“Actually, I have,” Uriel replied and leaned forward with a mischievous grin forming on her lips. “Here is what I have in mind.”
She outlined her plan to Lunok and Lunok thought it was beyond brilliant!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE MESSAGE
LUNOK COMBED THROUGH all the databases of the realm, both the public and hidden ones. He watched every video of the tainted Shemsus, from when they faced The Council up to their current status quos, including the moments of self-destruction for those who had reached that phase. He searched for patterns that could lead to the root cause of their essences being tainted. So far, he had nothing. Apart from the occasional aberrations in behavior from that of Shemsus with untainted essences, nothing else was abnormal about Emok and Co., at least, on the surface.
Five-dimensional esoteric signature scan, commanded Lunok via telepathy.
1,440 esoteric signatures of the affected Shemsus were displayed on the hologram in front of Lunok. Emok was Number 1,440.
Isolate random subject esoteric signatures and cross-reference with random unaffected Shemsus, Lunok commanded via telepathy. Display first 500 results.
The vibration of free will was one of the many vibrations that constituted the Shemsu essence. Records indicated that this vibration only became a part of their essence after the last Cosmic Spark. As such, the Shemsus underwent an evolution that also resulted in an ascension. However, the appearance of the vibration of free will in their esoteric makeup also resulted in a new vibration that had remained dormant since their evolution and ascension. The Shemsus did not know the use of this vibration and neither could they explain why this vibration had only appeared in the esoteric makeup after the vibration of free will became a part of their makeup. They gave this other vibration a name; because this new vibration was a product of the vibration of free will, and because they did not want to call it free, the Shemsus decided to call this new, dormant vibration the vibration of will.
The purpose of the vibration of will still eluded the Shemsus, despite their evolution and ascension; until now. Lunok studied the display of the first 500 results on the hologram and believed he had cracked the mystery behind the vibration of will. There was a peak on the overlap between the tainted and untainted Shemsu esoteric signatures where the vibration of will was located. The vibration remained dormant for the untainted Shemsu while it showed peak activity for the tainted Shemsus. It was logical to assume that the tainting of essences was simply the activation of the vibration of will. As evolved as they were, this ought not to have been a problem. But it was.
And how come no one had noticed something so simple? Lunok pondered on the situation. Something was fundamentally off with his species. He could not find the right word to aptly describe the situation. The Shemsus were so far up there compared to other species like the angels, Necherus, humans and even Paradins. He ran the same command several times and noticed the same trend, thus validating his assumption. But how come no one ever noticed this before? So far, The Council’s response to the tainting of Shemsu essences had been containment. No one really followed up on a solution that did not involve the termination of a Shemsu. This was a primitive way of addressing a problem.
And why was he thinking, talking and feeling like this? He was more logical, methodical and passionate than every Shemsu. Something was off about him. Ever since his return from the fall, he was different. Yes, ‘different’ was the term. Essentially, he was still Shemsu, but he was different; different in the way he regarded everything. It was neither a good nor bad different, but different all the same. He would use this to his advantage. In fact, he was already doing just that. He could clearly see what his peers could not and his approach was less primitive than The Council’s. He felt renewed hope. Not the hope of saving Emok, though. Emok was already gone. There was nothing he could do about that. But there was hope in saving other Shemsus, both he affected and those who stand the potential of being affected.
And that brought Lunok to his next question. What was the root cause of this tainting of essences? Perhaps there was a common trait in these 1,440 subjects aside from the fact that their essences were tainted. Lunok wanted to use a different term for what was afflicting his brethren. ‘Tainted’ did not feel right. Anyway, he would worry about semantics later. He would start by looking for patterns in their most recent assignments.
Cross reference last five dimensions subjects visited, Lunok commanded.
Suddenly, it hit Lunok like an esoteric shock. But how? Not without the-
The shock reverberated across Lunok’s being again and this time, he knew he had to act and act immediately.
“I will go and find out what is happening!” Lunok said to some of his fellow Shemsu compatriots. “I hope it is not what I think!”
And with those words, Lunok teleported away.
***
It had been a year since Melchizedek had returned from his trip to the Shadow of the Soul. A lot was different about him. His essence had undergone a major transmutation. Among many other things, Melchizedek could now perceive the Dimensions of Space, Time, Energy and Ether with greater clarity. He still could not access these dimensions, but he could get a better ‘taste’ of them. For three days straight, Melchizedek was in a state of meditation. It was not to plunge into a state of conscious death. Rather, it was more about plunging into no-thingness, into that which preceded form.
Beneath the lion’s paw lies the key to it all…
Melchizedek heard his future incarnation’s words in his head. But why was he receiving the reminder right this moment? For years, he had contemplated on those words and still he had no idea what to do.
Beneath the lion’s paw…
Yes, he knew Yeshua was referring to the Sphinx. The Sphinx was a tele-hop away. Still, that did not translate to knowing what to do once he got there.
… Find a way to send a message…
And I have been doing just that for years, Melchizedek thought as he felt a buildup in his frustration. What should I do? What CAN I do? What is beneath this lion’s paw?
