* "Passage to Eden", Ivan Torrent, Immortalys
One step more.
She looked up at the night sky to see the stars. They shone brightly against the moonless expanse above her. She blinked and turned her eyes to the horizon. She could almost see the outlines of a city.
She had left her white steed in the care of her companions after it was wounded in the last battle, one that had taken much of their energies and had pushed them to seek the inner sanctums built by the great elders in the mountains. They had stayed there for a period of time and tried to pass on the songs of their journeys to each other and to those who were willing to listen as they recuperated from the deep wounds when their Motherland fell. The white steed, decked in nobility its own race was known for, chose to stay in the inner sanctums and bid its farewell to her the morning she left for her next voyage. Some chose to stay in the mountains. They settled in small villages as they tried to remember the glory of Mu. Some decided to continue their journeys to find new places to settle. Some were drawn to find others whom they have left behind to answer the Clarion Call. For Wa Su Nah, she felt she needed to journey to another great land. To her understanding, her task was done and she was free to receive what is due to her by the Great Spirit. She was called to go North, to walk by foot as necessary, and take only what is needed in her personal migration.
Now, she was on her journey to find the City of Refuge, to find those who survived the Great Upheaval. Her process of healing was drawing to a close. It was time to find a new home for her to live out the rest of her days, and to put behind her undertakings as a warrior of Motherland Mu. She has fulfilled the sacred covenant, and in peace she will try and find those who can continue the next journey with her. Until she is called again, until such a time she hears the Great Goddess summoning for her again.
One more step, she pushed herself.
As if to encourage her, a soft breeze gently touched her face. She stopped, almost as if she was splashed with cold water in the middle of the night.
She raised her nose, allowing the smell to fill her senses. A familiar scent. She closed her eyes and took in more air.
"This scent." Her heart pounded as if it wanted to burst through her chest. "His scent."
Her eyes darted straight to where the tiny lights beckoned to her.
How many years has it been? How long have they been apart?
The wind, her faithful messenger, had now brought to her a familiar scent. One that smelled of home. Her home.
"He is here," it said.
With effort, she took more steps towards the city. Her body almost shaking as she calmed herself and focused on releasing the tension from her aching legs. She had been directed to the right place.
She felt her heart swell, and she felt a force flowing up from the earth through her body, a renewed strength.
She knew his scent. She knew it so intimately, and now she is breathing it again. She remembered how it felt to be against his skin, remembered how strong his arms were, and how warm and deep the kisses they shared.
Her exhaustion from this journey to the City of Refuge left her. It did not seem too long and too arduous now.
"He is here." She whispered.
She took another step, pushed her body up the small hill and raised her head to see how much farther she needed to go.
She stopped as she saw an outline of a tall man waiting.
For once, everything was still. Under the stars, under the sky waiting for a new moon to appear, the recognition was undeniable.
"Wa Su Nah." It was his voice.
Not even her tears dared to fall.
Her lips parted but only a short, quiet sigh escaped from them.
She felt a smile form. She closed her eyes, took in a long breath, and saw...
Their parting, his buried tears, his confusion, his battles, the pain and the injuries inflicted upon him. She felt all of them. She felt his anguish and his fears. She saw the many battles he fought and what it took to overcome them.
She breathed out, still with her eyes closed, and saw...
His hands reaching up to the sky on a clear day, and his searching eyes on the nights he read the stars and wandered aimlessly with many moons passing. She felt his strength and his courage, and the hope he carried with him. She saw his spirit, bright and beautiful, as it has always been. She felt his tenderness as he cared for those who sought his help, his fervency as he fought to save others. She saw him in his pure, glorious form, and her whole being felt at peace.
She opened her eyes, bringing herself back to where she was - on the hill, by the City of Refuge with the man she loves waiting for her.
He started to walk towards her.
"Wa Su Nah." He called her name again.
She smiled as he came to her. She held out her arms to reach for him - a warrior like she was and is, her warrior.
One step more.
"I am here," she said. "I am here."
