Wasteland Travelers - VI - [PT.5]

The morning had come, we had made breakfast and we were all set to head out. Dragan did all the heavy lifting, and you could say I was just there for the ride. We here headed for the forest.

We had laid camp just at its entrance, now it was beckoning us to come in. Today the clouds were moody, the weather was hot but insipid and dry. Weird for a forest. I was expecting a more dry but fresh climate. Instead, we were getting swampland weather. Dragan was already starting to sweat buckets, I had to make sure to keep him hydrated as much as possible.

It seemed like the forest was on fire from the outside, but Dragan had assured me those were only water vapors, steam coming from underground thermal points. It mean the planet was actively trying to heal itself. However with the harsh sun it did feel like we were inside a hot car.

Talk about global warming. But this was only one of the many effects that still prolonged after 100 years after The First Contact had occurred. People were still suffering the effects of that tragedy.

I wonder how would I move water if the need arises. 

Dragan got ready, and placed his breathing mask just like before, I got into the tube that carried me on his body. We exited the tent and it folded in on itself just like it had unfolded the night before.

We started our trek into the forest.

>Answer:

>Water Creation possible

Sybil informed me.

"Oh?!" I was curious.

>Water Creation from Hydrogen Molecules and Oxygen

"Seriously!?"  That's your answer to creating water, fricking H2O.

Dragan looked at me, having heard the whole conversation. I wasn't exactly shying away from speaking to myself.

"Hydrogen and Oxygen make water, right?" asked Dragan.

Where was this going?

"Hydrogen is abundant in Cronus," he said. What was he saying, it wasn't making any sense.

Maybe I was still sleepy from just having been woken up. 

"Umm… Right…" 

>Molecule manipulation possible

Said Sybil.

"The Volcano Ilalu, has been burning natural fossil fuels since before Zomearon time,"

"Oh!" then it suddenly all made sense. If I can control elements at their particle level, then that means I can use the oxygen in the bubbles to mix it with the abundant hydrogen residing on the planet. 

"So what exactly is it burning, this Ilulu Volcano," I said. 

"Millions and millions of miles of coal, no one has been able to map all of it, like ever. Plus there's the magma of course, but still, the cave system beneath Ilulu is vastly immense,"

All of this started sounding like RPG lore, I wanted to ask more questions. 

"And you know this, how?" I asked as politely as I could. 

"Our elders tell stories of The Mage of Ilulu, a man who lived at the top of the volcano, to protect it. After Zomearon appeared and brought with him the point of the root.

The point of the root?

I asked.

"Yeah, the source of all magic, reaching it is to transcend," we had everything ready and started walking towards the forest.

He was explaining all of this in great detail. Through the mask his voice came a little filtered, it took some getting used too.

I didn't say anything for once, wanting him to continue. 

"Before Zomearon created his spirits, a war waged for his knowledge. He was the greatest mage alive, and everyone wanted for him to teach them. Zomearon was sent from another plane, so the story's say."

"Like a different dimension?" I asked. 

"More like a mirror, with subtle differences, The Church of Lamboda and those who follow it, believe that mirror was placed there on purpose, laid in plain sight, we were never able to see it, for our perception was too weak. 

Was this meant as a bedtime story?

"The Knights of the Abyss believe the mirror to be a portal, and dedicate their lives to research parallel dimensions, and White Mages of Astranod, believe it's not even there in the first place."

"I see. So it's sort of like the theory of the Big Bang, this parallel dimension, thought about, researched about, but still only theoretical, all signs point to it being true - but no hard facts," I said, mumbling to myself.

"So - a theory of creation, is that right?" I asked Dragan. 

"What's The Big Bang?" he asked we were halfway there to the forest, walking plesently and at a brisk pace. It was like a walk in the park.

"Oh! Well in my world, theoretical physicists, believe that even before the universe was created, it was condensed in a tiny, very tightly packed dense energy, that exploded into what we see as the observable universe, that's why space has background radiation and galaxies red shift and all of that," Dragan looked at me confused. 

"We have something similar!" he said. "Teachings from the Dead Scrolls of the Antiope."

The what now?

"Speak of how the universe began, and that it's in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth, the gods of the Antiope confirmed this with the druids." 

The DRUIDS!?

"But all of this is magic? Right?" 

"Doesn't make it any less real, science, religion, and politics are usually seen as one branch here, the druids project their bodies in spiritual form and travel through space, that's their practice," said Dragan.

Great, another thing that humans don't get to experience, because of our scientific biases.

Astral Projection. 

Yet here in Cronus where science, religion, and politics mix into one, it seems they've found a way to Astral Project at will. This made me curious. 

"Is the Antiope a school?" I asked. 

