ACT III
THE PARVIAN MESS
Arat was unaware of the beliefs that had shaped Hans's upbringing, but he knew it was time to return what he had been holding onto for him. Fiddling with the vial, he thought of the day when young Samson had succeeded in excavating Osiris's power from the ruins. And with that, he rebuilt the nation from the ground and bolstered the royal family's power during his era.
He showed the vial to Hans and as Hans examined the vial closely, it contained a thick, honey-like substance that was transparent like water. Despite using ManaVision, there was no visible distinction he picked in the vial's contents. So he inquired, "Is this my birthright?"
Arat affirmed,
"Indeed, it is a privilege bestowed upon those born in power."
Abruptly, Arat exerted pressure on Hans, rendering him completely immobile and despite his attempts, Hans could not budge an inch. The elderly man pricked Hans's neck just below his right ear, warning him, "This will be very painful. Brace yourself and clench your fist."
Opening the vial, Arat allowed the trail of blood to enter the liquid and upon contact with the red pigment, the mixture began to bubble like magma in a volcano and a long, thread-like creature emerged, slithering into the small opening in Hans's neck.
The threaded creature paved its way from the neck to the brain, giving Hans an agony worse than he ever felt. The pain was unbearable, far surpassing his experience of inhaling space stone powder back in Ghost Isles. Unable to withstand the intensity any longer, he lost consciousness.
The escorts approached Hans and laid him down on a bed near the fire. And throughout the painful ordeal, Hans experienced profuse sweating and disturbing nightmares. However, this was not something that could be remedied with healing magic, as the pain was meant to be felt.
He awoke suddenly, gasping and covered in sweat. Despite the chill of the surrounding environment, he was perspiring as if in a scorching region. He gazed at Arat, who was seated before him, and shouted, or tried to shout but his voice hoarse, barely came out "..What ..have... you done.. to me?"
Arat placed a finger to his lips and whispered,
"It's the middle of the night, do you want to wake everyone up?"
Hans glanced over to see Delimira sleeping soundly, while Arat's people dozed around the brazier. The only person awake was the guard stationed next to Arat. Ignoring him, Hans confronted Arat directly, demanding, "What is inside me? A parasite, insect, or poison? Did you use it to manipulate me into taking the throne?"
Amused by Hans's accusations, Arat retorted,
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but it's not the case. I've already told you, it's your birthright."
Despite Arat's response, Hans remained perplexed and silent. Noticing his confusion, Arat elaborated,
"It's a way for us to connect with our God. Try saying 'COMMAND CENTRE'."
Hans was taken aback "What do you mean by 'Command Centre'?" he asked not knowing what those words meant. However, the activation only required the utterance of those words and Hans experienced a brief moment of eye pain, causing him to close his eyes. Upon reopening them, he noticed a rectangular box moving within his field of vision.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Connecting to ARST |
| ... |
Flustered, Hans shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the strange thing in front and asked,
"What is this?"
With an ever-knowing tone, Arat responded,
"It is your connection to God, a privilege of being born into the Royal Family."
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Connecting to ARST |
| Failed |
.
.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Searching for Secondary Unit |
| ... |
.
.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Unit Found : 05IRIS |
| connecting... |
Bewildered, Hans asked,
"What is happening?"
"Just let it work for a minute," replied Arat. However, the strange thing was causing immense pain in Hans's head. Suddenly, the pain vanished, and he could focus on what was in front of him.
And Arat instructed,
"Say 'Register NEW USER."
Instead of complying with Arat's request, Hans asked in shock,
"You can see this too?"
"No, but it must have been written in the last line. This also happened to me. Just say it," Arat responded.
Hans objected,
"But it says 'Existing Profile Detected. Do you wish to load it?'"
Arat took a moment to think and then said,
"That's strange, then say that instead."
