25 PACIFISM (2/2)
”What time is it father?”
”It's almost midnight. I have sent for your children. I have also sent the fastest Daomagar to find Anagea and deliver this splendid news. Plus, the commanders are right outside awaiting your orders Grand General. Welcome back from the dead!”
”Work already?” he chuckled joking, ”I only got back from being ill.”
”As I have said, It has been the longest two months here,” Narra informed with much sadness, ”There's so much that happened and with you incapacitated, no one has stood up to the Grand Princess Prodea - and even if someone did, there's little they could've done. No one compares to your authority and with you out of the picture, no one can practically stop her. She has been doing wicked deeds all around Nagozul. What happened to you by the way?”
”It's hard to explain father,” Artemus uttered almost dreary holding his head again as if in pain, ”Well, the thing is, I have to shut down my brain.”
”You did what? Why did you do that? H-how?”
”See, when I went to Bakunawa. He tried to transmit to me all of his memory and, dear Bathala, that was worth thousands of years of memory. All of his emotions, personality, experiences, everything! My brain is going to explode right then making me crazy, so I have to plan ahead. I need to start reorganizing my brain if I'm going to survive what he did to me. I have no choice but to wipe my brain clean and put everything, myself and Bakunawa's memories, into the depths of my mind. It's either that or I let two personalities rise forth to battle each other to gain primary consciousness, making me lose grip of reality in madness thus incapacitating me forever.”
”Why did he do that? What happened at the Shrine?”
”I don't know,” Artemus shrugged with doubtful eyes, ”I don't know what happened. What I do know is that at that moment I have developed a new technique. I have created a conscious representation of me inside my brain giving the job of slowly feeding me all of my memories one by one in order for me to stay sane. I have still left the memories on my trip to Bakunawa together with his memories deep inside my subconscious and I still need a lot of time for me to allocate the memories and integrate it to mine without destroying myself.”
”So, you are Artemus? I mean all of Artemus after you went to visit Reus rounding up all those rebels almost two months ago?”
”No,” he sighed trying to slowly get up from the bed, ”I still have some memories missing, that I know of - or that's what Artemus doppelganger said in my brain to me.”
”Incredible. You have created a living persona inside your brain. Your powers have always never ceased to amaze me every time.”
”Stop flattering me father,” he chuckled walking to the table shakingly, ”Indeed I was lucky to have come up with that technique at that moment, but it cost me things like learning how to walk.”
”Oh really,” Narra laughed seeing him grab a chair in midfall, ”So, that should count as your second first steps.”
”Really funny, father,” Artemus quipped almost gasping for air in concentration, ”I haven't really loaded up all of my memory, skills and techniques in my brain. Only the important ones but I forgot to load up walking. I guess that I kind of thought it really isn't important since I don't really enjoy walking around and the physics of walking is really easy to understand.”
”So, how do you load up your memory?”
”Well I have to meditate and access my doppelganger in my brain. He's the one managing all memories since I have partitioned mine in an effort to protect myself from dying.”
Narra stood up almost worried and held him by his arms to walk him to the table. Artemus smiled in thanks as he sat down and opened the kettle with hot tea inside as if waiting for him to pour it to the lonely cup awaiting its warmth.
”Son,” Narra muttered with concern in his tone, ”Your kingdom is in danger. Your sister has been turning to evil as the prophecy has foretold.”
”Right on schedule I suppose,” he murmured with regret, ”Where is mother when all of this is happening?”
”She has survived an assassination attempt and has fallen into the Deep Sleep - at least that's what I know considering that this may very well be a plot by Prodea herself. Who knows?”
”Yes. I know. No one in these lands has any motive to attack the Queen or the capacity to do so since the Palace has been equipped with heavy Magicks. Dark Magicks tracing back to the rule of Balthazar.”
”But surely your sister couldn't have killed your mother? I mean, she isn't capable of such evil? Right?”
”Yes father. I think, mother is safe being held hostage somewhere in the Palace - or at least that's what Prodea would do if she's smart enough.”
”Do you want to plan to have a strike team for extraction?”
”No!” he contested almost in fear, ”We have to plan this carefully father. If we do place a strike team, we will be at a disadvantage. It will be next to impossible infiltrating the Palace not to mention the heavy Magicks placed within its walls that will surely give us great difficulties. Our strike teams will ultimately be caught leading for us to be blamed for the assassination of the Queen. By then she will have all the support she'll be needing, and we will just turn up playing right to her plan. The prophecy states that I'm going to lose my left arm and my children will die one by one. Maybe that is because I have been reduced to this weak and helpless state and have provoked her somehow to strike us with the full might of the Nagozulian forces.”
”We should wait then.”
”Yes. We should. At least after I can manage to bring back all of my memories including what happened at Bakunawa's shrine. We must use the art of Diplomacy until we have enough energy to disable her deluded plans.”
”Can you access Bakunawa's powers? I mean now that his memories are yours now, I bet you can summon the powers of Mother Earth to your bidding now.”
”Yes, and that. Let's just wait for me to access all of his powers before provoking her. I have accessed some of his techniques. That is why I was able to rearrange my memories in the first place, but I need to prioritize getting myself back before perusing his mind. I have to function as Artemus again in my full potential before accessing Bakunawa's brain worth thousands of years of memories - that's a lot to take.”
