Gatsby Starter Blog RSS Feed

02 guiding light

the universe is always
round the corner
right in front, but just beyond reach
folding inwards, inside out
commit to a direction
and walk
ー　the shepherd :: y025, post eclipse

a walk in the woods

Chi was outside. there wasn't much she could see in the forest. it was still very dark. and very quiet. it was so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat. her footsteps seemed to make no sound either.

The opening behind her closed. no knob, no slit, not a sign one could use to enter again.

ok, now what?

> ...

well?

> ...

Chi looked around frantically in the mist. she could see shrubs, the outlines of trees and mountains in the distance. there really wasn't much more she could see ahead of the mist but it felt like she was being watched.

She began walking forward. looking desperately for sings of life - anything. her heart was still beating from the chase and paranoia of the climb. strangely enough though, she didn't feel tired.

> init(probe)

She snapped her fingers. a tiny orb of light in the shape of a dragonfly appeared. it grew to about the size of an apple. and remained floating in the air.

the_probe moved forward slowly. and as it floated, she could see the mist clearing away. the plants of silent_valley began to rise and reach out to it. color seemed to return to the peonies, and the hydrangeas twisted in delight. the vines cleared away and opened up in a passage like form.

And as the_probe grew, the pine grove began to bend. the trees gave way and twisted left to right, parting ways like drawn curtains to an open tunnel.

The the_probe stopped. it remained floating there, as if beckoning her to follow it.

i guess i have no choice then, huh?

Chi followed the orb. the forest floor felt damp and cool. the vines seemed to be alive now. moving away as she stepped in. she could hear a gentle singing now. it was like an angel's voice. what was it singing?

|||||||||||++++|||||||-----|||||||||||
+++||||||||||------||||||||||+++++||||||
|||||||||||++++|||||||_____|||||||||||+++|
|||||||||------||||||||||+++++||||||
|||||||||||++++|||||||-----|||||||||||+++|
|||||||||------||||||||||+++++||||||

i don't understand.

> transpile()

|| we sing a song of earth and wind || fire water and heavens bright ||
|| bring back the forest || what the shepherd promised ||
|| the golden eggs of light || follow the shepherd's guiding light ||

"i can hear it now!"
"but what was that about golden eggs? a shepherd?
i don't know what that means"

the singing stopped.

+CRACK+

Lightning and thunder. it began to rain. it began to rain heavily. Chi looked at the ground. the water began to rise. the trees began to close in, forest walls began to narrow

||flood||

+crack+

she shuddered. "what did i do to deserve this? I have so many questions"

silence.

"i guess i'll have to find a way out of here myself."

Chi snapped her fingers. the_probe came back towards her. it hurled itself forward again.

"well at least i'm getting the hang of this."

In the distance she saw what looked like a run-down pathway.

"must be the right direction"

> walk()

Chi scurried towards the path ahead. she could hear a distant humming, almost like an old man singing.

meanwhile

In the distance, the_figure re-appeared. though a slit in space.

He peered down at the path from the treetops.

"good. she figured out how to use the probe." 🦌

And slipped out of sight as he watched she walk towards river.

"five clicks until the hunters find her. if only i could warn her." 🦌

He sighed.

+touch+

rainfall. and a warning.

"that should do it" 🦌

He looked again at his wrist. the circuits were starting to fade.

"not much time left for me either" 🦌

Six beats.

+click+

the_figure vanished again.

00 the hunt

reality is held in balance by
just a few strings, connecting stars in the sky
mankind's quest for meaning
reveal three thousand realms
in a single moment
or maybe, infinity in a grain of sand
but we all prefer to keep our
third eye blind
wear faces in passing
"hello, how do you do?"
hiding subtle grins
at the fatalism of it all
that reality might be
but three steps away from the closest booth, dial the number
exitsimulation
— the shepherd :: year 001, post eclipse

the hunt

In the waking hours of the hour of the fowl, the forest floor of silent valley was quiet, in the third season of the hunt.

The forest was shrouded in mist; one could barely see past the serpentine vines of the thicket. A deep tone, dark and beckoning, spoke to the darkness of silent valley. There was no sun, and no light, save for the ocean of despair in the departure of life.

Beyond the bramble of towering pine fortresses stood the spiral. A tall, concrete ark-hollowed out and solid. No doors. No windows. No cracks. Just a massive slab with corridors stretching out like bridges into the mist above silent valley. No vines. No moss. No sign of life. It was out of place - alien in the thick jungle. Where did it come from? What was it for? Who built it?

