Finally getting the dragonfly wing, which was the Lumerin Queen token, allowed us to leave the village early the next morning. I had to say, Ash was very sneaky about how he gave the wings to us. He waited until the end of the afternoon, just after sundown, in order to make sure that if we wanted to leave, we needed to do so in the morning. After all, no one wanted to go traveling to the desert in the middle of the night. At the very least, it wasn't as if we were hard-pressed for time, not anymore than we were when dealing with the Nest.
Whatever grand event would result in the world coming to an end shouldn't happen in just a day or two. While thinking about it, I even came to the realization that there was a good chance whatever event was coming couldn't even be stopped. Maybe it was something that was already set in motion and would, one way or another, end all lives on this planet.
But that was a thought that I didn't allow myself to humor for long. If I did, I would end up as one of those nihilistic people who just waited for everything to be over, but were too scared to do anything about it themselves. I never liked those kinds. That was exactly the reason why we were all heading out of the village. As long as there was something we could do to possibly stop the end of the world, we were going to do it.
Then again, I wasn't the only one worried about that, and during this week that we waited for the gifts, we had stopped to have a conversation about our mission.
"Are we all positive that this is really happening?" Riley asked.
"I mean, we all saw that vision, didn't we?" Michael turned to the Silken Witch.
"I did," Astrid nodded.
"Same here," I added.
"Okay, fine. We all saw that vision. But I'm asking, do we all believe it was real?"
"Felt real," the Huskcarver replied.
"I mean, you were there. You felt it too. You think it was all fake?" Michael frowned while looking at Riley.
"Honestly, I don't know. It was weird, to say the least."
Michael frowned. "You can say that again."
I rubbed my eyes. "Still, it felt too real. I don't see how anyone would be able to trick our minds into creating that vision."
Riley gave me a blank stare. "Are you seriously saying that you don't believe that's possible? After everything we've seen? The Rodenti, the Eaters, the Lumerins, the Mnems, and you're still going to say that's impossible?"
"Fair point. Maybe it's not as impossible as I think, but still a tall order. And I'm not saying just the whole making an memory thing. I'm talking about everything that we felt during that vision. It was just too real. I don't think a creature that is not human would be able to understand humans so well in order to make that good of an illusion," I explained, hoping it would be enough for Riley.
"I mean, you have a point, but at the same time, I don't know if I can agree with that assessment." Riley crossed their arms and leaned back in their chair.
"Okay, so let me ask you this: what do you think would be a good way to convince you? Because if you're just saying this because you don't trust the Mnems and you are not going to ever trust them, then we're just going to be wasting our time here," I replied.
Riley stared deep into my eyes for a few moments before letting out a sigh. "I genuinely don't know. I know it's a lot, but I don't know what kind of thing I could see that would make me trust the Mnems completely. What I do know is that the entire thing is very sketchy. We have no confirmation that they are telling the truth, and we have no way of knowing if that vision was real or not."
"Okay, you know what? That is a fair doubt." Michael nodded. "Let me ask you a different thing. Let's say they are right. For a moment, let's assume that the vision is real and there is something happening with the world that we need to stop, otherwise everybody's going to die. It may happen in a few years, it may happen in a few decades, hell, it may even happen in a few centuries. But it's something that will eventually happen in a somewhat short timeframe, at least in the cosmic sense of things according to those two," Michael pointed to Astrid and me. "In that case, would you have wanted to do something to help?"
"I mean, of course. If we are really dealing with something that could destroy the entire world, then of course I want to help. I want to solve that problem. Not just to save the world, but because I live here. I don't want this all to be destroyed. Besides, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like being the one who saved the world," Riley admitted.
Michael nodded. "Exactly. Sure, the Mnems might be controlling us to do something bad, but they didn't seem to be hostile to us, and I don't think that we are a bigger problem than the Eaters are. So at most, we will be doing their dirty work in order for them to be more powerful against the Eaters."
"Or we could be giving them the blueprint of how to make an Eater. Maybe they are just as twisted as the Lumerin," I thought out loud.
Everybody turned to face me with wide eyes. It wasn't something that I wanted to happen, but it was still a possibility.
"Don't think it's the case." Rex said. "Uncle remembers things about Mnems."
