[Chapter 12 continues.]

"You are a believer in the Great Goddess Ava, are you not? She is all that exists, and there is nothing but her. But she..." Kora paused, her face darkening, "...Ava has turned away from Atlantis, she has turned away from this world."

Esa's heart sank as the words from the Gab Nori echoed in his mind:

"When Ava's gaze turns from the world,
The earth shall crumble, the seas will rise.
All that we know will sink into the vast oceans,
And what remains shall be but a memory lost in time."

"Yes, exactly," said Kora. "Those are the exact verses I was hearing earlier as well."

A cold chill crept through Esa. Could she hear his thoughts?

"The beginning of the end started just some nights ago," she said, forebodingly. "It began with the birth of a crane halfbreed and the death of its mother. What a terrible omen," she added, shaking her head.

Sheera considered Kora's words in silence, but Esa couldn't hold back.

"What can we do?" he asked, his anger spilling over.

"I see you're upset, young one," Kora said gently. "What can you do? What can you do?" she repeated the question, as though asking an unseen force.

A brief pause. Then, barely above a whisper, "Save Mansa. Save the mother."

Esa's frustration boiled over. "Stop speaking in riddles! Just tell me what you mean!"

"I do not speak in riddles, boy," Kora snapped, as she sliced more tamarillo.

Sheera gave Esa a quiet look. "Forgive him," he said gently, "Esa doesn't understand your way."

"Indeed," Kora replied, unbothered, as she continued her task.

Esa's mind whirled. The prophecy's weight and confusion gnawed at him.

"Aren't you worried?" he asked her, unable to stop the question, "about the world ending?"

Kora's attention flicked to Esa with a knowing expression. "Why would I worry?" she asked, almost amused. "What will worrying help?"

Esa clenched his teeth, his fists tightening at his sides. None of this was helping.

"Anyway, Esa," she pressed on without looking up at him, still cutting more tamarillo, "let's take a look at that shoulder. It's time for me to heal you."

What? How? 

Esa's confusion only deepened.

Slowly, she transferred the sliced fruit into a large earthen pot. She set it over the fire, where a small iron tripod stood, its legs curving inward to support the heavy vessel. The fire beneath crackled as the heat rose, filling the air with fragrant steam.

As the pot warmed, Kora added several powdered substances, their colors strikingly vivid. One was a pale green, reminiscent of crushed herbs. Another a deep, almost luminous gold that shimmered like sunlight on water. The third was a rich, dark red, like crushed berries, that seemed to pulse as it mixed with the others. She stirred the mixture with a slender wooden rod, her movements graceful and deliberate.

Then, she began chanting softly in a language that Esa couldn't understand. Though one word stood out: Ava.

The air around them seemed to shift, the fire's glow intensifying with each syllable she spoke.

"There!" Kora said, finishing her chant. "That should do it!"

Esa examined the pot skeptically. "Was that ancient Atlantean?"

"Why, yes, young one, it was," Kora replied, a faint smile on her lips. "So few still know the tongue."

Kora poured the thick, fragrant mixture into a small wooden cup, its surface worn smooth with age and etched with old carvings. The liquid glowed amber, swirling with gold and red, like fire made drink. She handed it to Esa with a steady hand.

"Take off the amulet around your neck," she instructed softly. "Then drink this and lie down there."

She pointed to a modest bed in the corner of the cave. The bed was simple, crafted from woven grasses and soft animal pelts, offering a semblance of comfort amidst the rugged stone.

Esa gripped his mother's necklace tightly, his fingers trembling slightly as he glanced toward his teacher for guidance.

"Do what she says," encouraged Sheera.

Esa reluctantly removed the amulet and handed it to Sheera, his movements hesitant but deliberate. Then, he took the drink without any further questions, its warmth seeping into his palms as an unfamiliar heaviness settled in his chest. As he swallowed, a strange sensation overtook him, a sudden, jarring shift within. His body seemed caught between extremes: an icy chill, followed by an unbearable heat, as though fire and ice coursed through his veins simultaneously.

Feeling off balance, he lowered himself onto the bed and lay down.

Out of nowhere, Mimi reappeared, leaping onto Esa's chest and purring loudly.

"Ah, Mimi will guide you through your journey," whispered Kora.

Esa closed his eyes, struggling to calm his nerves, and decided to focus on Mimi's purring.

