The Ockress

1. The New Beginning The New Beginning The Ockress The ockress Part Four

2. Woeful be the day and tragic be its events. The world has failed me. Consequentially, I shall now seek my revenge upon it. Let us be sure that all has gone to ruin, there is no doubt in it, and all hope that I once had has vanished from my veins. Yet now with this new smell, we shall create a malaise and destruction the likes of which no man has ever seen and the whole world will tremble before such terrors! Woeful be the day and tragic be its events. But wait! – Hold thy breath for but a moment! Something stranger still is lurking in the air, I can smell it! O, whatever or whoever you are, welcome to the scene and may all events resurrect through your own reason for being. All my hopes have gone in vain and all has gone to ruin. You are near and are less frail and less limited. I also sense your darkness and that with your darkness, the dark path has ended for it is now that such a destination has been reached and it is now inside this black courtyard where all things stand… Shall I forever sit here and go undiscovered, unknown, unseen, untouched? Where has all life fled? Why has it gone from me, why has it given up on me, why can it not any longer find the strength within itself to search me out? Indeed, this is without doubt what most people upon the earth shall want when considering their faith. For they all wish to seek out their revenge against the world for making every dream of theirs bleak, ignorant, foolish and misunderstanding and they use the Gods as their means by which such revenge can be sought out. Well the world has proved itself to also be bleak, ignorant, foolish and misunderstanding of us and now that the signs we have been given by the world are clear and show that we cannot put our hope in each other… We must pledge a great and bloody war against each other. Cold is the truth of the earth and bitter is its heart and tomorrow it shall call me a fool and a deceiver for putting faith into something that was destined for failure. What possessed me to put so much hope into one single being, one that is frail, limited in mentality and spirit and altogether imperfect!?

3. No, you don’t understand Bikarack, none of you do. Perlone cannot die, he just can’t! The Gods shall see his spirit and instantly know that a mistake has happened and they shall send his life-force back into his body. You didn’t really think that he was dead did you? O, he is in a state of hibernation now, but he shall awake before too long once the error is recognised. Can you not hear yourself! What do you think Perlone would feel if he heard you say such words at a time like this? He would be ashamed and embarrassed of you Hailla! You don’t know anything about anything! I always thought that your stupidity had a certain charm to it, but only now do I realize that it would go so far as to even taint the death of not just the aspiration that is ‘your beloved’ Chosen One, but of our dear friend Perlone. You spat upon his life and now you spit upon his grave and your mouth isn’t worthy of uttering his name! Who is daring enough to explain what has happened before us? Who is daring enough to call this a death, a sacrifice, a tragedy or even a spark of hope or even the only hope that has arisen thus far? Every word or line has become a dare and that fact is the only thing that can be said that is not so daring. I look to the sky and I ask the world to not abandon us like this and show us what to do and where to go. In doing so I forget that there is no longer any objective or destination. Hmmm… I saw the whole thing, from the moment when Perlone was visible to the naked eye to the moment when he hit the floor. Unlike you lot, I thought it might be important to keep an eye on the sky in case something may happen yet you three were too busy arguing about likely future possibilities to listen to my point. So, silently, I watched the sky. If you knew what was good for you, you would keep your mouth shut Sail! Run into the temple now and bring us a stretcher so that we may carry Perlone into the village. Surely, there must be some man who has contact with the spirits there and with Perlone by his side, he can tell us what has happened here. I shall not rest until answers are given to us! Fine! I’ll go and get the stretcher! Look! If we are to assume that Perlone was dropped, shouldn’t Arpeggio be flying above our heads? He is nowhere to be seen! *Interrupting* This cannot be happening! It was my task to protect him and I should have never allowed him to be flown to the sky! what foolishness and stupidity took possession of myself to merely allow this to happen? Also, if you take your time to think about it, Arpeggio and Perlone have now been gone since sunrise almost and in knowing the top speed of a Traveller’s Angel, Perlone should have been flown over hundreds of miles of land by now. So why is it that he has fallen here? But there is more to this I swear it! The coward has fled in shame, died or else burnt away for all I know or care! Look you fool, there is nothing we can do if we stand here thinking about things! We’ve had the last six days to think about things and look at where that all got us to! …………………………………………………………………………………… He just… fell! – Straight from the sky and to the ground! What are we to do now!? What are we going to… Perlone did not emerge out of the clouds as one may imagine he would have done. He just simply… ‘appeared’ in the sky. Now it was the case that when he became visible he was high above our heads and so he appeared quite small in the sky. Yet despite that I know what I saw. He didn’t emerge from out of the sky for he just appeared there! When I was young and I was brought up as a believer in the faith. By the age of thirteen I was already beginning to completely loose belief in that which my parents wished to pass onto me for, like you, I saw the senselessness of such things very sharply. Then before too long you came into my life and all my faith had mysteriously grown from out of the lifeless quicksand into a beautiful full-blooming rose bed. Now I know Perlone where the energy source of all my faith had come from… it was you. And now that you have gone, so has the source of all my faith… I’m sorry Perlone! Please forgive me for all my wrongs! I am wrong, everything I have ever said and believed was wrong and you would never try and persuade me to change my ways and you just went about your’s silently. Well now I know Perlone, now I know for certain, for I am like you and always have been. For I too have no faith and never had had any faith in nothing but you. You were the only logical reason for faith and when my whole spirit would think ‘I am no believer’, you came to mind and I believed! You never believed yourself however Perlone, I know this now and I know why you didn’t as well. What is true cannot believe itself to be truth for ‘being truth’ is all that it can do and the question of belief is no longer even a question, thus you just ‘were’. Perlone… Perlone… wake up, we have to go now Perlone. ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Perlone… you have to get up now. We have to go… Hailla… he fell from the sky. I don’t think he can hear you. So… what did you see? If it was anything important you must let us know now!

4. Sail: If he is then he’s no good to us if he’s dead! At this point I would normally say that you do not know the whole story behind it and thus you cannot understand my words but then again, when I think about it, you probably know just as much as I do. Yallot: Everything has been such a panic! What exactly has just happened? Why was that person on the stretcher deprived of breath? Sail: I think that one of us should stay behind just in case Arpeggio returns. He must have some clue in regards to what has happened here and he told us to remain here for here is where he shall return. Yallot: Consider it done Master Hillock. Ryan: I asked Master Hillock of the temple where we can find a master spiritualist and he shall show us the way to where we can find such a person inside the village. Now let us go! Hillock: But if Arpeggio returns and he has important information then you too Sail shall need to be directed to the hut belonging to the master spiritualist. Brother Yallot, you must stay here and assist this young lady if she needs to be taken to such a place. Ryan: Then our plans are decided. Now let us stop wasting time and make our way back to the village post haste! Sail: I guess that it’s just you and I for now then Yallot. Yallot: He fell from the sky? Is he a blessed sending from the Gods? Sail: If you really must know he fell straight from the sky and died straight upon impact with the earth.

5. Shaman Back at the Village of Thallass Sundun usually takes a long time to carry out his actions into the spiritual realm so you may be in there for a number of hours. Guardians of the village and the mob which belongs to it shall likely seek you out once the word of your presence and manner of presence has reached them. Yet the people of this village are obligated by law not to enter the hut belonging to Sundun when the door is closed as interrupting him may cause disturbances with the spirits and may cause a minor or even a major catastrophe. You shall be safe once you have reached his hut, yet after that nothing but prayers can save you. I do not know the whole situation as well as you do so that is for you to decide. But for all I know all four of you may have murdered this young man and then claimed that he fell from the sky. I am not accusing you of anything but we have already caught many suspicious eyes on the way here and people may very well assume the worst given that you are strangers to this place and thus I assume are under oath to be humble and harmless. If I were you I would leave this village as soon as you have spoken to Sundun for the sake of your own safety. Do with the body what you must once you have left. Yet leave you must for your lives shall be in danger if they remain here. That’s fine by me as long as some answers are given. And if my worst nightmare is to come true as I foretell it may well do, then me and my company are truly lost. There it is, the hut where the man they call Sundun lives. Of all the people for hundreds of miles around he is most in contact with the spirits. Any answers that you may need shall be given by him. And what if he doesn’t have any answers? Good luck to you all…

6. Sundun: Hallam cadjun, hallum cadjun. Open up, open up. Doffrag jadillun. Doffrag jadillun. Testers of space and time, testers of space and time. Janope, spirit of inquiry. Passope, Nallope, Inope and Manope, spirits of the East, West, North and South, seek out the life-force of this here body upon this table of marble. The table is cold, so too is the body and your forces too are cold and thus fully equitable to your object. Sundun: You have not left your body, yet it is evident that you are not at rest. Most spirits linger upon the body for a number of days as they find it hard letting go of that which they have cherished for so very long. Yet you do not linger out of sentiment… *Sundun thinks to himself*: Somehow I always knew that a calling such as this would come my way eventually and thus I remained silent and in waiting in this room with little to do but to help tame villagers with mildly significant, if significant at all, spiritual matters. No one in this village has ever taken the time to recognise my full potential. Yet at last my power and importance shall be proven as existent, which is something that both my power and importance have never had the opportunity to prove before. A great flame erupted from underneath him and within a second the fire whipped itself away and no trace of Perlone is to be seen, even the top of the marble table sits their stainless and unscathed! How has this happened, tell me now otherwise you shall be held responsible for the disappearance of his body and I shall kill you! None of this makes any sense! This is an extremely foolish frolicking of yours! We came here so that we could give our friend a dignified sending off and with normality restored. Instead of this you wish to push us into this labyrinth of madness that we have all worked our way into for the last week or so. Don’t you see that we do not want anymore of this and that we’ve had enough of this nonsense. If you feel you have no choice then so be it. No cause such as this has ever presented itself to me. Sundun: Where upon the earth or else the after-world do you roam? If you know where you are upon either realm then tell me what is it you are doing there. If you wish to kill me then do so, but you shall in the procedure end all hopes of coming to terms with what has happened here. I do not know what has happened to Perlone’s body yet I know what I must do in order to find out not just that but also what has happened to his spirit. His spirit wants me to lead you to some place far away from here. Sundun: Your spirit has hardened into black stone! Yet why, why has this happened and where does such a rock lie? Is this an indication into how you died? You are playing with the laws of life and death and your spirit feels that it cannot die and now you are searching, searching relentlessly for the body you need or else must have. Yet you need to be followed to your destination in order to be found and only I can follow you. That is why you have lingered upon the presence of your own body so that you could inform me to follow you towards your new form which needs to be sought out by both you, your comrades and myself. Calm yourself, I do not know what has happened to your friend. I am blind. Tell me, what has happened to your friend and I may be able to make an answer for you. Perlone’s spirit gave me the impression through his aura that he would not wish to deprive you of your free will yet his wish would be for you to follow my direction. Power? – what power is it that you presume I have? I have spent my entire life inside this small room and my body has never touched direct sunlight. Then use your nose to tell us what has happened to the spirit that did once belong to this body which was bereaved of the life-force just this morning. He died a death unlike any known to any of us before and we need to know what has happened to his spirit. It may be the case that this is not even his real body and that his real self lives elsewhere. What has happened you ask! Has our friend not endured enough tragedy without your barbarities! What has happened to our friend! – Answer me or else I shall kill you! So you wish to know what has happened to the spirit or life-force of Perlone do you not? I do not wish to know. I need and must know. My comrades and I are completely lost without your aid. …………………………………. I see that this persons death has confused your path to some high degree. What is the man’s name and what are your names? Lay Perlone’s body upon the table of marble. His name was Perlone, my own name is Ryan. This here fellow is a guardian named Bikarack and here is a friend of Perlone’s named Hailla. Most definitely not! I only have a nose for what takes place. We… have no choice but to follow this person. Perlone!!! I see …………………… ………………………….. Very well… What has happened? Excuse me sir, are you the one they call Sundun, the village Shaman? If so we are greatly in need of your help and your power! ……………………………… Yet do you not have power over all spiritual occurrences within this room? ……………………………… *Gasp!*……………………………… This is driving me mad! Very well…

