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Authors: Devon Loos
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transcend to the third
level. The energy spectrum would then separate into all of its individual
colors upon reaching this final level.
The fourth day was spent understanding how to maintain the
energy and why it is dangerous. Once power is sparked, the process of maintaining
it is rather simple, though it requires a constant effort. If a king were to
relax, the powers would immediately fade. Prolonged exposure to the energy,
however, is incredibly dangerous. Since the power is bound to one’s soul, it
consumes the life essence of that person, much like the wood of a fire.
Eventually, the power can render one unconscious or even cause one’s organs to
fail. Higher levels of energy are worse in this case, and few people actually
live to tell about reaching the third level.
We had the fifth day to ourselves to rest and practice on
our own.
We began practicing together on the sixth day. Each of us
trying and failing miserably at sparking energy. By the end of the day, we were
all exhausted.
Improvement finally arrived on the seventh day, but when Gen
and Alto began to excel, I continued to struggle. Once it started, I could
maintain the power well. Sparking the energy proved difficult, however.
By the eighth day I was only sparking the energy half as
often as the others.
The ninth day was meant for us to begin practice combat with
energy. I was halfway to the room when Brin approached me.
“Jacob, I’m sorry but I’m not going to be able to let you
pass like this.”
I remained silent.
“Don’t worry. This won’t prevent you from reaching the final
test, but you will have to do it as a rifleman. Perhaps, if you give it another
year, you’ll be able to try again.”
“Yes, sir.” I turned and left. I
was disappointed in myself, but not surprised. I knew I had power, but
releasing it was always a coin toss for me. Controlling it was even worse. I
watched as Alto used his powers to create symphonies, while Gen used hers to
send blades of energy at holographic opponents. They had control. Their powers
obeyed them. My powers were only a last minute option. I sighed and returned to
my bunk, and rested the remainder of the day.
I spent day ten in my usual manner. I ate, trained, ate
again, and rested. Towards the end of the day, I found myself in the training
room. One of the holographic rooms was empty. Hoping no one else needed it, I slipped inside and started a simulation. Three targets
stood before me. I spent what felt like another hour trying to get a spark.
Nothing happened. I tried desperately, wanting, begging, willing the energy to
appear, but it eluded me. By dusk I gave up. Tomorrow was the final test and I
needed the sleep. I left the training room and entered the hallway. I continued
on into a large, darkened room that I knew well. Below a Rovanekren sign
another sign read “Artifact and Prophecy Library” in Gaia. The room was
overwhelmingly spacious, with ceilings that rose to the heights of the ancient
cathedrals. The walls were covered in shelves of books and capsules filled with
objects from unknown times with unknown stories. There were few lights in the
room, giving me the notion that I had just escaped the very bounds of time. The
room was filled with tables, desks, and platforms with descriptions of objects
in Rovanekren. There was a group of Rovanekren civilians listening to an
instructor lecture about a strange statue towards the back.
The statue was a Rovanekren warrior of solid marble and of
surprisingly poor condition. There were chips and pieces missing, and very
little detail in the statue itself with the exception of the faceless head. In
place of the statue’s facial features were a few strange markings covering the
place of the eyes. The left was a circle with two parallel lines with
symmetrical L shapes attached near the end of each line. The lines that passed
through the circle disappeared, leaving the circle empty. The right “eye” had
no circle, but a single asymmetrical
level. The energy spectrum would then separate into all of its individual
colors upon reaching this final level.
The fourth day was spent understanding how to maintain the
energy and why it is dangerous. Once power is sparked, the process of maintaining
it is rather simple, though it requires a constant effort. If a king were to
relax, the powers would immediately fade. Prolonged exposure to the energy,
however, is incredibly dangerous. Since the power is bound to one’s soul, it
consumes the life essence of that person, much like the wood of a fire.
Eventually, the power can render one unconscious or even cause one’s organs to
fail. Higher levels of energy are worse in this case, and few people actually
live to tell about reaching the third level.
We had the fifth day to ourselves to rest and practice on
our own.
We began practicing together on the sixth day. Each of us
trying and failing miserably at sparking energy. By the end of the day, we were
all exhausted.
Improvement finally arrived on the seventh day, but when Gen
and Alto began to excel, I continued to struggle. Once it started, I could
maintain the power well. Sparking the energy proved difficult, however.
By the eighth day I was only sparking the energy half as
often as the others.
The ninth day was meant for us to begin practice combat with
energy. I was halfway to the room when Brin approached me.
“Jacob, I’m sorry but I’m not going to be able to let you
pass like this.”
I remained silent.
“Don’t worry. This won’t prevent you from reaching the final
test, but you will have to do it as a rifleman. Perhaps, if you give it another
year, you’ll be able to try again.”
“Yes, sir.” I turned and left. I
was disappointed in myself, but not surprised. I knew I had power, but
releasing it was always a coin toss for me. Controlling it was even worse. I
watched as Alto used his powers to create symphonies, while Gen used hers to
send blades of energy at holographic opponents. They had control. Their powers
obeyed them. My powers were only a last minute option. I sighed and returned to
my bunk, and rested the remainder of the day.
I spent day ten in my usual manner. I ate, trained, ate
again, and rested. Towards the end of the day, I found myself in the training
room. One of the holographic rooms was empty. Hoping no one else needed it, I slipped inside and started a simulation. Three targets
stood before me. I spent what felt like another hour trying to get a spark.
Nothing happened. I tried desperately, wanting, begging, willing the energy to
appear, but it eluded me. By dusk I gave up. Tomorrow was the final test and I
needed the sleep. I left the training room and entered the hallway. I continued
on into a large, darkened room that I knew well. Below a Rovanekren sign
another sign read “Artifact and Prophecy Library” in Gaia. The room was
overwhelmingly spacious, with ceilings that rose to the heights of the ancient
cathedrals. The walls were covered in shelves of books and capsules filled with
objects from unknown times with unknown stories. There were few lights in the
room, giving me the notion that I had just escaped the very bounds of time. The
room was filled with tables, desks, and platforms with descriptions of objects
in Rovanekren. There was a group of Rovanekren civilians listening to an
instructor lecture about a strange statue towards the back.
The statue was a Rovanekren warrior of solid marble and of
surprisingly poor condition. There were chips and pieces missing, and very
little detail in the statue itself with the exception of the faceless head. In
place of the statue’s facial features were a few strange markings covering the
place of the eyes. The left was a circle with two parallel lines with
symmetrical L shapes attached near the end of each line. The lines that passed
through the circle disappeared, leaving the circle empty. The right “eye” had
no circle, but a single asymmetrical
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