The Battle of the Bone Throne

I was driving along the highway when I saw it. A sign that read: "Jalimba's National Park." At first, I didn't think much of it. But then I remembered the dream I had last night. That woman in my dream. She had been so mysterious and beautiful, and now here was a park named after her?

I immediately turned around, and drove down a dirt road into the heart of the forest. After a few minutes, I came to a large parking lot with several cars parked haphazardly in it.

I parked my car as well, and got out. The air was damp and cool, and the sound of birds chirping filled my ears. The forest looked untouched, as if no human had ever stepped foot on this land.

A bit further down the path, I saw a sign pointing towards "Jalimba's Temple." My heart raced with excitement at the thought of seeing what lay ahead of me. My body felt light as I walked down the path; almost as if gravity wasn't pulling on me at all. Every step I took felt like walking on air. It was like walking on clouds after a heavy rainstorm, where each step seemed to absorb your weight rather than you pushing into the ground.

The trail became increasingly narrow as I continued to walk down it. Dirt turned to roots turned to moss covered stone turned to tree trunks turned to nothingness - just empty space beneath my feet. Yet still I did not fall; my body continued to float as if there was something beneath me supporting me from below.

I continued onwards until suddenly I found myself standing in front of a massive stone wall inscribed with ancient runes that swirled and twisted together like snakes slithering across one another's bodies. In between these runes were holes carved into the wall that housed glowing blue crystals that shone brightly in the sunlight.

I jumped up onto a nearby root and hopped over onto one of these crystals. Then, I hopped over another until finally, I was standing on top of the wall, looking down on an ancient temple buried deep within the earth below me. An immense cylinder disappeared into darkness below me, its walls smooth and polished like glass covered with water droplets after a storm had passed through. A single curved entrance stood at its base, leading into darkness below. But unlike the walls above me which shone brightly due to their glow-in-the-dark crystals embedded within them, this opening was pitch black and dark as if someone had poured tar over everything inside it and sealed off any light that tried to escape from within it.

"It seems you've arrived," said a voice from behind me that sounded both young and old at once; soft yet sharp - like a soft breeze blowing past your ear while also feeling like someone's nails raking against your skin in the same instance.

I turned around quickly, startled by her presence behind me before realizing who had just spoken to me - or more specifically, floated behind me - since she seemed to be hovering in midair without any means of support at all. She wore nothing but a pair of thigh-high leather boots and two belts wrapped around both her chest and hips; one clearly being for holding up her robes, while the other pulled up her hair into an elegant bun held together by several gold pins stuck through both sides of it - giving it shape while keeping it from falling apart due to its length which reached down almost touching her waistline. Her bangs hung down even further, covering most of her face except for her eyes, which peered out through them - shining brightly as if they were stars shining in outer space or reflections of firelight dancing across water.

She looked vaguely familiar yet different at once too. Her eyes looked exactly like mine did - almost as if we could have been twins separated at birth, growing up in entirely different eras. Why hadn't we met each other sooner? What was going on? Was this real?

"You seem confused," she said softly, seeming amused by my confusion despite herself. "I am Jalimba." I managed to stutter a question, trying to comprehend everything, "But... aren't you supposed to be dead?" This caused Jalimba's eyes to widen briefly before narrowing back down again looking angry before answering sharply: "What makes you think that!?"

"Well," I began, attempting to explain myself, "because you're supposed to have died hundreds of years ago?" Seeing Jalimba swallow nervously before responding quietly: "Yes... Well... Death is pretty final after all, isn't it?"

I nodded sadly, agreeing with her and realizing how sad life could truly be when you understand that death is final. Yet here she was, somehow defying mortality with an apparent immortality. In a desperate moment, I jumped towards where she floated above, stepping off the crystals embedded within the wall, attempting to make contact.

"Jalimba, please forgive me!" I pleaded