Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods

by John Michael Hileman

  A ghostly glowing fog began to materialize. His hands moved through it, forming wakes of white sparks. He spread his arms wide, leaving a swirling orb of iridescent gas, then sharply brought his hands together. A brilliant flash of light blinded me.

  “Impressive,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “Is that the extent of your power’s usefulness?”

  “It’s the most visual. I can lift things and move them around, basically doing things I would normally use my hands for.” He paused. “But enough about me. It is my turn.”

  “Alright. Fair enough.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “I’m almost giddy,” he said with an expression of childlike enthusiasm. “Let’s see. --If you are not a god, then what are you?”

  Always the complicated question first! I looked at him, and shook my head. “Well, it might be a little hard for you to understand, so if I cover anything you are not sure of, feel free to interrupt.”

  “I will.”

  “The Ten are human, but not human like you.” I paused. “I’m not sure exactly who or what your people are. The best I can come up with, is that you are one of the characters my imagination has created.

  “So-- The Ten did create our people?”

  “I think so. Yes. As far as I can tell.”

  “You thought us, and that gave us life?”

  “Well, I’m sure there's more to it than that. I was told of a foundation that was created before my arrival. It may not have been The Ten, but it was others like us who created you and your planet. You see, I am not awake like you are. I am asleep, and dreaming of you. But it is not my dream, it is being given to me by another.”

  He looked perplexed. “Vrin is a dream-?”

  “Well. Not exactly. But it's a place I can only visit when I’m sleeping. My real body is elsewhere-- connected to a bunch of wires I’m sure.”

  “Like a puppet?”

  “No.” I chuckled. “Not like a puppet.” I thought for a moment. “The wires are similar in function to a tube that you might push the energy you control through.”

  “You were right. It is very confusing.” He furrowed his brows. “What would happen to the dream should the dreamer awake?”

  “As far as I know it would continue on, at least as long as the others are here.”

  “So The Ten are dreamers, who dream a dream, which is being sent to them from another place?”

  “Sort of.”

  “What is that place?”

  I thought for a moment. “It’s similar to the cognosphere. For all I know, it could be the cognosphere.”

  “So you are here-- like I would be in an event?” His eyes lit up.

  I nodded. “That would be a very close analogy.”

  “Have these events already happened?”

  “I don't know. I think I'm experiencing all of this for the first time, but I can’t be sure.”

  “Do you know why we’re here?”

  “No, I don't. You could be here to make this place feel more like home. Or maybe your role is important to our recovery. You see, we are not here by are own choice. We are unable to wake up.”

  He rubbed his chin. “Why? With such power you should be able to awake with ease.”

  “One would think, but it hasn't happened yet.” I looked him in the eye. “So until I can find a way to wake up, I'm trying to keep this world from being destroyed. Without it, I’m not sure I would be able to find a way back.”

  The barrage of questions ended in contemplation. Arganis stared off to the distant wall of the cellar. It was a lot to swallow, but he was faring well. I wished I could have given him what he wanted. Perhaps a lie would have been more comforting. There was no end to the questions, and the road to truth was littered with emotional potholes. Perhaps my answers fell short of their esteemed goals, but all I could do was try to answer honestly, and hope he would find some stable philosophical ground to stand on.

  Again he spoke. “What of our souls? Will we eventually ascend to Ethral?”

  “I’m not familiar with Ethral, so I’m not sure. If you believe you do, then I don’t see why not.”

  It was a half-truth, but who knew? The scientists could have created a convention for Ethral and chaos. Who was I to deny its existence?

  “Then I choose to believe,” he said defiantly, “until proven otherwise.”

  “And I will believe with you. Maybe together we can will it to be so.”

  I made two glasses of wine, and handed one to my associate. “A toast to the afterlife, and to the soul within. May its journey continue on to Ethral.” There was a clink of glass, followed by a silence, which lasted long after the wine was gone.

