Taking action

For a few days, a strange atmosphere engulfed Xia and Imani when they were together. The air was filled with sorrow, fear, and nostalgia, but a strong sense of happiness remained despite it all. As it was, after their last harrowing discussion, they chose to find the best compromise for each of them. Still, several days were necessary to make those decisions. One would often start crying, unable to continue the conversation. Yet, little by little, their shared love and compassion helped them navigate the pain and move forward. In the end, they agreed to continue their lives together until the dry season was over. This way, things were easier to digest. Later, they also thought about their livestock, deciding to bring them back to Gungara. Both already knew they would have to sell them for a lower price than their original cost. The timing, too, was opportune: leaving at the start of the rainy season meant food would be easier to find for their animals along the road.

Days passed one by one. Xia enjoyed Imani’s company as best as she could while Imani acted as if nothing had changed between them, unable to fully accept the situation. Time seemed to drift by unnoticed as they settled into this uncertain rhythm. And so, before they knew it, the four remaining months of the dry season had slipped away.

Finishing the preparations took two whole days. Their closest neighbors were thankful to receive Xia and Imani’s hut for their oldest son. On top of that, they even gave the enclosure and shelter they had built for the animals. Regardless of their cold reaction when they learned about Imani’s interest in healing, they had provided numerous services for the young couple. Now, except for their livestock, everything from Xia and Imani’s old breeders’ lives was gone. They could leave the village of Tambara peacefully, accompanied only by their animals, exactly as they had arrived two years earlier.

During their journey back to Gungara, they had prepared to travel for twelve days to reach the capital. However, they were wrong: six days were more than enough. The journey’s unexpected swiftness was no accident: in the last year, they had learned to instruct their livestock easily and knew how to travel efficiently while ensuring the animals’ health.

As they reached the outer walls, Xia realized she had never grown accustomed to Gungara’s impressive structures. The large water surrounding the entire city was quite the sight. And, seeing how the main city was separated from the closest villages by the circling river made her wonder about Linghua’s capital. She had never been there, but Muya had described how it was separated into several areas; the closer you were to the center, the richer the buildings became.

Lost in thought, Xia found herself standing by the main bridge, waiting while Imani negotiated with a livestock merchant. She kept guard on the outside until he came back. Her mind still wandering, she thought about something else. Xia was amazed to see how well Imani was reacting to all of this. She had rarely observed him be as strong as he was right now. Some part of her hoped he was not overdoing it, otherwise, the aftermath would be hard on him.

True to himself, Imani returned two hours later, accompanied by a wealthy merchant. The man introduced himself as an assistant to the Fields Advisor, one of the fourth-highest nobles. Each of them supervised a different aspect of the kingdom, and only the king could order them around. Xia did not really care and was mostly reassured when the merchant seemed satisfied with the animals’ condition, he even gave a fair amount of money in exchange. Once Xia and Imani finished bringing the livestock to the merchant’s shelter near the city, they both went inside the walls and found an inn for the evening. The second Xia paused herself on the bed, she began to cry. Leaving their animals made everything feel real. Her life had been dedicated to their well-being for two years. Now, she could only hope they would be fine with this new merchant. Imani sat beside her and tried to comfort her as best he could. That night, neither of them ate; they simply needed to sleep.

The following morning, Xia and Imani discussed their plan for the week. Arriving earlier than anticipated gave them more time to enjoy each other’s company. Given the circumstances, neither of them wished to visit Imani’s family; it would have been too awkward to explain the situation. And so, they decided to make the most of their last week together by doing some nice activities in Gungara. Until now, every time Xia had gone to the capital of Zimori, it had been to meet with Imani’s kin. This time, she could truly visit the city.

Better late than never, she reminded herself, with five days left before she would withdraw from the world for a year when joining The Community. Strangely, Xia felt no stress about what was to come. Through her recent night meditations, she was experiencing once again how much deeper her connection with the spirit of the moon grew as she approached the city. As hard as it was, she knew she was making the right choice for her future.

Despite these looming changes, the coming days were among the happiest Xia could remember. Visiting Gungara was so enjoyable that she and Imani lost track of time. Their days resumed in listening to folktales in one of the city’s main squares or playing bao, a famous board game in Zimori. In this game, players take turns moving seeds around pits, aiming to capture more seeds than their opponent. Xia was terrible at this game, but she liked it nonetheless.

Lastly, to conclude their evenings, they would dance and listen to music in the streets. Xia had been startled not to have discovered this sooner; dancing and playing music were very common around here. Only then did she understand that Imani was an exception for not enjoying it that much. Yet, alongside Xia, he went with the flow and even smiled, watching her discover the unfamiliar joys of dancing. It felt all the more special to her as in the Empire of Linghua, except at weddings, ordinary people like her would never dance. All of this made their last evening together even more delightful. However, the goodbyes finally came.

