Waking Revelations

Amorak slowly opened his eyes to the faces of all those he had met in the past few days. At first, he got a warm feeling inside, but this was quickly replaced by a wall of indifference that had sheltered him for his entire life. He pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Back off, people," he said irritably. Obediently, they took a few paces back. Never once did they take their eyes off of him.

Each of them bore a different expression. Elsteba looked as if she was fighting the wishes of every muscle in her body to run up to him and throw her arms around him. Jacob wore a film of slight impatience, though failing to hide the happiness inside. Both of the holograms, Gammon and Athelia, were hovering over the rest, almost directly between Amorak and the sun. The light made it impossible to see their faces; indeed, it was a wonder he had even known they were there in the first place.

Then he saw a new face, one he hadn't seen at first. This face was older by far - he appeared to be in his mid-fifties. What shook Amorak far more than his appearance, however, was the expression that it contained; interest, concern, and maybe a little ... fear?

"What happened?" Amorak asked hesitantly, directing the question to the whole group but never taking his eyes off the newcomer. Something didn't feel right about him.

Jacob started to respond, but Elsteba cut him short. "It was really incredible! Remember that bright light? It was actually a spaceship owned by Alsifar here." She gestured at the newcomer. "According to him, you saved us. That is so cool, Amorak! How did you do it?"

This revelation was enough to distract Amorak from Alsifar. "...What?"

"Oh, don't be so modest, Master Amorak," Gammon said, "We are all trembling with anticipation. Do tell us how it happened."

"Maybe I can assist our oung friend here," Alsifar said. Amorak's eyes snapped back to Alsifar's, judging his every move, assessing every word he spoke. He couldn't put a name or reason to it, but something about Alsifar made every fiber in Amorak's body scream out ENEMY.

Whether Alsifar noticed or not, he made no mention to it. "The light you saw eirlier was indeed my spacecraft, but Amorak shielded the whole planet from the true intensity of the light. Otherwise, you all would be blind at best, and burned to a crisp at worst.

"From the minute he sensed something was wrong, his body started seeping out a dark mist, nearly invisible, which blanketed the entire planet with several shades of darkness. If my light hadn't ben present, it would have seemed like the darkest night you have ever seen."

The others all looked at Amorak with a mixture of speculation and awe, but Alsifar retained his same level of concern, if not more so. Amorak returned the look in kind.

Athelia seemed to understand at least a bit of the interaction between Alsifar and Amorak, and decided to steer down a different path. "Let us be joyful now," she said, clasping her hands together, "We are all still alive and well. Let us look on toward the future with high hearts and happy spirits. Jacob, be a dear and help me look for something that we may prepare for dinner."

This was taken as a general gesture to disperse. Alsifar turned his back on Amorak, hiding his gaze from the young man.

As soon as Amorak was free of the old man's gaze, he immediately relaxed - maybe too much. His body reminded him through his aches that it was not done resting yet. Obligingly, Amorak, laid back down on the earth, his mind full of thoughts of new possibilities. Dark mist? When was I able to do that? Then he remembered his vision; the darkness of the chamber, the chanting figures, and the single figure on the table...himself. It was too much to take at the time; Amorak was still tired, and his body was commanding him to rest.

The last thing he heard before he fell into a dreamless slumber was Jacob saying, "Oh great, he's going back to sleep..."

What Is Your Purpose?

Elsteba looked out over the land, her emotions turning over in her stomach. She sat on an outcropping that overlooked the whole area she had become familiar with the past few days. From her perch, she could see the vast expanse of the ocean, as well as the small island that Amorak lived on, as well as the place where the other three members of the party now stood. Amorak was still out cold with no real guess as to when he would arise.

Now that she was alone, without the constant strange happenings occuring everywhere she looked, she got her first real opportunity to mull over what had happened over the course of the few days.

Where am I, she thought, and how can I get home? And then outloud, projecting her voice out as far as she could, "Where am I?!?"