Hans did as he was told.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Status : Connected |
| Terminal: 05IRIS |
| Blood matched, Loading the Existing profile, please wait... |
The box changed with new information.
| Notice : Two Profiles Found |
| - GodKing |
| - LittleSun |
| Notice : Loading profile with the highest privileges |
| - GodKing loading... |
| Notice : Loading Godking |
| Status - ERROR |
| - Mutated DNA found |
Hans found a disappointment washing over him, the name sounded cool in his childish mind but it was not something he could control. he waited and the blue box with notice flashed again.
| Notice : Loading the next profile |
| Notice : Loading LlittleSun |
| Status - loading successfull |
| - Executing Command Centre |
| COMMAND CENTRE | ||
| Status : Connected | ||
| Terminal : 05IRIS | ||
Clearance level : Interim Administrator | ||
| PRIVILEGES | ||
| SOLAR BODY : INCOMPLETE | ||
| LOCKED | ||
| LOCKED |
...
Hans gazed at the semi-transparent box that continued to follow his sight and asked Arat,
"How do I get rid of it?"
Shaking his head, Arat responded,
"Say 'DISMISS'."
Hans repeated the word, "Dismiss," and the box vanished as if it had never been there. Curious, he asked Arat, "What was that?"
"That was the power that Osiris had bestowed upon Parv. You can call upon her to support you in any situation," replied Arat, asking "How many privileges did you see?"
Hiding the one he could see, Hans shook his head, saying,
"Many, but it says 'LOCKED'."
Arat looked satisfied and responded,
"There is one called 'INGRESS' that could help you instantly transport from one place to another. We used it to take over the SpaceDoor of Concordia."
With curiosity piqued, Hans asked,
"So, can I use that too?"
"No," Arat denied instantly, and added, "Not right now. You need to have Osiris's blessing through her main temple in Parv. I just wanted to let you know that this thing existed."
Hans made a grumpy face, feeling like someone had just shown him his favourite dessert and then taken it away. He responded,
"So, you were trying to entice me?"
"Yes, did it work?" asked Arat in anticipation.
Hans mumbled,
"Damn it, yes. Privileges from a god, who doesn't like it."
Arat chuckled at his response but asked in a firm tone,
"So, What was your clearance level?"
Hans responded with a question,
"What is yours?"
Arat was startled for a second, not expecting Hans to ask first, "Chief of Staff ". he responded and then asked, "Now tell me yours?"
Hans was uncertain about what Arat was after, so he had initially wanted to hide this information from him, who seemed overly interested in it. However, he decided to take a gamble and trust him since there was no other option," Interim Administrator," he finally replied.
"Your father had an Administrator level," Arat remarked.
Hans wanted to gain something from the situation and said,
"You should do a better job of enticing me. At least give me one privilege. Who knows, I might visit Parv for more."
Arat laughed along with the guard beside him, they were looking at this cheeky kid who was trying to get something from Arat who was known to be the most shrewd person in the whole of Genas.
"You need to do far more to get something from me, my prince. But to be honest, I can't do this. It's God's territory, not mine."
Since they were speaking about gods, Hans brought up the topic that he was curious of,
"I had a dream where a black-haired elf visited me."
Arat responded,
"Ah, you've seen Aadya, the bearer of power."
This piqued Hans's interest, prompting him to ask,
"So you do know her?"
"Almost everyone in our country knows her," Arat explained. "She's the daughter of the Goddess. Don't let her beauty deceive you; she's far more fearsome than Osiris herself."
Hans was still confused, so he asked,
"Despite the mess with Clandor, why do Parvians worship an elf?"
Arat clarified, "Clandor was just on the opposite side of us in war. We don't detest elves. In fact, in Parv, there's a state called Freeville where many races live in harmony - elves, dwarves, lizardians, and others." He added, "I personally did not see her many times but she sure adored Samson".
Hans expressed his doubt by asking,
"She is not my mother, right?"
Arat burst into laughter and denied it, saying, "No. I'm sure, not 100% but mostly, If you had black hair and red eyes, you would look like her, just a little bit though. But my prince, she is the embodiment of the end. Not a mortal but a celestial entity. She had shown her favour once in the past. You know that the Kingdom of Parv had a major power shift in the late 500s. The person favoured by her rebelled against the royal family and established himself as the new king. It was your ancestor then she slept until woken up by Samson."
