Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 8

"Like ants, aren't they?" Nikolai stated, observing the busy citizens going about their business. It was now midmorning, and there were even more men and women walking through the promenade than earlier. Seldom did the business district of one of the world's most foremost commercial centres slow down. "Working as hard as they can, running from place to place. It's such a peculiar lifestyle they've chosen. But to what avail? Will they look back on their lives with fond happiness, or with deep regret?"

He turned to Tahlia, who was hardly paying attention to what he was saying.

"They'll never truly know the joys of life as we do," he continued. "They'll never reach a higher stage of consciousness. Not at this rate anyway."

"I'm sure they could," Tahlia chimed in. "If they wanted to."

"Exactly," her leader agreed. "But that is my point. None of them want it. They are simply content with being content; living a lifestyle that they have been conditioned to. If they strived for something higher, they could surely attain it, yet it eludes them because they're unaware that anything exists beyond their realm of deceit and lies.

"You know, I too used to be like them. I had a promising career as an economist, but I was just not happy down in my core. I chose that path because it was seemingly expected of me by society. So I left and became a university professor instead. To me, there was no greater honour than educating the next generation of promising young minds. To impart my knowledge to them would fill me with such an incredible feeling of self-worth." He turned back to the busy citizens. "But it wasn't enough—I craved more."

"You broke free," Tahlia said, unwittingly fuelling his ego further.

"That I did. I was not convinced that life was as black and white as these people dress. I just knew that, beneath all of the contracts and deadlines and arbitrary social obligations, there was an entire spectrum just waiting to be discovered. It's not that I judge these people individually, but rather I judge society as a whole for what it has become. We live our lives in accordance with what society believes individuals should do. I think it's a ludicrous concept. We shouldn't live our lives based solely on past events. The world is ever changing, evolving, and so are we. We should bear that in mind.

"And," his speech resumed, "this nation in particular fascinates me to no end. It lies in the heart of the East Yue Union, yet it possesses so many Western cultural qualities that make it a uniquely hybrid nation. At times I see such strong family orientation that is distinctly inherent of the East, but then at others I feel as though I could be back in Reddingham, caught up in financial chaos. And here, especially in this district, I hardly feel like I'm truly in this part of the world."

"Is that what made you become who you are now? You wanted to evolve?" Tahlia asked, merely feigning interest to pass the time. Despite having conversations like this one dozens of times already, it was seemingly impossible to stop Nikolai's incessant rants. Sometimes she'd catch him pacing around, back and forth, addressing an imaginary audience.

The great man pondered the question. "Partly. I believe that half the transformation occurs because we believe in it and we allow it to happen. The other half is from an external source that has pushed us beyond what we comprehend to be our threshold of human capacity. At least that's what happened in the case of myself. Of course, I could also argue that I undertook another transformation some years later." His expression became distant as his mind went back into the past. "I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget the rain. And, as pure as it was, I'll never forget how it could not wash away the blood."

Tahlia watched his face, trying to wonder what it was that had twisted Nikolai's mind. He'd never told anyone in Black Dawn. Or maybe it was nothing out of the ordinary at all, she thought. Maybe he'd always been this way—obscure and eccentric.

"Break free, friends. Dare to be yourselves," he whispered, still watching the locals walk in a synchronised pattern with one another. They took one step after the other in a robotic fashion. He looked back to Tahlia. "And that's why it's so difficult; people don't know who they are. Almost everything they do is because they've been conditioned to do it. From the clothes they wear to the music they listen to, it is instilled in their minds from birth that this is who they are. But is it really? Humans are the most advanced species on this planet, capable of being fully self-aware. But if one can not think or feel for themselves, then they're no different to any other species of mammal."

Something suddenly caught Nikolai's attention from his left. He turned his head sharply, spotting a young man in the distance, walking on the other side of the promenade. He had short hair and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He stood out from the other adults nearby in that he wasn't wearing a jacket over his shirt and tie. Tahlia looked and saw the man too.

Nikolai snapped his head back to the woman in black, shooting her a vicious glance. "Thank you for informing me of his arrival," he said, irritated she wasn't keeping a watchful vigil.

Tahlia said nothing. His tirade had sent her into an inattentive stupor.

"The humans choose death, my friend," Nikolai continued, finishing off his speech. "Not in the physical sense, but in the sense that has subconsciously placed limitations on themselves. And so they live long, ambiguous lives. They drown in their ambiguity, and then one day cease to exist, having never realised true greatness, and rarely ever having left a lasting legacy. Such a waste."

He held his wrist comm over the small computer screen and paid for his morning beverages. The towering man stood up and stretched his arms outwards, having been sitting in the chair for most of the morning.

"What do you want me to do?" Tahlia asked.

"Find yourself a nice vantage point. If in the impossibly unlikely event that the boy is stronger than myself and kills me, avenge my death for me. I live life with no regrets, but I would surely lament dying in vain!" he said with a grin.

Tahlia nodded at the command, although could not understand all of what was instructed. She walked off, obeying what she perceived to be his orders.

Nikolai gracefully crossed the promenade, walking slowly with his hands behind his back. He looked up at the man in the blue shirt high above, who was still watching him attentively. Nikolai smiled at him. The man did not return the smile, but neither did his face contort in anger; he simply watched on with curiosity.

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