Higher

Chapter 10

"Ang Bag-ong Dalan, ikaw ang unang maghinlo ug mosubay!"

"Isog!"

"Isog!"

"Isog!"

A voice calling unto him. It was not a loud one, just something of a soft whisper but it fills his whole mind like a shout from a close distance.

Slowly opening his eyes, everything feels so light around him. Not an ounce of pain he was feeling nor exhaustion. Everything was a blurry yet, having not opened his eyes for a long while made it hard to focus.

Blinking hard and tightly shutting his eyes to forcibly adjust his sight, he was startled by the sight he sees before him.

"Where am I". Isog asked to himself in amazement as it was something new before him. No, it wasn't a twisted version of a place he knew of but rather a real place somewhere.

"Isog!". A voice calling echoed behind his ears. He was so startled by it he turned around to face his backside but there was nothing there.

"Who are you?". It was rather asked in a loud voice, after being not having spoken for a long time.

There was no answer.

"Where are you?". Isog called out aloud.

"I am here.". The voice answered from behind him.

Isog turned around again and he was shocked in what he see.

There was suddenly a statue before him. It so big compared to him about ten times in of his height.

Isog, instinctively take a step back. He was feeling fear as well as awe of the sight before him. The was made of some kind of dark shade material.

"Isog!"

A soft voice come from it but when it reached his ears, it felt like a roar of thunder. He was shaken out of his trance of awe toward the giant statue before him.

"Are you the one calling for me?"

There was no answer. Instead there was a glow in the shadows of it. It slowly taken a from a human, fully transforming into an old man.

"Who are you?". Isog asked, surprisingly he wasn't feeling any shaken right now. His voice were even full and steady.

" I am Gama Zen and I welcome you for being able to coming here." The old man introduced himself. The voice is mysterious yet something full of steady confidence. The tone was neither of arrogance nor humility but of steady belief that have been proven for countless of times.

"What happened to me? Why am I here?". Isog asked the question he had been meaning to since the time of waking up into this place.

And then he added, "Am I already dead?".

The old man let out a smile, it might have been amusing the first time he heard it but not after for a countless of times.

So the old man immediately addressed the last question.

"No, you aren't in any way dead Isog. Actually, you have never been more alive since coming into this place."

"So why am I here if I am not dead?". Confusion was inside Isog's head even more. Then it he felt his head become lighter and then the confusion was gone.

'What was that?'. Isog asked inside his mind.

"That is the reason why you are here". As if the old man can hear him. In fact it can really do hear his thoughts as in this place, there was no really need for a voice to communicate.

Isog just stared at amazement at the old man. He didn't thought nor asked anything, he just look at old man with pure amazement.

"No need for that Isog, it should be me that should be amazed of what you have done to be able to come here".

Isog's mind immediately flashed back to how he saved the apprentice by the attack from tsoyokoy.

The old man, immediately sensing what the boy is thinking, corrected him immediately.

"No that is not the reason why you are here, but it indeed facilitated the way of you being able to reach this place."

It was like a riddle now, that words of the old man. Why need to be mystifying and suspenseful?

"You are here as when the time you fought against that creatures, trying to save that apprentice and yourself, your will have gone to the limit of normal person's threshold. You have exceeded the mental capacity of an ordinary human and it turn, you have connected to this place. You are now permanently having a connection to this place." The old man explained to Isog.

Isog have caught unto the words of old man. He remember earlier of fighting against the exhaustion and fear, will himself to just for a little bit further unless he have gone through for a quite distance.

Isog heaved himself a deep breath of having remembered the bitter struggle. It was a moment of life and death. And it was just a tiny bit of distance that separated the two, anytime he can puncture to the territory of death.

"What is this place?"

"This is the path toward the Universal Nirvana."

"?". Isog just had a question mark inside his head. The answer feels more mysterious than the question. And what is the new words, ' Universe's Nirvana?'.

"Universe's Nirvana is the collection place of great minds who's will and knowledge have broken through the limit that separates those of normal and incredibly exceptional. Being exceptional won't even make you reach this place. When you reached that limit, you see yourself with its all connections with the rest of the world. In everything around you, it might not be visible but you can feel it. Your connection to the universe and all the things connected to you."

Isog was speechless in what he heard. He understand the words but not deeply understand it, so he has more questions instead of answers right now.

Then, Isog just noticed that there is a space between the feet of the statue. It looks like an entrance to somewhere, he can see steps of stairs leading up.

"Come Isog, and see the world."

"What is there to see?"

"The past, present and glimpse of what future may holds for you."

Isog hesitated but the old man didn't even look back toward him. It just climb up the flight of stairs. So he followed up.

And then there was exploding of light then a gentle glow then darkness.