The Sacred Journey Of Asioth

[Keldrith 717]

The Sacred Journey Of Asioth

Silvyr and Amberleigh's Pilgrimage to At'Ei

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The Path We Share

 

 

The hollow walls of Karina’siol were especially lackluster today to the loving duo. Their minds sought something else besides beauty. They sought the unknown, the mystery of Asioth, and the teachings of the Great Titan. Azdromoth, through Keledan, said they must know it, yet here they were with only two questions to guide them, and a vague arrow in the south-western direction of the continent. Only minutes had passed since their task was granted, and bags were already packed full of provisions and water, rope and tools, and small tents folded neatly on the sides of each pack. They delayed none, and set off past the gates that protected their beautiful and everlasting motherland. 

 

Time was of the essence, both Amberleigh and Silvyr figured this on their own. Knowledge, immortality, and the favor of the Titan’s eyes were over the horizon for them both. They were taking their first steps yet again, but were so much closer than they were before. Where they were going, neither of them knew. Guided only by their hearts, and desires, did they continue. The minutes turned to hours, hours to days, and days to weeks. Crossing the continent proved more of a challenge than originally anticipated, forcing the duo to enter foreign lands and forage for food and water, the seeds of all life. “In the hands of the Titan, we are safe.” They told themselves, giving every experience, no matter how humiliating, a much greater meaning. Nevertheless, In the single spirit and practice of botany, they sought out nature's sustenance and nutrition for each day of their journey, thus finding on the ground and on the high branches of luscious forest trees the richness of the earth. The time for questioning was over for them, now their hearts were set on trust. Trusting the experience, trusting the word of Keledan, and trusting themselves that their path was the correct one. This simple philosophy of trust, and devotion made this journey something much greater than originally anticipated. For them, this was new life being breathed into their stubborn ‘thill minds. A new perspective on life itself.

 

Past the ocean, they reached the East Fleet. And for days past that, they finally reached the lands of Krugmar. From Krugmar, they reached Idol’s Garden, and finally they took their refuge on the coastline of Elvenesse, with the mangroves over the horizon. Scouring the earth for plants they could eat gave them enough provisions to last, and so they made camp. Hours went by and night fell, with the campfire raging on strong. The two, holding hands, sat beside the fire and looked into the flame. “In the hands of the Titan, we are safe.” They repeated this mantra to themselves, and to each other when doubt was seen in either’s eyes. Naturally, they were raised to question all things, yet this to them was different. In the first days of their journey, they spent hours upon hours arguing while dissecting the questions that were asked. How does one create himself? What is Immortality, if time is finite? 

 

However as the days passed, they realized this was the approach that would bring the most grief, pain, and suffering. They learned to trust the process, the path, and the words given to them for what they were. And so, after meditating through the night together, and allowing this trust to satisfy their souls and hunger for understanding, they chopped a tree together, and carved a boat that could take them across from the shores of Elvenesse to the Mangroves. There they searched, from tree to tree, searching it’s roots and the damp land beneath for their final destination, At’Ei. After another day’s search, they had found it. Descending the spiral staircase, the pair found themselves in a strange shrine, one lacking detail besides the runes on the walls, and the colors that separated the room in two halves. This place did not come without emotion and feeling however, their souls were filled upon entering this sacred place. Curiosity, faith, trust, love, and endurance. The principles they learned on the journey came together in feeling upon each taking their rest. Silvyr sat on the side of red, and Amberleigh the side of white, holding hands to connect themselves as their eyes shut, and the meditation began to unlock their final answers.

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Silvyr’s Vision

 

Silvyr sat there with his legs crossed. His left hand rests on his knee, with his right intertwined with Amberleigh’s. This connection, for him, acted as a way to see both sides of the shrine with closed eyes. The red represented something, and the white as well. Inhaling slowly, in patterns of seven seconds to inhale, and seven to exhale, his mind opened, and his consciousness expanded. The world around him no longer existed in his perception of it, and his mind was blank. Hours passed without knowing, and the question finally arose in his mind, in the voice of Keledan, “How does one create himself?”. 

