Veil One

11 am, September 1st – City of Grace

Nate took hold of Kenya’s hand. “Glad you’re happy to be here,” he said.

“I have to ask about leaving.” She pressed her lips together. “But how can I not be happy? It’s so infectious. See what I meant about water?”

“Oh, yeah!”

“They’re big on respecting water,” said Kenya. “Gentle, yet forceful when it needs to be.”

Some edifices were like waves and stood upright if Nate was aware of them.

“The changing water doesn’t bother them at all,” she explained.

“They also love roses,” said Nate.

“Yeah, that too, especially in food decoration.”

“Let’s go there!” said Nate, pointing to a giant roman coliseum. Nate was awe-struck by the sheer size of the building with people milling around the entrance.

Inside, an electric atmosphere filled the arena. It brimmed with people dressed in cascading robes, their faces solemn.

“Wow, they’re in session!” said Kenya.

Nate raised his chin, straining to see further away. “Who is in charge?”

“No-one and everyone,” she said.

“That’s not possible!”

“It is here. It’s hard to believe, but they sing laws into action.”

“Say what?”

“If enough delegates join the song, passed. If not, they listen to other songs.”

“Singing delegates?” Nate’s eyes grew wide.

“I would’ve said something, but didn’t think you’d believe me!”

“It’s hard to believe even seeing it.”

“Yep. Welcome to the Arcuan Harmonium!”

“Arcuan Harmonium?” Nate whispered.

He crept closer to the two women delegates next to them. They were engaged in a heated argument. An argument struck Nate as strange. Everything in One was in perfect harmony with the ebb and flow of change. He brushed his eyes. A light breeze brushed against his cheeks. It took his breath away. They weren’t arguing; they were singing a striking melody. The delegates grew quiet, but the women refused to be deterred, singing louder, and standing up to join arms.

“What is happening?” asked Nate.

“How strange,” she said, surprised.

“The song sounds Celtic,” said Nate.

Kenya approached a delegate. With a smile, the delegate pointed at the women and other members. It left Kenya speechless, whatever he said.

She slunk back to Nate, her head bowed. “The women are asking for everyone to join their warrior song. Delegates are worried about the Veil of Inspiration and Veil One.”

“Veil of Inspiration?” asked Nate.

“Yup, it’s a higher vibe than Quotidian, but lower than Veil One. I’ve never been, but people say it’s incredible.”

“What else do they say?”

“Machians,” said Kenya, flushing. “There’s an issue with the crossings. Machians are trying to get into Veil One. They say resisting isn’t what they do. But there are those who say, in this case, war is a must. There’s no flow. They are very divided right now.”

“Are we in danger?” asked Nate.

“In Veil One! They’ll never get through. They don’t stand a chance against RayCrests.”

Phew.

“They will resist, and it will all be fine,” she said.

The aroma of cooked food filled the air of the coliseum. Nate and Kenya stayed to enjoy the feast and learn from Veil Ones. They settled on a low wall. Kenya leaned her head against Nate’s shoulder as they listened to the delegates. He pressed her closer, and there was an unspoken understanding between them.

The enchanting spectacle unfolded in the dreamlike realm of Veil One, where time seemed to slow, and delegates took on an ethereal, almost magical quality.

“There is still no harmony,” said Nate.

“There is,” said Kenya.

“How so?”

“See those circles of light?” She pointed at different sections of the arena.

“Yeah.”

“They’ve been growing since we got here. That’s a good sign,” she said.

“What are they? Lamps?”

“Nope, they are foreign lights.”

“Foreign?”

“Alien foreign.”

“Alien!”

“They help humans,” said Kenya. “They are the Arcuans, keeping everyone on the same page. When delegates agree, the lights come together, and a huge light show fills the sky.”

“But don’t they agree if they join the same song?” asked Nate.

“Not that simple. The Arcuans read thoughts. They know what the delegates really want. It’s hard for humans to understand each other because of all the language barriers. Instead, they signal the delegates are all on board.”

“Wow!” Nate was pensive. “It still seems impossible to me. At least not in Quotidian.”

“If you pay attention to nature, birds stick together. Or the democracy of penguins. It is possible!”

“How did you get so wise!” He teased, hugging her.

The Harmonium...mind blowing!

***

Later that day, they headed to a grand art nouveau building with a glass awning. A light radiated from its dome up into the sky. Intrigued, they spied on the events inside. As they entered, violet and white light engulfed them. Nate made out two figures. The figures were a Manhattan androgynous fashionista and a native American Indian. They beheld Nate and Kenya, and the teens fell to their knees in surrender.

“RayCrests“ said Kenya breathless.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Nate and Kenya’s synchronised “LitSpear” echoed through the room, and they locked eyes.

