Renegade Reborn (42 page)

Maybe an evil force influences these men when they make such choices, but we all, we all hear that voice, and we make our choices regardless. For IAM to intervene, is to stop free will in its tracks, and free will is the cause of everything in existence itself. If there is but one thing that I have learned of my maker, it is this. He may be a jealous lover, but he is not unrealistic. He will not force you to love him. If he does, then it is not love. Love must be free, and only when it is given and accepted freely, is it love.

For instance, if a King loved a beautiful woman, by right, being king, he could force any woman he wished to be his wife. But would that wife really love him? You can force people to do many things, but you cannot force someone to love you.” Rolce said.

“Hm,” Purah said.

“For argument’s sake, let’s say that the King instead of forcing someone to marry him, decides to allow other, lesser lovers to become available for that beautiful woman to choose from. What if he instead comes to the girl, woos her, offers her a choice, and she decides to love him freely. Wouldn’t that be best? Wouldn’t that be real? He may know what we are going to do, and like every good father, he wants his children to make the right choice, but despite all his power, he allows us to make the wrong choice. I believe love itself proves that free will is not just an illusion, it is real . . .” Rolce asked. Purah smiled.

“I am enjoying this conversation, Rolce. I really am, but there are many holes in your logic. You cannot have free will, and also have destiny.” Purah said.

“That’s true, I’ll give you that, but isn’t the word ‘destiny’ just a fancy term for admitting you believe in a higher power? That your life is out of your control?” Rolce asked.

“Exactly my point, Rolce. It has to be one, or the other.” Purah said.

“Why can’t it be both? Can IAM not control nature’s surroundings? Like, the weather? Perhaps it’s a rainy day outside, and, in one time line, I die by being struck by lightning. Perhaps, down the road, a greater evil happens, because I was not there to stop it, because that lightning blast killed me? We both know how Time works, Purah. I believe that we make our choices, and IAM, does his best to work around them for the all around, big picture, the greater good, and at the core of it, love, is the greatest good of all! We, as people, run on love! It was from love we were born, through love we are sustained, and because of love mankind continues to exist!” Rolce asked.

“It’s in the realm of possibility. Your argument is sound, if not a little mushy, but this opens up a new question. Why is it, that when we lose love, we feel the worst pain imaginable? There’s a limit to how much pain a man can take, and the loss of love? It’s enough to make a man go mad, lose purpose . . .” Purah said.

“I thought purpose doesn’t exist?” Rolce asked.

“It does. I’m not debating the rules of our world. Purpose exists. What I’m saying, is that I wish to change the rules. There was a time where we as men could picture perfection, yet, not achieve it. Now, through Drakearon’s power, we can.” Purah said.

Rolce fell silent at this.

“I don’t want to fight you, Rolce. I really don’t. We have come to a drawing of the line in the sand. It comes down to this. You want the rules to stay as they are, and I wish to change them, and to do that, I will need warriors, as will you, if you wish to stop me.” Purah said.

“All to erase the pain of losing your family, and your guilt?” Rolce asked. Purah then looked surprised.

“I know your whole story. Your wife, your child, killed in the Renegade Civil War.” Rolce said.

It was now Purah’s turn to fall silent.

“By your silence, I know you’re in pain, but you cannot even know pain, without pleasure. Can you? They go hand in hand. To embrace one, is to deny the other. You really want to be rid of all your memories? The good times you had?” Rolce asked.

“I do. So I no longer have to feel this way.” Purah said.

“But, what Drakearon offers, as I repeat myself, it isn’t life!” Rolce said.

“But neither is it death,” Purah said.

“We can go back and forth for eternity like this Purah and that’s just what I’m fighting for! I enjoy debating, I enjoy coming to a table, on a level playing field out of respect and free from prejudices and bias.

Let’s be honest for a second and cut to the chase. People are coming to you now, sure, willingly enough, but what happens once they stop coming?” Rolce asked. He then paused a moment, and looked Purah straight in the eyes.