  And there we sat, two halves of an unknown coin, two voices in the hallows of eternity, stating with conviction, we will go on. But feeling considerably less than sure of ourselves.

  CHAPTER 14

  DEEP IN THE HEART

  001001011001110

  What was that principle? The more you learn, the less you know? As my perception of Vrin increased, my confusion increased along with it. But as much as I wanted to wake from this agitating dream world, I couldn’t help but have a fascination for its diversity. Its complexity was far beyond anything I could possibly imagine. The computer system holding the data generated by this world must have been immense. So I decided, if I ever did find my way back to the world on other side, I would definitely apply for a job.

  Arganis returned from upstairs carrying a map in one hand and a lantern in the other. “This is a map of the castle. It has taken us a very long time to gather the information for its design. I’m sure it is not completely accurate, but it is the best I have to offer.”

  “It will do splendidly!” I said, taking it from him and laying it flat on a dirty crate. “I’ll need to create a tunnel, the straightest point to the dungeon. And it’d be nice if I didn’t have to deal with too many guards, I don’t want any chance that word of my presence will get back to Rath.”

  “How about here?” He pointed. It was a remote spot between some bushes on the left side of the castle. “You would only have to make a tunnel fifteen or twenty feet deep.”

  “Very nice.” I grabbed his arm with approval. “Can you get me there undetected.”

  “I’m fairly certain.”

  “Then let’s waste no time,” I said, pulling up my hood. “We can use the evening mist to conceal our efforts.” I rolled up the map and stuck it in my belt as Arganis went to a corner to retrieve a small backpack.

  We mounted the narrow stairs and walked through the dusty room to the door. He slid back a small piece of wood and peered out. “Looks clear.”

  There were no soldiers in sight as we stepped out into the busy street. The denizens were loading wagons with supplies. Old and young alike labored over the tasks.

  Arganis scooted off toward the castle. I followed close on his heels. Our journey took us through side passages and under wooden overpasses. All of the damaged buildings had been rebuilt. I couldn’t help but admire Rath’s handiwork, he had an eye for beauty. We passed many townspeople on our way. All were clad in finely crafted clothing, but not one looked happy. These people possessed great riches, but Rath had taken away their peaceful existence.

  At last we reached our destination. Between several bushes a small clearing lent easy access to the side of the castle. Arganis stood back and I went to work. I pushed the ground down twenty-five feet to the lower level of the castle wall, then removed my robe and tossed it in.

  Arganis had never seen wings on a human before, and curiosity got the best of him. He reached out and ran his hand down the soft white plumage. “Very nice,” he said brimming with excitement.

  “Thank you.” I gestured to the pit. “Shall we?”

  He nodded.

  I wrapped my arms around him from behind and lifted him into the air. Together we descended deep into the earth. Once we had our footing, I stripped away the texture of the wall and peered inside. It was a dark hallway, and it looked desert
ed, so I created a large hole.

  Arganis gingerly stepped in as I retrieved my cloak. Once inside, I filled the empty space with dirt, and applied the grass covering as I’d remembered it. It was nothing to replace the wall. And within seconds, I was finished.

  Up and down the passageway there were no recessed areas to hide in, so we would have to make our way down before anyone came through. We listened. Then quickly stole down the slanting hallway until we reached a T intersection at the bottom.

  “This way,” said Arganis. The dark corridor ended at a large wooden door. “This leads to the dungeon area,” he whispered. “If they are here, that is where we will find them.”

  I removed the texture of the door and peeked through. “One second,” I said over my shoulder. “There’s a guard.” A nearby thread went through the door and stopped near the man's neck. I applied my influence and watched as the end twitched then attached itself behind the soldier’s ear. I attached the other end to myself.

  It was time to make an impression.

  “YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!” I pronounced forcefully into his mind.

  A startled burst of thought came through the thread, allowing me to gather what I could about the man’s temperament.

  “I AM REASON!”

  “What do you want from me?” There was a quiver in his thought.

