On day, a man only known as Ross embarked on a journey from Ghel, on Morningsilver Island in Vagard’s country, to Exeräise in order to communicate an urgent message to the military there: the prophecy of their demise. Knowing full well of the dangers that lie ahead, he did it for the sake of his people, leaving his son and his wife behind to fend for themselves. Despite this act of heroism, other people warned him of the Ghost Ship, belonging to the late Archer Revenge, the man who made the first society on the barren Earth. Ross simply scoffed at their warnings and continued onward. One night on the sea, Ross dreamt of the riches he supposedly found in an old jungle ruin known in his dream as “Dragös”. So wrapped up in this fantasy dream, he was unaware that his ship was being stalked by another one, one as old as the oldest civilizations on Earth. Suddenly, cannonfire broke the silence, and Ross’ ship was no more. When his son heard the news, he was traumatized. Being a sailor himself, he decided to try and find his father. He left his mother Sarah behind and began to sail off into the distance. Although the son felt good about what he would find, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The existence of a ghost ship to him was unlikely. It was probably a rouge vessel from Exeräise. Nevertheless, he decided to stay on his toes. That night, a fog covered the blackness of the sea, causing for a sense of uneasiness. Then he saw it. It was the Archer Revenge. Despite the crew’s best efforts, they were quickly destroyed by the phantom vessel. The son survived and began to sink into the sea after the rubble he hung onto became waterlogged, but then a rope came from a mystery ship. He grabbed it, was hauled aboard, and entered the ship’s cabin where a young woman was lying on a bed, shivering. The girl woke up to see the weary face of a man. The face was not weary with age, but with cuts, bruises, and scars. The man wore an eye-patch, and had broken lips. The girl made an effort to scream, but no sound came out.
"Feeling better?" the man whispered.
The girl sat up and looked around. They were on a ship.
"Who are you? Where are we going? How did you...?"
"Don't talk. He'll hear you."
The reference to Creator got the girl's attention. Clearly this was an ally, since the enemy was far away. At least it seemed that way.
"Where's...?"
"Unkardia's way behind us. We should make landfall on Anne any day now."
"Oh... I don't feel so good..."
"You've been through... a lot, shall we say. What you just went through is not your average, everyday ordeal. It's probably natural to feel a little nauseous. You should get some sleep."
"Who are you?" inquired the girl a second time.
"Just a random sailor."
The girl made the effort to speak, but decided not to. He probably had a very good reason to hide his identity. The girl decided to get some rest, just as the "sailor" had recommended. She did feel a little sleepy anyway. After retiring to the cabin on the small boat they were on, the girl found a bed. It took no more than a minute before she was sleeping soundly.
"Wake up!"
The girl sprang to her feet, ready for anything. Unfortunately for her sense of anticipation, this was a dream. Looking around, the girl found she was on a very small imaginary island above the clouds. Another girl that looked just like her was talking to her.
"Remember who you are."
"But I know who I am. I know my name and everything about myself."
"You do now."
"What do you mean?"
The mirror image simply smiled and paced slightly. "Destiny shapes you. But it must be you who shapes destiny."
"Stop speaking in riddles. What are you saying? Am I going to lose my memory?"
"Be prepared to do so. That's been your downfall for the past 513 times."
Though the girl had no comprehension of the past 513 realities that she had been involved with, a nagging, subconscious part of herself convinced the girl that this dream self was speaking the truth.
"This has happened 513 times? How can I prevent this "downfall" you speak of?"
"Well, you couldn't have prevented it in the past. I wasn't sharp enough to deduce how to do so back then. But through each consecutive trial, I found out a long time ago that your resistance to the downfall keeps increasing. It's only now that you're able to resist the memory wipe."
"So... why bother telling me?"
"Creator won't be merciful when he finds out that his system is failing bit by bit. He's relying on the same system to keep you at bay every time you reach that point in time. If he finds out that you simply can biologically resist induced amnesia, he'll resort to his other, more ghastly methods. To avoid a downfall, just keep this information hidden from him."
"You sound very experienced."
"Don't flatter yourself. You know I am you."
The dream figure paced a little bit more. "There's something else I need to tell you..."
"What is it?"
It was too late. The dream had faded. The girl was coming back to the distorted lunar plane that was reality. Soon, it was nighttime. A slight vibration caused a glass to fall from a nearby cabinet and shatter. There was an ominous feeling in the air, no doubt about that. The man who the girl had previously met was standing on the deck with a telescope, looking into the gloom over the water.
"What do you see?"
The girl jumped to her feet and exited the cabin. There was very little to see, given the copious amounts of fog over the water. The man was trembling.
"This may be the end of me..." he whispered to himself.
"What do you see?!"
"Oh my lord... Cannon fire!"
The girl looked through the ominous fog. There was nothing to be seen.
"I will tell you once we reach the island. I'm sorry I've been keeping this information from you, but you probably know why."