 

Visions clouded Silvyr’s mind now. That of a seed growing into a tree. He watched fingers dig into the dirt, planting a seed that grew only from the annual rain that showered the earth. Each year, this tree grew, shaped by the wind, and the animals that took refuge in the branches it created. Antlers brushing the bark, creating scars. This was out of the tree’s control, yet it continued to grow, and shape into its own self. The tree had no control over circumstance. It was planted in the earth where the man wanted it to be. This was an intentional act that led to this new world being created. The tree grew towards the sun, the branches stretched upwards for the light. But the tree had no mind, it was a vessel of trust for the environment, and the circumstances. This trust let it grow, and the light above provided.

 

Then, a baby was born from a mother. Crying and without sight yet. This was not the baby’s choice, but this was circumstance and chance. New life, a new perspective. A perspective that was shaped by those around, and the experience he gained as he grew. The perceptions of those experiences, and the guiding hand of role models that came and went. It was these role models with their own perceptions of reality who shaped his own like clay, yet it was him who gave the clay it’s moisture, not the teachers. It was the desire to grow and learn, and the willingness to be shaped. This is how he was built, and made into the man he became.

 

“A man creates himself, by allowing others to shape him. Circumstance leads him to mentors, and the mentors give him ideas. These ideas can grow, or they can die. Each option leads to growth of some kind. Growth in complacency, or growth in the pursuit of knowledge. Each creates the man, and the man creates both through choice of perception of the lessons he is there to learn. If he is not there to learn from the teacher, then the teacher has nothing to teach, leading to the path of complacency and sometimes ignorance. If the student attends, new ideas are planted and this leads to the path of ambition and knowledge. These are the two paths of life, and the man may choose which to take. Carving himself from two branches, one more than the other, or both equally. The making of this choice is how one creates himself.” 

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Amberleigh’s Vision

 

 

Amberleigh joined Silvyr on the floor, sitting on the white side of the shrine. To her this symbolized her brighter nature, her positive ideals and her kindness to others. She was the other half of Silvyr. He was of a darker nature, more willing to fall into influence and greed, while she was the brighter half. She saw the joy in life for what it was, and was always able to see the light. This white also symbolized her blank slate, and the journey she had begun. Asioth was a new realm of thought she had not yet entered, or approached in any light. And so, she let this side of the room be her inspiration to this new reality she had entered. Her right hand rests in her lap, while the left intertwined with Silvyr’s. Her breathing pattern was her own, in counts of 7 for the inhale and counts of 5 for the exhale. There she found serenity in this structure, and her mind fell to relaxing meditation. Hours went by, and even the heartbeat in the pure elfess’ ears faded. Amberleigh’s mind was blank, until it wasn’t. 

 

Her mind was clear now, showing pictures to her, a new perspective. She was running through the woods like a gazelle from a hunter. But she was running from something else, an idea that plagued her mind. A darkness that followed her everywhere, that replaced more of the light with each second. Her body was engulfed with flames, a haunting memory that became her own reality. However the flame didn’t burn, and even in her visions she knew it was symbolic. The light that shone from these flames were the only light that illuminated her immediate surroundings. The rest of the forest around fell to the darkness, with only one tree left being close enough to see. This tree however, was unlike the others. The tree had two stocks, intertwining to make a single tree. These stocks had their own colors, one of gold and one of white. Her ears were filled with the tree's mournful crackling sound, sending a message into the air around her. The golden stocks suffocated the tree, embodying the insatiable thirst of nations for trivial pursuits, while the white stocks comforted it in its last hours, carrying enlightenment and new beginnings to the earth and its observer.

 

However, despite the meaning of the two stocks and the different branches, the entire tree was rotting, and the leaves were falling off, carrying golden seeds in all directions. These were carried into the sky, until the sky itself was colored with shining gold travelling to new destinations. These seeds carried the will of the tree, but not it’s history. They had their right to make their own. Some went up to the heavens, some fell to the earth to become trees themselves. To her, the rotting tree was a body, while the seeds were it’s consciousness and will. And now, she felt she understood the question. She had the answer she desired to find in this place. Her vision faded, and her eyes opened.

“Immortality can only be attained if both consciousness and will are transferred to others. There is will that is ascending in a given body, reaching far beyond the limits of time itself, for it can be seeded into a new life regardless of how many years elapse after a body dies, which is but an eventual consequence. Nevertheless, will can be carried over to others. Ideals remain throughout generations, and if they prove to be sufficiently strong, they grow eternal throughout the ages. This, I see, is Asioth, which represents the Titan's will and deliverance. We are all but seeds that are planted on fertile ground, growing and rising into the very trees that provide foundation for our children, and students alike.”

 

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