***
Kunkhen slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to adjust his vision. All he could see was a very far away white ceiling. His thoughts were all scrambled. Kunkhen was lying stiff on his back while his body was aching all over.
He couldn't stand up as easily as he was used to. So without thinking much, he slowly rolled to his right side. He, then, brought his hands, in quiet desperation, towards his side to support his weight upwards. The ground was also white, he noticed, as he pushed with all his strength to stand upright. After some time, Kunkhen was standing up but one look at his curved back and loose body will tell you that he was extremely weak.
His breathing was strained and as he walked, each step seemed to carry a weight of its own. 'Now, where am I?' Kunkhen asked slowly as he looked at the world laid in front of his eyes. A white paint curtained everything. Any colour besides white seemed to be non-existent and the silence of the world betrayed its desolate loneliness. A white dessert!!
'Is this another prison? Have I been kidnapped once again?' Kunkhen wondered in a panicked voice. He tried to remember his last moments of consciousness. He was swirling in the tornado of that liquid when he ran out of air and passed out. He remembered the slimy sensation of the black liquid as it occupied his system. In thinking that, Kunkhen quickly checked his nose, mouth and body in an effort to see if it had changed. The blocking suffocation had disappeared from his body.
'Or have I really died this time? Maybe not! It wouldn't hurt this much in the afterlife! Would it?!' Kunkhen's thoughts ran like a train as his body slowly dragged itself through the white world. He hoped to find something, anything that can be of use now. A way to get out, A guide manual to help him figure out what in the world was happening to him, Food and water, a place to rest, Anything!
But as Kunkhen searched around, he realised quickly that it was hard to chart his steps or retrace it as everything in the world was of the same white and the distance from the edges were so big that his steps had no effect. Kunkhen had heard that people get lost in the desert like that for the same reasons.
So Kunkhen made extra careful efforts to remember his steps like a chessmaster because he didn't know what would happen to him if he got lost in this world. 'Front : 5, Right: 4 , Front: 15…' Kunkhen would be saying as he travelled. And at the 20th iteration, or 'Left : 7' as Kunkhen would say , Kunkhen hears a faint voice.
A warm, soft, and a careful voice. One could easily tell that it was the voice of a woman. 'Another person' Kunkhen thinks with joy and relief as he slowly makes his way towards the voice. The woman seemed to be saying something but the faintness of the voice made it hard to make out what. As Kunkhen grew closer and closer to the voice, Kunkhen felt his heart starting to ache and his eyes misty with tears. For some reason, Kunkhen felt a strong emotional connection with the voice.
He walked faster and faster, carrying his difficult body with all his might and willpower. And as the voice became clearer and clearer, Kunkhen grew more and more restless. "It can't be…!!" Kunkhen shouted in bafflement.
He would recognize this voice anywhere. This was the voice that accompanied him since he could remember. But how could she be here? Was she also brought here? Or was he hallucinating? Kunkhen shook his head to drive those thoughts away as he reached the source of the voice.
As he stops, Kunkhen sees a woman and a small boy no older than 3 years. The woman was playfully chasing after the child who was running in circles. "Arghhh, run fast, little boy or I will catch you!" growled the woman, imitating a monster, as the child gleefully shouts "Ahh, Go away. You will not catch me. I am a supreme being. Hahaha"
The woman was wearing a normal grey Chupa with a pangden suspended from her waist. Her fair face, overlayed with the white halo of the world, gave her an angelic look. Her long black hair, braided into three-strands, moved like a whip as she chased the little boy. And the smile that ran through her face curved as beautifully as the crescent moon.
As for the little boy, he looked no older than 3 years but he was swift on his feet as he ran away from the woman. His hair was also black but his skin was slightly pale/gold in colour. He donned a green traditional dress, with a button loose that made his shirt dangle.
But those were not the things that made the boy stand out. Instead, it was something this boy had on his forehead, something extraordinary From afar, it looked like a white circular dot. But as one draws closer to it, one sees the intricate and infinite spiral patterns on the dot. Ivory white in colour, the dot protruded from between the boy's eyebrows with a divine glow. This was heaven's gift for him. One could easily tell. But whether it be for luck or not, one does not know!
