The next morning, as the first rays of the sun filtered through the curtains of his room, Henry woke up to the smell of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fresh coffee. There on his desk sat, he saw the delicious wake-up call of a meal. Sitting next to the tray of food, was a note from Sun.
“I apologize for the startling revelations last night, but I wanted our relationship to start on trust. You have orientation today at 10 am. Until then you are free to wonder about the manor. Oh, and my present arrived this morning. You should see it by the window. Enjoy the meal.”
Last night after Sun left, he’d open his presents. Most were just money, but there were also a few skill books. Sitting at the table, he thought back to his Twilight Family orientation and the incredible story he heard last night. If his parents were truly murdered, then Henry wanted to know the culprit. He also wanted to locate all the pictures of his parents and their legacy. For the first time, he felt he was truly starting to understand his parents.
After a contemplative breakfast, Henry went to the window to examine Sun’s present. There he saw several saplings, with brown leaves and white flowers. Looking at the note it read, “I thought you could use another business for your farm. These are saltbush saplings. They are hearty plants and will grow anywhere. They grow fruit that looks like grapes, except the fruit is salt. They also attract bugs and several insects so be sure to plant them in your chicken coops. Plant them a palm apart. When the fruit is ripe, soak it in water overnight. The next morning the fruit will have a salty umami flavor. Be sure to sell it at a high price, it’s sure to be a success.”
Laying his tray outside the door, Henry set off for the main hall to thank Sun. However, when he got downstairs the housekeeper informed him that she had left for a meeting and wouldn’t return until tonight. With time to kill, he went to the library where he saw a large portrait of his parents in robes smiling happily.
As he explored the manor, he found rooms bustling with activity. He found Twilight Family engaged in deep discussions or poring over various devices and documents. The atmosphere was charged with a sense of purpose and urgency. The more he explored, the more he was introduced to the different members and their work, he was struck by the breadth of the Twilight Family's endeavors. From advanced research in quantum computing to explorations in neurotechnology, each project seemed to push the boundaries of what was considered possible. He learned about initiatives to create more sophisticated interfaces between the human mind and virtual environments, and efforts to harness the energy stone's power for sustainable and peaceful purposes.
At 10 am, he made his way to a room for his Ordo Raven orientation. There sat a stern old man, with round spectacles and a hooked nose. He looked like an old professor from a stuffy university. He spoke slowly, but with crisp diction that made Henry feel uncomfortably uneducated. He introduced himself as Rigel and began the lesson with the least regard for whether Henry paid attention or not.
“Yesterday, Sun and Moon oriented you to the Twilight Family. My role is to orient you to Ordo Revan Alliance. To understand the alliance, we must go back to the past. The ten deities, who reached out to humanity, are a pantheon of gods that existed in a realm outside of the material plane. We have no idea how many gods exist. All we know is that the gods have their own cultures and desires. Universally speaking, their religions are intended to be a motivator, not an aesthetic for earthly beings. Choosing a religion enables earthly races to walk a light or a dark path through their choice of actions and questlines.
Through discussion with these gods, we learned of a celestial struggle in which the gods fractured into good and evil. The evil gods embraced teaching all facets of primordial magic both good and evil, allowing anyone to elevate to the planes of the gods. The good gods opposed the evil gods’ tenets which resulted in a great celestial battle. We don’t know how long the battle lasted; we only know it lasted millennia ending in the good gods’ victory.
In the end, the evil gods were banished to the ‘Void.’ We don’t even know if we are translating that word correctly, but that’s our best guess.
After the good gods’ victory, they created the seven divine races and split the primordial energy between them: humans, elves, dwarfs, beast kin, orcs, gnomes, and fairies. However, before the evil gods were banished, they united their remaining chaotic energy and created seven demonic races: demons, vampires, succubi, imps, trolls, ogres, and harpies. These 14 great races and their descendants are locked in an unyielding battle of good and evil. All we do know is that the gods are only capable of reaching the material world through the souls of their divine beings.
“Sir. Rigel, what is energy?” Henry asked.
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“Please hold your questions until the end of class,” he snapped.
“But I shall answer your first question. Primordial energy is equivalent to humans' life force. We can use our energy to connect to, manipulate, and create magic. We only recently learned different planets have different degrees of energy. For example, Xenia has 10 times the primordial energy of Earth. For humans, our lifespan and magic capacity are influenced by planetary energy. The more abundant the energy, the longer we live and the stronger our magic becomes. That said, we are the last divine race, at least we presume so, to learn about this. So, we are in a race to colonize as many planets as possible to increase our storage of primordial energy.
