Returning

Returning is what I have done.  It is an interesting cycle, this coming and going.  Places I have been.  Ages have I seen.  I must tell you what I know but now I must rest.  My journey has been difficult.  Oh yes.  Before I sleep you must know.  Dean has returned with me.  Of journeys he knows, and journeys he will tell.  I must rest now and place these shards of a tapestry into dream.

Messages

I got a message from Dean today.  His KI signal appeared only long enough for his message to send.

 It seems ages since we have spoken.  I can barely remember the last time I have been in D'ni, much less the surface.  The words of the least move me to journey.  My journey has taken me far and now I have an opportunity to share this journey with you.  Move fast, I do not have long before I must return.  I guarantee you will not regret it.  I will leave passage for you in Vamen District - I believe you know the place.  Should you arrive after I have left it may be possible to catch up.  You will understand soon.

Vamen District is across the lake from here and if he means the location I think he means I should leave soon to get there in time.  Difficulty is that I still have exams to study for and from his message it doesn't sound as if I'll be able to just Relto 'home' whenever I need to.  I know time is against me, but I must think this over.

Finals

So much as happened since my last visit to the cavern.  My exams, papers, and journal entries have kept me away.  I guess that's a valid excuse.  Fortunately, tomorrow is the last day of classes.  Tonight I'll start moving back into the cavern and hole up in the Baron Office to study for finals as I'm least likely to be bothered there.  I dunno.  Being in the cavern helps me focus sometimes and surface life can be equally dull or distracting when trying to study.  Just a week more and this balancing act will end for a moment and I'll be able to continue working on my various projects.

Enter D'ni

After the Ki had been installed I quickly returned to Bevin to meet with Esto to enter the city of D'ni. Once in Bevin we exchanged Ki IDs and from there Esto said that the next part he could walk me through so I understood other unique functions of the Ki but first, I needed to link into a most peculiar book, a book that contained the image of a circular room. Esto described how this place was named the nexus and through it I would be enabled to take a linking book to the Ferry Docks in D'ni.

Once within the nexus it felt strange, like being trapped inside circular prison in constant motion. Much to my surprise through my Ki I heard Esto's voice. My task was a simple one, proceed to the mailbox-like object and place my hand with the Ki inside, it will glow blue. From there you will be able to see a screen that showed the Ferry Terminal. Just click the insignia in the middle and the linking book will appear, then link, and you'll be within the city walls of D'ni. . .

The view from the Ferry Terminal are amazing! Before me lies the massive arch that how the D'ni created astounds me. The aftermath of the destruction is also apparent here as there is a sunken boat just off the shore. Another thing that perplexes me is why water glows....orange?
If linking is how the D'ni operate I can only imagine  how prosperous the civilization must have been and to see it in full day-to-day operation would be a sight to see. Yet to tread through these ruins one can also realize, not all is lost.

From below the staircase I can denote greater signs of the destruction. Eventually, I must discover what caused the annihilation of D'ni as history is important to everyone regardless of it is your native race, religion, or culture. In preparation of exploration tomorrow I will begin setting up camp. At the top of the staircase there is a tent along with an accessible, ancient building, Esto explained over the Ki that this is Tokotah II.

This is my new home, a new beginning, a new life. Full immersion in an ancient society, it is not fathomable to what happened or what yet there is to discover....tomorrow.

Climbing

We had company this weekend.  A good friend of mine came by for a birthday party but sometimes I just have to get away.  D'ni is an easy solution, but Ae'gura is not always the right choice.  Sometimes it's best just to explore where no one can find me.  This time I grabbed my climbing equipment linked into Ae'gura and began climbing.  Eventually I came to the cavern wall and began to climb.  I'd been here before so the path needed was clear, just requiring focus and patience.  Should I fall I would still have my Relto, but I needed to be careful.  Eventually I came to my goal.

Fehnir House it's called and it belonged to a D'ni man who stayed behind during The Fall to ensure that his family would survive.  Places like this, I'm glad few know how to reach. This place is so incredible and the truth that is written here just helps put everything in perspective.

Rain

It's raining here on the surface, and for a time everything has become quiet.  I hear the water falling from the sky and the slow roll of thunder in the distance and everything seems as it should be.  Calling this is relaxing does not even come close.  Therapeutic is closer, more, it's almost religious.  This rain.  It's life falling from the sky.  Rejoice and be glad that things are as they should be.

Time Dialation

I ran across my recording of Crooked Jack a few days ago.  Listening back to it reminds me that it was a rough run.  Perhaps in a few days I may go back a work up a recording and more, I may make a few more arrangements of other songs too.  Kind of funny though.  Normally I find myself thinking I don't have enough time to do all that is needed of me and here I am making plans to increase my load.  I guess we make time for the things that are important to us.

Homework...

This past week on the surface has been hectic to say the least.  Stack that with a resurgence of interest in various hobbies of mine has made if difficult to focus on my studies. Tonight I find myself sleepless in my Relto with an odd feeling in my stomach and a struggling clarity of mind, despite a growing desire to sleep.  I may consider moving my work to Sharper's office as I'm running out of room here with a cot, a desk, and an increasing number of books - some in D'ni, some about D'ni, and some about Cell Biology.  No matter.  I'll relocate tomorrow.  The change of scenery will do me good.