7. We have with us here your friend and ‘saviour’ Mr Hackle. It was cruel of you to let your crimes be so evident and obvious to lingering eyes as you knew the risk that Mr Hackle took so that you would all be made welcome in our village. Even if you are innocent of any such accusation that we have given to you, we must make an example of you so that strangers in the future know not to make themselves appear suspicious. We are simple folk here and when newcomers arrive and create a murder mystery, we could either convert to complex folk in order to see who did what and when, or else we could maintain our simple ways and ensure that justice is done in order to please the Gods. There is no evidence you can give which would persuade us to do otherwise. Mr Hackle shall receive the punishment that we so agreed on and just before the executioner’s axe touches your neck you shall regret that you had ever heard the title ‘Village of Thallass’! Shaman Othal: Now this is a predicament that I should learn from. Note to self: stay away from hostile territory if you want to keep things clean. It is true that my world knows nothing of the guilty conscience but that does not mean that we like situations such as this. It is a matter of pleasantry is all, that and the fact that many risks are being taken here. Then again, one must do what one must do. Before I left my so-called sanctuary I made a pact with the spirits of the village. I am currently going through a mission given to me by these three people and by the spirit of their friend Perlone. Before leaving that dingy room I asked all the other spirits what their will desired and they wished for me to follow this mission thus cutting away their only direct contact with the people of this village including all your dead ones, including your own dead mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers and so on. They knew the price of what I had to do and yet they all agreed on what had to be done. Five of you there were but yesterday and now there are three of you, meaning that either two of your company have gone their own way, probably amongst the village if so, or else something else has happened to them both. Where is the one you named Sail and Perlone? Because the word has gone around that Perlone was seen in a stretcher and taken to the village shaman and here you return without Perlone. Is he inside still with the shaman? Has he fallen ill? For word has also gone around that no breath was passing through his mouth. See! These people must have sneaked upon the poor soul and caught him unawares! It settles the matter – The sentence shall be carried out. I now have to follow the spirit of Perlone to where he wants me to direct his friends to, I still have enough power in my veins to do this last task. Yet if anyone stops me doing what I must do then the spirits shall be furious with the people of this village and a deadly curse shall soon come by your way. I would recommend that you all let us go by on our path. Yet be assured of the fact that upon the minute that any of you four walk into this village again we shall not be so polite as to hear what you have to say for you shall all be killed upon the spot. Mr Hackle shall still be punished in the way that we planned on behalf of all of you. You are all so very lucky that you shall all walk away with your lives. Yet your consciences shall not be spared so willingly as the life of this old man and the future of his son’s inheritance shall be destroyed on your behalves. I do not fear my fate my friends and please do not feel any guilt on my behalf. I do not know why yet I feel as though the right thing is happening to me. The minute I saw you all I knew that I was to be in servitude to your mysterious cause and I wish you every hope in the future. Men, hear me. You must all take Mr Hackle away to meet his sentence. Yet I shall stay with these four and make sure that no more crimes are committed by them whilst they quickly leave our village. I shall need a volunteer to join me. I do not trust that I will be safe alone with these four. Look, listen to me dam it, we did not kill this man! He was our own beloved friend and if you cannot believe what I say then… You are all lucky that we did not kill you upon the spot of seeing you for it gave you time to worm your way out of things. The Shaman never lies… in fact it is not within his mental capabilities. He is of a race of man that has no mental capacity for lies in as far as he is conscious of the fact that he may be doing so. Very well… Make way men with Mr Hackle to the hanging grounds. Murderer! So how do you explain the dead body of Perlone you were carrying? Mr Hackle’s sentence shall be carried out at midday. My friends, do not fight for my concern. You shall not win for there is no word that you can utter that can save me accept for the words of Sundun, yet he has evidently offered all that he can. Sundun! Can you do nothing for us! Did you not ask Perlone himself how he died? Tell these people how he did and end this madness! I did ask Perlone and even he did not know how he came to die. Murderer! ………………………………………………………………………………………… I shall go with you! What is going on here! You are the village Shaman! The moment that you leave your sanctuary is the moment when all your power is lost in the wind and direct sunlight or moon or starlight! You are useless to us now! It is not a question of mercy. It is simply a question of what must be done. Very well… he fell straight out of the sky, landed on the earth and died. How do you know if you haven’t tried? As if we have not had enough blood shed and enough tragedy already today… Do you have no mercy? I see………………….. That’s enough of that you old fool! Now get going, all of you! You… wouldn’t believe me if I told you so why should I even bother? *Gasp!* ………………. You cannot do this, it is wrong, plain wrong! Murderer! Now let us get going… Why are you doing this!? We have done nothing wrong! Kind Sir… I am so very sorry! Murderer! Murderer! Murderer! *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble*

8. And that was how the journey established its New Beginning ... Who can say what all this is for, Where it is going, What is its aim? The sentiment that one has to one's own marvellous Becomming... For it is afterall his own. The situation is always the same... Yet to become one thing means also to forget another... Let us remove the need for sentiment. Half way between our highest point and the earth he was completely out of sight due to the clouds, yet I saw a great flash of light, a light as bright and blinding as a hundred suns. I have seen such a light before, but only whilst flying amidst storm clouds which throw out lightening bolts. Yet the clouds were white, light in weight and well-tempered, I heard no thunder afterwards and there was no rain! Within a second the light was gone and I pushed myself to fly downwards faster. Once the clouds had cleared I saw Perlone. He must have slowed down somehow and he fell at a humanly natural speed. Quickly I chased after him. We headed north-west the whole time and we were flying over the realm of Yetal when he asked me to go higher up. So higher and higher we went, so high that we were coming to leave the atmosphere of this good earth. If it were not for my magic then the cold up there would have frozen both of us to death yet there was nothing I could do about the fact that there was no air to breathe up there. Perlone spoke to me through the mind and said that he saw something. I told him that we had to go back down due to the air. I looked yet I saw nothing. I am deeply sorry for what has happened here, yet it seems as though your journey has not yet ended. I would dearly love to stay and help you along your path for it does become a dangerous one the further you go down it, yet it is a rule given to our people that we are not allowed to spend more than a day with those we help. Shut up you hear! We’ve co-operated with what you had to do now let us do what we must do! You are a Shaman I believe! All villages and cities have a Shaman. Yet what are you doing outside and parted from your sanctuary? I am a man who believes in no God, yet I shall pray for you all… Farewell. I thought to myself that I have let go of people in my arms in the air before, of course, never have I done so from such a height. I have never actually been so bold as to go so high on my own before let alone with another. Yet in the air I have let go of people before and then dashed downwards after them and caught them. Some people I once knew wanted to do it just for the experience of doing so and nothing went wrong with the matter. These people have been seen roaming through the village carrying the body of Perlone in their arms. We believe that he was murdered. They were going to be sent straight to the hanging grounds for their crimes when the village Shaman came to their rescue due to spiritual reasons that no man from the village would dare intervene with. Yet I believe you know a man named Mr Hackle and the pledge that he made on your behalves? – His sentence shall be carried out this afternoon. Tell me something I do not know! Now go back and stop the sentence from being carried out before his death shall be on your conscience instead. To my relief I caught up with him only three seconds or so away from the earth’s surface. I reached out my arms to take him. I thought that that was it and that I had caught him, I thought that everything would be alright and that he would have achieved whatever it was he wanted to achieve and that we could come back here and everything would be good again… He asked me to let him go… he demanded that I did so in fact. Half of me believed that he was having trouble breathing and that he needed fresh air to reach his lungs again for even I was struggling quite a lot. Yet half of me said that this was not why he wanted to be released from my arms, yet I could not see any other logical reason as to why he would want to be let go off. It makes some sense now. Do you remember when I did say that in watching the sky I saw Perlone appear in the sky before he fell and not emerge from out of it? Well my eyes never deceive me. It simply must be the case that somehow Perlone’s body disappeared from sight some seven hundred miles away and appeared here, fell, and the rest we already know… Yes, but he is not allowed to leave his spiritual sanctuary in the village. Doing so will cause him to loose close to all contact with the spiritual world, and after years, decades even of training in the art and focusing the spiritual communal point upon that room – Has he thrown all that away! Yet for what purpose has he done this? Arpeggio… I do not understand what you mean. What happened to Perlone? He fell from the sky but a few hours ago now, landed on the ground and died right before our eyes and right here! We looked up but we could not see you. We thought you may have fled in shame of dropping him to his death, yet here you have returned to us. What happened to Perlone and why were you not here for so long? I believe that we must go to the source of all these events… we must head north-west into the realm of Yetal. I do not know exactly where yet I shall be shown once I am there no doubt. Arpeggio… we must thank you for the help you have given us. It may still be too early to call this whole thing a tragedy or else a blessing yet you have done what we have asked of you and for this we must be appreciative. It sounds as if you would have saved Perlone’s life yet it was obviously something that was not to be and that was not in any way your fault. There was nothing of a sort! For the first few hours he just kept telling me to go north-west. Then he told me to go higher. Next he said these exact words before demanding to be released: ‘we’re nearly there,’ ‘I can feel it,’ ‘I can see it,’ ‘I know it…’ and ‘it’s there, right in front of me’. There was nothing there that I could see! He is here to take us to where the spirit of Perlone wishes for us to go… Yet when I chased after him I saw that he was not just falling, but falling at an incredible speed, a speed that did even outrun me, who with my wings and magic could fall faster than any other living creature on earth. He was falling unnaturally fast… there can be no other explanation for it! It is probably for the purpose of Perlone. If I know Perlone as well as I think I do he would have told this Sundun to do one thing or another for him, as long as spiritual contact was made that is. With all due respect Ryan, I believe that that is why I am here. You have already done what you were needed for and we could not ask anymore of you. So good luck to you Arpeggio… and may luck be with us also. You haven’t seemed too upset about the death of this person you call Perlone. We’ve been here for a few hours now. What’s taking everyone so long? Arpeggio should have arrived by now as well as Ryan and my other friends. But why did he land here? Why did he die here!? Perlone and I were flying more than seven hundred miles away from here! Yes, they are your friends I believe. Now if any of you two had a shred of decency in you, you would both hurry back to the village and call off the execution sentence that you gave to that poor Mr Hackle! But why…? For what purpose has this all happened? Are we all to believe that this is all there is, are we to believe that all our efforts have been in vain as well as the very life-force of Perlone himself? Hey! Get back here! I didn’t know him all that well, yet he seemed like an interesting person if not immaturely confused with simple issues it appeared to me. I guess that everyone has to grow up one way or another. He was just taking a more abstract route. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Yet who or what is that tall grey figure walking with them all? Then leave them where they are. Now the five of you must leave to where you must, but be assured that if you ever come near this village again you shall be killed on the spot as I so promised. Are those your weapons scattered on the floor? No… I kept my eyes on the sky the whole time and I could not see a thing. Wait a minute…! There are some other people with them! They don’t look friendly either. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Look! A number of people are approaching us! I never was sure of anything about him in a way. Yet I find that if I do not make a simplistic vision of his character in my mind then my mind could not discard all pointless confusions that frustrate a mind far more than progress it. He landed here!? – He died here!! They’re just lucky that you are here where they promised you would be. If you weren’t here we would have to had assumed that two murders took place. This whole thing… this is madness! He disappeared! He just… disappeared! There’s nothing more I can tell you… that’s all there is to tell! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Yes… yes it shall be done immediately! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Arpeggio! Ryan…! What’s going on? Ha, you sound… concerned for us Sail. I’m not completely cold! What’s happening? ………………………………………. ……………………………….. *Gulp* ……… So I take it that Arpeggio never came back whilst we were away then Sail… Yes, Perlone’s body landed where we are now standing and he died. What happened to him Arpeggio! Please – You must tell us! *She drops a tear.* Ha-ha! That took me by surprise… I called them ‘friends’. He just… disappeared. I’m sure they’ll be here before too long ma’am. Arpeggio! What happened…! What happened to Perlone!? Arpeggio! ………………………………………………………??? I see… There must be something more! He must have told you something, given some kind of sign or clue as to what was happening to him! How can you be sure that that was all it was? I see… So Sundun, Shaman of the Village of Thallass… Where is it that we must go? Yes they are… Then so be it… Yes…? – What happened afterwards? It cannot be! He is the village Shaman, Sundun! What is he doing outside? ……………………………….. Arpeggio! Arpeggio! He fell unnaturally fast? Who is Sundun? Is he the master spiritualist that my friends were seeking? ! ! !