"Just breathe, Esa. What's coming is going, my friend. Allow what needs to come to pass," said an unseen voice.

Startled, Esa opened his eyes again and glanced around, searching for the source, but Kora and Sheera simply watched him in silence.

But before Esa could respond, the cave seemed to collapse around him. The flickering firelight faded into complete darkness, into a vast, silent void. Esa's mind raced, a wave of overwhelming thoughts flooding him.

Another voice, soft and knowing, echoed within him.

"This one carries much hurt, deep sadness," it said. "He is shattered and hopeless. He lacks a mother's love and a family. Poor boy, his lack of love has manifested here as this wound."

The voice cut through him, sharp and piercing, like a knife. His vision blurred, spinning, and suddenly, he was somewhere else.

He saw a younger version of himself, standing in a warm, sunlit room in his childhood home. His mother, smiling down at him, brushing his hair away from his face with tender care. "Mama," he cried out, but her smile faded, slipping away into the shadows.

The vision twisted, shifting to a bustling outdoor market in the North. He was there with his mother, her hand firmly gripping his. The smell of fresh bread and seafood filling the air. Then, the sound of airships landing split the scene, and his mother was dragged away, forced into one ship, while he was taken to another.

The memory stung with a searing, familiar pain, he screamed for her again, reaching out, but she was already gone.

Next, he saw himself trapped in a cage, the cold, unfeeling eyes of his sky god captors fixed on him. Their cruel gestures manipulated his body, twisting his pain as if shaping it to their will.

Suddenly the scene changed. A young Mazi appeared, his small hand outstretched, a beacon of salvation amid the torment. Esa reached for him, heart racing, but as his fingers neared the light, the vision dissolved into nothingness.

After that, the visions came in rapid succession, one after the other:

The gorilla halfbreed, the first man he had ever killed, its eyes filled with fury and pain.

The first time he soared through the skies with Sheera, the wind rushing past him in an exhilarating surge of freedom.

Quiet moments with Mazi, running through a Southern village outside the monastery, a peaceful life that once felt like a dream, vibrant, alive, now slipping through his fingers like sand.

Then, all of it fell away.

Nothing remained.

Only darkness.

Esa began to scream, the room now a crushing void, his chest tightening, his breath quickening.

"I can't see! I can't see!" His hands flew to his eyes, trying to grasp at something, anything, that would ground him.

The original voice returned. "Breathe, Esa. Breathe, and you'll see."

As Esa took deep breaths, he felt Mimi's purring against his chest, grounding him.

With a shuddering gasp, Esa drew in another deep breath. Slowly, the world flickered back into focus, the heavy weight in his chest easing. The darkness receded, leaving behind the steady pulse of life. It was as if the universe had exhaled with him, releasing its grip.

And in that breath, Esa felt it, his past unraveling. The pain of lost years. The wound in his soul, finally acknowledged.

A different kind of vision washed over him, softer, gentler.

He found himself standing in the heart of Monika City, the vibrant marketplace around him bustling with life. Mazi was there, his easy smile lighting up the space, surrounded by a group of people, kind, familiar faces. A family. Their laughter echoed in the air, and Esa felt warmth spread through him. A sense of belonging, of being loved, something he hadn't felt in so long. The connection was undeniable. For a moment, he allowed himself to bask in it, the weight of the world lifting as he was wrapped in the embrace of those who cared for him.

As the scene shifted, he felt the warmth of Mimi's fur against his chest and drew in another deep breath of relief. With Mimi as his spirit guide on this wild ride, he felt a little less alone.

He saw himself with merpeople and other sea halfbreeds, their graceful forms moving through crystal-clear waters on the Eastern shore. Their laughter bubbled like music in the ocean, and Esa felt free, unburdened, floating with them in a world beneath the waves, one of serenity and calm.

But before he could hold onto the peace, a new presence appeared against the backdrop of a beach. 

A woman, beautiful beyond words.

She had dark, flowing hair that cascaded like midnight over her sun kissed, beige skin, and dark eyes as deep and mysterious as the oceans themselves. Her smile illuminated the entire space.

"Who is she?" he asked quietly, awe in his voice.

"The mother." The voice replied.

A profound realization settled over Esa, as if to say "of course."

"You'll meet her in time," the voice continued. "Two men will love her deeply. She will choose one, and she will bear him children."

Esa wondered if this was about him, but said nothing.

The voice laughed softly. "You are correct. One of those men will be you. If those children come to pass, the world will endure. If not, the world will end."

