You don't use an egg, you worship it

Connie

"How did you learn English?" He asked. That question had been bogging Connie for the last couple of minutes. The girl had made introductions and explanations but he did not catch everything. He was pondering the whole time how she could so fluently speak Connie's language.

She was called Trefereisa or some name that sounded like that. It had a unique sound to it that he was not even sure how to spell it. This cabin where they brought him was in the middle of the Ikad Lo which literally translated to Blood Forest. The huge red bird was called a miraf and apparently he should run and hide as soon as she saw one before it could spot him. And yes, mirafs came in many colors.

Trefereisa regarded him warmly, replying, "It's taught in my kingdom." She had a nice smile and Connie found it hard to suspect her.

Earth could be like light years away from this planet. "How come?"

She paused for a second, as if contemplating if he was worth telling the truth. She mouthed, "You are not the first earthling. And that storm that brought you here, it was not the first of its kind. The scriptures refer to it as Prumifira - the Dread"

Connie had never felt so greater hope in his life. An ally. A way out. It was very possible.

"It was about two hundred years ago", she added, and his heart sunk. Two hundred years was rather very long.

"You mean, this planet's years? How long is that in earth years?"

"I'm not so sure," she turned to her butler whom she had introduced as Yuwer. She blabbered a string of words that Connie could not understand. Yuwer's forehead wrinkled as he tried to remember. He was an old man. He probably did know. Yuwer uttered something.

Trefereisa translated for Connie. "A year here is almost one and a half times the year in your planet. So more than a hundred and thirty if Yuwer was right. But don't be mistaken, the year that your world refers to is different to the year I'm talking about. We have two suns so it's kind of complicated."

Connie's jaw dropped. "That's not possible."

"In your world," she said with an air of pride, "But back to the topic, the first earthling was brought here by Suolu Prumifira - the Burning Dread."

"What brought me here then? What kind of Dread is that?"

"It's the Tajilu Prumifira - the Seeping Dread."

He felt chills up his spine. He remembered Princess's body. He could not see how it was related to seeping, though. But enough with that, he needed a way out. "Where is he now? The first earthling?"

"He's dead. It's been over a hundred earth years. An earthling's average lifespan is sixty, isn't it? Or has it changed?" She stated as though he ought to know.

"You mean, he died of old age? Nothing ate him or something?"

"His ambitions ate him. But yes, he died of old age. He was also the reason why English is taught in some domains. If you're thinking that he could help you, I'm sorry to shatter your hopes. He did not find a way back. He never wanted to. But we can help each other. I know the way and there is only one."

Connie's ears pricked up at this, suddenly filled with hopes again. He got the chance to come back to Molly and the others. He longed for his room overlooking the yard and the simplicity of the orphanage.

"But before I tell you," she said, leaning in closer, "you must tell me everything you saw, heard and felt."

To the best of Connie's memory and story-telling skills, he narrated his struggle in the storm, skipping the part where he almost stayed in the Orphanage and died. He was ashamed of it now. If he hadn't insisted to be left behind and not have been such a self-pitying douchebag, they would have had ample time to run and they would not have been left behind by the sisters and the rest of the children. Thinking about it, Princess would not have had to die.

After it all, Trefereisa had one question for him. "You saw no egg?"

"I saw a lot of birds," he replied, "but not a single one of them with an egg."

"That's understandable. It must have been too far off from you to see. You mentioned something about giants walking in the eye of the storm. That could be where it was. It's a start."

"We were all the while running away from the eye of the storm." It was the whole point of the story. "So, I told you everything. Tell me the way to go back where I belong."

"Sadly," she quipped, "only the egg holds the answer. It teleported you here. To an entirely different universe. Without it, there's nothing that I nor anyone in this planet can do."

"Don't you have research institutes or some paranormal authorities who have any knowledge of warping the hell out of here?"

She squinted at him, dismayed, brows knitting together. "Lucky for you, there is more than one egg."

He brightened up, "Then we can use them."

"If only that were possible," she sighed. "I understand you're ignorant of the laws of my world."

"Then enlighten me," he shrugged.

