12 CHAPTER 12: The Answer

Wolfe observed the water flowing into and out of the pond. Massive ripples flowed across the surface as the influx of water hit the edge of the pond. Wolfe's eyes traced the path of the ripples and finally landed on the other end of the pond, where a narrow, slightly sloped, stream exited. The downwards slope increased the speed of the flowing water greatly, while the narrower path forced it forward even quicker.

Emblaze watched as Wolfe gazed intensely at the exiting stream. The boy inched closer to the outgoing water as if it called to him, telling him something important. Emblaze moved closer too, his eyes glued with curiosity on Wolfe, wondering what the boy had figured out.

Inside Wolfe's mind, a flurry of thoughts scurried around aimlessly. He had a general idea of what he was getting from the outgoing stream but was unsure as to how he had to decipher the mess of ideas. He stood up and walked over to the open lands a few metres away from the pond.

Now full of confidence, Wolfe manifested a flame in his palm. The ember formed had the same dimensions as last time, but Wolfe didn't feel any terror. Instead he embraced the tiny flame wholeheartedly.

If he had to pick one thought from the swarm that had invaded his mind when he looked at the stream, it would be the one regarding the water pressure. The narrow area of the exit propelled the water forward, increasing the pressure strongly. Extrapolating this information to the size of his flame Wolfe figured that the smaller size just meant that the strength in his flames had gone up.

He pulled out a few leaves from nearby trees and showed them to the flame. Almost instantly the ember erupted into a blazing fury that engulfed the pile of leaves. Working in the Vilhorm mansion for years, Wolfe knew exactly how quick leaves usually caught fire. The time taken for the leaves to burn to a crisp during this experiment was at least thrice as less, which boosted Wolfe's self-esteem to never before seen levels.

Emblaze watched pridefully from afar as Wolfe extinguished the flame. He could clearly see the embers of confidence reignite in Wolfe's eyes as the boy's body language switched from sullen to faithful. "Looks like his confidence has been restored," he said delightfully.

Wolfe laughed gleefully as he saw Emblaze acknowledge his achievement and then walked back to observe the pond. His gut told him that the pond was the key to finding all his answers. He knew it sounded improbable, but it just made enough sense for him to believe in it.

A few hours passed and Emblaze returned to the mansion for lunch while Wolfe stayed back observing every inch of the pond. An exasperated sigh left him after a while as his stomach growled. It was 2:30 already and Wolfe's hunger was getting the better of him. He resorted to eating any fruits he found around him since the mansion was too far from the pond.

Finally at 3 P.M. his hunger had been satiated and his mind cleared of any and all restrictions. He could once again focus on the pond.

The concentric periodic ripples were hypnotizing, and the longer Wolfe stared at them, the more he grew to believe that the pond held the answer. Water that splashed on the nearby rocks dried off in seconds due to the heat of the harsh sun. Some of the animals basked on the rocks to warm their bodies, while other returned to the water to cool themselves. The dichotomy entertained Wolfe, who needed desperately to look away from the enticing ripples.

His eyes locked onto a Sarkoutox that rose from the depths of the pond, making a glorious entrance into the surface. The sarkoutox was a rare carnivorous fish believed to possess information beyond human imagination. The males were brightly colored with a gradient that spanned from blue to red across their main body. The fins were a shade of green Wolfe had never seen before.

The females in contrast to their rainbow-colored male counterparts were a shining monochromatic golden. Offspring of either gender were a dull silver color. Unlike other fish, the sarkoutox shed their scales at maturity and grew stronger and different colored ones in the span of a week.

At only 30 centimetres long the sarkoutox wasn't longer than the average fish. The exception arose when comparing the brain size to body ratio. The ratio for the sarkoutox was much higher than a normal fish's.

A legend passed from one generation to another stated that consuming the sarkoutox exponentially increased one's strength and intelligence. This was the core reason behind their rarity, since most of them had been hunted down. Only those hiding in isolated locations would survive.

Wolfe watched the male sarkoutox rise up slowly towards a smaller fish at the surface. The sarkoutox stalked its enticing prey for a few seconds and then lunged at it. Water splashed onto Wolfe's face as the fish floundered in the sarkoutox's jaws. Red blood clouded the water, obstructing Wolfe's view of the beautiful rainbow colored predator.

This was the moment which would decide Wolfe's future. He could catch the sarkoutox and find out whether the myth was true. Or, he could let it go, not giving into the legend his ancestors had created.

For the first time in his life, Wolfe did not hesitate. He plunged his hands into the water and latched onto the slippery fish, immediately pulling it out before it had the chance to escape.

Wolfe placed the fish on the ground and picked up a stone. In that split second, he hesitated. The smaller fish still remained in the sarkoutox's mouth, its movements ceased long ago. Meanwhile the sarkoutox floundered below the grasp of Wolfe's left hand. Their eyes met for a second, and Wolfe thought he saw a mix of fear and sorrow in the fish's eyes. But the stone had already been swung, smashing the fish's head into the ground, splitting it apart and sending a spray of blood all over Wolfe's hands.

The floundering stopped.

