For centuries the people of earth had searched for the fountain of youth. Different cultures, different people, both ancient and recent had scoured the nooks and crannies of the earth looking for the mystical place of legends. Most believed it was but a fairytale these days and perhaps in a way it was, regarding it more as an intangible idea. A secret locked away to be discovered by a new kind of scientist and explorer.
How surprised they would have been to be told that it DID exist. And that their eyes would have had to be set much higher to find it?
Bimini, the fountain of youth, did not reside on any of the planets in the galaxy ruled by the moon princess. Nor on any of it's stars. Where it was was as mysterious and mystical as the idea the earthen people had give to it over the centuries. A tiny speck in the sky, not even really big enough to be called an asteroid housed the wonder and it was there that Bimini, page of the Cosmos found himself transported.
Upon Kurma's suggestion that he should visit (and the mere idea that 'the fountain of youth' actually existed somewhere!) and subsequently hearing from one of the knights of destiny about a special ring he had finally made the journey. It was surprisingly easy.. all he had done was really think about it.. about coming and seeing what all the fuss was about and suddenly he'd been here, enveloped in his pagely robes.
The sky was an endless sea of stars, the only sound in the stillness was the trickle and rush of water and it didn't take him long to figure out where it was coming from. At the center of everything was a fountain, a fountain unlike anything he'd ever seen.
The fountain of stone and metal stretched high into the starlit sky, multi-tiered and magnificent, feeding into a glittering pool that stretched out almost like a lake. Only it was no lake... brick crafted edges of the huge pool were apparent, and the bottom was a soft cobblestone. Near the edges the water barely reached the ankles but there was an incline so gradual it was barely noticeable.. until you reached the falling waters and realized you were waist deep.
The fountain was rustic and beautiful, like something forgotten to time, slowly being erroded. Rock carvings had crumbled, metals tarnished, and green growth was covering the fountain here and there. None of the functionality had been destroyed however, water still flowed from some mysterious source bubbling and pouring from level to level before finally hitting the surface of the pool. Somewhere in the pool the water must have drained because it seemed stilled at a serene and peaceful level.
Outside the main fountain a few smaller ones sat alongside old stone buildings. Large pots dotted the walkways but they were barren except for some empty sticks, the only vegetation long gone. Broken and battered furniture lay scattered and ignored and no matter how long he looked Bimini would find that he was entire alone, not another soul or creature to be found.
Or so he thought.
”Boo”
Bimini was silently peeking halfway through a door when the voice sounded, and he literally jumped a half foot off the ground, bowl thrust defensively in front of him. The figure didn't seem all that intimidating, a pleasant and amused expression on a different body in clothing that looked oddly familiar. It wasn't until he realized that he could see the fountain 'through' the figure that the trepidation returned, his fingers were beginning to pale with the force he'd been clutching the bowl.
”Relax...” The figure grinned back to him softly, arms lifted defensively upwards. It was a word it had spoken a million times before though this of course.. was the strangest occasion to use it.
”It was just a joke. Loosen up.” The transparent figure soothed, before finally disappearing.
”If you prefer just a voice I can do that”
“Who are you!? What are you?” Bimini spit out finally, his voice an octave or two higher than usual. One would think in a world full of monsters and magical fighting girls a ghost wouldn't be a big deal.
”A knight of this place, of Bimini. Just like you. In fact....”
“One might say we were family, albeit perhaps very long down the line. A whole stream of begots so to speak.” The voice laughed a little, finding itself very funny.
”I was the knight of this place when it was beautiful and brimming with life... And now it's your turn. Return it to it's glory okay? I believe in you”
“Wait... what?” He lamented. It was too much information too quickly. He was talking to a ghost? And that ghost was related to him? Like... a really really long time ago? And the place used to be full of life? His eyes drifted back out into the silent courtyard, a frown marring his face in confusion. It was so quiet and silent, completely devoid of life, hell.. there was even a ghost involved. To think there had once been a bunch of people here... or even plants. His eyes settled on those empty pots again expectantly. He wondered what they had looked like. Was it something familiar? Or something as alien as the place he was now... out here in the middle of space.
”The fountain of youth was once one of the most fantastic day spas of the universe. People came far and wide to relax and be rejuvinated. To have the stresses of the day washed from their bodies and souls.”
“It'll take some work.. but one day it will shine again in all it's glory” Optimism. It seemed both knights of Bimini had that in common, and the present one found himself soothed. A little work was all it was going to take. He just had to work hard and things would be better.
One day the war would be over and then... a fountain could be rebuilt.
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