Ch 41 The New Additions

Looking from the center at Fear, Sorrow and Anger's lights, there was now a new light to my right. The other new light was behind me, next to Wisdom.

I think the best place to start would be meeting with wisdom. I could ask him if he knows what's up.

I walked over to his light and stood dead center. His light changed as usual. I started to search for him. I looked up. I looked left and right. I began to turn around when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. He was right behind me.

"Oh. Hello again, Lake."

In my attempt to stop my momentum toward him, I brought my right foot forward too fast. It caught my left ankle. I fell toward Wisdom.

I reached out to brace myself. My hands went through Wisdom, just like when I tried to move Fear.

Before I could realize what had happened, I could only think,

'Don't hit the ground!'

My eyes closed. I braced for impact. It never came. I opened one eye. My hands were not touching anything but I was not moving. I began to assess my surroundings.

"What is..."

"Going on? You fell. You also stopped falling."

Wisdom answered.

"How did I... stop?"

"This area is in your mind. You can do things like that here if you want."

I tried moving around. It was like I was in zero gravity. I had no control over my momentum.

"Would you like me to help you?"

"Please."

He rose a hand up and moved it around. I watched his movement. I felt heavier. I began to move to the ground. I felt it with my fingers. I moved my feet to the ground and stood up.

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome. While this is your mind space, technically the ground you are standing on does not exist. This is merely the best way for your brain to understand the concepts before you."

"Considering I could not touch you nor Fear, that makes sense. I want to know about these two new lights. Do you know what, or who they are?"

"I will tell you that the one next to mine, showed up more recently."

It was an easy decision. I walked toward the undiscovered light next to his. I stood on it. I waited for a bit.

To my surprise, the light flickered. On and off, several times.

"Defective?"

It became solid after I spoke. The color was not too different from an un-activated light, only slightly brighter.

"Not defective. Just old and not sure how to use this mechanism you have created to gate your feelings."

I heard a male voice. Maybe someone in his 30s. He slowly came into view next to Wisdom. He was not as solid an image as Wisdom. It was definitely him though.

The elf that had previously looked decrepit to the point that, he had literally withered away in front of my eyes. He looked much younger now, though.

"Who are you? The Guru?"

"No, no, no. That idiot is still sitting at the top of the mountain. I used to sit up there and call myself that. Its been more than a few centuries since that time. I am Rage. The creator and first user of my potion of Rage."

"So, you are the creator? Did the potion make you immortal like me?"

"No. I made a different potion that elongated my lifespan. This was after I was nearly destroyed from using the potion of Rage. To my dismay, It did not make me immortal. I survived past that new life expectancy by meditating like you are now. Time seems to pass faster, but It also slowed my aging."

"Then you were the first user? I was told that Elven texts, claim you to be dead."

"That is what I wanted them, to think. People would either fear me for my power or seek me to take power from me. If I am supposedly dead, who would look?"

"I see. So, what happened to your body before? It just..."

"I was past the end of my life. The only way to continue was to give you my consciousness. Though your layout here is different than my own, It serves the same basic function. I had a Wisdom of my own, too."

He pretended to poke Wisdom.

"He helped me learn many things about myself and the existence In my mind. The area in my head was a dense forest. It consisted of a small village. Each emotion had a small temple-like building that was themed for each individual. Your area of the mind is very... plain. Every user of the potion could converse with them, as you have with yours. It depends on the user if they ever get inside their own head or not."

"Did the manifestations represent parts of your life?"

"Indeed. They did. It is interesting that you decided to use lights to summon them and lock them away. Mine were free to roam and I used a mirror as a medium for them."

"Can you still talk to them? Now that you are in my mind?"

"No. The transition over to you was a one-way trip with a single passenger. I left all of my friends behind."

"Friends..."

"Do not be afraid of them. Each one of them served me well. I'm sure yours will do the same. They are all a part of you, after all. I am now as well. I could see all the things you have endured up to now. I can say that I am not disappointed in selecting you to be my final vessel."

