Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  “As Afleen grew into adulthood the Hallowed Mother spoke to him for the first time. During his maturity he slowly gained special powers that the rest of his kind couldn’t understand. He could easily communicate by thought alone and could control his surroundings with his energy. He could read the flow of any situation and set it right, if there was a disharmony before his eyes.” Sorono stopped at turned around to speak to all who were present. “The reason Connor destroyed the meeting today is because he read the flow of energy and of us. He always knows whenever someone is lying to him and he won’t rest until he hears the truth. We are created differently so we can understand the impossible. Even if the truth is terrible we’ll still desire it. No matter what you do, try not to lie to him or you can expect trouble. He realized the very second my son opened his mouth that he was lying.”

  “Your mistaken, Sorono.” Everyone turned to look at Sarah’s mate, even an astonished Sorono. Connor was calm, but his eyes were still as penetrating as ever. “I noticed something was off the very moment all of you walked into the room. You shouldn’t have walked with your eyes closed or made yourself look smaller. That set my radar off, but it wasn’t until the second meeting did I figure out that you were the real Head Elder. Every Elder Keeper on your platform glanced at least one time to you. They were looking towards their real leader, not Damian. Even Damian second guessed himself a few times and looked at you for guidance. But the entire time you did nothing, but listen to everything at the proceedings.”

  “I’m impressed, Connor. I really am.” Sorono returned his piercing hazel eyes to the rest. “Even at a single glance one of us could tell there is something strange. What we do when we find a disharmony it stop the flow completely and set things right. It can be as simple as moving a rock in a river to make the flow more easily or as Connor demonstrated earlier, destroy the flow with force. When he fought all of the Guard’s he didn’t even scratch them during the one sided fight. What he was doing was flushing me out by demonstrating he wasn’t fooled like everyone else was. In revealing me as the Head, he proved how unique he is… Now let’s get back to the story.” He turned around and pointed to the picture after the blue/brown swirl.

  “Afleen was the first immortal Keeper and my brethren here are almost all his descendants. Afleen mated with one female, after finding he could bring her into his immortal and lonely life. All of his children became immortals as well, but they didn’t have their father’s immense strength. Those children also mated with other mortals and their children became immortals. Since his descendants had become immortals, the children took longer and longer to reproduce. Like my new mate Veronica here is a mother of two, she had to wait almost eight hundred thousand years before she was able to produce an heir to her legacy.” Sarah looked up at her companion. If she was human Sarah would guarantee Veronica would be flushing in embarrassment. Sarah rested a hand on her large leg and she looked down and smiled in gratitude. “Then Afleen had to create the first immortal bloodline chart. He knew if his children were too closely related, mutations would begin to occur and that would become too dangerous. That is why, to this day, I know every single branch that started on his first list.

  “During his immortal reign he set the people and planet’s flow back in order. His fellow companions made less and less destruction to the planet. Soon everyone began working with the Hallowed Mother’s creations and using only what they needed. What you need to know is that this process took close ten thousand years to fully achieve.” Sorono began walking around the room again.

  “The Hallowed Mother was highly pleased with her first son’s efforts and what he had accomplished. She then decided to make another son to ease the heavy burden of rule on Afleen. His brother came to be known as Ragke. She allowed the brothers to choose their own path, without her interference. The brothers had chosen to become best friends and they ruled together, equally. Peace and exploration lasted for the next million years. Until something terrible happened.

  “Ragke somehow lost himself and had become like a wild and feral animal. He started using his unbound strength to destroy all the peace he helped hold with his brother. No one could stand in his way as he destroyed civilization after civilization, except for his older brother Afleen.” Sorono wiped a tear from his eye as a sudden memory flashed in everyone’s mind for a moment and then just as quickly disappeared. “The two brothers met in an inevitable battle, since their powers were equal. During the fight Ragke used his power to pull an asteroid from space. Afleen knew how dangerous things had gotten once he realized what his brother had set in motion. Afleen was given a single opportunity to win and he was forced to kill his brother. The fight exhausted Afleen and he knew the asteroid his brother altered was going to hit the planet and destroy all of life.

  “Afleen used his remaining strength to adjust the asteroid’s trajectory, to land in the ocean. He knew the water would slow the impact to a degree, but not stop the destruction completely. The asteroid landed, but it was too close to where Afleen fought. He was killed as was most of the planet from the dust cloud that lasted for several years.” Sorono pointed past the painting of an explosion. “Only a few of their children managed to survive the blast radius and the extensive winter from the dust cloud. Unfortunately all of the mortal Keepers vanished from existence. During the fall of what you call the dinosaurs did the Hallowed Mother make her third child. She told him about what had happened and charged him to be a guide for the next sentient race to arise. She didn’t want the Keepers to rule the planet again incase something like this happened. Since then she hasn’t spoken aloud. The next species to become sentient were…”

  “Humans.” Connor finished his statement and took it from there by looking at the paintings and filling in the blanks. He cocked his head as he looked at the paintings and spoke clearly. “The third did his duty and helped shape human knowledge and life, but the humans became annoyed with the interference because they wanted to learn by themselves and became even more greedy. They saw Keepers as dragons and thought them evil. They couldn’t comprehend where their immortal guides got their powers or how they were able to use it. Most humans saw you as a threat to their survival and started slaying the dragons like demonic beasts in their ignorance. To save a great many lives the Keepers disappeared from human history, thousands of years ago. Since then the humans started making their own path and shaping their own lives, but the Keepers still do their duty and keep an ever watchful eye on the humans. With that close observation they do their best to still guide them wherever possible from the shadows.”

