Himi and Oya’s soul

In the middle of a desert, lays a lake that looks like crystal and gelatin like. High above the ground are branches that hold different golden, silver and copper fruit like fruit hanging from it. Copper pear trees, golden apple trees, unnaturally tall silver lemon trees. The trees are not easy to climb and requires either one to be clever or incredibly skillful; not many can achieve easily. Himi sits at the bottom of the tree staring at the sky in the lake. She carefully sizes up the tree filled with confidence. She backs up from the tree to gain some insightful distance. As she begins gracefully walking under the tree and she spots the golden pear hanging up high in the copper tree. She inhales carefully and braces herself while removing one of her sai; and throws it full force. The sai merely bounces off the branches and falls to the ground. She takes the sai and walks up to the tree to see if she could climb up using the sai to stick into the tree. The sai makes weak indentations into the bark but it is enough for a petite climber to utilize. Each hit by the sai takes several stabs to make it stick. Each steady branch allows Himi to take a break. Over the hours Himi makes progress as she eyes the golden pear she wants.

The pear tree begins to move it’s twisted trunk and begins to shake Himi off. She loses her footing and begins to fall. While reality sets in she pulls out a silver wooden flute and a gush of air pulls in beneath her to push her back up to the branch with the golden pear is. “I should have taken the easier route” Himi mutters to herself. As she makes her way towards the pear, the branch moves beneath her side to side; Himi plays the flute to give herself ground to stand on. Her lungs are beginning to tire of her playing and Himi puts her flute reachable in her belt.

Himi allows herself to absorb the crystal colors of fruit around and beneath her. This garden sits like an isolated plane of Heaven. Temptation fills her mind to grab everything and keep it all. It took all day to climb the tree and temptation cannot win. She's utterly exhausted but is trying to stay awake. She slouches back onto the trunk of the tree looking at the beauty around her and ends up falling asleep.

When she awakes during the twilight hour, she looks around and beneath the branches above her the stars gleam of copper and gold. She begins to carefully look around and realize “I didn’t fall…but everyone falls”. She looks up to see the twisted branches have laid out a flatten path to the golden pear. As she tries to stand up branches that arched around her waist line begin to move, “That’s why I didn’t fall, it accepted me”. She quietly says out loud "By the Heavens".

Slowly standing up after a refreshing sleep, Himi walks down to the end of the tree branch to pluck the golden pear. Just as she holds the fruit up to her eyes the tree branch begins to move, panic begins to seep into Himi’s veins for a second. The tree branch is lowering itself to the next branch and creates a slide for Himi with the golden pear. Himi instinctively grabs for the edge on the last branch but a small branch tugs on her boots to let her fall into the crystallized lake. It's like an ice skating rink at first and the tree goes back to normal.

Fear fills her face and as she turns to face the tree she could have sworn that she saw a pair of eyes close. Himi snaps back to reality, to remember she is in the middle of the lake. She decides to walk across, sort of slowly realizing it's like thin ice and is slowly slipping into the lake with each step. She gets across pretty far but is up to her chest in the crystal lake and she's very worried, her next step is making her go in deeper and she bites into the golden pear as she takes another step is neck deep then takes another bite, her fear is getting to her and she's let out a tear as she chews the second bite of it and takes another step. She's underneath the crystal lake and takes her third bite.

Himi accepts her fate and chews on the last moments of her life. She looks at her hands and sees that her skin begins to become an eternal black as time and her lips are brim with red. She sees her reflection in everything in the lake. She lets out a scream but there are no air bubbles forming. “Perhaps I am dead already and I did fall”. Himi chooses to relax her body and tries not to fight. She notices that inside the crystal lake its almost like another world underneath the lake that is not reflected on top. She looks around and sort begins to relax but when she turns her head around; she spots a pair of eyes. The eyes smile at her and swiftly turns; all Himi can make out of the crystal was a tail swimming away from her. Himi's panic is beginning to get to her and her last thoughts are "Maluk I've failed you and the kingdom, I'm sorry".

