The PureLights of Ohm Totem

by Brandon Ellis

  Then a sight that Zoey had only seen in movies happened right before her eyes.

  What in the world?

  Chapter 7

  Coda looked down at green moss, watching his paws dangle in the air. He was about five feet off the ground, slowly floating toward the boulder where Zoey and Nova both sat.

  What's going on?

  He tried to fall back toward the ground, but nothing allowed him to do so. He had no control over the forces carrying him. He felt comfortable, though, almost like he was riding on a fluffy warm blanket.

  In his mind he heard Nova speaking, “Empty your mind and proceed from the heart. That's where all knowledge and understanding originate.” Instantly, Coda's mind went from fright to the Snow Tree's exercise on thinking from your heart.

  He closed his eyes and filled his heart full of as much love and joy as he could, surrounding it with white and pink light. His body started to tingle, and when he opened his eyes he found himself safely lying on top of the boulder.

  Coda stood up and sat just like Nova, on his hind legs, tail lying on the flat boulder top and curled around his forepaws. He stared down at the choppy river flowing next to the boulder. He faced north as the sun's light struck the left side of his body, making him squint to keep the bright light out of his eyes. In his mind, the boulder was so tall that it looked like it was a thousand feet to the river below. In truth, it was only about twenty-five feet.

  “Um... how did you do that?” he asked.

  “I'm considered a PureLight Master. We're called VioletLights for short.” She swished her tail in front of her, winking, “We'll get to that later.” She walked to the western edge of the boulder and peered into the horizon.

  For the first time, Coda saw some of what he thought his sister must have seen from being so high in the sky.

  The sun was dipping, closing in on the trees in the west, casting light over the thick forest of trees in his line of sight. Even more to the west was a large, snow-capped mountain range that stretched South to North, sloping drastically in height only miles past a dense smoke rising out of the ground.

  Coda also noticed smoke to the north, cutting across the forest in a straight line from west to east.

  “That,” said Nova, “is The Fog.”

  Coda padded across the warm boulder top and stood next to Nova. “The Fog? I've never seen a fog like that.”

  With the flick of her head, Nova gestured for Zoey to come sit beside her. Nova waited for Zoey before she began to speak. “The Fog arrived in our land thousands of moons ago. So long ago that most can't remember exactly when it formed. There's a fog cutting across the land behind us as well, farther in the south. Crossing beyond the North and South Fog takes you into the Dim Lands. It's a place to enter at your own risk.”

  “The Dim Lands?” repeated Coda.

  Nova nodded. “They're as they sound—dim. Diminished of light. The Fog is a boundary that divides the Dim Lands from the PureLight Lands. Right now, we're on the eastern portion of the PureLight Lands.” Nova looked down at her paws and Coda could feel a sadness suddenly overwhelm her. “The Dims are the name for the many Beings who've lost their way.

  “Both lands, the Dim Lands and PureLights Lands, are on this island, and we call this island Ohm Totem,” Nova let out a deep sigh. “The Dims populate most of the island, while the PureLights occupy only the middle portion.”

  Coda didn't know what to think. Was there a war going on between the Dims and PureLights? What does this have to do with us? Why are we here?

  “I can't tell you why you're here. It's up to you to figure that out on your own. I can help steer you in the right direction, though.”

  Coda narrowed his eyes. How did she know what I was thinking?

  “Yes, there's a war going on,” continued Nova. “A war on many fronts. One is a war between the Dim's themselves. Another is a war between the PureLights and the Dims.”

  Zoey remained silent, but Coda could almost hear what was going on in her mind. He knew she just wanted to get back home. He felt a little curious, though. Was it the panther in him making him feel curious?

  “Why is there a war?”

  “The Dims want to control all of Ohm Totem. They started out as a tiny group living in a small portion on the middle-northern part of the island, but quickly spread throughout the majority of it. They defeated many of the PureLight tribes and, in the process, were able to capture and turn many of the inhabitants of the tribes into slaves, warriors, and killers.” Nova shook her head. Coda was expecting to see anger in her eyes, but it was just the opposite. They held compassion. “You'll know a Dim by the gray color in their crystals.”

