State of Mind (6)
The Price of Freedom is Debated
6. The Dweller and the Thief
Year C-91, Quarter 3
The light shined bright as Tohm’s voice commanded the ship, waking Axeon from his sleep..
“We’re landing, Gray.” He was in his bed and Tohm was at the door. Tohm took note of Axeon’s restless eyes darting around the room. “You were asleep at the table so I placed you in your bed. You appeared distressed. Was it your father again?” Axeon closed the bathroom door and looked in the mirror. He squeezed his eyes open and shut to make sure he was fully awake. “Axeon?”
“No, it was a normal dream, man. I think a bird orbiting the sun or maybe… was it a duck?” The boy and the beast walked toward the landing bay. Tohm grabbed two suits from the wall and tossed one to Axeon. It was a zip-up aluminum suit with a glass bubble for the head.
“Where’s Runda?” He asked, adjusting the settings on his wrist to make the suit adapt to his body shape. While the suit was calibrating his enormous proportions, Tohm responded,
“Just up ahead. She’s been ready for hours.”
“Why?” Axeon asked. Before Tohm could answer, a loud bang roamed the halls.
“Come on, she’s heading out.” Tohm jogged toward the landing bay and Axeon followed. They turned around to see the open landing door.
In the middle of the beautiful silver surface rich with glowing green plants, Runda stood out there completely still. The absence of the ship engine’s humming felt odd right off the bat. Uneasy stillness permeated in the air. A chubby short man wearing a crystal spacesuit approached them in the well-lit landing spot.
“Ish a pleasha ta meetsh’ya, young lad. Ash for Tohm ja Protector. Minishter Winter.” The man turned around and started leading them toward his home. If the helmets weren’t severely obstructing all of their points of views they would have been staring at each other in disbelief. “I am ja Duke Carl of Wynshberg. Jish ish my vacashon home. Friend’sha Morgan’sha friend of mine.”
Axeon looked up at Tohm who was equally stunned by the interaction. The two of them followed behind the Duke into his massive castle at a decent distance.
“Do you know much about this guy and Morgan’s relationship?” Axe asked Tohm and Runda, genuinely confused.
“I think she’s his godmother. Whatever that means.” Tohm grunted. Runda remained oddly quiet.
The Duke shouted his tour from pretty far ahead but turned to walk backward.
“Ja shree of ju will be shtaying on ja shecond floor of ja manshin. Ish very pleashent, I’ve been told.” Axe raised his eyebrow and took a look at the bright green brick and crystal kingdom ahead. Lanterns lit up every wall and their detailed mint green glow patterns. Giant columns stood beside the main entrance. “When ja doorsh ah sheeled shut, ju can remove jour shpaysh shoots.”
Tohm groaned. Axeon entered to see massive, beautiful winding staircases and hardwood floors. The largest chandelier he’d ever seen hung over servants running from place to place. In the very back, behind everything was a strange clock that showed symbols instead of numbers and had at least three hands. One servant approached the group.
“Welcome guests. My name is Jian, manager of the estate. I will show you upstairs to your rooms.” Tohm, Axeon and Runda followed Jian up one of the yellow carpeted stairs. Axe looked around with wonder. Runda just looked down and focused on her steps. When they reached the first room on the second floor, Jian closed the door. It was a master bedroom with full scenery screens on the walls. It was transitioning smoothly between a field in the sun, sky of a million stars, and red skies. “I apologize for the Duke, he can be somewhat eccentric,” Jian explained. Axeon barely acknowledged that statement.
“This place is incredible.” He wandered around. Even Tohm’s resting frown was lighter than usual. Runda did not even seem slightly impressed.
“This is one of the three guest rooms we prepared for you. One has a slightly better view of the moon, but you will all have full scenery control.” Jian continued. Axeon laughed. “Now, we use a unique time-telling method that you may not recognize. It shouldn’t be much of a worry, when the bell rings there’s a meal available on the bottom floor. If you hear a drum, the Duke has entered the castle.”
“And this is his vacation home?” Runda’s voice was like a light in fog.
“The Duke Carl is one of the wealthiest people in the Tertia systems. And Wynsberg is the second-largest city-province in the galaxy. Its factories, mostly automated by machine, produce very important materials. This place is a small fraction of Carl’s worth.”
Runda nodded at Jian, “The other room is across the hall?”
