1 Chapter 1
It is the rare number of wisemen who would say that life is a journey for the evolution of the universe itself. In life, we can come to understand as much as any given perspective can accumulate in a single lifetime, and yet it takes an unspeakable length of time for living creatures to put all of these lessons together in the grand scheme. Evolution is the game of the universe, a game that isn't merely trivial, rather it is essential and instinctive for those that can sustain life. Any living creature is a bud on an infinite fractal that can perceive its environment, or in other terms, is a way for the universe to watch and interact with itself.
The universe evolves and plays so many games within itself, the buds can get lost in the drama and illusions they had undoubtedly created for themselves. Not to say these games are hazardous in the big picture, rather it is a means to evolve the universe with infinite complexity. They can seem dire, more important in the lives we all live than any deep thoughts we have, and thus gleam over.
They also say that in the raw nature of existence, there is no such thing as separate things. All is one, as you may have heard before. Words and language are a crude method in which to cut and dissect our reality, to take apart and label, as well as to try to explain everything logically, down to the smallest and up to the biggest pieces. We separate and segregate, kill and enslave, destroy and wage war, all in the name of illusionary difference.
We are all human, young and gifted, a step above the rest in the realm of the mind.
We come out of this universe without the illusions and distractions we create for ourselves as we age with a fresh approach; pure and unbound by limitless complexity. As we grow, we forget how to access these feelings and perspectives, even our memory fades. We begin to conform and condition to a confusing, pessimistic, and chaotic world that demands us to question what life is about, where most of which have no idea how to even approach this notion.
A minority of mankind find faith in optimism.
Very few can come to terms with such words, in any given day and age. Hell, not even the founders of the Balderklan, in the midst of the Viking age, have completely come to terms with every notion that the alien teachers have come to show them, despite great strides in many fields that this knowledge bears fruit in. It is a young clan, after all, and like many young nations and populations, ignorance is bliss, especially when it's convenient for a certain party. Even older nations live long enough to see themselves become hypocritical and destroy themselves.
But, as a certain youth once said in his earliest days,
"Perfection is never achieved, only striven for."
The lessons of the Crittermen were well suited to convince many who could even pretend to know what they speak of. Wisdom, Enlightenment, and evolution are three of many end goals set in stone by the original founder, Balder Ugelsted, and the Grand Elders of the Crittermen race.
Let no path be the only true road, for we come from many walks of life.
Two men of different upbringing were down in the serene depths of the Inner Earth, where it almost looked as though the mythological dwarves had made their homes. The village itself was an improved version of the basic homes and recreational buildings the Crittermen hail from, basic yet different from what one would immediately assume.
Aesthetically, it was ancient yet divinely beautiful; the cyan hue of luminescent crystals illuminated pathways and compensated for the lack of a natural sun with serenity. The trickling rivers that carved these tunnels were now small yet determined, glistening with translucency as they patiently carved the stone further toward a sheen smoothness on par with glass.
Within one of the many villages that were built of stone and gemstone sat, in one of the main pyramid temples, a slave from England before it was conquered.
The Optimistic William sat in this elaborately designed throne room on his knees, staring into the dim, nearly dark room, which was barely lit with small golden crystals along the walls. Decorating the empty space were statues of gold and platinum, of ancient guards solidified with their spears and staffs watching over the two of them with dignified sturdiness.
In front of him was the son of Balder, a man of unreadable charisma and, moreover, a man of unyielding intellect for his time. The two would converse for hours a day in this room, which serves more purposes than merely passing the time.
"Tell me, what has been going through your mind today, dear William? Anything we should be concerned with, or merely the same old same old?"
Asked Mathias, as he carefully examined the bandaged face from the distance he sat at. It was hard to see anything beyond the eyes and ridge of the nose, as William was keen on wrapping his entire head professionally.
"What is your belief on thinking, Mathias?"
The son of Balder pondered for a moment, before he responded with a loose grin.
"I would say that too much of it can lead you to become enveloped in negativity and delusional thinking. It can make you confused, albeit hypnotically convincing. I'll ask again, what has been on your mind today?"
