The Chamber of Genesis

by N. E. Michael

  “It’s a sustenance thingymajig,” Pete answered simply, closing the cage with Rio inside.

  “If this really was the Rai kitchen, for all we know, that could be their oven!” Kiara protested.

  “If this doesn’t work, Rio’s gonna die anyway,” Pete said grimly. His mind was made up.

  Suddenly, a line of green light shone down from the emerald casing and moved slowly over Rio’s body, scanning the contents of the cage. Pete stepped back, watching intently with his fingers cross. Once it finished its scan, the light disappeared, and a piercing, feminine voice sounded throughout the room, seeming to come from every direction.

  “Sustenance sequence terminated,” it said. “Please stand upright.”

  “Did you hear that?” Pete asked in surprise. “The voice?”

  “I understood it,” Kiara said curiously. “It was in the mother tongue.”

  “Or perhaps it works like PDs,” Suriel said. “We perceive the signal the way we want.”

  “Not a bad guess, Your Highness,” Pete said, throwing him a wink. “Looks like in order to get it to work, someone’s gonna have to hold him up in there.”

  “The voice called it a sustenance sequence,” Suriel said. “Although that sounds promising, it’s still a risk.”

  “I’ll do it,” Kiara said flatly. “I did this to him; it’s only right.”

  “No, I will go instead,” Suriel insisted, stepping forward.

  “Oh, don’t give me the whole self-righteous prince act,” Kiara scoffed, glaring at him. “I’m going, and that’s final.”

  Before Suriel could argue, Kiara hopped up the steps into the chamber and used her thigh muscles to lift Rio’s limp figure, hugging him in front of her chest. The light shone down from the emerald casing and scanned them once again. The light vanished when it finished, and Kiara closed her eyes, bracing herself for what would come next.

  “Sustenance sequence terminated,” the voice said again unexpectedly. Kiara opened her eyes, partly annoyed, partly relieved. “Inorganic matter detected.”

  Kiara opened the cage door.

  “What does it want this time?” she asked.

  “Too many people at once?” Suriel guessed.

  “Actually, Your Highness,” Pete said, his lips curling into an amused smirk. “I believe the machine would like the lady to take off her clothes.”

  Kiara’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Suriel’s face flushed red, and he averted Kiara’s gaze.

  “I’m sorry, but there is no way I’m getting in there naked with him,” Kiara stated indignantly.

  “Curious,” Suriel said contemplatively. “You are willing to risk your life for Rio, but not your modesty.”

  “Excuse me?” Kiara asked irately, her voice rising.

  Judging by Kiara’s fiery expression, Suriel figured it was better not to answer that question.

  “I will go with him,” Suriel said instead, walking forward to take Kiara’s place as she descended.

  “I’ll go check out the next room meanwhile,” Kiara said awkwardly as Suriel removed his shoes.

  “Are you sure that is wise?” Suriel asked plainly, trying to hide his discomfort behind a straight face to create a less awkward atmosphere. “Perhaps we should stay together. Gavriel only knows what kind of troubles might lurk in there.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Kiara answered, and she walked quickly across the room without looking back. She pushed the door open and walked through, leaving it open behind her, just a crack.

  Stepping inside, Kiara’s jaw dropped, leaving her speechless. Her wide eyes sparkled in the light of two magnificent, crystal chandeliers as she gazed upon the most beautiful, palatial bedroom she had ever seen. The painted ceiling depicted Earth’s clear, blue sky in an almost tangible manner, with puffy, white clouds floating back and forth. Embellished, golden crown molding lined the edges of the ceiling, complementing the ornamented, ivory walls. Three tall windows lined the front of the room, with embroidered, pleated gold curtains tied neatly on either side. The blue sky was visible from the windows as well, along with a dazzling, orange sun, giving the room the impression of flying in the clouds. A wide, fluffy bed sat against the wall opposite the windows with clean, white sheets spread neatly over its mattress, not a crease to be seen. A golden canopy hung over the bed, and a velvet, cushioned headboard supported a multitude of plush pillows.

