CHAPTER XXII
“At last, everything makes sense,” he said gravely, approaching her.
“Not to me,” Hanna replied. “I still have so many questions. I can’t bring myself to believe what all of you seem to have accepted. All I want to do is cry, run away…” she added with surprising openness, as though she were not speaking to a stranger.
“Run away!” he exclaimed. “Don’t suppress your feelings. Sometimes that is the only answer. There are times when accepting defeat is a genuine victory, but not now. You’re not the one who wants to run away. If you were, you wouldn’t be here. You chose to move forward, to keep going, to fight for what you believed in. But there are many things inside you that do need to leave. Let them go. You don’t need them. They aren’t real. What matters is within you, in your spirit. That is the only truth, the compass that must guide you.”
“I’m trying, but it’s difficult. It seems impossible. I can’t think clearly right now. There are too many things I don’t understand.”
“Don’t torment yourself, Hanna. Let events take their course. Don’t fight what is inevitable. Continue on your path. Watching you leave for an unknown world was a dangerous gamble, a daring one, but undoubtedly necessary. There was no other choice. Kudark is a diabolical, cunning being who moves among shadows, in darkness. You were far too important to be left at his mercy. No one yet knows just how important…” he added thoughtfully.
Then he continued.
“We waited for you all this time, and the few of us who knew you existed never doubted you, your origins, or your purpose. We prayed that those who believed they had lost their king forever would not sink into despair. It was difficult, but there was no other solution. That was how things had to be. Kudark always knew something had gone wrong, that his sinister plan had failed, but…”
Vendemur smiled.
“He never found you. He never sensed you. It was impossible. How could he have? Many children were torn from their homes in the search for the one who carried Elisea’s blood, but it was all in vain. He wasn’t here. Perhaps he searched for Tuarkkett’s strength in them when he should have been looking for Badania’s beauty.”
Vendemur smiled again.
“Although either way, his search would have ended with the same result. We accepted that you would grow up very far from the place you should never have had to leave. That involved many risks, risks like those that now fill you with sadness. We’re not asking you to forget who you were before you came here. That’s part of you. We only want you to discover the true meaning of your life. You carry it within you, and you will never be able to escape it.”
“But if it was so important… why did you leave me to fend for myself? Why didn’t you come looking for me from the beginning? I nearly died on the way!”
Vendemur smiled broadly.
“That’s the answer, Hanna. The journey! There was nothing we could have done. Your journey was something only you could undertake, you and your circumstances. Whether you believe it or not, after that journey, which seemed to bring you nothing but questions, you will now find answers. Every being is born with a path of their own. That is their true destiny, one only they can discover, one that can be traveled only from within, by following their spirit.
“Sometimes we must stop seeing, stop hearing. Sometimes we must look only within ourselves, toward the true essence of what we are. Our senses cloud our judgment, often leading us to choose the easier path. And life is not easy, Hanna. There are countless ways to travel the road from our conception to our death, but only one way to truly live it: in freedom.
“Your desires will tempt you, your senses will try to deceive you, but your heart and your spirit will be your judges and your executioners. They will always be there, and they are what compel you to cry now. It isn’t easy to cast aside everything we’ve always believed. Your truth is only one, whether you choose to follow it or not. Everything else will merely cause you to lose yourself.”
“But you should have told me sooner. I deserved to know!”
“Everything has its time. Only when that moment comes will everything make sense. Answer me this: What could you expect of a warrior forced to fight in a battle he doesn’t believe in?”
“I don’t know.”
“At best, he would desert. At worst, he would die a senseless death. Would his participation have meant anything? Probably not, certainly not to him. You cannot force someone to do something against their will and still expect their spirit to guide them. No, Hanna. Their path will be a different one. But you can give someone something to believe in, something that fills them with hope…
“That is what happened to you. You found yourself caught up in an adventure you believed was not yours. You never thought it was. And yet you fought. You fought to help others, to keep from being defeated, because you felt that the goal you were pursuing was just, that it was necessary. That alone brought you here.”
“Even so, I should have known. It was my life. My truth! I feel deceived.”
“Don’t try to find meaning in what never happened. It’s impossible. Your present is your past. Remember that, and… your future is hope. That is the pen that must write the pages of your life. Don’t pity yourself. You don’t deserve that, and you don’t need it. Your answers are here, now. Although you can’t yet feel it, your strength will soon be unleashed.
“You’re safe, Hanna, and you must find what you’re searching for, what is searching for you as well. Now is the time, not before. Kudark can sense things through many others, through his slaves, through those who succumb to his earthly promises. Had you known from the beginning, you could never have escaped. He would have found you, pursued you with his entire army, with all his power, and Drujas himself would have put an end to your life.”