She closes her eyes and she begins to let go of the fear, the final moment of accepting death. Himi finds herself laying next to the lake with the same pair of eyes from the lake and this time hair peaking out from the lake staring at her. Himi lets in this big breathe, gasping for air. She's coughing a little bit and stares out at the eyes in the lake and is quiet and still. The creature stares at her with it's multicolored eyes and Himi looks confused and says "Thank you".

The creature does not come out or respond just stares at her and slowly slides back into the crystal lake. Himi holds her chest, and looks at her gel like clothing and she's still holding the fruit but notices there's additional bites in the fruit, she looks back at the lake. She decides to sleep next to the trunk again. As she lays her back onto the trunk she pulls out her flute and begins to play music. The music notes begin to form in the air but looks like a letter and spins off into the air very quickly like being shot with a slingshot. She inhales and passes out.

Maluk laying in his bed up late at night trying to sleep but spots the music notes Himi bursting through his window and play into his ear. He sits up straight and smiles, it's first moment of relief. Maluk says softly "Himi, your power has grown with that fruit please be safe" The music notes disperses and Maluk finally falls asleep.

Himi awakens to the sun and decides to finish her fruit. She pulls out an old badge that has Oya's name on it. She pulls out a small blue cloth and lays it on the floor and places the badge on top of it. She unpacks a small white candle and collects sand from the floor and places all of this onto the cloth; it looks like she's setting up an altar. She sits before the altar created and begins humming. Her humming creates vibrational frequencies causing the ground to shake when she begins to sing. Her eyes are closed and she starts to levitate above the ground just a little bit. She continues to sing and hum.

Oya with Jane and Improbus drops to her knees, she begins screaming. Jane and Improbus are confused and trying to observe her. They don't hear anything; it's just Oya. Himi at the altar is holding Oya's badge. Oya's eyes begin filling up with red and she stands up. Himi is silent with closed eyes; focusing deeply into her third eye. Himi’s vision travels the world to see Oya, Improbus and Jane. Himi tries to control the traveling by looking around and all she can see is what looks like an underground army inside of a cave somewhere. Oya let's out a warrior cry and begins to run out of the cave. Himi is feeling the intensity from Oya and is trying to see where she is and see what is going on. She finally gets a look into Oya's eyes and makes a realization. Himi lets out a gasp and hits the floor and knocks over the altar. She's breathing hard and very quickly picks up some parchment and begins writing away very quickly. She uses her flute to gather music notes to carry the note away. Himi is still struggling to breathe when the note disappears in the distance. She quickly gathers her belongings and begins to make it obvious she's leaving the tree of life. Improbus running behind Oya and mostly tracking behind her while Jane stays with the army; Improbus says to Oya “What does she know?”. Oya barely able to breathe grabs Improbus, “too much” and passes out.

Two days pass and the music notes Himi made reaches Maluk. It comes in through his window and sits on the floor. He comes into his chambers and doesn't see it at first, when he becomes more comfortable for his bed and walks towards the window in his robes he reads the notes. He looks around but see's no one. He peaks outside to the garden and doesn't see Himi. He picks up the note and begins to read it. His eyes fill up with concern and he flees his room and runs straight through to the King's chambers. He arrives at the door out of breathe arguing with the guards that he must see the king, they resist until the doors are opened by the king himself.

The King "What is this commotion at such a twilight hour?". Maluk holds the note out for the king and he reads it for himself King "Where did you get this?". Maluk replies"General Himihanabi, sent the note. Oya's soul is split". King asks "And where is the general herself?". Maluk shaking la states “She doesn't want to say, she's connected to Oya and until the connection simmers she has to stay ahead of her". King "Did she perform what I think she did?". Maluk is silent and the king stares at him. The King takes in reality and responds "I see…then we must prepare for the worst". Maluk lets out a big gasp and watches the king hand him the note in his hand almost consoling like; because he knows they are in love. The kings chambers door are closed leaving Maluk standing there with his thoughts and heart in his chest. Maluk begins to make his slow walk back to his bedroom chamber, and a small tear rolls down his face.