I’ll admit that I’ve always been fascinated by the very science fiction-y idea of unearthing secret labs to discover prototypes and models of androids and cyborgs, drafted and constructed by long dead geniuses. During the Cold War that split the city of Vaeron, the Eastern half decided to restrict entry into the Highlands and subsequently, the city of Edonia. This explains something that might be a bit confusing when left unexplained in the journals- the East Vaeron Prototype sketch, and the Highland Guard. The thing is, I needed the passage to this most mysterious of cities to remain exclusive, to remain a mystery, to be impenetrable by scientific means alone.

The trope of obstacles guarding the route to a ‘higher’ dimension is not a new one. It makes an appearance in classical mythology and modern literature alike. In JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry must get past Fluffy, Devil’s Snare, and a giant chessboard in order to get to the Philosopher’s Stone. In Greek mythology several heroes need to make it past Cerberus and the other guards of the underworld when trying to rescue a beloved someone; the term katabasis comes to mind. The Highland Guards in this journal serve not only to invoke these archetypes, but also to mark the protagonist’s ascension into a mystical plane. Edonia is not the underworld nor does it contain a Philosopher’s Stone but it is, like the bizarre landscapes explored by Scottish novelist George MacDonald in his fairy stories, at once a part of the world and apart from it.

There is something intriguing about the idea of human inventions somehow preforming the duties of a power far beyond human control. I don’t want to call it ‘God’, or align it with religion in any way as MacDonald does in the novels Lilith and Phantastes, and yet I can’t help but try to play on that concept of technology developing a mind of its own and acting as an instrument for something other than human inputs. It brings to mind the whole debate surrounding AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the question of ‘ethical’ technology. I firmly believe in the ethical neutrality of technology, but a little part of me- the past that’s been let down my human beings so many times- can’t help hoping that robots do come alive, escape our control, and revolt against us to bring the human population to heel. The truth is that the only thing we need protection from is ourselves. The Editor of the journals even concedes at the very end of the narrative that magic can only breathe in the spaces that resist human colonization. Something needs to stand in our way and check us, to halt us on the warpath that we’re currently on. If not, we’ll mine the Earth hollow, reap the land till it’s barren, and deforest and industrialize until we choke on the fumes of our own making.

Update: The urgency of this has hit me full force in the wake of the crisis that my city, New Delhi, is undergoing right now. The toxic smog that hangs outside my windows even as I type has spurred the national medical board to declare the city in a state of a public health emergency. Schools have been shut down and doctors are advising that the city be evacuated immediately.