I was lost in thought. So many questions. Where do I start?

"Why not the beginning?"

I forgot that anyone in here could read my mind.

"We are still here, ya know."

"Sorry. The beginning? When I fell... Do you know how I got here? You saw what happened to me, right?"

"I saw that, yes. I'm sorry but I don't know how you got here. My best guess would be an incomparably large amount of magic. Your world was devoid of magic. This one was drained of it. If magic was the catalyst, then there is the real question that comes to mind. What or who, is the source?"

"And why? What purpose would there be to summoning me, of all people? Why to a location so high that my death was the only possible outcome? So much magic, for a less-than-average guy like me to die? It makes no sense."

"If some muscle-bound idiot was summoned instead of you, maybe he would have died without ever reaching the potion. Also, If he had made it to the potion, it probably would have been another moving catastrophe. I think you were a much better candidate for the position you are in. Granted, you make mistakes. Who doesn't, though?"

As he spoke, I was looking at the other new light to my right.

"Hah! Too easy!"

I looked back at the duo. Rage and Wisdom were playing chess on a transparent board. The pieces were moving without anyone touching them.

"Having fun?"

"I haven't played with someone, who was not me, in ages. This is great practice for my mind and yours!"

"I'll leave you to it then."

"Mmm, hmm."

He waved his hand dismissively at me. I walked over to the next light. I'm pretty sure I know who it is.

I stood on the light. It eventually changed to a vibrant violet color. I began to see a figure walking toward me. The outline told me that my assumption was correct. A tall, voluptuous figure with many large fluffy tails behind her.

"Hello again, Lake."

Her voice was a match as well. As she got closer. I could see she was wearing a violet kimono. She looked amazing.

The mother kitsune was standing before me. She was even more beautiful than I remember.

"I'm glad you think so."

She smiled.

"Think? What?"

"You were thinking about how attractive I was. I appreciate the compliment."

Of course. She could hear my thoughts too.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I know you were expecting me to come waltzing out, in the nude."

I looked away with a guilty half-grin.

"Ah... sorry."

She let out a gentle laugh.

"That's okay. I suppose one could consider me an invader of your mind. I can't help but hear your every thought."

"An invader? How so?"

"I only meant to give you the remainder of my power. I did not intend to give you my mind as well. My life was long. My pack was small. That cell I was in, contained the last of my kind. When I was captured and turned into a slave, my identity was taken from me. All I had left was my daughters."

Her eyes showed pain.

"I could not even protect them while I was with them. Your attempt at kindness was the last I had seen in many years."

Her sad look turned to embarrassment.

"I must apologize for something else. I was ready to kill you when you were drawing close to my daughter. I was ready to sacrifice my life to protect one of my girls. One last time."

She adjusted her hair before continuing.

"When you gave her water, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. My hate simply faded away. I just wanted to see what you would do next. When you gave her food... her tears melted my heart. After seeing so much hate, blind lust and greed, your tenderness gave me warmth. The sigh that I let out when we first met. That was me, releasing my worldly bonds. I did not have the strength to stay in this world and watch my daughters be further tortured."

Halfway through her last few sentences, her eyes began to well up.

"As I had said before, I only meant to transfer my power over to you. The last person that I was able to witness kindness from. I didn't think my mind would end up inside yours. Thus, I am an invader."

"My potion."

Rage began speaking.

"My potion allows for a shared consciousness. It's the reason I was able to come here as well. This is only possible for individuals on a higher plane. You can't just go up to a random lizard and take their mind for yourself. Vice versa, a random Troll can't just give you their mind. I have had experience with the potion for many years. I understood the concept and was able to put the mind transfer to practice."

Rage scratched his chin and made another move on the chessboard. He never looked away from it, while talking.

"This kitsune is another being that was on a higher plane of existence. She has been alive far longer than I. Her ability to give you her power was the catalyst to transferring her mind. The fact that she chose you, the latest individual to make use of my potion, is the only reason that her mind came to you when her life force ran out. Without the potion, she would have only given you her energy, nothing more."

