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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Revolutions of Time, by Jonathan Dunn
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Revolutions of Time
+
+Author: Jonathan Dunn
+
+Posting Date: February 14, 2015 [EBook #8735]
+Release Date: August, 2005
+First Posted: August 6, 2003
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REVOLUTIONS OF TIME ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Jonathan Dunn
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE
+REVOLUTIONS
+OF
+TIME
+
+By Jonathan Dunn
+
+
+Note to the reader: The manuscript for this book was found in a
+weather-beaten stone box on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Its contents
+were written in an ancient form of Latin, which was translated and
+edited by Jonathan Dunn.
+
+
+Dedicated to Bernibus,
+amicus certus in re incerta cernitur.
+
+
+Table of Contents:
+Chapter 1: Past and Present
+Chapter 2: Predestined Deja Vu
+Chapter 3: Zards and Canitaurs
+Chapter 4: Onan, Lord of the Past
+Chapter 5: The Treeway
+Chapter 6: The Fiery Lake
+Chapter 7: Down to Nunami
+Chapter 8: The Temple of Time
+Chapter 9: Mutually Assured Deception
+Chapter 10: Devolution
+Chapter 11: The Land Across the Sea
+Chapter 12: The White Eagle
+Chapter 13: The Big Bang
+Chapter 14: Past and Future
+
+
+...The very men who claimed mental superiority because they were free
+from superstitions and divine disillusionment were themselves victims of
+their own sophism, and while they thought themselves crowned with
+enlightenment, it was naught but the Phrygian caps of their prejudices
+toward the material state.
+
+--Jehu, the Kinsman Redeemer
+
+The physical manifestation of the spiritual force is not the spiritual
+force at all, only a bland deception. If you only focus on what you can
+see directly, than you chase after only the representation and not the
+object desired. If a bird is flying through the sky at noontime, casting
+a shadow on the ground below him, and a man comes along, and in the hope
+of catching the bird chases after its shadow, it is evident that he will
+never catch it, for when he does reach it, he will find that there is
+nothing there at all, only the shadow of what it was he desired. So it
+is with the spiritual!
+
+--Onan, Lord of the Past
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1: Past and Present
+
+
+
+My name is Jehu. Most probably it sounds foreign and unfamiliar to you,
+devoid of the qualities of affection and personality which give
+character to a name. It is a harsh name, cold and inhuman, like
+something out of the night, an unwelcome intruder into the warmth of
+familiarity. It inspires no blissful memories, nor does it kindle fond
+feelings in the bosom of the hearer, instead the heart is hardened to it
+like the feathers of a duck to water, repulsing it, leaving it to run
+off into the ditches and by-ways of the long forgotten past, to trickle
+dejectedly into those stagnant ponds where so many words of wisdom are
+imprisoned: out of sight, out of mind, out of heart, out of history. Yet
+while history is forgotten and misconstrued, it is repeated, for what is
+life without water, which nourishes and sustains it, and what is life
+without wisdom, which protects and cultivates it?
+
+Jehu is my name, though it no longer brings the quickened pulse and keen
+anticipation of happiness to the hearts of any, not even my own. For
+what deference can be given to a name, though not in itself a thing of
+dishonor, which represents the failure to derail the evitable fate which
+wrecks the race of man again and again. Not that I myself embody such a
+failure, nor even that I gave birth to the dreaded fate's latest
+momentum, but as is seen time and again throughout history, one name is
+brought to represent the tide of change, for better or worse, the doer
+of deeds which were done not by him, but by a mass of independent doers,
+yet it is written in the annals of history as the deeds of but one man.
+
+While I had little to do, consciously, with the doom of the earth, I
+will always be fingered as the villain, as the ambitious Napoleon or the
+barbaric Atilla, the arrogant Augustus or the fearful Cyrus. Someone has
+to bear the burden of shame on the pages of history for the people of
+his time, and in that sense, maybe I truly can be called their kinsman
+redeemer. Perhaps it is my fate to bear witness to the wrongs of a
+people, of which even you are not wholly innocent.
+
+And yet can an individual be blamed for the faults of a society, can
+personal responsibility be extended to the members of an unknown
+multitude? How the enjoined conscience of one longs to say no, but in
+good faith it cannot be said, for in this case the mask of ignorance
+cannot supersede the face of guilt. Indeed, ignorance in this case only
+adds to the shame of the guilty, this being a crime not of misdeeds but
+of negligence, twisted together with the vices of humanity into a thick
+and sturdy cord, a rope that cannot be pulled apart and individually
+examined, yet must be taken as a whole. Insularly, the strand of
+ignorance could be easily snapped, remedied by but a little education,
+yet when woven together by one's own hands with prides and prejudices,
+it forms an unbreakable rope, which is placed about our neck to hang us:
+through means of our own doing is our fate foretold. If but one or two
+of the strands were omitted, the result would be a feeble rope, easily
+broken, and we would live. But by our own vices is our mortality made
+manifest, by our own wrongs are we wronged.
+
+By now you may be beginning to feel the impulses of indignation arising
+in your breast, for who am I, the admittedly despicable Jehu, to group
+you as my fellow convicts, my co-conspirators, in a sense? And you are
+right, for I am not your judge and neither do I wish to be.
+
+Having said that, I now request of you to put down the book and
+discontinue reading.
+
+"Surely," you say to yourself, "He is mentally deranged, for what author
+in his right mind would encourage his readers to disperse, what writer
+does not thrive on the digestion of his words by an eager audience?"
+
+Here I must make a revelation to you: if my manuscript has indeed been
+found, then I have long since been dead; and I assure you that in
+whatever form my existence takes in the present, I have little desire
+for your intrigue or goodwill. Do you think Melville is consoled in
+death of his miserable life by the vainglorious praises of the living?
+Or do you think that Poe is comforted by such avid attentions in his
+present abode? In truth, Melville's only rivalry is now within, and
+Poe's only raven that daunting memory of those truths which had escaped
+him in life, but which now are opened to you.
+
+More importantly, if this manuscript has been found, it proves that what
+is contained herein is the unerring truth. I do not write this to
+exonerate myself, however let me say here that I am more the Andre' than
+the Arnold, for I was but the emissary of history, not the traitor to
+humanity, and if not me then some other would have filled the void. Let
+it be remembered that it was Andre' who gave his life for his deeds, and
+yet it is Andre' who is recollected with a sweet sorrow, and though
+Arnold lived, he had no peace. Yet while history is vivid and
+encyclopedic, in itself a living organism, it can speak only through the
+mouths of men, who often misrepresent it for their own partisan and
+prejudiced plans. It is strong and steadfast, though, and in time is
+always victorious over its menial opposition, for what is history but
+the past tense of truth, and it is justly said that veritas numquam
+perit, truth never dies.
+
+Going back to what I said before, namely that at my manuscript's
+discovery my demise will itself be history: I am assured that such is
+true, for even now as I write this my death is near at hand. How wide
+the abyss of time that separates us is I cannot tell, but I do know that
+it is beyond the reckoning of men, such an unknown barrage of hollow,
+formless years. Yet as you read this it is as if I were speaking
+directly to you, despite all of the desolation between our times. That
+is what makes history an organic being, and by history I mean all of the
+past, or all of the future, depending on your viewpoint.
+
+A book is a connection between times and peoples, more so than any other
+medium. As I put these words down in writing, it is as if I am imparting
+my very self into the pages. And as you read them, the name Jehu slowly
+forms into an image, into a personality, and from the empty word Jehu
+comes the great well of affection springing from a personal intimacy. A
+book is an enigma in which no time exists, and as it is read it brings
+the reader into its eternal being, for while it sits closed on a shelf
+it is no more than a forgotten memory, yet when it is opened its
+contents come to life and its characters and locations are once more
+existent in the same state as when they were written, the story becomes
+once more reality.
+
+While I have long been deceased, when you read this I am brought to life
+once more, and with my rebirth I tell you my story, and make known to
+you the truths contained therein. The words of this book are a rune
+gate, a portal to the past, and as you read them, your present fades
+away and you are drawn into my present, this very moment in which I now
+write. Then you connect with me intimately, and for a brief time the
+gulf of mortality is transcended and the depths of my being are laid
+open to you. We commune together and you eat of my flesh and drink of my
+blood, merging your existence with mine.
+
+Come to me now, my friend, come to me across the gulf of mortality, for
+I await you. Come, and in your spiritual peregrination meet with me, in
+this land of the past which is so foreign and unfamiliar to you, but
+which will become for a time your home. Come to me, my friend, and let
+me tell you my story.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 2: Predestined Deja Vu
+
+
+
+It was in the last stages of sleep that I began to feel the warm morning
+sun strike my face, and hear the pleasant chirping of birds and
+crickets. I rolled slowly over, stretched my legs and my back, and stood
+up, with the last remnants of a dream playing quietly in my mind. But as
+I came to my feet and got a clear view of where I was, I realized it was
+not a dream that I had had at all, but something far more sobering. I
+found myself somewhere in the center of a very large prairie which
+covered the land for many miles around. From the sun's lowly position on
+the eastern horizon, it was evident to me that the new day was just
+dawning, casting a golden hue on the grasses that covered the prairie's
+surface.
+
+Around the distant outskirts of the plain I could make out a ring of
+trees circumventing the whole, waving almost imperceptibly to and fro in
+the light breeze that was blowing. A few miles to the southwest there
+was a group of odd looking trees stretching up over the horizon to a
+considerable height. They were closer than the outer ring, which kept a
+uniform girth around the prairie, but somehow they looked very peculiar
+and foreboding, and I got one of those sobering feelings which I like to
+call predestined deja vu. What I mean is that I got a sense of deja vu,
+but instead of the past converging with the present into one thought,
+the present seemed to converge with the future, and the result was a
+mysterious foreboding of something, though I couldn't tell what. That is
+the sensation that I had when I saw what I assumed to be a small
+grouping of trees somewhere in the southwestern portion of the savanna,
+though that was merely a guess, for in the distance I could only make
+out several dark forms rising out of the grassland like trees, or
+possibly buildings, one of them being a great deal taller than the
+others, with a spherical shape on top that only faintly resembled a
+tree's crown. If it was indeed a tree, it was the largest that I have
+ever seen, for it looked to be upwards of 800 feet tall.
+
+My mental warning bells were ringing quite loudly, and I endeavored to
+silence them by extreme exertions of the will, but they would not be
+subdued. I assumed that they were not at all correct, much like the
+fearful expectancy some have while swimming in the ocean, out of sight
+of all land, of being attacked by an enormous leviathan of the deep. As
+unfounded as the fear is, it places one into a frenzy of dubious
+thoughts that inspire equally frantic and anarchist actions. Because of
+this, I thought that my ideas were naught but superstitious fancies, yet
+try as I might, I could not rid myself of them.
+
+Instead, I made up my mind to set off in the opposite direction, north,
+and to advance at a double march until I should reach the woody border,
+which looked to present shelter not only from the southern apparitions,
+but also from the shielded underworld of the grasses, in which also
+dwelt the mysterious sense of fear and predestined deja vu. It was
+slightly chilly, but beyond that nothing defaced the temperate beauty of
+the day, and even that promised to soon dissipate with the continual
+strengthening of the sun's warmth. As I walked, or rather, trotted
+along, it did just that, and in the growing warmth of the day the sweet
+fragrances of the many various grasses rose to the surface, delighting
+my odor perceiving sensors with their earthy simplicity.
+
+The day marched on, and with it I, and the distant wall of trees began
+to slowly grow closer. At length, I found myself at their edge, at
+around the noon hour, and as I came upon the first of them, I leaned
+against the trunk of a large, thickset tree for a moment of repose and
+reflection in its shade. It was by all appearances an ancient wood, for
+the line between it and the prairie was distinct, appearing as if the
+shrubs and lesser flora had acquiesced to fate and retreated beyond the
+forest's claimed boundaries, rather than continue for countless ages to
+charge and then be pushed back, to gain a foothold only to be thrown out
+a year or two later. The trees themselves were mighty pinions of
+strength, tall and of great girth, and spread far apart from one
+another, leaving wide open spaces between their towering trunks. A
+short, soft grass clothed the land that stretched on in their midst,
+joined in its solitude by a hearty looking moss that stretched itself
+out on the trunks of the trees and on the rocks and boulders that lay
+scattered here and there among the open spaces. Far above, the trees'
+great branches spread out a thick canopy, covering the whole of the
+forest area in a relaxing and invigorating twilight, rendering itself
+homely and quaint. After a few moments of enjoying that most pleasing
+scene, I roused and extricated myself unwillingly from its enchanted
+depths and set off once more into the heart of the woods, having no
+where else to go.
+
+After a time, I cannot say how long, I came upon a small, trickling
+stream which flowed deeper into the woods, that direction being
+northward. A short walk along its path, after refreshing myself to
+content with its pure waters, brought me to its destination: a large
+lake into which the forest opened. Its banks were very gradual and the
+grass of the woodland led right up to the water's edge. The surface of
+the water itself was smooth and delicate.
+
+Amidst the pleasantness of the scene, there was something missing from
+the feel of the area: inhabitants. There was an abundance of wild life
+of all kinds, and much organic life as well, but something greater than
+flora or fauna was missing: people. I had traveled so far, and without
+any sighting of a person. It was a lonely and desolate feeling which
+prevailed, despite the abundances of life. Novelties soon grow worthless
+with no one to share them with, ideas become meaningless if not
+communicated timely, emotions grow boisterous and uncontrollable with no
+end to receive them.
+
+I was quite alone, unfortunately, and it dampened my spirits
+considerably. Feeling despondent, I turned and walked sullenly from the
+lake's edge into the woodland once more, with no definite purpose in
+mind, only a meandering thought of my dismal situation. My thoughts
+morphed, in succession, from anxiety to despair, to anger, to
+frustration, and in my frustration I knelt down and picked up a fallen
+branch from the ground, walked to the nearest tree, and eyed a strange,
+protruding knob that stuck out from the trunk. I held the branch at
+shoulder's length and swung it at the knob with all the force of my
+built up emotions. It hit with a crash and a hollow thud, leaving the
+branch broken and my arm sore, but the knob undamaged.
+
+But then something unexpected happened: with a grating noise, a small
+hole appeared part way up the trunk, coming from what looked to be solid
+wood, for no sign was seen before of its having an opening. From the
+newly opened hole was then thrust out a head, hairy and with a short
+snout-like edifice for a nose and mouth. Its eyes and the furry hair
+which covered its face were brown, and a few wily whiskers protruded
+from its snout. With a look of utter surprise, as if it had not expected
+me as much as I had not expected it, it eyed me closely for a moment and
+then looked anxiously from side to side and told me to come in.
+
+When those words passed its lips, or whatever artifice it spoke from, a
+great weight fell from my shoulders. After a short moment, quickened by
+my relief, a door appeared in the trunk of the tree, its edges
+previously hidden behind the thick mosses. Swinging inwards, it opened
+and revealed the creature standing there, beckoning me to enter. I did,
+and the door shut behind me, leaving me in the darkness of the hollow
+tree.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 3: Zards and Canitaurs
+
+
+
+My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and once they did I saw that
+the trunk was hollowed out to the extent of eight feet in diameter, with
+two stairways, one up and another down, filling either corner of the
+small entry room in which I found myself. Observing that my vision was
+returned enough to see, the strange creature which had greeted me led me
+down the descending staircase for a short way, until we came into a
+cavern which was delved beneath the roots of the tree.
+
+The walls and floor of the cavern, or more accurately, the sitting room,
+for such it appeared to be, were paneled with a thick, heavy wood with
+an almost artificially symmetric grain, and the ceiling was done in
+diagonal boards of the same. Sitting in the center of the room was a
+brick-laid pit in which burned an illuminating fire, and around it was
+placed an odd covering frame that caught up the smoke and channeled it
+via underground passages to some distant wilderness, where its sightless
+remnants would dissipate into the atmosphere unnoticed. On the near side
+of the fire was a round table flanked by four large, comfortable chairs,
+padded by cushions made from the same material as the various carpets
+and tapestries around the room.
+
+There were two more of the strange creatures seated at the table, called
+Canitaurs as I later found out, and as they are closely entwined with my
+story, being prominent participants, I will describe them in some detail
+here. They stood erect like a man, yet were quite contrasted in
+appearance. Their skin for one was covered in a thick, impenetrable coat
+of hair, much like a dog or a bear's. Their hands, also, were less
+distinct in the fingers, though but slightly, and their limbs were a
+little longer and thicker than a man's. The two most notable
+differences, however, were the formation of their shoulders and chest,
+which were very pronounced and muscular, and their faces. The latter's
+features were brought to a point in the short snout, or muzzle, that
+formed their nose and mouth, taking their chins with it and leaving a
+long line from their neck to their chest open. Humanity prevailed in the
+rest of their features, though, giving them the look of a man and canine
+hybrid.
+
+By then I had overcome my initial perplexion at the sight of the
+Canitaurs, and I endeavored to put a strong check over my emotions in
+order to prevent another outbreak of panic and to remain cool and
+candid, come what would. Yet it was, ironically, the product of my
+rashness that I had found their habitation at all. This I successfully
+did, and as I entered the room, led by the Canitaur who was on watch,
+the others stood politely and greeted me with an apparent intrigue.
+
+Our conversation proceeded at follows:
+
+"I am Wagner of the Canitaurs, my friend," said the one who appeared to
+be the leader, "And these are Taurus and Bernibus," the latter being the
+one who had led me down. "Welcome to Daem."
+
+"I am Jehu," I told them, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
+
+"Indeed, and under such circumstances as well. Tell me, how did you come
+to be here?"
+
+Here I smiled nervously, and replied, "I am a traveler from a distant
+land, and came here by the advice of a friend."
+
+At this somewhat false answer, more in character than in content, Wagner
+looked at me wonderingly, as if detecting my falsehood, but did not
+follow his look with any probing questions, to my great relief. In order
+to steer the conversation away from this point, I added quickly, "I am
+not at all disappointed, either, for the landscape is beautiful and the
+trees and foliage are wondrously large, but I was surprised to find
+that, from the prairie to the lake, I saw no one living among these
+quaint locations."
+
+Wagner looked at me closely, with a hint of almost reverencing respect
+and said, "You were very fortunate in your travels, I assure you, for
+had you arrived at any other time, you would have fallen into fouler
+hands than ours by far."
+
+"I do not understand what you mean," I said.
+
+"Of course not, I am forgetting your new arrival has left you
+unacquainted with affairs that I am faced with everyday. Let me explain:
+we, that is, the Canitaurs, have been in open hostilities with the other
+group of people on this island, the Zards, for as long as we can
+remember. They have great military superiority in this section of Daem,
+and when we come here we are forced to live in hiding, in outposts such
+as this one."
+
+"Why not just make peace?" I asked.
+
+"Because it is our ideologies that conflict, neither group of us will
+yield, and the solution can only be decided by force, military force. It
+is fortunate that you have come among us first, for they would have
+mistreated you."
+
+"So you have said, though I do not see why I was not captured by them on
+my journey through the plains, if they are as powerful in this quarter
+as you say," I replied.
+
+"As I said, the timing of your arrival was very fortunate," he said, "At
+any other time you would have surely been caught, and then your fate
+would have been uncertain, but yesterday was the Zard's new year, the
+Kootch Patah, on which they spend all night in celebrations and
+revelries. Because of this, they were all soundly asleep on your trip
+through the prairie, very possibly laying at your feet, covered by the
+tall grasses."
+
+So my fears were not as unfounded as I had thought, was my predestined
+deja vu, then, real as well? Only time would tell.
+
+"I am indeed lucky then, as you have said, not only in the Zard's
+unattentiveness, but also in finding of your secreted habitation, as
+well as your friendly welcoming of me," I said.
+
+"I must confess," he chuckled, "It is not merely from a one-sided
+hospitality that you are welcomed."
+
+"Indeed?" I said.
+
+"Indeed," he answered, "For your appearance and the circumstances of
+your arrival are almost uncannily the realizations of one of our most
+ancient prophesies, one which we have longed to have fulfilled."
+
+"Is that so?" I rhetorically asked.
+
+"Surely it is," he said with a smile, though from happiness or humor I
+could not tell. He went on soberly, saying: "The prophecy is concerning
+the kinsman redeemer, one of the ancients sent by Onan, the Lord of the
+Past, to redeem us from the destruction of this polluted world."
+
+"What do you mean by 'one of the ancients'?" I interjected
+questioningly.
+
+"Exactly what I said," Wagner replied with a light hearted smile, "Let
+me explain."
+
+But before he could, we were interrupted by a violent scratching and
+pounding at the door, along with some grunting voices which I could not
+understand. The Canitaur's ears, which were quite large, though more
+erect and postured than floppy, quickly rose to attention, and they had
+spent not a moment listening when they uniformly chorused, "Zards," in a
+hoarse whisper. My earlier fear, then mysterious but now understood,
+returned in full force, and my face writhed in horror as I ejaculated
+remorsely, "Then we are lost."
+
+Wagner turned gravely towards me and said, "Perhaps, but there is still
+hope. Come, follow me," and rising from his chair he led the way to the
+furthest corner of the room. A primitive tapestry was hanging there, and
+Wagner lifted it up while Bernibus and Taurus hit two hidden switches,
+one being on either extremity of the room, to avoid discovery. That
+unlocked the wall behind the tapestry. It opened along lines previously
+concealed by the wood's grain and revealed a small cubbyhole built into
+the wall, probably meant for its present use, concealment. Wagner led us
+into it and no sooner was the door, or wall, latched again than the
+Zards, having broken down the outside door by brute strength, flooded
+into the room.
+
+We could see them as they did, for the wall that concealed us had many
+small holes, and the tapestry as well, so that on the inside we could
+see all that happened in the well lit room, while they could not see us,
+as there was no light to reveal us. Indeed, I had been sitting facing
+the hidden compartment during our brief dialog and had not detected it
+at all. The situation was quite different at that time, though, for the
+Zards were actively looking for us, whereas I was merely glancing
+occasionally at the wall.
+
+Now that they were closer, I could easily understand their conversation:
+
+
+"Blast it, they aren't here," said one,
+
+"Probably deserted the place after Garlop saw them, he should have kept
+watch."
+
+"Why? He couldn't have stopped a group of them, and they're too keen to
+be followed."
+
+"Aye, he did right to hurry off, but it would be a shame if they
+escaped," another joined.
+
+"The King is here though, and there's no fooling him.
+
+"Hear ye, hear ye," the others assented, that being a common phrase
+among them which was the equivalent of an 'I agree' or 'Amen'.
+
+A larger, more commanding Zard, whom the others looked in deference to,
+then came down the stairs, saying as he entered the room, "Let us not
+celebrate prematurely, gentlemen. There is nothing of interest above, so
+we will have to search carefully down here."
+
+"Sir, is it true it was a hairless one he saw?" one asked him.
+
+"We are all hairless here," he said, laughing with the others, "But yes,
+it is reported that Garlop saw one of the ancients, and with his sharp
+eyes and knowledge of history, it is assumed to be true. I need not
+remind you, then, the need to find them before they are too far away, it
+is imperative to the cause that the ancient is not brought to the hidden
+fortress of our adversaries."
+
+The Zards then set to work with great assiduity searching for any clues
+of the Canitaur's whereabouts, examining everything meticulously, yet
+quickly. They tore the furniture apart to look for hidden compartments,
+followed the smoke pipes through the ground to their outlets, tore off
+the floor boards to look for secret passages, and did the same to the
+ceiling.
+
+Before I continue with my story, let me pause for a moment to describe
+to you the appearance of the Zards, for you are probably curious as to
+what they look like.
+
+Quite different from the Canitaurs, they were, in fact, completely
+hairless, being almost lizard-like. They stood erect, about the same
+height as a man, that is, about six feet or a little over that, and
+their bodies resembled those of alligators, with short, thickset legs,
+stout arms, and a long body with a tail draping down to the ground,
+looking like a giant tongue, though covered, of course, in scales. Their
+heads were small, having a little skull on which were the eyes and ears
+and with a long snout that, like the Canitaurs', held their noses,
+mouths, and chin. Huge, sharp teeth filled their mouths and gave them an
+odd, fiercely sophisticated look. Their hands were thick with long
+fingers, and though their overall appearance had an air of awkwardness
+about it, they set to their tasks with great dexterity, though if it was
+natural or the result of their excited state, I could not tell. Indeed,
+I began to grow worried when the Zard who was removing the walls, to
+check for holes or tunnels, drew near to us as he methodically pried off
+the panels with a metal bar and looked for anything suspicious.
+
+He moved along quickly and was just about to put the bar to our covering
+and pull when another Zard, on the other end of the room, held aloft a
+piece of paper, calling the attentions of the others to it. Our almost
+discoverer went himself to the other Zard, and we were, for a moment at
+least, saved from being exposed. Having read the paper, the taller Zard,
+the King, said to the others, "Well done, lads. We have here a map to
+the Canitaur's hidden fortress. Let us go to Nunami, gather some troops,
+and surprise them. Today may prove victorious, so let us hurry."
+
+The others assented and as a body they went up the stairs and out the
+door, hurrying forth, it seemed, to do their dastardly deeds, and in
+their ardor not leaving behind even a single one to guard the hideout.
+Despite our good fortunes, my spirits were damp, for my sorrow of the
+Canitaur's ill fate was as a wound in my bosom, knowing that I had been
+the sole reason for their discovery. What a good kinsman redeemer, I
+thought, for my coming may have ended the wars, or put its completion in
+motion, yet not in the favor of my hosts.
+
+To my chagrin, however, the Canitaurs, led by Wagner, were buxom,
+seeming to find great humor in what had happened. Turning to them in a
+zealous perplexity, I said spiritedly, "How can you laugh? You may have
+escaped, but your brethren are doomed, and you yourselves will not last
+long around enemies without the protection of the other Canitaurs."
+
+But my rebuke only seemed to make their laughter and mirth more hearty,
+and they raged on without ceasing for a time. After a while, when they
+were reduced to a smiling remnant of their former pleasure, Wagner
+turned gravely towards me and said, "Forgive me, Jehu, for not
+explaining it to you. You are right to chastise us, but the situation is
+not as you seem to think it, for the map they found was a fake, and will
+lead them to nowhere of importance, while we affect our escape. We are
+lucky that they left no guard, but come, let us not tempt fate and
+remain any longer in this compromised outpost, to the fortress we go!"
