Orion goes through time phase after phase and sees the future he cannot change. he sees the past he cannot meddle in as well, and this feels like he is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.
He wonders if the future can be changed if people made different decisions and choose different paths. If he had been cowardly and not chivalrous, choosing the path of comfort and not confrontation.
Things would have turned out differently and evil would have taken over the world of mortals and left him high and hanging and he would not have been able to face the high lords, nor would he be here at this hour on this hill staring at the sun.
He thinks about his parents, his sister Salsa and the fight between him and Vlada. he goes further into the era of monsters and beasts, the time when giants roamed the earth. he can see the common people of sputaz living their everyday lives and the ambitious individuals behind the scene who keep on plotting the fate of the common people.
He has not lost sight of his monster guardian, but it's been so long. sitting next to him is his phoenix bird in all its glory, radiantly reflecting the beauty of sunlight rays. he loves the glow of nature and the beauty of trees all around him, the vastness of the sea, and its bright turquoise ripples as he throws stones into it.
It reminds him of his childhood, the time he got attacked by wolf packs and realized for the first time he could talk to animals. he thinks of his childhood friend Orieflem who died before he was twelve in an attack by someone they called the ripper in their land when he was little.
The ripper was a serial killer who targeted little children of both genders, hunting them down and severing their heads in a platter with a letter sent to their families. his notes are always the same "All or nothing" with a dead black pigeon alongside it. so many woodsmen tried to hunt him down but no one knew the identity, gender, and name of the culprit, just that its notes are usually signed with the name Ripper.
Heads rolled around the town more kids turned missing, Orion wanted to relive this moment and so he went back in time to feel ecstatic. he was little when all these happened and he remembered his father Mlaric being very stern with his principles and they could not go out with him.
Salsa was even more kept rigidly at home and protected as she was still very little and pure.
He saw how Orieflem was missing for weeks before his head turned up at his parents' place on a certain Sunday morning, drenched in blood the color of deep crimson red. it's not written with the initials of the "Ripper" and his "All or nothing" popular saying alongside a dead pigeon.
The pain the parents of these children felt was like that of a flame that cannot be quenched, it festers deep into the heart like a cancerous wound of which the individual's days are numbered. orion was little during this period but now as he traveled through the planes of time, he could see everything that happened behind the scenes.
The Ripper was a young lady who was wronged by the king after her parents were all murdered over a secret they refused to back down on, despite the lobbying. they rejected the hush money and the father was ready to spill the beans which was why the king had to take care of him and his family as he now saw them as a huge threat.
Ripper was robbed of her parent at an early age, and she had to struggle to survive which made her into the heinous person she has become. there is usually a long behind the truth and it is not always fair.
Orion realized that only the winner takes all in the end and most of the time, the winner does not always triumph fairly.
As a youngster, Orion did not feel the weight of his friend's demise and murder at that age. he only noticed he could no longer see him and he was told his friend had passed on to another realm where they are no pain.
Now when he thinks about it, he realized what his father was protecting him from, the pain and torture of losing a loved one and the forever vacuum it leaves knowing you will never set your eyes on such a human again.
Out times like so fleeting and so short it is, passing through and ending suddenly when we least expect it, Orion remembers Orieflem telling him about his dream to be a ruler one day. he had always been the one to be in charge of things even while they were little, he was allowed to handle the affairs among his peers because he had the wisdom that surpassed his age.
And them being all youngsters, it surprised Orion more now how a child could be so assertive and understand exactly what he wanted from the world. a world that did not give him a chance, or should we say gave him very little time to shine his light.
Orion decides to move to another time frame and he sees how the mighty warriors of old were taken down by those they call their companions, heroes whose ending blow was not delivered by their adversary but rather by their flesh and blood.
The tale of a warrior with boldness and strength, conqueror of the north and the south, and the bearer of fire. they called him Theon a legendary conqueror whose fame rose across the lands, seas, and even the suburbs trending far and wide even after his death.
The women loved Theon and the men followed him, on his mandate many stood their ground and devoted loyalty to him, he was revered by many and even his sworn enemies testified to his prowess and courage in the face of evil.