“Drujas stood right in front of me and did nothing!” she exclaimed.
“I know. It was written. He would see you and fail to recognize you because he wasn’t searching for you. He was searching for what lay hidden deep within you, so deeply hidden that you knew nothing, suspected nothing, and neither did he.
“You must understand, Hanna, your destiny is complex, so complex that it encompasses every being living in the Known World. There are many secrets you have yet to discover, secrets that perhaps only I know, all of them important, vital. But don’t ask me to reveal them. Don’t beg me for them. In time, they will be discovered. They, too, are within you, along your path, in your destiny.”
“But if everything is written, why not simply wait for things to happen?”
“Damn it, that’s the answer of fools, of those who would rather stand still when they ought to act! Don’t you understand yet? Nothing is written! The pages of tomorrow are uncertain! Only the past is beyond question, what we can state with certainty from the present, because everything else does not yet exist. The future is uncertain, unknown.
“Life is not a simple journey. From the moment they are conceived until they leave this world, beings travel a difficult, complicated path that crosses the paths of others, encounters obstacles, and moves inexorably toward its end.”
“Then how can you know what will happen? Is it magic?”
“Many call something magic simply because they don’t understand it, because they cannot explain it. I am a being who has lived a long time, too long, longer than anyone should have to endure. I’ve seen things no one would ever wish to see, and throughout all that time, since long before anyone else wandered these lands, when only we Nárakos did, I have always tried to miss nothing of what happened around me. To observe, to learn. Simply that.
“Many moons have passed since then, many darknesses and many kings. Some believe great stories are forged by great deeds. They’re mistaken. It is the small events that ultimately shape the future. Those are what allow everything to follow its course, and those are what we need to understand if we wish to look toward tomorrow.
“Small details are simple, ordinary. They repeat themselves time and again, and they seldom fail. Knowing whether a storm is approaching, whether the sun will shine, or whether the night will be filled with stars is easy. But when it comes to beings who live, who feel, who do more than merely obey their instincts, everything changes.
“When a being is born, it is free. At that moment its spirit is purer than it will ever be, but soon it must make decisions. Those decisions will shape its future. Whether it follows its destiny depends upon itself, upon its ability to forge the path growing within.
“Justice, hope, friendship, love: all these are values that nurture our true existence, that bring out the best in each person. They fill us with good judgment and guide us toward the true meaning of life. That is what I perceive in every person. I believe in a world at peace, and that is how I envision tomorrow: by sensing the strength of those who must follow their destiny.
“But beings also succumb to their most primitive desires: greed, envy, hatred, cruelty. Those things draw them away from their inner selves, plunge them into darkness, and… there is nothing we can do for those who refuse to see, for those who have lost hope.
“The greatest tragedies in this world arose from betrayal and the hunger for power. Yet sometimes standing still while everything around you crumbles can be just as dangerous. I find tomorrow only in the strength of those who follow their true path, those who believe. Only then will my predictions prove correct.”
“Then… how could you know what I would do when even now I don’t know who I am or what my true path is?”
“It’s simple, Hanna. You always followed it, even without knowing what it was, because you acted as you should. Most beings need only be guided by justice and hope. That’s enough for them to fulfill what they carry within. It is enough not to fall into corruption.
“But only a few go further. Only a few can feel their own strength, see their spirit in its purest state, as it was before any circumstance had disturbed it. Only they can truly find their destiny, the one that is written. You can do it!”
“I don’t think I can.”
“Let me tell you something no one ever believed, a story about destiny, about two people who possessed a strength unlike anything seen for a very long time.
“The first was an exceptional boy, incredible, so extraordinary that he made me question everything I knew, everything I understood, even the laws I obeyed. It took me a long time to realize who he was, but when he grew older and I finally understood, I had no doubt. It was written!
“He was destined to join his life with another person, a girl born with the true strength of the chosen. She grew and became a woman who honored her bloodline, who never ceased to astonish me. Only she was capable of looking directly at her destiny, of changing what seemed inevitable, of saving us all.”
“Who were they?”
“Their names were Tuarkkett and Badania, and they were your parents. Many called me mad, others a traitor, but I never stopped believing. And neither did the princess! She alone decided to embark upon what everyone believed would be a tragic suicide, a journey that would ultimately become a union filled with love and give rise to a unique, long-awaited being.
“You, Hanna! Don’t give up believing in it.”
