AviAnA:The Lord of Three Hills

Private interview with Miss Jai1

Date: 12 March 20422

Location: Maehongsorn Hilly Region3

“ What is Aviana? Well I guess, about fifteen years ago, some scholar would tell you it’s an environmentalist movement against global warming. Some politician would tell you they are a group terrorist, just like those Taliban. They are a threat against humanity and they should be terminated. Whereas some member of the movement itself would, with their oily words, tell you about it in such a way that you’d just want to leave everything behind and run to join them. At least that’s what my grandfather did anyway. But that was fifteen years ago, that was how it all began… Today though, I think most of the people would agree with me that it’s a totally different matter now.4

Ok… What has happened here? Well let’s see… We were just going about our business, ya know, just trying to live like everyone else and then… Oh by the way we live in the hilly region of maehongsorn. Well I guess no one care about provinces anymore but this area used to be maehongsorn. Anyway, where was I? Oh we were trying to live like everyone else and then there was this phone call. It says we are to temporary evacuate this area because there was Aviana Base camp up on the hill. As I understand it, they are going to send some soldier here and terminate anything and everything on that hill, and then we can come back to live here.5

Do I know they were up there? Well of course I do, everybody knows. Well not everyone, now a day when children go out in the woods alone they would some time come back and tell us they saw spirit or ghost in the mist or something. But we knew it was them. When we newly arrived here, they were already there and we used to meet them often, before they moved higher up. I didn’t care to report it to the government. Who wants another fight anyway right? 6

Hmm.. What’s my personal opinion about them… Well I used to have personal opinion, like when I was younger. I mean we are Thai right? And we don’t even know how to speak Thai language. But they do, they speak Thai, they dress in those pretty clothes and dance in traditional dances. In truth I was a bit jealous of them that time, I wanted to wear those pretty dresses too but my dad wouldn’t allow me. I mean that’s one of the principles of the Avaina Movement anyway right? “Value your own culture.” Today though, I try not to think about it too much. Well anyway I think we have to be going now; the soldiers will be here soon. I think you should be going too, if you don’t want to be terminated along with them, that is. ”7

**********8

As dawn was approaching, Lt. Loxley walked in the camp at the foot of the hill. In front of him was General Somsak whose attention was on the coin he was flipping around on his table. Loxley knew there was something more to this man than meets the eye for it rare that a Thai should rose to that kind of rank, “Well, anything can happen these days anyway.” Lt. Loxley thought to himself. 9

“General!” Said Lt. Loxley as he stood in front of the general.10

“Ah, Lt. Loxley you are quite early.” Said the Thai General slowly tilting his face up and stopped playing with his coin. “Tell me, Lt., how did this war began?”11

This was not new to the Lieutenant. In the years of this war he had seen people in rage, people cry, people laugh, and certainly, people being or trying to be philosophic about it. But he wouldn’t care, he knows emotions, he is in touch with his spirit, and he knows how he would live his life to the fullest. Philosophy has got not one bit to do with it.12

“I am just here to fight sir.”13

“Ah… Yes, history lessons, well… discussion, would be too boring for you isn’t it.”14

The General and Loxley looked eye to eye and was silence for almost a minute.15

“Very, well lieutenant, the soldiers are camped outside as you must have already seen. Lead them well.”16

This is just what he needed. Loxley knew immediately what the general meant was that he can do anything he wishes and the general wouldn’t interfere. Today he would train the men of his tactical ways, and by dawn the next day, they marsh up the mountain. By afternoon or evening of the next day, he could be standing face to face with the lord of three hills, whose reputation he had heard of frequently. The thought excites him. He was suddenly filled with more passion than military discipline. 17

**********18

This group of soldiers is just like any others, it consisted of people of many races, Americans, Koreans, Thais, French, you name it. All of them armed to the teeth even when the attack was to begin the next day. It is not that they feared the enemy would attack them first, instead the military uniform has become like a casual clothes for them already. To any eyes, this battle would be a clear win. The Aviana people knows about life style, they certainly knows how to run away, but they are not very good warrior. In fact, if it comes down to fight, the republic government would win 98.7% of the time. The Aviana are not people of physical war, their strategy is to remain hidden and use words to bring more and more people to their side. But now a group of them have been found and the most likely consequence is that they would be easily wiped out, or so, thought the soldiers. 19

“Tomorrow we face the Lord of Three Hills.” Shouted Loxley to the soldiers. “Whose reputation I have heard of for a long time. I daresay, soldiers, this battle would indeed be very different that what you have experienced.”20

“Sir, you have a call” said a soldier running towards Loxley. 21

The lieutenant walked to the screen in one of the tent and presses the button to answer the call.22

