Origin: Choosing the Path

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:18 pm

The blazing figure shifts slightly, seeming to notice your presence for the first time. The energy blazing out from him changes course, and new floods of images and sensations whirls around. Your preparation proves prescient, your mental clothing flapping in the wind while the rest of you stands firmly rooted to your constructed Foundation. You notice for the first time that energy is emanating from you as well, your mind interpreting it as a calm, sedate, light-blue aura that blunts the closest edges of the madness, your care and compassion extending into the mindscape like a soothing wave.

A voice seems to waft out of the Light. It is almost childlike, full of wonder and awe. "Jon, I have seen so many wonders. Visions of glorious pasts. Glimpses of beautiful futures. So many wonders." There is a slight edge of pain amidst the reverence. "Are you here to show me more, Jon? Why are you here?"

Post by **Trogdor** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:01 pm

"There are wonders aplenty in this realm," Jon replies. "A man could get lost in them. You have gotten lost in them. I fear that while you explore these mysteries here, your body has begun to fade. And if your body fails, then the mind will shortly follow. You must pay attention to your physical frame so that your mind may have the security it needs to indulge in your current investigations."

"I'm one of the doctors who's been sent to care for you. I'm here to show you how to care for your body so that you can continue to safely experience the pasts and futures you've seen in recent days."

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:34 am

"No, I'm not lost. This is where I belong, where I need to be. I finally understand, I can finally see." He sounds upset, and the energy coming off his explodes in intensity. However, your proximity protects you. The Eye holds, a small center of peace within the storm. "You don't understand, I worked so hard to get here. I sacrificed so much!" The shadowed figure extends his hands, and looks at them. "I can't give up now, not when I finally got here." There is a note of despair in his voice, so perhaps he is not as sure as he sounds.

Post by **Trogdor** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 1:23 pm

"I don't want to take you away from your revelation," Jon says with genuine sympathy in his voice. "I'm a seeker of wisdom myself; I know how elusive it can be. I've spent many years trying to achieve true understanding, and I would never tell someone to stray from that path."

"But I'm also a doctor, and one charged with caring for your mortal frame, a frame that's in danger of failing if you don't pay it some heed. I'm concerned because if your body fails, your mind will fail too. Then all of the gains you've made here will fade away; all that you've worked so hard to achieve will be gone; your sacrifices will have been for naught; and you'll be forced to start anew in your next incarnation in the circle of life. I don't want that, and you don't want that. We both want to preserve the significant progress you've made here. We both want your understanding to expand."

"There are ways to maintain what you've achieved here. We can leave mental signposts that will allow you to return to this place of understanding and wisdom. But you ignore your physical body at your peril. You must devote at least a small amount of time tending to your physical needs. Even the greatest masters at the temple I studied at took breaks from their meditations. If you wish to continue the expansion of your mind, you will too."

"Please, let me help you."

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:15 am

The Light dims for a few moments, and you can begin to see the Man in the shadows. He looks like an idealized version of the emaciated body back in the hospital. Fit, strong, vibrant, a figure of strength and vitality. You can practically see the fatigue in his voice. "Yes, I'd like that. I would like to rest. Just for a moment. Just some sleep, before continuing the journey." He extends his hand, then stops. The energy coming from explodes in intensity, and you can't even make out his shadowy form in the Light.

A stentorian bellow rings in your ears. "Enemy! Trickster! Fiend! You are simply a Test, to determine my Devotion. To see if I truly am dedicated to Ascension, or if I will be weak. So many have failed, so many Seekings come to nothing. I will not show weakness. I will not quit. I will stand, and be not moved. I will overcome You!" The whirling madness is back ten-fold. You are thrown around like a rag-doll, your mental Shield the only thing still standing between you and complete madness. Your mind strains as your spiritual form is thrown wildly about. You slam against the ground again and again, and fatigue threatens to overwhelm you.

You reach deep within yourself, spending mental reserves to reestablish Order. You Center yourself, drawing upon your discipline and self-control. The Danger is clear, but the Path uncertain. You look around you, and with your having been thrown around, and the increase in the Storm, you aren't sure you know which direction is the correct one to get back to your own body. The Being thinks you are hostile, either a thing of temptation, or a fragment of his own doubt he must overcome. What you do in the next few moments will define who you are for years to come.

