EPISODE 6: SAHARA THE DRYAD; THE KARMIC CYCLE

EPISODE 6: SAHARA THE DRYAD; THE KARMIC CYCLE

As Gaiden and Terra approached the Wind Ryu which was located on the top of a Mountain so tall it pierced through the Clouds, they noticed Large Levitating Structures anchored to the Mountain in an Omnidirectional Fashion.

"What are those?" Gaiden asked.

"The Wind Ryu is inaccessible to normal people because of its location so they don't typically trade with the outside World. Due to its inaccessibility as well, most Kingdoms outside the Wind Ryu are hesitant to enter into Trade Agreements with the Wind Ryu" Terra explained.

"Why is that?" Gaiden asked.

"It's a simple reason really. Since other Kingdoms can only access the Wind Ryu only if the Wind Ryu makes contact with them, there is the lingering fear that any Trade Agreement with the Wind Ryu would provide a unilateral advantage to the Wind Ryu. Also if there is a breach in Trade Agreement by the Wind Ryu, it would be very difficult to hold them accountable since the Wind Ryu is inaccessible in the first place" Terra explained.

"I see" Gaiden realized what Terra was getting at.

"For that reason, the Wind Ryu has been forced to transform into a Self-Sufficient Ryu however due to the Limited Space within their Ryu, there will soon be an inevitable threat of overpopulation which might eventually trigger conflict over scarce resources, basically, a Resource War looming over the Horizon. To deal with that potential threat, the Wind Ryu has had to expand their territory through the creation of Levitating Islands which not only serve as Accommodation but also as Facilities to produce all their basic needs. Guess who is in charge of maintaining these facilities" Terra said.

"Sahara?" Gaiden wondered.

"Exactly, Sahara is a genius of a Dryad which means she has the power to manipulate any element that sustains life. Some few years back, she discovered the means to manipulate the metabolic processes of Microorganisms and thus coax them into generating specific elements as bi-products of Metabolism. Over time, she cultured a wide variety of Microorganisms that are harmless to Living Beings but possess the ability to consume different Solids, Liquids and Gases, even Toxic Materials and what you would call 'Nuclear Waste' allowing them to metabolize these Elements and generate more precious Elements as bi-products while cleaning up the Environment basically killing two birds with one stone. These Elements were then used to construct these Levitating Islands as well as produce all the Food, Clothing, Building Materials and Technology needed to sustain the Wind Ryu. If the Wind Ryu resorted to harvesting these Elements from their Land, they would soon be out of Living Space and since Living Cells can replicate endlessly not only through Cell Meiosis and Mitosis or Reproduction and Cell Cloning respectively, Sahara has virtually created a Free Endless Supply Of Elements for the Wind Ryu. By maintaining a careful balance amongst the Cultured Organisms, she can also avoid triggering an Ecological Catastrophe" Terra explained.

Gaiden whistled.

"Whew, that Sahara sure is something else" he said.

"Anyway, let's go meet her" Terra said as Terranica landed in the Wind Ryu.

Terra and Gaiden headed to Sahara's Residence. It was quite an elegant place. There they met Sahara's mother Leah.

"Gaiden, Terra, what an unexpected surprise. If you're looking for Sahara, she's currently in one of the Greenhouses levitating outside the Village. It shouldn't be hard to find. It's the largest one" Leah said.

"Thank you Aunt Leah" Terra said with a respectful bow and they left.

They found the Greenhouse Leah had mentioned. It was made of a humongous Crystalline Material. Inside, they found Sahara with some sort of device in her hand. She seemed to be monitoring the Crops.

"Hey Sahara!" Gaiden waved.

"Gaiden, Terra, what a surprise" Sahara stared at them in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Gaiden asked.

"Monitoring Environmental Readings for the Crops in here. Though Climate within this Greenhouse and all the others are regulated autonomously, I occasionally need to refine the adjustments to ensure that the Crops are in Optimal Condition" Sahara explained. "So why are you here?" she asked.

Terra explained their purpose for coming and Gaiden told her about Tempus Finis.

"Two Dragons biting their own Tails huh? That's a Karmic Cycle right there" Sahara said nonchalantly.

"A Karmic Cycle huh?" Gaiden seemed to be reflecting on her words.

"A Karmic Cycle, basically, a Set Of Spiritual Laws governing the Order of The Universe and the Cycle Of Life and Death. It governs many aspects of Nature and even Human Society. Things like the Principle Of The Conservation Of Energy stating that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can be transformed from one State to another', 'Sow the Seed, Reap the Fruit', 'Provide the Bees with Nectar, multiply your Descendants,' 'Be cruel to others and you're just throwing your own Centre Of Gravity off Balance', 'Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind', 'Cheat others and you've basically created a hole in your own pockets'. I'm sure you are familiar with some of these sayings. The long and short of it is that 'for every action, there is an implication as well as a consequence'" Sahara explained.

"So these two Dragons represent a Karmic Cycle" Gaiden realized.

"Rachel!" Sahara called.

A girl walked into the Chamber of the Greenhouse Gaiden, Terra and Sahara were in.

"Inform Mom that I'll need to leave for a while. I might not be returning anytime soon so I leave things in your care. Rachel's just about as brilliant as I am and she understands all the processes that keep things running. Fortunately, the Autonomous Systems running these facilities do the Heavy Lifting and there are brilliant Mechanics in place in case of a System Failure. Let's be off you two. Neriah's next huh?" Sahara said.

"Neriah huh? Now that's an encounter I don't look forward to" Gaiden said with a nervous laugh.

"What are you talking about? Neriah is totally cool, you Gaiden are simply an ignoramus when it comes to dealing with her" Terra said as his eyes lighted up with passion.

Gaiden sighed heavily.

"It's true what they say then huh? Brute Violence and Shrewd Wisdom are definitely made for each other" Gaiden said with a wry sigh.