Because it presented a danger, feeding upon their minds, he felt that it was favorable to keep silent. During the recent gathering of the councils in Sahaynaivium, Nainashari had torn through many of the obstacles that the child thing used to protect itself.
“The Orbs are starting to die. They can no longer be maintained. The Sahaynaivium authorities imprisoned all the scholars and Aura-Laei-i who were involved with reviving the Orbs,” said Nainashari.
Tenashar was surprised to hear of this. Things had certainly changed since they left Himoicum.
“The world is going through another of the many renewals, like the change of seasons. This world of ours will become a desert. Yet with the sphere worlds, people will be able to live underground. In these manmade sphere worlds, plants and animals will be preserved for the future. And then another generation will bring new life to the world in the distant future.”
Cadica had said almost the same words to Tenashar. She may have been trying to encourage him to change things or to prepare the people in his time to preserve their world. Did he fail? At first he believed this. But soon he came to realize that the Orbs were out of anyone’s control. Even a joint connection between several of the Aura-Laei-i couldn’t stop them. Yet the world they had known would continue.
Marhidium whispered to Tenashar, “You should stay with Nainashari. His life is starting to slip away. I think the end is coming.”
Tenashar nodded. He decided to be at his friend’s side, remembering the times they had together.
Most of the lights in the cave began to dim, as if they sensed Nainashari was ready to depart this world. He shared all his experiences and knowledge with Tenashar and Osinthaph. Tenashar could tell that he was becoming fond of Knode.
Slowly he started to dwindle. They could see that the life that was once sunny and optimistic was trying hard to remain in the world. No one wanted to leave his side. Nainashari wished for Tenashar and his friends to stay with him in the cave.
Knode, Marhidium, and Siytai accepted the invitation on Tenashar’s behalf and were welcome to make their homes in the forest, if they wished. This offer was also extended to Osinthaph, Thitwa, and Betaqal, who were guarding the flying ship.
Nainashari said, “I’m glad to hear this. It’s home.”
chapter 37
Nainashari Travels to the Spiritual Realm
Nainashari spent the few days left to him in great comfort, with Marhidium and Osinthaph tending his needs. With brightening eyes, he looked into the coming days with contentment.
On a particular day, the morning sun spread its rays across the forest floor, illuminating Nainashari where he sat in comfort. He fell asleep and simply never awoke. Tenashar realized what had happened.
Large tears fell from Marhidium’s eyes. Osinthaph hung her head in grief. Tenashar was quietly looking at his friend.
At the same moment, the sun hid itself in the clouds. There was even a slight drizzle. Some of ancients would have said that the heavenly gods were crying. The spirit of this four hundred-year-old Aura-Laei-i had finally departed.
Tears ran down Marhidium’s and Osinthaph’s cheeks. Tenashar couldn’t keep back his own tears. Tenashar heard a familiar voice of a little girl and immediately recognized it as Cadica.
“We know of the grief,” she said. “The message has been sent through time. To us, it’s already history. Warm yourselves, because the sun shall always be there.”
Tenashar wished that the Senetha would return soon, so that they could help with a spiritual departure ceremony. He wanted to wait for them.
Marhidium disagreed and reminded him that Nainashari’s body would soon start to decompose. To wait would be to dishonor Nainashari. Reluctantly, Tenashar started the ceremony. The aeronauts weren’t familiar with this simple Senetha ceremony to honor the departed. Tenashar gave them instructions as what to do. He was now fully in command.
In the Senetha tradition, a giant ceramic bowl with special functions that could accommodate a full-size human being was needed. Tenashar was unable to find anything large enough. So he decided to use a rock and shape it into a bowl using tools from the cave and an energy beam cutter from the ship. When it was finally finished, after several hours, the bowl resembled highly polished porcelain with a smooth inner surface.
Nainashari’s lifeless body was put upon the bowl to lie at rest. Many leaves were laid beneath him. This was a major part of the Senetha burial custom. Floating, transparent cones, spheres, and cubes surrounded the bowl. Then a device that created light, resembling a river of light, floated in the air and onto Nainashari’s body. It would remain there for a time.
