Overlap: The Other Side

<07/12/45,453 {Avion 49} - 08:15 | Empyrean Temple, Karnak, Genosis, Altiri Sector Space>

In the deepest, darkest past of any Altiri, we all remember the world we used to know, now a shell of what it has turned into. Temples of blue and white, armored in steel rising hundreds of meters high in watch, grew and dominated our surface near the main Empyrean Temple of our god, Legasso. Central hubs for congregation between our towns and cities became busier which each passing year. Within our world never changing, where ice and snow plowed through the air like iron sand, the theme of our worship became so certain in our divine light, the glow a beautiful bright cyan to contrast the blank white, modeled after our very own natural skin.

This combination of lights, no matter where it occurred has always been sacred to all of us, its pattern so mesmerizing as to bring eternal montrum to all who gaze deeply into it, as if piercing our eyes right beyond the veil of the world beyond what we know. With every breath I took in learning, I absorbed more of this memory, shared by all, witnessed by the brave. During the years of my own upbringing, I had learned so much, yet I knew so little. How often have my eyes lifted far open, my mind in craving for wonder, for all knowledge of our universe and of ourselves, to a point which nearly drove me to madness more times that I could ever count?

The effect is familiar to most. When we Altiri are first born, there is so much to learn, that our minds and our feelings remain so potent and sharp. Our wishes feel as though they have the power to rewrite the laws of existence in the universe; our thoughts strong enough to make any moment last forever in undying memory, our passion all absorbing, our desires wielded as a blade. Those of us who have aged for so long, lack the same luster in those who haven't, as if to display their total exhaustion with how long they have been alive for. We Altiri live forever if we do not take sufficient injury, and we give birth to one or more of ourselves, every single time we reach the age of 108 years.

In the time so long past, I lived right around here, kept myself close to the divine temple, my mind wrapped inside all the culture and teachings which remained holy, which remained law. On this day, I, a woman known by Lumina, was only 92 years old, still young and impressionable, still blinded by the shadows all around us.

Chapter Theme Shift: A Choir of Angels ~ (unknown artist)

"Do not fret my daughter. We shall bear witness to his gratefulness someday. It will be time for us to part from here soon. As long as we deliver our respect at this temple, we will always be blessed and protected."

I wasn't exactly concerned or worried about the situation. This was something that happened far more often these days than it used to. Here we were at the Empyrean Temple, waiting to catch sight of Legasso. However, like many recent days, he has not shown himself too often or made too many public appearances. Even long after expeditions to planet Zinod have gone on, the space exploration program has taken an unexpected and unexplained pause, based on what my mother tells me.

"It's alright mother. I will not fret, for we are blessed with life as you say." I was content with being here, not solely because of our purpose in this place, but rather by our bound presence together. With my mother, I knew I was always going to be safe, that I would continue to learn more things and grow, as I have for 92 years now.

I knew then and have since been certain of my feelings for her, how much love I could never possibly express in wholeness, for this adult beside me did more than raise me to be a model Altiri. All the times we laughed and played together, all the times we went out into the world, helping and meeting other people from other towns and cities, all of these experiences gave me more purpose and joy than I could have ever imagined otherwise.

Even though this was not true during this time, long after, I have forgotten both her face, and her name. Therefore, even while living in this memory, trying to recall her exact expressions or voice; it later became shrouded in the distortions of corrupted information. As I looked upon her face, there was nothing but shadowy static void, a visual effect representing what I can no longer remember. Her voice was choppy and distorted as well, fragments of many who are all except for her; my mind's way of preserving my mother's words when her voice is all but deleted. Her very own name was also but an enigma, a blank space that blasted itself to my senses the moment it was ever brought up in conversation, by me or by another. The only memory that remained between me and her, are the memories of emotion and feeling we had towards each other, our love unwilling to waiver.

During this time however, I acted as though nothing were wrong, because during that time, all of my own memories were perfectly intact, long before the Exodus, and long before the Fall of Zinod that would later haunt our world.