9. Loiyan: My brothers… you have done me no wrong here. You are only doing what I would have taught as the right thing to do and thus you abide by my teachings well. You all had faith in me not long ago, not merely in my beliefs, but in me. Yet now that my beliefs have changed why do you assume that I am no longer myself, why have you lost all belief in me as a person? People change, minds change and you never know when such things shall happen. Loiyan: It is true what you say, I am under a spell, a spell of spiritual confusion and of being lost in regards to where to go and where I ought to go. I have been thrown into a void, yet I assure you that this void is no more full of certainty than this black magic upon me is existent. Yet my life has begun again, it has started its new beginning. I shall not place any moral accusation or affirmation upon such an dawn, yet I can tell you all how I feel… I feel as though I can finally look upon the world around me and understand it for what it is and what it means and what its purpose is. Loiyan: As ‘Keepers of the Faith’, it is your duty to die for what you believe, yet who gave you this duty? The reason why I was the spiritual master and example to all others of the city was not because I did what other people said was my duty, but because I told myself what that duty was, and that was to follow the laws of Indomnias and place all faith, longing and admiration in him. Yet because I gave that duty to myself is that duty not then my own to take away or reform? Yes, my duty did work well with the laws of our people, yet it was not that which made me certain that such a duty was right, wholesome and complete… I did that myself through reflecting not just upon the eyes of Indomnias, but the eyes of all imagined Gods and earths and visions of Godless earths and air, and through this I came to understand that the law of Indomnias was the most secure and complete. Loiyan: Yet it simply remains that I did not consider all things as much as I would have liked to have been able to. I did not look twice, I did not look underneath the rocks to see the crawling secrets, I did not reach out to peak behind the horizon to see where things can go, I did not peel away the bark to see the timbre… So many things I didn’t do! I have been thrown into a void yet I know that many months from now I shall have a clear head again and all sentiment shall be released from my bosom and I shall confront myself and who I am for the first time in my life and my eyes shall not be clouded by foreign words and intruding spirits of degradation and impurities. I am not angry with any of you and I ask nothing of you either, whether it is to set me free or even to take my words to heart. I can only give you all my dearest wishes, admiration and respect and for that part, I have spoken my piece and shall say no more. Loiyan… you have not spoken a word to us all morning. Shall you not give us at least your blessing or else your curses, depending upon what you deem necessary? We were once all brothers, brothers through and through. It is true that you have a sack over your head to stop you thinking of methods of escape, yet your mouth was not bound so you can speak. As those who devoted their whole lives to your spiritual cause, give us your final words. We are here at the docks now Loiyan. It is here that we must go our separate ways. We never wanted things to come to this, yet as men of the faith, it is our obligation and duty. Do you have a signed note from the court granting this sentence to be genuine? …………………………………………………………………………… Hmmm… *Mumbles to himself as he reads*. Hmmm… Greetings men, what brings you to our ship that is headed south-east into rough seas towards the scattered islands of Radore? We have a criminal here who is to be put to banishment and left to fend for himself in isolation upon one of those very islands. Yes, here it is… Well there is it. It shall now be my duty to have his sentence fulfilled and it shall be carried out upon my word. Very well… we have heard your piece. I know not what the others shall say and think about your words. I hardly know even what I think about them. Yet we must do what we must do. Come men, let us make our way to the ship… Come, let us take him on board. ……………………………………………………………………………

10. Justice in the name of Indomnias Hopefully the Gods shall acknowledge that Master Loiyan’s words were not his own, for if the Gods failed to acknowledge this, then due to Master Loiyan’s words, he shall not be blessed with the blessed afterlife he so rightfully deserves! Yet because there is no cure for this spell on our great spiritual leader, and because we could not stop Master Loiyan from speaking such unholy words, we had no choice but to banish our own innocent master to a far off island to save ourselves from such base loathsomeness, such despicable tragedy. This tyrant who shall have justice done upon him today has deeply struck a wound upon the heart of our innocent and noble people and thus we must do all we can to insure that the Gods curse him… later that day... Master Loiyan was not literally murdered, yet it was clearly evident that he was under the influence of Black Magic, undoubtedly a force that was given birth to by this villain, this fiend, this demi-devil! This black magic transformed our own beloved Master Loiyan into a man just like this criminal we have before us now and this magic forced our own maestro to speak words just as unholy as the man we have before us now! Not only do we believe he is a traitor and a villain of poisonous words and poisonous blood, blood belonging or else has derived straight from the devil, but we believe him also to be a murderer. He did not murder any unknown citizen of the city of Vickaloss however, no! – He murdered a man that was loved by every man, woman and child in our great city, the master Keeper of the Faith himself, Master Loiyan! Ladies and gentlemen, we have with us today a traitor, a traitor unlike any other known to us before. He has spoken words directly against our law and the laws of Indomnias, he has cursed myself and you, all of you, and cursed as far as his mouth could go to curse you. Then what is your name? Some day… you shall all find out and my spirit shall be at rest once you have done so. Speak villain! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Do you have any last words before you are hung villain!? My name is not Nalone… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Ladies and gentlemen… I bring you Nalone Castro. Enough of this… proceed with the sentence! He just… disappeared! HANG! KILL HIM!! *Mumble* ................................................................................ BOOO!! WHAT!? HANG! WHAT!? WHAT!? ................................................................................ *Gasp!* WHAT!? DIE!! HANG! ................................................................................ ................................................................................ WHAT!? *Mumble* BOOO!! DIE!! HANG! KILL HIM!! WHAT!? HANG! *Gasp!* *Gasp!* *Mumble* KILL HIM!! HANG! WHAT!? BOOO!! WHAT!? WHAT!?

11. Well according to this map the capital city of the realm of Gassolet, the city of Lathon, is quite near. It does not lie directly in our path as it lies a little too much towards the west yet it shan’t waste more than half a day to go through it. We shall be able to get some horses once we reach there no doubt and we shall get some, legally or otherwise. It doesn’t matter! All that mattered then was getting away from that place. Even if we weren’t murderers to people there, we were definitely suspicious. With Sundun by our side, who can tell how long it would have been before some crowd swamped us with questions about divine happenings and may have even worked out that Perlone was the chosen one and that we were acting on his behalf. The whole thing was dangerous. Our hope was getting away not taking weapons with us! We did not have any chance of getting food or water. That was the last thing on my mind when leaving the village and I don’t think we could have gone back even if we have somehow persuaded those two folks that we are not murderers. I can only guess from that Ryan that we have a very, very long walk ahead of us. We could do with some horses on this journey if we are to make decent speed, and we could also use them to carry extra provisions. Speaking of which, am I right in saying that none of us here have anything on us in terms of sleeping bags, weapons or even food and water! I cannot see the world yet I can feel it. We are walking through a valley are we not? I would not be so hasty with your words if I were you… We do not yet know what Perlone has waiting for us in the realm of Yetal. It’s definitely north-west but I would say it’s also a good month’s walk at least. Sail’s right, we need to get hold of some horses if we are to make good speed. The villagers have told me of a cave that is near this valley. We could set up camp there tonight as the day is leaving now. For someone who is supposedly blind you seem to have no trouble getting about the place Sundun. Normally that would amaze me, yet nothing amazes me any more. Yet how shall we get horses with the little money we have? How long do you think it shall take to get there? I know the map of this world well yet I know little to nothing about places that are more than a month’s walk away for I have never had the need to know about them. Let’s just hope that we don’t get another motley crew of heartless swines and gibbons here as we did get in Thallass Village. I don’t know if I could cope with another disaster like that *Ect. Ect* So Ryan? – What do you make of it? ……………………………………………………. It was mine, I gave it to him before we left the City of Vickaloss. Look, we discussed this before we left the temple, we left them behind because we don’t need them. As for weapons… I suppose we have no need for them no longer, for we wielded them only when we needed to protect Perlone. I’m going to just check the map quickly to see how far away this place is. *Almost shouts* Because I just did! *Sarcastically* Yes that’s great! – Lets do that. So why did you take that sword with you and no other? Hmmm………………………………………… Well we have ourselves to protect Ryan… It wasn’t Perlone’s sword… Perlone never owned a sword. ……………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………. So why did you take Perlone’s sword with you? But we was all going through an intense trauma, we weren’t thinking straight. …??? Hey! Wait for me!

12. But Perlone’s spirit told you what needed doing not yourself. You did not make the choice freely for your choice was the result of other people’s actions, my own actions, Ryan’s actions and all of us. That just over-complicates the question, it means nothing. Everything in the world is the cause of something else or is going to be, and to look to these for direct answers in regards to choices you make is nonsense. You could spend your whole life wallowing around within ‘what ifs’. Come, answer my question, why are you helping us? Yet perhaps it is the case that our mission is secretive. Therefore, if you were to know our reason for going where we are and the reason for coming to your village and so forth, then if villainous or gossipy priers were to question you then you would have to tell them the secret and that may put everything in jeopardy. Seeing as I am helping you, one might say that I am doing you a favour. Well now I ask a favour from you in return. Tell me why you too are here. I know nothing about any of you or what you are meant to be doing. It is obvious that there is some higher purpose at work here, but what exactly is it you and your friends are on to? Then I shall tell you my reasons for being here. You do not have to do anything. You are free with your ways. Yet you do not know my whole story so how can you assume that something else did not beat you in regards to making the choice for me first? Very well… so I freely decided that I have to. One has to tell themselves what one must do if he believes it to be true… who else can he rely upon to tell him this? Why are you helping us? Yes, that is true, I cannot lie in as far as I am aware of the fact that I am doing so. I see… then you must do what you must do and if not telling me anything is what you must do then so be it, I shan’t scorn or scold. ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Is it not true that you are incapable of lying? That is what that man from the village told us… Because I must… Because I have to…

14. Do the Gods curse me? If anything I believe they love me more than they used to because I can now take their names more seriously than I ever have done. If one man is a very good friend to another, then neither one of them wants the other to believe them, none of them want the other to praise them. What they want most of all is for both of them to understand what they both are, they do not chant songs of praise but they sit in silence as they both know what they are and it doesn’t need to be preached. Nalone Castro promised me so many promises of nobility, of saving one’s pride and purpose for being, so many promises even of happiness, even of feeling virtuous and of feeling decent. What insanity, what madness drove me to believe him! I knew the city’s disposition far more greater than he did as he hid in blissful ignorance in his towers and dreamed of a city that would react in a way that he had always desired. He showed me his dream yet why did I believe it was best to try and fulfil such a titan of a goal? – It was always impossible! Yet why do I resent everything that has taken place? Looking around at my body I am in the worst conditions that I have ever experienced, yet my heart feels obligated to be happy. Sadness is not a state that is optional to me. Why is this? I have been a fool, that is what I feel I ought to believe. I know not what to believe any more. I know not if justice is being done to me or if a great blunder is taking place here, if my destiny is currently working in action or if my destiny is sailing further and further away from me with each breath of wind that pushes this ship along the seas. Nalone spoke about destiny very often, yet he saw the word as something so romantic, so divine even. It just goes to show how out of touch he was with reality, with sense, with understanding of both the earth, its people and its cultures. I was a fool to believe his words, I should have listened to my own. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Perhaps my initial thoughts were right about Nalone… perhaps he is of holy blood. The only difference is that before I thought his blood was demonic and unholy… It’s strange how things can end up sometimes… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… So here is where it all ends and the tale that was Master Loiyan goes mourned and eventually forgotten. How did I get here, here of all places! ….We both should have listened to my words.

15. I did dream that I was fighting against a demon of ferocious power, I did have two long knives and he a spear. This beast was so evil and demented that he could scarcely keep control of his hands and I, struck by fear of such a sight, was in the same clumsy state. Yet I found a way of piecing things together whilst the demon could find no way in his deluded mind. Then quickly I stabbed him with one knife in the stomach and then again with the other. The blades did penetrate up to the hilt. I turned away from him and faced back. His blood poured everywhere all over the kitchen floor! But he just stood there with a blank look on his face. He looked down at the blood and his face looked as if to say ‘what a mess, it must be cleaned up’. He took a towel and began to clean up his own blood! I asked if he was okay. He said he was fine. I asked again, he replied the same, so I accepted this and watched him clean. I did not panic for him, I did not feel for him, I just watched him as if it were all normal, as if he had gotten a scratch and was cleaning up spilt food or sauce. Yet now I feel obligated to say something. You shall have to excuse me for sounding rude yet I wish to be honest with you now. Throughout this journey so far I have always seen you as unnecessary to our cause. Forgive me for my blunder and my ignorance, I should have been more open-minded. Upon a quest such as this who is to say what is what and who is who and considering your own personal circumstances, I considered you as a person of no value on this quest. Yet now that you have spoken your part I can truly see that you did have reason to be here. Millions of people are of the faith in this world and due to the nature of Perlone, Sail, Bikarack and myself, someone had to speak on their behalf. Yet it is also due to Perlone, Sail, Bikarack, myself and indeed, Perlone’s actual death that such a faith has been proven as deeply mistaken. That may be true but obviously this dream you had does not agree with you, unless of course you have cause to interpret it in a way that upon first impression may seem ludicrous. The men in black hoods? They took Perlone and Sail back at the city, I knew this, but I did not know they took you too! The Next Day... Because I did not believe them. Yet they were right, but not right in the way you’d imagine them to be. I now know what my purpose was upon this quest, it was to stop Perlone from going to the village of Thallass. Do you remember when we were going towards the village? – I tried to make you all reconsider, yet you all opposed me and then I gave in and did let you all go by your way. So what is your decision to be? – to go back home and be safe again or stay with us on this journey and see what really lies at the end of this mystery? It is true that you have served your part on this quest, yet have you served all your part? You only came on this quest because you believed that you had reason for doing so and you proved that belief right if nothing else. Therefore, if you believe or even suspect that you might still have a purpose to serve here, then you must do what you must do. The people in black hoods were right… So what does this mean for you? If you believe you have played your part then in all honesty what is your purpose for being with us on this quest? We have a very long journey ahead of us, we all know this now. There is no point in you coming with us on this long journey if you fully believe you have played your part. I was the only one of us who was of ‘the faith’, thus I was the only one that could deliver Perlone from harm. I failed… but do you not see? It was my destiny to fail, that was what my purpose was! As the only representative of the faith, I was destined not to fulfil my destiny. I have played my part… I need time to think about things. Either way, we have no food on us and I cannot return to my home without supplies so we must make the journey towards the city of Lathon. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Very well, that is your decision. And what do you now make of such a dream? If that dream had some meaning to you, some genuine meaning, then what did it mean, from what part of your soul did it arise from? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… It was Perlone standing there! There in his own house! Two knives sticking out of his belly! Then I went into the other room and sat down, whilst he made me dinner! They said that I would hinder the chosen one’s chances of reaching his goal. I would never have done anything to hurt Perlone… So what did the men in black hoods say to you? I only told Perlone… I didn’t see any reason to tell anyone else. You yourself said upon the very lifeless body of Perlone that you were no longer, or indeed, never were of ‘the faith’. Your voice spoke for those millions of men and women who have yet to discover such a truth amongst our species and amongst our good earth. That’s perfectly understandable… Again… I need time to think… I… I just had the most horrible dream. *Trembles with fear* ………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I’m sure that we all had a very uncomfortable night Hailla. So why did you come if that was what they told you? You are right Ryan, you are absolutely right. ………………………………….. AHHHH! ………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………….. ………………………………….. Hailla! What happened?