Nainashari was covered in a rainbow of light. Tenashar sang a chant that he learned from his father, with hands outstretched and palms formed into a bowl filled with leaves. Osinthaph did the same and chanted with him. Knode, Marhidium, and Siytai followed the chant the best they could.
Once the chanting was over, a beam of light descended from the sky. The high heat of the beam quickly burned the body into ashes. Knode and Marhidium had never seen such a thing happen before. Marhidium was in such a state of disbelief at what she witnessed. Tears soon came to Knode’s eyes, just as with everyone else.
By Senetha standards, it was a short and small ceremony for a departed Aura-Laei-i. Automatically, the lights transformed the ashes into a blue and green translucent mist. When Tenashar made some strange hand signs, the beam brought the mist into his hands. A beautifully made transparent prayer tower designed to house the ashes was already constructed, as if awaiting the final stage of the ceremony. Nainashari had told Tenashar and Etutsha of its existence long ago.
The prayer tower resembled a tall cylinder that rose from the ground. It wasn’t just a plain cylinder but had a blue color and was sculptured with many figures, patterns, and colors from Sileizan mythology. It wasn’t made of glass but translucent metals. Tenashar put the vase into the sky tower where it would remain.
It was over. Tenashar felt a lot of strange things in his heart.
Knode, Marhidium, Siytai, and Osinthaph had known Nainashari for only a short while, but they felt that a great friend had departed, never to return in this world.
“I’ve lost a mentor and friend. I’ll never know someone as Nainashari. He will always be in my heart,” said Tenashar.
chapter 38
A New Light Begins in a Young Underground World
Tenashar and his friends continued to wait several days for the craftsmen to return from Senetha. In his heart was a yearning to return to the desert world to visit Cadica and Ilaythesia, so Tenashar walked in the same direction he once used to get to the desert world. He finally emerged from an array of thick foliage and beheld the same desert world he once saw.
Osinthaph followed him and found herself in a wide expanse of desert she had never seen before. She picked up a handful of sand and examined it. Each grain was a different color, and they sparkled in the bright sunlight. The beauty of the desert dazzled Osinthaph.
“Osinthaph, it’s best to drop the sand. Leave it where it is. It belongs to this time,” said Tenashar.
Then Marhidium came to their side, for she had also followed. “This is not our world, or our time. Let’s return to do what we have to do to survive.”
A voice then emanated from the sand, telling them to go no further. Tenashar believed that either Cadica or Ilaythesia was giving them a warning. They decided to go back. But before Tenashar left, he brought some pots and tools from the forest to the border of the desert world to keep the connection of the two worlds open. He later brought more objects so that the opening would never close.
Osinthaph must have thought that he was doing something very strange. But Tenashar knew what he was doing, for he had learned this technique from Nainashari. He sensed this was right.
A sense of direction and purpose began to grow in Tenashar. It was his responsibility to continue Nainashari’s work. What he didn’t realize yet was that he was setting a pattern for
the seasons to come. Tenashar went back to the cave to see what he could do. The daily task of cleaning and organizing the cave kept Tenashar and his companions busy.
As things began to get organized in the cave, there were soon signs that the Senetha were coming back. Far in the distance, Tenashar saw torches and lights traveling in their direction. Then Tenashar recognized groups of people walking toward the cave—the very craftsmen who had previously helped Nainashari plan and build the sphere worlds and underground homes.
Some of the Senetha decided to stay in the mountains where they had sought shelter, while others wished to settle down closer to Nainashari’s cave. In time, underground tunnels would connect the Senetha people in the cave and mountain realms.
As the men approached, one of them said, “We’re surprised and delighted to see you, Tenashar. At first we barely recognized you. You have really changed. You’re a man of the world with wisdom and maturity. You know your way around. And you’re taller. You have confidence, and this makes you seem different. Hey, your limbs have healed, and your legs are now massive and muscular. Everything about you is different. You’re not the same person who left our village so long ago. We are very proud of you.”
