(Author: LordFinn, Discord: LordFinn#6418)
Lawn, palm trees, clear and cool lakes, blue sky and white clouds like cotton…
The genuine laughter of the two lovers who had spent their time in a small pool in the middle of this beautiful landscape echoed everywhere.
"Haha! Master Marwa, we can be in the middle of the desert -- but don't you think that's too much?" the girl inquired.
"Hm? Creating an oasis in the middle of the desert shouldn't be a big problem. The exact opposite. It's enough for people to believe I'm a god!"
"Haha. I don't mean it like that! You shouldn't tickle your only student that much. Aww~."
"You naughty fox! Will I learn from you how to act? Punishment time!"
"Awww. OK please stop Marwa ~ I will do whatever you want. Just stop tickling."
"Come over here." the man named Marwa was appeased with recognizing her defeat, thus, he slightly fixes his posture as he invites his lover on his open arms.
A small oasis in the middle of the western deserts, the two lovers embraced each other naked as they shared a passionate kiss.
The man named Master Marwa covered Thiara's body with his long black silky hair. His green eyes couldn't look away from her red seductive lips. His tanned body of the same colour as the earth made him happy in every contact with Thiara's snow white skin.
***
Sixty years ago, Marwa and Thiara were just a teacher and a student. In the course of time, because all the people they knew were separated from the world, they felt closer and fell in love with time. For Marwa, there was nothing more important in this world than Thiara. No woman could take her place in his heart.
Ever since Marwa discovered that he was a shaman, he had been trying to improve his talent all his life. Although normal shamans were rarely focused on one subject, Marwa, on the other hand, decided to set his mind on solely controlling one element which could meet all the needs of his survival.
Shamans are individuals who could mobilize and direct the energy of nature through their bodies. The influence of shamans was of great importance in the advancement of society. That's why they were all respected.
No matter how good a shaman controlled, they were human beings. Their life was not longer than the others. But Marwa's case is different -- in contrast to other shamans, though he hadn't mastered the whole of nature, his focal point of controlling the earth caused an unexpected outcome.
It resulted in the earth itself in protecting Marwa. He was so integrated into the earth as if they became one. He could now control it without the need for various talismans. This secret protection protected Marwa's body and organs from external influences and extended his life. With his age, experience, and strength, he wrote his name on the list of legendary figures.
***
[Present time]
While Thiara was sleeping on his bare and tanned arms, she was startled by the drops of rain touching her back. Feeling the movement of Thiara, Marwa slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that the sky was covered with rain clouds and the sun was no longer visible, he sighed.
"I think I'm too old to predict the weather now."
"You're only 126, and you're already complaining~haha!"
Marwa smiled and caressed Thiara's tiny and cute nose. He wanted to wrap his hand around Thiara's waist, but the expression on his face suddenly changed as he senses danger. He pulled his hand back and lifted it up.
*BOOM*
"Ahhhhh"
A bolt of red lightning struck Marwa's fist and then from there, it flowed into the ground.
Then, an old man's figure was revealed floating in the air. Electricity was dancing around his grey hair and body. His grey long beard and dress danced in the air.
"Tch kid. You're still like I left. You didn't develop yourself even a bit. You didn't even realize I was coming. Do you think you can achieve immortality in this relaxed attitude?" he instant spat out.
"What I do is none of your business. Zhou Shang, why did you come? What do you want from me?!" Marwa growled.
"Tch, you shouldn't be talking like you have something that might interest me." Zhou Shang, who did not enjoy Marwa's words, shifts his gaze to Thiara. He added,
"I haven't contacted any women for centuries with this body of mine. Perhaps, the little slut right next to you can remind me of some of the feelings I've forgotten by using your earth-protection talisman. What do you say?"
Marwa jumped out angrily. The whole desert began to fluctuate with its movement, and a giant sand fist was thrown forward. Alas, Zhou Shang suddenly disappeared and appeared again in the clouds.
"Don't worry, Little Marwa. I've already left my mortal desires behind. If you want to move forward, you should do this too." referring to abandoning Marwa's mortal desires, Zhou Shang enticed.