The only response was her own anguished voice crying back to her from off in the distance. She felt so very alone, and so very homesick. Jacob had been sent here from his home, and this was Amorak's home. As for Alsifar, from what he had said, he didn't really have a home, and even then he still had come willingly and knowingly. Only she didn't have a real reason to be here; she didn't even know how she got here, and much less what she was supposed to do now that she was here, if she was supposed to do anything.

She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She felt so feeble and weak for even thinking these things. At home (wherever home was) she had been tough and independent. Whenever a boy had approached her with the assumption that she was easy, they quickly learned otherwise. At home, she was a master. Here, she could barely be considered a puppet, and likely no more useful than a rock thrown at a mirror.

"Having a rough time, little one?"

Elsteba whirled around, startled. Standing behind her, barely visible in the sunlight, was Athelia.

"Don't scare me like that!" Elstema yammered out, "I nearly swallowed my lungs!"

Heart still pumping, Elsteba stood up. How long had she been there?

"I am sorry. I could tell you were thinking, and what you were thinking about was causing you some concern."

"...you are correct," said Elsteba. Then she turned her back on the teacher and stared out over the ocean, not looking at any particular thing.

Without looking, she could feel that Athelia was still there, watching her. How she longed to be alone with her thoughts, so she could at the very least savor the peace of the moment.

"Do you wish to talk, little one?" asked Athelia tentatively, "I am a hologram, and so I am a very good listener."

Elsteba almost immediately flatly refused her offer, but something inside her begged to tell, needed to spill her sorrow onto another person. A sorrow shared was a sorrow relieved.

"...alright," Elsteba said finally, "Just promise you won't tell the others."

"You have my word."

So Elsteba recounted her past. She told of how the school system always seemingly treated her unfairly, how she had always felt as if something was wrong, and how she had no real friends. She then talked of what had happened in the transfer tube, how she got stuck, how she walked through abyss, and how she eventually found herself on the patch of grass.

"...And even when I was comfortable, Amorak stormed over the next morning and got mad at me for laying on his property," Elsteba concluded, "I don't blame him or harbor any mean thoughts. I just think of how fate must enjoy keeping me constantly unhappy."

Athelia was silent for a small while, and Elsteba couldn't make out her facial features to distinguish what she was thinking - she was hard enough to see in the light, any attemp to make out details was futile.

"You have been under a great deal of stress," she finally said, her eyes kind and full of motherly affection. The look puzzled Elsteba, for she had never seen that expression directed at her before. "However, " Athelia continued, "you show great promise, little one. To be as strong as you are and still be able to feel these emotions...that shows you are among the great of your kind. You are a prodigy, and, sadly, prodigies are rarely happy for a great deal of time into their lives.

"But do not lose hope, little one. You have the power to shape a wonderful future for a great many people, and in so doing, find your true happiness. Have faith. When you find your happiness, it will be greater than the happiness of anyone else in existance, and you can count yourself among the great and true of all time."

Elsteba was left astonished at her words. To think she may be a prodigy was, of course, absurd. She was a normal person who has had a lifelong string of bad luck, and that was all. And yet...

A warmth from deep inside of her filled Elsteba with a simmering passion. She could feel it working through every fiber of her being, from the tips of her fingers to the tapers of her hair. For the first time in her life, she had an overlying purpose blossom forth. She didn't yet know what the purpose was, but the mere feeling made her leap inwardly with joy.

Athelia watched her with quiet amusement, then said, "Come, little one. Your friend stirs and will wake soon."

Awakening

"it is Time Now my Little Travelers to wake" said a voice that Roused Jacob to his senses. "the three of you have slept for Nearly two days." Jacob opened his eyes to find Amoraks Arm on top of him. he moved it carefully and sat up. he found himself Looking at a strange tall man who sat nearby, holding a strange crystal staff verticaly.





At first impression Jacob Thought he was an old Man but Jacob Realized This mans Face was as young as his own. his hair was white and an air of wisdom and power sourounded him. "who are you?" jacob asked.