Going back to that day, me and my mother were just about to part from the temple for the rest of the next four cycles, planning to return here later again as routine would dictate. However, this moment was far more memorable for all of us, because today would turn out to be anything but routine. Before mother and I could leave the royal chambers, the scene from a very upset Altiri stole the attention from everyone in the room, prancing in anger on the royal floor, right next to the empty seat of the king.

Chapter Theme Shift: Mermaid Crystal Body Codes ~ Mitaka Orion (Starseed)

"I have every right to be out here! My wrath needs to be heard by all of us!" The woman who I've never seen before had some frozen moisture around her eyes, indicating she had been upset enough earlier to cry. Her outburst on the other hand was of anger and aggression, in her tone and in her body language. Two additional woman from the area behind the royal floor were coming in, their attention directly on the loud one, in disagreement with her lack of public professionalism.

"I'm looking at each and every single one of you!" the insane woman pointed and drifted her finger around the room to the many of us who were in the chamber, numbering no more than one hundred. "The daily attendance at our sacred temple is an abomination to the worship our ruler rightfully deserves!"

I had no idea what was going on or what this woman was talking about, and based on what shared feeling I got from my mother, the confusion was more wide spread than within me. All I could do was watch and listen in silence, trying to understand this soul's anger. However, when I allowed my own eyes to zoom in a bit further, I noticed another oddity about the girl. The right side of her face was slightly discolored, the middle of her right arm and part of the top of her right wrist was dented somehow, and some amount of her hair had unevenly been chopped off. It was as if several injuries found this woman all at once, like something had beaten her up with bruises and surface-level beatings.

"Even if our king does not make public appearances, all of you are required to show up here and deliver your support without question. Any rules that Legasso makes about any town or settlement must be followed without question! Any who dare reveal insufficient loyalty to your god will be faced with severe consequences!"

"Hanoue! We aren't supposed to be giving these kinds of speeches today! It is only for Legasso to encourage behavior for our support. For the last time, please step down and come back with us!" One of the two guards behind Hanoue was trying to get her to silence her rage, to return to royal chambers which very few have never seen in person before, usually because they are the places nearby where Legasso privately resides, he and his royal servants.

"The lack of people in our temple is unacceptable. I hereby order all of you loyalists to return to your towns, and ensure everybody there makes their due attendance and tribute! You should all know by now what the true price will be for failing to properly show worship to your king!"

"That is far enough Hanoue! Come here! I'll just have to drag you out by force!"

The display before us felt surreal, as this stranger was obviously someone who felt they could speak on Legasso's behalf. It was a little harder to take her seriously as she was being dragged away, arms wrapped around her chest by one of the two guards up there, but her words of warning dug into the heart of us.

It's no mystery that attendance at the Empyrean Temple has been rather lacking lately. There are clearly logical explanations to excuse it; most Altiri live far away enough from the temple that attendance for them does not happen daily, as it physically cannot happen at all without planned trips. Others willingly choose to arrive here of their own continence and volition. There isn't really anybody that I personally know who intentionally avoids coming here, or who lacks allegiance to our king and god.

As Hanoue was being dragged way kicking and shouting, I knew I could understand what was happening here with what context I had. What I didn't understand was why. Little mishaps happen in the temple here from time to time, based on what stories I hear. Unyielding worship, devotion, and allegiance to Legasso has been a requirement for us all, for quite a long time too. Some of his personal accomplishments in our past are well known, such as the launching of the space exploration program, though other accomplishments are said to be uncertain or unprovable, elapsed from the lost memories of those left behind into the past.

The reason for coming here is more than mere worship. Since Legasso is here and makes all the rules for us, anyone wishing to do something extraordinary must first seek and gain permission from Legasso with a public appearance. Legasso has shown himself far less recently, which I assumed before now to be the reason for the recent drop in some attendance here. I really don't know what is going on though, and based on that concerned feeling in her gut, my mother doesn't know either.

