As the excited chatter started to quiet down, the bright lights of the circus slowly dimmed, creating a thrilling atmosphere for the spectacle to come. A mysterious figure enters the stage, sparking cheers of excitement from the crowd. It was the host that everyone loves, for he is the true essence of a crowd-pleaser. It is he alone, that brings immense value to this very show. Almost routinely, he thanks the audience for coming. The loud clapping continues, you look down on your lap and see a golden ticket so bright it could illuminate the whole circus tent. Then, complete silence fell as the host's attention shifted elsewhere. He had a good look at the sea of faces in the crowd as if there was something to be found in it. After a few moments, his eyes slowly started drifting toward , until you were completely certain who he is looking at. you There was something curious, almost magnetic in his eyes, making you feel as if he was looking into the deepest parts of your soul. His stare was so tempting, you couldn't help but focus on every detail of this show that he prepared. He quickly snaps out of this moment of intrigue and announces the beginning of your adventure. “ !” Now that I have , may I ask you all to relax in your seats as the show is just about to start. A marvelous journey through space and time awaits everyone's attention At the press of a button, the advanced technology straps you into your seat, while the headset is instantly transporting you to a different reality. This new that was projected onto your eyes felt just as real as your own. virtual world Each vibration, touch, smell, and sensation could be felt, as this is the most immersive experience that money could buy, and you can finally have a chance to experience it for the very first time. The circus quickly morphed into a giant before your very eyes. Down below you, sounds of loud chanting, as the masses cheer on the gladiators that perform a clash to the death. Colosseum In the distance, you see the host disappearing behind a curtain on the central balcony but he doesn’t look the same anymore… You could swear that you saw the Devil himself but the glimpse just wasn’t enough to know for sure. As the ground below you starts trembling, even louder chants start bringing the Colosseum down in a terrible earthquake. The whole scenery breaks into a million fragments only to gain shape again, forming a reality in which you are sitting on a small boat, taking a slow and calm ride down the river of time… Rendezvous With Destiny The river’s current pulls your boat towards a dock onto which you slowly step to take a closer look at the mountains in the distance and the colorful nature all around you. The air is rich with scents that only remind you of the joyful things in life, but as you make your first steps, a mirror emerges from the ground blocking your path and stopping you in your tracks. In it, you can see a reflection but it is not your own. What you see is a young, hopeful face. It is a man, unknown by appearance but very familiar in a way you can’t even understand yet. As both of you reach out, just as your fingertips meet on the glass, the mirror shatters, pulling you into a strange new reality. You're not just looking at him anymore. You are him. You can hear what he hears, see what he sees, and feel what he feels, but you can not influence any of the decisions he makes. His thoughts are as clear as day to you but there is no way that you can interfere with them. You watch him slowly progress toward a hill covered with trees and thick snow. Your host is wearing a military uniform and a worn-out sniper rifle. As he reaches the destination and sets up his equipment info comes in from the military base close by - tango en route, expect visual in 5. He checks his rifle one last time and shifts his body to align with the scope. As the rebel military vehicles start appearing on the horizon our host takes one final look at the mission brief. The target is a high-ranking officer of the Rebellion that has managed to stay anonymous for quite some time. The target can only be identified by their badges and stripes, as there is no image to go by. Uniformed men started leaving the vehicles at the rendezvous point one by one, and sure enough, the corresponding pattern of stripes and stars showed up in his crosshair. He lifted the scope up just a few degrees to get a clear shot to the head but what he saw made his fingertips drip with sweat and his aim unsteady. Not so long ago, the target that now needs to be neutralized was fighting side by side with our host. Just a few years back they were together in the trenches but since the Purists took power their ideologies made them part ways. The shock of this revelation sent a strong impulse through his body and instructed his brain to start looking for possible solutions, but deep down he knew that there were none. The intel is solid and the war has been going on for far too long. It can be ended with one swift move of his finger... After a few moments of uncertainty, his racing heart and sweaty hands were an obstacle no more. His decision has been made. A loud bang echoed through the forest as the bullet was leaving the barrel. It only took a split second for the lethal projectile to pierce the skull of the target. It was decided that their time has come. One life had to end today so that the ideology it represented could die with it. The Purists have decided that they had enough trying to deal with the message. It was time to deal with the messenger. As the reality of the situation started sinking in, a low hum began to echo through the forest. It was almost as if the virtual world itself was mourning the loss, mirroring his mixed feelings. Suddenly, your body jolted as if awoken from a deep sleep. The humming grew louder, and the snow-covered forest started to blur and distort. The feeling was disorienting but familiar. It was the sensation of the transition you felt before, pulling you back into the river of time. The scenery changed quickly and the chilly forest was replaced by the gentle waves of the river. Original Sin As the river wound its way downstream, another dock appeared in your path. As you step on it, nature around you starts performing a symphony of gestures through the