Known Afterlife (The Provider Trilogy: Volume I)

by Trey Copeland

  *****

  Vejax slowed his pace, in no hurry to reach his dive lift. Normally, the soft crackle of tall heather brushing against his garments was all it took to trigger the intense process of visualizing his pending victory in the dive. But alas, a rare bout with insecurity had quelled his desire to start the dive championship. Never experienced, Vejax could not manifest a vision of his immediate future.

  Absent of a remedy, he eased his progress across the short stretch of Deagron Fields. He concentrated his sight on the vine Shifters awaiting his arrival, shrouded by the midday sun centered within the expansive horizon beyond. Their stout frames, along with the thick vine cables stationed between them that soared high above, knifed long shadows across his path. Prepared for the strenuous task ahead of elevating Vejax and his lift to the Provider's peak, in that moment, he envied the definiteness of their respective roles.

  Steffor's parting words might not have bothered Vejax if it were not for their timing and similarity to the message he had received. "This is your moment. Faith holds no past or future, the present is all that matters." The Provider's message was nothing new to Vejax. Indeed, he made a daily practice of meditating to various passages in the Deeds providing similar guidance. For that matter, he forged a personal connection with the Provider on his understanding of what it meant to live in the now. Regardless, he could not dismiss as simple coincidence how the word faith came into play with both Steffor and the Provider.

  Pull it together man! Steffor’s faith is like none other, stop denying it.

  A rush of confidence moved inside as Vejax gave voice to his concerns. The welcome dose of confidence spurred him down a familiar path of reason. A clarity received the moment he met Steffor, but feared to explore, until now.

  It was neither the depth of Steffor's faith or his commitment as a Guardian that troubled Vejax. From the day Steffor discovered his calling—saving hundreds of lives in the process—his raw ability to shift the Source had been equal to that of a seasoned Teuton. Since completing his apprenticeship over ten seasons ago, the Deeds recorded score after score of heroic acts he had committed; acts of bravery and self-sacrifice rivaled by none in history of the same age. Moreover, while his craft was still rough and growing, few disagreed that Steffor would be the next to forge his Teuton Staff.

  Do I envy Steffor's growth as a Guardian?

  As in the past, Vejax answered the self-effacing gut check with an assured no. Steffor, his youthful exuberance aside, was one of the few people Vejax could truly relate. Fifty seasons ago, Vejax was a young Guardian experiencing a similar rise in fame. As he had witnessed in his younger friend, Vejax avoided the pressure to exceed oneself through the growth of his personal relationship with the Provider.

  Is the issue related to my competitive nature in the Guardian Games?

  After all, it was hard to argue, given his rate of success to date, that Steffor would become the most successful dive champion in history; a pending reality, regardless of the outcome of today's championship. Despite Vejax’s constant barrage of competitive jabs, he knew in his heart that their healthy competition held no animosity toward the other. He was content to give his all in every race and accept the outcome. It was, after all, just a contest.

  No, Steffor's shared love for the dive made him more endearing to Vejax. He was proud to call Steffor a friend and grateful for the opportunity to mentor his growth in this lifetime. Likewise, Steffor's presence had contributed to Vejax's ongoing growth in ways he only now realized possible.

  Realities of which made discovery of his real dilemma all the harder. While he could not articulate the reason, Vejax knew Steffor's relentless questioning of the proven truth fostered the seed of his discontent. How, since first meeting the young man, Steffor pushed at the edges of The Citizens Creed. He questioned the sacred laws that separated Citizen from animal. Laws bestowed upon man on the Day of Discovery, when Mystic first synced with the Deeds.

  The moment we met, my intuition told me Steffor was different. And as I have done with every encounter since that day, I suppressed the one voice, my proven guide, that, when listened to, always spoke the truth.

  Encouraged by the realization, Vejax stopped in his tracks and sent his mind out in search of the nearest Mystic.

  "Joy to you Citizen Vejax. How may I help advance your journey?" The Mystic, heard in his mind and registering by the name of Domilton, was faint but enthusiastic. Vejax surmised, given how far he was from the closest village, that Domilton must be a young field Mystic. Assigned to the lower regions of the Trunk, Domilton spent most his days in deep introspection. The allocation of almost all other Mystics in the area for the upcoming broadcast of the dive championship supported this theory.

  "Joy to you Citizen Domilton," Vejax replied. "I seek season 10,371, Lake Arol, Guardian Apprentice Induction, Master Kilton's introductory lecture."

  Vejax waited while the Domilton searched according to his parameters and was grateful for the prompt download that followed a few seconds later. A satisfied smile crossed Vejax's face as the first images to flood his mind’s eye were of the majestic knot lake and the village shifted along its mountainous south side.

