by James Huff
The Silver priest gave us all the signal for silence as we gathered around the statue of the Alphae and awaited his orders. “Good morning inductees and welcome once again to the common area of the Silver caste. You will all be allowed one hour for socializing here after your classes are through for the day. Right now I must sort you all into your individual classes. Classes are composed of 42 students each, so there will indeed be hundreds of separate classes for each of you. Though you will be given different instructors, I can assure you that the instruction you will all receive will be no different. Now, since there are so many of you, I will be merely asking you to come forward and take a number and those numbers will become your individual classes.”
I waited for what seemed like an eternity before I was ushered to the front and received my number. I got the number 6. That seemed appropriate since everything seemed to revolve around the number six in Institution. Once again, I was surprised to see that Amy had received the same number. And according to the priest, the number we received applied to all of the classes we would be taking, with the exception of the physical education class, which would include our entire caste. The priest gave us directions to each of the respective lifts according to our number and so I followed Amy and the others down a long corridor and to a new, smaller set of lifts.
As I entered the lift with the rest of my class, I began swimming in thought. I couldn’t stop thinking about Amy. I decided right then and there that during our social hour I would go talk to her. I just felt like she would understand me. I felt like maybe we shared a common dissent. Hers just seemed to be more silent. She knew how to keep it to herself it seemed. The lift took us to sub level 11A, where I exited with the rest of my classmates. We rounded a bend and then came to a long corridor. We stopped at the entrance of the lecture hall, room number 13B.
As I walked into the classroom I noted that there was again a domed ceiling with depictions of a prophet of the Alphae reaching out to touch his nemyss amidst a starry sky. There were also many other paintings of the Alphae and various prophets along the walls, although I did not see any of them bearing the Silver crest this time. There was a large white desk that was shimmering with a clean sheen and a man in a white lab coat standing in front of it with his arms folded across his chest. He had medium length blonde hair and blue eyes and was rather fair skinned. He was of average height and donned a long white lab coat. Glasses with small rectangular frames hung loosely upon his nose. The seats were all the same sterile white color as the desk and hovered in rows all the way to the back of the room like a standard lecture hall. There were six rows of seven students each. I noticed that there was some kind of cubic gray and black machine that was hanging from the ceiling. It had a single eye shape in the center and appeared to be some kind of projector similar to that of the individual altar stations.
I took my seat toward the back and noticed that Amy was sitting in front of me. I nudged her on her shoulder and she turned around and we exchanged another quick smile. I knew she must have been just as surprised as me that we had been seeing each other so much while behind the walls of Institution. It was almost as if the priests and the BMF had set it up that way. Or at least I was beginning to wonder. As soon as we were all seated the instructor spoke up. “Good morning inductees of the Silver caste and welcome to your History of the Alphae class behind the walls of Institution. Here you will learn all there is to know about the Alphae’s involvement with the universe, and this planet, from the beginning of creation until the present day. My name is Mr. Joseph and I will be your instructor during your stay here. The seats that you have chosen will be your seats for the remainder of your time here unless I reassign them myself. Now, are there any questions before I begin?” Everyone in the classroom seemed rather awestruck and remained silent. I took notice of a pair of eyewear on the desk in front of me. “What are these glasses here,” I asked.
“Of course, I am glad you brought that up. The teaching style that has been given to us by the Alphae himself is state of the art. Just as he can transport us into his glorious Kingdoms, he also has the power to bring us into another time period. That’s right students…you will all be taking a trip back in time!” Everyone’s eyes lit up at that time except for mine. How did I know this was not just another ruse? I was seriously beginning to question a lot of this. I saw the projector, the glasses, the machine above my bed that morning. And then I was told that everything the Alphae supposedly showed us was real. Was I really the only one to question it? My thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Joseph began the lesson.
“Now I want you all to put on your eyewear and make sure they are snug. Prepare yourself for the lesson.” I placed the eye wear over my eyes and watched the other students do the same. Soon the instructor touched the screen on his desk and the lights dimmed and the eyewear I had on began to glow. I noticed that the projector above began to shoot out a thin beam of golden light, hitting the opposite wall before shrouding the entire room in darkness. The glowing on the eyewear faded and I found myself going into some kind of weird trance as everything was enveloped in blackness. Mr. Joseph continued the lesson. “In the beginning there was nothing but the Abyss. Even the Alphae had not yet taken form at this point. But as soon as he became conscious of his will to create, his eyes formed.” Out of the abysmal blackness came two points of light, those all familiar mysterious and ever-changing eyes of the Alphae. They seemed to glow a light metallic blue color and flash from that to a silver white color. “The Alphae took on the appearance of the mightiest form his unlimited intellect could concoct. His dazzling array of colors and his beautiful nemyss that defines him as a god, began to take shape. And out of the primordial Abyss, he fashioned for himself his rod of gold…to aid him in his creation.”
