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.”
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