Follow Elliot through a decadent world and a society on the edge of the abyss
1000 Lights in the Sky
Although Elliot didn’t know the reason, he got out of bed on that cold morning. An impulse took him out of his house and left him face to face with the greatest puzzle of mankind. It was a difficult sensation to describe because, unlike a dream, everything fit together and he knew that, however terrifying, that was the reality. Suddenly, the cold had dissipated, and an inexplicable heat radiated through the ground, coming from above.
His eyes gazed at what the mind failed to explain. The darkness of twilight was dissipated by countless lights in the sky. Elliot rubbed his eyes, attempting to delude himself into believing it was a dream. Around him, many had felt the same urgency and abandoned their houses, as if answering a calling. While the boy did not know how to react or even what to feel, many around him simply cried copiously. Disarrayed thoughts took over his mind and he heard disconnected sentences.
— They are angels of the Lord! They’ve come to grace us! – a lady shouted.
— Angels? They are not angels! It’s the Apocalypse! We’re all going to die! – Uttered a man holding his wife, who fainted in his arms.
— There is no reason for alarm. I’m sure there is a scientific explanation for this! – A young man tries to calm the crowd.
On the next day, scientists from around the world try to understand the 1000 Lights in the Sky, as millions of religious people around the globe gather in their temples to seek forgiveness for their sins or to pray in gratitude.
Dream Crushers
A few weeks passed and no one could explain the origin of the lights, which made more and more theories come each day. People acted impulsively and with impunity, selfishly seeking to indulge in their most mundane desires. In all of the media, the news circulating the world showed a cold society, in which the strong overpowered the weak. Elliot felt that this was no way to live. Forever a dreamer, he believed we should reach out to the less favored and help them find hope.
The dreamer faces a terrible and painful reality. A reality to which he had shut his eyes, many times. The behavior of this society had not changed at all since the strange lights appeared. People had lost the fear of exposure. While many believed humanity was living its last days and chose to live the fullest of their darkest dreams, others sought redemption, fearing a possible judgment day.
Elliot went for a walk. The nights were bright as days, for the Lights ignited the skies. Everything around him portrayed the dilemmas that had always been there. Was it worth it to live that way? If the Lights are a divine sign, what do they mean? What is the message?
The truth was Elliot felt more hollow than ever and started to doubt humanity’s power to do good selflessly. He witnessed a great part of humanity become what he called Dream Crushers.
He coined the term after noticing that, to reach their goals in life, some people would walk over their peers, apparently, with no remorse. Elliot, with indescribable regret, sang his favorite songs, walking the streets, filled with people and void of feeling. He knew it could be the last time he chanted those melodies. The countdown seemed to have started.
Where I Am
As days went by, the lights kept hovering in the air. Unreachable, unexplainable. The effects of the phenomenon strike people in very different ways. Some follow the dogmas that have been preached to them over time, while others allow mundane pleasures to dominate them. The truth is no one can predict the future of mankind, and yet the bets are placed. The sounds of sirens permeate the environment. Screams and laughter fill the gaps in a decadent society.
Some people fear that this is a test of God and stand firm, ignoring those who try to divert them from their ways and, mainly, ignoring their desires. Amidst the madness of the population, who seemed to live their last days carelessly, chaos dominated and Elliot found himself lost between the morally correct and his most hidden desires. A battle against himself and the constant struggle in his mind took the young man to the extreme of his mental torture. In his heart, Elliot still fears divine judgment, but on his rational side, he believes God has forsaken us all.
A peculiar sight catches Elliot’s attention. A little girl is walking the streets on that cold night. She looks sad, but still, different from other people. While most of them are struggling with right and wrong, she seems to live steadily and confidently. The young man approaches her and starts a conversation.
— Are you OK? Are you lost? – He takes off his coat and wraps the little girl with it.
— I’m fine. I live here! – She smiles when she receives the gift and expresses a sincere smile of happiness.
— Here? Where?
— Here, there, everywhere.
— But are you lost from your family? Where is everybody?
— I have no family.
Elliot senses the girl needs help, but he feels powerless in that situation.
— Are you alone in this chaotic world? – A tear threatened to come out of one of his eyes.
— We all are.
The little girl’s words strike Elliot’s heart like a knife. She was right, we are all alone. A wave of hopelessness hit the young man and his vision started to blur. The sounds of the city seemed distant and messy. When he realized, he was lost amid madness and bad decisions, as well as the vast majority of people. Then he was surprised by the little girl, who woke him out of a trance by saying:
— It doesn’t have to be this way! You are not like them!