+
+He finished and met with the approbations of the others, and
+accordingly, we exited the cubby hole and made our way through the
+rummaged room, up the stairs, and out of the tree. It was now early
+evening, and the temperance of twilight, with its soft and mellow
+splendors, only increased the pleasantness of the area. A slight breeze
+prevailed and rustled the leaves and boughs of the giant trees just
+enough to render it pacifying and comforting. Being quickened by the
+breeze, the lake danced on in its earlier smoothness, only in a faster
+tempo, improving the ruggedness of the watery wrinkles. The last
+visiting rays from the sun were congregated on the eastern shores,
+saying their good-byes to the glowing trees, and giving their parting
+respects before being whisked away to their native lands of fire, to
+come again in great numbers on the morrow.
+
+We set off around the lake, making our way northward towards the rugged
+mountains rising before us in a grand show of might. Wagner and Taurus
+walked before and behind us, respectively, Wagner leading the way and
+Taurus erasing the marks of our passing, and both watching for any signs
+of ambush. Bernibus walked abreast of myself, keeping me in pleasant
+company, for he was a very enjoyable companion.
+
+During our walk, Bernibus and I had an insightful conversation, of which
+I will relate to you the following, as you may find it interesting:
+
+"Tell me," I said to him, "You seem to be a jovial people, despite the
+war that you find yourselves in, but are all of your people of the same
+attitude?"
+
+"Very nearly, yes," he replied, "For though we do not wish war, the
+principles at stake here are important enough for us to sacrifice an
+easy life for them. We've grown used to it, everything is done in such a
+way as to promote secrecy and stealth, those being our main advantages
+in the conflict. Out of hundreds of outposts like the one we were just
+in, for example, only four others have ever been discovered, and the
+Zards still have no clue where our fortress is." This he said in a
+boastful manner, but as he did a faint spirit of sorrow spread across
+his face for an instant, as if in memory of one of the raids of previous
+times.
+
+"That explains their rapture when they found the false map," I returned,
+"But I must admit that I am still ignorant of the cause of the wars. It
+was said that it was conflicting ideologies, yet that is self-evident,
+as all conflict is at heart just that. I don't mean, either, the actions
+that caused the most recent inflammation, but what exactly your
+conflicting ideologies are? What is it that keeps you from harmony?"
+
+"You have a knack for hard questions," he said with a smile. Then he
+paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. At length, he continued,
+"The Canitaurs have a profound respect for all that has gone before us,
+we honor the traditions of our ancestors and revere their beliefs and
+their ideas of truth. The past, in the guise of history, is the key to
+the future, we believe, and we hold strictly to the worship of Onan, the
+Lord of the Past," at this my attention was perked. He continued, "Our
+adherence to the ways of our ancestors is based on the idea that what
+has continued throughout the ages has continued because it is right,
+that it has remained steadfast because it is based on the immovable
+foundations of reality. We follow Onan because he is real, because the
+past has existed, and it is certain that it will continue to exist, and
+because that existence dictates the operation of the present. Although
+we may seem ritualistic and entrenched in tradition to the outside
+observer, we enjoy the comforts of knowing that we are on a well tread
+path, that we are not alone in time but in company with our forebears.
+We are called the Pastites because of our beliefs, because of our
+tradition based lives that instill in us a reliance on history, on the
+events of the past as a light by which to guide our own actions, as a
+road paved by the flesh and blood of our forefathers which leads to
+happiness and peace."
+
+Bernibus paused for another moment, as if in contemplation once again,
+before he continued, saying, "The Zards are followers of the future, or
+Futurists as they are called. They believe that the past is just that,
+the past: the ignorant and selfish times of the unenlightened who were
+too shrouded by prejudices to understand the world clearly. Instead they
+place their faith in the scientific and philosophical ideas of the day,
+believing that while history and the past were delegated to the control
+of the unsophisticated whose ways were superstitious and outdated, the
+present contains truth in its pure form. Reform and revolution are their
+watchwords, for they tinker with the very foundations of society and
+life in an attempt to cultivate it. Zimri is their Lord, of the Future,
+and they follow him loosely, for he doesn't require the strict adhesion
+that Onan does, which suits their independent and relaxed world view
+very well."
+
+He went on, in summary, "In a word, the Pastites believe that history,
+the reality of the past, governs the present and the future, while the
+Futurists believe that the future defines the present and the past."
+
+"I begin to see the differences," I replied in a humble, questioning
+manner, "And yet they seem to me to be passive, secondary differences,
+the kind that result in a conflict of subtle disagreements here and
+there, argued over dessert like tariffs or taxes, not at all violent.
+How is it that they take such a prominent role in everyday life that
+they can only be resolved by force? What is it that takes it from the
+fireside to the battlefield?"
+
+Here I was slightly taken aback by the expression on Bernibus' face, it
+was one of surprise mingled with apprehension and questioning. He said,
+"Then you do not know?"
+
+"Know what?"
+
+He laughed, "I take it you do not." Becoming solemn again, he continued,
+"Our land, Daem is on the edge of ruin, and has been for all of my life
+and those of many generations before me. About 530 years ago there was a
+great war on earth, one in which no restraint was used, no mutually
+assured destruction, for nuclear weapons came into the hands of those
+who cared not for any life, not even their own. Tensions were high for a
+decade, and in the following segregation, the peoples of the earth lost
+their personal connection with their enemies, and, as always happens,
+ceased to view them as equals, but instead as evil ones bent on their
+destruction. Things came to such a crisis that at last a little flame
+was lit and it grew and grew until it became a full scale nuclear war.
+The destruction was total: no one was exempt, as almost everything, and
+everyone, was destroyed. The only surviving place was this island, which
+is the sole habitat of the delcator beetle, a small insect that digests
+nuclear waste and neutralizes it. The first few decades were horrible,
+before the atmosphere recovered enough to return to normal, and in that
+time things mutated and grew gigantic. The trees and foliage, as you
+see, are an example of this, even the redwood trees of old were nothing
+compared to the trees of Daem. And the Zards and Canitaurs grew and
+changed as well, and, as we lived on either ends of the island, as we do
+now, our forms morphed into the separate forms that they now take.
+
+"And that is where our conflict turned violent," he continued, "For it
+is our desire, on both sides, to return the earth to its previous state.
+The Pastites want to return through time and stop the destruction before
+it happens, because we believe that the past is what must be changed in
+order to change the present and future. It is the actions of the past
+that brought about the present woes, and it is they that must be undone.
+For their part, the Futurists want to change the present through the
+future, to go into the future and bring back its completion, in the form
+of restored RNA cells, which is congruent with their belief that the
+past is the past and all that matters is that which is yet to come, that
+which still has the hope of existence."
+
+I looked at him as he finished and said, "But, why not do both. Wouldn't
+that be more effective than fighting each other? How can continued
+destruction revert previous destruction inflicted in the same manner?
+Could not both ideas be tried?"
+
+"If only they could," he replied. "It goes back to Onan and Zimri, you
+see, for we ourselves cannot do such things, but the gods whom we follow
+can. Shortly after the worldwide destruction, we, meaning both the Zards
+and the Canitaurs, received the prophesy of the kinsman redeemer, who
+would be sent to help us change the earth to its former majesty. He was
+to be one from the time right before the beginning of the final
+firefight, one of the ancients who still kept the pure human form. Our
+hostilities broke out in an attempt to control the entire island, so
+that when he should come, the dominant force would have him. Each side
+was convinced that theirs was the right way, the only way through which
+the end of restoring the earth's ecosystem could be reached. You are the
+kinsman redeemer, Jehu, for you fit the prophecy perfectly, and I am
+glad that you have fallen in with us."
+
+After his discourse, Bernibus fell into a silent meditation, as did I,
+and the rest of our walk through the now dark wilderness was one of
+silence and solitude. Given the cessation of action in my narrative, I
+will take this opportunity to describe the circumstances of my arrival
+on the island of Daem, about which you are no doubt wondering.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 4: Onan, Lord of the Past
+
+
+
+Not wishing to delve too far into my past or relate what would be
+mundane and disconnected with my story, I will summarize with brevity
+what my situation was. I was a military man, an Air force pilot to be
+exact, and was on active duty patrolling the no-fly zones off the coast
+of China, it being, at that time, an area of very high tensions. The
+situation was grim, as any small incident promised to set the pendulums
+of war into motion, but the worst had subsided, and things were
+beginning to look as if that incendiary incident wouldn't come after
+all. The main part of my story begins on a cloudy night of what was to
+me just a few weeks back, though it seems like many ages ago now, and
+indeed, it was.
+
+I was flying over an area that was littered with small volcanic islands,
+the type that rise above or fall below sea level continually, so that
+what one year is above water is later below. Some of them have even been
+known to only rise above the waves for a short time, and then vanish
+from the sea completely, worn down by wind and waves. The night was
+murky, and the air was thick with water and dust, the result being that
+there was no natural light whatsoever, and any artificial light that
+could be mustered was largely reduced to nothing, visibility being no
+more than twenty feet.
+
+The wind was calm and the flying, though strenuous from lack of sight,
+was without turbulence. I was doing well, until out of nowhere I heard a
+loud crack of thunder, followed by a bolt of lightning that hit the
+plane. At once I lost all of the instruments, excepting the actual
+control of the plane in manual, meaning that the radar and all the
+guidance systems were crippled, and I could see nothing. Not knowing
+what to do, and not being able to radio for help, I pulled down and
+slowed until I was just barely remaining airborne, and began looking for
+an island to land on.
+
+Once below 200 feet, the clouds gave way and I saw an island. I aimed
+for it and slowed more, preparing to land on it. I did, though just
+barely, for it was extremely small, being one of those inconsistent
+volcanic islands. Getting out of the plane, I was greeted by a strong
+blast of wind that was dripping water from its cold grip, and I was
+instantly chilled to the bone. There was nothing on the island at all,
+except for the hole in its center, from which, no doubt, came the lava
+that had formed it. It was on a slightly elevated hill, and looked as if
+it had not erupted for many thousands of years. With nothing to do at
+that moment except to get an idea of the island that I had landed on, I
+walked over to it and knelt down beside it, peering blankly into its
+depths. It seemed to be absolutely devoid of light, and, as often
+happens, its darkness was mysterious to me, for I wondered what lay
+hidden in it, and my curiosity got the better of my common sense. I
+leaned slowly forward. Then, as I did so, I heard a loud and terrible
+voice, personified in the crashing of the waves and the moaning of the
+wind, and it said in a monotonous and unending refrain, "Enter." Nothing
+more nor less than the continual repetition of that word. This alarmed
+me, and as I did not want to do that, I began to stand upright and back
+away from it, to return to my plane. But as I raised my knee from the
+ground in order to stand, my other knee slipped under the increased
+pressure, and in the ensuing instability, I completely lost my balance
+and fell forward into the hole.
+
+There are certain events in our lives that change the whole course of
+our existence, and falling forward into the hole was one for me. Its
+immediate effects weren't injurious to me at all, but it matured with
+time, like a good wine, and grew until it overcame me, starting the
+chain of events which would result in my demise. Yet not only mine, but
+that of everyone.
+
+Let me continue, though, and I will explain what I mean and not confuse
+you more. I landed with a thud on a pile of soft dirt some twenty feet
+down, in a dark place which seemed open, not cavernous and cramped as I
+would have expected. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and as they did,
+I realized it was not now totally lightless, for there was a faint glow
+coming from somewhere in the distance. Looking up through the passage I
+had come down, I saw that there was no way to climb up it, and,
+accordingly, set off to find the source of the faint light that came
+from the distance. After walking cautiously through the darkness, I
+reached a curve and then a tunnel-like exit to the spacious cavern that
+I was in, and as I turned it I saw the source of the light: lava flows.
+The room, or area, I had entered was rather thin and round, with a river
+of lava flowing downwards and a small ledge of rock winding along its
+edge. Together they descended spirally downwards at a gentle angle,
+taking the form of an intelligently designed ramp. As I followed it down
+I soon broke out in a sweat, for the gurgling, fiery plasma heated the
+area up to a warm degree.
+
+I found myself looking intently at the flowing fire beside which I
+walked, its strangeness stealing my meditations from other things, and I
+looked at it absorbingly, not paying attention to the path that I walked
+on, so entranced was I with the feeling that its boiling character gave
+to me.
+
+As I walked along the lava preoccupied with my meditations and not
+paying conscious attention to the path, my subconscious was carefully
+monitoring my way, and when once my eyes glanced upward, I quickly saw
+that my surroundings had changed. The narrow, spiral descending tunnel
+had given way to a very cavernous area where the lava flow formed a
+large lake of fire. A domed ceiling crowned this great room, though not
+exact and polished, having instead a rough appearance as it stretched
+from wall to wall, a semi-chasm of a hundred yards, more or less, with
+its uppermost height being not less than twenty yards. On the far walls
+were two lava falls, trickling from raised tunnels in the wall into the
+body of lava, which covered the whole bottom of the room. There was a
+platform that sat in the middle of the fiery lake, connected to the
+tunnel I had come from by a walkway of stone. This room was different
+than the other two, also, in its fashion, for while the previous had
+vague evidences of intelligent design, this one was very obviously
+artificially decorated. The walkway above mentioned was of ornate stone
+with an intricate design of circles, squares, and triangles carved into
+it, and on each corner of the center stage was a long pillar that
+reached from floor to ceiling, each carved like a totem pole, with a
+variety of animals and shapes stacked upon one another. The dome was
+done ornately as well, for I saw as I walked further into the room that
+what I had thought had been imperfections in the dome proved to be an
+elaborate three dimensional sculpture that stuck out from the ceiling,
+depicting an intricate scene of figures and telling a story of some
+great saga of war and peace, pride and prejudice, love and hate, faith
+and betrayal, all combined to make the greatest mural: history, the
+story of time itself.
+
+As I looked in awe upon its beauty, I was startled by a voice coming
+from an unseen figure somewhere on the center platform. It said, "Jehu,
+you have come at last. Welcome."
+
+The voice was very gentle and pleasing to the ears, slowly and
+confidently spoken, meticulously articulated. I looked around in its
+direction and saw a short, elderly gnome with a long white beard
+reaching to his chest and a short crop of hair on his oblong head, which
+was outfitted with a sharp, angular nose, a pair of sparkling eyes, and
+two protruding ears. He was no more than four feet tall, and no less
+than three, with a dignified poise to him, and was dressed in a dark
+robe with a black and gold design on it. We looked at each other for a
+moment, he smiling pleasantly and me expressionless, for though I felt
+that I should be surprised, or at least bewildered, at the sight of a
+gnome in an underground cavern, I was not, it was as if I had almost
+been expecting it to happen, as if in the back of my mind I had already
+been there and done that. Perhaps it was only a case of predestined deja
+vu, or maybe it was something less tangible. Either way, the gnome then
+broke the silence again, saying:
+
+"Let me introduce myself, Jehu. I am Onan, the Lord of the Past, and
+these are the Chambers of History."
+
+He then paused for a moment, waiting for my reaction, which was, again,
+not too much surprised, but rather complacent, thought I didn't look
+bored or snobbish, as is sometimes the case in that situation. Instead I
+became as genial as possible, realizing that whatever force was behind
+this, it was greater than I.
+
+"Hello, Onan, it is pleasure to meet you," I said, advancing with a
+proffered hand extended towards him, which I realized belatedly made me
+appear oafish, but he took it good-naturedly, and with his pleasantness
+eliminated my unease at shaking the hand of one half my size. He then
+beckoned for me to follow him, and turned and walked to the center of
+the platform, where he unexpectedly laid down on his back, facing the
+muraled dome. I did the same, somewhat hesitantly, though I found it to
+be quite comfortable once I was down. He saw my sluggishness and by way
+of explanation said to me:
+
+"Do not be troubled, my dear Jehu, for we lie on our backs to bring
+about clarity of mind."
+
+Then he continued speaking, calling my attention to the sculptured dome:
+
+
+"That is history," he said.
+
+"What do you mean," I asked, "I've always viewed history as an organic
+being, constantly growing as it devours the present."
+
+"It is an organic being," he replied, "A monstrous beast of sorts. But
+that (meaning the mural on the dome), my friend, is the genetics of
+history, its code that dictates what it is and what it will become, the
+master plan."
+
+Allow me to take a moment to describe the mural for you. Firstly, its
+form: it was spread out across the dome like the painted ceiling of the
+Sistine Chapel, its whole being a broad, harmonious picture that
+complimented itself, telling a story throughout its united branches. It
+was much more than a painting, though, because it stood out from the
+dome like a group of completely independent sculptures, but placed so as
+to tell the combined story with a sort of native ease, not stressed or
+artificial, yet seeming as natural and beautiful as water in its flowing
+grace. Now I will endeavor to describe its content, though I realize
+that in this case the picture must be worth many millions of words.
+
+The center of the mural was its beginning, and there a man was standing
+proudly upright, dressed in splendid clothes of fine linens. He held in
+his hand a magnificent cup of gold with a row each of diamonds, rubies,
+sapphires, and pearls running along its breadth. It contained a dark red
+liquid, which appeared to be boiling, and the man was holding it out to
+a fierce lion whose shoulders were four feet across and whose mouth was
+like a cavern, with stalactites and stalagmites of the most terrifying
+nature. With an evil glare in its eyes toward the man, the lion drank
+thirstily from the cup. Around the man and the lion there was a ring of
+blazing fire, leaping out of the dome like great pillars of flame,
+entrapping them within its narrow circle. On the outside of the fire was
+a group of mighty lizards and beasts, the smallest of which was larger
+than several elephants. Their whole attention was paid to a great fight
+in which they were engaged, yet their foe was naught but the reflections
+of themselves on the great sea which surrounded the island that held
+these strange sights. Several of them were dead or severely wounded at
+having been accidentally mauled by their fighting brethren. Across the
+ocean from the island there was another landmass, whose far edges were
+not in sight. On it were many ape-men bowing down in worship of a
+gigantic White Eagle which was soaring far above them with a multitude
+of lords and ladies gripped in its massive talons. The lords were
+dressed in silken robes and adorned with many pieces of fine jewelry,
+and the ladies were clothed in skirts of crimson; both groups had upon
+their faces looks of pleasure, and contempt towards those far below
+them.
+
+Onan continued speaking, "You see, Jehu, the whole of history, both that
+now written and that yet to come, is planned, executed according to its
+own power, for the course of time is marked as clearly as the tides: by
+its own coming and going it is revealed. Revealed, however, only in an
+abstract and undefined manner, so that while its marks are clearly seen,
+it is only by special revelations that it is shown in a comprehensive
+and detailed light. And that is why I have summoned you here, my dear
+Jehu, for you are the chosen one, summoned to help me."
+
+I was skeptical and asked him, "You summoned me? But how, I was to
+forced to crash land on the island by the weather, and accidentally fell
+into the volcano's mouth. It was by my own freewill decisions that the
+circumstances of my arrival here were fulfilled."
+
+Onan laughed quietly and said, "History is not an unstoppable machine,
+allied with fate to control the destiny of all things past and future,
+nor does it nullify the power of man's freewill, yet the force that acts
+upon the minds of men to form them is history itself. You see, men are
+not the opponents of history and fate, for they do not impede its
+progress with their freewill decisions, instead they are its minions,
+its slaves, building up its strength and carrying out its dictates by
+its influence, so that they become history as they serve it, adding to
+its organism their own consciouses. While you were brought to these
+Chambers by circumstances of your own choosing, your desires in choosing
+those circumstances were dictated by the experiences of the past. But
+never mind how I summoned you, for you are here now."
+
+"Very well," I said, not wishing to disagree with the Lord of the Past.
+Still, I was in a stubborn frame of mind, and asked, "But if the past is
+as powerful as you construe it to be, then why does the Lord of the Past
+need the help of a mere mortal like myself? Or do you mean you need a
+more direct agent than those you control only by influence?"
+
+"Something like that," he answered. "You see, there was a great disaster
+once, which was blamed on me, and in order to atone for it, I promised
+to send a kinsman redeemer before anything so devastating happened
+again, and I believe you are the perfect choice."
+
+"What devastating event hasn't been blamed on the past in one form or
+another?" I said, "But why not just go yourself?"
+
+"It is against the rules," Onan told me.
+
+"How typical."
+
+"Yes, indeed, I sometimes wonder what good it is to be a god if you
+can't do anything yourself," he said with a sigh.
+
+"What do you want me to do there, then?"
+
+"I cannot tell you, unfortunately."
+
+"Against the rules?" I asked.
+
+"Very much so. All that I can do is send an agent with a slight
+understanding of the situation of history and physical existence to the
+people, but he must make the judgments of how to proceed all on his own.
+If I did tell you, it wouldn't be much different than going myself, and
+then there would be no human resolution to human problems."
+
+"Our lives serve as a spectator sport to the gods, then?" I inquired of
+him.
+
+"I am afraid not," he said, "It is much more serious than that. The
+Greeks were not all wrong, you know."
+
+"Who else, I wonder."
+
+"Not many," he sighed, "But tell me, are you ready?"
+
+"As I'll ever be."
+
+"Then I will begin. The understanding of life begins with the
+understanding of physical existence," Onan said, "And by physical
+existence I mean the quality of being materially animated. Not to
+confuse it with consciousness, which is the ability to think and reason,
+it is rather the realm in which one has substance and continuity. I will
+call the elements of physical being time and matter, those words
+representing widely known concepts. Matter provides the raw substance
+and time gives those lifeless objects a plane of being to exist in.
+Without time, matter can do nothing except sit in a sterile state, in a
+vacuum in which nothing could occur; and without matter, time would
+flow, but nothing would move with it. Thus, the basis of physical
+existence is time and matter, each being useless separately, yet
+together being the perfect combination of a tangible object and the
+fluid, forward movement to animate it. Imagine it as a three-dimensional
+painting, matter given depth by time."
+
+"Not so complicated," I said cheerfully.
+
+"Not yet, you mean," he laughed.
+
+"Exactly, tell me more."
+
+"Not just yet, Jehu. First you must help me."
+
+"The time to begin has come then?" I asked.
+
+"Yes, you must go now," he said, "And remember, I'll be watching.
+Good-bye."
+
+And with that, not even standing up, Onan put me into a deep state of
+comatose and sent me through time to the unknown lands and people whom I
+was to deliver. I awoke, as you will remember, in the center of the
+savanna. Now that you know the circumstances of my arrival on Daem, I
+will go back to where I was before: on the way to the Canitaur's hidden
+fortress.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 5: The Treeway
+
+
+
+I was walking in silence through the rugged forests of northern Daem
+alongside Bernibus the Canitaur, with his fellows Wagner and Taurus
+before and behind us, respectively, the former leading the way, the
+latter covering our tracks, and both on the lookout for an ambush. An
+entire lifetime of guerrilla warfare and privations of all kinds had
+instilled in the Canitaurs a strong and prevailing sense of caution,
+which sometimes rendered their lighthearted and almost spiritually
+frivolous nature to the casual observer a dense, deceiving demeanor used
+to conceal their true selves. But that was not the case, I believe, for
+they were, or at least Bernibus was, truly amorous in personality.
+
+The sky was then in its deepest dark, and in the few breaks in the
+canopy above large enough to be seen through, there were few celestial
+lights to illuminate the depths of that mountainous forest. The forest
+itself sprawled like a great metropolis along the lands above the large
+central lake of Daem, Lake Umquam Renatusum, which was close beside the
+Canitaur outpost where we had narrowly escaped discovery and capture.
+However deficient in sight the forest was, it was abounding with sounds,
+everything from the call of the owl to groan of the bull frog, it was as
+if the whole of the forest had congregated about us, drawn to us by some
+unknown scent of interest and intrigue.
+
+Continuing on for some time in the same way, I found myself growing
+weary, nodding my head slowly towards the oblivion of sleep, until I was
+brought to an instant liveliness by Wagner's announcement that we had
+reached our destination. I looked around carefully, yet I saw nothing at
+all to indicate the entrance to a large, covert military establishment,
+much to my companions delight. Their whimsical sense of humor surfaced
+once again as they laughed with seemingly infinite pleasure, both at my
+wondering expression and with a sense of satisfaction at their own
+cleverness. After the outburst had been subdued and a certain level of
+solemnity had been reached, Wagner approached the nearest tree and
+knocked on it with a rhythmic rut-tut-tut.
+
+Expecting their old trick to be replayed, I waited for the tree to open,
+but to my surprise, it didn't, instead a strong rope ladder dropped down
+from a tree several yards to the east. This we climbed, and I found that
+I had been mistaken as to the height of the ancient wooden towers, for
+they proved to be even loftier in dimensions than I had imagined.
+Accordingly, it took us a good five minutes to reach its top at a quick
+and steady pace, and all through the climb I was terrified at the long
+drop, from which the ladder offered no protections. Yet I made it to the
+top safely, and found that there was a large platform built securely
+among its upper branches, with enough room to hold a few dozen persons,
+and there was even comfortable seating in the center. There were four
+guards stationed on the platform, each equipped with a long bow and a
+quiver of metal tipped arrows, and though they were hardly visible
+through the dim light emitted from the covered lantern that lit the
+platform, I could see them quietly conversing with Wagner and Taurus
+while Bernibus and myself reposed on the seats provided for that very
+purpose.
+
+They conversed for awhile, though I could not hear them, nor could I see
+them well enough to judge their facial expressions, but Bernibus waylaid
+any anxious thoughts I had with his encouraging tone, and also by giving
+me a drought of ale and a loaf of bread to overcome my fatigue and
+hunger, both of which I quickly consumed. He gave me more bread, but
+wouldn't allow me another glass of ale, for safety's sake. At first I
+thought he deemed me easily overcome by spirits, but I soon discovered
+his reasons and thanked him.
+
+Wagner returned from the guards and, finding that we were ready to
+proceed, led us to the far corner of the platform, where we were joined
+by Taurus. We then set off on a road that ran above the lower levels of
+the canopy, made from jointed platforms that were attached to the
+massive limbs of the trees, meeting the branches of the next tree half
+way across, forming a continuous, snaking path far above the ground.
+Traveling on those paths we made our way criss-crossingly to the west.
+The walking was no more difficult than on the ground, for the boards
+were firmly secured to the great branches, which were at least five or
+six feet wide, and there were short rails as well.
+
+After no more than half an hour of travel on the 'Treeway', we reached
+another large platform in the center of a great tree which was very much
+like the first one, excepting that the trunk of the tree came up through
+its center and there was a door leading into the trunk. There were eight
+guards on this platform, but they let us pass without more than a
+friendly gesture, their scouts having, no doubt, seen us long before and
+ascertained our identity and intentions. They seemed to have been
+expecting the return of Wagner's group, though the addition of me they
+appeared to eye curiously.