“Emilie.” 23

“Yes, Loxie”24

The lieutenant gave her a smile and she gave a very sad smile back. 25

“Must you really do this?”26

Loxley did not answer. He kept smiling and all was understood. Emilie was a very soft and fragile looking blonde girl. Although years being wife of the lieutenant had made her tougher, it has never changed her look. 27

“You know, if Serax, while attacking one of their house, was persuaded to join the aviana… while attacking you know… then maybe you…”28

“Don’t worry Em.” Interrupted the Commander. “I will never be persuaded. You know that.”29

His wife gave him a faint nod and they spent the rest of the time looking at one another.30

**********31

It was full moon high up on the hill when birds and insects began singing along with people in their village. But there was one man who sat silence with his long black hair fully covered his face. The men and women sang and dance vigorously almost like that maybe the last time they can spend with one another. After they were done the women and children one by one, came to pay respect to the silence man, and then with their luggage, left the village never to return. The men came to sit around the silence man as though a children waiting to hear the story. This silence man is none other than the lord of three hills. He remembered when he was young, he was a mindless brute who care about nothing but fighting and enjoying with his friends. Today, he is a man with to many skeletons in his closet; therefore he is almost always silence. Finally he uncovered his face from his own hair and began speaking.32

**********33

At dawn the soldiers got up and began retrieving bunch of injections from their bags and injected them on their arms one by one. There was morphine to rid one of feelings, there was purple liquid “Tash" to take away the unnecessary effect of morphine and make them feel alert, there was steroid shot, three shot to protect them against known disease that they can get in the mountainous area, and lastly was “Frika,” a greatly enhanced version of synthetic amphetamine. 34

Lt. Loxley fully ready to marsh came in to watch their progress. He observed that these drugs are the result of human putting to much faith on logic and too less on their passion. He himself just injected one of the shot against disease and that’s it. By not using all the injection he is going against the military rules but it wasn’t the first time he was doing it. 35

They began marching into the oddly dense jungle in order to get to the top of the hill. The jungle as dense as it seems on the surface, appears to be lifeless. But as the soldiers walked on, some of them could hear faint voices of monkeys high up on the trees. They kept walking higher and higher and found themselves deeper and deeper in the jungle. Small insects and ants bit some of the soldiers but they did not feel because the pain was too little for people under effect of morphine to notice. 36

“Arghhhhh” hissed the lieutenant as silently as possible “The damn ants”37

He did not want the soldiers to know that he intentionally did not take any drugs sue to his passion and ego. 38

“Hey, Chan” called private Zaki while walking.39

“Man, you are walking awfully slow today” answered private Chan “You know, we are behind everybody”40

“Some one has to be behind, might as well be us.”41

“Yea well…”42

An explicitly colorful butterfly flew passed the two. It was too exotic that they stooped for a few second and admired it. The color of its wing was a very wise mix purple and gold. It made Zaki sneeze.43

“Hey you know there is actually other reason I am enjoying this very much…” started Zaki44

Chan did not reply but notices see that Zaki looked quite different than he usually does.45

“I did not take Tash today.” Said Zaki Suddenly.46

“ Are you fuckin mad? Do you wanna get killed?”47

“Oh come on, everyone knows this war is a sure win anyway, might as well get high doing it. By the way it feels great do you now that.. haahhh.”48

“Well, that’s your own funeral Zaki.”49

“I would go to any funeral for this.”50

Chan sigh and walked faster. The soldiers started seeing the mist slowly surrounding them. Some of them started hearing swift foot steps in the mists. This made Lt. Loxley very anxious. He ordered the troop to be alert and shoot anything that moves, even if it is in the mist. They kept walking. And then he saw it, the eye in the mist right in front of him. It disappeared before he could fire. Now he is sure they were being watched and followed slowly, and the enemy is probably waiting for a right chance to attack. The Lt. hoped they were out of jungle on an open plain, which would give them a lot of advantage. 51

Private Chan observed that Zaki kept looking upward. He ignores it thinking that it was probably the drugs effect, but then again with his sharp observation, Zaki stopped fluttering his eyelids. That was a very unusual side effect even for one on drugs. Even Saki’s eyeball is pointing upward instead of straight in front. Chan made sure that there was nothing of interest upward and questioned Zaki.52

“What’s up there?”53

“I don’t know…I… I feel very strange.”54

“I should inform the lieutenant.”55

“No! Please don’t.. you know what I am on, it may simply be some kind of side effect.”56

“No, this is something very different. I must tell him.”57

“Come on man, you will get me into trouble for this…”58

Private Chan ignored his friend and ran to inform Loxley what he just witnessed. Loxley ordered the troop to hold their ground and went to Zaki. He saw Zaki in a very miserable state.59

“Are you on any drugs that were not prescribed by the military, Private?” Questioned Lt. Loxley60

