Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods

by John Michael Hileman

  Straight before us, cutting through the side of the dome, a circular window lent a view of the Tower of Pisa, which stood on the other side of the river amongst the ruins of old. Funny though, it seemed odd to me now-- as though it should have a lean to it.

  “Beautiful view,” Kitaya said softly.

  “Yes it is. I have stopped to admire it many times. I don't believe there is another one like it in all of Vrin.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Your people are strong.”

  “Yes, I suppose we have been through quite a bit.”

  She looked up and gave a smile. Her brilliant blue eyes scanning my face, and I felt a soft brush of energy wash over me. “Have we met before?” She sounded genuinely intrigued.

  “I would have remembered such a meeting, and cherished the memory of it,” I replied.

  Her smile widened. “So that is why they call you Charm.” She winked. Then reaching down and lifted the flowing fabric of her garment, she gracefully turned toward the door. “Is this our destination?”

  “Yes,” I said, not able to tear my eyes from her delicate form.

  “Then let us go have a look.”

  CHAPTER 22

  PROPHECIES

  001001011001110

  The massive hardwood doors opened before us, revealing a pitch black interior. I walked forward into the dark room, to its center, where I knew a tinderbox could be found. I felt for it.

  “Are you so proud that you will not ask for assistance?” inquired Kitaya. The room began to fill with soft light. I looked up and saw a brilliant yellow sphere floating overhead, like a gaseous miniature of the sun.

  “Impressive.”

  “It is the least I could do. I am grateful for the opportunity to look at the scrolls.”

  “You could easily have taken them,” I said, “I don’t think we could put up much of a fight.”

  “Yes, but that is not our way.”

  “Would you permit me a question, your holiness?” I asked with a gentle bow of respect.

  “It depends on the question.” She winked.

  “The scrolls are enlightenment from the gods, right? And the gods are all knowing and all powerful, so why would you require the scrolls? Do you not already know what has been written?”

  “You do not ask easy questions, Charm.”

  “Is there such a thing?” I smiled.

  She returned my smile. “I suppose not.”

  “So why then do you seek the scrolls?”

  “If I tell you, you can never tell a soul. Do you accept these terms?”

  “Yes.”

  Kitaya pushed her index finger toward me, and as she did, a pulse of energy spread out to illuminate a pane of ghost-like glass. “Let me illustrate.” A glowing dot expanded from under her fingertip. She dragged her finger down, creating a faint iridescent line ending at a second larger dot. She withdrew her finger. “Your people are becoming, and soon will be gods. It is the natural progression of the universe. Davata Notrals is not a book of our revelation to you. It is God’s revelation to us. Through it we will become what we were fated to be. Do you understand?”

  “It is Gaza’s revelation?” I knew it was not.

  “No. It is the scripture of the God of all.”

  “So the God of Davata Notrals, is the God of the gods?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even the God of Gaza?”

  “Even the God of Gaza. All creation is subject to him. But one day we will be as he is, and one day you will be as we are.”

  The questions began to flood my mind. Questions I could not ask Kitaya. I felt for the bench behind me, and took a seat.

  As Kitaya passed through the transparency, it dispersed into gas. Softly she touched my shoulder and sat down next to me. “Why are you troubled?” she asked tenderly.

  “It’s complicated.” I looked up at her.

  She smiled sympathetically, her eyes examining every detail of my face.

  I wanted to tell her. I wanted to confide in her, but it was too dangerous. I was vulnerable, I no longer had the power of the gods. My heart sank. Why had God returned me to Charm? Had I failed? I remembered the cold dungeon. The spirit told me it was time to go home, but where was home? This didn't seem to qualify. Why did I return to Vrin instead of exiting the simulation? If what she said was true, why had God taken away my power? Was I not ready to be Sam' Dejal?

  Kitaya’s expression of empathy melted away, and was replaced by a look of astonishment.

  “What? What's wrong?”

