{"id":3348,"date":"2016-04-05T00:01:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T04:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=3348"},"modified":"2016-04-19T07:43:01","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T11:43:01","slug":"bixby-alladocious-and-the-lady-of-life-and-death-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/bixby-alladocious-and-the-lady-of-life-and-death-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Bixby Alladocious and the Lady of Life and Death, Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bixby Alladocious and the Lady of Life and Death
\nA Story by Michael DeAngelo
\n-Part One-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

He gasped for air that would not come, and while the rest of his body felt as though it had been wrapped in a cowl of ice, the warmth that trickled down his lip informed him of his fate.\u00a0 There was no getting around it: he was dying.<\/p>\n

Crawling as far as he could, he determined that struggling to breathe was a pointless labor.\u00a0 He would use the rest of his energy to lift himself to his backside.\u00a0 If he passed on in that dark and morbid place, he would at least die with some dignity\u2014not on his belly like some gutter rat.<\/p>\n

That lack of air soon became more than he could bear, and he opened his lips to try one more raspy breath.\u00a0 There was nothing, though.\u00a0 No sound, no burning in his chest.<\/p>\n

The initial pain of that spike tearing through his chest was like a bolt of lightning.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t something he was unfamiliar with, that shocking agony.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t expect the damage that had been wrought to be so final.\u00a0 As he reflected on that injury and his shaking hand navigated to the hole in his sternum, he thought that he would have rather endured the lightning.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that was just the thought of the unknown, though, he reasoned.\u00a0 The pain had subsided almost immediately.\u00a0 And though he had an impossibly large hole bored into his chest, there was almost a feeling of reverie.\u00a0 While he had failed his quest, there was relief in the finality of it.\u00a0 No one would be disappointed in him; he died trying to help, after all.\u00a0 There was no better way to fail.<\/p>\n

He turned his head\u2014or maybe his strength had failed him and he could no longer hold up his own weight\u2014and his sight went down the length of the corridor.\u00a0 The spike withdrew back into the wall, leaving nothing to obscure his view of the golden idol he sought.\u00a0 Though he was sure his eyes were opened wide, he was surprised to see the sudden darkness encroach on his vision.<\/p>\n

His time had come, he supposed.\u00a0 Better luck to the next fellow who tried to apprehend the golden statue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

There was almost a new clarity to his sight.\u00a0 There was something sobering about death, for he saw colors more vibrantly, noticed the finer details in the path before him, and was more attuned to the strange oddities around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I died.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of his own voice startled him, and he looked down at his body, astonished to see that he was unmarred\u2014as though a dastardly spike hadn\u2019t torn right through him.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t focus on that for long, though, for another fellow passed him, so close that he could feel the chill aura emanating from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa there, friend.\u00a0 Respect my personal space.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as he spoke those words, he felt a wave of cold wash over him, more frigid than anything he could recall in his entire life.\u00a0 He nearly spilled to the floor when he saw another person pass through <\/em>him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in the name of\u2026\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did<\/em> die,\u201d he heard beside him.\u00a0 When he turned, he saw a beautiful young woman who wore a mischievous smile.\u00a0 \u201cBut that won\u2019t be a problem for you, Bixby Alladocious.\u201d<\/p>\n

