So I tried to summon my favorite mythical beast, the Griffon. I imagined the eagle headed, lion bodied winged beast, but with armor made of Azmoq and the ability to breathe blue flames. It was considerably more difficult to conjure such a complex being than a simple horse. I had to use something stronger than just my imagination. I was extremely fascinated by Griffons in my childhood, and had fond memories of my mother creating intricate clay Griffons for me. It was bliss. I couldn’t carry my imagination over here, but could I use my memories? I thought of the Griffon that my mother gave me. It was easy for me to create my ride in Dev’s mind from memory. The armored, fire breathing Griffon, Garud.
Garud looked around, and to my surprise, spoke. “Shall we get going?” It was the same gravelly voice that I had imagined the Griffon, that my mother made, would have.
“Sure, Garud. Nice to see you again.”
“You too, Karn. Now hop on mate.”
As I got on, Garud blasted off the desert sands. The pace of travel was exhilarating. We seemed to cover the expanses of the desert in a matter of minutes. Our destination appeared as we started to move. It was a dark, ominous looking wall of cloud, which was billowing and seemed full of hot ash, lava and lightning.
As I approached the cloud wall, I thought of the first Azmoqian armor I had seen in the halls of the Valantian Imperium. Once I was working of memory, materialization became easier. Just in time of our contact with the wall of ash, lava and lightning, I donned the Azmoqian armor of my memories, and flew right through the cloud. Undamaged. What was inside was a complete contrast.
It seemed like an endless, dark blue universe with infinite deep blue mirrors or varying sizes and shapes. The only way I could make out they were mirrors was by the light they reflected and the images that I saw in them. There were objects, small and large, even landscapes, like large waterfalls and mountains, popping out randomly from one mirror, some staying afloat, others entering another mirror. All the mirrors and the objects that popped out were floating, and rotating slowly. It was mesmerizing. I was in a trance. That Garud broke me out of. “Isn’t there some place we must be? Or are you here just to admire this imaginerium?”
The trance broke with his words. But I didn’t understand. If I was in a trance, shouldn’t my creation be as well?
Garud and I were of one mind, so he replied to my confusion. “I am not completely imagined. I come from a memory. Powerful memories are more difficult to distort. Your entire mind can get enamored by imaginations, but not a memory. And an imaginerium is the source of all of the mind’s imaginations. In a normal mind, the imaginerium, memories and all other areas are not separated, but here, due to the barriers erected, the imaginerium is a self-contained space. Now that you are clear, let’s get going.”
All the objects seemed to be revolving slowly as well, around a distance central glowing white orb. That’s where we went. As we traversed through the imaginerium of the man with an unknown name, the man who I knew only by his made-up name, Dev, I saw what his mind looked like. It had an exceptionally vivid imagination centered mostly on nature, with images of vast valleys, rain forests, even rivers larger than the Grand River. There were other images, which were of colossal buildings and cities, nothing like I had ever seen before. I wasn’t sure what the basis for his imagination was, given that he hadn’t seen the world beyond his tiny village.
We reached the orb. As soon as we started getting closer, Garud began to fade. To answer the question which began to form in my mind, he said, “That orb is the place of your friend’s memories. Two memories cannot co-exist. You must continue without me. Good luck.”
As I entered, I was without my mount, or my armor. Unlike the previous barriers, the orb wasn’t opposed to my entrance. It was like warm sunlight, basking me in white glow as I entered. Inside the orb, there were no mirrors. It was a garden, large and beautiful. But it wasn’t whole and contiguous. There were various parts, shimmering, where everything was moving in a loop. The first area I saw was the last thing that Dev saw, him slicing that large tree in Nuevida. I saw another, where we were fighting the eight soldiers who were chasing me. As I moved, I saw various such memories. Some were shimmering more than others, some were stable and some were disappearing.