Hans let out a sigh, Aadya felt way different from Arat's perspective than Aredhle's. But something in Arat's tone was bothering him for quite a while. He asked cautiously,
"Is it okay that you keep calling him Samson, not Highness or King or any other dubious thing?"
Arat laughed bitterly, saying,
"He is welcome to come and discipline me. I even wish for that to happen."
A sudden sorrow oozed from Arat, which made the warm cave a bit colder. To change the subject and distract him, Hans asked,
"What do you mean by 'the embodiment of the end'?"
Arat explained, "There is a prophecy about her that she will bring the end of the world. It's just superstition passed down by our people, but a healthy fear of such things is necessary to prevent us from crossing certain lines. Her existence alone is enough to instil that fear."
Hans responded,
"But what if the prophecy is true? then aren't you harbouring something capable of bringing about mass destruction?"
Arat's voice became ominous, changing the atmosphere all of a sudden that woke the escort from their sleep, "If it were true, other nations would be kneeling before us, Prince. After your father's death, Aadya vanished from the world. I searched for her seeking her strength for revenge, but without royal blood, I cannot enter the main temple and wake her up."
Hans looked at Arat sceptically and asked,
"So, you want me to open the temple and bring her forth to avenge my father?"
Arat was confused,
"Isn't avenging your father your duty as his son?"
Hans shook his head,
"No. He left me a note, asking me not to go after his enemies and live a quiet and safe life somewhere."
Listening to him, Arat felt disappointed, he had hoped to rope Hans into his quest for revenge, as he believed that only Hans could awaken the sleeping Aadya and restore Parv to its former glory. He had been living his late years for the sole purpose of avenging his king."You don't look like a person who listens to his parents well, Prince Hans," Arat remarked.
Hans chuckled at Arat's comment but didn't say anything further. The moon was hung above and he already wasted a lot of night so he picked up the comfortable cloak and settled down to sleep, not wanting to hear any more revenge talk.
***
AnnouncementNEXT : Dijkstra, the sad Death
ACT III
THE PARVIAN MESS
Arat was unaware of the beliefs that had shaped Hans's upbringing, but he knew it was time to return what he had been holding onto for him. Fiddling with the vial, he thought of the day when young Samson had succeeded in excavating Osiris's power from the ruins. And with that, he rebuilt the nation from the ground and bolstered the royal family's power during his era.
He showed the vial to Hans and as Hans examined the vial closely, it contained a thick, honey-like substance that was transparent like water. Despite using ManaVision, there was no visible distinction he picked in the vial's contents. So he inquired, "Is this my birthright?"
Arat affirmed,
"Indeed, it is a privilege bestowed upon those born in power."
Abruptly, Arat exerted pressure on Hans, rendering him completely immobile and despite his attempts, Hans could not budge an inch. The elderly man pricked Hans's neck just below his right ear, warning him, "This will be very painful. Brace yourself and clench your fist."
Opening the vial, Arat allowed the trail of blood to enter the liquid and upon contact with the red pigment, the mixture began to bubble like magma in a volcano and a long, thread-like creature emerged, slithering into the small opening in Hans's neck.
The threaded creature paved its way from the neck to the brain, giving Hans an agony worse than he ever felt. The pain was unbearable, far surpassing his experience of inhaling space stone powder back in Ghost Isles. Unable to withstand the intensity any longer, he lost consciousness.
The escorts approached Hans and laid him down on a bed near the fire. And throughout the painful ordeal, Hans experienced profuse sweating and disturbing nightmares. However, this was not something that could be remedied with healing magic, as the pain was meant to be felt.
He awoke suddenly, gasping and covered in sweat. Despite the chill of the surrounding environment, he was perspiring as if in a scorching region. He gazed at Arat, who was seated before him, and shouted, or tried to shout but his voice hoarse, barely came out "..What ..have... you done.. to me?"
Arat placed a finger to his lips and whispered,
"It's the middle of the night, do you want to wake everyone up?"
