* * * *
Qan stood bolt upright. No one had followed him to the temple this morning – neither his mentor nor his family would be so brazen as to break the tradition of The Ageing like that. Trying to maintain his composure, Qan walked over to the now lifeless body of the Greater Bear and picked up his staff. He turned to face the far side of the hall where the clapping was coming from. There in the Speaker’s Stand was a man unlike any Qan had seen before.
The man was dressed in white, with tight pants and a loose tunic covered in a long robe that ran from his head almost to his ankles. Across the man’s back, sheathed in a scabbard, was a narrow blade with a rusted black handle that stuck out over his right shoulder. His head was covered by a single piece of white fabric that was pulled tight around the back of his skull, leaving the man’s head looking like it was permanently leaning into a gale. Most alien of all, however, was the figure’s face. No features were apparent at this distance, except across the eyes, where a narrow strip of red burst out from the white mask. Qan was completely thrown by the appearance of this person – who was he? What was he? The man simply stood there, clapping slowly and staring intently in Qan’s direction.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of applause rang out around the Great Hall. Sunlight beamed in on the ground, breaking into patches as clouds passed over the sun.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The man had clearly been watching the clash with the bear, but Qan wasn’t sure why the stranger hadn’t made his presence known earlier. Qan took a few steps towards the man.
“Hello.”
The clapping stopped. The man stared at Qan.
“What brings you to the Great Temple today? Were you also tracking this bear?”
The man didn’t answer. His hands now rested at his side, but the atmosphere was suddenly tense.
Qan decided that further questions, or indeed further time in the Great Hall were unlikely to be wise. Best to make a swift exit and leave this man to his silence.
“Whatever your plans, friend, I bid you a good day. Keep the faith.”
Qan turned to leave, but the man’s voice broke the silence, sending a sudden chill down Qan’s spine.
“I came to ssee a sshow.”
Qan turned back around. He had never heard a voice so terrifying yet so enticing. The man didn’t talk so much as seethe, with each sound spoken through the fabric of his mask carrying the softness of raindrops and the menace of thunder.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I came to ssee a sshow, Rudi-Qan Ssahi.”
Qan froze on the spot. Who was this man?
“How do you know my name?”
Suddenly the man began to move – his head curving slowly from side to side as words echoed from the Speaker’s Stand and bounced around the hall.
“I know many thingss. I have known you and your ffamily for yearss. I watched your ffather on the day of hiss Ageing. I knew your brotherss and ssaw their sskill. But you… you I have watched closser than any of the otherss.”
Panic began to flood into Qan’s conscience. Here in the Great Hall, despite the sunshine, everything suddenly felt very dark. A nagging pressure began building in Qan’s head, pressing in on his mind. He wanted to run, to get out of this place, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to move.
“Who are you?” Qan asked.
The man didn’t respond, but the pressure in Qan’s mind continued to build.
“Who are you?” He asked again, this time with urgency. This time with panic.
“You assk me who I am, yet you barely know yoursself. I bought you here to ssee a sshow, and all you gave me wass a running race.”
“What do you mean you bought me here? I came here to complete my Ageing!” The pressure in Qan’s head was still increasing, becoming more intense with every moment.
“Ssilly boy. Why would a bear be waiting sso conveniently in thiss place? Why would it appear on the day that you and you alone were to face The Ageing? Ssimpleton. You are not thinking. I bought you here to ssee a sshow. Yes, I came to ssee a sshow. I will not leave without a sshow!”
Qan’s mind was pulsating now, and he struggled to even remain standing under the intense mental pressure. Qan held tightly onto his staff as he sunk to his knees. Somehow he knew that the only way he would be able to leave this place alive was to stay calm. Once again the man spoke, but this time his voice was filled with malice, a quiet rage that appeared to hold great power.
“Yess… I did not come here to ssee you run. I came here to ssee you dance. Now, dance!”
To Qan’s disbelief, a rush of movement exploded around him. He looked up to see the marble that had fallen on the Greater Bear fly away and land in a heap nearby. Slowly, the bear stood up, flexing its muscles and looking around the Great Hall. The bear turned to its left, and upon seeing Qan, it let out a roar of pure madness. It thrust forward from where it was standing, charging towards Qan with all its might. Qan barely had to time to move as the creature lunged towards him, but in a flash he thrust his pole into the ground and started to vault away.
Too late.
The bear’s weight caught Qan square on the chest, causing him to fly backwards onto the ground. Qan’s staff rolled away as the bear turned around and ambled over towards him. The pulsating in Qan’s mind continued – he felt like his head might explode. Whatever was happening here, it wasn’t right. No creature, not even a bear, could have survived the weight of solid marble that had crashed upon it – and no human could possibly have lifted the stone alone, either. Qan’s mind was swimming while his head was pounding. Surely this was the end. He simply couldn’t move as the bear reached him and laid its left paw on his chest. Pain ripped through Qan’s body as the bear’s claws pierced his robe, and the creature’s weight cracked his ribs. The bear raised its right paw to bring down a final blow that would finish its prey.
Suddenly it seemed to Qan as if time stood still. In the midst of the pain and chaos all around him, he felt an overwhelming sense of joy inside himself. It was the joy of running through the valleys near his village with his friends, the joy of summers riding his horse, the joy of warm winter dinners near a roaring fire as snow fell on the plains outside. And that joy rose within in Qan, reaching a crescendo as the whole room around him seemed to pulse with an intense energy. Qan felt the rising joy surge within his chest – it was unlike any sensation he had felt before. He watched as the bear’s paw came down towards him, and just as the paw was about to meet his body Qan found himself screaming “NO!”
Immediately, a pulse of energy knocked the bear’s paw away. Qan didn’t understand, but the pressure in his head ceased. Without hesitation, he shouted “ENOUGH!” This time, the energy flowing from his chest was greater, and light burst all around, throwing the bear off him and back against the marble dome across the hall. The bear slumped to the ground and lay there. There was no twitching this time: the bear was dead at last.
Qan felt the rush of emotion drain from his body. He struggled to his feet and turned around to face the Speaker’s Stand, but instead found himself staring at the mysterious man, who was now standing only a few metres away from him. Qan could feel the intense pain from his ribs and chest growing, and he was now finding it difficult to breathe. He mustered the air to his lungs in an effort to speak.
“I… must… know… who… you… are.” He demanded between his shallow breaths.
The man seemed to look at Qan intensely, as if considering the scene he had just witnessed. Then he hissed out this response:
“My name… iss Morticuss”
And with that, he turned on his heel to leave.
“Wait..!” Qan cried “Is… that it? You’re… just going… to leave me here… to die like… this?!”
Morticus stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
“Oh, you will not die, no. You are much too important. Yess, a piece of the puzzle you are, Ruhi-Qan Ssahi. A piece of the puzzle.”
Leaving
those words hanging in the air, Morticus crossed the hall and slipped out of sight. Qan, certain that he was going to die, collapsed on the ground. He lay there staring up at the sky. Clouds drifted across the sea of blue above him as he looked out past the three shattered domes that had once stood proud above the Great Hall. He felt a sudden sense of peace, despite the pain in his chest and the fact that he was alone. His vision began to fade. “Who am I?” He quietly whispered to himself. With those words, he lost consciousness and drifted into darkness.