As Marwa looked at Zhou Shang with hateful eyes, the desert sand had already transformed into a huge giant sand-man. And the oasis they were on seemingly turned into a giant's hair. Thiara was tightly held his hand with fearful eyes as she hid behind him.
"Why are you here?"
Zhou Shang smiled as if nothing had happened. "We found a way to be immortal."
Marwa was stunned hearing the abrupt news which rendered him speechless.
"Desperate Hills tonight. Be there." Before Zhou Shang could disappear from sight, he left a verbal invitation. His last sentences echoed in Marwa's ears.
"Marwa! Marwa, what will you do? Are you going?" Thiara couldn't take it anymore and started crying.
"I have to go."
"What if he's lying? What if he attacks with the others? Is this the right decision?"
"There's no reason to lie. My death is no use to them, Thiara."
"Marwa, but, if you never come back…"
Marwa felt guilty seeing Thiara's desperate and sad expression. He cups her little face with his big hands and stared into her eyes.
"This is not important. Because we're going together, Thiara."
"Marwa? What are you saying?"
"He didn't invite me to war. If immortality is indeed possible, I will not enter this path without you."
Thiara looked at Marwa's resolute expression. She couldn't help but started giggle whilst crying in disbelief which made her look more attractive than ever in his eyes.
"Marwa, if ever I don't have a chance in there, you shouldn't try hard for me. I'm only 76 years old. After you've become immortal, you can always find a way for me too, right?"
Marwa smiled and wrapped his hand around her thin waist. The next seconds, they were both miles ahead.
***
Shamans have different levels according to the amount of energy they could control. They were divided into different stages for example:
'Heavenly Stage' it is said that this level is the highest limit that the human body could achieve. Yet, Marwa exceeded this level and people entitled him another name which is 'Godly Stage'.
At Godly Stage, Marwa had more body energy than other shamans, and the reason was that the earth was involuntarily acting as part of his body.
When Marwa came to this level, he noticed something that no one knew before --he could feel the fluctuations in the energy of nature more clearly. Hence, one time when he followed them, he met a few individuals with the same and advanced level.
No one knew these people and also they didn't look like normal human beings. They joined with their elements and lived in environments where normal people could not live.
And now he was going to meet them face to face. The desperate hills were not far away. In a few seconds, he came up the hill with Thiara. This hill was under the control of a bald, one-eyed race called Kiklope. These huge creatures were famous for the huge temple they were building for the god they believed in. They would not attack other creatures unless they entered the temple.
There were five different unique people in the meeting area waiting for them. Marwa couldn't be noticed by the normal people he was approaching because he could skillfully control the earth, but each of these high-level shamans noticed him and Thiara. But Lightning God blocked their way.
"Zhou Shang!"
"In here, you should call me with my shaman name; Lightning God. Right, Earth God?"
"We're not even immortal, and you're calling yourself God!"
"Maybe you can stop saying that after today."
"You called me here. Why do you stop me now ?!"
"The girl, why is she here?" Zhou Shang pointed at Thiara.
"This is none of your business."
"If you want to join, you should leave her behind."
"Impossible!"
"Damn it, Marwa, just leave that girl now. You're protecting her body with half of your energy. At 76 years of age, she still seems to be around 17-18 years old."
"This is none of your business! Also, Thiara is already the Heavenly Stage Shaman. There isn't much difference with Godly Stage."
"You can't even convince yourself with what you said. With half of your power, you're useless to us." Zhou Shang scoffs in dismay.
In the midst of their argument, Thiara hugged Marwa to stop him from talking. She smiled. "Don't worry, Marwa. We can be together again later after you're done here. I don't want you to use your power on me. A life without you is also meaningless to me."
Marwa's lips curled upward and shook his head then affectionately pats her head. "You think too much. We're not even sure if they have any method..."
"Excellent! One of our gods has been under the influence of a bewitching shaman" This time, another hoarse voice was heard. A black-skinned, bald man was walking slowly through the forest. There are deep cracks could be seen in his skin. Despite the smoke arising from the places where he stood, his red dress was absorbing these gas particles. Whenever he speaks, sparks of the flame appeared from his mouth, albeit rarely.
