Atrus stood back from the Crystal Viewer and slumped into his desk chair in exhaustion. He rubbed his forehead and sighed sadly as the emotionally exhausting tasks of the evening caught up to him and washed over his senses. He opened the journal lying on the desk, picked up his pen, and began to write.

Several years have passed since the last time I was this troubled; several years since my sons escaped their prison ages and died shortly thereafter. The day they died, all because of their misdeeds from so long ago…I thought no grief could be worse.

Now I have an entire Age of sons--all dying because of their misdeeds.

After the death of his sons, Atrus had devoted himself to raising his daughter, Yeesha. She became his everything, especially after the death of his wife, Catherine, and he loved her more than life itself. As she grew older, his experiments grew more independent of the standard form of the Art taught to him by his father. Eventually, with Yeesha by his side, he had discovered a new formula that allowed him not just to link to, but to actually create the Ages that he wrote. Thus his new project began.

His first Age. Together, he and Yeesha created a perfect living, growing, thriving environment. Exotic plants, beautiful animals, breathtaking landscapes, and delicious foods were abundant in this perfect Age. Finally, with all the love in his heart, he and Yeesha populated it with people that became as dear to him as his own family. As a final step, Atrus named it with a smile, thinking back to the days when his own callous father first taught him to write. Inception.

As the years went by, he watched the inhabitants of Inception grow and flourish. His love for them only increased as he spent time among them whenever he could get away from his other work on Tomahna, though compared to the paradise that was his own home, Inception was far less rich. At first they always welcomed him with joyful gratitude and open arms, always sorry to see him go back and eagerly awaiting his next return.

I remember when things started to go awry for the people of Inception. Though my devotion to them only grew as the time passed, my welcome wore out in their eyes. They grew cold, tense. Hostile words were few, but their feelings were obvious. They no longer wanted me around.

In time, the reason became all too clear. Although it pained him to do so, he stopped visiting the Age altogether. His love for his people, his creation, did not cease, however, nor did his vigilance on the Age. He constantly kept watch on his people through his Crystal Viewer, though it grieved him to see what his beloved people had become.

Their greed, anger, and hatred of one another had become all too reminiscent of his own sons back when they destroyed everything that he held dear. They had become selfish, violent, and carnal, and to Atrus, it felt like he was losing his sons all over again. After a while, he began to see why. Years before Yeesha was born, his father Gehn had been strategically trapped in the Link of the Age of Riven and a Prison Age. Caught in the middle, neither here nor there, the only way Gehn could be free was if someone else touched the Link and trapped themselves. Atrus had safely kept the book locked up ever since, and had destroyed Riven. There was no possible way Gehn could have escaped, but on the one forgotten corner of his reign, his private Age he called his 233rd, there was a following that remained loyal to their false god even after his imprisonment. Atrus learned with horror through observing Inception that in an intricate conspiracy, Gehn's few remaining followers had found a way to D'ni, and eventually, to Inception. With one grand stroke of malice, they began tampering with Atrus' Age.

The changes they made were minor, but it was soon evident that the Age was dying a slow death. Fissures in the core structure of the islands similar to those that proved Riven's ultimate demise began to appear. It was only a matter of time before the Age suffered the same cataclysmic fate as Riven.

But the tragedy did not stop there. Gehn's former guildsmen had poisoned the minds of the once-pure people of the Age, and turned them against Atrus. Some, of course, remained loyal to their creator, but the oppression from Gehn's people was more than most could bear.

Thus, the fellowship between creator and creation was broken. A barrier of enmity and hubris was driven between Atrus and his people, and they refused to believe they needed him to survive. Meanwhile, he remained on Tomahna, tediously holding the world together with his pen, knowing they would not listen to him if he tried to tell them their Age was dying.

There must be some way to make them see how much I love them and want to be with them. Only then will they trust me to move them to a better home, a safe one. How can I show them?

He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. An idea came to the front of his mind, an idea that had been formulating for a while. It was the last thing he wanted, and he couldn't bear to think on it for longer than a few moments. It required the greatest sacrifice, but now he knew it was the only way.

He picked his pen back up.

I know what I must do.

