The Mystic Paradigm: An Evolutionary Novel by Brian M. Heater Page B

disagreement among them. What bothered me the most were his writings about the mystic known as Lillian.”
    The room grew silent and the energy intense. Talis kept his composure. He became slightly agitated because of the thick tension he felt from the others.
    There was a long pause, then Michael spoke. “Talis, are you aware of what happened with Lillian and several of the Mystic Order?”
    Talis felt confused. Had he not remembered this part of the revolution? He answered slowly. “No, I am not familiar other than I know their energy is what helped transform our society.”
    Tythia, fidgeting with her notes so as to hide her nervousness, spoke to Talis directly. “Lillian was a powerful mystic, yet little is known of her whereabouts after those first months of the revolution. We are not exactly sure of how it happened, but she and several of the other high mystics disappeared right after the initial energy shift.”
    Talis tried to comprehend what had been said, but was having a difficult time. “Disappeared? What do you mean?”
    Marias felt he should take over the discussion before it went too far. “We do not know what happened, only that it did. We have heard many stories about this. Some say they were taken by the opposition. Some say they grew tired and simply walked away. Others say that they did not return from the other side while holding the high energy. Regardless, it was a setback for the revolution and for a short time we almost did not succeed.”
    Talis slumped in his chair and looked down at the table. He was surprised. “Didn’t succeed? You mean the revolution?”
    “Yes, it was not until we re-stabilized the energy field with the help of the remaining mystics and some activists—such as your grandfather—that we were able to find peace among our people. This took many weeks and caused the uprising to become violent in certain regions. This did not help in our nonviolent revolution, of course, so we had to take quick action to save ourselves from failure. We are not sure how exactly we stabilized the situation; it was probably a combination of things. As Elders, we still have various opinions. What matters, though, is that we did finally turn the tables and succeed in establishing peace again. You being here is proof of that.”
    Talis took a long drink of water from the pitcher before him. His head was spinning and he took a moment to process what he was hearing. It did fit with what he had read in the first journals and the way his grandfather had described his concern and stress over the situation. Talis knew he had one journal to finish. Would that provide the answers to what had happened? The third journal had been slightly damaged and he had entrusted its repair to an expert craftsperson. The repair would be a delicate process and would take a few weeks. He spoke slowly and softly, almost with apprehension.
    “As most of you know, I have one journal to finish. I assume it would it be helpful to the Council to know what it says?” The energy was intense and the Council was dead silent. Talis didn’t know what to do.
    After a long pause Marias spoke once again. He looked quickly around at the others then turned his glance directly toward Talis. “My son Talis, it is of upmost importance that we learn all we can from the journals. To this day we do not know what caused the disappearance and what saved us in the end. We understand the seers at the University are also interested, as parts of this time period have been lost in their visions. To solve that mystery would bring an understanding to all that we have been through and all that we continue to work for.”
    Talis understood the weight of his job, yet he was also confused why no one knew what had happened during this time. And why was there so much nervousness? He thought about what he should say. He had nothing to hide, but something didn’t quite add up.
    He decided to trust them for now and make the appropriate response. “I will