The Dark Veil: The Rose Vol. 3
Part One Chapters 13, 14 & 15
Previously On The Dark Veil: The Rose Vol 3:
Phil faces Artemis’ probing questions about the nature of belief and the purpose of the fight, while struggling with his own internal conflict. Sanos prepares for his moment of triumph at Drac Tower, plotting his next move with Sephtis. Moth wrestles with mounting threats, including Sanos’ disappearance and the Draconians’ expectations, all while planning a deadly spectacle for the indigo children.
13
Robyn Winter stood in the middle of the decimated rebellion base. The grey leader, Nero, had done his job well. He was staring at over a mile wide circumference of charred earth that looked like an atom bomb had gone off. The ground still radiated heat from beneath the decimation. The rock formation that had served as a roof for the underground base had completely vaporized, leaving what must look like a gaping hole in the earth if looking from above. Small fires continued to rage across the mile-long circumference.
Nero’s downed mother ship lay in the rubble, half of it missing, and the rest charred from the rebel’s retaliation.
He came to see what he didn’t want to believe, the decimation of his home. The place he’d come to live centuries ago, before the war, when the dark veil was most prominent. A means to gather the indigo children in secret. A place to teach the truth with a means to return humanity to its foundation, unfettered by the Draconians programmed reality. Where he could facilitate the species’ return to the celestial beings they are.
All gone in the blink of an eye, with no recourse to salvation.
Why? Because every cause has an effect and now Sephtis was that effect. In his darkest thoughts, he would have never suspected the Dark Lord would grant Sephtis such a dominion. The move was cold and calculated, strategic in its purpose and dire in its consequences.
For all parties involved on both sides of the coin. He wondered how far the Dark Lord’s resolve would go. Destroying the universe would mean destroying himself, although Robyn understood such a situation may not be a deterrent. Satisfaction in the eternal realm of death is often a successful outcome for the deceased. Revenge being a dish best served cold.
Some people just want to see the universe bathed in suffering.
Robyn crouched down, his hand hovering over the hot rubble, then closed his eyes, transporting himself below, to the underground cave where he battled with Sephtis. The heat was stronger in the garden. Robyn walked through the rubble, a ghost among the decimation. His projection allows him to move freely through the fallen boulders.
He then projected closer to the pond where Sephtis met his death. The waterfall now trickled across the boulders and rubble. Fueled by anger and suffering, his once peaceful base has been transformed into a place where anguish and heartache ruled with an iron fist. The sensation twisted in his heart. He scanned across the rubble, using the rose to manipulate the atmosphere and move the boulders and rocks from the pond, turning the atoms into vapor.
He required access to the pond.
The message Nin had recited from the Atlantean was an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. The Atlantean’s warning regarding Sephtis was perplexing, although logical. Of course, Robyn would never allow Sephtis to use the time portal, but there was more to the message than was revealed on the surface. The Atlantean knows this, as Robyn is aware too, and both understood that it is Robyn who sends the Atlantean into the time portal-an event that has yet to transpire, although Robyn was beginning to understand when the event will happen. That much was being revealed through current circumstances.
The Atlantean is working for the cause within time itself. Robyn had to trust the message and trust the unfolding events.
He had a feeling the Atlantean will be with them soon.
Now, he projected beneath the water, into a cavern below the pond where the bronze box waited for him. He removed the chains secured around it with a thought, the steel’s atoms transformed into dust, then he opened the box that beamed with a light blue glow.
The orb was glowing blue and pulsing waves of energy from its core. Robyn closed the lid, then projected himself above the pond. The box in his arms when the faintest trace of sulfur nipped at his nostrils. A thin fog hovered over the pond.
Robyn paused, scanning across the garden, when beneath his feet he felt the rumble of an approaching starship.
A recon mission from Moth, more than likely.
Judging by the vibration of the starship, Robyn could decipher what kind of ship it was. It made sense that Moth would send a team to confirm the rebels’ decimation.
Robyn wished to be gone prior to their arrival. Keeping them in the dark, thought Robyn, maintains the element of surprise.
He scanned again across the garden. The fog was gone, as was the scent of sulfur.
14
“But what does that mean?” asked Cam.
They were returning to the underwater base, attempting to unravel Phil’s conversation with Artemis. Their primary enigma was Artemis’ parting words: Do you not already have that need?
The question was as simple as it was perplexing.
Grimes said, “In my experience, the fighting is over when the fight is won.”
