Chapter Text
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
Every journey has its own story, and just like many stories, the Traveler’s started at her awakening.
The moment that she opened her eyes, she was immediately overwhelmed by violent sensations: the dryness of the air burning into her lungs, the intense heat penetrating her clothes, the bright light piercing viciously into her retinas…
Instinct pushed her to rub her palms against her eyes, anything to help against the discomfort of the fiery sun. But the burning star was merciless, and the young woman had no choice but to adapt to the harsh environment.
It took a torturously long while before she could force her eyes open again, before she could filter out the red afterimage trapped in her vision. Taking in her surroundings, she saw miles upon miles of golden hills, a blazing desert stretching into the far horizons; she was quick to notice how terribly and frighteningly desolate it was.
Where was she? Why weren’t there others like her?
How she had gotten here in the first place was a mystery, one that made her feel uneasy. Glancing down at herself, the Traveler inspected the strange robes that she was wearing: the scarlet red of the fabric, the golden and elegant symbols embroidered into it… She quickly found herself wondering: Who exactly was she?
The young woman didn’t linger on the question for long, momentarily pushing it aside as the shine of the sand soon caught her attention. With a tilt of her head, she curiously sank her fingers into the ground where she was kneeling. The texture was granular, soft, and as hot to the touch as it looked…
Raising a handful of sand to eye level, she slowly opened her palm, watching the particles fall through her gloved fingers. The smooth spill mesmerized her, somewhat soothing her troubled mind.
Before she knew it, she reached down and scooped another handful - a larger one this time; then in the next second, she tossed it high above her head. It rained down like a fine, brilliant rain, dancing down her robes pleasantly. Giddy with her new discovery, she repeated the action, this time deciding to look up to better see the fall.
But her fun was short-lived when the sand fell directly into her eyes. The young woman flinched at the sensation, quickly feeling an irritation settling in. That she didn't enjoy as much…
She palmed at her eyes in a blind desperation to find her sight once more, silently noting for the future that sand tossing should be avoided. Once she managed to rub it all out, she decided that she had enough of playing with the golden grains.
Further encouraged by her instincts, she instead rose to her feet - or at least tried to. Her legs were terribly wobbly and weak, and the slippery sand beneath her feet was of no help; she immediately fell to the ground. With a stubborn huff, she tried again, and again, and again…
She’d lost count of the amount of times she had fallen in her attempts to stand, but still she refused to give up on her task. After all, she had nothing else to do at this moment.
When her bum connected for the umpteenth time with the sand, she wondered. What if she had extra support?
Placing her hands down into the granular ground, she carefully raised her hips, feeling the muscles of her legs straining painfully - despite that, she worked through the feeling. It was only after a few passing minutes that she felt confident enough to push herself up and to straighten out her back.
Though her stance was unstable and she risked toppling over at any given moment, she couldn't help but grin. She was standing on her own!
As she laughed out at her victory, she quickly startled herself at the sound of her own voice and fell back down to the ground. A delicate hand rose to her throat, to the strange tingling within. Is that what she sounded like?
Curious, she let out her voice once more, this time a softer and cautious chime. The vibration of her vocal cords felt odd, but it brought an enjoyable flutter in her chest; her voice had a nice ring to it, the first music to her ears.
She vocalized various notes, testing out the limits of her voice. Another chirp, a small tweet, a melodic whistle… Gradually, the irritation in her throat lessened, her voice growing louder and more certain. Then, she gave the mightiest shout she could muster.
At her sharp pitch, she felt a surge of energy shooting through her body, moving from the center of her chest and outwards; it made her feel light, alive… For the first time since her awakening, she felt as though she could truly breathe, truly taste the life that air was giving her.
The Traveler smiled, but she had little time to contemplate; something in the faraway distance made itself known.
A similar chirp. A soft response.
Who could that have been? Someone like her?
Shifting in her spot, the young woman attempted to stand again, continuing to vocalize in hopes of hearing the other once more. Though no further answer came, she continued to try. Maybe the other was just as tired as she was. If she continued calling to them, they'd be reassured that she was still there. They'd surely answer her again soon enough…
Her throat started straining less, her voice growing smoother, and her limbs became less shaky.
Once she was standing somewhat more securely, she evaluated her next move: the response sounded like it had come from behind a steep hill ahead where three stones stood tall… So that is where she would go.
The Traveler glanced down at her feet, then at the hill. She understood what she needed to do. How hard could it be?
With a lot more difficulty than she had imagined, she managed to raise a foot and place it in front of the other; the action disrupted her balance, but she quickly caught herself. She repeated her move again, and again, and again… And before she knew it, she was walking towards the hill, slowly but surely closing their distance.
Eventually, she reached it; but by then, her legs could no longer support the effort. Her body fell forward and she continued her climb on all fours instead. This was still progress, right?
After what felt like an eternity of crawling, she finally made it to the top of the inclined hill, far too exhausted to move any more. Her arms gave in, and she fell head first into the sand. With a relieved sigh, the scarlet-robed Traveler closed her eyes, hoping to recuperate a little before continuing her search. Hopefully the other individual wouldn't be going anywhere in the meantime…
There was a violent pounding in her head, and her body felt like lead. She just couldn't move… Couldn't think clearly… Slowly, she felt herself drifting into a much needed slumber, her limbs growing heavier by the second; but before she could fall too deep into it, she suddenly heard another voice.
This one was different from the other. It was gentle… beautiful… honey-like… It sang to her.
Urging her head up from the sand, the Traveler peered over into the distance and found a grand Mountain awaiting, a towering piece of impressive nature pulsing with immense power at its tip.
The unknown voice sounded once more.
“Ming.”
Ming?
"Ming."
What was a Ming?
"M… Mi… ng…" The young woman chimed, attempting to repeat.
“Ming.”
"Mi… ng…"
She had no idea what she was saying, but something about the word gave her comfort. She would hold onto that word, keeping it close to heart like a precious treasure.
“Ming…” She sang with more ease.
The Mountain shone brighter in response, a form of approval; and soon, the young woman felt an invisible pull, far too powerful for her to resist.
New strength ran through her veins, dissipating her earlier fatigue. Gaze set on the horizon, she slowly rose to her feet, no longer feeling the earlier shaking of her muscles.
She didn’t know her objective, but suddenly she knew where she had to go.
The Mountain was calling to her and she would heed its call.