The Destiny of Nexus

Chapter-10

                                I gathered the information from my uncle and went back to my friends. What took you so long? What did you do? They asked. I went to ask my uncle about my parents; it turns out he knows only a part of their story. But any way he gave me this box and said “Sangue” and “Turn after every step.” They all looked blank. Now we all scrutinized the box to find any clues. The box appeared to be ancient and mystical. We couldn’t tell what it is made up of. There were all different symbols on every face of the box. The symbols didn’t make any sense, at least to us. There were three kinds of eye symbols on three faces of the box. There was a tree on one face, some magical circles on the other, and another kind of circle on the last face. They all looked so ancient. We tried to open the box, but there was no key. So we decided to break it. First, we gently hit it with a hammer to break it. Alas! It didn’t work. Then we began to hit it with great force. No luck, though. We tried many things for a while, but in vain. Then, I thought maybe I could open it with my mind so my friends would believe me, and we could also see what’s in the box. I concentrated on the box to open it. My friends gave me a strange look. I ignored them and kept focussing. The box didn’t open, but I got a headache instead.

                           Nothing worked. We are back to square one again. Then Nyssa took the box from me and asked, so Steve, what you would do when your company needs a project at any cost but you hit a wall in the process. Well, I would try in the other possible way. So, what you are saying is that you would change your perspective and approach it from a different angle. We failed in opening the box. That’s a dead end. But what if it’s not at all about opening the box and all that we require is on the box itself? Saying this, she started looking at the box with keen observation. Hurray!! She exclaimed. Guys, can you see numbers on every face of the box? Maybe that’s a clue. I took the box back and kept it close to my eye and yes, I could see numbers written in a very small font. I read them out loud and Ronny started writing those numbers. They appeared random, though. The numbers were the combinations of two 1’s, two 4’s and two 8’s. They were written on every face of the box. But when I looked at all the numbers again, I found that on every face only one number appeared darker than the rest. Then I thought of what my father said, “Turn after every step.” Bingo! So after writing the darkened number from the first face, we need to turn the box to write the second and repeat. So we started from the top face, the first number appeared dark. We turned the box clockwise and the second number is darkened now and we turned the box in all directions and the final numbers were 418841. They might be co-ordinates to a location, let me check on the Google maps, Ronny said. He typed the numbers in the maps, and we got a location. It looked like a remote area. The only way to know if our deduction was right or wrong is to visit this place. The first two numbers specifies degrees, the second two specify minutes and the last two specify seconds.

                             We started with great excitement, as if we were going on an adventure to solve a mystery. But what I didn’t know was, it is just the beginning of something dangerous yet wonderful journey that I had to travel alone. So after we travelled for 88 minutes in 41 degrees direction, we reached a place. It’s totally empty, and there was only one house over there. It was not like what we expected. Maybe our theory was wrong. But before we return we better check who lives in the house. The house appeared small and full of dust. We knocked on the door. No one answered. I knocked again, but the same. Maybe no lives in this house anymore. I pushed the door as a final try, and it opened. Oh! It’s unlocked. The house was so dark that we couldn’t see anything. Suddenly an old lady holding a candle showed up. Nyssa and Ronny jumped back out of fear. Sorry, I did not mean to startle you. What can I do for you? The old lady asked. Actually we found this location from the numbers on a box. Does this box mean anything to you? I asked and showed her the box and as soon as she saw the box, come inside and follow me she said. We went inside after her and for our surprise she passed right through a wall. We stood still in our positions without moving forward. Just walk children, the wall isn’t a wall. I started walking slowly and my friends followed me. She was right, I passed right through the wall and so did my friends. What is this? Nyssa asked. It’s an illusion, my child. It’s a means to protect myself from the world. So aren’t you a human being just like us? Nyssa continued questioning. Indeed, I am.  But my religion is considered as evil and I can get executed for this. After the illusory wall, we started going downstairs and I could see a big place down there. I then realized that the real home of hers is under ground and the house on the land is just a cover-up or merely an entrance to her real home.   

