The Earthians
A web-novel by Miko Wu
Chapter 3: Awakening
There was a very dim light that veiled Jandi's eyes in thin black silk under the morning sun.
“Aaaagh,” the girl groaned.
She felt penetrating pain upon every bone in her body.
“Easy, my friend,” a voice with endearing kindness said.
Jandi sat up, opened her eyes, and in front of the blissful sunlight, she saw an elegant and tidy old man, one whose aura expressed distinction and grace.
“My name is Reynard Lee or Rey for short." the immaculate man replied, "some also call me as The Third.”
“My parents called me Xan Di Qin,” she instinctively and immediately responded. "However, since my entrance into the order of the Shang monks, I am now known simply as Jandi."
“Your body is exhausted.” Ren Li said. “You have been sleeping for five nights.”
He passed the girl a bowl and said, “Here. I made some Chana Dal. Have some and nourish yourself, child.”
Jandi gulped down the lentil-abundant soup as fast as she could. Now more aware of her surroundings and with revitalized energy, she subtly noticed that Rey's eyes appeared to be that of a blind man's. Still, he seemed to be able to see. In fact, he was moving throughout the room without any issue, and when he looked at her, it was as if he saw more than anyone ever could. But first things first; her throat, no longer dry as a desert, spoke: “Where am I?”
“You are in Mulzafar Jandi. I have trekked through the Himalayas expecting to find you. You were nonresponsive but still alive, and so I brought you to this shelter to heal, rest, and now, nourish.”
“Mulzafar?” without thinking, Jandi interrupted, “Are we still in China?”
“No,” Rey replied, “We are in Pakistan, child. Do not worry. You are safe. You are the Eighth, and I the Third was tasked to find you and lead you to the Council.”
"I... I don't know why, but I... I seem to understand." she stuttered.
Suddenly, uncontrollable tears of mixed feelings started overflowing from Jandi's eyes and heart. She did not know what was happening, but she decided just to cry.
"You have awakened to the Prophecy, child. There were seven others before you; myself included for I am the Third. Express your story and your feelings verbally. It will help you make some sense of what happened. I will then fill you in for whatever may confuse you."
So she started talking and told Rey of her terrifying life, her journeys in the Himalayas, and her struggle to live. Unmoved, he looked at her as she talked. It seemed as if he already knew and that he understood everything. His eyes, though appearing empty, was serenely kind and loving.
“Jandi,” he spoke, “Even before your awakening, you were strong and resilient. Now fate has favored you and gifted you peerless control of the life force. You will become stronger than anything this realm has ever seen. Go on, continue, tell me of the prophecy. When you saw the sublime light..."
"And when I felt the warmth... I... I simply understood. There was no image or sound. There was just knowledge... and understanding. Knowledge of the Eight, of the life force, and of..."
Before Jandi could continue, she gasped as she felt immense pain in her stomach; insurmountable fear has swallowed her.
"Breathe child," Rey hastily but kindly commanded. "You must breathe, and you must say it. You must fully grasp the prophecy and understand the fear and sorrow it foretells."
"Invasion... Death... Extinction," Jandi gasped, then with earnest eyes she looked at Rey and said, "We must prevent it!"
"We must and we will, even with our dying breaths."
"There are eight gifted by the life force and cursed by the knowledge of the Prophecy," Jandi continued as the pain in her stomach eased. "The First is a man of mystery; even the Prophecy is unsure of his name for he goes by many names. An enigma. But he is the most powerful. He can see further and all."
"You are correct. The First is known to us as 'Wu Ming Li,' a name he has cherished for the past ten years and yes he has many names, but we refer to him as 'Lord Wu' as a sign of our respect and deference. Indeed he is the most powerful. He meditates, and through it, he can see the past, present, and the many paths of the future. He is the founder of the Council of Eight. Though we are all equals, we hold the First in higher esteem not only because of his superior power but also for he is the planner of many schemes that may provide us great ammunition against the Prophecy."
"I see." Jandi nodded. "The rest are clearer. The second is a baron, ennobled by the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. His name is Lord Kenneth Veil. He is gifted with immense life force, so big that he can create large humanoid astral projections of his life force and use them as puppets."
"Yes," added Rey. "He is also the CEO of Veil Telecom, Europe's largest network and telecommunications provider which makes him quite wealthy and the Council's primary financial benefactor. Continue."
"The Third is you." Jandi smiled as she said this. "You are the master of light."
"Indeed I am. Also a retiree from Florida." the old man added, "Legally blind before my awakening, now I can see far more and farther than most."
"The Fourth is a man similar to your age. His name is Jeremiah Vanburen. He is the master of darkness."
"Yes, and a master chess player. He won many world championships in his prime. He is also a dear friend of mine. Fun fact: we lived in the same retirement home and awakened at the same time, so technically either one of us could be the Third or Fourth, but just imagine the ruckus it caused among the nurses. Hahaha." The man wryly laughed.
"The Fifth is Shira Weber. She can wield the weapons of gods."
"Yes, she is currently studying history at the Free University of Berlin. She is fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology. She is just a little bit older than you, but because of her intelligence and hard work, she was able to zoom through school and start early at the University."
"The Sixth is Katarina Petrov. She can control the weather."
"Yes, which is quite fitting as she is a climate scientist."
"The Seventh is Lilly Wakowski. She can control gravity."
"Yes, and she is also a child, a lot younger than you actually, but very mature in demeanor."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Finally, I am the Eighth and the last."
"Yes."
"The knowledge and understanding that the Prophecy instilled in me seem a lot clearer now that you have helped me go through it."
