3 | The Mortal Plane

Chirp…chirp…

“Ugh…”Zeni groaned.

Gasping, her eyes snapped open. She was met with the lush vision of a forest canopy. An array of greens meshed together as the leaves ruffled with the wind. Warm…the wind was a pleasant heat. She took a deep breath, savoring the relaxing pine scent of the forest and refreshing nature around her. Sitting up, Zeni felt the dirt at her fingertips as she sat on the forest floor. In the middle of nowhere.

Where the hell am I? She thought and glanced around. Trees, that was all she could see as she squinted, trying to see anything else. But, there wasn’t much to see in the first place. Everywhere was just forest! Zeni sighed, she really couldn’t have dropped me in a better place?

Wait!

Looking down and around her, she whipped her head around as she searched. Sharp panic rose in her the longer she looked. Where did it go? She couldn’t find it…the gemstone! It was her only contact with Ipatia, she couldn't afford to lose it. She couldn’t be left in this world completely alone…please no.

Standing up, she wobbled around as she adjusted to the gravity of the space. It was heavier than in the pantheon. Its denser reality caused her movements to drag as she took a step forward. How odd…it made her curious how this compared to the gravity back home. Home…was no longer home. This was her new home. That’ll take some getting used to. Struggling to get a hold of her movement, she scanned the area once more, now with more view. Nothing, no gemstone in sight. Her heart plummeted within her.

Maybe it was just hidden? If it wants to play hide and seek, I’ll play. She smirked and dove into a nearby bush. Tearing through it, she tried her best to search through every nook and cranny. She did the same process to the other bushes around her, scraping up her hands in the process. She hadn’t known what she’d do when she arrived on this plane. But this was NOT what I had in mind. How am I supposed to learn how to control my weird powers without this damn gemstone?! She continued to dumpster dive the bushes, ending up getting leaves and twigs tangled in her hair, which only further irritated her.

I don’t have time for this!

Well…maybe she did, she didn’t actually know how much time she had. Because I need the gemstone for that… Zeni sighed even deeper at the realization. Climbing out of the bushes, she sat down roughly on the ground. She was disappointed in herself for losing it, but she also wasn’t awake to see where it went. It wasn’t her fault, she knew this, yet she still felt so guilty.

A spark ran through her fingertips suddenly. Zeni jumped in shock at the sensation as it spread through her palms and wrapped around her wrists. Tugging at the tips of her fingers, the energy got more potent the more she aimed her hand right. It pulled her up until she was back to standing, leading her back into the bushes. I already searched there. It kept guiding her, the surge of energy running through her fingers now reached her arms and began to heat up. The power warmed her skin as she reached through the same bushes she’d already tore through earlier. Zeni sighed as she felt around and found the same nothingness as before. As she went to pull her hand out of the foliage, the pleasant warmth began to burn.

“What the–” Zeni hissed and grabbed her wrist as the burning sensation began to climb up her arm. What in the hell is this?! She pulled her hand further out of the bush, but the burn only got hotter. She yelped out in pain at the spike in heat and plunged her hand back into the bush on reflex. Instantly, the heat calmed, leaving only a remaining throb in her palm. Okayyy so is this like some proximity thing? To what…to the gemstone? Perking up at the thought, she fished her hand around the bush once again. I can’t see anything, but maybe I’m not meant to. This was not the pantheon, and she couldn’t imagine that this world had the same rules as the world of the gods. Zeni laughed to herself. Yeah no, this is the mortal plane. And in the mortal plane, anything godly was often hidden. At least, that’s how it worked in her past life. Hidden from plain sight, spirits and deities were believed to exist, yet very rarely could they be seen with the naked eye.

Then maybe it’s hidden. Maybe it’s been here this whole time.

What if I use my own energy?

What if I mess up while using my energy?

Hmmm, she pondered. She could end up breaking the gem instead, but how was she supposed to train her powers if she didn’t use them once and a while right?

This is insane, Zeni thought as she tried to focus her mind, not knowing what she was doing at all. She’d had no instruction before she was shipped off to this world. All she had to go off of was the memory of the rush of blinding energy that burst through her in the temple. If only she could replicate it…

As her concentration settled and grew, all normal external sensations in her body grew numb. Her mind swirled as she felt her powers release into the outside world slowly. Well, this sure is different than last time. It took all of her concentration just to keep her body standing. The pressure in her body took a toll and she somehow knew that if she lost her focus for even a second, it would be detrimental.

Daring to open her eyes, Zeni glanced down at her hand. A glowing purple light shone through the leaves of the bush. Yes! As her excitement grew, the power within her became unsteady. The energy flickered within her, no longer constant. Quickly reaching for where the light came from, her hand was met with the smooth surface of the stone. Zeni sighed in relief as she pulled the stone from the bush to look at it.

There were no dents or cracks, it remained the same as it once was.

Thank the gods! She cradled it in her hands, bringing it close to her chest, completely forgetting her own unstable energy.

BOOM!

