"Yes! God! Yes!" James exclaimed in his mind at the sight of the rushing water.
Huff! James had just leapt over a fallen log. 'Just a bit further! I can make it! Yes! I am destined! I can change!'
Crunch…
"Huh?" was the only word to leave his mouth before the ground beneath him suddenly came rushing forward meeting his face.
Thunk. Rustle. Twack. Crunch.
James tumbled, crashed and wheezed after his ribcage collided with a tree. His body spasmed as his nerves were shot with an intense and radiating pain from his core.
Huck! Bits of spittle flew from his lips as he was forced to exhale without a scream; only a weak wheeze followed by the taste of dull metal.
James' vision wobbeld. The world danced around him. He just couldn't seem to keep his mind centered on any thought.
Pain! Pain! Pain!
Waves of intense agony assaulted his mind. He rolled over, instinctively swiping at the area that hurt. His ribcage, which he felt portions of sliding downwards into his peritoneal cavity was not even the destination of his palms.
James weakly swiped at the area just below his left knee. There was nothing, only red blood that poured out from his calf dripped into his palm. His peroneal and tibial arteries spurted blood in arrhythmic succession. It was only seeing this that he was able to suck in a breath full of air and screamed.
"AHHHHHH!"
James screamed out. Being quiet was no longer an option. This was pain. This pain was life-changing. This was pain he couldn't imagine until he experienced it for himself. How do you feel pain where something no longer exists?
The blue glow of the forest around him dimmed to completion. His breaths were spiked as he hissed and wheezed.
Huff. Huff. Huff
'Ow…Ow…. Hurts…Hurts…. It hurts so much' James' thoughts were still a mess but he was finally able to think, albeit very basic survival. ' Must stop blood'
He grabbed the remaining portion of his calf and squeezed. Blood gushed out quickly followed by a splitting headache. A formless force began placing pressure on the severed area of leg staunching much of the blood flow.
His palms were not touching his remaining calf, they hovered slighly over them but the force continued to compress his wound. James bit deeper and deeper into his lower lip, by the time his jaw relaxed, teeth marks were embedded deep into his subdermal skin.
James could not notice this at this time. All he thought was he was squeezing with all his might. Tears blurred his vision but he still managed to blink through the pain.
And there it was.
Wvash. Wwash.
A piece of him, torn off like clothing was being eaten by the monster in front of him.
The creature resembled a mutated wolf. Sparse fur on its limbs, but a thick mane flowed down its spine and back. Its fur was a midnight black but the creature itself seemed to flicker in and out of his vision, like half-visible glass. The only thing that remained constant was its eyes. Its glowing red eyes. Its massive forelimbs rippled with strength.
James breathed heavily. ' Ah...So I did see something.' He laughed to himself staring at the creature. ' Maybe a golden finger would help right now? but I think I've spent my luck. '
James noticed the supernatural force that was holding his calf shut. It was strange, It was a strange energy that flowed out from all his pores. Even in this moment of desperation, James couldn't help but look up as the aura flowed upwards before slowly tipping off like a candles flame. It was then he came to realize this aura coated his eyes naturally, as he once again returned his gaze to the beast. This time he could see something new, more details were privy to him
Above its head was a translucent vial covered in downy fur and filled with a red viscous fluid.
Above that Translucent glowing text: Black Shuck.
The Black Shuck lapped up his gastrocnemius and soleus like a snack. Blood and sinew sliding between its teeth like jerky as it used its forelimbs to tear his leg into an unrecognizable mess.
'That was just attached to me... That was my leg... ' The fantasy of another world was slowly being eroded for James. As much change and escape this world could provide, it will also take from him, a lesson he would need to loose much more to learn.
but even now fear... Fear filled his blood. Even with his newfound mystical powers James felt fear.