The Alphae now stood in his fullness in the Abyss with his golden rod in hand. The dual coiling serpents around the rod could be seen subtly swaying back and forth as the Alphae raised his scepter on high and stuck it down with such force that the entire hall was shaken. Between the two heads of the cobras emitted a golden beam of light that hit the center of the Abyss and formed a vortex of spiraling color. Then suddenly the vortex exploded outward and the stars and planets began to fly out of this central point and explode outward into the infinite space. The instructor continued. “But there is one star that the Alphae loved the most and it is our star, Sol. As you all know the Alphae chose to embody the sun and took on the pure form of Perfected Gold.” Then we could see the Alphae push the tip of his scepter into this forming star and turn it like a key. Then the planets began to fly from its core and land in various places around the sun. “You see children, the Alphae created these planets from the core of Sol, and sanctioned them to revolve around it as an act of reverent worship. These planets are all aligned with the six castes of Institution, with Sol being the Gold from whence they came…and to where they shall return.”
“We have the Lead Caste, which is derived from the planet Saturn, those commissioned for sacrifice of the self; the Mercury class, which is derived from the first planet from Sol, Mercury. The Tin Caste is derived from the largest planet, Jupiter; the Iron Caste is derived from Mars, those chosen with the hearts of warriors. The Copper Caste is derived from Venus, those chosen to witness beauty. And finally we have the Silver Caste, the only caste of Institution to derive from our own planet’s satellite, the moon.”
“But there is one planet that is special, the Alphae’s own child and most beloved of all the other planets. This is our planet, Earth.” We all then witnessed the Alphae embracing the Earth and rocking it back and forth in his bosom like an infant. Then the scene shifted and we found ourselves amidst a barren wasteland riddled with molten lava and ash and fire. The planet was suddenly cooled and the great waters of the deep began to form. It started to rain and as it did so many lush plants and trees began to grow from the new soil. Life burst forth everywhere and soon the birds of the air could be seen among the branches of the trees. Beautiful flowers and fr
uits were forming. Then the beasts of the Earth began to form everywhere as the entire Earth teemed with new life.
“The greatest of all the creatures of the Alphae were our first parents, the first daughter of men, Ava, and the first son, Raia. They did not yet know of their god the Alphae. They lived in a state of blissful ignorance. But very soon, when he was ready and in his time, the Alphae would reveal himself.” It was then that we saw the first humans give birth to sons and daughters and soon the entire face of the Earth was filled with these new creatures. They were primitive in this time period, living off the land and surviving in tribal units. The scene soon dissipated and we were asked to remove our eye wear. Mr. Joseph concluded the lecture. “Next class you will learn the story of the first prophet of the Alphae…and humanity’s discovery of their god and king. For now I will dismiss you all that you may go to your next class on the Theology of the Alphae. Good day to you all and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
Everyone seemed to get up all at once and head to the door, but I lingered behind for a few moments and waited for the crowd to disperse a bit. I noticed that Amy walked up to the instructor to speak to him and I decided to follow her. I stood behind her as they spoke. “Mr. Joseph I really enjoyed our lesson today, but you only mentioned some of the planets. What of the others, such as Neptune? My father used to…” She was cut off as Mr. Joseph interjected. “Only certain planets were chosen by the Alphae to mark the progression of the metals. Now, please go to your next class.” Amy walked briskly to the door, as if in disgust. I caught up to her and opened the door for her and she turned around and smiled and walked in front of me. I then walked through the door myself and followed along beside her to our next class, which was down the corridor on the right past a few other lecture halls. I decided to speak my mind. “So what did your father tell you about the other planets?” She hesitated for a moment before answering, not even looking at me but continuing to walk down the hallway. “It’s kind of personal. My father was not supposed to know about them. I wouldn’t want you to see me in the wrong light. I’d rather not get into it.” I thought about what she said for a moment before responding. “Yeah my grandfather used to tell me some stories as well that he wasn’t supposed to know about. He, well…” I trailed off and she chimed in. “Where is your grandfather now?” My heart dropped into my stomach and formed a knot as I fought back the tears. “He…well. He passed away a few weeks before I got here.” She turned and looked at me and gently squeezed my hand. “I am sorry for your loss. I lost my mother last year. I know what it’s like.”
Our intimate conversation was interrupted as our other classmates rushed past us and entered the lecture room for our theology class, room number 16 C. This time Amy opened the door for me and I thanked her and walked into the lecture hall. This room was set up almost exactly the same as the prior class, except that there were these lists posted all around the walls. I took notice of one of them directly behind the instructor who was standing behind the desk. It was labeled “Statutes and Dogmas.” The instructor was a small, frail man with medium length reddish blonde hair and green eyes. He wore no glasses and was dressed in the same white lab coat as the previous instructor. He held a small pointer in his left hand and seemed rather fidgety. I took my seat near the back and this time Amy sat next to me. I was so glad to have finally made a friend. She treated me with such kindness. I wished my grandfather could have met her and told her some of his stories. But my thoughts were soon cut off as the instructor spoke up.