A sudden drift in the vision carried Esa to another scene.

The air grew colder now, the brightness of the woman's smile fading as clouds gathered overhead. The sky darkened, swirling with impending danger, and the peaceful ocean began to churn, rising like a living thing, threatening to drown everything.

Esa's heart raced as he saw the woman again, now with a heavy, rounded belly. She was pregnant. And beside her stood Ibris, desperate, his arms outstretched toward her as the water began to engulf her.

"No," Esa whispered, the word a raw, anguished cry. "No!"

Ibris reached for the woman, desperately trying to pull her from the rising water, but it was no use. The water closed in, dragging her under despite their best efforts. Esa could only watch, helpless, as the woman's form disappeared beneath the waves. Ibris, too, was overwhelmed by the water, his efforts futile. Esa tried to scream, to reach for them both, but the water was too powerful.

The last thing he heard before everything went dark was the voice, a whisper in the storm:

"Save Mansa. Save the mother."

And then, as the vision shattered. Esa's eyes snapped open.

He gasped, his chest heaving. He was back in the cave. His heart pulsed in his head.

The fear of the vision lingered, but the images of love, loss, the woman, and the child she carried stayed etched in his mind. A haunting prophecy. One he could not yet understand.

Esa squinted against the gentle cave light, his vision slowly clearing. The familiar faces of Kora and Sheera came into focus, their expressions watchful. Mimi, still perched on his chest, purred softly.

"There he is, he's back," Kora said, smiling faintly.

"How long have I been out?" Esa asked, gasping for air.

"About six hours." Kora's smile widened.

Mimi, as if satisfied her work was done, leapt gracefully off Esa's chest and vanished into the shadows of the cave.

Sheera let out a deep sigh of relief. "Ava Nori. I was worried he was going to bring down the mountains on us."

"Good thing he didn't," Kora chuckled. Then she grew more serious. "Get up, Esa. Let's move that shoulder."

Esa was still woozy from the vision and the lingering effects of Kora's mixture. Slowly, he pushed himself up. His hand instinctively went to his bandaged shoulder, and he froze, stunned to find the pain and the swelling completely gone.

"But how?" Esa asked, confused. Carefully, he peeled the bandages away, revealing the skin beneath. What had once been a wound was now just a faint scar.

Kora watched with a knowing smile.

"The medicine... is from an old world. A powerful one. It draws the pain and injury out of you."

Esa flexed his shoulder, feeling the full range of motion return, astonished at the sudden restoration. It felt as though the scar had always been there, as if the injury had never existed.

"How?" Esa murmured again.

"Some things," Kora replied, firmly, "are beyond our human logic. But what I have learned is that when we heal our emotional body, our physical body heals itself."

Sheera nodded thoughtfully, but remained silent.

Esa paused, allowing clarity to settle. Finally, he spoke. Hesitant. Disoriented. Unsure.

"I had visions... and I heard voices."

"Oh good," Kora said with a small, approving nod. "Then you were blessed."

Esa hesitated, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "I saw..."

Kora cut him off gently. "No! Those visions were for you and you alone. You must not speak of them to anyone." She paused, as if weighing his understanding. "The medicine shows each of us exactly what we need to see to help us get where we need to go. The message may confuse or mislead another, so you must guard it well. Do you understand?"

Esa nodded. Thoughts racing. "Yes," he replied quietly.

"Give the boy his amulet back," Kora instructed Sheera firmly.

Sheera complied immediately, handing it back to Esa.

Esa took the amulet and slipped it around his neck. Before he could ask why she'd taken it in the first place, Kora spoke.

"You should go now," she said, as if she had glimpsed something more. "Your friends have arrived."

"Friends?" Esa asked, frowning.

"The bull-horned one and the wolf one," she continued, with an enigmatic cadence. "And with them, a third powerful one. When you meet that one, bring him to me. Ava has messages for him."

Sheera and Esa exchanged glances.

It must be Ibris and Yoshua. But who was the third?

******

Chapter Soundtrack: "Grandmothersphere" by East Forest

Author's Note

This chapter was written to feel like a shamanic vision-quest, pulling Esa through memories, pain, and glimpses of the future, while offering healing. 

Kora's medicine doesn't just mend his body, it opens him to truths he isn't ready to face. Some answers appear, but even more questions remain. 

Thoughts? Musings?