by Navi' Robins
“Only a pure Immaru would be more powerful and they are the original form of our kind that wielded cosmic energy, not just emotional energy.”
“I’m still not impressed, Jaffrey. This whole situation is hard to deal with.”
“I understand, Aiden, and it is unfair to expect you to be able to deal with it, but life isn’t fair and if you wait around for life to play fair you will die. It’s that simple.”
“Dying isn’t simple, Jaffrey.”
Jaffrey laughed at my comment.
“Yes, Aiden, that is correct. Death isn’t simple at all.”
Jaffrey decided to call it a day after our talk about Jasmine and my experiences with her. I knew he was going to try and research more about her and see if maybe there was something he could find. I hope he did because if I was to ever run into her again I wanted to be prepared. The last thing I needed was for her to get the upper hand on me again. I guess one good thing was that now I knew I wasn’t turning into a serial killer. But knowing what I knew now, I almost wished I were a serial killer; it would be simpler to deal with than what I was dealing with now. I almost wished that….almost.
The start of the next day of training didn’t consist of any alternate realities or secret tests. Just Jaffrey and I standing in a room he used to train in. There were all kinds of targets on the walls and other contraptions I was unfamiliar with. A lot of them had various blades and weapons attached to them. I got the eerie feeling that today’s training was going to hurt…a lot. According to scientists there are 117 known elements. The truth is there are close to 5000 different elements in the realm. This does not include the man-made elements. The Baraqu know of these elements but refuse to reveal them to mankind in order to preserve the little life and sanity that remains in this realm. Baraqu have the ability to control each and every one of them. We can combine them, create from them, see them, and also use them as weapons with just a thought. This ability gave us the name Elementals by those of mankind who had the privilege of knowing our true identity. Depending on the situation, we will use a certain element or a combination of elements to either neutralize or identify a threat. Whether it’s a Shadow, man-made weapons, or viruses. Through this power we are able to fight and defeat almost any threat. First we must identify these elements and the only way to do that is to harness time and space. Damn! Things were sounding so good until he said that. I wasn’t prepared for this so I hoped he had some kind of manual.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“How do I do that, Jaffrey? I’m not gonna play games with you. I’m still finding it hard to comprehend the whole control-time-and-space thing.”
Jaffrey smiled and walked over to the far side of the room and clapped his hands. The sound of his hands colliding with each other sent shockwaves through the room causing my ears to start ringing. I bent down covering my ears, trying to avoid the shockwaves and suddenly the ringing stopped and when I stood up I noticed I wasn’t in the room anymore but in outer space. The shock of being in space caused me to scream without even knowing it was coming out of my mouth. Again, Jaffrey smiled.
“Relax Aiden, we are safe. I created an invisible air bubble so we will be able to breathe.”
“Okay, but can you give me a heads up before you start whisking me to outer- worldly locations? I mean, maybe once I get myself more acquainted with my powers you won’t have to. But right now…I really need a heads up because I almost had a heart attack.”
“All right, I can do that.”
“So, out of all the places to explain time and space, why are we here?”
“Because in order to explain what you need to know you have to see it in action.”
“Okay, fair enough.”
I began to look around and marvel at the greatness of what was beyond our blue skies. It was miraculous and a moving experience to view space in this manner. It was like looking at the beginning of everything.
“Look around you, Aiden. What do you see?”
“Space—a vast amount of space!”
“Exactly and everything that occupies it. Time and space are the reasons why our reality exists. Our atoms exist at a particular time in space. This is our reality. In a different realm, different atoms exist in another time in space. We have the ability to alter the time and space that anyone or anything occupies in our realm. If you have access to enough power you could in theory move the Earth where Venus is and vice versa. But only by accessing cosmic energy can that be accomplished. Our powers, though great, are on a much smaller scale than that. Time and space are all around us, it is us. So in order to harness them all you need to do is think, believe, and it will be so.”
“So I can do anything I can think of?”
“That depends. Without the confidence and belief in your powers, you cannot. If you believe you are strong enough to relocate a house it will be so. If you have any doubts and reservations of your ability it will not or you could only relocate half of the house and cause more damage than good. That is why the emotional energy we receive from mankind is so important. It’s like a battery to our powers. It fuels the powers we possess. We harness the positive energy that mankind gives off from experiences they have that enrich their lives. The feeling of getting that job they always wanted, the emotions someone may feel from getting that beautiful crush to notice them, when their favorite sports team wins a championship or a crucial game, that first kiss, and love. These emotions among others are the fuel that moves the power within us to allow us to do amazing things.
“Positive energy is an energy that demands confidence to be wielded. If you are unsure or if you are affected by negative emotions like hate, pain, or fear, that energy source subsides and your power source becomes weaker. So it’s not enough just to be able to harness the emotional energy from mankind, we have to remain on the frequency of the energy we use. Positive thought for positive energy. You can’t hate and use the powers of the Baraqu. Your powers will become ineffective or they will become tainted by negative energy and soon you will become what you are supposed to fight against. You will become the problem and not the solution.”