She glanced back at me with sternness and worry in her voice. "Come on. We must return to our home at once, and report what has happened. Even if this is nothing to worry about, we should never take that chance and defy our ruler."

"But, who was that lady?" Hanoue, who was long gone by now didn't seem like someone familiar to me, so I don't know why we would ever take someone like that seriously.

"I rarely ever see her, but she is actually a personal disciple of Legasso. Make no mistake my daughter, she has more authority than it seemed just now."

I held my tongue learning this, deciding it would be best to trust my mother with our next move. A disciple of Legasso is by far the highest and most important job any Altiri can have around here, and they often spend much of their personal time with the man himself, as volunteered servants and much more. "Yes mother. Let us return home then."

<07/12/45,453 {Avion 49} - 14:25 | Anncoya, Karnak, Genosis>

Without delay, mother and I returned to our home town called Anncoya, and began taking on the task assigned to us by Hanoue. We directly relayed everything we saw and heard to every neighbor and friend we could find, urging them to tell everyone they knew that more attendance to the temple was being demanded. This task made the day much longer for us, so we frequented some breaks in our own home, a structure made entirely out of ice; a place we could safely drink our water and relax in peace.

On the third outing of our departing from our home, before mother and I could confirm how much of the town knew about the news spreading far and wide, another disruption of the same caliber broke the quiet calm of our town.

Chapter Theme Shift: In Favi ~ Ignis Spiritus (In strict Confidence)

As the mysterious stranger walked in from the east entrance of Anncoya, the emotional atmosphere in most everyone changed so swiftly. Many were shocked to see this person, while others were conflicted with feelings of betrayal and love, making no sense to me at all.

Whatever this appearance was about, I could instantly feel some strange sensation of sanctity about her, her mere appearance reminding me once again about all of the montrums of our world. Thoughts of sacred temples of ice and time flooded my mind, and upon gazing to this stranger, an overpowering wave of familiarity, combined with my separate montrum merged together, halting my only breath, my attention entirely onto her.

My mother seemed to react first, only after more than half the entire town started gathering around this person, who seemed to expect this reaction out of us. "My word, Quvailah! It has been so far long since any recall seeing you."

The woman who my mom addressed as Quvailah gave us a strange hand motion, one usually used to calm any excited person without any words. "I no longer use that designation, loyal Altiri resident. I ensure people address me now as Lady Q."

I don't understand; is her name Quvailah or Lady Q? Is her old name nothing but an alias? "Mother?" I addressed. "Who is this person?"

"Not now Lumina." My mother firm, demanded that all of her current attention be given to Lady Q, though not with welcome intentions in mind. "What are you doing here? Even though what happened to you was so long ago, you were exiled from our society. You have no reason to show up here and mess everything up. The fact that you can't even use your own name proves to me that you never outlived the shame you brought upon yourself, when you desecrated the sacred halls of our temple, and insulted Legasso to his face."

"Is that what they say about me these days? It's a wonder how people still function in this darkening world." Lady Q wasn't too precise about clearing up what vision my mother had about her.

From the shortened story my mom just delivered though, I understood now why this person was slightly familiar to me. Many still recognized her face, even though Lady Q has aged up since then. The legend is, this is the one and only lady who directly defiled the temple, refusing any allegiance or worship to Legasso. Hearing that, I wasn't too happy to see such a person here today either.

"I am not your enemy," Lady Q reminded in a loud volume, calming herself thereafter to appear innocent and safe. "Also, I have so far frequented many of the other towns and cities. Anncoya is not some place special. In fact, it is quite dangerous of me to show up anywhere near the Empyrean Temple. If any of Legasso's servants realize I am here, they will likely hunt me down and terminate my life."

"Isn't that what you deserve though?"

"Yeah! Why should we listen to a traitor who turned her back on God?!"

