Beyond Worlds: Edmund and the Seekers' Quest

The old man’s face was withered and gray, like he was a dry leaf in the middle of winter. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks looked as though they had been carved out of the sides of his head with a knife. His hands were gnarled and twisted, the skin calloused and rough.

The old man sat a small table outside a tavern, an empty glass in front of him. The tavern was dimly lit, candles hanging from the ceiling barely illuminating the patrons that were there. The room smelled like ale and vomit, and Edmund wrinkled his nose as he walked up to the table.

“Are you Yama?” He asked, taking a seat across from the man.

Yama turned his gaze on Edmund for a moment before nodding slowly. “I am.” Yama said in a voice that sounded like it had been ravaged by time itself. “And you are Edmund, son of Duke Richard of York?”

Edmund nodded. “I am.” He replied. “My friends have sent me to talk to you about your services. Have you ever taken payment for your wisdom before?”

Yama chuckled quietly before coughing loudly into his hand and covering his mouth with it. When he pulled his hand away, there was blood smeared on it.

“Not in many years my boy, not in many years…but I do know how to place a price on things…don’t worry yourself over that much at least…and I suppose I can explain what I can do after you pay me...” Yama trailed off as he motioned for Edmund to pull his coin pouch from underneath his tunic around his neck and set it down on the table in front of him.

Edmund did as instructed, pulling ten golden coins from it and setting them down on the table. The light from the candle flared up for a moment as Yama touched them with his hand, then died back down again as he closed his fist around them without seeming to move at all.

Edmund blinked and opened his eyes again once more; they were no longer where they were supposed to be though, instead they were somewhere else entirely that wasn't York or England or anywhere else he could think of really while he stood there silent staring around feeling confused like everything was moving far too fast suddenly but he couldn't quite understand why even though that didn't make any sense because nothing had changed much at all actually for one thing he still had the same clothes on and for another thing everything kept on staying exactly where it was which made absolutely no sense whatsoever if anything stayed put then how could everything be moving so fast at the same time? Or did everything else stay put while he moved around like that? Or did nothing stay put at all maybe? That would be pretty scary wouldn't it if nothing stayed put at all even if nothing did seem to be moving at all either... Then Edmund realized that this wasn't necessarily true because some things definitely were changing here and there which meant that some things must be moving but other things might not be like how did this make any sense how could any of this make any sense if anything didn't make sense at all but still how could something not really making sense actually exist unless nothing really existed either but then how could that be if nothing existed then how could something exist if something didn't exist either but then...then...then....then....then....then....then....then....then....then....then....then....then....then....everything went black again just like it had before except this time when he opened his eyes again he was sitting across from Yama again only now they weren't in York anymore they were actually outside someplace else entirely which looked exactly like York except instead of being outside near a tavern it seemed like they were sitting inside a tavern in front of some ale instead but Edmund couldn't remember drinking any ale or being inside any tavern so far today or last night even or ever before either except now somehow here he was sitting across from Yama inside some tavern in front of some ale which made absolutely no sense whatsoever! And yet here he was somehow anyway! How does something make no sense yet still exist anyway?! And then Edmund realized something very important: HE WAS LOSING HIS MIND! He needed to get out of here now! This wasn't good! What if everyone thought he was crazy?! What would everyone think?! What would they say?! What would they do?! What would they think would happen to him?! But what would happen to him?! Maybe this wasn't even real at all!? Maybe none of this was real!? Maybe everything was fake!? Maybe nothing was real!? Maybe nothing existed!? Except maybe those thoughts right there somehow!? But those thoughts might not exist either so maybe all thoughts are fake!? But then why is something thinking all these thoughts right now if thoughts aren't real!? That makes no sense whatsoever!! And yet here Yama is sitting across from him drinking ale! Did Yama see what just happened? Did anyone see what just happened? Did anyone else see what just happened?! Did anyone else experience anything similar or different than what Edmund experienced just now when he went wherever that was when everything went black for those few moments? Did anyone experience anything different than him either when everything went black earlier?? That doesn't make sense either! Everything feels wrong now! Like everything is moving too fast! Why is time moving so fast today?! This doesn't make any sense!!! Everything seems normal though??? Why does this seem normal when nothing makes any sense anymore??? Why does it seem normal when nothing feels normal anymore??? It doesn't feel normal!!! It should feel normal!!! But it doesn't!!! WHY DOES NOTHING MAKE SENSE ANYMORE??? Edmund ran out of the tavern screaming incoherently while everyone watched him go wondering how someone who seemed so sane yesterday could turn into someone who seemed truly insane today after only one night's sleep wondering how anyone could change so drastically after only one day wondering where Edmund might go next wondering if they'd ever see him again after whatever caused him to leave today's tavern wondering what caused such distress in their friend yesterday wondering what caused such madness now!!! They never wondered why though because these people never wondered why things always happened the way they did because these people never wondered why things always changed the way things changed because these people never wondered why things always ended whenever things ended because these people never wondered why things always changed whenever things changed because these people never wondered why things always ended whenever things ended because these people never wondered why things always changed whenever things changed because these people never wondered why anything ever happened however it happened whenever it happened because these people never wondered why anything ever happened however it happened whenever it happened because these people never wondered why anything ever happened however it happened whenever it happened because these people never wondered why anything ever changed however it changed whenever it changed because these people never wondered about anything ever at all!!! And then everything went black again for awhile until suddenly Edmund found himself standing outside a cave entrance staring up at Mt Rainier looking around feeling confused wondering where exactly he might be this time asking himself whether or not anyone had seen where he'd gone last time wondering whether or not anyone would see where he'd gone this time wondering whether or not this time would be different than last time wondering whether or not any time would be different than last time wondering whether or not there was any point in going at all wondering whether or not there was any point going home wondering whether or not there was any point going anywhere wondering whether or not there was any point doing anything anymore wondering whether or not there is any point dying today thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanking God thanki-