Savros tried to open his eyes but found his eyelids extremely heavy and partially stuck shut. When he tried to move, his body felt heavier than it should. For a moment, he thought he may still be inside the pyramid.
His eyelids finally responded, encouraged by the sudden jolt of adrenaline that came with panic. All he could see was a blinding light. And immediately shut his eyes again. Suddenly there was a light weight pressing against his chest. He could feel warmth radiating from the pressure until his whole torso was warmed. Finding he could breathe with ease, he began taking slower, deeper breaths as the warmth continued radiating out into his limbs and extremities.
Opening his eyes again, the light was dimmer. He blinked, waiting for them to adjust. As the light faded, a dark figure came into view. Everything that had happened since the pyramid came back in a rush, and he jumped from thinking he was trapped on a dead world to thinking he was captive to the worst pirates ever! That’s what Polly had said; he remembered that.
“Where?” was all he could manage to say at the moment.
“You are currently in the Medical—.” The figure started before Savros shook his head and managed a loud moan.
“Polly. Jaen. Shin.” Each word took real effort. His throat acted as though he had never used his voice before.
“I apologize, sir, I don’t know. I’ve summoned the doctor. She’s on her way now. I’m sure she will be able to answer all your questions. For now, just try to relax and get your bearings. I’ll bring you some water.” The figure moved about the room before returning and placing something next to him. “Sip it very slowly. I will turn down the lights while you wait for the doctor. Rest at ease.”
He didn’t feel like he could do much else other than rest, so he didn’t bother struggling anymore. Deciding it would be smarter to conserve what strength he had until he had a better idea of where he was and what was going on. Were the others safe? Where were they? And where was he? Those were the three questions he most wanted answers to at this moment.
With the lights dimmed, he was able to make out a lot more of his surroundings and began to calm down a bit. It didn’t appear to be a ship, and he didn’t feel the usual vibrations of engines. The room appeared clean and smelled of mild disinfectant. Savros looked over and saw the glass of water sitting on a bedside table. He reached for it and found his arms working again. He tried his legs and found them agreeable as well.
Slowly letting his legs fall from the edge of the bed, he used the leverage to help himself sit up. Vertigo spun the room around him, and he nearly knocked the water over, catching himself on the little table. As his vertigo subsided and the room came back to a standstill, he took the water and, taking the person’s advice, took only a very small sip. Enough to wet his tongue and throat.
Clearing his throat, he took another sip and looked around the room for a better view. There was something familiar about the room, but he couldn’t place it. He saw, standing by the entrance, a tall, slender guy in a white cloak with full sleeves and white gloves. He stood silently, hands clasped together in front of his body.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice shaky and hoarse.
“I am the attendant on duty. My name is Holand. I am here to protect and monitor your condition.”
He took another little sip. “Where am I and what’s ‘my condition’?” he asked, his voice coming back to him as he used it.
“You are in the Galactic Center Med Wing, under the care of—.”
“Doctor Lili’El Ameil,” the woman speaking was shorter than Savros with long, thick, dark hair aloft in her wake as she entered the room. “It’s quite a pleasure and surprise to get to meet you. I see Holand has already provided you with a drink. I’m sure your throat is dry and sore and you must be thirsty, but take it slow, your body isn’t used to processing food and drinks any more and it will take a few days to get back to normal.”
Approaching the bed, she took his hand in hers. He thought to shake it, but she just held it, extended her index finger onto his wrist, and waited quietly for a while.
She pulled up a screen, checked a few things, and put it away again before saying any more.
“Your heart is strong and steady. The scans all look normal, other than your abnormally high tryptic radiation levels. But that’s to be expected. I’m sure you have a bunch of questions, but if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you two questions before we get into all that. First, How do you feel? Second, what’s the last thing you remember before waking up here?”
“I feel,” he thought for a moment, “confused and worried. Where are the others?”
“The KaiStar and crew have been alerted and are on their way here now. They should be here within the hour.” Savros knew he couldn’t relax until he saw Polly and Jaen safe and sound. The doctor continued, “Would you mind telling me the last thing you remember?”
