by James Huff
We were given a brief social hour before dinner and so I headed to my usual spot by the waterfalls. Amy was standing there already talking to Peter. Justin was nowhere in sight this time. I casually walked up to them. Peter was the first to look up. “Well hello John, where you been? I expected you would be the first one out here.” I smiled, then looked first at Amy and then at Peter. “Yeah well I was trying to console the Mercury finalist. She was pretty upset about being eliminated from the tournament.” “Why don’t you try to find her and invite her to eat with us? Honestly John you should have thought about that before,” Amy stated with her innocent, teasing expression. “I guess I just never thought about it. I mean I didn’t want to intrude…she seemed to want to talk to her sister.” I opened my mouth to speak, when a girl tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around to look and saw a girl who looked similar to Evarrah, though not identical. Suddenly I remembered what she had told me about her twin not being identicle. “Are you John Crawling?” “That’s me,” I replied, “and you must be Evarrah’s sister?” She smiled. “Yeah, that’s me. My name is Fiona. Have you seen her anywhere? She was supposed to meet me out here by this waterfall.”
“Last time I saw her she was in the locker room. She was pretty upset about being eliminated so I went over and talked to her. My friend Amy here just reminded me that I could have invited her to come with my friends and I to eat and maybe talk a bit beforehand. You would be welcome too, of course,” I added. Fiona looked worried. “I’ll tell you what,” I suggested, “you and I can go looking for her while my friends here finish their conversation.” I looked over at Peter and Amy and they both nodded and winked. “Okay, maybe we could try heading back toward the stadium. Perhaps she hasn’t left yet,” Fiona suggested, leading me back toward the stadium doors. We ended up entering the stadium and walking into the gymnasium, which was empty save for a few physical education instructors who were chatting in one of the center arcs. I recognized one as Mr. Merck and went up to him to inquire about Evarrah. “Hello there John, you say you are looking for Evarrah? I just sent her to the medical wing since her emotional state was not improving. Let me take her to you. I kept telling her that she really needs to eat something,” he said as Fiona and I followed him to the small medical station in the corner. “The drugs we gave her should help her calm down and stimulate her appetite. Maybe you can convince her to go eat with you and your friends.” I laughed. “Yeah that was already the plan.”
We walked into the medical station and I could see Evarrah no longer crying, sitting on the recliner. As soon as she saw her sister she leapt up and ran over and gave her a hug. Then she hugged me. “Thank you so much for finding Fiona and bringing her back to me. You’re so kind,” Evarrah said, a smile beaming on her face. “Well I sort of found him,” Fiona informed her. “Why don’t you come eat with me and my friends?” I suggested. “Your sister is definintely invited as well.” Without further adeiu, the two girls got up and walked toward the exit; I followed close behind.
We all had an amazing time and I was so happy to see how well Amy got along with the twins. I could tell that she was happy to be among other females for once. I knew sometimes it must have been odd to always have male friends around. But she never seemed to mind. It ended up being the best dinner I had since behind the walls of Institution. We laughed and make jokes about the tournament and everyone was in great spirits. The competition no longer mattered. Her defeats at my hand were irrelevant. In that moment we were friends, not rivals. I half expected the Lead combatant to show up and was in such a good mood I felt like I would have invited him to stay with us. But he never did. As usual, the Lead caste segrated themselves from the “higher” castes of Silver and Mercury.
After dinner we had a rather beautiful ceremony. The Alphae stood there as usual, although he took on a much smaller form. Instead of the god being the dominant figure of the ceremony, the birds and beasts of the air put on a show. Many of them were breathing fire and flying in amazing geometrical patters. And all the “stars” in the sky were shimmering and spinning around. It was so bright and beautiful that it was almost naseuating to look upon. There was no reception afterward. Instead we were given two hours of social time, with a curfew to follow. But I was so exhausted that I ended up going to my bed and falling asleep almost immediately.
Chapter 9:
I was floating in the middle of the sea on a piece of wreckage from an old ship. I could see other fragments floating in the water around me, some of them flaming. A man appeared and came up to me, walking upon the surface of the waters. He handed me a white rose and smiled. Then he vanished and everything turned to blackness. I could hear the voice of my grandfather. “Remember who you are…” I awoke with a start, weeping as if by instinct. Could it be…? Could there be someone, something, trying to tell me something? This whole time I thought the Alphae was the only one with power. It seemed to be based upon nothing, but he had so many convinced. The entire society I had known my whole life had survived in relative peace for so long. Or so it appeared. Could there be another? I drifted back off to sleep before I could ponder that question. There were no dreams for the remainder of that night.
I woke up feeling refreshed, but still somewhat pondering that dream I had. I pushed it out of my mind at breakfast and afterward we enjoyed three hours of social time before a brief ritual. After the ritual, the bell tolled and I went into the stadium. I got dressed in the locker rooms into my new SBU’s specifically decorated for this final match. It was not long and I entred the arc, the cheers of the crowd hushed by the Alphae. We activated our avatars and I could see in both my opponent and his avatar a look of fierce determination. I went in full speed in a charge and was able to immediately slash off the arm of my opponent’s avatar. But he would not give up then. He used his other arm quite well and returned the blow, slashing my own arm that held my spear. But in the end, in a daring rush I was able to jump high into the air and come down severing his head diagonally.