  Fascinated, Coda asked another question. Zoey suddenly seemed interested as well. “What are the PureLight tribes?”

  “There were nine tribes that settled here in Ohm Totem. Each tribe had an individual name, but together we were called the PureLights. We had left a world immersed in war, disease, and pain to come here to Ohm Totem—a place of beauty, peace, and love. We wanted to rid ourselves of all technology, and of all ability to create technology. Here we thrived and shared amongst each other for what seemed to be millions of moons.”

  Nova paused before adding, “I'm from the PureLight tribe named Sihu. You're on Sihu land right now.”

  She glanced to the north, going back to her story as if it was very important for them to know. “Thousands of moons ago, a VioletLight—a PureLight Master named Crepus, drastically changed. His mood shifted suddenly, so much so that every VioletLight in Ohm Totem felt it. The island itself shook from the ferocity of the change. He came to us with grandiose ideas; things that he thought would benefit others, but in truth, would cause us to fall from our peaceful, loving nature.

  “We challenged his ideas and he lost control of himself, doing one of the worst things that a PureLight can do. Something we hadn't experienced since we had come to Ohm Totem. He took our response to his ideas personally.”

  Coda was taken aback. How could taking something personally be the worst thing?

  Nova replied to the unspoken question. “When we take something personally, we become very selfish. We assume that everything in the world is about 'me'. Then we see ourselves as victims.”

  Shaking her head sadly, Nova continued her tale. “Crepus considered himself a victim when we didn't agree with his ideas. He thought that since we didn't agree, we were against him. However, the opposite was true. We loved him very much, but we saw the error in his thinking that he was unable to see. We wanted to talk it through with him, but he declined. It confused us. We'd never seen him take anything personally before.

  “He started to blame others for any mistake that occurred in his life. He thought, and still thinks, that others are the cause of all of his grief, when in truth, he is the only cause. His life went from 'bliss' to 'selfishness'. We watched his crystals slowly fade from a Master's violet color to a gray. It was something we'd never seen before. When his crystals turned black, we could only wonder at what would happen next.”

  Zoey scratched the surface of the boulder with her skylark feet, but said nothing. Coda sensed that she had something important to say, something she was holding back.

  “Yes, Zoey?” inquired Nova.

  “Well, I...” she stopped and closed her beak. Her voice was soft as she continued to scratch the boulder. She wouldn't look up at either Coda or Nova.

  Nova took a deep breath and focused on Zoey. Coda could feel a warmth surrounding him, causing him to feel at ease in his body. He knew Zoey felt the same thing.

  “Zoey, take a deep breath and close your eyes.”

  Zoey did, so Nova kept speaking. “You have a wonderful voice. It's easier to hear that beautiful tone of yours if you look at me while you speak.” She spoke very gently. “When I tell you to open your eyes, I want you to look into mine and take a deep breath. That will calm you, bringing confidence to you in this moment, and dispel your fear. Then tell me what you have to say. I really
want to hear it.”

  Zoey nodded and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and Coda could see her face muscles relax. She stared into Nova's eyes. “I think I saw him.”

  “Saw who?” demanded Coda.

  “Crepus, the one with the black crystals. He's a Komodo dragon, right? He was in my dream.”

  Nova looked away, trying to hide her disappointment. “He may already know.”

  Coda became uncomfortable. He was in a strange land, but now this land seemed to be getting a little stranger at the moment. “Know what?”

  “He knows about Zoey.” Nova’s eyes narrowed into slits and she seemed to be scouring every inch of the land before her. “This is unsettling.”

  Zoey flinched and said nothing. But her eyes had a thousand questions. Coda could suddenly feel that Zoey wondered why it mattered if Crepus knew anything about her. How can I ‘feel’ Zoey's thoughts?

