Origins of Hope

by Anastasia Drapievsky

  “But what if during training you change your mind?” Nentok lowered his head to Qianii’s height.

  She shook her head. “I won’t. I know this is my purpose.” She straightened her pearls absentmindedly again, but Xenith caught the nervous thoughts flitting through her mind. He patted her shoulder in assurance and she gave him a human-esque smile, though the expression looked like a shark grinning.

  Xenith felt Mato's presence disembark the elevators. Xenith’s near omniscient telepathy picked up people’s respect and admiration of Mato at the sight of him, and the feeling spread like wildfire through the large crowd. People turned in Mato’s direction even before seeing him, the buzz growing into anticipation. The apprentices noticeably froze, then hurried to straighten their clothes, caps, and an assortment of accessories for a final time.

  >>Good evening, everyone,<< Mato projected to the crowd as he came into view, walking to stand in the middle of the Leliches and next to the Sacrist, his second-in-command. While Mato said the words in English, the crowd reacted to him, sending their native greetings to him. Mato could project multiple languages at once, and since he was fluent in every galactic official language, everyone could understand him. His black lips stretching into a smile, he wore a simple white robe and white sash as opposed to the Leliches’ ornate trimmings, metallic pieces, and embroidered robes. The Leliches and the Sacrist nodded to Mato in respect.

  >>Welcome to the Ceremony of Progression,<< Mato said. The mental buzzing died down, and the apprentices nervously shifted in their spots. >>No need to wiggle around, young ones, you have already passed,<< he joked, and soft laughter and humorous images through EmTel bounded around the crowd, and the apprentices smiled hesitantly but relaxed. >>Thank you all for coming and thank you to the Caretakers that could not be present, but who still work tirelessly to maintain the safety and wellbeing of Aorírdal.<<

  A deafening roar of applause, hisses, caws, and a bombardment of images and words of thanks echoed through Aorírdal’s minds and bounced around the atrium. Xenith faintly picked up the Caretakers in the engine rooms, the docking stations, the cafeteria, the resident quarters, the clinics, and Life Support receiving the praise with pride.

  Allowing the noise to die down on its own, Mato waited for stillness before he continued, >>The Council of Leliches would like to offer their own congratulations, and I have granted their requests.<<

  More than half than the crowd’s minds immediately put up mental barriers, though Xenith felt their impatience through it. The crowd fished some devices from their pockets or waved a hand or tentacle to make sure their Tristat remained activated to translate the Lelich’s language into their native ones. Xenith pressed two PEDs on his temple, and an AR blue strip arced across his eyes, along with Nentok and Qianii who also opted for subtitles. Xenith had usually drifted into daydreaming during the previous graduation ceremonies, but he wanted to experience his own fully.

  The sentiment was tested once Lelich after Lelich gave speech after speech. Within minutes the crowd grew bored, and Xenith heard complaints throughout the crowd. When Lelich Digon Syvwkh spent the next three minutes launching into his accomplishments, people desperately looked to Mato to make the Lelich wrap up.

  >>—and thus when the power failed, I… and several others… set up the barrier to ensure that the station’s oxygen supply would not fail,<< Lelich Syvwkh said, now pacing in front of the apprentices, though a few of them looked asleep on their feet. >>The conclusion is that—<<

  >>In times of crises, one must step beyond their station and help others,<< Mato interjected, to the crowd’s delight. Xenith felt a jab of anger from Lelich Syvwkh as the crowd all applauded, projected relief and gratitude, or made various noises to agree with the statement, but Lelich Syvwkh stepped back in line with the other Leliches.

  >>Thank you, Lelich Syvwkh, for your lesson.<< Mato gave a short bow to the Aphin Selyn, before addressing the crowd again. >>As for the ritual, I present The Enduring to the graduating apprentices.<<

  The Omni Lelich, named The Enduring, floated towards the apprentices, and Xenith’s jaw dropped. Collective gasps resounded from the humans while other vocal species made similar noises of surprise at the announcement, while the non-vocal Iaiedal, Krshk, and The Omni flashed images and feelings of shock. Whether that bothered Lelich The Enduring as they drifted up, Xenith couldn’t tell. The Enduring floated with their own kinesis and wore a barrier around their fungal mushroom body. The Enduring had matured enough to produce spores to mimic their own environment, and thus only needed a simple barrier instead of an environment suit or a glass tank. They were also the oldest living member of Aorírdal, being nearly six thousand Earth years of age, and they rarely ‘spoke’.

