“Ben!” she yelled kind of frantic. “Ben, where are you?”
“Right here,” she heard his voice, but couldn’t see him. “I’m behind the cloak.”
“Cloak?” Alix questioned. “What are you talking about?”
As suddenly as Ben disappeared he appeared right before her eyes. It startled Alix so much she yelped a little and jumped back. That made Ben grin at her.
“Sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to scare you. This a magical cloak that we use when we need to hide something. But it’s just an illusion. It looks like trees in the woods but it’s not really there. See.”
And with that Ben stuck his hand out and it disappeared. He pulled it back and his hand reappeared. Alix just stared with amazement. Ben did it again to show Alix it was okay. Now that Alix realized that it was going to be okay her curiosity got the better of her. She walked a few steps closer to Ben and put her hand out. It disappeared just like Ben’s. Alix gasped at seeing her own hand disappeared. She did it a couple more times and started giggling.
“This is so cool!” she exclaimed.
In no time at all, she was stepping through the cloak. What she saw on the other side had her stopping dead in her tracks, again. It was the cabin from her dream. It wasn’t that it kind of looked like the one she had been dreaming about, it looked exactly like the one she had seen many times in her dreams. Same door, same windows, even the same little path leading to it. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. She stood there and had a good look at the cabin. She guessed she shouldn’t be surprised that it was the same one. Waking up with the tattoo on her hand should have clued her in that more things would be real. But she gave herself a break considering it had only been a couple of hours since the big revelation.
Alix turned back looking the way they had come and found that the cloak only went one way, she could clearly see the house and looked up to the second floor.
“Hey Ben, can you see this cabin from your room?”
“Yes.”
Alix paused for a moment. “When we were in your room that first time when you were showing me your sketchbooks I was very drawn to this building. Now I know why.”
“This little cabin is very special to the Nykara. It holds something that all Nykara need to learn about. That could explain why you even noticed it from my room in the first place.”
“Are you ready to go inside?” Natalie asked her.
“Yes, I think so. Wait,” Alix stopped her, “Are there any more surprises? Are you guys going to disappear again? Is anything going to pop out and get me? Is there anyone in there waiting for me?”
“No Alix. There is something in there that is important that you have to find on your own and it might startle you, but no one is waiting to get you.”
“Okay, then I’m ready.” She walked over to the door, expecting them to follow. “Aren’t you guys coming too?”
“Not right now,” Natalie told her. “This is something for you to discover on your own. I promise that you’ll be completely safe while you’re in there.”
Alix believed her and turned the doorknob and walked in the door. As she entered she felt like she was back in the dream again, but this time she knew it was real. She almost felt at home in the small one-room cabin, it certainly was familiar. She wandered around the room thinking about what she was supposed to be looking for. As with her dream, she was drawn toward the fireplace and the intricately carved mantle. Alix looked at the mantle in awe as she realized it was the exact same as in her dream. The compulsion was too strong to resist, and she had to touch the beautiful wood. Somehow, she knew the wood was extremely old. She was pretty sure she couldn’t get another tattoo, so she wasn’t afraid to run her hand over the central flower that now was the tattoo on her hand. This time when her palm touched the flower she heard a little click and a secret compartment opened on the top of the mantle just above the flower. At least it didn’t scare her. She looked closer at the compartment that had opened and she saw something in it. With her pointer finger and thumb, she pulled out a small book. It was about half the size of a 4x6 photograph. Alix didn’t think she had ever seen a book so small. The cover simply said, “THE BOOK OF NYKARA”.
Chapter 22
Alix opened it up and started reading.
The Book of Nykara
Eighty-sixth Edition – printed 2001
This book is a brief overview of the Nykara people. It is to be read by a Nykara when they come into their abilities on their seventeenth birthday. It is a guide to help them understand a little about our past, who they are and what they can do. It is meant for all Nykara, no matter where they come from or who they are.
Part 1 – Our People
We do not know the initial origins of the Nykara, but the old legends tell us that we have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. The oldest known record of the Nykara dates back to about 4000 BC in Egypt but it is widely thought that we have existed long before that. Most believe that we have been here as long as there have been humans.
The Nykara have always kept their existence secret from the human population, with the exception of the Lossat. The Lossat are human families that know of our existence. They are commonly referred to as companions or friends. As the Nykara pass down their knowledge to the next generation so do the Lossat. It is common for Nykara and Lossat families to grow up together as they are connected through the generations. The Lossat are here to assist their Nykara companion in any way they are able to. Every Nykara has a Lossat that they usually grow up with and a strong bond is formed from this friendship.
The only way for a new Nykara to be born is with the union of two Nykara parents. A union of a Nykara and a human will never produce a Nykara. This is part of the reason that our population stays very small in comparison to humans.
Even though Nykara exists all over the world there are certain locations where you will find a higher than average number of Nykara. These are often areas that are rich with nature and are more secluded. They have a certain feel to the Nykara that humans cannot detect. They attract the Nykara since all the abilities Nykara have are based in nature. There are hundreds of these nature rich ‘pockets’ all over the earth. These places are often near mountains, lush forests, and large bodies of water.
