“Come a bit more closer, Jayr,” the Keeper calls out again. I can’t see him. We are still far from the top of the podium.

I glance at Endra. He nods his head. And so, in an unsightly attempt to go higher, I move closer towards the top of the podium. Endra follows behind.

“Good. Good…,” the Keeper says.

After letting a full minute of silence pass through, he clears his throat and asks, “Jayr, how is your experience in Etrave?”

“All good,” I say.

But on introspection, I don’t really find myself staying here for too long. For one, breaking a trivial law is deadly. The difference with how the Etravean society treats the higher level citizens to the lower ones is outrageous. Yet somehow, on Earth that rings true too, so I guess I can’t really judge.

“Good…” He clears his throat again. ”In this lifetime of mine… I have never seen a single being with more potential than you. Yes, there was that human some soyens ago, but you… you might just be able to surpass him. He was a good friend of mine, we fought many wars, perhaps too many that I have lost him sooner ….”

The keeper stops, this time clearing like a decrepit old man, the obvious effort contagious as I burble my throat and swallow the sticky phlegm.

“And it was just my luck to see you after hundreds of soyen of waiting…. Jayr, it is my firm belief that the ancestors of Etrave were the ones who have brought you here. You are the one Etrave is waiting for-- the savior for the darkness to come… I wanted you to have a level 4 citizenship, but I met the strongest opposition from the High Seats. And it is my deepest regret that I am unable to stand my ground. Forgive me, I am but one entity against the presence of Etravean’s strongest 5. Each with their own belief, opinion, and goals. But it is indeed one of my greatest pride that I was able to raise these 5 with my sweat and blood. And so, despite my old age, only I have enough power left to train one last more- and the greatest of them all. Verily, it will be worth my hardships… I’m referring to you, Jayr.”

My jaws drop, dumbstruck. “I- I don’t…”

“Do you want to be my last disciple, Jayr?” This time he did not clear his throat. But his voice is that of an old man expecting his grandson to fulfill his last wish and it’s extremely un-refusable. I can only imagine what lengths of power I can attain if I train under Etrave’s strongest being.

“But what about home?” I carelessly speak out my mind.

“Home?” The Keeper says in a higher tone.

Endra glances at me, and I can’t help but return the favor. Our eyes lock, but his is full of questions, and I search it for an answer. Time feels wet and slow as the Keeper waits for my response.

“Say what you need to say, Jayr,” he says softly.

Shit, I feel like I’m starting to increasingly rely on Endra. And I couldn’t think of an asnwer. I feel like whatever I will respond here will drastically change my future. This is a huge decision. And I can’t do it alone. I need someone to help me. Mom. She’s always my guide everytime I have to make major decisions, her advice is what I heed the most. But she’s not here. All that’s left is a hole in me. A hole so massive and unfillable. I miss her. I miss her so much that I feel like crying.

I feel a light touch on my shoulders.

Ah, Endra with his cane again. But it isn’t. I can sense the familiar texture of a hand.

“You okay?” he asks. He glides closer, and inspects my face.

A swell grows underneath my eyes, my chest rises, and my throat feels funny. “I don’t know.”

Endra faces the podium. “I request that we give Jayr more time to decide, my lord. I might say the Nytian incident has disturbed him to the core.”

“Strange of you to speak up on your own… “

Silence. Endra stands there unmoving, his gaze transfixed.

“Ah, I guess this could also be a good thing. Things are changing too fast.” The Keeper howls a loud sigh. “Very well then. What do you propose, Endra?”

“Perhaps give him a royen to decide, my lord.”

“A royen? Alright. If that is what needs to be done to have him set his heart on stone, I won’t disagree. But may he decide sooner than a royen, we don’t have much time. You know this very well, Endra. So guide him. Bring him to our side whatever the cost. This, I order you as your Keeper!”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And Jayr, may you think about this to your heart’s content, but always remember that you have fate’s call to answer to. Don’t ever think you can live an ordinary life, it is not for you. Choose your path wisely,” the Keeper says, stern.

“I’m the master of my own fate,” I call back.

“Or we kill you right now? The High Seats are baring their fangs on you, Jayr… They’re watching your every move. Without my favor, you’d be non-existent right now for disobeying a Hamaean law. Portals are prohibited on this planet, and the other…” He sighs, pausing right before he can say anything more. “ I am doing this for you. And it is my wish that you’d understand this, so accept my proposal. What else can you lose?”

I don’t know. I seriously don’t know. I’ve never made a decision like this before. Most of all, I don’t want to be shackled by responsibilities too great for me to handle. Why me?

“You may leave… The two of you,” the Keeper says, the disappointment in his voice leaking. ‘I shall summon you again in due time.”

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I stand there frozen, my body feels like it was just slammed by a truck. What the fuck did I just went through?

It is Endra’s poke that wakes me from my daze, his cane gently prodding my stomach-side. I face him.

“Let’s go,” he says.

And so we did.

Endra leads me to the entrance of the Library of Re-Val, making sure I won’t end up winding myself in unnecessary troubles, only leaving after an assessment and telling me that he’ll fetch me a good while later. Now, I feel like he’s being overprotective. Perhaps it’s a privilege that I get for being a candidate disciple of the Keeper?

Looking at the map, I quickly find Section 1, and there I begin my search. I need something to take my thoughts off from that encounter earlier. And I have just the right chance.