“Good morning inductees of the Silver caste. My name is Mr. Ryan and I will be instructing you during your stay behind the walls of Institution on the theology, dogma, and ethics of the Alphae.” I looked at the desk in front of me and noticed that there was no eyewear this time. I did, however, take notice of the same black cubic projector machine hanging from the ceiling above the instructor’s desk. “Before we begin I would like to ask one of you to come in front of the class and tell us about your experience with the Cup of Atonement in the Center City Temple before you entered Institution. You there, come to the front please.” He aimed his pointer directly at my chest and I saw a green dot from the laser hit my uniform. Just great. First I was chosen by the Alphae in the morning ritual and now this. I could have told the class the truth about what happened that day, but I knew if I did they would give me hell for it. Amy might understand. But I preferred to lie this time and tell her the truth later. Maybe she would understand that I was only trying to protect myself.
I steadily got up and reluctantly made my way toward the instructor. He stopped me in front of his desk and asked me to turn around and recount my experience with the rest of the students. “Well, my parents both felt it was a great honor to drink from the Cup of Atonement. But honestly I did not understand why we had to do it. The Alphae mentioned something about rebels. But I did not understand why we should be held accountable for the mistakes of other people in another time.” The instructor gave me a stern look at first, but then his expression shifted to one of genuine concern. “That I will be explaining to the class in detail throughout your time here Mr….” “Crawling,” I replied, “John Crawling.” “Yes, Mr. Crawling. Your question will be answered eventually. But please tell us how you felt when you drank from the Cup.” I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should be somewhat honest like I just was. I decided against it at the last minute. “Well after I drank from the Cup, I did feel a sense of relief, almost like this heavy burden was lifted from me.” Mr. Ryan smiled and patted me on the back. “Very good, Mr. Crawling. Now go ahead and take your seat.”
“Now class. Mr. Crawling was absolutely right. The feeling that he felt of a burden being lifted is exactly what takes place when the sacred rite of the Cup of Atonement is taken. When we drink from the Cup, the Alphae removes the burden of the mark of the rebel. We are all born with this mark, as we inherited it from our ancestors who rebelled against the will of the Alphae and murdered his people. Believe it or not the Alphae gave us this mark out of love, because he knew that he and he alone had the power to remove it. But he can never remove it without our consent and unquestioning obedience to his holy and mighty will.”
How did I know that he would say that? Go figure. He sounded like the typical lackey of the Alphae. Well at least I didn’t get taken by the drones to the BMF for questioning the whole ordeal. He continued. “This single tenant of atonement for the sins of our ancestors shall spring every other teaching and dogma that you will learn today. Truly it is at the core of the Alphae’s teachings. Today all that I want from you is to understand why it is vital that we submit ourselves each day to the Alphae’s will and drink from the holy Cup of Atonement each time the Alphae brings it forward.”
“Now I would like to show you all why we must atone for the sins of our fathers. You see it is inherent in all of us, the desire to rebel. We were all born bearing the mark of the rebel. Now I will show you what happens when that mark is activated and show you how the human being can be turned into a vicious animal with no respect for life and the might of our god and king.” With that the instructor clicked his pointer and aimed it at the projector which gave out a sharp ring and then emitted a single beam of yellow light that hit the domed ceiling above and then a new scene meshed into view all around us. We appeared to be in the middle of some great battle. But there was only one side of the battle that was armed. There was a makeshift statue of the Alphae in the middle of some kind of tribal village that was being burned. There were men, women, and children that were tied to the statue and I could hear them screaming as they burned alive. The smell of burning human flesh entered my nostrils and I almost gagged. Men could be seen grabbing the worshippers of the Alphae by the dozens and slitting their throats. I closed my eyes. I did not want to watch anymore. I couldn’t believe that they were showing this to a room full of 13 year olds.
I opened my eyes again and the scene dissipated and the Alphae rose up out of a charred Earth
and raised up a golden chalice bedecked with jewels. Then I saw that the entire class, including the instructor, beat at their breasts three times and drank from a phantom cup. This time I knew better and so I went ahead and played along. Afterward the scene dissipated once more and the normal lecture hall came into view. Mr. Ryan spoke up. “That is all for today class. This shall be your most valuable lesson. Now I release you to go to the dining hall for lunch and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
I hesitated for a moment before getting up to leave. I was flabbergasted that Mr. Ryan would actually show us such a grotesque spectacle. I guess it was the whole shock and awe treatment that I would likely continue to expect while behind the walls of Institution. So badly I just wanted to go to Vaena and never come back to this awful place again. I wished Grandfather was with me. He would have made all of this so much easier. I was so lost in thought that I noticed that most of the other students had already left for the next class. I looked beside me and noticed that Amy had already walked off too.
I got up quickly and went to open the door when Mr. Ryan called my name. “Yes?” I turned around to face him and he gave me a stern, steely look. “I understand that you have begun your first protocol with the BMF. Normally when one questions the tenants of the Alphae, the BMF must be notified. But you seemed to genuinely be confused on the subject of the Cup of Atonement. Unless of course…you were lying to protect yourself. The question is son…how do you really feel about it?” I had no idea how he knew about my involvement with the BMF but it hardly surprised me. In all honestly most of the staff probably knew. I shrugged my shoulders and walked off. Just before I opened the door again I turned to look toward Mr. Ryan. “You’re not actually going to report me, are you?” He gave me a grim smile before replying. “For the time being no. Just know that not all of us are so easily fooled. Now, please go. You don’t want to be late for lunch, do you?”