Episode 7: The Dream Of Strong Wills

As night descended, Sivera sat in contemplation, weighed down by the burden of his daughter's fears. The glow of the technological lamp cast shifting patterns of light, illuminating the weariness etched upon his features.

Griswa's return shattered the silence, his presence bringing with it a palpable sense of tranquility amidst the turmoil. Settling beside Sivera, he exuded an aura that seemed to envelop them both—a quiet strength and understanding that transcended words.

"You didn't sleep?" Sivera's inquiry was soft, tinged with both curiosity and admiration.

Griswa shook his head, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "No, I was curious," he admitted, his gaze steady and unwavering.

Sivera nodded, acknowledging Griswa's inquisitive nature with a sense of respect. "Yesdar fell asleep," he remarked with a chuckle, a brief moment of levity amidst the weighty atmosphere.

Griswa chuckled softly in response, his presence a grounding force in the dimly lit cave. "Seems like it," he agreed, his gaze drifting to the dancing shadows that adorned the walls. "It's different tonight, isn't it? Between you and Malaes."

Sivera's expression softened, a tinge of sadness lingering in his eyes. "Yes, it is," he conceded quietly.

Griswa's aura enveloped them, a tangible manifestation of wisdom and empathy that seemed to radiate from his very being. Sivera found himself drawn to the young boy, compelled to confide in him by the unspoken assurance that Griswa's presence provided, especially his eyes that gave the colorful glow.

"I need to tell you something," Sivera began, his voice tinged with urgency. "About why I was angry with Malaes."

Griswa listened intently, his eyes reflecting a depth of understanding far beyond his years. There was an undeniable aura of trust and compassion emanating from him, a silent promise that he would hold Sivera's words in confidence.

"You see, it's not just about the dangers of the heists," Sivera explained, his voice heavy with regret. "It's about the life I've led."

Griswa nodded thoughtfully, his expression one of sympathy. "What do you mean?" he inquired softly, his voice a soothing balm in the darkness.

Sivera took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "I wasn't always like this," he confessed. "But then... then things changed."

Griswa's eyes widened with understanding as Sivera recounted the struggles of his past. There was an aura of acceptance and empathy surrounding Griswa, a sense of comfort that Sivera had rarely experienced before.

"What if I lose her?" Sivera whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

Griswa reached out, his touch a gentle reassurance. "You won't lose her, Sivera," he said firmly. "No matter what mistakes you've made, she'll always forgive you."

Sivera's heart swelled with gratitude as he gazed at Griswa. In that moment, he felt a profound sense of peace wash over him, a fleeting respite from the burdens that had weighed so heavily upon his soul.

As the night stretched on, Sivera and Griswa sat in quiet companionship, their bond strengthened by shared vulnerability. In Griswa's presence, Sivera found solace and strength, a beacon of unwavering support in the midst of uncertainty.

As the light glowed softly in the dimly lit cave, casting shifting shadows upon the walls, Sivera turned to Griswa with a heavy heart. Before delving into the depths of his past, he needed his assurance, his promise of secrecy that he would never disclose it to Malaes. With a solemn nod, Griswa accepted, his maturity shining through even in the dim light of the cave. Sivera admired him for his understanding, for his willingness to bear the weight of his burdens alongside him.

The tale began.

"Nine years, no almost ten years ago, in the city of Razhivaliyah, our world was shattered by the cruel hand of fate. The once peaceful village, nestled in the state of Solum within the southern region of Mackenas, was a haven of tranquility, surrounded by towering walls built by the hands of its own people for decades. These walls were not just structures of stone and mortar; they were the guardians of our peace, the sentinels that stood against the encroaching darkness." 

"But as time passed and technological advancements reached our doorstep, the Yahunyens, with their formidable weapons and flying ships and heavy energy explosives, breached our defenses with terrifying ease. Their invasion brought forth a wave of destruction, laying waste to everything we held dear. Razhivaliyah, once a beacon of hope, became a city in ruins, its people scattered like ashes in the wind."

"Among the countless souls captured and enslaved by the Yahunyens, I found myself torn from my family, my young wife and infant daughter snatched away before my very eyes along with me. We were brought to the slave order near the city of Shiyahval because of less manpower, where life was a never-ending nightmare of suffering and despair. Under the scorching sun, I toiled endlessly, my every breath a reminder of the freedom I had lost."

