Victernus - Chapter 31
Namara opened his eyes and grabbed his chest. He coughed, feeling sore where the blast had hit him, and then was distracted with the view of the new place he was in. He sat up in the cot and put his fist and his implant down on either side of him. In front of him, he saw the gigantic waterfall just past the edge of the platform. He wondered, What...? What is this place? He rose to his feet and walked to the edge, looking up at the waterfall. As he tried to remember what had happened, he heard someone approaching from behind. When he checked to see who it was, his eyes rested on King Drac. His heart pumped madly, and he asked, "Who are you? What is this place?" Drac stopped in front of him and answered, "I am Drac, king of the Volnar. This place is called the Realm of the Seers. It is located where Valikon is - the planet of the Volnar - but it exists purely in subspace. It is one of our many realms." He scratched his head and said, "Okay... Why am I here, though? Where did Athius and Gala go?" Drac sighed, "You're here to be tried by the Council of the Seers. Athius and Gala have remained on Valikon and will be taken care of there." Namara turned back to the waterfall and lowered his head. He watched the water land on the rocks below, passing by the trees without any bother. He felt like shaking when he asked, "Is this about the Selanians?" He heard Drac pace back to the canopy and say, "It's more than that. You created technology that enabled Dr. Lynn to take control of them." Namara brought his hand to his face and heard the marking pulse with voices. He shook his head, "I did none of that intentionally. I just wanted for me and my friends to be happy... surely you must see that!" Drac responded angrily, "I do see that, but the Council does not. They're the ones that manipulated the conditions that caused you and your goals to exist. They've been doing this to societies for centuries to make sure that the Volnar have no resistance. Usually people like you turn out to be completely evil." Namara faced Drac, his voice rising in pitch, "You supported this?" He sighed, grasping the wooden support of the canopy in his hand, "I did not realize that this was what they were doing until they assigned me to your case. I've seen what kind of people it makes, and believe me... You're nothing like them. You were cursed with what my people call 'victernus.'" Namara tilted his head and asked, "Victernus? That's what Lynn renamed my group..." Drac nodded and turned back to Namara, answering, "It means that you can hold the answer to your life so close to yourself, but the way to it is blocked. Every time you try to find it, you will be beaten down over and over again until you are driven insane." Namara lowered his ears and asked, "Well, what do I do now?" Drac smiled to him, "Hang in there. The Council will tell you what they think is best, and you will have to decide something for them. I might be able to persuade them to help you, but we won't go into that yet." He paused before saying, "I think it is best that we head there now." He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Now?!" Drac walked towards the bridge and
nodded, "Now. Follow me."
A few minutes later, Namara stood in front of the three robed Volnar in the tower. His gaze rose up the tower in awe, but he was snapped back to reality when the one in the center addressed him in a suspiciously lighthearted tone, "Namara. Do you know why you are here?" Namara glanced at Drac nervously and then said, "I don't know. Why do you think I'm here?" She spoke in a condescending tone, "I know why you are here." He waited for her to tell him, but she did not continue. He asked softly, "Please, tell me." The Arch Seer continued in a fast manner, "You're here because you destroyed your race in the most selfish way imaginable. You cut everyone out of your life to chase some fantasy, and you destroyed the entire human race in the process. You disgust us." The Echoes in the room voiced "Disgusting!" down at Namara. He flattened his ears, trying to block out all the noise. When it ceased, she continued, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Namara regained his composure and then narrowed his eyes at her. Suddenly, he could hear all of the voices of the lost Selanians, and they were helping him bring words to his mind. He gazed around the tower and said, "Yes... and I will only say it once." She nodded, "Go on." He began, "Where I was from, there was a widespread belief that we had the right to pursue happiness. It was listed as a right that nobody could take away from us - and that makes sense. But, there was one crucial element that was always missing. Nowhere did anyone say that it was wrong to get in the way of the pursuits of others. It was neither spoken nor written. And that is what created the imbalance - not me. "You see, with that piece missing, there were people who had seemingly endless amounts of money and power. They could try to find what they believed would make them happy. Everyone else was taught to fit into their society somehow and then just hope to find out what happiness might look like. Meanwhile, they were being fed lies about how the world really was for almost every day of their lives. They didn't want to look past that. "But I did. I found what I came to call 'Koanthanatus' - my death paradox - and the thing that it surrounded. I did not agree with the idea that living a life pursuing someone else's idea of happiness would get me there. I would die unsatisfied, believing that my children might be able to find it instead - and so would they. But, I'd have tried, so I'm sure everyone would have been happy for me." He shook his head, "I vowed never to settle for that. Now, what I found... it may be different for everyone. It might not be. I don't know. But..." he paused and then stared at the Arch Seer, "Would you condemn me for that? For trying to find this?" A creepy silence drifted through the tower as if everyone was lost for words. Before Namara could start again, the Arch Seer said, "This session will resume in one hour. We will consider your words." Drac stepped behind him and whispered, "Come on." Namara sighed and then followed him out. He finished, "I hope they listen."