Adventures of John: Ravages of War

Chapter 5: Nature out of Balance

Part of me expected this trip to be just as boring and uneventful as the last, but the greater part of me could feel the difference. The war was escalating, and I was no longer under the protection of the spirit of the Grand Canyon. This trip was a bus trip across the country, and was to last a total of two weeks. My first day on the trip was relatively uneventful as we toured various historical locations at our first stop. Nothing was happening yet, but I could sense the forces building. The little whisperers were especially active, and the tears seemed to be opening faster than ever before. Despite this, the day passed without incident.

That did not last through the night. I was sleeping peacefully in a hotel bed when I heard a crash and woke up to find a massive beast leaping at me. I tried to blast it back with magic, but all I succeeded in doing was slowing it down enough for me to grab the creature's jaws and keep it from biting my head off. I shook my head frantically, attempting to clear it enough to understand what was going on.

The beast had the head of a crocodile, followed by the mane and front half of a lion's body, while its rear was that of a hippopotamus. "Ammit?" I asked, remembering the creature from Egyptian mythology. "What the heck are you doing here?" This thing was supposed to be in the Egyptian underworld, eating the hearts of the unworthy. She was not supposed to be in my hotel room trying to eat my face. Looking around, I saw that there was a tear in the barriers between the realms directly behind the creature, which must have been its entry point. Of course, as the creature was only half present, my roommates couldn't hear the ruckus it was making and were still asleep. I managed to get my feet planted on her stomach, still making sure to keep her snapping jaws away from my head, and with magically-reinforced strength I kicked her back through the tear before quickly closing it. I did not want her coming back through.

. . . . .

After that incident I made sure to be extra diligent in closing any tears that we drove by. I didn't want to end up tussling with a Cyclops in the middle of the bus, or having a frost giant squash me in my sleep. I would, however, discover that they were not the only dangers I faced on this trip. The war was throwing both the magical realms and humanity out of balance, that much I knew. What I didn't realize was that it was throwing nature itself out of balance as well. And as I was the only one confronting both of these forces, I ended up being the epicenter of the insanity.

Several days into the trip, we were sitting on the bus when the iPhone of everyone with an iPhone rang. Looking down, I saw the same message that everyone else did. It was a tornado warning. The bus was instantly filled with murmurs as everyone wondered and speculated.

"A tornado?" they asked. "How far? Has it touched down yet?"

Everyone went to their phones in search of answers. No, there was no tornado yet, but a storm was picking up and it looked like one would form. While everyone else frantically searched the internet for answers, I thought. I could feel the unrest all around us. The Balance of nature had been disrupted, and we were all in danger. I closed my eyes and tried to sense what was happening, but there was too much unbalance, it was disrupting my senses. Luckily for us the tornado barely managed to form, and we were long past when it did. Everyone was relieved, but I knew it was only the beginning.

A few days later we were driving in heavier traffic and the bus was engulfed in a swarm of the largest bees I had ever seen. Dozens of them swarmed around the bus, slamming against windows and bringing themselves to a frenzy. There was no reason for them to be acting this way, but they were, and if something wasn't done those bees would find a way in. Some of those in the bus were freaking out at the swarming insects, while others hardly seemed to notice. However, none of them really believed the bees would find their way into the vehicle.

I knew differently. Nature was in chaos, and I had to do something to return Balance. I had discovered the first time I closed a tear in the barriers between the realms that I possessed some sort of connection to Balance, but I still didn't understand exactly what that meant. Focusing, I tried to reach out with that connection and soothe the raging insects outside. It took a moment, but before long the bees began to disperse, and our bus was no longer the epicenter of a bee swarm. I breathed deeply, the endeavor having taken a lot out of me. Somehow I had calmed the bees, not by controlling them with magic, but by reaching out to and repairing the Balance inherit in nature.

. . . . .

A few days later we were on a short hike, and with my long legs I was far ahead of the rest of the group. I stepped into a patch of grass, and suddenly a massive swarm of mayflies burst from the ground and whirled around me. After a moment of shocked running and swatting, I calmed myself enough to reach out again, and while the mayflies did not disperse like the bees had, they left me alone, splitting into smaller, less violent swarms that flew about. While I had managed to handle the situation, this different reaction worried me. The imbalance was growing stronger, and there was still so little that I understood.

. . . . .

It came to a head a few days before the trip would end. We had arrived at our hotel and I could feel energies gathering. Something big was coming, and it was coming soon. Storm clouds gathered, and soon the air was filled with wind and rain. Lightning struck and thunder immediately followed, starling one of my roommates. Before long lightning was striking ever other second, sometimes close enough for us to see it hit the ground. One of my roommates turned on the television to the weather, watching to make sure we were not in danger of a tornado. As it turned out, we were.

Sitting on a bed made from two comfy chairs put together, I focused on the imbalance in the world and tried to repair it. Unlike with the insects, I felt like I was pressing against a mountain and trying to move it. For the better part of the night I sat there, battling the storm. Wind and rain and lightning raged outside, and I held firm against them, trying to reestablish balance and directing the worst of it away. After several hours of this I finally fell asleep, exhausted.

The next day I learned that a tornado had indeed touched down, but it was only an F-1 tornado, and it had touched down far from our location. I had managed to fight off a tornado, even without my wealth of magical abilities to aid me. All this time, facing against the forces of Order and Chaos, there had been a very large part of me that insisted it was impossible, that I had no way to combat them. Now I knew differently. I still didn't quite understand the power of Balance or my connection to it, but I now know that I have a way to take on these two seemingly unstoppable forces.

As I write these final words down we have just started the final day of the trip. Tomorrow I will be home, and I will have a new weapon to use against Order and Chaos, once I learn how to better utilize it. This war is far from over, my friends. Tomorrow is a new day, one that the enemies of Balance will not find to their liking.