  “It’s incredible,” Kiara finally managed to mutter. Coming from a small farming village, she could never have even imagined a room so luxurious, not in her wildest dreams. She walked slowly over the polished, wooden floor, approaching the bed. She was about to lay on it when she noticed her filthy, black feet and legs. Although the room was abandoned, she couldn’t bring herself to defile its splendor. She turned around, and her eyes fell upon an exposed passageway on the left side of the room, leading into a walk-in closet. She looked down at her body, exposed up to her thighs, and with nothing but the prince’s shirt covering the rest.

  Maybe I can finally find myself some clothes, she thought, heading inside the closet. Once inside, she could hardly believe her eyes. She turned in a complete circle, gazing at the endless sea of clothing organized on golden hangers and in wooden cabinets. She had never seen this much clothing in her life. She had never seen this much of anything in her life.

  How did they even keep track of all this!? She wondered. It would take a dozen servants to find one shirt in here!

  The closet was divided into two sections: one with men’s clothing, and the other for women.

  So a couple must’ve lived here together. Who in the world was this lucky?

  She walked over to an array of elegant dresses hanging from a silver bar on the women’s side of the closet. She stared at all the options, not used to having so many choices. Finally, she took out a glittering, maroon dress, but then hesitated.

  I wouldn’t be able to fight a Decrepit in this.

  As she ran her fingers through the fabric, she was struck by a deep sense of pain and longing. She thought back to the night of the festival. To her mother. To Raiden. For a moment, she felt her heart begin to crack, leaking out a wave of fear and despair.

  Tears clouding her eyes, she quickly returned the dress to its place and forced the thoughts from her head before they could overcome her. Wiping the tears away, she explored her other options, finally settling on a pair of white pants and a velvet sweater, along with new underwear, comfortable shoes, and socks. Fortunately, everything more or less fit.

  She returned to the main bedroom and fell eagerly onto the bed. She closed her eyes blissfully as her body sunk into the mattress. She had never felt something so soft, not even with her PDs on. She became suddenly aware of every ache in her muscles as they released their pressure, and she sighed in relief. The lights dimmed, almost as if sensing her fatigue. And then, without even a moment to consider it, she fell instantly asleep…

  “My beloved.”

  She sprung up as the gentle, masculine voice caught her by surprise, stealing her away from her tranquil rest.

  “Suriel?” she asked in a daze as she searched for him, recognizing his voice. The sky on the walls and ceilings had grown dark, now twinkling magically with stars, and the chandeliers had gone out. As Kiara squinted to see, two beams of light shone down from the ceiling in front of the bed, slowly taking the shape of a man and a woman.

  “I made you this gift so that you will always be reminded of the day we met,” the voice echoed again, laced with a sweet and loving tone.

  Kiara was shocked by the likeness of the holographic man as he took form, nearly identical to Suriel. The soft, sweet songs of stringed instruments began to play romantically throughout the room.

  What? Kiara wondered. But how?

  The woman wore a dazzling, blue dress and silver slippers. She was stunning, possessing the kind of beautiful perfection found only in the Artists. She smiled contently as the man kissed her hand and wrapped her arm around her waist, and they began to d
ance. They moved in perfect unison, gazing affectionately into each other’s eyes.

  “Inara, my beloved,” the voice spoke, thick with emotion. “You shall forever hold my heart.”

  “Inara,” Kiara repeated under her breath. She knew the name.

  Inara, the wife of Agius, the human prince. Could this room have belonged to them?

  As she watched them dance, so happy and peacefully, a bitter pang of sadness squeezed her heart. She knew how this story ended. Jaaro had said it over many times in the temple back in Ankar. Inara, princess of the Artists, would go on to marry her beloved human prince. They would live happily together for many years, until the great war. According to legend, in an attempt to break Agius’s will, Azarai’s demons went on to curse his beloved Inara, turning her into a monster. Her fellow Artists kept her alive, sacrificing their own lives out of love and admiration to sustain her own, and they took her with them through the Nexus to Earth, never to see her husband again.

  When the sound came to an end, Agius held his wife close, and they kissed, their lips sealed together in a sacred bond of devotion.