16. Reason? Dam his reason and dam his ways! I would have him pegged to a rock and dropped in the deepest of seas. Let this hate be not for the cause of my long dead nor my recent dead comrade, nor for my own frustration at having no question nor answer. No question, no answer? – why, if no problem immediately exists do I insist upon some urgency upon problematic states? Whatever answer or question you may conjure, you shall never be able to do so without first drowning in your own shame of doing so. Yet I shall go forward and I shall be reckless and destructive, thus any question or answer that comes my way shall never be awaited for patiently and with welcome arms. No, for if anything arrives I shall drive it into the ground until it ceases to hold up the pride that the pathetic ‘despiration’ believes it deserves. Then your eyes are imbecilic. You know of the men in black hoods, The Automatons don’t you? You know that they knew who the chosen one was. It was obvious to me that any protectors of the chosen one would seek out such precious knowledge from that place as it was the only place where such knowledge can be obtained. So naturally I watched over them in the Tower of Tolfoi and waited for a man like yourself to visit such a tower. Indeed, I saw Millan sneak into that tower and I saw him leave. Any man that was crazy enough to enter that place obviously had a gigantic reason for doing so. He must be the protector of the chosen one. He also would not leave the tower without the knowledge that he needed. Thus when he left the tower with that look upon his face I knew who he was. Likewise. It was not destiny nor was it a coincidence. I have been following you for several months now. It took me a while to find you. Obviously, once I found you I could not follow you everywhere you went. You would get a little suspicious if a dove followed you everywhere you went. Yet every three days or so I would smell the air and seek you out just to check that you are still alive and check upon where you were going or else not going. It is thus the case that the moment I saw clear signs that you wanted some sense of purpose added to your existence, I was to turn up and give it to you. I saw it as a matter of curtsey. My people take politeness very seriously. Calling upon me to only ask me these questions is not what I would call polite! Is there anything you want to say to us about this place Sail before we reach there? I think it would be best if we learn from past experiences. *Whispers to himself* I am supposed to answer his questions, yet I have a few questions of my own. Upon this morning air there is a wordless question, and being wordless I cannot ask it of any being upon this earth. Therefore I must ask the one who is not of this earth in order for such a question to be understood. What was that, voice of my self-healing conscience? – ‘answers shall give birth unto themselves’? Yet I have no question! What was that? – ‘questions shall give birth unto themselves’? Be gone you vile, venomous voice, I would have you hanged for your assumptions! You suggest that things ought to be resolved and wrapped up in sheep’s fur, when in truth you are a pitiable, lifeless desperation waiting to be relieved. A veil of red makes a double-martyrdom; Death shall strike upon a responsive twitch Upholding the idiom delirium; A marriage of blood, carnivorous witch. Here is my rage that spoons the sun, To a metallic light that bounces off shadows And drowns upon the waters surface, Illuminating the gallows. Where once the sun shone and twinkled renown I shall create an iced concave. In search of water, the thirsty shall fall, Drunk on hysteria I’ll thaw the ice. A lake of lead shall swallow their heads. A veil of red makes a double-martyrdom; Death shall strike upon a responsive twitch Upholding the idiom delirium, A marriage of blood, carnivorous witch. Here is my rage that spoons the sun, To a metallic light that bounces off shadows And drowns upon the waters surface, Illuminating the gallows. Where once the sun shone and twinkled renown I shall create an iced concave. In search of water, the thirsty shall fall, Drunk on hysteria I’ll thaw the ice. A lake of lead shall swallow their heads. We shall reach the city of Lathon within two days, probably tomorrow night. We shall stay there the night, get what things we need and leave immediately. Yet I saw that he was injured also and it seemed as if it was unlikely that he would survive. He would survive long enough to reach his home village yet after that... There was no way that he could live too much longer. I assumed thus that he would pass on his quest and knowledge of the identity of the chosen one to someone else. I followed him intensely for the rest of the day as he eventually reached his village. From outside his window dying in your arms, I heard him telling you what you had to know and I heard you accept the responsibility he gave to you. I have followed you ever since then. Perlone, the chosen one, is dead. He was carried up to the sky by a Travellers Angel, dropped and then met face to face with the ground. With the help of a Shaman we are going to a place far away that Perlone’s restless spirit wants us to go to. I never visited the place, yet I know people that have been there. They said it was a perfectly normal place. Of course they have their own individual ways of living to other such cities and villages yet there is nothing eccentric or threatening or strikingly odd about the place. Why are you so insistent upon me telling you things that happen to me and avoiding any sense of mystery, or destiny or purpose that may come from such needs? Do not tell us that your people do not believe in things such as destiny for you yourself said that there shall be a chosen one upon your world too. Just before you turned up upon that hill back at the village I said to myself that there must be more to my purpose on this quest other than to protect Perlone. Then you turned up. I shan’t do it again, I have learnt my lesson. Yet you are here now. How did you find me? There were no external roots that indicated who I was to be other than the knowledge of my friend Millan and myself. Millan would never have said anything to you about anything so how did you find me? The only thing that can link us together can be fate in my eyes. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I shall tell you another time. Understand Othal that I refuse to help you and you alone. There is more to you than you would give yourself credit for and so I shall question you just as much as you wish to question me. I shall tell you things about me and my friends another time but for now you shall answer my questions. Does anyone else know anything more about such a place. Very well… How very interesting indeed! I thought I’d come and see you all but yesterday at the village, I saw such a shaman with you and you were being threatened by an angry mob. Things haven’t been going too well for you have they! Hahaha! Figment of imaginings? – By the heavens no! I am something you can see and hear! Yet enough of these pointless questions. Much more has happened than that which you have told me. It is impossible that things would be as simple as that. Also, I do not know what happened to you before we met. Come, let us speak about the issue. Why was you so certain that Millan would die? – His injury was not large. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… So you simply watched as my dear friend slowly died! – Why did you not help him!? Then let us make way… It’s not a laughing matter… Is my destiny only to tell you what has happened to myself and the others? Even if I cannot touch nor smell you, I can see you and hear you. Does that make you a figment of imagination? How interesting… so what are you doing now? Then I shall hold you personally responsible for his death! The servants of the Automatons that occupied such a tower use blades doused in poison. The poison works slowly upon its victim and it shows little to no symptom upon the subject other than the symptom of general disintegration. Well… I… This is the first time that you have called me Ryan, why have you done so? Are there things that have happened that I ought to know about? What am I? What a foolish question! I am nothing, nothing you can touch or smell that is. I am not of this world and therefore the idea of me being here physically is ridiculous! ……………………………………………………………… No more than what Sail has just told us. You four go one ahead… I need to do something first. I shall catch up. What are you? It was not my job or place to help him, it was my job and place to find out who he would pass his duties onto. Well that wasn’t the best sleep I’ve ever had. Very well, what do you wish to know about me, or indeed about anything that I may know and that you may wish to know also? ‘Othal come, come Othal’. ‘Othal come, come Othal’. ‘Othal come, come Othal’. Do not use such hopelessly romantic terms. If it is your destiny to not die by my hand then yes, it is your destiny to tell me what happens to you all. I don’t know what it is I wish to ask you… Likewise. Then you are wasting my time! If you ever summon me for such pointless reasons again you may make me angry, and you wouldn’t want to see me angry! Poem at the end was added on 29th December 2007 Love Othel, do not hate him. Yet next time you call his name do so for a sounder reason.

17. Later that day... No creature nor spirit told it to me for I lived through this tale I tell. I was one of the spirits of a nearby wood to here you call Lathonian Forest. It is one of few forests that have endured the test of time. Many forests fall and rise again and with them, spirits of the forest die yet do not live again. Indomnias only made us for when we were needed. We are no longer needed so we are no longer born so when a forest burns or shifts its spot upon the land as mountains rise and fall or droughts wipe out all vegetation, a spirit of the forest vanishes. I have not heard any voice of my own kind on the breeze for what must be over ten thousand years. Perhaps I am the last of my kind. The earth needed someone to pray to Ock in order for the sun to be more reliable. Yet no human, elf or goblin could survive in such conditions. However, there were many trees that could. Upon seeing this problem, Indomnias gave all strong trees a spiritual mascot, one spirit per forest or island it was. Our words travelled on the breeze and we called to each other; ‘pray to the Sun-God Ock’ they said, and together we pleaded for a well-behaved sun. Many hundreds of years did pass and our wishes were seen to. Soon afterwards Indomnias brought about man, elves and indeed, all frail and beastly animals upon this earth. Long ago, before men and women and other intelligent races lived upon this earth, the sun was often lazy in the mornings and was often lazy in the evenings. It had little motivation to rise and once it did, it had little motivation to fall. Trees would die, grass and bushes would starve and burn or else freeze, lakes and rivers would constantly turn to ice and boil over a second later. The sun would apologise yet wouldn’t know who it was apologising to. None were angry at the sun and none were pleading for a more rigidly timed day. No one did anything and left things be as they did be. Why my voice is all but imaginings and who am I to answer for the fact that all your imaginings may be identical in characteristics? No, imaginings do not have answers, nor do they have questions, they only plunge forever forward into the unfathomable. Gracious no, someone has gone and betwixt your dreams. Why, does the sky speak? – Gracious no! Does the grass speak? – Gracious no! What villain did ply to mention that I was hiding? ‘Twas not my wish nor my occupation! I have matters of far graver importance to attend to than to await for stalking possibilities! You are all travelling westward are you not? I too am going west. Come, let us go together westward and I shall speak with you all about myself. Strange looking tree am I? Haw-how-haw-how-tee-hee! Be I the mysterious voice of the odd-tree that doth amaze and surprise? Then where is your voice coming from if it is not from the tree? My friends and I would certainly agree that the voice is coming from your direction unless our ears decieve us. ……………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Do you know of Ock the sun God? He’s an old fellow who wishes to tell a tale Ryan, its nothing surprising. Yet do carry on telling kind sir, I always do like a good story, even if it is related to ‘the faith’. It isn’t related to the faith Sail, this story isn’t heard of anywhere in the new or old holy scriptures. Who told you this story strange stranger? Strange and funny man, what were you doing hiding behind that tree? Yes, many hundreds of years ago he was the God that did lie in the centre of ‘the faith’. Fool or not, it’s a tree and it talks! Men and women have never before seen such wonders! Why are you telling us this? Can it be? Can you speak odd-looking tree? And what matters are these? It’s just a tree. Come, lets keep moving. What a strange looking tree… This tree is a fool, its words mean nothing. Sorry to interrupt your story, but why are you telling us this? !!!