I saw one where Dev was facing two injured people in the middle of a forest, when something akin to an invisible force field emerged from him, and suddenly everything around him exploded, the couple disappeared and he collapsed on the floor. I saw one where three people threw darts at an old man, and he collapses onto the floor, as a large man rushed ahead. In fact, as I progressed, I saw the large man in many more memories. I figured he must be someone important to Dev. As I entered what seemed to be the center of the garden, I saw my friend.
I could make out that this was the core of his mind, because this was the only version of him watching another version of himself. He was sitting on the garden floor, watching a memory that seemed extremely sharp and bright. It was two people, the same ones who I saw injured in the other memory, sitting with a memory of Dev and talking. I walked up to Dev and tapped him on the shoulder, he briefly looked back, before he turned back to the memory.
Dev said, as he continued to look at the memory. “Hey, Karn. Didn’t think you could move out of your part of the garden and talk to me. Come sit. These are my parents, just weeks before they died. We are just having a conversation.”
I didn’t want to take away the look of pure joy he had as he relived his most precious moments. But it had to be done.
“I am not your memory. I am actually Karn. Do you know what is going on, Dev?”
Dev looked at me, a little confused. “Aren’t these my memories? Why… how are you here?”
“Yes, these are your memories. But do you remember what happened last in the real world?”
He seemed to think. The garden rapidly moved, until we were in front of the memory of his collapse.
He then replied, “Of course. I collapsed. So what? This is only temporary, until I wake up. But more importantly, how are you in my memories?”
“You have been in this state for days. You are almost about to die. Realizing the extreme strain on your body due to your use of the sword, your mind walled the last bit of your energy in here. I have been unable to wake you up, but I found a way to reach your mind directly with mine.”
Dev was surprised. “That is amazing. And scary! You can enter my mind! What if you could enter anyone’s mind? You could read minds! Can you control the mind you enter? You can then control other people!”
I never thought of that. But that wasn’t important. “Please wake up. Push yourself to break these barriers and wake up.”
Dev, still the ever-trusting man, believed me immediately. “Alright,” he said and closed his eyes. And suddenly the garden disappeared. We were in an expansive blueish space, with his memories and the mirrors floating around. They slowly began to merge, blending into one continuum, like it had been in my mind.
“There. Everything is back to normal… I think.”
I was elated. I had released my friend from the prison, and saved his life. But then, nothing further happened. I was still in his mind. We waited for a while. Nothing changed.
Dev cracked his knuckles. “Should we be here? I figured we would wake up?”
I replied honestly. “So did I. Maybe I need to leave your mind. Although, I am not sure how I’ll do that.”
I started to think about leaving his mind. I closed my eyes and focused on that thought. Nothing happened. Then I thought of returning to my own mind, and it worked like a charm.
But then, I was still stuck in my mind. Try as I might, I wasn’t able to feel my body and stand up. Now, I was panicking. Dev wasn’t around either. I was now stuck, in my own mind, well aware of my prison, but unable to do anything about it.
And then, suddenly, I felt the tingling sensation again. The white light slowly began to fade, replaced by the warmth of sun light on my eyes. I slowly opened my eyes. I
was beneath the banyan tree, outside the cave, lying down. The Elliaichi tribesmen were there, kneeling beside me.
“Greetings young man! You seemed to have accomplished your task!” said the old man.
I turned around to search for Dev’s body. “Did I? Where is he?”
“Do not worry,” said the young man who had given me directions to this spot the evening before. “Your friend is being provided some nourishment. He was quite faint when you released his mind. So he needs substantial nourishment before he can travel again.”
“But how did you… why did you come here?”
Old man bowed his head and walked towards me. “Regrettably, it is my fault. When I sent you on this journey, I knew that you would perish. You see, once you enter the cave and your conscious mind becomes liberated, it is impossible to contain it again from within. Someone from outside has to bring your mind back, by removing you from the cave.”
A young man, standing beside the old one, interjected.