”Prodea is on the hunt for those assassins who tried to kill the Queen. What are we going to do about that? They have been investigating all of Nagozul to solve the crime.”
”Well, we should leave her be then. We don't want to be caught in the middle of that. As long as it's just an investigation they are conducting, and no one is being harmed then there would be no problem.”
”But son, I have received word that the Cotton Village elders has been found guilty for aiding the assassins. They have been due to be executed next week. What are your plans for that?”
”Really? Prodea has been known to be a pain but I don't really believe her to be that cruel. A lifetime imprisonment maybe but an execution? She's really gone insane huh?”
”Yes, and also, she has made herself the Grand Commander, forced herself the title of the Queen. You are under her command now.”
”That's preposterous! What did the seers say?”
”Nothing. They have been disbanded by the order of the new Queen. I heard that she has disbanded the Royal Seers because they have been asking questions why the Nanreben has been awakened again, the same day you fell ill coming back here. No one is overseeing her anymore.”
”The Nanreben? Does that mean Prodea has finally assassinated Bakunawa?”
”Indeed so. I know you went to Bakunawa to warn him but after what happened it made it clear to me that he has certainly died in that fight. If she failed, it meant that she wouldn't have come back but she is alive. Only one of them can walk out of that enormous fight - or that's what I know from what I've been hearing from rumors in the city. I clearly thought you fought her too side-by-side with him, seeing how distraught you are when you arrived here almost dying.”
”Oh...” he replied perturbed with his eyes rolling away in thoughts.
”You did right?”
”Did what?”
”You did fight her? At the shrine? I hope you didn't.”
”I don't know. I haven't accessed that memory. Maybe I'll try later but I don't know. Maybe I didn't.”
”How so?”
”Well, if I did fight her there and I escaped, the first thing she would do is to mount an escapade to hunt me down and finish me once and for all. I haven't noticed the war drums at the gate so she's not definitely searching to eliminate me.”
”That is logical. Although, it still puzzles me as to where you went and what happened at the shrine.”
”All in due time, father.” He sighed after gulping his last sip of his newly brewed tea and wearily gave a skewed smile, ”It's funny that time and fate hates us but what can we do.”
”Yes. To think so many problems can happen within just two months huh?”
”I must be prepared to make a dialogue then!” he cheerily declared standing up, balancing himself in his upright stance.
”With Prodea!? Are you insane!?”
”Yes, with Prodea. We need to minimize casualties and in order to do that I must force her to stand down and buy us time for me to recover and mount a rescue for the Queen.”
”What about being at the Shrine? What if you are there and you did fight him, and she failed to eliminate you there? What if she's just waiting for you to go to her? You are walking into a trap!”
”Relax father. It's not my time to die. Many more will pass in the prophecy before my death, so you need not worry about me. Prodea killing me is next to impossible - well, now is not impossible since I'm reduced to this weak vessel unable to properly command my elemental innate but when I regained my full self, nothing can kill me, not even Prodea. I'll be making sure of that.”
”Daddy!” shouted a chorus of his children in stampede running to him in embrace, pushing him for a couple of steps back.
”Whoa now!” he said laughing shaking their heads, ”I can't really walk well yet so careful.”
”I'm so glad you're well Dad,” cried Karus wiping the tears in his eyes, ”I have so much to tell you. Auntie has been attacking people, torturing them even. We must stop her!”
”Yes, Karus, we will.”
Karus smiled hugging him tight, ”Thanks Dad.”
”I will have a dialogue with her and will be requesting for a smaller sentence till everything works out.”
”No!” shouted Karus, ”No Dad! You should order her to exonerate our people! They didn't do anything! They have been framed!”
”I do not know the intricacies of their case but until I review them, I can't order her to exonerate them all, even if I do know that they are innocent. We have to obey the law and...”
”No Daddy,” interrupted Kayzar, ”They have been tortured and locked in their village without being permitted to use their basic rights of trading or travel. They are starving there, and they are in need of immediate medical attention.”
”Yes. That's what they will do to any suspecting villages harboring any assassins. They have to quarantine the area so that they can pinpoint the assailant as the investigation develops.”
”That is wrong!” Karus shouted almost insolent, ”They can't do that Dad! They can't do that if they are innocent!”
”They are!” he said smiling calming him down, ”They are innocent. But it's only our words against theirs so we have to reexamine the evidence in order to get a valid statement and free them from any accusations.”
Karus's Amplifyers burned bright green in his anger with tears flowing non-stop, ”No Dad! That can't be acceptable! They don't deserve to die!” He then ran outside away dashing which surprised Artemus seeing how fast he is.
”Don't worry Daddy,” said Kayzar looking sad trying hard to hold on to the tears accumulating in his eyes, ”I will go after him. He won't get far. Not in here.”
And the two walked outside, with Yosh cuddling Luna with disappointed eyes, giving Artemus and Narra the privacy they once had.
”Father?” Artemus asked after the door shut to a click, ”Where is Reus?”