18. Confined in pedantic acres You worm your trudging way through air. Thistles as lashes, eyes as wires, Blind to cracks at which the blind do stare. Ah, cumbersome flight in pollen Impregnating the loathsome goat, Sodden on soil, rooted in fodder, Kindling your moat; A discourse of honour. A leaderless mutiny charmed by ghosts, The barren womb of sterile hosts. The sundial has reflected the sun And nurtures the seeds that haven’t sprung. Sundun focusses his mind and tries to look into the tree but then he sighs in dissapointment... If you do not want to walk with him then so be it. Walk so that you are some great distance away from us, for as long as we are both going to the same destination it does not matter. Every city has a visitor’s meeting point. If I loose you or you loose me we can wait for each other there. What does it look like? – I’m going to walk with him. Come, it would be nice to be in some jolly company for a change. We don’t even know who he is! Shouldn’t we discuss the issue before we go walking around with men that hide behind trees and claim to be spirits of the forests! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Dam it! …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. So this is what a tree is, trees that men and women have told me about upon their spiritual consults within the stories of their lives. They never told me of how rough its surface is no, and of how misshaped it grows also. Ryan! What are you doing? Where do you think you three are going!? I have been given a freedom the likes of which no living thing has ever felt. The world has changed in a way that no living thing has seen. Blissful is the hour, adventurous and exciting it is also. We’re going with Ryan. The blood in my veins is tense and rigid. Yet I too am fearful. Upon the slightest movement of the wind, upon the happiest chirp of a bird, upon the most amiable croak of a frog I shall tremble and freeze with fear and terror. My emotions are mixed and my state variable. Every blade of grass is a suspect of a crime, that may or may not have been committed. Poem at the end was completed 30th December 2007, 3:00am Fear not Sundun, you can forget those people and those days, for you have started a new beginning. I have forgotten, my power is depleted. It feels equally as odd that I have entered the outside world to how my power is lost. I cannot see if this tree has a true spirit or not, a spirit that all men and women have. I have walked out into a completely different world, a world that requires a different standard of understanding. Why did no man or woman ever think to bring me a small tree to ask me of its spiritual status? – Why didn’t I think to ask them to bring one to me? Dam the people of Thallass and their complete lack of curiosity on the state of the world. Dam their simple-mindedness. My mind and spirit has been so preoccupied with Perlone’s spirit that I had almost forgotten how long it was that I was a prisoner. My whole life I spent in that room. O, how wondrous it feels, fresh air, freedom, the ability to completely discover the world all over. No words can describe such bliss. O tree, I have always read the spirits of men and women, but do you have one too?

19. And so they drank apple juice and continued to be jolly for the night. Hailla however had not forgotten Perlone, and neither had Bikarack, Sail or Ryan for that matter. But Hailla thought that Perlone’s spirit was with them more now than it ever had been. For the brief days before his death, he was so confused and misplaced, and what better way is there to worm your way out of confusion than to laugh your way out of it? Hailla believed that this was no light-hearted chuckle, but like so many things, it was something that had to happen in order for them to carry on. This is not a New Beginning… It is only a rebirth… Everybody laughs along with the strange man's story. Even Hailla manages to smile a little. Do you believe that I would want man to start to worship the Sun God Ock again? Why heavens no! I am in good humour and in glad tidings! The sooner it is that the sun misbehaves, the sooner it shall be that the world shall burn and freeze, burn and freeze and man shall then die! The sooner it shall be that man shall die, the sooner it shall be that Indomnias shall have to create spirits of the forests once again so that we can beg of Ock to take control of the sun once again. Then finally I shall have others of my kind and no longer be alone and I shall have a reason for being again! Let us now celebrate the up-and-coming Armageddon! People are beginning to forget about the Sun God Ock, they are forgetting how crucial he is to our survival. Few men and women prey to him now, most do not even know of him. Ock himself is almost considered as old fashioned, he has no place within your complex moral codes and your laws of human conduct for he only provides the basics of life. Yet man has forgotten Ock and every day that passes is one where Ock cares less and less about the routine of the sun. The smallest changes in the cycles of the sun can cause devastating effects. Ice ages, heat waves and rainless decades; all of these are results of a mischievous sun and Sun God. *Angrily* Indulge you! Indulge you shall I! Why, I do not need to prove myself to you, I know what and who I am. I may have forgotten my name and I may have forgotten every law that constructs this here world, gravity, ice, water, air, flame, thunder and all other elements that make this world, elements that you five have reminded me of over the past four hours or so, yet nonetheless, I am the spirit of a forest! Strange Mr. Forest, who has so forgotten his name over the years and seeing no better alternative to Mr. Forest, you have not proved by any means that you are anything more than an old man, an odd man with character is something you have proved, but as of yet you haven’t proved the truth of anything you have claimed to be true. So, do indulge us. Dam it! When will my cursed forest learn to grow grape vines so that a wine can be made, or at least yeast and grains so that a beer can be accomplished. Of course, two thousand years ago when I was in a desert, I came across some travellers starved of water. Then and only then was the juice of the apple asked for. Of course, the forest went and decided to give me a beer! Ghaaaa! You seem to forget that I am the spirit of the whole of Lathonian Forest! I can call upon anything that my forest has to offer! From wooden cups to drinks! What are we supposed to do about this then? We did not wish for you to walk with us for the sake of listening to a preacher! Now we shall celebrate with a drink. Come, let us propose a toast! Don’t be silly old friend, we have not even water to drink. I for one shan’t raise a hand in a toast if my hand is filled with the glory of tonight’s fresh air! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Whatever my forest was fit enough for providing. It could be any of them. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I believe that this is nothing more than the juice of the common apple. Wow! What’s inside it? – Wine, beer, ale?

20. Other trees from other forests are beginning to hate Lathonian Forest, they envy the fact that this forest has a spiritual mascot, that mascot being myself. Of course, trees cannot think nor can they feel, but they do absorb energy from the earth and use that energy and give it back in one form or another. Trees also tend to grow more healthily and frequently upon fertile soil. I, being the spirit of this forest, have added a fertility to the soil the likes of which no forest in the world can match. Other forests do not feel hate and envy as such, but they are behaving as if they could. Many trees grow so that their branches point straight at this here forest, seeing it as a powerful source of nutrients and energies. Some leaves on trees, even those trees that are hundreds and hundreds of miles away have even gone so far as to have grown away from the sun’s highest peek during midday to face towards this forest. Sundun pauses to take in a deep breath. He now knew what other trees and plants felt in the world, and he felt along with and beside them. In this strange world, Sundun realizes not only how much there is to discover but also how much he has missed out on. The alterations in the trees and other plants is only a subtle one. You shouldn’t expect mere humans to know such things. There are others who do know of such things however, but they are mostly cave-dwelling goblins. The reason why I left my forest was to try and see if I could find some way of removing the attention that is being given to this forest. The tree you found me at was the one I was working on. You said yourself that the tree looked odd. It had been abnormally affected by the jealousy of this forest and twisted its branches and leaves against all the normal will of its nature. It was the most extreme case I have ever come across. However, if I could find a way of distracting its attention away from this forest then I can find a way to understand how things have ended up this way. It was then that men came with axes and saws and began to cut down my trees so that crops can be grown here. A good portion of my forest was lost. Again, they didn’t understand it. Once they had cleared a good space, they began to plant some seeds and the seeds grew as if they were rooted within average, normal soil. They didn’t understand that it was my forest that was fertile, it was not the soil nor its land. Of course, they did conjure up an explanation for these strange happenings. They concluded that these lands were holy. They didn’t know why they were holy, or for what purpose it was holy. They assumed and still do assume that the Gods shall make things clear in time. All they know is that this forest is close to their city, which adds to their ego. Some extremists even go so far as to call the Lathonians ‘theonly pure race, bred from pure lands’. Ah ha, I just realized! That would explain the riddle that has perplexed Lathon for centuries! When a seed is planted in this forest, they say that where normally it may take weeks or months for a particular seed to become something substantial, here it only takes a matter of weeks or days. The word was spread around Lathon City about the powers of the soil here and people began testing it. Indeed, in the forest things grew a lot quicker and healthier. Yes, that’s what happened! When they took the soil away, no one understood what was happening or could explain it, but plants wouldn’t grow in it anymore when the soil was removed from the forest and taken elsewhere. It was then concluded that it wasn’t the soil that was supernaturally fertile but it was the land itself, it was the land that yielded such power. That’s ridiculous, I’m sure that if any abnormal behaviour like that within trees was real, someone would have made a note of it and it would have become a well known oddity. Something like that would effect farming, tree-cutting and all manners of living. There would be no way that all of us apart from you wouldn’t know of such a fact if it were true. It strikes me as so very odd to think of how different it is to be the spiritual mascot of the forest in regards to the spiritual mascot of man. So… what happened? The people of Lathon City surely wouldn’t have left it at that. Surely, they would have wanted to find an explanation for the mysteries that were being presented to them. That is true Sail, but it was then that people wanted the soil for themselves! They took some of the soil from my forest in buckets to test its fertility fully. You never told us why it was you left the woods. Why was you with that one tree a day’s walk away? It is rare in this world for women to be composers. It has always been a man’s business as far as everyone knows. Yet my father recognised my gift and he held no prejudices, for which I must thank him. I was also lucky to have had a father rich enough to receive a decent education and when we were travelling around giving concerts and shows, I would have my own personal tutor. My father used to always make sure that the tutor was similar to my own disposition and made sure that I was taught only things that I could use. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Welcome my friends to Lathonian Forest. The City of Lathon is just beyond this wood. Haha, I thought you’d say something like that. You haven’t heard the whole story yet Bikarack. I read a lot. Or rather, I used to read a lot. Sundun… you don’t speak much. What do you think of this forest and what Mr. Forest says about it? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… It sounds like you’ve had a fairly decent life Sail. I see… That sounds like quite a fair upbringing. I think many things… ……………………………… How do you know all this Sail? Well…? – What is it that you think?

21. *Satirically* Hahaha, you wish to help me? Hahaha, why, how kind of you that is! Yet answer for me this question I have, why is it that it is you who wishes to help me and all the others would gladly leave me be? You say you’re nothing like those people from the village, yet you are the most like them out of all four of you. For people at the village, they too said they wished to help me, they gave me their compassion and understanding too, yet I saw through their eyes and knew that they cared nothing for me. All they cared about was the fact that I was the only link to their dead ones, and so they would treat me as if I were their dead relatives or friends, as if they had known me their whole life. I once asked someone to tell me about the outside world, and, as if I were his dead son, he said ‘surely you already know what there is to know outside, you’ve seen it have you not?’ That was the only time I ever asked anyone about the outside world. Hailla drops a tear, a wordless tear, and Sundun gives her no sympathy. Whether his words were right or not, even Hailla could not tell, yet his words hurt her deeply. For a second Hailla thought to herself ‘but I do want to help you, I sincerely do’, but then a flood of doubt invaded her and a second tear was dropped. As much of a miracle as it is, I shan’t dwell on it. You may feel free to do so if you wish. Farewell to you all, and may you and all wish for a long life upon the Forest of Lathon, the last forest to be alive before your eyes… in me. I do not mean to sound rude ma’am, but you do not know ‘how daunting’ the world is for me, and I also know that you do not want to help me. It was people like you that made my life the… *Sundun struggles against tears* the cheer tragedy that it has become. Well this is it, this is where I stop. It’s been nice speaking with you all. I haven’t spoken to anyone in over three hundred years now, so it makes for a nice occasion. ……………………………………………………………………. Wow! That was amazing! I guess that everything he said must be true, there can be no doubt about it. Aren’t we so very lucky to have met him! We’re probably the only ones alive to know the secret behind this forest. ……………………………………………………………………. You haven’t spoken to anyone in three hundred years! And it just so happened that you spoke to us? What are the chances of that happening! But what if it does mean something? There’s nothing to show that it doesn’t mean anything, and the fact that we met this person and not someone else… surely that says something. So don’t tell me that you want to ‘help me’. Because I know why it is you would want to help me… So do not tell me you aren’t like all those people at Thallass Village… people have been doing this to me my whole life and so I know when it happens again. With every step I take, this forest seems to become more and more alive. This forest certainly is more fertile that any in the world. For not only do the trees look healthy, but I feel healthy! Do you not feel it as well Bikarack? – What about you Hailla? Do you not feel the richness of the soil shoot up through your shoes, your legs and then through your whole body?! Yet I do not sympathise for myself, I am only moved by how it is that people like you could allow something like this to happen. I always thought that that was simply how the world was, I believed that the whole world was this giant prison of self-containment, because every person that came to me for help, they too were self-contained within their own anxieties and struggles. But the world itself is not like that at all, this forest has taught me that. It has taught me of openness. And yet you come to me offering help? I shan’t believe a word of it. I think we all feel it Sail. That may be why we haven’t spoken the last few hours. It makes a nice change which needs paying attention to. Not that it matters. You wish to help me because I am the only living link you have to the only one you wish to help, the only one you care about. ……………………………………………………………………. I know you have suffered Sundun. But you mustn’t allow yourself to be silent about it. I can see how moved you are by Mr Forest’s story, and how happy for him you are that he has not been you and how sad you are to know that you were not him. If I am mistaken then please tell me. It’s just that I know how daunting this world must be for you and I want to understand what’s happening to you so that I can help you if you should need it. Many legends lie behind this forest, many of which even I have forgotten about over the centuries even when I might make a special effort not to. No beast nor man nor supernatural force has ever proved itself to be more destructive than time. You wish to help me because I am the only living link you have to Perlone. ……………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Why do you not believe it? Do you not see that I am not like all those people in Thallass Village? Do you not see that I want to help you out of the kindness of my heart? I am no saint, I shan’t pretend to be perfect, yet I can see that you are suffering and I wish to help you. So what? It doesn’t matter one bit. As amazing as it is, for us and our motives it means nothing. Perhaps Ryan’s right. Come, let us leave this forest. This is stupidity, and I shan’t participate with it. *Aggressively* And what do you think it says exactly! …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Farewell…

22. Later that day... Why were you moving between villages? Do you have family or friends there? I cannot see any other reason as to why they’d catch your interest. It is. I once came this far north-west. It was not long ago from now nor far away from here where I walked across those very same sand dunes. Well… let us just say that I was moving between villages so that I can be where I am right now. I did want to, but it was not what I set out to do, I was moving between villages you see. Did you not go into the city? It is famous for its sights and grandeur. I shouldn’t think so. I see… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………… Well there it is… the City of Lathon… Come on, let’s get moving… It’s getting late, do you think they close their gates when a certain hour passes? It’s such a beautiful night.

