Opium Dreams

We are all one.  This world has existed before. Then it was destroyed. Then it existed again. Then it was destroyed.  The third time around, a miracle happened.  All the world became one. Land, water sky and life merged together. Pangaea. For a thousand years it was. Pangaea. a being that can not be described. A state of mind. A story of romance. It was the beginning and the end. God's ultimate creation.  For a thousand years it was, and a thousand years ago, it was no longer. Beauty was always meant to be fleeting. It strikes like a thunderbolt and then disappears, leaving behind legions of believers. Such is the will of God. A thousand years is but a drop in the ocean of His realm.  But again, fleeting and temporary as it was. It was magnificent. Stories could be told of it. Words can attempt to describe it. poems and ballads. It all pales to capture it. The only thing that can come close is the romance of a longing heart.  Hermits have been telling its s...

"What do you think, Mao?" Asked the older brother. "No, How do you feel about it?" "I think it's time" "Good" He said, with a warm smile, and he tapped his brother on the shoulder.  "What about you, Freda?" He looked at his sister  "I'm hesitant. I'm not sure there's enough momentum"  "You think the people won't come if we call?" "I think our call won't be loud enough to reach them"  "Do you want to elaborate more?" Mao stood up and went towards the crackling fire. Some lizards were cooking. He turned them and added some dry twigs to the fire.  "Be careful not to burn it Mao" Said Freda " It looks a bit too hot"  "I'm giving it just enough fire to get it there" replied Mao, fixating intensely on the fire.  "You were saying Freda?" prompted Chi, the older brother, to get his sister back on track.  Freda stood up and started prepari...

 At first glance, Nile was struck by the sheer size of Darkhen, the capital of the Ghentii region.  There were no walls surrounding it, no gates guarding it, and no clear borders to it. It seemed to grow out naturally out of the Ghobi desert, a seamless extension. Grains of sand turned into sparsely dispersed huts. The huts grew both in size and numbers, and then morphed into mudbrick structures as the center drew close.  As they advanced slowly, the bustling of life amazed Nile. He was still at the back of the carriage, but Manong put some cushions behind his back for support, so that he can peak and see the city. He was a small village boy, not accustomed to seeing so many people at once. Darkhen was a city of people, all shapes, sizes and colors.  It was a miniature world in it itself.  "where are we going?" Nile asked "I'm taking you guys to see an old friend!" Manong replied to both Nile and the camel, who seemed much more composed than Nile.  They wal...

On the far eastern corner of the known world, in the barren land of the dragon folk, and as the hearts of kings were fixated on exploration and glory, an old flame rekindled as the hundred years came to a close.  A small flame, almost imperceptible. One may even call it a glitch in the centuries-old system. A small glitch, a minor error to be rectified at the most local level of government. A cigarette butt to be stumped without hesitation, and without consequences. The local sheriff did just that. He saw the threat and, afraid of catching fire, he stumped on it mercilessly. He persecuted the perpetrators with the most capital punishment known to man. The punishment of the one God. Fire.  What he failed to realize, what they all failed to realize, was that words have meaning in the hearts of men. Time can sometimes cover it up, like dust on stone. But the meaning remains, hidden, waiting to be conjured. And these words were no ordinary words, these were the words of Panjia, th...

This is an interesting story, Nile, but I find it necessary to point this out to you from the start; A long time ago, a group of people, collectively known as the dragon folk, forgot who they are. In essence, that is what this whole story boils down to. Everything else I'm about to tell you is details and background noise. As with all stories, it can start at any point in the history of this land you call the Ghentii region. However, I'll start it at a place that is particularly close to my heart. When man and dragon became one. His name was Khen. His mother was a warrior of one of the rural tribes of the Hexis. His father was a cursed dragon. Their union was unlikely yet inevitable in hindsight. Their meeting was what we call a tectonic event; a simple, seemingly random event that changes the face of the world. Khen was his name. It was his only name, chosen by his mother. The legend says that it came to her in a fever dream. He was the first king of the dragon folk. He united...