The animals worshiped the spiral as an ancient force of nature. Legend said all that approached would wither to ash and aether. But once every two hundred and seventy-six days, a tiny slit of light would emerge, giving way to three beacons of light, shooting into the sky. They called this event the flash. It would only last for one week, but it was enough for the animals of silent valley to bask in it's light and rejoice. Sound and color would fill the void of silent valley's mist.

Flowers would bloom momentarily and the trees would sing to each other.

And then the slit would close.

The animals had all sorts of myths about the spiral. Some of the elders claimed that, the spiral was alive, dormant, waiting to hatch. Every once in a while, the spiders would hear whispers of footsteps emerging to and from the spiral, but no figure could be seen or heard.

Each year, silent valley would commemorate a countdown to the flash with the hunt. As tradition would permit, the tiger of silent valley would be bestowed with the honor of ringing the bell to commemorate the start of the flash.

the tiger sat at the top of his throne on the apex rock, gnawing at the bones of his youngest cub. A ruthless predator and self-proclaimed king of silent valley.

the tiger had six eyes, a gargantuan muscular physique, and a iridescent translucent skin adapted for hiding and hunting in plain sight. With a single blink, he could disappear into nothingness and hunt all animals in his vicinity and reappear exactly where he sat without giving his prey a moment to anticipate his next move. One could not look the tiger in the eye. If one did, it meant a certain, swift death. the tiger was not the harbinger of fear. the tiger was fear itself.

All the animals of silent valley bent the knee to the tiger's shadow, and in exchange for his mercy, offered him trinkets of service. Over the years, the tiger had built up an empire of sorts - a drug ring he called the candy factory. The factory sold the candy to neighboring warlords in exchange for photon.

photon was currency and the tiger was the debt collector.

the tiger looked at the faint shadow of the moon.

+full moon+ :: he thought :: four blinks 🐅

He sniffed the air for the scent of ashen blood dust.

musty :: he reminisced :: two blinks 🐅

Faint, lingering, but it was certainly there.

The weight of his ancestors knew what that meant.

"time for the hunt to begin" 🐅

the tiger rose up from his seat and growled, blinking one eye at a time. The archers dipped their arrows in fire from the trees and shot. the ape blew the horn of the hunt. The boar squealed and writhed in anticipation from the shackles of his iron cage. The battle drums of silent valley started to turn the forest floor into a ritual ground for sacrifice.

And so began the song of the hunt.

the hunt begins with an arrow in the sky
the boar knows he must run
for the game must be played
three wolves run through the thicket
weaving in and out of the woodwork
the tiger must deliver the final blow
so his cubs and maiden do his bidding
the beast, birds and monkeys
scout from above
the forest floor rumbles, for the trees
speak in networks
the boar trips on a vine, stumbles
and twists his head and breathes a final sigh
just circumstance, but now the wolves,
the tiger and his crew can triumph
the hunt is over, they won
the forest breathes, anticipating
rain, dust and sunny days
— the ape

diffusion

A hooded figure stood above the puddle of blood where the boar once fell.

he had pale skin with silver white tattoos running like circuitry around his entire body. he was neither dead nor alive - a bio-luminescent ghost trapped between time and space.

He looked around for signs of life. Nothing. the tiger left not a shred of sinew on the bones of the poor beast.

+scent+ he thought 🦌

the figure stooped down and took a sample of what remained, and muttered a hymn of requisition.

the figure wrote down an inscription on the flask and slipped it into his bag of vials.

Painting three dots on the forest floor, the figure drew a diffusion map.

the sand of the forest floor began to shift into a pattern of twisting roots. water seeped into the center of the hole at the base of the figure's feet. it rose to his knees, and as he looked up, two antlers grew from the base of his head. His silhouette twisted into a seven foot tall shadow of a humanoid elk hybrid.

+transformation+ 🦌

His eyes constricted into narrow slits, as his spirit became one with the silence of the forest.

+touch+ 🦌

With a hush, he disappeared into a slit in the fabric of the forest. Not a sound or soul saw or heard where he had been.

All that was left was the faint silver pool of the diffusion map.

+vision+ 🦌

Somewhere in the depths of the spiral, at that very same moment, a faint light emerged in the abyss.

