Critique of Pure Reason

Departures are sorrowful events. You leave the ones you love for an uncertain future. But perhaps if everything is predetermined, then it may be less depressing. Yet, perhaps the inevitability of it all just further cements the despair—the hopelessness of knowing that no matter what you say or do, the outcome you desire will never eventuate.

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Lady Scarlet and I left to see Miss Zaloneas. When we arrived, she barely looked up and encouraged us to sit while she poured some tea.

“Were you expecting us, my dear Zalony?” Lady Scarlet asked. There was a smile on her face, one that she rarely displayed in front of others. I had been fortunate enough to experience it many times, yet I don’t think I have seen it once in front of anyone but Mr. Ren.

“I figured you would come around here, my dear Scarla, I heard Ren had returned, so it was only a matter of time before you would come to tell me that you were leaving.”

She finished making the tea and brought it over for us to drink. This time, I knew I had to wait for it to cool down.

Can I take it that you are off?” She asked Lady Scarlet.

“That’s correct. We will be leaving in the morning.”

“I see, and what of you, Child? What path have you come to?” She asked.

“I’m going too,” I responded.

“Very well, then I suppose I will see you all off tomorrow morning.” She added before taking a sip of her tea.

“Zalony, it would be awfully sad to leave without you. Won’t you reconsider joining us?”

“Scarla, my dear friend. I have come to terms with my mortality. I want to enjoy the precious things in life. The birds chirping, the sunrise and sunset each day. The smiles and laughter of those in this camp. That’s why I cannot enter the rift. If I did, I would lose all those precious things.”

Lady Scarlet looked sad. I suppose Miss Zaloneas and her were very good friends. I knew from when Mr. Ren was away that I missed him and felt really sad, so I couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to know that leaving them meant I would never see them again.

Miss Zaloneas took a sip from her tea again and added, “I know our separation will be sad, but there is always hope for a reunion. If you find the Chalice, we will be able to unite.”

“All the more reason to find it,” Lady Scarlet noted. We finished drinking our tea and chatted a little more with Miss Zaloneas. I think Lady Scarlet just wanted to spend more time with her before she departed in case they never met again. Regardless, we stayed until the sun began to set.

I think Lady Scarlet wanted to stay longer, but she said we had to pack for the trip tomorrow. I suppose she would have a lot of things to pack. On the other hand, I only had a handful of items, and the chain was too heavy for me to bring, so I would leave that here.

I packed a few pencils and reading tools with me, and I brought my book, the one I took from Mr. Library’s room. I put a pair of clothes out for the following morning, and I put my knife with it. It had a sash that would go over my shoulder, so it wouldn’t need to go in my bag.

There was still a lot of room in my bag, but I had to leave enough space for Buddy to fit in. He was coming with us, and I wasn’t sure what the rift would be like. He might get tired and need to rest; he was still a puppy, after all. I also made sure to pack plenty of his favourite food.

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The sun rose, and Miss Zaloneas met us at our tent. She looked relaxed, which was a contrast to Lady Scarlet and Mr. Ren, who both looked like they hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. Certainly, I did not hear or see Lady Scarlet sleep when I went to bed.

Lady Scarlet added some medical equipment, a rope, and some rations of food and water to my bag but otherwise left enough room for Buddy to sit comfortably within it.

We walked to the closest rift, which was only a short distance from the camp. Though I had heard a lot about the rifts, I had never actually seen one myself.

How can I describe the rift? It was like a tear in the fabric of reality. One moment, it appeared blue, the next purple, and then yellow. It also occasionally changed shape slightly. Despite its form changing, it remained eerily silent.

I tried to make sense of it, but the more I attempted to understand, the less clear it became. Perhaps there was nothing to understand at all. It was just madness itself.

“Well, this is as far as I am going. Scarla, Ren and Child, I wish you all the best of luck in finding the Chalice.” She smiled before adding, “Child, I have a small gift to tell you before you go.”

Miss Zaloneas knelt down to face me.

“This is a tale that has been passed along through our Teraxious community. It is the ramblings of madmen, but it has become a kind of good luck charm. I’m telling this to you to wish you the best of luck in your adventures.”

No day or night in the Chaos lands,

But a Crescent Moon, a legend spans.

The moonlight’s reflection is a cruel liar,

Preventing you from finding your desire.

I didn’t really understand the story—perhaps I was too stupid to understand it—but it was interesting nonetheless, so I thanked her for it.

With one last final farewell. we entered the rift.

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Time works differently in the rift. What has been, what will be, and what is happening exist and do not exist all at once. When we entered the rift, I was met with the screams and horrors of what can occur and what is occurring.

Voices. So many voices. The voices of the church of Xilu members screaming in agony. Regret filled with the fearful screams of ‘we should have entered the rift’ and ‘I don’t want to die’.

In the midst of the probability storm, I could hear Miss Zaloneas saying, ‘This is the end, I guess. I hope Lady Scarlet, Ren and the Child are still out there searching for the Chalice…’ before that too was cut off.

Visions of people being torn apart while they were still conscious, individuals disintegrating for their existence no longer could materialise. Individuals began warping into a spaghetti of existence. Madness and a lack of reason.

Although this probability hasn't happened yet, it may be an outcome that would happen or has happened. Perhaps it was inevitable for those who were content with their own mortality. 

They had, they would, and they will be part of the rift.

I blacked out.

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End Chapter 13