+
+Wagner led us directly to the door, which opened into a set of circular
+stairs that wound down the inside of the tree like the insides of an old
+world lighthouse tower. The stairs descended further than the tree
+ascended, wrapping around almost infinitely, at least to my wearied
+senses, which were depleted of vividness by the treacherous toils of the
+proceeding day. Down, down, down went the stairs, until at length we
+reached the bottom and found ourselves in a cave, the stairs ending in a
+small foyer area which opened out into the cave, it being delved into
+the bedrock layer, indicating that we had indeed passed below the
+surface on our descent. The passage was really a narrow defile with high
+walls on either side, impenetrable due to the fact that they were the
+foundations of the earth above. It stretched on for a ways, its whole
+length commanded by little, turret like stations which stuck out from
+the upper wall, in which were stationed groups of archers, and though
+they now stood in a solemn, dignified manner, any opposition that
+attempted to force a way through would have been decimated. Yet they
+stood at attention and made no noise or movement at our passing, instead
+being the essence of well disciplined soldiery.
+
+This narrow chasm led onward for about three hundred yards, the walls
+stretching upwards in such a fashion that it brought to mind images of
+Moses crossing the Red Sea, with great walls of water suspended in air
+on either side, ready at any moment to come crashing down upon them,
+their lives in the hands of another. So did I then feel, the Canitaur
+guards being able to slay me on the slightest whim of fancy that struck
+their minds into a sadistic mood. Yet I was not afraid, instead I was
+overcome by a feeling of relaxation, where all cares and worries are
+given up as frivolous burdens, not necessary and not helpful, being, in
+fact, harmful to the mind.
+
+The defile, or narrow passage, led to a great abyss, crossable only by a
+drawbridge controlled on the other side, which was at this time lowered
+and ready for us to cross, which we did, accompanied by four honor
+guards who were dressed in all the pomp and pleasantry known by the
+Canitaurs. It was a custom among them to greet newcomers with an honor
+guard which escorted them to the body of dignitaries and aristocrats
+that would be waiting to welcome them in style. This was done for us,
+and we were led into the fortress' great room, which was used for
+discussions and debates, via another winding stairway that took us even
+further below the surface. It was a splendid room, equipped with all
+kinds of luxuries and embellishments and spreading out like a quarter
+circle around a central stage with a podium upon it. Seats were arranged
+in arching rows, with a sort of cluster of seats around a wooden desk
+being allotted to each of the members of the council and his aide de
+camps; there were two hundred such clusters. Sitting there like they had
+been woken from sleep to attend to us were the delegates, looking tired
+and untidy, a rare state for a Canitaur to be in, with their clothes
+ruffled, their hair uncombed, and their eyes glazed with a discordant
+state of mind.
+
+Wagner, who turned out to be a high official among them, led me to the
+top of the stage where the podium was, with a sofa, desk, and several
+chairs behind it, concealed from the council by the raised floor and
+walls that formed the base of the podium, creating a small, private
+anteroom for those at the podium. I laid myself down tiredly on the sofa
+to rest while Wagner took the stage and began to speak.
+
+"Friends, comrades, associates," he said to the council, "I thank you
+for neglecting your beds at this late hour to join with us here in the
+Hall of Meeting, for there is something very important to be shared. You
+are all no doubt familiar with the ancient prophecy of the Externus
+Miraculum: long ago it was told that in our extreme need, when hope no
+longer exists in the hearts of many, an ancient would be sent by Onan
+our lord to redeem and deliver us from the evils of this world, for as
+our doom was wrought in their times, so would our hope originate. The
+past cannot be changed except by those who first made it, and our
+present is dictated by the happenings of the past, so that for a better
+future the past must be changed, and only then will we be freed from the
+burdens of history."
+
+He continued, "We have therefore long awaited the arrival of our kinsman
+redeemer, who will change the past and prevent the cause of our current
+woes from happening, for without its roots, what evil can grow and
+flourish? Our redeemer was to come on the Kootch Patah, when our
+adversaries the Zards are not watchful, being drunk with celebrations at
+the turning of the year. Myself, Taurus and Bernibus went to the shores
+of Lake Umquam Renatusum, as is our custom, to watch for the coming of
+the promised one, and this time we were not disappointed, for he came to
+us, even as the prophecy says, as we sat hidden in the living tower.
+Seen by the Zards, we were almost discovered, until the promise of the
+hidden fortress drew them away, even as the prophecy says. And now we
+are here, delegates of the Canitaurian people, safely within our
+fortress with our kinsman redeemer, so what shall be done? Let us
+decide."
+
+At this point he cast a glance towards me, as if desiring me to speak
+before the council, but I was in the last throes of wakefulness, where
+sleep has crept so far upon you that arrival in the land of dreams is
+only a matter of moments, and wakefulness is not desired, nor is
+anything else. I looked at him with my eyes glazed with that sweet,
+savory taste of sleep, and though I was conscious, I was not in control,
+only an audience to actions of my subconscious whims, and even that
+passed beyond my reach as my eyes fell shut, isolating me in the realm
+where worldly concerns mean nothing. And so I was when my exhaustion
+overtook me, leaving me sound asleep on the sofa behind the podium.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 6: The Fiery Lake
+
+
+
+When I woke I was no longer in that room but in another, a small homely
+room where I was laid on a bed, the room being located, as I found out
+later, not too far from the Hall of Meeting. Though the depth of the
+fortress prevented me from knowing the time, it felt to be early
+afternoon by that strange internal clock that so seldom errs. It was
+correct, as usual. There was a quaint fireplace on the far wall of the
+room with a small, unadorned and unpretentious mantle, decorated like
+the rest of the fortress in a practical and experienced way, finding
+just the right flavor between the ornate, the practical, and the quaint,
+and avoiding all the while the clutter brought by superfluous material
+possessions. A table in the center of the room was furnished with a
+steaming meal, beside which sat my new friend Bernibus, smiling on me
+with a benevolent and almost paternal affection.
+
+"Good morning, Jehu," he said, "Or should I say afternoon, for the
+morning has quite passed by already."
+
+"Yes, and it has left in me a great appetite, my good man."
+
+"As is shown clearly in your eyes," he jested, "Come and eat."
+
+Needing no further urging, I leapt from my bed, sat down across from him
+at the table, and began partaking greedily of the hearty breakfast of
+hash browns and pancakes, which were pleasing to my mouth and stomach,
+for the tastes in food are controlled more by the condition of the body
+than by the time of day. When I had satisfied my needs, we reclined in
+our chairs and began conversing:
+
+"Tell me," I said, "Did my untimely slumber yester eve cause any
+irritated prides?"
+
+"Quite to the contrary, the council was well humored and followed your
+lead to their bed chambers."
+
+"I am relieved to hear it, for I was anxious of appearing lax in ardor
+or animation."
+
+"Not so, my friend, you are quite exonerated from doubtful thoughts.
+There is a session planned for this evening though, so may yet feel
+yourself put on trial."
+
+"Unfortunate," said I, "But surely they can mean no harm, am I not the
+kinsman redeemer, after all?"
+
+"Yes, you are," Bernibus said with a look of subdued apprehension, "We
+have an end in view, though the means are as yet not wholly decided. It
+is a complicated situation."
+
+I smiled softly, "So is always the case."
+
+"In truth it is: time reveals all things yet do all things reveal time?"
+
+
+"What do you mean?" I asked him.
+
+"Our situation is complicated by differing views of time, and I was
+wondering aloud if history and the present reality disclose the truth
+about time in the same way that time reveals the truth of the present.
+If our way were more illuminated, the journey would be easier."
+
+"Perhaps that is why men look to the well lit paths of history, or to
+the dim conjectures of the future rather than the dark, yet detailed
+ways of present."
+
+"Perhaps," he said, "But the present is so fleeting that it holds little
+intrigue."
+
+"Even so, it is the stage, not still waiting behind the curtain, nor
+already performed."
+
+"Yet the past controls by influences and prejudices, justified or not,
+and it will doubtless be the view of the council that the past must be
+redone, that the problems be addressed at the source," Bernibus replied.
+
+
+"I am still in the dark about all your inferences," I said.
+
+"My apologies, I forget myself. But let us not dwell on subjects which
+may become quite exhausted in the near future, for better or worse," he
+told me.
+
+"Fair enough," I returned, acceding to the subject change, and jumping
+on the opportunity to steer it in a different direction, "I know little
+of you, Bernibus, so tell me all."
+
+"There isn't much to tell," he coyly responded.
+
+"Nonsense, Bernibus, tell me or I shall get very angry," I jested,
+imitating some mythological god's wrath.
+
+He smiled discreetly and yielded to my request, "Very well, I will tell
+you. I was born in the year 490 D.V. (that is, Durante Vita), to a poor
+couple from the northernmost pier of Daem, the Gog."
+
+"Wait a moment, Bernibus," I interrupted, "I didn't mean in that
+fashion, for when I say I know little of you, it is because I literally
+know little of 'you', not the circumstances that make up your past. I
+guess it goes back to the interpretation of the past and its powers, and
+since we can't seem to escape discussing it, lets embrace it willingly.
+You seem to believe that the events of your life have shaped you in such
+a profound way that their mere description is sufficient to explain your
+personality; I will grant that their influence has effected you subtly,
+but history is not the scapegoat of the present. The circumstances do
+more to define the character of an individual than to shape it, for even
+siblings with the exact same experiences can be greatly different in
+personality and achievements. But what I mean is this: your past has
+influenced your present, yet it is gone and your present remains, show
+me Bernibus, not his previous forms."
+
+You, who are now reading this, may think this statement of mine to
+Bernibus to be hypocritical, in light of the very purpose and intent of
+these memoirs. You may be thinking that I am relating this whole
+happening in order to justify my actions and decisions. But that is not
+the case, for I understand that you have no power over me, I have long
+been dead in your present and your sentiments mean naught to me. In
+fact, I wish to tell of the circumstances I found myself in as much as
+of myself, so that you may have a retrospective clarity in visions of
+the future. You will understand that statement later on, but for now let
+me say that I wished to know the essence, the person, the consciousness
+of Bernibus, whereas I wish to impart to you my story, though ere its
+end you may come also to know me. I have no ambitions of material
+immortality.
+
+Bernibus understood my meaning, and though he disagreed with its
+theoretical imputations, he humored me and did as I suggested. He pulled
+back his brow in a reflective demeanor, brought his eyes to mine and
+began:
+
+"You desire me to tell you about myself without literally telling you of
+myself. I suppose you mean that we discourse on some variety of
+subjects, so that you can see who I am discreetly," he said.
+
+"Exactly," I replied, "You say it better than I."
+
+"Perhaps it is for the best, as you will draw your own conclusions
+rather than be given mine, and instead of my telling you what I would
+like to think I am, you would see what I am in truth. Strange, isn't it,
+that though we think we know ourselves, we very much do not, and it is
+only the unbiased observer who sees us as we are. You know, I was once
+thinking of writing my memoirs, and I would have, except that I was
+afraid that if I read them afterward I would be forced to see myself as
+I am and be horrified at the truth."
+
+"Damn the truth," I said.
+
+"You're starting to sound like a philosopher," he laughed.
+
+"And you a psychologist," I rejoined.
+
+"And where would that place us on the scale of artificial intelligence,"
+Bernibus jested.
+
+"Following the footsteps of Jeroboam," I returned.
+
+"Hmm?
+
+"Oh, nothing. Tell me," I asked more solemnly, "What position does
+Wagner hold among the Canitaurs?"
+
+"He is the Khedive Kibitzer, our ruler in that he leads the council."
+
+"And you?"
+
+"I am his brother-in-law, a relationship that our culture places great
+importance on, especially as he has no blood brothers. I become, in
+effect, his partner, though he doesn't accept me emotionally as one,
+only in etiquette."
+
+"Why is that?" I inquired.
+
+"Because, I am of weak heritage. His sister loved me, and I her, but to
+him there is no such thing as love, only business, the destruction of
+the Zards at any cost. No price is too high," he told me with almost a
+vengeful scowl on his usually pleasant features, it soon passed, though,
+and left no trace when it had.
+
+"You sound bitter, Bernibus."
+
+"My feelings betray me, yet I am not bitter, only disillusioned."
+
+"You sympathize with the Zards, then?"
+
+"Not at all, I do sympathize, however, with peaceful solutions," he
+said.
+
+"Which is why Wagner disapproves of you, no doubt."
+
+"Yes, mainly, but don't misunderstand me. I am not a closet Futurist,
+nor am I a strict pacifist, I just can't help feeling that there is
+another way. But I understand the selection of ideologies, how the
+stronger breaks the weaker to submission, and while one flourishes, the
+other diminishes, and I understand focus points, but I cannot justify
+their marriage."
+
+"What you mean by focus points?" I asked.
+
+"They are the culmination of conflict, where two sides meet and the
+battle takes place, not meaning necessarily an important or strategic
+military, civil, or commercial place, but one on which the fighting
+occurs, the result ending in the defeat or victory of the whole
+campaign. The focus point of the Zards and the Canitaurs exists both on
+the philosophical and martial levels. On the philosophical level, it is
+the question as to what is the proper solution for remedying our current
+catastrophic situation. On one side the Pastites wish to correct the
+root of the problem by stopping its realization in the past, the
+Futurists, however, would venture into the future and brings its
+stabilization and completion back. On the military level, our forces
+collide in the forests around Lake Umquam Renatusum, the northern
+mountains belonging to us and the southern plains to them. The lake
+itself is of little importance, yet whoever conquers it will conquer
+all."
+
+"Interesting," I said, "But I do not understand how you seem to imply
+that I am your ancestor, while Onan seemed to mean the opposite, that
+you are my ancestors."
+
+"It is strange and complex, and we understand very little of it,
+ourselves. The time for the council has come though, for our talk has
+dwindled away the afternoon. Perhaps some of your questions will there
+be answered. But come, let us go."
+
+"Very well," I said, "Take me to your leaders."
+
+From that room, the one I had awoken in, it wasn't very far to the
+council room. Exiting it, we turned down a short, closed hallway that
+opened into the concealed area behind the podium that I spoke of
+earlier. On the sofa where I had fallen asleep was seated Wagner and on
+a circle of smaller chairs around the edges of the area were seated
+about ten stately looking Canitaurs, clean and well dressed, according
+to their customs. They greeted me amorously, with a mixture of
+eagerness, excitement, and hope painted on their purloined countenances,
+taken from the sleepless spirits of several departed generations of
+war-hardened veterans.
+
+Standing as we entered, they greeted me cordially, and, once the formal
+greeting of a short bow and a blessing was finished, we all sat down,
+they in their previous seats, I next to Wagner, and Bernibus in a small
+chair in the corner, away from the circle of the delegates. He, that is,
+Wagner, then opened our dialog:
+
+"Welcome to the council, Jehu," he said.
+
+"I was under the impression that the council was much larger," I replied
+candidly.
+
+"It is, but this is the leadership; we felt that the clamors of a full
+legislature would be overwhelming to you at first. I know it still
+overwhelms me sometimes," he laughed, and the others with him. That
+explanation sufficed at the time, but I later found that Wagner had
+taken control of the council himself, and that it had no real power: it
+never met for more than ceremonial matters, the Khedive Kibitzer,
+Wagner, controlling the rest. But I get ahead of myself.
+
+One of the others then interjected, "Our purpose now, Jehu, is not so
+much to make decisions as to inform you of the decisions we have already
+made, not that we mean to exclude you from our counsels, but we've been
+preparing for this moment, your arrival, for many years, since it was
+foretold long ago."
+
+"Decisions with what end?" I asked of them.
+
+"The reestablishing of an efficient and healthy climate, both naturally
+and philosophically, one in which tradition, history, and experience
+reign supreme," Wagner said in such a way that I couldn't help but think
+that it had served as an idiom of his for many years.
+
+"A termination of the Zardovian conflict, then?"
+
+"Essentially, but not wholly, as there are other, more complicated ends
+in view, less integrated with the format of a completely ideological
+conflict."
+
+"Meaning?"
+
+"Meaning that we wish to return to our original forms," Wagner said.
+
+"Those being, I assume, the same as my own."
+
+"Yes, you see after the Great War, the atmosphere was so filled with
+radioactive materials that all life was destroyed, except for that on
+Daem, which was protected because of our distant and isolated location,
+and the presence of a group of insects that neutralize radiation. They
+were overwhelmed in the first few decades, for though they were able to
+reduce the amount to make it habitable, we degenerated into what we are
+now, Zards and Canitaurs, based on our habitats, we being mountainous,
+forest dwelling folk, and they plains people. At first our ancestors
+grew to immense proportions, as did the vegetation on Daem, but we
+slowly returned to normal size as the radioactive material was consumed.
+I am surprised that Onan did not tell you about it all," he said,
+looking at me with a slight tinge of confusion creeping into his wayward
+eyes, formerly filled only with hope and excitement.
+
+"I wish he would have," I responded, "But he said that it was against
+the rules."
+
+"Ah, yes, I forgot about the rules there for a moment," he laughed, his
+countenance returning to its former gleeful appearance.
+
+"A foolish law, no doubt, and from whom?" I said, availing of the
+apparent intra-personal deja vu, that is, the converging of the presents
+of our two minds into one idea, between Wagner and myself to cultivate a
+bit of sympathy in my difficult situation. But there would be no
+harvest, for Wagner checked his mirth and said:
+
+"It was necessary, and the Council of the Gods did well to govern
+themselves more strictly."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"Well, during the Homeric period the gods really went at it, using
+humanity as players in their battles, like a game of chess, actually.
+Come to think of it, chess did originate in the realm of the gods after
+the laws. Things were quite a mess back then, though, with a whole horde
+of demi-gods walking the earth, and it ended up snuffing out the first
+flames of democracy and leaving monarchies for the longest time."
+
+"Homer's stories were true, then?" I asked.
+
+"Very much so, but after the laws of physical abstinence were adopted
+things mellowed out considerably, and men went back to their
+self-obsession, their material minds weren't yet weaned from the physical
+realm."
+
+"So the very men who claimed mental superiority because they were free
+from superstitions and divine disillusionment were themselves victims of
+their own sophism, and while they thought themselves crowned with
+enlightenment, it was naught but the Phrygian caps of their prejudices
+toward the material state?" I asked, with more than the average dose of
+irony and feeling, both for my subjects and myself.
+
+"Exactly, upon disinterested examination one finds the theater of human
+history to be one defined by a ludicrous melodramaticy, the soap opera
+of the gods," he answered. "But we digress far from our point, Jehu,
+which is a discussion concerning the implementation of our plans of
+action formed in preparation of our current situation."
+
+"So I had surmised," I smiled at the reminder, "But tell me, what are
+your plans, and what is the current situation?"
+
+"This is a time of fulfillment, with the events of many of our
+prophecies coming to pass. Now is a time of action and of hope. You, our
+kinsman redeemer, have come, and the time is ripe for victory and
+domination, ripe, in short, for a return to natural existence, harmony
+between forces interior and exterior. Our plan, my dear Jehu, is to
+attack the Zards swiftly and fiercely and break their strongholds like
+the walls of Jericho, literally."
+
+"It sounds daring, certainly," I said, "But is it not overly so? I was
+under the impression that the Zards were much superior in force than the
+Canitaurs."
+
+"In the southern regions, where you landed, yes, they are, but we rule
+the northern sphere of action. Our forces actually form a soft
+equilibrium that keeps fate's pendulum from straying from its neutral
+position, so that a military action previously would not have been
+predictable, with either side being capable of winning. Under such
+conditions war is avoided, but now you have arrived. The Zards, as well
+as ourselves, have been expecting a kinsman redeemer, you see, and our
+war has been kept from raging by the belief of each side that their god
+would propel them to victory with certainty by the sending of one such
+as yourself. Your arrival changes things, it marks the beginning of our
+dominance," he told me vaingloriously.
+
+"The muted felicity I have witnessed about my arrival is explained,
+then," I ventured, "Excitement that the end is near and victory close at
+hand, yet that feeling subdued by the realization that a period of
+deeper darkness must first be gone through."
+
+"Your words are true," Wagner replied, "And yet I have a great
+confidence in our plans, which have been matured through many years of
+careful deliberation. As the time will never be more ready than at the
+present, in the present we must act."
+
+"What is your plan, then?" I asked.
+
+"It is calculated to end in the conquering of the Zards, and as such,
+only an unexpected and unrelenting attack at the very heart of their
+strength will succeed. Anything less will only bring them to a full
+alert, and then any battle will have to be drawn out with excessive
+casualties on both sides. Therefore, we have decided upon an attack on
+Nunami, their capital city and main strength, being the center and
+majority of both their population and economy. Yet an outright siege of
+the city is impossible for those very reasons, it being so
+self-contained that it can resist bitterly, and its military is so
+clustered that it can be brought into action almost instantly.
+
+"Considering those problems, it was deemed necessary to draw the Zards
+away from the city and destroy it in their absence, so that they are
+left destitute of the means of war and sustenance, and rendered weak. To
+do this, we have spent the last several years stockpiling huge
+quantities of liquid fervidus flamma, an extremely combustible
+substance. It is stored in an underground reservoir in the foothills of
+the mountains, connected via aqueduct to Lake Umquam Renatusum. When the
+time is ripe, we will empty it into the lake and set it aflame, and our
+calculations show the flames reaching a height of five miles for a
+length of six hours, which should be enough to gain the Zard's
+preponderance," Wagner explained.
+
+"But wouldn't it catch the forest on fire and burn down your whole
+empire in the process?" I asked, alarmed at his apparent lack of
+vigilance.
+
+"We have been treating the trees on a ten mile radius with an
+anti-flammatory solution for several years as well, and it is quite
+impossible to set them on fire."
+
+"Which explains why you dared to have a fire pit in the trunk of a tree
+outpost."
+
+"Yes," he laughed, "We aren't so foolhardy as we may seem. Appearances
+can be deceiving."
+
+"The exodus of the Zards from Nunami is almost guaranteed by the
+mortal's natural curiosity and delight in the calamities of others," I
+said, "But how do you plan on leveling the town before the remnant raise
+the alarm and the mass of the people return?"
+
+"Atomic anionizers," he returned.
+
+"Which are what? They sound like they are beyond my level of
+understanding."
+
+"Not at all," Wagner told me, "Do not be fooled by the technically
+complex sounding name. An atom is the smallest form into which matter
+can be broken down into while still retaining its identity, and an anion
+is a positively charged ion, or in other words, an instance of an atom
+in which there are more electrons than protons, resulting in a charge of
+negative electricity. An atomic anionizer is just what its name would
+imply: a device that morphs normal atoms into atoms with an extreme
+negative charge by emitting massive amounts, to the tune of many
+millions of moles, of solitary electrons into the air through a bombing
+device."
+
+He went on, explaining the consequences of the weapon, "An atom, and
+therefore all matter, which is made up of atoms, is engaged in a
+constant revolution around the nucleus, in the same way in which our
+solar system revolves around our sun, and our sun around the black hole
+in the center of the galaxy. This revolving motion is the basis for the
+formation of all matter that we know of, both in its smallest form, like
+the atom, or its larger forms, like the galaxy. The electrons emitted
+from the atomic anionizer are drawn into an orbit around the nuclei of
+the atoms of all the matter near which they are detonated, much like the
+way planets catch satellites and space debris into revolving rings
+around them. This addition of electrons gives the atoms such a powerful
+negative charge that the poles of the atom, which regulate its rotations
+in much the same way that the earth's axis, or poles, regulate its
+rotations, are thrown from their natural equilibrium, causing the poles
+to reverse. This, in turn, changes the direction in which the atoms
+rotate, and in the brief instant in which the force of the revolving
+movement, or gravity, is not strong enough to retain the atom's shape,
+it lapses, bringing the materials they make up crashing down in
+disarray.
+
+"We will plant some of these 'atomic bombs' inside the city of Nunami,
+and when they go off, the buildings themselves will implode and tumble
+to the ground. One hand-sized capsule can easily level almost ten square
+miles, and we have enough of them to bring the Zards to their knees,
+with plenty to spare for any circumstance."
+
+"Wouldn't the bombs kill those who set them off, though?" I asked him
+anxiously.
+
+"We have electron deflecting suits that negate the effects of the
+anionizers."
+
+"I'm glad to hear it."
+
+"And well you should be," he grinned, which, as out of place as it would
+seem, looked completely natural on his countenance, "For you and I shall
+be among the bombers. Our meeting must end here, though, my dear Jehu,
+for we each have things to attend to in preparation for the attack on
+Nunami. I will see you soon, until then, farewell."
+
+"Farewell, Wagner," I replied, and we each stood and bowed as we
+prepared to depart, each to our own occupations.
+
+With that our council ended, and, in the company of Bernibus, I was sent
+to another area of the fortress to be measured for an anti-electron
+suit, in order to protect me from the effects of reverse revolution. We
+didn't converse in the beginning of our walk, for my mind was too busy
+subconsciously thinking over what Wagner had said to have any conscious
+meditations.
+
+We walked through the fortress towards the northern section, which held
+the technological rooms, so as to get an anti-electron suit in the
+making for myself. Realizing that the fortress has been little
+described, I will do so now. It was broken into six different
+sub-divisions, each branching from the only entrance, which was in the
+center of them all, the different divisions connecting to it through
+long, narrow defiles, or gorges, like the one at the entrance. This was
+for security, each area being independently contained within the whole.
+The six areas, or departments, as they were called, were as follows: the
+Northern was the technological and industrial research and production
+facilities; the Eastern was the residential department, containing also
+the civil services, such as medical care and distribution centers; the
+Southern was the agricultural and other food production areas, though
+there was little besides agricultural, for the Canitaurs were strict
+vegetarians; the Western was for mining minerals and other raw materials
+to be used by the other departments. The other two departments were
+below the others, being differentiated between by the names Left and
+Right, the Left being the governmental offices, and the Right the
+military headquarters, providing protections both civil and foreign
+(this was, incidentally, the beginning of the expression of the terms
+Left and Right to denote ideological preferences, but I digress).
+Uniform in all the fortress was the architecture, it being a strange mix
+between elegant and gentle arches and curves and brute practicality, for
+while the ceilings were high and open, and the walls wide, they were
+rendered homely by their plain surfaces and the absence of small
+triflings, conditions that were necessitated because of its identity: an
+impregnable fortress containing a highly organized and self-sufficient
+governmental society, each citizen having a particular duty for the
+common good, and each kept from an unfarcical personal identity by the
+means of a statist society.