  Connor stopped and looked at the clouded ceiling. “Sorono, I do not understand what the clouds and sky represents.”

  “That meaning is the unknown future and what will lay even beyond that.”

  “I see now.” Connor smiled up at the domed roof.

  “Now for the last parts of the story.” Sorono turned around to look at the group. “Will everyone please move to the walls so everyone may look at the final painting on the floor?”

  Everyone moved from the center of the room to the wall. All that remained left was the giant black X on the white floor. Connor and Sorono moved to stand in the center of the room, where the black lines intersected. Sarah could see how everyone had spread out across the room to look at her mate from every angle. The two men stood proudly in the very center of the room.

  Sorono took a very deep breath through his snout and drove it back out. His reptilian features turned impassive as the story came to an end. “The special children born of the Hallowed Mother are called Harmonizers.” She could see everyone’s eyes widen from the others on the side of the room. “We are the truest guardians of this planet, given the right by the Hallowed Mother herself. We are the strongest of all living creatures, thanks to our special gifts and instincts. The first way you can tell us as Harmonizers is by our eyes. If you look into Connor’s or my eyes, you will think they are a sharp hazel. In fact they are a representation of the earth and the sk
y coming together in one entity. The greatest representation is from the mark she put on us, once our bodies could survive the pain. It is a pain that only a Harmonizer can bear whereas all others would die. Below my feet you see the painting, but in reality the marking looks like this.”

  Sorono grabbed his sleeves and pulled his arms inside his Elder’s robe. He then slid his arms through the front and spread them apart. His black robe laid back and down. The falling robe fell all the way down to his waistline. His belt was the only thing keeping his clothing on. The muscles of a Harmonizer must be the same because Sorono revealed himself to be just as overly developed in muscle tone as Connor is. His chest and abdominal muscles were wide and rippling. His arms and legs were perfectly carved and looked threatening. His black scales were all perfect and moved just over the knotted muscles. The thing is, Sarah didn’t see any mark on his chest like on Connor’s.

  She happened to glance up at Veronica and almost laughed aloud in the silent hall. Veronica’s catlike pupils were dilated and were twinkling in the light. Sarah knew her friend was instantly and sexually attracted to her new mate. She glanced around and every other unmated female Keeper in the room had the same lustful look filling their features.

  Her attention returned when Sorono started turning around. Once his back was turned she saw the brand. It was exactly like Connor’s, but marked on his back. The enormous mark melted the scales on his back and looked more like melted skin. The branding was slightly blacker than the scales that covered his body. The lines started at his shoulders and crossed over his spinal column and wrapped to the base of his ribs. His back muscles moved with his shoulders and it made the mark ripple and move. He said “This is the mark of a Harmonizer.”

  Once everyone had a chance to see his back he stopped and looked down at her mate. “It is alright, my brother. Show them your Harmonizers brand.”

  Her Harmonizer husband turned to look at her and she nodded. He sighed, grabbed the bottom of his shirt with both hands and in one motion the shirt slid completely off. He dropped the shirt on the ground and everyone saw his Armguards, sleeveless chainmail and the real size of her mate’s upper body. He loosened the strings and slid the armguards off and after that did he pull off the chainmail.

  Connor stood tall and proud as the others saw the contrasting brand over her mate’s godly sculpted chest. Most everyone gasped at his cruel perfection, except for those who have seen the mark before. He turned so everyone could see his tattooed chest. Sarah could easily see his armlet with a representation of her. She could then feel the weight of her anklet as it wrapped around her right ankle.

  “As you can all see, he too is a true Harmonizer.” Then Sorono stopped and looked directly at Sarah. “Dear child, will you please join us. There are a few things we need to discuss.”

  She looked at Connor as he began smiling comfortably and took it as a good sign and started walking into the center. Sarah could feel everyone watching her so she forced herself to walk proudly and not look as scared as she really felt. She made it over to Connor and put her back to his chest. He wrapped is warm and loving arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

  Sorono looked at everyone now and said “Please gather around and sit on the floor. I think you will like to hear this conversation and gain some insight.” Sorono grinned and sat down right where he stood.

  Connor sat and crossed his legs. Sarah sat down right in his lap and leaned back into his warm chest. She had to concentrate because his scent started overpowering her judgments. She looked forward and Sorono sat before her very eyes and he was still showing his exposed chest. She could feel Connor’s muscles moving as he brought his shirt and armor to rest by his right knee.

  Mark and Kara were the first to sit and they sat to Sarah’s left, still in their Fwen forms. Her mother and father sat closely to her right and Jillian also sat in Jack’s lap. Veronica sat directly to Sorono’s left and she sat her egg between her crossed legs and waited. Then the other Elders sat in a wide circle around them and the Immortal Guards sat as closely as they could.

