by BC Powell
The Source burst from the land and ascended to the sky. As the immense energy left the ground, the Mount of Krymzyn erupted from the dirt. The rising of the Mount cast a great wind to the east, leaving the Desert in its wake. As the gale swept across the plains, countless specks of sand were carried through the air. When the force of the winds receded, the white grains fell to the ground, melding into gigantic Dunes.
One hundred thousand miles in every direction from the Delta, a spectrum of pure colors rose from the ground to the sky, defining the barrier to the Infinite Expanse. At the Springs to the north, the Dunes to the east, the Great Falls to the south, and the Eternal Canyon to the west, four Gateways opened into the endless wilderness.
Intense energy from The Source radiated downward from the sky, scorching the land until the dirt was blackened and laced with crystal. The Source drew moisture from the river into the air, spawning clouds that would forever protect the plane of Krymzyn from the brilliance of the sky above.
Seeing the fertile soil below, the second point of light crashed into the Delta. As it penetrated the ground, the light spun wildly into the dirt. From the tiny seed of light, the colossal Tree of Vision rose from the ground, spreading its mighty branches into the air.
When the Tree released its crimson sap into the soil, vibrant red grass sprouted from the hills and meadows of the Delta. With its roots dug deep into the land, the second point of light—the Tree of Vision—became forever at one with the plane of Krymzyn.
The Source churned the clouds into motion while retracting its light from the sky. Laden with moisture, the clouds released nourishing rain to the ground, providing sustenance for the grass of the Delta.
The third eternal light descended to the land. The Origin, a being of perpetual transformation between shapes able to swim, slither, crawl, walk, and fly, traveled across the plane. Upon reaching the Delta, The Origin communed with the Tree of Vision and The Source. Together, the three had a vision for a world comprised of perfect balance.
In a blinding flash from The Origin, the Ambulari were born. With feet to feel the soft texture of the grass beneath them, people walked across the Delta for the first time. Seven different purposes were defined through vibrant strands of color in the Ambulari’s hair. Each was blessed with gifts and skills that would serve the others as well as the world around them.
Wildly whipping its branches outward, the Tree of Vision cast seeds in all directions. From the Delta to the edge of the Infinite Expanse, trees and plants grew from the soil, providing every substance needed by the people of the Delta. All lived as one, sharing themselves with the world around them.
Unlike the three points of light that together created the infinite plane, the Ambulari were not eternal creatures of energy. By immaculate design, their lives were finite, and the Ritual of Balance was created to conceive new children for the Delta. The Tree of Vision, with the power to see all that’s inside a person, initiated the Ritual of Purpose to reveal each individual’s role in their world.
As a person grew so tall that death was near, they were called to the Bed of Light. From the top of the Mount, the energy of their spectrums could rejoin The Source above the clouds, forever remaining a part of Krymzyn. Each time a person met death, a new child was born, continuing the eternal cycle of life.
In that Era, the Murkovin did not yet exist. The role of the Watchers was to help Hunters locate trees during Darkness. For when Darkness fell and rain fell from the sky above, the sustaining trees lifted their roots from the ground and ran free across the Delta. As light returned, the trees again sank their roots into the dirt, replenishing the precious sap inside them while they slept.
The sustaining trees in the Barrens were not nourished by the fertile soil of the Delta. They were never strong enough to pull their roots from the ground, and their bark became dark and crumbly. The Origin once consumed the sap from the Barrens, finding that it created extreme emotions and irrational thoughts—obsession, wrath, and physical desires in place of spiritual—that would disturb the balance established for Krymzyn. A decree was issued to the people of the Delta. Never were they to drink the tainted sap from sustaining trees in the wasteland.
With the creation of Krymzyn complete, The Origin departed into the Infinite Expanse. The people’s thoughts took life there, reflected by the barrier of light created by The Source. From afar, The Origin could always commune with the Tree of Vision, The Source, and the people of Krymzyn.
