[12]

“We had lost another two of our Dreamers,” Alpha spoke with his resonating preacher’s voice. “Strider and Vivace, the curious and the lively ones from Area 4, as you may have known them.” He paused, allowing the information to fully absorb into their minds. “It is a true loss for all of us, and the mission from God.”

The clearing around the Great Oak was filled with the people of Now, Dreamers and non-Dreamers. Another removal in such a short time? This was too much for the people to bear. But the agonizing silence and mournful expressions were soon broken by a surprising comment from a surprising person.

“There’s another lie,” a thought-to-be-dead voice erupted from the centre of the clearing. All the heads turned to the phantom. There Strider stood, as alive as he’d ever been. With wires he was hooked up to the Great Oak, and Vivace standing beside him. With a voice of authority, Strider spoke.

“People of Now, it is of my regret to inform you that we have been living under a regime of deceit. The Elders are feeding us with lies. They have been removing Dreamers for the past few months to cover up the illnesses they were getting from the research ground. That area is a radioactive wasteland left by the ancestors and is completely unsafe for Dreamers to be working in,” Strider held himself with firmness. “They claim the Light is not a thing to be involved with, for we are vulnerable against it, yet they manipulate that weakness of ours to murder the sick, unneeded Dreamers. This is the most deplorable form of hypocrisy!” Some had noticed the ghastly expression on the Elders’ faces and developed slight suspicion, but most of the population was marked with doubtful eyes. Strider did not let that stop him.

“They tried to remove us as well, for we found out about their slimy secret. They used an awful weapon to put us to sleep. Then they left us out in the vulnerable fields for the sun to finish their job.” Strider flipped a switch on the Great Oak. Lights began flashing and images flooded out from Strider’s memories into the Great Oak then into the minds of every person there. The demonic words and eyes of Elder Alpha flickered into each one’s mind. “But as you may wonder, how did we survive the penetrating rays of Light? It may truly have been God’s doing that we found a cavern of flasks of what seemed to be ancient remedies.” With images and videos illustrating his explanation, more and more people stopped doubting his words.

“That might have been the true key to the Restoration,” Strider’s voice boomed with confidence. “For after consuming the liquid inside the flasks, not only were we cured of our illnesses, our skins grew no longer vulnerable under the Light!”

The crowd gasped at the very thought.

“Yes, we have retrieved the ancestral ways of living under the nurture of the sun. We are no longer afraid of the day, people of Now. From this point onwards, we become free of the bind which has tied us to this forest, and the lies of the Elders!”

Chirpings of the songbirds and visions of the endless flower fields brought every villager’s heart pounding with excitement. This was incredible. There was no one, at this point, who doubts the words of the young boy.

“Remove the Elders! Destroy those lying hypocrites!!” Somewhere within the crowd, a lone voice called out. It slowly grew into a synchronized chant, as the words grew into an unstoppable fury.

Strider raised his hands to silence them all.

“Right now we have greater things to tend to. The cave is not a close journey. Vivace and I have been able to bring back two crates of flasks, enough for only a dozen or so of you. We will need to transport more in a gradual procedure. Then, in no time, our entire race will once again be granted the endurance against sunlight!”

The people cheered and applauded at his speech. Several well-built, energetic ones sprung from the crowd, eager to be the first to aid them in the transportation. Sheer excitement and joy overtook Strider like he had never felt before. From his left, he could also feel Vivace’s pulsing exhilaration.

The future lay prosperous.

[13]

Flynn hesitantly reached his leg out of the shadowed boarder of the trees. With his heart in his throat, he waited for the sizzling sound of burning flesh which never came. The scorching pain was not present either. Sunlight was actually marvelous. Taking a courageous leap from the shadows, Flynn fully immersed himself into the Light to join the others.

It was fantastic.

[14]

Strider looked out of the dimly illuminated window of his small hut. Other huts scattered across the land in a systematic matter. The buildings were not yet refined, but they had nothing to worry about. They had plenty of time ahead of them.

The first shade of dawn had washed into the sky.

The Elders were left in the shadowed coverage of the trees, as the villagers had decided. Since they were deceitful and manipulative about the Light, their punishment would be spending the rest of their lives in darkness. It was a cruel punishment, as the previously doubtful villagers had begun to realize after experiencing the taste of life under the sun. The delight was like no other.

Civilization would begin to develop again, after a painstaking journey of reclaiming the daylight. It would not be forgotten, nor would the villagers ever forget the value of life, as their ancestors had. They still had much to learn, and much to develop, but there was one thing they knew which their ancestors did not. The people of Now experienced, with far more impact than their ancestors, the true beauty of nature.

So perhaps this time, the nature will not be taken granted of.

The great herald of morn, the rooster, had declared the day with its vivacious call. And the wondrous sun slowly revealed itself from its bed beneath the horizon. Day had come.

People began to wake.

[fin]