The Final Experiment

(a) The Time Telepathy Experiment



Merlin:

This is the voice of Merlin.

Listen well, for it concerns you.

This chronicle commences in the year 2084 A.D.

Mankind has virtually destroyed itself.

Its survival depends on 'The Final Experiment'.



Scientists from the 21st century have developed a new computer-program called 'Time Telepathy'.

By using this technique they have sent visions of humanities' decline back in time.

These transmissions have been received by the mind of a blind minstrel who lives in 6th century Great Britain. His name.... is "Ayreon".

(b) Overture



(c) Ayreon's Quest

Merlin:

It shall be Ayreon's quest to sing of these visions and thus warn the world of its impending downfall in order to change its future into a long and prosperous one.

Let us go back to "the Dark Ages".

(a) Premonition

A strange sensation comes over Ayreon, as if something mysterious is about to occur.



(b) Dreamtime (Words Become a Song)



Suddenly a vision emerges in Ayreon's ever-black world and he finds himself singing about the horrid projections etched into his brain.



Ayreon:

Cry in the silence

A shine in the dark

Like a rising star

The dream is coming



Images of violence

A flight through time and space

It's such a lonely place

The dream has started



The smoke is rising

The vision's getting clearer

And words become a song

In the dreamtime



I've lost control

Marooned and cold

I suffer the fears

Of a future untold

I cannot change

The shape of things to come



The smoke is rising

The vision's getting clearer

The hands of time are whirling around

I'm realising

The future's getting nearer

And words become a song

(c) Awakening

Abruptly the vision ends and Ayreon recedes into his darkness.

(a) Eyes of Time



It slowly dawns on Ayreon that these visions he is experiencing are visions of the future. But he does not fully comprehend their importance yet.



Ayreon:

I cannot see with these eyes

My world is dark

Like a cold eternal night



I could not tell you no lies

My words are lost

In a shroud of mystery



Villagers:

Tell me what you see



Ayreon:

I cannot tell you now

I see the world through the eyes of time



Villagers:

Tell me what you feel



Ayreon:

I wouldn't know how

I cannot free my mind

From the eyes of time



I do not know where I am

I'm lost in time

Drifting in eternity



I cannot tell if it's real

Or fantasy

Or a view of things to come



I'm still trying to understand

Why do I see the things I see

Could it be a future world

That's warning us through me

I'm still trying to understand

Why do I know the things I know

Does it mean I'm a god

Will nobody tell me so?



(b) Brainwaves

(a) A New Dawn

A perceptible tension is hovering above Ayreon's hometown. Something is at hand.

A perceptible tension is hovering above Ayreon's hometown. Something is at hand.



(b) The Gathering

The townspeople gather on the market square to judge of Ayreon.

Is he a prophet or a charlatan, or even worse: an apparition most unholy?



(c) The Accusation



The villagers accuse Ayreon of being the devil's spawn, but Ayreon persists in his innocence.



Villagers:

Have you seen his eyes

Up in the skies

Like hypnotized

And he never smiles

He never cries



Have you heard his song

Fierce and strong

Right or wrong

Should he be condemned

For he doesn't belong



Ayreon:

What have I done

Villagers:

You've aroused the forces of destruction

Ayreon:

What have I done

Villagers:

You've unleashed the rage of the gods

Ayreon:

What have I done

Villagers:

You've denounced the wonder of creation

Ayreon:

What have I done

Villagers:

You've betrayed your own,

Now you have to pay



It has been foretold

In days of old

'N evil soul

Will corrupt the world

To achieve his goal



He's the devil's seed

An evil breed

He's gonna make you bleed

He'll take all he needs

With uncontrollable greed



Ayreon:

I've done nothing at all,

No nothing at all

(d) The Banishment

With sticks and torches in hand, the angry villagers drive Ayreon out of their demesne.



(e) Oblivion



Completely exhausted Ayreon roams through the forest, only an indistinct sense of unaccomplishment sustains him.



