Opium Dreams

General Kitchiner, of the Red army, was celebrating 55 years of age.  He was past his prime. His fighting and hunting days were behind him. Now he only rode for leisure.  He left Terrouge as a young army recruit 35 years ago, traveling from land to land and across battlefields, fighting and killing in the name of his king.  He first set foot on Khentii 20 years ago. He was a senior lieutenant at that time, sent to Khentii to hose down a small uprising before it metastasized. He was handpicked by the king for this mission.  He was still young back then. Decisive and excessively unforgiving. He saw black and white, ones and zeros, and acted on it without forethought. That attitude was what got him to where he was at that time, and he had no intention on changing it.   He crushed the rebellion instantly. Mercilessly executing the leaders in the central square, earning himself the title "The lizard hunter" in the Red king's court, and being anointed governor of...

The air above Darkhen is getting heavy. Hearts are fearful and lungs are suffocating. The city feels like a cooking pot and fire is brewing under it. The night is shaping up and a full moon is nigh. Something is going on below the surface. Idir is walking back home. His encounter with Manong and Freda lingering in his mind. He did not believe in the existence of such people. Such incredibly powerful people with supernatural prowess. He is a soldier of the common folk. He was taught to reject such ideas and trust in tangible gunpowder. But now he saw, and what he saw changed him.  He enters his house and finds his grandmother sitting at the table, praying. He sits facing her and they exchange looks. She can read his eyes and see faith.  "You saw something" she says, and smiles with a tired face.  He does not reply. He was not listening as his heart is elsewhere. He can not shake it off. This feeling that something big is cooking. A permanent change in the power dynamics of...

The Fifth unit of the red army started regrouping around nightfall.  On paper, their mission was simple. Arrest a young woman, sitting alone, in a hut.  5 minutes ahead of the action, Idir, the youngest of the unit, felt uneasiness in his chest. In fact, ever since this mission was announced, he felt it was a bad idea. Although they maintained a confident facade, he could sense that his comrades were starting to fret. Something was oozing from that hut. Some sort of waves. Not particularly malevolent, but not inviting neither. It was clear that the girl was not keen on company, and Idir and his unit felt it in their bones.  Freda, referred to as the red witch, was an emblematic figure in Darkhen. She was allegedly a descendent of the legendary Khen, and -most importantly- she was the sister of the dissident Chi, the most wanted individual in the red government’s bounty list in all of the Ghentii region. Together with Chi and their brother Mao, they were the ultimate threa...

"These kinds of encounters happen rarely in the course of one's life, especially mundane people like myself" said Viola with a wry smile, as she sipped on her concoction.  Nile saw the statement and understood it as an invitation to comment, but, as has been his habit lately, he chose not to engage. He stayed silent, laying on a straw bed. Viola did not seem to mind. It was not conversation she was after, but listening ears.  "This land has been through a great deal of sorrow" she continued, "Half of it has already been forgotten. It makes my heart ache" Nile picked up his bowl and sipped a bit. It had a foul but familiar taste, and a smell that reminded him of his home on the hillside.  He looked at Viola, a middle-aged woman with fire-red hair and smart features. Her skin was a bit lighter than his but still dark, and she had on a rugged crimson gown that matched her eyes. She took his look as an invitation to carry on the story.  ''When Khen...

We are all one.  This world has existed before. Then it was destroyed. Then it existed again. Then it was destroyed.  The third time around, a miracle happened.  All the world became one. Land, water sky and life merged together. Pangaea. For a thousand years it was. Pangaea. a being that can not be described. A state of mind. A story of romance. It was the beginning and the end. God's ultimate creation.  For a thousand years it was, and a thousand years ago, it was no longer. Beauty was always meant to be fleeting. It strikes like a thunderbolt and then disappears, leaving behind legions of believers. Such is the will of God. A thousand years is but a drop in the ocean of His realm.  But again, fleeting and temporary as it was. It was magnificent. Stories could be told of it. Words can attempt to describe it. poems and ballads. It all pales to capture it. The only thing that can come close is the romance of a longing heart.  Hermits have been telling its s...

"What do you think, Mao?" Asked the older brother. "No, How do you feel about it?" "I think it's time" "Good" He said, with a warm smile, and he tapped his brother on the shoulder.  "What about you, Freda?" He looked at his sister  "I'm hesitant. I'm not sure there's enough momentum"  "You think the people won't come if we call?" "I think our call won't be loud enough to reach them"  "Do you want to elaborate more?" Mao stood up and went towards the crackling fire. Some lizards were cooking. He turned them and added some dry twigs to the fire.  "Be careful not to burn it Mao" Said Freda " It looks a bit too hot"  "I'm giving it just enough fire to get it there" replied Mao, fixating intensely on the fire.  "You were saying Freda?" prompted Chi, the older brother, to get his sister back on track.  Freda stood up and started prepari...