  He allowed his mind to take a quick detour and travel down the narrow avenues running the length and width of the mountainside. Flying over the many vine bridges spanning the falls that crested the lake's curved rim, he ended his side trip at the House of Kilton. Shifted from the smooth lake rim, he spent many blissful hours in the ancient house as a young apprentice, resting after long, toiling days of training.

  The nostalgic trip down memory lane provided an unexpected but welcome lift to his spirits. He accepted the palpable gift for what it was, stowing it deep into the pockets of his soul.

  He doubled back and re-synced with his requested search, sending him from the northeast across the lake. Vejax slowed his approach, still uncertain what it was he sought by visiting an event that occurred long ago.

  The day had marked his return to Lake Arol since leaving twenty-one seasons prior, a time in his life when the mandatory season spent training others felt like an eternity. He was a brash, young Guardian then, itching to carve his name into the Deeds. Vejax chuckled at the irony as he did the day he returned the second go around as an anointed Teuton. Both then and now, excited to share his wisdom with the latest batch of apprentices.

  It was a diverse group of recruits that season in both in age and background; the recent discovery of ordained powers the primary trait each shared in common. Twelve seasons old, Steffor was the youngest. But he was the boldest. Armed with an intelligence unencumbered by wisdom, none foretold of his innocuous charisma or the influence it would have on everyone.

  He cast his spell on all of us that first day. A blissful spell, ignorant of its existence, but an incantation on the soul all the same. But was it the charm of youthful inquiry, or was it something more...perverse.

  With the shape of his inquiry coming into focus, Vejax approached the moment in time he had requested with renewed hope.

  An aerial view of the tri-hulled ship came into view a second later, its broad leaf sails taut with a strong southwestern wind. The simple but efficient craft, shifted from a large piece of petrified bark, trailed a sleek wake of white foam across the clear, emerald waters. Like a pride of big cats, Guardians lounged around the main deck, an oval trough connecting to the three torpedo shaped hulls. A small crew of naval Shifters operated mast and sail.

  The sun was setting behind them, providing the passengers with a breath taking view of the eastern shore. The spiked range of wooden pillars were awash in warm light, a beautiful contrast to the preponderant Trunk consuming the background beyond. Vejax, recognizing the moment as the start of the evening's lecture, moved down to the main deck to assume the point of view of his former self.

  "The Provider exists!" Master Kilton said, his clarion voice prevailing over spirited conversation and pervasive winds.

  "The Provider exists in all
of us," Vejax heard himself reply as he watched the others quiet down and a settle into one of the many platforms or benches shifted around the deck.

  "The Provider exists for us," a confident voice said from the opposite side of the deck, coming from a promising young Guardian named Daltera. As Vejax recalled, Daltera had been inducted as a Guardian six seasons prior and was returning to Lake Arol for his first tour of duty as a trainer.

  "The Provider exists to feed us," Grimlock the apprentice chimed, as huge and doltish as ever.

  "Yes, Grimlock, a truism we are all reminded of by your presence alone," Kilton said with a wink. The unexpected humor caused the group to erupt with boisterous laughter with Grimlock's guffaws heard above the rest.

  The fifth child born to two of Razum City's prestigious vine Shifters, Grimlock’s genetic predisposition to be large in stature surprised no one. But none could have predicted the intimidating mound of flesh, sculpted by seasons of strenuous labor, now leaning against the ship's bow. For Grimlock spent the first eight seasons of his adult life serving society as one of Razum's vine Shifters.

  Vine Shifters kept the Provider's transit systems going, propelling a plethora of passenger and freight cars around the world every hour of the day. But Grimlock had not shifted the massive vine cables across long distances like his fellow niche Shifters. For a vine Shifter shifted the Source found in both muscle and vine. Where Grimlock used his raw Guardian brawn as he shifted from the churning sea of Source welled deep within Belly Briar.

  Like many Guardians before him, Grimlock did not consciously mask his true nature. The power of a Guardian is like none other, a role the soul must embrace with vigor. So, as was the Provider's way, when it was time to reveal his true nature, the need to save those he cared for most, forced Grimlock's Guardian powers to the surface.

  "The Provider Exists," Kilton said, resuming with the lecture. "While significant to all, we Guardians rely on this opening verse of the Citizens Creed to instill faith again and again, no matter how dark the circumstances. In due time, brothers and sisters, we all learn the truth of those words."

  Vejax nodded in agreement to the salient message, just as he had that evening. He then studied the others and registered similar understanding on each, except for one: Steffor. The boy looked comfortable enough, leaning into the curved stern with arms spread across the rail. But Vejax detected a discord on the young face as it turned to study the hull slicing through the water.

