by A. M. True
I was impressed with the strength of his confidence and his outspoken demeanor. Thorenel shifted himself on the boulder so that he was closer to me.
Thorenel: Listen to me and listen to me well. Let go of control and let God’s work be done in you. Gain the mortal experience but detach yourself from the vortex of it. Do not become so absorbed in it that you forget your true inner self. Your awareness of your inner self is beginning to awaken, and that is how you are sometimes able to be here in the celestial plane. The time has come for you to remember yourself and merge it with your experiences of Earth. This is how you will expand and evolve. Find the balance between mortal and spirit. You must learn to reposition your vortex to receive the higher realms more easily and abundantly. This is done through higher vibrating emotions.
Thorenel pushed-back the hood of his cloak.
Thorenel: We are here for you. You, personally, can rest assured that you are being guided in your well-being. After all, you have physically become one in unity with the Princedoms of Millattus, Princess. Everything is always as it should be. Do not fight it anymore. Accept things as they come and let them blossom into what you will see unfold. Remember to find and focus upon the joy in each experience. You have my word, Adrienne, my word that the true reality is within your inner self. That which you think about most, and that which you resonate with deeply, is the truth. Everything else is just for the experience, the evolution of self, the expansion of spirit.
I still questioned who I was regarding my place on Lapoi.
Me: So, what is my purpose on Lapoi?
Thorenel was quick to respond.
Thorenel: Are you happy here?
Me: Yes, I am, but I am just confused about…
Thorenel interrupted me and spoke bluntly.
Thorenel: There is nothing to be confused about. You confuse yourself trying to give everything a purpose. Sometimes the experience itself is the purpose.
He stood up and began walking.
Thorenel: Come with me. Turn off your mind and enjoy your spirit while we continue onward.
I understood what he was trying to say. He was trying to enlighten me, not belittle me or convince me of something. A sense of peace filled my soul, and I felt lighter inside. Thorenel was ahead of me, but he stopped to turn around. He waited for me and gave me a satisfied smile.
We began walking along the bank of the stream which exited the lake and flowed towards the south. We walked on a path parallel to the stream continuing further into the woodlands. We kept silent for a while. I was thinking about and absorbing what Thorenel had shared with me. He remained silent to let me do so.
After following the stream for about 15 minutes, it grew wider and the water began flowing faster. I couldn’t get over how clean and clear the water appeared. It even carried a scent of fresh pine to it. We continued walking for about five more minutes when Thorenel held his hand out signaling for me to stop.
He took a few more steps forward before he himself slowed to a stop. He was very still. Grinning widely, he turned his head back to look at me.
Thorenel: Do you hear it?
I listened for the sound of something new or different. I could hear a deep rumbling sound in the distance. It sounded like a heard of stampeding buffalo. It reminded me of thunder, only it was constant without ceasing. It just continued rumbling. As we continued walking further, the rumbling grew louder. The stream was now a river and the speed of the river was very rough. That is when it came to me. I knew what was making the rumbling sound.
Me: The waterfall!
Thorenel smiled and nodded his head.
Thorenel: And that’s where we’re headed.
I was so excited! I’d seen small waterfalls in my life before, but never had I seen one this magnificent nor had I ever been at the top of one looking down. I had butterflies of excitement in my stomach as we approached. When we got to the edge of the cliff, I could barely hear Thorenel over the loud crashing of the waterfall. I followed him out to the very edge of the cliff. He stepped onto a large flat rock overlooking the edge. He turned to me and had to yell for me to hear him.
Thorenel: Are you ready?
I was confused.
Me: Ready? Ready for what?
Thorenel opened his arms.
Thorenel: To jump!
He extended his hand to me. I raised my eyebrows at him in disbelief. I looked down over the edge of the cliff. It was at least a 300-yard drop straight down. Thorenel stepped closer to me and yelled again over the raging waters.
Thorenel: Or will you still choose not to trust in me?
Why was he so hung up on trust? I sighed from anxiety. I shook my head in defeat and reached out for his hand. I was shaking tremendously from fear. My legs would barely walk. Thorenel took my hand with his, and then placed his other hand on top. Smiling, he shook his head at me.
Thorenel: You will learn, Adrienne. You will learn to trust me.
I did trust him, but I couldn’t fight off my natural instincts. My heart knew Thorenel was going to protect me no matter what, but my mind said this is suicide!
Artist: Danny Rayel
Song: Rise of a Hero
Thorenel released my hand and positioned himself in front of me. He turned around so that his back was to me.
Thorenel: Get on my back. I will jump with you this time.