But without paying much attention to any of that, Kunkhen's gaze was stuck on the woman, who was about 2 metres away from him. This woman, in front of him,looked younger than how he remembered in his mind, but it was undeniable that this was the same woman. His face showed complicated emotions as slow tears started to trickle from his eyes as he reached out his hand, and in a trembling voice he said "Ama…(mother)"
Kunkhen wasn't loud by any means, but one would easily hear his tearful voice in a 5 metre radius. So Kunkhen was surprised when the woman and the child showed no signs of hearing. He tried again. "Ama!! It's me!! Can you hear me?!!" Kunkhen shouted as he waved his hands to catch their vision. But they showed no signs of seeing him either. Not giving up, Kunkhen started to move his fastest towards his mother thinking they would at least see him then.
In spite of the effort, Kunkhen could not seem to shorten the distance between himself and them. Every step he took towards them resulted in them being displaced a step away. Like two parallel lines, fated to never meet, Kunkhen ran and ran but he could never get nearer to his mother. It seemed, This was a separation further than just distance.
Shouting again and again, Kunkhen tried desperately until he had no choice but to give up. He had no more strength left in him, Neither in his body nor in his will. This episode was the breaking point for him. The physical and mental toll of all his recent experiences crashed on to him and he started to crumble.
His body dropped on its knees with his head following. Something in him started to change. His body started to change. His usual clear brown eyes turned into deep black ones, making it look like two obsidian gems. The white in his eyes was barely visible, and a deep abyss was reflected in Kunkhen's gaze. Light seemed to be coming out from the skin between his eyes, making his blood vessels fully visible. Furthermore, a light hue of gold started to spread over Kunkhen's skin, making him look pale. A look at Kunkhen's eyes tells you that the normal Kunkhen is no longer there. Whatever this form was, it made Kunkhen look like a divine prince. One would be even forgiven for thinking that this divine 'Kunkhen' could wipe out this white world with a single swipe of his hand. His aura was that strong! Divine patterns of mantra and words seem to circling him but the characters were not super clear.
But suddenly, Kunkhen exploded in hysterical laughter.
"Ha…Haha…Hahaha" and started to hit his fist on the ground.
Bang, bang, bang…
Again and again and again. Kunkhen kept hitting his fists on the ground, still laughing. Kunkhen's hands were starting to bleed but his face showed no signs of pain. His eyes showed no signs of sanity and his body showed no sign of stopping.
"Ha..Haha…Still too weak! You are…"
Bang, bang, bang…
Bang…and Bang!
Silence…
Kunkhen stopped. His laughter ceased and silence enveloped the world yet again. His head was buried in the ground, looking like he was in a prostrating position.Around him, on the white ground, a horrifying picture of blood and flesh was painted.
A few moments passed, until the silence was broken.
Sounds of crying, wailing, laughing and sniffs invaded the stillness of the world, as Kunkhen started to cry his heart out. The sound of his weeping, interjected by his mad rounds of laughter, resounded through the white world.
Amidst crying, Kunkhen would shout without thinking, almost like he was possessed, like he was in a trance! Some of his verses sounded like prophecies, some like warnings, and some hinted at painful defeats of some past!
No one was there to hear it, not even Kunkhen himself. So the white world, silently, stood witness to everything.
"...Above Heaven and Under Heaven, I alone am the honoured one!!!"
"... In four directions, eight corners, and for time eternal…"
"...Kunkhen of the surname Tenzin will reign supreme!!!!…"
"..Nothing has changed!! hahaha , I am still too weak!!!"
"...I swear on the name of all under heaven, that if I do not give all of you the most horrific death then I will forsake my name!."
And as Kunkhen raged on in his trance , a gentle voice sounded.
"Kunkhen…My little boy.."
Kunkhen's head perks up. Still with unwavering deep black eyes, giving away that he was still not fully conscious.
"My sweet little boy…"
Kunkhen's black eyes darted towards the sound, until his eyes fell upon his mother and the boy. His mother was talking to the child who was currently sleeping on his lap. They had ceased chasing each other and the woman was sitting on the ground while caressing the little boy's hair. But one look at them and you would know that they didn't hear any of Kunkhen's breakdown.
