Aion Novus

Anu was greeted with a shimmer of magenta-blue, as he squirmed beneath its glow. His memories were a haze as the dimness of his peripheral vision gently swayed away. Someone held him; he could sense cold seeping through his bare back.

Did he survive? Anu wondered, a torrent of questions erupting. Was Ayano okay? And the trekkers and the guide? Did the director fire him?

He felt the dampness of the wind change, as a gentle gust in a glow of cyan trailed across the darkness, illuminating the erum wall. His eyes widened as he gazed up. The ceiling wasn't a silvery grey of a hospital but a composite of erum-thou, the criss-cross of bamboos. Strings of conical chimes, carved from erum, swayed by each other, crafting a tender melody. A song of the wind, proclaiming the arrival of a kin.

Soon, he saw the arrival of three faces, each more terrifying than the last. His lips curled to scream, limbs jerking out of recoil. This felt confusing. His body wouldn't listen to his commands; each movement was a different sensation, guided by a stimulus. He opened his mouth, a cry for help, but all that came out was an inelegant gurgle.

The three ladies, clad in a reddish chuba, a knee-length layered robe, swivelled their arms out, revealing a tirku—a tiny sword shimmering with a silver glint in the cyan wind. On their head rested Tsogshing, its surface carved smoothly into a dragon's face with horns like antlers swerving from each side. The eyes shone emerald as they leaned in.

Anu was beyond terrified. He had just survived a death, and now he was sure he was about to witness another. The glare of the sword swivelled over his eyes, for a moment he saw a pair of blue gazing back at him, and then he was lifted up.

The masked ladies tapped their feet as they sang in a joyous inflexion. Their cadence was infectious as the Cyan trails twisted and turned to their voices, moving over the chimes then downwards around them. The words they sang were opaque yet melodic. It wasn't just the song, the language, utterly foreign and warped, rolled off their tongue without pause.

Was it a phonetic language? Anu wondered as a blue cloak was draped over him. His confusion was immense as he couldn't fathom the strength the person who held him carried. He was fit for his age, but for someone to pick him up was surprising.

His movement now constrained, the song swelled. The women, entranced, their arms swaying as the person who held him leaned in close. Her eyes were scarlet, skin wrinkled, and around the edges were crow's feet. Her silvery hair was marked by patches of raven as she bent to gently kiss his forehead. A cool sensation took over him, sending tides of tranquillity through him. His doubts, confusion and anxiety evaporated in a glimmer.

Her lips curled up into a smile. It felt warm, nostalgic even. Her mouth parted as a single word constructed of five syllables rolled off of her tongue. It lacked retroflex with only a pinch of aspirates, and yet the sound was melodical. Anu couldn't understand it, but the first two syllables made the sound 'Ko'.

The proclamation by the old women signalled the Cyan trails back to their course. They swayed over moving in loops, scaling the golds and yellows of the erum wall before merging into a pair of angular wings flapping over his chest, leaving arcs of magenta-scarlet-obsidian pigments as it hovered toward his nose. Its glow ethereal, melody astral, it swayed around as if dancing before taking a pause.

Anu held his breath, his lips forced close. He was mesmerised and terrified at the same time. The beauty of this creature and the fear of dispersion made him unblinkingly quiet.

The creature moved up and down as if nodding a smile, and then gently sat over his chest and melted away.

There was a pause. No one spoke. The ladies in the back, the one holding him and the other two on the bed, all held their breath.

And then entered a swarm. Butterflies translucent, glowing in hues of magenta-blue, dawning a floral pattern, leaving a gusty trail. Taking it as a sign, the old lady holding her erupted in a gleeful laughter, startling Anu. She said words, lots of them, all alien yet rhythmic to his ears.

He was soon handed over to the lady in the bed. Her turquoise eyes were sunken, arms shaky as her voice quavered. In her embrace, he felt shielded, and his heart calmed. A familiar fragrance of citrus-laced mahogany roused his senses as the woman leaned in, hollowed cheeks sinking as she spoke words he couldn't follow.

Her tired eyes sparkled with love as she gently tapped his palm with her aching finger. Once again, his body reacted; his fingers curling around hers. Her eyes widened, a smile blooming on her face as she called for another in a joyous tone.

Over his periphery, he saw a wisp of silver strands fluttering in the cyan sheen as a pair of scarlet eyes met his gaze. It was the same as the lady before, but this person was younger. She was barely three, tiptoeing over to his side as she scooted over the straw bed. She cast a hesitant gaze at the lady holding Anu, who gave her a smile, gesturing her to continue.

Anu, confused, watched them as the girl leaned over. Her forehead touched his, eyes closing as she whispered a word. Four syllables, in a rhythmic tone. Anu could only make out 'Oi'.

The wind chimes tinkled again, and another melody brought the moment to an end. Everyone present clasped their hands, their eyes shut. Reciting a prayer.

As Anu watched them, his mind raced with incessant questions. He was dead, and now he was alive. He was in a mix of people who drowned in fantastical circumstances, and somehow everyone could pick him up. This was absurdity beyond comprehension. Was this a cosmic comedy? A hallucination? Were those butterflies just psychedelic pathogens leading those around them to get high? Did the cavern even exist?

Squirming under the draped cloak, he shut his eyes. Trying to bite his tongue, he felt a void. His eyes opened as his tongue prodded his jaw. There were no teeth. He opened his mouth, he wanted to scream, but again it was only a gurgle.

The ladies opened their eyes and gathered around him. Their eyes were laden with urgency as the older one placed her fingers, index-middle-ring over his forehead. Another sensation of coolness trickled down his body, stopping over his right shoulder.

There was a pause; nothing happened. Then scorching heat seared over his skin. Tears welled in his eyes as he let out a piercing wail. The pain was immense. The lady with blue eyes held him close; she spoke words unrecognisable, but it anchored Anu.

Soon after the sensation dispersed, as the masked ladies and the old women raised their arms. His vision blurred, exhaustion seeping in, and then Anu drifted off to sleep again.