Our main purpose is to help the human race, both individual people, and humans as a whole. But as always with the good comes evil. There is a race of people that have similar abilities as the Nykara, but they are the bad to the Nykara’s good. They are called the Grynn. They oppose everything that the Nykara stand for. They only want to do harm and think they should run the world and humans should answer to them. In every major war or conflict throughout time, both the Nykara and the Grynn have been involved. The Nykara outnumber the Grynn but the Grynn always manage to make their presence known from time to time. So far, the Nykara have been able to stop the Grynn from carrying out their plans, but it’s a constant fight.
You will find Nykara in all walks of life and in all professions. We live very similar lives to humans other than our abilities. You will find that Nykara do a lot of charity work as it’s in our nature to want to help people do better for themselves. There are many of our people that are in high ranking positions within most of the world’s governments and influential companies. This is one way we can help humans in times of great crisis. The Grynn also hold some of these positions so the Nykara are there to counterbalance this.
The Almati Council is the group that oversees the Nykara people. It is made up of fifteen people and every five years one-third of the Council changes. The third of November is the Day of Choosing. This is when five new Council members will replace the five that have been there the longest. It is a very celebrated day among the Nykara as it is a great honor to be chosen. Only the council knows how new members are selected, it is a highly guarded secret. If you have been chosen you will be visited by a council member and given instructions as to what comes next. Typically, the council only convenes once a
year unless there is a reason to convene outside of that time. During a war or natural disaster are two examples of this. The Almati Council is there to help all Nykara when needed but their main function is to stop the Grynn. Each Council member has been chosen for a specific reason, most of those are related to abilities that help fight the Grynn. The members of the Council lead normal lives like the rest of the Nykara and are only called upon when there is a great need.
Part 2 – Our Abilities
A Nykara’s abilities will become active when their tattoo appears on their right palm at the exact moment they were born on their seventeenth birthday. The tattoo is usually about two inches big and always in shades of black and grey. Nykara’s abilities stem from everything in nature. Plants, animals and even the very ground we walk on give the Nykara what we need to sustain our energy and use our abilities. The more we are surrounded by nature the better our abilities work. They will still work in an urban setting but the Nykara will need to ‘recharge’ by surrounding themselves in a natural setting as often as they can. Our tattoos can only be seen by other Nykara, the Lossat, and the Grynn. This is one way we can keep our presence a secret from humans.
All the Nykara have the same basic abilities. These include:
We can use the natural environment to camouflage ourselves. We are essentially able to make ourselves invisible to anyone by drawing on the power of nature to hide us.
We are able to manipulate nature. A few examples of this include growing plants quickly, moving things like rocks and tree branches, temporarily moving or re-routing water and creating winds.
Our abilities give us the opportunity to see things that humans cannot. There are many plants, animals and ‘hidden’ things in nature that only the Nykara are able to see once they become aware of their abilities.
The ability is to recognize another Nykara with touch. With a simple handshake, you will know another Nykara when the tattoos are pressed together. Most people describe the sensation as warm and tingly.
There are seven basic categories that all Nykara fall into. They are Locators, Healers, Warriors, Theorists, Artists, Physicals, and Protectors. You can tell what type of Nykara someone is by the tattoo on their right palm. No one knows for sure what type they will be until they see their tattoo for the first time. Nature knows what your strengths will be and what you will be good at. Even though a Nykara might fall into a specific category it doesn’t mean that they are the same or can do the same things. Just like humans, different Nykara are better at some things than others. Our tattoos and abilities reflect this. Some tattoos may seem to fall into more than one category and in that case, the Nykara will have a primary category and have some special abilities in another. A breakdown of the basic categories is described next.
Locators are designated by a canine tattoo. Locators have the innate ability to often be in the right place at the right time when needed. Many of them are also great at finding lost and missing things. From people to keys, they are called in when something needs to be found. To an ordinary human, they appear to be very ‘lucky.’ Some examples of Locators are private investigators, police detectives, and archeologists. Their tattoos may include a German Shepard, Collie, Dalmatian or Sheltie.
Healers are designated by a leaf tattoo. They can heal many types of injuries to other Nykara by using the power of nature to draw energy from. They can also help recharge other Nykara when their natural energies are getting low. Their abilities do not work on humans. Healers almost always go in the medical field. Doctors, nurses, caretakers and a variety of therapists are very common professions. Some examples of tattoos are an oak leaf, palm leaf, maple leaf or fern leaf.
Warriors are designated by a tattoo of a fierce animal. They are not soldiers in the traditional sense, but are the ones who protect the Nykara as a whole. While a Protector has only one person they lookout for a Warrior does this for the entire Nykara race. A Warrior might specialize in martial arts, weapons, vehicles or stealth abilities. Some tattoo possibilities include a bear, wolf, lion or shark.