Shaking, Wolfe let go of the immobile fish and stumbled over to the pond to wash away the blood. His hands shook violently as he registered what he had just done. He had ended a life with barely any hesitation. A life of something just trying its best to survive. He had ended that beautiful life.

With the blood finally rinsed off his hands, Wolfe sat motionlessly on a stone, his eyes glued to the sarkoutox. Blood continued to ooze out from below the caved in head, staining the green grass.

As the paranoia spread through Wolfe's mind, he lost his sense of time. Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days. Nothing felt right.

With the sun nearly set, Wolfe hurriedly grabbed onto the fish and chomped down on its body. A huge mistake, considering it had been lying on the muddy ground crawling with insects.

A sour taste hit the roof of his mouth as he spat out the infested piece of the fish. He rinsed his mouth thoroughly with some of the pond water and returned to the fish.

Hunger was getting the better of him now, but he made sure to cling onto the rational part of his mind. Gathering a bunch of leaves and twigs, he set up a fire. Skewering the fish onto a stick, he held it over the fire, waiting for it to cook before digging into it like a madman once again.

After a few minutes Wolfe devoured the fish, the sour taste was replaced by a smoky sweetness he had never experienced before. A sudden sense of nausea hit him as he swallowed the second bite. The world around him swirled and twisted over itself. A cold pang hit his back and swept across his body as he felt his sweat freeze in place.

The vertigo finally pushed Wolfe to the ground as his mind went dark and a deep sleep took over.

The dream that came over Wolfe lasted for about an hour. 'Dream' was a rather optimistic way of putting it. It was more like a series of revelations that hit him all at once, like a strong gust of wind against a weak piece of paper held in one's hand.

The world of this dream had no background. The sky and land beyond a 10 feet radius of Wolfe's apparition were a purple void with bright spirals extending forever. He stood at the foot of the pond which now contained dark red water in a constant state of flux. Raging waves from each end of the pond collided at the spot where he had caught the fish, sending buckets of water onto Wolfe's lower body. Loud cries sounded from the distance and each time Wolfe turned to face their direction they would cease, as if they were scared of his gaze.

A low groan reverberated from below the water, and a pair of bright white eyes stared at Wolfe as he looked into the depths. Panic resonated throughout his body as he slipped onto the mud below his feet.

He was sweating, but no sweat exited his pores. He was breathing heavily, but no air entered or exited. He was shaking, but his limbs remained perfectly still.

The stark contrast between what he felt and what was actually happening sent another wave of dread through his mind. Quickly getting back onto his feet, Wolfe ran away from the pond, the void in front of him clearing up to reveal empty grasslands, while the land behind him continued to be consumed by the purple haze.

He ran until his mind was calm but the relief was short-lived. As he continued to walk forward, the ghastly crashing waves of the blood red pond returned to haunt him. The glowing eyes were missing, but in their place the stones around the pond glowed a bright green. This version of the pond restored Wolfe's peace unlike the first one.

With the area surrounding the pond now darkened, the only colors being the dazzling green of the stone boundary and the redness of the water, Wolfe noticed something very important.

Despite the chaotic clash of the ripples, none of the red water splashed out of the stone boundary. The stones held the structure of the pond elegantly, ensuring that the crashing water never escaped its premise. In a way, it gave a shape and identity to the pond.

With the spark of ideas lit in Wolfe's mind, he decided to walk further ahead to the next image of the pond. He walked in this imaginary landscape just to be rewarded with a disastrous scene.

The pond, or whatever remained of it, was all over the place. The glowing stones that had formed the confines of the pond were now missing, freeing the water from its limited coverage. In any other case the stones would have seemed like restrictions, but for the pond they were necessary. Without them, the pond had lost its elegance, all diversity born with it as the central source was nonexistent. The soil was water-logged, denying any plants from growing there. The lack of plants meant that no animals could thrive here either.

Wolfe wasn't sure if this meant anything, but the eyes from the first pond had returned, glowing a dull murderous red this time. He decided to ignore them for the moment, since he had already figured out how to deal with the 'stones and pebbles' that destroyed the structure of his 'clay'.

Wolfe finally woke from his sleep at 10:00 P.M.

"I'm screwed," he thought since he had missed his mansion duties for the day and would definitely face the consequences later. But the concern faded immediately as joy took its place.

He was now sure of the answer and his faith in the pond had pulled through. His initial thought of getting rid of the source of his anxiety and completely ignoring its existence had indefinitely been proven wrong.

Comparing his anxiety to the rocks around the pond, it was clear that the rocks blocked off the spread of the pond just like his anxiety blocked his potential to do better. But despite this, the rocks provided structure to the pond that made it look even better than it would have if they didn't exist. His insecurities could form the foundation for his future and act as the force that drove him to do better. He didn't want to become greedy and overridden by power like those who were the root of his insecurities. His anxiety made sure he wouldn't stray off the path of goodness, just like the stones made sure the water didn't stray from the pond and ruin the landscape.

The 'pebbles' in his 'clay' weren't there to act as a hindrance. Their purpose was to support the 'clay' and provide a skeleton for its future.