To be with Amet during his Unlightening was considered an honor. The circumstances, however, knowing that he had been deliberately targeted and shattered, was a truth many of us were struggling to come to terms with. Amet was entwined with my earliest memories; the thought of losing his soul now was something I simply couldn’t accept.
My panic intensifies as I start experiencing a strange sensation, my vibration slowing, and stuttering along with his. The reverberations freeze in my chest causing an almost static pause as I watch his eyes close in darkness, before a boomerang of energy sends my own energy hurtling outward in intensity.
A fist of fear squeezes my heart, crushing in its grip as Amet’s eyes fly open in one last piercing gaze, his speech slurring, determined to release the words.
“Find your Tuner, Tanzy. Don’t trust the Spectrum, a discord is coming. You must build the bridge.”
My energy suddenly depleted, I fall to my knees and watch Amet’s eyes close for the last time. The entire room feels leached of color now that his spirit has fled and I focus on the moonlight streaming through the window, looking for signs of light as I cry, crushed by the loss.
Inexplicably, I realize that Amet and I had been left alone in these final moments and my mind rebels at the thought that he’s gone. The reflected boomerang of energy beckons the others, as the panel slides open and Laz and the rest of the team rush in looking for the source. A barrage of feelings begin to crash over me like a storm, ranging from anger to fear, regret, and sadness as the others get their first glimpse of the pale corpse before them, shattered in spirit. Only Laz, helping me to stand as he searches my confused, and now intense violet eyes, understands the unexpected truth. My life as an empath has just begun.
Chapter Seven
Tanzy
Krysalis - Year of Enlightenment 2089
My awareness shifts back to Laz, small ions of energy still sparking from his silica as he breathes deeply in sleep, our hunger for each other finally abated. He’s so beautiful, the faint indigo glow of his hair and eyes like a beacon of goodness making me hungry to run my energy up and down his form again.
Generationally speaking, we were purely Krysalin but like so many others, we shared the physical traits of our birth ancestors. Laz clearly hails from Libran ancestry, while my mother was most likely Venusian. Laz and I were both thought to have had some human ancestors as well since our anatomical forms shared similarities to those on Earth.
Beautiful in its structure, Laz’s lithe limbs reflect a wiry strength that moves over his well-proportioned form. Average height by Krysalin standards, he stands just under six feet. As an Indigo, a faint blue glow radiates from his aura, shimmering from his silica and enhancing the deep blue pools of his eyes. Like most Librans, he has that striking contrast of pale skin and midnight black hair with blue glints that reflect in sunlight. Even though I always beg him to let it grow, he has a tendency to keep it cropped close to his head.
At five feet six inches, I’m shorter in stature and much curvier, my hybrid parentage giving me broader features and a more lush form. But the full curves of my body belie the inner strength of my silica, and the intelligence shining from the Violet glow of my aura reflects softly from my hair and irises.
My thoughts run in circles as I think about how lucky I am to be here in this moment with him. I’ve never been off-planet, although I’ve certainly studied the history of the other Sedonian star systems as part of my education. And as much as I’d love to fully explore the universe, I can’t imagine doing it without Laz. He is the anchor that holds me together. What would it be like to visit a different planet where I couldn’t feel the vibration of his frequency sinking through my silica like the sweetest intoxicant? Would we really become addicted to more corporeal pleasure, or is that just the excuse they use to keep us from exploring other worlds, afraid that we won’t return to take our place in our own society?
As a relatively young planet, Krysalis began as a nexus of commerce and networking. Some thought it was originally a way station for the surrounding planets of the Sedonia Star System as they travelled from one orbit to another; where inhabitants of Earth, Marzz, Dragonia, Venusia, and Aquaria all mingled and merged as one.
Others believed it was a refuge for the disenfranchised or political exiles of other worlds. As such, there were the inevitable turf wars as the inhabitants fought for power and resources, and the eventual merging of species as the explorers of each society put down roots, gave in to their more basic needs and produced generations of hybrids. The evolutionary nature of such situations played out here, just as it has on other planets throughout the ages until, eventually, the ‘hereditary forms’ of the different planetary immigrants became less prominent as hybrid beings were birthed.
Originally lush and verdant, Krysalis was known for its natural resources as an agricultural and mining planet. We exported fruits and vegetables to our neighboring and home planets, as well as crystals and minerals used for technology, healing, and architecture. Considering how rich the planet was in natural resources, it attracted pirates and privateers from neighboring star systems who would occasionally try to move in and establish dominance. Outside of a few major skirmishes throughout history, these attempts were usually squashed without too much mayhem or bloodshed.
The real danger was as unexpected as it was insidious. A supernova in a neighboring galaxy was thought to be the catalyst for the escalation of vibrational frequency on Krysalis. The resultant increase in radiant energy reduced the standard level of water in our molecular bodies by seventy percent. As our personal internal water levels decreased, over several generations, our derma began to thicken to create the silica covering that evolved to our current Krystalline form. Within this silica came the auric glow of the Power Molecolors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet, and new offshoots began to take on the Molecolor forms of the beings that birthed them.