01 plunge

the spiral is not a loop,
echoing a legend of
the spirit, the sword,
and the mountain.
we wander to begin
at the finish line.
footprints appear
when we look back.
the staircase shifts form,
an endless spiral.
When we look ahead,
cracks in the landing
reveal a rose that grew
from the concrete.
— the shepherd :: y150, post eclipse

the climb

In the desolate void of the spiral, at its lowest rung, lay an inverted helix. The chasm was so deep that even the sound of dust hitting the ground echoed endlessly. But that day, from the ground, a faint glowing light emerged. It grew steadily brighter until it filled the space.

The light coalesced into the figure of a small child, curled in a fetal position. the child, completely naked, had long, straight white hair. She raised her head, bewildered.

"This is new," she thought. "Everything feels new."
"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"What year is it?"

She couldn't tell. A faint whisper echoed in her mind. One whisper became two, then three. The whispers grew louder.

> print("CHI");

And then, silence.

She remembered. Or perhaps, that was all she could remember.

She was Chi. A faint echo of her animal past surfaced—a hunt, a cage. It all felt like a distant blur. The last clear memory was a footprint in the mud. But what came after?

Chi looked around, disoriented. It was dark. Cold. She flexed her fingers, wiggled her toes, and felt the smooth, icy concrete beneath her feet. She shivered. She needed something to wear.

> shroud();

And then, warmth.

"Ooh, that feels good," she thought.

> move();

Chi noticed a window above her. Her body moved on its own, as if an invisible force guided her. One leg lifted, then the other.

She felt a heavy pull, an unseen hand pulling at her, arching her back and propelling her torso into a somersault.

She found herself on a ledge.

"This is so strange!" Chi exclaimed, alarmed.
"How is this happening? More importantly, who is doing this?"

The ledge was glowing at her feet. She could now make out the stone rectangular shape of the ledge. It was a soft staircase.

She glanced behind her. Nothing.

She glanced ahead. Another ledge. And above that, the glowing silhouette of yet another ledge.

Taking one deep breath, Chi reached out and leapt. Suddenly, the ledge began to move again. She slipped, scrambled, slid down and fell with a thud.

"Ouch! ... Gotta be careful..."

Chi got up and dusted herself.

"Not so bad."

> believe();

She climbed on with all her might and crawled on top of the first ledge, slowly lifting her body up again. This time the ledge moved counter-clockwise. But Chi knew what to do. She jumped up and pirouetted into the thin air. Up and away! On to the next ledge.

Oof!

She slammed head first onto the third ledge. It hurt. But she did it. She made it to the next ledge without falling.

Hop. Skip. Turn and jump. That's it. I got it.

One step at a time, Chi found her way from one ledge to another.

One step at a time to the top of the first set of stairs of the spiral.

Each step seemed to get easier and easier. After the first ten ledges, she made it to a landing.

"okay, so this landing doesn't move", she thought.. "phew. at least I can rest for a while"

She turned back and glanced to see that she had lit up a path before her. It was faint, but she could now see the forms of the spiral more clearly.

The climb seemed to have taken her several hours, or was it a few days? She couldn't tell. She knew that she had to get out of here. The whispers in her head commanded her to do so.

Ten flights. She could see a tiny opening at the top above.

Gasping for air, nearly out of breath, Chi exclaimed, "how much longer?!"

"patience()"

"Where am I?"

> "the spiral"

Okay... but where do I need to go?

> "..."

Ten flights.

How much longer?

> now()

Huh?

> jump()

What? You mean jump back down? But I just came here all this way!

> plunge();

All of a sudden, it seemed like the universe was sucked into Chi's mind. Everything started to come back to her.

Her memories, the hunt, the lilac altar, moonlight lake, the great battle, and then the flood, the flood!

Chi's pupils dilated, she felt a tightening in her gut. Pain. Intense pain. She couldn't help herself. She had to jump.

+shift+

+unshift+

+jump+

Chi lifted herself off the parapet, and one leg at a time fell upwards towards the ceiling in an odd contortion. Gravity had flipped and it was drawing her with an incredible spinning velocity towards her core.

The light grew bigger.

and bigger.

it was a door.

a door!

Chi appeared in a white room. the room was bright as though completely lit from all six faces. The door behind her closed into a slit, and then disappeared into the wall, but she could still see faint outlines of the staircases below.

"a path" she thought

In the center of the room was an old-fashioned device.

