Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3)

by E. I. McAllistair

  It was not unusual for women to be shorter than men, but his mother did not even reach five feet tall. She was plump where he was lean and muscular even without working out the way he did, and there was the fact that their attunements were nothing alike. It had been questioned how someone with such a low echelon could give birth to a Quintessence, but that was always dismissed as still not fully understanding how attunements work. The insane difference in their abilities now was even more evidence to them not being biologically related.

  “Tika told me you were special, which was surprising coming from her. When you told me you had Affinity Detection, I knew there was no more use denying it. I guess I thought that if I simply refused to believe you came from someone else, you would always be mine.”

  “Mom, I am still yours. Nothing changes that. I meant what I said. It is definitely shocking to find out what people have been saying all along was true, but it doesn’t make you any less my mother. In fact, it only makes me love you even more because you have never once in my life made me feel like I was not loved, or that you were taking care of someone else’s child. You have been and will always be my mom.”

  “Tika came to me and said she was in more danger than she could ever imagine. She could not bear to drag you into the life of running and danger that would follow her, so she made me promise to protect you and keep you safe at all costs.”

  “And she never mentioned there being two of us?”

  “No! Never! You were just a babe, the cutest thing I had ever laid eyes on. She never mentioned it and I would never think to ask. Even after all these years she has never mentioned anything about you having a brother.”

  “You are still in contact with her?”

  “It is complicated. If not for her, there would have been days I am not sure where our next meal would have come from. She had to be very careful that the money could never be traced back to her.”

  “Mom, we have so much to talk about, but right now I need to talk to this woman. If she potentially has the answers that I need…”

  “What answers could she possibly have for you?”

  “I don’t know, but I hope it is something to make sense of everything that is going on. If I truly do have a brother, I will do everything I can to reconnect with him. If by some cruel fate we have been separated since birth I want to change that.”

  “Her phone number changes often. She contacts me when she is ready.”

  “That is fine. I want to meet this woman face to face and find out why she thought she had to give me up. Do you know where she lives?”

  “Her tribe lives in the middle of nowhere. I know it is in Kansas, and last we spoke she had returned to them. It will not be easy getting there. There closest airport is far away, and they do not have paved roads.”

  For the first time Anaar smiled since the difficult conversation with his mother had begun. “Don’t worry about the how I’ll get there. I’m pretty sure I have that one covered.”

  Brighid recognized the devilish smirk and glint in her son’s eye. It was something he had been known for since he was just a boy. She was sure he was about to do something utterly extraordinary and make it seem as if it were the most completely normal feat in the world.

  32

  Anaar found his mother’s information to be unreliable at best, but it was the only intel he had to go on. She had been in contact with Tika sporadically over the years, but one of her most recent communications indicated she had finally returned home to her family. Because of this, Brighid knew the rough location of where she might be, but since she had never been there, giving him exact coordinates was impossible.

  The night was spent reaffirming their bond, something Brighid had suggested. Anaar had made up his mind to treat Tika as any other person he had met, but his mother was vehemently opposed to the idea. Despite the complexity of the situation, now that everything was out in the open, she wanted him to have a relationship with her.

  After his recent experience with his abilities being stunted due to fatigue, he spent the next two days resting, just to make sure he was back to form. His presence at home was even enough to convince his mother to take a day off work. The two of them set off at the same time, her for work, and him onward to find the mysterious place he was searching for.

  During his travels to find where Tika’s village was, he found himself in reflection over how much his family tree had changed in just a couple years. He had gone from being an only child with only one other relative that he knew of, to having a mother, an adopted mother who gave rise to his artificial brother, and a biological mother in which he had an identical twin brother. It was all confusing enough to him, so he could not imagine what would happen when he tried explaining it to someone else.

  His search was bearing no fruit on foot, so instead he decided to utilize his windows to scan the area in a much more efficient manner. He was thankful to have such tools available to him, because his mother was right about there not being true roads. It was only thanks to his enhanced sight that he was finally able to make out tire tracks that led him to the village.

  For whatever reason, he expected it to be less advanced than he found. Even though he had always known of his Native heritage, his idea of the communities that remained separated from the rest of the world was always of a more primitive civilization. It went to show how little information was readily available that he looked down on his own people.

  Surrounded by a great fence, the compound looked to be about the size of two or three of the Cafeteria on Sophangence’s campus. Though this was not small, it was much less than he had become accustomed to. He could not see inside, but it appeared there were a few structures that stood taller than the top of the fence. The fairly barren stretch of land around it appeared to have been cleared for the village long ago.

  His reception to the village was not the warm and inviting affair he had imagined. He reached the gate, and was immediately stopped by two imposing looking men who sported jeans, but what looked to be a more traditional garb up top. Their muscular arms showed signs of tattoos, and their long black hair and angular features felt familiar.