Hans glanced over to see Delimira sleeping soundly, while Arat's people dozed around the brazier. The only person awake was the guard stationed next to Arat. Ignoring him, Hans confronted Arat directly, demanding, "What is inside me? A parasite, insect, or poison? Did you use it to manipulate me into taking the throne?"
Amused by Hans's accusations, Arat retorted,
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but it's not the case. I've already told you, it's your birthright."
Despite Arat's response, Hans remained perplexed and silent. Noticing his confusion, Arat elaborated,
"It's a way for us to connect with our God. Try saying 'COMMAND CENTRE'."
Hans was taken aback "What do you mean by 'Command Centre'?" he asked not knowing what those words meant. However, the activation only required the utterance of those words and Hans experienced a brief moment of eye pain, causing him to close his eyes. Upon reopening them, he noticed a rectangular box moving within his field of vision.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Connecting to ARST |
| ... |
Flustered, Hans shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the strange thing in front and asked,
"What is this?"
With an ever-knowing tone, Arat responded,
"It is your connection to God, a privilege of being born into the Royal Family."
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Connecting to ARST |
| Failed |
.
.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Searching for Secondary Unit |
| ... |
.
.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Unit Found : 05IRIS |
| connecting... |
Bewildered, Hans asked,
"What is happening?"
"Just let it work for a minute," replied Arat. However, the strange thing was causing immense pain in Hans's head. Suddenly, the pain vanished, and he could focus on what was in front of him.
And Arat instructed,
"Say 'Register NEW USER."
Instead of complying with Arat's request, Hans asked in shock,
"You can see this too?"
"No, but it must have been written in the last line. This also happened to me. Just say it," Arat responded.
Hans objected,
"But it says 'Existing Profile Detected. Do you wish to load it?'"
Arat took a moment to think and then said,
"That's strange, then say that instead."
Hans did as he was told.
| COMMAND CENTRE |
| Status : Connected |
| Terminal: 05IRIS |
| Blood matched, Loading the Existing profile, please wait... |
The box changed with new information.
| Notice : Two Profiles Found |
| - GodKing |
| - LittleSun |
| Notice : Loading profile with the highest privileges |
| - GodKing loading... |
| Notice : Loading Godking |
| Status - ERROR |
| - Mutated DNA found |
Hans found a disappointment washing over him, the name sounded cool in his childish mind but it was not something he could control. he waited and the blue box with notice flashed again.
| Notice : Loading the next profile |
| Notice : Loading LlittleSun |
| Status - loading successfull |
| - Executing Command Centre |
| COMMAND CENTRE | ||
| Status : Connected | ||
| Terminal : 05IRIS | ||
Clearance level : Interim Administrator | ||
| PRIVILEGES | ||
| SOLAR BODY : INCOMPLETE | ||
| LOCKED | ||
| LOCKED |
...
Hans gazed at the semi-transparent box that continued to follow his sight and asked Arat,
"How do I get rid of it?"
Shaking his head, Arat responded,
"Say 'DISMISS'."
Hans repeated the word, "Dismiss," and the box vanished as if it had never been there. Curious, he asked Arat, "What was that?"
"That was the power that Osiris had bestowed upon Parv. You can call upon her to support you in any situation," replied Arat, asking "How many privileges did you see?"
Hiding the one he could see, Hans shook his head, saying,
"Many, but it says 'LOCKED'."
Arat looked satisfied and responded,
"There is one called 'INGRESS' that could help you instantly transport from one place to another. We used it to take over the SpaceDoor of Concordia."
With curiosity piqued, Hans asked,
"So, can I use that too?"
"No," Arat denied instantly, and added, "Not right now. You need to have Osiris's blessing through her main temple in Parv. I just wanted to let you know that this thing existed."
Hans made a grumpy face, feeling like someone had just shown him his favourite dessert and then taken it away. He responded,
"So, you were trying to entice me?"
"Yes, did it work?" asked Arat in anticipation.
Hans mumbled,
"Damn it, yes. Privileges from a god, who doesn't like it."
Arat chuckled at his response but asked in a firm tone,
"So, What was your clearance level?"
Hans responded with a question,
"What is yours?"