  “Jason?” she whispered.

  The realization struck me in the chest. In my weakness, I had incited her curiosity. She must have listened to my thoughts! I had unwillingly revealed my deepest secret, and I could not take it back. Why had I let my guard down?

  “Perhaps somewhere deep inside, you wanted me to know,” she said softly, still reading my mind.

  I gripped my head in my hands. “I am in danger in this body, terrible danger.”

  She took my hands into hers and squeezed them warmly. Quietly she examined my face. “You don't need to worry, I will not betray you.”

  “Will you withdraw your thread?”

  “Yes. I am sorry. I was only trying to help.”

  “Thank you.”

  She sat staring at me. “It is really you.”

  “Yes. I don't know how, but it is.”

  “So, you are now, a character in the program?”

  I looked at her intently. The others must have told her about the program and our communication with the outside. “Am I just a character, or is something more going on? There's a connection between these two worlds. I just can't put my finger on it.”

  She rubbed my back. “It will come.”

  The touch of her hand was comforting. There was something about this young lady that set me at ease. Perhaps it was the lack of pretense her youth afforded her, or maybe it was her innocence. Either way, I felt I could trust her, and with so many questions on my mind, I needed someone I could trust. I gave her a warm look. “I missed you.”

  She smiled. “I missed you too.”

  “What happened to you anyway? I couldn't contact you."

  “I traveled to Jahazmad to find Tiko, but ended up-- being detained.”

  “What happened?”

  “I thought I saw Tiko exiting the bazaar, but the area was crowded,” she said, shaking her head. “I could not get a clear look at him. He disappeared into a building, so I followed, and found myself in an enormous room, and it was dark. On the other side was an open doorway, so, thinking that was where Tiko had gone, I headed towards it. But when I reached the center of the room, a figure stepped in front of the door. At first I thought it was Tiko, but then I realized, to my horror, it was Rath!

  Of course I tried to use my power. I swung my arms around searching for the web, but there wasn’t a single thread anywhere.” She looked down at the floor. “And that’s when he sealed me in.”

  “I had a similar experience.”

  She gave a sympathetic nod. “He left me there to rot, and I did, for a long time. But then I figured something he missed. I could still control my threads. First I made my hands glow so I could look around. I knew I could not activate the threads in the room, but I figured I could break out manually. So I removed my cloak and transformed it into a sticky putty, then pressed it onto the wall. Once I had a firm coating, I pulled a thread out and stepped back. On my command the putty turned to acid, which made a large hole in the wall.

  “How long were you in there?”

  “Oh forever.” Her brows furrowed. “It reminded me of the void.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I found Tiko and brought him to the others.”

  I gave her a deep examining look. "Have we stopped Kric’ tu?"

  She shook her head. "We have lost ground. There seems to be no end to Kric' tu's forces. But we now have the aid of most of The Ten."

  "Who?"

  "Corel, Armadon, and
Lorna, as you know. And Tiko joined us, but there is much tension between him and the others. Then there is Hamjin. I do not believe you know him. He is the ninth."

  "Why didn't he come with Lorna?"

  "He was unreachable by the mortals. It was Armadon who enlisted him."

  "Armadon? Did he get in contact with Gaza?"

  "No. He was unable to find him."

  "Do you know about his wife and daughter?"

  "Yes, our sources inside Rath's fortress informed us. They are both dead."

  "So...” I stood up. “Why are we still here? It's obvious Rath and Kric' tu wish to force Gaza's hand, and Gaza has lost what stands between him and his threat.” I shook my head. “So why are we still here?"

  "I do not know.”

  "Is that why you're here?" I turned. "Does the Book of Reason hold the key?"

  "It may. After our last defeat, we gathered for an emergency meeting. Although we believe your theory that we are in comas, we were all in agreement that there was more going on. None of us can speak to the outside, so I offered to go to The Circle of Ghosts to see if I could learn more about Kric' tu. It was my first time there, and it was very unsettling. At first nothing happened, but then as I was getting ready to leave, a man appeared in the center of The Circle. He was transparent, like a ghost, and he said God wished to speak with me!"