“Yes, that’s right. And if you walk down there…”
“Thank you Jian,” Runda said, annoyed. “You can leave now.”
Jian politely exited and closed the door behind them. Axeon sat on the biggest bed he’d ever seen.
“I love this place already.” Axe announced. Tohm was content, standing awkwardly in the corner, but getting more concerned about Runda who snarled and crossed her arms. “What? You’re too good for a paid vacation?” Axeon joked, but Runda, in no mood, looked towards the door of the room.
“Nobody is supposed to know we’re here except for the Duke. And why would Morgan send us to a government official to escape from a government commander? This all is starting to feel… shaky.” Axe flinched and looked around the room for any cameras or listening devices.
“Now you ask the questions! Either way, we’re stuck here, and I think I need to talk to the man from my dream.”
“Your father?” Runda said with underlying skepticism. Axeon looked moved to the window and gazed at the glowing green flora.
“I… No, I don’t think so. There was someone else this time. I think somehow he’s my brother.”
“You didn’t recognize him at all?” Runda’s sharp eyebrows became suspicious and concerned. Axeon scrambled
“As far as I’ve known, I’m an only child. My mother has a sister, so maybe I have a cousin.” Axeon looked away again. “We lost touch with her, and who knows?” He breathed in and out a few times quickly. Tohm mounted on the other side of the bed and they sat, backs facing each other for a few minutes. It was peaceful and sad as they reflected on their situation. “We’ll survive this. Stay strong, and watch each other’s backs. I’m going to my room to take a shower.”
Tohm smirked while Runda remained stoic. Axe walked down the hall to his identical room. Feeling some newfound freedom, Axe made a plan to confront his father in his dream. He didn’t know who the other person was, but he was sure Nylon Gray was behind it. He wasn’t going to out-power his father, but he might be able to convince him to stop. Axeon closed the door to his room, got undressed and jumped gleefully onto the made bed. He looked around at the pale yellow walls. He noticed an extremely thin screen on the wall in front of his bed and gave it a touch. It lit up and then projected doors right in front of it. Each door was unique and had a label. Axe pushed his hand through the bright orange door that said ‘Welcome’ As soon as the action was registered, the doors disappeared back into the screen, and instead a three-dimensional projection of the Duke appeared in Axeon’s room.
‘Hello Guesht.’‘ The recording of Duke Carl said, “Ja shedule for jis week ish ash followsh. Jhere will be a gala at Ten Jay shticksh with local enshrapeanuersh in ja grand ballroom…”
Axe looked for the off switch and pressed it. He released a smile and took a seat on his giant bed. He laid back in it, comfortably. He rested his eyes for a while before electing to explore the mansion on his own. He checked out the ballroom on the first floor where there would be a gala tomorrow. It was a massive open space with beautiful ceiling art and giant chandeliers. The walls were painted pale green and projectors gave the room vibrant colors. It reminded Axeon of a part of the Silent Kingdom. There was a ballroom of sorts for parties and gatherings. As a kid, he would stand by his father at the inaugural Chasing Day celebration. The king would give a speech that Axe would never pay attention to. He was always looking at all the faces of the kingdom. Some were eternally dissatisfied while others childishly cheerful. He wondered what they looked like now. What people thought of his sudden disappearance. How people perceived the Sunset King when his only child abandoned him.
Unless you weren’t his only child,
***
Night on Jama was everlasting. The giant planet of Kyena usually blocked the star they orbited from reaching them. They lived in a shadow. Axeon found himself feeling more relaxed than he’d been in months. He treated his stay on Jama as his own vacation. When he first arrived, he was cautious to sleep, but he hadn’t been haunted by his father. Axeon was able to have dreamless nights, and was probably getting an abundance of sleep. Tohm always seemed on edge, even two weeks into their stay. He spent his days exploring the mansion and researching his host. He’d found nothing of value, but had learned a lot about the Duke and his vacation home. Duke Carl was appointed by Tertian president Rod Spocon about fifteen years ago. He was obviously chosen because of his connections to prominent members of the Tertian military. His uncle was an admiral who appointed Carl because he needed a job. The Duke is a terrible leader and has been for his entire reign, but he has intelligent advisors. Duke Carl bought Jama from the Tertian government so that he could have a moon to go on vacation to. When the mansion was first built, he’d spent probably twenty-five percent of the year on Jama. He loved the quiet and the pampering. It was much better than the bickering of Wynsberg residents.