Theorists are designated by a bird tattoo and are the most academically intelligent of all the Nykara. Most have the ability to learn very quickly and some retain almost everything they read and hear. They are typically great problem solvers or strategists. Some examples of Theorists are teachers, scientists, professors, and lawyers. Some tattoos include hawks, ravens, hummingbirds, or owls.
Artists are designated by a fish tattoo and are the most creative of the Nykara. They often see things in a different light. Artists are known for ‘thinking outside the box.’ For example, in the Artist's line of Nykara, someone might be a singer, actor, painter, or baker. Their tattoo might be an angel fish, lion fish, seahorse or carp.
Physicals are designated by a feline tattoo and are the most athletic of the Nykara. They are usually agile, quick, and strong. Their physical abilities make them great at most sports and they often become professional athletes. Some of their tattoos include cougars, cheetahs, leopards, and lynx.
Protectors are designated by a tree tattoo and are the least common of the Nykara. A Protector will generally have a certain Nykara that they are assigned to. No one may know the reason they will be assigned to them but there is always a reason. A Protector will always be drawn to a certain place when the time is right and will know the person they are to protect when they meet them. This is the only category where every Protector will have the same identical tattoo. It is a strong, solid tree with many branches a large canopy of leaves. Protectors can be found in all professions and will often end up choosing something that coincides with the person they end up protecting.
Once a Nykara comes of age they are trained in how to use their basic abilities by a mentor, usually a parent or other relative. It is critical that we learn to use our abilities quickly so that we don’t accidentally attract human attention. As a new Nykara becomes more proficient at using their abilities they will then be paired with a mentor that matches their specialty. There is no school for new Nykara to learn how to use their abilities as we don’t want to draw any attention to us, so their personal mentor will come to them. As a Nykara comes into adulthood they are encouraged to lead as normal a life as possible. Most Nykara goes to college and choose a career that coincides with their special abilities.
Part 3 – Our Future
The Nykara as a whole want to ensure there is harmony among themselves and humankind. We are continually monitoring the Grynn to try to stop the evil they are trying to spread. There have been many altercations in history that have needed Nykara involvement to keep the human population safe, but there is one that is said to be more terrible than all the rest. It has been passed down for many generations that there will be a time when there will be a series of great tragedies among both Nykara and humans alike. We do not know the source or cause of what this will be, only that it can be prevented by the arrival of the Kaelneth. The Kaelneth or Chosen One will be identified by their tattoo. While all of the Nykara’s tattoos are void of color the Kaelneth’s will be brightly colored. It is said that the Kaelneth will have abilities from all Nykara categories and will have a tattoo that has never been seen before. It is believed that they will be the solution for the evil that will have to be stopped. This person will be surrounded by many who can help them on their journey but ultimately, they will be the one to save the world. We do not know when the Kaelneth will arrive only that the people surrounding them will have to take great measures to keep them safe until they are fully able to use their abilities to defeat the Grynn.
Alix was stunned after finishing the book. There was so much information for her in such a small thing. The first thing she realized that according to this book it seemed like she was the Chosen One but that couldn’t be right. There was absolutely nothing special about her. She decided to talk to Natalie about it but wanted to read the book again. She instinctively knew that she wasn’t supposed to take the book out of the cabin and wished she had brought something to mak
es notes with. She looked around the cabin but didn’t find anything. She hoped she could come back and read it again another day, but for now, just re-reading it would have to do.
As Alix started reading the ‘Abilities’ section of the book, but something nagged at her memory. She started reading again and then it hit her. According to the book “new Nykara … the union of two Nykara parents” and “tattoos can only be seen by other Nykara, the Lossat, and the Grynn.” Her parents. Her parents said they couldn’t see her tattoo. She dropped the book and raced back to the house.
Chapter 23
Alix was out of breath by the time she reached the back door that led into the kitchen. She wanted answers but was afraid of what they might be. Slowly, she opened the door and stepped in. Everyone was sitting around the table talking. They abruptly stopped the moment she entered. Alix forced herself to walk over to the table to find out if what she figured out from the book was really true, it just couldn’t be. She didn’t want to believe it. She looked at her mom’s face and knew that it was true though, they were not her biological parents, but she had to say it out loud.
“Mom,” Alix started, trying to hold back the tears, “Is it really true? Are you not my parents?” She couldn’t hold back the tears as her mom answered.
“Oh, Alix honey,” her mom had tears too. “It’s true that you weren’t born to us, but we’ve had you since you were only a month old. In every way that counts you’re our daughter.”
Her mom went to hug her, and she let her. Alix wasn’t sure how much more she could take. It was supposed to be a day for celebrating and mostly she had been upset, confused, angry and sad, but definitely not happy.
Alix wiped away her tears and looked first at her mom, then everyone else. “I’m so confused I don’t even know what to say right now. I have a ton of questions about everything but I’m not sure my brain can process anything else at the moment. I’m going to need some time. Can we just pretend for the rest of the day that none of this has happened and it’s just my seventeenth birthday and do something fun?”
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