A loud crash echoed in the distance as a tree fell. She flinched and. The ground began to rumble and shift as cracks formed in the dirt beneath her. Whatever energy that’d been dancing around in her veins released into the world suddenly. What was happening?

“Zeni?”

A voice chimed out from the stone. Ipatia!

“Ipatia, is that you?”

“You need to calm down!”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Your energy is still unstable, even more so now that you’re in the mortal plane. You MUST calm down.”

“I–”

“Just try, breathe okay?”

“Okay…okay…” Zeni took a few deep breaths and felt her heart beat slow.

The ground eventually calmed and the world became silent once more.

“Wow..”

“You must pay attention to your emotions, dear.”

“What do you mean?”

“They have just as much influence over the stability of your energy as the world around you does.”

Zeni glanced down at her hands, her veins pulsated along her skin. A purplish color flowed through them.

“How do I control it?”

“Practice.”

“Yeah no shit, but how do I practice?”

“That…I actually don’t know.” Ipatia’s voice tilted up guiltily.

“You don’t know? What do you MEAN you don’t know?!”

“When I thought about it longer, I was never required to do such training.” Zeni stared down at the stone in her palms, astonished. The goddess continued, “all I did was grow and it grew with me. I never had an instability issue.” Is it because I’m artificial? Not a natural born…god? It still gave her uncomfortable shivers to think about her new heritage, if one could even call it that.

“That’s real helpful…” Zeni replied with sass.

“I’m sorry I’m not more useful.”

Zeni sighed and recounted the past day’s events. Ipatia, a woman who’d birthed her current self into existence by sheer willpower and defiance, a woman who had suffered the grossly harsh judgements of her peers for doing so, all for a child - for her. A mother…something she’d always wanted.

“You being here is enough Ipatia.”

“I don’t feel like it is.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“HA, you’re not the first one to tell me that recently, though you are the first that I believe may be correct.” She could hear the smirk in the woman’s mouth as she spoke. Zeni clenched the stone harder as she saw its glow flicker.

“The stone, it’s flashing?”

“Ah, I’m running out of time, a shame. I enjoy talking to my daughter, but it seems the gemstone has other plans.”

“What—”

“I’m limited each day to how long I can reach out to you. Though you can always reach out to me, I may not always be able to reply immediately.”

“Oh…” Zeni found herself unexpectedly disappointed as Ipatia explained.

“Don’t hesitate to reach out, I’ll answer all your questions once I’m able to. I’ve got a special notebook and everything!” The woman giggled, clearly excited at the notion of helping her daughter.

“Right…” Zeni drew out her reply.

“Oh! That’s right be ca— of the mon—-rs and other be—s that roam the la—”

“Huh? I can't hear you.”

“Ugh, my ti— is u—”

“Ipatia?”

Only silence replied, the stone now shone dimmer, a now faded greyish purple. Whatever electricity that had drawn her to it earlier had disappeared, as the stone was not cool to the touch. She gathered her limited things: a small satchel, the gemstone, and a dark grey cape which matched the robes she’d been dressed in. The clothes weren’t horrible. They were pretty comfortable actually. Loose fitting and light, they let air filter through and cool her skin. It was warm out now, but she had a suspicion that the thicker cape would come in handy when night would eventually arrive.

Wandering through the endless array of trees, Zeni hoped to find a path. She scanned the area in search of tracks or worn dirt. At first, she was unsuccessful, only finding the occasional berry bush or animal tracks. Each time she would stop to pick some to put in her purse. Perhaps they could be worth something, or maybe her curiosity would end up getting her poisoned… either would be exciting that's for sure. She was beginning to give up hope as she tripped on a large tree root into the middle of a dirt road. 

Finally! She would finally be able to find a path to somewhere, anywhere at that point would be better than in the middle of the forest. However, before she could even begin to get up off of the dusty ground, the rough sound of hooves pounded into the dirt nearby. The sound became louder and louder, and as Zeni turned her head in its direction, she was face to face with a massive horse. Two massive horses barreled towards her, pulling a covered wagon close behind them.

Dammit! Zeni began to panic once more, but quickly remembered Ipatia’s warning. Breathe, stay calm. Scrambling to get up, Zeni pushed herself off of the ground harshly, her arms fatigued as she did. The horses only continued to get closer to her as she struggled to get her footing. She needed to run, but her body was frozen in fear. Her mind knew to move, but her physical self was paralyzed. Bracing for impact, she shielded her face with her arms and awaited her doom. Though, doom never came.

Peeking one eye open cautiously, Zeni was greeted with a harsh blow of the horse's breath into her face. Mere inches away, the horses and wagon had stopped just before reaching her. She let out a breath of relief as her eyes met those of a shorter, bearded man with gentle green eyes who walked to her. He paused before her and smiled warmly, reaching out a hand.

“~~~~~” Huh? The man had spoken, but she had no idea what the language was or what he had said. Zeni stared wide eyed at him, stunned.

This is gonna be a long day.