Chapter
4 – The Alternative and Reality
The typically soft golden light
around us turns into a dirty gold and a dark void seems to form around
Evander’s whose eyes are now green, red, and gold with blood tears coming from
them. Evander opens up his chest and it feels like my mind is sucked into it.
When I open my eyes, I see a destroyed town around me with civilians and
soldiers alike slaughtered.
“Behold the average day in the
world, Cystitis. Scenes of death such as this are commonplace, especially since
humanity has a habit of being in a state of war and temporary peace,” Evander
says.
“I know. In the past, I profited
off both states of the world, something that I recall you not taking too much
part in,” I say.
“I helped here and there because I
was focusing on gathering the materials and people needed for the dream reality
spell, and as you know, both states of the world are filled with violence and
corruption. Even when things are mostly peaceful, a thief is looking to steal
from a poor family. Politicians will stoke people’s fears and worries to gain
power and pass their policies to aid their agendas. Rapists and slavers will
kidnap people to sell and have their way with them. There’s only so much I
could do to help, and even if I did focus all my efforts on making the world
peaceful without the dream, it would be a temporary one and someone outside and
inside of my reach would still unnecessarily suffer or die.”
“I get it. I really do, but what
you’re forgetting is that God is the only one who will create eternal peace or
did you forget the scriptures?”
“The scriptures of the end times
can be vague and who to say the events of Revelations haven’t already happened
and this is what God wants for the world?”
“I wouldn’t know what they’re
supposed to look like, but I do know it’s wrong to force people to love God.
That is why this spell that you have over humanity is only hurting it.”
“You keep saying that point
repeatedly as if it’ll change my mind.”
“Some people have to hear the truth
multiple times, sometimes in the same way before they finally get it.”
“How about this then?” The scene
around us changes to that of one of the undertowns I used to run filled with
addicts of all kinds and the worst of humanity. “Say that I cease casting the
spell. I would die along with many of my closest friends because that’s how
connected we are to it and dedicated we are to keeping it alive. Humanity can
choose to love God or continue their life as normal as if the last century or
so of dreaming was just a normal dream. What then? You know most will just fall
into their old habits, maybe even shake off the bits of virtue they found while
in the dream, and then go back to killing, raping, corrupting, and stealing
from one another.”
“That’s what has to happen then.”
“You heard it there, Priscilla.
Cystitis would rather humanity live in suffering than it to live peacefully for
all eternity.”
Priscilla, who has been quietly
listening to Evander this whole time, simply looks at the ground as if she
didn’t hear what Evander said.
“It’s what God has allowed for all
human history and you don’t have the right to force peace upon the world under
the assumption it’s what you think He wants.”
“Truth and love Himself is the
reason why I was able to force this peace upon the world. Nothing happens
without Him willing or allowing it.”
“You’re right. He allows all the
atrocities people like me commit, but there’s a difference between Him willing
and allowing it and a difference between true love and false. True love
requires the entire will while false love involves only part of the heart being
involved.”
“He’s right,” Priscilla says.
“No, he’s not. He doesn’t
understand the nuance of this situation and what we had to suffer to get what
we deserve and to bring true peace to the world, despite living through my core
memories.”
“He knows something we overlooked
either willfully or as a result of our centuries of struggle. Have we let ourselves
become numb to right and wrong or ignorant to get the happiness and peace for
the world that we want?”
Evander’s face is even more upset
than he was as he struggles to come up with something to say to Priscilla. We
must finally be getting through to him.
“No, no, no! We’ve been building
this dream for centuries! I will not allow it to end just because neither of
you doesn’t understand that this is it! This is humanity’s true end and the end
of sin and never-ending wars!”
The scene around us changes to a
gallery of what appear to be places in the true reality kept in prison cells.
“Look at all these people stuck in
tragic circumstances,” Evander says while pointing at each one. “Here, is a
situation familiar to you, Cystitis. This woman will give birth to ratmen moments
after the dream ends and she’ll suffer a horrible death. This man is starving
to death in the streets and will die of a painful disease he was born with. These
children here are wandering through the lands and will be eaten alive by wild
animals. Right here, you see this woman will suffer a slow and painful death as
a perverted woman’s plaything.”
“I know it sounds evil, but we can’t
allow our sympathy for people to stop us from doing what is right and releasing
them from the dream. These people will die and suffer greatly and there’s
nothing we can do about it except pray that they go to Heaven. Heaven is our
only true paradise after all and where real eternal happiness is found.”
Now I’ve gotten him really mad.
Evander gnashes his teeth and erases everything around us. There is no trace of
light here anymore. In its place, a void of darkness surrounds us and I can
hardly see Evander and Priscilla even though they’re right in front of me.
“Priscilla,” Evander says.
“It’s true. It’s better to allow
the world to continue in its self-destructive and horrible ways than to live in
this fantasy that we were in control of. That’s all it ever was.” Evander doesn’t
respond. “Please, make this easier for all of us and end it.”
There’s a deafening silence about
this situation that is tempting me to use the dark light magic I have, however,
isn’t activating as if it’s giving Evander ample time to make his decision.
“Wait, stop-” Priscilla says.
Looking around for her, I can’t manage
to find her as if she was swallowed by the darkness. The same thing almost
happens to me as I feel hands reach out to me in the darkness that I banish
with the dark light magic that also brightens up the area around me, revealing
Evander’s new horrific appearance. His eyes are now completely red including
three eyes in the center of his two. Additionally, his body is marked with a
strange red cross, a bloody M on both of his hands, and six wings in place of
the lower half of his body.
“This is it. I’ve tried to be nice
and understanding, but you pushed me to do this. You will fall under the dream
and humanity will stay asleep in its everlasting dream whether you want it to
or not,” Evander says in a distorted voice.
Lord, give me the strength to
overcome this last challenge.
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