Some of the rooms of the mansion, and even the entire top floor, were devoid of furniture or any decoration. They hadn’t been touched since the building was built. Jian and the other servants lived on the third floor, one above where Axe, Tohm and Runda were staying. They cared for the estate all year round. Jian hadn’t left the moon in over ten Memorian years. Tohm’s large presence often intimidated the house staff, causing them to move away from him in conversation.
Runda and Axeon were sitting uncomfortably in the dining room. Tohm was busy slumbering in his room.The chef was cooking fried Miltfish, fresh from the seas of Kyena. Jian delivered it to them and the three of them sat at the end of a massive dining table that could fit sixty people. Axeon dug in, eating by grabbing the food and shoving it into his mouth. Nobody really cared enough to say anything about it.
Runda was focused on Jian, and was constantly asking questions. “Why did the Duke build all these floors and rooms and tables, if it was to be a vacation home?” Jian sat across from Runda. Axeon was at the head of the table. He took a sip of some sort of old tea in what looked like a relic.
“The Duke had grand plans when he built this place. He imagined it being the center of a vibrant neighborhood, a new community. A getaway offer for all of Wynsberg. Well, those who could afford it. He dreamed of large banquets and weddings, endless parties in his mansion,”
“So what happened to his plans?” Axeon asked, leaning in to listen.
Jian took a piece of miltfish for himself and ate it politely with silverware. “Don’t know. He was probably just lazy and never got around to it. Perhaps his advisors weren’t keen on him running off to a party moon while his city rots. He definitely has been spending more time there recently. We’ve only seen him once a quarter this year, and he probably won’t return here for a while.”
Axeon grunted, “Why haven’t the people of Wynsberg stood up against this? Wouldn’t they want a competent elected official? How long has he been in power, thirty years?”
Jian giggled and took another sip of tea. “Wynsberg may be populated by people, but for as long as they’ve ever known, corporations control everything. Corporations that love old Duke Carl because he’s malleable, susceptible, and as rich as it gets.”
Axeon looked intently at the plate underneath his food. He saw the light reflecting in it, creating a shadow that was bloating around the air depending on where his food was. He put his leg up on the chair with his knee pressing against the table.
He turned to Jian, “Well who are the people that run the corporations?”
Jian sighed, “I wouldn’t even call them people. Demons, maybe, whose only concern in the universe is to expand their enormous wealth over oceans of blood. This is the last place in the universe that relied on factory workers. Machines had replaced human jobs in most places, but Wynsberg was a very early settlement. It never truly evolved with the rest of Tertia, and proudly so. The proper machinery to completely automate these types of factories was very expensive and human labor had become more affordable, though far less efficient.”
The three sat in silence as they finished their food. When they were done, Jian took their plates and silverware and smiled.
“Thank you, Jian.” Axeon nodded and looked at Runda whose face was perpetually unimpressed. He left the two of them alone.
“So… what have you been up to?” Axe asked, cautiously to an emotionless Runda.
“I’ve been exploring the moon. It’s dark out there, but calm, and the gravity is good.”
“Cool adjectives,” Axeon replied sarcastically. “Was it ‘nice’?”
“It was nice. I wanted to ensure there are no animals on this moon. These guards would be prey in a surprise attack.”
Axeon released his signature high pitched belly laugh and Runda’s eyebrows lowered, “Nothing could live here, Runda. No plant or animal would naturally be on this moon, and the satellites see everything. What’s your deal with this place? Why are you being a dick to Jian and snooping around?”
Runda’s fist slammed the table. “Do you trust the Duke?”
Axe shivered, “No…”
“Well this is his property. And if you paid attention, you’d see it’s also our prison. I miss Grant’s Hollow. A place I could trust because I knew the person who built it. It’s a shame you didn’t get to see more of it, it’s the best thing on Memorio by far.”
“Yeah, well. This place isn’t so bad.”
***
Axeon sat at the edge of the long wooden table. A massive, five layered chandelier emitting green light hung directly above him. Tohm sat a few chairs down, finished with his food and bored beyond belief, caught and locked into Axeon’s silver eyes.