“You know who they are? How? How do we know who they are?” Nate jolted.

The female RayCrest directed her gaze to the walls, where screens glowed in the darkness.

“We walked into the Remembrance building,” said Kenya in alarm. “Not sure we are ready. Are we ready?”

“I’m not ready, I’m not ready,” said Nate, practically paralysed. “I need air!” he said, rushing back outside. Kenya followed.

“Can’t be true,” said Kenya. Her expression was vacant.

They sat on a ledge made of translucent stones and Nate observed the art nouveau door wide eyed. From the outside, everything was normal. As though nothing was happening inside the building. Every time Nate reached for food on a stand, it stayed in his grasp, unlike the other items that came and went. They sat in awe of the building. Eating in silence.

Beings came and went around them, as did the buildings.

As the hours passed, Nate felt intrigued again. “What do we have to lose?” asked Nate.

Kenya stared at Nate. “How we see ourselves. Isn’t that terrifying enough?”

“Aren’t you curious about who we are?”

“I know exactly who I am. Thank you very much,” she said, averting her gaze.

“No, no, you don’t. We don’t know,” he snorted, “Kenya, you’re afraid. My mum says women are so flower power, but when committing to a spiritual path, you cancel out.”

“Don’t! You’re using what I said about the field of regrets against me.”

“No, I’m just quoting my mum. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jesus Christ, The Buddha. All men! Reaching enlightenment. Where are the women?”

Kenya’s fists clenched. “There are so many! I just can’t name them now!“ she said. “How dare you! I’m going in!”

“If you go in, I’ll have to go in.”

“Weren’t you saying-” Kenya threw her arms up. “I give up.”

“I want to go inside. It’s just so, so… so far out!”

“We have to go in,” said Kenya, standing up. “I’m going. You coming?”

Nate waited outside, biting his nails. People leaving the building radiated understanding. There was freedom in this place. No one was forcing him like in Club 7.

He went inside.

***

Two hours passed

Nate stumbled back outside with an intense throbbing in his head. He made it to a bench. His mind was spinning, unable to settle.

Kenya joined him, gasping for air. “That was a lot.”

“I need a moment,” he said.

***

They lay in a park under the ever-changing array of clouds.

“That was a bit much. But to cross you need to know yourself,” said Kenya, breaking the silence between them.

He rolled away from her.

She lay next to him, hugging him from behind. But Nate flinched.

Standing up, he coughed. Pretending everything was okay. “I’ll see you later. I need some time.”

“Okay,” she said, as he left.

Nate walked alone on a beach. Then sat for hours holding his arms around his knees, observing the seashore’s ebb and flow. Later, he lay sideways, and Lauryn’s pendant fell out of his pocket. He picked it up. “Hey, you.” he was never tired of reading the inscription. “Life is change, and how we adjust will make or break us.”

He lay back on the sand, arms spread apart as clouds rolled by. The evening sun cast a warm glow around him.

Kenya reached him after an hour. They walked in silence through a winding road and into a forest. The forest sang a concert of winds, leaves and pockets of orange sunlight. They strolled until they found a quaint little cottage nestled among the trees. A thick layer of dust filled the cottage. They scrubbed and swept it until it was habitable. As the night grew darker, they lit candles. There was a water well in the front yard. They lay on a bed made of hay. Although the shelter was rudimentary, it was safe, and they drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

That night, Nate’s mind raced, an unusual energy coursed through his veins. Were the images in his mind actual memories? Or a figment of his imagination? Engulfed in a bright, violet hue again, a rush of memories flooded his mind. An emotion so strong it had a presence of its own.

Kenya was dancing, and he tried to hold her, but she evaporated in his arms.

It’s a dream, he realised, trying to find her.

But then he fell into a deeper sleep.

I remember. Nate gazed at Kenya, their eyes communicating without words. The night we arrived in the Milky Way was still and silent. Their bright light illuminated the darkest corner of the universe. We arrived in a burst of light in chaos. Little by little, the chaos subsided. We held still.

I remember, shivered Kenya.

We cautiously shuffled around the unfamiliar space around us. Recovering from a baffling wormhole.

The dream turned to the present. Kenya’s voice rose in a song interlaced with rhythmic clapping. She was outside the cottage. There were powerful gusts of wind, her raven hair lifted in the air in a dance of its own.

“Quiso Dios con su poder,” Refer to Appendix 2 for the English translation.she sang in Spanish.

“Fundir cuatro rayitos de sol

Y hacer con ellos una mujer

Y al cumplir su voluntad

En un jardín de España nací

Como la flor en el rosal – ”

She sang proud and emotional.

The memories flooded back in his sleep.

