The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1)

by Denny Bennett

  “I suppose that makes sense. Well, at least I'm getting some use out of it. This seems like an enormous treasure though; I'm not so sure I deserve something this elaborate, Urieth.” “Everyone on Anidon has access to some type of matter convertor, either for sustenance, or for their general living. The one your house is equipped with is far more advanced than what most citizens have access to; they are very limited here in Anidon. I know you have demonstrated responsibility in the world above, and to those who use well what they have been given, even more shall be given. So do not worry that you are unworthy to accept such a thing; you are more than worthy. On that note I will end our conversation and we shall speak over a fine meal at the conclusion of your studies. Unfortunately, I will have to ask you to wear your eye covers outside and from now on. We must keep your heritage a secret for the time being. Farewell,” he said with a smile, ending the communication.

  Dorian sighed aloud. “Some day I'll be able to go without them, oh well.” The next few hours flew by quickly as Dorian made additional customizations to his new house and discovered the Anidon news, its infrastructure, history, and 'internet', all with the aid of Uchi. The time approached for his instruction with Matthias and Uchi informed him to step outside onto the waiting platform that would take him directly to the lecture. Approximately five minutes later, he reached his destination. The landing area was atop a gigantic white obelisk that stood at two thousand one hundred feet. There were numerous other platforms that side of the obelisk that led to various floors within the structure. Hundreds of people were coming and going and he had to quickly get out of the way to avoid creating a traffic jam. Once he disembarked the vehicle it shrank into a miniaturized form, allowing Dorian to take the semi-sentient Uchi EL-84 module with him. It floated alongside as he was led to a small lecture hall on the ninety eighth floor where he observed Matthias standing at a podium giving instruction to six other students.

  “Ah, Dorian. Please come inside and be seated. I was just explaining to your fellow classmates that you would be joining us. Allow me to introduce you all to Professor Dorian Lystad, son of Urieth.” Everyone in the class turned their attention towards him. “Over there on the far left is Sasha; next to her is one of our field leaders, Sergeant Simon Newell; to his right we have Josiah; behind him is Emerelda.” “Emma,” she interrupted. “My apologies. Continuing to the right is Xui Mei, and finishing up the lot is Juan Velazquez.” Most of the group turned to greet him, or at least look at him, with the exception of Emma. Dorian paused; the truth of the situation struck him for a moment. Here he was in an alternate dimension of Earth's reality, standing in an auditorium in a giant obelisk in order to learn about supernatural warfare. Not more than four weeks prior could he have possibly imagined all that had transpired and how much his life had changed. For a second he wondered if he was in a coma in a hospital somewhere after some terrible accident and that all that he experienced was one big hallucination or dream. “Dorian? Is everything all right?” Matthias asked as Dorian stared ahead with a vacuous expression. “What are you, some kind of tard? Sit down so we can get this over with,” Emma barked, scowling with disgust. “Miss Emma, if you would be so kind as to refrain from speaking in that manner I would greatly appreciate it. Professor Lystad has been through a great deal of difficulty very recently and I am sure he is just adjusting to his surroundings,” Matthias said gently. “Forgive me, Emma, everyone. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please, continue Matthias,” Dorian said, fitting himself into a seat that conformed to his body. The others looked at him and gave off various emotions; mostly curiosity, slight indignation, a bit of lust, and a touch of jealousy. Dorian refrained from reading their thoughts, as being called out on it at the present moment could become embarrassing for him.

  “Currently, the class is into its seventh week and we have much material to cover. For today all I ask is that you listen and not concern yourself too much with mastering the information. My wish for everyone is to understand the greater concepts and how they apply to what we do here. I will send the materials to your house computer for you to get up to speed on what we have been learning. With that said, let us continue,” he said, turning his attention to a floating screen with an animation of the topic he had most recently discussed. It was no surprise that their educational methods were superior to those that were employed on Earth. If a student had a question or was unsure, Matthias would simply touch them and 'transfer' the correct way of thinking about the matter at hand. Dorian remained quiet for the two hour lecture and at the conclusion he waited for all the students to disperse before approaching Matthias. “I hope you found my discourse educational, or at least somewhat enlightening,” Matthias said. “It's not exactly a subject material I am familiar with, but I think you presented it well enough for me to get the basics of what was being discussed. You all take this very seriously it seems,” Dorian replied.

  “Yes, and with good reason. Over the centuries the citizens of Anidon have tried to influence and counteract the infiltration of the enemy imbedded in human affairs, with mostly disastrous results. There are very powerful forces at work among them and we believe they have laid the groundwork for a significant and dramatic action that is nearing its fruition. Their skills are quite superior to ours in many ways, yet we have advanced to the point where I feel that we have a fighting chance against them. Your father can give you more of the specifics of what we are up against. Suffice it to say it is far beyond conventional human warfare.”