“But believing in it means accepting that they’re gone. I never knew them. I never will. I don’t know whether I want to believe it, or even whether I’ll ever be able to. I still can’t believe anything you’re telling me. How could I have left this place? How did I get here?!”
“Don’t give up believing, little one. The lives of many depend upon it, and so does peace. Always remember this: there are no small beings, no great beings. There are only those who believe and those who do not.
“I can see what you think, what you feel, even what you don’t understand, from the time you left until the time you returned. And I know you now understand what all those around you did for you. Some acted with wisdom, others with courage, but all acted with hope.
“Gunuk was one of them. He alone was given the honor of carrying you away. To him alone did Tuarkkett entrust what he loved most, the fruit of his love: you, Hanna.
“You were barely a few hours old, yet you had already become a being who would change the course of history. You came into this world with energy, with wisdom. You seemed to sense what was about to happen, and so you came into the world earlier than expected. That saved you from death.
“It took us all by surprise, just as what followed would. Only Gunuk was able to take you with him, far from Kettke, to Tover, to the gateway that opens onto unknown places, the gateway that watched you leave, the gateway that watched you return.
“And he did so knowing with certainty that he would never come back, knowing how his own story would end.
“Who could have expected that of a Snork?”
“I could. I could expect anything of them,” Hanna answered through her tears.
“Of course, Hanna. He believed. That was his strength: hope. Just like the many others who helped you escape.
“I’m sure Bauros seemed a brave being to you as well!” Vendemur exclaimed, seeing her surprise. “Well, that little being, insignificant in the eyes of many, was the one who carried you and Gunuk away. Later he would save you from certain death once again, and later still he would place himself at your service once more. Always with hope, always with strength, expecting nothing in return.
“That is what makes a being great.”
“So that was his secret…” Hanna murmured thoughtfully.
“Indeed. That was his secret. Secrets can be heavy burdens, bitter at times, like the one you now carry within you.”
Hanna shivered at those last words.
“We all have questions. We all seek answers. Gunuruk deserves to know the truth, but don’t worry. There’s no need to hurry. He will know how to wait. Only you will find the moment when it should be told.
“He too is a unique being, one who has never stopped fighting throughout his life. You are far too alike. Both of you have fought against ghosts of your own making, and curiously enough, both of you have found your way here.”
“I couldn’t have done it without him. I’ve never met anyone like him,” she said between sobs, proud and happy to have had him at her side all along.
“He began his journey searching for his father. That alone gave him the strength to believe. Gunuk was always his guide, the one who filled him with hope, and without realizing it, Gunuruk found the true meaning of his existence: to finish what his father had once begun. Your journey, your path.
“Hanna, you are the same. Only the search for what you had always believed in brought you here: your parents. Perhaps soon you will be able to repay Gunuruk by returning Gunuk’s remains to the place where they should rest.”
“How? That’s impossible!”
“Perhaps it is, or perhaps it isn’t. Only you can answer that question. But remember what I’ve told you. Don’t believe the future is forged by great events. It is forged by small ones.
“Never underestimate anyone, however weak they may seem, and above all, never underestimate yourself.
“The time to believe has come. Face it, live it. It is your path. One part of it ends here, and more importantly, another begins.
“Don’t be afraid to accept reality, to accept the fate of those you searched for. It is painful, but that is the truth. You carry them within you. It is your duty to mourn their deaths, their tragedy, but above all to honor their work, what they fought for, what they died for.
“For a world at peace!”
Hanna looked at him steadily, saddened, though something deep within her was beginning to grow.
Now her doubts were gradually fading, and everything was beginning to make sense. Difficult though it was to accept, she thought about so many things, about so many of those who had crossed her path, about their circumstances. But above all, she could not stop thinking about those who had given her life, those who had fought and died, who had been loved and respected, and especially those she had always been searching for.
They were bitter thoughts, but deep down they gave meaning to her existence.
She had not been abandoned.
Her parents had loved her, and her world awaited her with hope.
It was complicated, but above all it was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time.
As she breathed deeply, trying to absorb what was beginning to take shape in the deepest part of her being, Vendemur turned and started walking toward the door.
“Follow me, little one,” he said as he stepped outside.
Hanna reacted quickly and hurried to catch up with the Nárako.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they made their way through the palace corridors and began descending its staircases.
Vendemur said nothing, not even when they reached the courtyard.
Hanna’s curiosity grew with every step. She was impatient to discover where they were heading.
Finally, beside a great wall near a beautiful fountain, Vendemur touched the stone, and a small stone door opened before them.
Hanna was intrigued, perhaps even a little frightened, as she descended a narrow staircase into the dimness of the underground passage, certain that something extraordinary lay hidden there.
