Chapter One
The End
Something has to change.
This thought has been bombarding me from multiple sides for thousands of years. Recently, the voices have become more intrusive and tuning them out has proven to be difficult. This is a concern because there is little of which I am incapable. It is my single most regrettable weakness whereby I cannot effect the necessary change.
I have the power, I do not lack conviction, but there is a barrier to accessing a level of influence that can best be described as inhumane.
Time has taught me many things, and recently I have learned that a part of who I am can only evolve by yielding to transcendence. I have been bound by flesh long enough, far longer than those who came before me. It is not the death of which I fantasized during my prime, but it will suffice.
As one who understands the importance of time, what transpires tonight must coincide perfectly with an event that is odiously breaching the foundation of goodness. Having witnessed societal fluctuations, things have never been as bad as they are now. And sometimes in order to bring about necessary pivotal change one must pass on the role of responsibility.
One foot in front of the other, I walk down a path that fills me with a sense of purpose. It is not a solitary experience, as I have planned this accordingly, and those watching from street-facing windows are filling me with their varied emotions.
What fresh nonsense is this? thinks a woman.
Brave but stupid, thinks a man.
Change is afoot, thinks an elderly woman.
Behind their empathetic fear for me is a sense of hope that never completely disappears. No matter how pointless it may seem, they will always have that going for them. And even though hope itself can only be a catalyst, it is still up to someone to act.
And this is my final act.
As tragedies go, this one will be something spectacular. After all, I have always had a rather unconventional flair for the dramatic.
"That you have, indeed," says a familiar voice from the side.
"It figures you would be here for my grand exit," I chuckle as I watch her materialize from the darkness of an alley.
She, the beautiful and wise woman of an ancient civilization, is my closest friend. Her dark skin remains exotically youthful although she is not immortal. However she does it is no concern to me. In her darker eyes, I always see the best of humanity.
"You always did perceive things differently," ironically says the witch as she steps in beside me.
The sound of our combined footfalls echo through the silent night air. There is a sort of melancholy that is louder still, as though it is attempting to stifle the hope I carry with me. Or it might just be the winter broadcasting an omen of what is to come.
"My least favorite time of year, honestly," she says. "I was somewhere warm when I had a vision of what you are going to do this evening."
"And you are wondering why you had to learn of my plan through a vision."
"Maybe for a moment, or three, but that's not why I'm here. Something else came to me on the way over here, something I want to share with you. After tonight, things will get worse before they become better. All because something will have to be sacrificed in order to accomplish the level of evolution you seek.
"I'm not here to stop you either, but I do want to warn you. Beware the little girl who bears your sister's clan crest. I can't see this part too well, but I get the sense she's very dangerous."
Most females are, I contemplate. Aloud, I say, "You might want to consider departing unless you want to be a part of what comes next."
"I know," she says as she veers away into another dark alley. Before she fully disappears into the shadows, she looks over her shoulder. "When we next meet, will I recognize you?"
Focusing on what and who is ahead, I take wisps of energy from those watching my midnight advance toward personal and societal progress. What needs to occur will require a great deal of energy and the type of ability that is best described as deific. Although I am no god, tonight I will perform as though I am one.
For a moment I caught a glimpse of your face. At least I think it was you as I stare into a window as empty as are my insides. But I lost you a long time ago, which means you are on my mind due to where I am headed. It makes sense that it would be you who appears to me at the end.
It still saddens me that you chose mortality over me, but I never blamed you. I only ever judged you as perfect, and it daily amazed me that you could love someone as flawed as me.
"Not another step forward," shouts an authoritative voice.
Never one particularly fond of authority, I ignore the misplaced request and move forward another couple of steps. There is a group of men, all with guns that will do me no damage if they choose to fire. Which they will, but only after I have begun my revolutionary process.
Behind them is the pearly house that started this whole mess. It is not named after its color, which is actually blue, but rather the pearl designed architecture for which the building is known.
I take a single wisp of energy from each of the men before me, and then I ascend into the air by bending gravity to my will. Their shocked expressions make sense, because what I am doing should not be possible. Yet I excel at what others consider impossible.
When I am high enough to be seen from a distance, a light begins to emanate from me. This is when they decide to shoot, but the ever brightening light acts as a shield. Soon, the light will be blinding. And with a magnificent blast my hollow body will fall to the ground where fallible men will think they succeeded in ending a threat.
Yet endings are misleading, because there is only a continuation.