  “I see. I will try to take it more seriously then. I have to admit I am a bit envious of your presentation skills and ability to transfer information through thought-touch. Tell me, why don't you just give them everything they need all at once? Is that not possible?”

  Matthias smiled. “The visual examples I gave, coupled with the conceptual and practical, helps cement the ideas. As to your query posed about thought transference-- that method works best when in Baltu form. The human brain, and that includes higher forms of human, is incapable of absorbing too much information at one time and thought transference can lead to identity issues in those who have not mastered their Shi. We tend to use it sparingly for helping to clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings. Your Shi is quite powerful; however, it is vital that you learn to control it to a greater degree before experimenting with matter manipulation, light gathering, and thought transference. Yelnisha, ahem, will be your guide for that,” he said, looking past Dorian.

  “Thaaat's right,” a familiar voice coming from behind said slowly and somewhat malevolently. Dorian grimaced and winced while Matthias looked puzzled. Dorian casually turned towards Yelnisha while keeping the two of them in his sight. “Ah, about what happened earlier. Listen, I had no idea that was going to happen. I didn't think the house was going to literally throw you into a pond. I was just as surprised as you were. Believe me-”

  “Oh, I believe you all right. Believe me, I won't let you make that mistake again,” Yelnisha replied through gritted teeth.

  Tiddi and Osokas, her two subordinates, were standing next to Yelnisha, using every ounce of willpower to avoid bursting into laughter.

  “What brings you here?” Dorian asked. “Oh I just came to bring you the good news. I just spoke with Urieth and he wants you to begin training with me tomorrow, five days a week. I can't wait for us to get started,” she said with narrowed, sinister eyes. “I've sent the information to your house pet, so I expect you won't be late,” she said, then brusquely walked out. Dorian looked over at Matthias. “Sounds like she's going to hold a grudge. She's not a vengeful person, is she?”

  “I have known Yelnisha since she was ten years old and in that time she has consistently demonstrated herself to be vindictive towards those who have crossed her in some form. I suspect considerable repercussions for this act. Good luck my friend. A word of advice, she likes puppies.” “Puppies? Great, one loves rabbits and the other loves dogs. I had better think of something by tomorrow. Thanks for the lecture, Matthias,
and the advice. When do we meet again?” “Just so you are aware, this class is held three times a week. I've sent the schedule to your house computer to remind you. Until the next time my friend.” Matthias waved goodbye and left. Dorian walked out of the classroom, a bit disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings and the pace at which his life was transforming. Xui Mei was standing outside and made eye contact with him as he walked out. She smiled and they both started laughing.

  Fifteen

  Walking to the area where he had arrived, Dorian asked Uchi where he was to meet his father for dinner. There were still two hours remaining, so he decided to walk around the city to do a bit of sightseeing. Making his way outside to the terminal platform, he climbed aboard his semi-sentient mobile home and proceeded to get the grand tour of the city in daylight. Thousands of people were moving about to various places, some flying, some walking, some with ground transportation. Going over the main city he spotted a coliseum or stadium of sorts that looked to be hosting some type of sporting event. Moving in for a closer look, he saw banners up top of the stadium advertising for the current years cooperation events. Holographic video of players engaging in the sport were all around the front steps, along with immortalized statues of what he surmised were famous players.

  Continuing around the town he heard loud crashes of thunder and sounds of explosions that rumbled in the distance. His heart began to race, wondering what it was all about, so he followed the noise until he came to an outdoor training facility. About two hundred people of various sizes and origins were sorted into different groups; one on one, two vs two, five on five, and so on in an area about the size of twenty football fields. About two hundred of them were off to one side doing some type of physical training with several instructors leading them in smaller groups, much like a modern day martial arts class. Some of the pairings were moving so fast it was difficult to follow. Flashes of light, loud crashes, impact shockwaves, and explosions took place in the air and on the ground. The intensity and speed at which these combatants moved was incredible. They seemed very focused on their training. There was no laughter or playing around amongst them, with the exception of a small group that looked very much like the ones in the class Matthias just finished up with. Spectators were gathered to watch them practice in designated areas all around the training facility. Many displayed a look of awed reverence on their faces, almost as if the combatants were some sort of chosen ones. Five minutes later, the melee had ceased for the combatants to take a break. A few moments later the field began to repair itself with multiple floating disk shaped devices that Dorian surmised were a type of portable matter generator.