 At first glance, Nile was struck by the sheer size of Darkhen, the capital of the Ghentii region.  There were no walls surrounding it, no gates guarding it, and no clear borders to it. It seemed to grow out naturally out of the Ghobi desert, a seamless extension. Grains of sand turned into sparsely dispersed huts. The huts grew both in size and numbers, and then morphed into mudbrick structures as the center drew close.  As they advanced slowly, the bustling of life amazed Nile. He was still at the back of the carriage, but Manong put some cushions behind his back for support, so that he can peak and see the city. He was a small village boy, not accustomed to seeing so many people at once. Darkhen was a city of people, all shapes, sizes and colors.  It was a miniature world in it itself.  "where are we going?" Nile asked "I'm taking you guys to see an old friend!" Manong replied to both Nile and the camel, who seemed much more composed than Nile.  They wal...

On the far eastern corner of the known world, in the barren land of the dragon folk, and as the hearts of kings were fixated on exploration and glory, an old flame rekindled as the hundred years came to a close.  A small flame, almost imperceptible. One may even call it a glitch in the centuries-old system. A small glitch, a minor error to be rectified at the most local level of government. A cigarette butt to be stumped without hesitation, and without consequences. The local sheriff did just that. He saw the threat and, afraid of catching fire, he stumped on it mercilessly. He persecuted the perpetrators with the most capital punishment known to man. The punishment of the one God. Fire.  What he failed to realize, what they all failed to realize, was that words have meaning in the hearts of men. Time can sometimes cover it up, like dust on stone. But the meaning remains, hidden, waiting to be conjured. And these words were no ordinary words, these were the words of Panjia, th...

This is an interesting story, Nile, but I find it necessary to point this out to you from the start; A long time ago, a group of people, collectively known as the dragon folk, forgot who they are. In essence, that is what this whole story boils down to. Everything else I'm about to tell you is details and background noise. As with all stories, it can start at any point in the history of this land you call the Ghentii region. However, I'll start it at a place that is particularly close to my heart. When man and dragon became one. His name was Khen. His mother was a warrior of one of the rural tribes of the Hexis. His father was a cursed dragon. Their union was unlikely yet inevitable in hindsight. Their meeting was what we call a tectonic event; a simple, seemingly random event that changes the face of the world. Khen was his name. It was his only name, chosen by his mother. The legend says that it came to her in a fever dream. He was the first king of the dragon folk. He united...

Like a horse about to be put down, the winter’s last moments are always its fiercest. On the desert of Ghobi, separating the highlands next to the shore and the lands of the dragon folk, and as all of God’s creatures took to hide from the cold, a man was dragging a carriage. Next to him walked a camel, solemnly and reverently, its eyes beaming like a lighthouse. The sun has been down for a couple of hours, and the icy winds were as playful and unpredictable as young pups. The moon and stars lit ablaze, as if aware of their importance to precarious adventurers in these settings. The man was bigger and bulkier than average, clean shaved and wearing a delightful smile. He had a white robe, furry shoes, and he tied a turban around his head. He seemed to be enjoying the situation, as if on a Sunday afternoon stroll. On the carriage was a big pile of wool covers, under which a young face gazed upon the night sky with empty eyes. It was Nile. Neither asleep nor fully awake, stuck in a state o...

Standing at the cliff was Zolf, listening to the waves caressing the rocks beneath. Not far from him sat Manong, who seemed to be enjoying the view as if seeing it for the first time. “You’ve been here for a while”? asked Zolf “A couple of days, more or less” answered Manong  “And you’re ready to leave?” “As ready as I can be” he paused, then added joyfully “In any case, I have no choice” “No, I guess you do not” smiled Zolf "at least you enjoyed your stay I hope?"  "It brought me immense pleasure" he answered. "I'm still enjoying it" he added, then made a swift gesture with his hand to Zolf.  a big wave crashed on the rocks, its violent sound filling up the space and commanding silence. "you've been a bit too harsh on the boy, don’t you think?" said Manong "Yes, I suppose so" answered Zolf. “I got excited and made a bad gamble”  "I see what you mean,” said Manong “It is truly marvelous to behold” "So you saw it too,...

Nile woke up inside a room of wooden structure. Through hazy eyes, he saw a boy sitting at the corner of the room, with a puppy on his lap. He noticed the sunlight coming through the cracks on the ceiling and from its angle, he deduced it was before noon.  Besides him on the floor was a bowl of a concoction that he did not know. The boy nodded at him and he understood that as a sign to drink. He drank and felt the flow of liquid inside his throat. It tickled a bit but quenched his thirst. He saw the boy looking at him but could not decipher his face from the distance. The boy patted the puppy's head gently with his right head. The boy kept his gaze fixed at Nile as he continued patting slowly. Nile's brows felt heavy and he dozed off. In his slumber, he sensed something familiar, an odor. Faint yet perfectly distinguished. Narjes flower extract. The smell of his mother. The scent took his by surprise and he started to look around but he could not see. It was pitch black. A stra...