Ordo Raven is an alliance to save humanity and solve the mystery of primordial energy. Although people may serve different gods or families and have divert purposes, our united goal is to work together to subvert those who seek to destroy humanity. Never forget we carry the hopes of all humanity on our shoulders.
Henry spent the rest of the day meandering out manor. He had a head full of new knowledge and a heart heavy with new responsibilities. Everything he learned sounded too fantastical to be true: universal gods exist, good gods and evil gods, celestial struggle, divine races, and the energy source at the core of Heaven’s Gate was a gateway to other worlds. Even the idea that was on another planet in a faraway galaxy seemed implausible.
Despite the lectures and seminars, he attended, which evidence scientifically this was true, he still doubted. He would have thought it a dream, but the sensations were too real. And there was a portrait of his parents in the library.
Truthfully, Henry wanted this all to be real. He wanted to believe in his parents. But learning about their involvement in Heaven’s Gate, their suspicious murder, and his uncle’s involvement, drew him back into this was all an elaborate dream. He’d wake up in his bed or the emergency room.
As evening fell, Henry returned to the manor's expansive library. Looking up at the portrait of his parents again. It was here, amidst the wisdom of parents, that he felt closer to them. Seeing them, he allowed himself to wonder. He wondered if this was all real, what would do. The politicians, military officers, and entertainers were tasked to grow and sustain the family’s influence. The theoretical and applied researchers were responsible for advancing the family’s knowledge.
But he wasn't brilliant like them or his parents. He wasn’t a renowned computer scientist or neurosurgeon; he wasn’t brilliant by any stretch of the imagination. He also wasn't a researcher nor did he even like researching, so what would be his responsibility in the family?
As he struggled to think of his place in the family, a knock came on the door. It was the housekeeper, "Lady Sun has arrived. She requested you follow me to her study. Your assignment is prepared."
“My assignment?” he thought.
Henry followed the housekeeper to Sun’s elegant office with antique furnishings. When he walked in, he saw Sun sitting behind a large desk. Behind her, outside the large circular window, were two brightly shining moons that bathed her office in light.
Seeing him staring off into the distance, she smiled. “Pretty, isn’t it? Xenia has four moons. The planet itself is comparable in size to Neptune. Have you decided whether this is a dream?”
“No, I’m still deciding,” Henry answered.
"Henry, your parents envisioned a path for you. Going to the University of Virginia and working at Heaven’s Gate was only a small part of that—”
“Wait, are you telling me my entire life was planned from the beginning?”
“No, your parents moved from Norfolk to Charlottesville, because they were hesitant of the military’s growing presence over the project. You, enrolling in UVA was your decision. They only hoped you’d enroll. Working at Heaven’s Gate was a different matter altogether. Still, that doesn’t negate the good work you’re doing there. It’s clear to everyone you deserved that spot. Now are ready to learn your familial responsibility?” she said excitedly.
Sighing, he nodded.
“You’ll be joining our economic department. But as you don’t have the credentials yet, that’ll be your focus. As of today, you are enrolled in a dual Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science, and Economics for the spring semester.”
“Huh?” Henry jumped from his chair. “But I'm not even sure I can get in, let alone manage a dual Ph.D. program."
Sun smiled gently. "You underestimate both yourself and the reach of our Family. Your acceptance has already been arranged, and your enrollment is secured. The connections of the Twilight Family are extensive, and we ensure our members have the resources and opportunities to excel."
“But how can I attend classes when I live in Austin?” Henry voiced his concern.
"That's where the family comes in," Sun explained. "You'll attend your classes here; we have plenty of classrooms. It's an arrangement we've perfected over time, allowing our members to gain knowledge and skills comfortably. Don’t doubt yourself. You have the intellect and the drive. Your classwork will be challenging, but it's nothing you can't handle. If you wish to stay in the family, this will be invaluable in your role here.”
“If I wish to stay in the family?” Henry repeated.
“Yes. After all, it's your decision. You choose to join us or not?” She explained.
“And if I don’t,” Henry asked.
“Don’t ask stupid questions?” Moon said walking into the office. “We explained this already. Either you join and swear loyalty, or we let you go, and you keep silent. If you don’t keep silent, we’ll make you silent. Now, decide!”
“I’ll swear,” Henry said.
“Good, we’ll have human resources take care of your paperwork. For now, you’re free to return to your condo. Make sure to study hard,” Sun smiled as he pointed to a door Moon was holding open.
Before he could thank them again, a frustrated Moon handed him his cell phone and pushed him through the portal shouting, “Well, we don’t have all night?”