“The cave basically has many roots of the banyan tree. These roots, along with specific minerals present in the soil, release a drug of high potency. It expands the reach of your conscious mind, while disconnecting it from the body. This basically enhances the strength and activity level of the conscious mind allowing it to interact independently and easily with the other parts of your mind, like your subconscious and your memory. But, unless the drug is counteracted, you can never move your body again. This drug at high concentrations can kill someone immediately.”
The old man continued. “We have this.” He pointed to a dried yellow stick in his hand. “That can return mind’s control over the body and cages the conscious part again, allowing the person to wake up.”
The young man droned on. “When I realized what the old man had done, I discussed it with everyone. We all, including him, agreed that you were a noble soul, who did not deserve such a fate. So, we rode out here to get you and your friend out. We waited till you had revived your friend, which we could conclude once we felt his body became warm again.”
The old man walked up to me, held my hand and asked tearfully, “I made a terrible mistake. Can you forgive me son?”
I patted him on the back, feeling a little awkward. I was fine and so was Dev. That’s all that mattered. “There is nothing to be forgiven. As long as my friend and I are alive, we will always be in your debt. That is the truth. Thank you for everything you have done.”
“I agree. Thank you, sir.” I heard Dev call out, weakly. He was sitting up, and looked pale. But he was awake.
“And I need to thank you,” I said, looking at Dev. “You saved us back there in Nuevida.”
“And thank you for reviving me,” Dev replied with a smile.
The young Elliaichi man waved his hands in the air. “Let’s assume everyone is thankful to everyone else. What do you guys plan to do now? Your friend needs to rest for at least a few weeks, before he is fit for any long journey.”
I honestly didn’t know. We needed to travel to Welehölla next. But I wouldn’t mind spending some time in my beloved plains and relax. It was Dev who was on a mission.
The old man scratched his leathery cheek. “I have a suggestion. Your friend needs to stay near the cave, so that if his recovery is hindered, you can stop him from relapsing into the same state. After such a prolonged time spent in that comatose state, the mind will have the tendency to relapse into a protective state as soon as it senses any stress.
Why don’t you both spend some time here until you feel better? Your point on imparting wisdom was also something playing on my mind. In the time that you are here, I can teach you all I know about controlling your mind better.”
I was tempted by the offer. But again, it was Dev who had to decide. I looked to him and saw him, clearly debating the issue in his mind.
“What do you think, Dev? You definitely need to rest. In this state, I doubt you could kill a fly, let alone two, fully trained Yerin assassins.”
Dev nodded. His face, though weakened, was full of determination. “I have to get those murderers for what they did. I have already delayed my pursuit of these men by almost a couple of months. I can’t afford any further delays.
“But I know I can’t kill them, even if I find them, in this state. I need to recover, get stronger. Let’s stay. Recuperate. Then we can head out and hunt those men.”
So we accepted the Elliaichi elder’s suggestion and stayed near the banyan tree for the next month.
The next month I spent was considerably different from what I had experienced in my life before. The times I usually spent in the plains were solitary, with just me and Arion. Now I was with a tribe of Elliaichi nomads, learning the mysteries of the mind. Life really did take unexpected turns.
Chapter 16: The time under the banyan tree
The Elliaichi stayed with us for the next few weeks.
As Dev recuperated and slowly started to move around, I could see what damage his body had endured. He could barely walk and I could see how thin he had become. The Elliaichi were incredible in helping him out, ensuring that he got the right food and exercise.
I had come to know the tribe much better. They all had complex names which I chose to simplify. I called the old man Whakaaro, as I could never remember his full name and Whakaaro sounded like it was a part of his name.
“Whakaaro,” I asked on the day we were revived. “Why are you doing this for us? There is no need for you to spend so much time for us. Any debt you might think you owe us was over the second you rescued us.”