“Endless wars,” said Phil, earning stares from Cam and Grimes. They waited for him to continue. “According to Robyn, this war has been ongoing for millenniums.” He shook his head. “He explained it like a wave in the ocean, moving back and forth, from one side to the other. The fight is won, and then the tide turns in favor of the opposite.” He looked through the window to the murky water outside the vessel. “Everything in the universe is a recycling pattern of energy and will continue with that pattern until the pattern is broken, creating a new pattern that will then continue. What this new pattern is…” He turned back to Cam and Grimes. “Is based on the actions we choose.”
Cam nodded. “I get that, but what are we supposed to do? Lay down our arms and allow them to take over?” He turned to the windshield. “That doesn’t make sense either. Choosing subjugation and possible annihilation doesn’t make sense at all.”
“When looking from a different perspective, it makes perfect sense.”
Now everyone turned their attention to Cat as he maneuvered the vessel, waiting for him to continue.
“Do you want to expand on that, Cat?” asked Grimes.
He paused, focused on his task.
“Cat?” said Cam. “Can we get more information?”
He seemed like he didn’t want to say. In the windshield, they could see his eyes were raging with electricity. Cam looked at Grimes, then Phil, then back to Cat.
“What’s happening in that computer brain of yours, Cat?” asked Grimes.
His eyes settled back into a blue hue. “My apologies, gentlemen. I was required to assess current understanding in relation to cosmic knowledge.”
“Again, Cat, we have no idea what you’re referring to,” said Cam.
“I was referring to the nature of energy and vibrational frequencies unfolding over time. Understand that everything in the universe is energy. Even the most basic laws of physics have been taught to your people, despite the location of your upbringing. The answers have always been right in front of you as required by cosmic law, although the information is buried in a mountain of distraction. Newton’s Law states, energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed.”
“Okay,” said Grimes, as if he needed something to say. “Please relate that to current circumstances.”
“Simple,” he said. “The collective energy of the species vibrates at a certain frequency. Should your species perish in violence, anger, or fear, when your species is reborn across the universe at a later time in the universe's life, you will be born through that fear. However, should your extinction be met through peaceful means, love and compassion, so will your future rebirth, therefore, delivering the peaceful evolution of your species into a realm of higher consciousness. I believe this is what Artemis is referring to, which, when associated with the recycling pattern of energy that Phil referenced, makes the most logical conclusion to the enigma you are all puzzled over.”
Grimes said, “So, you’re saying we need to sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya while the world is being destroyed? I’m not sure about that one, Cat.”
“If you wish for the peaceful transition of your species, then yes. Your history has been riddled with war. Look with your own eyes where that has brought your species. Should the pattern continue, annihilation is inevitable. Your species’ evolution was stalled many millennia ago, which has brought a state of devolution. Although this devolution has been a coordinated effort, it still maintains. It is the driving force behind the current thinking.”
Cam looked over his shoulder at Grimes. “He’s insulting us again.”
“Better believe it,” responded Grimes.
“It is not meant as an insult, gentlemen. If there is any consolation, it was not your fault to begin with. Your programming for devolved thought occurred before you were born. It is wrapped inside your DNA, although continued awareness of new perspectives will aid in your personal advancement, allowing your minds to evolve as they were meant to.”
“I think that was a compliment,” said Grimes. “Impressive.”
“Thank you. Coming upon the underwater base, now.” Cat steered the vessel into the loading bay where he landed, the compartment closing behind them when the water was filtered from the compartment. Cam then addressed Phil.
“You’ve been quiet. What are your thoughts about what Cat said?”
Phil looked at each one of them before he answered. “Robyn has always said that for the war to end, it’ll require pain. Perhaps that is what he was referring to, although I’m not sure.”
Cam ground his teeth. “We’re about to be annihilated. If I could walk right into Drac City and never have to shoot a single bullet and still walk out unscathed and victorious, I’d trade that ability over any war or battle.” He shook his head. “But that’s not reality, it’s suicide.”
“If that is what you believe, then it is as such,” said Cat.
Phil rose from his seat. “Let’s continue this conversation later. It’s time to go!”
Obviously, he wanted nothing to do with the conversation.
15
Aries gathered the indigo children together. They sat cross-legged in a circle. He assessed each of the nine children, including Annie and Cameron. Their ages ranged between six and ten apart from Annie, Cameron and Aries, the three elders in their small tribe.