" i am Alsifar, Jacob Son of Dr Russle" the Man Replied With a mysterious smile.



"how do you know My Name? and how do you know Who my Father is?" jacob asked astonished that he knew bolth who he was and who his father was. The strange man smiled a strangly comforting smile "do not be alarmed jacob, i mean none of you any harm, i am here to answer all your questions but first the others must wake."



Jacob looked over his shoulder at Amorak and Elsteba who where still unconsious. "we where really out for two days?" he asked unbeliveingly for the first time realizeing that there was a small camp of sorts build around them. "you indeed where. Surviveing a impact by an extraterestial object to your planet will do that." jacob wondered where this man had come from but the look the man gave him at the moment told him to wait to ask the question.



Elsteba Groaned quietly and rolled over, and then reality hit her. with a gasp she shot up from the ground ready to act. when she found that all was tranquil she relaxed with a sigh dropping to her knees, her entire body hurt.



then she noticed Jacob and a strange old man watching her. She was Over joyed to see Jacob but was perplexed by the Unreadable gaze of the old mans silver eyes. " Jacob, What happened? i saw you get blown away." she said decideing to ignore the old man for now, her head hurt to much to belive he was real. Jacob shrugged, "i don't know i blacked out soon after that. "Amorak used much of his Strenght to save bolth of you." the old man said " a strenght he has not used in quite a while." he added as an after thought.



jacob looked at him and almost asked a question but he decided not to ask it, she looked between the old man who didn't quite look so old anymore and Jacob a few times. "Jacob, is he real?" she asked timidly. jacob nodded streaching out his sore arms. " his name is alsifar, he will answer our questions when Amorak wakes up." "which might not be all that soon. he was utterly drained savening you, he came close to death. but he will live." alsifar said with a pleasent nod. "which forces me to refraise what i said. i can answer questions only that relate to you two which for the most part i already have, this will be so untill amorak wakes then he can explain to you what he must explain, and then i will explain what i need to explain and everyone will be much enlightened."


Elsteba looked around at the island and the beach across the waves, there were hardly any trees but alot of stumps, the fallen trees either radiated away from where the comet had hit or floated lazily around the island. she noticed the blast was only a narrow band. up the coast a little either way and there was a normal covering of trees. despite seeing it she hardly belived it. "did the comet actualy happen?" she asked almost to herself.

alsifar shifted uncomfortably, "i feel the need to apologize to the two of you. surviveing a comet impact can be quite a shock,and this comet was no accident. i litteraly fell from the sky onto this world." bolth elsteba and Jacob looked at him with unbeliveing Looks. "the comet was you?" jacob asked skepticaly "in a way, i was in the comet it carried me here."alsifar replied "so you hitched a ride on a comet from where ever you came from and rode it here?" elsteba asked.

alsifar smiled "no, tecnicaly the comet was where i came from. it was my vessle, i guided it here. though it had hardly any power left, i was aiming for the ocean out there." alsifar pointed far out to sea, "but i didn't have the power to change my velocity enough, i had to aim where it would cause the least damage at the velocity i was going, which was over there into a mountian range just over the horizon." Alsifar pointed the other direction. "no matter what you do a large impacting body falling at escape velocity causes much damage."

jacob suddenly curious asked "your ship must be very strong, harder than any substance i have ever heard of." alsifar smiled "either that or more flexible than any ship you ever have seen, who knows it might be a combination of bolth. mabey i will show you some day, but for now it is useless to us all it's power is gone, and cannot take us anywhere. for now we are on our own."

They sat there for a while waiting for amorack to awaken, he didn't. Alsifar cautioned them to let him be untill he moved himself, saying mysteriously "reminants of his strength may still be present." Alsifar entreated them to food and water he had brought from his ship and as the sun went down he already had made beds for them. once asleep alsifar went back to amoraks side. knowing it was best best that he be the first one for amorack to see. they needed to speak.