“So I must be in a constant chipper mood in order to use my powers?”
Jaffrey laughed at my question, but I could tell he was expecting it.
“No, it is impossible to feel like butterflies and butterscotch on the field of battle. No man, unless he is inherently evil, can find joy on the battlefield where death and destruction surrounds him. You will experience emotions that you’ve never thought you could in those situations and joy isn’t one of them until the battle is won. It is your intentions that drive the positive thoughts that enhance our powers. You are on the field of battle to protect your loved ones, you are protecting those that can’t protect themselves, you are a warrior of light fighting evil and preventing the entire planet from falling into darkness—these among other reasons are the driving forces that should provoke us to respond to a threat. We never react; always respond. Always keep your head, and understand that even though you possess great power you are a servant and not a master.”
“A servant? Now wait a second, Jaffrey, I’m no one’s servant.”
“And it is that attitude that will break your power source and leave you venerable to attacks.”
“I don’t understand how you can say we are servants when we possess such great power.”
“Because we are here to serve, not to be served. These powers were given to us for a purpose greater than ourselves. If you try and use these powers strictly for your own personal gain, you will not only fall to temptation but you will also lose your power.”
“How is that possible?”
“This power we possess is a gift, but not a gift for us. It’s for mankind and we are to use it to protect mankind, not enslave them.”
“Isn’t that what the Shadows are doing? I mean, looking at the state of the world, it seems like not only do they still possess powers, but they are winning!”
“Yes, it may seem that
way but what you fail to understand that even though they still possess power it comes at a cost. That cost is being weaker than intended.
“The Shadows found a much darker source of power that doesn’t have the same rules we are governed by. So they can use their powers for personal gain and to enslave mankind.”
“So they have no rules and we do. Seems kind of unfair doesn’t it Jaffrey?”
“Maybe to the untrained mind, yes, but without guidelines there is chaos, and the universe is built on order and not chaos. Of course, the inhabitants of this planet have been led to believe that the universe is filled with chaos and everything just happens by coincidence. It’s a free-for-all universe and the only reason why this planet exists is because of a Big Bang millions of years ago. Even if a Big Bang did occur, there had to be something that initiated that bang. There can’t be a vast universe of nothing and then one day…BANG!” Jaffrey responded.
“Without a deciding factor. Something greater than us decided to allow that bang to occur and something greater than us decided to let life flourish in the realm. It is because of this that we serve a cause greater than ourselves. We are the warriors of light and order. Look around you, Aiden. Does the universe look chaotic to you?”
“Actually, no, it doesn’t. It seems like everything has a purpose, even out here in the vast blackness of space.”
“Exactly. You are learning, Aiden. Open your mind to being more than yourself, be Baraqu which is a warrior of light, a warrior for life and order.”
Listening to Jaffrey explain how all life is connected and our relationship to it made me realize just how wise this old man was. Only someone who has been around thousands of years could amass this kind of knowledge and wisdom. He understood his purpose and the purpose of the powers we possessed and he wanted me to understand them as well. I was getting it but it still seemed like such a big responsibility. Before, all I wanted was to start at running back on the school’s football team and now I was being coached and trained to be, for lack of a better reference…a superhero. It was a lot, but I knew I had no other choice but to learn as much as I could so that I could protect my family—because their protection was now in my hands.
“Now it’s time to return to the training room. Do you think you have grasped the time-and-space concept?”
“Honestly, I still don’t know, but I do have something up here dancing around now that makes sense.”
“That’s a start. Let us return.” And just like he did before, he began clapping and shockwaves started to fill the air bubble.
Just as suddenly as he folded the alternate reality the day before, he managed to get us back in the training room, but not without my ears suffering from the transition.
“Jaffrey, can I ask you something before we continue?”
“Sure.”
“What is with all the theatrics when using your powers? I mean that last session actually hurt. Is that something I’m going to have to do to get my powers to work?”
“No, each of us uses what we feel comfortable with to invoke our powers. I love theater, always have, the way men and women create a whole world just from their imagination. No powers or tricks, just great imagination and skills. What do you feel comfortable with or what relaxes you, Aiden?”
I had to think about that question because no one ever asked me that before. I mean I loved playing video games, football, and driving my new car, but I didn’t think that would translate well and none of these things actually relaxed me. The only thing I knew that relaxed me was Tai Chi. I practiced Tai Chi every morning before going to school to relax me and get my blood flowing. When I did it I felt like I was swimming in air. That’s it! Tai Chi! When I told this to Jaffrey he seemed very pleased. He went on to say that using Tai Chi as my expression to invoke my powers would help me to focus and maintain a level head during intense situations and encounters.
Then he set my attention to the far side of the room. There on a table was a big cardboard box. It looked like a moving box of sorts. It looked harmless enough, but the only thing was it hadn’t been here before. I wanted to ask but I decided not to; I didn’t want it to appear I was stalling the process of training me.
“Now I want you to make that box appear on the other side of the room.”
“Don’t you mean move it?”
