Awoken

by Alex South

  “You are unique, Oa. I did not think you would pursue this so relentlessly,” Ohm said breaking the silence and halting the lesson.

  Oa returned from the intense focus he was in with a delighted laugh. “I got it, though. See, now when you throw it, I don’t even have to move.”

  “Yes, your control is much more refined, not just an instinctive accident,” Ohm congratulated. “Let us begin another lesson.” He decided to keep silent about the unusual amount of time they had just spent on one exercise.

  Ohm instructed Oa levitate Seeker and learn to control its movements in the air while Ohm tried to grab it. As he had before, Oa focused on the task until he had completed it, completely unaware as a whole cycle flew by. Ohm’s final test was a game of chase. He launched from the ground on a geyser of liquid jetting from his pack. Oa was curious as to how the pack worked, but he was more focused on his mentor’s test. He sent Seeker flying after Ohm. The old wanderer was quick and surprisingly acrobatic in the air. Oa had mastered his control of Seeker; and before another cycle passed, he had nailed Ohm in the shoulder. Ohm landed roughly from the impact and jogged back toward Oa.

  “This gizmo really does stick. I can’t get it off,” Ohm said impressed as he tried to pry Seeker from his shoulder.

  “I got lucky and discovered that ability when I used it to rescue someone,” Oa said as he called Seeker back to his hand from Ohm’s shoulder. He placed Seeker back in the bag at his side.

  “Now you know how to control Seeker. You’ll be able to apply the skills you’ve learned to whatever zany scheme you come up with in the future,” Ohm said encouragingly.

  Overhead, the roar of an engine surprised the pair. They quickly ducked under an overhang in the rock wall. Oa peeked his head out from under the cove and located the source of the noise; a Reaper. The vessel careened over the canyon, trailing dark ugly smoke. Oa ducked back under the overhang as it passed.

  “It’s one of the Marauder dropships. It’s been damaged. It must be from the group I was with,” Oa reported. “I thought they were gone.”

  “Probably returning to their camp,” Ohm muttered.

  “Here?” Oa asked in disbelief.

  “These ravines have numerous caverns and crevices they could hide in,” Ohm explained. “The question is: are they limping home or out searching for something?” He looked meaningfully at Oa.

  “They might be looking for me,” Oa admitted, after a moment of deliberation.

  “Marauders fear the Legion, but they serve obediently. I witnessed a little of the conflict just before I caught you. What exactly happened?” Ohm asked.

  “Legion? You’re referring to the soldiers with the single red eye right?” Oa asked for clarification. Ohm nodded in response.

  “The Marauders were delivering a case which I believe contains soul embers. Then there was a disagreement; over me I think. The Marauders resisted at first, but the Legion put them on the run. I sensed one of them was going to give me up, so I jumped—or fell rather,” Oa explained while Ohm listened closely. “So who are the Legion?” he questioned, taking advantage of Ohm’s silence. He did not want to give Ohm the chance to pry further. He liked Ohm, but he did not feel ready to bring up his lack of a soul ember or the possible reasons why the Legion would want him.

  “They are creatures of the Void, the physical embodiment of Eol’s will,” Ohm replied somberly.

  “The one shrouded in rags—he was very dangerous,” Oa said, remembering the demon.

  Ohm grabbed Oa’s shoulder in shock. “You have seen him?!”

  “Yes, and so have the Marauders. They seem to have met him several times recently,” Oa replied, taken aback by the sudden outburst.

  Ohm turned away and stepped out from under the outcropping as he explained his concerns to Oa. “Eol has never had a physical form that I know of. His Legion never strayed too far from the edge. Eol was just a shadow, the voice of his minions … Something is not right. The Legion is getting stronger if Eol is now killing Awoken himself. Maybe he no longer needs to manipulate them to fight each other. It worries me.”

  Oa stood next to Ohm as he stared off into the sky. Oa followed his gaze. He saw the damaged Reaper off in the distance, still flying over the canyon.

  “I’m certain that case contained embers for Eol. They accept his word as law. It’s why the Marauders were crushed so easily. I wish I understood their situation more. There has to be a way for them to be free,” Oa reasoned pondering his brief time with Jad.

