THE WAR BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS OF ENCANTO

A NEW FOUNDATION: THE THREE PILLARS

P.O.V The Beckoned

Beyond the mountains of Encanto, is a war that has been waged since a time before I could remember.

I am one of the few of what the Encanto survivors call the Beckoned. 

I have journeyed long and far to reach the streets of Encanto, 

and finally, 

I made it. 

...................................................Past........................................................

Tonight I was rummaging through the alleyways of my hometown, searching for leftover foods. I have not been able to eat for the past three days, and I was starving. 

Whispers in the distance caught my attention. 

"A safe haven.....Encanto..."

A group of marauders continues to speak about a safe haven. 

A paradise called Encanto. 

Untouched from the devastation of war. 

Since then I have made it my mission to find any clue that might lead me to that place. 

Others had laughed saying it's a trap for the rebellion, looking for any sympathizers.

But I didn't care, I had nothing else to lose anyway. 

This war had taken everything from me, this was my last hope.

Along the way, I came across others like me. They too searching for a way to Encanto.

Through them, I was able to find out some key information. They say in order to reach Encanto, you must first be called. Once you are called, you must travel past the three pillars. The forest of wilderness. The river of Pedro and the Narrow maze.

Legend says the pillars were created by their leader. No one knows his name. No one knows how Encanto came to be. But since three years ago, a rebellion had started. 

And in the center of all the rumors, they all speak of the leader of Encanto. 

A master of the golden light, able to do the miraculous. 

......................................................................................

Soon, one by one each of us began to leave. 

Some disappeared, some gave up, some threatened into joining the war. 

I too disappeared, I was one of the called. 

The first place I traveled to was the forest of wilderness, this was a place of separation, a place of preparation, and a place of revelation. 

Separation because in the wilderness, the miracle revealed itself to me. Away from the distraction of the world, I came to know the golden light the others whispered about. 

Preparation because in the darkness, the miracle was the light I relied on. The light was preparing me for what was ahead. I didn't understand it at first, but little by little I noticed. When I thirst, I had water. When I grew hungry the miracle led me to food. Slowly I didn't worry about those things I needed. That light always knew, and I never lacked. 

Revelation because in the confusing maze of the wilderness, I learned to follow the guidance of that light. In the wilderness, I become separated from the influences of the world, of my past, both good memories and bad. Like a weight had been lifted, my walk changed and I felt freedom. I learned who I was at my core, there was no hiding in the light of the miracle.

The second pillar I reached was the river of Pedro.  

They said on the night of Encanto's conception, Pedro's and the life of many others were sacrificed in these waters. Their sacrifice led the way for the survivors to reach Encanto. 

The miracle urged me to travel through the rushing waters.

I tried and fail multiple times. There's was a heaviness that immediately pulled me beneath the waters.  Eventually, I learned that to travel through I must shed the weight that burdened my soul. 

Through the river, I held on to the pain, hurt, and fear of my past. And that was weighing me down, dragging me beneath its depths.

 I needed to let go in order to pass through the river.

The third and final pillar was the Narrow maze. 

This was where I spent the most time. 

At times I would walk for what felt like miles but never actually walk any closer to the end. Sometimes I would run into walls because it was so dark. Sometimes I would have to squeeze myself in between cracks, cutting myself in the process. There were times when I would have to climb the walls, falling many times. Some walls were fake, able to be walked right through. Then there were times when there would be no path. There I would sit, and I would wait. 

Eventually, I realized the narrow maze mirrored my mind. 

When I was walking for hours but never reaching anywhere, I was actually just going over the same path again and again. Sometimes like a habit, I would tread down the same thought pattern never progressing.

The walls blocking my path were the places in my mind I wanted to forget. Behind the wall, a memory I suppressed. 

The cracks were places I have hurt and pain. Whenever I thought about some memories instantly I would be hurt once more.

When there were no paths, it meant that this thought had no growth. I thought it once and never cultivated it to its potential.

When I reached the other side of that maze, my mind was clear, my mind calm. I no longer felt like I was living life in the past. 

I was present, I was awake and I was aware. 

I emerged from the pillars a new man.

I spent almost three years here. 

I understood why they called it the three pillars now. They were literally the pillars that held up the foundation upon which Encanto is built. Through the experience of the pillars, the miracle of that light builds inside of you. Throughout the journey, I had learned how to harness its power, how to cultivate it, and how to let that light lead me. 

The miracle was more than just a power I could wield. 

It was the salvation I was unknowingly searching for. Before even reaching the streets of Encanto, I had already achieved what I came for. 

I entered this place a lost man, lifeless and devastated from the horrors this world brought me. In the end, I left a man of the light. Life on the tip of my fingers. A whole new world opened to me, and I was brimming with the love for life that was smothered long ago.

Encanto awaits,

and the light urges me.

I am the Beckoned.