The increased vibrational planetary frequency heightened our power and awareness of the world, escalating abilities in those who could attain the higher frequencies. Each molecolor began to exhibit similar genetic traits, that eventually began to divide our labor force into areas of responsibility which reflected the general strength of that color.
In a strange twist, it seems that Greens, the important ‘tuners’ or ‘switches’ of our newly evolved world were birthed only to beings that originated on, or had strong genetic ties to, Earth. Unfortunately, Earth natives whose bodies are comprised primarily of water, couldn’t withstand the continual increase in radiation and began dying off at a rapid rate. Since Earth was one of the last planets to send voyagers to Krysalis there hadn’t been enough centons to really evolve and establish strong Earth hybrids to sustain the species. As they died, the Green population began to dwindle rapidly.
As the radiant vibrational energy continued to increase over the centons, our silica evolved and hardened to become a physical shell of protection that covered our entire body. We were effectively shielded from excess radiation, but the protective barrier our bodies developed to fight disease, or any other type of foreign substance that tried to penetrate our derma, also inhibited reproductive enzymes to transfer between bodies. Now completely encased in a hard but flexible silica shell, it became impossible to truly ‘touch’ another being physically, instead you ‘felt’ their essence vibrationally as resonance along your silica.
In this age, physical sexual gratification comes only through vibrational frequency, and no new beings have been birthed on Krysalis in at least seventy five yarns. Because, while you can experience the vibration of a compatible frequency along nerve endings and the body’s pleasure centers, the physical exchange of reproductive fluids is impossible. Physical bodies can still fit together in theory, but without the ability to feel contact on a dermal level, or to produce new offshoots, the activity has been abandoned as unnecessary.
The elders who remember their ability to touch physically and create offshoots mourn the day that le
d to our stagnation, unlike those in my generation. Younger beings, like Laz and I, don’t understand what all the fuss is about. While we see a need to continue to grow our population, the emphasis on physical penetration and procreation is lost on us. When we can experience vibrational ecstasy from one another without physical touch, it’s hard to understand how people could want something more.
It was even whispered that among the older generation, lovers still practice the exchange of breath using their mouths to increase intimacy. As scientists, Laz and I were intrigued by the notion of understanding the rituals that were common among our parents, although we are careful to keep the fact that he and I have been experimenting in the old ways to ourselves.
Periodically, we hear stories about more and more beings fleeing to other planets where they can lower their vibrational frequency and partake in the sexual activities that are no longer possible on Krysalis. To stem the tide of younger beings trying to emigrate off-planet, the Spectrum has banned travel without official papers sanctioning their leave. It’s rumored that a black market has developed to bring in crystals like Obsidian which are known for their grounding properties; that they can lower your vibrational frequency long enough for more corporeal sexual gratification among partners. I have yet to meet anyone who has verified or experienced it.
Since Obsidian is expensive and difficult to obtain, an ugly underground practice surfaced where “pleasure slaves” were being captured off-planet, so that their beings could be used for sexual activities here on Krysalis. Now that the Spectrum has limited travel we’re hearing that less powerful beings on Krysalis are disappearing and being forced into sexual slavery instead. It’s hard to believe that someone would willingly force enough discordant energy on another being to shatter their silica and make them vulnerable to penetration. Unlike lowering your frequency with Obsidian, a being who has been shattered by discord rarely recovers: it all depends on their loss of frequency.
Major rescaling is possible to rebuild frequency to a level that silica can regenerate – but it’s stressful not only for the being who is rescaled, but also for the healer. There aren’t many healers left who are powerful enough to focus that type of intense energy for a long enough period. Amet was unique in his abilities as a rescaler, which makes his loss not only ironic, but that much more deviant, knowing that he was one of the few people who could have actually healed someone in his condition. While I felt very fortunate to have benefitted from his tutelage, it would have been more helpful to have learned it after I had already boosted to empath range.
I’ve only had the opportunity to attend to a victim of such violence once before with Amet, and they required complete rescaling. The combined effort, even with me lending Amet vibration, was mentally and physically exhausting. Unfortunately, there was entirely too much silica damage and we lost her at the end. Some things just can’t be repaired. Truly, it seemed kinder to guide her light back to the universe than to watch her struggle to reach our vibration.
I shiver at the thought of lowering my vibration and leaving my being open to the power of another in such an unimaginable way. Especially when complete energy exchange by matching vibration is so pleasant between partners. I don’t understand why people would crave more, although it’s true, we need to find a way to breed new beings to sustain our society. That’s why the research Laz and I have been doing is so important.
If we could find a way to reproduce the grounding effects of Obsidian long enough to allow our females to conceive and keep them viable through the gestation period, Krysalis could experience a virtual rebirth. If it doesn’t happen soon, within two generations our world will be a beacon of opportunity for every space pirate with a plan of establishing their own stronghold. And that’s something we simply can’t allow.
