“Hello?” He gingerly called out. Thankfully his voice didn’t break. He didn’t need to add embarrassment to his rising anxiety.
“My greetings, Elder. Please take a seat.”
The replying voice sounded male and was friendly enough. Regaining his composure, he sat on the cushioned chair. God, this is comfortable.
“Where am I and who may you be,” asked Tyler, trying to sound as calm and as friendly as he could be.
“A moment please, while I adjust my parameters.”
Parameters? Tyler tried to make sense of the use of the word. It was a word he only encountered back on Earth. He didn’t expect to hear it on Adar. Too modern.
And “Elder”? The voice must have confused him with another being.
“My thanks for waiting, Elder. May we proceed?”
Quite polite, noticed Tyler. Yet his reaction to the ongoing incident surprised Tyler. It was quite odd. He was not as shocked or panicked as he should be, being shoved to another reality for the second time. He idly wondered if the surprises that kept cropping up since he arrived on this world have inured him to these situations.
“Before anything, can you please tell me where I am?”
“We are in the tablet and also in your mind, Elder. I will be using concepts from your mind for effective communication. Rest assured no intrusion will be made on your will, your private thoughts, or freedom of thinking.”
Freak me twice. A mind reading entity. What have I gotten myself into now?
“That’s a bit confusing. How can we both be in two places at the same time?”
“We are in the tablet, Elder. When I said “your mind”, what I meant was the things you see and hear are taken from concepts and ideas from your mind. It eases your transition to this place and your comprehension of what we will be discussing.”
“Then who are you?”
“I am but a guardian left by your ancestors, Elder. Before they ascended millennia ago, they left icons of their presence on this world for their descendants. A memory of what and who they are. Unfortunately, the upheavals on this world have either destroyed or damaged most of their sanctuaries of knowledge. Like me for instance. Buried under a mountain of rock, with only two memory banks remaining.”
“Memory banks?” asked the surprised Tyler.
“The term is the closest approximation I have for the tablets, Elder. It seems science on your world had traveled down a different path. For your ancestors, it was science and magic combined as a tool for the search for more knowledge and the path to ascendance.”
“So why call me an Elder? I come from Earth, not Adar.”
“Your ancestors came from Earth, Elder. Events in their history forced them to move to this world. But with the destruction of the rest of my memory banks, I cannot provide details about such events. Only a few incomplete strands of data remain accessible to me. I fear the information from the rest of the tablets have been corrupted by damage or destroyed, hence such data is to be denied release as it is incomplete and may mislead. As for your status, your ancestors have already foreseen your arrival on this world as a being devoid of any magical energy. It could have been somebody else from Earth but that person will have to come from a timeline when magical energy is almost absent.”
“Please explain.”
“Your ancestors left the First World after a series of devastating conflicts among them. Some of them have ascended to a level equal to gods of their time. But burdened with human traits and desires, ascendancy of their forms to a higher level was not perfect. Greed, the desire for power, and madness tainted many of these ascended. Maladies which led to the conflicts I mentioned. Conflicts which maximized the use of magical energies on Earth, greatly depleting what that world had to offer. Wars which lasted for millennia. For a time, the destruction resulted in a planet barely fit to live in. As a result, the few who survived the cataclysmic conflicts moved to Adar. A magical echo of what the Earth was at the birth of sentient life. But through the ages, they had come to realize that though Earth retained some magical energy, the rise of deities and magical beings through the willful and strong beliefs of men, not to mention man’s intentional use of such magical energy, will affect the availability of magical energy on the First World. With the beginnings of monotheistic beliefs and your kind of science, they concluded that the time was nearing that magical energy will eventually be depleted as belief is crucial to magic and the renewal of magical energies.”
“Wait, you mean belief in magical energies creates magical energies? Isn’t that an argument going around in a loop?”