”Oh, that boy. I don't know. He's not in his quarters and it's rather strange but he'll be here.”
”Good. Just keep them all here, okay? I need to get ready to go to the South. I can't afford to have them wandering about and escaping here.”
”Yes, about that. They are all anxious to go back south again. Keeping them here has been a challenge indeed and they are getting feisty and crafty in each attempt.”
”We need all the attention we have to solve this crisis fast and if keeping them here to minimize the risks of their danger, I'll be willing to take that plan. We can't afford to have another missing child crisis in our hands right now.”
”Yes, Grand General.”
”I'm ready now. Send for all the Generals here.”
”As you wish.”
-------ooO0Ooo-------
The shying waning crescent moon brought forth a shower of stars to occupy the cloudless night skies of the lonely pitch-black evening. This marvelous display of wonder is a rare event which would have captivated the eyes of many souls but not the lone Reus who is standing at the clearing just below the foot of Mount Liwanag, the highest mountain in all of the Holy Lands just north of the Encampment. He is standing still with spectacles askew waiting for someone.
He is outside the Citadel's perimeter, but the soldiers have let him pass. He had managed to slip through the guards with the use of his newfound fame. They have regarded him as one of the most powerful Nagozulian alive and this has garnered him some respect from some soldiers giving him the capacity to exploit it to enter some territory unbothered. He could have used this to their advantage to escape but alas, it only works on some Nagozulian Sentries that has been guarding the northern regions of the Citadel. The soldiers watching the southern part leading to the Lakas mountain range and into the Kulog Pass has been teeming with Daomagarian soldiers that they either haven't seen before or haven't had any pleasure to be acquainted with giving them no incentive to use their charm to slip through undetected. Somehow, almost half of the Daomagarian reserve forces have been oddly occupying the North and they do not know why.
A rustle of the bushes snapped Reus's mind to attention. He then smiled and bowed his head to greet his master who has been walking towards him from the shadows. Grog stopped at the edge of the clearing, exposing his head but still remaining in the shadow's embrace revealing only his face with his clear illuminating blue eyes sparkling in the darkness. He nodded to acknowledge his apprentice Reus who is still bowing and then spoke in a deep thunderous voice.
”Why have you summoned me, apprentice? The interval of our meet has not yet cycled. Is there a problem?”
”Yes, Master. I am indeed in need of your assistance.”
”It is odd that you are asking for my help. You are not one to ask favors.”
”I know master, but this time it's really important.”
”What is it, young apprentice? I could grant you a favor since you haven't asked for anything in my tutelage, an odd thing for a pupil.”
”Thank goodness, Master. I'm really in a tight knot and I could really use your teleportation technique.”
”My what?”
”Your teleportation technique. You can use it to teleport people anywhere, yes?”
”Certainly. But that would be troublesome for me. I have unlocked my powers since your father has finally found my Bathala-given name giving me the capacity to charge my skills to its potential but that would really need my full concentration in order to keep the people I'm transporting safe and I am not in the mood to travel tonight or any other nights.”
”You are sad?” Reus asked with concern, ”Are you mourning?”
”Yes. The death of Bakunawa has broken my spirit and it is more than I can bear.”
”I'm sorry I have not asked about you. The rumors surrounding the death of Bakunawa have been circulating. I can't believe it to be true until you confirmed it with your words. I truly am sorry about your loss.”
”It is the loss of all of the inhabitants of the Holy Lands, the death of your protector, but do not worry about me young apprentice. I do not need any pity. I will do as you please, just not tonight. Maybe next week.”
”No master,” he pleaded, ”I beg you to reconsider. Our mission is time sensitive. We need you to transfer us to the South, just outside the outskirts of the Cotton Village tomorrow midnight.”
”Why do you need to be in that fortress? They have fortified it with weapons and soldiers.”
”Our Aunt Prodea...”
Grog snapped growling, pounding his paws in the ground. ”Do not speak her name in my presence young apprentice. I do not want to hear her name ever again!”
”Our Aunt...” he mumbled trying, ”Our Aunt has accused the people of the Cotton Village to have been aiding the perpetrators that tried to assassinate the Queen and has come down to a verdict of executing its elders by next week. We need a plan to evacuate the people there as soon as possible.”
”And you expect me to transport all those villagers there to someplace secure? Is that your plan?”
”Yes, uh - no.”
”Do not get me wrong, young apprentice. I do want to ruin her plans anytime I can just to get back at her vile actions towards the Holy Lands, but I do not want to go near those fortifications. If I do, I might be tempted to massacre all of your soldiers and that is a sin I most certainly like to avoid.”
”No Master. What I meant is you'll be transporting the villagers from there to here. We'll be slipping all the villagers near the forest in the east of the village and when all of them have been rescued, you'll be transporting them back to here, in this same clearing, ordering them to seek refuge following this path to the Citadel.”
”And what about the soldiers there? I think you have missed the part when I told you that the Cotton Village, along with the others, have turned into fortresses swarming with Nagozulian Sentries - even Daomagarian soldiers including some Sibara Masters and Apprentices have been stationed there. What do you intend to do about them?”
”Don't worry master,” he answered with determined eyes, ”Leave the rest to us.”