So,
How we're going to begin is you're going to sit comfortably,
However that means to you.
It could be legs crossed,
Could be sitting in a chair,
Whatever it is,
Sit somewhere comfortably that you feel relaxed and comfortable and you're going to close your eyes and you're going to take three deep breaths.
Deep breath in,
Count to four,
Deep breath out,
Count to four.
And each time you exhale,
You're going to try and relax your body a little bit further.
So,
You're going to inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause.
So,
As you're doing this and you're relaxing,
It's in those pauses between breaths where we're going to go.
That is where your creativity meets your imagination,
Meets your subconscious,
So let's see what awaits you in the spaces between breaths.
Urus,
The name whispers in your ear as the object lies in your open palm.
The object is small and mostly cube-shaped,
Except that one side is elongated more than the others,
Giving one side a slanted face.
You turn it over in your hands.
Each side is intricately carved with complex geometric patterns of grooves and lines.
Whatever this is,
It is old.
Thoughts of the dragon distract you briefly.
You have been given the gift of truth,
And in doing so,
We're presented with this ancient device.
What wonders will this unlock,
You wonder?
Somehow,
You understand that the adventure has barely begun.
With a sigh,
You close your fist around the device.
Instantly your world changes,
Your sense is heightened.
The dark of the cavern is clear to you,
But where did the light come from?
No light.
You are seeing in the dark.
Looking around,
You notice a faint aura surrounding the objects around you.
A rock with a pale blue glow,
Some moss glowing with traces of green.
But this pales in comparison to the glow enveloping your own body.
It is alive with color.
Pinks and greens and reds all flowing together with darker purples.
It's like you can see your own chakras lighting and flowing as energy moves through them.
As you move,
Traces of color shift and flow towards you and away from you.
In fact,
If you focus,
You can see some colors more clearly.
To believe that the power of your emotion is fueled by connection to the universe is one thing,
But seeing it,
Seeing it is a wonder beyond imagination.
You open your hand and the aura vanishes and you are alone in the dark once more.
The device glows with blue energy.
The geometric lines and shapes move with a pale blue energy like tiny streams of flowing rivers.
On an instinct,
You focus your thoughts and imagine lending your own energy to the device.
Sure enough,
There is a click and the side opposite the elongated side suddenly moves and extends to match the first side.
As you turn it in your hands,
It now forms the outline of the letter H with a diagonal cross piece.
The patterns now glow with blue and pink moving together.
Your power combined with the power contained within the device.
This power feels good,
You feel content and whole,
As if the chaos of your own emotion is calmed when combined with the cold blue energy.
You are vaguely aware that this is important.
Gathering yourself,
You focus on the patterns,
You let the light hypnotize you and pull you in until there is nothing else but lines and light.
Even then,
Your focus extends beyond the patterns as you look deeper and deeper still.
The patterns begin to blur until you see shapes,
And those shapes slowly come into focus.
For a moment,
The image of a great lion standing majestically fills your mind,
But its eyes are black and bore into your soul,
And within those eyes you see a glimpse of something.
A hint of your future,
Perhaps?
With a click,
The device moves again.
This time it pulls apart like a diamond and then slowly slides in opposition along the diagonal,
Leaving two halves slightly offset,
With the elongated ends still parallel.
Like a seed,
The device opens.
There is a great flash of white light and you are overwhelmed with a vision.
It is the night sky,
Yet so bright.
It is a part of you,
And you a part of it.
The stars begin to move and shift until the unmistakable outline of a constellation takes shape.
It is the shape of a dragon.
Its eyes are supernovas and it moves and morphs until there are only thirteen stars,
All arranged in a circle.
A voice sounds in your ear,
Clear as day.
Find the sacred row.
As suddenly as it began,
It is over.
The device sits in your hand,
Blue light now leaking from the offset sides.
Images of the dragon dance in your mind.
What truths lie out there waiting to be revealed?
Or perhaps more importantly,
Are you ready for them?
The man with the white eyes fills your mind for a moment,
His presence bringing peace and calm to your thoughts.
Show me,
You say,
Although you cannot tell if this is just within your mind or out loud.
Does it matter?
The device hums louder now as it begins to float above your hand.
The two offset sides suddenly pull apart,
Leaving a small cylindrical connection between them.
The sides continue to stretch apart until they are approximately two feet apart.
The final click.
One side rotates 180 degrees so that the elongated sides are now opposite.
The result is an elongated arrow.
Hesitantly,
You reach out and grab the arrow shaft.
Once again,
The fiery eyes of the dragon explode in your mind,
But this time they don't move.
They look right at you and you realize,
With the cold certainty of a clear mind,
That you have been noticed.
Then the image is gone and the arrows glow brighter.
This time you're sure you say it aloud.
Show me the sacred row.
As you say the words,
You pour your will into the device and for an instant a kaleidoscope of color bursts forth from one end of the arrow before blending into white light which then shoots forth.
Reality itself crackles and groans as the portal rips itself into existence.
It is pure white like the eyes of the old man.
What lies on the other side is unknowable.
With one last thought to the dragon,
You swallow and step forward.
Falling.
Your world is filled with white light and the sensation of falling.
Down and down you fall until white light gives way to black which gives way to color which gives way to the ground.
You land in an explosion of dust and the wind is very effectively knocked out of you.
Gasping for breath,
You choke on dust and spit out small rocks before finally pulling yourself to a sitting position.
You're on the top of a cliff.
The sky is a mix of blues and pinks and purples and lightning flashes within the clouds above you.
But what truly takes your breath away are the pillars.
Thirteen pillars surround you,
Each one carved into the form of an archway and surrounding that,
Dragons.
Each dragon intricately carved,
Depicting a different form.
Grooves are etched into the floor running from each pillar to a center dais.
Thirteen key shapes matching the grooves.
From the pillars,
Mark the dais.
The device hums warmly in your hand.
It is collapsed again and returned to a simple cube with one long side.
One key slot matches this shape.
Hesitantly,
You press the device into the key shape.
The pillar opposite explodes open and fills with light,
Revealing an open portal.
Around you,
Thirteen portals hum with potential.
What worlds lay beyond here?
Only one thing is for certain.
You have found the Sacred Row.
