Lexan stared at his hands, moved them apart, and let the liquid splash on the floor. It spread out, in strange patterns. Finally forming his well-known symbol. But it continued changing. The thorn from the middle broke off and rotated upside down and slightly moved upward. The tops of the semi circle which superseded the main structure and too broke off. The shapes rotated to form thin triangle eyes, with a triangle nose, and a wide smiling mouth. The mouth moved.
“Lexan,” the boy stared at the pooling liquid as it spoke, gently moving his hand in the air, “follow the destiny which is yours. No one can tell you what to do, not even your dreams.”
It quieted down in deep thought. The wide mouth contracted into a line, “Choose your path carefully, and never look back. Trust your instincts, and you will achieve great things.”
It paused again, grumbling as it thought, “Do what you think is best not for the galaxy but for you.”
The liquid splashed together, and slithered off into an invisible drain.
Lexan stared for a minute or two, letting the flames die out.
II
A plan formed in his mind briskly. He had no time to await a difference or a change. According to the laws of United Republics, he, in his current state, was considered by all means an adult. The hormonal balance in his body suggested adulthood as well as the mind he possessed. Due to the diverse population of the Galaxy, and the diverse biology involved, adulthood and sovereignty was decided by rather medical practices. Whenever an individual's chemical balances matched those considered to be of a mature representative, the individual is granted so-called “freedom of adulthood”.
That fact, revealed to Lexan by Joshua, was the first step to his plan. The final step was stopping Nangern. He laughed to himself, already realizing he could never succeed.
But he felt obligated, knowing the situation better than most people in the galaxy, to help in any way he could.
“Next,” the man said. He sat inside room at a particular Sphere District. The boy could sense that the man had no Aether ability as he stood in the line. The man spoke yet to another Shun. Months earlier, the same man would sit in that little room, behind a holographic display. Day after day, he read the news, played games online, and on occasion, he would write. By now, he must have written a dozen novels.
Yet, just a few days earlier, eight or nine, he experienced a rush of people, and was busy all day and night long.
“Next,” he yelled out again. Lexan moved in his line. He pondered upon his decision. It came from desperation, and a little devastation at his own failure. A sigh left his lips, one that he could not mask from his company. The helmet he usually wore, he left in his small bag. He learned one lesson from his “Dimension Warping” class, and that was to expand the relative space inside an object, such as a bag, to encompass larger objects such as his surfboard, while still retaining the same relative size on the outside. The “little” devastation tugged at his heart once more and it solidified his resolution to go through with his plan.
A rather raw plan, he thought to himself. First step, using the law to his prosperity. Second step involved his current predicament. Third step unknown. While the fourth and final step seemed to be a victory and peace in the galaxy. Despite knowing the exact process, the young Aether believed he could make a difference. And even if he could not, his life would not hinder a progress to the ultimate goal. Even if he couldn't be actually present, or be the decisive element.
Life cascaded down quickly, he thought, the same as the waterfalls he jumped into. He remembered the rush he felt, and moved yet another step after the man in the room yelled, “Next” once more.
Lexan's friends did not know of his plan, of course. They would not only disapprove but would do everything in their power to prevent him from succeeding in the second step of his plan. An opider pressed up against the boy, murmured sorry, and continued to wait.
“Next,” the man yelled, and it was still not Lexan's turn. He waited patiently, holding in his rage and sadness. He would have plenty of opportunity to express such emotions later. In a way that would satisfy any being of flesh and blood.
“Next,” and Lexan walked forward into the small room. The boy wondered why this transaction could not be done over DomeStem, why he had to be physically present, or why even physicality had to be part of the process. Why was this man here? The man looked at him and asked, “Name?”
“[Muray]” no last name.
“So you want to join the Peace-Keepers, eh? It says here you're a first year.”
Lexan watched him and with carefully crafted answers, he spoke, “Yes, I am a first year. You'll find I have excellent grades in all subjects. I am a legal adult, and I wish to join the cause.”
The man, big in statue was dressed in ragged clothes. One that might resemble a worn-torn outfit. He wore black heavy boots, ready for hiking on any surface. His legs were lined with thick fibered clothing with scales covering the knee area and the groin area.
The boy remembered his Sun Surfing outfit. A utility belt held a single blade weapon along with a side-weapon. The weapon resembled a pointing stick one might use at a blackboard. Lexan had read about it. The weapon, when flicked like a wand, released an incredible amount of energy collapsed into a miniscule point. A single such energy bullet could pierce a meter-thick titanium wall. Titanium, of course, was a common-place “weaker” material in the galaxy. When stabbed with the thin weapon, the energy point would explode inside a person, splattering blood and guts everywhere. A rather gruesome fact that amused the boy.
“Well, boy, you are too young. We don't need more recruits like you, wanting to be heroes, only to get killed and waste our Government's money.”
The boy stared into the man's cold blue eyes, as cold and as blue as a thick layer of ice over a deep lake. Lexan noticed the man's shit, another such piece of clothing that could withstand the Sun's heat as well as the deep-space cold.
