Loria

by Gunnar Hedman

  “Forgive me,” said Zania, attempting to excuse herself. “I was always told that you could not survive outside your cage and should therefore never be allowed outside it.”

  “Don’t worry about it, my friend. I have long since forgiven you. How could you know otherwise?”

  “How have those clans that you’ve told us about arisen, actually?” asked Kark.

  Vinisareth reflected a moment before answering.

  “Who knows? They are as old as our history and no one knows where it all began. The light of Nigiseth, as we are called, bases our strength on harmony and love, whereas Gizgena’s is instead rooted in darkness. The others are only occasionally ill-intentioned and usually act in a way that balances their own special premises.”

  “But couldn’t your clan have helped the Blues when they were in trouble?” asked Enaiga.

  “No, we do not want to intervene in the fate of other peoples, and our only goal is to enlighten others about what we consider is the right path. Then, it’s up to every individual, based on their own faith and convictions, to decide. The universe contains a spectrum of characteristics and spiritualities, and evil has always been present, since goodness cannot exist without its opposite. What is right or wrong according to God’s plan isn’t easy to know, and evil is probably a basis for our being able to open our senses and develop as living beings. Prince Eilan started the war, with the help of the council’s black powers, but eventually fell on his own petard when his allies, the trolls, took over the areas he had conquered. The aggression he expressed and the events that ensued from it have provided his soul with invaluable insight and a possibility to change his future karma, which would not have been possible if we had become involved in what happened.”

  “But isn’t it very much thanks to your power that we are standing here today?” asked Zania.

  “Yes, that’s correct, since in my role as Xingezing I was beyond my normal restrictions and could act freely. I first helped you when I interfered with the planet’s force field, and then in the swamp, with Riverlands, which is the place we receive our spiritual inspiration from and can even reach it with a light tunnel connection. After having led you to the Blue Islands, you managed quite well on your own, until you came to Blackwarj Forest, where I had a tough job helping you. When you eventually met Fillifaj, there wasn’t much I could do, since that would have revealed my existence.”

  Astonished, they all stood in silence, their mouths agape in incredulity, unable to take in what she’d just told them.

  “You don’t mean it might be possible for us to meet our friends in Riverlands without having to cross the bacteria sea first?” asked Caver, when he came to his senses.

  “Yes, that’s what I mean,” she said, with her characteristic bubbling laugh, “and another thing I can tell you, which I’m sure will also make you happy, is that another Urdukian ship managed to enter just after us, before the force field closed again.”

  At this news, the tension increased so much that several of them burst into tears.

  “Is that really true?” asked Zania, shaking, and tears running down her cheeks.

  “Yes, of course, you don’t think I’m just sitting here telling you fairy tales, do you?” she explained, with a wink at what she thought was a clever pun. They are located in the desert quadrant, Zorheh, which is situated right out in the bacteria sea, although it has a number of sources of fresh water and oases, so things can’t have gone too badly for them.”

  “When can we meet them?”

  “I’ve been completely pre-occupied, ever since you arrived, with restoring the balance of power and getting the light of truth to show the way to harmony and love once more. As soon as I possibly can, though, I will re-establish a connection there as well, and then you will be able to decide where you wish to live. You now have a variety of alternatives to choose from, of course.”

  When Allur and Vinisareth were eventually alone once more, they went out onto the balcony and gazed out at the city beneath them, where it lay shining and shimmering in the glow of the sunset.

  “How can you be so sure I’m the right person to rule together with you?” asked Allur.

  “I’ve never doubted my beloved for a moment,” she reassured him. “I have looked deep into your soul, as well as peered into your inner light, and if you hadn’t been the right one, you wouldn’t have been able to travel to Getarah with me through the light tunnel. Everything that is mine is now yours; together we shall try to find happiness, and overcome all difficulties, now and forever.”

  The End

  (or, to be continued, in the next volume of this trilogy)