Eternal

Year 45

You travel back to the sanctuary under cloak as you have many times before. The sanctuary isn’t much to look at anymore ever since it collapsed ten years ago, but one thing’s for sure, nobody ever comes around here, making it the perfect place to live ever since you started to live like a recluse.

You scan the area to make sure there is nobody around before you go through your secret entrance; you remember how long it took you just dig your way out of the place. You probably could’ve stayed down there indefinitely, but there are only so many times you can read the same books over. It was only natural that you got curious about what was going on in outside world after the first few years of being buried had past.

About another year of digging and it was a brand new world. The Empire had fallen, but not much had changed in the scheme of things. In some ways the situation might’ve been worse for the average person. You travelled under cloak to explore what used to be the territory of the old Empire, only to find that most of it was now divided up into petty fiefdoms run by the new eternals.

You knew as soon as you saw these new eternals they were going to hasten the Empire’s fall, not save it. You also weren’t surprised to find most of them fighting over the scraps of their dead “parent.” They lack any sort of discipline of your generation, as far as you’re concerned they’re twisted mutants of eternals, but not real ones.

Most of the population that had existed under the Empire has become practically enslaved under the new eternals. There are a few that remain autonomous, but this is mainly in Rask where the place is a war zone even compared to places like Quala or Arat. From what you’ve heard Flog and his orc/ogre horde have been spreading to southern Rask and making it hard for any eternal attempting to plant a flag and keep it there. It’s gotten so bad that what eternals do lay claim there have resorted to hiring svelk mercenaries to help. And the svelk aren’t exactly well liked by the new eternals (Though that’s one issue you’d have to agree with them on).

The other area that remains free from of new eternal domination in Nalin, which is seemingly a beacon of “light” and under the control of the only other first generation eternal known to be alive, Brenda. She apparently has a non-aggression pact with the eternal upstarts, but has made it clear she will not let them destroy what’s left of what she considers to be the last remnants of the Empire. You don’t know whether it’s out of respect or fear that she has managed to avoid war with any of them.

As for Delerg, it’s not a warzone, but it’s no paradise. Delerg is slightly unique in that it’s currently only “ruled” by one eternal by the name of Brutus, with no major competition. Brutus is not quite as ambitious either; he and his crony eternals seem content to just wallow in the swamp. One might think that perhaps he’s just biding his time and waiting for an opening to invade the weakest eternal in Quala, but in reality he wouldn’t have the means to do it anyway, his entourage is more of a gang rather than any proper army. He’s just lucky Delerg isn’t a profitable target by any other eternal or else he’d probably be wiped out by a real invasion.

You’ve often wondered why you continue to stay in Delerg or even the general area even after you took your “tour” of the old provinces and saw the chaos for yourself. You have no real answer other than you have nowhere else to go and that you’ve lived at the temple for so long now that you consider it your home regardless of who is calling themselves ruler there.

The other reason you guess is Talia. Even after all these years you still haven’t quite moved on. You speak to Talia a lot, but she’s not much of a conversationalist anymore, not that you mind. You’d rather speak with her than Dendrin who you don’t know why still insists on speaking with you at all though thankfully it’s been rare nowadays.

Later that night you go through your usual routine of a little training to keep your skills sharp and eating your dinner. You then visit the garden and speak with Talia about what you did today.

“Visited Sinkhole again today. Still the same rundown town it’s always been. You’d think since Brutus made it his headquarters that he’d actually have a little pride to build it up a bit. Instead he and his lackies seem to just enjoy kicking around the same pathetic peasants, molesting hapless young girls and generally being assholes. Must be nice to enjoy doing the same routine over and over again.”

You grab a handful of dirt and throw it where you buried Talia.

“Sometimes I feel like uncloaking and killing them all, just to see what they’d do, you know? I bet they’d be scared shitless. The return of the shadows! Ooooooooh!”

You laugh a bit.

“Of course you know I did feel like killing them all after you died, but now? What’s the point? It won’t bring you back, and most of those bastards get themselves killed over stupidity anyway. Hell I’d probably be honoring them by gracing them with my blade to their hearts.”

You throw a stone in the small stream nearby.

“I mean I suppose if I did kill them, I’d be helping out those they’re tormenting now…but why bother? Most of those wretches were content living under the yoke of the Empire, they can be happy with what that mindset got them! Remember when I was trying start up a minor rebel cell here? All I could practically get were the fucking criminals and other miscreants. I mean what the hell does that say about society when those are only type willing to fight against tyranny?”

You start to get angrier at the predictable silence.

“I mean it’s not my fight anymore! I did what I could back in the day and it wasn’t appreciated by anyone, sometimes not even by you! The Empire is dead! I’ve done my bit, so if someone else wants to play freedom fighter they can have at it. I’m done…I’m...I’m sorry…” you say as you slump down near Talia’s grave.

You sit in silence for quite a while, and eventually you fall asleep.

“You’re not still moping about are you? I thought you’d be over the hermit thing by now.” Dendrin says
“I can’t really be a hermit when you keep interrupting my solitude all the damn time.”
“Oh please, you secretly crave it! If you really cherished your solitude that much, why the hell do you even bother leaving this place to make your little trips all over the countryside?”
“I only did that once because I was curious about the changes in the world.”
“But you still continue to make your routine trips in Delerg at least. You know nothing has changed for quite some time, same eternals tormenting the peasants as usual. It’s almost as boring as a routine as you have, must be an eternal thing. My point is, if you really wanted solitude, you wouldn’t risk leaving this place at all. You wouldn’t lurk on the outskirts of civilization spying on what others are doing. You also wouldn’t still be talking to your mate who hasn’t been in any condition to talk back in quite some time. I don’t think this hermit thing is for you. You need to be doing something else.”
“Oh like what? Entertaining you? Look if you’re so bored, why don’t you go bother someone else and leave me alone? I’ve repeatedly told you, I’m not here for your amusement.”
“Obviously not. (Sigh) Very well Eternal, but you know I’m right. You can’t keep going on like this. You’re going to have to change your surroundings eventually, because you might as well be lying in a grave right next to Talia given that you’ve fallen asleep in the dirt and have small cave insects crawling on you.”
“Don’t think I haven’t considered it.”
“Stop talking nonsense. You’re not suicidal and even if you were, you’d be too cowardly to go through with it anyway. Just like you’re too cowardly to change your current situation by leaving this place.”
“First you say I’m not really a hermit because I’m leaving here on a regular basis, but now you’re saying I’m too cowardly to leave it? How does that make sense?”
“I’m saying you’re going about everything half assed! You want to be a hermit? Fine then you need to shut yourself off from the outside world completely and not run around topside and vicariously getting your socialization kicks by spying on others. However I don’t think that’s what you want. I think you WANT to go back to doing what you used to do, but you’ve been staying hidden from the known world so long that you don’t want to risk what peace you have. Its safer that way.”
“And I haven’t earned a little peace? Given everything I’ve been through?”
“Maybe you have Eternal. I don’t know, but what I do know is you don’t seem to be satisfied with it, so what I’m saying is you need to change your situation. Otherwise you might as well be dead because you’re not living, you’re just surviving.”
“It’s enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“Always has been.”

At this point Dendrin stops speaking. You don’t know if it’s because he’s just tired of arguing with you or if it’s because you’ve actually won the argument. Dendrin can’t really deny that surviving to a certain extent has been enough for you in the past.

In any case the numbness eventually subsides and you wake up.

After brushing yourself off you head back to your real bed and ponder what you’re really going to do since despite it all, Dendrin has once again managed to weasel a little truth in his words and its enough to make you think.