Atrus watched as Yeesha, now a beautiful girl of eighteen, placed her hand on the page. Her fingers were not quite on the linking panel, and she looked back at him. "Dad?" She cocked her head. "Are you sure?"

He discreetly blinked back tears unseen by Yeesha, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "This is your decision. There is no other way, sweetheart, but it will be dangerous and painful. I won't make you go."

"Is this what you want, Daddy?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "You know what my plan is. I wouldn't dare send my daughter into a world like that if there was no hope for tomorrow." He sighed. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, but…yes. This is what I want."

She dropped the book and flew into his arms. "It's the only way." Her voice was muffled against his shoulder as she clung to him. "I love you, Daddy."

"Oh, Yeesha. If only you knew how much I love you. My only daughter…I love you so." He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Remember, my daughter…you will be hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. The sorrow may last for the night, but joy will come in the morning."

He kissed her forehead one more time and she held her head up high. He picked up the book and held it out for her. With a determined gaze, she placed her hand on the linking panel and disappeared.

They have accepted her surprisingly well. From what I can tell, these past few days have gone much better than it would have seemed. A family has taken her in and she seems to be getting on very well with them. She is doing as I told her; she will not let on that she is my daughter until the time is right. She and I are communicating regularly via the miniature Crystal Viewer she installed where she is staying, and she doesn't do anything without knowing it's what I want. I am so proud of her…my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.

My concern diminishes with every passing week that Yeesha stays in Inception. The family she is with has been told that she is indeed my daughter, and they love her all the more for it. This is why I chose them for her; they are pure, good people that have refused to be corrupted by the deceivers that walk among them. Yeesha is living, working, thriving among our beloved people; carrying out the work that I have longed to do among them for a long time. Her love for them is evident, and they love her in return. I know things must take a turn for the worst, but knowing she is safe for the moment is a great comfort.

I have busied myself with writing a new, whole, even more perfect Age for the people of Inception. Once the plan is seen through to conclusion, it will be finished, perfected. Ready for my people.

Soon, they will turn back to me and Yeesha will be by my side.

Today marks the passing of an entire year that Yeesha has been on Inception, and everything is going according to the plan. She has begun to reveal herself and the impaired state of the Age to the people, and for the most part, they accept her. I think her presence frightens Gehn's people, though they try their utmost to conceal it. She has a close-knit group of friends, friends that I chose for her, and they have been ever faithful to aid her in carrying out my plan. She has been able to demonstrate my power over their Age by showing all sorts of natural signs and wonders, and together, we have been able to show them that we can do things they don't have the capacity to. She is always quick to tell them about their creator and his love for them. Of course, to them, much of what she speaks is in riddles, but their understanding is limited and she never tells them more than they can handle.

The sacrifice draws closer. Terrible things will come, but my plan will not fail.

It had been two years and a month since Yeesha had departed the paradise of Tomahna and entered the comparatively crude world that her people lived on. Though it was all a part of his plan, Atrus could not help but feel pleased when he thought of all the people whose hearts now favored Yeesha, and him in turn.

Still, a shadow grew in his mind as he began to see the signs that what he knew was to come, what he had dreaded from the beginning, was drawing closer. Gehn's people grew more and more hostile, and there were many who still doubted. Nothing on Inception was hidden from Atrus' eyes, and he knew of the many conspiracies that were forming against his daughter. Tragically, Gehn's people were much less involved in these conspiracies than were the people that she was so desperately trying to reach, that she so dearly loved.

The fact that he knew exactly what was going to happen didn't hinder his horror when one of Gehn's former "guildsmen" were approached in the dead of night by one of Yeesha's closest friends, a dark-eyed, quiet young man named Breagan.

"Can you do it?" the guildsman asked in an undertone.

"My price is high; I'm not made of money," Breagan said darkly.

"All right, all right. Name it."

"Thirty."

The guildsman's eyes narrowed. "That's a high price."

"How badly do you want it?"

The guildsman grudgingly reached into his purse and pulled out his payment. Breagan reached out to take it, but the guildsman pulled it back. "Ah--not quite yet." He paused. "When will you take us?"