Overcome by doubts, Elliot asked the girl:
— And what should I do? What would you do in my place? What would you do if you were Where I Am now?
Stains in the Shadows
Weeks went by and Elliot realized it was not worth living like the decadent part of the population. However, he had no idea how to get on with his life and started to wander. One day he saw an old man who stood out among the others. The old man had a contemptuous face and looked angrily at the people around him. He noticed Elliot staring at him and approached the boy.
— You could die tomorrow. Did you know that?
— I couldn’t care less. Elliot responded roughly, for he found the old man’s approach too invasive.
— Maybe you’ll die today!
At first, Elliot thought it might have been a threat, but the old man carried on:
— And if that happens, it will truly be your end!
The elder looked like just another madman, but at the same time, he seemed to be someone with a huge and heavy life story. Elliot ended up being interested in what he had to say. There is a fine line that separates wisdom and madness.
— You seem to have a story to tell.
— We all do, young man. We all do.
— If that’s true, then maybe mine is not worth telling.
— Don’t say nonsense! It is not a question of whether it is worth it or not, but whether we will have time to create new stories that can be told.
— Do you also believe the world is ending?
— Son, from the day you were born your world is ending. One day at a time.
— You don’t believe we can write new stories after we die? Maybe we can start over from scratch in a completely different life.
— Nonsense! – The old man spat on the floor and wiped his mouth on his arm.
Elliot realized that the old man was bitter, but his life had been hard enough to make him that way.
— Son, look over there! – the old man pointed at the sky. – Do you really believe somebody is looking after you up there?
Elliot felt the little hope he had slipping through his fingers. The old man was right. There was no sign that we would have a second chance. There was no sign that there would be a judgment. The evil that men did on Earth would never be weighed against them on the final judgment. People were selfish and would never be punished for that, as well as the good deeds of some would never be rewarded.
— I’m sorry for opening your eyes this way, kid, but we are but Stains in the Shadows! Grains of sand in the universe! If there really is something beyond what our poor intellect can grasp, it is so distant from us that we become irrelevant before the universe.
Expendable
The elder opened Elliot’s eyes once and for all and he was no longer able to hide his feeling of disgust. Wandering among the people who made up a cold and selfish society, Elliot, The Dreamer, noticed his feelings mingle and transform. He felt anger, but at the same time, he pitied mankind. In his eyes, they were all children struggling eternally for the affection of the “Father”. They sought the approval of someone they didn’t even have proof of existence. Would it be just faith or the fear of a cold merciless judge? Would it be your choices that determine your future or are you sentenced to blindly walk a path predetermined by a sadist being, with powers over you? Many times we believe we are the stars in the movie of our lives, without remembering that behind every movie lies a director. Are we actors improvising on a stage, or are we just following a hidden script before a concealed audience?
— Are we alone in this endless universe?
— We will never know. – answered the Bitter Old Man.
— Is there a purpose for us to be here?
— We will never know.
— In the end, with all this doubt, is it worth it to be here?
— Was it worth it to you until this day?
— I’m not capable of analyzing this. Not right now. – Elliot answered, confused.
— Have you noticed how some people think they are better than everyone else?
— I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t notice it.
— Well, there is. Themselves.
Elliot maintained a reflective silence, attentive to what the old man had to say.
— Many people have the need to reassert themselves constantly. Many had to grow up without the attention or approval of their parents or have received a burden too heavy and didn’t know how to carry it honorably. They need to believe they are better than the others to feel approved.
— But for whom do they need to prove? Many times they’ve already achieved the success they longed for, and yet, continue to go over the weak when fighting for their goals! – Said Elliot.
— They seek the only approval they’ll never have: their own.
Elliot attempted to assimilate those words and find reason.
— The truth is that, just like all of us, they are Expendable.
Merchants of Madness
The Dreamer decides to search for another opinion and his path takes him to a great church. Throughout his life, he kept oblivious to religion, as he feared he would never be able to feel like those who have faith. He knew his brain wouldn’t be deceived by external stimuli, but he had some hope that it would touch his heart.
— Brethren! The end is upon us! – cried the man in the center of a stage full of equipment and a structure worthy of a rockstar.
People in the temple looked up and cried, shouted, and begged for forgiveness for their sins. A loud mess that made Elliot’s thoughts even more confused.
— This could be the last day for you to repent!
More crying and commotion were heard.
— This will be the last chance to do the right thing!
At that moment, the man, wearing an expensive Italian suit, hair, and beard impeccably cared for, set a more serious countenance and stared at the faithful.
