Ancient - 3. Abyss

Chapter-3: Abyss

I put it back in the envelope and stuffed it in my pocket again.

It is just a figment of my imagination. I consoled myself about my vision but my senses were indicating against it.

Abraham didn’t return for a long time and I began to worry.

I hope he’s okay.

Finally, I saw him striding towards me. He was all wet. As much as I wanted to gawk at his toned body through his now transparent white shirt, the look on his face troubled me.

“What took you so long? Did you find water?” I asked walking towards him.

He seemed to be in a daze. “You have to come with me.” He quickly took my hand in his and led me across the garden. I glanced back to ensure that Pooh was following, thankfully he was.

After walking for quite a long time, we reached the end of the colossal garden where I found a long, high wall. I stared at Abraham; his face appeared to be in deep thought.

“Now what?” I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

“Just keep walking.”

“What?! Please tell me you’re not suggesting that somehow we can cut through this damn big wall.”

“I know we could because I did when I was looking for water,” Abraham admitted.

“You’re kidding me.”

He scooped Pooh in his left arm and tightened his grip on my hand. “Close your eyes and walk.”

And I closed my eyes and let Abraham guide me. I never smashed my face against the wall as I was expecting, but I felt water pouring over me. It was raining.

Abraham stopped and so did I. My eyes were still closed.

“W-what’s happening?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“We’re on the other side of the wall.” He let go of my hand.

I opened my eyes. We actually were on the other side of the wall. The sky was red again. Torrential rain, rolling thunders and stormy winds were back and within seconds I was shivering, but what seized my attention was the ocean before me and its turbulent tidal waves.

I hurriedly glanced back to find that the wall, the garden, everything had vanished. I gaped when I roamed my eyes around. I discovered that we were not on seashore; we were standing on a narrow platform slightly above the sea-level in the middle of an ocean.

“Is this what called hell?”

“Looks like it.”

“Why the hell would you take us here?” I asked with a tinge of anger in my voice.

“Because we couldn’t have stayed in that comforting garden forever; not if we want the world back. Maybe this looks like hell but I’m sure in some way it would take us closer to our destination.” His reasoning was irritating me at the moment as we were soaked in water from head to toe.

“What if it’s not?”

“I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“Yeah, sure.” I snorted.

“You have to—” When Abraham stopped talking abruptly I lifted my eyes to glare at him. His eyes were narrowed as if fighting to focus against the heavy downpour to get a clear view of something ahead.

“Now what?” A surprising smile crept over his face. “Why are you smiling?”

When he didn’t answer I traced his gaze. At first I couldn’t see anything through rain. I tried harder to concentrate and was rewarded with the view of a distant, small island.

“There’s an island,” I exclaimed.

“That’s not any island. That’s the island where Sacred Land is.”

I flicked my head in his direction. “Sacred Land? It took us a few hours from my home to get here but you said it would take us two days.”

“It would have if we had followed the way I knew but we’re here, somehow through a door and a magical passage which were concealed under you bed.”

“I’m surprised that I’m not surprised anymore.” I hugged myself to wane the attack of cold. “The real question is how we can get to that island or Sacred Land.”

“That island is not Sacred Land; that’s the place where Sacred Land is.”

“My question is still there. How do we get there? I will freeze to death here soon.”

Pooh was in a better situation than me as Abraham had hidden him in his big arms.

Lucky Pooh. I envied him while Abraham was busy in thinking of a way to get us out of here to our final destination. Sacred Land.

“We have to swim.”

“That’s a stupid, stupid idea. The island is too far. We would suffer hypothermia and die! And don’t forget about those wild waves which are capable of swallowing us alive! Swimming would be suicide!” Abraham’s absurd ideas were getting on my nerves.

“Then how do we get to the Sacred Land?!”

“I don’t know! Maybe if we could walk on water or something!”

We gave each other heated looks and in the meantime Pooh made his way out of Abraham’s arm and sprang down. Before Abraham or I could understand or do anything Pooh jumped into the water.

“Pooh!” I screamed and was ready to go after him when Abraham wrapped his hands around me and pulled me behind. “Let me go! Dammit!” He never did.

I was still yelling and cursing Abraham for holding me back when a reddish-brown bricked pathway emerged from beneath the sea-water carrying a coughing Pooh above it.

What the fuck?!

I tried to move to pick up Pooh but Abraham’s grip around me was firm. “Stay here. I’ll get him. Okay?” I nodded.