  "Wow.”

  "He warned me not to look at God, because if I did, I would be destroyed. I was terrified! I dropped to my knees and did not look up. The ground shook and a brilliant light appeared. When he spoke, I could not tell if it was coming from inside my head, or from The Circle. But I will never forget what he said. First, he said, we are greatly loved, and second, that Vrin is important, even though it is imperfect. And finally, he said there are answers in his book. And that is why I am here."

  "He didn't mention us becoming like him?"

  "No." She bit her lip.

  "So-- what was with the whole, we are becoming like God, speech?”

  She feigned a smile. "I made that up. I thought you were Charm. I figured it would give you hope."

  "A hope that one day we could rise to something greater."

  She stood up and stepped toward me. "You are something greater. You hold the secret to Vrin in your very existence. We thought the people of this world were dreams, but you are now a part of the dream."

  Her words echoed in my mind. A part of the dream. I was no longer in Sam' Dejal. I was Charm. I had all of his memories, every detail of a life lived here in this computer generated world. Had I entered the computer, or were the people of Vrin real? I remembered the soldier sitting on his helmet. His concern for his brother showed complex human emotion. A program capable of that kind of complexity was impossible, as far as I was aware, and yet every inhabitant of Vrin apparently possessed a similar set of programming instructions. Did I enter the program? Or were the people of Vrin real?

  Kitaya was close. Yet her words were distant. "Vrin is real, Jason, and you are the key."

  The key. I was the key. I was not from Vrin, and yet here I stood. Was I from both places? When I was Sam' Dejal, Charm was frozen. Frozen over the book.

  "The book!”

  Kitaya jumped.

  I ran to the case, which held the Book of Reason, and threw open the lid. The scroll sparkled on the rose felt cushion. I snatched it up and unrolled it.

  "What is it?" said Kitaya, peering over my shoulder.

  "I have studied these scrolls a million times. I know every inch of this parchment. There.” I pointed. “There it is!" I could hardly believe my eyes as I read, “‘Then the voice of the one true God spoke to the people, from the world in dreams beyond the darkness, and their eyes were opened. No longer did they sleep, for they knew all that God had created them to be.’ That's IT!”

  "What?"

  I turned toward Kitaya. "The people of Vrin are real. This is the world in dreams beyond the darkness!”

  She squinted at me. “I am not following you.”

  “I don't understand how, but it's the only thing that makes sense. When I was trapped in Rath's fortress, I was rescued. I was told I would be taken home, but I'm still here. I couldn't understand why I returned to Charm when I should have gone back to my body-- the one lying in a coma where Doctor Solomon is. But I must have awakened, and then returned to Vrin through sleep! This verse indicates a world in dream beyond the darkness. If the void is the darkness, then that would indicate that Vrin is some form of shared dream state."

  “I thought Vrin was in the computer.”

  “Vrin is a computer program, but somehow I am able to enter Vrin without being connected to the computer, and it has something to do with dreams.”

  “How?”

  “I don't know-- but it's very intriguing.”

  She smiled, then frowned. "That is all very interesting, but does that scroll mention anything about how to stop Gaza?"

  I thought for a moment, then lifted a finger. "Yes, I believe it does."

  I unrolled the scroll again, and read. “In those the last days, God rose up the prophet Tardin, who having the secret to The Circle, turned the tide of darkness. And God banished Kric' tu with Rath in flames.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Are you the prophet Tardin?”

  I looked at her with wide eyes. "Apparently, and as long as this verse remains unchanged, I will learn the secret of The Circle, which will turn the tide of darkness.

  "The secret to The Circle?"

  "Yes. Which means I will have to travel to see my friend Arganis. The wizard."

  "May I join you?"

  "Yes." I put the scroll back in its case. "But first I need to speak with Sajin.”