  “Spell your name and count to ten,” I ordered.

  “What?”

  “Do it-- or face the consequences!”

  I realized the statements were far fetched, but it was my intention to confuse him and keep him off guard. If he was allowed even one second to think about his allegiance to Rath, I probably wouldn’t get any information.

  “J, A, F, U, S-- K, E, N, R, A, one, two, three, four...”

  I breathed the name to Arganis. He shook his head, he wasn’t one of ours. What could I do with this guy to put him out of commission? Scare him into silence? I whispered to Arganis, “I’m going to need one of your special light displays. Can you do it through the door?”

  “No. There must be a connection between my voice and the energy cloud.

  “What if I made a sliver of an opening?”

  “That should work.”

  I went back into the soldier’s mind. “YOUR SERVICES WILL BE REQUIRED!”

  “They are already spoken for.” He was feigning loyalty; I sensed the indecision in the vibrations of his thought. This was not one of Fyousa’s men, but there was doubt in him.

  “Rath will never give you what you desire. His path leads to darkness, and all who follow him will be swallowed by the pit. I offer you a chance to join the forces of Ethral. Think hard. I will not offer again.” I could feel his anxieties. He feared Rath, but was uncertain of my validity.

  “Time for a light show,” I whispered to Arganis. I examined the door and chose the section I would remove. With the appropriate fireworks, my emergence would be very convincing. --But first I needed a little more presence. I focused on my internal structure and began to grow in size until my head was almost touching the ceiling. Now I’m an even match for Armadon, I mused.

  “Start your chant,” I said to Arganis. “I will open a section here in the door. What I need from you is some swirling colored smoke and a blinding flash of light. When you do this I will step through and convince the man to join us. I hope.”

  Arganis nodded and began the guttural vocals of his chant. I sent a buzz into the soldier’s mind to distract him from the noise. The energy from The Circle of Ghosts began to glow around us, and I opened a small sliver in the door. Faster than my eyes could follow, the energy vanished inside. I opened the hole, quickly stepped through, and closed my eyes.

  When I opened them, I was standing over the guard who was frantically rubbing his eyes. I reached out and put a firm, kind hand on his shoulder. He squinted up at me.

  “Be not afraid, my son. If you join me, you will no longer have to do the bidding of darkness.” As his vision returned, his eyes fixated on my wings. Arganis was generating a glowing light behind them. Nice touch, I thought.

  The guard's chest filled with resolution. “I will join you Sam’ Dejal.”

  “Good. Then help us now. We are looking for a woman and a girl child.”

  He nodded. “Yes. They are in the isolation chamber.”

  “Is that far?”

  “No, I can bring you there.”

  “Lead us then.”

  The man scurried off down the hall, and I looked back at Arganis with a wink. Reputation was always stronger than reality.

  He led us through the musty stone halls down into the abysmal parts of the castle, where the stones were slippery, and moss flourished in the cracks. We descended deeper still, and the corridor grew smaller until it was clear my height would be a disadvantage. I concentrated on the threads of my body and returned it to normal size.

  The soldier's eyes grew wide. “You can change your size?”

  “It's one of the perks of being a god.” I shrugged.

  He looked curious, but said nothing more.

  We continued on, and it grew darker. The guard picked up a torch and lit it, and we descended still deeper into the heart of the dungeon. The wail of a prisoner echoed in the distance. I winced at the sound of his screeching howls. He must have been enduring incredible pain to make such a noise. And still we continued on, it was much farther than I had expected.

  The passageway ended abruptly, and the three of us stood looking out into an immensely massive cavern. In the center, an endless pillar reached from the depths of the pit to the ceiling high above. A craggy stone sphere bulged out from the pillar directly across from us, like a rocky bead on a rotted iron bar.

  “That is the chamber of isolation,” said the guard with a shaky finger.