                        The place below has only candles. No lights or fans or any other electronic devices. There were lots of books of different mythologies in her shelves. Several dream catchers hanging around. There were lots of stuffed toys that looked like tiny humans. They looked like the ones they use in black magic.  Overall, it's creepy. But I somehow felt this is the kind of a place where I’ll probably find answers to my supernatural questions. My name is Amanda Walker. I am a tarot reader. Step forward, who seek answers, she said. I went near her. She held my hand and closed her eyes and started saying; you are confused. People don’t believe you. You have questions a normal person cannot answer. She opened her eyes and said, give me the box and I’ll tell you what you are supposed to know.  I handed over the box to her. 

                         What I am about to say might overwhelm you. I shall tell you what I promised to Augustus. Wait, you knew my father? Yes, I do. He asked me to tell some history and some future to the person who shows up with the box. In return, he helped me with the illusion wall that protected me while my tribe was slaughtered.

                    I’ll start with the history then. The Almighty Theophage made this box. He is said to be responsible for the creation of the universe and the gods itself.  No one knows if he exists or not. But since we all exist, some tribes believe in him. It is said that he could simply eat the other gods itself. Such strong he was. It is believed that this box is made up of god’s material, which is impenetrable. It is written in ancient books that no god can open the box despite the power they had. A deserved individual who is not a god can only open it. Since its creation, no one could open it. It has been passed onto Pagans in the 5th century. The main belief of paganism is the recognition of the divine in nature. Pagans are deeply aware of the natural world and see the power of the divine in the on-going cycle of life and death. Most Pagans are eco-friendly, seeking to live in a way that minimises harm to the natural environment. So when they were given this box for safe guarding, Pagans thought that as it is made by God himself, it must be something powerful and if it fell in wrong hands may lead to destruction. Destruction and chaos are something that is against the beliefs of paganism. So besides its impenetrability, pagans enchanted some spells to make it more immune to any witch craft and dark magic. The symbols you see on the box are the ones that had been enchanted.

                                She pointed to one of the faces of the box and said this is called "Eye of Ra." It is an ancient Egyptian symbol that is often used for protection. The Eye of Ra was painted or carved onto the boats of Egyptian fishermen in order to protect them from evil curses and harm. This symbol was also placed on Egyptian coffins so that the person would be protected in the afterlife. The Eye of Ra is to wear as a talisman or amulet or to place them in and around the home in order to protect the building and occupants from harm. So this symbol keeps the box from opening when people with bad intent attempts to open or aids the deserved one.

                      The next one is "Eye of Horus." It is the same as the Eye of Ra.  It is an ancient Egyptian symbol that is used for protection. This symbol is also known as Wadjet. The Eye of Horus is believed by many to have healing and protective powers as well as the ability to ward off evil spirits. Because of this, the Eye of Horus is often used to decorate protective amulets and other items. Horus was an ancient Egyptian God of the sky, and he is typically depicted as a falcon.   

                       And the next one is enchanted to make the future generations believe that God exists. It is also known as the Eye of Providence, as you can see, this symbol consists of an eye, typically enclosed in a triangle, with rays of light surrounding it. It represents the divine providence of God watching over humanity. After these three enchantments, Pagans realized what if someone worthy finds this box and then opens it? Then all the evil people would be after the box and try to obtain it by eliminating the worthy individual. So they decided to add some symbols that power up the one who opens the box. Look at the symbol that looks like a tree. It is called "The Tree of Life." It is a symbol of a fresh start on life, positive energy, good health, and a bright future. It is a symbol of immortality. A tree grows old, yet it bears seeds that contain its very essence and in this way, the tree becomes immortal. It is also a symbol of growth and strength. It is believed to be a massive ash tree that connects all of the different worlds and is the centre of the universe in Norse mythology. It is also believed that the one who is blessed by The Tree of Life will have the power to resurrect dead people even. 

                      We were all looking at her without even blinking the eye. It’s all new to us. Our brains were fried. Maybe she understood that. She said; take some rest while I prepare dinner for all of you. She showed us a place to rest. There were no air conditioners and lights over there. But surprisingly it is cool enough and has sufficient light. We lied down on the beds. It felt peaceful...