Many of the townsfolk were instantly beginning to unleash their fury upon her, and all for valid reason too, though Lady Q never showed any hostility or defiance to any of us. "The mutant that you call God is nothing more than a power hungry tyrant. He has high status as king, but I can prove to all of you that he should not be ruling over every one of us."

"Lady Q," my mother inquired curiously. "What do you mean you can prove it? I mean, what makes you think you know anything about Legasso that the disciples do not know already?"

"Oh, the disciples already know the truth. The problem is, they can't really do anything to change their fate, which is now forever to remain a slave of Legasso's toxic behavior... I must not keep showing my face too blatantly in the same spot while I discuss these matters. I ask that all of you show me to the main space you use for discussions and meetings, and that we talk there. However, for reasons I will reveal soon enough, I want to only speak one on one with Lumina's mother. All of you are free to listen closely of course. I don't intend to hide any truth from you."

"Mom? We should drive off any who oppose our divine rule."

"Silence Lumina! For once, just let me think in peace." She appeared far more distraught than I was expecting her to be, though with no clear reason why.

"I encourage anyone to think about things, and make a choice on their own, an act of freedom we seem to lose with each passing day. I know what concerns you, Lumina's mom. Even your own faith in this system has started to crack ever so slightly. You have noticed the lack of goodwill and favors offered to our kind from the kingdom. You have even felt the disturbance behind the scenes of that disgusting royal chambers, uncertain to pinpoint exactly where those foreign emotions of terror are coming from. And as for today's spectacle, I bet you are wondering what is going on with Hanoue."

"Hold on just a sec," my mother intervened with annoyance. "Even if what you say about my judgment is true, you could not possibly know any of my experiences."

"Oh, but I can. I will cease using that ability for the time being, since I feel it can be rude to intrude the mind without permission, but telepathic reading of thoughts is an ability I have possessed for as long as I have lived. I have also acquired a clairvoyant ability to see into places I should not, though only for short durations and at short distances. You and I have much to discuss, about our future as Altiri, and where we may head if the entire society of us all does not commence to a course correction."

For a long pause, my mother was silent, considering every word this strange person had to say. It's incredible that I've never heard or seen any kind of ability like this before. Telepathy is something all of us Altiri have by nature, but to enforce it onto another without an established link is a power I've never seen before, not even in Legasso... She feels so scary, yet Lady Q is as calm as ever.

"Alright then. I will gather only some of us directly into the meeting room, so as to not overcrowd the area. Anyone else wanting to listen to our conversation and share may do so, for I and the others will open our minds and allow links to be used. Lady Q? You have an immense amount of explaining to do."

"Lead the way then."

Very little time passed for all of us to wind up in the meeting hall, a larger building of ice designed for a purpose much like this one. After all had become comfortable, and fully stocked on purified bottles of water to hold a conversation that would turn out to last for hours long, I waited silently, listening to an exchange of questions and answers that all told a crazy story from start to finish, beginning with where Lady Q has been all of these long years.

"You know as well as I do the reason I had to change my name and alias many times over. When I was banished from society by Legasso, it meant I was not welcome anywhere. Living so far outside of the established safe zones of our world was possible in all ways except for two. One requirement to live I had lost was the ability to easily acquire a sufficient supply of stored containers of water. I had to be within the establishment to obtain the handouts, yet I was not allowed to be there. In addition to this, while I was okay for a short time, I basically lost my mind trying to live without any company for years and years on end. Being in the presence of others, even if they cannot be designated as friends or family, appears to be another necessity to the mind, though I'm never sure as to why. So, I moved to the furthest self-sufficient town I could, trying to pretend to be somebody else, and I laid low for thousands of years."

"Then why now have you suddenly chosen to reveal yourself like this? Legasso isn't going to pardon your crime of returning to a place you have been banished from."

