June 10th, 3030
For three days, Itus trudged through the desert, his movements now more confident and purposeful than they had been before his time with the Dune Walkers. The rising and setting of the twin suns marked the passage of time, and Itus found himself falling into a rhythm with the desert's harsh beauty.
As he crested yet another dune on the third day, his breath caught in his throat. There, shimmering in the distance like a mirage made real, were crystal spires emerging from the sand.
"Three days, just as Sahara said," Itus murmured to himself, awe and trepidation mingling in his voice. "The Heralds' sanctuary..."
With each step closer, the otherworldly structure grew larger, more imposing. Crystal spires twisted towards the sky, forming an intricate, organic-looking building that shimmered and danced in the desert heat. Itus stood before it, his heart pounding in his chest.
This is it, he thought, a mixture of excitement and fear coursing through him. All my searching, all my struggles... they've led me here.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Itus approached the entrance. As he stepped inside, the scorching heat of the desert gave way to a cool, almost ethereal atmosphere. He found himself in a vast chamber, where light refracted through the crystal walls, casting rainbow patterns across the floor. The beauty of it was almost overwhelming.
Suddenly, whispers seemed to emanate from unseen sources, echoing through the chamber:
"Seeker... Questioner... Lost one..."
Itus spun around, trying to locate the source of the voices. Am I imagining this? he wondered, his pulse quickening.
Before he could ponder further, three figures materialized before him as if from thin air. They wore shimmering robes that seemed to change color with each movement, their faces obscured by deep hoods. Itus felt a chill run down his spine.
"Welcome, Itus," one of the figures spoke, its voice neither male nor female, yet somehow both. "We have foreseen your coming."
Itus started, taken aback. "You... you know who I am?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
A second figure inclined its head slightly. "We know many things," it replied. "But knowledge has a price."
Steeling himself, Itus straightened his posture. This is what I came for, he reminded himself. I can't back down now. "I'm willing to pay it," he said, his voice stronger now. "I need answers."
The third figure stepped forward, its movements fluid and graceful. "A prophecy you seek," it stated. "But what do you offer in return?"
Itus hesitated, his mind racing. What could he possibly offer beings of such obvious power? He reached into his pack, his fingers closing around the datapad he and Zara had found in the abandoned research station. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.
"This datapad," he said, holding it out. "It contains valuable research data."
The Heralds shook their heads in unison, and Itus felt his heart sink.
"We don't accept such trivial things," the first Herald said, its voice tinged with what might have been amusement. "We require something of more value."
Itus felt panic rising in his chest. "But it's... it's all I have," he protested weakly.
The Heralds approached Itus, circling him like predators sizing up their prey. They leaned closer, and Itus fought the urge to step back. The first Herald reached out, placing its hand on Itus's head. The touch was cool, almost electric.
"That's not all you have to offer," the Herald said, its voice echoing inside Itus's mind. "Your mind holds more value than anything else you could give us."
Confusion and fear warred within Itus. "My mind?" he repeated, his voice trembling slightly.
The third Herald spoke, its voice somehow both soothing and unsettling. "Your memories, to be exact. We'll give you your prophecy if you give us a precious memory."
Itus felt as if the ground was shifting beneath his feet. My memories? he thought, panic rising. But my memories are... they're who I am. How can I give that up?
"I... don't know," he said aloud, his voice small and uncertain.
The Heralds began to back away, turning as if to disappear once more. Itus felt his chance slipping away, and desperation surged through him.
"Wait!" he called out, his voice echoing in the chamber. There was a pause, heavy with possibility. Itus took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do. "Fine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll give you a memory."
The Heralds moved back towards Itus, each placing a hand on his shoulders. Itus felt a strange sensation as if fingers were rifling through the pages of his mind. He caught flashes of memories—the faces of Cliff and Anise, a home, emotions—before everything went dark.
When Itus came back to himself, he felt... different. There was a gap in his mind, a blank space where something important used to be. But before he could dwell on it, the chamber darkened, and the Heralds began to chant in an unknown language.
Lights swirled around Itus, and for a moment, he felt disconnected from reality, as if he were floating in a vast, starry void. Then, in perfect unison, the Heralds spoke:
"The quantum fool leaps across the multiverse to shake hands with his reflection."
The lights faded, and Itus blinked, confusion and disbelief washing over him. That's it? he thought, incredulity giving way to anger. That's what I gave up a piece of myself for?
"What?" he said aloud, his voice rising with frustration. "That doesn't even make sense! How is this a prophecy?"
The second Herald tilted its head, its voice maddeningly calm. "Wisdom often wears the mask of absurdity."
Itus felt his anger building, threatening to overflow. "But I came here for answers!" he protested, his fists clenching at his sides.
The third Herald's voice was enigmatic as it replied, "Perhaps the answer lies within the seeming nonsense."
"This is ridiculous!" Itus shouted, no longer caring about decorum or respect. "I risked everything for some cryptic one-liner?"
The first Herald's voice was cold now, brooking no argument. "We have given you what you sought. Now leave!"
Itus looked from one Herald to another, desperation turning to anger and then to defeat. Without another word, he turned and stormed towards the exit, his mind reeling from what had just transpired.
As he emerged from the sanctuary, the heat of the desert hit him like a physical blow. Anger and frustration radiated from every movement as he adjusted his pack and began walking away from the crystal spires.
"All of this... for nothing," he muttered bitterly to himself, his voice lost in the wind.
As Itus trudged across the sand, his figure growing smaller against the setting suns, he felt more lost than ever. The crystal spires of the Heralds' sanctuary became a distant shimmer on the horizon, a mocking reminder of his shattered hopes.
His shoulders slumped, his steps heavy with disappointment and exhaustion. Atop a sand dune, he stopped, looking out at the vast expanse before him. The twin suns were setting, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and purple, but Itus could find no beauty in it now.
"'The quantum fool leaps across the multiverse to shake hands with his reflection,'" he repeated, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "What does that even mean?"
He pulled out his water canteen, taking a small sip.
Itus sighed heavily, the weight of his journey pressing down on him like a physical thing. "Maybe... maybe it's time to give up," he said softly, voicing the thought that had been lurking in the back of his mind.
He sat down heavily on the sand, his head in his hands. For a long moment, he was silent, listening to the whisper of the wind across the dunes.
"What am I even doing out here?" he asked himself, his voice barely audible.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, sending sand swirling around him. It caught a piece of paper from his pack, sending it fluttering away. Itus scrambled to his feet, chasing after it. His hand closed around the paper just before it could fly out of reach.
As he looked at it, he realized it was the map the Dune Walkers had given him. Itus stared at the map, then looked back the way he came, towards home and everything he had left behind.
In that moment, something shifted inside him. His expression changed from despair to determination, a fire rekindling in his eyes.
"I can't go back home," he said to himself, his voice growing stronger. "Nothing is waiting for me there. No answers, no purpose."
He turned back to face the endless desert ahead of him, squaring his shoulders against the wind.
"I've come too far to turn back now," Itus declared, resolve hardening his voice. "I don't know what this 'prophecy' means, but I'm going to find out."
He stuffed the map back into his pack and started walking again, his steps more purposeful now. The disappointment of the Heralds' sanctuary still stung, but it no longer defined him.
"I'm going to see this through," Itus vowed to the uncaring desert. "Even if it kills me."