Like a horse about to be put down, the winter’s last moments are always its fiercest. On the desert of Ghobi, separating the highlands next to the shore and the lands of the dragon folk, and as all of God’s creatures took to hide from the cold, a man was dragging a carriage. Next to him walked a camel, solemnly and reverently, its eyes beaming like a lighthouse. The sun has been down for a couple of hours, and the icy winds were as playful and unpredictable as young pups. The moon and stars lit ablaze, as if aware of their importance to precarious adventurers in these settings. The man was bigger and bulkier than average, clean shaved and wearing a delightful smile. He had a white robe, furry shoes, and he tied a turban around his head. He seemed to be enjoying the situation, as if on a Sunday afternoon stroll. On the carriage was a big pile of wool covers, under which a young face gazed upon the night sky with empty eyes. It was Nile. Neither asleep nor fully awake, stuck in a state o...

Standing at the cliff was Zolf, listening to the waves caressing the rocks beneath. Not far from him sat Manong, who seemed to be enjoying the view as if seeing it for the first time. “You’ve been here for a while”? asked Zolf “A couple of days, more or less” answered Manong  “And you’re ready to leave?” “As ready as I can be” he paused, then added joyfully “In any case, I have no choice” “No, I guess you do not” smiled Zolf "at least you enjoyed your stay I hope?"  "It brought me immense pleasure" he answered. "I'm still enjoying it" he added, then made a swift gesture with his hand to Zolf.  a big wave crashed on the rocks, its violent sound filling up the space and commanding silence. "you've been a bit too harsh on the boy, don’t you think?" said Manong "Yes, I suppose so" answered Zolf. “I got excited and made a bad gamble”  "I see what you mean,” said Manong “It is truly marvelous to behold” "So you saw it too,...

Nile woke up inside a room of wooden structure. Through hazy eyes, he saw a boy sitting at the corner of the room, with a puppy on his lap. He noticed the sunlight coming through the cracks on the ceiling and from its angle, he deduced it was before noon.  Besides him on the floor was a bowl of a concoction that he did not know. The boy nodded at him and he understood that as a sign to drink. He drank and felt the flow of liquid inside his throat. It tickled a bit but quenched his thirst. He saw the boy looking at him but could not decipher his face from the distance. The boy patted the puppy's head gently with his right head. The boy kept his gaze fixed at Nile as he continued patting slowly. Nile's brows felt heavy and he dozed off. In his slumber, he sensed something familiar, an odor. Faint yet perfectly distinguished. Narjes flower extract. The smell of his mother. The scent took his by surprise and he started to look around but he could not see. It was pitch black. A stra...

"Panjia still has so much to teach me" I thought, as I was looking at that most magnificent scene unfold. I was not expecting to see anything this rare so early in this journey. I arrived at Santa Laura 3 nights ago and spent most of my time on the outskirts, at a mountain monastery facing the sea. It is always a pleasure to engage in passionate conversations with bright minds, although I cherished my solitary time with the sea the most.    I took into this enterprise to combat my own hubris and to shed light on my lack of knowledge. Ever since I took into this business, the more I learned the more my ignorance seemed greater to me. I've always been ever so thankful for the opportunities that came on my way and my biggest wish is that my gratitude never diminishes in intensity.  Today I came within the walls to meet an old acquaintance at his request. He spoke vaguely about an initiative that he is planning to put forth, something about common interests. I was happy to ob...

Santa Laura was a city of immaculate beauty at night. Nile especially appreciated the cobblestone buildings, illuminated by those weird crimson-red lamps with no apparent fuel nor oil. "I can see myself coming here from time to time," he thought to himself "just to enjoy this view". Since the second beast joined the fight, the balance has been shifted violently against Nile. Even after he was able to recover from the collision with the wall, he had completely unable to land any hits and has been excruciatingly struggling to avoid taking in more damage. The two beasts figured out his moves and countered with terrifying calm and efficiency. At this point, it was no longer a question of "if" but "when" will they finish him off. They did not seem to mind taking time.  A couple of jumps and kicks later, Nile found himself flying into the stem of a tree, back-first. As soon as his body made contact he heard a crackling sound and new that something in h...