"Tomorrow night," Breagan said firmly.

The guildsman dropped the coins in the younger man's hand. "I'll have your word--" his eyes narrowed once more, "or your life."

Breagan pocketed his bounty without a word. Then he shook the guildsman's offered hand and sealed their deal--and the fate of Inception.

"It's time, isn't it, Daddy?" Yeesha's voice was low and quivered slightly as she spoke to him through the crystal viewer the next evening. Two of her friends were keeping watch outside her chamber as she desperately needed to speak with her father, tonight more than any other.

Atrus' heart broke to see the fear in his brave, strong daughter's eyes. "Yes, sweetheart." He hung his head. "It's time."

"If there's any other way…" her voice rose in desperation. "Please don't make me do this! There must be some other way!" The anguish was evident in the tears that now streamed down her face. "I can't…I'm not strong enough. Please don't make me do this…"

A tear now spilled from Atrus' eyes, the first for as long as he could remember. He couldn't speak.

She was now sobbing. "If there's any other way…" Seeing him standing there, she knew with a sinking heart that there was none. "I have to, don't I? It's--it's the only way they'll see."

In that moment, he knew she understood. He didn't have to say a word. She knew that it was all for their people; she knew her sacrifice would bridge the chasm between them and their creator. He spoke in a hoarse whisper. "I'm sorry. I--there is no other way."

Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. He knew it would only take one link and he would be with her, holding her, rescuing her from her horrible fate. The book was on his desk, waiting…but no. After the sacrifice…there would be only love. His people were worth it.

But now, looking at his precious daughter, he fully felt the agony of the cost.

Moments later, he watched helplessly as several guildsmen burst through the door and she quickly rose, with only the faintest shadow of fear on her face. Breagan pushed his way through the crowd, looking almost as if he were going to defend her. He took her arm gently…then his face turned angry and he shoved her towards the guildsmen.

They took her out of the chamber, and Atrus noticed with anger that the young men and women that had been with her, that had swore to protect her and stay with her to the end, fled for their lives at the sight of the mob. Yeesha was roughly led to the center of the town and given up to the mob, who went wild. The people that had welcomed her and celebrated her only a week before, now beat her, spat upon her, and trampled her. Long into the night she endured beatings and abuse, and early in the morning, the guildsmen took her up again and led her to the leader of the guildsmen in the square.

A thin, gaunt man with short, graying hair and two-day-old stubble came out to meet them. This was Gha'nys, the self-proclaimed ruler of Inception and Gehn's former right-hand man.

He spoke to Yeesha's captors in a condescending tone. "Why must you wake me at this hour? Is the issue at hand so important that you insist on dragging me from my sleep out into this chilly dawn air?" His eyes fell upon Yeesha and his deliberate sarcasm turned to curiosity, if not wonder."

"She claims she is Atrus' daughter, m'lord." One of her captors spoke. "Surely you must have heard…all sorts of unnatural things happening when she is around. She is poisoning the people, creating riots and all sorts of things we just can't have…she must be put to death!"

Gha'nys looked at them as though he was unsure of what to think. He knelt down to where Yeesha had fallen on her knees to the ground, and looked into her eyes. In her exhausted state, she was surprised to see perhaps the faintest hint of compassion on his face.

"Well, girl?" He spoke softly. "What do you have to say for yourself? Are you Atrus' daughter?"

With much effort, she raised her head and did not answer for a few moments. After a while, she looked him directly in the eye and boldly spoke. "Yes."

Gha'nys stood up, appearing faintly troubled. "This is not my area. I am merely the governor. Your people should decide what to do with her."

The mob that had followed into the courtyard roared. "Put her to death! Burn her! Hang her! She dies!"

Gha'nys shook his head. "Are you so sure?" he asked his fellow guildsmen. "She seems to have done nothing wrong! Why should someone who is innocent suffer a criminal's death?"

The crowd roared the more loudly. "Kill the witch! KILL HER!"

The governor shook his head and sighed sadly. "I wash my hands of this ugly affair. I will have no part in her death." He turned his back and went indoors.