— Get rid of all the evil you have conquered through Satan’s dirty attacks! The material realm is not of God! Get rid of it, donate to the neediest! Or rather, give us everything you have and we will play the difficult role of taking the devil’s assets from your hands!
The temple almost shuddered at the screams of its visitors. The man on the stage looked satisfied, with a subtle grin at the corner of his mouth. His mission was accomplished. Outraged at that, Elliot approached and confronted the man.
— You’re no missionary of God! You are a demon in disguise! You deceive people and…
Elliot was interrupted by two of the several security guards at the scene. They grabbed him, twisting his arms. The Speaker, without losing the demonic smile on his face, looked at Elliot and then, to the people who were there, outraged by Elliot’s meddling.
— Do you not see, brothers? This is how the devil behaves when we are ready to follow the orders of the Lord! He sends his minions to confuse us!
— You lie, you…
More guards came, obstructing the sight they might have of Elliot, and one of them punched him in the stomach, leaving him breathless.
— This young man is clearly possessed! Is this what you want for your children? Is this what you want for yourselves?
The crowd at the great temple cheered the Speaker, who smiled proudly. With a latent hatred taking over, Elliot was able to scream at the top of his lungs:
— You offer peace, but give us hell! You are all just Merchants of Madness and I will be there when you fall!!
The Core of Creation
While the world’s scientific community got distracted by the strange lights that appeared in the skies a few months ago, a supermassive black hole began to grow at a pace that defied all laws of physics. Our knowledge became practically null before its magnitude. All our history is being consumed and returning to The Core of Creation. Now it’s time to remember the future we lost.
Painter of the Universe
A water-colored infinity. Galaxies forming and ending. The silence of creation fed the crashes of destruction. The cycles had a determined time, but some had a much shorter time than others. The home of the Painter of the Universe was as impressive as himself. The infinity of space with its colors and textures. Its resident was a unique creature in Creation, not to say, lonely. Nothing in that parallel universe affected him more than he desired. His paintings created entire universes and they flourished with lives. The enormous being had skin that changed color quickly. His eyes were so immense that they fit galaxies inside them.
From the top of his solemn translucent throne, he watched humanity. Its creation had been made fondly, but they got lost along the way. They created gods to worship because they didn’t feel complete. They invented and reinvented the rebirth because they wanted certainty that they would never have a true end. Unfortunately, they also invented hatred, lies, envy, and several other peculiarities of the human being. His creation no longer seemed to have salvation. Human beings were far too destructive to be left to act on their own.
The Painter had a multitude of multiverses at his disposal, everything was transformed on his canvas and he could paint endless lives and stories with a single stroke, but his destructive power was just as great. In the relativity of time, human beings felt that there was still hope, but the decision was already made. There is no more time. There is nothing else to do.
All in Vain
The end of the selfishness. The end of lies, pain, greed, and arrogance. The end of mankind. The multicolored stardust has spread throughout the almost infinite universe. Dust of dreams, achievements, tears, and smiles. The colors that formed watercolors in the sky were now just fragments of memoirs. Could it have been different? Could we have avoided all of this? But what would be the way?
As human beings, we are the blind guided by the blind through the darkness. We create our own rules and laws to avoid the cold of indifference towards the rest of Creation. We do not know which paths we should take, so we create our road. When one light goes out, we look for another. Our cycle is to run away from one mistake and make another.
Elliot opens his eyes to a new reality. The total absence of colors? Would that be an infinite white? Or is there no name for that color before his eyes? His conscience became full and he understood that his world ceased to exist. There were no more men, women or children. The pets had turned to dust, along with everything else. We planted chaos, it grew, and before we could harvest it, it consumed us. People were finally put in their right places, they were all the same, finally. The color of their skin, their bank accounts … nothing else mattered because there was only left … the dust.
Everything that humanity has learned and everything it has taught. And now all the smiles, chuckles, and laughter are gone. Was it all a waste? It was All in Vain.
Elliot In the Dust - The Cloud Strider
Finally, the concept of divine truth took shape. The surprising truth…
I am you and we are everything. Nhanderuvuçu, The Painter Of The Universe, The Cloud Strider awakens from his trance. Had he really lived that life? One doubt, however, permeated his thoughts for a long time after the end of humanity: was he the Dreamer, Elliot, the Cloud Strider, who had walked the Earth and was finally back home amidst a myriad of universes, or was he young Elliot experiencing life after death? At some point, he had let himself be seduced by the charisma of human life and ended up getting lost in his own creations.