  Nova lay down, stretching her front legs out and resting her chin on them. She gazed into Zoey’s eyes. “My dear child, if you only knew who you are. You're more powerful than words could ever describe. You have the ability to change everything.” She turned to Coda. “You have to protect her. Forget about the challenges that you have with your sister. This is more important than that. Your mission is more important than that. She won't be able to do this without you.”

  Coda shivered at the word 'mission', and every cell in his body told him that what Nova said was true. He and Zoey were at a loss for words, but deep down, Coda still didn't want to have anything to do with helping his sister. It's always about her! Coda grimaced as he glanced at Zoey.

  Zoey shrugged back at him. “What? I'm powerful?”

  “Yes, once you find that power within you, you'll be unstoppable. If Crepus truly knows who you are, then he knows how powerful and important you are as well. He'll do anything and everything to prevent you from finding your true self.”

  Zoey screwed her face up in confusion and simply looked away.

  Coda shifted his weight from side to side. “Well, why can't the VioletLights just stop him?”

  Nova sniffed the air intently. “There are only six VioletLights left in Ohm Totem. We're spread throughout Ohm Totem, connected only by our thoughts. Though, we think we've found the way to stop him, and that way is you two.”

  “What? Us, stop him?” Zoey laughed uncomfortably. “I don't know about that. I just want to go home.”

  Coda backed up a step. “We have to defeat these bad guys?”

  Nova shook her head. “No one's a bad guy. I view the Dims as being misinformed. They've been misguided by someone they trusted—Crepus. Someday you'll see that there are no bad guys or good guys, only the informed and the misinformed. The Dims and the PureLights.”

  Coda almost laughed in disagreement, but held back. He knew that wasn't true. Bad guys are everywhere. Shifting gears, he asked, “Why does he want to kill you all?”

  “I don't think he wants to kill us all. I think he wants something important from the PureLights. He wants the PureLight Order. This, I think, he wants to destroy.” She eyed the fog to the north and answered the next question before they asked it. “The PureLight Order is a sacred scroll explaining how to live a successful, loving, and honorable life. It's the most powerful item in Ohm Totem. It has the ability to change a Dim into a PureLight, just by peering into it.”

  “Then why don't you use that on Crepus?”

  “Because we don't have it. The PureLight Order was written on a scroll the moment we arrived in Ohm Totem. It was kept here in the Sihu tribe. Long ago, it went missing.”

  Coda noticed a peculiar feeling rise inside of him. It wasn't his feeling, though. This he knew. It came at him from his right, where Zoey stood. It was a feeling of confusion buffeted with a twinge of fear. Why do I keep feeling her thoughts and emotions?

  Nova gave a nod of understanding to Coda, as if she felt the same thing too, but where did it come from? Nova quickly answered his thoughts.

  “Here in Ohm Totem, things are different than where you come from. The environment here is healthier. The air you breathe here is untainted and pure, as are the plants and water. If your world was in a state of harmony and health, then it would be much easier for you and others in your world to discover the abilities that lie hidden deep within you.

  “What you're feeling, Coda, is your sister's fear to ask me her many burning questions. Feelings, thoughts, and emotions from others are very easy to sense here on the island.” With that, she faced Zoey.

  “Okay,” acknowledged Zoey, “why do we have these crystal things on our head and chest?”

  “The crystals are our birthright. They're part of our bodies, just like our bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, eyes, and organs. They're ingrained in us from the moment we're born. They're just like the large crystals seen on unicorns, but not as pointy.”

  She walked to the northern tip of the big rock, knowing full well that both Zoey's and Coda's minds were spinning from the mention of unicorns. Even though they were in a land of talking animals, they doubted whether or not unicorns were real.

  “I see that the other world has taught you that myths and legends are mere stories thought up from the imagination of poets and story tellers.” Nova laughed, and then padded toward the other end of the rock. “Along with the health of this land, which nourishes our bodies, allowing us to have abilities that your world would consider as being abnormal, we have these crystals that grow in us, helping us to expand our abilities even more. It's a gift from the Great Spirit.

