Chapter 16.
Ruler.
Opening my eyes I saw a blinding light.
And then, closed them in pain.
Gradually, I began to try to move my arms and legs, trying to understand their condition.
Consciousness gradually began to come to me, and I tried to remember, who I was and why I was here.
The whole body ached and became numb.
Suddenly, not far away, I heard Lulu's faint rustling and sobbing.
I immediately jumped up and ran up to her, inspecting whether everything was in order.
Fortunately, apart from a couple of bruises, I didn't find anything serious.
No matter, how hard I tried, I could not remember anything about the last night. As if the memory was falling into emptiness.
There was no one around.
Our mood has changed dramatically.
Our escorts simply disappeared!
We found ourselves alone in a huge desert!
It became somehow lonely and dreary.
Lulu and I have collected all our supplies and equipment.
Climbing on the camels, we looked around our camp for the last time, and the side we came from.
I understood, if we crossed this line right now, there would be no way back.
Sharply turning the camels, we walked straight to the center of the giant plateau.
On either side of it, low mountains were visible on the horizon, and in front there was nothing but arid, sun-cracked earth, that had not seen moisture for many years.
We had a long way ahead.
Probably, the first time I was so scared.
While we had time, I decided to prepare Lulu and give her one final briefing.
I tried not to think about the bad, I tried in every possible way to stay cheerful.
Judging by Lulu's appearance, I probably didn't succeed.
The first time I didn’t know the place, only the side of the world and the area, where we were going.
I didn't know what it looked like. More precisely, it could look like absolutely anything.
I also knew, that this cannot be approached. It is also impossible to be near this. Although, probably, if only it itself somehow does not allow.
So, if at an intersection, in some overcrowded metropolis, some ancient granny with a twinkle in her eyes asks you about something, it may well be it.
But, probably, we were the first such eccentrics, who decided to approach him of our own free will.
The world is not ruled by kings, rich or geniuses ...
What we were moving towards has absolute power. It holds the bridle, the chains and knows best about these chains. It is constant every moment with everyone, with the beggar and the king.
Both the beggar and the king are absolutely equal.
It is both a limiter and at the same time an impulse. Our day begins only thanks to it.
What we were headed for, was the real ruler of the world.
It's incredible, but it's older, than the world itself.
This is the only thread, a witness, who is able to withstand it, which leads to emptiness.
Only it, being a direct witness, could answer the question that tormented me.