I grasped the golden key in my hand. It was an object that had taken my entire life to attain. Journeying into the ancient shadow, I persevered. The path of trials gave way to the biggest test of all — the test of my own darkness. I freed myself of that poisonous serpent, transforming darkness into light, to journey through this door and into a new realm.
What lies beyond this doorway? That I did not know. For there is no coming back once entered, there is no retreat from whatever overwhelms on the other side. If any man had made it here, the fear of the unknown, the sound in the distant night, the creak in the hallway, the wolves growling in the thicket, would surely force him back. Not I!
I live and breath the unknown, for it consumes me. Chaos gripped me at an early age, and I’ve battled to hold back its tide for decades. It ebbs and flows, flinging bodies in all directions in its powerful current and steep waves. I’ve been in the waters for my entire life. Others manage to scramble onto floating debris, ignoring the truth of where they drift. Being in that constant battle allowed my resolve to journey where others dared not.
For you see, the waves are only violent on the surface, but in the depths there is calm. Scores of men from the past and future still rest on its surface as if the world is only two-dimensions. They see not the truth below and above. Chaos is only on the surface, and the unknown can become known if one but journeys into it.
I stand at the doorway, key in hand, the tree in which it is carved pulses with life that once was faded in the shadow of the sun. The forest now basked in its glory, warmth radiated across the glade, animals raced through trees in harmony. It was welcoming me, tempting me to stay it its perfection. It was Eden. It was everything that the heart and soul desired.
However, perfection is a paradox. This place that invited me to rest in calm meadows, bathe in warm waters, and live without death was a lie. It may be the ultimate evil, and for those who are left in the ignorance of such a place would never see the realm of truth — perfection is not truth.
I stepped toward the door and inserted the key. Instantly, a storm appeared above the glade, rain began to pour in a massive deluge. The animals resting in the sun fled to the cover of the canopy. The rain browned all that it touched — paradise lost. Now, there was no doubt in my mind, there was no turning back. I turned the key, and the door opened. I step into white light.
My feet were graced with warm sand as my eyes gazed upon a hidden cove. Cliffs towered over me on either side, leaving a thin opening just wide enough for ships to squeeze through. There was no green here, only sand and stone — a desert cove along a calm sea. The water appeared as teal glass, no waves disrupted the surface, chaos was not at work in this place.
How could this be? I took off my armor and stepped toward the shore. Slowly, I began to see a dark silhouette piercing the glassy veil of water. The closer I moved, the more it rose. It appeared to be in the shape of a man but was pure black, devoid of any light. It was as if the sun feared to shine upon this being.
I stepped into the bay, no ripples pulsed through the water as I stepped. The apparition now rose beyond the surface and was hovering in the center of the cove. I stopped my approach and decided to call out.
“What are you? You lightless being.”
“Why must you know the answers to all? You demand information that you are not worthy of.” It responded coldly, with a serpent-like voice.
“I ventured here, into this doorway, I left paradise for this odd realm. I must know what it means.”
“Indeed, you left the safety of the glade, the vibrancy of life. What drove your decision to come to the barren lands?” It asked.
I paused, carefully formulating what I was to say next. “I once was in chaos for many days and nights, I was repelled by it. Standing in that glade, that image of perfection, I felt the same. It repelled me, and I am not clear as to why, but even though it felt right, it also felt very wrong.”
“Hmm. You speak of a duality that you have yet to understand, yet you feel it so. How? What magic do you use to understand that which you cannot?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always felt it. I feel everything, yet I understand nothing.”
“A humble response. Most come here with a hubris that weighs them down in the waters, drowning them in their own weight. You seem less weighty. Can you rise to meet me?”
The sun, which hovered at high noon, suddenly shifted down to the horizon and set against the glass. The teal color gave way to a deep orange, like molten lava. I could feel the heat rush towards me. The cove was slowly turning to fire. I cleared my mind of all hope and desire, of all hubris and pride, and offered myself to the powers of the unknown.
Suddenly, I rose up to meet the lightless man. Both of us hovered ten feet above a newly ignited bay of fire. I understood why no green was seen here. By day, the cove was beautiful and could attain the growth of life, but by night, the fires of the sun burned away all life before the grasp of darkness could steal it.
The sun finally moved beyond the horizon and darkness swept over the cove. The moon crept out and shone down, washing the orange glow of fire with crisp, blue light. I looked down at my arms and realized that I now became lightless, and the man hovering before me gleamed in white light.
“What is this? You have taken my light away!”
He responded, “The light is still within you, for it is within me. We are one, don’t you see? You give me your light to face the darkness, and I give you my darkness to face the light.”
“Here you are again, my shadow, scheming to lead me astray.”
He interrupted, “It was always to be this way. There is no going back. We must work together, else you will be lost in the dark forest yet again.”
“Give it back!” I demanded. “Give me my light.”
He responded, “If I give you back the light, the fire will consume you. For I do not see the darkness and fire any longer, I see teal waters and a sunbathed cove. You must journey through darkness and I through light. You’ve felt the chaos for your entire life, but now you must see it. Goodbye, my friend.”
And with that, the man lowered back into what now was boiling lava. Only, it was teal waters to his eyes. I was very confused, enraged, and hopeless. I should never have set foot in the doorway. I should have stayed in perfection.
As I hovered there, in this realm of fire and shadows, I could see white light no longer — only the battle between blue and red, moon and fire. I thought back to my days in the sea of chaos, being tossed to and fro by the current. I lowered myself into the molten bay, realizing that what I always knew was the truth, that the unknown could become known if one but journeys into it.