“No, teleporting that box is easy, making it appear without any time lapse isn’t. You must learn to use your powers that manipulate time and space and not the power to manipulate reality.”
“There you go again, Jaffrey, confusing me.”
“Okay, where is that box?”
“Over there.”
“What time is it?” I looked at my watch and noticed it was only nine thirty in the morning, but it seemed like I had been awake for much longer.
“It’s nine thirty.”
“So that box is over on that table at nine thirty in the morning, correct?”
“Yes!”
“So now make that box appear on the other side of the room at nine thirty in the morning.”
After listening to him explain it that way, things started to make sense now and I began to understand the concept of manipulating time and space.
“So that box being over there on that table is the current reality?”
“Yes.”
“And when I manipulate time and space I change the current reality to the box being on the other side of the room at the same time.”
“Exactly! Moving the box is only manipulating reality. Shadows can move that box but they can’t make it disappear and appear instantaneously on the other side of the room. You can see reality being manipulated but you can’t see with the naked eye time and space being manipulated. A Shadow can throw a tank just by thinking about it. A Baraqu can make that tank appear right above an enemy’s head without seeing any transition between the original location of the tank and the new location without time ever progressing forward. If it’s nine o’clock in the morning and one second when the tank is sitting at its original location, it’s still nine o’clock in the morning and one second when it appears above the head of an unsuspecting enemy. When a Shadow moves the tank, time moves forward and the space it once occupied changes as well.”
“So it’s like teleporting things but never losing time?”
“Yes, something like that, but not exactly. But you are getting the idea.”
I got myself into position to attempt the impossible or what I once thought was impossible. I started jumping up and down and swinging my arms like I was loosening up for a big run. Suddenly Jaffrey began laughing so hard he almost fell over. What is so funny? I thought. Here I was about to relocate this box or control time and space to relocate the box and he was over there laughing it up. It was starting to piss me off and I was getting aggravated. But I wasn’t going to let him deter me from doing this. I pointed my fingers towards the box and said, “Okay, box, I want you over there,” and then I swung around and pointed to the other side of the room. After about four or five tries with nothing happening, Jaffrey was now rolling around on the floor wailing and squealing with laughter. By this time I was ready to smash his head in with the box.
“Stop laughing at me!” I yelled.
That made him laugh even harder and he started coughing and hacking, trying to breath in air. Good, choke on it, I hope you turn blue and faint so that I can concentrate, I thought. But to my dissatisfaction he found some oxygen and laughed even harder. I felt my confidence wane and I began to believe that either I couldn’t do it or I was being played for a fool by Jaffrey. Some extravagant practical joke telling me I had this power when I really didn’t.
“Man, whatever, keep laughing then! Enjoy yourself. I’m leaving.”
Jaffrey immediately stopped laughing and jumped to his feet and appeared in front of me out of nowhere. He was just on the other side of the room and now here he was right in front of me. He’d done to himself what I wanted to do to that box but couldn’t.
“S
o you’re giving up?”
“I can’t do this, even after you explaining to me and me thinking I understood. But I couldn’t do it. I’m not who you think I am.”
“And what made you come to that conclusion?”
“Huh? Did you just see me fail over there?”
“You didn’t fail until you stopped trying and what made you stop trying?”
“I stopped because I couldn’t do it.”
“How do you know that? At first you seemed confident enough to attempt it, correct?”
“Yeah, but then nothing happened.”
“But what happened between the time you attempted and when you quit?”
Is this man bipolar or something?
“You started laughing at me, that’s what happened.”
“Because I started laughing meant you couldn’t do it? Why did you attempt to do it in the first place?”
“Because you told me to.”
“Hmm, so how did you expect to accomplish it if you didn’t decide for yourself why you were attempting it? Just because someone is laughing doesn’t mean what you are doing is wrong or impossible. How many people laughed at Thomas Edison? Martin Luther King Jr.? The Wright Brothers? Countless; but they continued regardless of ridicule from shallow and limited-minded people. If you had attempted to relocate the box for your own reasons and not just because I told you to; my laughter would not have deterred you. If the great men I just mentioned and other men and women who have done great things that changed the course of history had acted just because someone told them to; they would not be remembered today. You must find your own purpose to tap into the powers inside you. You must find your own inspiration for being Baraqu. I can teach you, but only you can give your life purpose to be greater than the flesh you now reside in. There may come a time when even those who have given you orders may betray you and behave in a manner outside of your perception of them.
“Does that mean you stop being who you are just because they set you on the path and now they have forsaken that very same path? No, you must find your own purpose. Guidance is one thing I can give you, but you must find your own reasons to take that guidance and act. Even if I laugh at you there shouldn’t be a reason why you don’t have the confidence to complete the task. This way of thinking prevents a Baraqu from being corrupted by those he looks up to and respects. No one is perfect; we are all imperfect, so we can’t put our will to act in the hands of anyone else. This is what controlling your own destiny means. This is one of the main reasons that the Baraqu forbid the practice of religion. Now go back over there and relocate that box and find a reason why you want to move that box and not why I want you to move it.”