Post by **Trogdor** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 3:31 pm

"Your doubt is commendable," Jon replies. "As is your devotion. But yours is a path of truth. You must remain faithful to the truth above all else. If you turn away from that, then all you do will be tainted. And the truth is that you're killing yourself by ignoring your physical frame. You are undermining your progress and will cause your journey to come to a premature end - long before you reach your goal of Enlightenment. I don't ask you to stop pursuing your ultimate destination, just take a break long enough to tend to your body before you resume."

"I'll lower my mental shields to let you see the truth of what I say, but I can only do that if you show the control necessary for me to be sure of my own safety. Show me how far you've come along the path to Enlightenment. Show me that you are master of your own emotions. Show me that I can trust you to read my mind."

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Fri Oct 28, 2016 12:37 am

The figure visibly calms, his hands unclenching, his stance relaxing. "That ... sounds reasonable. Everything you say makes sense. I'm just so tired of all the false starts, all the spirits and visions leading to dead ends. You don't sound like any of them." The storm clearly follows no mortal physics, as it goes from deadly intensity to a heavy breeze instantly. The man's face also becomes more visible. You clearly are getting through to him on some level.

"But how can I access your mind? I am no expert in that path, simply an apprentice. My powers lie elsewhere, exploring the vast vaults of Time Itself." The colors in the storm abruptly focus into at least a dozen different vignettes, playing through events all around space and time. "How can a simple doctor bridge the gap between our minds? How are you even here?"

Post by **Trogdor** » Fri Oct 28, 2016 4:41 pm

"I never said I was a simple doctor," Jon replies with just the hint of a smile. "For while I am, indeed, a doctor, I'm also an adept who devotes my efforts to understanding the magical realm of the Body and the Mind. I've been brought in by a colleague to examine a patient of his who is fading fast. That patient is you. You've spent so much effort looking outward at the vista of Time that you've forgotten to look inward at your own well-being. All I want is for you to spend a little time feeding the needs of your body so that your mind can expand and reach the Enlightenment that you deserve.

"If you like, I can bridge the gap between our minds," he adds earnestly. "I can open up my mind and allow you to experience what I have and allow you to see what your body looks like to an outside observer. As I say, I don't want to take you away from your path of learning. But I'm bound by my oaths as a doctor to do everything I can to keep your body and soul together, at least until you finally achieve Enlightenment."

He holds out a symbolic hand. "Will you let me help you help yourself?"

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:20 pm

The Man looks hesitant, uncertain as to which Path to take. After an agonizing minute, he slowly reaches for his hand and takes your in his own. The willingness of both of you, combined with where you are, makes for an instant connection. You blink, and all around you two is pure whiteness. No stone foundation, no swirly storm, just the two of you. He is no longer hidden in the blinding light, no longer a shadowy figure, but a simple man.

As he stares into your eyes, your arms still clasped, the entire Hospital scene replays itself with startling clarity in your mind. The conversation with the peaceful, dying old woman. Your friend's request for aid. Your ritual establishing mental contact with the comatose patient. Even the dangerous journey through the mental Storm replays itself, taking you back to this moment. The man gasps at the intimate journey through your memories, and he staggers so suddenly that you almost lose contact. He goes to one knee, his hand still holding tenuously on to your own.

His gaze stays locked on yours, but tears are streaming down his face now. "I don't understand. An Akashic, coming to save me? How can this be? You are no figment, no hobgoblin to tempt me. But, how? Why would you risk your life, your sanity, for an Ecstatic? How could you be even be here?" You feel his emotions through the link, his utter shock and dismay. Your connection lets you know his conceptions of your kind instantly. The idea of a Monk coming down from a mountain monastery to save a reveler and rebel like him is almost more than he can comprehend.

Post by **Trogdor** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:36 pm

"When I became a healer," Jon replies. "I swore an oath to follow the ways of Hippocrates. I swore to 'apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required.' There was nothing in that oath about avoiding treatment for those whose ideals differed from my own." He smiles. "You were in need, so I helped you. There was no thought about you being from a different tradition from me. There was only the sight of a person in trouble."

"So let's go back to the real world, if only for a time, and feed your body what it needs. Then I can hope that next time you come here, you'll keep part of your awareness on your physical as well as your spiritual self. I might not always be around to bring you back from the brink." Jon holds his hand out for the man to take.

"Shall we go?"

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