"But amidst the cruelty and hardship, there was a glimmer of hope. My wife, granted permission to care for our infant daughter for feeding, became the anchor that kept us tethered to this world. But not to forget, even if billions were working for them, it was still less for them, women or little girls weren't exempted from work, growth of infants was necessary so that they grow and work! Though our days were filled with back-breaking labor and our nights haunted by the specter of uncertainty, her presence gave us the strength to endure."

"Yet, as fate would have it, our fleeting moments of respite were short-lived. In just three months' time, my wife was torn from us, her absence leaving a gaping wound in our hearts, AND FOR WHAT?! She was young and you know what these Yahunyens did?! To increase manpower with the birth of new slave babies... she was... these people took my wife to be...."

Griswa stopped him right there and said, "I know, I understand, Yesdar told me, you don't need to tell me about that."

Sivera had tears in his eyes while he was struggling to complete that sentence but as he was stopped, he was relieved of something he could not say. "With Malaes, our precious daughter, now in my care, I vowed to protect her with every fiber of my being, to shield her from the horrors of this cruel world." he continued.

"And only because of that, in the dead of night, as the world around us slumbered, I embarked on a desperate quest for freedom. Evading the watchful eyes of the tower watchers, I scoured every corner of our prison, searching for a way out. And then, in an office room illuminated by the pale light of the moon, I stumbled upon a discovery that would change the course of our lives forever."

"Dragon eggs, hidden away in a forgotten chamber, their significance unknown to me at the time. But something within me stirred at the sight of them, a primal instinct urging me to seize them and this opportunity for escape. With painstaking precision, I crafted a plan, a plan to flee this prison and carve out a new life for Malaes and myself."

"And so, with my daughter cradled in my arms, we embarked on a journey into the unknown, leaving behind the horrors of our past in pursuit of a brighter future. But even as we embraced our newfound freedom, the memory of my wife's absence weighed heavily upon my heart."

"Her fate remained a mystery, a question that haunted my every waking moment with no ideas if she was still existing or not. But in the face of uncertainty, I refused to yield to despair. With Malaes by my side, I forged ahead, driven by a fierce determination to protect her from the cruel realities of this world as she was the only memento left by my wife, I could not prove my foolishness by trying to search for my wife in the depth of those thousands of sectors, risking my only chance to escape and give new life to my daughter, because I know, that's what my wife wanted me to do."

"That, Griswa, is why I scolded Malaes. That is why I cannot bear the thought of losing her. So that she never has to meet the same fate her mother did and so did the other millions and billions and trillions of women... and so, I entrust you with my story, with the hope that you will understand the depth of my love for my daughter, and the lengths to which I will go to keep her safe as she doesn't know what happened to her mother."

"And see, I am unable to say these things properly to you , how do you propose, I could say these things on her face?"

Griswa, understood the depths of every word he heard and analyzed.

As the echoes of Sivera's words faded into the stillness of the cave, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders, replaced by a sense of peace he had not known in years. And in the quiet camaraderie of their shared understanding, he knew that he had found in Griswa not just a confidant, but a true friend.

But even as the story ended, there was a sense of longing within him, a yearning to fill the silence with more words, more memories. And so, he began to recount the smaller details, the moments of joy and sorrow that shaped their journey.

"I remembered the first time Malaes smiled, her laughter echoing through the halls of our makeshift home. I remembered the nights spent huddled together under a blanket of stars, sharing stories of a world beyond our prison walls. And I remembered the overwhelming sense of pride that swelled within me as I watched my daughter grow into a strong and resilient young woman... with.... with us, as I found people, these people who had the same background, who were escapees, together we formed this band of rebels, grew these dragons as I found the eggs, learnt many things and took care of her."

"But yeah, amidst the memories of joy, there were also moments of sorrow, of loss and heartache. I remembered the countless times I had to comfort Malaes as she cried herself to sleep, her tears a silent proof of the pain we had endured. And I remembered the feeling of helplessness that wore down my soul, knowing that I could not shield her from the tortures beyond death." Sivera ended his tale with these words and sat in silence for a while as Griswa digested everything and sympathized with him in his own thoughts nodding his head as he understood someone else's pain.

