Inevitability of Loss: Chapter 2 – Everything Eventually Falls

Chapter 2 – Everything Eventually Falls

When Atlas wakes up, he does what he planned to do and goes to daily mass, makes a sacrifice of charity, and goes to meet up with Teela.

“Where’s Icarus and his wife?” Atlas asks.

“They decided to go out somewhere because Icarus’s wife found something that supposedly can stop our homes from falling if that ever happens.”

“Sounds stupid. If God wants any place to fall, it’ll fall no matter what.”

“They could be getting themselves in danger. We should go help them.”

“I am not wasting my time with that idiot. If he’s going to keep tempting God to end his life, then so be it.”

“How can you be so cold towards them?”

“I’m not.”

“Then let’s go get them. Icarus’ wife told me where they went.”

“I told you. I’m not going.”

“Fine. I’ll help them myself.”

“No, you’re not. You’re going to get yourself hurt like last time.”

“Then you better come with because I’m going no matter what. Atlas, I don’t want to lose any more friends.”

“Fine, but things start getting dangerous, I want you to listen to me instead of doing whatever you want.”

“Yes, sir.”

Teela rides with Atlas on his horse and directs him to the place where Icarus and his wife are supposed to be. They get to the location and find a cave within a mountain with rocks slightly floating above the ground around it.

“Wow. No wonder why they wanted to come here,” Teela says as she gets off the horse and examines the floating rocks.

“Oh wow, rocks that slightly float above the ground. It’s nothing impressive. How’s this supposed to save even a house from falling?” Atlas says before the rocks and even the mountain itself float up into the air.

Both Teela and Atlas stare at this sight in amazement as Icarus and his wife leave the cave with a floating azure orb in their hands.

“Icarus, what did you find? What is that?” Atlas says.

“It’s the solution to our problems! Atlas, we’ve found what will save humanity from the ground falling from under us.”

Before Atlas and Teela get excited the mountain and the ground around it falls from under it.

Atlas goes up to Icarus and says, “That’s some solution you have.”

“Okay, so the orb has to stay in the area in order for the place around it to stay afloat.”

“What even is it? How did you find it?”

Icarus’ wife explains that, “I found some old documents in ruins that talk about it and showed it’s location. It’s apparently made by the people from the time when the ground first started falling.”

“So, what is it? Is it a piece of old advanced technology? Is it blessed by God or made by cultists because there were a lot of unfaithful people back then?”

“It seems to have been made by faithful people who wanted to save humanity from the disaster they suffered. The most notable thing about this is that there are supposed to be more of them, which means we can save a larger area.”

“What if God decides to cut off every other place from the floating area? We’d be a floating island with no way to get to safety and have to rely on what we have.”

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that and we’ll have solutions for it.”

“Yeah? Next, you’ll be telling me that we’ll have flying wagons and horses.”

“We were thinking about that.”

“Whatever. Let’s go back home. We’re supposed to be relaxing like we planned.”

While riding back, Icarus says to Atlas, “I’m surprised that you came to see us.”

“Give Teela all the credit because she was worried that would need our help. I was fine with letting you die if you did get into trouble.”

“We both know that you would hate yourself if you did let us die.”

“That thing better be worth it because it’s hard to ride with it floating our horses.”

“It’s because they’re fighting it. I’m sure we’ll find a way to better transport it.”

“Like what that flying horse idea?”

“You have to admit that it’s cool.”

“It kind of is.”

The four are shocked when they arrive back home and see that the ground is falling down around it. Icarus gets off his horse and uses the floating orb near the ground to save some of the houses and people around it.

Once everyone is safe, Atlas goes to him and says, “We can’t save this! You have to let it go!”

“No! We can save it! We just need to repair it!”

“Do you think people will really live in these floating crumbling buildings and walk on this floating ground?”

“…fine.”

Atlas helps Icarus get to safety and lets the rest of their home falls down. The people of the town that survived have many questions for Icarus and he answers some of them until he tells them to be quiet for his important plan.

He explains that, “With this and many more of these orbs, we can save not only ourselves but the rest of humanity. We must find the rest and learn how to make them so that this threat of the earth falling from underneath us and losing our homes will be completely erased.”

“But where we will find a new home?”

“I think the best place to go is the kingdom with the lush farmland. Why wouldn’t they accept us with this in our position and the best warriors and knowhow in making weapons?”

The people talk amongst themselves for a bit until they decide to go with Icarus’ plan. Atlas and Icarus lead their people to the kingdom of lush farmland and reach an agreement with its people to accept them with their offerings and the orb. Days and days pass by as Icarus gets the most knowledgeable and wise people in the land to help him with the orbs as word quickly spreads about it. More orbs are gathered and hope rises for the survival of humanity, but at the same time, tensions and conflict begin to rise over who controls the orbs and if they’ll be useful in the long term.