3.65 Enlightenment Things

         The Lunar tribe had lost most of their beautiful things in the disaster, few belongings were salvageable, everything had to be dug out from heaps of sludge caked into the corners of the temple. Jasun sifted through the mud and debris for anything worth salvaging, his heart heavy in spite of the new joy in his life. It wasn't just the loss of Mu, he was genuinely worried about Neter, his best friend, his soul mate and teacher, his brother, leader, he was all these things, and to others, too. Was he okay?

         "Look Jasun!" Nepheus broke the solemn search with a joyful surprise. He had found the Golden Harp buried in the mud, some of the strings were broken and the body was partly crushed, but it was still intact.

         "My harp!" Jasun hurried across the temple to welcome his instrument back into his life. "Thank you Nepheus!" He kissed his cheek  and then kissed the instrument, hugged it tight then began rubbing the dirt off the golden shell, it would take sometime to clean it up. He ran his fingers over the scars and took a moment to assess the damage. It broke his heart to see his harp like this but he was just so glad to see it at all.

         Filled with hope, he tuned the surviving strings and plucked a chord. In spite of the damages and vibrating debris inside, the sound filled the temple with heavenly harmony. Like a magical wand it resonated throughout the quartz walls breaking the somber spell. Cheers and applause erupted as the music came back to life.

         "Play us a song" Nina wanted more, it was like a lifetime ago that Jasun was singing her Love Song on stage. Jasun gazed at her beautiful face as she nursed their child by the fire. They were magic, both of them, Europa was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. How could he justify leaving them? Was it wrong to do so at a time like this? He tried to play the Love Song, he plucked the first few chords but the music only made him want to cry. A huge lump had lodged itself in his throat, he would never be able to sing again if he didn't know the truth... Gently he put the harp down and walked over to her side, knelt on the floor in front of her, and took her hand.

         "Nina... I have to go" he broke the news as gently as possible. Nina already knew. She had seen him pacing, spacing out and glancing over his shoulder more and more.

         "Neter."

         "What if he's alive and needs help?" The possibility was tearing him apart. "And what if the Dogons need help? What about all the Elders?" He let out a heavy sigh, it felt good to come out. "I have to go."

         "There aren't any horses." She knew it meant he would be gone a long time, a day's ride was a two day trek. She also knew he was right. She was tortured by the same worries about the neighboring tribe. "We'll be fine" she assured, squeezing his hand. "Go find him. We all need him."

         Jasun glanced at Mina, then took a long look at his own beautiful family, kissed Europa's forehead and ran his finger down her tiny nose. It broke his heart to leave her side, but both he and Nina knew what was right. He leaned in and kissed Nina tenderly.

         "I promise, no matter what, I'll be back."

         Torus had Malodon's duplicated and translated Book of Life open to the image of a skull with what looked like a Light Serpent rising above it. He had seen the image on the chalk board at the lab, he had heard the theory, there were glitches to the theory.

         "What's that?" He pointed to the serpent.

         "It's Enlightenment" Vida explained.

         "What's Enlightenment?"

         "It's a Serpent aspiration." Torus was intimidating but he wasn’t so intelligent. It was easy to fall victim to fear, she could tell he was smelling her. He was too close, he made her feel uncomfortable, even still she knew she held the position of power. She was in a stronger position than most of her tribe, they needed her to remain strong.

         "Then teach me…" Torus ran his finger across her cheek. "If you teach me Enlightenment things I might let you live a little longer. Bella!" He barked. "Come here!" Bella hurried over right away, scared of Torus, scared of him ever since the Final Feast. "Sit!" He pointed to the floor. "Vida is going to teach us Enlightenment things!"

         The devastation outside the cave was worse than any tarnished image wrongfully painted of Lemuria. Neter didn't even recognize the landscape before him. The Barren Wasteland was dead as a doornail, silent save for say the icy wind, whistling constantly.

         "My god…" He glanced towards Kergal, it looked like it was still intact, however the tents were completely gone… For a moment he fell into shock, then doubled over in agony. Freezing cold, he tried to light a fire with nothing but damp roots. The prognosis wasn't good.

         Hours slipped by before he could unravel himself from the fetal position he found himself in, numb with cold, aching inside, consumed by the pain in his leg, unable to bear the reality of what he had seen. A sharp lump in his clothing was forcing consciousness. He reached inside his pocket and rediscovered the strange obsidian device found on the courtyard grounds. A welcome distraction from the pain, he sat up. He examined the hole, smelled it, it smelled like fuel... He studied the little gold wheel with growing curiosity, gave it a spin and a flame whooshed out from the top.

         "Ha!" He dropped it in surprise. A fire lighting device! It was a gift from the gods! "Look, Shadow!" He flipped the flame on again, illuminating their faces, Shadow wagged his tail and whimpered in delight. It was brilliant! Inspired, he gathered some damp roots and patiently held the light beneath the pile until the flame took hold.

         As the flames grew steady, he examined the clever device some more, the craftsmanship was quite fine, there was an engraving on the side…

         "Nolan"  He read the inscription out loud, wondering if it belonged to the same Nolan he spotted on the lobby wall. He flipped it over and there it was, written in gold, a newer engraving. 'God of Desire'.

         "Ha!" he chuckled at his luck, it really was a gift from the gods! "Thank you Nolan, god of Desire, whoever you are!"

         Blessed with a small supply of food and water he was sustained, for now. He shuffled his way back up to the cave entrance, pondering his next move. There was a well in Kergal, and most likely some food, but making it up there would be challenging given his condition. Tonight he would rest up, tomorrow would be a better time to make the journey, it was his only chance for survival.

         But as he studied the landscape ahead, through the heavy smog he could make out some movement on the plateau... Strange movement... The silhouette stood alone and it certainly wasn’t Vikkar…Who was it? He narrowed his focus... He recognized the gestures... The energy... Was it Ku? Suddenly he realized who it was, his awkward body language was unmistakable! It was Torus! Torus was here in Lemuria?

         Reeling in shock, he coiled backwards into the cave. How could it be?

This was devastating! Now he feared the worst for Vikkar and the Dogons!

Would this explain the missing Panthers?