Nature's Veil

wishsammaster

CHAPTER #1

The sun had just risen and the rays of the life-giving disk of fire were filtering through the leaves of the tall pine trees and falling on the rain-soaked earth in long cones leaving behind the inhabitants of the dark shifting around in profound discomfort.

The only being of the dark residing in the hollow of an age-old oak tree also shifted around in his alcove; though this time he was about to move out without being discomforted by the yellow light. No one knew how that particular oak tree came to be there amongst the pines – an old folk lore even suggested that the Oak was the guardian of the forest who never allowed any soul from the outside world to inhabit its premises thus protecting his children pines and all the animals who had made the forest their home with his permission and at the same time never rebuking a creature who was in real need of a shelter.

The fellow in the alcove of the great Oak had always known in his heart that the stories of old were true. That was the only reason why he had set his foot on the borders of the Lone Forests thirty-five years ago in spite of the people heeding him that the move would be fatal. “You move towards your doom little one.”-one had said. “At least here in the dungeons you will be fed and will remain warm;”- the other said. That feeling of dejection and hatred brought back the bitter taste of tears in his mouth which he had shed back then in front of the whole village – HIS village.

The great Oak had consented to keep him away from the day light and at the same time give him shelter but the fellow had long realized that everything comes at a cost – the cost for this gesture, the tree had said to the fellow, would be told to him at the time of his departure.

The fellow lowered the hood of his grey-black cloak and moved out of the alcove with the old worn out jute back hung loosely across his shoulders and tried to adjust his eyes to the tormenting light of the sun. He remembered the night when he was condemned to absolute darkness for he had conducted an experiment considered to be a damnation by the pagan church of Roterlane – His village. Though he had never forgotten that incident all through these thirty-five years but still it sent cold shivers down his spine.

His face lowered, as he came out of the alcove from under the Oak tree, he was regarded by a short burst of cool and yet so heavy breeze that in turn reminded him that he owed a fees to the tree.
As the fellow stepped out a huge voiced seemed to boom across the forest straight across his face and pierced his heart. The voice called him boy and the fellow immediately bent on his knees; not due to any formality but due to the fact that both his heart and mind could not allow him to continue standing under such a voice that was full of love and command and knowledge and strength all at the same time.

The fellow heard in his heart the voice of the great Oak tree that seemed so ancient – as ancient as the time. The voice spoke to him of the fees that was due. Before the fellow could even begin to find his voice, the Oak told the fellow to give his NAME to the tree as fees for his stay in the forest.

This statement struck the mind of the fellow with such ferocious force that he inclined his head up towards the roof of the tree – an act that nearly blinded him due to the light. Giving ones NAME to anyone meant giving his soul away. The person in possession of ones REAL name could do any sort of horrific things to that particular person. And here was a force that was stronger than any he had ever known and which meant grave consequences.

The tree, as wise he was, guessed the confusion and fear in the fellow’s mind and spoke in his heart; “Boy, I realize that you are fearing that I may use your NAME to hurt you or to control you but boy, I want you to know that in the eons that I have lived on this majestic Earth, I have never endured so long with a human. In this regard this period is long even by my own standards. I have found you caring, loving, understanding, strong-willed and above all that you are hurt deep down inside.”

“Due to my powers and the fact that I never liked humans Mother Nature confined my powers to this forest as she wanted to nurture her latest and the most loved of creations – MAN. Since then many have tried to come here and take away things from my forest.” “It was due to this that I had to do some nasty things to those who tried to infringe into my territories. But it was you who came with a pure heart and with utmost belief in me. This belief made it nearly impossible for me to cause you any harm. It is this belief you had in me that made me realize what wonderful creatures Mother Nature had created. Everyone man is different and so are you.”

“I want to help you in any way as I can and as I cannot do anything out of this forest so I decided to ask you of your name as fees.”

“I still don’t understand O great one as to what help that might be to me”; the fellow spoke in his heart.

The Oak spoke: “This way you will get a new NAME and all those who already know your real name and might try to harm you through your NAME will not be able to do so. It is in my powers to take away your name and give a new one to you. You will feel as though this was your NAME from the time you wee born. But I will always have and remember your name as I do of all my children.”

The tree then asked the fellow of his real name aloud and he told that it was Eric. As he spoke his name he felt as if all the strength had been drained of him and his body became flaccid making him sink down on the ground

wishsammaster

CHAPTER 2

Marcus came out of the forests, his eyes narrowed into a slit, he noticed how change had engulfed the entire village. The roads had been paved, the log houses given way to the ones built by stone and above all the depiction of a CROSS at nearly every second roof.

Thus, finally, he thought the people of the village had chosen a religion over paganism. Maybe a new rule had come into effect. That might be a good sign for someone like him as the new rules would not keep him entangled in the repercussions of the previous judgment passed against him three and a half decades back. Also amazed was he to see how close the houses and other shops had come to the border of Roterlane and the Lone forests.

The city folk were all bustling about doing their work. No one noticed Marcus coming out of the forests. Though as he started the people noticed his attire and his face, all dark and crumpled with age and lack of sunlight, and parted from his way as dandelions being washed away by a flash flood. However he didn’t notice that as his mind was set at the thoughts of his house and his grandfather who had lost his life trying to protect his.

“Move away son, this is not for you, age is ripe for me to go meet God. Not you. You must stay here and complete what you set out to do.” Tears welled up in Marcus’s eyes as the words reverberated in his thoughts.

