1. Fool

...and so begins your descent.

In the mighty hall where Legends rest...

...they are gone, but their Body remains.

With the sand, mud, and soil, You will be remade, and reshape...

...begin anew as a new Man.

Remember the Past, do live in the present, to prepare for the Future.

Do not falter...

...for the Spirit shall guide You.

***

The first thing I felt here was my back. My back felt the cold flat thing and my shoulder felt the pressure.

Then my hands.. then my legs, they felt it too, albeit slowly, as blood flows through my body.

I tried to move my hand, then the back of my hand touched something flat too, like a wall.

*I can't move freely* I though.

Then, I opened my eyes. The light blurred my eyes for a moment.

I saw a yellow colored ceiling. In the center, there's a white flat rectangle with nothing drawn on it, while there's bunch of yellow brownish square tiles surrounding that rectangle. I saw some kind of drawing or mark in those tiles. It looks rather simple.

After looking up for a while, i tried to get up. I seem to regain my strength, but getting up was a struggle. My back is sore.
I realize I was in a chest, rectangle, same size as what i saw above my head. It seems i have been resting here for... was it a moment ago? or perhaps longer than ever? I cannot tell.

Looking around, I saw a single pillar that stands from the floor to the ceiling both ahead of me and my back, surrounded with tiles that has drawings on it. Then there's wall in the front, my left side and behind me, complete with those strange tiles too. In my right side, there seems to be a path down there. The floors too, are painted with tiles of drawings.

*Where am i?* I asked myself. I had no recollection of being here. I don't recognize anything I saw here, but strangely enough, I cannot remember anything at all, even though I can process my thoughts, and I can definitely think. Wait...

*Remember? Then i do have a past!* i thought. I can recognize these shapes, and what is there... but alas, i cannot remember anything at all, as if they were vague... like a fog. Strangely enough, I hear only silence, but it's rather comforting. I knock onto the chest, and it gives a tack sound.

I get out of that chest, then I looked at inside of it... there wasn't anything inside that chest. Unlike the surroundings, the chest seems to be the only thing that stands out. The color was white, shines brilliantly, and it has zig-zag stripes pattern on the outside. I tried to grab on it to check if I can move it, but the chest does not seem to budge at all. Maybe this chest is attached to the floor.

Looking at where am I right now, it seems I am in some kind of a tomb, where somebody like me would be put inside to sleep... or not. Looks wise, It's a great tomb. The room and the path is filled with yellow-amber color light as the wall itself shines on its own. More than that, the place was very clean, and the floor is smooth. This place is made for perfection.

I walked down few step of stairs, then approach to the wall of tiles with weird drawings to examine them. I touched the wall. They were cold, hard, but smooth. A smooth rock perhaps? Or is it made of something else? Speaking of cold, the temperature here is rather chilly, but not cold enough to make me feel uncomfortable. I do the same for the floors too. I touched them, I examine them, and sometimes I gently tap with my feet.

Here each tile seems to have different sizes, some are slightly bigger than the rest, some are a little smaller, although the shape remains to be the same square. The tiles are separated by tiny black gaps. Each tile contains a single drawing, They were drawings with few strokes that seemed to be carved to the tile. These drawings are easy enough to be drawn on the palm of my hand with my finger. Each tile the drawings are different from each other.

One problem though, I don't know what these drawings mean. Sure, there are some of drawing shapes that I can recognize, such as a plus with a horizontal line crossing the bottom path, then there's a wave, and there's also a circle with a curved line crossing the circle... but are these truly the meaning of the drawings? I am not sure. It seems too vague to figure out the meaning just by examining the drawings alone. There is also possibility that it has 'no meaning' at all.

As I keep walking slowly towards the path ahead which curves toward left side then continuing straight ahead, I kept touching and looking at the wall, admiring the surroundings, and questioning.

*Who build this?*, *Why is there so many of these drawings all over the place?*, *For what purpose this drawing do?*.. These are questions I cannot answer but kept pondering.

...this place of marvel, do I deserve all of this, or am i just a drawing waiting to be carved on one of these tiles?
Perhaps it's better to not think too much about it.

***

Not long after walking down the path here, I found myself in the middle of two crossroads.

In my left, the wall seems to only light up to few more walking distance, the rest of the path is blackened with darkness. While in my right the path is light up clear.

I still have no clue regarding where I am, but I am sure I am meant to go to right path. I felt like I am not drawn to such darkness.

If the path is lit with light, there is a chance i would go to the left side, even though at the end I cannot figure out this place.

*No use thinking of that. What good is there if my eyes cannot see them?* I thought, so I continue walking to the right path.

