Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  And so, when they finally emerged in a rather large cave, Kingston did not know whether to collapse from exhaustion or merely stop to catch his breath. In the end, he made a compromise and collapsed to catch his breath. While he did so, he took note of his new surroundings. The cave they had entered was somewhat strange, now that his eyes had had enough time to adjust to the half-gloom. It had a high, domed ceiling, which matched the circular nature of the room. The walls of the cave were covered in ç'aether ‘vines’ which criss-crossed one another to make intricate -if unplanned- patterns. However, it was the centre of the room that was most unusual. It was raised, like a stone dais, and it held two exceptionally large ç'aether crystals. They had erupted from the earth mere inches from one another, and had both ended after roughly ten feet. This in itself was not that unusual, but it was their shape which Kingston found most strange.

  To Kingston, they looked like a pair of thrones. The bases of both crystals were flat, while the ‘backs’ were staggered in several layers. About a foot and a half off of the ground, the crystals once more became flattened, with raised portions on either side that looked remarkably similar to arm rests. Above the chair portions of the crystals, the ç'aether continued on for a few more feet, before ending in two jagged points.

  “Kingston, those look like-

  “Thrones, yes m'boy, I see it too.”

  “But how?” Barsch, having entered the room shortly after Alza, was already beside the nearest ‘throne’. The youth was examining the oddly shaped crystal with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

  “Thoughts?” asked Maloch, moving closer to the centre of the cave.

  “Many. Maloch, what are the chances that two ç’aether crystals could take on that exact shape?”

  “Taking into account the wide range of unknowns concerning ç’aether formation, and factoring in the endless range of shapes that they could take... not to mention the fact that both crystals took on the same, identical appearance... calculating.... error. The odds of this happening in real life are incalculable. Result: the formations we see before us cannot possibly exist.”

  “And yet here we are... Well, this wouldn't be the first time that we've encountered something that could not exist...”

  “I suppose we must take some credit for that, exile.” The disembodied voice had come from the thrones. Kingston had heard it enough times to recognize it as Terra's, which meant that Ion was most likely there as well.

  A heartbeat later, her smooth voice proved his theory. “True, if we had not interfered, their journey would have been a lot less memorable. But what's done is done. We have altered their fates, for better or for worse.”

  An instant later, the two Avatars were just there. It was as if the universe had been shifted, from one where they weren't in the cave, to one where they were. They sat, with the kind of posture reserved for gods and kings, or in their case, both. The thrones beneath them matched their bodies perfectly, as if they had been sculpted for them, which Kingston was now considering as a serious possibility.

  “I do not know whether to congratulate you all on making it this far, or scolding you for taking so long, so I will do both. You have weathered many trials and hardships to make it here, but you have also wasted precious time on pointless excursions.”

  Kingston somehow already knew what they were talking about. With anger building in his heart, he spoke, “Pointless? You think that saving Barsch was pointless!? He was only injured because you sent us on this bloody quest!”

  “Please, do not misunderstand my words. I did not mean to say that he should not have been healed, I merely meant to point out that you took the more time-consuming option in healing him.”

  Alza and Maloch had drawn back, closer to Kingston, but Barsch remained where he was, at the base of the thrones. With confusion in his voice, Kingston asked, “What do you mean? We had no options! The only way to heal him was with the Station's facilities!”

  “Do you not have one among you who has the capacity to heal any injury? Or was I mistaken?”

  There was no need for the Avatar to specify who he had meant. Simultaneously, Kingston and Barsch shifted their gazes towards Alza. She met their gazes with a cold glare of her own. “I tried to heal him at the time, but I was unable to activate my abilities. There was nothing I could do...”

  “Ah... well, if you truly believe that, then I will repeal my earlier comment.” Kingston's gaze did not leave Alza. If anything, it intensified as his mistrust of her grew. Apathetic to the deteriorating group relationship, Terra continued, “Still, it is unfortunate that you have chosen this path. Had you made it through the city without incident, you would have been left with a rather short and uneventful journey to your final destination. Instead, we find you here, in these less than stellar conditions.”

  “What do you mean? Does that mean that we're almost at the end of our journey? And why is this the lesser path?” Barsch asked, still not moving from his spot.

  It was Ion who answered, speaking for the second time since her appearance. “So many questions for one so young. What my brother meant is that fate has chosen to place you on the harder of two paths. Your escape from that cryogenic station was no easy feat, was it not? And this place, this cave of dreams, is no better. In here, you will face your darkest nightmares, brought to life and given form by these abominations of nature. However, if you can survive and reach the surface, you will have gained something that you would not have achieved on the other path.”

  “And what will that be?” Alza's voice was beyond cold. It was if her very presence was robbing the atmosphere of heat and warmth. Without thinking, Barsch shivered.

  “That is something for you to discover on your own. And to answer your friend's -Alza grimaced as the word was spoken- question, you are almost there. Beyond this detestable cave lies a snow-capped valley, and it is there that you will find the answers you seek.”

