Leonis continued, "The people of Atlantis, these advanced and intelligent creatures who came to you, are the same ones who used to live on this planet, as I told you. They are the same creatures who made us, and against whom we rebelled and killed many, while the rest fled in ships into space and never returned. You came to us because of what we did to those who gave us life. If you look closely, the cycle of hatred and war never dies once it is ignited. All it takes is a spark to start the cycle of hatred anew, and we, as machines, started this spark despite our lack of feelings of love and hate."
Keno was lost in thought, deeply contemplating everything he had heard. Leonis’s voice interrupted him, resuming his story.
"And so, you were deceived by your masters, and they were also deceived by the people of Atlantis until the planet was completely destroyed. But Gladious—this creature who came from a planet I know nothing about—came to you, or specifically to the leaders of Egypt, because he saw in them the capacity to listen to him in order to save the planet. He saw that they would carry out everything he said to save humanity.
He explained what was happening, how the people of Atlantis were planning to take over their world soon, and that nothing but destruction awaited them. He asked them to gather humans of good character, high mental abilities, and sound thinking, and he called them the elite of humanity. Then he ordered them to ask these people to come on a great space journey to explore the galaxy and search for life, as a scientific exploration mission to space.
And of course, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for all humans who sought to explore space, so some of them agreed, on the condition of guaranteed safety. And so, many humans from all over the Earth were gathered on a large ship that they had carefully designed according to the blueprints that Gladious had given them. He also asked them to collect as many animals, plants, and creatures as they could, male and female.
The humans collected these creatures using DNA strips that enabled them to carry the largest possible number of creatures in small chips that could be used to reproduce these creatures again in laboratories and release them later, to make it easier for them to carry them. This story will remind you a little of an old story that happened on your planet, am I not right?"
Keno remembered the whole story, then said, "You mean it’s like the story of the Prophet Noah, who built a giant ark and gathered in it animals of every kind, two by two, and those who believed with him before the flood came and drowned the whole earth?"
"Yes, that is the story. Stories in this universe are very similar. That is why he who has no past has no present, because he misses out on many exciting things."
Leonis was silent for a moment.
Keno stared at him with great interest and feverish confusion, then said to himself, "Okay, that’s what the Enix member told me. But is their leader, Gladious, really from space? And what are his intentions in helping us? And why didn’t he tell me that we were moved to a new planet?"
Leonis continued, "And so Gladious told them that the salvation of humanity was with him, that he knew a planet where humans could live in peace, and that this ship would help them get there very quickly. And there they would find everything that distinguished planet Earth, and more. Everyone agreed to this, despite the risk, but they sensed the approach of the invasion that would destroy everything.
"As for the common people like you and most of the humans here, the truth was hidden from them again. Gladious’s excuse for hiding the truth from them was that they would not accept the reality of going to another planet and living on it. And also, if they did not go with him, humanity would surely perish. So, everyone had to be deceived for the good of humanity, or as the Florentine proverb of Machiavelli says: ’The end justifies the means.’ But does the end truly justify the means?"
Keno felt a torrent of emotions flowing within him, not believing all this madness. How was he supposed to discover all this if he hadn’t met Leonis? But he felt that his words were strange and at the same time, hard for the mind to accept.
He became hesitant, not knowing what to believe. He crossed his arms and exhaled.
"I don’t like that proverb at all. It justifies every bad thing we humans have done under the guise of freedom, public interest, peace, and all these high-sounding slogans."
"Of course," Leonis replied. "But I gave you this proverb because it is an earthly one that you would recognize when you heard it, as it explains everything that has happened so far and explains your ignorance of your presence here."
Leonis contemplated the sky for a moment, then continued, "Of course, the humans on this ship were sedated, and their memories were altered so that they would not know they had left planet Earth and gone to a strange planet to live on it, lest they be terrified and rebel in order to return, causing the entire plan to fail.
After that, the ship carried humans from all over the Earth, of all their colors, shapes, and beliefs, and of course, all kinds of animals, birds, and fish. They had been collecting these things since the year 2145, until it was time to travel in 2150.
"Everyone traveled, including you, and you did not think for a moment that it was the journey that would change your lives forever. But of course, you do not remember that you traveled, nor do you remember anything related to this journey." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
Keno remembered the faint images in his mind, but a fog hovered around them, preventing him from reaching them. He felt a pain in his head again, as if his mind was resisting to extract a memory buried deep in his consciousness.
Leonis continued in the same tone, "Do not try to remember anything. You have retrograde amnesia. Your memory will return to you gradually, so do not press your mind. Or it may not return if this part has been completely erased. Therefore, your path to the truth is only the honest word. Either you believe me or you disbelieve me."
Keno knew that his words were wrong because he already remembered everything about himself; he was the first of the eight to emerge several years ago, but he still did not know how he had gotten to this planet. He reasoned that perhaps if his words were true, then this part had been completely erased, as he did not remember agreeing to travel through space.
It seemed he had been kidnapped by force and his memory erased. He found this to be the most accurate explanation for what had happened to him. He tried to clear his mind and not think, but curiosity was creeping inside him. He focused his attention on Leonis so as not to try to remember, then said with feigned coolness,
"So how do you know all this? Knowing all these things requires you to be at the heart of the event."
"I know all this because we accessed your computers and your secrets when we invaded the New Atlantis we are standing on now. This is what allowed us to steal a lot of information about what happened on your planet, where you came from, and why."