I woke up. Second time in a day.
"You're awake", exclaimed Anya as I got up in a sitting position, then hugged me tightly.
The wound!
I gently pushed her away to check the wound. She hugged a little too tightly I guess, I said to myself. My whole lower abdomen was covered with new clean cloth. I looked around — Anya showing a dissatisfied face, Valli Amma scowling at me and the small hut we were in. It was compact and well organized with medical supplies all around — different herbs, lotions, stony containers and small stone tools used for grinding, were all there.
I must have been lucky to have a doctor in that secluded village. Valli Amma suddenly yelled, "Why are you shoving her away like that. After all you aren't in any bad shape. All that dagger did was damage this set of scrolls you had and a little into your stomach, missing all the vital organs!". I frowned and then regarded the set of scrolls she held up.
It was torn and withered, soaked in blood. I finally understood, He never intended to kill me! I wasn't worth that! He just removed the knowledge he himself had given me — the scrolls. It was barely recognisable, definitely unreadable. Despite the importance of the scrolls, my mind was focused on different things. I felt the need to speak with Dalāy more important than anything.
"We'll deal with the scrolls later. Now, where is Dalāy?", I asked Anya, her face blushed for some reason before speaking, "He is outside, waiting for you to wake up. He didn't even answer anything I asked…" she trailed off as I rushed to get up from bed ignoring the slight pain in my belly. I got to the door and threw open the curtain, allowing the afternoon sun light into the hut, I squinted my eyes and looked around for Dalāy.
Anya and Valli Amma came after me. Where did the doctor go anyway, I thought, but kept that question to myself. There were some even more important questions that needed answers. Anya placed a hand on my right shoulder, I turned to her, her other arm raised a finger to point at a nearby hut. "There", she said softly.
We walked toward that hut and as I neared the hut, I heard familiar voices speaking inside — the pirates. I threw open the curtain unannounced and rushed in to face the Space Emperor. Anya stayed outside to keep Neelan from going insane upon her sight.
The pirates chatted and laughed with Dalāy. And what did Anya say about him not giving any answer to her questions? He was ready to chat and laugh, but not to speak about the things that really mattered. I sighed, and stepped into the room. I walked to stand between Dalāy and the pirates, facing the obsidian-ball form.
The room fell silent. The king slept laying on one of the beds and the bed behind me was occupied by the pirates. "Dalāy. We need to speak", I demanded.
"If you wanna speak. You can, lad!", said Neelan from behind. His tone was different from back when he was insane. Maybe a little less respectful if any. I didn't care. I didn't hear anything. All my attention was on Dalāy. "Oh my new friends. He wants me to speak with him in private, so if you'll excuse me," Dalāy said and drifted off to exit the hut.
The pirates frowned in confusion, glancing at each other. I turned to leave too, just then, the sleeping king sat upright and spoke in a low voice, "Velan. I fear that you may not have it the way you want. Some things have strict rules that must be obeyed, no matter the person".
His statement felt oddly eerie. Because, for all I knew, he could very well be saying things, that was said to him, by one of the seven souls that cared for me. Some things have strict rules that must be obeyed…
…no matter the person
Part of me wished it was a lie, wished there were no rules for the ones who dictate them. For the Time Emperor — who was merely the Master's puppet. We could ask him to make us exceptions to such rules, by complying with the master's wishes. Part of me wished to choose that way… but. I still couldn't believe in both of those petty gods — neither Master nor Dalāy nor the puppet Time Emperor.
The fact that Master was that much powerful was still shaking me. Maybe that gave me hope — hope to do the impossible. Maybe, just maybe, he could really do what he had said — sending us back to our original timelines.
…no matter the person
The king's words were stuck inside my head and repeated itself over a dozen times before I came out of the hut, back to the sunlight. Whether I comply to master or not — it all depends on how Dalāy defends himself today, I thought.
Anya started it before me, Valli Amma to her side frowned at the obsidian-ball. I stood, eyes wide open, as Anya threw a bunch of questions at the Space Emperor's face, as if she had prepared them for days. Obviously, Dalāy was overwhelmed, despite being a god. But then again, he himself had said that he was never supposed to be a god.
What did he mean by that statement back then?, I wondered. I also wondered how he managed to stay this much longer in the mortal world. Even if it was not in a human form, it had been nearly half a day since he had been sustaining the obsidian-ball form. What else does he hide from us?, I thought in annoyance.
"You must come to my domain"
It was Dalāy who said that. My mouth fell open, unable to process what he just said. Go… to… his domain? Is he nuts?, I thought, frustration at its peak. But the rational part of my mind said otherwise: Could this be a trap?
I suppressed my doubts and noted Anya's expression which was very similar to mine — confused. So was Valli Amma, guessing by how she didn't complain like usual and instead stared into the black obsidian-ball. Anya however didn't simply stare at Dalāy's floating form before us, she was shaking, staring down.
This girl stood before a god — unarmed, ready to fight — just that morning. And then, she shook for such a simple statement. What could that be for? What's in his domain, I was concerned.
Before any of us could come to our senses and speak, I felt a weird sensation like nothing I've felt before.
The warm breeze didn't touch my skin anymore, the skin wasn't hot with the sun's heat anymore. It felt cold… but not eerie. It kind of soothed away my emotions — making me less frustrated and more happy, thinking about the sweet memories, forgetting all despair, the only thought that remained was Anya… and the ever-complaining Valli Amma.
Those were the only happy thoughts there were in my life. Whatever that Dalāy did, made me remember every bit of our interactions, the night talks we had during the days after we gathered the crew and got off from Nagarā.
The arguments between the two drunken pirates to the left. The never-laughing, wise, silent king to the right. Anya and Valli Amma to the front. A giant bonfire that blazed in the middle. Those were the nights we had after constantly travelling during the day. The memories continued to flow in my mind until — the day I met Master face-to-face.
As my memories and emotions got twisted, I felt my vision blurring. With the blurry vision, I saw my body glowing completely white, so was Valli Amma and Anya, connected together by a thread of light coming out of the obsidian-ball — the ball was no more obsidian-like, it was also glowing white by the time. Three more such threads extended from it, into the hut.
At last, everything went dark.
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...Next chapter note...
For the first time in "The Rift in Kaalam",
you'll see a different POV