23. There’s no why about it, those men in black hoods… It’s not a matter of having choice, it’s a matter of having no choice. That’s because every dream of mine wasn’t a nightmare. In fact most of the time my dreams were quite pleasant. I can only conclude from that one thing; that the men in black hoods are not evil. Yet they are not good either. No… they are something else altogether I believe. Because on that night I had a dream, I had a dream that I was with my father. It wasn’t a very exciting dream. My father was sitting on a stool watching me, and I was sitting at one also, but I was in front of a piano. I played the piano yet I could not hear anything, everything was totally silent. The dream was nothing significant. It was a simple dream built upon simple memories and psychological premises. Yet it truly was my first dream, for it was ‘my’ dream. Since then I have seen nothing of those hooded men in my dreams. They have disappeared. Yes, I suppose so. Yet I know what those men are capable of, and I know that they shan’t be found if they don’t want to be. Therefore, I have reason to be here. I shan’t get answers by finding them out. I believe I shall get answers by finding out why they were doing to me what they were doing, and I also know that Perlone was half of the piece to this riddle. Therefore, in knowing what they wanted Perlone for, I can find out what they wanted me for. I can see no other way of coming to understand the dreams of my past. Yes, and according to you these dreams are not of my own doing but of theirs. I’ve had doctors examine me, witch doctors search my spirit, faith healers and potion experts all do what they can for me but none of them could ever explain the strange characteristics of my dreams. Bikarack…?! I am on this quest because ever since I have begun it, the dreams have stopped. They used to happen every single night Bikarack, it was not an occasional affair. I have actually never had a dream that has not had some influence upon it, an influence that is not of my own doing that is. Do you remember the first night on the edges of Vickaloss City, the first night we camped out? I shall tell you the truth now Bikarack. The truth was that I had absolutely no intention of following you the next day towards the cave. You couldn’t have forced me to go with you. I only followed you for that day because I was curious about the manner in which you were speaking about my dreams. But before I went to sleep I said to myself ‘this is insane, this man’s a fool and tomorrow morning I shall go back home’. I cursed my stupidity for having followed you as far as I had already. Bikarack…? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Bikarack… it’s late! Please just blow out the candles and get some sleep. Last night, again, I had no dreams of the black-hooded men. So I far as I was concerned, Perlone’s death was of no concern to me, although of course I shall still give him sympathy and pay heed to the sad truth that his life was in fact cut too short, regardless of what purpose it may have served in the process. Who are you doing this for then Bikarack? Yes, you’re right. It’s best not to… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… No… but what does that matter? …Yes? I’m glad you said that Bikarack, because I’ve been thinking the same thing all day, but I thought it was too insensitive to say. I knew that you wanted to say it too however. Because in our eyes he was just the Chosen One, but that doesn’t mean anything to us, and so when he died, it was as if any other person had died who I had come to know a little over a few brief days. Blow out the candles would you, it’s late and I’m tired. Just like Ryan is on this quest for the honour of his friend… Hahaha! I do not think that there was any sense to be had in regards to that Bikarack! Hahaha… yea. It has already been decided… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Why did you not tell me that before? In your dreams, what were the men in black hoods like? I would imagine they were nothing but evil, but surely if a person experienced nothing but terrifying nightmares, they would grow up to be a very dysfunctional and disturbed person. They wouldn’t turn out how you have turned out that is for sure. Well instead of going on this quest, why do you not seek out the men in black hoods? It’s answers you want isn’t it? I know where they are, but not how many there are. They have a castle in the City of Vickaloss, yet no one knows who it is that occupies it, as it disguises itself as a potions laboratory when it is in fact their hideout. I’m doing this for the honour of my father… he died so that I could be here. Sail… whereas before, I thought you were the person with the least amount of reason and initiative to be here, I now believe that you have the greatest amount of reason and initiative out of all of us. Perlone was on a similar path to you, accept his path made no sense, or at least it didn’t make any sense to me. You are right, but then again, it is perhaps best if we do not speak too much about this. *Shuffle, Shuffle* ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Haha! I suppose that you and me can laugh about it. Perlone was no real friend of ours. Of course, if time had given us the chance to form some comradely bond, then I would be saying very much the opposite, but you and I only knew him for a few brief days. Sail… But the next morning… I remember now! – that look on your face, that look of sheer disbelief. It only lasted but a second, and a second later you instantly shook it off and reluctantly you asked me to lead the way. But why did you say for me to lead the way? Why did you follow me? Why did you not return home as you seemed so determined to do? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Yes, accept I think we both know who Hailla is here for don’t we. Because I believed you wanted to get away from them, not seek them out for answers. *Huff* What were these dreams like? I mean, there were so many of them so you can’t really tell me what they were about, but did they feel as though they were someone else’s dreams as it were? That was well spoken Sail… yet it is not up to me to decide if the path you are taking is the right one, that is something for you to decide. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… These people have been haunting your dreams your whole life haven’t they? *Shuffle, Shuffle* *Tut* Fine… Do you believe in destiny Sail? Why are we doing this if that is the case? If I were Hailla, right now I would be furious at you for not telling everyone about this. But I am not furious with you Sail. For I shall react on the contrary. You aren’t doing this quest for anyone but yourself, and in truth, you are the only one of us that is in fact doing so. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Bikarack was silent for a long time. He knew that this was something significant, but all reason told him to cast this significance aside. For Sail was a living person, and this strange fortune was of no blessing to the world, but it was hers, it was her own personal blessing. So Bikarack gave her the dignity of allowing her to call it her own. The five travellers had gotten into the City of Lathon without error. First thing they did was to eat a meal, and now they are spending the night at the ‘The Knightly Frog’ Inn.

24. Jim's Bakers Lathon Jewellers Yet that is only the error of humans. It is no error belonging to things that are a matter of fact. I have no faith in any God either. The Gods are no more than human inventions. That does not mean to say that I deny God’s existence however. Rather it is that case that all names that we attribute to them are false. There are no true doctrines. I have spoken to many deceased spirits of men and women and not one of them has ever recognized the existence of a God. That isn’t because God does not exist, but it is because none of them know what God actually is. Men and women die, and when they do, their spirits always instantly rush to find something that isn’t there due to the falsities of the beliefs they take on board during their whole lives. They always go looking for the God or Gods or Goddesses that they have falsely believed during their lives, hence when they die, they search for false images. Yet because they are dead, they then have no incentive to realize that there is in fact nothing there to find. Because Perlone’s spirit seems to be in no hurry for me to get to the realm of Yetal. I sense from him that the task does not consist of getting to the realm of Yetal alone. From this I can only assume that the journey there is as important as reaching the actual destination. What that means beyond that I cannot tell. Well that is the mistake that you and many others make, a mistake that has made me so infuriated in the past. There was once a time when I would attempt to deliver every person that came to me from all their errors. Most of the time I was unsuccessful for either they didn’t have the strength to change their ways or else they didn’t even understand that there was an issue to address in the first place. I gave up trying to explain the reality of things to them many years ago and ever since then I have just humoured them. Most people are a lot happier, it seems to me, if they revolve their lives around ignorance. So for many years I merely allowed people to wallow within their hopelessly clouded ways. How I managed to listen to their nonsense and somehow take it seriously day in and day out shall never cease to amaze me. Yet what people need to understand is that the spiritual world is as much based upon matters of fact as this world. When I say Perlone’s spirit seems to be in no hurry it is just as if I were following you and you all frequently decided to pause and admire the view or else rest your feet. The five travellers had spent most of the morning buying new provisions. Their money was now on a very short supply. Yet that mattered not, for there was still the journey to await them. Well I agree with Ryan… we must forget all meaningless superstition and suspicion. We must see things as matter of fact and not as matters of plausibility or possibility. For otherwise we could quite easily become distracted by our own imaginings and may very well miss the most obvious case. I’m sorry that you had to see that Sundun. I just wish that he was more open-minded about things. Despite how much he may wish for it not to be the case, we are not under normal circumstances in this quest. Besides, talking about things like this, if in fact it is pragmatically useless, it at least adds some dynamics to the quest and makes things more interesting. Well in that case you go back to the forest and exchange words with a tree, since it is the case that he was a tree when we left him. Also consider that he is now a tree. Finding a particular tree in a huge forest is not the easiest of things to do. It may be the case that he is no longer a tree, but then there would be no telling where he is! I’m sorry to have to say this, but I’m sick of having to bring some rational thinking to you all upon every stupid whim. Who cares about what was meant to happen! It happened and that’s that! Whatever is going to happen is also merely going to happen and no more. I would give anything, absolutely anything to abandon all these stupid assumptions, suspicions and superstitions. They have gotten us absolutely nowhere as of yet. Now lets get moving shall we… But how can it be possible not to associate the spiritual world to superstition? – I just cannot understand how that can be possible. I do not take spiritual matters seriously, I do not offer them any more credibility than I do to the Gods. Yet if I did take such matters seriously under any circumstances then I would unavoidably be a superstitious person. We have very little money left Ryan. What are we to do? – Shall we have to walk this entire journey? We cannot afford to buy a goat with what money we have, let alone a horse. That was a different situation Sail and you know that it was. Sundun came with us voluntarily. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, those who are meant to help us shall choose to do so of their own accord. And yet if he was a ‘crucial piece’ as you so say, then what could we have done about it? Tell me now, what was we meant to do? His only intention was within returning to the Forest of Lathon, that forest was the entirety of his life. He wouldn’t have cared for our struggles. I don’t really know what I think. I do not think we have received enough evidence as of yet in order to decide which approach is the best. Well I was planning on doing the deed myself, yet now I have simply changed my mind. If any of you four wish to do the deed instead then feel free, yet that is your business and not mine. Then explain why it is that Sundun is helping us. He had to leave his spiritual sanctuary in order to help us, yet here he is. Well I’m sorry Ryan but I highly disagree with you. I believe that he would have helped us. He was an honest and kind man. He was the spiritual mascot of the forest Sail, he wouldn’t have left his haven for the sake of helping us. So are you suggesting that we ought to have told Mr. Forest about our purpose on this quest? Besides… I feel it would be wiser not to rush this journey… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Sundun came with us because he knew what our situation was. Yet Mr. Forest had no way of knowing our situation. Ryan… I have a horrible feeling about all of this. That man we named Mr. Forest who we said goodbye to yesterday, he could have been a crucial piece to the puzzle lain before us and we walked straight passed it. Hmmm… well I suppose there’s not a lot we can do about it then. But you are a Shaman! How could it be possible for you above all others to pay a complete disregard towards superstitious matters? I am not a ‘superstitious’ person, yet I would expect you above everyone else to be characterized as such. I think we should have done… He was clearly a person who meant us no harm. Yet did you not two days ago say that we shall obtain a horse, legally or otherwise. Come, we had better get going before Ryan really looses patience with us. Why do you say that for? What do you think Bikarack? We have no choice, we shall have to walk the whole way. ?

