VI·VIII·X Cosmogony - Part II
The scene is chilling; I’m in the middle of a massive natural amphitheater at the foot of a mountain with a jagged, threatening peak. I see chaos and entropy everywhere. The snow hasn’t gently fallen like a soft blanket over the ground, rounding out the roughness of this harsh mountain. The snow is disturbed, shaken, and overturned. Everything is in a state of disorder... My head is still spinning, and I feel sharp pain coming from many places, most intense in my arm.
Nevertheless, it is the sight that leaves me speechless: a desolate landscape with human remains scattered across the ground like grains of wheat during planting, fallen into unnatural positions with no sign that anyone is still alive... Everything is still, only the wind blows and whistles, cutting my lips, chapped from the cold... My gaze moves quickly across the many bodies, it doesn't follow any order. Instead, it wanders aimlessly, disordered, trying to find a survivor as quickly as possible... Nothing! Everything is frozen, it seems to have been trapped in time for centuries in that dreadful scene.
My wandering gaze stops at a point on the mountain facing me: the amphitheater makes it even more majestic, and being at the bottom of it makes me feel infinitely small and fragile in its presence. Observing its magnificence in contrast to my human condition, I notice a rock casting a strange shadow... then, squinting and thinking better of it, I realize that the dark streak isn’t a shadow—it’s a crack in the rock.
I barely manage to reach the opening in the mountain wall. To get there, I use my last strength, climbing laboriously through the amphitheater to reach its summit, where it meets the bare rock of the mountain: this should be the point from where most of the avalanche that hit our caravan broke off. A short distance away, I can better make out my objective: it doesn't look like a cave, but rather an arched portal... If I were still confused, I’d think I was just steps away from the entrance to an elegant noble palace.
I approach and confirm my suspicions, as the entrance I see is artificial and was likely concealed by a massive slab of rock that now lies shattered at its feet. A door hidden by a stone... what kind of place is this?
Driven by desperation, I enter the dark cave, hoping to find something or someone that could help me. The interior is very dark, and I can’t see the ceiling, but the walls near the entrance suggest I’m in a somewhat civilized place. I see smooth stone, some parts even worked with geometric designs that follow each other. I proceed a few meters inside, relying solely on the light filtering in from the entrance, and stumble upon a short series of steps... The stone has been finely worked, as in the best constructions I visited in the past. Being the best apprentice in the history of the Great Academy had granted me access to many places otherwise unreachable for ordinary people. Now, however, I find myself lost and dying in a mysterious place with little chance of survival: the cave, or rather the structure built inside the mountain, seems deserted, cold, and growing darker the further I go, just like the desolation growing within me in these moments.
When I decide to stop and return to the outside, my foot lands on something: it’s not stone, it’s not a step... It feels like a less rigid object, as it somewhat cushions the impact. I shift to let a bit of light from the entrance fall on it: I see something but can’t quite figure out what it is... It looks like an old, dark, almost black leather object... It’s cylindrical, with an irregular, bumpy surface. Unfortunately, it’s not fully distinguishable, as it gets lost in the darkness... The part on the floor that is lit seems to have protrusions, as if there are many straps coiled around the main part, undone and carelessly spilled onto the cold floor.
I try to touch this strange mass and can’t figure out what material it’s made of: smooth and cold but at the same time partially elastic and flexible... It could actually be a type of leather that has undergone some alteration due to this climate. I kneel and lean closer to this bizarre object... The light reflecting off its surface, now that my face is close to it, reveals a detail I hadn’t noticed before: this isn’t an object, it’s a body...
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