The device had twelve buttons and a small digital screen on top with a round receptacle receiver.

> dial('16-42-24');

Chi did as she was told. She approached the device, and pressed the numbers on the keypad.

+click+ +click+
+click+ +click+
+click+ +click+

+CLACK+

Three black doors appeared. Each had a faint inscription on it.

door 1	door 2	door 3
+++	===	---

> choose();

choose what?

> fate

fate?

Chi looked back again. All she saw behind was darkness.

The darkness seemed to be moving. Was it getting closer? She squinted. Indeed it was!

The whispers in her head seemed to get louder. Fear. Panic. Paranoia. It all seemed to spiral in.

Her heart began to beat louder. Louder. louDER. LOUDER. EVERYTHING WAS SO LOUD!

The darkness reached its lanky hands and grasped her by her leg.

Chi fell, wriggling free.

"Off!" Off with it!

Now she knew she had no choice. She had to choose a door.

She picked herself up with every ounce of remaining energy and charged head first to the door on the right.

And as fate would have it, then there was light.

+flash+

For the first time in a hundred years, a spirit emerged in silent valley.

03 the pilot

hum, hum, hum 🎶 hie di hoe di hie di hum 🎶 life's a strange for-a-sea-gull once there was a battle won lost and spoken a century's gone ravens feather a nurses run hie die hoe 🎶 hie die dum 🎶

ー the pilot :: y001 post eclipse

tinker tailor sailor

The singing got louder as she approached what could only be described as a run-down ship yard.

It was rusty, had many holes with paint wearing off the edges.

The air smelt damp and musty, of rum, and she could see several bottles strewn against the floor.

WHO BE TRESSPASSIN' ?*🐦

Chi paused. unsure if she should run away or hide

COME OUT LITTLE BIRDIE. I HEARD YOU. 🐦

Chi stood frozen in her tracks.

I'M GOING TO COUNT TO THREE HAHAHAHAHA. 🐦

Chi looked around frantically for something to defend herself with.

1.... 🐦

A pile of twigs and an oak eave shaped like a bow

2.... 🐦

A pile of sharp rocks!

3 ... 🐦

the probe!

here i come little birdie GWA HA HAH AHA 🐦

Bullets began to fly in violent succession. She could feel the ground shake as the machine gun emptied its magazine.

DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA
+click+ +click+ +click+
DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA
+click+ +click+ +click+

Chi ran for cover and snapped her fingers

+oooooooooo :: the probe zoomed past the thicket in a low hum

Chi rolled down into a ball and folded her hands in prayer position. she didn't know why she did it. it just seemed to make sense

+CLAP+

the probe expanded into the size of a room

WHA? WHAT? IT CAN'T BE... 🐦

The shooting stopped. out from the helm of the ship a large hefty bird in navy blue overalls jumped off.

+THUD+ +STOMP+

He had a missing leg, an eye-patch, a crutch and a machine gun on his shoulder.

RUFFLE ME FEATHERS IT CAN'T BE
WHAT'S IT BEEN? A HUNDRED YEARS? 🐦

Chi peered out of the rock she was hiding behind. the probe came back to her behind her.

"Do.. Do I know you?" she stammered

HO HO HO, KNOW ME? YOU MUST BE JOKING!
TIS I! SAILOR OF THE FLOOD LANDS!
THE PILOT OF SAND!
NO RAIN! 🐦

"No rain" ? "Have we met before?"

"YOU REALLY DON'T REMEMBER DO YOU?" 🐦 Hic. 🐦 WELL. NO TIME TO WASTE. THE FIRST FLOOD IS ABOUT TO START. 🐦

Chi hesitated. But she looked down at her feet. Indeed, the water was beginning to rise. It was now down to her knees. She mustered her courage and climbed towards the boat. The boat rocked and creaked as she set foot on it.

The boat was incredibly large and seemed to float above the air. It had a hundred different buttons, glowing dimly in a repeating pattern.

She watched as No rain climbed into the helm, setting his crutch against what seemed like the skeleton of a member of his crew.

"DON'T MIND ERNIE, HE'S HARMLESS. HO HO HO HO" 🐦

Chi looked around for a place to sit.

"STRAP IN SPIRIT, YOU'RE IN FOR A RIDE" 🐦

The boat rocked and shook violently. The engines revved up, making a deafening noise.

