "But now is not the time to explain how protection is set up, suffice that it is something you will need to do yourself."

“Ok... but what do we need to do?” He asked walking towards the Stone. Onyx stopped him before he got too close to it.

“I wouldn’t, Creator.” He warned. “This could be deadly.”

“How so?”

“Neither of us noticed that anything was wrong, and yet the Heart has been blocked.” Onyx explained. “It takes a powerful force to hide its truth that way, and I can only just see the Heart shimmer.” Alex strained to look harder, but couldn’t make out what Onyx was seeing. “You need to look either just above the Stone, or to the side of it. If you stare long enough at it you’ll notice that the Stone itself shimmers slightly.” Alex did as he was told and stared just beyond the Stone and sure enough he could see a very faint shivering, like a heat haze.

“What does that mean?” He asked.

“It means that it’s been protected.” Onyx replied, looking at Alex. “There will be four guardians that we will need to disarm in order to release the energy blockage from the Heart.”

“How do we find them?” Alex asked again.

“You know the answer to that question, as well as I do.” 

Bellkipeg - Part The Eighteenth

53)

The Raven Woman stepped aside, gesturing for Alex to walk past her. “You will need to call the Labyrinth from within you.” She said, “The labyrinth is already there, waiting for you; it has always been there.”

Alex walked down the slope to the valley floor where a few rocks jutted out of the ground. Looking around he could see that there were more boulders strewn about either side of the valley. He sat down on one of the rocks and tried connecting with his true self again. 

The conversation with the Raven Woman had been quite taxing, but enlightening nonetheless as he now understood what was needed from him.  Alex closed his eyes, straightened his back and took three deep breaths, allowing himself to connect with Bellkipeg. He tried to picture the Labyrinth within him, imagining it as a whole entity so he could magic it into existence before him. But the more he tried, the harder it was for him to visualise it.

Alex soon gave up trying and opened his eyes. Bizarrely he now found himself in a corridor where the walls, floor and ceiling of which were made of worn grey stone. This had to be the Labyrinth that the Raven Woman had told him about, he’d obviously manifested it correctly. All he had to do now was reconnoiter the twists and turns until he reached the centre and The Mirror Of Sfel would be waiting for him. What could be easier than that?

Alex carried on walking again with a spring in his step, this was going to be far easier than what he thought. Even though there was no discernible lighting he could still see quite a way in front. Each step echoed slightly, but apart from that there were no other

sounds; he was completely alone. No matter, he thought, it wouldn’t be much further and there was bound to be a fork in the tunnel soon; and then he’d be forced to choose a direction to take.

More time passed and Alex was concerned that he hadn’t seen any turnings or junctions, there was just the corridor leading directly ahead. The light was always at a constant and illuminated just a few feet in front of him before being swallowed up by darkness. This was probably just another trick of Bellkipeg, he’d probably passed lots of exits but hadn’t been looking right…

Whilst walking he could feel memories stir in his mind. Stroboscopic images at first but soon he could hold one image at a time. Not since his encounter with the Vaurac had he remembered anything from his life previous to waking in Bellkipeg. He smiled; it was happening just as the Raven Woman had predicted.

There were fleeting memories of him watching videos alone as a child in his bedroom.

He didn’t share his life with many people, he didn’t know how to. Each time he tried he ended up on his own in a far worse state of mind with emotional scars to prove it.

The light faded around him but he carried on walking regardless, happy to revisit these long lost memories. There were times when he’d speak to his parents about the problems in his life only to be ignored or bought with toys or books. No one seemed to understand him or care, and it wasn’t long before he ceased caring too. When that happened he turned to fantasy more and more. He sought out the writers that took him to faraway lands that allowed him to soar in the air with dragons, to fight with ogres and giants.

Little did he realise, at that age, that such things were real. And now he was trapped in this tunnel which didn’t end anywhere, just constantly stretched out in the same direction. Endlessly.

It wasn’t long before he felt claustrophobic. The tunnel itself hadn’t changed in size, 

but he had been walking it for so long he was starting to get paranoid again. He was remembering all the times he had been left to his own devices, the loneliness he had felt as a child. He walked faster, trying to outpace his memories, and before long he was running down the corridor, his footsteps reverberating round the walls making it seem as if there were more people with him.

54)

But with each footstep another memory was pushed to the surface, forcing him to relive it. Heartaches, disappointments and anger burned within where he had no chance to vent it and each echo proved to him how alone he was.

And he knew, Alex knew, that when he finally found the mirror Anjinn and Allura would no longer need him and they would leave him just as everyone else had.

The further he ran, the darker it became and the more claustrophobic Alex felt. He stopped and tried to calm himself down; tried to step outside of his shell as he had done during his initiation, but he couldn’t. There was something stopping him here, the oppressive feeling was now becoming too powerful for him to block. The thoughts of finding the Mirror were being replaced by rejection and worthlessness.

