As per Kalynthe's instructions I enter the lake before me. The cold water engulfs my body.
I feel safe
knowing Kylanthe is near. I think of the times I would sit in the garden of my childhood home as the cold
winter rain washed over me. I didnt mind the cold, and the water running down my face would give me a
sense of calm. for what feels like an eternety I think back on my younger self. When suddenly my foot
touches solid ground. I open my eyes and to my surprise I'm no longer under water. I'm breathing again
and I feel like i have been for some time. When i look around i see a vibrant forrest. A familiar sight wich
inspires confidance and a feeling of security. I start wandering forward as i notice this foiliage is unknown
to me. Plants and trees with prismatic colors and fungi and flowers that grow in weird shapes. The
further I move the more I feel like im not walking as much as im floating through this magestical place.
Slowly a feeling of dread, angst and unfamiliarity befall me. "We're not in the East Ferring anymore, are
we?" I ask out loud, But my lips dont move. I turn around and am reminded that I'm all alone in this
strange place. A shiver unlike any I have ever felt, runs down my spine. It shakes me to my very core. As if
in pain I wince and close my eyes for but a fraction of a moment. When i open them a most surprising
image is made clear to me. I see a person between the trees. The moment I lay eyes on them, time stops
around me. Leaves halt their descent in mid-air and the sensation of cold wind on my skin i had
previously percieved now escapes me. This person is too far to make out any defining details. But I'm
certain of one fact: Whoever this person is, they are looking me dead in the eyes. For a moment I think
of looking away, but I am unable. Slowly and full of doubt i take a step closer. As soon as i do it becomes
clear to me that the only way for me is forward. Something prevents me from taking another path. I
move closer still. As i do an unnerving realization hits me. This person is not just any person. This person
is me. And not just me as i am now, she is me as a little girl, she is me from my future. She is even a
creature i have never seen before, but still recognize as myself. She is all of me. All at once. The closer i
get, the stronger her presence becomes. She is mezmorizing, to a point were nothing else around me
matters anymore. She is everything there is and ever will be in this very moment. There are no more
trees, no more leaves, no more plants, no more soil. There is just us.
I move closer still, and soon we are but 3 feet apart as she finally speaks:
"You're early, i didnt think i would see you so soon"
Her voice echoes all around me yet she does not speak.
"Where am I? I ask in a confused voice. I dont speak either.
My counterpart tilts her head slightly as if to replicate my confussion.
"Are we really going to waste time on these useless inquiries? Why dont you ask me what you came here
to find out?"
I pause momentarilly.
"You know what i came here for? then tell me. tell me my name!"
"I know what you came here for, but im not telling you your name that easily. You will have to earn it."
I feel animosity in her voice.
"How?"
I ask as sinister smile forms on her face.
"Oh it will be easy, Blood for answers my dear."
The very air around me suddenly seems prickly and sharp. I'm standing in a black void that feels like it wil
cut and pierce me if I run. I grab a hunting knife from my pocket and hold it against my wrist.
"Is this what you want?"
I slit part of my wrist and a sharp pain shoots up my arm. Warm blood streams from my wound. The
blood hits the floor and starts to pool under me, even though i cannot see the ground i am supposedly
standing on.
"Not enough for a name but I will tell you truths. Did you know you have no memory of your mother?"
"What nonsence" I respond in a stern voice. "Some memories might be a bit vague, but I remember my
mother very well."
"are you sure my dear?"
Again a feeling of uncertainty and dread wash over me.
I transfer the knife to my other hand. I pause for a moment before I jam the knife into my arm, driving
the blade into my flesh only to be stopped by the guard. A wave of pain hits me as more blood pools
beneath my feet.
"I will tell you more truths still. My dear you are not a human. But alas, for a name, a sea of crimson I will
require."
I feel absent minded all of a sudden. As if not present in the moment. Like a ghost, spectating from afar. I
grab the hunting knife by the hilt and pull it from my arm. Dispair and defeat fill my heart. I raise the
knife towards my neck. I think of the carefree parts of my childhood inside the mansion. I think of my
teacher's smile. I think of summer.
The cold blade hits my skin and i ready myself for what is to come.
When suddenly I feel a 2 arms embracing me from behind with warm and radiant love.
A voice in my head speaks: "What use is a name, My witchen child."