Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

It has been some time since the last one, and I can't keep much time without reassuring my love for her, so there is a new one. This one may be a bit different, because it sees Maia's existence from a Metaphysical point of view, but all in all it is just another praise for her.

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The vast green sea, facing the clear blue and cloudless sky for uncountable ages, stood in his perpetual motion. The waves, crashing noisily, traveling swiftly over the ocean’s plain surface, and returning to their mother’s womb. The pure white foam, gently caressing the dark yellow moistened sand. Staring blankly at this demonstration of Mother Nature's overwhelming power, there was a woman. Fascinated with God's majestic creation, under the scorching sun, enjoying a blissful moment in her loneliness. Having a taste of heaven in the calm shores, feeling the gentle and refreshing sea breeze wrapping around her body, inviting her shiny cyan long hair to a swirly dance on the air. Feeling free, light, as if she could spread her arms like the wings of an angel and walk on the air. Floating, free as a bird, chasing colorful rainbows, in company of her thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams. Dreams of eternity, peace, love, joy. Heaven. The human desire of attaining the perpetual bliss.

The angelic woman, in a pure white dress, surrounded by a pure white aura, had a brief glimpse of heaven. The weariness in her heart, though, dragged her down, back to her humanity. Glaring with sadness, the twin cyan orbs absently focused on the sea, where it all began, where it would end. Closing the circle of life, the frail existence humans, like her, clung so tightly to. Thinking they are angels, creating delusional theories of perpetual joy, by God's grace. There are no circles of existence, but spirals converging to their centre at different speeds, some inside of the others, some giving the illusion of being part of the others, each one of them fated to the threshold of nothingness. Be it a billionth of a second for an atomic particle, a day for a fly, a century for a human, several millennia for a tree, millions of years for a mountain, billions for a star and who knows how much for the universe, every circle will close, eventually. And the woman instinctively knew her futile existence, her unfulfilled sea dream, was on its last moments.

A long time before, a certain woman with purple-hair and cat-like ears lived in a fast-turning spiral that collapsed too soon. Her futile existence was almost just a sigh, a tragic sigh. However, it was one of those glimmering spirals, whose shining lights penetrate the retinas, permanently scar brains and finally rest in the softest spots of people’s hearts. Then, the light of that existence is mirrored, replicated, going out of control, accomplishing Eve's first temptation by outliving her creator. Though gone, the girl remains, and has been living the old human dream of eternity for much longer than her frail origins could hope for, in the hearts of thousands, who love and cherish her memory daily.

Inspired by this heartwarming example, the cyan-haired girl's circle was born out of the sea, somewhat broken, somewhat rushed, somewhat already interrupted. It could have been cut short before starting, but a miracle of providence made her light shine. The sweet and gentle fairy-tale princess, with a mysterious and unrecoverable past, unparalleled beauty, an unmatched supernatural ability of subverting the natural rules and restarting the circle of withered flowers, had good prospects. Cast away on unknown shores, rescued by a kind prince, who promised to love her forever. It seemed to be an endearing start of a brilliant story.

The future looked bright, but from the day of her wedding on, her spiral had become an endless stream of tragedies. A mythical beast broke into her wedding ceremony and took her away from her fiancé. Took her away from the only life she came to know. Took her away from a happy fate. Took her humanity from her, making her an object, an immaterial goal, a promise. Many came to hate and despise her. Many didn't care to know what happened to the poor kidnapped woman. If she was safe. If she had died. Many hoped she had died. Many accused her of being lousy. Of being mean. Of being unworthy the effort. Many forcefully tried to hasten the closure of her circle, sending her to oblivion. Her spiral had not a glimmering light. Her spiral was bland and dull, just a colorless whirlwind fated to disappear as it had come.

Afraid, scared by rejection, by the unprovoked hostility, she cowered in her corner. Concealed in the shadows, the princess saw her beauty, her kindness and her love corrode and turn into an undefined tepid and tasteless mass. Only a few wished her a happy future, fulfilling the purpose of her existence, returning her to her loving husband, giving her the chance of creating another circle from her own flesh, infusing him with her best qualities, hoping his fate would be brighter than her own. Many wished her a sad fate, overshadowed by an artificial assemblage of artificial flesh crowned with lush fiery threads, destined to have a far longer, brighter, and happier spiral. Many tried to eliminate her, not being merciful enough to let her say her parting words.