+
+From the lower, governmental offices we went up a flight of stairs that
+wrapped round and round a tower-like tunnel, and soon reached the
+departmental portal. Once there, we took the northern tunnel, which
+opened into a large hall that stretched on almost endlessly, with hordes
+of tunnels branching off to the various agencies. There were a great
+many Canitaurs working busily, preparing for the attack on Nunami and
+its possible results, which, though long prepared for, had a few last
+moment components to be finished. Walking down the central through way,
+we went to the far end of the hall, which, as it was a walk of at least
+two miles, afforded plenty of time for observation and reflecting, two
+things that I am naturally given to. Accordingly, I turned to my
+companion, Bernibus, and offered in an almost philosophical way:
+
+"Your society seems to be flourishing, though I am not surprised, as you
+all seem vigorously industrious. I am amazed, however, that no one
+shirks from their job, no matter how menial or trifling."
+
+"We all have our assigned jobs, and all know that one slovenly job may
+cost us dearly," he said.
+
+"I suppose I am prejudiced by my conceptions of personal liberty, but it
+is contrary to my conscience that the state should have more duty than
+to enforce the individual liberties by common force."
+
+"But we are at war, and we must do as we do, or be trampled underfoot."
+
+"If all states went no further than justice permits, namely the
+protection by common force the rights of individuality, liberty, and
+property, than there would be no room for conflict between states, and
+hence, no war."
+
+"Yet it is our ideologies that bring war, besides, do not the ends
+justify the means?" he asked.
+
+"Your ideologies may cause conflict, yet it seems that your behemoth
+states facilitate it into war. About the ends and the means, I don't
+know: I am no philosopher," I answered.
+
+I sighed and was silent for a moment as we walked along, then, after a
+moment or so, I said quietly to myself, "I'm not much of a kinsman
+redeemer, either."
+
+We continued on through the hall without further conversation, and I
+paid little attention to my surroundings, so that while my eyes saw and
+my mind displayed, my subconscious was not present in the effort, and
+thereby no memory was retained. This may seem to be the plot of an
+unimaginative writer to escape the use of that faculty, but as these are
+nothing but my written memories, and I make no claims of producing good
+fiction, I will leave that hall primarily to the minds of the reader.
+
+Soon after, we arrived at our destination, which was very nearly at the
+end of the hall, and entered to find that we were expected and a space
+open for my fitting, which was soon accomplished, and my suit promised
+to be at my quarters the next morning. That would be just in time for
+the departure of the raiding party, which was set to cut out and embark
+for Nunami a little after that, in order to be in place in the hidden
+treetop posts surrounding the city before nighttime, as the operation
+was to begin at midnight. At first I thought that the attack was pushed
+forward in haste, but as I came to realize that my coming had been
+prophesied and a great amount of time had been spent preparing for this
+day, it seemed only natural that they should want to bring the
+hostilities to a close after such a long time. There were other
+considerations as well. The weather, for one, had to be dry and not at
+all windy for the fire to be safely attempted, and also the possibility
+of the Zards making the first offensive could not be ignored, for they
+had knowledge of my arrival and may have felt forced to act to prevent
+the very type of thing that we were about to attempt.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 7: Down to Nunami
+
+
+
+When I awoke the next morning I found Bernibus and Wagner conversing
+quietly in the corner of my bed chambers, and as I first opened my eyes
+I saw Wagner looking at me with a blank, glazed expression, while
+Bernibus' was one of apprehension, apparently on my behalf. It seemed
+odd to me, but as Wagner became livid again quickly after his
+split-second lapse and gave me a hearty "Good morning", I thought
+nothing more of it. After his greeting, he continued:
+
+"The day is ripe for victory, my friend, and the time is come for
+battle. We both have some preparations to complete, and so must
+separate, but we will meet again at noon in the entrance hall. Farewell
+until then," and with that he quit the room.
+
+I looked at Bernibus, yet before either of us could speak, we heard a
+low, hollow grumbling, like the shaking of some building or foundation.
+He looked in my direction for a moment with an alarmed countenance,
+before I said defensively, "Tis but my stomach."
+
+"Then we must get you some victuals," he laughed, "And I have just the
+thing to satisfy you and keep you so for a day or more: some mirus. It
+is our traditional energy food, for though its taste is bitter, its
+after-life is pleasant."
+
+"And what is food except a servant to the body?" I said, "Let us eat."
+
+"Very well," he replied.
+
+And eat we did, for it was brought by a food service Canitaur on a tray,
+and I was surprised to see that it was a mixture of broccoli, spinach,
+and mushrooms, with a flavorless, glowing sauce. He was right,
+incidentally, for it was both bitter before and pleasant after its
+consumption.
+
+"I know of the solids, but what is this sauce?" I asked of him.
+
+"Carbon," he replied.
+
+I looked at him and questioned, "Pure carbon? I have never heard of its
+having this use before."
+
+"Your civilization was long ago and had not developed it yet."
+
+"That has perplexed me, now that you mention it," I said, "Onan seemed
+to mean that I was going back in time to help my ancestors, but you say
+that I went forward, that I am one of the ancients."
+
+He was wary for a moment, though if it was because of the apparent
+conflict, or because I was on a first name basis with his god I couldn't
+tell. He soon recovered his countenance and said, "It is a complicated
+question, and I believe you should ask Wagner the next time you see him,
+after the raid though, of course. The time of departure is nigh now,
+however, so you should put on your anti-electron suit," he said as he
+picked it up from the corner and brought it to me.
+
+It was a subtle dark brown and looked more like a normal suit of clothes
+than an electron reflecting suit, but then again, I thought, why would
+it be a strange looking apparatus? Why would an advanced technological
+age necessarily be devoid of any sense of fashion, although that would
+be assuming that any civilization had ever had one. Fashion is more a
+characterization of a culture than a basic and unchanging principle, for
+a desert people would wear clothes that would be most uncomfortable to a
+people who lived in the snow. Clothes may not make the man, but the man
+certainly makes the clothes, and you can judge a person by what they
+wear so far as it is in their power to decide what that is.
+
+After putting on the suit I found that it fit perfectly, and above that,
+I found it to be very comfortable, including the head piece, which
+formed closely around the skull and was not at all noticeable or
+obscuring. In fact, as it was made of a plasma that allowed everything
+through except lone particles, it was so uninhibiting that a moment
+after I had put mine on I had completely forgotten about it. The only
+other part of the suit that stood out at all was the long, metallic
+buckle that secured the belt, it having a bowie knife hidden within it
+in an unnoticeable and inconspicuous manner. Bernibus had put on his as
+I had put on mine, and as I looked away from the mirror that was
+opposite the door, I saw him dressed the same as myself, yet because the
+suit so blended with his fur, it was hard to tell which ended where.
+
+Finding that we were both ready, we repaired to the entrance hall. Along
+the way I asked Bernibus of his wife, Wagner's sister, of whom I had
+heard little and seen nothing. He was quiet for a pause, and then said:
+
+"She was an angel, what else can be said?"
+
+"Was?" I asked hesitantly.
+
+"Yes, she was killed by the Zards on a border raid, as we were at that
+time living apart from the Canitaur mass with a few friends. She was
+less aggressive than her brother, and, much to his disapprobation, we
+lived with a group of separatists, believing that war, physical
+conflict, is never the right answer to ideological conflict. Wagner
+excommunicated us in his anger, though his sister was very dear to him,
+and after she died he was struck with remorse and made me his deputy
+Kibitzer. He felt that it would somehow do her honor, as it would
+recognize us as having been married and make me his brother-in-law,
+which is an important relationship traditionally, as he has no other
+siblings. So here I am, technically second-in-command, but because of my
+soft lining, I have no real command."
+
+"You would not attack Nunami, then?" I asked.
+
+He chose his words carefully, saying, "More pain will not negate the
+pain already in existence, yet war is not always avoidable, and
+sometimes it is even necessary."
+
+When we reached the entrance hall, where the raiding party was to meet,
+we found that there was already assembled a majority of the force,
+including Wagner. The party was only twenty strong, as the atomic
+anionizers were to do the main work and the planned raid required
+stealth and secrecy, not force or might. Within a quarter of an hour all
+the stragglers had arrived and all the anionizers were accounted for, so
+Wagner gave a short debriefing to ensure that all the members were on
+the same page. We were to sneak into the city when the populous was
+distracted by the fire on Lake Umquam Renatusum, which was to be started
+at midnight. We would plant the atomic anionizers at the right spacing
+so as to bring down the whole city once we were escaped, using the
+remote control provided for that very purpose. The suits would protect
+us from the blasts, and, as a precaution, the remote had an automatic
+five second delay between being pressed and exploding the bombs, though
+it was more for form than practicality. After he finished we set off,
+being arranged two abreast per row, there being ten rows. Bernibus and
+myself were partners, for we had become close friends in the few days
+that I had spent among the Canitaurs, while Wagner was once again the
+leading guide and Taurus the rearguard.
+
+After crossing the chasm that separated the hall and the entrance
+tunnel, we came to the long defile that formed the latter and passed
+through it swiftly, the lofty archer guards remaining as stern and
+immovable as when I had first come through. We then came to the winding
+stairs that occupied the hollowed innards of a massive and ancient tree,
+of which kind many were to be found in Daem, being at least fifty feet
+thick and 700 feet high, such gigantic trees that were never seen
+elsewhere, yet constituted the whole forests of the northern lands. I
+found that the stairs were as long as I had remembered, taking us a
+great while to ascend to the top of the tree, and when we had made it,
+we, especially myself, were dazzled by the effulgent light of midday.
+After having been out of the sun's reach for the last few days I was
+completely unprepared, though the shock helped me by curing me of the
+disillusionment that comes from not seeing sun, moon, or stars for any
+length of time. Taking a rest for a few moments on the seats on the
+platform, we collected our strength. After our brief repose was
+completed, we set off again with renewed vigor across the treeway on
+which I had first come to the Canitaur's fortress. You will remember
+that the road was made by the securing of five or six foot platforms to
+the intertwined branches of those great trees, over which one could
+travel with ease and be safe from exposure to those below by the thick
+foliage that grew on the trees and was carefully manicured for that very
+purpose.
+
+Soon we reached the first platform I had seen, which we had come upon
+from below, but we did not descend there, instead keeping on by the
+treeway in the direction from which we had come that night, that being
+southward, towards the lake, the savanna, and the Zardovian capital,
+Nunami. The air was warm, with a slight breeze as we went along, and
+that, mixed with the plentiful flora about us and the songs of the
+treetop dwellers, rendered the whole feeling of the walk peaceful and
+happy, though its end was not to be such. I soon forgot the worldly
+concerns that plagued me as I was soaking in the simplicity of nature,
+not a simplicity of form, for all things are incomprehensively complex,
+but simplicity of meaning.
+
+After a time I began noticing changes in our surroundings that indicated
+we were drawing nearer to our goal, namely, the trees lessening in
+proportions, the terrain becoming flatter, and the air growing moister
+and more vibrant. Still, the trees continued to spring up from the
+ground like great earthen tentacles, for while their size diminished, it
+was not by enough to change their demeanor, the trees anywhere on Daem
+being great in size.
+
+The sun journeyed with us, and by the time we reached Lake Umquam
+Renatusum, twilight's last agony was being performed in the heavenly
+theater, and the rippling waters mirrored it, adding only a strange,
+flowing texture. The lake's current caught my eye with its subtle
+oddity, for it was amiss and it appeared upon close inspection that
+there was an undertow, as if there was an underground river flowing into
+the lake and bringing about its swirling currents.
+
+Bernibus saw me looking down at the waters from the lofty road with a
+puzzled look, and asked me if I was wondering about the water's current.
+I replied that I was, and he told me that it was the fervidus flamma
+being pumped into the lake through the underground aqueducts, which, of
+course, was for the purpose of igniting it to decoy for our raid. Once
+it was explained it made sense, yet I looked at it anyway, for it was
+still a gorgeous and inspiring view.
+
+We were moving quickly, however, and it soon was out of sight, and I
+again turned towards our destination with apprehensions of failure. They
+seemed to place great faith in my presence, as the emissary of Onan, and
+while I was, I was also Jehu, and I wasn't confident with my own
+abilities. But it was upon those the situation mostly rested, it being
+the resolve of the gods after the Homeric period to take a more removed
+role in the lives of men. I wonder how many from my own times were
+divine agents, for better or worse. Either way, my main concern then was
+making the correct decisions, for I rightly believed that my involvement
+would decide the matter, although not in the manner I had anticipated.
+As I looked about myself to reconnoiter the feelings of my comrades I
+was fruitless, for they all wore impermeable countenances, though that
+was itself an indicator of their resolve.
+
+Within an hour after the fall of darkness we reached the outskirts of
+Nunami, or rather, its edge, for it was walled in with massive stone
+walls and battlements, with a sturdy gate of twenty foot width being
+placed at the northern, southern, eastern, and western ends. The trees
+hung right over the walls, and as such we were able to take positions
+from which we could descend into the city when the time to do so came.
+Yet we were still rendered invisible by the thick foliage.
+
+Night's zenith blew in slowly on the wind like the belabored breaths of
+a dying man, and after a period of worry, it came: midnight, the
+appointed hour. No sooner had the moon reached its utmost height,
+shrouding the lands in a shadowless vortex, than a great blaze erupted
+from the northern lands, and it rose almost instantly to its estimated
+height of five miles. It was a terrible sight to behold, for any flame
+is a captivating display of inorganic life, but a pillar of flame
+several miles high is more than just an enlarged specimen, for it plays
+host to a great horde of phantasmal apparitions that wrestle ferociously
+with one another. As the flame shot upwards it cast a great light down
+on everything that rivaled the illumination of midday. At first I feared
+lest the light should show our silhouettes to the Zards, as we were
+between them and it, but it did not, or at least they took no notice of
+it if it did, for we were quite undetected in our hiding place.
+
+Our worries were far from over though, for now came the crucial point in
+our plans: in order for our small force to infiltrate the city and place
+the atomic anionizers, the Zards must not only have been distracted and
+preoccupied with the blaze, but they had also to leave the city almost
+empty and go to the lake itself, for if a cry was raised, or any
+substantial resistance attempted, the complex procedures to detonate the
+anionizers properly, so as to level the city but not the surrounding
+country, may have been hindered. There were several factors on our side
+though, the element of surprise being the foremost, for in their
+excitement the Zardovian resistance would likely mistake us for a
+regular sized army and flee in fear at our supposed superiority,
+especially since the presence of me, the kinsman redeemer, was known to
+the Zards. Also, the Zards were known to be curious and careless and
+ruled by the desire for excitement, meaning that if an entertaining
+undertaking was possible, they would pursue it, no matter how dangerous
+or ill-advised.
+
+Within a moment after the flame was lit, all of the Zards outside, which
+were many, were gazing with silent wonder at it, and in the second
+moment, all the rest had joined them in their confused contemplation.
+But the third moment witnessed a drastic change in their behavior, for
+their initial bewilderment wore off and suddenly, with a united prelude
+of the drawing in of a breath, they all began speaking at once,
+resulting in a clamorous din that lasted for a few moments, before
+things hushed again and we could hear a few individual voices discussing
+loudly. Though we couldn't make out their exact words, they were
+apparently conferring with one another about what action to take. Our
+breathing became slow and heavy and our brows were knit tensely, for we
+knew that the fate of our mission rested on what they did then, whether
+or not the long planned decoy would work.
+
+It was an anxious moment, and one with a heavy burden attached to it.
+Fortunately, though, as our fate was decided, it was done so in our
+favor, for the Zards began exiting the city in a great multitude of
+scales that swept along the savanna like a tidal wave over a sandy
+coast. They came out fast and strong, and through each of the four
+gates, though only the northern was fully visible to us, the others
+being too far to be seen distinctly. Still, we could see them rushing
+out of Nunami at a quick pace, not hurried, as if frightened or finicky,
+nor slow as in deliberation and meditation, instead it was a steady trot
+that they took, allowing them to move safely and swiftly.
+
+The tide of Zards swept steadily past us, and it was a good half an hour
+later that the final ones had left the gates and the city far behind.
+Most had taken some type of weapon, a pitchfork or club or occasionally
+a sword, for the threat of war was a constant, but none of them had any
+idea that their only danger was behind them. It was not all in the clear
+though, for a patrol of guards equipped with long spears and clothed
+with a tough, leathery armor were making their way to and fro along the
+tops of the walls, where there was a platform of about five feet across
+that served as a road to the soldiers in their watches. It was evident
+by their countenances, though, that the guards now on duty were more
+interested in the fire than in their immediate vicinity, thinking, no
+doubt, that the laurels were to be won there and not at Nunami, and as
+such, they paid little heed to the walls, instead walking with their
+necks craned precariously to the north.
+
+We were able to jump unto the wall silently from our concealed roost on
+the treeway when the nearest patrol had passed by. From there we went
+along the wall a short way until we came to a battlement, there taking
+the downward leading steps that brought us to the ground. Once there we
+were pleased and hopeful at what we saw: everything was abandoned, and
+no Zards were in sight save those on the walls, whose gaze was cast
+elsewhere. We set to work, then, according to our preset plan, which was
+to break up into groups of two and cover the city with our atomic
+anionizers, so as to spread the destruction as evenly as possible.
+Wagner and myself were partners, and we took the central district, near
+the government's center, the palace, and the Temple of Time, which rose
+above the city like a great tree amidst a desert. It was, in fact, the
+very structure that had so stood out to me during my journey through the
+prairie upon my arrival, and once again its sobering sensation struck
+me, and I found myself staring up at its top, a full 800 feet high, the
+bottom being an ornate and elaborate temple. The middle, which supplied
+most of its height, was a long, round tower, and at top there was a
+spherical pinnacle which had what looked to be a room in it.
+
+Wagner soon called my attention back to our work, and we busied
+ourselves with planting a bomb at the base of the palace, using a
+smaller type anionizer, which, I noticed, was set just right so that
+while all of Nunami would be leveled, the temple with its great tower
+would be beyond the impact and left standing. Just as we had set it
+correctly, we heard a high-pitched whistle, which was the preconcerted
+signal among the raiders to use if any danger was nigh. We looked up
+directly and saw its reason: a squadron of Zards had been garrisoned
+inside the palace and had not left like the others, apparently because
+its sole purpose was to protect their king, who did not leave the city,
+being preoccupied with business and not seeing the flames. When he did
+go to the window, he saw the fire, and rushed to see what was about, but
+instead of finding out, he ran into us, who were right outside the
+palace.
+
+Wagner dashed wildly through the streets in an impressive show of
+dexterity, and did a wall-jump between two lofty buildings to gain the
+wall. The others had done likewise, having been trained by a lifetime of
+conflict to have nerves of lightning speed and earthly strength. Their
+instincts had come in subconsciously when they had seen the cause of the
+alarm and they escaped, without thinking of me in the critical moment. I
+lacked such strength and speed of mind and was caught as soon as I had
+seen the squadron, aided, probably, by the fact that upon seeing me the
+king had become excited and rushed at me with great speed. When Wagner
+had first turned around and saw me their prisoner, he looked crestfallen
+and hopeless, for he had no way to rescue me. He held the remote control
+for the atomic anionizers in his hand and was about to set them off and
+make good the plan, but before he could, our eyes met for an instant,
+and we connected beyond time and space, experiencing a strange
+intra-personal deja vu. All was silent and still in that instant, and I
+saw him struggling inwardly: would he detonate the anionizers and make
+good his long awaited plan, or would he retreat and leave the city
+unharmed, for though I was wearing the electron reflecting suit, the
+collapse of all the high rise buildings would litter the ground with
+debris from them, and all on the ground would be crushed. Would he spare
+me from death, or his people? In that instant his face spoke more than
+many others' do in their entire lifetime. It was cut through with a
+contrasting countenance, and yet inside of his eyes there was something
+foreign to them shining through, something that I had never seen on his
+fretless features before: evil intent. I could not tell if it was
+natural to them and simply well hidden, or if it was an alien
+expression, but it was fearfully expressed, and his eyes seemed to say,
+even at that great distance, that he took a third course, that he would
+save me, but not for my sake, instead for his peoples'. And then it
+passed, for he looked away, replaced the remote to his belt, and leapt
+to the ground, where the other Canitaurs were awaiting him. I saw him no
+more until the situation was much changed.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 8: The Temple of Time
+
+
+
+I turned slowly away from where Wagner had disappeared over the side of
+the wall and faced my captors, the Zards. Chief among them was the King,
+he being a foot or two taller than the others, with a graceful and
+powerful pose that struck awe into the eyes of the beholder with its
+innate command and dignity, both of which flowed from it as naturally as
+water from a well. There were about twenty guards in the squadron that
+protected the King, but it was not so much from the terror of them that
+the Canitaurs fled, nor was it because of the guards that patrolled the
+walls and were sure to join any fray attempted, it was instead an
+apparent fear of the King, and rightly so, for his demeanor was fierce
+and sophisticated, as if he were not just a warrior nor solely a
+scholar, but a mixture of the two that gave him an aura that inspired
+fear, some unseen presence that filled the air around him and sent his
+neighbors into a reverencing awe reminiscent of a lover's sacred
+euphoria, intangible yet undeniable.
+
+As I turned to him, he smiled and greeted me softly and pleasantly, in
+such a way that seemed contrary to his nature. Instead of being terrible
+and glorious like the crash of thunder or the din of waves, his voice
+was melodious, subtly so, like a soft summer rain affecting the dreams
+of a slumbering child as it falls gently on his face. There was a rhythm
+that ran through it, like poetry, yet not like average poetry, where the
+rhythm is forced and the lines deformed to its ungainly warble, but like
+heavenly poetry, where the rhythm is beyond the conscious and into the
+subconscious, where it inspires a feeling of quaint remembrance of
+itself, as if it were there and not there at the same time. And while it
+was soft and pleasant, it was not feminine, for it was a strong
+baritone, reinforced by its own superiority and strengthened by its wit
+and sobriety.
+
+"Greetings, o' chosen one," he said to me, "I see that you have arrived
+safely."
+
+"Yes, quite soundly," I replied, a little taken aback on two fronts:
+firstly that he was not angry or indignant that I had attempted to
+destroy his kingdom and take his life in the process, and secondly that
+he seemed to expect me, as if I were his midday tea partner.
+
+"I am glad, for I would wish you no harm, though your Canitaurian
+friends obviously felt no such concern. But just as well, for they
+always were unpredictable. I'm sorry that there is no one here at the
+moment, or we should have a great welcoming parade for our newly arrived
+kinsman redeemer, but they are off at the lake, inspecting the fire I
+suppose. I must admit it caught me off guard for a moment or two, and at
+first I was actually quite surprised. I soon remembered, though, that
+our friends the Canitaurs would have gotten some notions in their heads
+of a battle, at your arrival. It must be a grand sight in any case, and
+not one to miss."
+
+I gave him a strange look, for I was a bit confused myself at the
+attitude he donned towards me, very friendly, as was Wagner, as I
+recalled, though it seemed as contrary to his nature as it did to the
+King's. He saw the expression of my eyes, and seemed to read right
+through my thoughts and see my apprehension of punishment, for he
+beckoned to his guards to leave us alone. They moved quickly and
+uniformly, a well-trained unit, and positioned themselves in a line
+formation along the street. The King and I then strolled down their
+midst, they walking along with us at a distance of a few yards, which
+was all that the closely built buildings would permit. In a moment or
+two we reached the Temple of Time, which was on the far side of a large
+square plaza that opened up between it, the palace, and the government
+center. Once we reached it, he led me inside and the guards took up post
+around its outside.
+
+"You need not fear," he told me when we were alone, "You are among
+friends here. You see, the Canitaurs were not the only ones waiting for
+a kinsman redeemer, the Zards were as well. That day that you were seen
+going into the Canitaur's outpost was a big disappointment for us, I had
+almost begun to think that you were beyond our reach. I am sure you know
+all about the conflict between us, and the circumstances of your time
+that brought its beginning about?"
+
+"Yes, I do," I responded as we walked through the great entry hall of
+the temple, lined with bookshelves and a rich red carpeting. He was
+silent for another moment as we crossed into another room that led to a
+chamber with a long table in its center and a great many statues and
+works of art scattered throughout its whole. There was an altar at the
+far end, built into a giant statue of a White Eagle that graced the
+entire wall, it holding the altar in its giant claws.
+
+He saw me look at it and told me, "This is the Hall of Time, and that is
+the altar to Temis, the God of Time. It is a very sacred place, to both
+us and the Canitaurs, for it was built by Temis himself, before the race
+of man inhabited the earth. By the time any men came to live on Daem, it
+had been buried by the dirt and debris of thousands of years, but when
+the Great War took place, the shock uncovered it and revealed it to men,
+a sort of revelation that came only as it was needed the most. Daem's
+war started over the control of it, and to a point still is. To a
+certain extent is has helped us greatly, since the Canitaurs are afraid
+to lay siege to us in the regular fashion, for fear that it will be laid
+to ruin, and then our fate sealed in flesh and bone as well as earth and
+stone. But come, there is something I want to show you," he told me.
+
+With that he started over to a door in the wall adjacent to the
+entrance, which, as there were only two doors, was the only other exit.
+It led to a long, winding stair that went up to the top of the tower
+that I had seen from below. We walked up it in silence, more from awe of
+its magnificent construction on my part than fatigue in climbing its
+steep stairs, which wound on and on almost indefinitely. There were no
+windows in the tower, and only a few paintings to liven up the sparsely
+decorated walls, yet they needed no adornments, for they were
+beautifully constructed from a strange stone that split and colored in a
+marvelous twisting pattern.
+
+At last we came to the top. It was much like it had appeared to be from
+below, for it was a large glass sphere that sat on the tower, like the
+dome on top of a light pole. It was divided in two, and the stairs went
+right through the bottom half and opened into a circular foyer that then
+had a small flight of stairs running up to the main room. There were
+little closets and such in the empty spaces on the bottom floor. The
+upper room was a good thirty feet in diameter, and the walls and ceiling
+were all made of glass, very sturdy and insulating, yet completely
+transparent. On the floor was an odd carpet that was smooth and thin,
+like a silk or fine linen, yet very strong. There was a rounded table on
+the side of the entrance hole opposite the stairs, and a curved couch
+that sat against the wall behind it, cut perfectly to its circular
+outline. Two cushioned chairs sat at the table and a small end table
+leaned up against the couch, on top of which there was a medium sized
+spyglass, that is, a telescope.