Tonight I'll keep working on this passage.  This one passage has had me stumped as how to exactly describe it.  Realizing how delicate rehgehstoy is, I find myself slaving over issues like this again and again, despite knowing the ink and paper I'm using is regular.  It's the 'words' themselves.  They're too powerful - almost too specific; the slightest mistake could lead to a completely different age than intended - not to mention that it could be unstable.  I realize now why the D'ni rarely set out to write a specific age.  It's difficult enough to describe a stable age without any inconsistencies.  I'm sure I will have to write many ages before I can write this dream into the pages.

The Ki is Key

Consciousness returned to me slowly from the initial link. Once I was on my feet I began to get a feel for the new surroundings and immediately started to compare their differences to what previously was known at the surface.  Most notable of these things include the fact that no one else seems to exist in this reality, alternate dimension, and paradoxical area except me. Whatever governs how linking works I cannot imagine this is far too complex to comprehend. Next, I opened the book I copied and noticed the image was link back to my home. Travel simplified how extraordinary! Though, if I return will my family still remain? Will the world alter or change because I have linked to this place in the middle of nowhere, stranded on an island, an island that I can call my own?

Now I believe I was prepared for yet another link. Another link...even further from home such disastrous thoughts of being stranded. No, I had no choice but continue now I would not fail my friend. So I picked up the only other book in the bookshelf and linked. Linking the second time was easier though the charge still surged through my body and the image of Bevin expanded around reality with time and space being warped by stars and heavenly bodies until I landed, safely, on my feet inside the Bevin.

There I met Esto where he then explained D'ni was just one un-broken link away, however, due to the fact Cell-Phones are incapable and unreliable means of communication while in D'ni that there was one last task ahead then, together, we could explore D'ni. The task was amazingly a simple one: go to Gahreesen which sounded similar to "Garrison.". There I could place my arm in a machine and it would provide me a device that could contact, take photos, record ages visited, you are able to contact people who are in different ages. Technology like that far surpasses anything I have known on the surface in the sense that the device transcends the gap of time and space between links. So quickly set out in Gahreesen to retrieve my Ki.

Linking the third time became much easier, however, it maintained the exhilaration of the journey. Locating the machine only took moments in then I calmly placed my hand in the machine. Moments later, my Ki had been successfully retrieved!

After having my Ki I contacted Esto. After my long-due wait I would finally be able to bear witness to the downfallen D'ni civilization!

Relto

Esto and I began our ascent together. During the ascension he described D'ni culture, religion, guilds, and other noteworthy things. I didn't hesitate to jot them down in my journal to have a better understanding in preparation of seeing D'ni. It didnt seem like long before we completed the ascent and were at the Cleft. Esto then quickly described the Journal that had the Island on it as a Relto, a home that is "mobile" in the truest of senses. Before linking away, Esto handed me a vial of pitch-black ink. No other ink holds the power of this ink, be careful do not lose it. Then he placed the palm of his hand on his Relto and then vanished into thin air. My original thoughts were how dangerous the art of writing must be for the D'ni.

Alone, being 50 miles from the nearest city of Carlsbad I felt stranded on this desolate rock. How could I return from this place? So I started heading to the Cleft to reprieve to my lonely thoughts.  All seemed lost until I heard the sound of a vehicle from a distance. The driver, Jeff Zandi, mentioned that he had been away to get some supplies though normally he watches for any new travelers who hear the Call and the best news of all he could take me the 50 miles to Carlsbad where I could then take a bus home!

So we set out on our Journey for me to return home. I dared not look back at the Cleft for there was pain in knowing that the pathway down was broken any person is pulled into D'ni by the Call could not take the journey by foot all the way but hope of seeing D'ni kept my thrill of exploration alive.

Jeff Zandi explained how is father, Elias Zandi, died of a heart attack while funding and restoring D'ni. How his father believed those who felt the same need to explore, discover, and learn new things would be D'ni even if not by blood. Jeff also explained that his philosophical views of D'ni being that restoration should be primarily spiritual and how that lead to disagreements before his untimely death. Lastly, he described a D'ni Restoration Council (DRC) that had been funded by his father's death and the council has contributed to rebuilding D'ni.

We arrived at Carlsbad in no time. I felt sorry for Jeff for he lost his father in a great historical undertaking but I knew that I needed to participate in reviving the civilization and even help rebuild it, if possible. After catching the bus I had a two days journey home though every mile seemed like an eternity though hours inched onward.

Home! I unpacked the ink, carefully, and started copying the text from the one book into the blank linking book. Although, I was eager and the work progressed quickly I desired to know what the symbols and calligraphy meant. How do they function? Why is my home location pivotal to having this work correctly? What will happen next?

While in deep contemplation I finished my task and then immediately called Esto via telephone. My next task was quite simple: Link to the Relto while holding the copied book then place the book in the bookshelf, lastly meet at the Bevin which would be the only other book inside. From that point on I could visit D'ni on my time.

Linking...it took sometime to gather the courage to touch the image that lay before me. I witnessed what happened to Esto so I was slightly prepared but still could not fathom the result. After placing both of the books in my pocket I was ready to Link. At first, I felt a small charge pass through my body then my home surroundings vanished and the image on the page began to grow and consume everything in reality wrapping and twisting itself until eventually I found myself on the ground on island, gasping for breath from the exhilarating journey. Linking had been successful.