So Two Obsidian black eyes spied, as the woman started to speak.
"Kunkhen Tenzin…" The woman spoke softly, like a parent telling a bedtime story as she moved her hand through his hair.
"Kunkhen, My precious son…You are small now and you don't know the world that awaits you…High earth, my son, is a beautiful place but it is also cruel…You have been blessed by the great law and that is your luck and your good karma…The Urna you have will bring you many blessings, but the curses it will bring you will not be small…
I know in my heart, that you will blaze your own path in this world… that you will surpass everyone before you....that you will become unrivalled under heaven… That I know, for sure… That your father and I knew, and gave you your name…Kunkhen for All-knowing…But son, I fear that this path will be extremely hard for you…I fear that you will be alone…that pain and loss will be your only accompanying friend…I fear that we will not be there for you…"
The woman started to choke on those last words, revealing her misty eyes.The little boy on her lap was still sleeping and had no way of knowing. She quickly wiped her tears, and began her next verse.
As the woman was talking, the black in Kunkhen's eyes started to wane and the natural brown began to reveal itself. Quiet tears of many emotions were falling from Kunkhen's half-black half-brown eyes. His earlier trance-like state seemed to be wearing off.
"But always remember…Son…, that in spirit, we will always be with you…Never lose your heart, in times of pain…Stay true to your path… You are meant for great things, so be bold, and hold your head high…Remember that you are Kunkhen of the great Tenzin Clan! The chosen people of the great law! … Trials from ancient times have plagued our great clan but our clan still remains strong!... Believe in that strength of our people…Believe in the will of our ancestors!..And believe in the great law that guides you.!"
"Mother…" Kunkhen whispers, showing signs of consciousness.
The black in his eyes were almost gone, and the white of the sclera and brown of the pupils were almost at their natural balance. Kunkhen was not sure what took over him, a god, a devil, or himself. He wasn't sure what this was. All he could remember was blacking out, as his heart thumped faster and faster.
It felt like a dream for the most part but he could remember that he felt like he had an incredible amount of power. He couldn't properly remember what happened or what he did. He was shook by the blood and flesh, that his fist gifted to the white ground but strangely, his hands were not hurting. Not even wounds were there on the skin.
But for some reason, Kunkhen was there when his mother started speaking. Maybe this form of his had a time-limit and out of coincidence, he was able to witness his mother's words or maybe not. He didn't know and he didn't care, at least for now. He will have to figure out the mysteries of that form later on. For now, Kunkhen was stuck on each word his mother spoke to the little child. Every sentence hit him like a truck and more.
The woman in front of him was his mother. That's for sure. She looked younger but it was her for sure. And that little kid is named Kunkhen Tenzin. It wouldn't be a stretch to think this grown Kunkhen was indeed that little boy.
But how? The child looked so different. That boy looked chosen, he had a divine glow on his forehead. And when Kunkhen thought about himself in his current form, he didn't have any other words than 'Ordinary.'
But a part of Kunkhen believed it. Ever since his first memories, Kunkhen always felt incomplete. Like he was missing a limb, when he was walking and like he was missing a part of his mind, when he was trying to learn. And now that he saw this little boy, Kunkhen knew that this was the one. Great law, Tenzin Clan, High-Earth... These terms were absolutely new to him, but these words brought a warm feeling to his heart.
Moreover, Kunkhen had no memories of being younger than 10, and that always stood out as being weird to him. 'What happened to this little boy on his journey that he became an ordinary person like me? 'Kunkhen pondered. He really believed that this little boy was indeed him. A part of him he had forgotten or made to forget. And a part of him he will have to rediscover, or reinvent!
But then, Kunkhen looks at his mother. Did his mother always know? Did she know about this magic, this power that brought me to you? Did she know I would be in danger? How much did she know? And why didn't she tell him?
"Mother…Have you always known?" Kunkhen quietly asks his mother, knowing he will not get an answer.
Silence
"Yes! I have! My boy"1 The woman says, turning her head and looking straight in Kunkhen's eyes.
Kunkhen stumbled in shock as the scene around him shifted.