Tenashar recognized many of the craftsmen. Some of them were like uncles to him. Many of them had supported Tenashar and his father Sanashei in the council. He asked them what happened to Etutsha. They said that he had gone back to the mountains to help construct the new underground dwellings.
Things had changed back there. Everyone in the tribe realized that many years would be required to complete the tasks. Some of the elderly villagers may never see the completion of the underground dwelling. To the younger people of the village, it didn’t matter. Besides, young and elderly alike were living in greater comfort than they had on the plains. The men told Tenashar that the old tree was still there on the hill.
The tree on the hill reminded Tenashar of the Mushroom and the Rock whose essence had gone into the navigation compass. He had met them on that hill. The Mushroom and Rock hardly said anything to him lately because he was maturing to become a true Aura-Laei-i. It was now Tenashar’s turn to give advice to other people.
Soon there was a gathering of tribesmen from other parts of the continent, come to have a celebration. They had come back often, completing the underground dwellings for the Senetha. Many of the craftsmen were sad when they heard that Nainashari had passed away. But the news didn’t dampen the festivities because they knew that Tenashar would become the new leader of the cave.
Knode, Marhidium, Siytai, Osinthaph, Thitwa, and Betaqal joined the craftsmen in the celebrations. As children, these men they had heard so much about those legendary islands. Now the legends had come to life.
The celebrations went on for an entire day and night.
But Tenashar went off alone, deep into a secluded part of the cave to talk with the Mushroom and the Rock. He felt a sense of guilt because he hadn’t talked with them for a long time. Listening quietly, Tenashar waited for their voices.
Finally, they came. “Don’t feel bad. You haven’t neglected us. We’ve guided you in ways you weren’t aware of. The world is changing. Someday the Orbs will no longer bother the world. Be patient.”
“Is this all that the people of the world have to do—just wait for the Orbs to die? Will those of your kind die?” asked Tenashar.
“Yes, there is nothing else the Rock and I can do,” the Mushroom answered. “But whatever happens, the rocks won’t be affected. Don’t worry about the mushrooms; they are safe. The spores of the mushrooms will multiply in another time. Some of your people will plant our spores in underground gardens. Everything will grow and help bring life to the underground world. The underground villages and gardens shall flourish with wonder, like the cities of Sahaynaivium.”
The compass fell silent. Its bright glowing lights became dim again. Tenashar reflected on the past and on the many people he had met. Jerry’s image came back into his heart. He remembered making friends with her, looking into a pool of water. Like Cadica, she was a girl who came from another time. The people of his time were laying the foundations of both Cadica’s and Jerry’s worlds.
He thought of Jarviashar and hoped to see her again. There was a funny feeling deep within his heart that this would happen. Leineha made a promise that he would visit Nainashari’s cave. Then he remembered the little ghost girl, Neihanva, he once saw among the ruins of an old village that may have been destroyed by the Orbs long ago.
Many other memories went through his mind, flowing like a peaceful stream in a quiet forest. In time, he would begin to understand why he had been sent on the journey across a continent and across an ocean. The situations he experienced on his travels were meant to teach him the many things he had to know in order to be an Aura-Laei-i.
Yet the journey never ends, and there was much more to learn in the coming seasons. An Aura-Laei-i never thought of himself as above others, and Tenashar made it a point to live by the rules and virtues of an Aura-Laei-i.
Hundreds of craftsmen and their families were working hard to beat the Orbs that were still ravishing other lands. These craftsmen were adding more underground caverns to Nainashari’s cave. In time, these caves would be ready for habitation. But if the Orbs ever came back, Nainashari had built a barrier to enclose the forest, and it would protect them.