Ayreon:

If I have died, then this must be hell

If I'm alive, I cannot break this gruesome spell

I am seeking relief and finding none

I have fallen into oblivion



A force within dominates my tormented soul

And empowers me to regain absolute control

I shall not yield, for I am the chosen one

Who shall rise from oblivion

A new horizon

Hear the travelers call

Behold there lies a kingdom

Go forth ye minstrel tall



Sing of your wisdom

Spread tidings of joy

A feast of song and laughter

Ye courtyard minstrel boy



O'dance thee 'round the table

For conquerors and kings

Thou must win the heart of Gwenhwyfar

Fair maiden of the king



Thy lord thy master

Arthur thee so bold

Heed the words of Ayreon

And thy future will unfold



Sing ye tales of wonder

Whilst ye hide behind the joy

Cast thy spell asunder

Ye courtyard minstrel boy



Sing ye, oh sing ye, courtyard minstrel boy



A day of splendour

How beautiful birds sing

Ladies, lords and masters

And rainbows he would bring



A child's sadness

Sweet dreams, oh princely boy

Let thyne eyes reveal the madness

Ye courtyard minstrel boy

To entertain the court, Ayreon makes up a song about the brave Knights of the Round Table

 and their journey to the isle of Avalon in search of the Holy Grail.



Ayreon:

Noble men in shining armour

Knights of the table-round

Go out and ride like thunder

Cross the sky at the speed of



Sound the horn, 'n blow the trumpets

Upon the castle wall

Now the quest has started

Listen to the prophet's call



Sail away

Sail away to Avalon

The journey has begun

Sail away through the night

Sail away, never die

The gods are at your side

Sail away through the night



Ride on the road to glory

Find the Holy Grail

And learn the ancient story

'S more than just a fairy-



Tale about the key to life

And all its mysteries

You'll find the grail within you

Slay the dragon in your dreams!

Ayreon retires in the garden of dreams surrounding Camelot, enjoys the wonders of nature and reflects on his fate.

He now fully understands, and reluctantly submits to his destiny.



Ayreon:

I can smell the grass

And touch the flowers

Among the trees

I pass the hours

And fantasize

I let the dance of nature

Inspire me

Now my mind is free

From apparitions

I switch off like a 'television'

And close my eyes



And I wish that I could see

Like everybody can

How I wish that I could be

Like any other man



I can't see the sun

But I sense its glow

I hear the sound of water flowing

Down the stream

And my heart cries out

For a little bit love

But I know that it was not meant to be

So I'll fulfill my destiny

And accept my fate



Still I wish that I could see

Like everybody can

How I wish that I could be

Like any other man

Ayreon describes a distant future in which technology triumphs over passion,

 and "serving" computers will gradually gain control over mankind.



Ayreon:

I see a future cold as ice

Where all the love has gone

I see a race that pays the price

For everything it's done



I see shadows of giant machines

Cast upon the land

I see a world where kings nor queens

But chips are in command



COMPUTER...COMPUTER...COMPUTER...

COMPUTER-REIGN



Now the end has just begun

Technology has won

And it cannot be undone

There will be nowhere to run

Now the damage has been done



GAME OVER! GAME OVER!



I see a game gone out of hand

And memories erased

I see a programmed master plan

And man will be replaced



I see a planet die in space

And slowly fade away

I see the end of the human race

There has to be a way

Ayreon sings of the uselessness of the countless wars to come,

 and the absurdity of the final annihilation by the push of just one button by just one man.



Ayreon:

Echoes of a thousand screams

Smoke, blood and fire

A deserted battlefield

Millions of men will die

At one man's desire

And the docile mass will yield



All through the ages

Men will die before their time

In an everlasting war

As long as man is taught

That war is not a crime

Man will fight for evermore



Out of the ashes

A war-lord will arise

And tyrannize the land

His reign of terror

Will cost many a sacrifice

An inferno is at hand



All through the centuries

Men will be caged

In the name of liberty

As long as man shall live

Wars will be waged

Or will we ever be set free?

Set me free!