  The Enduring stayed silent for a few moments, and the crowd leaned in with the apprentices as the seconds stretched into a minute. The Enduring remained silent, and Xenith glanced to Nentok, who clacked his chitin hands in confusion. Xenith could sense something happening in The Enduring’s mind, but Xenith only caught a jumble of images… at least that was how his human brain interpreted it.

  Two minutes went by and nothing happened. Some apprentices shifted and muttered in frustration and confusion, but Xenith felt the older members of Aorírdal enraptured with The Enduring. Mato himself focused on The Enduring, his brown eyes staring at the back of the Omni, waiting. Xenith frowned and elbowed Nentok when he hissed in impatience.

  >>One.<< The Enduring’s word squeezed oxygen out of the air, and Xenith’s chest tightened with the gravity of the statement. The younger apprentices and the Melyn’s minds clattered in fear and shock. The Krian, Leliches, and Mato’s anticipation and excitement rose. Xenith patted Qianii’s shoulder and moved his hands back and forth to Nentok as their minds flew into fear, and at his reassurance, they relaxed but still stared at The Enduring with apprehension. >>Close. Empty.<<

  Their words reverberated around the room, and the room grew dark. Several of the Melyn shrieked around the atrium, but the teachers, skilled with EmTel, calmed the children and they quieted. Xenith mentally reached out directly to Zander somewhere behind him and felt the young boy’s confusion, but Zander didn’t feel scared.

  Withdrawing from Zander, Xenith watched the room darken completely, the nebula overhead fading from sight, the soft glow of the cactus’ extinguishing, and Nentok and Qianii disappearing into the inky blackness. The voices of the crowd dulled before it grew utterly silent.

  Xenith stood alone, with nothing but black surroundings and silence pressing against him. He turned his head, meeting no one. He waved a hand into the nothingness. He heard and felt nothing. Not even Nentok’s arm or Qianii’s face. He couldn’t hear a single thought other than his own. He could pick apart illusions since he could still hear people’s voices in their heads, but this? He did not understand.

  The ground swayed under his feet as his knees weakened. He had never experienced true silence before. How could it be this deafening? The hair at the back of his neck stood on end. He always heard, always felt, even if it was faint, even if there was a barrier. Did everyone just wink out of existence? He had always wanted silence, but he did not want any part of the crushing loneliness and solitude this brought.

  >>Foundation.<< The Enduring’s voice echoed in the blackness. Xenith flinched, and a golden sphere the size of a marble bloomed in front of him. Taking a moment to decide if he should lean in or back away, the sphere’s edges shot outward, and he threw up his arms with a shout as golden waves rushed past him. Heat tendrils licked his arms as the waves flew past and then cooled. Lowering his arms, the waves still expanded further outward, but this time, orange, red, and blue tendrils snaked around, little pinpricks of light flickering into view. Now Xenith felt something; nothing he recognized, but it was at least sentient.

  The pinpricks of light dimmed, but more and more of them popped up, lazily floating away as the tendrils continued to cool and morph into cobalt colors. Several pinpricks glowed brighter, and he felt his c
onnection to select people widen, as if the pinpricks offered windows back into the atrium. Nentok’s mind spiked in terror of the darkness; Qianii’s reassurance felt as strong as the heat tendrils; Mato’s mind full of calm and peace that surrounded Xenith.

  Xenith cocked his head as he examined them, and three more pinpricks floated gently to him. Frowning, he mentally reached out to each of the pinpricks. Zander’s mind bounced around like the pinpricks of light, yet felt connected to something… alien. The other two took Xenith a few moments of searching to realize who they were. Krian Hekla’s mind broadcasted steadfast waves, while Lelich Syvwkh’s felt dark and void.

  >>Internal.<< A great burst of light exploded soundlessly, and the atrium with the crowd crashed into his vision. The intensity of everyone’s thoughts slammed against him, causing Xenith to stumble backwards. Qianii and Nentok grabbed him before he hit the floor, pulling him up while he quickly put up his mental barrier lest the voices engulf his psyche. The sensation of their touch felt unfamiliar, as though he had been trapped in a vacuum.