The cheers for my victory were very intense and I was honestly surprised at how quickly I had defeated my opponent. After an hour recess and much preparation in a talk I had with Mr. Merck, I entered the arc once more to face my Lead rival. I knew that this fight would be longer. I knew that it would be closer. After activating our avatars we gradually inched in closer and closer to each other. I continuously made strikes with my sword and each of them was parried instantly. I withdrew my attacks and took on a defensive position. It was at this point that my opponent took on the offensive and came at me in a violent charge. Once more my spear was severed and disappated. But then what happened was almost unbelievable. My opponent tossed aside his sword and beckoned me to do the same. It was not against the rules and so I took his challenge to fight without weapons.
He was almost immediately able to throw me onto the floor. He got on top of me and I was able to grab his neck with my legs and pushed very hard to pull myself up and on top of him. Once I achieved my position, I went in for a chokehold. But I was not paying attention and it was too late by the time I noticed that his sword was just barely out of reach. He was able to stretch very far and pull himself out of my grip just long enough to grab his sword and slash me deep across the chest. I instanlly let loose on my grip and fell over. I was sure that the end was near as my own body was getting weak and my avatar was losing blood rapidly. My enemy loomed over me with his sword and a devious smile creased his lips as he raised his sword up to fell down upon me in a killing stroke.
But I had strength left within me and I was able to block his blade, but my stamina was fading as once again he was using his own blade against mine to push mine toward my throat. I knew that I would slip out of consciousness soon. I knew that defeat was upon me. My blade began to subtly cut into my throat. I thought of Grandfather the night before I found him dead. I summoned up all the rage I had. The fire of wrath was lit within me and I let out a deathly cry that silenced the entire arena as I pushed his own blade upward and slashed h
ard in an outward motion in order to allow myself to stagger to my feet. As I was slipping out of consciousness I used every last bit of energy that the rage provided me and jumped high into the air, coming down with a slash all the way down his body from his head downward, literally cutting him entirely in half. Right after that my opponent went unconscious and his avatar dissipated. I knew that I had won but in the moment of my victory I, too, fell unconscious as my own avatar dissipated.
This had never happened in the tournament thus far but I remembered the rules of this situation being explained to me by Mr. Merck and it was then that the high priest revived us both. He consulted with the Alphae and it was decided then and there that it counted as a victory for the Silver Falcon since I was able to kill my opponent before my own avatar fell to its death. Then the Alphae made his final speech for the tournament. “Children of Institution, behold your Victor! The Silver Falcon who arose from the East has won for the Silver Caste the Caste Cup. Congratulations all of you. Now I ask that the Silver Caste come forward and surround their champion. The Silver Caste will be awared 600 points toward the Caste Cup, beating the Lead Caste by 200 points. Now come and enjoy this moment of honor!”
It was then that a sea of people from my caste rushed towards me and they all lifted me up on their shoulders, pulling me along the crowd. Everyone was chanting “Silver Falcon” and I had never felt a greater sense of pride in my entire life. When we were finally dismissed there was a great feast that night. Even the food this time was much better. We returned to the Grove with the fire and finally I was able to dance with Amy all night long. I remember distinctly when Midnight struck and we were dancing slowly together under the starry night with the beasts of the air circling above us. “Remember this night John. Remember who you are and never forget.” The rest of the night passed by as a dream and I barely remembered drifting off to sleep. I knew that the initiation awaited me the very next day. I knew that the test was about to begin…
I woke up in the late morning feeling rather refreshed but also still a little worn out from the long day before. I got dressed quickly and headed for the dining hall for breakfast. All of the students I encountered on the way gave me smiles and high fives and everyone seemed to be so proud of my victory, even other caste members. Of course I did not receive those greetings from the Lead caste, though once again none of their members crossed my path. I ate quickly and did not see any of my friends so headed to the morning worship service before the bell even rang.
The service was nothing special. The Alphae gave me a special blessing as the victor in the Victeous tournament and shortly thereafter we were released for social hour before lunch. I was able to catch up with Amy again by the waterfall. She pulled me to the side and wanted to talk with me in private. “Listen John. I know that I have warned you many times before but you must understand that you will be tested today in our initiation. We all will be, but especially you John. The Alphae and everyone at the BMF know that your pride can be used against you. Just try to spend today leading up to the initiation in preparation for that test. Whatever you do, don’t doubt that it will come. Don’t let it take you by surpise. It’s the least you could do. Even if somehow I am wrong, you owe it to yourself to prepare nevertheless.” I looked into her eyes and smiled. “I appreciate your warning Amy, I really do. But I am sure I will be fine. Even if you are right and I am tested and I fail, I will deal with it when it comes. Right now I just want to act as if it won’t. I want to remain in this moment of joy a little while longer. If it is to end tonight then so be it. But I can’t live for the future no matter how close it is. I must remain in this moment now. It’s what Grandfather would have wanted. I know it is.”