"My apologies, but in this experiment, Heavenly Stage Shamans' participation decreases the chances of success." Another figure appeared following behind the Fire God. Her hair was white and short, and her dress was decorated with green leaf figures. Though the woman seemed old, her gentle stature can make one feel at ease.
Marwa already met with Fire God. After all, Fire God was a mighty shaman that everyone in this group considered as their leader.
"Fire God, Thiara has developed herself as a bewitching shaman. That's true, but not enough to affect me." Marwa affirmed.
After Marwa saluted to Fire God, he looked at the old woman behind him, "I know you. The famous healer Cerin Custos. Also known as Heaven. Isn't that the name they give you?" After a pause, he added. "If Heavenly Stage is a problem, why are you here?"
Cerin Custos was a well-known doctor that almost everyone knew. Her abilities were so miraculous that people had begun to think that she was representing heaven. Thus, they began to call her Heaven.
"I just came to support Fire God. His body had already exceeded limits and it was risky for him to leave the volcano without extra support." Cerin Custos briefly explained.
Fire God did not want this issue to prolong, hence he intervenes. "She can stay. Let him decide later. He just needs to help us build the formation."
After these words, Lightning God did not cause any more problems and willingly stepped aside. After Fire God took a parchment from Heaven, he spoke solemnly.
"Shamans use nature and in return, we gained tremendous power. Alas, our mortal body could only contain limited power. Thus, we use our souls to overcome these limits. But shamans like us, who reached the Godly Stage were solely focused on a particular element. However, the real power of a shaman is not the power he can use with his body. -- there are formations. If we can combine the power of all of us, it is possible to open a temporary soul passage in this realm. I conclude that those who pass through this passage will reach a realm without limits…" Fire God pause as his gaze scans the seven godly stage shamans present, he continued. "This is not yet proven but since I'll be the first to conduct this experiment, you shouldn't have complaints."
After Fire God said his piece, the seven Godly Stage shamans including Marwa, looked at each other -- they nod in agreement before moving their eyes back to their leader. Fire God then looked at Marwa.
"It must be ready tonight. Marwa, you're the fastest among us. I want you to put the talismans at the designated points. Will you, Earth God?"
Marwa took the scroll and studied it carefully. The markings were on the world map and did not specify a certain point. Apparently, shamans intended to use the energy of the whole world. When Marwa understood the size of the formation, sweats began to form on his forehead.
While the formations used the energy of the region they affected, the region on the other hand, also absorbed the energy of this formation. Nonetheless, whatever the outcome of this experiment, the energy balance of the world would undergo major changes!
"No problem," said Marwa. In an instant, he began to move away with Thiara.
After Marwa disappeared from his sight, Fire God shifts his attention towards Lightning God, he questioned. "Did you tell him about the symbols?"
Zhou Shang grinned, "He doesn't need to know everything."
***
After Marwa and Thiara distributed the talismans around the globe, they returned to their oasis. Marwa drew a wide circle on the ground and equipped it with various totems. He smiled at Thiara, who was worriedly watching him.
"Do not worry. No matter how strong the formation is, as long as you're with me -- no harm will come to you. Let's start."
Thiara leaned her head forward as she sat down next to Marwa. Since there was nothing she could help, she can only observe Marwa with curious eyes. The fact that her lover will be immortal was something she could be happy about.
Marwa looked up at the sky and then closed his eyes. He slowly placed his palms on the ground.
Suddenly, there was no gravity and airflow in the entire desert. The edges of their circles shone with earth energy and a column of light rose to the sky. It was like sending all the desert energy to the sky!
While Marwa was focusing, the energies of the other gods began to blend in the column he created. Marwa frowned and spoke: "This was not in the plan"
A voice that he had not heard before, replied to him: "The chances of success are higher with this method."
Marwa couldn't answer. He gritted his teeth and continued to focus.
"What's going on?" Thiara asked.