The poor and scared soul, once glorious and radiant, was just a shadow of herself. In an unfortunate succession of events, he saw her dreams shattered, her wishes lying on the gutter, dead. Her bright future faded away in the form of a blue-haired prince marrying a brown-haired woman. Her hopes of thriving in a hostile environment were crushed, as her hometown was razed without a reason, without even being mentioned. Her world was crumbling down her feet. Not even her creator would support her. Gradually, the ones that held a candle lit for the ill-fated soul started to dim, and then to be blown out. Time passed by quickly, and the poor princess, who had never done anything bad, anything to make the others hate her, was becoming lonelier and lonelier. The frightening extinction was coming closer and closer.

Then, an avalanche of small glimmering spirals, which could have taken her out of the blackness, only increased her despair, endangered her further. Bright starts in forms of a brunette who retraced the steps of the purple-haired not-human girl with a sheer boost of fresh emotions, touching feelings, deep impressions made her occupy the heavenly spot the sad and lonely princess had dreamed with. A pink-haired not-human mirrored her predecessor with a longer and happier circle, impairing or even surpassing the glory of the one who worked her charms with the gods and provided them the opportunity to live. Meanwhile, torches were lit for the ones from the past, acknowledging their value, praising their memories, putting their existence closer to the so-dreamed eternity. Everybody but her. All those lights overshadowed the faint spark that tried to survive in the unfair nature's struggle for survival.

As her spiral moved faster and faster to the eternal oblivion, the few lights held in her homage, that allowed her to survive, one by one flickered and died, like defective light bulbs that stopped shedding their lights. Lonelier and lonelier, the princess was being dragged to oblivion. Not even the ruins of her home where still extant. There was nothing in the place she used to call home, no traces of her loved ones, no traces of the places she used to be, the things she used to enjoy. No material proofs of what had been part of her life. If having most of her childhood and teenage years erased in a moment was not enough, her whole life became condensed in three events: being found almost dead on uncharted shores, having a disastrous marriage, and then being abandoned by the man she loved. Living in that state of despair proved to be too much for the girl who prayed desperately for her creators for a second chance, but whose prayers remained unheard.

Not being able to enjoy even the gifts Mother Nature bless every living soul with, the princess came to a tragic decision. It was against her principles, but it had to be done. The sea she loved so much, which was part of her existence, imprinted on her on name, on her hair and eyes, on her past, was now set to be imprinted on her future. Or in the lack thereof. Her circle, which had started by its feet, would be closed inside its entrails. If the sea had refused her on the first opportunity, casting her away to a tormented existence, now the gentle waves would not refuse her. It had no rights of refusing the failed masterpiece. An unparalled work of art in her perfectly shaped body, modeled to live in every boy dreams. In her astounding beautiful face, made to melt the thickest layers of ice surrounding the hearts of the coldest individuals. In her peaceful and serene eyes, radiating all the glory of a pure and innocent, evil less and untainted, cheerful and kind, compassionate and loving soul. As they all have failed their purpose, she would bury inside a vast water coffin all those features that had only brought her sadness, frustration, shame and pain. The might sea would swallow her cursed existence. It would wash away once and for all the remains of a stubborn flickering light that challenged the natural order by trying to pop out of the dream halls of a simple human's mind and leave a permanent mark on the real world, but failed. Now that bright light was on the verge of fading to black without ever tasting a glimpse of that heavenly feeling the real people praise so much; that mysterious four-letter word no man would ever be able to explain. That abstract concept that was so frighteningly real that every single person, knowing that their circles are destined to close sooner or later, seeks it with all their strength. Without ever feeling that feeling people are said to be made for living perpetually on it. Without ever knowing that wonderful thing called love.

