BOOK OF REEVES 8
Author's Note: It's been a great journey with you guys. Though I only see 3 fans, I'm hoping there are more. Unfortunately the Book of Reeves must end in order for a new story to take place. It'll be awhile before I do another Myst Fan-Fiction, but that doesn't mean there never will be another. I apologize for not being a professional writer, and for taking so long to get this surprisingly short conclusion out. I hope you all have a Very Fine Day.
One world dies. One world grows.
One's story ends. One story begins.
Power begins the journey. A new path is chosen.
Reeves wrote furiously. He spent much of the time erasing the intoxicating plants, or altering them in a way that they would actually be helpful. He attempted adding a few natural wonders, but decided they were too risky, which wasted his time even more.
He looked up the shaft, and down at a clock on the desk. He was rapidly running out of time. It would take forever to link all the people to the age. Because it was a harvest age, there would be plenty to feed the civilization, but he wasn't sure about the climate. It was wet, and frequently rained, according to the description.
It was basically a swamp, and he was afraid to change it too much for fear that it might become unstable. He was also afraid that the people would not be able to adapt after living in a desert for so long, and having to adjust to a different time schedule, climate, and lifestyle.
"Their never going to learn to adapt unless you force them to." He heard a voice say.
He turned around and noticed the imager was back on. The person this time looked a little more aged, and slightly beat up, yet still the same person. Reeves was still trying to figure out who he was.
"Getting rid of the intoxicating plants was a good start, but that's all that's needed. These people must adapt as the D'ni once did, and then as they did when they were brought here."
Reeves turned and began writing into a linking book, many would be needed if they were to all to leave this age, and evacuate into the new one.
"As you write, there is much I need to tell you. About your family, and about your purpose."
Reeves looked up from his work for a moment and realized that this time the imager was live, not just an old recording that would anticipate his movements and thoughts.
"Go on." Reeves said, a light whimper in his voice.
"The descriptive book that is this age has been passed down secretly through my family. It's been something the D'ni government has been searching for, for a very long time. It would be yours now, if it wasn't for a few mistakes I made.
"One, was marrying your mother. That in itself wasn't really a mistake, it was her race that made it difficult. You're only half D'ni my son, the other half is of the people known as the Bird Men."
Reeves stopped writing and turned to the man that was shown through the imager. Reeves suddenly realized where he had recognized him, he was the man who had caused all these problems and he was the one that forced his hand on the linking book!
"You!" Reeves shouted, "You caused all this? You are the cause of my hideous deformities? You are the one that has caused me all these problems? Your forefathers wrote this disgusting age where the people live only to serve?" Reeves face turned red with anger.
"My son, you must realize the circumstances. I was the one these people speak of, actually I come from a long line of them. Mora was interested in discovering who I was, and I allowed her without realizing the consequences!" the man rambled.
"Who is Mora?" Reeves demanded.
"Your mother. She was stationed on a sky ship that watches this planet."
"Sky ship?" Reeves eyebrow arched in curiosity.
"This age is filled with races. More than the D'ni could ever imagine would live in one age. These 'Bird Men' come from a planet that never developed inter-age travel. So, to feed their growing empire they took to the stars. It's truly amazing, and they have taught me more things then the D'ni ever believed could be possible."
"Why didn't you share this with the D'ni Empire?" Reeves probed.
"That's why I was imprisoned. I didn't allow the D'ni to have the technology, nor the age. They took you from me because they thought you could hold some of their answers. As you aged you remained nonetheless D'ni in appearance. But it appears that the recent stress has caused a catalyst and the ahrotahn blood is eliminating the D'ni blood."
Reeves closed his eyes, quietly calming himself by uttering a few unknown words, even to himself. His mind began to wander. He felt his body drift into a dead state.
Stars whirled around him, thousands of races, people, beliefs, and ideas spun around him. Suddenly his body broke apart into more stars, and joined them. He saw many people, forefathers, great people, but flawed.
A tear gently slid down his eye. All of his special treatment wasn't because he was an outstanding guildsman with great ancestors, but because they were always waiting, and watching for him to spill something or to somehow give away a secret. He realized how greedy the D'ni were, they desired nothing more than to prove that they were ultimately more supreme than all other races.
Reeves knew who he was. He was a great leader, a master, and one that could free his people. His adopted people. What the Bird Men had done was wrong, and so was what the D'ni did. He would make sure that his people would not make that mistake.
He took a deep breath and found that he had never really disappeared, and that his so called father was still watching him, waiting for some kind of response.
"My son I-"
"Don't say another word. It doesn't matter who I am, or who my ancestors were, what matters is that these people are not destroyed. My people." Reeves interrupted. He grabbed all the books, ink, and pens he could find, and put them in a bag.
"Goodbye my father. And thank you for helping me understand who I am." Reeves walked out of the tower and realized that that was the last time he would see his father, wherever he was.
…
Exia was in a state of panic. Reeves had to come soon otherwise it would be all over. Korek was now moving into the topic of technology, and had mentioned a few times that he thought it was time for an exchange.
She glanced out the window to see if Reeves was coming, but couldn't see anything as it got very dark at night. The moon was almost out of sight now, and the stars were so distant that they only added a little light to the city.
"…and so I bring this proposal to you, my brothers, we will give you our replicating technology, along with some of our weapons, in exchange for your building materials." Korek announced loudly.
Exia froze. Her eyes were fixed on her father, watching his every move. His face reddened and it appeared he was about to explode. Korek stared into his eyes and said something, though Exia couldn't hear.
