Chapter
2 – A Tyrant’s Dream
Waking up on Sunday, I go about my
daily routine, getting my little sister up, getting dressed, and praying the
morning prayers with my family. My parents, my sister, and I get in our flying
car and get to mass, celebrate it, and then fly off to eat breakfast at our
typical restaurant. My parents talk about work and maximizing the time spent
having fun today so they can deal with whatever they do in the government. To
be honest, I never really cared about that. My sister and I are always thinking
about what park to go to next or beauty of the world to see. Today, we aren’t
able to do any of it as an alarm rings throughout the city and the guns on top
of the churches and buildings start firing at the ships in the sky who fire
back at us.
What happens next is a blur of
chaos, yelling, crying, and holding onto my father’s and sister’s hands as we
try to get to safety. By the time it gets quiet and I think we’re safe, I see
that I’m holding the dismembered hand of my little sister who is in pieces
while my parents were crushed by falling debris. At that time, my entire world
was destroyed, so all I did was cry while still holding onto my little sister’s
hand. Even when the authorities arrived, they had to carry me away because I
didn’t want to leave my family’s bodies, let go of my sister’s hand, or
continue living.
“Let me hold her hand! I promised I
would never let her go!” I yelled out at the authorities.
It took me a good month of getting
help from surviving priests before I wanted to continue living, and even then,
I didn’t want to do much other than sulk and wish the strange condition that
sharpened my ears and made my skin slightly yellow would kill me.
Huh? What was I just remembering a
moment ago? I wasn’t myself, and yet, I felt that I was the person reliving
memories.
“That was another part of my magic,
Cystitis,” Evander says. “I can alter your memories as I said, and also make
you live through the memories I want you to.”
Evander and I are in a void of
light where I see thousands of his memories. He is truly powerful and scary
because of it.
“You must’ve lived for a thousand
or so years,” I say.
“People do call me the oldest man
to live since I’ve lived since the end of humanity’s futuristic age. After the
event you witnessed, I eventually picked myself up, became a politician like my
parents, and then king of the elves once the people of the Holy Land mutated
along with me and the complete destruction of the technology of the past.”
“That memory…I know you relieve it
a lot. You’ve changed it for yourself multiple times to see what your life
would’ve been like if nothing happened or if your family survived and ruled
alongside you, just to name two out of hundreds of times you relived it.”
“And? I can enjoy a good dream from
time to time so I can rest while my allies maintain this dream.”
“You’re stuck in that moment. You
haven’t grown up despite all the centuries you’ve lived, so you’re trying to
make your life as good as you thought the past was.”
“My motives for putting the world
in a dream reality aren’t so selfish. Witness what I have for proof.”
Since everyone else in the Holy
Land has been mutated into elves and are magic wielders, I no longer feel as
special as I once did, but at least, I don’t need to be kept in the shadows for
my safety and guarded twenty-four-seven. After a particularly hard battle
against Vicar Sylvatic’s ratmen that I helped out in, I heal the wounded and
pay for the funeral of those that died during it and the many battles before
it. Seeing battle and the damage caused by the evil men in this world propels
me to aid charities and do more work on the frontlines.
“Sir, shouldn’t you let others do
the work? You are the king,” a personal guard of mine asks.
“Exactly.
It’s the reason why I should be out here helping rather than legislating and
enjoying my luxuries at home. I can do more good out here than in a conference
room, and if someone needs to speak to me or decide on a matter, then they can
conjure a messenger bird or come out here,” I say.
I have outlived everyone and their
children’s children who suppressed me from using my magic to help the world.
Now, I will no longer allow that to happen and put these powers that God gave
me to proper use. My parents always told my sister and me that we would
accomplish great things and make them proud, and I intend to not make them look
like they overestimated me.
“If that is so, then what of this
dark light magic that I hold in my hand?” I say and use while using said magic
to regain control of my mind.
“It’s a strange thing. I would’ve
guessed that it’s hex magic, but because of the cross in the center rules out
that possibility. Also, those who are powerful hex and curse magic users under
the dream spell aren’t able to do the things you can, meaning that this must be
magic God is allowing you to use,” Evander says.
“Then why doubt that it is God’s
will that this dream be lifted from the world?”
“Because of how long it’s been
going on and the results that I have produced such as your conversion. You
can’t say that the world isn’t better like this living comfortably and
peacefully in a dream reality where they live faithfully for God. Look at your
reflection, remember how easy it was to fall back into those terrible sins of
yours once the veil was lifted.”
I look at my reflection in the
mirror that Evander has conjured. I see my blue eyes, beige skin, long grey
hair, and basic grey shirt and pants that I’ve typically worn in this dream.
The image then shifts to my actual self which appears more unnatural to me and
uncomfortable to look at. In fact, looking at it makes me want to erase it
forever, and replace it with the look I have now.
“You have the right idea,” Evander
says. “This is your true self as God sees it. Live the life you were meant to
and I’ll let you forget all about what happened here and allow you to only
remember the parts you need to, so you don’t have to relearn the lesson or
accidentally use the dark light magic you discovered.”
I seriously consider the idea,
however, knowing that I easily fell for the temptations embedded in my soul
means that my heart isn’t totally dedicated to the Lord, therefore meaning that
if I were to somehow die and be brought to judgment, God would find no true
love of Him in my heart and damn me to Hell. Bringing up this point to Evander,
he looks at me oddly for a few seconds as he seems confused and struggles to
think of a response.
“I see your point, however, this
dream reality is what it is, part dream, part reality. Because of this, when
you love God, part of your heart will be His and you will be saved,” he argues.
“God wants our whole heart, not
just part of it,” I say.
“He will have all of it when He has
part of it.”
“You know that’s not true. Even if
it were, we’re loving God under this illusion of your spell, and forced love is
not love at all.”
“Let me show you what love is then
and how I have loved.”
Flashes of memories of Evander being
with friends and enjoying time alone come into my mind along with times were he
prayed and meditated on his course of actions in an adoration chapel before
acting upon them, one such time was before he cast his spell over the entire
world with his allies who he meditated with. My dark light magic dispels these
memories even though I hardly concentrate on using it.
“You’re making this harder when you
refuse to see things from my point of view,” Evander says.
“This magic is doing it on its own.
I can’t really control what it does nor do I know how to,” I say. “Besides, if I
kept seeing things from your perspective, feeling the things you felt, and
thinking your thoughts, I wouldn’t be able to see the flaws in your ways. Are
you trying to force me to be like you or convince me?”
“Convince.”
“Then why do you keep pushing your
thoughts and memories into mine? Again, forced love is not love at all.”
“All right, I see what you mean and
what I must do to properly convince you to my side. I will now bring you to
those I have convinced that haven’t been affected by my magic.”
I ready my mind and soul for the
next challenge ahead by breathing in and out and thanking God for allowing me
to conquer this latest one. If anything, I hope this next one is easier because
Evander will not play around with my thoughts, memories, and emotions.
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