The fox-like woman huffed.

"It's rude to call a woman, old."

"Says the nudist who decided that now was a good time to put on some clothes. Why not show off that body a little! Not like we haven't seen it all before."

Rage looked back at her and had a weird grin on his face.

"And how did 'you' see that? I was here before you."

"I have experience in a mind's eye. I know how to review memories. Those huge things were bouncing pretty good."

Rage began to chuckle.

"Perverted old elf!"

"Floozy fox!"

They began calling each other a variety of names. I was now glad that I could lock them away from each other. I was not going to bring out Rage and... I don't know her name. Either way, these two won't be let out at the same time anymore.

"You don't know my name because I don't have a name. I told you that my identity was taken from me when I became a slave."

She responded just before I was about to ask.

"You have been referring to me as 'the mother kitsune.' Why not just call me Mother? I know I am not your mother. If you like, you can think of me as your mother. Or, a mother."

"Hmm. I suppose that's better than descriptive words. So, the power you lent to me. Does it represent one of my feelings?"

"I did not simply lend it to you. It is yours to use as you please. When you used it, I felt drained. That should be less of a problem, as you use the power more and more."

She came closer to me. She bent forward to meet me eye to eye.

"As for what my power represents. It is the abilities of a kitsune. It gives you the strength, speed, sight and perception of surroundings, in order to protect. It is Love. Like the pure love of a mother and child. The true love for someone that, just can't be replaced. When you used that power. You wanted nothing more than to protect those close to you. That feeling was what allowed me to give you access to the power."

"And, nothing bad happens when I use it?"

"No. This is your power, that I gave to you. Not something that the potion can ruin."

I smiled. Thinking about having a power that I could rely on to protect Sophie and Riksa. I began to reach out to pretend to touch Mother's shoulder.

"Thank you, so..."

My hand came into contact with a solid surface. I could feel the cloth on her shoulder. I squeezed and felt the soft flesh below the clothes give way.

"I thought..."

I heard Rage clear his throat. I looked back at him.

"Her and I are different. We used to have a physical form. This allows us to unconsciously imitate that feeling of having a body. Fear, Anger, Sorrow and Wisdom are just other parts of your own mind. They never had a reason to use a physical form so they don't use one."

Rage informed us.

I turned to Mother, again. I grabbed her other shoulder and pulled myself to her. I moved my arms under hers and placed both hands on her back. She may have been clothed this time, but I felt the same motherly feeling as I did when I was hugging her before.

She wrapped one arm around me and began to pat my head with her free hand. I missed this feeling.

"You can come and see me anytime you like. I'll be right here."

"I'd like that."

We stayed like that for a while. I felt like I could just stay this way forever. In my mind, I knew it could not last. People were waiting for me. Mother let out a long yawn.

"I'm sorry, Lake. I enjoyed this moment with you. I should get some rest though. My mind is still my own and it gets tired with use."

I pulled away from her.

"Okay."

We shared a smile before she faded away into the darkness. I watched until I could no longer see any sight of her.

I found myself sitting in front of the chess game between Rage and Wisdom.

"Do you get tired too, Rage?"

"Yes... HAH! Beat that, dimwit!"

I squinted with annoyance at Rage.

"Thanks..."

He looked up at Wisdom, then over at me. He let loose a smile.

"Sorry, I got carried away. Yes, I do get tired. I have much more experience in the mind than her. It would take much much more to get me to rest."

His face went serious.

"She told you that her power could be used without problems."

I was worried about he what he was going to say next.

"That's only partially true. It will cause 'you' no problems. You should be able to use it at full strength in the time it takes to bat an eyelash if you use it enough. For her though... the more you use her powers, the more her mind will dissipate. Use that power too much, and she will become like a mindless doll."

And, that was the catch. Use her power at the expense of her mind. I would never want to destroy her mind like that. This power seems as unreliable as the rest.

