"Mother?" I replied, "That's what you call it?" I asked.
"Yep!" Sothis exclaimed.
I didn't question anything further after that. A tree could be considered a mother since it can grow many fruits, vegetables, and other plants.
We walked towards the base of the tree, leading Sothis to touch the tree with his palm.
"We need to all touch the tree to activate step two of your awakening," Sothis explained, looking back solemnly.
"Her too, huh?" I said, stepping closer to make contact.
I didn't question where she was, but I could feel another presence nearby.
"Yep…" Sothis replied but muttered, "I'm sorry…"
I couldn't make them out but decided not to ask.
As soon as my hand made contact with Mother's bark, it happened…
My gut sent warning signals.
Chills ran down my spine.
My hair stood up as goosebumps formed.
My body oozed sweat
I could feel something coming; what was it? It wouldn't be too long before I got my answer.
"ARGHH!?" I screamed, tightly gripping my head.
A new type of pain enveloped my being. It was like being hit from every angle, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually; nothing was safe…
I was hit over and over.
It was similar… to before but multiplied exponentially.
"Dreams," "Hallucinations," "Visions,"
Whatever you want to call them…
Ran through my mind, my head, my soul…
Over and Over again…
What were these!? Future or past lives!? Or maybe both…?
"YIAGHH!" I continued to struggle, soon falling to my knees.
I was living… so many lives… so many horrible experiences…
Whatever horrible thing you could think of, I've most likely experienced it.
The pain was now hitting every part of my physical body, my mind.
I could even feel my soul collapsing in on itself.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING!?!? WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING!?
"AGH!!"
"HUGHHH!"
My physical body numbed. Not numbed in the sense that I could not feel…
But numb in the sense that I no longer had any control of my body…
The last physical thing I remember in reality was me collapsing.
I was conscious… just not in the way you'd think… I could still feel
I could no longer see reality… my eyes shut… just the lives…
I couldn't see, but I felt my body vomiting and coughing blood.
It convulsed and twitched uncontrollably.
My smell
My hearing
My taste
My touch
Soon vanished
And yet, even with my touch being stripped, it didn't stop the pain.
HOW!?
-------------------------
I was trapped in the abyss… The black nothingness…
I was trapped in these lives… Reliving…
Over and over again.
Life after Life
Death after Death.
I can feel it all…
There wasn't a part of me that hadn't been assaulted.
Through all this, I could hear many voices calling out to me…
Some familiar… Some unfamiliar… Some angry… Some sad…
Many yelled… Many whispered…
'No! This can't be happening!'
'I refuse to accept it!!'
'It's not my fault!!'
'You are trash!'
'Scum like you don't deserve forgiveness!'
'You deserved eternal damnation!'
'Why did it have to be like this!?'
'Can't I restart!?'
'Please! Forgive me! I'll do anything!'
'I don't deserve to live…'
'I can't continue to move forward…'
'Why will it never end…?'
'I guess this is just how it ends…'
'We have no choice.'
'Unfortunate but not surprising.'
'I'm sorry…'
It's my punishment, yes?
I'll suffer, for it is my fault. I'll take the burden.
But it hurts?
There is no other way…'
'I'm sorry…'
Sothis…? And… her…?
[ IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT ]
The onslaught of life and death continued.
Over and over again.
My sanity was nonexistent.
Hehe… Hehe… HAHA… HAHAHAHAHA
They're right… It is all my fault.
Yeah… It's starting to come back…
The voices merged with the suffering of the masses…
How cruel I am… That's right. I'm Comet… The one at fault
The cause of everything… Of what…?
It's my job to clean up my mess… What mess…?
I'm sorry for the suffering I've caused reality. I'm sorry you had to endure it.
Then… Why am I alive? Hehehahahaha!
That's a stupid question.
-------------------------
"Comet?" I heard Sothis call out to me.
"Uhnn…" I groaned, attempting to get up, but to no avail.
All my senses returned, but my body was too heavy, so I thought I'd lie down a little longer.
"Was that a part of the reawakening?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yea…" Sothis answered solemnly, aware of what just happened.
"Now you look more like the Comet I'm used to, or at least you're getting there," Sothis said to lighten the mood.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"You have a single scar on your right eye, and some of your hair is now blue." Sothis said, "Also, your eyes are as hollow as ever."
I could see some of my blue hair and feel my scar with my palm, so he wasn't lying. He mentioned my eyes were hollow, though.
"Hollow?" I asked, struggling to sit up.
"I mean, they look dead. It's like there's no light going through." Sothis explained, leaning against Mother and looking up.
"I see… You know, when I'd experienced all those lives, I wondered how many of them were lives I've lived through." I confessed to Sothis with no emotion.
"You wanna talk about the ones you remember?"
"I faintly remember one where a mother was running from what I could only assume were soldiers with a child cradled in her arms tightly. She'd been chased down a dark and rocky tunnel. Her screams filled the tunnel as the soldiers shot at her. Because of how dark it was, she eventually tripped. The soldiers approached her, and she pleaded with them. The pain and hopelessness in her voice sent shivers down my spine, but then, they just smiled and slaughtered her and the child. I saw this in the third person and recognized the woman to an extent. I'm still not sure."
"Damn… Someone you knew? Can you tell me about her? I could probably tell who." Sothis asked, wearing an urgent expression.
"I only know I recognized her, but I can't remember how she looked…" I said, angered by my own incompetence.
"Hey, hey, don't worry. This is to be expected when something that serious happens." Sothis assured me, unfazed.
"There were many others I could faintly remember, but everything's so blurry… My memory is foggy." I explained, gripping my head tightly, desperately trying to remember.
"Don't sweat it! We should figure that out eventually," Sothis said with a smile, "Besides, it's about time we talk about constellations!" Sothis declared, getting off Mother and gesturing a thumbs up to me.
"That's right, the ball," I said, emotionless.
"Let's get this started!" Sothis declared excitingly.
The Phoenix, right? So that's my constellation.