25. So Later on that day Ryan, Bikarack, Sail and Sundun helped Hailla to find a way back home. Eventually they found a horse and carriage, a rather poorly affair yet one that will do nonetheless, owned by a carriage driver named Henry who charges fares for taking people to faraway places. Ryan and the rest of them sacrificed all their gold to pay the man to insure that Hailla got home safely. Hailla said that she couldn’t accept such generosity as it was the last of their gold, yet Ryan insisted. They gave half to the driver now and half to Hailla, instructing her to give him the other half when she gets back to Vickaloss city. Having had her journey home safely made, she gave a thousand thanks and farewells to those of her company before the carriage and its horse carried her away. Afterwards, Ryan, Bikarack, Sail and Sundun continued alone. They hadn’t made their way out of the city by nightfall as they had hoped they would, yet they now had no money to use to purchase a room for the night. Therefore, the four travellers found a dark alleyway where they wrapped up in blankets and spent the night. The next morning they continued and made it out of the city a few hours after the noon. Jim's Bakers Lathon Jewellers Hailla had thought that she’d already made her mind up. Yet now that these words had to escape through her mouth, she saw that the reality of it was so much harder. So many things were racing through her mind. What would be best for the fortune of this quest? What purpose would or could she have in it? Will her people at home want her to go back home? They were probably all searching for her at one point and probably now assume that she is dead. But if they knew her situation, would they want her to continue? Did her loyalty truly lie with her family and friends back home? What about Perlone? She still doesn’t really know how he came to die, or why he died. Does she owe it to him to find out? That’s because every village and city within the Realm of Lathon believes itself and itself alone to be the barer of such holiness. Lathon is altogether a divided affair. It was once united long ago under the rule of a great king. But he died in a battle and with him, so did Lathon’s unity, and people went back to their old, solitary communities. The reason why this city is so advanced was because it has had many lucky streaks with its women’s offspring. Every five years or so a new child is born here with exceptional gifts in the natural sciences, architecture, imaginative yet practical inventors and all sorts of remarkable people who were ultimately the only ones that built this place. Travellers from far and wide have visited this city and have returned home, inspired, full of ore and most of all, envious. People have tried time and time again to crack the many puzzling feats of ingenuity within this city, and all of them have failed. What they really need are the books that were written by all those great men, and even a few women, to find out the secret behind the craftsmanship of this city. Yet be assured, this city shall keep those books safely hidden for as long as fate shall permit them. Because Perlone doesn’t matter Ryan! If we are to abandon the faith then we must abandon the concept of the chosen one and with that, Perlone’s name means nothing! His spirit is guiding us somewhere, but that is only his spirit, not him. Perlone is as good as dead Ryan! My closeness to him means nothing now other than an aching in my heart. You have to understand this Ryan. You have to forget Perlone. He means nothing now. Well consider this for a second Hailla. You say that the three of us wanted you gone and you’re right, we did all think to ourselves and even amongst ourselves; ‘there is no need for her to be here’. Yet things change Hailla. I doubt that things have changed for Bikarack and Sail, yet they haven’t been with you as long as I have and they haven’t heard the full story either. Yet what I witnessed was a naïve, innocent, blindly-faithful, slightly stupid and extremely vulnerable little girl become a strong, clever, well-judged, clear-sighted, charming and mentally independent young woman within a matter of a few days! I believe I am to go back home. Yet I cannot remember the way, and I’m terrible at using maps, and compasses at that. So perhaps I ought to stay here for a while and plan a better way of getting home. I have a little money left in my pocket. I’m sure that I can hitch a ride on a delivery carriage of some sort to my city. The people are friendly here, they shall help me to find such means no doubt. Now that would be something to see. Yet do not think that the knowledge these people keep hidden has to this day not gone fought for. It has been the cause of many wars, particularly from people over seas. The city never has the benefit when it comes to numbers, yet they have cunning battle strategies and due to their wisdom, are capable of forging weaponry and armour the likes of which no one can ever dream to match; like an inch to the mile! Ha-ha, I suppose so, now that you put it like that. But that isn’t what I meant Hailla. What I meant is that a person with so much potential is sure to be an asset to any group of people on a quest. It shows that you are quick to learn. Before, your reason for being on this quest was your closeness to Perlone. I thought it was a silly reason. Yet don’t you see how it is a good reason now? Why of course it is now a good reason! Do you not see? Well that’s very interesting Sail. There is no doubt that you shall, if anything, be a useful guide on this quest. Yet we ought to keep going, the day won’t last forever. Hailla… have you come to make your decision yet? You said that once we were here and full on supplies, you would then be in a healthy situation to choose to either go one way or another, to go with us on this quest or to go back home. That is the strongest reason for me staying and I have thought about it hard. However, to find out why or how Perlone died seems to me to be for no reason other than to put my own mind at ease. If it meant that in order to do this, I would have to do this quest on my own, I would indeed go through with it. Yet as things stand I cannot put my own ease of mind before the importance of the purpose belonging to the rest of you serving on this quest. To continue with you four would be a selfish act on my account and I must try and do what is right by you all. It’s obvious why that is the case Hailla. This city and the people within it must be a good two hundred years ahead of the rest of us. What city outside here would like to spend long talking about the superiority of the city of Lathon and thus reflect upon their own people’s inferior lifestyle? No it isn’t Ryan. And I’m not angry or upset about it at all. In fact I have come to understand it. The three of you, Bikarack, Sail and yourself, always you have looked at me with that expression; ‘what is she doing here?’ Your faces said it in no offensive way to me personally, but they said it in the name of the quest, in the honour of the quest. I was naïve to think that I had a role to play here, and now I must face the consequences. There is at least a good lesson for me to be had here I think. Well you see, that is another reason why the people of Lathon believe that they are of holy blood. It is not merely the grandioso appearance of their city that encourages this, but it is also their laws, their culture, their education… the list goes on and on. That’s about the nicest thing that anyone has said to me on this quest. But you do me too great an honour. Yes I have lost all my faith in the Gods, yet what does that matter? Anyhow, was it not you that said we ought to avoid, or even destroy all, and I quote; ‘assumptions, suspicions and superstitious’?Therefore, to say that my minor growth in maturity has to mean something does contradict your statement by a small margin. Knowing the greed that often tends to those with power, it’s no wonder half of the rulers in this world don’t ransack the city and take such valuable sources of knowledge. Think about how extraordinary that would be if such books were made public! The whole world would change within a year at most! But why is this place so developed compared to other places? It doesn’t make sense. Surely, it is the nature of man to develop hand in hand? This city is not terribly far from my own home, and Vickaloss is a very wealthy city, so how could it be the case that they differ so much? Top thinking there Ryan! Accept I doubt that I shall be too useful after this city. I’m not an encyclopaedia after all. Most of my travels took place in the south, so beyond this, the northern lands are quite alien to me. There’s no point knowing about places you’ll never go to or have never been to. Sundun is our link to Perlone’s spirit and you are our link to Perlone’s persona. Between you both we have a full and complete Perlone. Sundun may direct us to a place, yet you may be able to help us decide what Perlone would have wished for us to do upon reaching such a place. And why am I wrong? But we are your new friends Hailla, we are your new family. And how else are you to find out what caused Perlone’s death? If you shan’t do it for a Perlone that still lives, then do it for the Perlone within your memory. Come with us Hailla. So how do you explain the village of Thallas? The people of the village there were nothing like anything here, least of all when it comes to moral conduct. Why are you saying these things Hailla? You are speaking as if you were not my friend when you are! If you are to go back home then of course we shall do all we can to assure that you have a safe path there. Well please leave us for a little while nonetheless. We shan’t be too long, and if we shall, have a cup of tea or something. I wonder why it is that people at my home city of Vickaloss never spoke about this place. Surely a place like this ought to be a global phenomenon. So…? Have you come to make your decision? Well that is something I cannot dispute. This place is quite remarkable. I have never seen a place that so much as resembles a place such as this. That’s quite a strange request for you to make Ryan. Hailla and I need a little time to talk. You three go on ahead and wait for me. Erm… okay then. I’ll see you in a little while I guess. Wait…! See that is where you are wrong Ryan! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I want to go back home Ryan. I miss my friends, I miss my family. I’d always expected you’d be pleased to see me go… Now I have spoken my part and so I must make my way back to Vickaloss city. Well that’s just nonsense…! I mean, if that doesn’t say something, then what does? Well Ryan? What’s the problem? Isn’t this city amazing! Have you ever seen anything like it! The buildings here, the grandeur of it all! I apologise for being so melodramatic. It’s just… I always expected you to stay…

26. Soon enough, that day turned into night... Soon enough, that day turned into night... Hahahahahahahaha! You’re going to ask Hailla to marry you! Oh Ryan you silly little man, have you completely forgotten yourself? Why at this rate, you’d sooner be cooking cakes and listening to your enemies rather than fight against them! Your place is nowhere near the alter! You are a warrior, the brave protector, the adventurer and the mighty swordsman, not a nappy-changer or a house-crawler or a father sitting next to a fireplace smoking a pipe! I cannot speak for you Bikarack, yet I shall see her again and make no mistake. As soon as all this is finished I shall make my way back to Vickaloss city and shall search for Hailla and tell her about all that has happened on this journey. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Well try not to go too far Sundun. Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude Sundun, it’s just that I dread to think that we may loose yet another companion. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Shut up Sail, stop laughing! It’s not even that funny! You seem very certain about that ambition Ryan. Yet why should you care about whether she knows about our purpose here or not? Just the very thought of it is having me in stitches! Ryan, I think that that was the funniest thing you have ever said! Do you suppose we shall ever see her again? …………………………………………………………………………………… I’m going to go for a walk… I… understand Sir Bikarack. Because when I return to Vickaloss city, I plan on asking for her hand in marriage.

27. Yet what if Othal is working for the enemy? What if he is merely a trickster working for… *Ryan suddenly becomes shocked as he comes to realize who it is that may be behind the riddle that is Othal* When I first saw Othal, he was wearing a… black hood! It seems almost irrefutable to me that he is a messenger for the men in black hoods and like a fool I have fallen into their trap until now! Yet if they know where we are, which they must do if Othal should come to me every time I call his name, then why do they not have our lives done away with and get their plans over and done with? That is unless… they have other plans for us! But have they merely put a spell upon me? Does the spell read that whenever I should call Othal then they shall find me? Then for the sake of our lives I shan’t call upon the name ever again! I wish that Hailla had come with us. I have lost everyone that I was close to on this quest. First I lost Perlone and now I have lost Hailla, just when I was beginning to really like her. It seems to me to be a cruel fate that I must suffer to loose everyone closest to me at the expense of something that as far as I am aware mightn’t even exist. What am I doing this for? If I care about her so much then why didn’t I go back with her to Vickaloss city? There is nothing keeping me here, nothing at all, at least nothing decipherable, nothing logical, nothing that I can see or touch or smell or hear or taste. But wait, there is one riddle that I have not yet succeeded to answer, and for the evidence of the existence of such a riddle I merely have to call upon it! But I have tried it before, the creature was unyielding. Yet whether I like it or not there is a riddle to be had. Or on the other hand, let us say that there is no riddle! Let us suppose that the soul purpose within my being here lies within what the creature says, within merely telling the creature what happens to us on this quest. Then is my purpose not already made! Then perhaps that is why I am not to tell the others about Othal. Because if I told them about Othal, Othal’s existence would interfere with the occurrences within the quest and the authenticity of all occurrences shall be tarnished! You are beginning to anger and frustrate me Ryan! My patience has grown very thin. If you have called me here to say only this to me then I shall have no choice but to slay you here and now, and then your opinions shan’t matter, true or false as they may be. I don’t care what you think. I cannot be bothered with demonstrating my power to you to scare you into submission. Whatever ill occurrence that may come your way shall do so due to your own doing. As long as you tell me what it is I want to know, you shan’t be slain. So…? What is it to be? This Othal may very well be the death of me, and he may very well spell the end of the quest altogether, yet in all honesty, what should I care about the ending of this quest? I place no more faith into this quest than I do the Gods. Therefore, the only thing that objects to me calling his name is the risk claimed over my life. I have lost all those close to me. Only now that Hailla has left do I realize my feelings for her and like a fool I do nothing about it. My life may as well be taken. I would prefer to see the quest murdered and ended in order to ease our own suffering rather than break our backs to find something likely to be worth the contents of my pockets. So be it, I shall call him forth… Have no fear Othal, I shall tell you all that there is to know. I shall start from the very beginning, from when my friend Milan gave this very task to me up to the present moment and shan’t leave out a single detail no matter how insignificant it may seem. Keep your ears open Othal… it is quite a long tale to tell… But wait, things are not as simple as I have made out. These men in black hoods have proved themselves to be no more of an enemy than this tree that I stand upon. They did take Perlone away and they did haunt Sail’s dreams, yet they returned Perlone to his bed and they did never touch a hair on Sail’s head. All the same, their actions are strange. And if they are now spying upon us with the aid of Othal and his extraordinarily peculiar story about coming from another dimension… perhaps it is true that these men in black hoods are no more evil than they are clinically insane. Such actions surely must be those only of madmen! They knew that Perlone was the chosen one, yet why would they still be following us even though Perlone is now dead? They may be following us now with merely the interest of Sail in mind, yet even so, why would they be interested in Sail? ‘Othal come, come Othal’. ‘Othal come, come Othal’. ‘Othal come, come Othal’. Or perhaps it is the case that they are no longer following us now that they know Perlone is dead. But there is only one way of finding out… Othal, shall I tell you what I believe… I believe that you are the result of a spell made by the Automatons or else you yourself are an Automaton under the guise of a small bird.

