The Shadow of Eudaimonia

Chapter 19: Wren's Sacrifice

Wren sat silently in the middle of Calvin's room. It was small but full of things that might be a bit questionable to someone who hasn't been in a room of a pubescent boy. Though, as she sat there wandering her eyes around the room's walls and corners, she respected everything in it like an ancient temple, not wanting to alter anything. She believed each thing in place here held a story. Like the dusty books that were stowed at the top of Calvin's dresser or the bunch of old and wrinkled letters and greeting cards, presumably written by Calvin's mother, clipped in front of a mirror.

On Calvin's bed laid Ophelia, sound asleep. Right after she had sent Calvin away, Wren knocked her out quickly. The best way to contain her was to put her to sleep, he realized. That way she couldn't teleport away. But Wren knew that it was just a temporary solution.

Wren sighed loudly. Seeing Ophelia asleep as if lulled by angels, she was reminded that she too was tired. Not to mention, the 20 bodies she was controlling were exhausted as well. So, she let herself lay down beside Ophelia and just think for a short while. She looked at her cousin in detail and then she remembered Erik. Her heart clenched for a second. It felt heavy as she realized she hadn't mourned for Erik ever since she came here.

Back in Kepler, days before the fated Transfer ceremony, Wren had visited Erik on one of the hospitals in Gaia.

"Are you okay now?" Wren asked while Erik comfortably lays on the hospital bed. Although, of course he knew the answer. Erik's every blister, every broken bone, were healed by modern medical technology brought upon with the help of the power of Ortus. Even scars couldn't be seen on the areas where Wren saw Erik bleed.

"No," Erik answered.

Wren's eyebrows furrowed. "Is there a wound that the doctors missed? You should—"

"No Wren. Look, it hurts here," he pointed at his heart while pouting like a little boy. Wren bit his lower lip and faked a punch towards Erik making him flinch.

"No! Don't hurt me! Please!" he pleaded while chuckling.

"You're being an idiot! You're an Obelisk, act like one!"

"I missed you!"

"Erik! People might hear."

"What people? We're all alone here. Come on just one kiss?"

Wren scratched the back of his head while he slowly inched towards Erik. "Just one kiss? What if I wanted twenty? Or a hundred?" Wren smiled and kissed Erik on his forehead, then his nose, until finally he reached his dry lips.

"I love you Wren."

Wren pulled back. "I have something to tell you."

"That you love me too?"

Wren coyly smiled. "Of course, I do, you big idiot. But I've been thinking. Remember when we bridged? And I gained control of their consciousness?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

Wren clenched his hands together and looked at Erik dead in the eyes. "What if we do that again?"

"What? Why?"

"We do that again but for a long time. We can bring peace and harmony to all galaxies out there. Just imagine, we can give everyone eudaimonia, the ultimate happiness."

Erik was quiet. His head was blank waiting for Wren to explain more.

"We'll take all the Obelisk and we'll control every human consciousness out there."

Erik shook his head and laughed. "I get it. You're kidding right? Wren you—"

"Erik, come on. Think about it. If we control everything, we would clear every people's wrong beliefs, their prejudices, their malice. No more of those pointless wars fought by common people. No more oppression of the weak. No more false supremacy. Do you get it?" Wren stepped closer to him. "We have the solution."

"Wren! You're seriously telling that to me? Remember I govern reality and every time someone makes a choice, a new reality is born. But if you control people's choices you'll create a singular reality.

"A reality that is peaceful and fair."

"No, that is not the natural path Wren. I've told you before, our Obelisk is there to protect the laws of this Universe, not use it to create new laws ourselves."

"So, the natural path is for the poor to suffer all the time? For the voiceless to bend to the whims of those who hold power? Aren't you fed up with that?"

"I am, Wren! I'm as tired as you are. But this—what you're saying is not any different from those you despise. You want to free everyone by controlling them? Do you hear yourself? You'll remove their free will, their personality. Why don't you just kill them all? It's essentially the same!"

"No! I will only remove what is rotten from them. They'll have the freedom to do anything that doesn't harm others. They can be whoever they want to be. No more racism, no more sexism, no more exploitation. Just living a life that is peaceful and prosperous."

"What if they're all rotten? What if you discover sooner or later, that we are made like this? Selfish, destructive creatures."

Wren's heart began to race. He felt that his hands were shaking as if it bears the weight of his anger and sadness to what he's hearing right now. "If you want them—no, if you want us to be like that: savages devoid of empathy and compassion, fine! But I will change that. I have the solution Erik. And I couldn't bear any more knowing that every second that passes, someone out there is being stepped on by those who are in power. I have the ability, the power, to fight injustice and so do you!"

"Wren think—"

"I already thought about this. My only mistake is that I believed that you would support me. I'm so disappointed in you. Not doing anything is an action itself, an action that favors the oppressors."

"Wren come on..."

That was what Wren last heard of him before he walked out of the room. He never knew that that moment was the last time he would be able to show how important Erik was to him. He only wished that he kissed him a hundred times more.

Wren burrowed her head on one of Calvin's pillows, clenched it tightly and, after holding her emotions for so long, she finally cried. She let it all out until her eyes felt burning and her temples were throbbing in pain. The secret to being strong, she thought, was to be weak in private. She wanted to go back to the quiet life she once dreamt but a sole question had always stopped her. If she wouldn't do this, who would? Who would dare to sacrifice their happiness, their dreams,themselves, to create the perfect future?

Before her head would be filled with more regrets and guilt, she calmed herself down. She sighed and rested for a few more seconds before standing right up and leaving Calvin's room. Her face back to being frigid as if nothing happened. Outside, Mrs. Rodriguez, the one that Calvin used to hate but now a hollow puppet, was obediently waiting.

"Watch Ophelia for me. Give her sedatives from time to time. She shouldn't wake up." Wren ordered as if the puppet had a mind of her own.

Then then went outside and at the dark of the night, she looked up at the moon with only one thing in mind. "I've sacrificed everything for this. Now it's this world's turn."