“This may come out wrong, and however it sounds, I don’t mean it this way. Think of it as a “what if” scenario, but, why be so selfish? Not everyone is in pain. Are they? Some people are happy. People, when in your case, usually take their own lives when such inner, uncontrollable pain becomes unbearable. Maybe our minds, our chemistry are different, but I run on hope, the hope to see the sun again, to hold Kinny in my arms again, to grow old, have children with her, but, I want to ask this . . .

If you’re so filled with pain, why haven’t you just ended your own life? Why do you feel the need to bring down the rest of the world with you? Why do you want to force them to see things your way? Purah, please, you’re a good man deep down, I know you are, you’ve just let your circumstances get the better of you, you’ve let your pain twist your . . .”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Rolce.” Purah said, suddenly, his eyes taking on a very different gleam. “I’m tired, Rolce, so very tired of this world. Maybe, if others were like you and your father, life would be more enjoyable, but it isn’t. Maybe, it took such circumstances, such pain, to break my false self and reveal whom I was all along?

We’re both beyond clever, Rolce. We’re geniuses really, and everyone in this world, is just . . . so, so terribly boring! The love of my wife and child brought me a distraction, but, when they were taken from me, my distraction was gone. I don’t know how you stand it, Rolce, standing among these, these imbeciles, or why you fight for those who cannot even fight for themselves. They are a blight upon this world, with no strength, no will, always choosing the things worse for them, drinking, eating, drugging, and smoking themselves into oblivion! But worse than them, are the ones who cannot even think, or reason for themselves . . . the ones who would rather have somebody else reason for them! The ones who hold to one political party with religious fervor, all while calling the opposing side ‘extreme’! They don’t even see the irony in front of their own faces!

The amount of naiveness, bigotry, and blind faith in this world is enough to start three new religions or cults based solely on those three flaws. Oh, wait. My mistake. They already do exist! They're called the Purist and Freeist Party! And like a religion or cult, they listen to their voted leaders without question! When their leaders say ‘swallow’ they ask how much? When their leaders say ‘bend over’ they ask how far? These . . . sheep . . . they cling to these leader’s simple logics, and it’s all my fault . . .

You’ve heard their naïve phrases; Love is all you need. Give peace a chance. End war. Love is between a man and a woman, IAM is all you need, etc. These are but surface truths, but beneath, lies the hidden iceberg, and the iceberg is what the clever see, the truth beneath the truth, where the imbeciles would rather cling to the surface, cling to what feels good, rather than open their minds a little and dive deeper!

Doesn't it just drive you mad, Rolce? People unable or unwilling to see what you and I can see? I should be thankful, thankful for the sheep. Without them, Drakearon would have no power, but truly, I’m not . . . these sheep, Rolce, they disturb me, and in the end, death isn’t good enough. I’d rather them suffer as eternal batteries for Drakearon!

I will enjoy changing this world, and when the silence comes, I will revel in it, live in peace, true peace, until my own end comes, and I cannot wait! Death, death will be my next great adventure, my only excitement, my only goal beyond the silence, and I welcome it! Even if hell takes me!” Purah said.

Rolce stared at him, trying to keep his composure upon hearing the rampant rant Purah just unloaded on him.

“Do not give me that unapproving look, Rolce. You asked, why don’t I just kill myself? Because, I don’t want what happened to me, to happen to anyone else! Someone needs to make the hard decisions to solve our world’s problems, but nobody will!

For instance, overpopulation? We kill the leeches! Crime? We cut off the hands of thieves, cut off the heads of murderers, cut off the tongues of slanderers, cut off the scrotums of rapists, and watch as crime plummets!

These are called complicated problems, but they are only complicated because of the rules of this world. But take away the rules and complicated problems become simple. Because of the guilt, we halt ourselves, but even guilt, our moral compass, can change over time. Do something evil long enough and even guilt can turn numb. People, at their core, are evil, Rolce, and they are only getting worse by the minute. Their hearts are black as the sky above us, and their minds, oh, their idiotic minds are starved from lack of use. It just, drives me rightfully mad when people just can’t bring themselves to stop, and think! Just, THINK! THINK!” Purah said, his head raised back, yelling the word, before coming back down and giving Rolce a long look. “And then there’s you, Rolce,”

Rolce lifted an eyebrow, but held his tongue.