  “I do not think you completely understand Eol’s madness, Oa. The soul ember is an Awoken’s consciousness. When life leaves the Awoken, an echo remains. All their experiences and memories, who they were, is preserved by the ember. Nothing remains in this world that could destroy an ember. Nothing except the Void. Eol is devouring our past while his Legion slowly eats away at the edges of this world, obliterating our future,” Ohm said grimly.

  “I see,” Oa muttered quietly. He was perplexed. How would Eol know to single me out? I should have just been another Marauder to him—

  “It’s intriguing that there would be an entire battle over you,” Ohm said cryptically, interrupting Oa’s thoughts. He turned to Oa. “It was incredibly difficult to locate you because there was no ember trail for Fred to track from your birth cell.”

  Oa froze, realizing that Ohm knew. He decided that he had to follow his instincts and trust the Traveler if they were going to continue to journey together. He lifted up the cloth covering his chest.

  “Are you seeing this, Fred?” Ohm asked.

  “Scanning …” Fred said. “Oa’s lack of a soul ember disproves his existence. Despite this impossibility, my readings do not lie. He is somehow conscious and functioning. My working theory is that your malarkey has bled into my circuits, Ohm, and we are both hallucinating.”

  “He most certainly does exist, Fred, old buddy,” Ohm said, trying hide his amusement. “So stop complaining about it and start theorizing.”

  “Since my extensive quantitative and qualitative capabilities have been reduced to conjuring up malarkey, I theorize that Oa is powered by everything and nothing at the same time while suspended upside down in seven points of time through another dimension,” Fred retorted sarcastically.

  “Stop being cranky,” Ohm chuckled. “You are just mad I found something else you can not make sense out of.”

  Ohm patted Oa on the shoulder. “I would assume that Eol wants you for the same reason we can’t explain how you are alive. You are unique, Oa, in more ways than you or I can understand. Somehow it is linked to Eol, I am sure of it.”

  The idea of the shrouded fiend seeking him out did not terrify Oa as much as he thought it would. Instead it conjured up a new emotion within him, defiance. For a moment the various abstract feelings of purpose he had experienced when using Seeker now had a focal obstacle. Perhaps the problem wasn’t all that complex. Perhaps only one symbol was out of place in the universe. Fix that and everything else falls into place...

  Oa emerged from his contemplation, realizing he had created an awkward lull in the conversation. Ohm was looking expectantly at him as if awaiting a response.

  “That’s great; maybe Eol and I should be friends,” Oa said sarcastically. He continued in a more serious tone. “This information only gives me more questions. I must have a reason to exist if I’m so different. You’ve been very helpful, but your main trait seems to be meandering. You haven’t offered up any solid direction yet, so I’m going to create my own.”

  “Fantastic,” Ohm said enthusiastically. “Fred and I just wander, learn, and teach; but we are always open to new ideas.”

  “I want to steal that case of soul embers,” Oa said determined. “No one seems to be willing to go against Eol, so I will. I am going to start by taking the embers from his servants.”

  “Are you sure the Marauders are still working for Eol?” Ohm asked incredulously. “Last I saw, they seemed to be trying to kill one another.”

  “I
heard Eol’s voice tempting one of them. All they had to do was turn me over, along with the embers. They have accepted killing to survive and don’t seem strong enough to resist their master. Either way, I’m not going to give them the chance to feed him anymore,” Oa said with conviction.

  “Well it seems you have judged the situation. I only saw from afar so I will not question you further,” Ohm replied, skeptically.

  Oa paused and reconsidered his judgment, then he spoke in a softer tone. “I don’t really know what their motives are anymore, but I do know they will never be able to change while trapped in Eol’s shadow. If I take the embers, then he will come for me. I am going to distract him from whatever sick game he is playing on the Great Planes. Then I’m going to figure out a way to stop him. It’s going to be dangerous so if you don’t want to help, that’s fine.” He motioned to Ohm’s bandaged arm.