  “Xen, are you all right?” Nentok asked, his grip on Xenith’s elbow. Qianii waved her hands over Xenith’s head, her calming EmTel helping to still the noise.

  “Uh…” shaking his head, trying to clear it, he looked around to see if anyone had reacted the same. Most of the crowd looked shaken yet awed, while others looked confused, a few touching their bodies as if they doubted its realness. The other apprentices looked around, hesitantly talking with each other with some poking another person’s cheek. Only the Leliches looked composed.

  The Enduring still floated in front of the apprentices, otherwise unmoving. Mato and the Sacrist had gone into the crowd, reassuring several people who neared hysterics. Most of them looked too concerned with themselves, so Xenith’s faint went unnoticed. He hoped. “That was… I don’t know what happened. Definitely strange…”

  “Really? I didn’t think so.” Qianii lowered her hands away from his head, sounding breathless, and her large green eyes shone with happiness. “It was wonderful!”

  “Are you insane?” Nentok hissed, his deep distress emanating from his shaky form. “It was horrible! How could you call that thing wonderful?”

  Qianii made a squawk of confusion as Xenith gaped at him. “What thing?”

  Nentok looked between the two of them, his mandibles clicking. “There was this thing… lurking. Somewhere.” He looked in the space next to them and then above, as if expecting something to suddenly jump out at them. In Nentok’s mind, Xenith saw a dark misshapen figure, and the sight of it sent shivers down his spine. “It was around here, as if it was going to… latch onto something…”

  “That’s not what I experienced,” Qianii uttered, though she herself looked in the direction with a worried glance.

  “Same here, and I sense nothing here that we can’t see,” Xenith said, half to himself. He truly felt nothing there, and it was obvious that they all had experienced different things. Remembering Zander, he threw his consciousness towards the boy to hear how the Melyn fared. While confused, all the kids remained in good spirits and demanded their teachers make the ‘floating mushroom jellyfish do it again'. Guess they had a better time of it than we did.

  Both of his friends visibly relaxed when Xenith confirmed that nothing would randomly pop out and eat them, though Nentok still looked worried. “Well, then, what did you two see—”

  >>Silence, please,<< Mato’s voice gently cut through the crowd, and immediately everyone hushed, their eyes watching Mato as he weaved through the sea of people and back in his place in the middle of the Leliches.

  Xenith muttered, “Tell you later,” to Nentok and the three of them turned to Mato. Lelich The Enduring floated lazily back to their spot, while the crowd directed a mixture of confusion, anger, and awe towards them.

  >>While most of you have experienced this before, this current generation of apprentices and younger have not,<< Mato continued, with a note of calming emotive telepathy. >>However, this is a very rare phenomenon outside of Aorírdal, and only is performed here four or five times a century. This was what The Omni call, ‘The Purpose’.<<

  The apprentices gaped at Mato, Xenith included.

  >>Isn’t that stupid hard to perform?<< Xenith caught Glaxen, a Mimõkian apprentice five meters in front of him, project privately to the other apprentices. A few nods went around the group.

  >> Forget stupid hard; it is nearly impossible,<< Telei, an Iaiedal, answered. >>The Omni, and Selyn to a lesser degree, are the only ones who can do it; I’m afraid to say that not even the Iaiedal or Rym could do it. And even amongst The Omni and the Selyn, very few can actually project it to a dozen people, let alone over a thousand.<<

  >>Excuse me,<< Mato interjected, and the apprentices immediately ceased their private conversation, shifting guiltily on their feet. However, they all looked to Lelich The Enduring with mounting respect. Mato merely smiled to them and he continued, >>While rarely done, The Enduring generously performs as they deem necessary. Please cherish the experience, and if you have questions, please feel free to seek one of us to speak about it.<< His eyes met Xenith’s longer than just a casual glance before he swept his eyes through the apprentices. >>The Enduring chooses when to perform The Purpose connection very carefully, and they requested to do so at the Progression Ceremony because, and I ‘quote’,<< chuckles went throughout the crowd, since The Omni’s minds worked differently and they did not have a vocal language, >> ‘The apprentices this year will have a great impact on Aorírdal’.<<

  Xenith frowned as the crowd buzzed again, the apprentices puffing up in pride. Mato’s sentence had abruptly cut off; it didn’t sound cut off, but Mato’s barriers had immediately gone up the second he finished projecting ‘Aorírdal’, then back down again once everyone started chatting amongst themselves. Xenith heard a Krshk named Krian Hrshk making a mental note of the same thing, as did Krian Hekla and a few other Krians. Half of the Leliches turned their heads suspiciously at Mato.