“..if I were to say that I was unworthy to find the Mirror then I never be worthy of anything, for the Mirror has the capacity to show me my true self and no one is unworthy to be their truth..” Alex had said that some time ago and had believed it with all of his very being, but now it seemed an impossible task and he was far from worthy.

In the past he had been able to shrug off these feelings, draw from some deep reserve and plough on through, but all he could do now was walk; he could no longer be bothered to run, it all seemed so pointless. The light was almost gone now and all that was left was a dark shade of grey from which he could discern no more than a couple of inches in front of him.

Alex now accepted that there was only the one path, and that had been the path he 

had trod all his whole life, alone. There was only ever the one path, despite how many times he had looked back and wished for other directions, or pondered over missed opportunities. He knew now that there were never any opportunities, it was just him.

When the darkness finally swallowed him whole Alex welcomed it, for it meant that he no longer had to fool himself that he was the Lightbringer. All the time there was light showing he could pretend that he was the source.

He was now left with the undeniable truth that he had failed in his quest; that despite all he had been through with the Grugrk and the Faire initiation he was nothing. He’d been tricked into believing that he could save the Land, when in reality he was nothing. Just a child really, as Onyx had said when they first met, just an over-indulged child.

Alex couldn’t figure out how long he had been walking, but it didn’t seem to matter any more. He could no longer block out the feelings of worthlessness and defeat. He felt the strength suddenly drain from his body and he collapsed onto the cold, hard stone. He could no longer contain the tears and with each sob he could feel the memories drain away, as if he was letting each one go. All the feelings that had dominated his life for so long were being released. All the rejection and disappointment; the barely suppressed hatred that he had felt for those closest to him all were now being brought to the surface with heaving sobs, before being released. None of it was real.

55)

By admitting to his own darkness the feeling of claustrophobia no longer gripped him, he felt quite serene. He no longer felt the need to carry on walking but just stared at the blackness inside of him; it was strangely peaceful. In the distance Alex saw a flicker of light, no bigger than a match-head but to him it was like a super-nova. He pushed himself off the ground with a renewed vigor and walked slowly towards the light, uncertain which way he was facing. He had no idea where the walls were any 

more, he was completely disorientated and all he cared about was that little glimmer of light beckoning to him and getting larger with every footstep he took.

All his previous fears and concerns, all the memories that had held him back no longer concerned him; all that he focused on now was the light, it was his beacon; the only thing that he cared about. He knew that running wouldn’t bring it any closer, it was a light that mirrored the light within himself. To bring it closer to him he needed to shine his light brighter, so shine he did.

The light now doubled in size the closer he got to it, and before long it blinded. Alex stopped walking and stood looking into the light; it was a brilliant white light that drew him into its depths and whispered to him of great strength and courage. It told him of all the great truths that had been buried among the lies he’d been told, that his path did have meaning; that his life had meaning; that as the Lightbringer he would bring hope not only to Bellkipeg but everywhere that he walked. The Mirror Of Sfel was a mirror of Self, the true self. The Deluge was an extension of the Other, the lack of identification of Self. By giving the Mirror to Allura and Anjinn they would be able to save their village and restore the heart of Bellkipeg.

Alex listened once more to the light and nodded. He then stretched out his left hand, reached out into the light until he felt the warmth coalesce into his hand and become solid from which he could finally grip. 

He pulled hard for it felt impossibly heavy; eventually the weight diminished until he was able to see the source of the light. It was his own light reflected back at him through a mirror.

Bellkipeg - Part The Seventeenth

50)

Allura actually welcomed him with open arms, beaming with such a warm, loving smile that he momentarily forgot everything he had just been through.

“I’m proud of you, Alex.” She said holding him tight. He could feel the palms of her hands grow warm on his back, and the warmth slowly spread throughout the rest of his body, rejuvenating him. “There were a couple of times where I seriously doubted whether you would be able to make it, but you did brilliantly!” She let Alex go and motioned to the ground. He suddenly felt so tired, and was pleased for the opportunity to rest. Alex sat down, cross-legged as Allura did the same.

“What happened there, Allura?” Alex asked, perplexed beyond belief now. “It felt like some kind of initiation, but I’m seriously wondering whether I passed or not..” 

“You passed alright.” Allura remarked, “Elsewise you would not be here talking to me.” Alex was stunned by her reply.

“You can’t be serious.” He exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going to happen?”

“Would you have believed me even if I had?” She countered. “You found it hard enough believing in the Faire initially. You certainly wouldn’t have been open to their teachings, so they had to find a way through your stubbornness.”

“But they, what, could have killed me;  is that what you’re saying?” 