My mind was cluttered and clouded with fear. I wasn’t even sure I was having any thoughts. Left with no other choice, I did as he said and slowly climbed onto his back. His arms tucked themselves under my legs to help keep me lifted. His demeanor was as if he were about to ride on a roller coaster at an amusement park. It was as if he were about to play a fun quest in a video game. He had no fear. Turning his head to look at me in his peripherals, I could see that he was smiling and seemed relaxed.
Thorenel: You good?
He said this in an almost joking manner. No, I wasn’t good! I was terrified! It was no use in protesting, though. I knew Thorenel had his mind made up about this. Petrified, I managed to nod at him, despite my inner turmoil. Thorenel turned his head forward again. I felt him roll his shoulders a few times and heard him clear his throat. He paused for a moment and chuckled to himself.
Then, at that, he jumped over the edge. I used every muscle in my body to keep myself attached to him. I made myself into a backpack on Thorenel’s back.
We fell alongside the waterfall. The water was falling with us. I watched the same drops of water fall at the same speed as us as we continued our decline. The wind ripped into my ears as we fell. My stomach felt like it was doing flips as gravity had its way. Then I looked down. We rapidly were approaching the ground. I squeezed Thorenel with my legs. I used my arms to clench his chest. I tucked my head into the back of his neck. Feeling dizzy, I closed my eyes in fear. What if something went wrong and we hit the ground? What if I slipped from Thorenel’s back? Accidents happen, so what would prevent an accident right now? One wrong move and we will splat on the ground below.
Then, I remembered what Thorenel had said earlier. He was a celestial. This made him capable of nearly anything that could possibly be thought. His scent of amber was comforting to me. I trusted him—I truly did trust him and all his power. I could feel that he had a strong grip on me, but also knew that should something go wrong, he had the powers and abilities to quickly fix it. I submitted to him and my body relaxed into his hold.
Suddenly, I felt the rate of our fall begin to slow. Everything around us began to move in slow motion. All sounds faded, and all became silent. I no longer heard the wind whooshing through my ears, nor the sound of the waterfall violently crashing below me. The wind resistance against my body had subsided. I heard only the sound of Thorenel’s thoughts. He transmitted them slowly and clearly to me.
Thorenel: You must always trust. Remember who we are.
I lifted my head from his neck and opened my eyes. Thorenel was hovering midair about halfway down the waterfall. With me still on his back, he turned to fac
e the waterfall and held his hands out in front of him with his palms facing forward. He waved them apart from one another in a motion to part the water of the waterfall. It opened like two panels of curtains. The water still flowed, but there was a gap in the flow. I could see between the split Thorenel had created in the waterfall. It looked like some kind of small cave was hidden behind it. Thorenel proceeded to fly through the parted waters.
The cave was about 15 feet deep, 20 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. There was a deep stream of water flowing out of the middle of the cave floor feeding into the waterfall. This stream was about ten feet wide and ten feet deep. Thorenel hovered himself inside the cave to the side of the stream. Then he set us down. He walked along the edge of the stream towards the cave wall. He placed his hands on his hips for a moment, and then motioned for me to come over there to him.
Artist: PostHaste Music (Mark Petrie)
Song: Convergence
Thorenel: There is more here than meets the eye. There are only three Lapoians who have the privilege and ability to see beyond this cave.
He leaned into my ear and spoke quietly.
Thorenel: Take notes—you are one of them, Princess.
He walked a bit further into the cave before continuing.
Thorenel: The first requirement is to conjure the element of fire.
He took a deep breath in and then blew out toward the cave wall from the right side to the left. As he did this, the walls lit up, one by one, with torches of fire which were unseen once before. They were at eye level and were spaced out along the semi-circular wall about two feet apart from one another. The power behind his breath was enough to create a breeze as it repelled against the cave wall. I could feel and smell the rustic freshness from his breath. It carried a hint of clean pine within it.
Thorenel: Next you must turn the water to ice.
He knelt down and hovered his hands above the surface of the flowing stream. After a few moments, the stream froze over completely. Thorenel stood up and proceeded to walk across it all the way back towards the cave wall.
Thorenel: You must walk across the frozen water in order to reach the back, center, and top of the cave wall.
He stopped there and turned to look at me.
Thorenel: You got that much?
I didn’t understand where he was going with this, or how I would ever be able to actually do those things by myself, but I understood what he had said.
Me: Yeah. Blow fire and freeze the water to walk on it. No problem. Got it.
Thorenel knew I was being sarcastic. I heard him chuckle under his breath before turning back towards the cave wall.
Thorenel: The third requirement is that of your breath. You will exhale your breath onto the wall itself towards the top and center.