  “That does sound risky,” Ohm said, feigning worry. “But even if you do manage to sneak through hordes of Marauders and rescue the lost embers—thus angering the demon—what do you plan to do next? Where will you go?”

  Oa shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Do you have any ideas?” He looked up at his newfound mentor for guidance.

  “I am relieved. I was afraid you had no further need of my company, since you seem to think my wounded arm makes me an invalid,” Ohm exaggerated teasingly. “I will help you. I have heard of a place where Awoken worship the embers and keep them safe. On the way, I will teach you and help you understand all that I know of the Great Planes. Somewhere out there, we will find a way to deal with Eol,” Ohm said, spreading his arms wide with a flourish, to encompass all that laid before them.

  “Well, I’m glad that stealing soul embers and fighting monsters isn’t too radical for your wandering lifestyle,” Oa said, chuckling slightly at Ohm’s antics. “Anyway, I don’t see that dropship anymore, and the smoke is gone. But it was headed away from the edge, like us.”

  “Judging by the color of the skylight, the windspeed, and the velocity of that dust mote we passed two cycles ago, the Marauders should be hiding in this canyon. Fred’s trained sensors will be able to locate the entrance to their camp. It will be difficult for you or I to spot,” Ohm explained.

  “Will we find it faster if we run?” Oa asked, eager to use his legs again. Ohm nodded in affirmative.

  “Then let’s go!” Oa said impatiently, taking off in a sprint. Ohm followed, catching up easily. The two raced up the canyon, dodging through boulders and spires that littered the canyon floor. Occasionally, Ohm would jet off to the side of the gorge to inspect a random crag or fissure briefly before returning to run with Oa. The young Awoken enjoyed the speed of running. His legs were a blur, and his reflexes had been trained chasing Seeker. He only tripped once on the uneven ground. Oa was enjoying himself so much he momentarily forgot about finding the Marauder camp. Ohm ended the moment as he reappeared from another scouting trip. Running alongside of Oa, Ohm revealed a discovery. “I think that fissure in the rock might be the entrance.

  “What fissure?” Oa asked, turning to look at Ohm for a moment.

  “That one,” Ohm said as they rounded a bend and came upon a gaping crack in the canyon floor between several towering rock spires. Oa dug in his heels and skidded to a stumbling halt at the edge of the chasm.

  “Thanks for the warning,” Oa said in mock gratitude.

  Ohm ignored the jibe as he peered over the edge of the precipice, a small ledge jutted out from the rock face about an arms length below them. “I see burn marks on the stone, probably from their ship’s thrusters. Also, there is a faint glow coming from a platform way down there.” He paused for a moment. “I completely forgot: Fred’s the expert Marauder-cave detector. What do you think, Fred?”

  “It appears to be a cavern,” Fred replied evenly, clearly annoyed at being overlooked.

  “Insightful as ever,” Ohm nodded sagely. He hopped down onto the ledge and sat.

  “Ohm, it is unwise to aqua jet into the cave. The noise will be amplified by the cavern, and the Marauders will immediately be alerted to our presence,” Fred droned in his robotic voice.

  “Too true, Fred,” Ohm admitted, temporarily puzzled as he thought up a solution. “Oa, what if you use Seeker to lower us down to that platform? You can anchor it to this berm.”

  “It should work,” Oa said. He stretched out his hand toward the ledge. Seeker darted from his satchel and affixed itself to the stone. He carefully stepped down next to Ohm. Oa rested his feet on the rim of the sill and leaned back over the abyss. His arm still pulled toward Seeker as if an invisible line connected the two. Ohm scooted over next to Oa. He grabbed Oa’s ankle with his good hand and pushed off the ledge with his bandaged stump. Swinging from his one hand, Ohm dangled over the pit.

  “You can jump now,” Ohm said. Oa shut off his visual receptors and drew within himself to find the courage. He let the invisible line between his hand and Seeker lengthen, and he felt himself fall backwards. Ohm’s weight on Oa’s ankle pulled his feet off of the ledge. The two fell a short distance before Oa recovered from the shock of the drop. He slowed their descent to a steady pace. They swung back and forth lightly as they lowered further into the darkness. The odd-looking pair dropped down into the cavern, edging out of the light’s reach.