"I do not seek nor expect a pardon from any authority figure. You must understand, that the reason I stood up to Legasso that one day, was because I could read what was on his mind. As a royal king devoted to the care of his own people, there was a time when he used to genuinely give such care to those around him. But it seems as time went on and he became both self-sufficient and comfortable with his position and power, the only thing that remained priority to him was maintaining his social status, even when it called for sacrifices of people who never had to deal with such rules before my time. Even though I don't regret what I did that day... I must admit, I was being a bit careless, and totally immature. When I challenged his divine authority, I wasn't fair in the way I went about it. I allowed my own emotions to dictate my every words and actions, when I should have handled it in a better manner - so to speak."

"You're saying that Legasso has not a care in the world for his own people? You expect me to believe that?"

"Whether or not Legasso cares about his people is no longer something that concerns or worries me. If the problems encroaching upon us were so simple, I would not have come all this way to bring you truth and warning."

"I do not understand your reason for being here, Lady Q."

"Please, allow me to break this down further for all of you. You see, it isn't what I did that day that concerns me now; rather, it is the changes within Legasso I have noticed over the years. Small as they ever may be, Legasso is not the person he used to be. I do not know if my first encounter with him is what started this gradual change, or if the change was always happening without me. The point is, his behavior towards others including himself has progressively worsened over time, as it continues to do so. Since this is a figure in charge of every living creature on our world, I must point out why this should concern everyone greatly."

"What do you mean by behavioral changes? Can you give us some kind of proof?"

"That is one reason I am discussing this now. Again, these changes have been going on for a long time, slowly, so as not to be noticed by most of us. Most Altiri who frequent the Empyrean Temple probably have a very high and specific ethereal impression of Legasso, but the truth is, Legasso was born around the eighth or ninth Avion, long after we already existed here. Therefore, at least by technical definitions, he is no god, which is a separate debate from how you would like to worship him as a king or ruler to our world. The biggest fallacy and lie right now, is how much Legasso cares about his people. The truth is, he prioritizes his current status as ruler, and requires constant worship as proof of measurement that his position is not compromised."

"But, he is ruler of our world. Creator or not, this still demands our willing devotion to Legasso."

"Just because someone is in charge of a nation, does not mean they should be. I do not wish anarchy on all of us. I want to avoid making any critical mistakes here; I know that the solutions I propose to the problem I have yet to explain will not come easy for any of us, but we must be vigilant by knowing with full disclosure the kind of person why are dealing with. One example is, I bet none of you knew exactly how Legasso treats many of his personal disciples."

"What do you mean? Would disciples not receive the best possible treatment, serving directly under his rule?"

"Is that what it looked like when Hanoue appeared before all of you today?" Only minor gasps and murmurs followed the rhetorical question. I could see now why Lady Q wanted to be directly speaking to my mother, for Hanoue would be a specific piece of a puzzle she wanted to use with her speech, and where it regards this town, only me and my mother have witnessed it. The back and forth would continue for longer than I expected it to, but I had no choice but to listen closely and in silence, to all I have ever been taught be deconstructed by this exile.

"When you read my mind and my memory without permission, it does not make me trust you more, Lady Q."

"I promise, this is the last time I will attempt to analyze your direct memory or your thoughts. Given your reaction, I say you have a pretty good idea what state Hanoue was in, at least where her body was concerned."

"What are you implying, Lady Q?"

"I don't like to say anything that discomforts people I want to learn to care about, however, ignorance will become a great enemy soon if we react to it all too slowly, so I shall share what I know, learned though many years of passive surveillance I put into those royal chambers using my own clairvoyance. It appears that Legasso favors personal control over every situation so strongly, that he returns any amount of insubordination with all the negative emotions he has been building up, including and not limited to, physical abuse and violence."

"What? Are you trying to say that Hanoue was angry because Legasso physically beat her or tortured her?"

