Story 4. Liata and the Radiant Sapphire

The Radiant Sapphire just laughed and laughed, while Muss and I happily flew around the island. Gradually, the Sapphire began to calm down and finally decided to tell us its story. It turned out it was laughing because at last Muss and I had arrived, meaning soon we could help it and set off in search of its friend, Liata, just as the Keeper of the Turquoise Coast had foretold.
 
The Radiant Sapphire was generally a very cheerful sort, but it hadn't been able to rejoice like this for a long time; it missed its friend terribly. But let's take things in order.
 
First, the Sapphire told us that it wasn't just a Radiant Sapphire (as if we doubted it!), but a Master Reflector (that's what they call portals here) – each of its facets reflects a different world and helps you travel there if you wish. But first, you have to tune in and know exactly where you want to go. Then you have to look carefully until you see the place you need. Muss and I really wanted to try it out. But the Radiant Sapphire asked us not to rush and to hear its story first.
 
When it was a tiny crystal – a little sapphire – the Queen Ruler of Crystals gave it to a girl just like me. And they became great friends. The Queen explained to the girl then that if they became friends, together they could create an amazing, magical place that would influence the world the girl came from. And influence it in a good way. Because when they grew up (both the girl and the crystal), the Sapphire could become a portal to other worlds, and the girl would be its Keeper. And this would greatly enrich the whole world and its inhabitants. Not only would they be able to travel easily between worlds, but it would also be easier for the inhabitants of other worlds to reach them.
 
The girl was overjoyed at this wonderful idea and gladly agreed to take care of her new friend – still just a little sapphire. As soon as she made this decision, a cap made of tiny crystals appeared on her head, and inside it, you could make out the outline of a palace. Then, in the sapphire's facets, the girl saw a vision: she was standing in the middle of the sea, and an Island with a Palace inside a huge sapphire crystal was rising from the water. She understood that this is exactly what would happen when they grew up. Meanwhile, she discovered she had the ability to live both in the sea and on land. While the Palace for her and the little sapphire was growing underwater, she and Shipunshsh enjoyed exploring the ocean depths and getting to know its inhabitants.
 
And so the girl, whose name was Liata, gradually began to transform into the Keeper of the Secret of the Radiant Sapphire. When she lived on land, she was just a girl who loved to spend long hours gazing at the sea in the company of her friend Shipunshsh, whom everyone took for an ordinary white cat (I don't know, I don't know – are cats ever ordinary, anywhere?). But in reality, Liata and Shipunshsh were friends, like Muss and me, in the sense that Shipunshsh had once appeared in Liata's dreams and led her to his world.
 
'Hmm, interesting, will I have to stay in Muss's world forever, or do I have different tasks? – a very interesting question, and timely too!' I thought.
 
And the moment this thought crossed my mind, the Radiant Sapphire immediately answered my question, as if I'd asked it out loud. It explained that one's tasks are determined by personal inclination. Therefore, my destiny was different, but it couldn't reveal it to me, for that was the rule – I would discover it myself, gradually, and it would become clearer along the way, shaped by my decisions and preferences. It turns out destiny isn't something fixed and nailed down, but a malleable substance that responds to the slightest changes in our inner state. Well, well! How am I supposed to understand that?
 
I couldn't help but object, saying that in our world we're taught from childhood that destiny is precisely something unshakeable, given once and for all, and there's no such thing as malleability.
 
And what do you think? – Muss and the Sapphire started laughing again, as if I'd said something terribly funny. Good thing Shipunshsh is a kind soul – he explained to me that the concept of an unchangeable destiny is the biggest lie, invented by those who don't want people to live in peace with themselves and the world at large. But that was a topic for a separate, detailed conversation; right now we had other business. The Sapphire immediately stopped laughing and mumbled an apology. Yes, yes, it said, we have very important things to do. It just hadn't laughed for so long, and it loved to laugh, so it couldn't resist when I told it about the nonsense I'd learned in my world.
 
And it continued its story.
 
While Liata and Shipunshsh were thoroughly enjoying their above-and-below-water life, the Palace and our little sapphire were quietly growing underwater. Everything was going very well. Liata met the Keeper of the Azure Coast's helpers – a boy-cat named Tiu and a girl-cat named Miu – and they once showed her the Rainbow Jellyfish, the underwater Master of Transformations here. When the Jellyfish swims by, rainbow circles spread across the water, and Rainbow Clouds form in the sky above. It's a special time (just like when Muss and I arrived on the Island). The boundary between worlds becomes thin, and you can use the water to see what's happening in other places at that moment. But, as Tiu and Miu explained, water is good, but a crystal that will eventually become a Master Reflector (or simply a Radiant Sapphire) is much better.
 
