Alistair nodded and smiled at his new friend. "I think it is safe to say, Master Nakata, that you and I have a long way to go, still. This will not be the last we see of each other, I assure you."
And then he placed his hand over Nakata's eyes.
—
The world. That was what he saw, as if he floated above it in space. It was beautiful. It differed greatly from what he had seen in any movie, tv show, or picture. No words could describe the serenity he felt from the simple image of the world before him. And then he would descend. Slow, at first, but faster and faster as time went on. It was hard to tell how much time was passing. On one hand, it felt as if it took hours to start descending. On the other hand, it almost felt as if the image before him would disappear way too quickly, as if he had not enough time to truly marvel at its beauty. His fall became faster now. Plummeting. He fell through the atmosphere, through all the clouds, down through the sky to the world below. Before he hit the ground however, the ground of an open plain filled with beautiful grasses and hills, his direction suddenly shifted and he found himself zooming across the hillsides. Past the rolling hills, through trees, past so many living beings. Despite how fast he went, he was able to notice every single one. No creature, no matter how big or small, scary or adorable, would escape his notice. Everything around him mattered, everything was accounted for. Everything played a role.
He came across a river and suddenly his direction changed again. He followed the river at tremendous speed, but was still somehow able to count the fish swimming below. The river went on for what seemed like miles, but at the same time it felt as if perhaps only a few seconds had passed. The river went through mountainous regions, valleys, alongside villages. So many living creatures relied on it for sustenance. Animals drank from it, villagers caught fish to feed their families. So much life depended on this one single source of water. And then he would reach the source of the river. A large lake in the mountains.
The speed of his adventure came to a halt. Instead, he saw many hooded figures standing on an island in the middle of the lake. It was impossible to see their faces or any detail, but somehow he could comprehend that they were not good people. He saw as they dumped liquid into the lake, which fed the river. He could comprehend that it was poison. He could comprehend that no living being would survive if it consumed even the smallest amount. Somehow, he knew all this, and yet he felt no urge to stop it. This was simply how it would be. The toxin in the lake spread, everything within it slowly dying. He could sense the fear and the desperation coming from the creatures within it. He could feel the creatures drinking from the lake at this very moment suddenly falling ill.
But still he felt no urge to stop it.
The toxin spread into the river that was fed by the lake. The river became corrupted, all that lived within and was fed by it falling ill. His journey took him back down the river he had just came from. The speed picking up again. He saw the destruction the poison had sown. Many creatures within the river began to die. Many animals that drank or ate from it passed away. it was then he came upon the village. All of them dead or dying from the illness obtained from the toxin. Men, women, elderly, children, livestock. None were spared from the toxin.
Regardless his journey continued across the land away from the poisoned the village. He saw that, while the village was not very large, it was yet bigger than the one he came across now. Many of the buildings of this new village were destroyed. Fresh graves were dug on one of the hills, and many men - who appeared to be soldiers - were injured. Somehow, he would feel the knowledge containing what had happened flow through him. This village had been at war with the previous one. It stood no chance against it, they were going to all die at this rate.
The poison put into the river had saved their lives.
However, he also could comprehend that the poison was not put into the river by these people. It was indeed a third party that had done it. But had they not poisoned the water - whatever their motives had been, that part was still not clear - then this village surely would have perished.
And his journey continued back the way he had came. Back past the village that had been poisoned, down the river he had flown over, into the trees of the forest that he had passed through on his way. Many of the creatures here, too, had been poisoned. He could comprehend that they had either consumed the water or fish from the river, or consumed creatures that were infected because of the river.
Still he felt no urge to help them. This was simply how things were.
He came across a cave hidden deep inside the forest. Out stumbled a massive Dire Wolf. He could comprehend that this creature was truly powerful for what it was. And yet, it fell now, before him. Poisoned because of the river's toxin.
All of this before him, what had once been thriving life, was now dead or dying. But this was simply how things were.
Time seemed to speed up around him. Or maybe it did not, it was difficult to tell. It felt as if years and years passed before him, and yet they were mere moments. The forest was now a swampland. Much of the land was dead now, he could comprehend it was because of the poison. He could feel the presence of a single living being. It was running, as if in fear of something. He could see it. Or rather, her. A young girl, surely not even a teen. She was being pursued.
He felt no urge to help her. This was simply how things were.
She hid herself inside the cave. The cave that, so long ago, had contained the Dire Wolf. Its bones still lay there, the flesh decayed entirely. He would see now, the man that pursued this girl. He could feel this man's intentions. Impure. Violent. He knew exactly what this man intended to do with this girl.
But this was simply how things were.
The man apparently had trouble finding this girl. The man overlooked the cave the girl was hiding in and kept walking, frustrated she had gotten away. He could comprehend that this cave was difficult to see to others, for it was obscured by dead trees and other such things.
It was difficult for him to tell exactly how much time had gone by. It felt as if mere moments, however he was sure it had been, in fact, hours. The young girl remained in the dark cave. Fear. Hunger. Exhaustion. He could feel her emotions emanating from her. He sensed several more life forms, now. They, too, were afraid. Concerned. Desperate. They called out a name. He could not hear what the name was, but he could comprehend it was this girl's name. He could feel her joy when she heard her name, for clearly she recognized the voice. It was her father. Her father and several more of her father's friends had come searching for her.
The girl would be safe, now.
He suddenly found himself pulled back away from the swamp. At increasing speed, his vision pulled towards the sky. The Earth below him moving farther and farther away. He found himself pulled back into space, the beautiful image of the world before him once again. It was then he felt overwhelming emotion. Goodness, purity, divinity, love, peace, hope, prosperity. It was as if all positive emotions flowed through him at once. He saw light. Light flowed all around him. These emotions came from this light, he knew. Within this light, he felt as if nothing in the world would ever go wrong. All was taken care of.
For that was simply, The Way of The World.
—
Nakata would find himself standing in the exact same spot he was when Alistair placed his hand over him. However, Alistair was not there. It was dark outside, now. It would take a moment, but after a few seconds he would begin to remember what had happened that day, as well as what he had just seen.
