Veritas | Meditative Adventure | Vulcan Ep 1: Darkness

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.

Rain is a beautiful thing.

It can add a sprinkle of adventure on a sunny day.

It can leave a rainbow to inspire and delight.

It can mean chaotic storm clouds with electric movements that paint the sky with the most exciting colors.

One need only feel the raindrops caressing your face to know that rain can cleanse the soul and wash away the dirt.

It is an amplifier of the regular,

A remarkable moment in an otherwise forgettable day.

But as it can amplify the light,

So too can it amplify the dark.

It can make the dark of night ominous and foreboding.

Its roar can consume your senses,

Leaving you feeling powerless and alone.

It is at night when our imaginations are at their strongest.

And when it rains,

That our imagination runs truly wild.

Have you ever felt unease at night when the sound of the rain deafens your ears?

It is our own minds that bring other worlds closer during the rain.

Worlds that only exist in our imagination,

Or in those dreams that fade away so fast when you awake.

For most,

The rain simply passes,

And we awake to our lives,

Forgetting that for a moment we may have glimpsed something out of the corner of our eye.

But for some,

The kiss of destiny awaits in a night like that.

For there are those that can cross over between worlds when they are close enough.

They come on those nights when the rain pours.

But what messages do they bring,

I wonder?

And perhaps,

More importantly,

For whom?

It is on a night like this that you find yourself standing in the rain.

Your cloak is pulled tight around you,

But it is of no use.

The rain comes and comes,

And it finds its way inside,

Soaking you to the bone.

Your lip quivers as you try not to shiver.

Nervously,

You look over your shoulder.

There is nothing but the hazy glow of the streetlight.

No one else is out tonight,

And the crack of thunder seems to confirm this.

It's like the storm is challenging you,

Daring you to brave its wrath.

Nervously,

You check the device wrapped tightly in your pocket.

The light flickers.

Did something dart across it?

Are your eyes just playing tricks?

Or maybe the rain dripping into your eyes is distorting your vision.

Regardless,

The hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Run.

You don't need convincing.

The voice in the back of your mind screams out for you to move,

And move now.

Your feet splash in the puddles as you dart across the empty street.

This is not the time for stealth,

And you don't dare look behind you.

At last,

You round the corner and take temporary shelter under an awning.

Your chest burns,

And you rest your hands and your legs for a moment as you catch your breath.

There is a sudden roar of water as the awning,

Pooling up with water,

Finally gives away,

And a waterfall pours down in front of you,

Splashing the already flooded street with more water.

You take it as a sign.

This is not the place to stop.

With one last inhale,

You enjoy the temporary reprieve for just a moment longer,

And then you dart out into the street again.

The sound of the giant raindrop striking the top of your hood is in itself deafening.

Your hands are cold and wet inside your pockets.

Quicker now,

Your legs move faster.

Just a little further now.

Just in front of you,

The streetlight flickers and dies out.

It is so sudden.

One moment there is light,

The next it is gone,

With nothing but dark shadows remaining.

You swallow.

Strange things are afoot tonight.

You hurry through the darkness,

Eager to find yourself under the blurred light of the next streetlight.

Your heart pounds in your chest and your imagination conjures up all sorts of terrible things.

Just as you reach the safety of the next light,

That one too goes out,

Followed by another,

And another,

Until the entire street goes dark,

One after another.

Now true fear grips you.

You can't help it,

You look behind you.

There is nothing but raindrops exploding as they splash into the large puddles on the ground.

Your senses are heightened.

You can feel your wet feet squishing in your boots.

The weight of your cloak is heavy on your shoulders and your eyes dark from one corner to the next.

Behind you the lights are still on.

Slowly you back up one step,

Then another,

Until you are out beyond the dark streetlight that first went out.

Sure enough,

As soon as you are far enough away,

It blinks back on.

The path you've been on is clear and visible,

The one in front of you dark and foreboding.

For a moment you consider going back.

Could you even?

Your choice is made for you as something moves off to the side.

Again,

It's hard to see with water dripping into your eyes,

But this time you are certain of it.

Something is following you,

Or chasing you.

Either way,

You don't want to wait around to find out.

Your feet are moving even before you are fully turned.

Into the black you run.

It's dark,

So you focus on what's in front of you,

Mainly your feet.

At last you turn into an alleyway.

Instinct is telling you to hide,

So you dart to the side and disappear.

The entry to the alley is like the dark mouth of a cave.

Surely nothing will see you here.

Assuming,

Of course,

There is nothing already in here.

Somehow the air feels cooler even though the overhanging rooftops offer some shelter from the rain.

Quickly you dart behind a dumpster and wait.

Your breathing feels like it's the loudest thing in the world,

But you can't help that.

Your chest heaves as you try to catch your breath.

After a moment you lean over and peer back into the street.

It is still dark,

But is there something there?

The darkness seems to draw you in,

Yet.

You will your eyes to penetrate the black.

Then you see it.

Two yellow eyes staring back at you.

They pierce your soul and for a moment you feel naked,

Like those eyes see your true self better than even you do.

Still you are resilient and you tear your gaze away.

Frantically you look around until your eyes rest on a ladder hanging off the ground from a fire escape running up the side of the building.

Without risking a glance back you break for the ladder.

Your first jump doesn't quite make it and your fingers graze the bottom rung.

You land in a puddle spraying yourself with water.

At least you are already soaked.

You shake it off and jump once more.

This time your fingers grasp the bottom rung.

Your legs swing dangerously as you pull yourself up one rung at a time.

At last you get your feet under you and ascend into the safety of the fire escape.

A metal landing rings noisily as you fly up flight after flight.

It is slippery and wet and at one point your foot slips and you bang your knee painfully.

At last you reach the rooftop and find yourself once more exposed to the elements.

But here there is nowhere to go.

At some point your hood fell back leaving your head to be soaked but you don't notice.

Your hair is matted and water drips onto your nose but your eyes are fixated on the top of the fire escape.

Nothing comes.

It's just you and your breath.

You try and calm your nerves by breathing in and out.

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

There is nothing there.

You exhale and lean forward resting your hands on your knees.

But this time when you look up there is something there.

A cat sits on the edge of the roof staring at you.

It is unfazed by the rain.

Its two yellow eyes bore into you as before.

This?

This is what you were running from?

But the cat steps forward and suddenly it's bigger.

A lot bigger.

With each step it grows until you are staring at a leopard.

Its movements are still light as it stalks towards you.

The leopard continues to grow until it is a tiger,

Then a lion.

Its shape flickers from shape to shape and still the rain pours down.

What are you?

You scream but your voice is lost in the storm.

At some point you have fallen back onto your behind and are crawling backwards like a crab but it is of no use.

In a last desperate effort to protect yourself you pull the device from your pocket and hold it out.

Its engravings glow brightly contrasted against the rain.

The light from the device warms its face.

The lion's eyes are yellow and piercing.

Its breath hot on your face.

You are not sure how long you stay like that but eventually the lion roars and you whimper and cover your ears.

What is my name?

The voice is commanding and pierces the thundering of the storm as if it wasn't there.

Your brain is numb and before you know it you blurt out a question of your own.

What?

The lion roars again but you hold your ground.

What is my name?

You have no answer.

Then the lion folds in on itself while great wings sprout from its sides.

There is a blurring of the air as if reality itself is bending.

Then suddenly where once there was a lion a great raven stands before you.

Its wings stretching at least ten feet in either direction.

It exudes darkness as if light itself was avoiding it.

When it opens its wings you are consumed by the black.