Even Then
Fire burns everywhere. Rivers run dry. Trees wither. The earth hardens and cracks. The very life forces of Mountains, Sky, Water, and Underworld feed the fire. Together they are infused with all the colors of light, and a blinding white gi—full and wild—is born.
A female stands in the midst of the fiery ruin with her arms spread wide. Her snow-white hair billows around her head as though she’s floating in water. Her eyes are closed, her expression serene, as though she is soaking in the warmth of the winter sun.
Suddenly, she opens her eyes, and white fire burns in them. Her face hardens even as tears stream down her pale cheeks. She clenches her fists and screams, a piercing sound of sorrow and defeat. White light bursts from her chest.
I welcome the fire as everything I know burns around me. I welcome her even as the fire consumes me. I am awed and terrified by her beauty, by her power.
I burn until I am nothing.
Even then . . . I love her.