Chapter Eight
Tanzy
Heading to the clinic, I’m eager to see Laz this morning. It’s rare that we don’t end our moonsphase together, but I was determined to finish my calculations last solar cycle. Our work seems to finally be paying off. Not only do I believe we are on the precipice of understanding how to find more Obsidian, but more importantly, how to bring it back to Krysalis. So far all of our experiments to try to reproduce the results have not borne fruit but eventually, I know that we will find a way to re-energize our people and bring forth a new generation. We need it to ensure our survival - the alternative is unthinkable.
Moving quickly through the Square, I am hailed in greeting by others as I pass. “Good Light, Tanzy.”
Ever since my rise to Violet status, everyone seems to know my name. It’s quite startling at times. I was so used to being an Indigo/Violet oddity that I finally found a way to not be so disturbed by being an object of interest. Just being part of a Duo has always given me some increased visibility in public; but now it’s quite terrifying to realize how much weight is on my shoulders as people see me as a Violet empath, and of much greater importance.
I certainly never asked for this, nor did I ever expect it. But no one can fully explain how these things happen. Sometimes, it seems that Fate takes a hand and I wonder if there’s just wild energy in the air that gets harnessed at precisely the right moment. It could just as easily have traveled to anyone else. Perhaps it’s really just about circumstance, place, and time that determine how power rises, and who power calls.
But there is certainly no mistaking what happened to my mentor. And I know that someday I will find a way to honor his memory by finding the one that dishonored him so greatly. Some people wouldn’t care, they would simply accept that it was an advantage to be the recipient of that power. But I know, if you can’t harness borrowed power for more than brief periods, it’s not power that can be sustained long-term. We certainly see that when trying to heal an aura from a discord whether it was accidental, or deliberate. When someone willfully strips another being of power only to waste it, they deserve to be punished.
In the end, once a being is shattered they rarely come back. I’ve now attended enough Unlightenings to know that this type of purposeful shattering for someone else’s gain cannot continue to go on. We must respect the ability of every being to live in light and harmony. And even though we must bring forth a new generation, this must be done with care and consideration. Otherwise, we are no better than the people who sent some of our ancestors to this world to build a new life, hoping that we would die in agony and despair.
Smiling shyly, I raise my hand in greeting to those who hail me as I pass, peeping from beneath my bangs and trying to avoid eye contact so as not to encourage conversation. At this stage, anyone that I stop to talk to seems to take that as an invitation to discuss my work, my relationship with Laz, and my thoughts on our leaders, as if I should know them intimately.
Certainly I have no insight into the governing of Krysalis other than the work that Laz and I do. I’ve never been presented to the Spectrum, and now that Amet is gone, it’s unlikely that I ever will. We waited anxiously for a new leader to be announced, but after two yarns, it seems they’re comfortable allowing us to run autonomously. As long as we send regular progress reports, we’ve been allowed to proceed with our research any way that we see fit.
Occasionally, anxiety gnaws briefly at my center as I contemplate whether we will be allowed to continue our work together, although it seems likely. We have a cohesive team in the lab and we consistently produce results. As for me and Laz, it is rarely a good idea to split Duos without true purpose. While we can work alone, certainly our power is stronger together; distance can only dilute it.
Knowing this, I feel more confident entering the building until I see Laz’s concerned expression greeting me from the far end of the hall. I quicken my steps as I head toward him, hands outstretched to smooth his aura before I even reach him. Grabbing my hand, he raises my palm to his mouth, breathing gently against my aura. The vibration sparks at my fingertips, tingling slightly, before feeding into gentle comfort.
“Good Light, Laz, what’s wro
ng?”
“You’ll never guess who’s leading the Team.”
Searching his beautiful features, I smile gently before saying, “Certainly it can’t be that bad.”
Shaking his head more forcefully, his gaze focuses over my shoulder before he steps back and pulls his aura from mine.
“Tanzy, we’ve been waiting for your arrival,” I hear a stern voice behind.
The vibration in my aura trembles. It is not painful, but there is certainly discomfort as if I am being tested. It’s the way I feel when uninvited beings try to match frequency. Those who try to test the boundaries of your power shimmy like a leaf in the wind; like knocking on a closed door, waiting for an invitation to enter. I’m so used to the sensation, especially since my ascendancy to empath, that I rarely even notice anymore.
Those who do it politely, usually withdraw quickly when they realize their entry is unwelcome, or incompatible. It is only those with the arrogance to believe that their power is a universal right that cause discomfort. I now expect it. Beings with power and ambition consistently look to others that they deem compatible to boost their own. While it’s considered socially impolite, those who are more arrogant still try to take advantage and see it as their due. In this society, power can only be obtained through the construct of frequency and boosts, unless you are born with it. Or take it by force.
Chapter Nine
Fifty percent of the population has the normal gift of their color, whatever that may be. Those born with Red or Orange frequencies are natural protectors. They are our peacekeepers and we rely on them to keep our society safe. Just as Indigos and Violets have always been our scientists and healers.
Spectral Vibrations Page 4