Axeon softly asked, “Have you ever heard the story of the dweller and the thief?” Tohm grunted an unintelligible syllable and cradled himself like a massive baby, ready to hear a story. “My mother loved this one.’’ Axeon breathed deep and could smell her flowery scent, just for a glistening moment. “I won’t tell it the way she did, with voices and shadows, but I can give you the gist of the narrative. See, the dweller and the thief worked together to become the finest criminals in their city. While the thief skilfully and stealthily took valuable merchandise in the night, the dweller would count the money and control their operations. It worked for a while, until eventually the thief found the situation to be unfair.
‘You sit here and do nothing while I’m doing all the work!’ the thief yelled. He told the dweller he would be just fine on his own, and he’d get all the money. The dweller laughed at the thief and told him:
‘Perhaps you would be fine without me, but you can never leave.’ The thief was dumbfounded. He turned and walked right out the door.”
Tohm tilted his head over to meet Axe’s eyes and softly shrugged.
“The next day, the police knocked on the thief’s door. They searched his home and locked him up. He tried to tell them about the dweller, but they wouldn’t hear it. At the end of the day, one of them was running around committing crimes, while the other was not. The dweller gets away with the life and the money while the thief rots in prison. But this was a clever thief, a thoughtful one. One that after decades locked up, could escape his prison without setting off a single alarm or harming a guard. And so he did, and prepared to exact his revenge on the dweller.
He went to the house where the dweller used to live to find it occupied by an elderly couple who had never heard of this individual. The thief tracked his whereabouts and eventually found him in a stack-house in Eden’s Borough. He was old and frail, and so lonely. Desperate for any type of connection, the dweller embraced the thief and cried in his arms. Before he could think, the thief snapped the old man’s neck and watched him collapse onto the concrete floor.
And so, he hid in the very same shelter as the dweller, quietly disposing of his body and lying to join the enclave. He had freed himself, or so he wanted to believe, of the dweller’s chains. It didn’t calm the dread around every corner, the endless nightmares, or the authorities eventually finding him. He lived the rest of his life in prison and deep down, he knew even when he finally died, the dweller would be waiting beyond the gates of Hell.”
Tohm sat quietly as he ingested it all.
“You said your mom told you that story?” Both of them laughed a bit, and Tohm expressed his analysis. “The dweller thought he had everything.” He shared his findings proudly with Axeon who nodded encouragingly like a grade school teacher. “But nobody trusted him and he ended up alone.”
“Nobody trusted him because he knowingly screwed over his closest friends.”
Runda’s door opened and she walked out, humming a soft, calming tune.
“Wait I’m still confused, was this like a bedtime story or… What was the appropriate time your mom shared this with you?” Axeon laughed again and still distinctly refrained from answering. Runda darted her eyes between the two men and took a seat next to Tohm.
“I’m going to bed.” Axeon stood up, stretching his arms into the sky and yawning.
“What, do I smell?” Runda asked, slightly joking but certainly offended.
“No, sorry, I was going to head to sleep anyway. I’ve been exhausted since we got here. I need some real hours.”
“Sleep well, man. Dream of dwellers and thieves stabbing each other in the back.” Tohm raised his hand in goodbye and Runda stared at him, bewildered. “What?” He asked Runda and they both laughed hysterically.
***
Axeon found himself in a familiar, ethereal, frustrating cave. He knew he was in the Mindsphere. He was immediately defensive and collected rocks to throw just in case. Axeon recognized the cave from before. He looked around for the strange figure but couldn’t see anyone. The sunlight was pouring through the outside hole, it was daytime in the dream. Axe looked at the fireplace and then the stone walls. He tried to walk outside but something was stopped by an invisible wall. He moved instead further into the cave, where it got darker. He could still see the stone walls and strange markings. As he moved down, the light dimmed out even more and eventually it was pitch black. He looked around, realizing he couldn’t see anything and tried to go back the way he came. Every direction he went in, nothing got lighter. He was trapped somewhere deep in the cave. The mysterious man walked out of the shadow.
“Hello Axeon Gray.”
Axeon wanted to scream, his ears were getting red, “Who are you!” Axeon demanded, “I wouldn’t be able to see and talk to you if we weren’t related somehow. So who… Who are you?”
“My name is Edrick Swann.”
Axeon jumped back in disbelief, the cave shuttered and small rocks and dirt fell, revealing a small light source, so they could see each other’s outlines. Axe considered waking up. He learned about Edrick Swann in primary school. He was the villainous psycho son of Councilwoman Servia Swann.
