Chapter 4: The Ash Forest
"Only the burnt forest remembers the vanished dreams. "
Three days had passed since they met. Three days of relentless walking under a blazing sun. Three days that were enough for Sans Nom to understand the dynamics of the couple that preceded him. Nefirâ was not a woman of pity. Every drop of water, every plot of energy was calculated. His help was not an act of kindness, but a strategic investment to increase their chances of survival. Sans Nom was not unhappy with it; after all, it was thanks to her and Râhenhotep that he had water and food.
As for Râhenhotep, he openly considered him as a servant, even a slave. The look he gave her was only a mixture of superiority and contempt. Without Name didn't care. He had other concerns than worrying about the ego of a fallen king.
In front, Râhenhotep walked with a confident step, Nefirâ sitting on his shoulder as on a throne. A little behind them, Nameless followed them, a ghost in their wake.
Suddenly, Râhenhotep stopped and his face lit up with a smile. "Ahhhh, I see the end of this desert! He cried out, a feeling of victory in his voice.
Nefirâ came down from his shoulder, his expression both relieved and uncertain. "It's true. It took us a long time to cross this desert. "
Nameless, silent, continued to walk.
As they approached, they saw a huge forest. But it was not a green forest full of life. She was dead. The trees, dried up and black, stood like skeletons of giants. Not a single bird sang, not an insect buzzed. A zone of absolute death.
Râhenhotep stopped abruptly, his smile fading. "Don't tell me it's another lifeless area like this desert. "
Nefirâ's expression was distorted into a barely hidden panic grin. If it were still a dead zone, their water and food would no longer be enough. Strategy and survival made no sense in the face of the lack of resources.
Nameless, he looked at the desert behind him. He picked up sand in his hand. A strange gesture, useless for others, but for him, he expressed all the dream he had lost. He said to himself: "Because of my fault, I can no longer dream. But what the world did not know was that his dream was not only to understand everything, to overcome everything, to reshape the world by his will. He wanted to reach totality, and beyond everything. He had lost this dream, but he had not given up. During these three days, he had found a way to get around his fault: it was enough for him to tell himself that it was not his dream and to pursue it without it being his. He looked at the desert and whispered: "One day, I will return to explore this whole desert and understand it as a whole, as well as all the other possibilities, not only those of this desert, but of the whole world. It's a promise I leave behind. Then he looked away from the desert to observe the forest with renewed curiosity.
They continued to walk for a long time in silence. Nameless looked here and there, and suddenly he saw something shining on a dead tree: a book. He picked it up. He opened the book and discovered writings in strange characters that he understood.
> In the immemorial dawn of the world, long before the gods disputed the heavens and species rose or fell, there was a being. He was not born from the breath of a deity or from the brilliance of a star. He was. He was called the King of Kings.
> His legend is not a simple story of prowess or conquests. It is an ancient whisper, a truth woven into the very framework of reality, offering invaluable lessons to those who know how to listen to it. Each soul interprets it in its own way, drawing from it a unique wisdom, like the last gift of a sovereign to his domain.
>
Sans Nom turned the pages. The book described this story as the most famous in this world, nothing more, nothing magical, just life lessons, before embarking on the story:
> The Legend of the King of Kings: First Part
> Chapter I:
> In the beginning, the King of Kings had nothing. No kingdom, no subject, no body, no conscience, not even a name. Nothing at all. He was something that is not nothing, but not nothing.
> He was in nothing, not even in the void. This infinity without a vacuum, then one day, or not, because it was before time, something happened.
> Then, Creation appeared, or not, before the King of Kings, because he was in front of everything, even space.
> She threwed herself on the King of Kings, using her power of creations.
> And everything was created, without any limit.
> But when the King of Kings woke up, Creation told him: "Oh be, now you are only a human. Then she came out of her body and flew away. The King of Kings did not understand, overwhelmed by an influx of information: this body, this consciousness, this thought, this touch, this life, this world... Then he faints.
>
"Who's there? Get out of your hiding place! Râhenhotep's voice, hoarse and full of sudden fury, interrupted the reading of Sans Nom. He hid the book in his pocket and rushed to see what was happening.
When Sans Nom arrived, he saw Râhenhotep with a worried expression.
"What is this creature? " breathed Nefirâ in a trembling voice.
Without Name turned to see what terrified Râhenhotep and Nefirâ. He saw a wood spirit that measured almost three meters. Its silhouette, although similar to that of a human, was made of intertwined lianas and cracked bark. What should have been a face was a simple mass of polished wood, smooth, of a simple and serene beauty. Sans Nom was not terrified at all. He thought it was beautiful. He did not understand why Râhenhotep and Nefirâ were so afraid. Was it because he was a wood spirit? Or for another reason?
Then the wood spirit began to advance towards them. There was no ounce of threat in his smile, but his words, deformed like the creak of branches, were full of terrifying intent. "Humans... Sacrifices... sacrifices... sacrifices..."