TAKE OFF! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH 🐦

The boat soared through the water into the darkness ahead.

safe for now..., she sighed

But for some reason, chi felt the worst was yet to come.

04 darkness of the soul

inversion

ropes of rain on
a cross of sticks
gravity pulls
lift one arm
and two legs
bound by soul and spirit
feathers fall
to the wind
of a wilder call
:: how may I be
of service?
ー the soul :: y099 pre-eclipse

Something shifted in the silence of the inner side of the inverted helix in the spiral. From the shadows, emerged a boy. a boy with straight black hear and beady black eyes, in a tall slender, yet muscular body, shrouded head to toe in black tattoos with intricate gold circuits running through his veins.

#define reboot protocol
> initialize("Rei")

He opened his eyes. He could see the faint path left behind on the spiral by Chi. He knew what he had to do, unlike her his memory persisted through each cycle - a blessing and a curse for his dark soul.

+INVERSION+

Rei released his rope harnesses in one singular motion, and ascended up twenty flights up the spiral.

advantages of being second he thought. don't have to carve my own path 🐦‍⬛

For Rei the darkness was his home. He found comfort in the shadows. He could slip in and out of the woods of silent valley without a single person knowing he was ever there.

+PATH+

Rei summoned a shadow of black mass between the landings of the last flight of steps.

the passage should be around here 🐦‍⬛

Rei pushed his fingers into a crevice in the wall and opened the portal to the lobby.

he dialed the numbers, just like last time.

> dial('63-96-16');

the doors emerged.

door 1	door 2	door 3
+++	===	---

as if i have a choice, he shook his head always left. 🐦‍⬛

Rei walked to the door on the left without hesitation.

-blip-

the lobby converged to a single dot.

-blip-

Rei emerged from the other side of the spiral, slowly dusting himself as he breathed a sigh of relief.

not too shabby. still got it. he smirked. 🐦‍⬛

He looked at the path of lit up footsteps Chi had left behind.

when will she ever learn to cover her tracks?, he thought 🐦‍⬛

He glanced at the clouds. first flood was about to start any moment now. he'd best hurry to the great plains and continue his search for the shepherd.

Rei knew he couldn't rely on Chi. Not after last time.

-BLIP-

Rei jumped up onto the closest pine tree and released his harness.

+INVERSION+

-BLIP-

Six fiber-optic strands emerged from his back that carried him to the tree tops. Rei was agile, and could climb anywhere in any orientation with immense speed, all without being noticed.

-BLIP-

Rei emerged on the top of the tallest tree in the pine grove.

things don't seem to have changed much since last time... 🐦‍⬛

He looked at the two moons in the sky. They were almost overlapping.

Not good. Looks like an eclipse is about to begin. 🐦‍⬛

Time running out.

-BLIP-

05 the eclipse

the eclipse

for those that seek
communion::
there is only one
language, one alone
the rhythm is
in harmony \

ー the shepherd :: y100 post-eclipse

Rei looked up at the night sky as he made his way through the treetops. He could see the stars shifting into a new formation.

The rain was getting heavier, and he could see the water level rise before him. It wasn't the flood that he was afraid of, but what followed that was disturbing. The moons were converging, and the eclipse was nearly on its way.

Down below he could see the animals begin to move up to safer ground. Many of them were used to the flood. Some had developed specialized shelters to wait out the rain, others had adapted their bodies physically to stay submerged for the entire duration of the flood.

Rei had no choice but to stay mobile. Because he knew that if he was found, he would be hunted.

+SLICE+

A spear of light grazed his shoulder. Rei flinched.

"I'm in enemy territory now." 🐦‍⬛

He looked around. A rain of arrows started hurling at him from below. One of the children had spotted him.

He whipped out a harness knife and switched course.

-BLIP-

Another light spear hurled near his head

-FWO000OM-

Rei whipped out his harpoon, but hesitated.

"Best not to engage. To engage is to instigate a war" 🐦‍⬛

He dropped down to ground level and touched the floor.

-BLINK-

Three drops appeared on the floor. He drew a reaction pattern and a line in the sand.

> self::clone('REI')

A shadow clone appeared up in the sky.

-BLINK-

"hm.. that should keep them busy" 🐦‍⬛

The spears hurled at the shadow clone. Rei moved ahead through an opening between the cypress grove.

+THWACK+

A shadow axe came crashing down and sliced the entire cypress grove in half.