James held out his hand trying to channel whatever this energy was and nothing happened. ' Right...What did I expect? I don't even know how I'm seeing what I'm seeing... I can barely think straight how am I going to use some foreign power that I've never seen. I don't even know it's name. '
A small puddle formed beneath James. He'd wet himself. He was strong, but there was a certain breaking point that even a man's pride could not overcome. In this moment James felt truly helpless.
'Am I going to die? '
James looked down weakly at the puddle seeping from his shorts.
'Why did I come here? To become a different person? To escape where I came from? No... I was scared. I was scared of the real world. Scared I would never get to live the fantasy I'd always wanted. I hate work. I hate studying. I hate my life. I hate my father. I hate everything about that place. The only blessing I had was my mother and even she was taken from me. And I could do nothing but watch. Watch as the people who took her away laugh and love. Watch them move on. Spend two seconds giving me an apology and go home to a full plate. That world was so unfair. Why did I expect this one to be different? Instead of people eating away at me. Its monsters. Well atleast it's not people. I hate people... Is that selfish? Yes, Do I care? No. I don't care about the moral high ground. I don't care about doing the right thing or being a good person. I just care about being me. I just want to live by me. Live by my rules and morals. So, No I can't stop... I can't give up here. I was given this chance and I will not lose it.'
What is karma?
I ask you that reader.
The world we live in... Who pays the price? The rich or the poor?
Who goes to a mystical place after they die? The poor? Because they lived a sad life? No. Even the poor can sin...
So that means even the decadent can find a place in Heaven. Does that not bother you?
Well in this world Karma is the force generated by a person's actions. A force determined by not only natural prowess but by sheer tenacity. How much conviction do you have in yourself? How deep is your will? How much are you willing to put on the line to change your fate? Are you willing to toil upwards through the night with no sign of change. Will the futility of your actions built into a wave that can turn the soil you stand on upside down.
Simply, Will you fight against fate?
Even a single snowball can cause an avalanche and James would come to change the world.
Two words formed in his mind. All of the bad things that happened to him in his life. All the sacrifices he made for seemingly no change, was pouring out of him as his aura turned from a light platinum to a inky black. The smooth flow now turned into sopping tar that bubbled upwards from him.
He raised his left hand. The web of stars shined on his palm as above him far up in the auroric sky. A constellation of stars appeared in the sky visible for the entire world to see. A golden Jester with a bow aimed down from the heavens directly where James stood.
The vast Jester plucked one of the stars from the once blank sky.
Knock! The star formed a Golden arrow. Its radiance larger than the crooked moon that spun in the sky.
Draw. The Jester drew back the bow. The charlatans bow flexed with the weight of 20 years of life.
Loose! The arrow carrened down from the heavens like a shooting star. Its magnificence a sight to behold. Creatures of the Hollow wild for generations to come would name this a pivotal event in the history of their world.
It would be named the Night of Starfall.
But to James, an ethereal voice much like his own spoke to him as he gazed up at the heavens. The arrows tip was a giant 'X' in the sky, and as it was directly above him the voice spoke to him.
"Karmic Reversal"
The Black shuck howled. Then grabbed James by the ruined flesh of his loosely attached fibula and began to drag him away from the river.
James had already passed his pain threshold. Only adrenaline kept him conscious.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
James no longer cared. He dragged himself closer and closer to the banks of the river.
Howl! Howl! Others answered the Shuck's previous calls. They all felt the threat that this one boy posed. Even as lowly creatures they watched as the aura of Gold formed around him.
"Not today...AHHHHHH"
Pop. His lungs strained. He had screamed until one of his jagged ribs punctured one of them.
Hisssss…
James couldn't hear it, but he felt it. Something inside him deflated. Each gasp became a battle of his mind teething on collapsing.
" Not yet. So close. Not my time."
Still, he crawled. Clawed. Gripped at the broken leaves and dirt. Tears flowed ceaselessly, his eyes were swollen in pain. He shouted. Blood poured from his lips. "Not today."