Chapter 26
One sustaining tree, the strongest and fiercest of those on the Delta, would never allow its sap to be taken during Darkness. Many Hunters were injured when they clashed with the tree, one even meeting death from the malevolent branches. But an extraordinary Hunter named Ovin, a young woman of relentless fortitude and unmatched skill, was determined that the tree serve its purpose for the people.
During a long period of Darkness, Ovin trapped the tree at the northernmost point of the Delta. The tree recognized that it had met its equal, but as Ovin charged through the lashing limbs, the tree suddenly sprang from the ground and soared over the river.
Ovin leapt high into the air, clinging to a limb with all her might as the tree sailed over the rapids. After landing in the black dirt of the Barrens, the tree violently thrashed its branches, hurling Ovin to the ground.
The tree fled into the stormy badlands, but Ovin jumped to her feet and followed. When light returned, the tree dug its roots into the soil of the wasteland. While the tree slept, Ovin patiently sat beside the trunk, waiting for the next Darkness to fall.
The moment the clouds churned into motion again, the tree ripped its roots from the ground. A savage battle between the tree and Ovin ensued. As the Hunter again bravely fought her way through the branches, the tree’s only escape was deeper into the Barrens.
Many Darknesses passed with Ovin in pursuit of the tree, but she eventually grew too weak to continue her hunt. With no other source of sustenance, ignoring the decree of The Origin, she drank the sap of the malnourished trees growing in the Barrens. With her energy replenished, Ovin obsessively resumed her chase of the renegade tree.
The Disciples of Krymzyn worried when neither the tree nor the Hunter returned from the wasteland. The tallest of the Travelers of the Era, a man called Murk, was dispatched to find them. For forty periods of Darkness, Murk searched the Barrens while Ovin maintained her vigilant hunt.
As Murk traveled the wasteland, he, too, needed energy. He realized he was far too quick for the trees of the Barrens to touch him with their branches. Able to blend his light past their limbs, he thrust his spear into their bark. From the sap that dripped down the trunk under his weapon, he was able to sustain himself.
Following a trail of root marks across tens of thousands of miles, Murk finally found Ovin and the wayward tree. Darkness immediately fell when their paths crossed. Murk watched in awe as Ovin leapt onto a limb, clawed her way to the trunk, and finally spiked the bark of the viscous tree. Streaking to her side, he helped Ovin protect the lone stake from the slashing limbs.
As Darkness departed, the tree returned to slumber while Murk and Ovin gazed upon one another. They saw the color of purpose had left their hair—barren white strands in place of scarlet and blue. The luster of their skin had faded to pale white, and veins of blackened blood bulged from their skin. The amber light that had once shone brightly from their eyes was gone, replaced by blood red.
Thoughts and emotions they’d never experienced before overcame them. Corrupted by the wild sap, their minds were oblivious to the ways of balance. Murk and Ovin were stricken with insatiable physical desire. But unknown to them, the sap of the Barrens had left Ovin in a state of perpetual fertility. In a cavern deep below a hill of the wasteland, an unsanctioned child of Krymzyn was conceived.
Dwelling in their cavern in the Barrens, Murk and Ovin were well aware they had fallen from balance, but with the tainted sap of the Barrens in control of their minds, they had no remorse. The more impure sa
p they consumed, the more sap they craved. They no longer felt fulfillment from serving their world and wanted only to feed their own desires. And so when their child was born, so was the first of the Murkovin.
While in the Infinite Expanse, The Origin became aware of the thoughts of Ovin and Murk. The eternal being experienced an emotion never known before in the infinite plane of Krymzyn. It was the fear gnawing away at Ovin and Murk that The Origin felt, the two of them frightened that the people of the Delta might learn of their fall from grace.
The Origin returned from the Expanse and found Ovin, Murk, and their child. The eternal being could have destroyed them but did not. Instead, The Origin took the child’s hand into a tight grasp. With a burst of light from inside, more Murkovin were created.