After a few more steps, they reached the bottom.
There was hardly any light, but a wooden door clearly blocked their way.
“Prepare your spirit, Hanna. What you’re about to see will bring many things to the surface within you, things you’ve been waiting far too long to discover,” Vendemur said mysteriously.
She watched him open the door and finally saw what lay beyond.
At first, she did not understand.
The great chamber they entered was illuminated by a small window high in the ceiling, through which an almost heavenly light poured. Its walls were made of fine stone, and the ceiling was vaulted.
A dozen immaculate columns formed an aisle, and at its center, where the light shone more brightly than anywhere else, stood a great pedestal bearing two reclining statues.
Vendemur remained by the entrance while Hanna slowly advanced, looking around in astonishment.
It did not take her long to understand what stood before her.
Then she quickened her pace.
Here rest two Kings, Kings of Kings. Just and Great. Tuarkkett and Badania.
Those words were inscribed upon the floor.
They were her parents!
Hanna began to cry as she gazed at their tombs, touching their statues and tracing every inch of them.
They had been carved from beautiful polished stone, with countless details: their hair, their armor, their swords, their faces, their closed eyes.
They looked as though they were merely resting, as though they were only asleep.
Then she saw Tuarkkett’s pendant.
Her father’s pendant.
He wore it around his neck, just as she did.
It was the same.
A feeling of certainty unlike anything she had ever experienced swept through her entire body.
Hanna looked at Vendemur, and he merely nodded.
Nothing more was needed.
There was no doubt left, none at all.
Now all she could do was cry, remain there, savor that moment, even savor the sorrow she felt. But above all, she could embrace the truth—not the truth she had been told, the truth she had refused to accept, but the truth that now filled her from within.
“Few know that their remains rest here,” the Nárako said, approaching her.
“Thank you!” Hanna exclaimed through her tears. “This was what I needed. Now I understand everything. Now I know what I am. Now I know they were always with me. That was what I felt. I wasn’t alone! I never was…”
“It’s time for you to look within yourself. You’re safe now. For the moment, they won’t come after you. Not here.”
“But… I don’t know how!”
“You need only look into the deepest part of your being. Seek your essence, your spirit. Empty your mind, abandon what is superficial. Don’t try to see, don’t try to hear. Feel only your heart.”
Hanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Then she concentrated, but after a few seconds, nothing happened.
“I can’t,” she said, disappointed.
“You need only feel what is calling to you. Trust! You can do it. Find what you’ve always believed in,” Vendemur said firmly.
Once again, Hanna closed her eyes and breathed deeply, gripping her pendant tightly.
Then everything dissolved.
Hanna traveled to a place where there were no colors or sounds, where there was nothing, and yet everything was there.
It was intense, overwhelmingly intense.
She felt the light and the darkness. She felt things that would be impossible to describe.
But above all, she felt herself.
What she was and what she would become.
Her strength!
Those few seconds were revealing, exhausting, and at last Hanna returned to herself, gasping for breath, shaken.
Vendemur looked at her with some surprise.
She had succeeded, and now her power surrounded her.
The Nárako had never imagined her energy would be so great. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had possessed such power.
“I did it! Now I know. Now I’m ready!” she exclaimed with absolute confidence, so certain of herself that not the slightest trace of fear, doubt, or uncertainty could be seen in her.
“Yes, you have. I always knew you would. But remember, it won’t be an easy path. This is only the beginning. Before long there will be danger, there will be wars, and above all, there will be uncertainty.
“You are unique, Hanna. Now you know that. And now you must know that it is your blood that will wield Sium once again and reopen the gates of Kinoria.
“That will be our secret. That is your true purpose.
“Honor the memory of your parents. Return them to the place where they should rest.
“Kettke awaits us!”
Hanna said nothing.
She was serious, although the satisfaction coursing through her entire body was unmistakable.
She stood motionless, looking at Vendemur, showing no surprise at what she had just heard.
They were extraordinary revelations, undoubtedly impossible for almost anyone else to comprehend.
But not for her.
Not anymore.
It was as though she knew what she had to do, as though at last she understood her destiny.
Only a few minutes had passed, but Hanna was already different. She had entered another state of being, one that only a few could ever reach.
The frightened little girl had fled, taking all her doubts with her. All that remained was the woman destined to undertake a crusade that would make history.
“I can’t wait!” she exclaimed fiercely, with that look only she could summon, with the confidence of someone who knew nothing but victory.
Vendemur looked at her, his eyes shining with pride.
That was the answer.
Everything had been said.
The princess had finally arrived.
Now, at last!
And soon her adventure would begin…