Final Breath of the Stars – Part 4
The Cave of Manifestations glowed, anticipating Sir Alexander’s arrival, while the stars writhed in fury and fright.
Alexander was close. He could feel his insides burning with a surge of determination, urgently beseeching him to open his eyes after he laid on the hard rock beneath him when he escaped the supernatural forest fire. He coughed violently, his lungs suffering from the toxic smoke he was forced to breathe in when he ran for his life. Eyes wide open now, his head pounded achingly as he dizzyingly attempted to regain his strength.
Alexander groaned, turning on his side and placed his palm flat on the rock beneath him, before he hauled himself up. He momentarily staggered forward, losing his balance, before he quickly stabilised his body and he took a deep, slow breath. Glancing briefly at the forest, he gulped at the morbid sight.
The trees were like ghosts, whispers of souls that once belonged to vessels, skeletons of what they once were. His heart broke at this loss of habitat, and he growled lividly, clenching his fists as he vowed to attain justice against the cruelty of the stars.
Turning his back on the forest, he gazed up ahead at the rest of the mountain he was resting on, and if the guidance the man at the tavern told him was true, then the Cave of Manifestations was somewhere close in this very mountain.
Meanwhile, the stars were beginning to worry; no one has ever made it this far into the quest to find the cave, and their restlessness was evident. They consulted each other. Should Alexander pass his final trial, this would be the end of their reign. The stars could not allow it – but they also had to devise a plan to save themselves from Alexander’s wrath should he indeed pass his trials.
Very quickly, they formed a plan with a backup should all fail. After all, the stars have lived for centuries, and what of a mere mortal? There would be no chance for Sir Alexander to rise in victory.
The stars would never allow it.
Alexander climbed up the mountain, each step taken being deliberate in the name of vengeance. To attain justice for all the lives lost in search for this cave of doom. Alexander traipsed into this quest with an earnest heart, so open for a fair adventure where he’d have to hone his warrior skills, but remain kind and just, but the past two challenges proved deadly and impossible to keep the same positive outlook as he’d had when he’d first mounted his strong steed to search for the Cave of Manifestations. His heart was cold, his mind closed off, his sight focused on the end result, almost forgetting that a third and final trial anticipated his arrival.
“Help!”
Sir Alexander stopped in his tracks abruptly, his body going rigid and his ears strained to hear every single sound. His gaze darted across his surroundings, alert and tense, before he heard the same faint, quivering cry.
“Somebody, please help me!”
Alexander instantly sprinted towards the voice, his hands immediately reaching for his sword tucked away in its sheath, and as he rounded the corner behind the large rocks, he pointed his sword defensively, expecting a beast, or a villainous man attacking a women, but he was perplexed to find just an old lump of a woman cowering in a corner, her wrinkled face of years of wisdom withered and twisted into a terrified expression, shielding her head and trembling from head to toe.
Sir Alexander lowered his sword and cautiously stepped towards the woman, who in turn, flinched away from him. Alexander stopped moving. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you.”
The old woman continued to shiver, eyeing Alexander warily. Alexander’s eyes traveled to her shoulder, where she appeared to be heavily wounded, losing blood rapidly. His eyes widened.
“Please, you’re hurt.” He stepped forward again. “Let me help you.”
“Stay away from me!” The old woman pleaded, but Alexander frowned desperately.
“But you called for help! Please let me at least help you in stopping the bleeding.”
The old woman glanced at her shoulder and winced in pain, before she nodded curtly, still hesitant. Alexander approached her gently, kneeling down to inspect her wound and he frowned deeply.
“How did you even get here?” He asked her in confusion as he ripped the fabric of his trousers.
“I’m a merchant … I’ve got grandchildren to feed. And to feed them I’ve got to make a living.”
Alexander frowned dubiously as he tied the fabric tightly against her shoulder and underneath her arm, and the old woman hissed in pain, her green eyes staring into his exhausted face.
“So you decided to sell your goods on a mountain top?” He scrunched up his face, and the old woman rolled her eyes.
“I was robbed. Do you see any goods on me?” She snapped and pulled her arm away from him when he tied a tight knot of the fabric.
Alexander glanced around her sheepishly. “I apologise. I did not realise.”
The old woman sighed, leaning her frail back against the boulder behind them. “I was robbed as I made my way through the forest, and was stabbed so I’d be too busy tending to my wound to care about my lost property.”
Alexander clenched his jaw angrily at the thought of a lowly thief stealing from an old woman whose only goal was to put food on the table for her grandchildren, not to mention the fact that he had hurt her too.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Alexander was sincere, and he nodded at her wound. “This should stop the bleeding, but we must get you to a healer. This is only a temporary fix.”
