Nyxara
[Saturday, Dreyrune 20, 4310]
—6:00 pm ~ Liminal Plane (Threshold Expanse)—
One moment, I felt so high I felt like I was floating. In the next moment I really did float away—floated right on into a whole different plane of reality. I looked around at the gray surroundings only to see nothing but white smoky wisps that almost formed into shapes before dissipating. My mind still felt fuzzy while I tried to remember what I needed to do next.
I blame my addled mind for not noticing I wasn't alone. When my shoulder was tapped, I punched out on instinct. My fist was caught in a familiar grip before I was spun around to face the person face to face. I don't know if I could really express the relief I felt when I looked up into Azrail's amused chaotic golden eyes. I pulled him into a tight embrace. His chuckle when he hugged me back was grounding in an unexpected way.
"Well, I can't say my instructions to punch first and deal with the consequences later were ignored. I take it you forgot I would be here to help guide you?" He rocked us back and forth soothingly. I didn't have a clue why I was cycling between crying, laughing, and punching him in the sides as he held me and sang softly in a language I almost understood. I felt myself speaking in tongues I half understood, and my body trembled. I feel sick. Am I about to throw up? I feel out of control of my body and emotions.
"I told Hael to be careful with ingredient portions for the brew. It helped you get back in the right state of mind, but it didn't dissipate enough to not disorient you once you entered this plane. You have actually been standing here in a daze for the past ten minutes." He placed his finger over the center of my wooden Eldergloom circlet and spoke, "Thesh'kar (protect)." My mind and emotions became tranquil.
I gave him one more grateful squeeze before I released him and stepped out of his embrace. With my mind clear but my body still trembling, I finished activating the Eldergloom artifacts my family had prepared for my astral travel. Azrail's voice helped me focus on activating the defensive functions of bracelets, anklets, and two necklaces. My robe was woven from the breast feathers of a Roc that nested between the mortal world and the astral. It will ease my journey through the planes and spaces I must travel.
"Your cultivation experience truly isn't up to par for what you must do today. It is why we prepared the Eldergloom artifacts made from the tree Grey committed her act of…transcendence upon. It is the same tree you found yourself against when you woke up." Azrail took my hand and tugged me to walk behind him.
There was nothing to see but grey landscapes and white wisps. I didn't know if he was just walking in any random direction or if this was the way I needed to go. "The Eldergloom trees are among the oldest trees of our world. They were here when the Creators arrived on this planet. Because Grey's ritual involved one of these sacred trees, we theorize she must have been in communion with the Creators."
I stopped walking upon hearing this tidbit.
When Azrail turned to meet my shocked gaze, his expression and eyes were so lifeless, I almost yanked my hand out of his grasp. "Wha…what…how…why do you look like this?" I reached out to touch his face and my fingers went through him. I shrieked, yanking my hand away from him. "What the fuck is going on? Are you not Azrail? Have I fallen into some kind of trap? No! No! No! I did not get this close to the finish line only to fall into some kind of trap! Explain yourself now, whoever you are!"
I let my body go loose and assumed a battle-ready stance. While I waited to see what this entity would do next, I tugged on the link between myself and Azrail. He is supposed to be here so I wouldn't end up in this exact situation. Where is he? I don't know if I was happy or confused when I followed the link to the entity that had become so faded in color that he only looked slightly more solid than the white wisps floating around us.
"A bit late in asking questions, but I would still give you a B for immediately defending yourself and calling for help. As you now know, I indeed am your amazingly awesome dad, Nyota Ajei a.k.a Azrail." He posed like Superman for a moment before shifting back to standing regularly.
"I'm only partially here with you, so this is what my form truly looks like. I pulled a bit more of myself over a moment ago because I was worried when you weren't moving. Now that your journey is beginning, I let go of what I didn't need." His hands were behind his back, and the cold, lifeless expression made him look like a god of death here to escort me.
Just as I felt like I was going to laugh or cry, the circlet warmed, and my emotions were tranquil again. "Let us continue walking. This in-between of the Liminal plane, which in our reality is called the Threshold Expanse, is not a place to linger. The protections the Eldergloom artifacts and the Roc ritual robes afford you will only last for so long." He began walking, and I quickly followed.
After a few moments of silence, Azrail began to speak again. "As I was saying, we believe Grey had been communing with the Creators. Few know the Eldergloom trees are native to the planet before the Creators' arrival. The twist is that only demons know what the symbolism of those trees is, and as far as we can determine, she never learned this information from any demon."
I listened and absorbed Azrail's words. I glanced down to check what I was walking on because my steps sounded different now. When did we start walking on a wooden plank bridge? To my left and right were railings I hadn't noticed before since my gaze had previously been on Azrail's back and what was in front of us. I opened my mouth to ask when he held up his hand, stopping me.
"You are losing focus. The bridge will disappear if you don't stay focused on where we are going. This is not the time or place to overanalyze. This is your journey, not mine. I can't control the path; only you can." He never stopped walking, forcing me to keep up.
I let go of my question. I listened attentively as Azrail continued his lecture. "The symbolism of the trees is endings and new beginnings, bound fates, and the echo of memories. The tree she used was the perfect catalyst and happened to be located on a leyline node. So her leaving and you arriving there was smoother than it otherwise could have been with her enacting the ritual alone."
With half my focus on our surroundings, I noticed we were coming to the end of the bridge soon. The path from the bridge led to a pagoda that looked similar to the one I dreamed of earlier during my spirit purification.