Whakaaro replied, “It is not out of a sense of debt that we do this. It is out of a sense of responsibility and opportunity. What you said the other day touched a raw nerve. I have a responsibility to pass my knowledge onto others, so that it can be used for the good of the world. But I always felt I should pass it onto someone who is worthy. And contrary to what I led you to believe, I had tried once earlier. The man was strong. I thought he would be the right man to spread the knowledge we had gained. But I was soon to realize otherwise. That experience destroyed my belief in the world of prisons.
But you, in the cave, have proved your self-worth. And me meeting someone as worthy as you cannot be coincidence. Hence, I feel it would be a sacrilege not to teach you, not to try again. We offer our help to your friend too because of the same reason. To resist the call of death when Ojas mukh and Urjaneev are driving your soul out is a near impossible feat. Once he gets better, we will try and understand what his ability is and help him hone it.”
I was happy to be deemed worthy of something other than having my head taken off. I was also curious. “Thank you for your consideration Whakaaro. But if you don’t know what my friend’s ability is, how do you know it exists? Maybe he was just strong willed.”
Whakaaro smiled. “When you dip a hot stone in cold water, the heat will leave the stone, irrespective of how much you will it to stay. Stopping energy flow is not a question of will. It is the nature of Ojas mukh and Urjaneev to draw energy. Only few human abilities can prevent this. And these abilities are incredibly rare. Seen only a few times in the previous millennia.”
I remembered something.
“When I was in his mind, I saw a memory. I saw him create a sort of energy pulse from his body, which shattered quite a bit of the forest around his immediate vicinity. Could that be it?”
Whakaaro seemed confused. “Energy pulse?” He paused. “I have not heard of this ability. But memories are tricky to perceive. It is unwise to base conclusions on the visions one sees in another’s mind. We will understand the source of his ability, do not worry.”
After that conversation, we did not discuss Dev any further. What we did start doing, was training. Training for me to have the same mental abilities as Whakaaro.
We started with a return to the cave. It was three of us, me, Whakaaro and another tribeswoman. Although I had experienced a lot already, it was important for him to explain things in a more structured manner, than the chaotic wa
y I navigated my mind and Dev’s.
As we sat down, he said, “Now, soon you’ll feel a tingling sensation. That is the drug, named Ergotin, stopping the mind’s connections with the body. Then you’ll see the cave become brighter and brighter. That is the drug boosting your mind’s working speed. I will tell you the rest when once you have entered that...”
Whakaaro’s voice faded away. It was starting. The tingling. Then the increasing brightness. And then the whiteness. I knew how to handle it. I built my empire in an instant. And summoned my friend, Garud. As we were moving across the landscape of my mind, I felt a red pulse emerge on what I perceived as the edges of my mind. I was there in an instant. I felt there was someone outside, trying to enter. It must be Whakaaro. I didn’t know how to let him in. Garud said wryly. “Well, you usually let people in through the door.” That was an idea. I created a door and opened it. Sure enough, Whakaaro was there. I somehow felt it was insulting that I was on Garud, while he was on foot, so Garud disappeared.
The image of Whakaaro seemed amused. “Thank you. But there is no need to do that, Karn. Travelling the mind is always easier on a ride than on foot.”
Saying which, he summoned something colossal. It was many times larger than the largest elephant I had ever seen. It took me a while to realize it was another mythical beast, the dragon.
“You shouldn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, my friend,” Whakaaro said with a mischievous smile. The old man seemed to have a humorous side to him after all.
“I see you. And raise you,” I said. I imagined a dragon colossally larger, spanning the limits of my entire mind as I perceived it.
Whakaaro’s smile did not fade, but increased. “Here you learn your first lesson. The mind is far more vast and powerful than you first realize. While you think of it as a metal box, the mind is more like a completely elastic rubber box. It keeps stretching. The dragon of your imagination is colossal. But it is limited by the perceived limits of your mind. Let you mind free.”
Age of Azmoq: The Valantian Imperium Page 18