Mankind: An Elysian Tale
Chapter 15: Elysium
You regain consciousness. With the sun slowly descending from view, you surmise that you’ve been out cold for at least a couple of hours. You wince in pain as you anchor your body against a wall and attempt to stand.
Your grasp on your blade’s hilt tightens with each pained step you take towards the temple door. You inspect the features of the temple — previously hidden by the wire overgrowth. It appears to be built from an otherworldly combination of wood and steel. Wires crawl up over each block and panel, much like how vines would up against medieval castle walls. Some produce sparks, while others make a faint humming sound as electricity courses through.
You lean against the imposing wooden door. The hinges produce a haunting creak that reverberates throughout temple hall. Fragments of light pour through the cracked ceiling as you slowly walk inside the temple.
The temple appears to be a worship hall of some kind. In front of you are rows of rectangular contraptions — all with wires that stretch out across the floor and towards the altar.
At the altar is a silhouette of a man.
The man appears to be hunched over, with most of his facial features hidden underneath the hood of his cloak. Beneath him are a multitude of wires — all sprawling behind him and up across the foundations of the temple hall.
While you have many questions to ask, you choose to begin with one. “Why are you taking our memories?”
The Elysian smiles. He replies with a frail, otherworldly voice. “A cost had to be paid to forge mankind’s path forward.”
“A cost? Surviving in the Wastes already has its price — one we pay with our own lives. Is that not enough?”
“No, dear traveller.” replies the Elysian. “Far from it.”
A surge of electricity courses through the wires in the temple hall — all converging towards the Elysian. Then — an ear-shattering snap. You grit your teeth and cover your ears.
While you take a moment for the ringing to subside, you notice the Elysian taking measured steps towards you.
“Mankind has always done what was necessary to take their species forward. No matter the odds, this was, and will always be the path your people will choose to take,” continues the Elysian — now just a few meters in front of you. “And so, in their desire to grasp what was beyond their reach, mankind collectively pursued the perfection of machines.”
The Elysian then reaches out to you. However, what comes into view is a hand — the likes of which you have not seen before. Metal rods have taken the place of human bone, with surging wires as muscle.
“Unmatched in its efficiency, machines paved the way towards a world they once thought impossible — a utopia. In building the machines, mankind had hoped to ease the burden of their journey. Instead, their creation brought them straight to the end — for better or for worse.”
“Now, the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and the homeless are sheltered,” continues the Elysian — now tucking his robotic arm under his cloak. “While mankind was content, they soon realised that a world without want was not enough.”
“How is having everything we might ever need not enough?” you ask with frustration. “Have you seen what it’s like to live out there in the Wastes?”
“What is left for man to do when there is nothing left to learn, overcome, or conquer?” asks the Elysian. “Amidst the sheer abundance Elysium afforded mankind, it failed to give the one thing they needed the most: purpose. And so, in their desperation, mankind turned to the machines once more. Perhaps it was not man, but machines that would lead them towards the next chapter of their existence.”
“The monumental task of leading mankind demanded a new kind of machine — one that possessed both unparalleled efficiency and infinite wisdom,” explains the Elysian — now walking back to the temple altar. “So once more, mankind toiled, until the pinnacle of machines was born. However, it was soon realised that mankind’s success would come at a great cost.”
“Granting the machine the sheer amount of wisdom it was designed to hold was a monumental task,” continues the Elysian. “It was also imperative to ensure that this machine would empathise to mankind’s cause and have their best interests moving forward.”
Once again, the wires enveloping the temple hall hum back to life. Then — a distinct clack — as if something was connected back into place.
“Human memories, as it turned out, proved to be the fuel necessary to power such a creation,” Smoke begins to emanate from the Elysian — a consequence of the electricity surging within the wires and into the machine. “Memories are complex: often fragmented and convoluted when recollected. However, when viewed collectively by a superior intelligence, these memories could potentially prophesise the future mankind meant to have.”
“Hence, our role as Travellers,” you conclude. “Still, I do not understand why humanity must be left to scrounge about in the Wastes. You speak of the abundance Elysium possesses but do little in sharing this to those that need it the most.”
“At the core of the human spirit is a perpetual need to struggle and overcome,” replies the Elysian. “This was the key to producing human memories powerful enough to alter the course of mankind — a conclusion made by your ancestors after living a life of abundance. The transformation of Elysium then began. Structures of peerless craftsmanship gave way to the lifeless sands of the Wastes. It was the methodical deconstruction of a utopia — all done to pursue what laid beyond perfection.”
You mull over what the Elysian has just said. The thought of your struggles being intentionally caused by design rather than circumstance frustrates you deeply. However, are the ambitious reasons behind implementing such a design justify what you and your people have gone through?
- SIDE WITH THE ELYSIAN (coming soon)
- FIGHT (coming soon)