  “Stop. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  Not wanting to cause a scene, he did as he was told, holding both hands in the air clearly. “My name is Anaar Vorpahl. I came because I was told a woman I may know named Tika lives in this village.”

  The two men look at each other communicating in what Anaar feels like is a series of grunts. “There is no one here by that name. If you have no other business here please leave.”

  Anaar did not know how to explain it, but he was sure he was in the right place, as all the pieces fit. “Well since I have come all this way can I at least stay for the night? It is not exactly easy to get here.”

  “The village is not open for visitors. You will need to be on your way.”

  “Please sir, I do not mean any harm, I just want a place to stay for the night. I promise I will leave in the morning. Also, I think I might be able to learn-”

  “There is nothing here for you. Please leave or you will be removed.”

  “But I have done nothing wrong!”

  The two men look to one another, the time for words seemingly past. As they began closing in on him, Anaar was not sure whether to stand his ground or to simply leave. On the one hand he could easily leave their line of sight and portal into the village. On the other, if this was the way they treated outsiders he would likely not fare any better. He had made his decision to leave just as the two men were about to reach him. Just then he heard a female voice speak out from behind the two men which caused them to abruptly halt their advance.

  They turned to face the voice, and a conversation ensued in a language Anaar did not understand. When he asked Hobb if he could translate, he was shocked to find Hobb could be of no assistance. The men split to make way for the woman and for the first time he saw her.

  She was quite tall for a woman, she could be no more than a
few inches shorter than him. Her thick flowing hair with soft natural curls reached nearly to the ground and was a golden brown similar to his own. The woman was breathtakingly gorgeous, her height in no way diminishing any of her womanly features as she was quite busty with smooth glowing skin. Her outfit was a semi-loose flowing dress that reminded Anaar more of a poncho than anything. What was most prominent about the woman however was that she radiated a soft purple aura like the sun.

  If it was not for his own enhanced senses, he would have barely been able to keep up with the woman, as in an instant she had closed the gap between the two of them. She placed her hand on his cheek, it was warm, and her hand was soft. At this distance he could make out her face very clearly, her full lips and almond shaped eyes were a contrast, but also a compliment to her angular features. Her eyes were kind and full of emotion, a stunning green and hazel that appeared to be a crystal void in the afternoon sun. She could not bring herself to speak, she simply pulled him into a tight embrace. Anaar could hear her light sobs in their proximity.

  He noticed it before, but now with the two of them pressed together there was no denying their resonance. It felt as if every molecule in his body was melting away. Without him recognizing, his own eyes began to water, the warmth between the two of them something his very being recognized. From behind them one of them men spoke up from his stunned silence.

  “High Shamaness, who is this man?”

  The woman pulled back from their embrace and smiled happily, her eyes beginning to redden and still flowing with tears. “This is the younger of my sons, Anaar.”

  The two men gasped in shock, their eyes rolling in confusion.

  “He came asking for someone named Tika. There is no Tika here. Now you claim he is your younger son? With all due respect, you do not have any children!”

  “Tika… I have not been called that by anyone but Brighid for years. This child is indeed my son, and as such he is a member of this village. Continue your vigil. We will take our leave now.”

  Anaar was led through the gate into the village by the woman, a tight grip on his hand as if she were to let go now, she would lose him forever. Once inside, Anaar found he had a much better view of the small but fairly bustling village. He was met by nothing but confused stares, which was juxtaposed to the pure reverence shown to the woman at his side.

  Since they walked in silence, he took the opportunity to observe everything around him. The village was a delicate mixture of old and new fixtures, but all of them sported architecture the likes he had never seen. Many of the smaller buildings has roofs that were cone or dome shaped, and the walls cylindrical. They reminded him of grain silos that were much shorter. Amongst the buildings he came to see structures fashioned in a manner he was more accustomed to, particularly those that were bigger.

  Just like the buildings, the people were just as diverse, the younger people he came across tending to wear attire no different than any other teenager or young adult. Those who were older also wore this clothing, but it was much more common to see them in garb that was no doubt intrinsic to their culture. Many people sported longer hair, even the men, something that he was not used to seeing from his own upbringing.

  One thing was certain, though he was close enough to fit in, he found his skin color to be much lighter than most of the people he passed by. If the oppressive sun high in the sky was any indication, the people in the village had been kissed by the sun for generations. He was also used to being much taller than those around him, but in this village, he was simply above average. Men and women alike were very tall, even if they had drastically different body types.

  They finally came to a stop along their dusty, dirt road path before a grand structure that was not massive in size, but it towered in its elegance. Tika slightly held up her dress as they ascended the steps and entered the home. Inside was a number of artworks and totems that looked as if they dated back centuries. Everything was pristine, and the wood floors glistened in the light. She led him to a room bathed in the sun where they sat down, and for the first time since meeting they spoke to one another.