As she stepped on the so familiar waters destined to be her last residence, holding the skirt of her dress, the chilling feel almost made the princess turn back. The once peaceful companion, working magically to soothe her pains and calm her restless spirit was now frightening. Wrapping her ankles, small water demons tried to drag her to the depths. She followed them, slowly, as if answering their call. The once gentle waves became aggressive, blowing her body mercilessly. Protecting her face from the sparkles, the princess let out a scream of fear. Maybe she was not brave enough to carry out her ultimate decision. Maybe there were still hopes lying in her heart that she would find recognition, that someone would worship her for who she was; would love her, follow her blindly. Someone who would listen to her words like a hypnotic incantation. Who would see grandiosity on her meanest acts. Who would perpetuate her circle forever, even when if she did not make anything to deserve such blessing.

The bright and sunny day, the cloudless sky, the windless day. The princess, whose body was sinking in the turbulent sea, and whose mind was sinking in the turmoil of her own feelings, ignored them all. Desperate, as the waves grew and threatened her like big water golems, thrashing her face, and chest, trying to bury her under their massive bodies, choking her to death, she cried. Her feelings were dominated by pain and fear, the primal fear of losing what was most dear to her. Knowing that she would not stand a chance. After she was gone, not even a miracle would bring her back. She was not like the flowers whose circle she used to restart magically. In a few moments, there would be nothingness, a peace she longed for. The overwhelming loneliness was harder than the devastating strength of the waves hitting her body rhythmically, and it compelled her to advance towards her own end.

As the first wave hit her face and almost made her lose her balance, the princess panicked, and tried to return. However, she was so deep inside the mouth of the water elemental that her frail constitution didn't give her a chance to change her mind. Now, the princess regretted hating physical exercises. Had she known how to swim, she could return to the safe shores, and reconsider her decision. As she choked for a few seconds with a small amount of water blocking her nostrils, she felt the urge of trying to live again. The realization that she had the wrong perspective on how to achieve the ultimate goal of attaining eternity came too late. It was not through dominance, through prestige, through proselytism, or through magic that she would achieve her ultimate goal. Many people consume their lives focusing on things that will not bring the fulfillment of their deepest wishes. Wasting time with unrewarding activities, being enslaved by calculated adulation, working for the other's schemes of prolonging their existences while thinking they were working for prolonging their own. Trying to be grand while crawling with the vermin on poisonous swamps. Licking the boots of death for a few days more, just to waste them foolishly. The real fulfillment of one's existence, though, lied on servitude. Serving to generate a lasting gratitude. Serving to provide the fulfillment of the other's existences too. Serving to cause a chain reaction, perpetuating the generous act in people’s hearts and minds. After all, wasn't the one who first taught people about salvation through servitude the one whose legend outlasted his short existence? Weren’t his words that shaped the world, as we know it? Weren’t his teachings living in the hearts and minds of most of the living people, even when they don't acknowledge it? In all her innocence and inexperience, the princess was not able to serve anybody; was not able to imprint the mark of her love in other people's hearts. Now, it was too late to try, there was no one left she could serve.

To live was very difficult, but to die was even more. The princess had entered her beloved sea to close her circle, but now fought with all her strength to keep her head out of the waters. Wouldn't it be easier if she just abandoned her body and let Mother Nature resolve it? But there was something called fear. On one side, the instinctive fear of danger and death. Just to think of choking made her heart beat faster, urging her body in a fruitless effort of preserving her empty existence. On the other side, there was the fear that the sea would reject her once more, refusing her the final rest, the final peace. Casting her away to a world of sorrow, a world of pain, where she would regret not being courageous enough to meet her fate, or intelligent enough to make sure she would reach her final destination. It would be easier to abandon her body from the top of a cliff. They say people go unconscious before hitting the ground, so she would die quickly and painlessly. But she had chosen the sea. Torn apart by the two overwhelming forces, the lonely princess consumed the last bit of her soul's fuel to dive to eternity.