“You… How can you be here? In my… what’s the word for it?”
“Couldn’t tell you,” Edrick scoffed, “and I’m here because subconsciously, you’ve invited me here. To tell you my story. The truth about our people and our family history. Axeon Gray: I am Nylon’s first-born child, your half-brother and I understand your struggle.”
Axe pushed away his hand and inspected the man, skeptically. He did kind of look like Nylon. He had scruffy black hair, tall, and his chin was chiseled like an upside-down pyramid.
“I’m not sure I believe you. How do I know this isn’t a trap from my father? Some cynical, made up story to lead me back to that snow tipped space dumpster.”
“Our father,” Edrick stood tall and took a deep breath, “And trust me, I know exactly the evil he is capable of. He took my children away from me.”
Axeon looked down at the cave floor, he could see tiny sparks from a dying fire.
“I’m sorry.” He was surprised to find himself sympathizing with a man he’d only ever known as a traitor and a scoundrel.
Edrick looked intently at the shaking boy, “So you understand.” Axe closed his eyes. “Us family outcasts should work together.”
“No I… I left Ozan voluntarily.” Axeon watched the strange man’s eyebrow raise and felt a whiff of burning coal. Axe inhaled through his nose, reminding himself it wasn’t reality. “Or escaped, I guess. I escaped Nylon but they taught us you were banished.”
“That’s correct.”
“My teachers described you as a top level imminent threat to our society, that banishing you was the only option.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No. You were thirteen. Even if you did what they say… It was a cruel punishment they’ve spent years justifying.”
“Alright. Good.”
“Why, then?”
“Why was I banished?” His voice pitched up and got higher as he continued his story. “A bastard son of the two highest ranking council members in a secret affair. I was evidence to them. Something to flush down the toilet. Axeon Gray–” he paused and smiled at the scared boy. “Brother.” he calmly continued. “We were neither the first nor final ones to suffer at his hand. Your people need you.” Edrick offered. Axeon thought carefully, “take your time,” the man continued, “sleep on it.”
Before he could hear a response, the cave began to collapse. Large chunks of stone fell fast, Axe could feel the heaviness of the entire cave as a rock hit his head and everything went black.
***
Runda, Tohm and Axeon sat around the table in the mansion’s built-in bar. The television blared about an interplanetary weapon found on a Multi-World. Tohm looked like he had just gotten the life drained out of him. It took a full minute before he was ready to respond. “So… you’re some kind of god?”
“I wouldn’t label it that way.”
“Okay, well how would you label it? A super-person? An ‘enhanced human’?”
Axeon closed his eyes and sighed. “A Child of Ozan.” He delivered with disdain. Tohm nodded and took a deep breath. Runda sighed and leaned back in the booth. “Everyone from my home has these abilities… It’s what my dreams have been.”
“Morgan said you came from power… I guess this isn’t what I expected.” Runda looked down at her fried egg and nudged it around with her fork. “Well then seriously what are we still doing on this conspicuous party moon?”
“Why are you so determined to find some evil secret about this place?” Tohm interjected, drawing a sneer from the young woman.
“Duke Carl doesn’t exactly come across as trustworthy.” Runda explained simply.
Axe shook his head, “He’s an incompetent aristocrat.”
“Exactly,” She muttered in response. Axe hit his fist against the pale yellow walls.
“What do you think we should do then?”
Tohm loosely grinned, he stood up and walked up behind Axeon. His steps were loud even though the carpet absorbed them. Runda was finding it hard to focus, but felt this in her gut:
“We get out of the Tertia systems. Lysac, Gerdo, Multi-World, god planet, I don’t care. We aren’t safe in this system.”
Axeon had his eyes closed and he stood silent for a few moments, “Alright first of all I don’t know where ‘god planet’ is, nobody does and why would we be safe anywhere else? If anything, traveling inherently puts us in more danger.”
“We need to get out of Tertian territory,” Runda avoided the question and was visibly sweating. She looked down nervously, “Morgan said the one place we can’t go if things turn to shit is back to Memorio. She’s trying to lure as many officials as she can while taking them down.”
Like an oasis in the desert, Tohm’s voice broke through the awkward lull.