  "Tell us apprentice Steffor, how does your personal experience relate to the wisdom of Master Kilton's words?" As he heard himself pose the leading question to Steffor, the skepticism etched in his voice startled Vejax.

  Unaware or uncaring of the group’s attention now squarely focused upon him, Steffor kept his gaze on the water for several seconds before replying. "It does not, relate that is." His steady gaze moved from Vejax to Kilton.

  "Tell me Steffor, if not that, what, if any verse from the Citizens Creed, best relates to the awakening of your Guardian powers?" Kilton asked with genuine interest.

  "No one aspect of the Citizens Creed captures my experience, but if I had to choose it would be: ‘Life of a Citizen is purposeful.’

  "Curious. Never in my seasons have I once known a Guardian to cite that verse as their inspiration, especially from young apprentices just learning how wield their powers. Tell us, what does ‘The Provider Exists’ mean to you?"

  Vejax studied Steffor as he pondered the question. Steffor wrapped his arms around his legs folded into his chest. Appearing at first perturbed by the question, Vejax could only describe the countenance that replaced as relief. The Mysticnet logs recorded that Steffor took just over a minute before he replied. To Vejax, both times, it felt like an eternity.

  "Questions, endless questions. Questions I have asked before I was old enough to sync with the Mystics. Questions that, for every answer I find two more crop up in their place."

  "Your questions are for here and now. All your questions," Kilton said to the group. Everyone gave Kilton a respectful nod, grateful for the Teuton to include him or her but all were as interested as he was to hear what questions the impressive youth had to ask. Kilton turned back to Steffor. "There are no bad questions here, what is it that weighs heaviest on your mind?"

  "The Provider Exists, both as the world we live upon and as our creator, yes?"

  "That is correct."

  "The Citizens Creed also tells us, through the Provider’s eternal energy, Life of a Citizen is Continuous and that as we grow so does the Provider."

  "True."

  "That is where I become confused. If the Provider exists, in us, what then, are we? Am I, we, destined to become a tree, teeming with life spawned from our own energy; life that will create the human animal; the vessels in which I may expand and grow? If so, was our Provider once a human like us, born on a tree planet, given a soul by its creator? If we become the Provider, what then, does the Provider become? Does the Provider ascend to become a new form of existence? If so, what new form of existence does the creator of our Provider take? Where does it all—"

  Steffor's last question came up short as he looked away from Kilton for the first time since starting his flurry of questions, startled by the shocked faces around the deck. Steffor flinched, squeezing his legs closer to his chest. To his credit, he met the eye of each before turning back to the water running swiftly by the edged hull. The first of many moments Steffor would earn Vejax's respect

  "Young Steffor's questions are what The Four have posed since the Day of Discovery. It is healthy and expected for all Citizens to question that which we believe true. The truth of now empowers us and it is the very foundation of our faith. Face the morrow when it arrives and carry from the past that which improves the present. So says the Citizen’s Creed: Be patient! Be active! Be grateful!"

  "Thank you father! Please forgive us! We love you with our whole hearts!"

  Kilton's timely words and the group's intoned prayer that followed thankfully broke the yoke of Steffor's thought provoking questions. The days ahead were to be dangerous, requiring the utmost concentration for all. None could afford to cloud the mind with questions that had no answers.

  Vejax had looked back to Steffor at that moment and, again, was unnerved by the others anticipating stare. Vejax sensed boyish relief from the other, content to let the subject drop. He decided in that moment to shoulder the burden on his own, to keep his unique process hidden to the rest.

  And we were all grateful he did not share it again.

  As always, Vejax found conciliation in the mysteries of how the Provider fulfilled the law. Life in the present, guided by irrevocable truth, placated him beyond measure. And on the surface, Steffor lived his life the same, completing his training in less than three seasons, inducted as a Guardian by age fifteen.

  Since, Steffor embodied the Guardian race, always putting others before himself. It seemed to Vejax, a daily Mysticnet feed without Steffor's name was more uncommon than not. If not for the joy produced by the Guardian Games, the one thing you could accuse Steffor of being selfish about was the dive. But none would question the correlation of his success to his love for everyone.

  My charge is clear. I must confront the faith of one my closest companions, a faith that amplifies benevolence for all. A faith I know in my heart has to be flawed. Steffor must see the error in his ways. His loss today, to me, to my complete faith in the Provider, is the setback he requires to realize his full potential.

  For once the young man aligned perfectly to the Provider, Vejax believed there would be no limitations to what his friend could achieve.