As the colossal water elementals pushed her down, she panicked. That horrific sensation inside her chest was unbeatable. It brought despair, forcing her in a futile struggle against an overwhelming opponent. Wasting her last forces, which should be used to think a way out of that deadly situation. Causing her more despair for being unable to keep her mind under control. Grief, regret, shame, all came crashing down her shattered soul, provoking another kind of pain inside her chest. How that invisible and often despised thing called air was important! She would do anything for another gush of air forced inside her collapsing lungs. They would allow her one, maybe two minutes more. Two minutes for trying to get a grip of her life once more. Two minutes to change her fate. Now it was all over. As an irony of fate, her long lost memories came to her mind, as if provoking her, punishing her for interrupting her existence abruptly. Taunting her with her most valued treasure, her own history, just because she decided to put an end to it. Just to hurt her on purpose. Just to make her regret, and suffer emotionally in the last moments.

The sea was not merciful. The water that filled her lungs made the princess lose all her strength. Soon, her members became rigid, her vision blurred, and her ears couldn't hear the roar of the raging sea anymore. She felt like being dragged by her arms to the depths as everything faded to black. It was the end. There was no reason to fight against it anymore. Maybe the sea would be merciful enough to hold her remains tightly on its entrails, making the records of her existence vanish like the morning fog in a winter day. The last candles held for her were being blown out, one by one, as the spiral reached the threshold of an infinite speed, straight to the perpetual void. The circle was closing. Stillness...
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... Blurred images and undefined sounds. Was it an illusion? Was it what they call the other side? Warm sensation in a skin tortured by chilling cold. Maybe just the reflexes of a dead body. The last sigh. Light... was it the afterlife? The images became less blurred, now forming a shining spot in a cerulean blue horizon. Sounds like screams. Time passed, and other feelings came. The taste of salt, they smell of the sea... Above, a warm sun in a cloudless sky...

A gush of wind invaded the sore lungs, painfully. Like a newborn child, a feeling of despair, cries. A warm embrace. What did it mean? The repetition, the same feeling, déjà vu. The same sensation from the earliest memory she had. Maybe her life had been rebooted. Was it possible? If that was the case, how could she know it? Wasn't it against the common sense?

It was not the same feeling. The circle had not started from the beginning. The sudden self-awareness left the woman in awe. What could have gone wrong? Wasn't she dead?

She felt a weight on her chest, some water dripping over her. A cry, piercing her ears, going straight to her heart, shaking all her nerves, in a way she had never felt before. A feeling of pure bliss. Love turned into words, invading her body and her soul. Love never seen before. Absolute devotion. In four letters. "Maia!"

Her senses immediately became sharp. Obstructing the sunrays, the head that was laying on her chest gently a few instants before. A pair of benevolent eyes diving into the twin cyan ocean drops of her face, looking into her soul, irradiating love and warming that cold spirit as they dived further and further. They were filled with tears, but tears of joy. "Princess Marlena..."

Hearing her name being said with such love and devotion touched her heartstrings. The heavenly feeling of receiving the purest form of love. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. The unfamiliar face left a strange impression on her, as if she had sought him during her whole existence. The warmth of his embrace, the fire in his soul igniting the love in her own soul made her feel in paradise. She was feeling mesmerized by his presence, attached to him, living inside his heart.

The princess looked at the sea. Partly green, partly blue, calm, at peace. The white foam surfing gently, resting by the sand. No menacing golems. No frightening water elementals dragging her to death. The sea she always loved had refused her. It knew what lived within her heart, and this time her longtime friend cast her away in the right direction. The sea loved her, because it was part of God's work, and He loved her. He wanted to see her happy. He wanted to make her feel loved.

The princess looked at herself, and she seemed somewhat different from what she thought she looked like. Even so, the man holding her in his arms said she was perfect, and she believed him. The man, in the most sincere promise she ever heard, swore to love her forever, to chant her glory in every corner of the world, to praise and worship her forever. To carry her inside his heart till the end. Through eternity.

That blissful moment was deeply engraved in Princess Maia soul. From that moment on, she felt her spiraling circle expanding to infinity. By the fire of his love, she had found the eternal bliss she longed so much for. Love. That was the answer. The utmost goal of every existence. Princess Maia had attained it, inside the heart of a man who promised to carry her with him forever.

And, from that moment on, she blessed the whole universe with her perpetual heartwarming smile.