Despite their sophisticated technology, Etraveans still use scrolls for their record-keeping and literature. Their books are but long lengths of paper rolled into a stick, to be read horizontally. But I’m well aware how durable their papers are, tearing it apart would be even possible. It’s made up of the Etrave Tree’s leaves, which can only be sliced by a special metal.

I run my fingers along the codes imprinted on each visible end of each of the scroll’s sticks carefully placed on top of each other in their shelves. My eyes reveal a holographic description of each code, and I can clearly even see those on the unreachable top.

Found it. Keyword: Human, Euford. Is this who Endra meant that time? I’ll just have to check if it matches his description. I unfurl the scroll and start reading it. This short scroll opens with a poem.

Shall your hunger ever end?

You human of Gliesen

Euford, your name does not ring

Of good tidings

Bad for the health

Destruction for the bones

With Hettre you ride your ship

Sail across the ocean of void

To conquer and wage war

But now it ends

Like every song and tale of old

When you lost your way

In the myriad of stars.

Then it talks about Euford’s exploits, how he sailed the sea of space from the prosperous Gliesen to conquer 9 planets in its name. And after meeting Hettre, they quickly become best of friends, discovering several planets with no intelligent species including Hamae. They settled down on Hamae, built the Kingdom of Five Trees, and made it the capital of their empire and the crossroads for thousands of planets with Casimiro’s invention of the portal. The five trees are Ludiv, Dagi, Felel, Yohe, and Etrave.

So there are five trees in Hamae? Interesting. I read on. This time muttering on my own.

“But like every era, theirs ended. When Euford went missing for five Etravean soyen, their colonies noticed and started waging wars. Countless died, and Hamae was left alone with the Five Trees and their ever brittle ties. Hettre, devastated, ascertained of Euford’s death on some distant stars, hid himself in Etrave as its Keeper ever frightened of the countless enemies he had made. But Hettre remains--”

“That’s a good read!”

Surprised, I turn around. It’s the Bayen from the Nytian incident- as Endra has tagged it.

I greet him shakily, “Oh, what do you want?”

“When the cold season comes, the leaves from the tree fall. But as the sun dries the white fields, and the splotches of green appear, the leaves-- they grow again, and the tree returns to its previous splendor… Ah, a lovely cycle in nature.”

I stare at him in daze, confused.

“Not so smart are we?”

“No, I just don’t get where you’re coming from?”

“I’m coming from what you’re reading?”

“You mean the Empire of Euford and Hettre that had fallen will rise again?” It’s an overused analogy, and I find my eyes rolling by itself.

“There you are. Smart kid.”

Smart kid? I guess a lot of the citizens are not that knowledgeable. I look at the access level of the scroll. It’s 2.

I smile. “No offense, but you look more of the kid to me. You even sound like one.”

She really sounds like a twelve year old girl, plus that she’s only about 4 and a half feet tall. The Bayen laughs, her ears disturbed from its resting place.

“Have you been following me?” I ask.

“Nope. Figured you’d be heading straight here from the incident so I lingered around. It was a long wait. Mysteriously after that time you and that strange guy simply vanished with a trace.”

“Yeah, so you were intending on tracking me.”

“I was just curious, that’s all. Your form looks like the giant statue on our home planet. Now it's but a pile of rubbles though.”

“Statue? That’s Euford surely,” I say. “Maybe your planet was once part of his empire.”

“Yeah, the Nourian Empire was it. Mother used to scare me with carved creatures that look like him.”

“Nourian Empire?” I scan the scroll further. There it is. I press my fingers on it. “So what sort of stories have you heard about our species?”

“Oh so you are one of them then.” Her salmon eyes crawl from my feet to my head. I shudder. “ Mother told me your species were flesh-eating nocturnal creatures with huge burning eyes and sharp claws.” She acts it in front of me. “Always prowling at dark corners, waiting for that little unfortunate Bayen to pass by and gawr…. devours the poor guy.”

I feign a shocked face just to indulge her, thinking perhaps it will encourage her to speak more about this matter.

“Also, I have heard once about Euford's whereabouts and the place where his ship crashed. It’s quite near this planet actually. Mind you, it may have been someone close to him that brought his unfortunate end,” she says, the last few words nearly a whisper as she tiptoes over to me.

I gaze at her, pressing her on to say more.

“They say Euford the Dead had one last will-- a scroll he left. It’s still undiscovered, for no one dares to approach his crashed ship. Stories of untimely death of those who had stepped foot on that sacred ground spread among the explorers, and it was seen as a cursed land. People believed it was Euford’s last magic in an attempt to prevent his deathly peace from being disturbed.”

“Maybe someone’s behind those deaths, and it was not Euford’s magic.”

The Bayen’s eyes narrowed. She stretches her neck higher reaching for my ears. I bend down.

“You… You speak of blasphemous things,” she whispers. “It’ll be quite dangerous to speak in here about this matter. If you want to know more of what I think about this, on the next geyn, meet me two floors down. I have something very important to tell you. It’s about the humans on our planet.”

I nod vigorously. “I’ll do”

“I’ll wait for you at the landing station.”

“Okay.”

The Bayen then leaves, uttering a word no more.

Perhaps it’s my chance to make new friends, and begin my ideal adventure. I’m looking forward to that meeting. And besides, I’ll be learning more about these other humans besides those on Earth. What a God-given chance this is!

Until the next geyn, I read profusely, studying the creation of the Nourian empire and the remnants of Euford’s species.