28. And can the truth not be sparse? You undermine what you do not know, what you have not seen, what you have not lived. No more than a few days have you been roaming free from your spiritual den. Have you not already felt the presence of the core of the earth? Have you not already felt its fatherhood? Have you not already read the inscriptions within your own blood? Have you not already felt the barbarities of the wind? Have you not felt the earth’s core and the wind oppose each other as healthy rivals? Have you not seen them both be in servitude to each other as well as in battle with each other? For that is the ultimate truth of all things Sundun. Battle is what lies at the core of all things. But what is it that carries this battle along with it? As I said earlier, what is it that drags the wind behind it? Yet it remains that I am still in servitude to the eagle and therefore, am beneath him. However, time passes and as it does, the eagle that I carry on my back discovers more and more different landscapes and oceans. Eventually, the eagle on my back has seen all that it needs to see and its dependency upon me begins to diminish. Then like a thunderbolt of destiny a new eagle is born! But where is this new eagle? I must search for it. Upon knowing this, the eagle that is now worn with age, let us call him the ‘Old Eagle’, realizes that there is an eagle out there whose need of me is as urgent and essential as the Old Eagle’s was just before he began to fly. At that point a revelation dawns, a relation that declares that the Old Eagle has achieved all that he needed to achieve and that now a New Eagle is born. It is during this transition period that me and the Old Eagle become equals, because the Old Eagle has achieved all that he needed to and now I am the one that holds the pair of wings for the next flight, and in holding these wings, I and the Old Eagle became life forces of equal value. Because the man that was my master looked at me in all sincerity and said ‘you and I are both equal’. Yet I knew that he did not mean he and I as individuals or as merely that which we in fact are. Instead he was referring to the value attributed to our life forces. The power of his heart and mind had long reined supreme. Yet an alien force was growing that slowly became just as powerful and with it, my new master was born. Yet my previous master would have been helpless without me. Think of me as the currents within the air and of my masters as eagles. The eagle is perfectly engineered for flight and it is the master of itself and of the sky that it flies within. Yet it needs the currents within the air to lift it up off the ground. So in being the air I attribute to myself the fullest possible value by giving the eagle its wings. A few hours later... A few hours later... And yet the night is not cold! That was not the surface reality of the world you felt upon your skin and blood and bone but it was the background reality. Those winds were intended only for you, for us, and only you and I can feel them. To all others, the night’s wind and temperature are very mild. But we are the direct offspring of the core and therefore we feel the true weather, the weather that is taking place within the core. The wind and the core are in opposition to each other, yet fundamentally, they are both the same thing. Therefore, all answers lie within the wind regarding our ancestry. I am the cold wind that does tremble your bones and make them weak, I am the wind that drains you of all your life, I am the wind that focuses all of that life onto your heart, which then disciplines your blood so that it submit to me so that it may be in servitude to an unknown name. I am the wind that leads your way. Yet ask me this question; what is it that pulls the wind along? What is it that drags the wind behind it? – Tell me that and you may know the entirety of your ancestry. How have things come to be this way? I left my life as a village Shaman only to walk out into the world and hear the spirit of the world. I no longer hear the spirits of men and women and animals and beasts praying upon my mind. I only hear a wind so vast, so immense, so dense and complex yet brutal and violent, so devoid of physical life yet so full of another kind of life all together, a new voice, a new calling. Never in my life have I ever imagined such a phenomenon. I have walked out from a world so nauseatingly small into a world so nauseatingly large. However, things are good now, things are better. I am no longer self-contained. Nights are always colder than I expect them to be. It seems to me that a place gets colder as it becomes more sparse. The winds grow wilder and the voices upon the air more distraught and hastened. Within the city I was protected from such wind by all of those walls scattered about the place, and a homely glow radiated through the warm houses into the air of the streets. This is not a rock I stand upon but… a boulder! I must feel its surface. And from that can we not ask ‘what it is that drags the earth along’? Is that a question that you would be so bold as to ask of the world? Well that is not the case. You are incapable of lying because you are of a race that was born from nothing else other than the core of this earth. In its core, the earth is truth through and through, and in being its direct offspring, you are incapable of lying. There are many shamans in the world, yet you are the only one of your species to be a shaman that was in servitude to mankind. There are others like you, like us, yet they have all lived their lives free and in solitude, in servitude to no man nor beast, with the exception of myself. What species am I? For I am not a man. I am blind yet still, there is that much that I know. The people from the village did not see it as a question. I was something to serve their needs. To acknowledge that I am another species would mean to acknowledge difficulties between me and them, difficulties that none were brave enough to face up to. You speak of the core of the world, yet you do not dwell underneath the soil, you roam upon the winds as you yourself said. How can the core of this earth give way to something so free as yourself if the core is rigid and firm within its standing? I have not forgotten it. It is simply the case that I have never known it. The villagers were selfish in their ways. They did not see me as a person with feasible emotions or sentiment. They did not understand that I needed to know the roots of my ancestry just like anyone else. I do not curse them for it, I only rejoice at now being able to find out what I could not find out before. He keeps a tight bond with his rare links to his ancestry. You are one of those rare links. The others who live their lives freely and in solitude, I have found and come to know all of them. I could not come to know you however, for you were locked away in the hands of men. Sundun! Sundun, where are you! Sundun! Yet we are not alike, for you are but the voice of one and I am the voice of many and you were forced into servitude and I, or rather, we chose to serve out of our own free will. It is so rough… and so cold. I never knew that such things were so naked before the elements, open to all barbarities and erosion, with no form of defence other than their own strength and size. This boulder shall remain here for a long while, yet the grit that sits on top of it shall soon be gone. Yet both of them are helpless before the cold, this wild, childlike cold that does play with and mock everything it invades. I feel I may faint, I feel my blood giving way more to the cold than the pulse of my heart and I can hardly breathe and yet… It represents every transition period throughout eternity, the transition periods between the endings of one ruling and the beginnings of a new one. It is during these moments that the carrier becomes the most significant. No… he spends his entire existence trying to find out who it is he is speaking for. But did you not say that we are the offspring of the core of this world? Therefore, does that not mean that the core is the highest and most distant peak of our ancestry, seeing as this world was born thousands and millions of years before ourselves? Well then let me tell you about your ancestry Sundun. Have yourself seated and I shall give you a blanket by which you can protect yourself from the wrath of these winds. So why are you here now, here talking to me? Why are you not with the person or persons that your life is surrendered to? I assumed it was a necessary condition of being a shaman. I assumed that unless you were incapable of lying, the spirits shan’t have anything to do with you. That is true, but yet you continue to fail to understand! Have you not felt it yet? Have you not felt the currents in the air flow upwards and outwards? The core has no concern for us being concerned about it. When we were born we were thrown outwards to the sky, scattered like seeds amongst the breeze. Did you not feel the cold winds? So you and I are alike are we not? We were both in servitude to someone other than ourselves, a peoples or a person that we placed above ourselves hierarchically. What you speak of is not of my concern. What of my ancestry? Tell me about my ancestry. Yes I do… what does it mean? But have you ever stopped to consider… What if there is no carrier? What if there is just you and nothing else? And what does the carrier’s voice do? I am not following Perlone… There is only one thing that I can conclude… Have you never wandered why it is you do not have the capacity to tell lies? It is not a question that concerns me. I did feel the cold winds… Sundun, do you see this image within your mind? And what if the voice of the carrier shall never find out who the carrier is? Sundun, there you are! You’ve been gone for hours, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick about you! Ryan’s been gone a long time as well, you haven’t seen him have you? I’d hate to think that anything bad had happened to him. And are you the carrier? Then for as long as the voice shall live it shall assume that the carrier does not want the voice to know who or what the carrier is. Goodbye Sundun… Sundun, Shaman of the Village of Thallass, have you forgotten your own ancestry? Then tell me, how am I to explain the things that are being carried before my very eyes? But is that all he does? No… I am the carrier’s voice. And from this, what can we now conclude? …I’ve never felt so alive…

29. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I can see very far out from up here. I was just observing the lands around us. The walk ahead of us for tomorrow doesn’t look like too much of a struggle from here. …So now Hailla has gone back to Vickaloss city and Sundun, Sail, Bikarack and myself continue northwards alone with no money in our pockets, only one sword and a very little amount of hope of making sense of anything much. Bikarack: Ryan! Ryan, where are you? Ryan! Well… that’s great I suppose. What on earth possessed you to go up there? Well come on then! …And that is more or less everything that has happened as of yet. I’m here Bikarack! Goodbye Ryan… Excellent! I thank you for telling me your story Ryan.

30. Where are you now? Where have you gone to? Come out, come out, wherever you are. Where shall we run to now? He always runs towards nothing. He knows that he’s running towards nothing yet he runs towards it nonetheless. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Hello? ………………………………………………………………………………………………

31. Did you know that there are many others like me, not many I gathered, yet a matter of two dozen of them perhaps? Do you know what they are like? They live their lives all alone, out in wild and beautiful places, in servitude to no single vision but instead are constantly reinventing new ones. Well in coming to discover this, I have discovered what and who I am. My place is not within the comfort of your ears, but within the soil and rocks beneath my feet and the winds above my head. The End Well my friend… that is the thing that I am not entitled by either myself or our task to tell you. My silence, or my shell, from here forth is something that no selection of words can crack open. I hope I have made myself understood. Your words make some strange sense. Therefore, I shall tell you what it is I have come to discover, or at least what it is you deserve to hear at this point. Your words are encouraging. I see that you are different from all those people back at the village. I see now that humans respond differently to those that have freedom. But that shall take us up to those vast eastern wastelands, those wide, open and barren lands that go on for hundreds of miles. Can we venture across them without ever having the privilege of the occasional spot of human civilisation to stock up upon our supplies? Okay! I got it! They’re quite large, so we should fill our bellies well… I know that you have suffered Sundun, but you cannot hide away forever, sooner or later you shall have to face up to the fact that you have left your room. This is just one of many ways in which you shall have to change who you are and how you see things. You have witnessed your own rebirth, being brought into a world completely different to what your world of all things spiritual was. This is one of many functions of coming to know what life is like here. Why, do not play games with me Master Ryan, for they shall not play upon my need to speak those words. I have spent my entire life locked up in that room and now have ventured up and outwards. Can you not expect such changes? What kind of ‘beast’ do you take me for? Are you alright there Sundun? A change has come over you, and yet I have never seen such a change. You have not spoken a word, yet you sigh and you admire, you listen and you do not speak. I have seen that your mouth is shut, but words are clogging your mouth and throat. Will you not unplug them and speak? For we travel into more hostile lands, I can see them ahead of us. The mountains are covered in ice and the winds are strong and clean. So…? What is it that has changed? You have no right to intrude upon my property! I am your leader, you are not mine. I shall speak what I will when I which for it to be willed and spoken. You know not from where I have come from, you do not know what lies here beneath my feet and in from of me. If I were to explain the changes that have came my way, you shall not understand a word of it. It shall be mere fiction, fable and even so much as nonsense to your ears, and yet you still demand an explanation on my behalf? But as you so suspect… something has changed. Let us merely say that I underestimated the force that works behind the thing it is that we are following. You are either a coward or else you are a very ill-spirited person. You are either a coward because you fear to tell someone something that he won’t even be capable of understanding, or else are very ill-spirited because you feel no need within yourself to explain yourself to me. Have all those years in that room crippled you so? – And if they have then why do you let them injure you so effectively? Tell me now, shall you not stand up to either one of these possible truths and speak with me? But does that not merely make you the exception? For I know no such character within you and I never would have guessed it, and even now that you have spoken of it, I still do not see it. You were brought into the world by different circumstances, and therefore, how can you be bound down by their rules? That ‘thing’ was my friend… can you not speak of him in this way please! Have some respect! …So shall we not carry on as we were? …You are not my friend. Why should I confide in someone who is not my friend? We shall have to. We have no choice. We shall walk across this mountain and then figure out our path from there. Well that is how fiends are made Sundun… you must confide in them. And we are destined to travel for many days together. Will you not speak your piece to a man who may very well one day become your friend? I apologise for the intrusion Sundun, I should not of had made such a suspicion. I shall speak of it no more, and shan’t ever again. What brought about this change? Entire production brought to you by Victor Verne Rikowski …………………………………………………………………………………….. And why would you have me speak with you? What can be achieved? Sundun…! That concludes it, I shall have no more of it! You shall tell me what it is that stands upon your mind! For you fend me off with meaningless distraction. Something has come to pass now I insist upon your explanation being made. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… If we are going to venture into that globe of doom then I ought to be able to ask you ‘what is troubling your mind? And if nothing troubles your mind then why has it changed?’ What do you suppose I cannot understand then? If I cannot understand it, then what harm is there in telling me about it? Exactly! There is no worth in doing so! ….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (Except for the fill-effects of some objects, which were pictures taken from the internet) ???……………………………………………………………………………………………………??? We have been heading North-West, well now we must head North-East. Our course has changed, as has our path and our destination. Our former destination was to the Realm of Yetal, yet now there is no other information on offer other than North-East. We shall stretch out far across these lands however. Of part 4