The Phenomenology of Spirit

The Maestro was Xilu and Xilu was the Maestro. Why was Mr. Xilu doing this? Why was he hurting everyone? Wasn’t it his desire to be with others? Then why was he doing this? It didn’t make sense. Like all things in the Chaos Lands, it didn’t make sense.

“Well, it will be my honour to kill a god then,” Mr. Ren commented, though I could tell by looking at him that he was nervous. How could he not be? I was Xilu, the power of a God. How could anyone hope to defeat a God?

Perhaps sensing my unease, he muttered to me, “Kid, find the Chalice. I will hold him off.”

I nodded and responded, “Don’t die.”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I will do my best kid,” he replied, readying his blade.

“~Kekekeke. I know for certain now. Well, I will accept your challenge. But before I do that, I wish to know who you both are.~”

“Why should we tell you? Didn’t you say names were powerful things?” Mr. Ren commented.

“~I like you. Kekekeke. Using my own logic against me. Kekekeke. If it were under different circumstances, I am sure I would get along splendidly with you.~”

“Well, I’m glad you like me because I detest you. But to answer your question, my name is Ren.”

“~Kekekeke. Little birdy, little wren. I will remember you~” The Maestro responded to Mr. Ren raising his sword by raising his lone clawed hand. But he shifted his attention to me as I began to creep forward towards the Palace.

“~Kekekeke. And who are you?~” He asked me.

“Who am I?” I mumbled. That was a good question. I didn’t have a name to give him. So I said nothing.

“~hmmm not going to answer me.~” The Maestro frowned before returning to his wicked smile. “~Well, once I am done playing with this little Birdy, I’m sure I can get to know you better. Kekekeke~”

The moment Mr. Ren’s blade and the Maestro’s claw collided was the moment I ran towards the Palace.

“~As I thought Kekekeke.~” The Maestro laughed, though I had no idea why he was laughing nor what his comment meant. Perhaps he was talking to himself.

I ran into the Palace. The outside was so large that I thought the inside would be like a maze. But instead, once I entered, there was only a small tiny room. A wooden crate with a white Chalice resting on it.

Seeing the small room reminded me of my own room. It was very small, the four walls that kept me inside. In this area, everything was very similar. There wasn’t much in it; it wasn’t large. But perhaps to Xilu, it was the entirety of the universe.

I picked up the Chalice, and as I did so, it filled with red blood. Seeing it suddenly appear surprised me, and I dropped the Chalice. Despite being filled with blood moments ago, when I dropped it, not a single drop of blood fell out. Rather, there was nothing in it at all. Perhaps it was impossible to spill the blood.

I went to pick it up again, and as I did so, I noticed it had an engraving at the bottom, etched in by its creator, Xilu. While it was written with letters that Lady Scarlet hadn’t taught me, I somehow could read it— Xilu.

Having found the Chalice, I knew I could waste time. I had to bring it to Mr. Ren. I ran out of the Palace, and the moment I stepped outside, I saw the two of them collide, the Maestro’s hand piercing Mr. Rens’s stomach and Mr. Rens’s blade through the neck of the Maestro.

Mr. Ren didn’t move, but the Maestro turned around. I saw one last smile cross over the Maestro’s face before he laughed.

“~Kekekeke, my life is only temporarily over. I commend you on your fighting spirit, little Birdy, but this is the end for you as well. But unlike you, I will return. Kekekeke. I will see you soon, Raven Child.~”

His head fell first to the ground before the rest of his body followed. The moment it hit the ground, it was absorbed, almost as if it was consumed by the Chaos Lands themselves.

Eyes appeared throughout the sky and the ground. Watching, observing, the madness of losing its master if only but a fleeting moment. The speed of destruction followed. Without the Maestro, without Xilu, the Chaos Land began to collapse, and rifts began to rip apart, along with anyone existing in the worlds beyond that.

While there was a reprieve from the Maestro, I did not care, nor did I care that the world around us was ending. I was focused on one thing and one thing only.

Mr. Ren had collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood.

I ran over to him. I found the Chalice, which meant I could get anything, right? I could save Mr. Ren, right? I could save my Father, right?

I knelt next to him.

“Take the Chalice,” I begged him.

“I can’t,” He coughed some blood.

“Why not?” I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t take it.

“Kid, my life is over. I doubt even the Chalice could save me at this point.” Mr. Ren muttered, more blood spilling from his mouth.

“You won’t know unless you try,” I begged him.

“I’m sorry, but while you were looking for the Chalice, Xilu said that his power cannot undo injuries caused by him. The power of the Chalice won’t work.” He responded.

“But he could be lying. He’s always lying. He’s the Maestro of Misinformation.” I struggled to say the larger words.

“I can tell. I can feel the injury throbbing near the Chalice. He may be a liar, but this time, he was telling the truth. There is no way to save me.” He had a coughing fit and turned ghostly pale. It was as if his time was almost up. Time that wasn’t supposed to even exist beyond the rift.

“Don’t leave me Daddy,” I cried. I had lost everyone else. Mother, Lady Scarlet, was killed by the Maestro. Buddy had been beaten to death by Anne. Mr. Journeyman was crushed. The Maestro stabbed Mr. Jason. I can hardly imagine what it was like for everyone else who was at the camp. Daddy was the only one I had left. If he died, I would have no one.

“I’m sorry, but I want you to live for Lady Scarlet and me. I don’t want to see you get hurt any longer.”

“I don’t want to live without you and Mother,” I told him.

He somehow managed to push his entire body up and grab my wrist, which was holding the Chalice.

“Drink!” he instructed as he tried his best to lift the Chalice to my mouth using what little strength he had left.

I could taste the liquid in the Chalice, Xiu’s blood. I was like nothing I had ever tasted before. The moment I swallowed, Mr. Ren smiled, and his eyes clouded over before he collapsed.

The ground around us began to crumble, and the screams of those from various worlds echoed in my head—the fear of everyone as they were torn apart piece by piece and returned to the rift.

Every bit of pain, every bit of fear, all echoing.

And then nothing. Emptiness. Blackness. A void. If the Chaos Lands was the place beyond the rift, then I now existed in the space beyond even that—the void of emptiness.

Although there was nothing there, I did obtain something: my memories. The memories that had been sealed, restricted from endless times prior.

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

End Chapter 29

The Little Birdy has ceased to chirp

The one who broke my chains and gave me freedom found freedom in his own death

The Little Wren won’t chirp

Farewell Father.