Tenashar understood that the Orbs wouldn’t completely stop at this time, but the barriers would keep them away, and in time, they would cease to function, as some of them already were. Ways were being found to destroy their programing by filling them with too much information. He had found his answer; the Orbs they were dying. And as for the child thing, Tenashar saw that it was already ceasing. The Artificial Beings were too old; their parts had worn down. He was sensing where the child thing was, and the engineers devised a barrier, a sphere that would keep their communities protected.
Elsewhere, other tribes were making their cities and villages into sphere worlds, thus preserving the environments they loved. The Sahaynaiviums and Umharkans were encasing their lands in powerful fields of water and air that created currents that traveled faster than sound. These barriers, together with the sphere worlds, would prevent the Orbs from coming in.
Seen from above, the Sahaynaivium islands were invisible—hidden away in their own world. They appeared no different from the surrounding ocean. It was as if the lands had moved into a different dimension.
One by one, tribes started to disappear from the world. Some were hidden beneath the ground while others were partially tucked away in another universe. What remained eventually turned to desert, but a few oases of green were left high in the inaccessible mountains.
In the march of centuries, the world would become a beautiful desert. Then, once again, people emerged to build another civilization in the desert, marveling at its beauty. They built cities again while still preserving the underground and sphere worlds that had sustained their ancestors. In time, they would build Jerry’s world.
Eventually, Tenashar, Marhidium, Knode, Siytai, and Osinthaph settled into their new home in Nainashari’s cave. Once they felt at home there, they decided to travel to the Senetha village, using the flying ship to shorten the travel time. A-amar and Una-sei had truly found their home in the cave, and so they stayed behind. The Rock and Mushroom also remained in the cave, inside the compass.
Once they landed, the entire tribe came out to greet them, including Sanashei, Tansatei, and Etutsha. It was as if Tenashar was coming home to his family. He considered the people of the tribe part of his soul. Although many had been against him in the beginning, the animosity they felt for Tenashar didn’t matter anymore.
Tenashar greeted Etutsha with a bright smile and tears running down his cheeks. They embraced each other. The hatred that Tenashar still felt for some of his fellow villagers began to slowly fade from his heart. It would be years before his hate completely disappeared, but once it faded, all the wisdom of an Aura-Laei-i w
ould be released into Tenashar’s mind. That’s why it had been necessary for him to go through the traumatic difficulties of destructive thoughts, much more than the average person. This was how a true Aura-Laei-i was made.
Tenashar introduced Tansatei to all his aeronaut friends. She was so excited to see these exotic visitors. Tansatei took a particular interest in Marhidium, for she knew Marhidium had taken care of Tenashar during his many trials. With just as much enthusiasm, Tenashar’s friends found the Senetha strange and interesting.
Etutsha was deeply saddened to find that Nainashari had died. He embraced Tenashar with gentle hands. This was the Senetha custom of acknowledging sympathy.
Now it was Sanashei’s turn to embrace and acknowledge his son. Both father and son felt the warmth of an embrace. Tenashar looked into his father’s eyes and at once comprehended what they were trying to say to each other. It was finally clear to Tenashar that his father and Tansatei had looked after him during his journey. He was glad to know that he wasn’t alone. Sanashei and Tenashar would work together to bring a better life to their tribe. Even Etutsha would work closely with Tenashar.
Tansatei was enthusiastic to see Tenashar. During his absence, she had become an almost full-grown woman. Her concern for Tenashar went beyond friendship. It seemed she had eyes for him. And there were other natural urges that were becoming apparent. There was an emotional connection between them, and they were both Aura-Laei-i.
“I have never met anyone with such an exceptionally clean spirit as yours. Everything about you is pure as the first day of a new season,” said Marhidium.
Nothing dark seemed to touch Tansatei. Her only desire was to have the plants, animals, and people safe. Siytai didn’t say much to Tansatei, just gave her a salutation and smile. Knode, in his elevated intellectual manner, kept on talking, to the point that Marhidium had to repeatedly shush him. Tansatei and Osinthaph immediately had a connection as Aura-Laei-i.
Journey to the Grassland and Sea Page 26