  Mato went on with the Ceremony, ignoring the chatter. >>Of course, each generation of apprentices always contributes great things to our home, and we have high expectations of each other, not least of all you,<< he gestured to the apprentices. >>All of you performed exceptionally and have fully mastered the basics. For a guild such as ours, that is by no means an easy feat.<< The crowd offered overwhelming agreement, the apprentices shifting into delighted embarrassment.

  >> All of you have worked hard to be here, but there is still much work to be done.<< Mato put all four arms behind his back. >>Whatever profession you choose, always bring your best, since those who have helped you get to this point, brought their best for you.<<

  The apprentices paused, glancing at each other, and all of them felt humbled. Xenith read memories racing through Nentok’s mind of teachers patiently going over his weaknesses to strengthen them, and Qianii listing all the habits and methods she had picked up from her teachers for her own teaching style. Xenith remembered that while he had breezed through most of the classes, his teachers still pushed him to do better. Mato had supported him since his arrival, always making sure he, and everyone on the station, felt loved and welcomed.

  When one apprentice privately asked if they should thank their teachers, he and the others immediately and unanimously agreed. They all held up their hands over their shoulders, palms upward and heads bowed, opening their minds and offering their appreciation to the teachers and caretakers through emotive telepathy. The universal gesture for honoring someone with the projection was met with a pause, before the crowd applauded, hooted, or projected their pleasure at the apprentice’s display.

  Mato beamed and gave the apprentices a toothless grin. >>Thank you for recognizing and honoring your mentors, and always remember to express gratitude for others,<< he said, the crowd quieting. >>And with that; are you all ready to progress?<<

  A resounding >>Yes!<< in various languages called from the apprentices. Xenith put a hand on his tassel with th
e rest of the humans while the other apprentices readied for their mutual transition. Xenith felt happiness well in his chest, and he grinned to Nentok and Qianii, feeling giddy as Nentok clicked his mandibles and Qianii’s eyes sparkled.

  >>Until this moment, you were apprentices,<< Mato beamed. >>And you will now progress onto the next stage.<< The humans moved their tassels to the left to signify the transition while giving each other thumbs up. The Chilao with Qianii hummed softly, and the only Krshk apprentice spun in her tank. Mato puffed up and then uttered. >>On behalf of Aorírdal: congratulations. You are now our newest Krians.<<

  The crowd erupted in cheers and projections of pride and congratulations. The apprentices shrieked, hollered, and yelled in glee. Nentok and the other Jareshi levitated while simulating their ‘wings’. Qianii and the other Chilao chanted, their bioluminescence patterns glowing faintly with the rise and fall of their singing. The Iaiedal bowed deeply to Mato and the Leliches, a strong and connected wave of gratitude bursting from them over the crowd. The Kath’laka let out booming roars that made people flinch in surprise. The Rym clapped and did a short ritual dance, waves of ice cooling the floor and air. The Krshk used a tentacle to pop off the lid of her tank and she snaked her way out, waving her free tentacles about while changing colors. Xenith and the other six humans took off their caps and threw them in the air; just as they rehearsed, illusions of fireworks erupted above their heads, lighting the atrium with a dazzle of colors.

  The crowd loved the new Krians celebrating, some jumping up and down with the applause and singing the Chilao chants and the Rym songs. Xenith cheered with his fellow Krians, Qianii momentarily stopping her chant to yell, “Showoff!” as she hugged him.

  Nentok stared at the fireworks, catching Xenith’s cap and shaking it, as if expecting fireworks to shoot off from it. He floated down and put a hand on Xenith’s shoulder, mentally telling him, >>Xen, give me one of those hats,<< as he handed the cap back.