NOVPUB
Chapter 38: A Necessary Reminder
Damon was seated within the chair of his home on Earth, looking silently at a screen that cascaded down with information from the personal terminal he bought by twisting Ambrose’s arm. Even as the terminal displayed information about the special history of the IUAS that Felicia had learned, Damon was distracted.
In truth... he was depressed.
For a confident and well-trained young man like him, he believed in nothing more than his intellectual ability. Things like his looks, his oratory abilities, his physical strength, his sexual strength, his financial status... all things that young men like him usually cared about were things he put as second place in terms of self-valuation.
Premier would always be his mind.
And now, he had suffered three blows in the span of a month.
The first was when he initiated a - now senseless - slaughter of influencers and nightlife goers in order to build his platform of fame and catapult himself higher, but was rendered meaningless with the appearance of the IUAS.
The second was when he thought to cleverly outmaneuver Ambrose and the Vampires in order to secure breathing space for humanity, even willing to risk his life, but found out that it was all his own fantasy.
The third was just a day ago when he was made aware that he had completely misunderstood the nature of the IUAS and humanity’s advent into it.
In all of them, Damon was aware that he largely made the right choice. Felicia had reassured him as much and even Ambrose chuckled, saying he was not wrong. The calls he made were something most humans in his position would agree with, but that was precisely the problem that caused him to be tripped up.
He was viewing things through the lens of humanity, or through humanity’s perception. In the 20th and 21st century of humanity pre-IUAS, there was a great wealth of fictional material about the universe and fantasy, some accurate to reality and some very fantastical.
Damon, as a 21-year-old young man, had indulged in them as much as any other, forming a subconscious perception about non-human races and non-human culture that was based on humanity’s assumptions.
Whether it was providence or sheer coincidence, a lot of these assumptions humanity made in ignorance within fiction were very close to the mark. However, even as sapient species with logical reasoning, emotions, and higher thinking capabilities, no two ethnicities within human history had the same culture, so how could other species universe-wide think the exact same way?
If humanity rose to the top of the IUAS, given the history of enslaving those within our own race, it was also very possible that we would wish to enslave other species using our superior position. So it’s natural that when encountered with another sapient species, we would think that they would wish to do the same to us.
This was a segment of the problem.
Damon was now unsure of everything he thought and had planned. That was why instead of even practicing his abilities or getting ready to enter Essence that would open on Earth in a few hours, he was rather researching the social history himself instead of asking Felicia.
He realized he knew too little, understood too little, and took too little into consideration.
There was a sudden knock on the door that interrupted Damon from his thoughts and he turned to look as his door that was gently opened, revealing his father.
Derek Arnan was tall, standing at 6 feet and 1 inch, his broad frame still well maintained even though he began to develop a slight potbelly due to age. He had sharp brown eyes and neatly shaved black hair, his strong jaw and beard-less face displaying the wrinkles that had begun to develop in old age.
He wore a casual beige t-shirt and some cargo shorts along with sandals, looking quite casual in his typical home wear as he came to sit down on Damon’s couch. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
"Hmm, you’ve kept this thing well." Derek noted as he patted the single-seater sofa that Damon had once ’stolen’ from the upstairs living room, stating that he needed a seat in his room for guests.
Damon glanced at the sofa and recalled those memories but did not indulge in them much since his current state of mind was not too good. Rather, he greeted his father respectfully.
"Dad, what’s up?" He asked with a puzzled expression.
"Damon, you are my only son and I regard you highly. From a young age, I always told you that you were destined for greatness and that you only needed to put in the effort to accomplish your goals." Derek began, not wasting time getting to the point.
He then looked up with awe. "But I never thought that my son would one day become the ruler of all humankind."
Damon smiled. "It’s not really the same thing, Dad."
"Isn’t it? You can make all executive, legislative, and judicial decisions for our entire species as one person, not even needing a deputy unless you specifically appoint one and delegate your powers to them." Derek said as he brought his gaze down to his son speechlessly.
Damon chuckled but did not reply, since he really couldn’t refute that.
"Since yesterday when you came back, you haven’t even eaten the fufu your mother made for you, which tells me that my son is troubled by something. By doing a little bit of critical thinking, I was able to guess why." Derek continued, his tone becoming somber.
"Son, I may have lived longer than you, but I don’t presume to even pretend that I can understand the kind of pressure nor the kind of battles you have been through this past month. I have raised you to be a better man than me and I fully believe you are more than on your way there."
"But this sudden change has caught us all off guard and forced us to make changes to our fundamental understanding of the universe as well as our way of life. The lessons I once taught you about the world and how it works are now no longer valid and you’ve had to adapt to a completely new playing field with nothing but your wit and your courage."
Derek leaned forward and looked Damon dead in the eye with a quiet intensity. "And I don’t know the outcome of those battles, but one thing I can say is that the fact that you and everyone who went with you came back in one piece means you did a fine job."
Damon felt deeply emotional at this moment, his fist clenching. "But, Dad, I was outmaneuvered at every turn even though I made the right decisions. The consequences of that may not be as heavy as they could be, but I could have certainly done better in many ways."
Derek leaned back and nodded. "Of course you could. Every single decision I’ve made in my life could have been done better, even those where I succeeded greatly. However, it is precisely because I know that there’s constant room for improvement that I am always able to get back up and move forward."
"All the losses you took this month have only made you aware of your shortcomings and going by what I see on your advanced tech thing over there, it seems like you are trying to rectify that."
Derek pointed at Damon with a sure look. "That, my son, is what qualifies you to be a winner in this new playing field. The only one that can stop you right now is yourself, so don’t let those nonsensical thoughts and emotions hamper you."
"All your rivals have on you is time and experience. You have the advantage of talent and intelligence, so make use of them to overcome the limitations and suppress the advantages of your rivals." Derek finished, tapping his pockets lightly.
"Damn, I need a cigarette, just thinking of what you’ve been through is even making me stressed." Derek joked.
Damon smiled, a genuine one this time. "No smoking in my room, Dad, you already know this."
Derek raised a hand in defeat. "Fine, fine, but go see your mother. After taking one look at you, she almost broke down into tears and I spent the entire night comforting her, otherwise, she couldn’t sleep."
Damon silently watched his father stand up and walk out of the room.
"Dad... thank you." The young man spoke from the bottom of his heart.
Derek turned to regard his son, wearing a slight smile. "You’re welcome. Always remember where you came from and always remember the cardinal lessons for success; patience, compromise, maturity, and retaliation."
Damon’s door was closed, leaving the young man to digest the words of his father. Hearing it from one he respected, he finally was able to tamp down on the rampant thoughts, doubts, and confusions that sprang up to weaken his mind.
He turned to the terminal and switched it off, no longer interested in distracting himself. As his father pointed out, his biggest advantage was his talent, so it was time to capitalize on that.
It was time to enter Essence.