"I'm glad you understand. I learned how true this is, firsthand. One of my best friends slowly withered away as I continued to use his powers. In the end, he would just stand and smile. That was the extent of his interactions with me from that point on."

He looked back down at the chessboard and they continued trading moves.

"My suggestion is to only use it if it is absolutely necessary. The choice is yours. By the way, the girls are getting hungry and have nothing left to eat. You should probably go back to them now."

"Thanks, for letting me know... Before I go, the village Elder of Omera wanted me to ask the Guru a question. Since you used to be the Guru, maybe it means something to you. He wanted me to ask if the rainbow bird has flown home yet."

"Dunno. Talk to the current Guru. Keep an eye out for four tunnel entrances that are grouped up. Each one says something to make it sound like it is the wrong path. Take the one that says 'Not this way.' Now shoo, shoo! I'm concentrating."

He said nothing else. It felt like a good time to leave my meditation.

I felt my body become heavy. My eyelids were difficult to move. I forced them open and took a large breath in through the nose.

"Lake! You're awake! We were starting to get worried."

Sophie's voice was a welcome sound.

"How long was I out?"

"It's must have been over a day and a half by now. We had to go down one of the other tunnels for... throne...things."

Riksa's voice was just as appealing for my ears.

"I'm sorry I took so long. I felt like I was only meditating for an hour."

"So, what happened? Did meditating do anything for you?"

"Yeah, Sophie. The old elf that was here, he was Rage. He was the creator of the potion. His mind was transferred into mine and I can talk to him now, whenever I want. I learned a lot from him."

"Did he say how to get out?"

"I think he told me what tunnel to take to get to the Guru. He didn't say where it was though, just which one to take after we find it."

"That's reeeeal helpful. You should tell him, he is an idiot."

Riksa commented. I figured it would be best not to inform them that he can hear and see, everything I do.

"Hey Goby, think you can try to find a way out?"

He yipped three times.

"He said, he will try."

He began to walk out of the tiny dead-end room. Riksa began following Goby. Sophie and I followed in our regular formation.

In some spots, the darkness of the tunnels felt overwhelming. Sophie would ask Riksa to turn on the lights again. I could tell, it made her feel better when she could see. This was especially true in some of the larger cave systems that connected tunnels.

Goby spoke up, yipping a couple of times. Riksa stopped to tell us something.

"He started running. This area is mostly flat, let's try to keep up."

We let go of each other's hands. We then began to run after Goby. Riksa continuously activated the bracelet every time we got to a new dark area. We made it through several tunnels before I stopped.

"WAIT! COME BACK!"

I shouted. At the party ahead of me.

"Wait, Riksa! Lake wants us to come back."

I could hear ahead of me.

"Goby! Come here, boy!"

I called out.

*whistles*

Sophie and Riksa returned right away. Goby took his time. I got worried that he would leave us behind. I was relieved when I heard his nails tacking on the ground as he walked.

"Why are we stopping here?"

Sophie asked.

"There is writing here."

The green lights were dim. Riksa had used the bracelet before we got here and probably would not have used it again until we would have passed here.

"Can you use the bracelet? Please?"

Riksa used it right away. The area lit up. There were four tunnel entrances. Each entrance had writing above.

Turn back. Don't go here. Dead end. And, not this way.

"Rage told me to take this tunnel. I think this leads to the Guru."

"You think? Are you sure he isn't trying to trick you?"

Riksa was concerned.

"His mind lives in mine now. What point would there be, to instilling distrust between us?"

"If you think it's okay, then I'll trust you."

"Thank you, Riksa."

I took her hand and pulled her close to give her a quick kiss.

"Hey."

Sophie spoke up.

"The tunnel you want us to go into seems to go further down. The other three are going up. Do we really want to go down further?"

"Yes."

I patted the back of her shoulder.

"Come on, Goby."

He hopped up into Sophie's bag.

We began our descent.