The Shuck bit harder tearing a new piece of him over and over again. It let him go—watched him crawl—then dragged him back. Over and over. In an attempt to break his will.
Each time, more skin tore..
James felt his consciousness fading.
Hick. Hick. hick.
'Is this how I die? Please…Not like this…Not today'
It was then in that moment that the arrow finally let loose. A star that was never there before was shot from the heaven's into the silent forest.
James only felt himself overcome by a blinding light. But nothing, no surge of power. No high level magic, just a feeling that he had inversed all of his suffering into one immensely positive moment.
More shucks were closing in. James could see them shimmering in and out or reality from the treeline but he did not care. He made it.
'I made it. ' James had touched the water of the river, although it was just the tip of his finger lightly being taken along by the current. 'Ahh... See I did defy fate. Sigh, I wish I could live for a bit longer.'
James closed his eyes. Soon the soft hum of a foreign melody filled his mind.
"La la la la la…"
A soft, mournful tune filled his auditory capacity. It was like the soft hum of his mother. It was so warm and sad.
Even in agony, he turned toward it.
The Black Shuck snarled. It was now basically biting at his pubic bone. His entire left leg was dissolving in the belly of the beast. The rest of his leg came loose a long time ago.
James barely noticed. It was almost like a clean amputation. He felt relieved.
The pain had left him. He was grateful.
He was happy to be closer to his mother in the end. He only hoped he would see her before he went to hell.
" La La La"
His eyes were already half blind due to blood loss. His fingers dipped into the river slightly. His remaining lung wheezed and seized trying to keep him alive as his heart beat slowed to a standstill.
Blinking through his fading vision it was filled with white.' Ahh this must be death? Pure white? Sigh It looks like I lost a bet'.
James thought of Gasper in his final moments.
Gasper thought death was a place blanketed in white brilliance where souls could spent time in eternity. James had a more traditional view. He could only say he was relieved his friend was right. At least his ending would not be fire and brimstone.
He felt himself rising upwards, James thought his soul was finally leaving his body but it was not.
A dark-skinned woman, tall and radiant, stood above him. Chestnut curls flowed down her shoulders. She lifted him with ease.
Her touch was gentle. He could not see her facial features due to the blindness... but he imagined it was his mother that had picked him up from his sorrows.
"Mom… Sigh I missed you so much. I don't want to die here…You would've fought right? Fought till the very end...Your strong. Stronger than I am."
Above her head: a vial filled with purple fluid draped in flowing white cloth. She saw his gaze and lowered his chin with a soft hand.
A soft and homely voice filled his ears.
"Yes, I'm so happy I found you first. The most foolish one of all" She kissed his forehead. Warmth spread through his body.
James felt the weakness slowly fade from his body.
"Thank you, Mom." Her face beamed with joy at the words he spoke. They stared at each other, bathed in pale light. Her round doe-like eyes made everything feel safe. The purple bar above her had faded.
A guttural howl broke the spell, something massive stirred in the forest. Bigger than the Shuck. Its cry scraped his soul.
He saw an image of it projected into his mind: a bus-sized beast with white fur and corded muscle.
The weak mental defences he had just formed were already crumbling again.
But then it came " Shh. its okay foolish one. A little dog is just angry that it didn't get a full meal." She rocked James in her arms and swiped her hands over his body mumbling something that he couldn't understand.
She then slowly placed him into the river.
"Bye Bye now…Do visit your mommy again…She will miss you…"
James was barely conscious now. The freezing river water did no favors.
He floated and caught a glimpse of her receding figure. She stood tall—seven feet, at least. Her dress flowed like water and seemed to cover a section of the river in layers of fabric and cloth.
And there it was, The purple bar, draped in white cloth. Above it the same translucent letters.
[Llorona (The Weeping Woman)]
James drifted into the dark, a lullaby echoing in his ears.
Fading.
"La la la..."
Gone.
{End of Prologue} - Karmic Reversal