Lost in thought, he looked up at her. “Huh? Oh, um, I remember the pyramid, the heaviness and the silence. Then there was a blast of light.” He paused, remembering the events more clearly.
“What happened after the blast of light?” The doctor asked.
“Then, then we left. We made it back to the KaiStar and headed back here.” He stopped again, looking confused.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I must have been asleep for a while. I remember having a dream where I was in space with no suit or mask.”
“I believe that was when you were at the Throne of Heaven, trying to stop Gah’Raka, yes?”
“No, this was different. There were other ships there, and I destroyed them. It’s so fuzzy but it feels so real.”
“That’s okay, Savros, it’s actually a good sign. And very similar to the statements taken from your crew-mates. It’s hard to accept, but it seems your dream may have been real.” She was quiet for a moment, “There’s still a lot we don’t understand and a lot to learn.” She looked down briefly, then back up at him. “You don’t seem to have any cognitive impairments. Your speech is clear and your recollection is with in range. Okay, Savros, there will be a lot of new stuff coming at you very soon, and some of it may be hard to take in. Try not to react and just give yourself time to adjust, Okay?”
He nodded, as confused as ever.
“First, I should tell you that you have been in our care and in a coma for almost nine months, galactic time.”
“What! No, no, no, that’s not possible!” He couldn’t believe it.
“As I said, do your best not to react. I know this is a shock and while you were out, many things have changed, well, everywhere.”
His head was reeling. Had it really been nine months since they were at the pyramid? He tried to remember more, but all he could see were flashes of them together, laughing and joking, and then this feeling of panic and fear. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
“What ‘things’ have changed in the last nine months?” He asked, deciding to suspend his disbelief for the moment.
“Well, for good or bad, the universe is once again saturated with tryptic energy. And just like the stories from early history, everyone can access it. To varying levels of success, but it’s there for all.”
“You mean magic is back?” He was starting to get excited. Who hadn’t dreamed of using magic as a kid? It was like a childhood dream come true. “What do you mean ‘for good or bad’? How can the return of magic be bad?”
“Well, let’s say there were unforeseen consequences of the sudden reappearance of tryptic energy. For starters, every disgruntled, ill, or demented person out there suddenly had access to vast amounts of power. Those in power were often usurped by an underling capable of harnessing more power. The balance of control was tipped in disastrous ways in many situations.”
“With new threats came new defenses. The drawback there were the casualties involved while developing those new defenses. A stalemate has been reached in most reported altercations, as the defenses have begun to surpass or out wit the attacks. Unfortunately, the collateral damage is…” she paused, searching for the right word, “vast.”
“A surprising number of Az’Reign have come forward and begun teaching whole worlds how to contain and maintain the energy without causing incidental damage or death to themselves or their loved ones.”
Savros listened intently. He had never considered that there would be so much death and destruction involved in magic. He’d always imagined enchanted worlds of wonder and splendor. Mages performing grand feats, dazzling the old and young alike. He’d pictured life being happier and easier. In his mind, magic had always made everything, well, magical. What he was hearing sounded like a bad dream or like he was listening to the worst-case scenario.
“How could this happen?” He was looking at the floor and meant it rhetorically.
“No one was prepared, no one even knew what was going on at first. The first report was of a young man who’d caught his love with another. In his emotional distress, he released a massive amount of tryptic energy, turning an entire city into molten glass. The reports just kept coming in after that. Families, towns, continents, entire planets have been lost and destroyed all across living space.”
“I don’t believe that! People wouldn’t just kill their loved ones because there was suddenly new energy. It doesn’t make sense.” He was back to disbelief.
“No, of course they didn’t. In fact, most people have chosen to band together and help each other, along with the death and destruction. There is the biggest group effort and cooperative movement happening in all of our history. The problem was the wave of tryptic energy that blasted through every bit of living space. Everyone and everything was super charged and none of us knew it. When ever someone’s emotions got away from them, it was disastrous.” The doctor looked at the floor. And Savros noticed tears hitting the floor in front of her. “Unfortunately,” she continued, “children, being the most emotionally volatile during their development, caused most of the larger disasters.”