  Sorono took another deep breath to start, but Connor interrupted. “Before you start asking us questions, I need you to answer a few of mine first.” Sorono was caught off guard for a moment and then gestured with his claw for Connor to proceed. As he spoke she could feel the vibrations of his voice flowing through her body. “First off, how many Harmonizer’s have there been?”

  “Including you, there have been a total of six Harmonizers. I was the forth to be given life and the third taught me just about everything I know about life. Our brother was more like a father to me. He was killed by a poisonous plant that is now extinct, thankfully. That was about fifty million years ago. The fifth is a Keeper as well, but he has been missing for at least twenty million years. I have been trying to find him, but he is elusive and constantly escapes my claws.” For the first time she saw anger fill the eyes of Sorono. “I am honestly worried because when I find where he has been, there is nothing except total chaos left in his wake. He likes to cause much destruction during large storms, like hurricanes, and make it look like an accident, but it’s his doing and there isn’t any doubt about that.”

  Sarah said “You can see his…” She looked around the room and all eyes were now on her so she spoke cryptically. “special signature that he leaves behind when he uses his abilities, right?”

  The large hazel eyes were penetrating, but she’s seen Connor’s too much and it’s not as daunting as it once was. He studied her before saying “Yes, you are correct, Sarah. When anyone touches anything, they always leave behind a trace of their essence. Plus all living things have a unique signature.” He turned his large eyes back to Connor. “The troubling thing is, I’m afraid he might be like Ragke and is going feral. But we can worry about that problem later... The thing that is so unique to me is that you are the sixth Harmonizer, Connor. But you are the first Humanoid Harmonizer. You and I might look completely different in appearance, but at the core, you and I are true brothers.”

  “You have called me your brother several times now. My next question is, is my mom really my mother?” Connor’s arms locked their positions and Sarah also couldn’t move.

  “I am afraid that she is not. You are the biological son of the Hallowed Mother.”

  “LIAR!” All eyes turned directly at Kara as she stood on all fours. The fur all over her body stood on end like a giant powder-puff. And her hackles were all pointing. “Don’t you lie like that, old man!” Sorono’s eyes went wide at her bluntness. “He is my brother. Mom always said so. We even have the same hair color. And you’re telling me that he’s not my big brother?”

  Connor’s voice was calm as he said “Kara, he isn’t lying. I would know if he was. Don’t you always agree with my judgments, Sis?”

  Kara’s eyes went wide and she gasped. “But, Brother…”

  “But, nothing. Please sit back down.” She did so reluctantly. “Listen, no matter what I am or who made me, you will always be my annoying sister and Jenny will always be my overprotective Mom.” Kara’s eyes closed tightly and Sarah saw a tear escape the blockade. Mark rubbed her back and she leaned on him for support. Sarah knew her world had become cracked and what she now knew broke her heart. Her own was on the verge as well. Connor’s arms unlocked and he rubbed her thighs softly as he tried comforting his love as well.

  “Kara May, there is a simple answer to your question to the color of your hair. When a Harmonizer is born we are usually taken in by a surrogate parent, we adapt a certain way so as the parent will think that we are one of its own kin. When your brother first met you he adapted to certain changes like your hair color so your mother would think that the child is hers. It is a survival instinct that presents itself in us for only the first few months after we surface. When we find a stable atmosphere our code locks in place so that we don’t constantly change should we come in contact with another parental figure or sibling.”

  Then it hit. Sarah looked u
p and said “Connor those dreams that you’ve been having every night...” His hazel eyes widened has he caught her train of thought.

  “Your right, Princess. That might have been an early memory of my childhood. Maybe my first…” Then he had that knowing look in his eyes. His head jerked straight up to look at his reptilian brother. “I have been having a single strange dream lately. It is during the night and I crawled out of the dirt. I could tell that I was a toddler and when I escaped I could see a shadowy figure hidden within the shadows and it was just watching me. Then a pair of soft arms picked me up and my dream ends. That shadowy figure was you, wasn’t it Sorono.”

  Everyone turned to see Sorono smiling. “Indeed, I was there to be the first one to see you, but you came out differently than I expected. I sensed a new brother entering the world and I waited for hours until you finally escaped to the surface of the planet. Like me, you used up all of your power to reach the surface as a child. We were both out in the woods and I heard humans close by camping out in the woods. I was going to take you with me, but I knew that you would fit in better with others of your kind…”

  “Well you were very much mistaken in your first assumption.” Their eyes turned to Mark and even Kara opened her eyes to look at her mate. “There were only four humans who ever accepted my best friend and they were only his family. Everyone treated him with disgust, malice and cruelty. He was an outcast of the society, but he never raised a fist in anger. When we first met I could tell he was different, even at the age of thirteen he was able to pick me up like I was nothing more than a sack of flour. His strength and compassion was something that I have witnessed countless time. I stayed close and befriended him as he was the nicest human I had ever met. It wasn’t until Sarah came into his life did he truly find where he belonged.”