+
+The sun was just coming up and shining its golden hues on the
+surrounding lands, which were beginning to darken as the fires of Lake
+Umquam Renatusum died down to a faint glow in the center of the forests
+of the near-north. It was the first time that I had gotten a bird's eye
+view of Daem, and I was amazed at its beauty. The plains stretched on
+one side of Nunami like a broad field of gold in the morning light, its
+dew drizzled grasses waving in a solemn and dignified manner to and fro
+like the constant beating of the earth's heart, and when looked upon
+abstractly it moved as if one great beast of benevolence, holding itself
+in unison as it chorused back the silent tones of life. Its edges draped
+down to the ocean like a curtain of woven sunlight on the eastern and
+southern sides of the island of Daem, and on the western side of Nunami
+the great forest came up right to its edge. There was a little of the
+forest between the ocean and the city on that side, while to the north
+there was a great stretch of trees, all the way until the ocean again
+came into sight in the far, far north. On the ground the trees of Daem
+seemed like mighty towers and battlements of nature, and on the treeway
+one felt suspended in air hundreds of feet above the ground on a cloud
+of green and growing foliage, but from afar and above they were revealed
+in their true splendor, shooting up from the earth as if they were the
+arms of the ground itself, grasping huge clusters of leaves and branches
+far above in their tightened fists. Some way into the forest, the ground
+sprang up into mountains that were as fierce and behemoth as the trees
+that clothed them. They were terrible to the eye and mind, as evidences
+of the power that exists outside of oneself.
+
+The city of Nunami was also revealed to me for the first time in depth.
+As I have said, it was surrounded by a thick, tall wall made of stones
+and precious jewels, with four gates, one at the furthest extreme in
+each direction. It was a circular city, made mostly of the same
+materials as the wall and temple, which were a plain, silvery stone; a
+dark rock with inherent patterns; a mixture of cobblestone and a
+colorful compositor rock; and a vast array of metals, everything from
+brass to silver to platinum. Made in an ancient style, the buildings
+were tall, the average being what was equivalent to at least a dozen or
+two stories in the pre-desolation times, and they were close together,
+built along roads paved with cobblestone and lined with trees whose
+girth, though not as monstrous as those in the wild, was still great.
+There were farm fields and vineyards and orchards and meadows for
+grazing animals all within the city walls, and not just congregated
+around the outside, for there were buildings all around the wall's
+perimeter, but scattered among the other buildings in a natural and
+pleasing way. In the southern part there was a lake that was of fair
+size, and a fleet of fishing boats anchored at its shore showed that it
+did its part to contribute to the city's well-being. Several of the
+trees throughout the city were especially conspicuous in their grandeur,
+for they rose hundreds of feet from the ground and had great waterfalls
+flowing down from their tops, as if they were crying great torrents of
+tears down from their aged faces, though if in sadness or joy, I
+couldn't tell.
+
+To the east there was land visible from the height at which I found
+myself, though in the distance it became hazy and I could not make out
+its distinct features. It was evidentially corrupted, however, for it
+had an uneasy look about it, as did the ocean, which was a faint, pale
+shadow of the rich blue it was in my childhood days. The sky as well was
+tainted, and it looked to be filled with the accumulated atrocities of
+countless generations. The clouds were thick and bluish, and the
+spherical mural of the sky itself had been greatly dried, cracked, and
+crumbled since my time, for it bore the marks of pain, the marks of the
+labor pains of the earth's last gestating doom. And well they should, I
+thought, for in the years since my natural life it had seen much
+suffering and much destruction.
+
+The King broke the silence, saying, "Lovely, isn't it, Jehu? And it is
+all yours for the taking."
+
+"What do you mean," I asked him.
+
+"Exactly what I said, the whole world is yours, if you want it."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"All you have to do is join us, the Futurists, and we will reward you
+with all the power and glory that you can imagine."
+
+At that I sobered up and replied, "But what of Onan, of my quest to stop
+the doom of humanity from materializing in this final juncture. He is
+the one who sent me, and he is the Lord of the Past, whom the Canitaurs
+follow. I am his agent, why would I turn from him to serve mere
+mortals?"
+
+He laughed a slight, sarcastic laugh, "Tell me, Jehu, to whom did he
+send you, your ancestors or your offspring?"
+
+"To my ancestors," I said slowly, "Though the Canitaurs seemed to imply
+that my time was long ago. To be candid, I do not understand."
+
+"Of course you do not understand, and how could you, when no one has
+told you? You see, Jehu, the question of time is not so linear as you
+would think. You know full well that the conflict between the Zards and
+Canitaurs is over how to address the renewing of the earth: they would
+send you, our kinsman redeemer, back into time to prevent the nuclear
+wars, while we would send you to the future to bring back its
+completion. They hold to traditions as if they were the foundation of
+life, while our people have no traditions in the traditional sense, if I
+may use that oxymoronic phrase, but we look to what will come instead of
+what has passed. History is unimportant to the present, Jehu, because we
+have advanced to the point that we do not make the same mistakes as our
+ancestors. In the past, they waged war needlessly and did so in the name
+of humanitarian deeds. But today, we are advanced enough that we use
+peaceful and just means to reach our ends. In your day there were many
+absurd beliefs, for example the so-called 'fats' that were so vehemently
+avoided, are actually quite healthy, while on the other hand,
+protectionism and socialism are quite absurd ideas, and yet they were
+held dear. But today we have no such presuppositions, today we
+understand the world and know justice where your society knew only its
+shadows. We do not need to be bound by the mistakes of yesterday, for we
+have the enlightenment of today, and while the Canitaurs cling to the
+old time's ways, we have progressed to the point where we have no need
+of such traditions."
+
+He continued, "It may seem to you foolish to follow Zimri instead of
+Onan, because Onan's realm has already been established and grows
+greater everyday, while Zimri's doesn't exist and never will, but you
+miss a very important point in the understanding of these matters. For,
+as you probably know, time and matter are the foundations of physical
+existence, and while the two components are independent, they are also
+parallel. Matter is always revolving, from its simplest form in the atom
+to its greatest in the universe, everything is revolving and rotating.
+So is time. Imagine time as a galaxy, revolving continually around the
+black hole at its center, that is, an enigma that is actually devoid of
+all matter. Time is revolving around a great enigma as well, which is
+devoid of time, that enigma being eternity. Eternity is not a place
+where there is infinite time, but rather a place where there is simply
+no time, it is the counter-part in the temporal realm of a black hole in
+the material realm. And just as a galaxy in the material realm revolves
+around the black hole at its center, in the temporal realm, the flow of
+time itself revolves around eternity. That means that time repeats
+itself over and over again, just as on earth a year is the amount of
+time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun once, in the temporal
+realm, an age is the amount of time that it takes the time continuum to
+revolve once around eternity. Just as every year the climate on the
+earth is similar, every particular day having its usual temperature and
+weather, and every general period having the same seasons, so is time.
+While every age is completely new and original, they all follow the same
+pattern, and through every age the same general events happen, though a
+few of the small details change from one time to the next.
+
+"So you see, it is true that Onan sent you to both the past and the
+future of your original time. The Pastites would say that you were sent
+forward in time, because you existed in our past, while the Futurists
+would say that you were sent backwards in time because you existed in
+our future. While this would seem an unimportant question, it is not,
+for we have to choose one or the other. You, the kinsman redeemer have
+to choose one or the other. That is why you were sent, you have to
+decide. Our fate must be decided by a mortal because the gods have vowed
+to never interfere directly in our ways again. You must decide, Jehu,
+for you hold the fate of humanity in your hands: in all the other ages
+before us, the wrong decision was made, and every time some great
+calamity came that somehow threw the earth into a great ice age that
+destroyed all life for many millenniums. We know that the wrong decision
+was made, but we cannot tell what it was that was done. Tell me Jehu,
+will you join the Futurists? Surely you can see that the Pastites are
+just that, stuck in the past, with their obsession with traditions and
+legends. They are of the past, but we are of the future, we are the
+progressive ones. Dear Jehu, choose the future, and when the earth is
+spared from the great impending doom, we will set you up as ruler of the
+world to show our gratitude. Will you join us, friend?" he asked me with
+the most entreating eyes, though of somewhat doubtful sincerity.
+
+There was a deathly silence that followed, for I was thinking long and
+hard about what I should do, until at last I spoke, "Your majesty, I am
+afraid that I will have to turn you down and remain with the Pastites.
+Onan sent me, and it is Onan whom I shall follow."
+
+The King shook his head and sighed dejectedly, for a moment he looked
+disheartened and crestfallen, but then he again resumed his former
+prideful pose and said to me, less humbly and entreating than before,
+"Very well, I was afraid that you would do that. I have no choice now
+but to keep you here indefinitely as a prisoner, until such time as you
+realize the error of your ways and repent. It may seem improper to
+refuse the decision of the kinsman redeemer, but I must, for I will not
+allow my people to be destroyed by your ignorance."
+
+With that he turned and walked quickly down the stairs to the door,
+turning to me just as he reached it and adding with an almost spiteful
+intonation, "But then again, what clarity of mind can be expected from
+someone from the unenlightened past." He then left the room, closing the
+door with a powerful thud, after which I heard a small metallic click
+and his strong, commanding footsteps fading down the long stairway. As
+soon as the sound had died away and he was no more to be heard, I ran
+down to the door and tried to open it, but to no avail, for it was
+locked. There was no way to escape: I was a prisoner of the Zards.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 9: Mutually Assured Deception
+
+
+
+The light of the newborn sun rose that instant far enough above the
+horizon to shine directly into the tower's upper dome-like room, and I
+was awe struck by the texture that the lights created on the glass of
+the walls, for when it shone through at just the right height, a
+previously invisible picture came to view. It was of a towering clipper
+ship with sails that stretched across their masts like skin over the
+bones of a pleasantly plump fellow, the wind billowing them about at a
+leisurely rate. Waves broke gently upon the ship's side as the crew
+rested peacefully on the various cables and nets, all except for the
+one-legged captain who was busy looking at the map and accompanying
+charts. It was a quaint and beautiful scene, though it soon passed away
+as the sun moved upwards in the sky, and I wouldn't have mentioned it,
+except that as it disappeared, I found myself looking at where it had
+been, but instead of the ship, I saw directly through the glass the
+inhabitants of Nunami arising and beginning their daily business, a
+scene which I might have missed since I was previously wholly absorbed
+by the picturesqueness of the sky.
+
+Usually the Zards would arise before dawn and be about their business,
+but because of the great flames of the night before, they had no doubt
+had trouble sleeping, and therefore slept later than usual when they
+finally did fall into the lands beyond consciousness. They hustled and
+bustled about the streets of Nunami, each doing their own business, and
+there was much business to be done in a city in which all provisions are
+provided internally, with no trade or commerce outside whatsoever. There
+were merchants and stores still, yet they were not traders but
+producers, each making their own wares as they sold ones they had
+already made. Butchers sat in their shops with their blood-stained
+aprons already donned, cobblers and tailors were busy with the day's
+repairs and new creations, the milkmen paraded the streets slowly and
+methodically, somehow getting their products to the citizens before 8
+AM. The farmers and herdsmen were also at work in the fields that were
+spread throughout the city, plowing and sowing, and being joined by
+those who had just finished distributing the milk.
+
+All was commonplace and normal, I thought, and I was surprised, for the
+Zards were not at all martially minded, a great contrast to their
+Canitaurian brethren. Of course, I had never actually met any of the
+Canitaurian commoners. It seems to me that the only ones who really are
+martially minded are the leaders and politicians, everyone else seems to
+mind their own business, and sometimes I wonder if there would even be
+any wars if there weren't any governments with the power to wage one.
+There was a group of Zards by the government center, which was close to
+my involuntary quarters, and they were leaning over an opening in the
+aqueduct that ran down into the lake in the southern section of the
+city, branching off from there into all the various sectors. They were
+dumping a barrel of a fine, white powder into the water that was running
+down into the lake, and after the first had been poured in, they added
+another and another until they had put a good five barrels into the
+water source. Once they had finished, they took the empty barrels to a
+large cage that was down the road a bit, inside of a small grove of
+trees and shrubs. Inside the cage was a multitude of little beetles that
+crawled around every which way and were evidentially feasting on a large
+chunk of glowing material. For a moment I was surprised, and wondered
+what it was they were doing, but then it hit me: they were the delcator
+beetles that Bernibus had told me of earlier, the ones that absorbed the
+radioactive material and stabilized it. As I learned later, they had two
+good uses, one was that they consumed the unstable materials and
+neutralized them, but the other was that their droppings, when mixed
+into the water supply, also gave all that consumed them a greater
+tolerance for nuclear material. It was almost ironic that their whole
+way of life was dependent on the feces of another life form, but I will
+refrain from turning it into a metaphor.
+
+The female Zards wore a black headpiece that mostly covered their faces,
+and at first I found it strange that for all his talk of progress, the
+King's people still oppressed their women, perhaps there wasn't as much
+progress as he had boasted, or, more likely, he was unaware that there
+was no such thing as progress, just different manifestations of
+oppression. History repeats itself, they say, and indeed it does, both
+literally and figuratively.
+
+There suddenly arose a great commotion in the square between the Temple
+and the palace, and as I looked, I was surprised to see that there was a
+large crowd gathered. In the middle of the square there were two groups
+of ten Zards facing each other, with a single Zard in between them, and
+around the outside of the plaza area stood a hundred or so spectators,
+apparently watching those in the middle. A moment after I started
+watching, the solitary Zard, the referee as I found out, walked to the
+edge, and each of the groups walked to one of the opposing sides and
+then turned about to face the other. The referee let out a loud yell and
+in a flash, the two teams ran at each other headlong, until converging
+somewhere in the center of the field. As they met they dived upon one
+another and pushed and shoved until the left team had isolated one of
+the right's players, who was the only one on his team wearing an orange
+jersey. They dived on him and jumped until the whole field was piled
+high with them, and then they slowly began to disembark. Once all of the
+opposing team's players were off of the orange shirted Zard, all was
+silent and still as the referee held his hand aloft and began counting
+with his fingers. Everyone held their breathe and stood tensely by as
+they watched. Just before the referee's tenth and final finger was
+counted, the orange shirted player rose from the ground, amidst the
+screams of joy from his team and about half of the crowd, apparently
+their fans. The two teams then returned to their respective sides, and
+again the referee yelled loudly, signaling them to rush at each other
+once more, and more of the same ensued, this time it being the other
+team's orange shirted player to get pounced on. Once again there was a
+high pile on top of him, and once again, as they crawled off and he was
+exposed, the referee began to count. Except that this time the orange
+shirted one never got up. The other team cheered again and so did the
+other half of the crowd. The referee went to a pole on the sidelines and
+put up the number '1' on it while a few bystanders picked the Zard up
+and carried him off the field. They continued to play in this fashion
+for awhile, going until one team or the other had no longer any players
+to be jumped upon, but I was too disgusted at their violent nature to
+watch, and instead walked over to the end table and picked up the
+telescope, taking back as I did my thoughts about the innocence and
+gentleness of the common folk.
+
+With the telescope in hand I went over to the eastern side of the room
+and began to closely inspect the savanna in an attempt to get a bird's
+eye view of the point of my entrance in Daem. It looked rather the same
+from above as it did from below, though the smells and sounds were
+missing, and I found that it was rather bland once the initial
+excitement, surprise, and respect of its novelty had worn off. Indeed,
+it was quite too dull for me, even in my state of boredom as a prisoner,
+though I suppose that that isn't a proper description of my feelings,
+for I wasn't free from excitement or intriguing events, but rather, I
+was in the middle of a campaign of new and anticipated things, but
+simply unable to participate. Stuck in a room 800 feet from the ground
+with walls of glass that allowed observation of the whole island of
+Daem, which I assumed to be the only civilization in the world, while
+great events unfolded around me, of which I was supposed to be the
+primary actor, was very disconcerting, though I find in retrospect that
+fate worked so mysteriously in my situation that it is quite puzzling to
+think about, meaning, of course, my relationship with the doom of
+humanity as preventer and provoker, as savior and condemner.
+
+My writing of this manuscript may be considered quite a big cheat, as it
+details my direct involvement with Onan, the Lord of the Past, and the
+general circumstances of the end of life on earth, for the current age
+at least, but still I am allowed to write it. Onan told me just a few
+moments ago that I could write it and tell all that I want, to which I
+was taken aback. When I asked why he would allow me to break the law of
+the council of the gods, he replied that there was no rule against a
+human agent from detailing his involvement in the actions of the
+divines. It was allowed, he told me, because it would never make a mite
+of a difference, for even if it were able to survive the bitter ice ages
+and all the evolutionary periods in this TAB (Temporal Anomaly Box,
+which I will explain later, since I get ahead of myself and have not
+told of them yet), and even if it is found by humans, and even if they
+are capable of understanding the text contained within it, even then
+they will take no gain from it. I was again taken aback when he said
+this, for though I know humans to be stubborn and foolish, in general, I
+would think that they would at least mind the warning when the
+conditions of its completion came to pass. But he dissuaded me, telling
+me that my coevals of the next age would no doubt take it as a novel.
+
+At this I took your defense quite personally upon myself, and demanded
+in as not so humble a tone as would be thought proper, though as I am
+about to die within the next day or two, I have to admit that I don't
+give much of a damn for politics or manners. And yet, with all my ardor
+I was quickly subdued by a curt rebuke by my interlocutors (for Zimri
+was there as well), which was, quite simply, that you hadn't taken Homer
+for any more than a creative poet, even after a few thousand years of
+study, so why should my meager manuscript make such a large impact. At
+that, I acquiesced to them and admitted that on that end my attempt to
+save humanity one way or another was contemptible, but I still write, as
+you see, for the story's sake, and possibly for my own material
+immortality. But never mind that, for it is high time that I went back
+to my story.
+
+I was looking through the spyglass at the various areas of Daem where my
+adventures had so far taken me. After I had examined them all for a few
+moments, I felt a strange urge to use the telescope to look closely at
+the mainland that I had seen before, to see what the effects of the
+Great War had been there. As I turned the telescope's sights toward it,
+I was at once surprised and flabbergasted at what caught my eye. There
+were living beings on the mainland, not too far from the coast. And not
+only that, but they were standing upright, though stooped, as if by
+weariness and the wiles of life, and they seemed, in general, to
+resemble humans, not directly, but as much as the Zards and Canitaurs
+did, and with the effects of the radioactive instability greater on the
+mainlands, it would seem natural that they would be further removed from
+normality than those on Daem. The land itself was barren and flat, with
+sparse vegetation in the forms of small, deformed shrubs and a short,
+weak looking grass. As I looked closer I saw that there were about six
+of the strange, stooped humanoids, and they were gathering the fruits of
+some of the shrubs for consumption. In a few moments they finished their
+task and began to walk further inland, and I followed their progress
+with interest until they finally disappeared behind some of the small
+plateaus that were scattered here and there among the wastelands.
+
+Putting the telescope down, I walked over to the couch and laid down on
+it, with indignation filling my every move, for I was almost enraged
+that the Zards and Canitaurs both should fail to tell me, whom they
+claimed to respect as kinsman redeemer and whose decisions would seal
+their fate for good or ill, that there were other survivors from the
+Great Wars. I was also shocked by their selfishness, for while they
+fought pettily amongst themselves over how they would change their lands
+for the better, a seemingly important question about past and future,
+they completely ignored the sufferings of other humanoids, to whom their
+way of living no doubt seemed like a paradise. But there they were,
+stuck across the sea on their desolate lands, unable to cross to Daem
+and enjoy its plentiful resources and luxuries, yet not at all unaware
+of them, for as they labored in their hopeless ways, they could see Daem
+shining like a heavenly vision before them, one which they were not able
+to touch or grasp, but instead one that must infuriate them to no end in
+their heart, at the knowledge of fate's unfairness and their utter
+hopelessness and complete poverty, not because of their laziness or
+their ignorance or anything involving their actions whatsoever, but
+simply because they had been born on the wrong side of the sea.
+
+At that moment I was embittered against both the Zards and the Canitaurs
+for their selfishness and their pretensions of morality. There is no
+morality where one sees another starving and suffering and does not
+help, when one sees a whole race of people living on a land where
+nothing but sorrows dwell, but will not let them share the wealth that
+was given one by no doing of oneself. There is no morality in
+selfishness, and when I saw those wretched people, I no longer felt like
+redeeming those on Daem from the impending doom of humanity. Whatever
+plans they had for me they never told, I sensed, for there was something
+deeply wrong about the way they looked at me and talked about me,
+something deeply wrong about the way they patronized me and treated me
+like a silly child, while I was the one who was to decide their fate.
+The Canitaurs and the Zards both looked at me with a subtle sense of
+deceit and ill will, all that is, except Bernibus, which is why our
+friendship flourished so swiftly. As I laid there with thoughts of Onan
+and the decision that I was to make, and of all the responsibility that
+was put upon me involuntarily, as I thought of the conflict of past and
+future at the neglect of the present, as I thought about the
+self-obsession and overindulgence that come with wealth, and the desire
+for still more that accompanies it, I fell to sleep and into a place
+where no troubles lay, for my long day and night had left in me no energy
+for dreams.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 10: Devolution
+
+
+
+When I awoke the sun was once more out in its morning glory, at the
+height it assumes at about the 9 o'clock hour, and the room was warm and
+cozy because of it, as it shone in through the glass walls. My first
+sensation upon waking was one of peace and bliss, the feeling
+experienced when you wake up late to a nice warm resting place,
+especially so when all the rest of the world is hard at work and you are
+not. I breathed in the air deeply and contentedly while stretching my
+arms, legs, and back in a most relieving fashion, and then turned
+towards the table in the center of the room, from whence I smelled an
+extremely appealing smell, that of a hearty breakfast.
+
+As I did so, however, my joy was sent to a bitter, premature death, for
+there sitting at the table and smiling sardonically at me was the King,
+arrayed in all his pomp and splendor with his powerful pose, which,
+while it had impressed, and even to a point overwhelmed me, before, did
+no such thing to me now, for I was fresh with indignation at the
+exclusion of the humanoids across the sea from the paradise of Daem.
+
+He saluted me in a polite manner, and I him, though there was little
+affection behind it. Then, without any more ceremony, I sat down and
+began to eat, repulsing any attempt of his to start a conversation with
+persistent vigor, until I had finished, when I stood and demanded where
+exactly I was to make my toiletry. He laughed and said that he was
+wondering how long I would last, but as I was still too unpleasant to
+respond with any familiarity, he showed me to a little room that was
+tucked off of the side of the bell that formed the entrance to the domed
+chambers of the upper tower. The top of the tower itself was a half
+complete sphere, while the room only occupied the upper half, so that
+the bottom was divided between the entry way and the toiletry room. I
+spent a few moments grooming and washing myself and preparing for the
+day, and then rejoined him in the room. He was still sitting on his
+chair and I took the other. The meal had been carried away.
+
+He began the conversation by saying, "My dear Jehu, I must apologize for
+keeping you in this position, but you must understand that the outcome
+of this war is very serious, and I will not risk it to your
+sensationalism."
+
+"Sensationalism!" returned I, "Is that how you would describe a touch of
+humanity?"
+
+"What do you mean?" he questioned, apparently interested in what I said.
+
+
+"Well," I began, regaining myself, my former indignation being exhausted
+by the spirit of my opening comments, and my normal sober reasoning
+returning, "I have been observing your society, which you suppose to be
+enlightened, but I have seen some things, which, I am afraid, are
+evidences of the opposite."
+
+"Go on,"
+
+"For one, your common folk engage in the most violent entertainment. I
+saw a vicious game being played not far from here, in the plaza below.
+There were two sides, and they rushed at each other in a rage and
+clashed when they met until one side tackled the other. This went on for
+some time, the evident point of the sport being to gain points by making
+it so that one of the opposing players cannot get up at the end of a
+round. It was so brutal that I was disgusted and could watch no more."
+
+"Yes, I see what you mean," the King replied, "I myself would much
+rather that such games would be forsaken, but the people really enjoy
+it. I must remind you, as well, that your society had the same type of
+thing, as did every other before it. It was football for you, gladiators
+for the Romans, and so forth."
+
+"But I thought that you had no traditions? That you were more
+enlightened than those of the past? You can hardly excuse your
+misconduct by reminding one of the misconduct of another, especially
+when you claim to disclaim the errors of history, or at least, that
+altered and redefined thing that you call history."
+
+"You are right, I have to admit," he conceded, "But let me remind you
+that it is a static characteristic of humanity to confuse the ends with
+the means. When an intense effort is applied, the melodramatic tendency
+is to honor that effort, despite its uselessness, instead of honoring
+the product of the effort rather than the effort itself. But, you are
+right, I admit, for we have still a few places left to refine in the
+common folk."
+
+Feeling vainglorious at my victory, I pursued him further, "I also
+observed that your womenfolk wear face coverings in public, which is
+most certainly a thing of the past."
+
+"I must disagree with you there Jehu," he said, evidentially regaining
+his confidence and sense of moral footing, "For even in your own time
+the womenfolk all wore masks and face coverings."
+
+I was taken aback and cried, "Most certainly they did not, your history
+books may say so, but I, dear sir, was alive and would know best!"
+
+"What, then," he coolly replied, with a sharp grin that reeked of
+self-confidence, "Would you call all the messes of make-up and perfume
+and other such things which they were virtually forced to wear? I see
+nothing different between wearing face coverings and transplanting an
+entirely new face, hair, and body on oneself everyday. In fact, our
+women got together and decided voluntarily to do so, for the very reason
+that if an artificial covering must be put on, it might as well be one
+that is easy, for why spend an hour or more a day to change one's
+appearance, when it can be done in moments with a head covering? That is
+a great time saver for us. And why spend the resources to research,
+produce, and market massive amounts of facial paint to cover up the face
+when it is possible to put a covering on and get the same effect much,
+much easier? It is only logical.
+
+"And in general, Jehu," he pursued, warming to the subject matter, "I
+find the oppression of women in your time to be quite appalling. You
+seemed to think that the liberation of women consisted in transforming
+them into loveless, materialistic thugs, into workaholics whose only
+desire is wealth, into aggression driven beings that possessed little
+shred of real humanity, into, in a word, men. I think it would have been
+a much better endeavor to have attempted to change men into women."
