Lilliark’s Song

Gonyaul’s breathing had slowed along with his heartbeat. Unable to breathe through his nose presently, his body naturally compensated by parting his chapped lips. The breaths were so shallow and delayed that it was even difficult to see his chest rising and falling. The bandages were dampening due to the rise in body heat trying to fight off the surmounting fever by automatically increasing his perspiration.

It was a numbers game at this point. Due to dehydration, eventually his system would deplete his ability to cool himself off to keep the body’s temperature from rising to harmful levels for his internal organs. Either the fever would break in time or it would overcome him if allowed to continue. Since he was still unconscious, there was no way to get fluids inside.

Meanwhile Gonyaul’s subconscious was active, similar to those moment he enters the deepest points of meditation known to his people as the Ohsuk. He looked deathly still, save for the fingers on his left hand. They were twitching ever so sporadically, as if words were trying to form from them.

He was in darkness for what felt like a long journey made alone, but then the entire environment exploded in a symphony of sound and splashes of colors. A bird, as once described to him by Voah in a story from her youth, flew over his head and climbed higher in the sky. He felt a song traveling in the wake of the external stimuli of the dream through his heart. It made sense to him, as if he could translate the very fibers of the bizarre display. This is what he heard:

Whimsical clouds, full spectrum of hues, creatively painting sweet visions of you. Winds from the east, blossoming breeze, playfully dancing with ease.

It’s Lilliark’s sky, beautiful girl, smart as can be.

Adventurous clouds, heavens of blue, a bright golden day to explore just by you. Winds from the south, glorious gales, wonderfully filling your sails.

It’s Lilliark’s sky, beautiful girl, vivacious and strong.

Tears fall from above, as they sometimes do, but know in your heart that our love’s still with you. Winds all around, it’s a serious storm, chin up for it’s not the norm.

It’s Lilliark’s sky, beautiful girl, peaceful and still.

Whimsical clouds, mysterious and new, treasure and talents are waiting for you. Winds from the west, fantastical force, unique and honest of course.

It’s Lilliark’s sky, beautiful girl, graceful to see.

Not a cloud in the sky, the moons settled true, a prosperous future is winking at you. Winds from the north, compassionate calm, singing out like a psalm.

It’s Lilliark’s sky, beautiful girl, generous and kind.

Gonyaul felt swept away for a moment into something bigger than he could ever fathom. It eventually faded to black, teasing him only briefly. He was alone in a dark void as large as an ever expanding universe. It was silent once more.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted from the light and colors back to the dark. Then ever so subtlety he saw what looked to be ripples around him. The space was folding in on itself as if alive and confused on whether it was coming into existence or going out of it. It was a spectacular illusion that radiated around him like an expanding bubble of ethereal threads. The further from him they went the more they conformed to reality; however, closer to him it abstracted all that made sense.

He reached out to touch one. When his hand made contact, it slipped out of existence in front of his eyes. And then he saw that very same hand appear like stars all around him as far as he could see and more numerous to count. He pulled his hand back and it was still intact, but the void was once again pitch black.

His fever induced dreams continued and he went exploring in the Oshuk.