He arched his eyebrow at the strange woman, surprised to hear his name on so fair a set of lips.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you know my name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for you for quite a long while, Bixby.\u00a0 Your appearance here was foretold over thirty years ago.\u00a0 Of course, it\u2019s the same with everyone else here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone here was fated to be here since thirty years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman smirked at the fellow.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 This one was forty-three years ago.\u00a0 That one was twenty-two.\u00a0 That one was just under one hundred years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were fated to die,\u201d Bixby said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince they were born,\u201d she confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t that the same way it is for everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost everyone,\u201d she clarified.\u00a0 \u201cAnd even then, not everyone arrives here in the same state.\u00a0 Take you, for instance.\u00a0 You\u2019re here, aware, completely attuned to your surroundings.\u00a0 No one else here has made that mental journey yet.\u00a0 This place is too big to wrap their heads around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bixby spun about, taking in all the odd sights, where an eerie purple sky seemed to wrap itself all the way around wherever they were and a multitude of walkways weaved this way and that like an odd spider\u2019s web.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd where, pray tell, is here?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd for that matter, who, pray tell, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at the most recent arrival and extended her fair hand to him. He felt compelled to oblige her.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Adessa, and I am a\u2026helper, of sorts, to some of the people here.\u00a0 As for where we are, it goes by many names.\u00a0 Some call it the final court, some call it purgatory, and some call it limbo.\u00a0 I prefer to call it the Nexus.\u00a0 It\u2019s a world between worlds, where the dead are given a final influence and are ushered to whatever fate they\u2019ve earned in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you, Bixby,\u201d she cooed.\u00a0 \u201cYou are different.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked around at the lost souls who wandered through the place.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll say.\u00a0 I\u2019m much handsomer than any fellow here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd humble, too,\u201d she teased.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s more to it than that, though.\u00a0 I\u2019ve taken special care to pay attention to you, because you\u2019ve been given a gift that I\u2019ve yet to encounter in this world or any other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it you?\u201d he wondered.\u00a0 \u201cThat might make a nice consolation out of this whole dying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoor thing,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI belong to another.\u00a0 But you may find me to have been a paltry gift compared to what power you have inside of you.\u00a0 Bixby, do you know why you and I can converse like this while all these other dead men and women pass by, not giving either of us a second glance?\u00a0 It\u2019s because your soul is infused with magic the likes of which no one on Tellest has ever seen.\u00a0 It\u2019s impervious, indestructible; it is unprecedented what you can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can leave this place of your own free will, and your soul will repair the damage done to its body.\u00a0 In some manner of speaking, you are immortal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImmortal?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cI felt my chest cave open.\u00a0 And you say this is a gift?\u00a0 You mean to tell me I\u2019ll go through that again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you want to,\u201d Adessa revealed.\u00a0 \u201cYou can relent and go down to where the master of this domain serves his judgment.\u00a0 Do you think that the life you\u2019ve lived so far has earned you a place in the highest heavens? \u00a0Or do you yet have work to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bixby swallowed away the tension that built in his throat.\u00a0 Had he really been as good a person as possible?\u00a0 Could it be said that his life\u2019s work balanced more on the side of light than the side of darkness?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what am I to do, exactly, with this impervious soul?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adessa smiled at him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, as I said, your soul will begin to repair your body when you are no longer in the Nexus.\u00a0 When the dead arrive here, they enter through what we\u2019ll call a fissure\u2014a doorway into this realm that isn\u2019t apparent to those that are alive.\u00a0 The closest fissure that you\u2019ll find is always the one that is attuned to where you died on Tellest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if I go through the nearest fissure, I could resume my quest,\u201d Bixby surmised.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr you could choose to give it up entirely.\u00a0 What you do with your life is up to you.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t be made to sway you either way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded and brought his fingers to his chin.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how do I find this fissure?\u00a0 I see nothing of the sort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a magician, of sorts,\u201d Adessa ribbed.\u00a0 \u201cFigure it out.\u00a0 Read between the lines.\u00a0 If nothing else, you\u2019ll find that the ether more closely blends into this realm than it does the living world.\u00a0 Since you have the cognizance to use your magic, you could be quite proficient here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded and lifted his hand, extending it as though he could feel the energy that pulsed through the Nexus.\u00a0 His fingers swayed in the otherworldly breeze, brushing up against an invisible veil.\u00a0 That shroud was magic made manifest, and it ignited upon his hand.\u00a0 Violet flames danced to life on the ends of his fingers, though they didn\u2019t produce heat.\u00a0 Bixby studied those odd illuminations so intently that he didn\u2019t notice the same colors roaring to life ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Adessa gave him a light tap on the shoulder and pointed to the opened rift.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks like I did well to put my faith in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furrowing his brow, Bixby passed a glance at the woman.\u00a0 \u201cSo what is in this for you?\u00a0 Why bother telling me any of this?\u00a0 You could have just as easily let me wander in front of whatever judges would send me to what\u2019s next.\u00a0 Why give me another chance?\u201d<\/p>\n

A beaming smile was the only reply she gave for a few moments.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t you say that life is a series of gambles?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it possible that you only get a few opportunities to make a difference\u2014a real difference?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps,\u201d he conceded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was given an opportunity when I learned about you, Bixby Alladocious,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWhile I spend much of my time here, Tellest has always had a special place in my heart.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to see it thrive and become the place of providence that I\u2019ve always dreamed it could be.\u00a0 And Bixby, my wager is that you can help it be just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo your gamble is on me,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what if I let you down?\u00a0 What if this gift isn\u2019t all that we\u2019re making it out to be and I fail you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ve wasted a few decades holding out for a hero,\u201d she replied, that smile still on her face.\u00a0 \u201cThere will be another eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo pressure, huh?\u201d Bixby mumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you ready to return?\u201d Adessa asked.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll only hurt for a moment, and then you\u2019ll be ready to follow whatever path you desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

He exhaled an anxious sigh and stepped forward.\u00a0 \u201cThank you\u2026for not keeping this to yourself.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad I\u2019ve got another chance to make things right,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to meeting you again, Bixby.\u00a0 May this journey have given you wisdom and understanding, and may your extra time on Tellest be used for righteousness, however it is you decide that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The magician continued forward and reached into those bright flames.\u00a0 When he felt nothing\u2014no pain, no heat, no sensation at all\u2014he pushed through that fire, and once more, he was left with darkness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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