"I am glad I was of assistance."
"But it does not inform me of a plan to face the Prophecy."
"That is where we come in Jandi. As I told you earlier, Lord Wu has devised several schemes, yes?"
"Yes."
"Before I explain to you these schemes, I must ask you this. Now that you have awakened to the Prophecy, now that you have connected to the understanding of the pain and suffering that we will have to face, do you wish to join us of the Council of Eight in our efforts to battle the dire future?"
"Uhh..." muttered Jandi.
"While I strongly hope that you say yes as we already named ourselves as eight, the final decision is yours." continued Rey. "I will give you time and space to think and to meditate on your decision. Once you join the Council, you will train with myself and the others to harness the gifts we were given for surely they will be useful in many of the battles to come. But our time here in Pakistan has ended. This place is a temporary shelter, and these lands are unkind to us strangers. Tomorrow, I will travel back to headquarters, and I would like to bring you with me. Hopefully, during the journey, you will be able to make your decision. But if you go with me, you must go willingly. I have friends here in Mulzafar who can employ you if you wish to stay and I can come back to retrieve you once you have made your decision. Whatever it is, you will be taken care of and provided for.”
“Where will you bring me?” I asked.
“I will bring you to Wales in the United Kingdom. Do you know of it?"
"Yes, I have heard of it from western missionaries who visited the Shang temples."
***
It was the thirteenth of January of 2013 when Jandi and Rey arrived in Wales. It was unlike anything she has ever seen. There were no insurmountable mountain ranges and no icy peaks. Wales simply gave a natural feeling of rural hospitality. Jandi and Rey then traveled via automobile to Northern Wales in a place called Dolwyddelan Castle. It was a gigantic medieval artifact. It was deserted, or so she thought at first. Deep underneath in an impregnable fortress made of the most robust and most advanced technology the outer world has never seen was the headquarters of the secret Sector Zero. The two newly met comrades traveled deep downward in a tunnel until they reached a wall. Rey then touched the wall, and somehow, it opened. Behind it: a huge circular dome-like open space. It was a large elevator.
The elevator started moving downwards for nearly thirty minutes until it thudded and stopped. Then, the walls of the elevator rotated, opening an entrance to the first and top-most level of the twenty levels of the headquarters called Sector Zero.
“Welcome back Rey,” an Android greeted the pair, “Lord Wu is currently with Mr. Vanburen in Washington for a political purpose. The First suggested that you take charge of Ms. Jandi's training. Unfortunately, we have to postpone the induction ceremony until all of the Council have gathered. That is, of course, if the young lady has chosen to join our fray."
"I have decided," said the girl with immovable certainty, "My place is with the Council as I, and only I, am the Eighth."
Reynard smiled upon hearing this declaration, though deep down he knew that this was going to be Jandi's choice. After all, she has weathered too many storms only to surrender now.
“Thank you very much...” Rey eyed the name tag of the robot, “Derrick. Are there any other correspondences for me today?”
“Yes, sir.” The Robot replied. “Lord Veil would like to have a meeting with you. He wishes to confer your insight in regards the budget for next quarter. That is all.”
“Very well then, Derrick. Set the meeting at 1900 if it is agreeable with the baron.”
"Affirmative."
Rey then directed the Android to lead Jandi to her quarters and descended to a different level to have a meeting with Lord Veil.
Jandi, while walking through the corridor of Level 1, explores enthusiastically in her new environment.
“Why is everything so white, Derrick?” she asked.
“I do not know, little lady.”
Then, she asked again: “Why is this place so empty? Where’s everyone else? Also, I know that I am little, but I am already twelve years of age.”
Derrick ignored Jandi's somewhat-offended declaration about her size and continued, “Level 1 is the welcome center and android facilities. Your permanent quarters will be on Level 8 as all of the quarters of the members of the Council are there. Currently, 100 non-combat androids are operating throughout this facility. 50 staff members of varying expertise in engineering, computer science, healthcare, etc., are also here.”
“Ah,” she muttered, “I see. Where are the members of the Council, other than Lord Wu and Mr. Vanburen?”
"Rey is currently on his way to Lord Veil on Level 10, the command center. Ms. Weber is in Berlin as she is attending University there. Little Lilly is in a kindergarten near her home in Katowice. Lastly, Ms. Petrov is on a research expedition in Zambia where she is investigating rain patterns and data. They will all be here for your induction in approximately 12 days."
Jandi did not understand what or where these places that the Android informed her, so she dismissed them and continued asking questions. "So, do we train together? To hone our gifts?"
"Yes, but you will be spending most of your time with the Rey and Lord Veil for their primary concern is the maintenance of this facility and therefore they will be spending most of their time here with you. Of course, you will receive guidance from the First. Pay close attention to it for it will be most illuminating. However, Lord Wu and Mr. Vanburen are the chief executors of the Council's schemes. Their presence here will vary. The others occupy their regular lives and schedules as well, but they do find time to consistently travel here and train."
As Jandi and Derrick moved through the levels, she saw more and more people and androids. All of them were non-combat staff and personnel. Derrick provided such a thorough tour of the whole facility to Jandi that by the time they arrived at her quarters, she was more than ready to rest and sleep.
Though Jandi was physically and intellectually weary as there was so much information she had to consume, she was still enthusiastic about her current prospects. She felt safe despite the strange and sterile feel of her new environment. Derrick, Rey, and the staff she has encountered so far made her feel very welcome, and dare she thought it, loved.
END OF CHAPTER 3
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