Archaic Recollection: III –
Of Sand, Seawater and Silt; Comets and Stardust.

(This Archaic Recollection was written through the point of view of Willa Ataraxia, The Blind Seeress of VenusLink.)

“I have so many memories that aren’t mine. Memories that seem so vivid, yet serene and primordial, which would easily lead oneself to believe that it could have originated from a nature documentary, or one’s imagination trying to live out a given scenario – but I know it’s not the case. For most of my life, I had been slowly going blind – my sight started to decline at the age of 6, already being declared legally blind by the age of 10. Now, as an adult, after a life-changing accident whose stress further deteriorated my sight, I am limited to seeing only lights and colors without proper shapes… Furthermore, I was never given the chance to experience much of the world due to my parents having horribly tight schedules, demanding jobs, and a general inability to care for a child, resulting in them leaving me in the care of inexperienced sitters and teachers.”

“These images and memories… visions of a cloudless, cotton-candy colored morning sky with a big and bright full moon up above the golden sands, spanning mile after mile on the surface of the Earth. Cliff-like towers of cinnabar and clay rising from the sandstone depths below, with no vegetation in sight – a desert landscape so beautiful and perfect, that could only be described as biblical. Many figures dressed in silks of white, silver and gold, whose garbs would flow with the gusts of the dune-filled expanse while treading the burning sands in a perfectly devoted line as their camels followed suit, evidencing more the prophetic nature of these images… The sun’s rays casting wisps of light onto the people’s robes, which reflected iridescent rays of colorful bokehs, as each devotee in the front-side of the line held a spherical crystalline stone that encased an interior gem with radiant reflections that shone like rays of chromashift…”

“In the distance, there is a coastline of pearly white sands, decorated with blues as deep as sapphires: The people are going to that place, and it was only a matter of time until they got there… Around the line of travelers flew murders of crows, keeping watch of their masters and their treasures, ensuring their arrival to their sacred destination. These crows were decorated with the finest of necklaces, braces and talons any bird could ever dream of, as if they were specially bred by gods for humans to use on this very occasion. I knew, because I was one of these crows.”

“The leaders of this group are The Three Mage-Kings: Jain – the Mage-King of Freudia, Rajah – the Mage-King of Jungia, and Amir – the Mage-King of Quasia. They are triplets who were separated at birth and taken to distant lands to be brought up as slaves. Despite this, and throughout their struggles growing up as slaves, they felt a connection to one another – and by fate – rejoined at the ancient city of Luxor in Egypt. Once they realized who they were, they put their skills to the test and managed to escape their tormentors and liberate themselves from the life they knew they didn’t deserve. From that day onward, the three were inseparable. As they grew older, they also grew wiser, which in turn provided their strange abilities a superiority never witnessed before. This was the turning point in the boys’ lives.”

“The town’s people would whisper among themselves rumors which in the end proved to be true, suspicions and long-held beliefs of the ancient people that indicated the arrival of Three Star-Sent Children onto the Earth to herald a new age of unification for the seemingly perpetually divided desert. That day finally came when the townsfolk noticed the arrival of Three Men, the three of them looking exactly alike. “Triplets!” The townsfolk rejoiced, they instantly knew who these men were.”

“Over time, they gained the favor of Luxor, and even gained a reputation within the entire region for their mysterious divinatory prowess. Their mystical talents, bravery and sheer will to survive eventually gave rise to their titles as “Mage-Kings”, and solidified their destiny in what is one of the most magical places on the planet. Humble Kings they are, as they always protested to wearing a crown of any sort over their heads. They often conversed, ate and even bathed with the townsfolk in the bathhouses, establishing their commitment to the people even further at every moment they could. These acts would be the catalyst for the people’s love towards the Mage-Kings and everything they stood for, they knew that The Kings would keep them safe, and they did.”

“The biggest act of love the Mage-Kings ever did for their people was this, the long and perilous journey to the south-westernmost coast of the desert. They were going to find The Maiden of The Deep, and ask her to bless their people. For this, they would offer in return the Maiden’s favorite treasures: Gemstones, Crystals, Stones. They would bring to her these spectacular crystalline artifacts made by the people as proof of the people’s dedication to Her as well, not just the Kings. These were meticulously crafted relics that the people knew the Maiden would make use of – even if she wouldn’t bless them, a fact they were content and honored with.”

“Together they joined hands, forming a triangle between the three brothers while entering the waters of the pristine sand. The water seemed to also know they were there, to see it in hopes of a wish being granted, or one of the three voices to be heard. It swallowed up the Crystalline Cuboid Artifacts the men wore around their necks on exquisite paper necklaces, made to dissolve once inside the water. They had entered a submerged meditation of some kind; moments of immutable eternity amongst the cold and salty waves.”

“At first, you could see the serpent-like tentacles below the surface of the water, dancing in a rhythmic circular pattern. One could feel the force of them rushing through the murky depths, inching closer to the surface without breaking the water’s tension. The suckers had a peculiar appearance, glowing in many shades of green and being shaped similarly to octagons with star-shaped insides. These wondrous movements caused the water around her to rush towards the shoreline in a strangely beautiful, and uniform pattern. Then, it happened: She surfaced. As she rose, one could see Her eight massive lower tentacles splash around Her in a spiral motion with great force and energy, albeit with an angelically gentle sense of grace and control. Her ascent was breathtaking. Her deep green, serpentine tendrils that acted as her hair flipped backwards as she whipped the upper half of her body, while the lower half remained mostly submerged. The immense pressure of Her prance could be felt from the distance.”

“Her ascent was loud, but not deafening. Sounds that only a deity could make echoed through the desert, sounds that were unintelligible, but paradoxically, understandable. The vibrations it produced had the peculiar effect of separating the silt from the sand below the water. After her ascent, She made a sound similar to a war cry that only a few of us could hear, a frequency so special that it made our blood vibrate and cool – instantly soothing us from the intense heat of the desert. For a few minutes, she simply stood there, Her gaze fixed onto the skies above, as if she was contemplating or searching for something in the distance way above the atmosphere, while also having the effect of evoking nostalgia in those near by, a sense of longing for something that was lost or forgotten a long time ago.”

“Her calm, but rageful expression said it all: She was ready for whatever it was She needed to do. As she started to descend, she started to move her lips as if she were speaking, though without any speech actually emanating from the Giantess. However, everyone could somehow feel a message in her actions; a conversation spoken through color, light, movement, shape and size. Her descent caused the water to rush towards the shoreline yet again, only this time the water was gentler and uniform all around.”

“A few moments after she disappeared back into the depths, the three royal brothers emerged from their watery shrine, their white silk uniform now permanently stained gray, brown and black from the silt of the seabed the Maiden had disturbed. Their followers helped them change into a new set of clean and dry clothes, leaving their previously soaked and dirtied garments behind in a sealed chest which they buried near the shoreline. Right before leaving, the followers placed their crystalline orbs on the water, allowing it to swallow them up just like the Mage-Kings did with their artifacts; each follower uttering their prayers and wishes onto the orb as they let go.”

“It was done, the ritualistic offering completed. It was time to go back home. By the time they started their journey back, the sun had begun to set, and the group noticed and immediately rejoiced at the sight of a green star in the sky, joined by a chromashifted comet that left an astonishing opalescent trail as it skid over the dimming sky.”

“The people knew they were going to be alright.”

– Willa Ataraxia, The Blind Seeress.