  “I cannot believe it is really you. When I felt you nearby, I had to investigate. I never thought I would have the opportunity to hold you in my arms again.”

  “When you felt me?”

  “Yes, that is correct. Though I do not make it readily public, I possess the power of Affinity Detection. I particularly specialize in long distance sensing of people. Everyone has a unique signature, though yours and your brother’s could not be more distinct.”

  “Is that why you radiate like the sun? Because you are that powerful? Or are our powers experiencing feedback from one another?”

  The woman’s eyes grew wide as she stared into his. “Are you saying you inherited my ability?”

  “I guess so. I don’t have the range you do though. If you have only Affinity Detection and Prophecy, how can you move the way you do? I don’t see anything that would indicate it being an ability.”

  Tika’s eyes continued to grow wider. “Did Brighid tell you about my ability of Prophecy?”

  Anaar cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy, not sure if the woman was testing him. “No, I mean she spoke highly of you, but she only mentioned your Affinity Detection when I told her about mine.”

  “Then how could you have known?”

  “I mean it clearly says so. You are a great Synestate with the ability to enhance your sight, hearing and also sense danger, something I picked up from you as well I suppose. You have Affinity Detection and Prophecy, and you have an echelon of 5.77. Doesn’t it work the same way for you?”

  “No! Absolutely not! In all my years I have never been able to determine a person’s manifestation, nor give such a precise measure of someone else’s echelon so easily!”

  Anaar found the conversation absolutely fascinating on many levels. Not only for professional curiosity, but he had never found another person to discuss his own abilities with. Never had he met anyone like him, at least that he had told about his abilities. The closest he had was Ixnes being a fellow Hydrokinetic, but there were enough of those that little was left to learn about its mysteries. Even though he came for different reasons, his overwhelming thirst for knowledge about attunements took over as it often did.

  “So it seems even within abilities like this one the individual has an effect on how it works. Back to my previous question, how do you move so quickly if it is not a manifestation?”

  “I never knew it was not a manifestation, or at least registered as one to our ability. I call it Slip Stream. I am able to move very rapidly in short bursts that seem-”

  “Unaffected by physics! Is that what I have been doing all this time?!”

  “You also have this ability, but could not recognize it?!”

  “I guess I am like you, I know it exists, but I thought it was more of a generic Air attunement thing. Can’t say I have fought any others that use it, but I am not exactly normal as you are aware. I guess it is like my Hyper Constitution or Immortality.”

  “You are an immortal?!”

  “Technically yes? It also doesn’t register as a manifestation for me, it just is. I can’t get sick, I’m not affected by most negative effects, and I heal from wounds almost instantly. The main difference I have noticed between my ability and someone with Instantaneous Regeneration is that I can turn mine off. Mostly.”

  “Mostly?”

  “Well I can’t turn off my immortality. That or either it just resets when I die. I can stop myself from rapidly regenerating though. That is how I build muscle mass or prevent people from suspecting I’m Water attuned.”

  There was a look of horror on the woman’s face that Anaar did not understand. He was not sure what he could have said that was so bad until she blurted out the answer to his question.

  “You have died?!”

  Giving her a dismissive shrug, “Oh yeah, plenty of times. Once I blew myself up. Another time my boyfriend killed me, no big
deal, we made up. Then there is the time Yefferson killed me, that seemed to be the worst because it took me forever to come back to life.”

  Her lip twitched at the mention of Yefferson’s name. “You have met your brother then.”

  “Yes, hard to miss the guy killing off tons of people who looks exactly like you.”

  She gasped, holding her hand over her mouth to stifle a pained scream. “Then he is known for those antics…”

  “You seem to know a lot about the both of us, I would have thought you knew.”

  She dropped her head, almost in shame. When she brought it back up, Anaar could see she was working very hard to put a smile on face.

  “I apologize, it seems I was so caught up in the moment of everything I failed to exercise even the most basic of manners. I am Yatik Wekonsuwa. I am the High Shamaness of our entire tribe, which spans a number of villages like this one. Every village has a shaman, but I have held the title of High Shamaness since a very young age. This is mainly due to my ability of Prophecy. Though the ability is rare, mine is particularly potent, and boasts very few inaccuracies. What I see most likely will come to pass just as I have seen it.”

  “Is that how you knew I would be here today?”

  “No, as you and your brother grew stronger, something about the two of you blocks my sight. One of the last visions I had of both of you is when you manifested as Demolitionists. Both of you had painful experiences, but your brother… His life was much more complicated and painful than your own.”

  “Is that why he resents me? He said that I had everything he didn’t. Didn’t you leave him with someone like you did me?”

  The tears began to stream down her face again as she no doubt was recalling painful memories. “I only had the chance to hold your brother twice. I never even got the opportunity to name him like I did you.”