+
+I was taken aback by his eloquent defense of the treatment of women in
+his society, and felt, I must admit, a little impressed by his
+arguments, seeing as how it did make more sense to wear a head covering
+than to paint on a face every morning. Still, I desired to let him see
+that traditions aren't all that bad, just as they aren't all that good,
+and, as I had still won one point out of two so far, I felt it safe to
+move on to my main argument against his humanistic preponderance.
+
+"You are right there, I admit, but tell me, your majesty," I said with a
+slow, scoffing voice, meant to show that I had a powerful point to make,
+and as if I had to go slow enough for him to comprehend the eloquence of
+my speech, "Why, if you are so enlightened and progressive, so
+humanitarian and merciful, why do you keep a whole race of people, of
+human beings, stranded on the far shore, able to see the goodness of
+Daem's plush lands, but unable to visit them? How can you justify the
+keeping of people in such conditions when it is in your power to relieve
+them?"
+
+He sobered up more than he already was and answered in his most
+dignified voice, one calculated to stop opposition by its very graces,
+"Their plight is unfortunate, but as they are not my subjects, it is
+none of my concern."
+
+"So you knew of them, but did not care. How typical of powerful men.
+What are they called?"
+
+"Munams," he answered, "Is what we call them, though people of your time
+had a different name for them, Neanderthal, if I am correct."
+
+My intrigue superseded my conviction and I asked interestedly, "But, how
+is that possible? The Neanderthals were the ancestors of men in my time,
+and the men of my time were the ancestors of the men of this time, how
+could they be living now?"
+
+"Very simply, for your scientists and philosophers did not understand
+the revolution of time, and what they thought was evolution was in fact
+devolution. You see, when they found all the fossils and other such
+evidence for evolution, they interpreted it to mean that they had
+evolved from lesser organisms. Since they didn't know that time repeats
+itself over and over again, ages of time being like the years of the
+earth, it was actually the remains of the age before them that they
+thought were the remains of their ancestors. In truth, instead of a
+great comet hitting the earth and destroying the dinosaurs and many
+other living beings, it was the Great Wars, the nuclear wars, that
+caused all the damage. And since their perception of the events was
+backward, instead of the blasts destroying the dinosaurs and the wholly
+mammoths, it was what actually created them, for, you see, after the
+nuclear weapons had all been used, everything in the world died, or came
+very close to it, all that is, except Daem, which thrived, because of
+the delcator beetles.
+
+"There were no 'dinosaurs', only Zards, for when the radiation levels
+were still high and unstable, we grew to enormous sizes, and likewise
+there were no wholly mammoths, but Canitaurs. And the Neanderthals that
+appeared shortly after were not the precursors to humans at all, but the
+Munams, who survived on the mainland near Daem because of the corrected
+atmosphere, but who were mutilated more than we by the increased
+corruption across the sea. The Ice Ages, also, were not as you thought,
+but instead mark the position in the last age after the doom of humanity
+was played out and everything destroyed. The Big Bang, also, was not at
+the beginning, but at the very end, being somehow related to the onset
+of the Ice Ages. Your evolutionary theories were close, but the time
+tables were rearranged to fit the facts, since time was thought to be
+linear.
+
+"That is where our main trouble lies, Jehu, for through geological and
+biological evidences, even more advanced than those collected during
+your times, we can tell that something happens at this very period of
+history that will wipe all life from the face of the earth for a long
+period of time, many thousands of years, until somehow they start to
+reproduce and grow once more into what they are now. Something very
+powerful happens, even more devastating than the nuclear wars, when all
+the nations of the world used their entire stock of weapons. Our problem
+is how to prevent it, and a great problem it presents, indeed. You see,
+while we would wish to be confident of success, since we know generally
+what to expect, we know through research that there have been many, many
+ages before us in which the same thing has happened. That is why the
+geological layers have always been found to be strangely misaligned,
+with fossils from an earlier period here and with a later period there.
+That is why things like tree fossils are found in coal mines, where they
+shouldn't be, and why in general, the evidence found in the ground
+doesn't fit a consistent pattern."
+
+As he finished, I could say nothing, for his revelation was sobering to
+me, bringing me suddenly back to the realization that our doom was
+impending, that every decision I made had the potential to either bring
+us to safety, or to supply the necessary force to hurl us viscously off
+the cliff of mortality. He was silent as well and allowed me a few
+moments of meditation to turn his speech in my mind. As is my tendency,
+I looked abstractly out the window as I thought, fixing my subconscious
+focus on the road that ran from the northern gate down through the city,
+the road which formed half of the plaza beneath the temple. A moment or
+two passed like a solemn parade of mourning, then, suddenly, or at least
+quite unexpected by myself, a party of Canitaurs came walking down the
+northern road, unharassed and unescorted through the heart of the city.
+Since they came freely, I knew that they were not prisoners, but still I
+was perplexed at how a party of them came to be allowed in Nunami at all
+under such pretexts, especially as they had attempted to bring it to
+ruin but a few days before.
+
+The King saw their coming and my interest in them, and said in a way of
+explanation, "There is to be a council today between the Zards and
+Canitaurs, with you present, of course. Our war has rampaged for quite
+some time, but we are forced to peace in light of our impending doom,
+brought by circumstances outside of ourselves. We will decide tonight,
+or tomorrow, what action to take. It is a grim time, you can be sure, my
+dear Jehu, when Zards and Canitaurs meet in peace, a grim time indeed."
+
+He said that very importantly, with an air of fright in his voice, as
+one who knows his end is near, for both him and his loved ones. There
+was another moment of silence as he reflected on the meaning of his
+words, and then he rose and beckoned me to follow him. We made our way
+through the bottom half of the room and down the long flight of stairs
+that wound down the great tower in the Temple of Time. When we reached
+the bottom, we went again into the long room with the bookshelves, the
+table, and the altar to Temis. Already there waiting for us were the
+Canitaur emissaries, Wagner and Bernibus.
+
+They rose to greet me, bowing low in a deferential manner, more out of
+forced respect than awe, at least on Wagner's part, and after the
+customary blessing that followed, we all sat down at the long wooden
+table that stretched lengthwise through the room. Wagner and Bernibus
+took their chairs on one side and the King and myself on the other, he
+and Wagner being opposite each other, and Bernibus and me being the
+same; the King and I were facing the altar and the White Eagle that held
+it.
+
+There was a moment of silence as we took our seats, and it continued for
+another moment as everyone sat in an awkward situation. As there was no
+one else in the room besides the four of us, and as Wagner seemed
+disinclined to begin, the King opened up our conference with the
+following statement:
+
+"Well, dear sirs, what can I say, except that I am glad that you have
+finally condescended to seek a mutual agreement on the actions which are
+about to ensue, and that I hope that our conference will be productive
+and informative. Before we begin, I will outline the rules of the debate
+and of the conference, which were agreed upon before the military action
+of the recent past," here he looked at Wagner with the look of a judge
+who supposes himself morally superior to the criminal in his holding,
+"And by which we will still govern the council, despite the sudden
+change in circumstances. The rules are as follows: The decision shall be
+made by the votes of the three parties involved, namely the Zards, the
+Canitaurs, and Jehu, the kinsman redeemer. A majority of two votes is
+required to decide which of the paths will be taken: the Futurist or the
+Pastite. As is clearly obvious, my dear Jehu, I shall vote Futurist, and
+Wagner shall vote Pastite, and it is up to you to cast the decisive
+vote. You are the kinsman redeemer, and for all intents and purposes,
+you will be the sole decider of the fate of humanity. It is a great
+responsibility, but one that you were chosen for by the child of Temis,
+the God of Time. Wagner and myself will each make our cases, though you
+know them by now, and then you will have all night to decide and you
+will tell us your decision in the morning," thus concluded the King's
+opening address.
+
+Before anyone else could follow it up, I interjected, "But I was sent by
+Onan to do his work on earth, wouldn't it only make sense for me to
+choose the way of Onan?"
+
+The King answered me, saying, "You were sent by Temis, the God of Time,
+Jehu, for Onan and Zimri are his children who do his work for him, but
+they only have the powers that he gave them. Onan is the only one able
+to speak to mortals, for he is in the past, while Zimri is in the
+future, but Onan also speaks for Zimri, because he is told what to say
+by Temis, whose agents they both are as much as you are Onan's. Isn't
+that so, Wagner?"
+
+Wagner sighed in the affirmative, and when he had done so, I asked him
+pointedly, "Why didn't you tell me? You led me to believe that Onan was
+the one who sent me, and by his own power."
+
+Here the King put in, "He merely wanted to prejudice you to his own
+side, Jehu. He attempted to by-pass our peace treaty of long ago when he
+tried to attack us and capture this very temple for his own plans. We
+agreed twenty-five years ago to do it this way, because enough blood had
+been shed, and no good had come from it. He violated it when he took you
+into hiding, using our pursuit after his treachery as justification. But
+come, in the face of impending doom we cannot squabble over past wrongs,
+but must move to prevent future disaster from striking."
+
+"What is so important about this Temple of Time, though?" I asked.
+
+Wagner and the King mumbled together that "It was an essential part of
+the restoration of Daem", but would not elaborate, saying that it was
+unimportant to the present troubles. They looked guilty as they said it,
+though of what I did not know. I was reminded of my indignation at their
+ignoring of the sufferings of the Munams and became once more impatient
+with their self-importance, so I yielded the floor and they began to
+make their cases. In order to decide who went first, they drew lots, and
+as the shorter was drawn by Wagner, he went first. His speech is as
+follows:
+
+"The past is constant, Jehu. It has happened and is secure in its place,
+explored and known. The traditions and customs of our people are
+steadfast and immovable, for they have survived the ages like a mountain
+that is untouched by the weather. They have lasted so long not because
+of the mere namesake of tradition, but because they work, because they
+have worked thousands of times before, and because we know they will
+work a thousand times in the future. What was good enough for the
+generations before us is good enough for us and our children. A
+tradition, or taboo, is not formed by the decision of some contemporary
+council as a means to control others via social restrictions, for if it
+was it would never have lasted, instead it is formed because of
+experience, because when something goes beyond it the result is
+temporary pleasure, the nectar of the fruits of rebellion, but when the
+rebellious desires have faded, what is left is rotten and decayed.
+
+"It brings only more desires for rebellion and more thirst for the
+forsaking of traditions, and it will not be satisfied. Then another
+taboo will be broken, but this also will not quench the desires of the
+rebellious, who do what they do not for any independent purpose, but
+only from a desire to break traditions and taboos and to be different
+than their forebears. But there is no satisfaction in rebellion, only in
+obedience. Obedience not to some alien divinity, not to some social
+supremest, not to the blind devotion of parental mandates, but obedience
+to common sense, to practicality, to morality. For a taboo is not formed
+by any one person, instead it is slowly built up upon the experiences of
+many, experiences which show that when one thing is done, suffering is
+what follows, and when another thing is done, happiness is what follows.
+Of course there are a few, isolated taboos that are based instead on
+human prejudices, but that doesn't translate into the abandonment of all
+the experience of precedents. What comes when there are no longer any
+taboos and traditions to break? Destruction. For as is seen time and
+again, the rebellion of societies gains momentum, and while their
+consequences are slow in gathering, in the end they multiply and force
+those societies over the edge of power, bringing only suffering and
+ruin.
+
+"And not only are the experiences of the past wielded together into that
+euphoria that eludes the rebellious--wisdom--but its constant state
+controls the present and the future. What men have seen in the past
+leads them in their future actions, and as a result, it is not the
+future that controls the present and defines the past, but it is the
+past which controls the present and defines the future. What sense is
+there in abandoning the mountain of wisdom that the past has built up
+and leaping blindly into hazy, unknown actions and institutions? The
+past is steady, Jehu, and it is known; it is the only sensible way."
+Thus spoke Wagner.
+
+It was then the King's turn, and he said as follows:
+
+"The past is the past, not the present nor the future, its time has been
+spent, its part in the theater of life is over, it is extinct. Jehu,
+Wagner speaks of us as rebelliously breaking taboos that were formed by
+our forefathers, but that is not true. In the present more is known than
+was known in the past, they had outdated views and opinions, and their
+ideologies were vulgar and unsophisticated. At present we are more
+knowledgeable, more refined than what has gone before. The people of the
+past waged unjust wars. They had superstition and prejudices that
+clouded their visions of morality, and the product of that is a large
+amount of taboos and precedents and traditions that are immoral or
+meaningless. Now is the age of enlightenment, now and never before is
+the future at hand, mixing with the present as we learn more and more
+about our world. We are progressive, learning and growing in philosophy
+and lifestyle.
+
+"If those of the past were so upright and wise, than why are they not
+still among the living? If they were so powerful, then why are they now
+extinct? The past is gone, but the future is yet to come, it still holds
+tangible pleasures, not memories, it has promise and potential, while
+the past is only the ruins of the same. When the past is looked back
+upon, it is small and immaterial, it is like time crumpled up into a wad
+of memories, and a time yesterday or a thousand years ago looks the
+same, for it is past, it is no more. Life is not short, but in
+retrospect it seems to be, and its memories are distant, as they float
+like fish in the oceans of time, lacking both definition and scale, and
+hanging lifelessly around in random arrays. Every moment is of the same
+length, but a moment in the past is nothing, its thoughts and emotions
+are nothing, they are gone and useless to the present, while a moment in
+the future is long and touchable. A thought that is past is as nothing,
+and it is forgotten, for the past and the future are like a one-way
+mirror, you can look forward into the future, but looking into the past
+you can see only the present reflected back at you. What good are the
+joys or sorrows of yesterday? They are as far removed as those of a
+thousand years ago, but it is the joys and sorrows of tomorrow that loom
+the largest. Why look into the past for completion, when it is found
+only in the future?" Thus spoke the King.
+
+Once both of them had finished there was a short pause, each reflective
+and absorbed with his own thoughts. At last the King broke through the
+still waters of the moment and sent his rippling voice across its
+formless surface, which revived at once and was joined by many others,
+until the outward expression of consciousness sent the waters of the
+mind again into their complex and interwoven dances. He spoke in the
+department of host and concluded the short session with these words,
+"Now the cases are stated, though but briefly, for they were already
+well-known. As planned prior to the infractions of the treaty, we will
+adjourn for the night, and in the morning Jehu will deliver his verdict,
+whether we undo our problem through the future, or through the past."
+
+We all rose and Bernibus, my only friend on the island, came up to me
+and warmly embraced me, while Wagner and the King conversed formally a
+few yards away. When they were not looking and our backs were turned to
+them, Bernibus slipped me a piece of paper that was rolled up into a
+tight scroll. Seeing his caution and secrecy, I quickly stashed it in
+the inside of my shirt, where it could not be seen. I was alarmed at the
+momentary expression of his face, which showed that he was greatly
+worried about me, and made me very interested in what the paper would
+contain. His face quickly returned to its original countenance, an
+impermeable barrier to his insides, and no one except myself had any
+inclination about what had happened. The other two turned towards us,
+and quickly made their farewells, Wagner and Bernibus departing for
+their quarters, and the King to escort me back to my prison.
+
+He took my arm in his genially, though only superficially so, for he
+still had a subdued sense of distrust about him, and we went through the
+door to the long, circling stairway from whence we had come. As we
+ascended we engaged in small talk, the usual meaningless pleasantry,
+which I assume you have probably had enough of in your experiences to
+allow me to dispense with relating it, for it was of no weight in any of
+the circumstances that I found myself in, and I especially was not
+interested in it, as the paper given to me by Bernibus claimed my whole
+attention, and filled me with an anticipation and mystery of what it
+might contain. I kept up the small talk with the King merely to allay
+any suspicions he might have had, though he had none. After a seeming
+eternity we reached the top, and once there I stepped into my chambers,
+as the King jestingly called them. We bade each other goodnight, which
+was followed by the metallic click of the door locking, and the sound
+his footsteps as he descended and made his way to his palace.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 11: The Land Across the Sea
+
+
+
+I waited reluctantly with my ear against the door until his footsteps
+could no longer be heard, and then waited for fifteen minutes more,
+listening carefully for any noises. There were none, and once I had
+convinced myself that I was completely alone, I dashed swiftly up the
+stairs and jumped onto the couch. My sudden movements caused the
+top-heavy tower to sway slightly for a few moments, giving me quite the
+scare, for I didn't realize what it was at first. But then my pilot's
+instinct kicked in and I mentally calculated the height and width of the
+tower and the mass of the dome that rested upon it, and came to the
+conclusion that it was stable, for while a swift movement caused it to
+sway, it would take a prolonged and deliberate pendulum-like motion to
+cause any real damage, and even the fiercest wind would not upset it,
+for it would only blow in a single direction at a time, and only a
+rocking motion must be feared.
+
+Confident once more of my safety, I took the rolled piece of paper from
+the folds of my clothing and opened it carefully. Inside was a note from
+Bernibus, written in a legible cursive that flowed from an obviously
+educated hand. It read as follows:
+
+
+"My Dear Jehu, it is I, Bernibus, your friend and comrade, who writes to
+you. Wagner and myself are soon to set off for Nunami for a council with
+the Zards about the resolution of our conflict. It was decided in a
+cease fire treaty twenty-some years ago that whomever first came upon
+the kinsman redeemer was to have a council with the other side and the
+ancient one to decide which course to take, since either course needs
+the support of both the Zards and the Canitaurs to succeed. When you
+first came among us, Wagner seemed to break the terms of the treaty and
+keep you with us in an attempt carry out our plans independently of the
+Zards, using an attack plan that had been held in readiness since the
+treaty, to ensure a defense if things went wrong. When the Zards
+attempted to capture us upon your arrival, Wagner declared the treaty
+violated, and I assumed that it was to be entirely abandoned. I was
+under this impression when I befriended you, and once our friendship had
+strengthened, I had no fears for you, thinking as I did that new methods
+were to be tried.
+
+"After the attack on Nunami failed and the council was once again to be
+held, each having violated it equally, my fears were suddenly aroused on
+your behalf. It was only then that I saw that it was the intention of
+Wagner not only to destroy Nunami and the Zards, but to capture the
+Temple of Time, which was the only part of the city to be left intact.
+When I confronted my brother-in-law about this, he only laughed at me
+scornfully and told me that I was soft, that I was a fool to put one
+man's life ahead of the salvation of the whole earth. I was filled with
+wrath at him and still am, but I have decided that it was better to
+feign compliance and let you know by letter what it was that is being
+planned for you. I am only sorry that it should come to you at so late
+an hour, when I could have warned and helped you before if I had only
+known. There is not much that you can do now, but still I must warn you,
+for whatever it is worth, if only to prove my affections.
+
+"You see, my dear Jehu, the Pastites and Futurists interpret the
+prophecy to mean that the kinsman redeemer has come to renew the earth,
+as you have no doubt heard, although there is strong evidences to the
+contrary. I myself have been brought up to this interpretation, as it is
+more acceptable than the alternate theories that exist, though I have
+been for a time now doubting its accuracy. According to the Externus
+Miraculum view, the Temple of Time is crucial to the implementation of
+either plan, in fact it is the crux of them both, the one issue that it
+is of as great importance, or greater, than the presence of you, the
+kinsman redeemer. There is an altar in the center room of the temple, a
+great diamond White Eagle that is grasping an ordinary altar in its
+talons, and this altar is where the kinsman redeemer is to be
+sacrificed. If only I had suspected so before and could have warned when
+there was yet time!
+
+"But there is no time now for such reflections, so I will continue. The
+method of sending you back or forward in time is to sacrifice you on the
+altar of Temis, the God of Time. It is not a traditional, atonement
+sacrifice, nor of any kind that involves the cutting of the flesh with a
+knife. Instead it is a molecular one. You are to be set on the altar and
+then the White Eagle will start to spew forth either protons or
+electrons, depending on which is chosen, past or future. When your
+body's cells absorb all of the floating matter, they will be either
+positively or negatively charged to such an extent that their
+revolutions will be rapidly accelerated. According to theory, the
+increased speed of the revolutions would cause a rift in the time
+continuum, or in other words, would change the proportion between your
+existence in the temporal and material realms and change your location
+in time, thereby propelling you into the past or the future, depending
+upon which was chosen, electron or proton, past or future.
+
+"There has been much experimentation with this process, each person sent
+through time being equipped with a matter-proof box that is basically an
+advanced time capsule, lasting for millions of years. Into this box (or
+TAB, Temporal Anomaly Box) each person was supposed to write an account
+of their temporal journey and leave it on the island that is presently
+Daem, at specific locations decided on for that purpose. We would search
+for those boxes in the present, to see if they had been delivered. None
+have yet been found, though there are other possible reasons than death,
+such as a failure to find the island, or the box's removal by someone in
+an intervening time. Still, I am greatly afraid for your life Jehu,
+especially so after what I discovered just hours ago in the classified
+archives of the Canitaurs: there was strong evidence that the process
+simply disintegrated those upon whom it was tried, instead of sending
+them through time. This was kept from the public, and was forcefully
+forgotten by those who knew, their reason being that Temis would guide
+your travel better than the others who were not called as his servants.
+If it were anyone but you, Jehu, I would probably have deceived myself
+in the same way, but I cannot let you be destroyed like this. You must
+escape and not let them throw away our only chance of salvation in such
+a way. I only wish that I had known sooner, I only wish that there was a
+chance that you could escape,
+
+"Your Devoted Friend,
+"Bernibus"
+
+
+For a moment I could do nothing except sit in silence and ponder over
+this new revelation. After I had reread the letter twice, so as to be
+thoroughly familiar with its contents, I ate it, so that if I did
+escape, or was apprehended doing so, Bernibus would not be found out and
+suffer because of it, though I doubt not that he would have gladly done
+so. When I had done that, I ran down to the door and attempted to force
+it open, but to no avail. Neither could it be picked. And even if it
+had, it would have done me no good, for there were at least two guards
+always stationed at the foot of the stairs, and many more between them
+and the temple entrance, and even if, by some miraculous intervention, I
+made it that far, that left me stranded conspicuously in the center of
+Nunami. My only hope was to escape from the island completely, for I
+would be found soon enough by the cooperating inhabitants if I remained
+upon their own lands.
+
+The land across the sea then entered my mind, and its degenerate
+inhabitants, but that was across a wide channel that would be hard to
+cross even if I had infinite time, freedom, and materials to make a boat
+which would withstand the waves, and I had none of the three. What
+little hope I had, then, was out of reach, lost to me like the golden
+days of the past. It was then that I was overcome by despondency, the
+hopelessness of my situation weighing my spirits down. It is a peculiar
+trait of mine that in times of distress and in situations that seem to
+have no possible favorable outcome I act rashly and without reason. You
+will remember how I leaned forward and peered into the dark hole when I
+was stranded on the tiny island in the sea, and how I struck the tree
+with a limb on the shores of Lake Umquam Renatusum. Likewise, I again
+did something which would seem illogical and vain: in my frustration, I
+pushed the table that I happened to be standing against with as much
+force as I could muster. It slid softly along the carpeting before
+coming to a halt a few inches from the glass wall. It made no noise or
+jarring of the floor, but the sudden shifting of weight in the room
+caused the tower to sway once more, as it had when I had run up the
+stairs to the couch.
+
+And, as had happened on the previous occasions, the result of my
+senseless actions was good, as if guided by some external force, for an
+idea came suddenly to my mind that would not have been there otherwise,
+an idea that was outlandish and far-fetched, but was at the time my only
+hope.
+
+I lost no time on preparing my efforts, for there was none to be lost,
+and set out immediately to remove the carpeting from the floor. Upon
+examination I found that it was not attached to the ground at all, but
+only fastened into a wooden frame at the walls that held it tightly in
+place. It stretched in a circular fashion around the whole of the room
+and into the center until it came to the stairs that led downward, so
+that once removed it formed a circle about thirty feet in diameter with
+a three foot circular hole in its center. In case I haven't mentioned
+the type of the carpet yet, which I must confess that I cannot remember,
+I will do so here: it was not a traditional carpet, that form being
+apparently lost after the great wars, instead it was a silky sheet-like
+carpet, no more than a quarter inch thick, and in fact greatly
+resembling the sail of an old clipper ship, the painting on the glass
+that I saw earlier probably attesting to the fact that it had been
+designed with that appearance in mind. Like its prototype, the sail, it
+caught a lot of wind and acted in the same general manner.
+
+Using the bowie knife that was built into the large frontal buckle of
+the anti-electron suit, which, by the way, I was still entirely wearing,
+I cut the carpet down its center, making two semi-circular pieces, each
+with a moon shaped appearance, much like a wing. I based my idea in part
+on the observation that the Canitaurs and Zards had apparently lost, or
+disregarded, the springs of my time and instead used a hammock of
+springy, elastic cords that spread across the face of the furniture.
+Simply put, they stretched elastic ropes across an empty frame, almost
+like a trampoline made of individual cords. This created a very
+comfortable springing feel, for they gave enough bounce to render the
+surface pliable, but not overly soft. Taking the bowie knife again, I
+thrust it into the couch, and cut away the cushioning to reveal the
+support. To my great relief, I found that it was constructed in a manner
+similar to the other couches that I had seen. There were about two score
+of the cords, each being between three and four feet long. These I
+unattached and laid them down in a pile.
+
+Next, I took the four main support beams for the couch, one running
+along each side and two down the center in a crescent shape, with the
+same curve and slope as the carpet, as they were designed to contour the
+same wall. Then I disassembled the table and took from it two of its
+main beams, which were about a foot shorter than their curved
+counterparts. These I did not fully remove, instead loosening their
+screws and swiveling them to extend outwards from the table at a right
+angle, tightening them again afterwards so that they were secure.
+
+Once that was accomplished, I went to the frame that had held the carpet
+down and took the pins and fasteners which were used to secure it. These
+I placed on the crescent beams from the couch, which used the same
+standard size. Once I had secured the carpet sections to the beams, I
+attached the couch's beams, via the cords, to the long beams sticking
+outward from the table, running the ends of all the cords through
+another cord that could, upon being pulled, adjust their height by
+pulling or releasing, thus controlling the distance between the upper
+and the lower beams, and changing the amount of slack in the carpet that
+was stretched between them. I then removed the legs from the tabletop,
+leaving just it and the beams together, the carpet being attached to the
+beams.
+
+Thus my plan was completed, it being, in case you hadn't guessed, a
+primitive hang glider, the carpet being a sail and the beams the wings,
+the whole being steerable by either raising or lowering one side or the
+other, and the altitude being adjustable by raising or lowering the two
+simultaneously. I felt keen joy at my skills in air travel at that
+moment, and as I stepped back to admire my work, I felt that peculiar
+satisfaction of having made something and finding that it was good.