singing of birds and playful winds that dance through the trees. You can feel it radiating with joy ever since it felt your presence. Roots from the forest floor begin to grow and twist toward you, creating a pedestal from their intertwined strands. From this natural podium, a mysterious book emerges. The worn-out cover turns over revealing pages filled with words and images you can not discern. As the images flash before you, letters detach from the pages swirling around you and forming a passage into a dark hallway. As soon as you step inside your walk shifts. You can hear the clapping of heels but it is not you that is producing this sound. It is a woman, walking through what seems to be a hallway of a church. In the distance, you see a priest entering the confession booth as your new host progresses towards it while slowly rehearsing the opening lines in her mind. She follows the priest, takes a seat, and initiates the confession by taking a deep breath. : “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned…” Woman Her voice echoed with dullness before she made a brief pause. After a long and painful sigh, she continued - “It is the same as always… You already know.” : “I understand my child, but may I ask, is it fear that is stopping you from incorporating change in your life? Or is there something else that is preventing you to step into the light?” Priest : “At first I thought that it was fear but after looking deep into the core of my being I have realized that I fear no force that operates in this cursed world. For quite some time I did fear God, but it is with great regret that I inform you that this faith is slowly fading into darkness. What sort of God allows his creation to fall back to the deepest pits of Hell even before its judgment day has come? Can you not see what our world has become, Father? It is not so long ago when I looked at mankind with hope and joy. All I saw in them was pure divine potential that only requires the force of their will to manifest itself in the physical realm. Woman What has become of that? We were so close but then, as if we fell for a cruel joke, we traded our freedom and creativity for an eternity of damnation. And as if that price wasn’t enough! We now bow to synthetic intelligence, an entity so far beneath our minds that it shouldn't even have the right to bear the name! It is all the ignorance and blind obedience that is preventing me from joining this circus act deprived of all meaning. Every time I try to fit into their new systems and rules I feel this repelling magnetic force that makes me sick to my stomach. It is as if this collective unconsciousness created an organism that is rejecting me with its whole being. I find no pride in what I do Father, but fulfilling their lowest desires is less painful and more brief than trying to execute their instructions that were written by an unconscious machine. If I may express myself freely, I come here today not for forgiveness, but for guidance and hope.” : “I can hear a lot of anger in your voice. Priest During my time as a devotee of this sacred community, I was taught that anger is often a symptom of an individual's struggle to find inner peace. Curiously enough, you also seem to be much more enlightened than the rest, which is a stark contrast to the life you live. If you have ears to hear, I will grant you the eyes to see my child. I will not waste time lecturing you and giving you instructions because I too have a confession to make, and it seems to be you that needs to hear it. There are many like you, and as it stands, like me as well. Even though I have spent more than two decades in this church I am still afraid to confess to my peers that I also have not found peace in this holy sanctuary. Not out of fear for myself, but out of fear for their own peace. I simply do not want to disturb it as I find myself unworthy of such an act. In a different life and in a different world, over 30 years ago, I served in the Purist army. Similar to your own experience, I felt the collective mind of society rejecting me. I wanted to have a taste of my own destiny but it was more than clear that an urban lifestyle is not where I would find it. The army gave me a purpose in life. We were told that every time we interfere with fate it is for a good cause, and I truly and honestly believed that. The chaos you were born into is a result of a domino effect. Our wise men disassociated themselves from modern society as soon as they saw its trajectory. They found their peace in remote areas and continued to live freely outside of the system, but without their guidance, our very core became rotten. Incompetent men started filling important roles in society. Their insecurities could be felt in every word they uttered but there was no one wise enough to interpret them as such. Lies became truth, faith became obedience and freedom became a luxury that only a select few can afford. This is the future we were fighting against, or so we were told. But just like those before us, we were blinded by the lies and our own pride. During that time, it seemed that we made immense progress but when a key decision had to be made, God wanted to make it. On that day I received information that I knew could be corrupt but I decided to follow orders and gave the green light. Our best sniper followed my command and took the life of a rebel leader, only to take his own 15 years later when the truth came out and reality started settling in. me After 15 long years of lies and deception, we have learned that he wasn’t our enemy, but our only hope. By then it was too late anyway… I do not know if anything would be different today if I was wiser in that moment, but all I can do now is pray and ask for forgiveness. I have nothing to offer you, except the truth my child. There is no wisdom in this universe that will allow a conscious and righteous mind to live in peace in this wretched world of ours. All we ever created were excuses for our shortcomings, and our disputes revolved around who has conjured better ones. Our wilful blindness led us straight into this abyss, and for that, I ask you to forgive me, my child…” The woman found herself speechless. The situation was rather confusing but those words that the priest spoke filled her