Gorn relaxed slightly. He smiled and outstretched his arms to embrace Korek, "Of course!" He shouted. And grabbed Korek in a strong hug. Korek stumbled, apparently not ready for that type of response.
Exia cursed and walked toward one of the windows. Reeves was late, and didn't make it in time for them to stop the exchange. She shouldn't have trusted him, not with her life, nor her heart.
She looked up at one of the distant stars, a green one. It was brighter than the others because it had two stars, according to the Bird Men. Something stirred inside her, there was something very unsettling about that star.
Suddenly she saw it again. It was flickering, which meant something was passing in front of it. She focused on the area around the star, hoping to see the outline of whatever it was that was moving past it. Then She saw it.
"Exia!" She heard a voice whisper from below. She quickly lost concentration and looked down; outside Reeves was jumping up and down having his arms about two floors down shouting and holding a book.
"It's in here! They're in here!" He shouted.
"Who?" Exia asked coldly.
"The people! Only one third of the population believed me, but they came, and they're in here!" Reeves now shouted.
"Believed what?"
"This age is going to die! We must all relocate to this age! Iglarno!" Reeves started looking around for some sort of entrance to the building. Exia noticed and reached out her hand.
To Reeves' surprise the appearance of her being up a few stories was a sort of optical illusion probably caused by the strange stone that they built their homes out of. Quickly he climbed in through the window and stood in the party room.
Exia stared at him fiercely. "You're too late. Korek already made the technology exchange, their probably loading up his precious cargo now." She turned away from him, avoiding eye contact.
"Whatever they have planned is doomed. This entire planet will be destroyed soon, please help me!" Reeves looked into her feline eyes that she was trying to hide from him. Reeves felt something twitch in his eye and she suddenly agreed to help.
Reeves reached into his pocket and pulled out another book. "Here, this is a linking book, under no circumstance do you touch the panel. We should spread slowly talking to small groups of people in order to avoid mass hysteria."
Exia nodded, "Good idea, where shall I start?"
Reeves pointed to a group of young-looking healers that were looking around timidly.
Within a few minutes they had convinced, and linked, only 20 people out of a room of nearly 200. They had talked to a little over 150 of them, and it didn't look like they were going to take many more.
"We should get your family and leave." Reeves whispered to Exia.
Exia frowned, "I don't want to leave these people." She said.
Reeves explained to her that there wasn't enough time left, and that if they didn't hurry, they wouldn't make it. She reluctantly agreed and approached her father. Reeves stayed behind quietly, listening.
"Father, there is something I must tell you!" she said, giving him a tap on the shoulder, and leading him away from the dining table.
"My! Where did all the guests go?" He asked, bewildered and confused.
"That's what I must tell you!" She tugged on his arm, but he was focused on looking around the room and figuring out where the guests had gone.
Just then Exia heard something she had hoped not to hear again for a long time.
"Rile em mill mi Exia." Came a voice behind her.
"Reeves has the book. We're taking them there." She said, in a trance-like tone.
The person stepped around her, and into her sight. It was Korek. His eyes were widened, and he had a very tight smile.
"A book, Exia?" He asked, with an inquisitive smile.
"No… I won't tell you!" She shouted, backing away from him. Her father seemed to only have a confused look on his face and wasn't aware of what was happening.
Korek turned to face Reeves, who had frozen in his tracks, clutching the book in one hand, and a candle holder in the other. A few remaining guests had taken notice of what was about to happen and they quietly crept out the doors
"How do you do that?" Reeves asked in a puzzled tone.
"We can all do it. It's an art. Much like the one you hold in your hand." Korek responded.
"You know of the art?"
"Only legends. Somehow your people have created new worlds… something my people need."
Reeves began counting in his mind. They were now down to just seconds.
"Exia, hold your book over those candles. You and your father must link!" Reeves shouted. Something within his throat trembled and he felt his eyes do that same strange twitch.
Exia suddenly appeared to be in a trance, she held the book over some candles and smoke began to curl out from underneath the book, she grabbed her father's hand and forced it onto the panel, and in a moment they were both gone.
Korek's eyes widened. "The book!" He shouted and grabbed the book just as it knocked over the candles.
"I wouldn't…" Reeves started, trying to distract Korek just a few seconds longer. Korek just smiled "I have the book here, you can't stop our scientists now, we'll figure out how your books work." But it was too late. More smoke billowed out of the book. Korek's smile slowly turned into a look of panic.
Korek thrust the book's pages open, which only caused them to ignite, and in seconds the second linking book wasn't a second choice anymore. Just piles of burning pages and carefully compiled writing remained.
But Korek knew that there was another. Slyly he reached down and tapped something on his belt, and in a shimmering green light, a long sword with hooks and holes appeared in his hands. It looked like it had been carefully perfected over the years to specially grab hold of vital organs.
"Give me the book half breed." Korek muttered in a cruel, disgusted way.
"It's too late Korek. In just a little time this will all be destroyed." Reeves said with a smile on his face. He opened the book and moved his palm toward the panel.
Korek charged at him, his sword extended toward Reeves' stomach.
But Korek connected with nothing but a falling book. His sword caught the book as it fell and split it in two, scattering pages throughout the room. Korek slipped and plowed into a table, scattering food onto the floor, and knocking down a few candles, igniting the cloth that wrapped around him.
It is fortunate for him that he suffocated just 1 second before the destruction of the age. It was a horrifying one, and anyone who survived it lived forever in agony. For as the mansion began to burn, and its windows filled with flames, the planet's star released a large cloud of hot gas that engulfed the planet, instantly sterilizing it.