"We all have to send our energy to the center for the opening of the soul passage. But it seems that after we combine our energies, we have to do it. A method is known to everyone who is used to increase the impact. But this reduces control over our energies and forces each user to use an equal amount of energy…"
"What we must--" Thiara's words were abruptly interrupted as a loud voice echoed through their ears.
"Get ready! Now!"
Marwa's entire body was filled with earth energy while part of the energy was also wrapping around Thiara. The situation escalated quickly that even Marwa could not grasp.
"More!"
"No!"
The shamans wanted to use more energy, but Marwa was already in his limits. Using more was meant to reduce Thiara's protection. He couldn't get Thiara out of the formation, he won't risk it. It was too dangerous to leave the formation as the entire energy of the desert flowed uncontrollably into the formation.
The energy of all God Shamans mixed together and Marwa could no longer see the desert. It was only the energy column formed by the formation and a narrow black hole at the vertex where the energies met in the sky. Marwa's body began to infiltrate his energy. The yellow energy from his eyes sucked into the sky. Now, he couldn't even control his own body anymore.
"Protect your soul with your energy and direct it to the soul passage" Fire God's voice echoed in his ear.
"What about Thiara ?! I can't see Thiara! Help me!"
"You should leave your body behind"
Tears began to flow from Marwa's eyes receiving no response from his beloved. Alas, at this point, he could not stop. Gritting his teeth, Marwa focused again. He roared,
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!"
The earth energy came together on his body and formed a twin. Right now, Marwa's soul had abandoned his body. The first thing he did was to look for Thiara.
Thiara was unconscious, wrapped around him his soulless body. Her body was still protected, albeit a little. She had to be taken out of the formation before it was too late! Her body could be damaged, but her life wouldn't be in danger. Marwa could feel the danger from this black hole -- it could even absorb spirits.
"Marwa! You must pass the soul passage. Before it's too late!" Fire God urge before passing through the mysterious space. But no one knew what happened to him afterwards. This is not a risk that Marwa could take. Thiara was unconscious and had to leave her body to use the passage.
"Thiara, wake up!"
While Marwa's body was unconsciously directing his energy into the formation, his soul tried to wake Thiara for hours, but to no avail, she won't wake up.
'Thiara will die. I must pass through the passage and end the formation.' Marwa thought.
Fire God and the others were long gone. The soul passage was open for several hours and began to narrow. As a result of the narrowing, the suction power increased.
Marwa bowed down and slowly stroked Thiara's face. "I will come back one day," he said as he kissed her forehead. A part of his energy was transferred to Thiara. At this moment, Marwa seemed quite transparent. After glancing at his lover one last time, he reluctantly jumped towards the soul passage.
Marwa couldn't see the other side of the gate --It was just eternal darkness. But being reminded that Thiara's life would be in danger if he didn't end this mechanism without completely destroying his real body. He then threw himself in the passage without thinking more.
When he approached the gate, a black object suddenly appeared. Black energies from this object began to spread and Marwa's movement halt. Marwa couldn't understand what happened. When he looked around, he saw that even the energy particles were immobilized. It was like time had stopped. He couldn't control his own soul. The waves of black energy slowly united and transformed into an angel of death -- a dark angel holding a scythe.
Marwa's pupils dilated. This was a mythical creature. From his point to the ground, he looked at his own body. His body was dead? Did it come for him? Or… Or Thiara ?!
"Thiara!"
Only the high-level shamans were able to see the angel of death. The angel of death suddenly appeared on his own body, and Marwa was relieved of it. A soulless body is a dead body.
The angel of death lifted his scythe.
"Stop!"
He did not want to know what would happen if the body that gave the power had disappeared before the soul passage ended!
Marwa struggled to get to the soul passage. Yet, he could not keep up. At that time, the scythe of the angel of death came down to his body.
"No!!"
The scythe divided his body in half as if it had never met an obstacle. The connection between his body and his soul was broken. Marwa's soul was suddenly absorbed toward the soul passage. But the gate also closed at the same speed. The moment the gate was closed, the energies could not find another point to be transferred and they hit each other.
*BOOOM*