He exhaled his breath, as one would on a cold morning, onto the top middle of the cave wall. This slowly revealed a symbol of light on the cave wall. It was the same symbol which appeared on all of Lapoi’s tapestries and banners. The symbol glowed brighter and brighter until it was fully manifested.
Thorenel: The final requirement is your touch.
He placed his hand directly on the glowing symbol. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound. Thorenel removed his hand from the wall and took a small step back. The entire back wall of the cave began opening. It was a secret door. It slid downward into a crevice on the cave floor.
Artist: Patryk Scelina
Song: Voices of Namibia
Upon entering the dark cave, torches began lighting up all along the inner walls. The cave extended back for about ten feet before turning to the right, then curving back to the left. The stream flowed through the center of the tunnel floor. The stream was already beginning to melt again, so we had to walk on the five feet to the left or right side of the stream.
The tunnel led to a huge open circular cavern. It was the size of a grand arena. A stream flowed out of the center of the ground from a waterfall that fell from the far back wall of this enormous open cave room. A few evergreen trees were growing inside here. There were also several plateaus containing stone boulders and various flowers. In the center of the room was a 1,600-square foot plateau upon which was a pool of natural warm spring water. I could see the steam rising from it. The central stream flowed around this plateau on all sides, framing it beautifully with sparkling waters. Light was beaming in onto this plateau from a medium-sized hole in the roof of the cave room.
There were numerous tunnels forking off in all directions on three different levels of this room. There were at least 50 separate tunnels to the right and 50 to the left, and 50 on each of the four upper levels. We walked past a few of these tunnels to our right. They all looked the same. Measuring about ten feet tall and ten feet wide, they all seemed to stretch for miles deep.
Thorenel: There is a combination puzzle within this cave. You must know the exact combination in order to arrive to the ending destination. Otherwise, you will become lost in a seemingly endless maze of merging tunnels. That is, if you can even get past opening the main cave door.
In the distance, I heard the main cave door we had entered through, began to close with a rumble. Thorenel continued walking past a few more tunnels before turning into one on the right.
Thorenel: Count eight tunnels on the right and turn down the eighth tunnel.
Our footsteps echoed as we continued down the tunnel. I could still hear the waterfall faintly rumbling in the distance. I also heard the echoing drops of water and smelled the aroma of clean water, like a bathtub after it has been freshly cleaned with bleach. It felt cool in the cave, not cold, but cool and crisp.
Thorenel raised his hand to me. I saw an invisible bubble surround me. Immediately I felt warm and comfortable. He had read my mind and knew that I was slightly uncomfortable.
Thorenel: I will do whatever I can to your best interest.
We passed a few more tunnels before Thorenel turned to the left down another one.
Thorenel: Count three tunnels to the left and turn down the third tunnel.
I was trying to review everything he had said so far since passing through the waterfall outside. I didn’t know how I was going to do any of it, but I figured it would be a good idea to practice memorizing it; that way, if I ever could do any of those things, I’d know what to do and in what order to do them. We continued past several tunnels. I was already lost. Thorenel turned down a tunnel to the right.
Thorenel: Count seven tunnels to the right and turn down the seventh tunnel.
We continued walking.
Thorenel: The destination is at the end of this tunnel.
We walked past at least 20 or more tunnels on either side before I finally began to see the end of the tunnel. Thorenel kept walking and didn’t turn down any of the other tunnels. All I saw was a wall at the end of the tunnel. Thorenel walked to the wall and placed his hand upon it.
Thorenel: This is it.
I was not impressed. I looked all around, wide-eyed, trying to find something different or interesting about this tunnel or this cave wall.
Me: Okay? What is it? What am I looking at?
Thorenel exhibited a serious look on his face.
Thorenel: What lies behind these walls is sacred.
Artist: Audiomachine
Song: Radiant
Turning around to face me, he folded his hands in front of him. Without blinking an eye, he continued looking at me for a moment with a straight-faced stare. He let there be a pause of silence and stillness before continuing.
Thorenel: Are you ready?
Of course, I wasn’t sure if I was ready. I didn’t know what was behind those walls. I shrugged my shoulders but smiled.
Thorenel turned around and placed his hand onto the center of the back wall of the tunnel. Another trinity symbol began to appear and glow. I wondered immensely what was concealed behind that cave wall. It certainly was secure from most anything trying to intrude. The walls began to rumble and slide down into the cave floor. Thorenel turned ar
ound to face me once again with his hands folded in front of him professionally.
A room was being revealed behind the wall. From the look of the ceiling, it was about 20 feet by 20 feet. Many small orbs of light, the size of marbles, floated around the room, illuminating it in a soft glow. The orbs danced around the room in constant motion as would snowflakes in the wind. The cave door continued down until it had disappeared completely into the cave floor.