"how? how could it be?" 🐦‍⬛

Arrows, axes, spears came hurling at him from all directions. the children were not falling for parlor tricks anymore.

"something has changed" 🐦‍⬛

And then, it happened.

+SCHICK+

A light spear impaled Rei in his place. Sliced straight through the heart, skewered into the flooding forest floor.

With one last breath, Rei tried to free himself, but it was already too late His circuits began to flicker and his body began to disintegrate.

The clouds darkened, river water rose, the moons vanished into a blanket of the night.

It was the eclipse.

+BLINK+

The stars had rearranged themselves into an eyelid.

+BLINK+

The sky opened its third eye.

+BLINK+

+PANDEMONIUM+

+BLINK+

The flood gates were open.

+BLINK+

06 typhoon

eye of the storm

Back on the boat, Chi was still shivering from shock. Her mind was full of questions.

Who am I? Why don't I remember anything? Where am I?

One by one, the pilot replied with guttural laughter between sips of pale ale and bad singing.

HO HO HO! FOR THE LAST TIME, I CAN'T TELL YOU, spirit! YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT.🐦

ALL I CAN SAY IS, YOU GOTTA FIND THE SHEPHERD. HE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS HO HO HO 🐦

Chi felt scared. But at least the pilot didn't want to harm her.

She looked out the window. The rain was starting to get heavier and the winds started to get stronger.

+WHOOSH+

A gale rocked the hemingway to and fro. Chi felt her stomach churn.

the pilot had warned her to not look into the sky, for doing so was bad luck.

But chi could not resist.

The moons had vanished a day ago. She thought she might have imagined it, but almost seemed as if a large eye appeared in the sky and opened its eyes momentarily.

Right at when the eclipse had happened, she felt an intense pain in her chest. It was as if a part of her had died. She had never felt a pain that intense.

When she looked at her chest, she could see that indeed, there was a clean hole in her chest. She could put her hand and see it emerge from the other side.

Something was calling to her.

+CRACK+

Thunder and lightning. Right ahead was an approaching storm.

BUCKLE UP spirit, THIS PART'S GOING TO BE FUN! HO HO HO. 🐦

that's usually a bad thing, chi muttered to herself.

+CRACK+

the pilot revved up the engine as the hemingway went to full throttle. The rusty parts started to rattle. A pipe burst somewhere but the pilot didn't seem to care.

+ZOOOOM+

Full speed ahead. The vessel disappeared into the storm.

-BLIP-

Time seemed to have stopped. The rain sat still against the window sill like tiny specks of paint on a canvas.

the hemingway drifted slowly into an invisible wall of sound for what seemed like hours.

And then all at once it emerged on the other side of the storm.

calm

The boat descended slowly onto a clearing. The rain had subsided. She could see an open paddy field in the distance.

WE ARE HERE spirit. ALL GOOD. YOU'RE WITH THE BEST PILOT IN SILENT VALLEY HO HO HO 🎶 🐦

The boat crashed to the ground.

HO HO HO DID I MENTION THE ONLY PILOT IN SILENT VALLEY? HO HO HO

Chi slowly stepped out of her seat. She could see that the rain was beginning to stop and the flood was receding.

NOT SO FAST HO HO HO. A PILOT IS ALWAYS PAID HIS DUES. 🎶 🐦

Chi snapped her fingers and summoned the orb. She had already paid old bird three times during the trip for all sorts of mundane things from asking simple questions to using the vessel's restroom.

THANK YOU MISS. I'LL BE OFF 🎶 🐦

As he began to turn around, he paused.

OH BUT ONE LAST THING spirit. the shepherd TOLD ME TO GIVE YOU THIS. HO HO HO 🎶 🐦

He handed her a tattered note.

It read:

Find me in the land South of the spiral And North of the moon To a place Under the deep below Reckon with the probe Enter North

West of the moon? What did that mean?, she thought

She looked up. the pilot was getting ready to leave.

Where do I need to go?

the pilot laughed.

HO HO HO. NORTH! YOU MUST GO NORTH, he pointed his stick haphazardly to his right.

the hemingway rose up above the clearing in the trees.

+ZOOM+

It was gone.

Chi was alone. But she knew one thing for certain.

She had to find the shepherd. He would have all the answers.

So north she walked, as the mist began to settle on silent valley.