+
+But that moment was short lived, for another problem quickly presented
+itself, namely, how would I remove the hang-glider from the tower and
+launch it. It was far too large to go down the stairs and needed to be
+propelled to a high speed or dropped from a high altitude to become
+airborne. Since I had no way of propelling it, I needed to launch it
+from the top of the tower, which provided plenty of altitude, but then
+the problem of how to remove it from the tower arose. For a moment I was
+stumped and almost admitted defeat, but then it came to me.
+
+The tower's only weakness was in its lack of protection against a
+deliberate rocking motion. If I was able to swing it back and forth fast
+enough by slowly gaining speed and multiplying the momentum, it would be
+possible to get it to lean far enough that the dome would snap off,
+leaving the room open to the air. This was possible, though rather
+unlikely. But I tried anyway.
+
+Starting on one side I began to move from one edge to the other until a
+faint rocking motion could be felt. Then I increased my speed in
+proportion to the speed of the tower itself. It was a slow start, but
+the momentum began to grow, and as it did each successive sway became
+faster and faster. Soon it was going so fast that I began to have
+unstable footing, the whole tower creaking like a tree that it is blown
+by a heavy wind. The speed kept increasing until it reached its fastest,
+swooshing to and fro with all of its accumulated force.
+
+It was then that the break happened, for on one of the thrusts the top
+snapped off and the upper dome was flung downwards to the ground. As
+soon as it was off I shoved the hang-glider with all the force I could
+muster towards the edge. At first it fell, but a few feet from the edge
+its wings caught the wind and it was brought up to a stable soar, and
+just at that instant I landed on it, for I had jumped right after it. I
+hit with a thud and felt the craft bounce downwards a little as I hit,
+but it soon regained its stability and sped on through the air as behind
+me I heard a great crashing sound.
+
+I pulled the left wing down and the glider began to turn in that
+direction. Since I had launched into the opposite direction of the
+mainland, I needed to wheel around completely, and as such I held the
+wing down until I had done an about face towards the east. What I saw
+was a striking picture: the sun had just begun to rise, and under the
+influence of its soft textures the city of Nunami looked as it had
+before: quaint, picturesque, and inviting. But there was a great
+difference now, for the tower itself had completely collapsed under the
+momentum, and its ruins had fallen down upon the Temple of Time,
+demolishing it and leaving only ruins. It had also fallen on a strip of
+the city, taking with it several buildings and leaving only rubble. The
+King, Wagner, and Bernibus could just barely be seen amongst the crowds
+that had dashed out of doors to see what was going on, and I could tell
+that Bernibus was smiling at my escape as he looked at my wind sailor a
+thousand feet in the air. A friend who rejoices in your advancement,
+even at his own cost, is rare indeed.
+
+Turning my gaze upwards, I left Nunami and its troubles behind me and
+looked ahead to my promised land, and though it was barren and devoid of
+any significant foliage, it still held something equally dear to me as
+landscape: safety. The wind currents were strong and my speed was about
+30 miles per hour. Great expanses of grassland sped by below me like the
+memories of yesteryear, and within half an hour I found myself over the
+ocean.
+
+There is something very refreshing about the sunrise that correlated
+very well with my present feeling of emancipation, for it is a symbol of
+the new and fresh, and of the forgetting of the troubles of the past.
+This was true in my case, at least, for I was soon carefree once more,
+secure in my freedom. As the wind rushed across my body, I was relaxed
+in my adopted element, air, though it was slightly difficult to keep
+myself firmly on the glider, as I was lying unfastened to the tabletop.
+Below me passed the ocean, looking generally the same as ever, though
+paler and less alive, like a ghost of its former self, but still close
+enough to bring the calm of reminiscing.
+
+Soon even the ocean began to give way to the fast approaching mainland,
+and I abandoned my restive meditations to solve the problem of how to
+land. I had not made any contraptions for that purpose, having not
+thought about it in the hurry to leave my prison. I decided to use a
+traditional circling approach, in the same way scavenging birds descend
+on their prey. When I was a mile or so inland, I began to circle about
+in wide spirals, narrowing them as I drew closer to the ground. In this
+way I had slowed down enough by the time I made contact with the ground
+that neither I nor my craft was injured in the landing.
+
+The terrain proved to be as desolate as it had appeared from the
+distance, for the main vegetation was a weakly sprouting grass that was
+only a few inches high, though not mowed or chewed down. Every few dozen
+yards there was a single stunted shrub or small tree, or in some cases a
+group of the same, and the spaces between these was littered with
+scattered rocks and occasionally a smaller, flowering plant. The
+topography of the land was mostly flat, though not in the sense of a
+plain or savanna, instead it was merely a gentle slope, so that the
+immediate area seemed flat, but in the distance it was seen to rise
+considerably. There were also a few small hills that were no more than
+twenty feet high across their whole length, but in the obtuse slopes of
+the land, even that seemed to be almost mountainous. Brown was the
+prevailing color of it all for as far as my eye could see, though I
+cannot say if that condition prevailed inland further, since I had
+forgotten the telescope, which would probably have proved a useful tool.
+
+
+A slight wind blew from seaward, scattering the dry top soil about like
+a cloud of gnats, though there were very few actual insects, and no
+animals that I could see. The only sound that I could hear was that of
+the wind howling gently past my ears. I had landed in a sort of valley,
+which, though not at all deep, was surrounded on all sides by slight
+hills that prevented me from getting an extensive look at the landscape
+beyond. Before making any decisions as to which direction to set off, I
+decided to climb to the top of one of these hills to ascertain my exact
+situation, and although I was generally reluctant to start off into
+unfamiliar territory, I also wanted to put as many miles between me and
+the coast as possible, in case the Zards and Canitaurs came after me,
+which was still a cause of great anxiety to me.
+
+As I rounded the top of the hill that was directly east of my landing
+point, I suddenly came face to face with two small people, gnomes by
+appearance, one of whom I recognized as being Onan, the Lord of the
+Past. He greeted me familiarly as 'My Dear Jehu', and introduced me to
+his partner, who turned out to be Zimri, the Lord of the Future. Onan
+was dressed the same as when I had last seen him, and Zimri was close in
+appearance, though his hair was long and his beard short, while Onan's
+were the opposite. Zimri wore a little blue-green frock that fit rather
+snuggly but not enough to be considered tight. I started our ensuing
+dialog by saying this:
+
+"I am more than a little surprised to see you upon such good terms with
+your rival, Onan," giving Zimri an inquisitive glance as I did. "I had
+just assumed that you two would be bitter enemies, as your followers on
+Daem seem to be, but I can tell now that that is not at all the case."
+
+He laughed, as did Zimri, and replied, "We are brothers, and as such
+there is always a strong rivalry, but at the same time there is the
+closest bond. There is no real conflict between us, but only a trivial
+and jovial mock conflict, the kind that means no harm and does none, to
+those involved, but rubs off on others who are less informed, who take
+it seriously and have a real conflict."
+
+"What do you mean by that illustration?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing. Nothing at all," he sighed, "I have said too much already, it
+is against the rules, you know."
+
+"Yes, yes, the rules. Tell me, though, how would you say I am doing so
+far, am I at least doing fairly?"
+
+"Of course, Jehu, you are doing excellently."
+
+"Is it true about the revolutions of time and matter, then?"
+
+"Yes, in fact, it goes even further than that... Say, Zimri, do you
+think it is allowable to tell him about the physical and the spiritual
+realms?"
+
+Zimri said nothing, for he can say nothing, but he did nod his head in
+the affirmative. Thus sanctioned by his brother, Onan continued to
+speak, "Well, you know that physical existence is comprised of time and
+matter, and that both of these are involved in a revolving motion, from
+the minutest foundations to the largest additions. While they both are
+revolving within themselves, they are also revolving together, around an
+enigma which, as other of the centers, is completely devoid of the thing
+which revolves around it, but is found plentifully in them. In the case
+of matter, it revolves around a black hole, in which there is not found
+any matter, but there are places of emptiness inside of the matter, in
+fact, most of an atom is empty space. In the case of time, it revolves
+around eternity, an enigma where there is no such thing as time, even as
+there are certain areas where no time exists in physical existence, such
+as a book. Likewise, physical existence, which is a combination of time
+and matter, revolves around a place in which there is no physical
+existence, namely, the spiritual realm. There is no physical in the
+spiritual, but there is spiritual in the physical. Physical existence is
+not whole without the spiritual, which binds it together in such a way
+that gives it life, the ability to think and reason.
+
+"There is spiritual matter in everything, but it cannot be seen or
+sensed physically unless it is revealed to one by a force on the
+spiritual side. Or rather, it cannot be understood unless revealed, for
+it can always be seen through its effects. By this I mean that it leaves
+a trace in the physical realm, like a jellyfish that leaves a glowing
+trail in its wake. When the brain of a human thinks, it is not the
+actual brain that is thinking, instead it is the spiritual matter that
+exists in the brain, and this spiritual matter leaves a trail where it
+goes of electric signals and such. When someone feels a certain emotion,
+such as love or depression, it is felt in the spiritual realm, but its
+traces are seen in the physical, such as certain chemicals, but these
+are not the cause of the emotion, only the effect of them. It is
+possible, through certain drugs, to induce varying emotions, such as
+happiness or laughter, but these are not the actual emotions, only their
+physical counterparts, so that while it appears to be happiness, it is
+not, like the shadow of a man in a field: his form keeps the light from
+striking the ground beside him, but the shadow is not him, only the
+trace of him. Making a shadow like the man does not make the man, only
+the appearance of the man. While the how of a situation may be inferred
+through physical means, the why is an entirely spiritual matter, and any
+attempt to observe life without taking into account the spiritual matter
+behind it will end in the same result as evolution, as the scientists of
+your day generally imagined it, but which was, in fact, devolution.
+
+"The laws of the physical realm are called science, such as the fact
+that energy and matter are neither created or destroyed in any natural
+or artificial process, or that everything left to itself tends toward
+disorder, or that life cannot come from non-life by natural or
+artificial processes. The laws of the spiritual realm are called
+morality. You have no doubt observed that when one does a certain thing,
+the end result is always good, and when one does something else, the end
+result is always bad. That is because there are spiritual laws that
+govern life, and just as there is gravity on the earth that always pulls
+things down to it, so there is a spiritual law that whenever someone
+steals something, the result is suffering for both of the parties
+involved. Just as it is a physical law that man must have oxygen to
+live, so it is a spiritual law that when someone murders another the end
+result is always suffering. Why is this, one may ask, but that is a
+foolish question, or at least a pointless one, for the law of gravity
+states that on the earth, all things fall downward towards the center of
+gravity, there is no reason why, except that it is, for it is observed
+continually to be the case.
+
+"Since men cannot accept that there is a power over them, they deny it,
+and in the process they misinterpret the various things of life as
+physical things, not the spiritual things that they represent. For
+instance, love: men in many "advanced," that is to say, self-obsessed,
+civilizations, view it only in its physical materializations, but not in
+its spiritual context. When they see the results of love, romance
+especially, they do not understand that the romance is only the fruit of
+the spiritual essence of love, but instead think that the romance is
+love. There can be so-called romance on the physical level without its
+spiritual counterpart, but it is only the shadow of love, which will
+never fulfill and will never be complete, because, by definition, it is
+only a mocking of the true force of love. On the other hand, true
+romance is not, as some would seem to think, a certain action or set of
+actions, such as the gift of a precious metal or some colorful piece of
+foliage, instead it is whatever is the result of the spiritual love, for
+the physical manifestation of the spiritual essence of love is not
+confined to certain objects or actions, but to any that are sanctioned
+with its blessings. The daily toil of a poor man shows far more love
+than a lavish gift from a rich man."
+
+When he had finished, I gave him a big grin and thanked him for his
+lecture, and then asked him how it was that this did not break the
+rules, but other things did. To this he replied that it affected my task
+only indirectly, while the other things were all direct concomitants.
+Then he asked me if I had any other questions for him, and I replied
+that I did indeed have one. Which was as follows, "I know that there was
+a great war directly after my departure from my native temporal zone,
+and that it was very devastating in its reach and effect, and while I
+know that the situation was very tense at the time, I was under the
+impression that it was starting to cool down once more. What was it that
+set it all off?"
+
+"The disappearance of an American fighter jet off the coast of China,"
+he replied straight-forwardly.
+
+My interest was suddenly aroused, for that was the very section where my
+squadron was stationed, and anyone who was lost would have been a close
+friend of mine. "Go on," I told him.
+
+"The Americans claimed that it was shot down by the Chinese, and
+demanded an official apology. That the Chinese would not do, insisting
+that they had done no such thing, and instead of the whole situation
+diffusing, as you thought it would, both sides proceeded to war
+stubbornly, each thinking itself in the moral superiority. But that is
+as always."
+
+"Do you have any idea whose ship it was that went down? They were all my
+comrades," I said.
+
+"Of course I know, Jehu, for it was your plane."
+
+"But how? I wasn't shot down, I crash landed on an island."
+
+"But you came to me and I sent you here, and since your radios went out,
+they had no idea that you were safely landed."
+
+"Still, they must have found the plane!"
+
+"No, you know perfectly well that those islands are brought above and
+below sea level at different times. After you left, the island was
+brought below the water, and your plane was lost in the sea, no traces
+were found."
+
+I was confused, "Onan, does that mean that I was the cause of the war?"
+
+"From a certain point of view, yes."
+
+He was about to say something else to me when we saw in the distance a
+group of about ten Munams coming toward us, being at that time a few
+miles away. He then told me that he must leave me again for the present,
+as he could not interfere directly with my mission. They bid me goodbye
+and I did the same to them, and then they walked down the opposite side
+of the hill that the Munams were approaching from. As they walked, they
+slowly disappeared, until they were gone without a trace, for even their
+footprints had faded to nothing.
+
+During the time between Onan and Zimri's departure and the Munam's
+arrival, I was left to myself for a period of inward meditation, an
+activity that you have probably concluded that I am often given to,
+which is entirely the case. This new revelation was very troubling to
+me, that somehow I was the very cause of the destruction of humanity
+during the great wars, while also the kinsman redeemer over 500 years
+later, who was prophesied to be the one to bring humanity back into
+balance with nature, or to thrust it forever off the edge of existence
+into the damnation of the ice ages. As I told you in the beginning, I am
+written in the pages of history as the destroyer of humanity, though if
+it is just or not, I am not able to judge. The name of Jehu will forever
+be a ripple on the surface of the waters of life, and when it is heard
+or spoken, the only feeling that it will bring will be hatred and
+disgust. If only mortals could see below the surface of the waters of
+life, for just as the ocean can be deceiving on its surface, so can
+life. Time is like an ocean, but when one looks upon it, what often
+happens is that all one sees is the present reflected back in its
+surface, and the eyes are shielded from what lies below, focusing
+instead on the surface, which is so trivial compared to the abyss which
+supports it. When one only sees the surface reflected back, then history
+and its wisdom lose their meaning, and one sees not the past but only
+the present. What I mean is this: if you look to the past to justify
+your actions rather than to guide them, you will not see the truths
+contained therein, but only what your presuppositions already were
+before you looked, and your ignorance will be reinforced rather than
+repudiated. Wisdom is the ability to see the past separate from the
+present, but when one sees the destruction of humanity, he will see only
+me, his vision being shielded from the true cause of it all, history.
+
+The actions or inactions of one solitary soul cannot bring the end of
+life, only the accumulation of the wrongs and injustices of a whole
+race, the human race. Forever I will be eyed as the assassin of
+humanity, and yet that is not the truth at all, for I am the father of
+humanity, I am the beginning as well as the end. If you view me only as
+one or the other, you do not see me at all, but only a pale shadow of my
+true self. I am Jehu, past, present, and future, I am the concentration
+of humanity in all its forms and reproductions, I am the creator and
+destroyer of every age of this temporal maze. Why am I the defender and
+executioner of the race of men? Why am I the protagonist and antagonist
+of humanity? Why am I the father and the son, the beginning and the end?
+Such a question is futile to ask in the physical realm, for here there
+are no answers to the why's, they are only to be found in the spiritual
+realm. The physical realm is left only with the how's, and it is those
+which I am attempting to clarify.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 12: The White Eagle
+
+
+
+It was only a few moments after Onan and Zimri left me that the Munams
+arrived, for they had run, spurred on, apparently, by their great desire
+to meet me. In appearance they were like I had seen from afar: hairy and
+stooped, almost using their arms as legs, but not entirely. Their skulls
+were large and oddly shaped and their mouths were pushed out from their
+faces like an ape's. A limp, furry tail hung down from their lower
+backs, and their hands had a tough, leathery appearance.
+
+There were eight of them, and when they drew near, the foremost hailed
+me with an eager gleam in his eyes, like one who has long hoped and long
+been denied. His voice was low and gravelly, but not at all uncivilized
+sounding, as one would have expected by his appearance, and his facial
+expressions were equally as livid and distinctly humanoid. He began:
+
+"Hail, the White Eagle, sent by the gods to deliver us! Hail the
+redemption from paradise, coming to bring us home." With that he held
+out his arms and embraced me in a very warm, heartfelt manner.
+
+"Hello," I replied, somewhat embarrassed by my lack of authority.
+
+"I am Ramma, leader of the Munams," he told me, "And I welcome you in
+the name of us all."
+
+"Greetings, Ramma," I replied, "I am Jehu."
+
+"We are joyous at your arrival, oh Jehu of the White Eagle."
+
+When he said this I had a flashback, a moment of memorial deja vu, when
+the present and the past are morphed together by one thought, when one
+idea from the past and the present exists in such a way as to connect
+the two times around it, forming a nexus between the two moments. I was
+brought back to two separate times, the first being my initial meeting
+with Onan, when I saw the muraled dome, the genetics of history, and its
+depiction of the events which were symbolically representative of Daem:
+the deformed man, the warring races, the worshipers of the White Eagle.
+The other was my arrival in the Temple of Time, when the King showed me
+the altar to Temis, the God of Time, depicted as a great White Eagle,
+wrought in diamond and grasping the altar in its talons. There was
+something about the White Eagle that connected itself to me inseparably,
+something that converged us into one form. I had a sense that it was
+somehow a key to the mystery of the end times, but I could not make the
+connection. I thought back to what Onan had said to me just a few
+moments before, that he and Zimri were close friends, and not enemies at
+all, while those on earth believed their rivalry was a serious conflict.
+Yet while I had two separate memorial deja vu's, I could not make the
+connection between them to figure out what they meant.
+
+"Tell me," I asked of Ramma, "What do you mean when you call me the
+White Eagle?"
+
+"The prophecy said that our kinsman redeemer, who would bring us out of
+the lands of desolation and into paradise, who would come to us like a
+giant eagle, soaring high above the sea. Across the ocean there," he
+said, pointing to Daem, "Is Daem, the paradise land, wherein dwell our
+enemies the Zards and Canitaurs. They keep us off of the island and on
+the mainland by force, and here we have suffered ever since the great
+wars, in these desolate and barren wastelands, where there is neither
+life nor death, but only a hazy in between. An ancient one with wings
+like an eagle was to come and rescue us, the White Eagle, and under his
+guidance we are to be led to victory against our enemies.
+
+"To them he would be sent first, humbly he would come to redeem them
+from the woes of their own causing, but they would receive him not.
+Instead they cast him away, and he was to come to us, to bring us to the
+promised land. What a blessed sight it was when we saw you soaring
+through the sky on your white wings, and now you have come, my dear
+Jehu, you have come at last, in the hour of our greatest need. Come, oh
+White Eagle, and let us go to Kalr, our city. Tonight is the Feast of
+the Hershonites, celebrating the night that the prophecy was received,
+and on the same day shall it be fulfilled!"
+
+With that he turned and set off with a step of exuberance to the
+northwest, the other Munams and myself following him. He walked quickly,
+and it was all that I could do to match his pace, so that I was left
+without breath enough to ask any more questions. From what I saw on our
+journey, the landscape was the same across the whole mainland that was
+near to the coast, and there was neither change enough nor any landmark
+conspicuous enough for me to take any bearings. Without the Munam's
+company, I would have been lost.
+
+Ramma led us on a straight course for about half an hour, there being
+nothing to steer around, and when that time had elapsed, we found
+ourselves in a small, battered city. There were no great buildings or
+infrastructure like in Nunami, nor any complex labyrinths like the
+Canitaur's military base. Instead there were only weak, unsound huts,
+built with a framework of oddly shaped driftwood and covered with a
+thick layer of insulating sod. A road ran through the center of the
+city, only distinguishable because it was packed down by constant use,
+and on either side were groupings of the huts in semi-circular patterns,
+with no space between them left unfilled by soil. This created a wind
+barrier, preventing the strong winds that whipped across the desert
+lands from harassing the inhabitants as they worked and played in their
+communal yards. Each such grouping had a field of a strange, potato-like
+plant that spread across the back ends of the houses, where the fierce
+winds piled up loads of nutrient rich top soil from miles and miles
+around. In the center of the protected areas, each of the communities,
+for such they were called, had a well that reached hundreds of feet
+downwards, bringing them almost unlimited supplies of fresh water. Using
+these two major systems, they were able to live in a comfortable manner,
+not comfortable in a sense of comparison with the Zards or Canitaurs,
+but comfortable in the sense that they had food to eat, clothes to wear,
+and shelter to protect them. Under such conditions humanity can thrive,
+for happiness is not found in the accumulation of excess comforts, but
+in the accumulation of excess love. This the Munams had plenty of, and
+from that point of view were more the evolutionary form of humanity than
+the devolutionary.
+
+The Munams all wore a sort of close fitting frock, a plain colored one
+piece suit that displayed their practicality and modesty. It is a hobby
+of mine to observe the clothing worn by different groups of people and
+compare it to their characteristics. As I have said before, clothes do
+not make the man, but the man certainly makes the clothes, and it is
+possible to judge a person's character by the type of attire that they
+wear, in that it is an expression of their tastes. The Munams were shown
+by their clothing to be a very friendly people, for their frocks were
+hung gently about the body in a manner that was at once both carefree
+and conservative. This is perfectly analogous to their personalities.
+
+When we came down through the center street, which was really the whole
+city, for there were no other roads, the people rushed out to meet us,
+and when they were told that it was the White Eagle, they began to dance
+joyously about in the streets. There was laughter and play going on all
+at once, and it was like a great burden lifted from my heart to see them
+rejoicing, for it almost reconciled their sufferings with the Zard's and
+Canitaur's ease of life, in that they seemed to be much more happy, in
+spite of the circumstances.
+
+Ramma gave a short speech to the people, in which he detailed the
+prophecy and its fulfillment and, in general, encouraged everyone to
+hope for what was to come. When it was over, he and I retired to his
+home, which was rather larger than the others and formed its own
+semi-circle, containing as it did both his private quarters and the
+official offices of the government, which, while extremely limited in
+number, were well outfitted. The door of this building opened into a
+short hallway that had several doors adjacent to it. He led me down
+one of these and it proved to be a dining hall, though it was not as
+commodious as most, with only a round wooden table with a few chairs
+around it and some cupboards and cabinets.
+
+Pulling my chair out for me to sit in, Ramma went through all the normal
+duties of host with great ease, and within a few moments we were eating
+heartily from a great dish of boiled potatoes that had been brought in
+by a servant, or rather, a deputy minister of state, for such was his
+title. We did little talking before we ate, because I was greatly
+famished and as such was ill-inclined to be jovial, not that I was
+sullen, but I found it hard to be completely relaxed without a full
+stomach. Yet when that was remedied and I found myself satisfied and
+comfortable in a warm dwelling, I opened up to Ramma and we had a long
+and entertaining discussion, some of which I will record here, as it
+shines a little more light upon the mysteries of my story:
+
+"So, my dear Jehu," Ramma began, "I trust your stay on Daem has so far
+been enjoyable."
+
+I chuckled quietly and told him, "No, not entirely, for there is a war
+afoot on Daem, or at least there seemed to be, and it made quite a bit
+of trouble for me."
+
+"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied, "But also gratified, for it will
+help us in our offensive if they are against each other as well as us.
+Still, it will be hard."
+
+"What offensive is that?" I asked, my interest being perked.
+
+"Our jihad, to capture the lands which were meant for us and reclaim
+them from the filth that now inhabit them. You are our kinsman redeemer,
+Jehu, but it is not with your presence alone that we will be brought
+victory, for we also must act. Ever since the prophecy was given we have
+been preparing for a strike that will catch the Zards and Canitaurs by
+surprise, for those are our only advantages: time and surprise. The
+carrying out of the surprise attack is the hardest part, and we decided
+long ago to dig a tunnel under the sea to bridge Daem and the mainland,
+for if we had made a fleet of ships, or attempted anything on the
+surface, they would have seen and known what we intended to do. The
+tunnel is very long, and it was an arduous task to undertake, but with
+much patience we prevailed, and now it is complete. In fact, it was only
+completed yesterday, though it was started more than 500 years ago."
+
+"How is it that you started so long ago and only finished just before I
+arrived? I asked.
+
+"Fate," he answered, "All the happenings of the world are controlled by
+a force much greater than us, and it brings everything into completion
+when it is needed, no sooner and no later. Many civilizations try to out
+wit fate, but they cannot, and in the end they do its bidding. Not,
+however, in the way they had planned, and with more consequences than
+they would like, at which point they try to change fate again and undo
+those consequences, and soon they are in a downward spiral of such
+deeds. We recognize that we are controlled by fate, and instead of
+fighting it, we go along with it. We know that things will happen as
+they are meant to happen, and we knew that 500 years ago, so it was no
+great trial for us to work at our task for so long and not to know when
+things would be brought to completion. You see, if we had worried about
+it and attempted to change to course of events that history dictated,
+than we would have only given ourselves more work for the same end.
+Stress is the only thing that is created when you try to alter fate, so
+it is our philosophy to take things as they come and trust to the powers
+that be. You may think it unsophisticated, but that is just as well, for
+what matters is not appearances, but reality, and we have the two things
+that matter most in life: peace and joy."
+
+I agreed with him, for I had found the same to be true in my own
+experiences. I then asked him, "When will this grand offensive be
+undertaken?"
+
+"Tomorrow," he said bluntly.
+
+"Tomorrow? Isn't that rather soon?"
+
+"Why? Fate has been fulfilled so far, why wait when it is time to act?
+Maybe you misunderstood my meaning: it is not our philosophy to simply
+let things go as they will. Instead we relax and let things take their
+course when it is not in our power to do anything effective, but when
+the time comes to act, we act swiftly and do not delay. In a word, we do
+not force fate, either by forcing action where patience is needed, nor
+by forcing patience where action is needed."