Xia and Imani stood in front of The Community imposing building. Despite the recruiting session, no one went through the gates. After all, considering Nyasha’s words about their reputation as superstitious fools from a lost age, Xia was not surprised. Imani, gently touching her hair, brought her back to the present moment. Hugging one another, they exchanged their final words.

“Xia, can I ask you one last thing?”

“Yes, of course, tell me, I’m listening.”

“Could you promise to visit me in one year, once you’re allowed to do so? Just so I know for certain you’re doing well.”

“I will,” she answered with a soft kiss,

“Do I have permission to make a promise too?” she asked teasingly.

“Until the last moment, you will make a fool out of me. Spit it out already, loving malignant woman.”

“Okay, then, promise me to do all you can to find a life you like without me. You could create a shop with your sister to supply healing plants. You remember? We spoke about it.”

Imani stared into Xia’s eyes for one long minute. Inhaling, he replied,

“For you, I promise.”

One last time, they lingered in each other’s scent, memorizing it for the year to come. Their last kiss was soft and sincere, representing on its own the beauty of their relationship.

Xia walked, moving away from Imani, moving forward to her new life. Imani watched her intently, committing every detail to memory, ensuring he would never forget her, no matter what happened.

With one last glance over her shoulder, Xia disappeared from view and stepped inside the large entry room. She had already gone inside once, and the size, atmosphere, and decorations were exactly as she remembered them, except that this time, nobody was meditating. Her eyes wandered around, searching for someone to speak with. In the left corner, an old lady was waiting, her entire outfit a single shade of green. As Xia approached, the woman looked up and declared,

“During the next two weeks, meditation is not permitted. Access is solely reserved for future members.”

“And you have one before you.”

Xia’s words caught the lady’s attention; she examined Xia more closely, analyzing every inch of her appearance.

“It is uncommon for us to receive strangers. Are you and your family aware that you will not be able to leave our walls over the coming year?”

Xia nodded confidently. She had sent a letter to Muya’s workshop so that, in time, her own family would know where she was. Messages between Linghua and Zimori took a long time to travel. Still, her mother had encouraged her to follow her spiritual feelings and would certainly be proud to learn of her decision.

“What do you think of spirits, and what do you hope to find with us?” prompted the woman.

“Spirits infuse life with energies throughout our world. We can and must be thankful to them. As for me, I feel connected to this place. My meditations showed me a path, and here I am,” she smiled warmly.

“Oh, and since you forgot to ask, my name is Xia. Thank you for welcoming me.”

Unfazed, the old lady replied at once,

“Well, Xia, I’m Vimbai. I welcome you to The Community. Follow me, I’ll show you around.”

With this single conversation, Xia became a new member. From that moment, her life took another direction. Soon, she would completely dedicate herself to spirituality.

The first days went smoothly. Each member had a small, comfortable room for themselves. For her first year, she and the other recruits were assigned to a specific section of the building. Her routine could be resumed in meditating, helping with the chores, and eating. People were not very talkative, but she could feel the connected atmosphere linking everybody in the same direction: unconditional gratitude for spirits. Quickly, Xia learned that The Community dedicated themselves specifically toward the spirit of the sun, Tudigan; apparently, they called it Zuva in Zimori. She understood their choice of focus, as this spirit was known as the powering source of every living being.

Besides, true to her expectations, they would spend several hours each day meditating. People were silent and deeply involved in their task. Xia felt at her place with those people who shared a strong connection to spirits like she did.

Later, once night fell and she was alone in her room, Xia would reach out to Yulin, the spirit of the moon. One night after another, her connection kept growing wider and larger; she had no words to express how relieved she was. The Community was no mistake or fancy in her mind; she had been called here and experienced every day the sense of completeness she had longed for all this time.

Sometimes, while falling asleep, she also thought about Imani. She could not deny it, she missed him. Her love for him could not be compared to her spiritual connection, it was just something else, something entirely different.

He had been an extraordinary person for her: his clumsiness in her presence, his broad smile when she looked at him, and how gentle and caring he was. She had loved no one before him, but she was already certain it would be impossible to replace what they had shared together. Only two years had been necessary to change both of their lives. He had even remained with her until the end, regardless of his own wishes. Truly, in one year, she would visit him and thank him for his kindness. He would know she had sacrificed what they had only for something profoundly valuable to her. Then, she laughed softly. Surely, he already knew, he had always read her so well.

When sleep found Xia, one last worried thought slipped into her mind. She, too, knew Imani well and wished he would not waste too much time in his life recovering from their break-up. Sadly, she could only hope without certainty…