Pain bled out as Muzong closed his eyes to ponder. As he tried to open his eyes, tears crept down his cheeks. Saltiness invaded his lips. He breathed deeply. Scattered images stabbed his mind. He fully opened his eyes. He did it to escape from the monstrosities with which humanity seemed so enamored. They stained his mind like the Dacnid Berries dyed one’s hands.
Muzong wept bitterly for Laura, his dear wife. He had chosen her over his kind. He cared not for the envy and arrogance other immortals insisted on possessing. He thought humans have fared no better. Laura, oh Laura, why did I not take our family to the Isles? His lip quivered.
Muzong’s anguish was as the weather outside. Dense saplings camouflaged the subterrane that is his refuge. The wind’s hoarse whistle annoyed him. Furthermore, the wind drove in some near-icy droplets of the rain.
Muzong thought of the multitude of nations, large and small, that ceased to be. He groaned within. He thought how there always had to be ones who sought to rule. He reasoned that to be near such beasts brought risk to innocent souls. All humans who had touched his heart were gone. His family was also all dead. Maybe, he still had family that he knew not about their status.
Muzong was sure within himself that the events of the past centuries were the handiwork of his kind. Thoughts of Laura snuck back into his being. What if there was another like her? He tried to erase those images from his mind. No, this cave could be a self-imposed prison for however long it might take.
He closed his eyes again to get some peace. Muzong fell asleep and gained relief from his torture. When he woke, he was a bit amused. He seldom practiced sleep, and it was such an enticing human function. He sat against the wall; hearing the storm outside.
His mental and emotional energies returned. He exhaled in huffs. Muzong took deliberate deep breaths to encourage himself. Sharp echoes of thunder crept in his lair. He thought it was strange being as chilly as the air was outside. He decided to stand. Then he realized that a different noise was what he heard. Something or someone was in the subterrane. He reached for his camock.
Muzong took three calculated and silent steps like a Mau. Almost all of his muscles tensed. From the flickering shadows, a human-like form appeared.
“I have sought shelter from the storm. Am I trespassing?”
Muzong held his ground, “I do not know. Come closer, please.”
The figure moved into the light given off by the campfire. “I am Mirror.”
Muzong relaxed and immediately tensed again. The man was taller than him and took another step. Images from centuries past flooded Muzong’s mind as he stared at the stranger’s face. All he could utter was, “Uriah?”
Mirror asked, “Is this who you seek?”
“What!?” Muzong snapped, “I seek no one. You came here.”
Mirror responded, “Yes; I was drawn here from the cries of a tortured conscience. Do seek this Uriah?”
Muzong became agitated and frustrated, “Y…y…you look like you could be one of my grandson’s twin. But I did not seek him although I have thought about him and his parents.”
In an aloof manner, Mirror spoke, “I see.”
Muzong demanded, “What do you know?”
Mirror spoke most matter-of-factly, “You are the Spawner of the Destroyer of Nations.”
Muzong shook his camock, “I am a peaceful creature. How dare you come into my home and insult me.”
Mirror shook his head, “No; your home is a great distance from here. In your arrogance, you mated with humans and broke The Balance and ushered in Chaos. Your grandson is not Uriah. He is Matong the Fearsome; ruiner of everything in his path. I captured his image, and now I am here.”
Muzong pointed his camock at Mirror. However, living walls encased him.
Mirror spoke, “As flawed as mankind has been and will be, it will now have a scintilla of hope with you out of the equation. Every deed has consequences, either good or bad. You are not the evilest of your kind, but your actions caused the greatest damage.
A week ago, two different children in separate parts of the world were born. They will usher in an era of cooperation. What the earth does after that period is on the whole of the populace.”
Mirror left the cavern, and thick thorns grew over the entrance. He walked over the horizon; never to be seen again. The storm ceased, and all kinds of flora sprung up around the world in the ruins and the ashes. Birds sang once more.