  Uchi reminded Dorian that the time to meet with Urieth was approaching. They departed and a few moments later arrived at The Whispering Wind, an enormous circular building with flashing multicolored lights on the exterior. The venue was much larger than Dorian expected. Hundreds of people were coming and going, making it seem like some type of concert or media event. As he approached the entranceway he observed multiple holographic sentient beings similar to Uchi managing the seating assignments for the guests. "You may proceed inside, Dorian. Your father's table has already been prepared and he is waiting for you. Follow me," Uchi said.

  The interior of the Whispering Wind, like much of Anidon, was unique. Floating lights similar to the ones that lit up the tunnel and the front of his house were lined up all along the walls. The walls themselves utilized the same technology found in his house, allowing for a fully customizable appearance. Patrons had the ability to customize three of them in their section, the table and seats, in addition to the floor and ceiling. The visitors seemed to be trying to outdo each other with elaborate and creative designs, which obviously was part of the allure and charm to the place. Some used pre-made templates that they brought from home, some set up their space on a whim, and others had the computer randomly customize their surroundings. Everything from snowy grounds with a campfire, sandy beach settings with tropical plants, stone castle walls with ornate fixtures, solid ice bars, Asian outdoor spas, otherworldly-looking settings, gothic designs, and so on were on display. Many people were milling about, looking at all the different creative deigns.

  The customizable spaces were all along the walls and in the center of the giant facility chefs were preparing food alongside of performers that were engaging in different forms of entertainment. Dorian was overwhelmed by the sights and felt sad that the world above was not able to enjoy something this magnificent. Uchi brought him to Urieth's section, which was done up exactly like Dorian's living room in Ann Arbor, complete with his fireplace, aged tufted leather couch, his tables, and even the pictures on the walls.

  "I see you made it here, excellent. I thought you could use some familiar surroundings, so I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of making it up like this,” Urieth said. Dorian stood at the precipice admiring the realism. “Please, be seated," Urieth said with his hand extended. Dorian sat down and felt the leather on the couch, which was almost identical to how his own felt. "The only thing missing is the freezing cold temperature I've been accused of keeping in the house," Dorian said with a laugh. Urieth smiled.

  "How is this possible?" Dorian asked "We call them matter converters, which is a basic description of their function. Once we have the molecular makeup of something we can determine its atomic structure and from there it is simply a matter of rearranging things to transform it into something else. With this device I can take a mound of dirt or sand and tum it into a turkey sandwich or a shirt or whatever I want. It's quite amazing to say the least and it's transformed our society. There is no want for anything; everything created is for all of us to enjoy. When you can have whatever you want whenever you want it takes greed out of the equation. The focus shifts from a materialistic society to a more spiritual one," Urieth said.

  "And here I was under the impression the major human incentive to succeed was driven by greed,” Dorian said. “The desire for nicer things and a better way of life drives societies to advance and produce. When people can get what they want whenever, as you say, don't they lose their drive for life?"

  "In a society where greed is rampant, your assessment is correct; when the need can be satisfied on a whim the effect of gathering things to impress or get ahead of others is lessened and eventually becomes meaningless. What then is left for the greed driven individual? To look within and to recognize that the most valuable commodity was already before them all along; each other. When we see that what is most important is not things that we can gather up and look at, but rather caring for and loving one another, then we have realized our true purpose for this existence.

  “What was once about the self is now about the other self. We are all connected, you, me, and everyone in this room, this world. We are all part of the source of everything and we all originate as one; and therefore that person over there and that one there are as if brother and sister to you and I.

  “Greed, however, does not necessarily reflect an attribute for only those desiring material things. Selfishness can be in the form of laziness, of being unwilling to do what it takes to help your fellow brothers and sisters out.

  “I have witnessed societies that tried taking the approach of shared wealth, but they did not flourish as greed prevailed, either through corruption of their leaders, laziness of their populace and general apathy. The same downfall can be applied to democratic societies as well.

  “A wise man once described the cycles a nation goes through- From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence and finally dependence back into bondage. I have lived for many thousands of years and have seen all forms of governance on Earth and several on other planets. There is yet to be one lasting form that all can rest comfortably in.

  “Forgive me, I did not intend to become so overbearing with my opinions. It's just that I feel
pity for humans; after having lived so long humanity still cannot get it right,” he said with sadness in his voice. “You won't get any argument from me,” Dorian replied. “Anyway, here in Anidon, we have for the most part channeled our drive towards creative endeavors. Even though we use matter converters it still requires a blueprint; if none exists, then we must create one. All of the amazing things you have seen here are a result of the creative spirits within that have applied their skills for the betterment of all. Some here do not possess the intellectual or creative capacity to create; however, most here have found something that brings them some form of happiness that contributes towards the greater good." "Everyone seems happy. I suppose what you have going here is a good thing." Dorian replied