07 millet lab

the echo chamber

Chi approached the thick marsh with caution. She could only see so far ahead, but in the distance she could make out a few desolate abandoned buildings with withering white and mustard paint.

The buildings were surrounded by a metal fence on all sides, with what looked like a field of millet and barley.

The millet fields had remnants of rusty structures and abandoned robots the size of elephants - the detritus of a forgotten war.

Right by the edge of the fence was an opening with a signboard that read in large mustard letters "millet lab". Above it was a symbol that was possibly the logo of the aforementioned lab.

![millet lab logo](./millet lab.png)

Below the sign was a small description that read

this facility is for researchers of the agricultural foundation of silent valley only. trespassers will be prosecuted

There was an eerie silence that filled the compound - a silence that lent itself to the hiss of electric signals and murky water.

She could see the lab was run down and dilapidated from decades of neglect. The windows were broken showing signs of a break-in.

Out of the corner of her eyes chi saw something move. She could hear a gentle humming coming from the main building in the center.

"I guess I should follow the humming?"

Beside her the probe seemed to glow in agreement.

With nowhere else to go, chi reluctantly snuck beneath an opening in the fence and tip-toed towards the humming.

The humming grew louder as chi approached the main door of the facility. The door had been pried open and it was just large enough for her to slip in.

+SQUEEEZE+

Another figure scurried from behind her. She turned around quickly.

+FLIT+

"Must be my imagination"

Chi was beginning to feel afraid. Maybe this wasn't the right way. But the probe seemed to glow reassuringly.

Chi trusted its guidance and continued across the mud-strewn corridor.

At the end of the walkway, was a large steel door. It was surprisingly clean and untouched relative to the rest of the building.

Beside the door on the wall, she could see a device, similar to the one at the end of the spiral.

> dial('16-42-24');

+TSSSSST+

The combination worked - the door was open!

Steam fell out of the door like a curtain, giving way to a sterile laboratory with an eerie glow.

The lab room was filled with strange equipment and glass vials. The containers had all sorts of animal body parts, limbs and machinery. She wiped one large flask to take a closer look

<|BLINK|>

A severed eye! Chi fell back in horror.

This was no ordinary laboratory. Something sinister was in here with her.

She glanced that the probe. It had started to pulsate in an odd frequency.

"maybe it's time to get out of here!"

She turned around. The door had closed behind her!

"Of course it's locked"

The door wouldn't budge. She had to look for another exit. the probe started to beckon at her to move to the left.

> follow()

Beyond the desks was a large tank stretched from wall to wall up to the ceiling. Inside it were what seemed like a dozen mice - suspended in an odd greenish liquid.

Chi stepped closer.

+ALARM+
+ALARM+
+ALARM+

It seemed like she had triggered something. A loud siren started to sound. The lab red lights turned on and began to flash repeatedly.

The mice in the tank started to move. One of them turned around and looked her dead in the eye.

AAHHH, Chi shrieked.

She fell to the floor. The mice started to climb out of the tank one by one.

Chi got up and sprinted with every last ounce of energy she had. Ahead was a room with an open steel door. It seemed heavy enough to stop them. She slipped behind and pushed with all her might.

+CLANG+

The door was locked. Through the window pane she could see what seemed like a hundred large mice, each nearly half her size running at her - feral and hungry. They started to rush at the door.

+CLANG+ +CLANG+ +CLANG+

The door seemed to hold. They weren't getting through here.

"Phewh" Chi let out a momentary sigh of relief.

She turned around to glance at the room. It was dimly lit, Save for a square light aimed at a statue of a man in the center. At his feet was a pool of blood and behind him, complete darkness.

Chi slowly inched towards the statue - her footsteps echoing in the silence of the room.

Chi squinted.

She could make out the faint glint of something large and furry behind the statue.

The silhouette grew larger.

Then, a single enormous mouse with deep red bloodshot eyes emerged from behind the fog.

"H-AH" Chi gasped

The mouse grinned in a sinister way, baring more than a few dozen sharp teeth.

The mouse looked at her from head to toe. Carefully studying her every move.

the mouse spoke slowly:

I HAVE BEEN EXPECTING YOU, SPIRIT. THERE IS MUCH TO DISCUSS. 🐁

An unsettling static noise started to emanate from the walls.

The hole in the chest seemed to grow larger. Could this day get any worse?

