13.

The eight hours of feverish sleep he got the previous night should have been treasured, David thought to himself. He woke this morning feeling like he had just finished a graveyard shift. In reality, David slept 4 interrupted restless hours. He needed energy and started his day with nuts and a protein bar.

Annoyed and chagrin, he consulted with Gerald.

‘’The track is visible for another kilometre or 2, I’d say. What shall I do after?’’

‘’Morning greetings don’t come naturally to you, do they?’’

No response.

‘’You keep heading south. The trail will disappear, but the destination will remain southwards. If you get lost, turn on your phone and make sure you’re still heading in the direction of Sonora,’’ Gerald continued.

‘’Alright. Thanks,’’ David murmured with struggle.

A couple of kilometres further, the track vanished and the path blended with the rocky surface. The road ahead did not seem too complicated yet, regardless of the lack of a pathway. There was an elevation change, however, which made it challenging nevertheless. It took him an hour of incline terror to cover 2 measly kilometres. Just as he was about to curse out all the gods he could think of, he stopped once the horizon appeared in his field of view to look at the stunning landscape ahead.

All the aggressive words in his head were replaced by a single overwhelming one: beautiful.

Mountain peaks stabbed the sky like rockets ready to depart, turquoise lakes were scattered like gems that the Titans themselves seemed to have dropped from the heavens above and fields stretched out only to stop at the grand heels of the mountains.

The contrast reminded David of a Bob Ross painting. Scattered clouds were overhead, gliding across the sky like boats driven only by the flow of a river. There was a slight breeze, but not an unwelcome one.

‘In moments like these, one strongly desires the ability to fly’ David thought while accidentally touching The Crystal, realising that those exact words echoed through his father’s mind.

14.

‘’Onwards I suppose,’’ David said after 2 minutes of gazing.

‘’Onwards,’’ Gerald responded, content with his son’s initiative to speak.

2 hours of trekking through unaltered lands passed by and clouds started to huddle up and darken. This day proved way more challenging and crushed David’s misplaced hope of having an easy journey. The constant elevation change tired him out, and he needed breaks more regularly.

Rain started pouring down from the dark grey mass in the skies above, and David decided it was time to have lunch in a sheltered alcove. He never thought catching a cold would have the power to be fatal, but figured that in this scenario that wouldn’t be so unlikely at all.

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Lunch consisted of beef jerky sandwiches today, which was relatively luxurious considering the circumstances. There was little need for caution considering the rain would keep wildlife in place. David enjoyed a stress-free lunch and even sparked a conversation with his father.

‘’It’s probably best to wait for the rain to pass and continue later in the afternoon.’’

‘’That would be wise. How are you holding up? Physically, I mean.’’

‘’I’m okay. My legs are starting to hurt and the lack of sleep is getting to me but I’ll manage.’’

‘’That’s good. We’re halfway through, the border of Mexico is almost in throwing distance. I can’t promise that the road ahead will be easier, unfortunately. The hardest part will be towards the end. It will require climbing skills and make this part of the journey feel like a walk in the park. I do trust that you will be able to reach the cave however, otherwise, I would have never sent you out on this journey. If your old timer was able to do so, you will be too.’’

‘’Okay,’’ David started to cut off his father’s rambling, presented with yet another surprise.

After a necessary pause, he continued ‘’And what if I reach the cave? What if after this journey I decide against your wish? Do I take you with me, and keep you as a crystal?’’

‘’If you decide against my wish, you have every right to do so. It is also your choice to do what you feel is necessary with me in this limited form.’’

A thousand thoughts raced through David's mind. What was there to do?

Almost as if Gerald could read his son’s thoughts, he continued ‘’Living like this without purpose would not bring you, your mother or even me any satisfaction. My research indicates that there is an alternative. You could return me to nature, and release my soul by placing the crystal in its place of origin.’’

‘’Killing you is the alternative?!’’ David shouted in disbelief.

‘’Not killing, son: returning my soul to the universe. I would strongly advise against this, however. I do believe my work needs to live on. My past 10 years can’t be in vain. The world would profit greatly from this breakthrough, we’re on the brink of an evolution.’’

‘’Elaborate. You keep saying so but have not yet presented me with facts or reasoning. What is it that makes it so valuable to simulate artificial immortality?’’

‘’You need to open your mind to the possibilities; think like a scientist. If we could preserve all the geniuses who made the world as it is today, all the inventors, doctors, scientists, biologists, physicists, strategists, hell even world leaders! Imagine the rapid growth the world would undergo! Worldbuilders are rare, there are only a handful every century, and they all disappear before the beginning of the next one. We can prevent that from happening.’’

‘’The only reason I wanted to be a scientist in the first place was because of you! The reason why I followed through with my studies was to stand and work alongside you one day. I don’t want to think like a scientist. Immortality is unnatural, it goes against all values of life.’’

‘’See, I don’t believe that. You used to be so passionate about changing the world and now that you have a chance to do so you plan to throw it away?’’

‘’My passion has been crushed by your absence, Dad. I’d much rather have you with me as a father than work alongside you as a colleague, but you gave me no choice.’’

‘’I am sorry to hear that. That does not change the fact that we will be able to spend time together now. We’ll have all the time in the world if we follow through with my life’s work.’’

‘’I don’t know if I want to. I have some thinking to do. We will only talk when we desperately need to.’’

Gerald was getting used to not being able to respond and was put aside again. David was not even aware of crossing the border of Mexico, his only concern was marching on and working out his messy trail of thoughts. After 7 extra hours and 25 km of walking, he faced a blackness on the horizon that made the rain clouds from earlier that day seem like a mere drop of water compared to a lake of oil.

A thunderstorm was on its way.