Arat was startled for a second, not expecting Hans to ask first, "Chief of Staff ". he responded and then asked, "Now tell me yours?"
Hans was uncertain about what Arat was after, so he had initially wanted to hide this information from him, who seemed overly interested in it. However, he decided to take a gamble and trust him since there was no other option," Interim Administrator," he finally replied.
"Your father had an Administrator level," Arat remarked.
Hans wanted to gain something from the situation and said,
"You should do a better job of enticing me. At least give me one privilege. Who knows, I might visit Parv for more."
Arat laughed along with the guard beside him, they were looking at this cheeky kid who was trying to get something from Arat who was known to be the most shrewd person in the whole of Genas.
"You need to do far more to get something from me, my prince. But to be honest, I can't do this. It's God's territory, not mine."
Since they were speaking about gods, Hans brought up the topic that he was curious of,
"I had a dream where a black-haired elf visited me."
Arat responded,
"Ah, you've seen Aadya, the bearer of power."
This piqued Hans's interest, prompting him to ask,
"So you do know her?"
"Almost everyone in our country knows her," Arat explained. "She's the daughter of the Goddess. Don't let her beauty deceive you; she's far more fearsome than Osiris herself."
Hans was still confused, so he asked,
"Despite the mess with Clandor, why do Parvians worship an elf?"
Arat clarified, "Clandor was just on the opposite side of us in war. We don't detest elves. In fact, in Parv, there's a state called Freeville where many races live in harmony - elves, dwarves, lizardians, and others." He added, "I personally did not see her many times but she sure adored Samson".
Hans expressed his doubt by asking,
"She is not my mother, right?"
Arat burst into laughter and denied it, saying, "No. I'm sure, not 100% but mostly, If you had black hair and red eyes, you would look like her, just a little bit though. But my prince, she is the embodiment of the end. Not a mortal but a celestial entity. She had shown her favour once in the past. You know that the Kingdom of Parv had a major power shift in the late 500s. The person favoured by her rebelled against the royal family and established himself as the new king. It was your ancestor then she slept until woken up by Samson."
Hans let out a sigh, Aadya felt way different from Arat's perspective than Aredhle's. But something in Arat's tone was bothering him for quite a while. He asked cautiously,
"Is it okay that you keep calling him Samson, not Highness or King or any other dubious thing?"
Arat laughed bitterly, saying,
"He is welcome to come and discipline me. I even wish for that to happen."
A sudden sorrow oozed from Arat, which made the warm cave a bit colder. To change the subject and distract him, Hans asked,
"What do you mean by 'the embodiment of the end'?"
Arat explained, "There is a prophecy about her that she will bring the end of the world. It's just superstition passed down by our people, but a healthy fear of such things is necessary to prevent us from crossing certain lines. Her existence alone is enough to instil that fear."
Hans responded,
"But what if the prophecy is true? then aren't you harbouring something capable of bringing about mass destruction?"
Arat's voice became ominous, changing the atmosphere all of a sudden that woke the escort from their sleep, "If it were true, other nations would be kneeling before us, Prince. After your father's death, Aadya vanished from the world. I searched for her seeking her strength for revenge, but without royal blood, I cannot enter the main temple and wake her up."
Hans looked at Arat sceptically and asked,
"So, you want me to open the temple and bring her forth to avenge my father?"
Arat was confused,
"Isn't avenging your father your duty as his son?"
Hans shook his head,
"No. He left me a note, asking me not to go after his enemies and live a quiet and safe life somewhere."
Listening to him, Arat felt disappointed, he had hoped to rope Hans into his quest for revenge, as he believed that only Hans could awaken the sleeping Aadya and restore Parv to its former glory. He had been living his late years for the sole purpose of avenging his king."You don't look like a person who listens to his parents well, Prince Hans," Arat remarked.
Hans chuckled at Arat's comment but didn't say anything further. The moon was hung above and he already wasted a lot of night so he picked up the comfortable cloak and settled down to sleep, not wanting to hear any more revenge talk.
***
AnnouncementNEXT : Dijkstra, the sad Death
