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In Light of Destiny Part I, Chapter III: Truth (continued)
Posted By: Jinkaiden-XI<Nolimits4csk@aol.com>
Date: 9 August 2003, 1:38 AM
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Daybreak.
No more early sunlight. The vessel is dark and cold, unlike the warm morning sun of Erusia. Sieg awakens, bringing life into his darkened world. He would have remained asleep, if it had not been for the fact that they would land on Harvest Moon in a matter of time.
Sieg speaks, "Why does this always bother me?"
Beware the open red carpet, for it is lined with the teeth of fate.
There it was again. Not the words, but the voices of the demon spirits that speak them. They are bound by the chains of holy light, never to be freed.
Sieg remains on the edge of his bed. All he wants is to be home at the colony, but there is no home for Sieg anymore. The colony is no more, but is that the truth? Is what John means to say the reality of it?
He is surprised when John himself enters the chamber. He stops a few feet away from Sieg and simply stands there, as if waiting for something unexpected. Sieg looks up at his weary face and asks, "John, is it true, what you meant to say about my home colony?"
"I never told you anything about it. Why do you question it?"
Sieg replies softly, "I could hear it in your voice. You didn't want to tell me because you knew it would be hard to understand."
John looks down at the floor, then at all sides of the chamber. It would appear he is trying to look at anything but Sieg's face. He is quiet for a moment.
In the end, he avoids the immediate truth once more. "I cannot simply tell you; I can't just describe it in words. You must see it with your own eyes. Only then will you fully understand what has led you here."
Sieg nods, hoping that perhaps he will understand. No hope enters his body. John approaches the cot and sits down. Sieg gazes at the floor as John looks skyward. "I know this is hard for you. I wish there was something more I could do, but..."
Sieg interjects, "I want to know what has happened to Erusia. I want the truth."
John sighs. " I can only take you there. You must realize the truth. Nobody can do it for you."
"Then take me there."
John senses impatience in Sieg's words. "When all this is over, I will take you to see what it is you are destined to understand."
Sieg says nothing. John, having said enough for the time being, rises and walks towards the door. He opens it and is about to exit when Sieg whispers, "When this is over...I will understand. But what sacrifice must I make?"
Perhaps he knows too much. There is little he must understand, but simply much he must know. So many questions...all he needs are the answers. Then he will realize he understands.
John pretends he does not hear Sieg and continues out the door, worry on his mind.
The door to the bridge slides open as John approaches it. With a faint hiss, it closes gently behind him. An officer salutes him as he takes his position, then says, "Sir, we are awaiting your order, sir."
John stands at the control panel, then replies, "Set course for Harvest Moon."
"Harvest Moon, confirmed."
Then he adds in a soft, quiet voice, "Time is short."
Sieg opens his eyes to be greeted by the ominous figure he has seen before. Once more, he embraces the circumstances he has time and time again. There is no sight, only mind. Actions are generated by the thoughts and nothing more. The body is in stasis, vital signs failing.
The figure now wears a jeweled crown over her long, braided hair. The crown bears another translucent cloth and flows down her backside and goes beyond her bare feet. "You...why do I see you every time I close my eyes?"
The figure replies, "You are a curious one. Could it be that perhaps we have a connection?"
Sieg is quick to reply, "A connection? I believe you are merely a dream. You resemble nothing more."
The figure glares at him. She sits upon a great and majestic throne, covered in blooming vines and translucent cloths of glowing, vibrant colors. "A dream, you say? I am insulted."
"Are you the one behind all this? The one who is constantly within my thoughts and dreams, sending me these messages?"
The figure laughs heartily, her laugh is almost musical. It seems to echo in the emptiness beyond. "No, curious one." She raises her left hand elegantly and gestures towards the floor. Sieg glances down, then again. "It is they, the demons, who are speaking to you."
On the floor is an aged gate, sealed by the holy metals that form it. Below the gate is a vast, seemingly endless chamber filled with the demon spirits of the Ancient times. Up to now, their existence in our time has been considered a myth; merely a fairytale or bedtime story. They moan continuously, as one or in large numbers.
One clawed hand, transparent but bearing a red color, grasps the gate and shouts in agony, "High Priestess, stop this at once! Spare us our savagery, and release us not. We wish not to be a plague upon these new worlds."
The figure turns to Sieg with a smug look on her face. "These demons preceded the Covenant, even the Forerunners. They were of the Ancient times, and now their civilization is ended and their spirits are bound to eternal confinement."
Sieg glares at the figure. "High priestess Ilainos...it is you after all."
The High Priestess continues. "The demons are soon to be under my rule. Before all is done with, they shall be freed again."
The emptiness grows and the blackness consumes Sieg entirely, swallowing him and delivering him to reality.
Sieg sits bolt upright. His breathing is fast and short, and his heart pounds. Beads of sweat run down his face.
"Was that...was that all real?"
Sieg realizes it was a dream, it had to be, but in truth, was it really all that false? Something about it seemed so true, so undeniably real. The High Priestess of the Covenant? Even she, like the demons of the Ancient times, was considered a myth. Nobody had ever known her to truly exist, for her majestic grace was thought to have vanished with the Covenant seven years earlier.
And what of the demon spirits? Although they had indeed existed at one time, their spirits were to have been given to the Fates.
Once more, the mystery behind the Fates was uncovered. Sieg remembers hearing of them, but never anything else. Nobody had explained to him that maybe they were real, but merely another story to keep him entertained.
The Fates were, supposedly, to have arisen the demon spirits quite some time ago. Upon doing this, the demons were supposed to dwell for eternity in the kingdom of the Fates. But surely an endless chamber bound with holy chains and gates was not the kingdom of the Fates.
Sieg lies back down on his cot and greets the night openly, pushing away everything else. For once he understands...
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