Savros was beginning to get the picture, but he still had a hard time believing it. Looking at the doctor, he could tell she wasn’t lying or making it up, but still. Children? An angry child could destroy an entire world? How? He just couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
As he was trying to process the information, another attendant dressed like Holand shuffled in, nodded to Holand, and continued over to the doctor. He said something quietly to her, handed her something small, nodded to Savros, then turned and shuffled out.
“You have received a message.” She said.
His head snapped up as he looked at her. “Is it from…” he trailed off, afraid of the answer.
“It’s a recording, transmitted from the KaiStar.”, she said, not keeping him in suspense. Savros smiled at the first bit of pleasant news since he woke up. She carried the small device over to him, activated it, and handed it to him. “I’ll give you some privacy for a few minutes. There’s one more person that I’d like you to meet while things are still calm. I will return in a few minutes.”
“How do I—?” he waved the tek in the air.
“Oh, just tap the top of it.” She said as she smiled and left the room. Holand followed her out but remained on guard just outside the door.
Anxious and excited to hear from his friends, he turned back around and tapped the little box on what he assumed was the top. A holo-screen popped up in the air above it. Polly’s face filled the entire screen. A sense of relief washed over him. He touched the center of the holo-screen, and the recording started playing.
“Hey Sleepy-Savy, we’re so glad to hear you woke up! You had us really worried. Sorry we weren’t there for you when you woke up. Anyway, we’ll see you soon.” Good old Polly hasn’t changed, he thought.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Jaen leaned over in front of the camera, “Hey Savros! As soon as we finish this job, we’ll be there to pick you up. Hope you’re feeling well and ready to go! We miss you. See you soon!”
The two of them stood there smiling and waving at him through the camera as Shin said, “I’m glad to hear you are awake and recovering, Savros. Take care of yourself. We’ll be there in two days.”
“Love you guys, see you soon.” he said to the screen, as the final image of them faded away. Knowing they were safe gave him a sense of calm and acceptance. All the bad news didn’t feel so crushing to him with confirmation his friends were okay.
He set the box on the little table and took another sip of the water. Deciding it was time to try his legs, he slowly put more weight on his feet as he began leaning forward slightly. Cautiously rising to his feet, he found himself to be more stable than he’d expected.
Taking a few weak steps, he realized it was going to take a little while to get back to normal. But overall, he felt decent, considering. Returning to the bed and sitting, he slumped down. He had either been running for his life or passed out from the effort since before meeting Polly. And just like when he met her, he found himself standing on unfamiliar ground. Only now, everyone else was in a similar situation. All of living space was only a few months ahead of him in their understanding of this new reality.
“Savros?” a knock on the door frame accompanied the doctor’s voice. Savros turned to see Doctor Ameil coming through the door. Following closely behind her was a man in a long cloak made of a heavy, deep red fabric. Insignias, embroidered with black thread, ran the vertical length of the hem on the front of it. A tall man with dark eyes, protected by deep sockets and accented with thick black eyebrows. Savros guessed him to be a little older than his father had been.
“This is Trel’Ka,” the Doctor said, gesturing to the man next to her. “He is the Az’Reign consultant stationed here at the center. He’s our resident tryptic energy expert.”
“Hello, Savros.” The man spoke slowly, with a deep voice. “It is an honor to meet you. My name is actually Trel’Kaufrey’El’Sta’Az’Reign’Rasa. I am here to offer you guidance and understanding. Much has changed. Without a basic understanding of the energy, you are likely to cause unintentional harm to yourself or others.”
Savros gaped at the man as he spoke. He had always wanted to meet an Az’Reign, and now he was face to face with one that said meeting him was ‘an honor!’