The End
Something has to change.
This thought has been bombarding me from multiple sides for thousands of years. Recently, the voices have become more intrusive and tuning them out has proven to be difficult. This is a concern because there is little of which I am incapable. It is my single most regrettable weakness whereby I cannot effect the necessary change.
I have the power, I do not lack conviction, but there is a barrier to accessing a level of influence that can best be described as inhumane.
Time has taught me many things, and recently I have learned that a part of who I am can only evolve by yielding to transcendence. I have been bound by flesh long enough, far longer than those who came before me. It is not the death of which I fantasized during my prime, but it will suffice.
As one who understands the importance of time, what transpires tonight must coincide perfectly with an event that is odiously breaching the foundation of goodness. Having witnessed societal fluctuations, things have never been as bad as they are now. And sometimes in order to bring about necessary pivotal change one must pass on the role of responsibility.
One foot in front of the other, I walk down a path that fills me with a sense of purpose. It is not a solitary experience, as I have planned this accordingly, and those watching from street-facing windows are filling me with their varied emotions.
What fresh nonsense is this? thinks a woman.
Brave but stupid, thinks a man.
Change is afoot, thinks an elderly woman.
Behind their empathetic fear for me is a sense of hope that never completely disappears. No matter how pointless it may seem, they will always have that going for them. And even though hope itself can only be a catalyst, it is still up to someone to act.
And this is my final act.
As tragedies go, this one will be something spectacular. After all, I have always had a rather unconventional flair for the dramatic.
"That you have, indeed," says a familiar voice from the side.
"It figures you would be here for my grand exit," I chuckle as I watch her materialize from the darkness of an alley.
She, the beautiful and wise woman of an ancient civilization, is my closest friend. Her dark skin remains exotically youthful although she is not immortal. However she does it is no concern to me. In her darker eyes, I always see the best of humanity.
"You always did perceive things differently," ironically says the witch as she steps in beside me.
The sound of our combined footfalls echo through the silent night air. There is a sort of melancholy that is louder still, as though it is attempting to stifle the hope I carry with me. Or it might just be the winter broadcasting an omen of what is to come.
"My least favorite time of year, honestly," she says. "I was somewhere warm when I had a vision of what you are going to do this evening."
"And you are wondering why you had to learn of my plan through a vision."
"Maybe for a moment, or three, but that's not why I'm here. Something else came to me on the way over here, something I want to share with you. After tonight, things will get worse before they become better. All because something will have to be sacrificed in order to accomplish the level of evolution you seek.
"I'm not here to stop you either, but I do want to warn you. Beware the little girl who bears your sister's clan crest. I can't see this part too well, but I get the sense she's very dangerous."
Most females are, I contemplate. Aloud, I say, "You might want to consider departing unless you want to be a part of what comes next."
"I know," she says as she veers away into another dark alley. Before she fully disappears into the shadows, she looks over her shoulder. "When we next meet, will I recognize you?"
Focusing on what and who is ahead, I take wisps of energy from those watching my midnight advance toward personal and societal progress. What needs to occur will require a great deal of energy and the type of ability that is best described as deific. Although I am no god, tonight I will perform as though I am one.
For a moment I caught a glimpse of your face. At least I think it was you as I stare into a window as empty as are my insides. But I lost you a long time ago, which means you are on my mind due to where I am headed. It makes sense that it would be you who appears to me at the end.
It still saddens me that you chose mortality over me, but I never blamed you. I only ever judged you as perfect, and it daily amazed me that you could love someone as flawed as me.
"Not another step forward," shouts an authoritative voice.
Never one particularly fond of authority, I ignore the misplaced request and move forward another couple of steps. There is a group of men, all with guns that will do me no damage if they choose to fire. Which they will, but only after I have begun my revolutionary process.
Behind them is the pearly house that started this whole mess. It is not named after its color, which is actually blue, but rather the pearl designed architecture for which the building is known.
I take a single wisp of energy from each of the men before me, and then I ascend into the air by bending gravity to my will. Their shocked expressions make sense, because what I am doing should not be possible. Yet I excel at what others consider impossible.
When I am high enough to be seen from a distance, a light begins to emanate from me. This is when they decide to shoot, but the ever brightening light acts as a shield. Soon, the light will be blinding. And with a magnificent blast my hollow body will fall to the ground where fallible men will think they succeeded in ending a threat.
Yet endings are misleading, because there is only a continuation.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
~ Erin Hunter