"One of the biggest, they have a branch where we're going, you know to meet The Parish of Light in Veldoran, we can take a look if you want, but first we have to climb Phantom's Peak, shouldn't be too hard I reckon." Said Dragan in the most nonchalant kind of way.

Then we entered the forest. The shadow from the trees enveloped us, the temperature dropped almost instantly, and I suddenly noticed how much quieter it was, the trees muffled the sound from the outside desert. Just after Phantom's peak, we'd have to travel through the wasteland once more.

It was a ghastly sight, seeing all of those corpses of fauna, they were all frozen! Everything had a ghastly blue shimmer to it's root and leaves. The temperature dropped by several degrees as we entered. So much so that Dragan actually pulled out a jacket. Weird for a place that had Geo-termal vents. It didn't make sense. I was taken aback, the forest had suddenly turned into winter wonderland.

"So what does that have to do with the mirror?" asked Dragan - I had lost the rope of the conversation.

"I don't know..." I said snickering. "I guess I was just trying to compare it to something - mirror dimensions aren't exactly common in my world," I said still looking around.

"Like a story humans tell to justify their own existence," I said.

Dragan raised an eyebrow.

"But the mirror where Zomeareon came from - is real. Not just in theory." he said in a stiff voice.

"You're implying the Big Bang didn't happen," he said with a scoff. 

I took some offense. But only sassed it out.

"I mean - in my world we haven't exactly proved it happened, but more and more science tells us it actually did. An explosion that big leaves radiation, and we call it The Cosmic Microwave Background. Which we can actually measure and map out. And when we look into distant galaxies, we adjust for their red-shift as we peer into the past, because their light takes so long to reach us - it's not like a single point, but everywhere all at once, it's only a theory because we only deal in hard science - we don't have druids that can hear the words of old gods from the Antiope. Science doesn't deal in faith." I spouted. God I sounded like such a space nerd. Dragan listened intently. 

"Ah - I see, that makes more sense!" said Dragan cheerfully.

"The mirror where Zomearon appeared after he crossed the veil into our world, does actually exsit to this day. One of the things he wanted with The First Contact was to reopen that doorway - he wanted to return to his original dimension, but he was unable and was forced to stay here, live out his life and die here. Awawy from his home, forced to travel to one place to another. He was cast out, from one shelter to another, no one gave him a place to stay, he was forced to lay bare on the streets, and yet even then he remained calm," Dragan continued.

My heart broke for Zomearon all of a sudden.

"Why did no one give him homestead?" I asked pitty in my voice. 

"Selfishness, unknowing, not having enough empathy, the list goes on. No one knew who he was, on this side of the world Zomearon means nothing, he spent 7 days cowering the streets, asking for mercy, yet no one bat an eyelash at him, his clothes were weird, he was an outsider."

Dragan was telling this story in a quiet shush. Animals started appearing from around the corner. Just like they had in the Zomearon forest before. Even in this cold they would appear.

Even in a forest that wasn't his, his voice was still melody to the animals, squirrels and foxes popping their heads at us, deers bowing in respect.

He bowed back.

This was his power.

He even said hello to the curious spiders and worms that wanted to meet him. They weren't afraid of him, and he wasn't afraid of them. He treated every animal with respect kindness and a smile. 

He was also getting distracted by the sudden visitors. 

"Anyway, long story short, Zomearon died, from starvation and dehydration, he died on the street of an old town, now bares only ruins, his dying creation breath, he let out only a curse.

His dying breath was so powerful, it instantly powered all the spirits that accompanied him at that time - and even more showed up as the mirror opened once again at the time of his death. And closed promptly after. Thousands of spirits passed through. Chaos rang over the people as their magic increased - and The First Contact commenced.

Zomearon reincarnated as one of his own, he became a Z-spirit himself, and his army followed him even in death - with enough magic and The Point of the Root in his possession, he was able to turn his First Contact from False to True.

It was no longer a Pseudo First Contact - he actually managed to pull it off. When before people only thought of this as a theory.

He turned himself into a monster - a monster the people of this world made him out to be.

A war broke out that lasted only a couple of days.

The druids were able to subdue him, but not after an arduous battle.

That's how we lost our atmosphere - 100 years ago - our skies turned dark, and the sun burned our seas, the mountains froze and in an instant those unprepared had their lungs exploded.

The druids set the domes across Cronus in a desperate attempt to harbor what humanity was left.

The next spirits reincarnated, just like the cycle suggested - but the druids made it so only women would be able to reincarnate, thanks to a programming flaw in Zomearon's original design. They hacked his faith..."

And so his story had finished.

We had taken a seat on a branch inside the forest.

Finally my questions had been answered.

Even the animals on his shoulder were paying close attention. His voice like sweets to their ears.