The road to ruin

Gets shorter all the time

As technology will improve

It takes but one man

To commit the ultimate crime

And make the final move

Ayreon warns the people that if man does not mend his ways,

 man will contaminate the skies, so there will be no more air to breathe,

 he will poison the seas,

 so there will be no more water to drink and he will pollute the land,

 so there will be no more food to live on.



Ayreon:

All the trees have fallen

The soil is scorched and dry

I can't respire

A storm of fire

Is raging in the sky



Where is all the wildlife

Extinct from pole to pole

The hunt for skin

A deadly sin

Took its heavy toll



The seas are red, the skies are grim

The soil is filled with graves

The earth is dead, the sun is dim

Listen to the waves



We befoul the air

And burn a hole in the sky

Deadly rays

From outer space

Cause our race to die



Standing at the crossroads

A choice of life and death

We'll take more care

And clear the air

Or take our final breath

Merlin, who is unaffected by -and therefore ignorant of the "Time Telepathy" experiment,

 assumes that Ayreon's prophecies are deceptive, and so Ayreon must be silenced.

Or could there be an undertone of envy in his words?



Merlin:

Ayreon, don't you know who I am

Ayreon, I'll have you know that I can

Charm you with a wave of my hand

You bow to my command



Ayreon, you're an evil stranger

Ayreon, you've become a danger

Your words are all but a lie

I vow that ye shall die



Knights:

It's Merlin's will, his will be done

The end has come for Ayreon

It's Merlin's will

And his will be done



Merlin:

Ayreon, you're in my domain now

Ayreon, I renounce your name now

No one will know who you are

You'll fade out like a star

Ayreon understands that he was not individually chosen for the "time telepathy experiment",

 but that he unintentionally received its transmissions.

This could be because of a more developed sixth sense as a result of his blindness.

He also realises that he can neither accomplish his mission, nor stop the visions from penetrating his mind.

His sole escape is to submit to the magic charm of the great seer Merlin.



Ayreon:

I've been lost in the valley of nightmares

I've been found in the garden of dreams

Speak thy charm; I know you are out there

Cast thy spell and silence the screams



But as I poise on the edge of life

Where time disappears

I bow in fear

To the charm of the seer



I've seen fear in valiant faces

I've seen hope in desperate eyes

Lead me home to familiar places

Lead me back to crystalline skies



And as I poise on the edge of life

Where time disappears

I bow in fear

To the charm of the seer



I have failed, I have been forsaken

I've been scorned and misunderstood

I have lost, my life has been taken

I'd surrender if only I could

Merlin grants Ayreon his last request: to experience one last brief moment of serenity.

Flashes of his past life pass before his eyes.

(a) Ayreon's Fate



Ayreon desperately attempts to convince Merlin of his sincerity, but Merlin won't hear of it and casts his spell on poor Ayreon.



Ayreon:

Misguided Merlin

You fail to understand

I could never be your rival

I was just a pawn

In a future master plan

For the purpose of survival



Merlin:

Ayreon, I've cast my spell on you

I have no faith, you cannot be true

Ayreon!



Ayreon:

I forgive you Merlin

For you don't know what you've done

Even for you, it was all a mystery

One day you'll see

That I was the one

Who could change the course of history



Merlin:

Ayreon, your words are all in vain

Close your eyes, there 'll be no more pain

Oh Ayreon...



(b) Merlin's Prophecy



Merlin is stricken with grief for he has had a vision that proves Ayreon to be genuine.

Reluctant to pass into eternity as the martyr of mankind, Merlin vows that Ayreon's word will be spread in the 20th century,

 in the hope that it will not be too late and that man will heed his premonitions.



Merlin:

I see one day

His story will be told

At the end of the 20th century

I see one day

The truth will unfold

And the quest has now begun

Oh Ayreon!



I hope one day

That man will understand

It's in his power to change his destiny

I hope one day

He'll do all that he can

And all the nations will be one

Oh Ayreon!



(c) Epilogue

Merlin:

The outcome of the Final Experiment has now been placed in your hands.