We beheld the new galactic landscape. Transported to a new realm. Then, we drifted through the expanse of the universe. We observed in wonder. Glowing among the whirling galaxies that appealed to our questioning nature. In time, we became adapted to these new surroundings. Free as we were, we explored galaxies far and wide, delving into the Milky Way, until we arrived at the Solar system, and then to Earth.

We landed on Earth during the Miocene Epoch. Twenty million years ago, said Kenya. We saw a blue planet with swirling dancing clouds of atmosphere.

We came closer, joined Nate. Studying it. Then we expanded. We held planet earth like parents holding a baby and we observed everything in it, in great detail. They both laughed.

He tried to resist, but it was too late - information rushed into his mind, filling it with more memories.

We stood in awe as we beheld the enthralling, shimmering sea. They continued in tandem, and its sea creatures and the splendour of the earth and its creatures. The elegance of the air. Fascinated by birds, Sky’s interest grew.

Sky! Called Nate. Kenya and Nate glanced at each other. Wow, SkyRose! Of course!

SkyRose. They remembered them, their hearts bursting. How they had missed them!

***

We loved this curious planet. The passionate volcanoes, the fury of the seas. The peaceful air creatures. And we surrendered to this splendour. They said in unison. And that’s how we came.

Kenya’s flamenco interrupted the reverie.

“¡Ay de mí! Pena mortal

¿Por qué me alejo España de ti?

¿Por qué te arrancan de mi rosal?”

As she turned, she stopped clapping and lowered her torso, opening her red shawl wide and swaying it upwards in an act of reverence. Then twirled it around her, swinging her shawl side to side. Her eyes were shining with focused determination.

“Quiero yo volver a ser

La luz de aquel rayito de sol

Hecho mujer

Por voluntad de Dios

Ay! Madre mía

Ay! Quien pudiera

Ser luz del día – ”

She turned a few more times as she wrapped her shawl around her waist and raised her right arm to the sky. She came closer to Nate.

Kenya had her hands around Nate’s waist - she circled him, singing in a softer voice.

As he drifted back into the deeper dream, he was weightless.

Upon landing, we flew over rocky landscapes and over the sea. Water astounded us. Oh yes, the water! We had never seen water before and upon closer inspection; we perceived it as a hypnotising cascade of heavy but cool, flowing light. By nightfall, we floated over the ocean. There was a universal wonder: an apocalyptic thunderstorm. The sea swelled like a clash of ocean titans. Gigantic mounds of dark reflecting the moon in shattered-like apparitions. Their hearts heaved with every wave, and every thunderbolt enthused them. The giants rocked them in this masterpiece of oceanic fury. Back and forth. Every time the titans rose, they whooped with electrified joy.

Time went by and we split to travel the Earth. SkyRose explored lush forests of the Miocene, a realm where ancient apes thrived. They encountered a curious community of tree-dwelling creatures. They inhabited two of their bodies. Copying the community they were in and screaming with delight as they swung from tree to tree. They laughed so hard their sides hurt. During the day, they played rough. Others might eat figs as they lay on a branch. A fight would break out whilst others ignored the raucous shrieks in favour of grooming a pal with their lice, or others mated. SkyRose lived a while among them. They further enjoyed the quiet slumber of sunrise and sunsets on the arid plains. The stellar skies with the soft blanket of the Milky Way. The sweetness of ladybugs that travelled up Rose’s arm.

We travelled through alternate timelines on Earth before our path led us into the future. We headed west. This time as birds flying high over a large swamp. A flock of flamingos reached fresh waters from their salty lakes. We enjoyed the best parts of being each organism. Whenever a danger loomed, we left our physical bodies and continued our adventures. One day, a field of summer flowers distracted us. There, we inhabited bees and laughed as we criss-crossed each other through the fields. We raced each other and you or I won, depending which bee we inhabited. Some bees had faster wings than others. It was our theme park. Never-ending wonders of delight. The planet enamoured us.

Nate woke up.

If this was a dream. It was the best dream he had ever had.

“StarLight” he said. Calling himself and Kenya by their true name. StarLight! We were the first Arcuans! The LitSpears in the Remembrance building. His eyes grew wide. They were family!

Kenya was singing. She was outside hanging clothes.

“Y al rayar la amanecida

Sobre España renacer

Mis pensamientos

Han revestido

El firmamento

De besos míos –”

Nate wanted to kiss her, but she slipped away teasing, continuing her song and dance.

“En mi corazón

España te miro

Y el eco llevará de mi canción

A España en un suspiro.”

But when he was awake, something clicked.

He was losing his mind.

Was he even in One? Maybe the Archs killed him!

Was Kenya real? The cottage became heavy, as though it were trapping him.

He had an urge to escape, and his feet started running.