  “You felt your sister's feelings, Coda. That's an example of an ability that comes much easier in Ohm Totem. With the crystals, your sense of feeling was heightened even more.”

  Coda groaned. He didn't like the idea of sensing his sister's feelings.

  Ignoring Coda's dismay, Nova looked at the vast trees growing on the hills to the northeast. “Another example would be our eyes. Here in Ohm Totem, you can see much further into the distance than what you're used to. Your world would consider this an ability that is vastly superior to normal vision. But, for us, we consider our vision to be, well, very normal. That attributes to the health of our bodies, the air, the land, and the water. If your land was as rich and healthy as it should be, your abilities would be nearer to what we have in Ohm Totem.”

  Nova paused for an instant to allow Coda and Zoey to digest what she had just said, then continued. “The colors that your crystals display tell us what you are. You two are both PureLights, because your crystals shine with a color. The Dim's crystals don't shine. Their crystals are dimmed to gray, where they shall remain until they wise up—so-to-speak.”

  Nova lifted her chin toward the blue sky and watched a red-tail hawk fly overhead. “The hawk above has indigo colored crystals. If she were to gain even more mastery, then the color of her crystal would change from indigo to violet, making her a VioletLight.”

  “Why is Coda a panther and why am I a skylark?” persisted Zoey.

  “Another good question.” Nova thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to explain in a fashion they could understand.

  “To get to our world, you must enter through the portal that you used. Once here, your body changes from your human form to your animal form, known as your 'spirit animal'.”

  “Whoa!” Coda's mind was spinning.

  Zoey pointed a wing at Coda, saying, “That's what I saw when I sat on the Snow Tree. I saw the black panther next to you, Coda! Your spirit animal.”

  “First, we all come into being, or into existence, by way of The Great Spirit. The Great Spirit instills gifts in us by endowing us with the special talents and life lessons of a certain animal. Coda, for example, is a black panther. The black panther represents a powerful and fierce guardian. In that aspect, Coda will eventually grow into a protector. If you follow your heart, Coda, you'll always defend the innocent, keep the truth safe, and above all, master the night. In the darkness you'll be able to see what most others cannot: the truth.
If you pay attention to your heart, the truth will never slip away from you.

  “And Zoey,” continued Nova, “you're a skylark. The skylark is associated with the universal song, which is the sacred sound of nature and the universe. Zoey was born with the sacred sound in her heart, allowing her the ability to communicate with nature much easier than most. With practice, all of nature will become Zoey's greatest partner and lifelong friend. If you follow your heart, you'll always be able to sing that sacred song. The question is, do you trust your heart enough to sing your song?”

  Nova paused for a moment, looking toward the sun. She nodded in its direction as if agreeing to something.

  She bowed her head to the children. “I'm honored to be in your presence.”

  Zoey and Coda gave each other a funny look, not knowing why she would be honored. Zoey spoke up and Coda could feel that this was her most burning question of all.

  “So,” said Zoey as she stared toward the river, eyes unblinking, “how do we get back home?”

  “You follow the path you came in on. Do you remember the path?” asked Nova.

  “Zoey and I were pretty scared when we got here, so I don't think we really know how to get out. I wasn't paying much attention to the path when we were on the elephant.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” said Zoey.

  “Ah,” replied Nova with a smile. “Well, if you wish to go home, then we must take you there.” There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.

  Coda sniffed the rich air into his lungs and closed his eyes. He didn't know how to explain it, but if felt energizing here, making him feel stronger, not only in his physical body, but also in his mind.

  "I'll ask Chev to carry you back to the portal. You must hurry, though. The portal closes when the sun meets the horizon in the west.”

  "We won't miss it, will we?" Zoey replied, her nervous energy very apparent. “Mom and Dad would get mad if we stayed another day.”

  Nova rubbed her cheek against Zoey’s little body in a nurturing way. Zoey relaxed and Nova stood tall, with her tail pointing to the sky. “If you miss the portal, then you'd remain here until the next full moon. It opens only when the energies of the moon are at their peak.”