111 - Man in the Mirror

It was like passing through an open door - exactly like it. Magnus felt not the slightest bit of resistance in the tree, and the other side . .

The world on the other side of the tree was certainly not the sleeping forest. There were trees, there were birds, there were towering clouds and snow capped mountains, the entire land bathed in a warm golden light.

Looking behind, the place he had just come through was a single tree - identical to the ones in his own sleeping forest, shrouded in a faint white mist. Nearby, only a couple of feet away was a gravestone with a holy aura around it, and beyond that a quaint looking wooden shed, and beyond that a bush with bright red fruit.

Magnus counted no less than seventy strange singular things all in a row - the tree from the sleeping forest shrouded in white mist being at this end of the row, only one other strange thing on the other side of the tree - a fishing boat surrounded in a fragrant scent - not holy, like the gravestone - but a fresh and pure aroma that reminded Magnus of fresh pressed linen and a crisp white field of snow.

Hob . . Hob . . Magnus cast his gaze about the place. Beyond the row of strange things he saw a world bathed with light.

Magnus found he was barely able to look up to the skies, forced instead to keep his sight focused down to the ground. The air he breathed here had a syrup like quality to it - full of the scents of spring and aroma of a thousand flowers all at once.

This place . . was it part of the Ether? It had an ethereal quality, an otherworldliness - Magnus felt his pulse quicken as he glanced about. The whole land around him had an unearthly glow - from the dirt beneath his feet to the trees and plants and flower - the land bathed in golden light took on a golden aura.

There was movement - people! All around, sitting in the shade of the trees and walking in ones and twos, some stopping and picking ripe fruit from low hanging branches.

People! None seemed to pay Magnus the slightest bit of notice, but he could hear their murmured conversations and shrill laughter. Watching them Magnus saw that although they appeared human they each had distinctly non-human features

At first he thought them children, the tallest amongst them barely reached his chest - but he saw that there were children amongst them, tiny little things running around their parents legs. Each of their ears were pointed, their noses flat against their faces, and each of them was entirely bald.

By a nearby grove of trees he heard a commotion - raised voices and a shriek of laughter - Hob!

There he is!

Ahead, on a dirt path leading away from the row of strange things and heading up a smooth grass hill was Hob - running forwards gingerly without even so much as looking back. The small pointy eared folk tittered at Hob, gathering around him and tugging at his clothes. Hob ignored them, pushing his way through and running on up the hill.

Magnus turned his gaze up the hill - his mind went blank - for an instant he felt his heart stop beating, he felt all the blood in his body freeze. Up on the other side of the grass hill was an enormous tree - so large Magnus couldn't see all of it at once, so big its high branches seemed to be the very things holding up the stars and the heavens.

A giant tree . . so big . . so familiar . .

Of course!

The dream! It wasn't a dream at all, was it? When I was in the forest the first time, before I even saw Hob - I was here, wasn't I? I walked amongst the giant roots, I saw that man, that poem - it was here!

The accumulated formations and concealment techniques sapped his energy - Magnus knew that he hadn't long left before his Logos drained entirely, but in his mind there was only one thing - to know the truth! At all costs - even if I die, I won't die without knowing!

Too many times . . how many times in the last year have I been fooled? Have I died because of my lack of knowledge? Hob is no different then Festus, is he? No, he is even more dangerous . . he is inside me, he looks just like me, he is using me!

Not Hob, not Festus, not Kujata - not anyone! I won't! I won't be lied to! I won't be used! I won't be a means to their end!

It was a resolution that run through his mind again and again - since seeing Caj and crossing the river it grew inside his head - I will not be taken advantage of! Caj had suffered as a result - the black worm and curse - but Magnus didn't care much for Caj, one way or another - the true object of his festering obsession was Festus - as it had been for the last half year.

Hob . . Hob . . he looks exactly like me in every way, he said he was me! A part of me! That I was him and he was me!

He looks exactly like me - down to every last detail, except for his golden eyes . . my twin . . what was it he called himself? My reflection . . Ah hells! No matter how I turn it over in my mind I ain't gonna get any answers! What are you waiting around here for? Get after him!

Magnus ran up the grassy hill following Hob - Hob, who had a good head start didn't seem to be able to run all that fast - his breath short and chest heaving as he ran - Magnus easily kept pace, watching Hobs' back as they ran up the hill - inside of his heart a black hatred begun to take form - a small black worm into which Magnus poured all his bitterness and anger. Unlike with Caj, Magnus did this knowingly - willing the black worm to take form.