by James Huff
Soon the Alphae once again struck his scepter to the ground, motioning for silence all around. “I want you all to know that I take great pride in our Victeous tournaments. For those of you who fought today I congratulate you all. Whether you were the victor or not in your matches, it takes courage to stand and fight and I respect you all for that. But understand this my children. Those who stand against me will feel my wrath.” It was then that the dragon looked right at me. He seemed to be piercing my very soul with his gaze. Then the Alphae abruptly disappeared and the high priest motioned us all down the path that led to the great dining hall. I was very hungry after my fights.
Luckily for me Amy caught up with me once again and Justin and Peter also met up with us along the path and we all four sat down for lunch. The food that the drones brought to us was different this time. It appeared fresh, moreso than usual. There was a fish on the tray as well as two sides of what looked like real vegetables. The taste could have been better, but as hungry as I was I wolfed it down vigorously. When I was finished eating Justin glanced over toward me. “I wanted to congratulate you for your victory today John. That was quite an impressive turn around.” I smiled and nodded in his direction. “I appreciate it. I’m glad I have found something here that I am good at. Though, to be honest, I still worry a bit about the BMF.” Peter spoke up this time. “I wouldn’t let that concern you too much John. They see how well you excel in everything. Surely they realize that you are doing well and have no reason to act in a dissenting way now.” I dreamily shifted my gaze toward Amy. “Well John,” Amy said as she met my eyes, “I know how much you hate the Alphae. It is no secret. Be careful. I know you have been doing well but don’t let that get to your head. You know what the BMF is capable of.”
I got up, somewhat irritated at myself for bringing up the BMF and walked outside the dining area toward the circular gardens. The high priest caught up to me. “Hello Mr. Crawling. That was an amazing fight today. I have spoken to the mystic of the Palace of the Alphae and he told me personally that he was very impressed by your victory. If you should be the one to allow your Caste to win the Cup, I can assure you that he will place you among the privileged in the society of Metropolis. You could very well go on to become one of the facilitators. Your behavior has not been perfect but I sense a great deal of potential in you.” I thanked him briefly and then decided to go back to the table I was at and apologize for walking off so abruptly and rudely.
Before I could return to my friends at the table a great bell sounded, announcing the second round of the Victeous Tournament on this first day of the retreat. I followed the sound back to the lifts. After my descent I stepped out of the lift into a sea of people heading through the huge double doors of the arena. As I went to enter I was met with an unkindly glare…from none other than the blonde haired boy from the Lead caste who I had just defeated in the prior round. He pushed me down and caused me to land flat on my face just inside the entrance to the arena. Fortunetly for me, Mr. Merk saw the whole thing, as he was standing just inside the doorway talking to one of the other instructors. He helped me to my feet and motioned for another man to come over and grab the Lead caste boy and escort him away. “I am terribly sorry for that John. Rest assured he will be punished accordingly, and likely points will be taken from the Lead caste for his unsportsmanship-like behavior. You should be grateful, though, considering that puts your caste in a higher position.” I smiled weakly as he helped me to steady my balance. “Thanks, I suppose. I’m too startled to be angry really.” Mr. Merck walked with me and started to lead me back to the locker rooms. “Just remember this John. If you come into a physical encounter with one of the other castes here, always do your best not to fight back. I know how hard that may sound, but if you can avoid getting violent yourself, then inly they will lose points and you will be at a greater advantage. Sometimes it helps to swallow your pride and take a hit. If you wish to redeem yourself, leave it to the arcs and your avatar.” He winked at me subtly and led the way back into the locker rooms.
I made my way back into the locker rooms and prepared for the coming matches. Mr. Merck again gave a speech to motivate us all and soon enough we were escorted to the arena and the matches for the afternoon were announced. I was not scheduled to fight in this session, and neither was Amy, so I just relaxed and lazily watched the ensuing matches. I took notice of another Silver caste inductee fighting and was happy to see that he won us some additional points. There were also victories from the Iron and Mercury castes. At the end of the matches the Alphae gave a brief speech about obedience and tied it in with respect for our opponents. Then we were released for two hours of social time before the Evening Ritual leading up to supper.
As I walked outside the arena, I made my way to the waterfall thinking that I may run into Amy, or Justin or Peter. David was actually the first to see me as I approached the waterfall and I smiled as he came up to give me a high five. “So I suppose you will be competing tomorrow David, since I didn’t see you fight today,” I suggested. “Yeah I would assume so. I’m a little nervous but just hoping that I can be prepared for whatever opponent I am to face. Yours seemed to be full of surprises.” I laughed. “Yeah I really thought I was done for. But I think that sometimes you really can’t prepare. It just takes heart. You have to have your heart in the right place to will yourself to victory. If your opponent tries to humiliate you then you know right off the bat that he lacks the heart needed to truly succeed. It’s all about respect.” Amy walked up to us, followed by Peter and Justin just as I was finishing my little speech. She laughed, almost as if in approval. “Wow John. You’ve really grown up since you’ve gotten here. And you still worry about the BMF.” She laughed again and slapped me on the back playfully. Peter decided to chime in. “So I guess since we have a whole two hours to hang out, you guys feel like doing a bit of exploring? This place is huge and so beautiful.”
