The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Prologue

Grandpa laid on his bed, staring out the window into the endless rain. Levi sat at his side, his hand on the sheets, listening to the old man's weary voice.

"I remember before the Calamity, Levi. Before the sun burned our electronics. We still had machines to build for us and those things...what were they called...computers. We had computers to calculate and think for us. If they still worked, they would remember. They never forgot a thing." Grandpa's eyes were wet and moist as he recalled the time from before. He shook his head, as if trying to shake off the memories, or maybe, the present. "Now, everything has become a passing memory. Our greatest smiths can't make more than swords to protect us from the monsters. We ride horses again. Horses for God's sake! We didn't use to do that. We had rolling carriages, we knew how to make ca-" Grandpa froze, his mouth gaping wide open, like he had swallowed something bad and it was stuck in his throat. "We knew how to make c-c-ca-argh damn this accursed Fog!" He seemed on the edge of tears and soon a big fat droplet rolled down the side of his wrinkly face and landed on Levi's elbow.

"Levi, my boy, you are not so old. Yet why do you not remember when I try to tell you of what was? Why is it that when I try to talk about-" Grandpa froze again, but this time his face grew angry. He heaved a great rasping breath, breaking through the Fog, "YOU can't stop me. Whatever this is, whoever it is, god or man, circumstance of chance, you won't stop me from saying what I have to say! My time is almost up and I refuse to let some mere Fog stop me from saying my piece!" Grandpa's eyes strained from the effort but he did it. Levi watched amazed. The words coming from Grandpa's mouth awoke something in him. They made him remember things, foggy things from before he could truly think, when his consciousness was still young and speech was difficult. However, these memories were not to last, it was only because Grandpa kept speaking of before, that he could recall even these hazy traces.

"Alright, Levi. Listen, others may not talk about it, but I have nothing to lose. This curse, this Fog, as we call it, which clouds our minds and makes those of us who remember too much doomed to this fate. It was not always here! Before the Calamity, we had all these things, these wonderful technological things and life was better. People lived longer, and we didn't have some people running around with Reincarnations, people couldn't just remember their past lives and do something amazing. They had to earn knowledge first. We were all just people, living and growing as equals. But now look at us, warring, squabbling under the dynasties. Something has changed us, Levi. The old cities were vast, great steel sky-skyscrap-argh our buildings then damnit!" Grandpa gave in to the Fog as he forgot the old words which were no longer allowed. Levi watched curiously, trying to understand, but it was hard. The Fog kept invading his mind. Meanwhile, Grandpa was choosing his words carefully, his face strained and red. He can't hold out much longer. Levi thought.

"Our buildings, they were so big, Levi. I wish you could have seen them. They were made of metal and glass and...just amazing. They had these great big skeletons of steel and even if the Calamity toppled them, they should have left behind ruins, pieces of the past. Yet...look around us. Others might ignore it, they might try to forget, but I am not afraid to say things how they are! We're surrounded by woods! Our buildings have disappeared like the night before the morning sun, without a trace! And all these strange monsters and people with incredible powers. This is all impossible, it can't be. It CAN'T BE!" Grandpa's voice quavered as it rose in pitch. He struggled to stay upright, propped up on the bed, and Levi felt him shake uncontrollably, whimpering as he fought the pain. He sounded so tired, yet...so determined. For a single moment, Grandpa's face was clear, and he spoke one last time.

"It's like this is all someone's strange dream. Is that what this is? Just one great, big, grand delusion?" Grandpa closed his eyes at that moment, spasming as the Fog punished him for speaking of the past. The adults came then and ushered Levi out, covering his eyes as they did so. It wasn't until later that he was told the truth and he knew for sure. Grandpa was dead. Afterwards, no one talked about before the Calamity anymore. It was too dangerous, the Fog would destroy a person's ability to think, reason, and even remember their very identity, if they were not careful. And so, Levi grew up, slowly forgetting everything, though sometimes, in his dreams he still heard whispers from a trembling voice.

"Is this all just a grand delusion?"