"The abuse is as clear as day to any willing to accept the possibility, and as I've seen and felt it firsthand, I know this is a certainty. I will even allow all of you to search my memories with a link to put down any doubts to my outrageous claims. Though, the reason Hanoue was upset was exactly for the reason she had been screaming... The crazy things that all those years of torture and abuse does to the mind, well, it isn't pretty. Some disciples have already lost their minds in horrible ways, just to survive, as Legasso would no sooner put them to death before he allows too much free-will to manifest in those closest to him. Effectively speaking, Legasso's personal disciples are nothing more than copies of himself at his worst, forged to be that way because he won't tolerate anything else. He hides this from the public, because he knows that such displays may disrupt the worship he currently seeks. Hanoue is only one of many. More than a hundred Altiri woman have been warped, altered, or destroyed by these methods, methods that have only become even more intense recently than they were in the past."

"This is all too hard to believe Lady Q. Surely you must be mistaken. This is our king you are accusing!"

"Again, it makes sense why it would be difficult in plausibility. Surely you have noticed lots of horrible decrees coming directly to the nearby towns. The worst of punishment enacted on innocent Altiri are always done by Legasso's disciples and not himself, because by doing things this way, his public image remains clear of any act of violence or evil. That's not all. I've most recently heard disturbing news within the royal personal chambers of several plots to take full control over all of us, and instantly punish any and all who are not completely loyal to Legasso's rule, to the point where even mere question of intention would be met with a fate thousands of times worse than what was thrown to me."

"What kinds of plots?"

"I never managed to attain any specific details of what these plots were, but seeing as it involved growing and then using all of the disciples Legasso has at his disposal, I can tell he intends to go through with it, whatever sinister plan he actually has to enact against us."

"Lady Q," another local addressed, "I don't believe what you say is true just yet, even though I will find a way to investigate this matter further. But if what you say does turn out to be true, we must separate Legasso from his position of power before he can do us great harm."

"I'm afraid it might not be that easy," Lady Q returned, regretful that the idea has even surfaced. "Not long ago, I too wondered why I would not go for the simple solution of removing Legasso's status as ruler. One issue is that this would require majority support from all of our society. If only a select few of us know the truth, and we attempt to remove Legasso from power, even if successful, it will divide our people into a rift so wide, I dare fear we one day attack and destroy each other over the debate of who was right and wrong. And, even though I have not mentioned this yet, while I have frequented several towns and cities doing there what I am doing here, I have not been met with much success. I have already been banished and run out of several areas of residence already. By far, the people of Anncoya are calm, wise, and peaceful. Even if all of you remain skeptics to my news, I am forever grateful to be in your presence, and grateful that you are even willing to listen to what I have been through."

"Our people need more proof is all. If we can convince the other Altiri that Legasso really committed violence to his own people, treason against our kind, then we would have no problem proving that he must be removed."

"That too is an immature thought I have abandoned before coming here. There are countless Altiri in our area who devote their entire life and memory to Legasso, so much that any alternate reality that slaps them in the face would be rejected to maintain any level of self-deluded sanity they have left. This as I mentioned would be one of many factors that could lead to a war against ourselves. However, there is a secondary problem with removing Legasso from his position."

"More than just one huh?"

"I am convinced already that Legasso being in power is doing more harm than good to our society every cycle that passes. With that said, if he is removed from his position, another must take his place, less we allow anarchy to rule over us. There was once upon a time where we had no planetary ruler controlling anything we did, but with our current resources being squeezed and our continuing ascension of knowledge and evolution of psionic abilities, I think it would be unwise to have no plan for what comes after."

"Lady Q? I must ask you something about Legasso. Based on everything you've seen, is this person the only one of his kind in our entire world? Are there other Legasso-like people running around?"

"If you refer to his exact personality, my swift answer would be a hard no. He is the only individual in our world I have seen behave this way. However, as for more recent matters, many more Altiri are beginning to inherit this behavior from him, through direct threatening torture no less. And so, any move we make against Legasso, even if peaceful, will be met with any violent interaction from his disciples, as if he were handling us himself. His disciples have become as violent and evil as he has, at least half of them, so it would be wise at this point to assume that such horrible behavior and mannerism can actually spread from person to person. This remains the reason why Legasso and his team are so dangerous. I would at least like to try something before any devious plots are unleashed against us."