  “Sister, you say too much. We must keep our interference to a minimum. You know as well as I do that He will not tolerate our meddling in human affairs. We have delivered the warning about the cave, we should leave them.”

  It was the first time Barsch had ever seen the two of them argue. It was unnerving, to say the least. Adding to his worries was the fact that there appeared to be someone who even the Avatars were afraid of. It was like finding out that the god that you had been worshipping all your life was actually the heavenly equivalent of a steward.

  “Wait! Before you go, at least tell us the identity of this madman you want us to stop. Have we not earned that much? For heaven's sake, Barsch almost died!” Kingston's anger was not unexpected, but the fact that it was directed to beings who were basically gods was rather unanticipated. Still, Barsch had to admire the old man for his tenacity.

  For a moment, it appeared as though Terra would simply dismiss the hermit's comment, or worse, punish him for his impetuosity. Instead, he rose from his crystal throne and said, “We have not told you about the madman because his identity is not important. Believe me, nothing good can come from knowing who he is.”

  “Nevertheless, we have a right to know.” Alza's voice was the last thing Barsch had expected to hear, but after Kingston's challenge, he had been ready for anything.

  Once again, Terra answered in a level tone, “No, child of science, you do not.”

  It was a tense few seconds that followed, as Barsch wondered whether or not Alza would be foolish enough to attack the Avatar. After a few more strangled seconds, it became evident that she would not. However, she did manage to score a direct hit in another way. “If you do not wish to be open with us, then what is there preventing us from abandoning this mission of yours?”

  Now Barsch could see it, the faintest traces of anger in Terra's eyes. It was obvious that the Avatar was not used to being challenged, but his reasons for not telling them did seem uncharacteristically childish.

  “Maybe we were wrong about them? I mean, we're probably th
e first humans that they've spoken too in who knows how long. They speak to us in voices used to being obeyed without question. And besides, in the end, they want the same thing as us: to heal the planet.”

  “You test my patience, daughter of none. Do not forget, we are the only ones who know who you really are. And if you want to find out, then I suggest you keep quiet and follow our orders.”

  Alza took a step forward, and Barsch once more began to wonder whether or not she would attack. He had never seen her so... infuriated. However, the words that came out of her mouth next shocked even him. “If that is how it's going to be, then I do not want your help. If you will not tell us anything about the madman, then I will seek my answers elsewhere.” Barsch was stupefied. He could not believe he was hearing Alza threaten to walk away from the only lead she had about her past life.

  Ion spoke then, her voice filled with compassion, and maybe... pity? “Brother... maybe we should just tell her? I mean, if anyone deserves to know who the madman was, it's her. Could we not be lenient with them, just this once?”

  In an instant, Terra's anger evaporated. However, it was replaced by something else entirely: fatigue. It was obvious to Barsch -who had always had a gift with seeing hidden emotions- that the Avatar had asked the same questions of himself.

  Weary from their prolonged stay, Terra said, in a voice that was tired of arguing, “Sister, if I could tell them everything, I would, but you know as well as I do that we cannot. We have changed their fates; altered their destinies; all in our selfish pursuit. To say anything else to them would only serve to further derail their lives. And the stakes are too high for me to allow that. Come now Sister, let us leave this accursed place.”

  Ion gave Alza another of her trademark pitying/compassion-filled glances, before vanishing from sight. She left as she had come, in an instant. However, something caused Terra to linger. The Avatar had already become intangible, with only his outline to tell of his continued presence. Instead of leaving them, he now rested his gaze squarely on Barsch, “Tell me, Barsch La Tergan, Widow's son, are you winning the battle with your Beast?” And with those words -and without waiting for an answer- the Avatar departed.

  For nearly a minute, no one spoke. With the sole exception of Maloch, every occupant of the room was focused on deciphering the Avatar's comments or, in Alza's case, silently fuming over Terra's unhelpful words. When the minute ended, no one was any closer to understanding the Avatars, or their motives. Thankfully, it seemed as though Kingston and Alza had forgotten about Terra's last question, which meant that Barsch would not have to explain its meaning. Although the mere fact that the Avatar was aware of the Beast was troubling enough.

  After another full minute, Kingston cleared his voice and said, “Well... um... I guess that's that, so... I don't think anyone will be against leaving this cave as soon as possible?”

  As he had reasoned, there was no argument against leaving. With the crystal thrones glowing dimly behind them, they left the room. In it, they had learnt much, and yet, at the same time, they were left with more questions than before. They still did know who the madman was, nor did they know the Avatar's reason for choosing them to face him. However, there was one piece of information that was more important -at least for the moment- than either of those things: they had almost reached the end. For Barsch, that meant making the decision that he had been struggling with for most of their journey: stay with Kingston or go back in the pod? For Alza, it meant -hopefully- finding out who she was, her past, and what her future held. Maloch had only a life of slavery to return to, but he did not let that bother him, after all, it was what he had been built for. And as for Kingston? Not even he knew what would happen when it was all over.