“Hi, Telcarf, Trelcarfels… I’m sorry, I just woke up, everything’s still a little fuzzy,” he said, sheepishly making an excuse for not remembering the man’s name.
“Trel’Ka is fine,” the man said with a slight frown.
“It’s an honor to meet you, as well, Trel’Ka.” He stood up straight in greeting but quickly slouched back onto the bed.
“I will return in the morning. I will tell you what I know of the current state of affairs in Living Space. Then, if you are feeling up to it, I will give you the basic lessons of working with tryptic energy.”
Savros realized that a childhood dream of his was coming true, but the circumstances robbed him of most of the excitement. While dreaming of learning magic from the Az’Reign, he never dreamed it would be to prevent him from hurting himself or someone else. But then, he never imagined he would be one of the ones that brought magic back to the universe, either.
“Is it really that bad?” He asked Trel’Ka.
“It is,” he said sadly. “However, it won’t remain this way. This is a time of transition, and transitions are always hard. We can mitigate the damage, but it will be up to each individual. In time, it will seem as normal as anything else. Try not to fret. Tomorrow we will look at the good and the bad. Good night Savros.” He turned to face the doctor on his way out. “Thank you. Good night, doctor.” He disappeared through the doorway.
“Trel’Ka has been a huge help over the last several months. He has a wait list of several weeks for any new students. The Az’Reign consider him the most proficient tryptic energy manipulator in their ranks, even before the event.” She came up and held his hand for a moment again, her finger resting on his wrist.
“Before I go and let you rest, can I get you anything?” She said, standing by the bed.
“Food?” he said. He wasn’t exactly hungry, but his stomach was rumbling.
“Here,” in her hand were two little beans about the size of a pebble, “You can’t have any real food just yet. Let your system get used to processing the water first. I’ll bring you some food in the morning. Eat one of these now, and if you handle it okay, you can eat the other one in a couple hours.” He picked them up.
“Sure.” He doubted that even a handful of them wouldn’t make a difference. “Thanks, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome, Savros. I’ll be back first thing in the morning. Get some rest.” She walked out with Holand following her and closing the door behind him. He knew Holand was just outside the door, so he didn’t waste any time thinking about leaving the room. Instead, he turned his attention, assessing his physical situation. His body was weak, but he imagined that was normal after not moving for such a long time.
He looked at the beans on the table next to the water and considered eating both of them but retrieved only one. He popped it in his mouth and began chewing the tiny morsel. As he chewed, it created a thick but light foam. It tasted faintly sweet with hints of salt, as well. By the time he had finished chewing, he had swallowed a few sips of the foamy substance. It left his mouth feeling slightly chalky.
He looked at the other bean on the table, grateful he had decided to listen to the doctor. That experience was strange enough without having doubled it. Although, it didn’t taste bad, and his stomach felt much better. Still, one was enough. He stood and walked forward a few steps. Standing in the middle of the room, he realized h was facing a window. He hadn’t noticed it before. The darkness on the other side was absolute, creating the illusion of a black wall.
Realizing it must be late in the evening, he decided to try walking around before going back to bed. Plus, the idea of going to sleep after finding out you’ve been sleeping for the better part of a year proved to be intimidating.
After the third trip to the window and back to the bed, he was sweating and even out of breath. This wasn’t something he could walk off, but he needed to be in the best shape possible in just two days. He made one last trip before sitting down on the bed. Taking a few more small sips of water, he laid down, breathing slowly and deeply.
His uncle had taught him to control his breath when they had been out hunting. Savros had a hard time controlling his breath when he got excited, and Savrotores made him practice breathing routines for weeks before they went on a hunt again. The next time they went out, though, Savros had made a kill that fed his family for weeks. Whenever he felt sick or had been injured, he would do the breathing exercises his uncle had taught him. They were a great distraction from the discomfort and pain, but doing them also made him feel close to his uncle.
He truly hoped his uncle had kept himself safe. It felt like a lifetime since he’d last seen him. And decided that needed to be his first stop after he left The Center. Hoping that since the Assassins had been hounding them, maybe they had left his uncle alone. He knew it was wishful thinking, but right now, it was all he had.