Zaki did not answer.61

“Answer me, Now!” Persisted the Lieutenant.62

“He did not take the Tash, sir” Chan answered for his partner. But even the lieutenant knew that what was happening to Zaki was definitely not from Morphine. The tree around them started shaking. The lieutenant’s gut feeling tell him to order one of the private to carry Zaki and throw him away as far as possible from their formation. Just as he thought this, a shot of lightening bolt from the mist hit private Michael’s face and killed him instantly.63

“Enemies attacks” Shouted the Lieutenant “Shields up and hold formation”64

All were still. Even the Lieutenant knows that this was not the best time for them to attack.65

“Private Zaki, are you fit enough to take orders?” whispered Loxley to Zaki66

“I think so, sir.” 67

“Runaway.”68

“Sir?”69

“Run as far is possible from us. Go now soldier, that is an order.”70

The private looked very surprised but nonetheless he tried to do as he superior ordered. The second lightning bolt came from the mist but this time the targeted soldier raised his glass shield and was unharmed. 71

“Soldiers! Fire at all direction!” Yelled the lieutenant.72

The band quickly and efficiently formed a circle and started firing in all direction. Zaki ducted down and tried to crawl away. The Avianas began to appear one by one jumping out from tall trees. Some of them quickly crawled out from the mist. They all had long hair, some of them had their hair let down some of them tied it neatly. None of them wore any armor, they depended on swiftness of their movement, and they were indeed swift. Zaki felt a very strange impulse to go up. He kept looking upward and crawled to the nearest tree and started climbing very slowly. He is now quite sure what he had been feeling all along. There is another conscious being in his mind, trying to dominate, and the morphine just helped it by lowering his consciousness. Now what ever was in his brain was almost totally in command of him. It made him felt wanting to be closer and close to the tree and the sun. 73

About eight of them jumped from the tree right into the middle of the circle formed by soldiers. Few more of them crawled below the gun sight towards the band. The soldiers realize this and began to point their guns downward. The people inside the circle jumped on the soldiers who were pointing at their comrade. Each of them was on the soldiers. The rest stopped firing. They can’t point the gun at the ones who were in the circle now because they were each on some of the soldiers back. While some of the soldiers struggled to throw off their enemies from their back, others tried to point gun at the ones crawling. However, they were too late. They have reached he left side of some of the remaining soldiers and clawed the soldiers’ gun away. The soldier that had no gun, unable to reach their pistol in time had no choice but to fight with their foe physically.74

The soldiers were awed by the situation. This war had always been like European trying to colonize America. Wiping away the Indians were not too hard, there were massive different in technology and lifestyle. But this, this wasn’t like anything they experienced. This group Aviana was highly strategic and precise instead of chaotic and full of passion. 75

The lieutenant with the enemy riding on his back, run back ward to hit the tree few times till his enemy fell down. Loxley shot the fallen enemy before anything could be done.76

“The soldiers that has the enemy on their back try to hit the tree. Soldiers that no longer have their gun continue fist fighting and try to reach your pistol, the rest form a group 3 yards to the north.” Ordered Loxley as loudly as possible. 77

By the time all the six soldiers successfully formed a group, the soldiers who were fisting had already been killed. The Avianas now move to help their friends who were on the soldiers back. But the group was already formed and the Lt. gave an order to fire at will even if their friend were still around there. All twenty-one people in the gun sight were butchered like. All were still again. 78

Now the attention turned to Zaki who were not too high on the tree. A root came out from his penis and connected to the tree. Something purplish came out of his brain through his skull through his skin pointing towards sunlight. It looks like a very very large fungus grew out of the soldier’s body. 79

“Hahahahahaha” laughed of the men lying among the slaughtered men. 80

The Lieutenant went to the source of laugh. It was one of his foes lying badly wounded. 81

“That is a special fungi” Said the wounded man “once the fungus grew out of the human, all the human in the vicinity will be infected.”82

“But these kind of fungus only works against ants and insects.” Observed Loxley.83

“We modified to work against humans. Now you are all dead people”84

“Modified it? But the Avianas renounce science.”85

“They are other ways to unlock nature’s secret.”86

Alerted Lt. quickly moved his soldiers far away from the area and stopped.87

“Soldiers, what he said may be true, that we are all dead men. But we might as well die finishing our task! Kill the Lord of Tree Hills. My feeling tells me he is still at the top of the hill and we will marsh on. Who is with me?”88

“We are.” Answered the soldiers. However, Loxley can never be sure that it is the effect of the drugs was making the soldiers said it or was it their willingness to completely the task before their dying hours.89

**********90

For him though, every step they took was his own passion. They march on and slowly the soldiers one by one hallucinated and got on the tree. Any soldier that does that was left behind. Finally only Loxley made it to the clearing on the top. 91

And saw a man deeply meditating in front of a tiny crystal. 92

“Hello, Lord of Three Hills” Said Loxley and made the meditating man open his eyelids “Or should I say, Serax.” 93