We all nodded our heads in agreement and decided to just walk to wherever we felt guided. I noticed that there was a tall mountain in the distance and that we just so happened to be walking toward it. I doubted we could make it there in an hour, but we headed that way nonetheless. Not much was spoken between us during our walk, but I kept looking over toward Amy and smiling and the others seemed to take notice. I ended up walking ahead of them, but Peter caught up to me and started talking to me, out of earshot from the others. “Hey man I see the way you look at Amy and you two just seem like you would be a good match.” I laughed. “Kind of hard to ask someone out in Institution. Who knows where the two of us will end up? I admit that she is gorgeous and very kind, but honestly I don’t want anything from her other than friendship which I am grateful for.” Peter gave me a rather quizzical look followed by a wry smile. “I see your point but I question your position. Just from the way you look at her and your interactions with her it seems like the two of you could be more than friends.” I didn’t know what to say at that point. I mean I knew that I did like her a lot, but I was not naïve. I knew the disastrous things which could await me at any moment due to my involvement with the BMF. And I also knew that I didn’t want to drag anyone else into that mess or get close to the wrong person. Not to mention that I had no intention in messing up our friendship. It was sacred to me. Amy and the others ended up catching up to us and we continued to walk down the path, when suddenly one of the flying beasts landed directly in front of us along the way.
The creature had the wings of a bat but feather-like scales unlike anything I had ever seen before. The body looked almost like a lion but much larger. The creature crouched down as if in submission and the five of us decided to show him some affection. “Wow this is amazing. I wonder where these creautures come from? I have never seen anything like this before,” observed Justin, obviously fascinated by the whole ordeal. I was more hesitant. “We should be careful. Anyone could come by and get us in trouble for messing with these beasts too much.” Amy glared at me. “Oh come on John, where is your sense of fun?”
Right after she said that the beast suddenly flew up into the air at an amazing speed. Then the clouds in the sky above began to shift and it appeared that a great storm was coming. But it was no storm. The massive head of the Alphae came through as the shadows parted and grew in size until he covered the entire sky. “Inductees of Institution, remember that this place is sacred. Do not stray far, however, for there are some secrets in this place too dangerous to behold. There will be a special Twilight Ritual tonight in honor of the great sacrifice of the prophed Ahdi, who died a most horrible death while proclaiming my divinity. There will be feasting afterward and dancing and we must all gather into celebration in these next days to prepare you all for the life altering experience that is to be your initiation. There will be a brief thanksgiving prayer before supper and then promptly at 7 PM the Twilight Immolation Ritual will commence and we will all join hands in celebration. That with all honor and glory given to your god and king, you may walk with me in paradise…forever.”
With that, the clouds parted and the light returned and we were all left wondering just what this ceremony would entail. We walked back toward the waterfall in a rather somber manner. Suddenly I thought of Grandfather. So bad I just wanted to look into his eyes and give him a hug. I just wanted to live in his stories. And my heart told me that he was there. He had to be in Vaena. And one day I would go there myself, far away from the Alphae and the BMF, forever beholding the beauty of that sacred land and the peace that would follow me unto eternity…
As we arrived back at the waterfall the eerie deep sound of the bell was heard again and the high priest, as well as the caste priests all got our attention and escorted us down a passageway that seemed to lead into the bowels of the Earth. There were no lifts here. Further and further we descended down this single massive flight of stairs. There were torches to light the way but I felt like the descent would never end. The air changed in this place. There was something about it that made me feel uneasy. Finally after what seemed like ages, we reached a massive cavern. There were depictions and strange glyphs painted all over the walls and a huge statue of the Alphae that actually started below the surface and I could see that there were rails showing a sub level beneath the statue which led to his feet. The head of the statue towered up to the ceiling of the cavern where there was a large round hole that led to the surface where I could just barely make out the light of the moon and a few stars. The cobra pendant on top of the Alphae’s nemyss seemed to touch the moon, giving it a very surreal look. The statue itself was gold in most places but actually exuded the same metallic, multi-colored sheen as the Alphae himself. We were all in awe of this place, including myself.
There was also a large fire pit in the center of this place with strange green and violet flames emitting from it similar to the plasma fires I had seen inside the common area of the Silver caste. The high priest raised his scepter on high and struck it down, signaling silence all around, although few of us could speak in such a place. “Children of the Alphae, welcome to the Temple of Immolation. This is the most sacred place in this oasis. Remember that the utmost respect is required for all of you here. Should any of you disrespect this dwelling it may be grounds for immediate exile. In another time it would be a sentence of death, but the Alphae has grown more merciful since that time. This is where we shall reenact for you the death of the prophet Ahdi. It was a horrible tragedy in dark times. You will see just how horrific it was and what he had to endure in a few moments. But first we must call upon the Alphae to gather around us all. You will not see him this time. You must learn to feel him around you. He is everywhere and he is nowhere. He is in that statue and he is in the sky, the earth and the heavens. The statue is merely there to remind us. Now join me in the call of the Alphae as we prepare for the Sacrifice which granted us all our emancipation from the evil rebels of old.”