The old woman nodded solemnly. “Thank you, son. You’ve shown me kindness in my moment of need. This act will not be forgotten.”
Alexander shook his head, dismissing her gratitude modestly, and eyeing the top of the mountain. He was very close now.
“I would love to help take you to a healer, but may I ask if you could join me on one last task I am meant to do before we leave?” Alexander asked her gently, and the old woman simpered weakly.
“I’d be happy to accompany you.”
Alexander nodded firmly, before he helped her up cautiously, and slowly walked with her to the mountaintop.
It was a dark and looming entrance, Sir Alexander came to find out, as he stood before the Cave of Manifestations. He was not sure what he expected, but a dark, deserted and most likely spider infested cave was not one of them.
“What business do you have in an abandoned cave?” The old woman sniffed uninterestedly, and Sir Alexander couldn’t help the smile forming on his face at her oblivious state.
“Believe me, I have important business here.” He turned to face her and regarded her in all seriousness. “I won’t be long. Will you be alright here by yourself for a while?”
The old woman waved him off as she moved to take a seat on the ground. “You go do what you need to. I’ll be here when you’re back.”
Alexander nodded in gratitude, and he faced the cave once again, before inhaling nervously, and stepping into the darkness blindly. Alexander was not sure about the parameters of the cave. Was it wide? Was it narrow? How far into the cave was he now, and how would he know where to go?
Suddenly, the cave lit up, momentarily blinding Alexander as he squinted, and when he blinked his vision back into focus, he gasped in fascination.
The cave was lit with blue flames on torches hung up on the walls, but the ceiling was alight with stars as though he were gazing up at the sky itself. The ground beneath him rippled like he was standing in a waterbody, but it was solid ground, confusing him, but allowing him to appreciate the beauty of the cave and what it had to offer.
He realised that this must be it. The stars on the ceiling twinkled at him, awaiting their fate as the great Sir Alexander gazed at them wondrously. They’d tried to end his life multiple times, but they couldn’t succeed. They had to accept whatever fate Alexander chooses for him.
“Sir Alexander.” Alexander found the source of the voice to be the North Star, shining the brightest in the ceiling. “You have shown an exceptional skillset on your quest to find the Cave of Manifestations. You first tamed a vicious beast with your unwavering bravery, and you used your excellent strength to escape a malicious forest fire. Bravery and Strength are two important qualities to make a fine warrior, but they are nothing without the third and most crucial quality to have – kindness. You expressed your unconditional kindness when you helped a stranded old and wounded woman, promising her to receive care when you are to return to your land. You have excelled in all your trials, and we stand before you now, humbled.”
Alexander was breathless as he heard the North Star’s words, unable to believe his ears, or the slightest possibility that stars could even speak to humans.
“We were rather harsh on you – please accept our sincerest apologies.” The North Star admitted, and Sir Alexander clenched his jaw.
“As a well deserved reward, the Cave of Manifestations grants you a single wish. Please take all the time you need to make sure it is a wish you are certain you want to make, and the stars shall grant it for you.”
The voice died out, leaving Alexander alone to dwell in his own thoughts. All this time, Alexander wanted to wish the stars gone, to render them useless and strip them of their power, but was this still what he wanted? Would the world be a better place without them?
Alexander sighed, closed his eyes, and slowly, his lips had started to twitch into a sincere smile, so pure and peaceful, and he knew then what he wanted to wish for.
An old woman stepped into her modest house, and the moment she did, she was greeted by her four grandchildren swarming towards her and embracing her happily, expressing their loving words of missing her, and asking if she was alright.
She couldn’t be better – even with a wounded shoulder. When she opened her cooler, she knew that the noble knight who saved her life was not telling a lie. In a world where the old woman was accustomed to coming home empty handed to her starving grandchildren, the sight of a packed freezer full of beef cuts and chicken was a sight she never thought she would ever see.
Sir Alexander wished for the old women and her grandchildren to never spend another night falling asleep with empty stomachs. They shall have a good life with food on their table every day.
That was his wish, and it humbled the stars even more, so much so that they decided to change their ways.
Human beings were not beneath them. They were not inferior. They were all creations of God, and they all deserved the same respect.
Sir Alexander came home feeling satisfied with the outcome of his quest, and he was greeted by his friends with a warm welcome, swooped into the tavern once again for a celebration of his victory.
Alexander welcomed this happily, and he indulged in a well earned meal, still not fully processing the events he’d experienced on his quest.
He should get some rest, yes, but it only made him wonder: what shall his next adventure be like?