“Shortly after I was born, my father sustained a war injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. He was a hero in our town and taught my family to have a deep regard toward service. I became an admiral in the Tertian military, the version of my father that he dreamed of being. The problem was, I was trying to live his life, and his aspirations instead of building my own. I was assigned on a mission to assassinate Morgan when she found me. She taught me what truly matters in life, and what I could do to change this universe for the better. But we don’t get a reset switch. The Tertian military put a hit on me as soon as they learned I’d defected. If they catch me, I’ll be put in the highest security Tertian prison in the universe.”
“Structer,” Axe muttered under his breath, completely blindsided by this sudden burst of emotion. “Right?” Tohm nodded and looked away frantically. His tired face was covered by the only spot of darkness in the room.
“I can handle it, if that’s what it comes to. I’ve been prepared. Morgan told me I would have to be on that fateful day. She never lied to me. If she says this place is safe, I believe it. But, tell me, Axeon, if there’s a whole world of gods somewhere out there, what makes you so important? Why are you at the center?” Tohm’s deep voice jumped pitch at the close of his sentence. Runda sat awkwardly and eagerly awaiting Axeon’s response. The young man sighed and closed his eyes.
“He used to insist they called me the ‘Sunset Prince,’ assuring me over and over that I would one day rule the kingdom, never once asking me if that’s what I even wanted. Now he won’t stop until he finds me and brings me back. I’m his legacy and his blood, and to my people, no two things matter more. So you want to know why I’m so important? I’d argue its relative. I’m important to one man. One very, very powerful man who hides behind the value he’s placed on me to garner sympathy for a war effort.”
“I see. And this man, your father, what will it take to escape him?”
“I’ll never escape him. Not as long as he’s alive.”
“Are you saying you have to—” Runda began to interject.
“No, no. Sorry, that came out wrong. I just mean… there’s no stopping him, no escaping him. It’s just a matter of how long I can avoid the inevitable.” The darkness of the moon creeped in through the window and left Axe and Tohm sitting silently at a glass table. Axeon took a sip from his mug and clinked it down. “So?” He yawned. “Have I answered all your questions?”
“Almost. If the Silent Kingdom is a compound of sorts on an unlivable planet, what do you eat?” He asked, with more concern than any of the other questions.
“Lab food.” Axeon answered stoically. Tohm raised his eyebrow and then looked away.
“Huh,” Tohm nodded, half satisfied with the answer. “And how old were you when you left?”
“Fourteen.”
“By yourself?” Runda asked immediately following his answer.
“Yeah,” Axeon released after a long pause, “well, there was someone with me when I left but… she uh… she didn’t make it.”
“Oh,” Tohm and Runda shared a frown. Runda looked into Axeon’s shining silver eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay” Axe looked down, “It was a long time ago.”
“Grief doesn’t have a time limit.” Tohm acknowledged.
Axeon’s eyes welled up and he laughed for a second to himself before swallowing it. He nodded at the big man and they sat together in blissful silence.
“Thank you, guys.”
The giant nodded and walked away. Runda put her hand on Axeon’s back as he took a sip of his tea and smiled to himself. The tea was hot, but he continued drinking and then finally placed the mug back onto the table with a long exhale.
“Not bad.” He uttered out loud.
***
In the middle of the night, Axeon didn’t want to sleep, so he spent hours on the balcony taking in the view. He attempted to locate patterns and familiar stars. The planet of Kyena and the lights of the city would only be visible on Jama once every sixteen thousand years. Every day he was there, all Axe could see was dust from the factories. It created a bizarre dark fog over massive portions of the planet’s continents and oceans. On the other side of the planet, the grass was bright green and the water sparkled in the white sunlight.
“Axe?” Axeon jumped as he didn’t realize Tohm had joined him on the balcony.
“The Islands of Kyena.” Axeon began to ramble, as Tohm slid the door closed shut and stood beside him with his hands on the rail. “You know, I always thought this planet was the perfect metaphor for the system we all accept at birth. Most of the planet, workers and machines mine rich resources so that they can use their wealth to build upon their ‘sanctuary.” It’s like the old proverb of the snake that eats its own tail, eternally destroying itself. A place like Kyena wasn’t built to last. It wasn’t built to give the next generation something to be grateful for, no. It’s a temporary solution because they didn’t give a shit about us. And we probably won’t give a shit about what comes after.”
“Do you think we could not give a shit in the morning?” Tohm remarked flippantly, half asleep.
