Myrreos' Longest Journey - P3 The Anomaly

Chapter III: A Dassaï Encounter

 

The Braeci Islands

The gewking sounds of exotic birds fill the otherwise silent openness surrounding our good friend Myrreos. He's standing on the shore of a small lake. He's looking inland as tiny grains of sand seem to dance in long lines, propulsed by the heavy winds blowing overhead. It all looks picture perfect. Another wonderful place in Alvunne it seems, even though I don't recognize the place.   Myrreos doesn't look too well though. He looks rather pale and has his hood on his back, blowing in the wind. That's better. I don't like that hood, as you might well know. He turns around and his eyes widen. Closeby, the Dassaï from the cavern is hovering over the very same beach. It's a real apparition from the past, gazing into the distance. Dassaï haven't been seen for over two thousand years.   Our friend seems to be intrigued, for he appoaches the Dassaï with caution. And correctly so. There's no way of telling how one of those would respond to a Human's presence. He stops on the Dassaï's left side and gazes into the distance. There are no waves crashing on the beach. There's no sea to speak of, just a beautiful blue sky above and below. The island feels like a floating landmass in an ocean of skies.   Not much further two more islands can be seen hanging in the blue void, and not too far away, the main landmass of Alvunne Continent rises up from the ocean of skies. The Dassaï scoffs. "Welcome to the Braeci Islands." it says, its shrill voice only resonating in Myrreos' mind.  

"It's an anomaly"

The Dassaï continues telepathically. The Braeci Islands, of course! They're considered a distant natural wonder. Even I have never been to these islands before. Not many regular Alvunnians do. Myrreos doesn't seem as surprised. He is a would-be king though. So maybe he has been here before?   Myrreos smiles. He has never had a lecture from a Dassaï before, of that I'm sure. He nods. The dassaï scoffs again, and says: "You see, there's no water beyond these shores because these islands were never meant to be here. When Alvunne left the Home Planets thousands of years ago, it was supposed to be just one large land mass, one continent. But these small floating islands just came into being. Such a mystery." The Dassaï seems to know his way around this place. The two of them turn to walk (and float along) the beach, along the non-oceanside.   "Do you know about the First Schism, Myrreos? It's a bloody war from our shared past." The Dassaï asks, which startles Myrreos. The shrill Dassaï knows his name! Our friend stumbles for a moment but recovers quickly. He nods and the Dassaï continues.   "Well, at the end of it, my race came out on the losing side and was banned to the Underside of this floating landmass that we call Alvunne Continent. Most of us moved, but I didn't. I wanted to stay on the surface with you Humans. I just loved it here." The Dassaï pauses and suddenly seems to realize something.   "My name is Tlatl, by the way." He pauses for a few breaths. "Not long after the banning of my race, I was hunted down. I was not supposed to roam Alvunne any longer. I had to leave. Oh, you Humans really hated our race after that war. So I hid. But now, I wish I could move to the Underside to be with my people once again."   It seems not all Dassaï are of the quiet type. But Myrreos is listening closely, and still smiling his pale smile. Tlatl though, has a charming smile in his eyes. If he had lips, his smile would be a broad one indeed. Here's two people longing for company after an eternity of loneliness.  

Dassaï Dreaming

Tlatl stops again and stares at the emptiness beyond the beach.
 "Just beyond this beach, the surfaces of Alvunne and the Underside meet. The gravity of this top side we're on is pressing down on the gravity coming from below, keeping both sides in place. It is said that these forces keep each other in balance, so that both sides can enjoy the sight of objects falling down instead of up." Tlatl sounds dreamy as he speaks.   Myrreos shrugs. "Couldn't you move to the Underside through the Liburu Gate? It is the only place where you could travel from this side to the Underside, the only gate that allows you to pass from one gravitational force into the other." he asks. "Your kin moved through that portal many ages ago too, didn't they?"   "Thank you, Myrreos. It's kind of you to consider this. But no, I can't. The Humans at Liburu are not keen on a Dassaï just passing. They would yet again attempt to imprison me, or torture me, or kill me, or experiment on me - maybe even cook me?" Tlatl scoffs, and then continues. "No. But I've always wondered if I could just dive into this clear blue void in front of us and end up on the other side? Would I be crushed?"   "You want to jump into the Underside from here? I assume you would be crushed, yeah. Although, maybe from here, the gravity you find on the Underside would not be able to get a hold of you, and you would just keep falling?" Myrreos asks.   "Heh, no, I think I would indeed be crushed by the two gravitational powers converging." Tlatl says in a painful telepathic voice. "Or find myself in some sort of alternate universe." The Dassaï's eyes look playful towards Myrreos, who's trying hard to smile at the joke and keep his eyes open as he struggles to stay on his own two feet.  

"You're dying"

Tlatl decides with a firm but compassionate voice, and is right. Myrreos' body sinks down to the sandy ground, and bobs his head a bit. It's a sad sight. What stories will I tell after all this?   "This won't do." Tlatl shakes its skull and sighs. It waves his skeletal hand at the distance and hums a deep tone. Our surroundings shake briefly, bend and distort twice, and with a blinding flash, we find ourselves back inside the dimly lit cavern. Tlatl is floating dormant in front of its rear wall.   For a few heartbeats, nothing happens. But then, Myrreos coughs loudly which echoes through the cavern and connecting corridors. He jumps to his feet, startled by the floating Dassaï in front of him. A smile suddenly adornes his bearded face and he looks at the stump where his left lower arm used to be. It's completely healed. He walks over to Tlatl and puts a hand on its shoulder.   After a full ten minutes, Myrreos turns around and walks out. He stops before leaving the cavern and speaks towards its exit. "Thanks, Tlatl. If you want to know my opinion, you belong on this side of Alvunne. I'll come back to meet you one day. Stay frozen, my new friend." He walks out into one of the corridors, his footsteps echoing loudly. Then, Tlatl's fading voice answers in his mind. "Thank you, Myrreos."