*
“Kingston, are you alright?” Barsch's worried face was the first thing Kingston saw as he awoke, the anxious youth's face filling his entire field of view. The boy bore the signs of a harsh night, but Kingston knew better than to pry into the affairs of others. Without answering him, Kingston rolled over to his side, while his sluggish brain tried to think of a plausible lie. As he began to sit up, he came up with, “I'm fine m'boy, just a little bit tired. You know, us old men need more sleep than you energetic youngsters!”
For a moment, it looked as if Barsch was going to say something about how transparent Kingston's lie was, but the boy held his tongue. Perhaps he too had been told not to delve to deeply into other people's problems? Whatever the case, he left Kingston and moved over to Alza.
The ghostly girl did not appear to have slept at all, and not even her cold demeanour could hide those bags under her violet eyes. Kingston could not hear what she said to Barsch, but whatever it was, it made him leave in a mighty hurry. The inquisitive boy then headed towards Maloch, who was already up and waiting for the organic life-forms to move. They conversed for a while, but in the end, Barsch left him and walked over to the river. It was apparent that no one in the group -save for Barsch- was in any mood to talk.
Kingston's reason for his reticent behaviour was his still fresh dream, and he guessed that Alza's had something to do with being left alone. However, these were both superficial reasons. The true reason for their uncommunicative behaviours? They were tired. All of them, even the stoic Maloch. Barsch too, although it did not appear as though his body had gotten the message yet. This journey of theirs, this quest given by the beings who the Gods prayed to, had worn them down. It was supposed to be simple, and yet so much had happened... and so many hardships had been encountered, that Kingston had a hard time deciding whether the Avatars were sadistic, or if they simply did not care.
After packing away his things and washing off in the river, Kingston was ready to head out. Barsch, having realised that no one was in a talkative mood, had become contemplative. He was walking at the back of their impromptu formation, giving him time and space aplenty to think his brooding thoughts. Alza, on the other hand, took up her spot at the front of the pack.
To most, it would seem like she was always at the front because she wanted to reach their destination first, but Kingston knew better. Sure, she might want to reach her goal faster, but what she was aiming for was miles apart from what the rest of them were moving towards. She wanted a past. She wanted to discover who she was, and who she had been, and she was more than willing to use them to achieve her goal.
She had displayed her true nature several times in the past, when she had abandoned them in favour of more promising paths, although she had always come back… Still, she was not to be trusted. And if the opportunity came for her to learn her true past when the rest of them needed her, Kingston had little doubt which path she would choose.
With Alza leading the way, and Barsch acting as rear-guard, Kingston and Maloch were left in the middle. They walked in silence for most of the journey towards the caves, with only the fading sound of flowing water to break the stillness. Around them, the high cavern walls began to slope downwards, forming a valley of rock and crystal. The ç'aether, oblivious to the group travelling in their midst, continued to pulse with their unnatural light. The violet glow settled over everything, making it hard to distinguish between solid floors and unstable pits. At Kingston's admonition, they slowed their pace, so as to avoid any pit related accidents.
Left to his own devices, Kingston allowed his mind to wander. “If only Professor Valmann could see me now. I wish I could go back in time and say, you were right... about everything. The Avatars exist, and I've met them. They were our kings, our gods, once upon a time. They led us. They moulded us. They uplifted us from our crude, primitive beginnings and gave us the tools and knowledge with which to make our civilization great. Without them, we might still be pottering around in the darkness. Without them, we might not have made it this far.”
A brief image flashed across his mind: a madman wielding thunder and lightning with maniacal glee. If he was also an Avatar, then there might be others who shared his view of humanity. Despicable vermin who needed to be crushed. One of them had almost killed them with barely any effort. He did not even want to imagine that grey-eyed man having allies. The thought was just too upsetting.
