It used to be that Dhaun was not a thinker, he was a Loyal one dedicated to only doing as he was told. Never really thinking outside the box and working away thoughtlessly toward a goal that was unknown to him. Working towards whatever the Shadows needed from him through Loyal ones above him. Always doing what he had always done, never changing just working for the money that was collected. When asked to work overtime or to work outside of his scope he was always there, first one to sign up. Never really thinking about how this might affect his family or himself. Never thinking beyond the hear and the now.
That way of thinking has long left Dhuan, this has created a long term thinking person. The Awoken are long term thinkers always thinking about what things are going to look like down the road. It is an infestation of thought that expands in the mind like the replication of bacteria or a virus. Slowly at first and then quickly beyond control. Dhuan caught this infestation causing him to think about things that were far beyond the time in which he lived. While also being able to see and correlate those things to events that have long sense passed. A sort of temporal clairvoyance, not always accurate, but close to the point.
These thoughts are what led to the Scrolls of Discouragement that he received. These thoughts are also what led Kate Raunaeril to her demise. The thoughts of standing up and doing what is right for all the people. The things that separate us from other wild animals, the understanding that we are supposed to have towards each other. The fact that Dhaun obtained these scrolls is proof that the infestation has taken hold. Proof that the shadows do not like it when people look to the future. Look to make things better in a fashion that is not what they seek. There have been several meetings with Vernon since obtaining the scrolls. Only the first one was bad, Vernon brought to the attention of Dhaun that he was not doing things that Vernon wanted. Things that really could not be measured. Things that were taken out of context of the situations in which they presented themselves. Things that were not documented anywhere. How is a person supposed to live up the the expectations if those expectations are not clearly defined. How can they be expected when they change based on the person that is requesting them?
Vernon once told Dhaun’s coworker that some people are not capable of learning or being expected to do the same things as others. These are people without learning issues, without excuses as to why they cannot perform those same actions as others. Society has become a breeding ground for the shadow people, a place where they can freely feed on the souls of those without the affliction. This infestation of thought is a hard thing to control especially if one is passionate about what they do. Trying to make change in the environments in which they work. Trying to make the world a better more efficient and ultimately a happier place for all people. Speaking out against the wishes of those in power ultimately gets you removed from that environment, before any real change can be made. The Loyal ones are all around and report anything that they do not like back to the Shadow People. One must be careful as to what they say and around whom they say it. Free thinking is not allowed, thought must only be in line with what the Shadow People want. Their thinking is the only thinking allowed. This form of control has been building for centuries. The only thing that has changed is that it is no longer easy to kill people to get rid of the problem. There must now be a long process to remove a person from the environments in which they work.
Thought ultimately leads to the destruction of oneself. Better that than to conform to the will of the Shadow People.
Join the Awoken.