"Those who have sought the Cradle—it doesn't matter if you succeeded or not. So don't fret. The soul of a warrior is to never give up on his companions or himself. You all will receive great rewards according to the will of the sea."
The queen's voice was neither exactly soft nor rough—it couldn't be judged through hearing alone. It relaxed everyone's mind, like a soothing voice rescuing the kids from the nothingness where no senses were capable of anything. Her voice was like an unmeasurable abyss, but it saved you from the void of the abyss itself.
After the queen stopped, Drake found himself in a place where everything was dark except one spot with a dim light. He ran toward the light—the nearer he got, the fainter it became. Just before he could get a good look, it vanished. It was a young woman. She turned to him. He couldn't see her clearly. She disappeared with a faint smile on her face.
"No! No! No! Please show me—at least this time! Ahhhhh!"
He woke up in a place that looked like an infirmary. He was lying on a bed-like material made of wood from their tree. Two wire-like structures came out of the wood, connected to his eyes. The guy near him said,
"You shouldn't shout here—it might disturb others."
Drake was startled a little. He thought: Haa, it's a dream again. It happens whenever I'm in contact with great power. Ahhh.
"Sorry, doctor—"
"It's Ramiz. Don't throw a tantrum already. They did say you're special and highly motivated... hmmm, black hair and eyes. Ahh, yeah—quite unnatural."
The hallway seemed big; it was the inside of the queen's chamber. Cloth-like things coming out of the tree wood curled from top to bottom on the sides, waving like they were exposed to air underwater. It was a sight to behold.
In the hallway, a man with long grey hair was walking—it was Levize. There was no sound or pressure from his steps. He stood in front of a modest-looking door.
"Mother, may I enter?"
"Come in, my son. What brings you to see your mother?"
Levize was silent for a moment, then said,
"Nothing, Mother. This poor child of yours seeks comfort and rest. May I lay on your lap?"
She gestured with her hand for him to come near. She wasn't too old to be called the mother of a grown man like Levize, but it seemed she truly was. He went near her, put his weapons aside, knelt, laid his head on her lap, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, there seemed to be nothing near him—like the world around him became silent and dark.
In the darkness of the abyss, with an easing sensation, he slept. It seemed his power and knowledge were so complex and unimaginable that he couldn't rest his eyes or mind without the queen's power.
She was slightly troubled by having him under this nothingness influence. The queen said,
"Oh, poor soul... my child. How far have you fallen?"
It seemed Drake hadn't been in the infirmary too long. Doctor Ramiz's voice echoed in his mind:
"It's quite common to pass out after resisting the queen's power —or being under it . So don't worry yourself."
Queen Rishya—she is the ruler of our Warcrier Tribe. She has almost ruled over every known generation of our tribe that is alive till now. That power of hers... god, that's scary.
As he stepped out of the infirmary, the world of Kayal once again welcomed him.
As Drake glided through the pathways of the town, some townsfolk gave him weird looks. He didn't seem bothered by it, though—so he went past it all and came to a place like a colony, where a number of people lived. As he entered, the people there surrounded him, wishing him well on his return. They were all his neighbors: two little boys, one quite old lady, a few guys not much older than Drake, and a few men in their forties and late thirties. The other guys, even though excited by Drake's return, respected the one lady present there. One of the men said,
"Kid, the head of the nest wants to see you. Freshen up and show up—don't come in there stinking."
It seemed the tribes of these worlds respected women not only as mothers—they are the life of the worlds, revered as the great embodiment of life and existence. The most significant lives in these worlds are women.