"Well then, if you think removing him from power is not the right move to make in light of such news, what would you do instead?"

Following the question of our neighbor, I realized how quickly and easily everyone here was convinced of Lady Q's story, perhaps not enough to believe her, but enough to interact with her to formulate their own pathway of action. I didn't know what to think. I spent much of my life following what my mother would do, including worshipping Legasso with so much devotion. But if she isn't raising so much of a fuss over this news, maybe I was wrong about the ruler of Karnak as well.

Lady Q delivered onto us her updated strategy for dealing with this single tyrant, after having explained how complicated it might be to target the not so alone ruler. "Against a few of us, Legasso cannot be bargained with or reasoned with. The only times he maintains the appearance of valiant behavior is when the eyes of us Altiri are watching him, right on top of the floor of the royal throne room of the Empyrean Temple. This tells me that Legasso still cares about maintaining the public appearance of a kind and caring, benevolent person, which also means he is vulnerable to public pressure, if impactful enough. In addition to this, the people as they are now, at least by majority, see absolutely nothing wrong with Legasso, not even enough to question whether or not he is a true god of anything. So, I have a plan to fix this."

"Please explain, Lady Q. Be advised, if your plan is one of physical violence, especially when done without warrant and proof of his wrongdoings, I will personally run you out of our town as well."

"Very well. I shall explain to you the best and most civil way to deal with this. I am personally going to continue collecting evidence against Legasso and his disciples, until I can convince even more people to understand what is going on. This however will take some time, so I must enact another plan in the meantime. I'm going to continue visiting every town and city, and then I will revisit the few places that did not throw me out right away. Listen very carefully to what I want everyone to do."

After she got all serious, Lady Q went over her brilliant strategy, sounding bold as ever. "In little increments over time, I want all of you to lower the amount of devotion you give to Legasso, publicly I might add. Do increase the attendance to the temple as Hanoue has asked you to, but bring with that attendance, minor disputes that need swift resolutions, questions to the working level of authority within the temple, rumors that not everything in the royal chambers is as it appears to be. You must not be too blunt or too obvious, and it must come from a wide collection of individuals, displayed in such a public place as the temple itself."

"But, won't that dramatically enrage Legasso or his servants more, and thus warrant retaliation against us directly?"

"I will warn that I do not know what to expect on direct retaliation, but I am certain this will enrage those in charge of us all. The thing is, it is easy for Legasso to horrifically punish a small few if they act out, but with all of us, he won't be able to hide such aggressive behaviors from society. This means one of two things are certain to happen. The first is that he will feel cornered and pressured by the backlash he receives for being too overreaching and too controlling without actually resolving many issues hurting nearby towns. From this pressure, only one of two things will happen next. Action one would be, against my own expectations, yet beneficial to us all, he will give into the pressure we put on him, and become more lenient with what we Altiri need, including giving us more freedom that we seem to have lost. If he does this, not only would all you stand to benefit, but you could also see this as an opportunity to prove me wrong, all without being too defiant to the one you have always looked up to. Or, he will go for action two; doubling down on his own authority, and making such a vile display to try and punish such defiance."

"That second action does not sound like a win."

"It will give Legasso what he wants in the short term, but it will also open the eyes of many Altiri who are currently left in question about whether the words I say are true or not. If Legasso isn't the evil villain I have made him out to be, then surely, a large cluster of Altiri people asking for the faintest amount of returned support would never lead to any vile behavior or reaction from him or his disciples. By retaliating against us, he would inevitably prove once and for all that he has no real intention to help his own people, but instead to maintain an ascension of dominance over all of us. This wins Legasso a small battle, but it will cost him something far greater; lots of that loyalty he so often demands of us. If the Altiri people see this and they then have some reason or footing to believe that what I will later repeat to them is in fact truth, then it means a wider majority of us will then be capable of standing up to him. If enough of us then wish for Legasso to be removed from his position of power, the threat of any internal war against ourselves is next to zero, and from there, it would not be all too difficult to replace him with another ruler, one more fit to lead our planet into prosperity."