"Your uncle does? Isn't he your mother's brother?" I asked.
Rex nodded. "Yes."
"Then how come he remembers and you don't? Wasn't the whole thing about your skill that you remember things that your ancestors went through?"
"True. But small things don't always inherit. This small thing. Long ago, Rex's uncle's grandfather saved by Mnems. He almost drowning when happened. They saved him without asking anything back. Just being good. Rex thinks other Mnems would be same. Just good."
"Despite what I just said, I agree with Rex. I didn't get the feeling that they were bad, just different. But do you believe this would be enough to work? Just a good feeling? Would it be worth the risk?" Riley stared at me again.
"Maybe, maybe not. But I also don't think that even if the Mnems are trying to create their own Eater or mix their bodies with the bodies of an Eater, it wouldn't make any difference."
"You don't think they're smart enough for that?" Michael frowned.
"I don't mean in the sense that they are stupid. I mean, even the Lumerin, when they're trying to make those giant spiders, seem to be struggling. And they are combining the same type of creature, aside from the half-human ones that we saw. They are making those strange amalgamations of things that seem to require time in order to make them work. I mean, even Wistra, who raised you, Riley, she needed several years and several generations to make that work. And the final result wasn't all that great. Their goal seems to be the creation of an intelligent slave race that they can control. But despite their efforts, they are still far from it. The Aranean were hardly more than beasts. They are great weapons, and maybe they are preparing for a grand war, but I don't think that's their goal. So even if we are assuming that the Mnems are doing something similar and need the blueprint or the memory that is present inside the Nest of the Eaters, then after we give it to them, it's still going to take years, if not decades, for them to get any decent results."
Michael nodded. "And during that time, we can probably spread the System far and wide."
"Exactly. Not to mention that this is something that we understand a bit more than the other species. Because well..." I turned to Rex. "No offense, but we don't need to evolve from animals. We are already there. So even if they already have powerful beings on their side, we have an edge that they don't. And I think the human growth speed will be much faster than everyone else's. So we should be able to level the playing field soon."
Rex stared at me for a moment before asking, "Isn't that bad for Rodenti?"
I shrugged, "Maybe, but maybe not. As long as we make sure to keep some friendly relations with the Rodenti, I'm pretty sure people will be more than happy to share any discovery that they have about the System. Sure, maybe the most dangerous ones or the most powerful ones won't be shared, but I think overall we will help more than do harm. At least if we are able to be friends with each other."
"Which, considering human history, is going to be a bit of a tall order," Michael added.
Despite the comment, I continued, "You have a point, but there's also another thing. The one thing that really brings us together is having enemies. Every time two civilizations had a common enemy, they worked together to get rid of them. Sure, the moment the enemy was gone, everything unraveled. But before then, alliances were extremely solid."
"So what you're saying is that as long as Eaters are around, we're going to be focused on getting rid of them instead of killing each other?" Riley asked.
"Seems right," Astrid replied.
"Exactly. I think as long as Eaters are around, we won't be at each other's throats as much as you might think. Sure, there would be the eventual bandit or people trying to take advantage of things, but the focus will be to get rid of those fucking monsters. Then, I'm pretty sure that once they are gone, the problem will become the Lumerin. I don't see a world where people just accept what they're doing without any repercussions," I continued my train of thought.
"Not to mention humans used to keep rats as pets. They would do anything to talk to their pets. That's probably going to play a big part in things, especially if there are people who still keep pets out there," Michael added.
Riley nodded but quickly shook their head. "Okay, fine. But we got really sidetracked here. What about the vision?"
"Again, even if we are being made fools of, I think it's worth the risk. Because the alternative, that they are being honest and we ignore them, would have much worse results than being pawns for their plans." Michael brought back his point.
Riley stared at the man for a long moment before nodding. "I suppose you're right. It doesn't sit very well with me, but still."
In the end, we all begrudgingly accepted the decision to continue going after the Nest. Yes, there was a long list of things that could cause problems and a number of ways in which things could go very badly for us. However, our consensus was that it would be worth it in case we were not being played, which very much could still be the case. But I don't think any single one of us would be able to sleep at night if we didn't try to at least figure this out.