“In all my years upon Thera, your friend, Gisbo, has to be the most idiotic person I’ve come across, and yet, you call him not just friend, but best friend? And even worse, deep down you want to be him! It boggles my mind! Why? Are you that lackluster in confidence that you want a companion with the IQ of a mongrel to make yourself feel better? Is that it? And, Man-Phoenix? HIM! Over Jackobi? He, Gisbo, is the one IAM chooses? I cannot even fathom . . . that alone should cause you to question IAM’s omniscience and yet, you don’t. One of the biggest power sources on Thera, and it’s given to the biggest fool upon Thera? I, I can’t even dwell on this anymore . . .”

Rolce found his fists tightening upon the table, as his upper lip quivered into a silent snarl.

“I see that you take offense to what I’m saying? With such a gaze I would think I’ve insulted your woman? That fool, he is nothing, and will only bring you down just like his father brought me down and don’t even compare my friendship with Falcon to yours with Gisbo. Despite what I want to think, Falcon was smart! Damn, smart! And what he accomplished, as a mortal man, is something that should be glorified before the rules change, but Gisbo? He is representation of my exact argument with this world. A rude, violent, drunken imbecile! I would side with Drakearon, philosophical reasons aside, just to silence buffoons like him forever! This is where I make my stand, Rolce, and you need not stand against me. Rather, you can stand with me if you just, THINK! What say you?” Purah asked, leaning back in his chair. As he did, Rolce rose out of his seat, towering over Purah with his height, and leaned down, planting both of his big hands upon the table.

“You know what I think Purah? I think you’ve had everything come easy for you. You're good looking, beyond intelligent, and got the life you dreamed of because of it, and now it’s gone, and like a spoiled child whose toy was broken, you want to have a temper tantrum and ruin it for everyone else. Me? I came from a place where my intelligence was mocked, and Gisbo? He may not have known it then, but he defended me when no one else did.

That's how good he is.

I don’t think the way you do, Purah. I’m not bored. If anything, I'm jealous of the fools. I want to be one! They enjoy life, take it for what it is, a gift, and you’re right. Gisbo is a fool, because only a fool would attempt to undo everything that you and Drakearon have put into motion, and yes, he is rude, but I can get behind rude. Rude is honest, rude speaks its mind damned the consequences. I can trust rude, and I can trust Gisbo, and when it comes down to a choice to stand with Gisbo or you? I don’t even need to think about it!

I've been in both your shoes, Purah. You’re right, it is hard being clever, special, but it's even harder being Gisbo. You know what I think Purah? You're just a sissy. You don’t have a monopoly on pain. Everyone’s suffered loss, and those that make it through, come out stronger and better for it.

So, where do I stand you ask? I stand with the fools, but before I do, answer me this question, Purah. When the fool defeats the genius, what is the result?” Rolce asked.

Purah gave him a hard look, but didn’t answer.

“The genius, becomes the fool,” Rolce finished.

Chapter Twenty One: Rolce vs. Purah

Rolce and Purah ended their connection, and picked up exactly where they left off in present time, barely noticing or hearing what the giant, beautiful woman standing between them was saying. She spoke of ideals, living embodiments, and a host of other excuses to justify two men fighting to the death, so those neutral, those too afraid to risk, to choose, would instead, follow the path left open by the strongest, the winner. Upon finishing her lengthy diatribe, Lady Seveara looked from Purah, to Rolce, and only then, did they hear her.

“Gentlemen. I will give the order to begin upon returning to my seat. The two of you represent two paths, but only one, upon the close, will remain open. May the remaining path, lead us true . . .” Lady Seveara said. Then, with one last look at Rolce, she made her way back to the high table above the arena floor and, without wasting a moment, raised her hand to the sky to begin.