Trefereisa looked over at Yuwer before speaking, "Don't get bored. This story is rather lengthy. This world operates on six fundamental forces. Light, earth, water, wind, life and darkness. In the beginning of this universe, they said there was Fuljiri the First Formless Beast. She was Everything and Nothing, Jisil and Tusil. In her existed all the Fulji- Light. And at the same time, she had nothing. Every corner of this universe was cast in light. As she grew old, she gave birth to the first uju - egg - through her throat. For this uju, she twirled a piece of light in her mouth and gave it to it as a gift. She named the beast that hatched as Silu - Wind. After sometime, she gave birth to a second uju, this time through her eye socket. And for this uju she spun the light on her hand and gave it as a gift. She named this second beast Doda - Water. Well, there came a third uju which she excreted through her anus and for this she caught the light in her feet and squeezed it hard. What came of it she gave to the third uju which she named Haraji - land. Silu, Doda, Haraji. These three immortal beasts used to live in harmony along with their mother Fuljiri for billions of years. You see, these three beasts do not have the gift of light but wind, water and land. And what the light cannot reach, shadows are cast. When she gave birth to the three eggs, she unknowingly gave birth to eggs of darkness as well - Yoso, their shadows. Thus, also three dark uju came to be. They hatched and grew as the three beasts hatched and grew. But it was no problem at all, no worries until Fuljiri gave birth to the fourth uju by cutting off her arm. And the gift she gave it was the light that flowed in her veins, letting it pour out. She named this fourth beast Ajal - life."

Trefereisa paused for a moment for him to absorb every detail.

She went on, "Now, the problem was Ajal had an affinity to darkness. Sometimes, Ajal got bored of the light around him and sought the shadows. He was the weakest of all four beast siblings and sometimes he would feel inferior so to the dark he fled. Where they could not see him. Or find him. One day, Ajal came back from a billion year of hiding; his envy had completely eaten through his heart. So, he set his siblings on each other, telling lies, inciting wars. Soon the Mother was also caught up in this viscious circle. The five beasts fought for power and dominance and each time, one would emerge a victor. The prize was a chance to widen the reach of their empire. The others would be weak and easy to suppress, their power only a fraction of what they were capable of before. This is the Liije - the state of Imbalance where one of them is always favored."

"Unknown to any of them, as they procreated and procreated and made more beasts and men, the shadows also flourished. It does not matter which of the five wins each time, the darkness always wins. It contiues to gain power. Now, there will come a time when the influence of the shadow will exceed the reach of the light and this is - as our prophets call it - the Liije Akru - The Ultimate Imbalance."

Connie's head had been spinning since she mentioned the everything and nothing thing. At this point, he was not sure if he was still hearing her right. This creation myth, it was a lot to take in. Especially the giving birth through the eye socket, the throat, the arm, and the butthole. Who labors like that? If he came out of his mother's anus, he wouldn't be a human or a beast. He would be a turd. He held up his hands, stopping her, "What does this all have to do with me?"

"The egg, Connie," she answered, "each Imbalance is marked by the birth of eggs - five of them as each beast would lay an egg as their avatar to continue the battle on this ground while they restlessly wrestle each other in the stars. The uju hold so much power than you know. You said you wanted to use an egg to get home. You don't use an egg, Connie, you worship it."

"Oh," he sank in his seat.

"So the Imbalance. Right now, it favors the Dodayin. Tomorrow it may not. One uju had shown up, the others will too and it's only a race, only a matter of whoever gets to them first - an enemy or an ally. We can have an uju deliver you home. But first we must find it when it appears."

"The one back on Earth, which uju is it?"

She looked sullen. "It's not from one of the five beasts. I'm certain because every birth of an uju is accompanied by the Prumifira. And the Seeping Dread, it was a shadow's. And the fact that the shadow came first before the ones that cast it, it only means the Ultimate Imbalance is coming."

For some reason, Connie's spine shivered with cold tingles. "What will it do? Back on Earth what can it do?"

"An egg holds immense power beyond imagination. Who knows what it can do. During the Seeping Dread, it brought giants and birds with it. I don't know why, to protect itself? But if it had done it, it could do it again. And worse. So before it comes to that, we must find the fuljiuju - the light egg."

Yuwer moved over to Trefereisa and whispered something, as if Connie could understand their language if he overheard.

Trefereisa stood up. "We're going back home. And I suggest you come with us."

Connie glanced over at the corner where the red miraf lay like a heap of autumn leaves, still in glowing light chains. It looked so harmless now that it could not move. If he stabbed it, it would not be able to do anything. "How about it?"

"It's against the law to bring in a miraf or enslave one. But since it's your beast and your protector, I guess we can sneak it in."