Every good journalist knows when they’re on the verge of a real breakthrough in their story. That moment when all the pieces finally come together, and all that research and notation is about to pay off.
So what happens when all of that is taken away? When it’s pulled out right from your hands? You start to ask yourself if it was all worth it.
You spend all this time seeking to be a voice for the people, only to be silenced when you finally have everything ready to shout from the highest point in Arcadia. They take your voice, and they take your power.
And then, you’re left to wallow in self-loathing. You become complacent to the idea of going through great pain, slowly desensitized to the sensation, to where all you want is more.
Because at least, when you’re hurt, you can feel something. Enduring that pain is something that few would want to bear, but many will respect…within reason.
But what happens when it becomes your obsession? When you decide to make it a part of your identity? Some will listen to what you have to say, maybe even embrace it wholeheartedly.
Perhaps even go on a journey to find just what their breaking point is. To go beyond mere pain, to experience something far greater.
Death.
The absolute worst destination to arrive at, all because of the hurt that you’ve endured. So then, how do you get rid of that pain? You pick yourself back up.
You have to look at yourself and realize that pain is not something you merely endure…it is something you overcome. When you are oppressed, you cannot simply grit your teeth and let it happen…you have to fight back against it.
Even if it costs you everything, you must fight back.
And that is easier said than done, especially when there are men who would suggest that pain is freedom. These men would like you to believe that the pain is simply a part of the process to something greater…that, perhaps, death is bliss.
Such men are liars, because sometimes death is not even the final destination, as some can attest to. They know that sometimes, you come knocking at death’s door and it refuses to answer…hoping you’ll simply move on.
But neither is ideal, because you cannot move on. You won’t move on…until you’ve gotten the answers that you seek.
And believe me, I will get what I’m after…because I refuse to give up. I will not force myself to endure the pain of the Uprising’s interference…and I will not let two men who have endured such pain to get in my way.
Grimskull, the very preacher of the benefit of pain, will not sway me away from what I must do. Drewitt, the man who has experienced death time and again, will not fool me into believing my goals are unattainable.
These people deserve to know the truth about pain…and you’ve got to give the people what they deserve.