What he set out to do. What he set out to do was something that had caused him much pain and humiliation and above everything else he had lost his only family-his grandfather Orthin. Orthin who had taught him to see and perceive things out of Nature’s game and to set out for retrieving the pegs so that he could know what was happening on the other side of the veil. The veil Nature had thrown around humans so that no one could know what was happening or what was going to happen next.

Orthin had long ago stumbled upon a broken limb of a tree in his backyard that glowed as he touched it and showed runes upon it in a language that told him what was the Nature’s game. The game consisted of people living multiple lives in parallel worlds separated by the subtle veil.

This work had inspired Marcus since childhood and it was on that fateful day that he had realized what was required to set that veil aside and enter the other world. Marcus made a huge circle of chalk and wrote the runes written on that broken limb that he realized then was not from a tree but of a human. The runes burst out into brilliant azure flames with Marcus in the middle of it, his heart racing against the hum of the flames and the air that fuelled that fire. From the periphery of his sight Marcus saw a crouched figure jump up from the shadows of the moon-less night and start running towards the village.

wishsammaster

CHAPTER 3

Marcus found himself standing in the middle of a huge room, the sides of which were festooned with paintings that looked old and beautiful. He saw himself just as an apparition that wavered and flickered as he felt the gusts of wind against his shadow-this was the most brilliant of feelings-coming from the huge window overlooking the sea that looked much similar to the one lying to the northern side of Roterlane. He had imagined himself to be in flesh and blood but then he realized that his rituals must have been a little inchoate.

The man standing on the other side of the room looked a lot like Marcus himself. The only differenc4 that he could make out were the clothes-ones that he had never seen before. The other him was pressing something on a raised platform that glowed with each press that he made with his long fingers and then studied something very intently every time on a board on hanging by the wall. It was something magical that the man could see things on aboard without even touching it. Marcus had only in stories that there existed some vessels that contained magical powers to show the beholder his future or present; what he desired to see.

Marcus was engrossed in this thought and never realized that the man from the other world was now looking very intently at his wavering image-somewhat frightened-but still a very amused smile played at hi lips.

The unfocussed eyes of Marcus met with those of the man and something touched his heart very deep inside-something that he had never felt before-that made him flinch but still the eye contact remained intact. A large wind started to blow with huge thunder and lightening. It felt a if the very core the Nature’s veil had been disturbed and that mother Nature was absolutely annoyed that a mortal had understood her game and not only that but also managed to find a way to breach its rules and pass on to the other side.

Marcus pursed his lips tightly and was about to speak to the man from the other world when it felt like the very fabric that held his soul intact in it’s vessel had been stretched thin and he found himself lying face down on the ground panting loudly for breath.

That was the beginning of all the torture that he went through. Marcus was charged with practicing witch-craft and was sentenced to thirty-five years of banishment that he had to lead in total darkness and away from everyone. The main motive of his prosecutors was to send Marcus to the dungeons where he would finally be killed and no-one would even have an inkling a to whatever happened to him. But no one then had even thought in his wildest of dreams what Marcus was going to do. He chose to lead his exile in the Lone forests.

And that was where he had lived with his NAME until the Oak had asked it from him.

wishsammaster

CHAPTER 4

Marcus reached the spot where he had worked up that ritual thirty five years ago. The ground still remembered it with dark black markings plastered all over it in a huge circle. Marcus tried to remember those who had led him to the Lone forests and killed his grandfather but as hard as he could try he could not remember the names.

The Oak had known everything that had happened to Eric and the circumstances that had lead to the finding of the broken limb by Orthin. In fact it was mother Nature who had told the great Oak about Eric. But it was too late as the Oak had already pledged to take him in his custody and he could not break it under any circumstances.

Both the Oak and mother Nature knew what the consequences of learning such a dangerous and powerful force could lead to. It was precisely due to this reason that the Oak had taken away the NAME of Marcus. This made Marcus’s soul forget all those who did him wrong or good. Just what he could remember were the circumstances and still no ill-feeling could ever touch his soul. He was now left with just one motive that deeply burned in his soul and that was to find out what makes the veil so formidable. No other thought using it for good or otherwise now plagued his thoughts.

This was also arranged by the Oak. Mother nature had tried her best to compel the great tree to take away all his memories of her game. But the Oak was too impressed by the dexterity of the thoughts of Eric. The Oak now also wanted to find out as to how a human could make out this game. It had even amused the great Oak to think about the desperate talk of mother Nature.

Marcus now stood over the circle with a chalk in his hand that he had hidden in a nook under a huge bolder. All those years living under the Oak had given his soul much understanding of the laws of nature and how they worked. It was mostly due to the things the Oak used to talk to him about.

Marcus re-drew the circle. Enchanted the runes writing them down it the exact possible manner-it perplexed him how he could remember the runes so clearly. The Oak smiled at that thought somewhere in the middle of the Lone forests.

wishsammaster

CHAPTER 5

Marcus drew in his breath and concentrated and the same fire began to burn but with an intensity that no human could ever endure without searing away his flesh. But here was Marcus standing in the middle of all that hoping intently that the ritual would work this time.

The ritual worked and he found himself standing in the same room overlooking the same person-his other self-the man from the other world. The looks of the man were changed as well as though he was living a life at exactly the same rate as Marcus. The man’s forehead was lined due to heavy learning and thinking. The air around Marcus shimmered as he materialized in all his flesh and blood. The other Marcus turned about surprised but as he saw Marcus he said, “I know you. I have been waiting for you all these years.”

“Welcome”

“Thank You”, said Marcus and the light around him faded.

The great Oak smiled once again and closed his eyes to talk to mother Nature at length about what he had just seen.

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