“Back then, there were two kinds of magical or divine energies on Earth. One is what had been called many things but the terms “mana”, “ether”, and “akasha” were the most common. A remnant of creation, it is the greater energy that flows among and in everything. But humans are gifted with another form of energy, a personal one, a divine spark if you will. One which gave them life in the first place. A spark which also enabled humans to be sentient life forms. This personal energy has also been called many things: “life force”, “the soul”, “prana”, even as the “odic force”. When man believes in magical energy, then each being so believing unconsciously creates “mana”. Which in turn gives life and substance to man’s imagined gods and mythological beings, among other uses. In a way, it also renews to a certain extent the magical energies in a world. But when man’s beliefs turn from a belief in the existence of magic and magical beings to a monotheistic Creator or even in your present-day belief in scientific and non-magical principles, then no such energy is created. The quantity of the magical energy in a world becomes stagnant. Yet depleted constantly by the existence of magical beings, the use of such energies by human warlocks, sorcerers and witches, and worse of all, expended needlessly in great conflicts involving man’s created mythological beings. Just consider the expenditure of magical energy in what humans of this world call a Divine War. Imagine the drain of the world’s magical energy if such a war lasts a millennium or more.”
Tyler thought for a while, trying to make sense of what the voice was saying. He knew some information was deliberately being withheld from him. Which was but logical as he would be doing the same if the position were reversed. Truth has always been elusive and subject to the vagaries and needs of those who present them. The voice itself admitted that the Elder, or at least their own ancestors, were subject to human frailties. But even so, his mind was struggling to wrap itself around the concepts and ideas now being presented to him.
“In effect, what you are saying is that these mythological deities and beings are created by man and his imagination.”
“Correct.”
“That when Earth started believing in a non-magical and monotheistic God and non-magical principles, magical energy on Earth started depleting to the extent of being a threat to mythological beings?”
“Yes, Elder. Hence, the Great Migration as I believe you have heard it called by beings of this world.”
“You say these events were foreseen by your makers?”
“Yes, Elder. Your ancestors saw what was going to happen after observing Earth through countless millennia. They were, above all, inveterate but secretive seekers of knowledge. But at the time of the Great Migration, only a few Elders remained on Adar, mostly to set the final preparations for the coming of their descendants. After they have all left, one thing they didn’t foresee was the many Divine Wars which erupted. Though their sanctuaries were cloaked from magical beings or even the humans of Adar, they were not impervious to damage and destruction. As a result, as reticent a race the Elders may be in the matter of interference with Adar’s affairs, they were forced to intervene during the last Divine War which threatened Adar itself in many ways. Appearing in lower but ascended forms, they stopped the war and laid down rules for the pantheons.”
“You called me an Elder. How did you determine that?”
“Humans born in Adar have magical energy in their bones, though
of varying degrees of potency. This energy permeates everything in a world. Modern humans from your world, with its nearly depleted magical energy, have no such power. Any magical energy remaining in your world are barely enough to maintain the existence of a few minor mythological beings and artifacts. And inevitably, they will be gone from your world forever. Artifacts will be rendered mere lumps of metal or wood.”
“But what about the Elder who migrated to this world? Surely, they had innate magical energy even if they were human in origin.”
“Yes, but the millennia of exposure to magical energy and the transformed variations of such energy during their wars have made them sterile. A sterility which has proven to be incurable by magic if one wants pure human progeny. The few who were able to migrate to Adar were the ones who desired knowledge and transcendence above all. But still, they remembered who they once were and desired not to let such memory die out.”
“Are they still on Adar?”
“That I cannot answer. My knowledge was limited to what they deemed necessary.”
“If I am an Elder, why the distinction between me and the peoples of Adar? I am powerless compared to them and their control of magical energy.”
“Not powerless now. Uninformed. Ignorant of your capabilities. But definitely not powerless.”
“Oh? What kind of power can I then use? How do I use it?”
“Unfortunately, my knowledge is very limited. The first tablet you saw mostly housed my consciousness and processes. But the power available for your use is one which the Elder has mastered during their search for transcendence. It is the power to bend reality to your will. If you are able to find and access the other tablets, then you may be able to fully use and master such an ability. Depending on your innate personal capability to understand Elder magical science, of course. This ability is denied to creatures and humans of this world as the energy flowing through them is incompatible with the energy of the Elder. Nor is the capability to transform the magical energy of this world to Elder energy within their capacity, much less comprehension. You, on the other hand, are already prepared to harness and use Elder energy. The ability to transform the energy you need to one you can use is already there. Only the knowledge on how to use it is lacking.”
“You mean the ritual Eira used?”
“So that was the name of the female being,” the voice sounded as if it was with some thoughts of its own, “Yes. The ritual was needed to prepare somebody from the First World for Elder energy usage. You should thank her.”
“Thank her? It was conducted without my consent and was for personal and selfish reasons of her own,” Tyler answered, “She meant to resurrect her brother.”