They all looked anxious, and Aries could see hopelessness in a few of their stares, although the six-year-old Mia seemed to be the calmest in their group. Other than Mia, there were three additional females. Luna, Chloe, and Hazel were nine, eight, and seven years old, respectively. The remaining three were boys. Noah, Elijah, and Riley were all eight years old. Out of all of them, Cameron looked the worst. He was sweating profusely; his face pinched in unrelenting agony.
Annie said he was hungry, which created a major concern for Aries. He’ll need to account for Cameron’s role in their future ventures with great scrutiny, knowing the boy could become their greatest asset or their greatest threat. Aries made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
It was Hazel who asked the first question. “What do you expect?”
Aries cocked his brow. “Expect the unexpected.” He looked at each one of them. “We need to keep our minds clear. Remain in the present. Even the smallest piece of information we discover can help us get out of here. Nothing is trivial. Whatever we can find to help us is good.” He took a good long look around the large cell. “Although I expect they won’t be keeping us here for long. If they wanted us dead, that would have happened already, which means they’re keeping us alive for some reason we’re not aware of.” He paused, allowing the information to sink in. “Which means we need to assess what we have at our disposal.”
Elijah asked the next question. “You don’t think Master Robyn is coming, do you?”
Aries paused. It was Annie who answered. “It’s a smarter plan to not expect that they are coming. We don’t know if they’re alive, so putting all our effort into the hope that they will come will not do us any good. It’s best to not depend on what we don’t know. If they do come, it would be helpful if we too are helping with the escape.”
The children collectively nodded before Aries continued. “The question we have for all of you is what are your individual strengths? It doesn’t matter how small you believe these strengths are or if you haven’t mastered the ability. In my experience, a collective purpose can strengthen individual powers. Should we pool our collective experience and strengths, we may just be able to walk out of here and return to freedom.” He gestured to Annie. “Annie has a unique telepathic ability and can communicate with any transport we will need to take us home, and I can battle with the best of any alien vampire. How about all of you? What has Robyn been teaching you?”
Their answers were a mix of telepathy, meditation, sacred geometry, alchemy, and the little one, Mia, said, tekeese, although none of them could decipher what that was, but she said it with a smile. Again, her demeanor seemed like she hadn’t a fear in the universe. Aries liked her a lot.
Annie put her hand on Cameron’s shoulder. He didn’t look good. “Cameron has telepathic ability too. And he has a unique connection to Perseus.” Cameron closed his eyes and nodded. “Can you find him, Cameron? Perhaps if you’re able to lock in on his location, you can coach him to help us?”
“I’ve been trying, but…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Everything is so clouded. I can’t think through the…” his voice trailed off as if he didn’t want to complete his thought.
Aries craned his head, his eyes narrowing, thinking.
“Think past what?” asked Annie.
Cameron gasped. His jaw grinding when he put his hand to his stomach. “Past the pain,” he said, although Aries was suspicious of the statement. Deducing Cameron was referring to the painful effect of a cause he wasn’t divulging. He let it go. For now, at least.
Aries put his hand on Cameron’s shoulder. “Try to clear your mind. Focus on the pain to see through the pain.” Cameron nodded, and Aries and Annie shared a concerned stare. “We’ll teach you.” Annie nodded, but Aries was putting the puzzle together.
Cameron was in pain because he was hungry. Aries scanned across the indigo children, realizing the implications of Cameron’s hunger. Considering his vampire hybrid status, he had a free meal right in front of him and plenty of veins to sink his teeth into. Although he had shown no aggression here, Aries wondered how long Cameron could hold out until that hunger took over every impulse he had.
Chloe asked the next question. “What about the rose meditation?” The group turned to her. “According to Robyn, it’s all any of us will ever need.”
Aries asked, “Are you skilled in its use?”
Chloe shook her head. “No, but…” She looked around at the group. “Maybe if we all do it together, we can use it as a collective protection.”
“It’s worth a try,” said Annie. She regarded Aries. “You’re the most skilled in its use among the group. Perhaps you should coach us through it.”
Aries titled his head. “My understanding is rather basic, and my experience is limited.” He paused. “Very limited.”
“But you understand more than us,” said Chloe. “And you have had some experience. All that Robyn has taught us so far is the concept, but not the practice.”
Aries gritted his teeth.
“You can do it, Aries.” Annie gave him a reassuring nod. “We have to do something and that’s what we have available to assist us.”
Mia nodded frantically and said, “It’s good,” to which the children shared a collective laugh.
Aries took a deep breath, then looked around at his little tribe. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this together.”