  I can’t believe how similar Suriel looks to the ancient God Prince, Kiara thought with wonder. There has to be more to him than he’s been willing to share. Could he be the real Agius, somehow returned? And what’s even weirder is that they both remind me a bit of Raiden. That’s probably just my imagination, though. With what I’ve been through, who can blame me for going mad?

  The holograms dissipated, and the light returned to the room.

  I should probably go check on the others, Kiara thought, back in reality. I don’t even know how long I was asleep.

  She stood up from the bed and peeked through the door at the crystal room to see if they had finished. She spotted Pete standing where she’d left him, watching over the process. To her amazement, the light that emanated from the ceiling, once spread sporadically around the room, was now focused in a thick beam onto the glass cage. The emerald casing on the top shined so brightly, it hurt to look directly at it. The light poured like liquid into the cage, filling it to the brim. After about a minute, the beam of light spread back slowly throughout the room, and the cage became visible. Kiara gasped shamefully as she accidentally glimpsed the exposed back of Suriel’s body. His form was so flawless, each muscle and curve carved in extraordinary detail, not a single blemish on his smooth skin. She felt her heart flutter as she turned quickly away.

  Kiara waited another minute, then walked into the room. To her delightful surprise, Rio stood on his own, his wounds completely healed. Suriel’s leg seemed better as well, as he’d removed the bandages and no longer limped.

  “Well look who went shopping while we were stuck in that cage,” Suriel joked with a smile, seeing her approach. “Did you find the local market?”

  Kiara averted her gaze, too guilty and embarrassed to look at him after having glimpsed him exposed. She ignored his comment and turned instead to Rio, leaving Suriel with a puzzled expression.

  “I’m really glad to see you back on your feet. I’m sorry for putting you through that,” she said, hoping Rio would finally accept her apology.

  “The guilt would’ve eaten you alive if I’d died, eh?” Rio said, raising an eyebrow at her. “Well, I survived, lucky for the both of us. Just don’t fireball me again. And if it ever comes between dying and waking up nude in the arms of our naked prince over here, please, leave me be. He may be handsome and all, but it’s not an experience I’d like to repeat.”

  Kiara laughed. Suriel shot Rio an ungrateful glance.

  “So it seems this is how the Rai fed themselves,” Pete explained. “They were nourished by pure energy.”

  “That thing even gave us a shower,” Suriel marveled, sniffing his arms and running his hands over his damp skin. “Honestly, I’ve never felt better.”

  Kiara caught herself staring at his shirtless figure, and Suriel noticed as well. “You know there are clothes in that room for men also,” she said quickly. “I have a pretty good feeling they’d fit you.”

  “Thanks,” Suriel said awkwardly, and he jogged over to the bedroom.

  “What did you find in there?” Pete asked curiously.

  I probably shouldn’t tell them about Agius, Kiara thought. They distrust Suriel enough. If they saw he was a carbon copy of the ancient Prince, it could raise tensions and suspicions.

  “It’s just a bedroom,” she answered. “Nothing crazy.”

  “The waters flow down the angels’ keep, to the holy temple where their masters sleep. Rest upon the sacred bed, to pass on through the door of red,” Rio recited, quoting the quote they’d seen on the door earlier. “We passed the angels’ keep. Maybe that’s where their masters sleep?”

  “Is there a bed in there?” Pete asked Kiara as he and Rio headed for the bedroom.

  “Yeah, but I already rested in it,” Kiara said, following them. “Nothing happened. And there were no red doors.”

  They passed into the bedroom just as Suriel exited the closet, dressed in a silk, royal blue shirt, a new brass-buckled belt, and white pants.

  “You were right,” he marveled, facing Kiara. “I can’t believe how well these clothes fit me.”

  You don’t know the half of it, Kiara thought.

  “And this room,” he continued. “It’s nicer than my bedroom back at the palace!”

  “Should we take a rest in the bed?” Pete suggested as they admired the room.

  “I told you, I already tried,” Kiara responded.

  “Maybe you didn’t try long enough,” Pete argued.