"What was her name?, Your wife's?" asked Griswa as he was curious to know, because Sivera didn't mention her name at all when he narrated his story.

"Her name? Miyawa, her original full name was Miyawa Kabanatshi before she turned Miyawa Hersley after marriage." replied Sivera with a sense of pride in his tone with a gentle smile.

"Hersley, I see, Sivera Hersley," said Griswa acknowledging the name.

"Yes, but you know one thing? I would have never thought I would say my story to a little kid who has so much life ahead."

"Well, you know, it doesn't matter if it is the old or the young, everyone, even the little infants, are suffering similar pains, the pains you have went through or any other kind of pain. You may not understand someone else's pain, but that doesn't mean you don't know pain. Let it be little pains, harsh pains, harsher pains, doesn't matter because everyone is in pain, no one is exempted from work, no one is not a slave even if free, like us, true freedom is when you achieve it, not borrow it. And we are yet to achieve it." Said Griswa, speaking the truth of thousands of years in just some words.

Sivera was stunned to hear such words from a little kid, but he also acknowledged the part that everyone including the infants and grown up kids had to suffer their own kinds of pains and similar pains as the adults too, that would have matured up their understanding and ideologies about the world they lived in. 

Griswa smiled faintly, the weight of the world seemingly resting on his small shoulders. "It's not wisdom, Sivera. It's simply the reality of our existence. We're all bound by the same trials and tribulations, regardless of our age or station in life."

Sivera nodded, a newfound respect blossoming within him for this young boy who had opened his eyes to a truth he had long overlooked.

"Griswa," Sivera began, acknowledging the wisdom in Griswa's eyes, "I've seen many things in my time. I've witnessed the injustices inflicted upon our people by those who consider themselves superior. And I've come to realize that the fault does not lie solely with the oppressors, but also with the oppressed."

Griswa nodded, his gaze steady and understanding. "Yes, Sivera. We have all felt the weight of oppression and injustice."

"It's not that the people of Mackenas lack strength," Sivera continued, "It's that they've been conditioned to believe that they are weak, that they are powerless to change their circumstances. The Yahunyens have instilled fear and doubt in their hearts, convincing them that resistance is futile."

Griswa listened intently, his expression reflecting a deep comprehension of Sivera's words.

"And yet, despite the odds stacked against us," Sivera continued, "I dream of a revolution, a revolution led not by outsiders or foreign invaders, but by the people of Mackenas themselves."

Griswa's eyes sparkled with a knowing light, a silent affirmation of his belief in Sivera's vision.

"A revolution of strong wills, that is the dream of strong wills..." Sivera emphasized, "...of unfaltering determination and resilience. It's not enough to simply desire freedom; we must fortify our resolve, fully committed to making profound sacrifices and ever-readily enduring every trial that confronts us, because a strong aim requires a strong will."

Griswa nodded in agreement, his conviction unwavering.

"But how do we begin?" Griswa asked, not out of confusion, but out of a desire to understand the practical steps needed to turn their dream into reality. "How can we ignite the flames of revolution in the hearts of our people? Because I lack emotions, I don't have enough to distribute to other people."

Sivera smiled at Griswa's earnest question, "We start by revealing the truth, Griswa. Did you know that just 140 billion Yahunyens rule over a population of 700 billion Mackenasians? I learned this and much more during the heists we performed in the city of Shiyahval over these years. People have been misled into believing they are weak, but it's time to show them their true strength, but basically I have no idea on how to do it, one wrong step and you are dead. Plus you won't even get a grave."

Griswa nodded in agreement, but something else was planned in his mind, which he didn't share to anyone, who knows what it was? Maybe acclaiming Power of Gods? Maybe to free himself from the chains of the mortal world? What was he experimenting or trying to understand by asking questions to Sivera? Why did he come there? What did he actually conclude? 

WHO KNOWS?

Well, well, the dawn broke.

Pronunciations:

Razhivaliyah: [RAAZ]+[HEE]+[VAA]+[LI]+[YAAH]

Solum: [SO]+[LUHM]

Miyawa Kabanatshi: [MI]+[YA]+[WAA]+[KAA]+[BA]+[NAAT]+[SHEE]

Hersley: [HERS]+[LAY]