The Pursuit Of Genesis

8 : The Strange Man

Deep in the human unconscious is an omnipresent need for a logical, sensible universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always a few steps beyond logical explanation.

William, after seeing his mother again, waited for a while in that lake-which he later referred to as the 'lake of stars'-William walked out and dried himself and his clothes, wore back his clothes and headed out of the place. His mind felt calm and lightened, this place-he felt-had a really different flow of these natural energies if compared to the rest of the place around it.

The water in this lake was able to channel the energies into a physical manifestation after all. It reminded him of the lake, back in the woods near the town of Zora. Very less people including William actually knew about the existence of the lake and they were the only ones who could understand the sudden shift in the time around certain areas in the woods.

"Mary," William called out. "Are you still inside me?" His tone was calm. "Can you hear me?"

William kind of knew he would not receive the reply, he was simply not strong enough to manage two consciousness inside a single brain. Separating two minds was understandable, minds are subconsciously separated but handling the consciousness is solely on the strength of the brain and energy control.

As he expected, there was no reply. But, it was still worth the shot. He thought.

He walked out of the place through the same path he arrived. Out of the cave, which went deep inside and out of the big pit which, according to Maya, were actual footprints of the oldest civilisation. He was calm the whole time and felt better than before. After going through unbearable emotional breakdowns and situations, after meeting his mother he finally had thoughts like 'maybe things are still not that bad.'

On his way toward the car at the border of the valley, when he arrived at a place where the trees were not so crowded and the land had wet soil, not so wet to be called mud, his legs stopped with a jolt as his body felt a strong vibration of energy flow approaching him.

A hungry wind beast? Maybe someone with not-so-good intentions?

He could have chosen to back off and run away or hide. But at the speed he was able to feel, he couldn't run far and if a certain entity can emit such strong Qi, there was a possibility it could feel the surrounding human life force.

He chose to stay. He chose to confront.

William looked toward the direction which had the strongest waves of vibrations, braced himself and fixed his eyes on the way. In a moment, the vibrations of the intense life force disappeared and within a blink, a dark-furred claw came from the bush toward him. His eyes changed directions, his body crouched in a steady stance and a blade connected to his hand with a thin chain was subconsciously manifested.

His hand swivelled before his eyes before the black-furred claw could hit his face. The claw struck his blade and William was pushed back on the thick tree bark on the impact. He balanced himself on his knees and looked ahead.

The creature revealed himself to William, showing his enormous figure, exceptionally deadly claws, his dark fur covered all over except his nails, his red eyes, and hungry jaws.

A hungry hound!

His size, just like the wild beast in the previous town. William tried to calm himself. Is he mutated with energies too, or is he possessed?

The beast growled and roared, looking into William's eyes. His enormous black body rushed toward William, tossing the wet soil in the air. William's mind calmed and his fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade. The beast rushed closer.