Page 152 - SurprisingTruthFinal

The Surprising Truth About Lying
Vincent, the preacher, had rejected the compromise
entirely. He had walked away, refusing to live under a
legislated lie. The last Henry heard, Vincent was living
among the scattered remnants of The Quiet, the few
communities that still chose total, painful silence over
the discomfort of functional honesty. Vincent was the
living conscience of the revolution, the permanent
reminder of the ideal they failed to reach.
Henry was left with the responsibility, but none of
the comfort.
He stood, leaning heavily on a carved wooden cane.
He didn't need the cane for his legs, but for his eyes.
His gaze rose inevitably to the sky.
The Fire in the Sky was still there.
It was a breathtaking, permanent aurora, a silent,
multicolored veil that spanned the planet's horizon.
Most people thought the shimmering light was a shield
protecting them from space.
Only Henry knew it was a cage.
The Regulator was still there, dissolved into the
atmosphere, watching. It was waiting for the
temperature of human chaos to rise again. It was
waiting for the lies to break down and the raw,
dangerous heat of the Divine Spark to spike.
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