Water dripped in a rhythmic pattern from stalactites where they hung from the ceiling of the cavern, the same sound continuing through ages and empires. Endless light years from Onyx facility and Engram, the underground cave and its lone occupant had remained unchanged, a distant memory, and little more than a myth to many. The planet Tenebris was dark, cold, and isolated. It was the outermost planet in the Elthys system. The life that had evolved there had adapted to the harsh conditions. It was liveable, barely. Those with a choice did not visit the distant world.
Tenebris seethed in anger, trying again to manifest himself in physical form. Darkness coalesced, forming the vague outline of a body, but withered again before solidifying. He loathed this place, this prison where his mother and sisters had contained him in an age long past. So close had he come to his conquest, to dominion over the creatures of light. They had been helpless before him, hundreds falling beneath his onslaught before she had interfered. He would not forgive his mother, her betrayal still burned inside of him. Why could she not see? Why could any of them not see his rightful place? Could they not see the pleasure of being served by these creatures, these Lumhin?
Tenebris reached across the distance of space with his mind, seeking the ones who had contributed to his downfall. Two had escaped him, and two were beyond his reach. Silence met his attempt, he could no longer feel the helpless one. It angered him. She had been so open to him, and he had taken pleasure in her suffering. Now, he could no longer reach her. Something had changed. The tiny, helpless mind had blinked out of existence. Had she died? No. He would not entertain that. He would be the one to kill her. He would deal with her lover as well. Stupid, foolish beings. They would learn as he had that such paltry things as affection would only bring them pain. He would be free again.
Taking comfort in the only way possible to him, Tenebris attempted again to manifest, this time a dark tendril, snaking slowly, inching toward the surface through a weakness in the barrier that kept him there. It crept, seeking something, anything, that walked free above him. Pleasure filled him as he wrapped the tendril around the form of a lumbering beast, the creature having no defense against him. As he drained its life, leaving a husk behind, he sighed, taking in the strength it gave him. Yes, he would be free again. He would be free, and they would pay the price.
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Szostak sat at his desk in SecOps, his feet casually propped on another chair as he watched the security feeds. If Saxe thought he was buying the affair story, he had another thing coming. In the years he’d known the man, he had never seen Raden show any interest in romance, he wasn’t sure the guy knew the meaning of the word. If it wasn’t the latest tech or another new project, it wouldn’t turn Raden’s head. He sipped his coffee, changing camera views as Calero and Valentine came into view, making their rounds on 2. There would be no more cutting of security feed on his watch, and he intended to make that clear. As he watched, he saw Raden come off the elevator, an elaborately wrapped box in his hands. He was headed for Whisper’s apartment, again.
“Well I’ll be damned…” Szostak said to the empty room, a grin on his face. “Maybe there are perks to this job after all.”
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As Raden exited the elevator, he nearly collided with Agents Calero and Valentine who were walking down the hall on rounds, checking cameras, locks, and performing a sweep for any unauthorized listening devices. Calero stopped when she saw him, a smile coming to her lips.
“So it is true! Raden, you scoundrel!” She laughed brightly. “Could Engram’s most eligible bachelor really be off the market?” Addison Calero knew how to tease, and she was delighting in this. It had been a long while since there had been any good gossip at Engram.
“Is it so surprising? I’ve worked with Whisper for years, she’s smart, beautiful, and yes, I love her.” Raden said, shifting the box to hold it under one arm. “Besides, if I have to have a write-up on my record for the first time in my career, I’m glad it was for her. Since when does Security engage in the local water cooler talk, hmm?” He smiled disarmingly, enjoying the game.
“Since forever?” Aram Valentine quipped, nudging Calero in the ribs playfully. “You two are the hottest item since we thought Saxe and Elgadi were a thing.”
“Are you certain the two of you aren’t still in school? Ms. Elgadi is the picture of professionalism. She’s been his assistant for almost 20 years, and if there’s anything she’d like from Dr. Saxe, it would be his job. Now if you’ll excuse me, a certain someone is waiting for me.” Raden waved as he resumed walking down the hall to Whisper’s apartment.
As the two agents rounded the corner, Raden looked after them. There had not been a sweep in the residential area for quite some time. It was not a coincidence, he thought to himself. He would have to be very careful. Szostak was watching his every move. He purposefully avoided looking up at the camera, instead putting on a show of straightening his jacket, and checking the bow on the gift he carried for Whisper. Let them think he was the nervous suitor. He knocked on Whisper’s door, and she opened it almost immediately. She had been waiting for him.
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Whisper stepped aside, allowing Raden to enter. Her eyes went to the box he was carrying, and widened in surprise.
“What’s this about?” She asked, unable to keep a hint of eagerness out of her voice. “I have no idea if it’s my birthday, but if it is, thanks for remembering!” She added, reaching for his free hand. It was still so hard to believe that she was with him now, that he returned her feelings and they were together. Everything was happening so fast, but it made her feel alive, excited, and for the first time in a long while, she was genuinely happy.
“It isn’t your birthday, which by the way falls on Christmas, as humans keep time.” He smiled at her, able now to show her how he had felt for several human lifetimes. He had never dreamed that this would happen, and that it would take the likes of Tenebris and living on a distant world to give her to him. He had been so afraid to tell her the details of it, but he felt more confident now. Whisper loved him, and would always love him, rules and laws and traditions be damned.
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“Really? Christmas?!” She exclaimed, child-like in her joy. “You’re making that up, aren’t you?” She chided him.