+
+"That sounds well enough," I said, "But the difficulty lies in the
+correct classification of the situation, or in other words, deciding if
+patience or action is needed."
+
+"Yes, of course, but in this case it has been decided to attack
+tomorrow, and there is nothing left to do but to attack tomorrow. But do
+not yet let your spirits be dampened by the onset of war, for tonight is
+the Feast of the Hershonites, and there will be great celebrating and
+rejoicing this evening. Forget about the troubles of tomorrow and enjoy
+the celebrations of today, as I always say. And it is now time for the
+celebrating to begin, so let us be off."
+
+And with that we both rose and took our plates into the kitchen that was
+connected to the dining hall on the opposite side as the hallway and
+deposited our plates to be cleaned later (for even the leaders of a
+society must do their fair share of the work). Then we walked back
+through the dining hall, down the hallway, and out the door.
+
+Outside we found that the people had already began to assemble on the
+road in front of their communities and were preparing for the festival
+by chattering with one another as loudly as one would think possible. A
+hush began to fall upon them like a descending fog when we came out,
+though, and within a few moments it had died down to a ghostly silence,
+for all that could be heard was the wind's constant blowing. Ramma took
+the head of the procession of Munams that had formed on the road, and I
+took the place next to him. With a sort of quiet anticipation of the
+joys to come, there was little movement, and what little there was, was
+hushed by a sense of subdued excitement. Then, with a somber gait, Ramma
+began the parade down the road, in the opposite direction as we had come
+from, that being northwest, and all followed him as he did.
+
+The sun at that time was just beginning to set, and once we had crossed
+one of the larger hills we came face to face with the coast, the sun's
+great red form half sunken beneath its surface. A faint cloud layer
+floated by and was illuminated by the twilight so that it stretched
+haphazardly across the face of the sun. Never have I seen so profound a
+scene as that which then presented itself, with the desert sands and the
+ocean's still surface reflecting the last agonies of the sun's descent
+into the underworld with such a subtle emotional undertone so as to
+render it a subconscious delight. Its recognized superiority to mortal
+life forms left us all mute and somber, but at the same time the freedom
+felt from the same gave us joy beyond reckoning.
+
+The march to the sea was slow and steady, and when we finally reached
+its shores it was just at the change of day and night. Several large
+bonfires were lit and by their light a great communal dance began,
+everyone jumping around, running, and doing whatever their lighthearted
+desire may have been. Under stars that shone like the twinkling in a
+newborn's eye, we had such a joyous time that it can hardly be
+described. We were no longer within the reach of civility or social
+duty, but without it we were not mean nor hurtful to one another, but
+were playful and joyous, like children without a care in the world. Our
+little games and frolics cannot be described with any accuracy, because
+outside of the moment's happiness, they cannot be understood, as it was
+a spiritual happiness, existing only in the spiritual realm. All that
+could be described is the physical actions that were taken because of
+that spiritual enjoyment, but that would do nothing to describe the
+feeling of the night. It was one filled with more joy than anything I
+have known as an adult, because we became as children in our trusting to
+fate, and it was natural, befitting to our natures. Man is not meant to
+worry, man is meant to be free from all boundaries, inward and outward,
+man is meant to be ruled by only one desire: love of others.
+
+As the night dwindled away, we grew tired, but instead of returning to
+the city, we laid down wherever we were when we felt that we could
+remain awake no longer, and fell to sleep instantly when we did. It was
+not at all uncomfortable, for the sand was soft and a warm breeze blew
+in from the water, and though as an adult I would have feared sleeping
+so openly in the unknown, I was not at that time an adult.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 13: The Big Bang
+
+
+
+The Munams and I were all awoken at the same time late the next morning
+by a loud trumpet blast that shook the very air around us with its
+intense bass. For the first moment of our consciousness we were all
+dazed and could not fully comprehend the situation, and for a brief time
+we all sat unsteadily around the beach where we had fallen asleep. As we
+grew more awake, we began to understand what had happened, or at least I
+did, and I was frightened when I looked around and saw where the trumpet
+blast had come from: the entire Zardovian and Canitaurian armies were
+assembled around us, having somehow crossed over to the mainland in the
+night, while we slept peacefully, unaware of their presence.
+
+My first thought was for myself, and what would become of me in the
+wrath brought on by my escape, but that soon vanished when I thought of
+the Munams, for they were the enemies of those on Daem, even more so
+than those on Daem were to each other. We were completely surrounded,
+with the ocean on one side and the Zards and Canitaurs circling us in
+the front, the former on the left and the latter on the right. All of
+them were equipped for war, with swords, spears, and shields held firmly
+in their hands, and thick, leather armor stretched across their chests.
+The Canitaurs had especially come prepared, for they had brought all of
+their atomic anionizers with them, enough combined fire power to level
+the entire world several times over.
+
+Within five minutes, all of the Munams had assembled behind me and
+Ramma, who stood between them and the Daemians. They huddled closely
+together and quaked slightly in fear, for they evidently thought that
+their plans had been discovered and their enemies had come for revenge.
+I, myself, thought that they had come for me, and Ramma's opinion could
+not be guessed, for he was a statesman first and foremost, and when his
+people were in need he rose to the occasion with all the power and grace
+allotted to mortal beings.
+
+Wagner and Bernibus broke the Canitaur's ranks and drew near to us in
+the center, as did the King from the Zard's. They reached us in silence,
+and for a long moment there was no talking, for all present knew that
+something grave was about to happen, something that would decide the
+fate of the men of this age, whether they would pass or fail the test.
+Bernibus looked at me with entreating eyes, showing his sorrow at my
+recapture and asking for forgiveness, but I had none to give him, for he
+had done no wrong to need it. He had no power among the Canitaurs, but
+was only a titled commoner, more like Wagner's groom than counsel.
+
+I noticed that the Canitaurs were not wearing their anti-electron suits,
+which was strange, for they had brought a few hundred atomic anionizers,
+though I didn't question them about it, for the answer was evident
+enough when I had given it some thought: the Zards had no such suits,
+and were afraid that the Canitaurs would destroy them and Munams at the
+same time, for while they were allies against foreigners, they still did
+not trust each other. I still wore my suit given me for the raid on
+Nunami, though I had forgotten about it due to its comfort. That made me
+the only person on the earth still wearing one, the only one safe from
+the anionizers.
+
+It was an overcast morning, and the air was damp with a cold, wet wind
+that blew in forlornly. The ocean's steady swoosh added to the scene,
+making it as depressing as the night before was joyous, and in the
+bluish half light all was colorless and hopeless. At length the King
+spoke, saying, "My dear Jehu, I am very disappointed in you. Not only
+did you flee from us irresponsibly, but you destroyed the Temple of Time
+and the altar to Temis. Without the White Eagle, the prophecy says that
+there is no hope for humanity."
+
+Wagner added, "And now the only way left to bring about the completion
+of the world once more is to sacrifice you using the old methods." This
+he said with evident pleasure, no longer feigning to be my friend.
+
+Here Bernibus entered the dialog, throwing away his timidness with one
+quick motion and saying to Wagner, "You scoundrel! You said that we came
+to retrieve Jehu, not to sacrifice him. How is it that you lied to me in
+such a manner?"
+
+"You fool," Wagner said, "If I had had my way, you would have been dead
+long ago. You have no authority here, so begone."
+
+Bernibus grew angrier, a terrifying state for a Canitaur to be in, and
+he was a strong and powerful one at that, though his meek nature had
+hidden it before. "You would never dare to kill me in the open, you
+coward, the council would banish you," he said.
+
+Here the King joined in once more, laughing, "He wouldn't, no, but I
+would. Do you really think that we found your outpost on our own, oh
+Bernibus the 'deputy kibitzer'? You know that we have no tracking
+ability, and least of all in your own territory."
+
+Bernibus grew more enraged, and the King was spurred on by it.
+
+"Oh yes, you know what I speak of. Your brother-in-law told us where you
+and your wife were living, and not only that, for he also told us when
+you would be there."
+
+Bernibus became even more flushed with anger and vehemently asked
+Wagner, "Why, you heartless brute? What could you possibly value more
+than your own sister's life?"
+
+"It was a pledge to the Zards of our intention to abide by the
+agreement, what more precious thing could I give then my own sister?" He
+spoke calmly and spitefully, enjoying the end of his long charade of
+nicety, "Besides, the council was falling for her peace talk, as they
+always give great heed to every member of the royal family, and I was
+not strong enough at that time to control them, as I do now.
+Unfortunately for me you were out at the moment of the attack and able
+to escape, but still it was a favorable outcome," Wagner said, sneering
+at Bernibus' outrage.
+
+But Bernibus was not to be taken lightly, and neither was he to let the
+love of his life go undefended. He leapt at Wagner and grabbed the
+remote to the atomic anionizers from his belt, where it was always
+clipped. Wagner tried to get it back, but Bernibus was too strong and
+hurled him to the ground. Then he took a few steps backwards and stood
+his ground far enough from everyone to have at least a moment to react
+before they could reach him. He held the remote out towards Wagner,
+pointing it at him as if it were itself a weapon, with his thumb and
+forefinger in position to set it off at a moment's notice.
+
+"Bow before me now, Wagner, or I shall destroy us all," he demanded with
+a grim smile that showed his resolution.
+
+Wagner did as he commanded and fell to his knees in front of Bernibus,
+saying in the same gentle, appeasing voice that he had first used on me,
+"My dear Bernibus, do not be rash, do not act in anger. Let's talk this
+over, and see ... and see if we can't find a peaceful solution," his
+fear of death evidently caused him to stammer.
+
+"You fool, do you think that I haven't heard that voice a thousand times
+before? Do you think that I will fall for your same trick once more?"
+
+Wagner put his face to the ground and groveled like the filthy swine
+that he was, for he knew full well that if Bernibus set off the atomic
+anionizers he would die. His life was completely out of his hands and
+there was nothing that he could do to reclaim it, except to beg for
+forgiveness. This he did, saying, "Bernibus, you do not understand, the
+situation was more complex than you realize, and I had no choice but to
+act as I did. Do you not think that it was as hard on me as yourself?
+She was my sister, my only sibling. But there was no other way, I had to
+put the advancement of our people over the life of anyone, even my own
+sister, as you must do now, putting the advancement of our people over
+petty differences."
+
+Here the King interjected, "Bernibus, do not act rashly, I beg of you,
+for if you set off the anionizers, than all is lost. Do you not realize
+that if you do that, all that we have worked for all of our lives is
+lost?"
+
+It was Bernibus' turn to sneer, and he did, raising the skin above his
+teeth and scowling fiercely at the King. "What is it that we have worked
+for all of our lives? Do you still not understand? You and Wagner plot
+to return the world to its former glory, each by his own way, but take a
+look around you. The trees on Daem are taller and stronger than any
+known before, the grasses are thicker and livelier, the waters are purer
+and cleaner, the wind is fresher. You know no suffering. The prophecy
+had nothing to do with you, and nothing at all to do with the
+restoration of the world! Can you not see that what you have is far more
+than you have need of, that there is no desire left unfilled in your
+lives, except that of ultimate power? This world does not need to be
+restored. Only your hearts have need of that.
+
+"The prophecy was given for the Munams, who were left stranded here in
+this desert wasteland, while across the ocean they could see the great
+paradise of Daem, the great paradise that you took for granted. There is
+to be no restoration of Daem to its original form, but a restoration of
+the Munams to Daem. You struggle to restore Daem, but have no compassion
+for the suffering of humanity across the sea. You are the fools, not me,
+and you are the ones who have brought us all to the very brink of
+destruction, to the ice ages which you have tried so hard to prevent. Do
+you not see that Daem is already the paradise, that the only thing that
+it needs for completion is the residence of the Munams? Jehu is not our
+kinsman redeemer at all, he is theirs." Here Bernibus seemed to lose his
+anger and passion and become meek once more, saying humbly, "You have
+destroyed the life of one whom I held more dear than myself, but that is
+past, and I will not destroy us all for vengeance.
+
+"Zards, Canitaurs, and Munams, hear me now and listen to my words," he
+continued, speaking to the amassed groups of the armies that had been
+listening closely to his words, "We are not separate people at all, we
+are not different races. We are not Zards, or Canitaurs, or Munams, we
+are Daemians, and it is time that we came together, to help each other
+instead of hindering. Look at how much blood has been shed, how many
+lives have been lost, must we all be drowned in the blood of our
+brothers before we realize that we are one people? Must we suffer more
+than we already have in an attempt to undo what has already been done?
+More pain will not negate the pain that has already been felt, it will
+only result in more suffering than we have known up to this time. My
+friends, we need not look for our redemption in the past, for it has
+gone and though it influences us, we are not bound to its suffering. And
+we need not look for our redemption in the future, for it is not yet
+here, and when it comes it will only be what we make it. Instead let us
+look for our redemption in the present, where it can be found, let us
+put aside our hate and our divisions and become one flesh and blood, one
+body. People of Daem, let us live in peace!" As he said this, the Zards
+and the Canitaurs and the Munams all let out a joyous shout of
+agreement, and there was seen on every face a remnant of the happiness
+that had so long alluded them in their wars.
+
+To emphasize his point of harmony and trust, Bernibus dropped the remote
+to the atomic anionizers to the ground. But it would never land. Wagner
+leapt forward from his groveling position and grabbed for it as it fell,
+reaching out with all his strength. There was a sudden silence that
+overtook everyone as they saw what was happening. Bernibus looked down
+and saw Wagner leap, but he was too late to prevent him from reaching
+the remote. There was no noise at all, for everyone looked in horror at
+Wagner's plunging form. As if in slow motion, his hand wrapped around
+the remote and he squeezed it so as not to let it go. But as he did so,
+there was a loud beeping sound that came from his fist: he had triggered
+the anionizers.
+
+The eager faces of everyone there, of everyone alive on the earth, was
+turned towards Wagner. The remote had a five second delay built into it,
+and those five seconds were the longest of my life. Bernibus' eyes met
+mine, and we experienced an intra-personal deja vu, the converging of
+the presents of two minds. His face showed the depths of his being in
+that split second, and he was peaceful. Though he was about to be
+destroyed, he had no fear, no regrets, and in those five seconds, while
+Wagner and the King were frightened and frantic at their impending doom,
+Bernibus was as calm as ever. As I looked Bernibus in the eyes, I could
+hear Wagner break the dead silence with a shrill scream that echoed
+across the horizon and ripped through the hearts of every hearer. When
+faced with death he had no courage, no strength to face the unknown
+beyond the veil that separates life from death.
+
+As I turned and cast my eyes across the horizon, I saw the faces of
+hundreds of men, whether Zard, Canitaur, or Munam, and written on
+everyone of them was a great despair, for they stood unprotected in the
+presence of death. It was like the calm before the storm, those five
+seconds, and through them time seemed to stop, to be non-existent, and
+there was not a sound to be heard, except for Wagner's scream. Oh, what
+anguish was written on the faces of all around, standing defenselessly
+before the end with neither will nor way to stop its terrible approach,
+oh, what fear filled their eyes as their mortality was made manifest
+before them like a vulture's approach, oh, the pain, as fate stood
+before their distraught faces and silently whispered, "And to dust shalt
+thou return."
+
+But then even that was silenced. There was no noise. As I looked upon
+them they were destroyed, before my very eyes they breathed their last
+and were no more. One moment they were normal and healthy, and the next
+they disintegrated, falling into little heaps of limp skin and bones. In
+that moment I felt a horror such as I have never felt before, a complete
+loneliness, like a night that never ends. There was no one, nothing,
+around me. The force of the blast had leveled the already flat terrain
+completely. The ocean was suddenly solidified into the same lifeless,
+inorganic mass that the land had become. Across the channel, Daem was no
+more. There were no more trees, no more grasses, no more cities, no more
+mountains, everything was leveled, decimated. The sky began to turn a
+dark, bloody red, and the sun was hidden behind it. Like a disease it
+spread across the horizon, devouring the light hearted blue and leaving
+only red: lifeless, deathless red. There was no wind, no sound. I was
+all alone, I alone had survived the blast because of my anti-electron
+suit. I gazed in absolute horror across the field where only seconds
+before thousands souls had been congregated. I looked at its emptiness
+and I saw nothing, for there was nothing. They were all dead. Every
+single one of them.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 14: Past and Future
+
+
+
+I have no recollection of how long I stood there staring blankly into
+the void, for the sun was hidden behind the darkened sky. I have no
+memory of that period until I saw two short forms coming towards me in
+the distance. They walked slowly and methodically, as if they were not
+hurried on by any physical concerns. As they drew near, I saw them to be
+Onan and Zimri, the Lords of Past and Future. When they arrived I was
+awakened from the trance that I had fallen into, and I gave them a
+slight bow, for I was still standing upright. The look on their faces
+was one of sorrow, for no matter how many times they had seen the
+destruction of humanity, each time it brought only fresh, poignant
+sorrow.
+
+Onan was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a long, hopeless
+sigh, "My dear Jehu," he said, "This age has come to a close."
+
+I could say nothing, for Bernibus' face was still gazing at me in my
+memory.
+
+"Do not be saddened by grief or guilt, Jehu, for it is what has always
+happened. It is not your fault, for the events that you have witnessed
+do not have their roots in your time or in this one, but in the very
+foundation of the world. It is not your actions that caused this, but
+rather the accumulated momentum of all the ages of humanity, for they
+are history, and history reigns by influence. There were no right
+choices and no wrong choices for you, for the power of the kinsman
+redeemer is not in himself, but in the way that those around him react
+to what he signifies. In every age before this you have done the same,
+as you will in every age after this as well. You were humanity's last
+chance, yet it is not up to you to change their course: it is up to them
+to change their own."
+
+Here I raised my head from its dull droop and looked questioningly into
+his eyes. "What do you mean," I asked, "That I did not prevent it in any
+of the other ages? How could I exist in any other age but this?"
+
+"Then you do not understand?"
+
+"Why else would I ask?" I faintly smiled.
+
+"These are the Ice Ages, the end of an age of history. Every time that
+the temporal continuum revolves around eternity, it has a new age, much
+like the years of the earth as it revolves around the sun. When the
+atomic anionizers went off, they did on a large scale what they were
+designed to do on a small scale: reverse the poles through an extreme
+electric charge, by injecting countless solitary electrons into the
+atoms. But with so many of them exploded at once, they did this to the
+earth itself, reversing its poles. It was a theory at your time that the
+poles reversed about every 170,000 years, this is because that is how
+long an age is.
+
+"When the earth's poles were reversed, it brought all to desolation,
+excepting you, for you were protected by the suit. But while this is the
+ending of all life on earth, in a way it is also the beginning, for you
+see, Jehu, you have just witnessed the Big Bang. In a few days, at the
+longest, you will die yourself, for there is no food or water for you
+here, but inside of your anti-electron suit, your remains will be
+protected. Slowly the earth will regenerate, and when conditions
+suitable for life have been once more returned, your suit will be blown
+against a rock somewhere and broken open. From that little hole, the
+atoms of life, your life, will escape into the atmosphere and grow and
+evolve until they become like what things were before you were born.
+Then the process will be repeated. You are not only the one who
+symbolizes the destruction of humanity, but also the one who symbolizes
+the rebirth of humanity. You are the beginning and the end, in a sense,
+a descendant of yourself, simultaneously the father and the son. You
+will be born again through your own descendants, and will once again
+become the kinsman redeemer. It is your destiny, there is no other way.
+You are the White Eagle."
+
+"You only confuse me more, what is this White Eagle?"
+
+"Do you remember when we first met, in the Chambers of History? On the
+dome of the ceiling there was a sculpture mural, and in it was a White
+Eagle, holding many lords and ladies in its talons while it soared far
+above the lands, and those on the land were worshiping it. You are the
+White Eagle. You hold all of humanity in your hands, for you are the
+father of all men, they all descend from you, including you, yourself.
+You were the White Eagle, for the altar had no power, the power was only
+in you.
+
+"Those who worshiped you were those who worship time, in either of its
+forms, past or future. Those who worship the past recognize the
+influence of history, and they understand that there are taboos and
+traditions created through mutual experience. These traditions reign in
+humanity by keeping men from actions that lead to pain and suffering.
+But they do not understand that while it influences mankind, the past
+does not control them, for it is gone, and it will never come again. In
+their strict keeping of traditions, they focus on the physical act of
+the tradition, while neglecting the spiritual principle behind the
+tradition. If you keep only the physical form of the principle, you have
+nothing.
+
+"On the other hand, those who worship the future neglect the past and
+the valuable lessons that it teaches. They believe that there is some
+moral advancement that places them above those that have come before,
+they believe that the people of the past were blinded to the truth, and
+that the revelation of the truth in the present supersedes the
+traditions of the past. But they are wrong as well, for humanity is
+humanity, and those of the past were no more ignorant than those at
+present. The people of the past fell into the same traps as the those in
+the present, and both suffer the same consequences.
+
+"While one group remembers only the physical display of the spiritual
+truth, the other rejects the spiritual truth because of its physical
+display. Those who worship the future break taboos because they
+recognize that the mere physical manifestation of the truths is not
+their entire essence, but they reject the spiritual truth as well. When
+taboos are broken, there is nothing gained, but everything lost, for the
+physical traditions at least lead to the knowledge of the spiritual laws
+to those who seek such wisdom. One taboo is broken, but as there is no
+satisfaction in the breaking of taboos, every one of them is broken in
+succession. Then there is no limit to the immorality that is left to
+freely roam the hearts of men, and when immorality, the breaking of the
+spiritual laws, is widely propagated, there is spiritual suffering. When
+this spiritual suffering begins to accumulate and is translated into
+physical suffering, the people see what is happening, how their very
+society is crumbling to ruin around them. Yet instead of recognizing the
+truth of what is happening, they see the traditions of the past as the
+cause of their problems, and continue to make their plight worse. This
+downward spiral continues until at last we find ourselves where we are
+now, at the end of an age."
+
+"But what else is there to do?" I asked Onan, 'If both the past and the
+future lead to ruin?"
+
+"The answer is in the present, my dear Jehu, for if one focuses on the
+spiritual laws that bring good or evil, and acts according to them,
+instead of their physical counterparts and manifestations, then things
+will thrive and become prosperous. What is evil brings evil
+consequences, and what is good brings good consequences, over time. The
+ends define the means, just as the fruit shows the tree to be either
+good or bad. These spiritual laws become known and remembered, not why
+they are so, but simply that they are so. No one can question why, for
+morality is observed through its effects, just as science is. When
+people observe that one thing brings good and another bad, they remember
+to stay away from the bad things and cling to the good. Over time these
+evolve into taboos and social restrictions, not meaningless laws
+enforced by tyrants for their own reasons, but rules that are observed
+by all because the are the laws of the spiritual realm and govern
+physical life. But when the people forget what the traditions represent,
+then all is lost, and either of the two paths that present themselves
+lead to ruin."
+
+"But why do not men see?"
+
+"Because they are rooted too strongly in the physical realm, and cannot,
+or will not, see the spiritual. What they see as happiness is not the
+spiritual matter that is happiness, but the physical actions the
+represent happiness. What they see as love is not love in the spiritual
+sense, only its manifestation in the physical realm. When they see the
+happiness that comes from a spiritual connection, they seek after it.
+But they do not seek after the actual essence of the spiritual
+connection, yet after its physical counterpart, marriage. This they take
+and defile, and when they go through the physical actions of the
+spiritual marriage but forsake the very thing that makes it bring
+happiness, they are left without any real sense of satisfaction, without
+any real happiness.
+
+"You must understand that the physical manifestation of the spiritual
+force is not the spiritual force at all, only a bland deception. If you
+only focus on what you can see directly, than you chase after only the
+representation and not the object desired. If a bird is flying through
+the sky at noontime, casting a shadow on the ground below him, and a man
+comes along, and in the hope of catching the bird chases after its
+shadow, it is evident that he will never catch it, for when he does
+reach it, he will find that there is nothing there at all, only the
+shadow of what it was he desired. So it is with the spiritual!"
+
+"Yes, I think that I am beginning to understand."
+
+"Excellent. If only I could tell you more, but I must go, my dear Jehu,
+for Father Temis is in mourning for his children, and I must go to
+comfort him."
+
+"I thought that you and Zimri were his children?" I asked.
+
+"You are all his children. He is patient, ever so patient, but still
+they fall by the wayside, too caught up in their false perception to
+rest in him. Fare thee well, Jehu, may you be blessed ere you must die."
+
+
+And with that, Onan and Zimri turned and walked away in the other
+direction, never to be seen by me again, in this age. I took a look
+around me, and could not bear to remain any longer in a place of such
+ill remembrance. Turning slowly and despondently to the westward, I
+began to walk over the lifeless mass of what had been the ocean not too
+long ago. For how long I walked, I could not tell, but in due time I
+reached Daem, though it was no more hospitable than the mainlands, for
+all was laid to ruin by the Big Bang, all was equally devoid of life.
+
+When I came to what had been the center of the savanna, I came across
+something that had survived the blast, being unearthed from its previous
+burial hole by the force of the anionizer's explosion. It was a two foot
+by two foot box, made of a strange metallic substance with an intricate
+etching along its top. Written there in its center were these words:
+
+"Temporal Anomaly Box, Number 12, Location: Central Savanna"
+
+I took the lid off carefully, though it was in perfect condition and I
+did not need to treat it so, and looked inside of it. There was a
+notebook and a pen there, both capable of producing a large of amount of
+enduring text. This was one of the boxes that had been taken back
+through time in the experiments of the Zards and Canitaurs, designed to
+withstand any conditions, and to hold its contents for countless ages,
+until they should be retrieved and studied. I sat down on the ground and
+began to write my story down, in order to assist whoever takes the job
+of kinsman redeemer in the next age. I knew that it would have all been
+forgotten, so I made sure to carefully record it, for it could mean the
+difference between the life and death of humanity.
+
+This was only hours ago, and now I have reached the end my tale. If by
+any chance you come upon this in some subsequent age, I beg you to take
+heed, for what I have written will surely come to pass once more if
+something is not done to prevent it. There is nothing else for me to
+say, for this is the end of my story, and within the next day I will
+also pass over to the spiritual realm. What, then, can I say to bring
+this to a close, for this is neither the end nor the beginning. I
+suppose all that can be said is this:
+
+
+
+DEJA VU (THE END)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Revolutions of Time, by Jonathan Dunn
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REVOLUTIONS OF TIME ***
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