Azura : Introduction - Olga Burshtun (book club recommendations txt) 📗

Аzura Project

Back in 1820, during the expedition in an icy den of Alexandra Land, Mikhail Lazarev discovered the remains of unknown species and took them to the mainland.

For hundreds years, scientists, representatives of the secret community "Sofia", tried to revive the mysterious creature, but numerous studies have created a brand new species.

Alice, the girl of twelve, is such representative. Having lost her mother and father, due to a mental disorder and a rare genetic disease, she for a long time has been wandering between the real world and the one created by her imagination. In one of such wanderings she meets up with extraordinary creatures whose very existence stirs the human mind since time immemorial.

The dreamcatchers, a constant attribute of Native American shamans, like a mazes are a clue to ancient mysteries that lie beyond the real world.

Species survival is the key to evolution

Prolog

Cold ... too cold to move. And that stench ... terrible smell of formalin.

Groaning, he tried to turn over, but could not. He couldn’t move his hand or foot. Alien body refused to obey.

It was dark and cold as in the beginning of being. No thought, no sound, no words in the deafening emptiness, only the pain. And it seemed that this will last forever. Black as the deep darkness and stinging like a flame this pain, had and always will be.

When a dim light hit the darkness and it disappeared, but the pain remains... He did not know where this pain came from, but it interrupted his lingering dream and for that, he was grateful.

"The sleeper must awaken," a strong voice boomed from everywhere. It repeated by multiple echo, crashing into a new pain, tearing him from oblivion.

"Who's there ?" No answer. A deathly silence gave way to mild rustle, with such sound water flows in the clepsydra.

After lying motionless for a few minutes, he tried to get up but still could not. From a long sleep his body turned to stone. A nagging pain in the joints and muscles drove scrip. How long he had slept? One hundred ... two hundred years ... or perhaps the whole thousand.

The noise of water getting louder. Cold light hurt his eyes. All that he discerned was gleams, which played above him like a rippling on the water. The water.

Fear with a black wave came at him. He lies in the water. So he's not breathing. That's where the pain from. The lungs simply burns out from lack of an air.

He struggled like a fish, helplessly flailing, trying to find exit from the water kingdom. He arched his back, and immediately ran into something hard and cold, his fingers helplessly slid over the smooth surface.

Furious, almost savage desire to live, overwhelmed him. He bent over and with the last strength hit the invisible barrier. Strike another one, a strong crust suddenly softened and easily broken.

He escaped to the surface, with a force inhaled the cold air and the hollowly roared. His head spun once more time, for his memory back.

Before him appeared the strange visions. Critters, strange objects, places impossible beautiful and monstrous at the same time, erupted from the depths of his subconscious, cutting into the fledgling mind. He seemed to have lived a past life again.

A myriad of vivid images of life once lived, bumped into him at a speed of a meteor shower. He wanted to scream, tried to stop this information flow, but could not. Yet a little, and he will simply get away.

The spear in the hands of black, lanky figure sparkled as brilliant. The pain, sharp as lightning, slashed his mind. So thats how he had died, no, thats how he was deprived of life.

Re-birth was a truly horrible experience and even worse because he was going through it not the first time. Soon, however, all has passed, terrifying images settled in the memory.

The heart slowly abated in the chest, breathing evened. Only a dim trace in the memory left from the hellish pain.

The new eye did not operate, so that he practically did not see anything, but clearly felt the presence of someone else's.

"Erma?" He asked quietly, barely moving his lips.

"No, sir," immediately said an unknown voice. "You are on Earth."

He sighed heavily. "How long ?"

"Now the 4710 year from death of the Dragon, or the 5773 year from Anno Mundi. We patiently waited for your awakening, sir."

Sight gradually restored, and before the blurred spots began to take shape and sharpness.

He awakened he in a huge tank filled with water, luminous in the center of a big white room. On the left of the tank stood in half-bow, two men in long black robes. They were similar to each other, how can only father and son be.

"Girl."

"Everything is ready, sir. We follow her, as was promised." Senior man shook his gray head and straightened. "Yesterday she turned fourteen."

"The enemy?"

"Not yet awakened." This time the younger man answered. "We have done our best, Mr. Rahu." He continued, without lifting his head and pressing his fist to chest.

Rahu... yes, so once people called him Rahu. It is strange that they have not invented new name, more convenient for their language, but continued to use the old one.

He twirled new hand, bending and straightening his slender fingers, trying to interest a new body.

"Good. Summon the elders. Spread the word of my awakening."

"It will be done, sir."

Men synchronously bowed, turned around and headed for the exit.

Rahu watched them and once again twirled five-toed hand, clenching and unclenching his fist. The new body was much weaker than the previous one, but even this body is better than nothing.

"So your curse had been fulfilled, Rudra." Sad smile frozen on perfectly smooth, deathly pale face. "I feel chosen already been born... Finally. Good night, my dear, and welcome to the world of nightmares…"

Publication Date: 03-07-2016

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