It was the most long-winded explanation of a plan I've ever heard in my life, and Lady Q expressed herself in such elegant dictation which I have heard from nobody else before. At first, I thought this stranger was some kind of vile monster of a woman, going by how she was banished and all. But now, I have no such impression of her. I don't know what to think of the plan, but I was able to understand most of it. It's so genius, that most including myself would dare to try it, because if Lady Q is right, then what we do would only expose the truth, whether that truth belongs only to Legasso, or to Lady Q. For us who care about the absolute truth, this is a win-win situation, if we all agree to go through with it.

"That's about all of it. You see, I already know that my version of this is right, which saddens me to even speak aloud, but in order to convince the others, at least to open a gateway level of trust, I need the help from many like you, people who simply don't want yourselves or your kind to be treated like animals. If Legasso was not physically harming his own disciples, I would not be here right now trying to do this, as much as I have always despised the man for having sent me away. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for everyone else, so that all of us can live in harmony again. If you agree to help me, please enact all that I ask you two, in exactly fourteen cycles from now. I wish to try getting even more audience members there before the plan is placed into action, and thus I have more towns and cities to visit."

"I don't know if we should do this."

"I wish to see memory of what Lady Q has seen. She said she would share access with us."

"I think some of us are still undecided on what to do."

Lady Q put a swift end to what seemed like a debate about to go out of hand between everyone gathered. "Please, be patient and thoughtful. Before I depart for the next town, I shall share my memory with any who wish to see it. I intend to hide nothing from anyone."

"I want to see it too." It was the first time I spoke up about anything since attending this meeting. Lady Q says she has seen the violence for herself, and I therefore need to be certain as well.

"No Lumina. I will share in the memory, but you must keep your head clear."

"But why? Mother, I should know the truth as well."

"And you will, but only through me." My mothered glared at me more worried than upset for my argument, but like all good mothers, she secretly shared her concern with me, in hopes I might one day understand why I wasn't allowed to see this for myself.

"If what Lady Q has observed is true, I'd rather not expose you to what terrible scene may unfold within my mind. Though, the real reason I must do this alone, is because memory sharing isn't always safe for the mind. My daughter, you must keep your head free and clear of any possible contamination of memory, especially in your youth of age."

"What do you mean? Why is it safe for you to do this when it isn't for me?"

"It isn't safe for me to do this; and that's why I'm doing it, so that you don't have to take the risk. I love you far too much to allow you to use memory sharing. If you are not careful when you invoke memory sharing, you can wind up losing memory of your own life, overridden and corrupted by the thoughts of the person you share the memory with. It isn't a high probability, but the risk being there at all is more than enough reason for you to avoid it Lumina. We wouldn't want you to forget who you and your family are, now would you?"

"I understand mother... But please do not lose your memory either. I don't want you to forget who I am."

"Lumina, I would never dare allow that to happen. There is no need to worry. I have more experience with this kind of thing, so the risk to me is even lower than it would be for you. Now if you will please, wait outside the meeting house for all of us to be done. I will find you after I have learned the truth from Lady Q."

"Okay... I love you."

"I love you too Lumina. Take care."

As instructed, I went outdoors to wait for the Altiri to finish their business with Lady Q, left curious and a little upset that I could not know everything there was to know right away.

This very morning started off like any normal day, but now everything just feels upside down, the world turned crazy. I didn't know what would happen next. I didn't know what I wanted to happen at all. The only thing I was sure about, was that I would be following in the footsteps of the woman who raised me, now and forever, even if it means going against Legasso.