  Oa turned his visual receptors back on and looked around. They were still traveling through the fissure in the rock. Eventually it opened up; and they were underneath the foundation of the world, in a cavern that seemed as infinite as it was dark. He could make out streams of light coming down from other openings in the ceiling far off in the distance. There were huge slabs of rock hanging down from the bedrock, almost mirroring the spires that they had seen on the surface. Oa noticed that they were descending next to an especially gargantuan, smooth faceted spire. The shimmering veins within the stone shone brilliantly in the sparse light. He reached out to touch one as they passed by. Ripples of energy flowed through the vein as his hand brushed against it. The allure of the lights captured his attention briefly. Oa looked down and spotted a round balcony protruding from the stone. It was still far below so he sped up their descent, closing the gap quickly. He could hear a strange sound floating up, echoing off of the rock. It was sad and melodic. Rather haunting, Oa thought to himself.

  As they neared the platform, Ohm whispered, “Stop us here. I can see a glow in the center of the platform. We are headed straight for it. We need to land on the edge where there is less light.”

  “Understood. You start swinging us. When we are over the edge of the platform, I’ll retrieve Seeker, then reattach it to the deck as we fall past it,” Oa explained, quickly outlining a plan.

  Ohm began to swing his legs; and soon the pair was swinging in an arc that took them past the edge of the terrace. “Alright, we had better do this before we have time to think about the odds of failure.”

  “Get ready,” Oa whispered. His voice faltered slightly but he put faith in his recent training. He called Seeker back. The instant Seeker detached from the ledge, they plummeted downward. Oa focused on retrieving Seeker. After what felt like an eternity of falling, He felt the silver orb strike his awaiting palm. The edge of the platform flashed past his face, just a few finger lengths away. He looked back up and threw Seeker toward the metal deck. Their fall came to a jarring halt as Seeker latched onto the rim of the balcony.

  “That was close,” Oa said in relief, his voice shaking.

  “I’m glad I made you practice so much with that gizmo,” Ohm agreed. Oa quickly pulled them up to the deck and held onto Seeker as Ohm awkwardly climbed up over him with his one good hand. Ohm got a boot up on the platform and launched himself over the railing. He picked himself up and reached back over the railing to grab Oa. Once on the platform, Oa retrieved Seeker and crouched next to Ohm behind a stack of crates. They peeked over the crates to see that the half-circle terrace had several raised sections along its fringe. Oa assumed these sections were meant to be landing docks for the dro
pships he had seen earlier, yet only one remained. A plethora of tools, equipment, and raw goods were strewn about the landing decks. Crates were stacked haphazardly around the docking stations. In the center of the platform, the Marauder camp rested beneath thick support beams bolted to the stone and deck. There were cloths draped over poles to create makeshift shelters, and at the center of them sat the source of the exposing light. It appeared to be a pile of red and yellow glowing stones. They cast a warm light on three figures sitting around them. The figures were the source of the strange sound Oa had heard earlier.

  “What is that noise?” Oa whispered to Ohm.

  “That is music—well-crafted music,” Ohm replied.

  “Sounds nice, but I don’t see the soul ember crate,” Oa said worriedly.

  “They probably just put the embers in another container. Don’t fret. The Marauders will be keeping them close,” Ohm muttered as he scanned the camp. Then he pointed excitedly. “Look closely next to the pile of warmth shards. See that small bag? It is very old, I can tell by the markings. Old means valuable. The soul embers must be in there.”

  “The noise you are emitting is loud enough to revive one of those soul embers,” Fred chided in a lowered voice.

  Ohm’s head cocked back for a moment. Then he reached down to his hip and fiddled with something for a moment before jabbing Oa in the side with his elbow. Ohm leaned in close and whispered, “I reset Fred’s voice emitter. He is insanely loud now.”

  Oa turned, startled. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because it’s hilarious, and will serve to get their attention,” Ohm replied. Then turning his head slightly, he whispered back, “Hey Fred, remind me. What is that word you like so much?”