E1 — DEATH DANCE (Part 2)

No telling how long I’ve been in this… place. I’m not even sure this is a place to begin with. There’s not a trace of, well, anything. Nothingness commands my reality so completely that I can’t seem to remember who “I” even is. These thoughts, they must be mine. But does this dread belong to me as well? Perhaps it’s…

This darkness… Somehow, I recognize it. Fear it even—

Splatters of blood and a dagger of anguish strike like lightning. Two faces stare at me, longing for something. They’re… cats? Is this a memory? Why do I—

Another bolt of memory pierces my orb of hazy consciousness. Oda and Chiyo! That’s right, it’s starting to come back… my past life. I can see it swirling around me like a starry ribbon flowing in the wind. It illuminates the nothingness of this dark void, each shimmering color a scattered memory from my past. 

A wisp of vivid red flutters nearby. An image of Chiyo and another cat with long, fiery fur. It’s… me. Yes, Bokuden, that’s what I’m called. A burst of clarity sends the ethereal tapestry of swirling colors rushing into my consciousness like kaleidoscopic water down a drain. More and more memories wash over me, soaking me in identity. 

I remember the joy my family once shared. The threat of dangerous foes. The pain of losing what I cherished. The promise I made to avenge the fallen. Then I see him. The void begins to swelter as hatred vents from my conscience. The image of Zei Sho burns red hot in the dark.

“Bokuden, the Honorable, oh tortured soul,” a resonant voice rings, “the pain you feel is not without consequence.”

“Who’s there?”

“The consequence is not without lesson,” she hums, her voice like a haunting wind caressing a field of tall grass. A swirling blue light sprouts from the dark before me. It spins faster, growing with each revolution. The more I focus on it, the faster it expands. “The lesson is not without risk,” the words emanate from the blue orb.

“What is this place? I don’t have time for this. I need to get back.”

“The risk is not without reward, oh lost cat.” As the words echo through the void, the orb comes undone from the speed of its spin. An eruption of heavenly blue light fills the darkness. From it blossoms a floating form perched above a white lotus flower. A spirit, cat-like yet beyond earthly definition. A goddess.

Looming, her closed eyes see through my consciousness. Her soft smile radiates motherly love. Her aura is that of limitless power. Her presence consumes the darkness of the void, filling it with palpable energy.

Her presence presses down on me, makes me want to shield myself from her, but I can’t look away.

“The depth of your pain has disrupted the balance,” she purrs. “Thus, I will grant you the power you need. But remember, lessons do not always teach what you expect…”

Power? What lessons? My questions beg for answers, yet I find myself too in awe to speak them.

“Stand tall, Bokuden.” 

As her command echoes through the ethereal space, my body materializes. Each reverberation gives birth to more and more of me: shimmering red fur ticked with copper and golden brown, vibrant green eyes, a billowing plume of a tail, and long ears with a fox-like point. Suddenly, I find myself standing tall before her, no longer a floating orb of raw consciousness.

The spirit reaches her paw out to my chest, stopping short of my fur. Slowly, a single claw extends, shining like deadly starlight. Fear and wonder fight fruitlessly for dominance. Frozen, I wince as her claw pushes through fur and skin. Sinking deeper and deeper into my core. Piercing my heart with the speed of a tortoise. No pain. Just a golden glow within my chest. 

Her purring crescendos. The vibration of her frequency envelopes each of my cells. Warmth fills my body. Patiently, she retracts her claw. Nine floating orbs follow, meandering out of me. Six shine blinding gold, three are dark as swirling shadow. She lifts her paw, guiding the orbs to her mouth, and lets them float onto her tongue.

Like a confused carp, I watch her crunch down on the mysterious balls, chewing them thoroughly. They crack and pop under the pressure of her heavenly teeth. After a moment of gnawing, she sticks out her tongue, revealing a single orb, large as all nine combined. The object is as beautiful as it is haunting. Swirling, gold-flecked shadow contained in a mist of vibrational energy. It floats down, meandering through the charged air with unplaceable importance. 

Without losing her soft smile, the spirit stops the orb’s descent just above her paw, then extends towards me. The air around it shimmers and tingles. A resonant hum emanates from it. Warmth washes through my veins as it nears, then, with a final push, she presses the orb deep into my chest.

A burst of vibration surges through my body, pulsing from my core to the tips of every one of my hairs, buzzing with the same frequency as her holy purr.

“Good luck, Bokuden,” she smiles, opening her eyes just enough for me to see her iridescent sapphire irises. Her paw rises slowly, touching me gently on the forehead with a single, golden toe bean.

. . .

Fiery sunlight jams through my eyelids as I jolt awake, gasping for air, paws soaked with sweat. I jump from the cool gravel, shocked and lost. Where am I? This is no void. There are no great spirits here…

A dream?

No gapping wounds afflict my body, no scars, no blood matting my fur. Not even a scratch or bruise. But how? How can I remember? It’s all so clear: my once joyful life, my vengeful rage, the battles and all the bloodshed, the orb-crunching spirit of golden light who pulled me from the darkness, the energy it bestowed unto me… I remember everything. Everything except where I am and how I got here.

Yes, a dream. It must have been, even if I can’t understand how. My muscles ache terribly as I arch my back into a deep stretch. How long was I asleep? Never mind, I don’t have time to waste figuring this out. Unlike Chiyo and Oda, Zei Sho still draws breath, which means I have work to do. Now’s not the time to worry about some strange, near-death experience—or whatever that was. No. Now’s the time to get back home. My siblings’ honor won’t restore itself. But as I scan the area, reality bears its fangs. I’m not sure where it has chewed me up and spat me out, but one thing is clear: I’ve never been so lost.

continue with CLOUDS & CURSES  - out Saturday, 8/15 @ 9:00AM PT!

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