Abraham carefully stepped on the out-of-the-blue-appeared pathway, which was unruffled at the sea-level, and gently lifted Pooh up, cradled him against his chest and hid him in his arms again. “He’ll be fine.” I sighed in relief.

Abraham inspected the bricked path with his feet and stared up at me. “Come on. This pathway seems safe. We should get going.”

I hesitantly trod on the path and exhaled deeply when it didn’t sink me into the water. We headed towards the island facing the frigid wind and steady and strong current of rain. I was trembling from the cold.

I peeked behind and was astonished to see that as soon as we were moving ahead the path behind us was disappearing into the sea again. I quickly shifted my gaze ahead.

“This is all crazy! So freaking crazy!” Abraham stared at me while we kept walking. “Hours ago I was at my favorite place in the whole world reading Mahabharata and then everything changed. The humans around the world vanished in thin air. I got attacked by the pack of huge lions, twice. I not only saw a flying horse; I also rode on him. I found a hidden door under my bed. I had the privilege to lay my eyes on the most beautiful garden of Jasmine. I passed through a damn wall. I witnessed a pathway surface from under the sea.” And I had a vision. I craned my neck a bit. “Does any of it make any sense?”

“Everything will make sense. Once we arrive on the Sacred Land, everything will make sense in due time. We will get all our answers.” He assured.

“We? What are the questions you seek answers for?”

“Most of our questions are mutual. We just need to wait for the right time to get them answered.” I nodded.

“You said before there are total six humans left on the earth.”

“Hmm.”

“We’re two of them. Who are the other four?” Maybe any of their names is one of the names I heard in my vision. I still remember those names.

Maddox

Aurelia

Felix

Alistair

Harman

“There’s Storm and Mark who are my brothers; we’re triplets.” He revealed with a smile.

“Triplets, huh? Wow.”

“Yes. They’re also a shield like me.”

“So like you they’re my shield too?” I got curious.

“No. Every key has one shield.”

“And I’m one of the keys.”

“Yes. The other two keys are Iris and Reid. Storm is the shield of Iris and Mark is Reid’s shield.”

“All of you knew about the end of this world before me?”

“No. None of the keys have any clue about it. Just the three of us knew. Storm and Mark found Iris and Reid a week ago, but it took me a while to get a hold of you.”

“Why?”

“It was predestined that three keys needed to be kept safe. This job was delegated to the men of Mebron clan…to us though we were informed with the details of only two keys.”

“Why so?”

“Don’t know.” It was like every answer of my question was replicating millions of other questions. This was all so tiring. I needed to sleep and to eat and to drink water. “Don’t worry. Things will be less confusing in due time.”

“I hope so.”

Finally, we were at the shore. The pathway behind us was nowhere to be seen now.

“It’s not far from here.”

“Thank God for that.” I was actually grateful as Abraham led the way.

We moved through a cluster of trees and knee length bushes. I was sure if Pooh wouldn’t have been in the cocoon of Abraham’s arms, he would have been lost in this wilderness.

Rain, wind, cold, innumerable trees, dangling branches with sharp, pointed leaves and slashing bushes, all of these things combined with sheer darkness were scary and exhausting.

“Don’t worry. There are no animals or snakes or any other dangerous insects on this island.” He sounded confident through the rustling of leaves and bushes around. “Just stay right behind me.”

After battling against every odd, obstacle we finally came out of the clump of trees and stabbing bushes. Now in front of us was a long path and at the end of the path was…nothing.

“Where’s your Sacred Land?” I asked losing every bit of my patience.

“At the end of this path.” I had never seen him smile so broad.

“But there’s nothing there.”

“There is.” Abraham ran clutching Pooh against his chest and I was right behind him. This Sacred Land had to be worth all the trouble I faced to get here.

At the end of the path, Abraham stopped and I halted right next to him. I stared ahead to find that we were standing on the brink of a steep high cliff looking down at the abyss of total darkness.

I was wet. I was cold. I was panting. And now I was frustrated and damn pissed off. “Where the hell—”

“I’m sorry.” Abraham’s apology cut me off.

“Sorry for wh—”

With a slick move of his right hand Abraham shoved me ahead. I screamed as I unwillingly leapt into the dense gush of rain and wind, flailing my hands and legs helplessly in air.

I was drowning in the gulf of Darkness.

TBC.

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