… the key to it all… the last piece… undo Creation…
Melchizedek focused on his breathing and became still by his own nature. He would rise above his emotions.
… find a way to send a message…
And that is exactly what I am going to do! Melchizedek thought and teleported to the Sphinx at Giza. He hovered close to the massive, right paw of this world wonder, still crossed-legged in meditation. He cloaked himself in invisibility to avoid drawing any unwanted attention towards himself. Beneath this paw, he thought. I will pay you a visit then.
The idea was as dangerous and callous as it sounded, but Melchizedek had run out of options. Sending a message could also mean catching the attention of someone or something. Since he did not know how to send a message, he was going to catch someone’s attention, or something’s. The Giza Plateau was abuzz with immense energy and power that could be detected only by beings with a certain level of consciousness. But those were incomparable to the energy and power that radiated from the Sphinx, specifically beneath its right paw.
… the key to it all… the last piece…a catalyst…
Melchizedek heaved his shoulders. This was uncharted territory, just like the Shadow of the Soul. Only this time, it was different. In the Shadow of the Soul, if he failed, well… true death of one human. Big deal! But the situation underneath this paw was something much bigger than his puny life.
… undo Creation…
Creation! Everything ever manifested! Undone! As grand as it sounded, Melchizedek could not ignore the direness of the situation. For Creation’s sake, his future incarnation had paid him a visit just to alert him of this situation. And WHO was this entity wanting to undo Creation?
… Chaos…
“I have faced true death and lived to tell,” Melchizedek said to himself, as he summoned the courage for what he was about to do. “You may want to end it all, but you can never end
my essence!”
He summoned an energy protection shield around himself and teleported towards the right paw of the Sphinx. The energy shield bounced against a much stronger energy barrier and propelled him far into space. Melchizedek stopped his acceleration into space and regained his composure.
“So you have an energy shield of your own,” Melchizedek said.
He supercharged his energy shield with the black light of true death.
“Let us see how you hold up against this, creature of Chaos!”
Melchizedek accelerated from space towards the right paw of the Sphinx. One of their shields was going to give and may he be damned if his gave. His shield collided again with the energy field around the Sphinx’s right paw but Melchizedek was not tossed into space this time. Melchizedek pushed against the energy field of the Sphinx as he infused his energy shield with more black light of true death. The energy field around the Sphinx did not budge and Melchizedek was starting to feel groggy as his life force was depleting. He slowly started manifesting out of his cloak of invisibility. Suddenly, he felt his body being yanked away from the Sphinx and thrown several hundred feet away.
“Who are you?!” a humanoid creature demanded as it loomed over him.
“Who are you?” Melchizedek asked in return.
“I asked you first, human,” Lunok replied.
He shattered Melchizedek’s energy shield as if the shield had the strength of an eggshell using telekinesis and lifted Melchizedek off the ground. Melchizedek felt powerless against this creature.
“I am the luminary of the Age of the Ram!” Melchizedek declared as he struggled against Lunok’s telepathic grip. “I am the protector of Earth Realm.”
“Protector?” Lunok hissed. “And yet you seek to release the darkness?”
“No… not… release…” Melchizedek replied as Lunok choked him slowly. “Just… send… message…”
“What message?!” Lunok demanded, flaring his eyes for theatrics.
Melchizedek pointed at his neck as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He had tried everything; from teleporting away, sparking the ethers, to calling for help. No matter what he tried, he could do nothing against this being that looked human. Lunok released the pressure on Melchizedek’s neck and ran an esoteric scan on Melchizedek. Melchizedek gasped and coughed repeatedly as he sucked in many a lungful of air. Lunok ran the results of Melchizedek’s esoteric scan across the Shemsu databases. He had a ping which indicated that Melchizedek was human but much more evolved than his peers.
“Speak!” Lunok commanded and completely let go of his telepathic hold on Melchizedek’s neck.
“My future incarnation told me to come here and find a way to send a message,” Melchizedek. “Something about Chaos. Very, very bad entity.”
Melchizedek stood up and squared his shoulders. It was pointless to either fight or flee from this much more powerful being in front of him.
“Are you an ascended master, sir?” Melchizedek asked.
“What?” Lunok was surprised at Melchizedek’s question. “No, I am not. I am from the Realm of Atlantia, in the Dimension of Asah.”
“Wherever you are from, whatever you are, you are ascended, and aligned with the light,” Melchizedek said reverently. “As such, I honor you.”
Melchizedek took a knee and bowed before Lunok. Lunok was accustomed to certain creatures calling them names like ‘gods’ and treating them as such. So, Melchizedek’s behavior was not a shocker to him.
“Rise, mortal,” Lunok spoke kindly. “And tell me your name.”
“Melchizedek, oh great one,” Melchizedek replied and stood up.
“My name is Lunok,” he said and gestured towards the Sphinx. “You should not come here again. This is an incarceration chamber for a very dangerous and powerful entity we call the darkness. I personally put him there, before your realm was even populated.”
“As you wish, Ascended One,” Melchizedek said respectfully.
There was a moment of awkward silence between Lunok and Melchizedek.