“Yes. This is not a game we’re playing Alex; you have been told often enough, there is not just yourself at stake. The whole of Bellkipeg is in your hands. The Faire gambled on you remembering and understanding all that we had taught you, and on you actually being able to use that knowledge. If you had not been able to, then what good would you be to us? How you could even hope to save Bellkipeg if you couldn’t even save yourself from some smoke?”

Allura’s tone was almost accusatory but Alex found it difficult to argue with her logic. There would have been a time, not so long since, that he would surely have answered back, but he was now able to step away from his ego and he saw that she was right.

“Ok,” He said finally. . “Please tell me exactly what happened to me, Allura. I need to know.”

“The Faire knew that if you were going to stand a chance of gaining your true power and understanding of Bellkipeg then your vibrational level needed to increase. The whole initiation hinged on your being able to step out of Self and actually See the world around you. 

“Each direction you walked was integral to raising your vibration and the crystals that 

you found will help protect, nurture and strengthen you. 

“What about the crystals, though?” He asked. ”What do they represent?”

Allura laughed lightly, “I’m not going to tell you everything, Creator.” She answered. “You’d best ask the crystals themselves. They will tell you all you need know, and when you will need to use them.” Rather than sneering at Allura’s suggestion, as he would normally do, Alex nodded thoughtfully. 

“Oh, before I forget.” Allura added. “The Faire asked me to give this to you personally.” She said, holding a turquoise heart in front of her. 

The crystal hung on a black cord. “This is a very powerful crystal,” Allura continued, and placed it over Alex’s head. “And it will help guide you on your path, and release those ingrained patterns that you so stubbornly cling to.” Alex grimaced at this. “You have learnt much, Creator.” She said and she placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled proudly. “But now is the time for sleep,.” Allura remarked looking around her. “It will not be long until the day dawns, and we must be away again. We have dallied here long enough.” She said and winked. Alex nodded and lay on his back, up above he could see a starry sky winking at him as well, and before long he closed his eyes

51)

Alex woke with the dawns freshness pumping through his veins, he felt more alert than he had done in days. Sitting up he saw Allura a few yards away from him, watching him in the same curious way that Onyx used to, her head resting lightly on her right shoulder. She smiled at him, benevolently.

“Morning, Creator.” She said. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“I haven’t felt this good in ages.” 

“I know, I can see. You’re almost back to your old self.” She paused and moved her head back to an upright position again. “By that I mean, you’re almost back to your true self. I must say, it’s refreshing to see!”

“What about food?” He asked.

“I foraged for some berries and roots last night whilst you were sleeping.” Allura explained. “It’s always best to dig for roots by moonlight, when the trees and plants are sleeping too.” 

Allura motioned for Alex to take care of himself, and within ten minutes they started walking again, this time at a much brisker pace than before. Alex didn’t mind; he was buoyed by the thought of seeing Onyx and Anjinn again.

Two hours passed by but Alex scarcely noticed, nor did he realise that he was leading Allura through the wood; it had become automatic now for him to walk the path; she was more than happy to let him take the front.

From a self-indulgent child to a man in the space of a few days, he had survived the initiation and was fast becoming his true self. He hoped that he would be worthy when the time came to find the Mirror of Sfel. The wood was thinning out now, and in the distance Alex could see a verdant field stretch out. He smiled and gestured to Allura, but she simply nodded; she had already seen it.

Upon walking into the field Alex was struck by the sudden change: the beautiful expanse in front of him, the field rose over a small hill; and the skeletal remains of a tree stood on the crest of the hill, gesturing to a lost and forgotten day. The air was crisp and every breath brought the sweet smell of dewed grass. 

The sky was a serene blue and he could hear the birds crying in the distance, a faint “Kraaw Kraaw” sound. He smiled and almost started whistling, he felt so happy. He looked at Allura who simply shook her head, humouring him.

When they reached the brow of the hill they could see a large valley sweeping below them. The field stretched out before leading down into the valley itself and that was where they needed to go to. The “Kraw Kraw” sound was getting closer. He knew very little about bird calls, but thought it was either a crow or a raven.

“Ravens for sure, Creator.” Allura confirmed. “There is a flock of ravens heading our way. This may prove fortuitous.”

“How so?”

“Ravens are highly intuitive and blessed with a connection to Bellkipeg that few can fathom. They may be able to help us. It depends on whether She smiles on us today, if She doesn’t then it may become difficult for us.”

“Who do you mean?” Alex could now see the ravens appear on the horizon, there were so many of them, the whole sky turned a seething and feathered black.

“The Raven Woman, Creator.” Allura replied. “She is the collective, one of the Spirit Goddesses who can grant great favours to those she smiles upon.” Alex was still fixed on the swirling mass of ravens that were getting closer with every heartbeat.

