The First Encounter
Soft sand cooled her aching feet. It padded her soles while gently pushing out between her toes with each step that she made. Soon, she felt the cold contact of water from the sea. The way it ebbed and flowed was as if it was greeting an old friend hello. The waves bumped up and down as usual, but the tempo felt a bit different from back home.
A little crab poked its bright black eyes through the sand. Peering at her. At least she's not alone. A gull squawked at her from a distance. It seemed like she was being watched. Well, of course she knew she was, but were they really there, or just a part of a long dream? Surely they were there in her presence. Maira let out a deep sigh. If only they can speak. They'll tell her how she got there and what they saw.
She scooped up and picked up the crab. It didn't react but rather calmly sat in her palm. Such a small being, yet she can see her silhouette reflected from its glossy, yellow shell. Oh, so disheveled. She saw that her hair was sticking up, fighting the dirt and leaves.
She placed the crab down and waded deep into the salty water. She tucked herself under the calm sea water and let the tide gently wrap her in its embrace.
For a heartbeat, her world tilted.
She fell without weight, a comet of flesh and fire. Sparks burst from her as she burned through endless strata of rock and crystal, trailing light like dying stars.
Motionless.
Fear- not the distant echo she had once stirred in trembling villages, but now a living, growing thing in her chest, hammering against her ribs to be let out.
And pain– raw, and tearing her apart where her divinity had always been perfect and whole. It was as if the cosmos itself turned inward, carving her open to see what lay beneath eternity.
Her vision frayed at the edges, light bleeding into salt and warmth. Maira blinked at the seawater pestering her eyelashes.
She felt heavy. No matter. Dreams were always weird things. Sometimes they reveal your fate, other times, you're left delirious, questioning if you've even awoken.
But now she's here. Wherever this is. Some sort of beach. The crab scuttled sideways, black eyes still watching.
Pieces of a quaint civilization made its appearance here and there. A network of small villages and towns scattered about known only through the gentle woven paths through ferns with soot from hearths piercing the sky.
She slowly hobbled back to shore. Back to the little fire she had made at a small shade beneath a few palms. It wasn't particularly chilly but the dip had made her question her choices. She didn't need much to survive, just food and shelter and in some cases, the latter could be neglected. She stared at the dancing flame until the cold water no longer chilled her. She stood strong. Despite the sudden change in environment, foreboding dreams, and omnipresence of the eyes of little critters surrounding her, she felt invigorated. The thought of starting a new life thrilled her. Her heart remained feral, relying on the strength of nature's wilderness to guide her. She was no longer bound.
I'd better go and forage, she thought. She tightened the clasps on her dress and pulled her thick cloak over. She pulled her sword halter around her hip and sheathed its blade. Reliable and unbreakable.
A blade carved of diamond. The sun's light reveled in its brilliance, dancing and jumping in its dispersion.
Strongest material on Earth, but amongst the Celestial Goddesses, it's nothing more than a child's plaything.
As the warmth of the gentle flame slowly faltered and speckled into nothing more but a few embers, she set out.