By granting the wasteland to the creatures, a more complex balance was established in Krymzyn. The people of the Delta would know fear of the creatures in the Barrens while also being required to protect the Delta from the decadent cravings of the beasts. The constant threat of danger would become an integral part of the people’s lives.
Leaving the Murkovin in the Barrens, The Origin uprooted the prodigal tree and returned it to the Delta. The tree’s roots were buried in a meadow in the center of the land, where it would never again be tempted by the wasteland. To ensure that none of the trees of the Delta tried to escape the Hunters in the future, the Tree of Vision wove the roots of the grass around those of the sustaining trees. Nevermore were the trees allowed to run free across the land.
With fear alive in the Infinite Expanse, The Origin created new creatures to serve as Guardians of the Gateways. Serquatine who could swim, Reptalients who slithered, the crawling Schorachnia, and the high-flying Aerodyne were blessed with eternal life in Krymzyn. Great powers were given to the beings so they would be able to protect the Gateways. If living fears were to pass from the Infinite Expanse into the heart of the plane, all of creation could be destroyed.
The Tree of Vision cast new seeds to the four Gateways of the Infinite Expanse, sowing the water lilies of the Springs, the cactus of the Dunes, the flowering vines of the Eternal Canyon, and the ferns of the Great Falls. Each of the flora produced nectar, a substance of immense energy that provided the Guardians with physical immortality but also allowed their minds to accept eternity. With nectar, they would never grow weary of passing time.
A new decree was issued to those in the grace of Krymzyn. A sign would be given to each individual to enter the Infinite Expanse. Only when a person could conquer their own fears would they be allowed to fulfill their purpose for the balance of their world.
To ensure that no one entered the Expanse without the sign and also to keep the Murkovin out of the great wilderness, the Guardians were given a thirst for the Ambulari’s blood. With the sap inside that blood, for a few fleeting moments, the eternal creatures would become aware of the past, present, and future.
The Origin departed, disappearing once again into the Infinite Expanse. The shapes from inside the eternal creature were combined with the thoughts and feelings from those who dwell in Krymzyn, energy from The Source, and seeds from the Tree of Vision to create all other worlds that exist. Those worlds were designed to evolve over time as they will, with the essence of balance from Krymzyn always there to protect them. To this morrow, The Origin remains in the Expanse, and what were once three eternal points of light periodically create a new world when they believe it’s needed for the infinite balance of all.
* * *
Still standing on the rock, Tork lowers his face to the crowd as the brilliant images in front of him fade away.
“The tree Ovin hunted,” he says quietly, “was so enraged at having its roots bound to the soil that it took the life of any Hunter who tried to harvest its sap. For millions of Eras that passed, no Hunter would even approach the tree during Darkness for fear of death. Only in this Era has a Hunter finally been able to do what Ovin did and take the sap of that tree.” Tork slowly bows his head. “And so ends the story of The Beginning.”
The light returns through the edges of the clouds, and the people of Krymzyn all stand. There’s no applause or any other type of celebration for the ceremony, everyone quiet and reverent.
“Did you find the story enlightening?” Maya asks me as she rises from the ground.
“It’s amazing,” I answer. “I didn’t even know I’m an Ambulari.”
“Maya,” Marc calls to her. He tips his head to me. “It’s time for sleep. We must return to Home.”
Maya glances over her shoulder at Marc while I stand to my feet. When she turns her face to mine again, she reaches out and takes one of my hands in hers. Lightly squeezing it, she looks into my eyes.
“I hope to see you soon, Chase.”
“Take care, Maya,” I say, holding her hand. “Thank you again for telling Sash I was in trouble.”
“We all help one another as best we can,” she replies.
I smile after she walks away, realizing she must have seen Marc shake my hand the first time he and I met. I feel honor, another sign of acceptance, that she’d offer me a variation of that custom for my benefit.
As the people of Krymzyn silently leave the meadow, Sash and I stroll towards our habitat. After the others scatter in different directions and we’re out of their sight, I take her hand in mine.