He stirred, not remembering falling asleep. He sat up, the smallest amount of light illuminating the view outside the window. He sat up, grateful to have woken up before anyone came in to see him. Stretching and yawning, he carefully got to his feet and walked to the window to get a better view.
The window faced the rising sun and was growing brighter quickly. Looking down, he saw only the water below. His eyes scanned upward, expecting to see land somewhere, but found the horizon with no land in sight. He had noticed no windows in the History department or in the hangar bay. This view was incredible. Gentle ripples and waves as far as he could see to either side and all the way to the horizon.
He realized he didn’t know anything about the planet the center had been built on. Did the Center cover the entire landmass? Was it a floating island? Or just built on a coast? His curiosity didn’t last long, though. He turned back toward the bed and began walking. On his fifth trip back to the bed, Doctor Ameil knocked and entered with Trel’Ka behind her.
“Good morning, Savros! Are you feeling okay? You’re sweating.” She said, coming around the bed and taking his hand in hers again. Her eyes darted up to meet his. “Sit.” She said, pointing at the bed. “You need to take it easy. I know you are eager to get back to your life, but if you overdo it now, you’ll only set yourself back in the long run.”
“I only walked to the window and back. That can’t possibly be overdoing it.” Savros wouldn’t normally argue, but he found himself irritated by his situation and lack of knowledge. He felt like he had just gotten a hold of things before, and now he was out of the loop again. He had a lot of catching up to do, and the last thing he wanted to deal with was an over-protective caregiver.
She stared at him as though she were reading his mind, “Tell you what, if you wear this, and follow the guidelines I give you, I won’t hassle you about it anymore.” She pulled a small piece of tek out of her cloak pocket and handed it to him.
“Put it on your wrist, it will wrap self-attach. It will monitor your vitals directly.” He placed it on the inside of his wrist, and a band wrapped from one side of the device around his wrist to the other side of it. “If you promise to stop all activity, sit down, wherever you are and rest, any time the alarm goes off, I will leave you alone about it. I’ll even give you visitor clearance and you’ll be able to leave your room and wander around the Center if you like.”
“How long do you think it will take me to get back to normal?”
“It will probably be several weeks to months before you no longer notice the effects of the coma. But you should be able to get around fairly easily in a few days, and I believe Trel’Ka here can probably speed that up. Okay, remember, if the alarm goes off, just sit down and rest until it stops. I will check in on you after your talk with Trel’Ka.”
“Since we don’t have much time together, I will try to be succinct. Polly and Jaen gave as detailed descriptions of the events leading up to and on the First World, as they were able. If you have anything to add for the record, please do so.”
“Okay, I don’t even know what I remember exactly.”
“That’s okay, I will tell you what we know and what we think.” He sat down as he began, “Only a very few, enough to count on your hands, know the whole truth of this. Listen close.” He spoke in a somewhat hushed tone.
“Gah’Tak had other names. In more than one obscure text, there is reference to Az’Reign’Riel and Gah’Tak being one and the same, and there are other names associated with this being, as well. Since the increase in energy, we have been able to access tomes that were out of reach before, unlocking more of our own history.”
“The name De’den’Dae, always thought to be the first words used to describe tryptic energy by the ancients, may actually have been an entity of pure tryptic energy, possibly even the source of the energy.”
“This sentient energy was veracious, devouring every other form of energy. The incarnation Gah’Tak didn’t just destroy entire galaxies, it devoured and converted all the available energy into tryptic energy.”
“This is the real reason that the energy was sealed away by the Ol’Gud. When they learned the truth, they chose to sacrifice themselves in order to prevent the spread of this parasitic energy, and the inevitable destruction it would cause.”
Savros listened, growing more worried as Trel’Ka spoke. To Savros, it sounded like he was being told that his greatest victory was an ultimate loss. And that the return of magic was instead the end of the world, of every world.