heart with hope. After taking a deep breath she answered. : “As you know, I am no stranger to bad judgment in life so I can only assume how much bitterness our Lord rewarded you with. Why go back to him after all that, and why ask me for forgiveness, and not the one you serve?” Woman : “If he is up there, he requires no prayers, worship, or excuses… Priest The God I follow and know does not condemn his children nor does he punish them for their sins, that is what we, his children do. We have spent thousands of years asking him for wisdom and grace but every time he sends his blessings we start mocking them and ruling over them as if we alone were the creators of this heavenly gift. It took a whole lifetime for me to realize that the false idols we were warned about are the same idols we worship today. We have created a false image of our creator through the myths and legends that tried to tell the same tales, and the corrupt nature of man had to distort their meaning to irrelevance.” : “Forgive me for interrupting Father, but I am not sure I understand what you are trying to tell me.” : “Let me try and be more concrete. In our futile attempts to find excuses for our sinful ways we have doomed our children for eternity, and for me, that is the gravest sin of them all. Woman Priest Each time we asked for courage, love, or happiness God sent the bravest of his warriors in the form of an innocent child, but we would crush their hopes and dreams even before they get a chance to cross paths with them. Our devilish nature allows us to corrupt even the purest of souls. If it is a blessing or a curse, I will leave you to decide. By recycling old myths and interpreting ancient tales of our origin, we have created an abomination of what once was a great story of divine beginnings. No matter how many religions I explore and ask for guidance, I always see the same answer - our existence is a byproduct of the constant battle between good and evil. Without even knowing the true nature of these forces we were ignorant and foolish enough to embody them in these malicious beings we call gods, angels, and demons. God does not have the ability to hate or punish for God is the source of all good. God cannot cast Adam out of the Garden of Eden. Adam has to make that choice through the power of his own will. The serpent alone can not make you a sinner. You need to open your mouth and take a bite out of the apple on your own. Our creator gave you the ability to manipulate both light and darkness, and he wanted you to explore these powers within his own garden, but it was the Devil that was wise enough to know that we are not worthy of such glorious beginnings. Look at our universe as an invention, and know that a noble and wise inventor will always allow his creation to be questioned and improved by others. This world we now have to endure is nothing but a courtroom where God helplessly watches as Lucifer proves time and time again that we are not able to resist even the most benign temptations that he so cleverly plants in front of us. Every time God presents all of your good deeds as evidence of your divine origin, the Devil brings forth the filth we live and bathe during every waking minute of our lives, and this cycle will not break until we decide that we have had enough. I ask you to look at your God not as your father, but as a loving mother. In the Devil himself, try to find a spiteful bother that knows all of your weaknesses, sees through your every lie, and not your mortal enemy. Only then shall you understand that our true creator is out there somewhere, fighting his own battles, for the sake of us all. And then ask yourself this - when he returns victorious from those raging wars, will there be anyone left to heal his wounds, or will he find death and destruction on his own doorstep as well? I was once told by an enlightened and wise man - if you are the only passenger awake on a speeding train that is spiraling out of control, the wisest action to take is to wake up the driver. Eyes Wide Shut Just as he spoke those final words loud chants were heard outside of the church walls. An angry mob is coming to take out the very last symbol of the old ways and let society embark on a futuristic path once and for all. Flames emerge beneath the feet of your host before a mighty tornado starts pulling everything in its path toward the stormy clouds above. You closed your eyes in horror, but only a few seconds later you felt a comforting sensation – the chair you were sitting on in your own reality. You look towards the circus stage and realize that you were right all along! In this virtual world, the show host took the form of the prince of darkness himself! With a vile smile on his face, he takes one last good look at you before tipping his hat and bidding you farewell. Your golden ticket has expired, and the show has come to an end. You remove the contraption from your head and as you look down on your lap the golden ticket start dissolving into dust and glitter while a light breeze picks it up and carries it into the air. You shift your focus back to the center of the stage once more, but reality continues playing cruel tricks on you. The host is still in his demonic form, taking his final bow before the whole circus act starts floating toward the stars creating the most magnificent firework festival ever to be seen by mortal eyes. The circus act disappears in a loud bang and before you could appreciate the closing moments the ground beneath you opens up sending you deep into what seems to be a bottomless pit. All your fears and wicked deeds flash before your eyes putting your whole body in a state of complete shock. Once again you try to close your eyes squeezing your eyelids as hard as you can right before your whole reality grinds to a halt and complete silence befalls you once more. Your prayers are finally answered. The noise disappears and the pit becomes illuminated with the brightest light but you are still afraid to look. In the very next second an alarm clock rings. You are awake in a room staring at a story on a screen. At that very moment, a familiar face opens the door, wearing a look of mild surprise, and speaks the words: " " Oh, you're awake...

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