บท 89: Chapter – 89 - Energy Which Can Absorb Energy And Grow!

There was nothing to say about the clash between the forces of the large sand tornado and the miniscule tornado born from her own energy. It was like an elephant trying to crush an ant. The mere size, weight, pressure of one toe was enough to snuff out the life of the ant. Beibei felt an immense pressure shattering through her own measly wind cyclone, trying to engulf her energy and soul within itself.

The sharp specks of each sand cut through the skin like sharp knives, and wind picked up each drop of blood, devouring the blood and skin and sweat lustily. Her clothes were torn and she could feel the fabric disintegrating into dust and being swept away by the swirling wind. Even the drops of wetness seeping out through the corners of her eyes dispersed before they could even stick to her lashes.

She held a death-like grip over the horn of the bull, eyes closed, stubbornly refusing to budge from the position, or maybe unable to move her body. The main core of the tornado had yet to reach them, but her body and head was already being pulverized under a terrifying force, being continuously pelted by the sharp gravel and stones speedily circling in the vortex.

'Let it go. Your emotions.....stop trying to control its direction. Release your emotions, and let it flow. Every energy has its own nature, and it needs to follow its own path to find its momentum. Don't hold it back.'

The world suddenly quieted down. No sound, no sensations, no movement...for a space of time, nothing seemed to exist in her surroundings. Like she was floating in vacuum, and a blanket of senselessness enveloped her being.

And then came the first cut. Time had slowed down, all her senses broke through like water gushing out of a dam, and every movement around her became clearer, sharper, slower.

She was still en-cloaked within her vacuum, but she could feel it all - the sharpness of the gravel as it cut through the outer layers of the skin, the coarseness of each separate grain of sand as it rubbed the cells on her hair and skin, the scratchy and tingling sensations from every part of her skin, the burning on the eyelids, the warmth of every drop of blood.

The sensation of disintegrating hair, tearing particles of cloth and skin, fading of the faint stickiness of blood and sweat, tearing inside the nostrils as every grain of sand and gravel floated through the air ducts.

And then everything started merging at the top of her mind, trying to break through some invisible shackles, pushing and shoving at the center of her forehead. A flash of brightness grew, overlapping the senses, calming every nerve from within even as the body was being torn apart on the outside. And then the light broke through.

Instantly Beibei felt a huge force pouring out through every pore of her body - every nerve and vein was lit with a burning excitement, and every cell within was screaming as if released from centuries of being tied and oppressed and imprisoned within her soul.

Beibei opened her eyes, and looked at the devil storm, her eyes wide and blazing with the same strange excitement coursing through her body. She wanted to devour this entire raging tornado within herself!

She did not know if the energy flowing out of her became aware of the change in her emotions, or if the emotions surging within her was forcing the energy to change their flow, but the energy kept growing. No longer could she feel the bodily discomforts. Her skin couldn't feel the pain of being pelted, the wounds no longer burnt, the nose no longer felt the scratching of the grains of sand, and her eyes were immune to the dust cutting across its watery cornea.

As if the physical body no longer existed. In this vacuum of space and time, only the being within had any presence, only the soul mattered.

Unknown to all around, slowly a raging vortex formed once more around Beibei. But unlike the previous one, it did not break under the pressure of the opposing force. Instead of standing against the huge momentum of the other vortex, it sucked on all the energy of the sand tornado, devouring it from the peripheries and growing bigger and bigger.

The more it devoured, the stronger it grew. And though it was not large, its speed was faster than that of the gigantic tornado before it, and it kept sucking out all the power from its enemy, not even allowing the wind to touch its outer borders. The tiny tornado grew larger, and soon covered the entire area around Beibei, the bull and the remaining two carts still tied to the hump of the bull.

Outside the little tornado, the whole surrounding was being split apart by the large raging whirlwind. But inside the tornado, there was utter silence. Not a hair shifted from its place, not a speck of dust could be seen floating in the air. The air itself was calm and blank.....just like the insides of her inner self.

The bull raised its head in confusion, staring at the sudden nothingness before itself, then turned to stare at the girl, still standing next to it, still holding onto its horn. Something flickered through its large eyes, and it turned to the front once more.

