The Path Of The Tiger [Narrative Post]

[lemonke 6014]

Spoiler

 

---

A geisha stood upon a bridge, broken, impaled by thorns and daggers alike. They slithered across her limbs and spine, weighing her down, hunching her beneath the burden of her wounds. She was distorted, lost—one who had once loved in her insecurities. Now, her true self was in plain sight. Her eyes gazed down at her reflection, her body wreathed in butterfly wings, tears descending from a shrouded countenance. Moreover, in that truth, in how she saw herself, a teacher appeared.

 

This teacher bloomed with flowers. A hand was offered. Then, like a lost child, the geisha reached out and was guided. This time, the bridge was visible. Forged from astral soil, leading her toward a great forest where the impossible became possible. The teacher lifted her hand, and it seemed to stretch toward the constellation above that looming treetop canopy.

 

“This is a place where dreams come true. Now that you are true to yourself… You can see past, and beyond it.”

 

The teacher's voice was calm. The geisha’s weeping slowed. Her eternal tears stopped falling, and now, a gentle smile rested there. Her crippled body trembled, yet she reached for the forest, longing to embrace it. Doubts of whispers echoed, tempting her to stay forever in that place. But the teacher, still firm yet polite, pressed a hand to the wounded geisha’s shoulder. Said geisha tried to speak, but her voice came only in gibberish melodies: haunting symphonies, and soundscapes incomprehensible to the ear. Still, the teacher smiled with understanding.

 

“This realm is beautiful,” she said. “But like nature, it can be merciless. Not evil. But the whispers may convince you to remain here forever, and you must not falter.”

 

The geisha nodded, worry carved across her features. Nevertheless, this was a rare moment of peace, free of duty, war, and expectation. She wished she could remain within it. But the teacher reminded her of what she was capable of… of who she was.

 

“Now, you know how to wander between worlds. Remember this bridge—the key to travel within the eternal forest.”

 

The insectoid wings peeled from her face, revealing the shattered visage of a sorrowed woman. Still, she grinned—for at last, she could feel joy again. She wanted to express her gratitude to the one who had helped her walk this path. Her reflection, bathed in truth, echoed a single name:

 

       “ⱮąɠղօƖíą-ʂҽղʂҽí.”

“ⱭɾƖҽ…”

“Yes, Ehiba?”

 

She could no longer answer. The melodies overtook her voice once more—gibberish tones, unintelligible but angelic. And yet, buried within them, one could hear a single soft word: thank you. The thankfulness of a child reunited with family. Of a dreamer whose dream had taken root in reality. Consequently,  the two of them returned to the other side, walking the bridge together, forevermore.

 

The ever-ending dream was over.

---

⊱༺༒︎༻⊰

Ehiba awoke, once more surrounded by nature, not within that dreamlike realm. Her bones ached, each movement a struggle. She could barely crawl, yet with determined effort, she made her way to the nearby pond. Her single eye gazed into the water, seeking her reflection. But what stared back at her… was not her. At least, that’s what she believed now. It felt wrong.

 

And so, an idea formed—she would change, reshape herself into something that made her feel right, something that made her feel comfortable. Still, a question lingered like a plague in her mind. Would her ancestors accept what she was about to become? Would they embrace the self she chose to be?

 

Or what she wished to be. What will she slowly morph into?

 

A thought and questions for another day.

⊱༺༒︎༻⊰

Spoiler

not an accurate rapresentation of the rp but nonetheless, a narrative post of an rp I had with @craneia of my character arc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!