Amy smiled and gave me a hug and we decided to go for a walk. It was nice to spend time together, just the two of us. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate my time with Justin and Peter but Amy had a certain understanding of me that no other friend I had possessed. And I truly valued that. It wasn’t long and the lunch bell tolled. When I sat down to eat Mr. Ivaness joined me and we had a good talk. We said nothing of the warnings I received. He simply congratulated me and gave me some much needed motivation. He ended simply to tell me to prepare for the initiation this evening and even though he did not warn me and wasn’t stern in anyway, I could tell that he felt it of the utmost importance that I prepare myself and see it as a greater challenge than Victeous ever was for me. Victeous came naturally to me. The rituals of the Alphae never did.
After lunch we were all given the rest of the day to socialize until the brief worship service that would lead up to our procession to the main temple. After that we would not be returning to this retreat center until the tournament leading up to our second initiation. The day went by rather smoothly and time seemed to fly by as I had fun with my friends. David was even able to join us this time so we had the whole gang with us. At one point Mr. Merck even joined us and I was able to introduce him to all of my friends. We never did catch up with Evarrah or her sister but I knew that she had really enjoyed our recent time together and I knew that she needed to spend time alone with her sister as well. It was not long and we all attended the worship service. At its closing the high priest got all of our attention to give us a speech leading up to our procession to the Main Temple for our first initiation.
“I want all of you to remember that this place we are going will be the most sacred site of the Alphae that you will ever visit. Only the palace is more sacred and there will be very few of you who will ever enter its golden gates. The Main Temple we will proceed to is only used for initiations. It has been so since its inception. Even I and the other priests of your castes are unable to go there under any circumstances other than initiation. Unfortunately I cannot tell you in advance anything about your first initiation other than its title, which you have learned in your classes: ‘From Darkness unto Light.’ All of the months of classes, training, exams, and even the retreat and tournament itself have been to prepare you for what is imminent. Now let us go forth to the main Temple and the first step to your baptism as a child of the living god, the Alphae.”
It was then that we were taken back down the path away from the retreat center and back towards the lifts that we came through after we exited the main part of Institution at the ending of the exam week. This time, however, we were all taken down a secret passage that went off to the left. In the room that we came into there were several lifts unlike any I had ever seen before while in Institition. There were so many glyphs and symbols embroidered all over them. I found out that every lift was actually marked with the colors of each respective caste. But all of them had sections of gold to signify the realm of the Alphae flowing through every other caste. I noticed that the high priest had a master key for each of these special lifts and opened them one by one to let each caste through, starting with my own and going down in rank.
Upon entering the lifts I noticed just how incredibly massive they were. I found myself wondering just how they were built. I knew they had to use some rather large and advanced drones, likely an entire team of them. We descended for what seemed like hours and again I thought of just how far underground the entire facility of Institution went. It was like we were being lowered into the bowels of the Earth. It was exciting in a way but also rather ominous. Suddenly I could feel a cold shiver run down my spine. Finally we made it to the level of the Main Temple. No one ever told just just how many levels we had descended. Much of our journey was shrouded in secrecy.
The high priest stood before the massive doors of the temple and struck his scepter to the floor demanding our most reverend silence. The doors of the main temple were black but shined in such a way as I had never seen before. The metal almost looked like it came from a foreign planet somewhere, a meteor perhaps. There were no artistic depictions of the Alphae himself, but rather what seemed like thousands of sigils and script in some ancienct language lost to memory. Everything appeared to center on a strange and intricate design towards the bott
om which must have been a keyhole of some kind because I saw the high priest push the tip of his staff into it and turn it clockwise. It was then that the doors began to slowly swing open, making the strangest sound I had ever heard before. As they opened wider and wider, I could feel a draft of cool air come through the antechamber and by the smell of this air, I could tell that it had not been opened in a long time.
We were all escorted through those massive double doors in the order of our respective castes. What I beheld when I walked through was remarkable beyond words. The entire temple was marked with massive pillars towering above us hundreds of feet in the air. Between the pillars there were many statues of the Alphae and his various prophets throught the ages. Some of them I recognized from my classes. Others were so very alien to me. I could just barely make out in the distance a massive sanctuary and altar in the East, which was set in front of a statue of the Alphae towering hunders of feet in the air above us. The entire statue was encased in gold and as the torches were lit, it dazzled in their eerie light. The high priest joined the other six priests in the sanctuary and stood in front of them as they turned around and bowed before us. The high priest raised his staff high into the air and struck it down, silencing the entire temple full of initiates. And then we heard it. The Alphae did not show himself this time but we could all hear his voice and this time it was unlike any other voice he had ever used to speak with us. It had an ancient quality to it. Even the accent was not one that I could place. It was far from human and it made the hair all over my body stand on end.