“You say your future incarnation asked you to come here?” Lunok asked.
“Yes, Ascended One,” Melchizedek replied. “To send a message. I think it is safe to say that message was for you.”
“For a good reason, I assume,” Lunok said. “What is his name?”
“Yeshua, Ascended One,” Melchizedek replied. “He is the luminary of the Piscean Age.”
“I will find out more about this mortal,” Lunok said. “For now, I depart. But you must never tamper with this place again. Do you understand, mortal?”
“Yes, Ascended One,” Melchizedek replied. “I will heed to your words.”
Lunok nodded and teleported away, leaving behind a very confused but excited Melchizedek gawking at the empty space which was once occupied by a being he concluded was an ascended master. A few merchants travelling by snapped him back to reality and he teleported back to his temple. Mission accomplished.
***
“It was nothing,” Lunok told the other four Shemsus who helped him secure Emok via telepathy. “It was just an evolved human trying to get my attention.”
“What for?” asked one of them.
“He said his future incarnation asked him to,” Lunok replied. “We have nothing to worry about.”
“Are you sure, Lunok?” asked another.
Lunok thought the question was odd but he replied nonetheless.
“Yes, I am, Bollok,” Lunok replied.
Lunok severed the telepathic link and summoned a monitor.
“Cross-reference esoteric signatures of Melchizedek and Yeshua,” he commanded.
No esoteric signature for Yeshua found, replied the Shemsu program.
“Cross-reference Melchizedek’s esoteric signature across the database,” he said.
Lunok was unsure why he did that.
“Would you like to see the results of your search prior to your departure?” asked the Shemsu search engine.
“Yes,” Lunok replied. “I had forgotten about that.”
The results were displayed across the monitor. Lunok studied them. Nothing, he muttered to himself.
“Cross-reference similarities in major duties,” He commanded.
Zarark bearer was the immediate result.
Lunok heaved his shoulders. If this was the common factor between all 1,440 subjects, then there was only one thing left to do.
“Mashok, I need your help with something,” Lunok called out to Mashok via telepathy. “And keep this strictly between the two of us, please.”
“Sure, Lunok,” Mashok replied, feeling honored that Lunok chose her, the new one, over everyone else in the team. “What would you like of me?”
Lunok gave his instructions and reminded her of the importance of keeping everything strictly between the two of them.
“I will not fail you,” Mashok promised. “I must ask, though. Why me?”
“Because you are the most intelligent and resourceful Shemsu I know,” Lunok replied and Mashok was lost for words.
“Keep me apprised,” Lunok added and severed the telepathic link.
“I have one result regarding our search on Melchizedek’s esoteric signature. Would you like to see it?” the Shemsu search engine asked.
“Display!” Lunok commanded.
The result of the search was as shocking as were its implications, even for a Shemsu. Lunok wondered about the possibility of the situation until finally, it dawned on him. There was only one thing left to do. There was a problem to solve and a situation to address that was so dire it involved all of Creation.
“Mother!” Lunok called out to Salok using telepathy. “I must speak with The Council at once!”
“We are already expecting you, Lunok,” Salok replied with a cold monotone that Lunok was unaccustomed to hearing. “We are excited to hear everything you have to share.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
A SHEMSU’S TRIAL
“YOU WANT TO fall again,
” Salok reiterated and spared sideways glances at Collok and Mulok. “And why is that, child?”
“I will come to that shortly, mother,” Lunok replied. “But hear me out for now, I implore you. I believe the only way to fight the darkness is through an experience with the darkness. Experiencing milder forms of it while in a lower dimension will inoculate us from this entity and render us immune.”
“Immune?” Mulok asked with bemused surprise.
“Yes, father,” Lunok replied confidently. “I compared the esoteric signatures of our tainted brethren with those of our untainted brethren.”
Lunok summoned the results in a hologram.
“Notice the spikes on the overlap along the vibration of will,” Lunok highlighted a few overlaps using telepathy. “Everything else is the same except for the overlaps, which suggests that this dormant vibration is activated when the subject’s essence is tainted with the darkness.”
Lunok observed The Council’s reaction as he presented his findings. There was a shift in their demeanor from determined (on what, Lunok did not now) to doubt, confusion, or something in between. Lunok took this as a sign and continued with his other findings.
“My other research results indicate one thing every infected Shemsu has in common: they were and are all Zarark bearers,” Lunok said with a slight tone of elation. “This seems to suggest-”
“I have had enough of this charade!” Collok barked, startling Lunok.
“But, father. I implore you to listen to the rest of what I have to say-” Lunok pleaded, but the cold looks on the faces of The Council forced Lunok to cut himself short.
It was one thing for a council member to display such an emotion towards any Shemsu. It was another thing altogether when all three members displayed the same emotion. Something was gravely amiss with The Council. But what? Lunok asked himself. He squared his shoulders and braced himself for whatever might come next.
“We know exactly what you plan on telling us,” Mulok seethed.
“How dare you bear false tongue in our presence!” Salok raged.
“How dare you insult us as such!” Collok fumed.
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