The man remained silent for the rest of the voyage. Reve couldn’t be entirely certain what was going on. She had forgotten a majority of the events that had occurred, and felt as though she was in another place. Birds flew through the night sky and a noise echoed from the isle for which they were bound. This seemed to make the man uneasy, but it was welcoming to Reve. She remembered that she had been to this place called Anne for a while now, but there was no sense of time in this memory.
I am One.
I am All Sixteen before the Mark.
The girl woke up to see the weary face of an man. The face was not weary with age, but with cuts, bruises, and scars. The man wore an eye-patch, and had broken lips. The girl made an effort to scream, but no sound came out. That was probably how it should be.
"Feeling better?" the man whispered.
The girl sat up and looked around. They were on a ship.
"Who are you? Where are we going? How did you...?"
"Don't talk. He'll hear you."
The reference to Creator got the girl's attention. Clearly this was an ally, since the enemy was far away. Or so it seemed.
"Where's...?"
"Unkardia's waaay behind us. We should make landfall on Anne any day now."
"Oh... I don't feel so good..."
"You've been through... a lot, shall we say. What you just went through is not your average, everyday ordeal. It's probably natural to feel a little nauseous. You should get some sleep."
"Who are you?" inquired the girl a second time.
"Just a random sailor."
The girl made the effort to speak, but decided not to. He probably had a very good reason to hide his identity. The girl decided to get some rest, just as the "sailor" had recommended. She did feel a little sleepy anyway. After retiring to the cabin on the small boat they were on, the girl found a bed. It took no more than a minute before she was sleeping soundly.
...
"Wake up!"
The girl sprang to her feet, ready for anything. Wait... This was a dream. Looking around, the girl found she was on a very small imaginary island above the clouds. Another girl that looked just like her was talking to her.
"Remember who you are."
"Ummm... OK?"
"Take me seriously."
"But I know who I am. I know my name and everything about myself."
"You do now."
"What do you mean?"
The mirror image simply smiled and paced slightly. "Destiny shapes you. But it must be you who shapes destiny."
"Stop speaking in riddles. What are you saying? Am I going to lose my memory?"
"Be prepared to do so. That's been your downfall for the past 513 times."
Though the girl had no comprehension of the past 513 realities that she had been involved with, a nagging, subconscious part of herself convinced the girl that this dream self was speaking the truth.
"This has happened 513 times? How can I prevent this "downfall" you speak of?"
"Well, you couldn't have prevented it in the past. I wasn't sharp enough to deduce how to do so back then. But through each consecutive trial, I found out a long time ago that your resistance to the downfall keeps increasing. It's only now that you're able to resist the memory wipe."
"So... why bother telling me?"
"Creator won't be merciful when he finds out that his system is failing bit by bit. He's relying on the same system to keep you at bay every time you reach that point in time. If he finds out that you simply can biologically resist induced amnesia, he'll resort to his other, more ghastly methods. To avoid a downfall, just keep this information hidden from him."
"You sound very experienced."
"Don't flatter yourself. You know I am you."
The dream self paced a little bit more. "There's something else I need to tell you..."
"What is it?"
It was too late. The dream had faded. The girl was coming back to reality.
...
"Wake up!"
The girl sat up. It was nighttime. A slight vibration caused a glass to fall from a nearby cabinet and shatter. There was an ominous feeling in the air, no doubt about that. The man who the girl had previously met was standing on the deck with a telescope, looking into the gloom over the water.
"What do you see?"
The girl jumped to her feet and exited the cabin. There was very little to see, given the copious amounts of fog over the water. The man was trembling.
"This may be the end of me..." he whispered to himself.
"What do you see?!"
"Oh my lord..."
"Give me that!"
Snatching the telescope, the girl gazed into the darkness. It was getting close to dawn, and soon this fog would disappear. But it was clear something wasn't right.
"Reve..."
"How did you know my name?!"
The man was pointing in the opposite direction. Reve looked through the lens and spotted flashes.
"Cannonfire!"
A quick shot impacted the side of the ship, sending splinters flying. The small vessel was already damaged extensively due to the shot. Reve looked in the direction of the enemy fire and then noticed a welcome, familiar orb breaking through the clouds. Within an instant, the fog lifted, revealing nothing but blue ocean water. The sun had risen.
"Thank the heavens above!" said Reve with a great deal of enthusiasm.
"Indeed," said the man. "That was a close call. I'm glad the sun rose when it did. Its light always banishes ghost ships. Always."
"But... How did you know my name?" inquired Reve.
The man looked to the west. The isle of Anne could be seen on the horizon.
"I will tell you once we reach the island. I'm sorry I've been keeping this information from you, but you probably know why."
Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I love the beautiful sounds of this album but I don’t have a favorite song. I have a favorite title, it’s called “I Am An Idol, But You Can Call Me The Pope”.. p.s- The Pope Smokes Dope! Dionysus Virus
C. Diab describes “Exit Rumination” as “a sonic exorcism,” and its dark, swelling songs are equal parts catharsis and tension. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2018