Suddenly the fire began to grow in intensity. Flames swirled around and cast strange shadows on the cave walls that seemed to dance in the eerie light. The drumming began, low and intermittent at first and then slowly it began to grow in speed and intensity. Strange deep guttural chants were heard from the seven priests and soon, as if by enchantment, this chanting came over us all, a crowd of thousands in this massive dwelling. Even I could not avoid it. I could not stand strong in rebellion in such a place. It was not just fear that caused me to sway into the delirium. It was control. So much power this being had over us all. I could not believe it. No matter how badly I wanted to stand still in defiance I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried it was like I was a puppet controlled by the puppeteer that is the Alphae. And so strong was he. There was nothing I could do. And then it happened.
The drumming and the chanting stopped and the fire was extinguished and suddenly the entire cavern was shrouded in the utmost darkness, save for the tiny silver light of the moon that shone like a beamn of light down to the floor before that massive statue of the Alphae. And then, abruptly, I felt myself fall to the floor, along with literally everyone else in the entire cavern. It was as if I had fallen into a dream and woken up in a nightmare. Suddenly I could see a field littered with corpses, mutilated and rotting. This led up to a hill and on the top of the hill there was a man nailed to a five pointed star and spread out upon it. At once I was right before him. I could smell rotting flesh and see the many wounds on his chest, legs, and arms. The skin on his entire body was gradually melting off, peeling and decaying not unlike the shaivas of Ourto. There were many lacerations where he had obviously been scourged by a deadly weapon. There were three men standing before him. All of them were cursing the Alphae and commanding the man to reject him and join with them, promising to set him free. But through it all he remained silent. We were all made to watch as this man slowly died. Mercy would not be given to him. But the Alphae was merciful. Suddenly he appeared next to the dying, tortured man, and the three rebels fell as though dead. And the Alphae gave the man a drink that gave him the death he longed for. Then all we could see was white and the shining golden outline of the Alphae’s form holding the man now in perfect health and with a youthful vigor. Then we all awoke from our swoon and the light returned as the priests motioned us to begin our ascent back up the stairs and prepare for the feasting and celebration to come.
The ascent back up was more difficult than the climb down. I was appaled at the length that these people would go to convince us of the Alphae’s power and divinity. We are only children, perhaps a bit older but I doubted that any of us had the guts to continuously be fed such graphic imagery. Even some of the others I observed around me looked pale and uneasy. Somehow, in all that madness and in this great crowd, I found myself walking next to Amy. She had a very sullen look on her face. Neither one of us wanted to speak and she would not look at me. She merely continued to walk, staring at her feet and the stairs beneath her. I hoped that the feasting and celebration would take this dismal mood from us, especially Amy. Even though I was firm in my stance to remain solely as friends, the idea of dancing with her in this place warmed my heart and helped me to cheer up a little.
When we reached the surface the “night” had changed. There were a myriad of dazzling stars in the dome above us and the flying creatures continued to move about but appeared to be in a state of slumber. It was as if there were invisible currents moving them around in a pattern that was impossible to decipher. The stars were multicolored and some of the hues were so unique my eyes had a hard time translating them. I took notice of the moon again and saw that this time, unlike before within the temple, the moon was in the familiar crescent stage. It was massive and the stars around it shifted into various patterns more intricate and beautiful than anything I had ever seen. For a moment I felt so in awe that even my visions of Vaena could not compete.
The bell sounded again, this time higher pitched. It rang out in succession three times, paused for a few moments, and rang again four times. It continued this pattern and the high priest led us up past the waterfall and into a large field, surrounded
by trees in a circle. There was an enormous fire pit in the center and this times the flames were orange. I could feel the heat emanating from it even from that far distance at the edge of the trees. We were led into the grove and suddenly the Alphae appeared, growing out of the flames and rising up above them. His feet were planted firmly in the center of the fire’s coals. He raised his scepter on high and struck it down into the fire. Then he swirled the flames around with his rod and great tables appeared before us, all bedecked with the finest feast I had ever laid eyes upon. The aroma was intoxicating and I looked around and saw that all the other students appeared glassy eyed and literally drooling. But as in most cases like this, the Alphae struck his scepter to the flame one more time and it all disappated. This time he did not speak; he merely vanished and then reappeared high above us in the starry sky. He fell into the same trance-like slumber and moved subtly in patterns similar to the flying beasts I had seen just moments before.
It was then that the six priests of the castes stood around the fire and the high priest stood in front of them. He motioned for silence. “The feast of gods and men shall commence upon your final initiation when you pass from this world into the inifinite kingdoms of the Alphae. But for now we can give you the sustanence you require and ask only that gratitude be given, for the feast that is to come shall be eternal and this shall flicker away like the hourglass. Time itself will come and go but eternity shall last forever.”