“Maybe Runda is right. Why are we even bothering to hide? You really believe this place is safe? I mean, I get we make up a quarter of this entire rock’s population, and it’s generally far from Haynan, but Carl is the Duke of Wynsberg! The second largest city-province in the Tertian empire.”
“Tertia isn’t an empire.” Tohm replied quickly without giving Axe a chance for a breath. “They’re not conquerors or dictators. Tertia consists of elected officials who naturally expand to unoccupied territories.”
“How could you say that after everything we saw at the Hollow? After working with the Earthborn for all these years?”
“Because we need to accept the fact that the Tertian public largely supports their government. I don’t like it anymore than you do, but we aren’t just up against a commander, or a military or their government. We are preparing for battle against the general populace. War on an unprecedented scale.”
“None of this would happen if they knew the truth.”
“What truth, Axeon?” Tohm scoffed and spit off the side of the balcony.
“About the villages they destroyed on Memorio. The innocent lives that fell under collateral. Their treatment of citizens in the Krent system. The corrupt elections, political assassinations—”
“I lived most of my life amongst the Tertians. We learned about those topics in history class. The truth you wish to release is one everyone already knows, even if we aren’t willing to admit it. But what are we to do? We don’t get to make the big decisions. All we can control is ourselves spending our days containing the chaos of our own lives. No truth is going to set everyone in this universe free. Truth is inherently an individualistic concept. Truth is something we earn by living our best lives and accepting what is. You can’t expect to give everyone a magical answer that sets their soul free. Perhaps you could offer them the tools, but at the end of the day, it is their choice to accept it, or care about it.”
Axeon turned his head to look at Tohm, his eyes narrowed. “You know what your problem is? You’re too damn complacent. You’re okay with just accepting the status quo and going along with whatever the government says. You don’t have any fire in you, any drive to fight for what’s right.”
Tohm’s expression darkened. “Do not lecture me on moral principles. You have no idea what I’ve been through, the sacrifices I’ve made.”
Axeon scoffed. “Right and I’ve had it easy? I’ve been on the run for years, risking my life every day. I’ve seen things that would make your skin crawl. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Because you’re too busy cozying up to the people in power.”
Tohm clenched his fists, his voice rising. “I’m trying to survive, just like you. But unlike you and Runda, I don’t get distracted. You couldn’t understand what it’s like to have everything to lose.”
Axeon stood up straight, his own voice raised now. “You don’t understand what it’s like to fight for something bigger than yourself! To have a cause that you believe in so strongly, you’re willing to die for it.”
Tohm shook his head, his eyes blazing. “You’re so naive, Axeon. You think that by starting a revolution, you’ll magically make everything better? That’s not how the world works. You’ll just create chaos and destruction, and for what? So you can feel like you made a difference? So you can pat yourself on the back and call yourself a hero?”
Axeon’s jaw clenched. “I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing this for all the people who have suffered at the hands of the Tertian government. For all the innocent lives that have been lost, all the families that were torn apart. I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do.”
Tohm shook his head again, his voice softening. “I know you believe that, Axe. And I respect you for it. But sometimes the right thing to do isn’t the easy or obvious decision. And sometimes it’s better to wait, to bide your time and gather your strength. Because when the time comes to fight, you want to be damn sure you’re ready.”
Axeon sighed, his anger dissipating. He knew that Tohm was right, to a certain extent. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. That they needed to act, and act soon, before it was too late.
The two men stood in silence for a few moments, the only sound being the faint hum of the automated factory in the distance. Finally, Axeon spoke again, his voice quieter this time. “I just don’t want to sit around and wait for the world to end, Tohm. I want to do something about it.”
Tohm placed a hand on Axeon’s shoulder, his expression sympathetic. “I know, Axe. And we will. But we must be smart about it. We have to be patient. We can’t run into a war we won’t win.
Axeon felt restless after his conversation with Tohm. He couldn’t stop thinking about their hostile nature, replaying their words and annunciations in his head. As he wandered through the empty mansion they were staying in, he tried to clear his mind and focus on his surroundings. The mansion was a remnant of the past, with ornate furnishings and decor from a time long gone. Axeon admired the craftsmanship and attention to detail, but couldn’t help feeling a sense of melancholy. The mansion was once a grand symbol of wealth and power, but now it stood empty and forgotten, a relic of a bygone era. Axeon wondered if the same fate awaited the Tertian empire, if they would be reduced to ruins and essentially forgotten in the annals of history.