“I can prove to you I'm worth it,” Lexan said, his hand shaking. He felt nervous, and afraid the man might reject him once more. And then, he would be absolutely worthless as a person.
He did not wish to feel worthless, he wanted a purpose.
“And how is that, boy?” the man asked.
“I can pierce through your armor with my bare hands,” he felt rather special because of the statement.
The man laughed, “This old thing? I can rip it apart with my bare-hands too. And I'm no Aether.” Then he proceeded to grab the fabric with his hands and rip it apart free. Lexan knew that the strength involved to do such an act could tear the chair he sat on into million pieces.
“A new armor,” Lexan said, staring at the man. He crawled on his knees on the inside. He wanted to beg and plead. But just a few days ago, he learned an important lesson. Begging, asking, those acts could not get one anywhere. Only power, inner strength, and statements could transcend one over the ordinary masses. The boy realized why the interview for Peace Keepers had to be done in person, one could not mask their emotions and their power when they had to confront a recruiter without a mask, without something between them and the recruiter. Here, he was stark naked, metaphorically speaking.
The man looked seriously at Lexan, measuring him with his eyes. One eye was fully electronic. It zoomed in and out, came into focus and out. It looked real in all aspects besides one. The pupil, the pupil did not possess the life, the same dynamic inside as a real eye. It was rendered lifeless, and any human that looked into this man's eyes could see the deadness of the tissue. It lacked the spark of life.
“A new armor?” he said, “Well, if you think you can do it. Let's try, but,” and he laughed again. He must have enjoyed the new recruitment rush, “let me warn you. You'd have to be at least a fourth year to even dent the armor. It's made of stable Xenon atoms bonded with hydrogen.” Lexan looked at the man, “Crazy mix, I know, but who would have thought it would create such versatile material?”
The man stoo
d up and led Lexan to another room. A room filled with weapons and armor.
“All of these are mock-ups of course. But I like to keep a sample of the real thing for guys like you,” he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, “now let's see what you can do.”
He picked a single armor off the wall, the “real” thing as he called it. The man placed the armor against another wall, “Now, ordinarily I would put this armor on, let you shoot me and laugh when you failed, but” he paused and grinned, “that's how I got this scar over here.” He said and showed a circular burn mark over his chest, “Damn woman shot me decades ago and the blast tore through the fabric like butter. I'm lucky to be alive. Kept the scar as a reminder.
“Go on, try your stuff. Transform if you want to, I could care less.”
He leaned against another wall, laughed but watched Lexan with interest.
The boy got into position and remembered his lessons from Crafts with Trainer Teag, breathing in, he summoned fire. It spread over his body, the heat increased in intensity. Lexan's burn mark on his back, only a scar now, accelerated the heat.
The fiery energy pushed through the boy's body but it could not escape. He transformed into an Aether. Energy around him shook and fled. The man watched the boy with interest, watch until the boy disappeared.
He blinked but could not see the boy anywhere. One second, Lexan stood there positioning his arms and hands for a fight. The man squinted and saw how strangely the light reflected in the area the boy stood. Air molecules vibrated the same way they did whenever the sun scorched the earth, or whenever-
“Fire?” the man looked and saw tiny traces of flame that outlined the boy. The air vibrated faster, creating illusions in the enclosed space, mirages. It looked like a lake floated up and covered the opposite wall, reflecting the invisible, all-around lights.
The flames grew, lashing out from a semi-circle on the boy's back. They traveled along his shoulders, along his arms, and finally onto his hands which he seemed to hold in such a way as to shield the mass of fire.
Lexan felt the heat concentrate between his hands. He felt free. Completely free. Sadness and pain left him. Happiness and peace replaced them inside his heart. The young Aether felt like a butterfly tearing open its cocoon. He felt life enter the fire ball, gaining a mind of its own. The tiny star made the materials in the room creak as it implemented its gravitational field around. Lexan made sure to keep the recruiter unaffected.
Whatever thought, negative thought, entered Lexan’s mind, instantly disappeared into the flames.
As the boy exhaled, he aimed the ball of fire at the armor. It floated in mid-air, with scales covering it, scales made to withstand the surface of stars and the blasts from the side-arm wand. They could not, however, withstand Aetheric-built weapons. A few hard slashes from the man's sword, and the armor would fall in pieces. The super-hard, light, and eternally sharp swords served as, ironically, the main weapon for a soldier. Armors could withstand bullets, the scales would cover and protect from those. They could somewhat withstand those super-charged blasts. The Aetheric swords, however, could cut and penetrate the armor the same way the weapons worked against knights of the middle ages.
The fireball launched against the armor. It left a red wake trailing behind. The trail vanished like dust in the wind. A small flash emerged from the armor suit as the plasma made its impact. The man standing on the side yelped but managed to silence himself. A tremendous heat wave surged through the room, automatically ventilated and absorbed by the walls. Lexan did his part to protect the recruiter’s life in case the structure could not hold on.
A dirty black smoke enveloped the suit until it was sucked out by the filtration system.
“Not possible,” the man said, first surprised. He then proceeded to congratulate Lexan, “Well boy, I was wrong about you. Welcome to the Peace-Keepers.” He patted him on the back and led him back to the main room.