  I waved my hand, but the web did not come up! I placed my hand on the wall, and was shocked by what I saw. The entire cavern had been cleaned out, all of the threads were gone except those making up the structures of the cavern and the three of us. I turned and looked back up the corridor, there were plenty of threads in there.

  “This doesn’t look good,” I said to Arganis. “It might be better if we split ways. Take this guard and travel to the outpost. I will send word as soon as I’ve finished.”

  “But there is much I can do to help.”

  “If this is a trap, I will be better off alone. I wouldn’t want your lives being used as bargaining chips.”

  He nodded. “I understand. We will go.” He extended his hand. “Good luck.”

  I shook his hand. “To you as well my friend.” I turned to the guard. “Thank you Jafus. Today you have changed your life path toward the direction of light. Go with Arganis. I will be along shortly.”

  The man gave a sturdy nod.

  My skepticism was waning. I almost believed the words I had told him. However unbelievable my circumstances, there was something magical about this place, and I couldn’t help but to feel caught up in it.

  Even the danger that stood before me tasted of reality. If I failed, I would let the others down. There was a chance I could die, but it didn’t matter. I was on the side of justice and harmony, and it filled me with a courage I was sure I had never possessed as a mortal man. Indeed, the more time I spent here, the less I felt like a man in a coma, and the more I felt like a god on a mission.

  I snatched a few threads from the hallway and attached them to my leg. If this was a trap, Rath would most likely snip them and block my escape, but it was worth a try. Pulling the strands with me, I rose up into the dusty heights of the massive cavern. The wind felt cool and moist on my face. I rounded the large stone sphere and discovered a bridge crossing from a ledge on the wall, to a small arched opening in the center of the bead.

  I touched down lightly on the bridge, examining the entrance to the rocky sphere. It was conspicuously vacant of guards. This put me on edge. I moved cautiously toward the opening, and as I approached, began to hear noises emanating from within-- but couldn’t figure the sou
rce of the sound. There was a grunt, and then a faint scraping noise, but it was hard to decipher through the persistent whispering of the cavern wind.

  I pressed myself back against the wall and carefully peeked in. It was pitch black inside. A single beam of light cut through the darkness from a hidden source. I listened closer. There was a bump, and more scraping. I leaned in to allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  And without warning a figure leaped at me. I jumped back and hit the wall hard. Before I could could piece together a thought, it was on me, grotesque and vicious. At one time it had apparently been an ape, but had been modified in hideous ways. Enraged eyes flashed from underneath a rotted iron helmet. Steel claws bit into my chest plate. The scraping made a frightful noise as I flopped around like a rag doll, stuck between its deadly weight and the lip of the bridge.

  In desperation I sent my power into it, but the blood drained from my face as I realized, It had no threads! With no time to contemplate the meaning of this little twist, I pushed my energy into the strand attached to my leg, and in an instant, found myself hovering several feet off the bridge. I picked up the wind weakly with my wings. Blood seeped from my abdomen, accompanied by a burning sensation.

  The ape danced about the bridge in a rage, beating its armored chest with clenched fists. There was no way this creature could be here. Yet there it stood. And quite ominously. Moving about the threads of the bridge, a ghost in the machine.

  Then it hit me. The Circle of Ghosts! If Kric’ tu could walk about in Vrin, then it made sense he could bring forces from the other side. This ape provided evidence of the realm Arganis had spoken of, the place where the ancient spirits lived. But-- was it a real place?

  Maybe this creature was just a glitch in the program? It would take a seriously sophisticated computer to hold a world this enormous, and with all complex things, there were bound to be glitches...

  It didn't matter.

  Whatever it was, it was between me and my goal. And it was time to remove it.

  I touched the edge of the railing and sent my energy into its threads, causing the bridge beneath the beast to become air. As the creature began his exit, his mighty claws dug into the rocky sides, holding him for a moment, but I graciously relieved him of his prize. With a screech of terror, it plummeted into the abyss, and I watched until it was nothing more than a tiny dot in the distance.