The man answered nothing.94

“You know, you said you commanded these three hills, but there were settlement here before we came, is that your sense of command Serax?”95

“Causing change of that magnitude is against Aviana’s Principle.” Answered The Lord Finally96

“You speak of Aviana’s Principle? You make me puke.” Said the lt. feeling wanting to look upward. 97

He realized the infection is at last gaining on him and shot his Arch Enemy. The Lord disappeared and appeared again in front of the crystal away from gun sight.98

“You can not kill what you cannot touch, Lox”99

Loxley fired again only to see the same thing happen. He threw his gun down and picked the long pointed stick near by and swung it at Serax. Serax disappeared again and the Lieutenant swung the stick backward. The Lord appeared right at the direction the stick was swinging and was hit on the head. He admired the lieutenant immediately for his sense and his not being too dependent on technology. 100

“You have changed Lox”101

“So have you.”102

“You should join us, you know it in you heart that it is the better way. And the republic… It’s all corrupted. How do you think we know you are coming? Your general alerted us. Even he knows that we are on the right course and you are distorted.”103

“Right ways my ass! Yes, when I attacked the other Aviana group I ask my self what the hell am I doing. I see these people just trying to live and I killed them, but here… You made that fungus and you claimed it’s nature secret. Well I tell you what; the gun I use is made of nature’s secret too. The silicones, the bronze… everything in the gun is made from nature. What you did is no different, maybe just in different way. You and the republic both failed to realize true human potential. You rely too much on what you can find and fail to realize that the greatest strength begins within you. You and your fungus are no better than genetic maniac scientists. Oh why am I teaching Aviana principle to Aviana Lord?”104

“If you know the republic is corrupted, then why are you standing on that side.”105

“Because there is no where else to stand. Because everything is corruptible, the Aviana, as noble as they must be will soon be corrupted. The republic began that way too you know. Noble.”106

Serax realizes now that the lieutenant didn’t ever fought for the republic, he just fought because he likes to fight. He is a born fighter. In turn, he also realizes that he himself wasn’t fighting for Aviana’s ideal. He was fighting for power. He was fighting to discover more and more power. 107

Loxley realizes that the lord was in fact buying time instead of wanting to fight. Perhaps he was waiting for the fungi to infect to Lieutenant or perhaps it has something to do with the crystal. The Lieutenant, again with his sharp sense swung the stick directly at the crystal. Serax swiftly catch the crystal before the stick could reach it. 108

Now the lieutenant’s eyes stopped fluttering, his eyeball pointed upward. He could no longer see straight. He wanted to run back in the woods. He wanted to be closer to the tree. Yet he stood there.109

“Nothing can be done now” Said Serax “You have lost. What I have researched here is already stored in this crystal and will be sent to other Aviana group. As for you, in few seconds you will run in the woods and join with the trees. You will give nutrition and strength to mother nature.”110

“Never!” Cried Loxley and tightens the grip on his stick and swung it at his enemy as the lord disappeared, Loxley pointed the tip of the stick at the random point and with his full force push forward. As the lord appeared again, the stick went through his skull and came out on the other side of his head. He was dead instantly. 111

But even the lieutenant could no longer go on. He stood there holding the stick, unable to move, unable to speak. Then someone came out of the house in front of him. It was his wife, Emilie. She must have been persuaded to join them when Serax used to come to their house. How foolish of him to never have noticed. 112

She quickly took the crystal from the Dead Lord of Three hills.113

“You know” began Emilie “if Serax, while attacking one of their house, was persuaded to join the Aviana… while attacking you know… then maybe you… could be persuaded to… please Loxie?”114

His wife smiled at him knowing that her words meant nothing because her husband will die soon. He wanted to tell her of the conversation he just had with Serax. He wanted to tell her in her desire to escape corruption, she ended up at another equally corrupted place. He wanted to tell her that she had joined the wrong group of Aviana. He wanted to tell her that the only way escape corruption is from within. But she swiftly took the crystal and ran away without uttering another word. 115

The Three Hills were once again human less. But not for long.116

**********117

Private interview with Miss Jai118

Date: 19 March 2042119

Location: Maehongsorn Hilly Region120

“ How did it all begin? I think every one remembered. In a very bad time where there were war, global warming, and corruptions. People realize there was something wrong with the way they live and the way they treat the environment. The Aviana emerged with their Ideals. It was great. It was tempting. It made sense. A lot of people joined them. The economics collapsed, and started a domino effect. The banks were gone first and soon currency meant nothing. Unable to solve this problem, many countries joined force to form the world republic government. They recognize the Aviana as their primary enemy. This is the short of what happened anyway.121

Is there any different now that they are no longer on the hills? I think the only different to us is that the children are no longer seeing ghosts in the mist.” 122