“And if she doesn’t smile upon you?” Alex asked, hesitantly.

“It’s best not to think along those lines, Paige.” Allura cautioned. “You need to remain centred at all times now. The Ravens will not harm you unless you give them cause.”

52)

They stood and watch the mass of ravens draw closer until they were caught in the middle of a whirlwind of black feathers and raucous cries. The sound was unimaginable, it took all of his willpower to stand firm.

Alex was in awe of the sheer power that these birds exhibited. The energy that they were emitting was phenomenal, and soon the fear gave way to a sense of wonder as he walked into the midst of the swirling mass of ravens. Allura went to stop him, but realised that this was beyond her control; he was being summoned by the Raven Woman herself.

He expected to be assailed by hundreds of ravens, but they parted and Alex could see a small vortex appear in front of him and a shape coalesced from within. It was a woman, shrouded in a voluminous cloak and hood of black feathers. When the cloak finally parted, Alex was confronted by the Raven Woman, naked apart from that which she wore across her shoulders. The Raven Woman was epitome of beauty, tall and voluptuous, thickly black silken hair flowing down past her shoulder, lips wantonly red, her eyes a yearning green. It was impossible to determine her age, for her body was that of a young woman, but her eyes told of an ageless soul and Alex noticed that his mouth had been hanging open for the last few seconds.

“You are the Creator.” The Woman spoke with a harsh tone reminiscent of a raven, but strangely modulated to sound soothing and tuneful. “I expected someone older, but with more experience.” She cawed softly and cackled. “Yet, if you have got this far then I suppose you are the one.” 

She looked him up and down slowly and Alex found it hard not to do the same. There was something about her eyes though, they had such a depth that reflected his very life back at him and he found it hard to look away.

The Woman sensed this; “I feel a strong connection with you, Creator – as if we have met before, but I have never seen you in this world. How can that be?” Alex felt exactly the same, but found it hard to articulate so didn’t even attempt it. “No matter.” She said. “We have met because there is something you need, something you are looking for, yes?”

“Yes.” Alex replied, finally able to speak. “The Mirror of Sfel.”

“Why do you search for the Mirror?” She probed.

“I’ve been told that it is the only thing that can thwart the Deluge and save my friends village.”

“It does far more than that, Creator. Far more; it can help the bearer regain their lost half, or show them their true self if they are worthy.” Alex knew what the next question was going to be even before it was asked, as if the whole conversation between them had been rehearsed. “But are you worthy, Creator?”

Alex was caught in an impossible situation; the question was worded in a way that would catch out unwary ego’s. If he answered this wrong he may never find the Mirror, he knew this instinctively.

“I am neither worthy nor unworthy.” He replied finally. 

The Raven Woman looked at him strangely, waiting for him to continue. 

“If I were to say that I am worthy of the Mirror of Sfel then I would be placing myself in a position of great power, and therefore great ego." He continued. "I would no longer be in the right mind-set to use the Mirror as it was meant to be used. However, if I were to say that I was unworthy then I would never be worthy of anything, for the Mirror has the capacity to show me my true self and no one is unworthy enough to see their truth.”

The Raven Woman looked deep into the heart of Alex, testing to see whether his heart was true to his words. When at last she replied her voice was softer, but no less authoritative.

“You are the Lightbringer,” She said, “and so the Mirror of Sfel is yours.”  

“Where can I find it?” Alex asked, scarcely believing that it was going to be this easy.

“The Mirror lies in the heart of a labyrinth.” She replied. “Your labyrinth, Creator.”

 

Alex was puzzled by her answer. “We each have a morass inside of us, one that consumes our whole lives if we allow it to. It begins with the first lie that we are told about ourselves, the first belief that is given to us by others. We then compound these lies and turn them into our own truths, create more paths that lead us far from our true selves. Each lie creates yet another divergence and before long we are lost in the labyrinth of our own devising.”

Alex was stunned, it was so true; of the beliefs that he had about himself, so many had been given to him by other people: his parents, his teachers, his so-called friends. He’d treated them all as truths, not knowing what else to do with them, but he could see now that they were only opinion; many of them were nothing but lies.

“What do I need to do?” He urged. “How do I find the Labyrinth?”

“The Labyrinth is inside of you, Creator.” The Raven Woman replied. “It has always been inside of you, as is the Mirror Of Sfel. To walk the Labyrinth you must be prepared to uncover the very lies that have haunted you your entire life, and see them as they truly are.” Alex was determined, more determined than he had ever been in his life. 

“You will uncover your true self,” She continued, “and all that has been lost to you since coming here will be returned. But be warned, you will be faced with your own inner darkness; if you are weak or stray too far from your own path then you will be lost and neither Onyx nor myself will be able to find you.”