The slow, deep breaths from William were prominent in this spacious room. His mouth was covered but not to the extent in which speech was difficult for him. He had just changed the wrappings this morning, so the cloth was clean and hardly stained by the tattoos or his mouth.
"I must admit Mathias, that even if I told you, I could easily sway the truth like I normally do. I guess the most prominent thoughts have been those of optimism, hope for the future, if that makes sense."
Mathias let out a single 'hm' when he finished, almost a full chuckle.
"You seem more cautious with your words today, more careless yet with the same level of confidence. I can understand your frustration, for the past 30 some odd years must have been a true test of faith. Shall we open that scab again, or should we talk about something else?"
William let out a big sigh and paused for a moment before speaking up. His bulky shoulders rested downward as he exhaled.
"My faith in the Lord is unbounded, despite what your small flock of pagans choose to believe. You witness the lies of demons firsthand, yet you know nothing of what Hell has to offer."
Mathias held back a laugh, shifting on his knees slightly to become more comfortable while clearing his throat.
"So, we're preaching today. Not unusual for you, yet it seems to stem from a place of unrest. Or perhaps it is uncertainty? Should I indulge in your banter like usual? Or should I be more professional?"
William was unmoving, still as a statue.
"The Lord's path for me has been so hard for so long, most of my life has been tossed to the wayside. To this day, I cannot exactly imagine what this trial is leading up to, though I do come up with loose ideas now and again. Today was one of those days."
Mathias seemed more reassured to a degree, though not for the reasons one would immediately assume.
"Take heed of your thoughts, William. You may try and escape again. You remember how well that worked for you last time, correct?"
The slave's nostril twitched, remembering how outnumbered he was, and that there was currently no possible way he could escape the underground on his own. Even other slaves were reluctant, and the day they had high hopes, it all was put into perspective.
William closed his eyes and reluctantly brought his hands to his side, lowering his shoulders and bowing his head. He was hunched over now, though with subtlety rather than exaggeration.
"I know not why you insist on keeping me around anyway. My services are menial, I stand out amongst the other thralls, and all we ever do is talk."
Mathias would form a slight smile on his face.
"You are more important to my cause than you realize, William. You stand out not only due to your markings, which you insult my handiwork by covering them by the by, but also with your impressive fighting prowess. Honestly, everyone speaks of you in high regard in the arena, and you intimidate all those who ever face you."
He paused for a moment, trying to let his words sink in.
"You are more than a mere thrall to me, old friend. If it were not due to my father's stubbornness, I would happily call you and the other thralls proper members of our community."
William scoffed at first. It was true, that even though these people were trying their best to see all paths of life as equal, the basic need and usefulness of slavery was simply too much for the Scandinavian defects to completely abolish even to this day. Change comes slowly, this much was obvious, and old traditions tend to die hard.
However, despite their title, there has been great strides in the past 20 years for more respectful ownership and treatment. While defects and rule breakers were dealt with accordingly, most who didn't cause problems were practically equal in the eyes of their owners. This helped blur the line, and perhaps someday soon, it'd truly be a thing of the past.
"My duty to your cause is still a mystery to me, through which only these markings bear any possible clues as to what you truly want from me. Still, while it is true that us thralls fight alongside your warriors as equals, I spar only to ease my weary soul and feel even the slightest grain of dignity. Slavery, however common in this Era, well. It is something that your clan, of all others, should consider abolishing. Not for us, rather for the principles your people stand by."
There was a short pause, which left an eerie silence to fill the room quickly. Soon, the gentle hum of the intricate temple abolished the deafness with its mysteriously vibrant nature. Mathias, still unreadable, stood to his feet and gave a respectful nod.
"If I may offer you some comforting words for today's session, hear me well. Just do what comes natural, and let your faith guide you as it has been. Anything we discuss here is for my ears only, but I have much to consider sharing with my father. Keep faith in that optimism, William. Who knows? Perhaps your God could prove his existence through you."