As I keep walking, I noticed that the path is changing, at first it turns left, then it turns right, like a zig-zag. From this walking i did not find anything that stands out... the smooth walls, floors, ceilings, they have not changed a bit, and there seem to be only one path here, however I figured something about the drawing. Some of the drawings I've seen are repeating. They are in different places with different tile sizes, although none of these repeating drawing come up together in same tile each other.

Not like this is helpful, since I don't know the meaning of these drawing. It would be nice if I can draw it on something, rather on my palm, which unfortunately leaves no mark. My memories are not that great either. Maybe I am a forgetful person.

***

I've been walking for a while. As i kept examining the walls and the floors, i also counted how many steps I've been taking. I started counting at those crossroad before. I think I counted more than 800 steps, so i stopped counting. It somehow gets more difficult to count more. I tried to count the repeating drawings to figure out the distance, but since they appear at random places, they are not particularly useful.

Are 800 steps far? I think i walked for some time already, yet the scenery remains the same... except it gets brighter the more i go forward. The wall, the floors, the ceilings... they get more brighter.

*Am I reaching something?* I thought. I saw even brighter light ahead of me. This is clearly something! I am not sure why but I am getting this kind of optimistic feeling!

I walk faster, trying to reach the light in front of me. As I kept walking towards the light, I walk even faster, and I feel even more encouraged!

Then finally, at the end, I stopped. I finally found the source of light. In a medium sized hall, a man stood, alone, same kind as me.

The man looks to be old, with a wrinkled face and a thin beard. Wearing a yellow robe, a seemingly large white bent conical cap, and a strange stick with a rock attached to it. Then the man speaks:

The Man: "Greetings. I've been waiting for you. My name is Jevannah. I shall guide you back to the city."

The man speaks in a rustic voice, while maintaining the smile.

Me: "Y..you've been waiting for me?" as this is my first time opening my mouth.

Jevannah: "Yes. My master wishes you to be escorted from here back to the city."

Jevannah's master? Am I here for a purpose? This could probably mean i am not here just on a whim. I think i should ask further.

Me: "Your master? Who is your master? Am i here for a purpose? A goal?"

Jevannah: "Yes, my Spirit is my Master. You, and I, and everyone here is here for a purpose, and therefore, a goal to achieve. Perhaps you don't know about it yet, but do not worry, you will find one such purpose once you meet your own Spirit."

I have no clue what this Spirit mean. I may have heard about this before. My understanding is that Spirit is supposed to be something that resides within me. By Jevannah words it could mean I have no Spirit, and only if I go to the city then I could meet one. In any case, i should put this aside and try to ask another question.

Me: "Can you tell me where is this place?"

Jevannah: "Certainly. We are in the Tomb of Legends. Historically this is where famous lords and soldier rest at the end of their life. There are many tombs here, and almost all of them are empty, except one."

Me: "Many tombs you said? Are there anyone that went out the same as I did here?"

Jevannah: "No. You are the first and only one person we've found here."

Isn't tomb supposed to have someone inside? Where the others go beside of me? Or are they snobbish enough to prepare such place to put someone later?

Me: "So, where the others go? Surely tomb is not meant to be empty..."

Jevannah: "Precisely. Mysterious, isn't it? Which is why we should get moving. I will explain more while we walk out of here" Jevannah then handed me something.

Jevannah: "Here, this is your clothing. Please wear it. I'm sorry if there's holes in various... places, this is what we had for now."

It looks like to be a brown cloth, rustic to the touch, fit enough for my stature, and it goes down to my knee. It's true, there are holes here and there.... Huh?

All this time, I just realize that I was naked... but, why did I not realize it sooner? Why I did not feel shame about it? Was it a normal behavior? I stood in a daze...

Jevannah: "What's wrong?"

Me: "I just realize I was... naked... but why, did I feel alright about it? Was there no shame to be concerned about?"

Jevannah: "That is because you don't need to. Such emotions do not exist in the presence of the light, especially to someone as pure as yourself."

Me: "The light? This very yellow light? I've been meaning to ask, where is this light coming from? Why do you seem.. bright?"

Jevannah: "The light source comes from myself. I projected the light so you can find me."

A person projects the light? What is this place? This is not normal! Everything is strange here, from the chest, my memories, the drawings, the tomb itself, the person that stood in front of me...

Me: "What are you?"

Then, Jevannah stretch its left hand, seemingly inviting me.

Jevannah: "Let me introduce myself again. I am Jevannah, the torchbearer. Come, I shall guide you with my light."

With Jevannah's aura-like presence, I walked towards Jevannah, walking to where this man goes, leaving the hall behind. There are still many questions to be asked, perhaps sticking to the man in front of me would answer it.

As I walked, I glanced behind. There, I saw the walls, the floors, that used to be bright yellow, slowly getting dimmer, and dimmer, until I saw it, the darkness.

What will be my life from now on?

...