A Hou and a Dark Place

[extragamer53 226]

A Hou and a Dark Place

The sky’s dim darkness was preserved at the borders of the Wind Temple, as Tao stayed in its silent chambers. The forest outside blew a cold wind through the stone walls, making the flame of a single candle tremble. Its soft light cast long shadows that danced across the room, but Tao’s eyes were fixed on the horizon beyond. His straw hat lay beside him, his orange robes resting heavily on his shoulders.

He had come so far through the Gate of Endurance, the Gate of Sacrifice, and the many other gates that tested his body and soul. Now, he stood at the precipice of the final challenge: The Gate of Cigam Udrom.

A gulp of fresh air saturated his lungs, and he descended into the new territory based on his master’s command. The surrounding room disappeared from sight. The world dimmed, and when Tao opened his eyes, he was no longer in the temple but standing amidst the towering, gnarled trees of The Enchantress’s Forest.

     Tao’s depiction of the The Enchantress’s Forest
                                                                                                                               

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient magic. A dull, silvery light from perpetual dusk illuminated the path before him, though it was unclear where it led. The trees, twisted and dark, loomed overhead, their branches woven together like skeletal hands. Black and grey owls perched silently, their glowing eyes watching his every move. Their presence was not menacing, but it was a reminder: this place was not of the world he knew.

Yet Tao’s heart remained calm. His hand rested lightly on the staff he carried; the weight of the trials he had passed settled deep in his bones. The Gate of Observance, his first, had taught him how to see beyond the obvious. He paused, looking at the forest floor where a simple stone lay. Ten uses sprang to his mind immediately: a marker for a forgotten road, a tool to sharpen his blade, or a weight to keep his thoughts anchored in the present.

As he walked, a mist began to cling to his feet, swirling and thickening. Shadows danced between the trees, shifting, whispering. From the depths of his mind, he felt the pull of fear, fear of what he could not control. But the Gate of Descent, which was already opened, had already guided him for moments like these. Tao stood still and watched the fear and allowed it to come and go and not stop it from entering his realm. His heart did not falter, and the illusions vanished as if the night air had gotten beneath their skin. 

The trees continued for what seemed like miles and smelled of rot and dusk. Tao’s body felt duly exhausted, and his tummy rumbled because he hadn’t eaten for quite a while. Remembrance of the Gate of Endurance came up when he used to suffer from hunger for a saints’ week. In this boundless forest, time was passing, and hunger knifed him into memory, and he realised that it had been a long time. But he spelt the same manner with his fingers as he had done with the gate at its trial: "This is but a shadow. My will remains unaltered."

As Tao shifted away, the fog gradually became dense and soon completely covered his path. It was then he heard a soft voice, almost playful, singing in between the twigs. The Enchantress herself. But Tao had passed through the Gate of Humility and came out with no pride left in him. He went to her tea party, and the tea cups were placed perfectly right in the midst of the roots of the trees. Without uttering a single word, Tao took the tea from her and drank it in silence, admiring that no amount of magic could transform him unless he agreed to it.

With every step, he grew lighter. His encounters with the owls, the whispers, and the thickening gloom tested his resolve, but Tao had already walked through the Gate of Vice. The temptations here, fear, greed, and the desire to escape, were but reflections of the weaknesses he had faced before. The dark forest had nothing to give him that had not already fallen to him.

But day after day of ethereal gloom in Sulith drew Tao out, not because of the enticement of the Enchantress or the owls. It was the call of the final gate, the Gate of Cigam Udrom. He knew the time was near. His pace started to decrease, and when he entered the centre of the forest, everything started to glow. The owls observed as the mist formed faster in a circular motion, and the entire forest became invisible to him. 

Suddenly, the man heard the voice of his master, Jeffrey De Wees, with whom he was communicating.

"Tao." it spoke, firmly. "You have done well."

Tao felt his body pulled from Sulith, the forest collapsing into itself, into shadows, twisting and fading. The owls, the gnarled trees, the whispers- everything started to straighten out as if time was coming unfulfilled. The physical world offered no warmth in his chest because instead, his knowledge of escaping the final gate trebled his warmth, not from bliss at having done so, but because he knew what was going on.

Back in the Wind Temple, Tao opened his eyes. It was his master, his hands resting calmly at his side. Something within Tao had changed—strengthened. He had walked through the eightfold path, not unscathed, but much different.

 

Spoiler

This is my first ever RP post, please leave feedback and let me know how I can improve on my next post! Cheers! :)