raw sewage fought with garbage to claim the streets. The cities slowly went dark as dwindling power supplies were diverted to keep the Lifelight pyramids functioning. Fresh food was unheard of Our main sustenance, gloid, became a valuable commodity. Vast stockpiles were used to feed the millions of people during their jumps, but the manufacturing of gloid ended. There was nobody to do it. Everyone assumed there would always be someone else to take care of business. There wasn’t. Everyone was in Lifelight. “Most everyone.
“I’m proud to say that many phaders and vedders worked tirelessly to keep Lifelight functioning and the jumpers safe. The hope among all of us was that someday, somehow, enough people would come to their senses and abandon Lifelight. At first we imagined enough people would rejoin reality so that we could revive our world. But time is merciless. The cities decayed beyond repair. Hope then became that enough people would eventually abandon Lifelight so that we could begin anew and create a new society. That day never came. It all happened so impossibly fast. I never appreciated how much effort it takes to keep society functioning, and how quickly it can all come crashing down.
“The inevitable finally happened. The jumpers in Lifelight began to die off. First it was the elderly, then those who already suffered from some sickness. All over the territory, the jump screens went dark. We stopped removing the bodies from the tubes. There weren’t enough of us to bury the dead. The Lifelight pyramids became tombs. The deaths actually prolonged the decline. Fewer jumpers meant less energy use, but it was only a matter of time. We soon reached the point of no return.
“Eventually people began leaving Lifelight to discover the horror that their collective neglect had caused. They left their perfect fantasy lives to re-enter a reality that had become a nightmare. Some chose to jump right back into Lifelight to live the rest of their days happily, no matter how short a time that might be.
Many decided to stay away from the jump tubes and rebuild their world. It was an impossible task. It had been too long. The city had become a dangerous place. Wild animals stalked the streets, foraging for food. They first attacked children and the elderly. People went missing. Nighttime was filled with the screams of victims as they were dragged off by savage creatures in search of meat.
“Something had to be done. Desperate measures had to be taken. We knew Veelox was doomed. At least, the Veelox we knew. We couldn’t rebuild society, so we chose to create a new one. The remaining phaders and vedders banded together to start a new life.
“The island of Ibara has been chosen as the birthplace of a new civilization. It is a beautiful, tranquil place that was once used as a military base. There hasn’t been need for a military force for generations, so the island is now empty. Our plan is to take as many of us as possible and move to Ibara. There we will build a new and simpler society. We are determined never to allow technology to rule our thinking and control our lives. A pact has been made between us all to keep Ibara as a place of harmony and growth. Most important, it will be a place where people interact with other people, not with technology.
“There is a powerful, frightening element here in Rubic City that will try to stop us. We’ve split into two different groups: those who want to leave and begin anew, and those who want nothing to do with a reorganized society. These are the outlaws, the mercenaries who have ransacked the city for anything they need to survive. They are bound by no laws. There is no police force to stop them. I guess you could call them pirates. Or thieves. Or looters. They feel as if they were born from Lifelight, so they call themselves… ‘Flighters.’ They are a danger to all of us who want to start anew. That’s another reason why the island of Ibara has been chosen as our refuge. There are defenses there. We will be able to keep the Flighters away. It truly is a perfect place to try to salvage a society. Or rather, to create a new one.
“Will we succeed? There’s no telling. Maybe creating this idyllic society is nothing more than a desperate dream. Those who are about to leave for Ibara have made a difficult choice. We have decided to give up on the Veelox of old, which means we must abandon Lifelight and the remaining jumpers. Those who remain inside are doomed. The only consolation is that they are already doomed. Our leaving will only make the end come sooner. We are also abandoning an entire world. Rubic City will be left to the wild animals and the Flighters. There isn’t much difference. I can’t speak for the rest of Veelox. Perhaps other groups are making similar plans. I hope so. If not, it will be up to us to survive long enough so that someday, somehow, we can leave Ibara safely and bring the rest of Veelox back to life. One thing we know for sure, for Veelox to be reborn, it first must die.
“One more thing. I don’t know who will be watching this journal, or when. If you are from Veelox, this will serve as a brief explanation of how our world died. If you are a Traveler, I am now speaking to you.
“I too am a Traveler. My responsibility was to protect my territory from Saint Dane.
I failed. Miserably. Saint Dane has won. Veelox has fallen into chaos. Now my only hope is to salvage what I can from the remains of a once-great society. Saint Dane has beaten the Travelers on Veelox. He has beaten me. I don’t know what his plans are for this territory, and how he intends to use it in his quest to control Halla, but there is one thing I do know: The fight isn’t over. I told Pendragon that I wanted another shot at Saint Dane, and I believe that by creating a new world on Ibara, I’m doing just that. Time will tell how successful I am. I hope that Pendragon and the rest of the Travelers are having more success against that monster than I had on Veelox. But I promise, I’m not done yet. Veelox is not done yet. Whoever you are, know that Veelox is not dead. It’s alive and living on Ibara. One day the brave people who are about to make this trip will bring Veelox back. Maybe it will be their sons and daughters. Or their grandchildren. However long it takes, they have not given up. As the Traveler from Veelox, I’m going to do everything I can to help them.
“This is Aja Killian, recording what will probably be my final journal. I hope that whoever is watching this, is doing so in better times than the ones we now face.”
(CONTINUED)
IBARA
Aja’s image disappeared. I sat staring at the blank, white screen. Everything that she said confirmed my fears. Saint Dane had succeeded in destroying a territory. Was this what he had in mind for Halla? He said Halla needed to be torn down before it could be rebuilt. I didn’t see a whole lot of rebuilding going on with Veelox. How long would it be before Quiilan was turned to rubble?
“You knew her?” Siry asked.
I nodded.
“So did I,” he said softly. I spun to look at him.
“I didn’t really know her,” he said quickly. “I knew of her.” “What the heck does that mean?”
“I’ve seen the archives of the tribunal. There are ancient letters that outline how Ibara should be built and governed. Aja Killian’s name was everywhere. She had a strong voice- one that didn’t always take the popular route. She was a rebel in her own way, fighting for the rights of all the people. That’s why we took her name.”
“I don’t get that,” I said, totally confused.
“The map. I didn’t find it on the beach. I stole it from the tribunal archives. I think she made it. Some letters were worn off, but I was pretty sure what it said.”
“Aja Killian,” I whispered. “Jakill.”
“She’s a legend. We wanted to be legends too.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Just like Aja. She’s not here, but she’s still taking charge.”
“She was a Traveler?” Siry asked.
“Yeah. We lost the territory, but she never gave up.”
“Neither should we,” he said with authority.
I liked that. It was the first positive thing he had to say in a while.
“Aja and the people back then gave Veelox a second chance,” I said. “That’s why Saint Dane is here. He’s afraid to lose what he gained. Veelox has another turning point.”
Siry nodded. “Seeing what happened to Rubic City…” He took a deep breath. It looked like he was holding back tears. “I don’t know. Maybe I understand a little of why life is the way it is on Ibara.” This was tough for him. He sighed and said, “I wish the others were here to see this. It’s the truth we all wanted so badly.”
“That island is all that’s left of your civilization,” I told him. “It’s the future of an entire world. I guarantee Saint Dane has his sights on it.”
“So how do we stop him?” he asked.