And yet, they are not without their faults,” he thought, reflecting on Ion and Terra’s actions, “They are arrogant, in a way. Although it is an arrogance born from having spent who knows how long ruling over us. I guess, to them, commanding humans must just come naturally. Oh how I wish you could see us now... The human race has been decimated and the planet which gave birth to us is now in the throes of death. I wish you could see us... I wish you could see our folly. I wish I could see you again, so that I could throw myself at your feet and beg for forgiveness. You see... I failed. I failed you, and I failed to uphold your legacy. That promise I made that day? I could not keep it. No matter how hard I tried, they would not listen. No matter how much I did, they would not change. No matter how tirelessly I worked, they would not accept me. I failed to save them. I failed to save you. I watched as they built their stations and I wept as they sealed themselves in their prisons of steel and frost...”
Kingston, still deep in thought, happened to catch sight of something peculiar. From a nearby ç'aether cluster's reflective surface, he saw Barsch's image appear. It was nothing more than a mirror image, though the boy's figure was somewhat distorted and discoloured by the crystal's multifaceted shape. Seeing his young protégé sparked a new thought in Kingston's guilt-ridden mind.
“But things are different now. I have another chance to make things right! My generation failed this world, but Barsch's will save it. He is stronger than I ever was. Strong enough to do what has to be done. And through him, I will find redemption... for all my sins. It will be hard, and he may come to resent me after all this is done, but it will be worth it. If I can save just one person, if I can enlighten just one individual... then His work will not have been in vain. My time is almost over, but his is just beginning. I will help him save the world, and maybe, if it is at all possible... he could help me save myself.”
With his thoughts finally sorted out, Kingston allowed his mind to drift back to reality. There, he found that things had changed greatly. They were far closer to the cave wall, and the tunnels that pierced the sheer façade. Each tunnel was remarkably uniform in size and shape, with the majority standing roughly twelve feet from floor to ceiling, and wide enough for them to walk two-abreast. Inside, their smooth walls were studded with smaller ç'aether deposits, which brought a dim, violet light to the dark tunnels. The four of them stood there, pondering their next move.
Eventually, Barsch said what they were all thinking, “So, which one do we take?”
Kingston had been trying to make that very decision, but without concrete data on the tunnel lay-out, whatever he said was going to be a shot in the dark. Instead of just guessing, he turned to Maloch and said, “Maloch, can you run a scan on the tunnel system? I want to know which one will take us to the exit the fastest.”
Maloch stepped forward, his yellow-tinted eyes seeing things that no one else could. “Scanning the tunnels at all frequencies. Ultra-violet... failed. X-ray... failed. Red-shift... failed. Continuing scan at the visible spectrum... all scans failed. Error. Error. Quantum interference detected on all frequencies. Error. Back-ground radiation at ten times the norm. Error. Unidentifiable permutations in the immutable laws of physics detected. Error. Unknown energy source detected. Mapping of tunnel system failed. Switching to hard-light back-up.”
The re-mech did not need to say anything more. Once again, the ç’aether was making progress difficult. “So we have no idea where any of these tunnels lead?”
“Affirmative. I apologize for my ineptitude.”
“It's not your faul
t, Maloch. I guess we'll just have pick at random...”
“It's this way.” Alza was standing by one of the tunnels, tapping her foot impatiently. The entrance was identical to all the others, but somehow, Barsch knew that it was the right one.
However, Kingston did not have that kind of faith. “How do you know?” he asked, in a rather rude tone.
“I just... know,” Alza replied, her tone brooking no argument.
For a moment, it looked as if Kingston was going to question her, but instead he said, “Well, I suppose your guess is as good as any. And if we hit a dead-end, we can always just return here and try again.”
Alza ignored Kingston's doubting tone, opting instead to enter the tunnel alone. After a few seconds of indecision, Barsch joined her. Maloch came next, followed by a still somewhat reluctant Kingston. The tunnel itself was rather plain in comparison to the cavern, with the ç'aether studded walls it's only redeeming feature. It reminded Kingston of their mind-numbing trek through the service tunnels of Revelation Station. Despite their brief exchange moments before, the silence quickly reclaimed it's throne, leaving the group to travel in a state of reticence.
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