The cyclone had already reached them, and large stones and rocks and broken bones flew in dizzying speed all around them. Trunks of dead trees, large leaves and corpses of dead beasts flashed through the swirling vortex, smashing against the mountain, crashing upon the rocks, breaking up into a million particles and then being sucked right back into the vortex.

Yet nothing could break through this tiny little tornado crazily circling this tiny space at the corner of the mountain wall. Whatever came near it, no matter how forceful, no matter its speed and weight, the energy circles of the tiny tornado immediately sucked on every particle breaching through its barrier. And before their very eyes, large corpses and small pebbles, disintegrated entirely into dust and joined this tiny tornado, adding on to its power and force and size.

For what seemed like an eternity, the sand storm raged and pounded all around them, trying to tear apart the tiny whirlwind which circled around at an immense speed, as if protecting the girl at the center with all its strength and power. Then as it moved on to fresher pastures down the path, the little tornado too lost its source of power, and slowed down. The speed decreased, the life ebbing out through the falling wind and sand and gravel and dust, till the entire tornado dispersed into the thinning force of the aftermath, and merged to become one with the stilling air all around the surroundings.

The hand gripping onto the horn lost its strength, and as the bull watched, the girl slid down, falling heavily onto the ground, exertion taking away her consciousness. Only the trembling limbs and heavy, inconsistent breath told him that she was still alive.

Silence returned to the path - a dry, eerie silence after the passing of the heavy sand storm. For a long while nothing moved in the vicinity. The lizards and their riders never returned. No one knew if they had passed out from the force of the whirlwind, or they had lost themselves to the layers of swirling sharp wind. The bull stared at the girl for a while, then slowly nudged the motionless little body to its side, protecting it from the dust and heat of the now pacified desert path.

Beibei blinked her eyes. Heaviness rested on her lids, making it hard to open them. Her throat felt all scratched and burning from the insides, eyes too were burning, and tears formed in layers to wash away the grit and specks of dust still lodged within.

Ignoring the burning and pain coming from all over her body, she shoved herself till half her body was up, then leaned to one side to support her heavy body on one side. It took her some time to realize that she was leaning on the large body of the bull. She glanced upwards, and found the bull staring back at her with its crimson eyes. However, unlike before, there was no ferocity in its seemingly innocent gaze. After a while of staring at each other, Beibei broke into a smile.

"Ughhh!"

That little smile tore apart the cracks on her lips once again, and fresh blood poured over the clotted cracks. Licking her lips with the tip of her tongue to ease the discomfort, Beibei frowned deeply. The events surrounding the huge sand storm left her stupefied. She didn't know where she got the courage to face such a large and furious storm, nor where the energy came from and how it protected them.

Her thoughts came to a jerked end as she remembered Menji. With the help of the bulls body, she pushed herself off the ground and went round it to check on the cart she had wedged between the mountain wall and the bull. With a sigh she realized the cart was still intact, albeit a little broken and filled with dust. she pulled at the opening of the Maramarae planks, tearing through the fibrous bark, till a large enough hole opened in the cocoon.

The inside of the cocoon like cart was filled with sand, and barely any of the bodies could be seen. Using both hands, she shifted layers of sand out of the cart till she finally saw the face of Menji. She used all the energy left in her body to finally pull out Menji from inside the cart, half lifting her body so she could lean against the wall of the mountain behind her.

Beibei went back to check the breathing of the other three people still laying inside the cart. Two were already dead, but the faint breath on one old man could still be felt on the back of her palm. Once again, she heaved and pulled, bringing the other person out and making him sit against the rocks beside Menji.

Then she fell down, the last reserve of her energy leaving her body. Now she could only lay on the ground and stare at the clear sky high above. The light of the sky was blinding, like the darkness of the storm never existed. The heat, bright light and exhaustion tore through her mind, and once more she fell asleep, breathing deeply. The bull who was still keeping an eye on the girl lifted its head with a start, its eyes sharply squinting. He gazed in wariness at the deep purple light which slowly seeped out of the girl's body, covering her in its light cocoon, and the numerous wounds on her body started healing even as he stared unflinching at the girl.