The armor behind them waved, full of holes. Scales on it still emitted scorched smoke. Melted material hit the floor, sizzling loudly. It encountered the hate and pure devastation it had not felt before. And that darkness which overwhelmed the boy's heart, melted the pure reality of the suit's existence.
III
Back in his old dormitory, Lexan sat down. His possessions were already on the large ship full of recruits. The drama is over, he thought. He sighed and relaxed for a minute. One more day, what to do?
Jacque entered through one of the immaterial doors, “Hey,” he said vaguely and walked over to lie down on his bed. For the first few minutes of the encounter, Jacque kept his distance, did not talk. He did not notice anything different, but then he looked over around the room, “Where's your stuff?” His head turned left and right but there were no remnants of Lexan's school equipment, no books, nothing. And since Lexan was too young to create his own dimensional universe inside the Closet, Jacque did not bother getting up.
“Gone,” Lexan spoke softly, his voice shook slightly, “My stuff is on the recruitment ship, ”And the deed was done. He could not turn back. Jacque was just another boy in his life, Lexan knew him for barely a few months. During that time, the only they connected was during parties where he Music Mastered. He was a simple acquaintance.
“The recruitment ship? You're joining the Peace-Keepers?” he asked surprised, “What the hell? Why?” Jacque got to his feet and looked down at Lexan. His eyes were fierce, and his voice demanding.
The boy, sitting, stood up, “It's complicated,” he sighed and as he left the room, a quiet answer escaped his lips, “You wouldn't understand.”
IV
Walls seem to close in on the boy for he would not see them after this day. Peace-Keepers, it was a job full of dedication. He would spend eight or ten years there. Time is meaningless, the boy thought, remembering the longevity statistics for the majority of the galaxy. An announcement ran across the walls, the patterned coverings adjusted to let the sign through.
“Get your mid-year dance tickets!” over and over.
Joshua guided Lexan down to the waterfalls. The half-sphere he enjoy so much.As he enteredinto the first transport, he saw Nivua. She walked in the opposite direction, not seeing him. After a second of consideration, he let her go and focused on his thoughts.
How strange it was that he wanted to be alone for his last day on the planet. Tomorrow, he would disappear. Tomorrow, no one will know where he is or what happened.
The transport arrived silently by a shallow creek. Strange, he thought, I swear the transport usually stopped at the station.
The boy stood up and headed for the waterfalls. Every step he took seemed to be eternal. Only by knowing he will never return, he could truly enjoy the beauty of the place. Birds with string-like wings flew above him and sat down on the red-colored tree trunks. They sang to him.
Cascading waters pooled and flowed into the green lush lands. Lexan stepped over the thin streams. When he looked around, no one was present. As always, the gardens were empty. He could never understand why. Satisfied, the boy took off his shoes and felt an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders. The water felt cool against his feet. And so he ran, splashing water everywhere, until he reached the waterfall.
It seemed much taller than before. Had it grown?
Lexan reached up but at the last second, retracted his hand. He stood still and closed his eyes, listening to the bubbling of the lake next to him, and the falling waters.
The first transformation passed him within seconds. His skin became translucent, his body energized, and his mind focused. But he did not open his eyes yet. Lexan felt how he floated just centimeters above the surface and so he floated over the lake and toward the waterfall. He had to concentrate hard to bend reality to his liking. A massive repulsion force built up at the lower part of his body as if both his body and the lake water were magnetic poles of the same sign.
Yet he stood still, with closed eyes. His body vibrated slightly as the energy built
up within him. The lake rippled under him but soon after, it stopped. The boy’s body no longer interacted with the electromagnetic spectrum, making him nearly invisible.
He rose a few meters into the air, into the falling mass of water that sprayed his entire body. Drenched in seconds, the boy shed his clothes and with them, he shed more weight off his shoulders.
His body felt tenth its initial weight, but the same mass. He felt free of burden and opened his eyes. Above him was the sky, littered with tiny white spheres, all inter-connected. In front of him, a wall of water with rocks behind it. Below him, the lake rippled as the water splashed down. His clothes floated on the surface.
The repulsion force gained power and pushed the boy into the falling water, through the water upward. Lexan had to close his eyes again to protect them. Matter pushed down on him, and he felt a sudden urge to stop and fall back down. But he did not, he pushed harder and harder against the stream, against the natural order of things. He tore through the waters and pushed harder but somehow managed to end up lower than where he initially started.
He grit his teeth as he always did nowadays whenever presented with a challenge seemingly too hard for him. With a bang, the water around exploded and he cleaved through the fluid into the air, escaping the water’s massive power. He landed by the main river source and laid down onto the ground. The grass prickled his naked body.
V
Lexan made his way to the Recruit Ship. An enormous, wide, saucer that housed all the recruits from the planet which numbered in millions. It was the first of many that would land on the Aether planet; most students preferred to leave after the school year ended. The ship would engage on a five-month journey. Due to its enormous size, and Twist space being out of commission, the ship would drift several weeks to the outside of the system until it could accelerate further and enter whatever universe they used for travel now.
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