Liata and her new friends gazed in wonder at the amazing worlds through the water's depth. It turned out that in some of them, crystals of Diamond, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Emerald, and Amethyst were growing, along with palaces for them, just like the Sapphire and its Palace were growing here and now. Liata learned that each such crystal had its own Keepers and she very much wanted to meet them. She was especially intrigued by the Amethyst crystal. Tiu told her about an amazing violet world where there were pools of 'liquid space' where stars and galaxies were born. And all the pools were connected underground and fed from a single source – an underground Cosmic Ocean. Trees of pure gold grew on the land, and the inhabitants were cheerful and carefree and loved all kinds of entertainment, amusement rides, for instance. Liata was so impressed by this story that she began to dream about that violet world at night. By day, she was still happy and content in the sea, but on land, she increasingly felt a sadness for something she couldn't explain.
 
She shared her thoughts with Shipunshsh, and he explained that sadness was something unfamiliar in their world, but he knew how to deal with it. They simply needed to go to that violet world and see how things worked there. Once her curiosity was satisfied, she could calmly return and begin her fascinating duties as Keeper of the Secret of the Radiant Sapphire. Liata loved this idea and went to consult the Sapphire. The Sapphire didn't object, only asked Liata not to stay away for too long. For if she were gone, it wouldn't be able to laugh, and therefore wouldn't be able to grow. Liata promised not to be long. And so it was decided.
 
Liata and Shipunshsh set off for the Amethyst World (that was the real name of the violet world), and the Sapphire remained in the sea. Time passed, but Liata didn't return. Then Shipunshsh came back from the journey. He told the Sapphire that something strange had happened during the transition between worlds, and Liata had lost her memory, and without it, she couldn't come back. Shipunshsh himself had only just managed to return, but for a different reason – he simply couldn't bear to leave Liata alone in the Amethyst World. At first, he tried to restore Liata's memory, but she couldn't remember anything and was even surprised that a cat could talk like a human. Then Shipunshsh tried communicating with her telepathically. That worked better, but her memory still didn't return. So Shipunshsh told Liata everything he could remember about their shared adventures and about the Sapphire waiting for her. And with Liata's consent, he returned to their world for help, while she stayed behind, waiting.
 
As soon as he arrived, he and the Sapphire immediately went to the Keeper of the Azure Coast for help and advice. The Keeper listened to them carefully and, using a small amethyst crystal he always carried on a chain with other crystals, looked to see what had happened. He smiled mysteriously (which lifted a weight from Shipunshsh's and the Sapphire's hearts) and said they needed to wait a little longer; soon a girl from the Dense World would appear in their world (that must be me they were talking about – a funny name, but accurate – the Dense World, indeed) and then the matter would be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.
 
'Well, well… Quite a challenge! Okay, let's say I'm not at all against visiting that violet, or rather Amethyst, world, but how am I supposed to bring her back? And why can't Shipunshsh do it? I mean, even if she doesn't remember anything, she remembers herself! So what does that mean? – it means if she wants to return, she can,' I reasoned to myself.
 
At this point, Muss and Shipunshsh started applauding wildly, for some reason, and the Radiant Sapphire shone even brighter and would have clapped too if it had any hands. I looked at them in surprise.
 
There they go again, reading my thoughts… What can you do with them?
 
Muss hastened to explain why they were so pleased. It turns out that for me, things are simple – I just want something and I do it. But in their world, it's complicated. Everyone already lives so well, the world responds sensitively to all their moods, and it's very hard for them to really, truly want something. For them, it's a very difficult task, akin to a small child in our Dense World trying to lift a hugely heavy barbell (silly comparison, I know, but what can I do?). And actually, it's precisely because our world is so 'dense' that we owe our ability to focus strong desires; otherwise, we'd never achieve anything here. So the barbell analogy is quite apt.) We've been training in particularly tough conditions since childhood, so there!
 
So, I understood the main point; now all that remained was to figure out how to get to that violet, ugh, Amethyst world and how to find Liata there.
 
'That's no problem at all,' Muss and Shipunshsh assured me almost in unison. And the Sapphire began to shimmer brightly with all its facets, expressing its complete agreement.
 
Well, that's good!