Ten Years Holding Up A Feather (3)

Tie Nse opened a portal and they all stepped through. When the lights crackled open on the other side, they found themselves at the base of a rocky mountain. The mountain was so tall into the sky, one could not see it's peak hidden in the clouds. Tie Nse did not stop to take in the view. He led them around the base through a forest path. It seemed to them, that they were going down as they walked. They soon saw a changed scene behind a wall of vines. It was as though a veil was lifted from their eyes and they realised the mountain was hovering in mid air. The height of the mountain base from the was tall enough for a person to sit under. They bent down to look under the mountain. There at it's middle, a middle aged dark skinned man in a toga sat with the weight of the entire mountain resting on his hands raised above his head.

On arrival, the man looked at them. At first his face was cold and dark, with beads of sweat dripping from his head on to it. When his eyes met Tie Nse's, an eerie smile bloomed on his face.

"Boy!" he called.

"You're still carrying this rock?" Tie Nse asked.

"Ha-ha! You coming here means you must have found someone to take my place right?" At this, Tie Nse sighed and gestured to Ed. The man's hawk eyes moved to Ed, staring at him as though to look into his soul.

"Boy, come over. This great mountain must never be dropped." the man said.

"Why?" Ed asked.

"You have not spoken to him about this?" the man asked Tie Nse.

"No one cares about the stupid rock, Afia Nta." Tie Nse said.

"Why not?... I told you to stop calling me that..my name is... is..." Afia Nta trailed off as though lost and Tie Nse rolled his eyes.

"What's so special about the rock?" Ed asked.

"That's what I said." Tie Nse said and an angry wind slapped his way.

"What?! It's true!" Tie Nse insisted like a child.

"This great mountain signifies the sacrifice and selflessness of loyalty..." Afia Nta started to say.

"Just give him the stupid rock." Tie Nse said.

"Why?! Why should I give him my precious mountain?!" Afia Nta asked.

"You begged me to bring you someone so that you can go on a holiday, that's why." Tie Nse said, "Say, you can only holiday for a little under ten years. You must not go longer."

"You promised me someone that will hold it for five hundred years!"

"Well, he won't care to hold it longer. So find someone while you are on your vacation." Tie Nse said.

"Come boy." Afia Nta said and Ed wanted to move, but Tie Nse's voice stopped him.

"Ya! Get up! Are you expecting him to crawl down there? He is doing you a favour, you know?" he ordered Afia Nta.

"Stupid boy, don't you know that one must hold it stable? If this rock is out of balance one moment...." he started to say.

"So you finally accept that it is just a stupid rock." Tie Nse said snidely.

"Ya!" one could feel Afia Nta's anger roll through the air. Ed sighed and crawled under the mountain till he reached the man. Upon reaching him, Ed looked right at him, but could not feel his presence. To this he frowned. The man shifted aside to let Ed sit at the centre, with his hand still holding the mountain base. Even though he moved, his toga did not rustle, talk more of the mountain he was holding; that did not tremble one moment.

At a closer look at Ed Afia Nta frowned, "You are only a spirit awakening junior." he said.

"Yes." Ed answered.

"You may die if I hand over this mountain. The mountain is..." he started to say.

"Just hand over the stupid rock." Tie Nse said.

"You must really hate this boy, to send him here to die." Afia Nta said.

"I am actually looking for something that can kill him, but it is not your mountain. So, hand it over!" Tie Nse ordered.

"Fine!" Afia Nta let loose a creepy smile, "Braze yourself, boy. Sitting here can help your cultivation. I can only help you a little, so listen. Loyalty transcends illusion, begets strength and triumphs eternity. Keep that in mind" he said and Ed raised his hand to touch the rock. It felt like polished wood. No, bone,... What was this feeling? Ed wondered. Before he could figure out what the feeling was, he felt a weight strike his being, causing him to look up abruptly at the mountain base. When he looked up, he realized he was holding a giant feather.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Afia Nta asked.