  "Then I will go check on the others and return when you call for me." She placed a thread delicately on my neck.

  "Kitaya?"

  "Yes, Jason?"

  "You cannot reveal my identity to anyone."

  "I won't," she said, slipping her arms around me. She placed her head against my chest. "I am glad you are alive."

  The energy engulfed me, and I found myself standing on the bottom floor of the capital building, hugging thin air. I was mildly embarrassed, but recovered quickly.

  "Charm!" It was the voice of Sajin. I turned and saw him walking up the stone corridor toward me. "Where is Kitaya?"

  "She had other business."

  "That is unfortunate. The council decided to allow her request."

  "She will be glad to hear that."

  "Do you have a moment?" He gestured toward his office.

  "I do."

  "I still have questions."

  Sajin's office was not nearly as royal or regal as the other council members'. He was a man of the people, and as such, kept his office comfortable and simple. I walked over to the tall narrow window looking out over the many gardens of the capital building.

  "Would you like a drink?" he offered.

  "Juice would be well received. I can barely remember the last time I ate or drank."

  Sajin popped the cork from a bottle of raspberry juice and gave me a pensive look. "So tell me, Charm. What was it like being a god?”

  “Have you told the others?” I continued to look out the window.

  “No, and I don't think they would believe me anyway.”

  “It's imperative that you do not.” I turned back toward him. "It would place my life in danger."

  "Yes, I am aware of the ramifications."

  "You were always the wise one."

  "Here." He handed me the juice and gestured to his black leather couch. "I have many questions, as I'm sure you are aware."

  "I don't think you will like the answers, but I will give them."

  "Fair enough."

  I took a sip from my drink.

  "So everything we believe is a lie. Would that be a fair assumption?"

  "That would be an unfair assumption."

  He gave me a curious glance.

  "We assumed a great many things. We assumed the gods would be
all knowing and all powerful, and we assumed Davata Notrals was not for us. But as it turns out, things are progressing as they should.”

  “Really.” He sounded sarcastic.

  "The Marathil says the gods will deliver us to Ethral, well, that is a half truth. They are not gods, but they have already begun to band together to destroy the evil of chaos. I don't truly know how it all fits together, but whoever inspired the writing of the Marathil knew future events, because they are unfolding just as the book describes. And Davata Notrals is even more amazing, because it describes events here as well as places beyond here."

  "I'm no sky searcher, Charm, but even I see inconsistencies."

  "Because you do not have the whole picture."

  There was a knock on the door and Sajin let out a sigh. The annoyance was clear in the firm lines of his face. He went to the door and opened it. "What!"

  I heard muffled words from the other side. Sajin’s eyes widened. "Send her in," he said, then turned to look at me. "You're not going to like this.”

  An older lady appeared in the doorway. Her skin was deep brown, her eyes as dark as coal. "Thank you, young man," she said, gently closing the door behind her. Turning, she gave each of us a look, then stated smoothly, "Gentlemen, I'm Hazel Brown."

  CHAPTER 23

  HAZEL

  001001011001110

  "Welcome, Hazel.” Sajin looked intently at her, then back at me. “The guard says you know who Charm is?"

  I felt a shiver run down my spine.

  “A lot of people know who Charm is,” he continued. “He is very well known.”

  She gave him a scowl. "The fact you allowed me in, proves what I know is true." She turned to me. "And no, I ain't told no one you Sam' Dejal. Sajin figured 'cause I said I know who you are, I probably know other stuff I shouldn't."

  Sajin began to speak, but Hazel cut him of.

  "I s'pose you gonna go on with some crazy notion about how you have no idea what I'm talkin' about. Well save it."

  Sajin shot me a glance.

  I stood, and chose my words carefully. "Hazel. Did you come just to tell me you know who I am, or, do you have something else to share?"

  She looked at me tenderly. "Charm, I think Doc Solomon may be dead."