He didn’t know how long he had been running, but Aadi wasn’t enjoying his sojourn through the dark passage. Here, he had nothing but his resolve to fulfil his mission, to guide his way. Aadi couldn’t hear Ember’s voice anymore. The stone wouldn’t be able to help him, busy as it was keeping his physical body in the waking world safe. He couldn’t hear his mother’s voice either. Her words had snapped him out of his furious trance. Thereafter, he hadn’t heard a whisper from her. Had his mother’s voice originated from his memories? In this dream world, even though it was governed by the evil blood facet of Aaron Flint’s soul, Aadi had acquired a degree of freedom. He could sense himself moving forward now, through the dark passage. He was able to move at will, even though he was sure he didn’t have a physical body in this place.
He wondered whether his consciousness had manifested his mother’s voice. In his time of great need, when he had lost control of himself to his roiling anger, did a part of his mind resort to a cherished memory to attempt to free him? “Or,” thought Aadi as he continued to run, “Was it a facet of my soul?” That thought disturbed him; he couldn’t deny it. Aaron Flint the woodcutter had become the Unflinching courtesy the darkness in his soul. He wondered if he had similarly dark facets in his, too. The rage that had coursed through him and overwhelmed him just a while ago, certainly indicated the possibility of their existence. What was he supposed to do the next time his anger took control of him? How was he supposed to prevent that? These thoughts flitted through Aadi’s mind and slowed him down.
“I must focus,” he told himself and fixed his vision on the darkness ahead. As he kept running, Aadi saw silhouettes of scenes materialise on either side of the path. From the corners of his eyes, he saw himself and Aaron Flint fighting each other. The silhouettes appeared and disappeared, depicting different stages of their fight. At times, Flint had the advantage and Aadi dominated other instances. These shadowy shapes were soon replaced with those of his father and Shan, with the Unflinching attacking them. Aadi didn’t hear Flint’s voice this time, but something told him that that evil was there, lurking somewhere in the darkness. He ignored the tugs of sadness that pulled at his heart and resolutely focused his vision away from those painful silhouettes. “I have to keep my purpose in mind,” Aadi told himself and recalled the woodcutter’s house on the outskirts of the town in a distant land of yore.
As he focused, the silhouettes disappeared. Aadi didn’t know if it was even possible, but he could have sworn that the darkness ahead of him deepened. The invisible walls on either side appeared to have thickened as well. He quickened his pace, concentrating on the woodcutter’s house as hard as he could. Aadi wasn’t able to sense his lungs in this world. He couldn’t tell whether he was breathing hard. Would he be out of breath when he got to his destination? Would he be too tired to stop the law keeper and his thugs? Aadi didn’t have the answers, but he had to try. It wasn’t just about stopping Flint’s darkness. He sought to save the woodcutter’s family. He wanted to save Flint’s wife. He yearned to save that little girl and he would do his damnedest!
Time, which he couldn’t make heads or tails of, passed swiftly. Aadi continued running, but there was no end in sight. His concentration threatened to waver as a sense of fatigue crept in. Suddenly, he espied the wispy borders of shapes forming ahead! Some of the outlines were straight and sharp, while others were more organic. Aadi tried to focus on them, but it was hard. He didn’t spot any human shapes though. In this darkness, these silhouettes appeared to be chalk drawings on a black slate. With every passing moment, they grew brighter and brighter. Aadi concentrated on the memory of the woodcutter’s house and tried to shield his eyes from the increasing brightness.
Flashes of light lit up his surroundings. The walls of darkness on either side of him dematerialised and Aadi thought he spotted a bright, blue sky overhead. He couldn’t focus on it. It had become blindingly bright. He didn’t stop running though, but there seemed to be no end to this road. All of a sudden, Aadi heard a sound. It was that of his shoe hitting stone. He opened his eyes and found his feet running on a road! It was similar to the one outside his home. Aadi’s eyes adjusted to the daylight that pervaded everything. He saw trees on both sides of the stone road. Its foundation had been cleared roughly, without straight lines. The stones themselves were irregularly placed in a mixture of gravel and soil. The road itself was bumpy and uneven. It was a forest route, one that led Aadi towards a cottage amidst a small clearing.
“That’s Flint’s house,” said Aadi, gasping for air as he felt his lungs hard at work. He could see and feel his physical body now and the fatigue of his long run hit him. Aadi almost stumbled and caught his balance just in time. He slowed his pace to recover his stamina and surveyed the clearing and the cottage ahead. He couldn’t spot anyone around the cottage. The woodcutter’s family was probably inside the house. Aadi couldn’t hear anything behind him. The law keeper and his coterie hadn’t arrived yet. Aadi went to a tree nearby and placed his right palm on its trunk. He breathed heavily and relished the fresh air. There was no food or water anywhere around him, but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t particularly hungry and this was a memory world, after all. Aadi thought starving and dying of thirst would be his last worries here.
Instinctively, his left hand reached for his slingshot. Aadi’s eyes shot up as he found nothing to grip. The slingshot was missing! Then, he remembered that Ember wasn’t with him either. Right; it was a memory world! He didn’t have his weapon or the magic stone’s aid, here. Aadi would have to face his enemies on his own. Luckily, he thought he had plenty of time. He could fashion weapons from wood easily enough, being an adept hunter. Besides, Aadi’s opponent was not the Unflinching. The law keeper wasn’t Aaron Flint. His thugs didn’t even approach the woodcutter’s fighting prowess, in Aadi’s opinion. He was confident that he could handle the three in a fight.
After a very short rest, Aadi reached for any thin branch he could find. He needed a few long, straight ones that he could whittle into stakes. They wouldn’t be daggers, but they’d serve his purpose. He then sought stout branches that he could fashion into staves and clubs. Aadi didn’t think he had the skill to wield them expertly, but then again, his opponent was not the Unflinching. After creating his weapons, he inspected each staff carefully and after a moment’s thought, sharpened each of their heads into a spear. Aadi wasn’t looking for a long, drawn-out fight. He desired to slay his enemies swiftly. The faster he ended it, the faster he could fulfil his mission.
Aadi wanted a slingshot. Ever since he began hunting, it had been his favourite weapon. Good slingshots needed good material and took time to craft. Curing and stretching leather wasn’t something he imagined he had time to do. He could create one-off slingshots with large leaves and cord, but he had a substantial arsenal prepared already. Creating more weapons would simply be a waste of time. Aadi bundled the spear-cum-staves and stakes together. He searched for a good vantage point and found a bush that overlooked the cottage and the approach to it. As he hid himself in the bush, he saw the cottage door open. Flint’s wife and daughter came out of the house. When he spotted them, he knew that the time to act was fast approaching. The law keeper and his thugs would be here soon.
Aadi’s heart went out to the little girl, as she danced around the little garden adjacent the cottage. She played with the flowers and ran circles around her mother. Flint’s wife laughed with her daughter and gave the little one a big hug. Aadi stifled a happy laugh and forced himself to be still. A part of him wanted to get Flint’s family out of danger, but that might alter the memory beyond his control and expectation. If he acted too soon or too late, his efforts might be in vain. He had to wait for the right moment, even though a part of him yearned to warn the two warm, cheerful humans in front of him. His heart tugged at his core, urging him to preclude the tragedy that would soon befall the woodcutter’s family.
However, he had to do it right. Aadi steeled himself as he remembered his objective. Waiting might be difficult, even painful, but if he succeeded, an evil might be subdued. That was worth the wait. It was worth bearing the sorrow of knowing the inevitable. Aadi couldn’t change history, but he would ensure that Flint’s soul could rest in peace.