“Oh, the attempt at tampering. Unfortunately, as with devices of my kind, lethal measures were in place to prevent unauthorized access. True, they gained knowledge and a bit of power with the infusion of the required key resource. Even I didn’t expect the male to be able to translate the Elder language written on the tablet. But what they were able to do was merely scratch at the surface of the available knowledge and power the tablets represented.”
“Eira told me her brother died when he attempted to open the knowledge in the second tablet?”
“Inaccurate conclusion. They have not even opened the first tablet. You, on the other hand, have free access to what can be retrieved in complete form. If the information is related to data from the lost or damaged tablets, then it will not be given to you.”
“Is it really possible to resurrect her brother?”
“For Elder knowledge, even at the limited level they have left for their descendants, almost anything is possible. But for the task required, full mastery is needed. Hence, the need to look for and access a complete set of Elder tablets if possible.”
“What can you do for me with what you have?”
“I can give to you what knowledge remains here, little as they may be. If you wish, I can also go with you though in an inactive form. When you have completed the required set of Elder tablets, I can be fully activated and guide you through what you need. I can also provide you access to the tablets once you find them.”
“No intrusions or controlling my mind?”
“I will be in an inert form. Even in accessing the other tablets, I will be merely acting as an interface key. At some point, depending on the tablets accessed, and only if you wish to, you may be able to communicate with me though in a very limited way. In the same way, you may also return me to an inactive state. To be a fully autonomous entity of assistance at your side, with an independent existence, most of the knowledge residing in the tablets is required.”
A safe mode? incredulously thought Tyler.
“But take note of the following,” the voice continued, “First, if the available content of these two tablets is transferred to you, it will take time before your subconscious mind can fully make use of them. Absorption of the knowledge is based on your ability to comprehend it. Second, upon transfer, the two tablets will disintegrate. Third, if I am going to be absorbed together with such knowledge and thereby remain inert and inactive, some knowledge about magical defenses will be given to you for my protection as I have to rely on you and your ability. More may be given in time but it depends on the level of your comprehension. Fourth, your silence on what you have learned here is paramount. Without mastery of Elder knowledge, you remain vulnerable and weaker than some of the magical beings and creatures of this world. Finally, your burden. That Adar will remain and survive as a magical world. The reason for the last condition was not given to me. Only the ascended Elders can answer that.”
“Can I go home if I master Elder knowledge?” he quietly asked, hoping for a desired answer.
“The burden will be on you to protect Adar. Going home will not be possible nor is the knowledge made available. That much I know.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then you go back to the cave, with no memory of what happened, and try to make your way in this world with what you already have. I will wait for the next visitor from the First World.”
“What if I stay and try to get whatever information I can get out of you? There’s that possibility, I’m sure you know.”
“Of course, Elder. But you need time to comprehend the rest of the knowledge I am able to provide. You will also need to know what questions to ask. Your body also requires sustenance and incomplete as I am, providing such sustenance is beyond me. You will die here.”
“There’s no getting around you, isn’t there?”
Tyler asked for a few minutes to think things over. He can’t go back home. The finality of the situation hit him. Hard. Deep inside, he still harbored a hope that a chance exists of going back within a reasonable time frame. The choices for remaining on Adar, on the other hand, are simple but severe in their implications. Go his merry way but run the risks of the consequences of always being at a lower level than its inhabitants. The pantheons won’t touch him for fear of kicking off another war. He was sure there would some renegade supernatural deity around who would be mad enough to take him under its wings but dealing with tentacled monstrosities or beings with skewed moralities really didn’t meet his taste. Trying for the end zone touchdown offers great rewards but with an onerous burden. It would be like playing against a full football team all by his lonesome. With spectator participation. That would be fun. Shit.
Well, it is not as if I have something else to do or somewhere else to be, he thought. Death may come whatever choice he makes. Better make it worth his while and try his damned best to survive.
“All right Hal, made my choice. Do me a Gandalf.”
“Hal? Gandalf?”
“Modern pop culture references, Hal. It also means you can come with me. I rather would have the key with me than look for another one,” said Tyler with a sigh. What he wouldn’t do to have a decent conversation with somebody from his own time line.
“But I think I should name you Hal. You don’t mind, do you? It’s not as if
you have a name or something like that.”
The Accidental Archmage: Book One - Ragnarok Rising (MOBI EDITION) Page 18