The guildsmen that now held her shoved her into the mob. They pushed her around, beating her and slapping her and pulling her hair. "Ahh, the child of the mighty Atrus!" they cried. "So powerful! So majestic! Where is your all-powerful father now, little girl?"

Her sad eyes held no hate.

Several guildsmen took her and ripped her tattered shirt off. The shoved her face-down onto the street and held her there, as another approached with a whip. The very first lash tore down her bare back like fire, ripping a piece of skin off. The crowd screamed and cackled as they were showered with blood and bits of flesh. Lash after lash she endured, and her mind was emptied of all thought except for the physical anguish.

Finally, the torturers had exhausted themselves. Yeesha was half-dead and mangled almost beyond recognition, but still she held her eyes open. Her people were jeering and cackling, some crying out then and there for her death.

They were so naïve; they had no clue why she was doing this. They had no idea that she was suffering and dying so that they would be saved from a tragic fate. Even in her half-dead state, she was overwhelmed with pity and compassion. "Daddy," she whispered hoarsely. "Daddy, please don't…don't hold it…against them. They don't…they can't see…they don't know what they're doing…" Her strength exhausted, she drifted in and out of consciousness for a few moments before she felt herself being hoisted up onto something. Through a weak, bloody gaze, she saw a flame and realized she was tied to a stake. At first, she felt only a warm sensation around her feet, like she was warming her toes beside a fire. Then the pain increased. It enveloped her entire body and she cried out.

Worlds away, in his study on Tomahna, Atrus watched quietly with tears streaming down his face as his daughter suffered. Her words broke his heart.

"DADDY!!!" Her anguished voice rose above the crackling of the flames and the jeering mob. Even her executioners felt sickened. "WHY?!?" She gasped in pain. "WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?!?"

He turned away.

Her strength was spent. She knew she was dying, and it now seemed a sweet relief. With her last breath, her whisper somehow rose above the noise of the scene as she moaned. "Now…they will…finally see…how…much you…love…them."

The pain was gone. There was only darkness.

The crowd had left. There was no one in the square, nothing except the innocent blood that stained the streets, and the ashes that no one dared disturb. There was not a movement, not a sound.

The ashes were all that remained.

Then she was there.

Through a miracle that no one could explain, no one save she herself and her father, she appeared. Clean and whole and beautiful and very much alive, Yeesha the daughter of Atrus stood in the street where she had died that very day.

She walked through the street as though she knew where she was going. When she rounded a corner, her eyes fell upon a crouching, sobbing wretch clutching the cursed purse. She gently lifted his head and smiled as his grief-stricken stare was turned to shock.

"Breagan." Her voice was gentle, loving, as though he had never done her any wrong in his life.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I killed you," he whispered hoarsely. "Just as surely as if I had done it with my own hands. I watched you die! You…you were dead."

"I'm alive now, Breagan." Her voice was full of compassion. "Why did you ever doubt?"

His eyes, that were only before so empty and devoid of hope, lit up faintly. "You are Atrus' daughter. I knew all along in my heart…" His voice became dark. "I betrayed you." His hopeful gaze became hard. "I betrayed you. Why are you talking to me like this?" His voice was overcome with sobs and he buried his head in his hands. "I betrayed you."

"Oh, Breagan." A tear slid down her cheek. "Don't you see? This is why I came. This is why I died. My father loves you so…and so do I. Every last one of you. Not just those of you who believe…but everyone. I died so that you could welcome us back into your world, and one day…" She smiled as her father's great plan came to her mind, "one day you can live with us in ours."

He buried his face in her chest. "I'm so sorry."

"I know." She looked to the sky and smiled, knowing her father was pleased.

I knew, the moment that Yeesha linked back into Tomahna, that my plan was fulfilled, the barrier was broken, the fellowship restored. Her great sacrifice allowed our people to be saved from the horrible end their Age will one day see. They will live forever, the way I had always intended for them to. Having loved her own who were in the world, she loved them to the end.

There are some who will not accept us. I fear that when the end of Inception comes, they will be lost forever. But there are many who will choose to walk with us, and in the end, they will be safe and happy. Now they know the very extent of our love. It is for this that the sacrifice was made.

Now, my people are free.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16)