  “I already got naked in a cage with that man,” Rio grumbled, motioning towards Suriel. “I’m not about to get into a bed with him now. Besides, we could be attacked in our sleep.”

  “Someone could stand guard,” Pete said stubbornly.

  “Why don’t we go look for the red door first?” Kiara suggested. “For all we know, it could be further down the hallway.”

  “I’m with her,” Rio said. Kiara resisted a smile as his support lifted more of her previous guilt.

  “Fine,” Pete yielded sullenly. “But don’t say I didn’t tell ya’ so.”

  They walked through the crystal chamber back into the outer hallway, peeking out cautiously before entering, then continued exploring. After walking for about another minute, they came across two more doorways at the end of the hallway. The first one stood on the left side, similar to the one they’d just exited. The second was at the very end, but it was different than the others. It was covered by a glass, sliding door with thick, foggy red light pouring mysteriously outwards, concealing whatever lay beyond.

  “I reckon we’ve found the red door,” Pete said.

  “Which one should we try first?” Kiara asked.

  “I say we go through the red door and get on with it,” Rio said. “We need’a get off this floor before the Decrepit bring the miners up for their next snack.”

  “The house of Banai, forever damned, to serve under the God King’s hand,” Suriel said abruptly, reading the door’s inscription. He turned to the others. “I think this room belonged to Banai.”

  “Who?” Kiara asked.

  “According to our histories, Banai was the father-in-law of the wicked Azarai. He competed with Azarai, the Creator’s son, to inherit our galaxy, but the Rai High Counsel, which included Banai’s own father, chose Azarai instead. Of course, neither of them ended up getting it, because Harmonius went against the Council and gave the power to the human Agius,” Suriel explained.

  “How come we never hear about him at temple?” Kiara asked. “Where was he in the great war?”

  “Banai disappeared just before the war,” Rio chimed in unexpectedly. “His daughter, Kasia, who was married to Azarai, fled to Earth together with her brother Roko. Banai knew that Azarai would punish him for the sins of his children, so he ran off.”

  Suriel put his hands on his hips, lifting an eyebrow at Rio. “I am impressed at how well-versed you are in your h
istory.”

  “Ah, don’t ya’ patronize me,” Rio grumbled. “This is all a waste’a time anyway. We need’a get out’a here.”

  “I think we should see this room first,” Suriel argued. “The quote did say the part about resting on the bed before the red door.”

  “You guys go ahead and explore the room,” Pete decided, taking out his encoder. “I’ll check out that strange entrance meanwhile and try to make sure it doesn’t incinerate us upon contact.”

  Rio and Suriel glared at one another, as if eager to continue the argument, then reluctantly nodded to Pete.

  Passing through the door, Kiara, Rio, and Suriel found themselves in another sustenance chamber, identical to the first, with another entrance in the back. They walked across into the connecting room, finding themselves in another bedroom.

  “This one is even bigger than the last,” Suriel observed.

  “I think it’s bigger than my entire house back in Ankar,” Kiara chuckled in disbelief.

  The room’s design contrasted greatly from the first one. It was magnificent, yet simple at the same time. Dim lighting from grand, gothic chandeliers cast shadows upon the charcoal-painted walls and white ceiling. The walls were adorned with sharp, diamond-shaped patterns, with matching shapes on the soft, black carpets. A long, glass desk sat at the corner of the room with a white-cushioned, wooden chair tucked underneath. A round, black curtain surrounded the lavish, white bed at the center of the room, elevated on a platform. The rest of the space was comprised of wardrobes, bookcases, and a large amount of emptiness.

  “As remarkable as it is, this place kind of feels like a prison,” Kiara said. “It doesn’t even have windows.”

  “Makes sense, knowin’ his story,” Rio said solemnly. “The man lived luxuriously in the Palace of the Gods, but that same palace was, at least in his mind, also his prison.”

  Suriel inspected the glass desk. The desk’s surface lit up like a computer screen as he drew close, exhibiting an intricate assortment of patterns.

  “I found a computer, but it is code-locked,” Suriel informed the others. They came to take a look.