“Since there is no concentration of energy, it is the consensus among Az’Reign that the sentience within the energy cannot manifest. It is only theory, but so far there has been no detected pooling of energy.”
“There does seem to be a sinister touch to the energy, though. For example, many people accidentally discharged the reserves in their bodies, left by the last wave of energy, without even realizing they carried any energy. But even afterward, many more tried to discharge the energy in a controlled manner and still caused massive destruction. The death toll will probably never be accurately counted. Entire worlds have been lost in mere moments. I can’t think of one person who wouldn’t trade the energy for their family and loved ones to be returned.” Trel’Ka looked as though he were fighting back tears.
Savros couldn’t stand the thought of so many people dying in such violent ways because of his actions.
“I should have just let them kill me. Why are you telling me this if no one else knows?”
“It’s easy to feel that way. Many of us have found ways to blame ourselves for these consequences. The truth is, whatever this entity is, it’s been pulling strings in the minds of anyone that gets close enough, since the beginning of our history. Since you were forced into this journey, the Az’Reign will not withhold information from you. In a sense, you were chosen for this, by Tawkwa in ignorance, but who am I to say he was not just a messenger? With so much at stake, I believe more information is preferable to less. Or none.”
Savros got the feeling Trel’Ka would tell everyone everything he knew and urge people everywhere to stay as far away from magic as they could, but he was right. No one would listen anyway.
“So if I try to use magic or if I get too emotional, what’s going to happen?” He looked at Trel’Ka for an answer.
“According to the various scanners and sensors aboard the KaiStar, you unleashed enough energy to destroy multiple worlds, somehow concentrated in relatively small area. And, based on the report of Kaiozoshin, I believe you have most likely exhausted any excess that would have remained with the execution of not one but two separate Moho’noko.”
“Do you remember being attacked? Do you remember what you did? Or how you did it?” Trel’Ka was sitting on the edge of the seat, leaning forward. Savros thought he almost looked desperate.
“No, I can’t remember anything clearly after leaving the pyramid. It wasn’t a lie, but he did have a memory of seeing a glowing ring falling down around him. Is that what a Moho’noko is?
“Well, that’s too bad, the last Az’Reign that could perform a Moho’noho passed before I was born. It was said he could create one large enough for three people to stand on. At any rate, the scans show no buildup of energy in you, and after destroying six ships in space, I’m confident you are safe from the initial ‘Big Blast’, as it’s been called. However, the radiation you’re emitting is still several times higher than anyone or anywhere, in Living Space. Except for your companions who share your elevated levels.”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Holand carried a small platter with a lid concealing the contents.
“Doctor Ameil has sent food, with instructions to eat slowly,” he said, placing the tray next to his water on the table.
“Thank you, Holand.”
“My pleasure.” Holand returned to his station outside the door.
Savros removed the lid and was pleased to see what looked like small vegetable pieces in a light stew. It even smelled like real food. He took a small bite before looking back at Trel’Ka.
“Since you are out of danger but likely to be in and out of danger in the future, I would like to teach you a shield that can easily be constructed of tryptic energy. It will also serve as a basic understanding of how to manipulate the energy for other purposes.”
“Wait, if this energy is alive and wants to kill us all, should we be using it at all?” It didn’t make sense to him that they should use it at all.
“Ideally, no. However, those who seek power have chosen to embrace this new form of power fully. Without embracing it yourself, you will fall to them before anything else can happen.”
“As for others, well, who’s going to abstain from something that can improve their life immediately because it could be dangerous in the future? Unfortunately, that’s just not how the majority of people function. The needs of today will always outweigh the risks of tomorrow.”
Savros had to admit he had a point. It was going to be hard to defend against magic without using magic. He would have to trust the Az’Reign knew what he was talking about when it came to Gah’Tak.
Savros had finished the few pieces of vegetables and had taken a few sips of the broth. Setting the tray down, he stood and walked to the window, looking at the view before walking back to the bed. He hoped that he wasn’t responsible for the end of everything.
“How does the shield work?” he asked.