“So let me get this straight,” I say. “The tree by the Empty Hill, the one that tried to kill me—”
“As I told you before,” Sash interrupts, “if the tree had meant to kill you, it would have.”
“Right. The tree you rescued me from—that’s the same tree Ovin chased into the Barrens.”
“It is,” she replies.
“Are you the only Hunter other than Ovin to take sap from that tree?”
“I am,” she answers.
I look into her eyes as we walk. “That’s your favorite tree, isn’t it?”
“It’s not right to have a favorite tree. All are equal, but I do feel a special bond with that one.”
“Why that tree?” I ask.
She turns to me, and we both stop walking. “My Apprenticeship ended two morrows before you returned to Krymzyn. That was your second visit to this world, the time you were injured by the tree. I’d already seen your return in a dream.”
“You knew when I’d come back?”
“I knew you’d arrive during Darkness,” she replies, nodding, “and I wanted to be close to the Empty Hill. But I also had to hunt when Darkness fell.”
“You were waiting for me?”
“I wanted to protect you during Darkness. I knew that you wouldn’t know what to do and that the Disciples wouldn’t be near the Empty Hill. I visited the tree the morrow before you returned. While it slept, I knelt at the trunk and tried to understand its feelings. The tree wants to experience its roots running across the open land again. It longs for something it can’t have.
“I shared my own feelings with the tree. I spent the entire morrow at its trunk. I didn’t sleep, and I let all my feelings flow from inside me into the bark. I told the tree that I understood how it feels, that I longed for something as well, something I didn’t understand.
“I explained that I had to fulfill my purpose so that I could provide sap for the people, but I also had to remain near the Empty Hill during Darkness to protect you. The only way I could do both was to take its sap. I let the tree know I’d use all my strength and speed, do whatever I had to with everything inside me. But I also let the tree know I would honor and respect it as I did.”
“And you did take the sap,” I say.
“For the first time since Ovin, during the Darkness when you arrived, sap was taken from that tree. You watched me. If it had meant to kill you, Chase, the tree would have done so instantly. But it didn’t because it knew that the answer to my longing, the way for me to find what was missing in my life, might be through you.
“The tree wanted to test your strength. Not the strength of your arms or legs, but of your min
d. It tried to frighten you and make you fear Krymzyn, but you were strong. You didn’t let fear stop you from embracing this world. You and I were both tested and challenged. I fell in love with you even though I thought my death would occur with you at my side. I could have just avoided you, but I didn’t. You fell in love with me despite having to leave your world, knowing how different life here would be. I believe all of that was done so we would never have a doubt about our future together.”
I lean to Sash’s face and kiss her lips. When I pull away, I hold her amber eyes in mine, recalling the fear I felt the first time I came to Krymzyn as a twelve-year-old and saw the tree spring to life. And then the horror when I was seventeen and Sash had to rescue me from the branches.
“I’ve never understood why that tree seems to have so much meaning to you,” I say, “but now I do.”
“The tree wants you and me to both have fulfillment,” she replies.
We again walk hand in hand towards our habitat. As we cross over the Empty Hill, I look at the sustaining tree in the meadow below—Ovin’s tree. I suddenly feel incredible sadness for the tree as I think that it could once lift its roots and run across the Delta. Now it lives like a caged animal who stares out from behind a row of steel bars, never knowing the feeling of releasing everything it has inside while romping across the land.
“The next time you share your feelings with the tree,” I say, “let it know I say thank you.”
“The tree already knows what’s inside you. But I’ll share your feelings with it.”
When we reach our habitat, I sit down at my drawing table and replay the story of The Beginning in my mind. Sash checks that her stakes are neatly arranged in packs, ready for the next Darkness. From the shelf, I find the piece of canvas I wrote Sash’s name on. Above her name, in block letters, the word “KRYMZYN” is written.
“Sash,” I say, studying the letters. “I still don’t understand why Krymzyn is spelled the way it is. The letters don’t really make sense to me.”