"Panjia still has so much to teach me" I thought, as I was looking at that most magnificent scene unfold. I was not expecting to see anything this rare so early in this journey. I arrived at Santa Laura 3 nights ago and spent most of my time on the outskirts, at a mountain monastery facing the sea. It is always a pleasure to engage in passionate conversations with bright minds, although I cherished my solitary time with the sea the most.    I took into this enterprise to combat my own hubris and to shed light on my lack of knowledge. Ever since I took into this business, the more I learned the more my ignorance seemed greater to me. I've always been ever so thankful for the opportunities that came on my way and my biggest wish is that my gratitude never diminishes in intensity.  Today I came within the walls to meet an old acquaintance at his request. He spoke vaguely about an initiative that he is planning to put forth, something about common interests. I was happy to ob...

Santa Laura was a city of immaculate beauty at night. Nile especially appreciated the cobblestone buildings, illuminated by those weird crimson-red lamps with no apparent fuel nor oil. "I can see myself coming here from time to time," he thought to himself "just to enjoy this view". Since the second beast joined the fight, the balance has been shifted violently against Nile. Even after he was able to recover from the collision with the wall, he had completely unable to land any hits and has been excruciatingly struggling to avoid taking in more damage. The two beasts figured out his moves and countered with terrifying calm and efficiency. At this point, it was no longer a question of "if" but "when" will they finish him off. They did not seem to mind taking time.  A couple of jumps and kicks later, Nile found himself flying into the stem of a tree, back-first. As soon as his body made contact he heard a crackling sound and new that something in h...

Today I'd like to talk about a subject of particular interest to me, charity and, more generally, gratitude.  Like me, you've all probably been raised to consider charity as both an act of kindness and pity. That people who did charitable work were, by definition, kind, but most importantly, powerful. We've all been raised to see people receiving charity as weak and pitiful. Weak because they need others, and pitiful because their state inspires pity that, in turn, incites others to give them.  This paradigm has several issues, most of which you can already detect from the previous paragraph. I am not writing this piece to analyze institutions nor to propose solutions. I will not discuss charity from political & financial spectrums and how charitable work is integrated into the tax system. I am simply writing this to share a couple of stories that made me think about the notions of "need" and "gratitude" and how we perceive them, and how that percept...

The night was young and starless. A shy crescent hid behind the clouds.  In the village center, things went out of hand quickly. In no time, the entire square was empty, but for two humongous beasts and a youngster holding a scythe.  Nile soon regained his composure after having slashed the big guy. his breathing gradually slowed and his sweat evaporated. He was now calm as a monk, waiting for the two beasts to make their next move. This choice was deliberate as he wanted them both to be fully committed for the remainder of this encounter, his pride needed to be restored. In hindsight, this was a regrettable decision.  The first Cross, who by this point seemed to be the leader, was immobile. The slash from Silva made him drop his sword. He did not move; The second Cross, impassive as always, looked at Nile, still with a surprising lack of animosity, then looked at his comrade. He went next to him, picked up his sword and handed it to him. He then stepped back a little and...

The sun came down, and two Cross's appeared instead of one.  This was a shock to Nile. He could not fathom how one being can exist twice, worse yet, three times. He remembered the amount of difficulty he had to endure to put one Cross down, even with immense help from the guy with the snakes and the sniper. The memory made his spine shiver a bit and he held tighter to silva for comfort. The two beasts, on the other hand, did not seem to pay particular attention to him. In fact, they did not seem to recognize him at all. They continued to advance calmly down the square. The one in the front seemed to sense the tension and looked at Nile and saw him holding Silva. He looked a bit bewildered but still uninterested.     Nile, still under a bit of shock, was convinced that he had no chance of coming out of this unscathed. That being said, he had a duty to perform. He made an implicit promise to protect the old man and he had no right to falter. He muttered a prayer and wa...

The road to the port city was long and arduous. Winter was waning off and a hot summer was brewing in the background, but for the time being, the weather was lovely. "Perfect weather to start the journey" reflected Nile, as they crossed a small bridge. He patted his horse dearly on its mane, the horse neighed. "So you guys are a group," asked Nile. " In the loosest sense of the word, Yes" replies Zolf. "we are a group of individuals who find it easier, from a logistical point of view, to work together".  "That's a group" said Nile, impassively.  "I suppose you're right" replied Zolf, with a smile.  Zolf was riding on his trusted old horse, Nigel. He was leading them to the Rendez-Vous point, at the portal city of Santa Laura.  The gates of the city were within eyeshot. Santa Laura was the main port of the island and the major outlet to the main continent. Illegal outlets existed, mainly due to the heavy taxation impose...