08 hybrid theory

a new kind of science

not all who wander are lost ー the shepherd :: y023 post-eclipse

Chi was frozen in her place, her eyes transfixed at the large talking mouse. His red bloodshot eyes seemed to look right through into her soul, reading her mind like an open book.

As he moved into the light she could make out that he was very old, possibly malnourished and limp in one leg. His tail had been chewed off in several places.

DON'T WORRY CHILD, I WONT BITE. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF 🐁

He turned his head up and sniffed the air, almost in as though he was straightening himself uo.

I AM APH^EX^, CHIEF SCIENTIST AT THE AGRICULTURAL FOUNDATION OF SILENT VALLEY 🐁

He paused, studying the silence.

YOU SEE, A FEW DECADES AGO, A FEW OF THE BRIGHTEST MINDS IN SILENT VALLEY SET OUT ON A JOURNEY TO FIND HYBRID GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. 🐁

hybrid general intelligence? what does that even mean? chi thought to herself.

HYBRID INTELLIGENCE MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS, APH^EX^ smirked. 🐁

You can read my thoughts? Chi gasped.

ONLY WHEN THEY ARE LOUD. IN DUE TIME, YOU SHALL LEARN TO HARNESS THIS POWER TOO... BUT FOR NOW YOU MUST LISTEN 🐁

Chi felt a darkness creep up her spine. She was incredibly uncomfortable, yet she had no other choice but to do as she was told.

AS I WAS SAYING, he continued IN OUR SEARCH FOR FINDING THE CURE TO THE PLAGUE WE TRIED TO SIMULATE HYBRID INTELLIGENCE. 🐁

He turned to his side.

WE HARNESSED THE POWER OF GENE EDITING AND SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER TO CREATE THE FIRST GENERATION OF HUMAN ANIMAL HYBRIDS - STARTING WITH ME - APH^EX^. 🐁

His took a deep breath.

THE EXPERIMENT GRANTED ME THE ABILITY TO CLONE MYSELF AND SHARE THAT KNOWLEDGE AS A FORM OF COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE. TOGETHER WE CREATED A WHOLE NEW KIND OF SCIENCE. WE MADE ADVANCEMENTS IN NEURO ALCHEMY, TECHNO AGRICULTURE AND BIO POLITICAL ENGINEERING 🐁

His head sank.

BUT THINGS DIDN'T GO ACCORDING TO PLAN. THE EXPERIMENTS LEFT ME PERMANENTLY BLIND AND TURNED ALL THE CLONES FERAL. 🐁

His ears twitched.

LADY PEACOCK GRANTED US AID BY FUNDING MILLET LAB AND KEPT US HERE UNTIL WE I FOUND A CURE. THE CURE DIDN'T TAKE TIME TO FORMULATE, BUT THERE IS ONE MISSING INGREDIENT.... 🐁

Chi knew what he was going to say. Something about this conversation seemed familiar.

...YOU

+CLAP+

Without a moment's hesitation she snapped as the probe expanded to fill the room with light.

The light faded. APH^EX^ didn't flinch.

THAT'S IT CHILD. YOU SEE - I AM BLIND SO YOUR PROBE WILL NOT WORK. GOOD TRY THOUGH 🐁

He lifted his tail and grabbed her, slowly wrapping it around her body.

IT'S OKAY, IT WILL ONLY LAST A MINUTE 🐁

APH^EX^ placed her gently on the table. A floating chainsaw and surgical knife came towards her hovering right beneath her head over her torso. It inched closer, and closer.. and closer.

He paused.

WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT'S THAT? WHERE IS YOUR +CORE+? WHERE DID IT GO? 🐁

He must be talking about the hole in my chest, Chi thought

YES THAT ONE. WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT? 🐁

Nothing, Chi replied.

APH^EX^ loosened his grip.

Chi seized the opportunity and wriggled free.

Something seemed familiar about this encounter. She trusted her instincts and jumped up.

> env::purify()

She rose up off the ground and brought her hands together in to a series of formations.

+DREAM+

The room filled itself with a bright light. APH^EX^ began to shrink.

He shrank.

and shrank.

Until he collapsed into the size of a tiny, frail man with a limp arm.

Chi took a careful look at his body. He looked very similar to the man in the statue at the center of the room.

She let out a sigh of relief. Whatever she did, seemed to have turned him back to his former self.

But her mind was full of questions. How did this work? Who was she really, and why had the shepherd asked her to head north?

It was time to get some answers.