The Encounter
Title: The Encounter
Author: Darkheart
I wandered, full of
anger, rage, and
terrible memories.
That which drove me
away still burned
inside me, fueling me,
keeping me moving
beyond my limits. All
I could think of was
my misery, my
condition.
I staggered into a
clearing, falling to my
knees in exhaustion,
as the world spun
around me. And I
breathed thanks as
darkness took me
away...
I awoke to the blaze of a fire, and to the unceasign internal pain that I had thought I had escaped. But the dark was but a reprieve, a temporary alleviation, a rest. And then I saw him... A man, which many would call handsome, wearing soft robes and walking with a stave. He appeared young, but carried with him an aura of ageless power. And he spoke to me, with a soft voice, a voice that carried with it the knowledge of suffering, the peace of redemption.
"My son, what
troubles you, why do
you wander these
woods?"
And I replied. I told him more than any other before, I told him all. Such was the power within him, that I was but a child to him, and felt that way, dwarfed by his presence.
And so he replied to me. "I can help thee, but there will be a price, for you ask a great deal."
So much was my inner pain, that I did not ask of the consequences, nay, I did not care of them. And I told him so, and he replied.
"As you wish, I shall aid thee. But the price is heavy. I know of you, and of your honor. I know that you can serve my cause well, and will. So I will tell thee now, and you will forget, but you will be bound to your word, e'en though you remember it not. Once I am through, you will forget. You will forget your pain, your anguish. I shall create you anew, for a time. Eventually you shall remember, but you will be able to cope, with the aid of others. You shall find a book in your travels, that will be your service to me. Read it, and spread the word. Find the others, find the prophet, and aid them. I ask you a second time, do you still wish my aid?"
And I agreed,
and bound myself
irrevocably to my
word. Yet he spoke
once again..."And
there will be other
changes too, but
unpredictible. You
will change, in many
ways, both visible and
not. You will become
another, an alternate
self."
"Some of these changes will be temporary, some may be permanant. There is no way to tell. The third time, do you agree?" And for the third time, I did, and he bowed his head. And as the world faded out, I heard him speak these final words... "Good luck, pained one. I fear that you will become more than you wish... light... bec.mes ..d....."