“I promise, I am not. We don’t keep time in the same way, but the math works that way here. Human celebrations are so innocent, and lovely. It’s a coincidence as beautiful as you are, Whisper.” Raden answered, setting down the gift and smoothing her snow-white hair with his hands. “Part of me feels so out of place, please forgive me if this is awkward. As much as it may horrify you to hear, you are my first and only love. I have never had interest in another living being. You are unique, and so incredibly special. You always have been. I need to tell you something, before this goes further.”
Raden led her to the sofa, and they sat together, Whisper’s eyes never leaving him. “It doesn’t matter, nothing matters. I love you more than anything.” She told him then. There was nothing that could change this.
“Still, it’s important that you know. At home, in our world, I belonged to the Council of the Enlightened. I will not bore you with a refresher on that right now, but suffice it to say, as a leader, romance was forbidden. Our people aren’t given to sentiment, or feelings, or to acting on them even where they exist. I don’t mean to make them sound cold, as your memories return you will remember how much you love them all, how much you were willing to sacrifice.
“They cling to tradition, to formalities, and the Enlightened don’t tolerate distractions. As the governors of our people, we are to renounce connections to others and to lead without prejudice or bias. When I thought I had lost you forever, I resigned. I couldn’t let you go, and the others refused to help. They said it was a fool’s errand, and that I was betraying my duties to them and to our people. Tenebris...the one in your dreams...he killed so many of our people. He was contained, but only temporarily. You and I, and your parents, were the only ones who saw fit to take action, and the other Enlightened had wanted to negotiate. Negotiate, of all things, with Tenebris.” A note of frustration crept into his voice.
“Raden...you left for me?...because of me?” Whisper asked, sadness in her voice as she began to understand what he had given up. “Why would you give up something like that?”
“Isn’t it obvious, dear heart? I did it because I love you. I have no use for titles, or power, or positions. It was my birthright, I was born to that title. But you are what I want, and what I have always wanted.” Raden explained patiently, his natural eyes glowing their brilliant green as he looked at her. “I followed the rules for most of my life, because I never felt for another the way I do for you. I never had a reason to want to be involved. You changed all of that. You refused to hide that you had feelings, attachments. They told you to stop showing emotion, to stop living by your heart, and you scoffed at them. At the very rulers and dignitaries of our people.
“When we moved against Tenebris, your parents were badly injured, and we were defeated. Before I could move you, your father did. He opened a gate and he sent you, without care for where it would take you. His only focus was that Tenebris did not have you. I didn’t have time to follow, I had to save your parents. I was able to leave with them, and it took time to find you. When I did, and I realized you couldn’t use your power, or even remember who you were, I decided that we could just hide here. We could be together. Even if I couldn’t be with you in the way that I hoped, I was here with you.”
“My power..?” Whisper questioned.
“Close your eyes for a moment, and listen to my voice.” Raden instructed, taking her hands again in his. “Can you feel the life around you?”
“Yes…” Whisper answered, reaching out to sense the lives in Onyx Facility, and all around her. “I could always feel people, but I thought it was just empathy.”
“Focus on that energy, and then look around you, if you understand me. Look past the people, at the world.” He continued. “Then imagine that you can touch it. The energy that gives life to everything. Imagine you can hold it.”
As he spoke, and Whisper followed his instructions, a very faint glow came to her hand. She opened her eyes, feeling the warmth, and marveling at the sight. It was unnerving, but familiar at the same time. She recognized the feeling, remembering it now as something that had been there all of her life.
“Be careful, my love.” Raden warned, even as he smiled at her accomplishment. “You will remember in time what you are capable of. We were not certain yet, but the Enlightened believe that you are stronger even than I am. If that is true, your awakening will be like a beacon to Tenebris. Human beings would not stand a chance against him, even if they learned to work together for once. It is painful how divided they are, how easily swayed and given to violence against each other.
“For the time being, Tenebris does not know how to locate you, or me. He wants to, and given time, I believe that he will be able to again. His focus is on us, because we opposed him. Our people do not know of humans, aside from me, and neither does Tenebris, or his family. I didn’t inform anyone of this world.”
“What is he, Raden?” Whisper asked, engrossed in learning all that she could. She moved to sit closer to him, a shiver running through her as she recalled the voice in her dreams. Understanding that it was more than a dream was frightening, and she didn’t want to think of meeting the being whose voice it was. That she had already encountered him once was difficult enough to comprehend.
Raden wrapped his arms around Whisper, kissing the top of her head softly. He could sense her fear, and he hated knowing that it was there, that she was afraid even in his presence. “Everything that we consider living carries the power of an Aspect.” He began, holding her close as he spoke. “Our own is the Aspect of light, or the Light, in common speech. The more freely the Aspects flow, the stronger the concentration of that power becomes. Given enough power from an Aspect, one can ascend, can become something more. Tenebris is what we call a Prime Aspect. He is a child of what a person of earth might call a star. Elthys and Tyris are the centers of our system, they are the core. They are known to us as Supreme Aspects. He dwells inside his namesake planet, Tenebris, distant from his mother Elthys and her sister. He wasn’t always what he is now, he became twisted.”
As they had talked, the hours wore on, from afternoon into evening, and evening into night. Whisper lay close in Raden’s embrace, and as he taught her of their world, their people, and more of the things she had forgotten, her eyes closed. She drifted to sleep, his voice soothing her and reassuring her. Shielded from Tenebris, she slept in his arms.