Chapter 7
While Melissa had a renewed imperative, she still was only fourteen, and the long days of isolation soon took their toll. Sleepless nights could turn terrifying in an instant, when an overactive mind exaggerates the smallest sound or flash of light. She needed something to keep her company, to keep her mind from consuming itself in manufactured anxieties and fears.
She found the books on idelfada creation, studied them all, and in a way began to understand herself. The idelfada were among the first that Archsussa created, and they were all animals. Great flying harria to swoop down on enemies; legions of gruga and igra to rip the limbs off one’s foes in the many wars that dominated the Rule of Ionio and Murraghion; ancient Provni Archsussas. War soon became the province of the Archsussa, and they waged it with idelfada. Not for many centuries was a human idelfada attempted, and as she read, all early attempts were disastrous.
She learned human idelfada were always made with a specific purpose in mind, as they could only be copies of one who is or has existed. Human idelfada were used as stand-ins for rulers, as recreations of skilled craftsmen. As Archsussa became corrupted, they made human idelfada in images of people their clients desired to mate with or to kill. It was one of the only selfless acts of the Council of Archsussa that human idelfada creation was banned, as the long-term corruption of society was thought of.
But she felt she didn’t need a human companion -- something small and furry would do. A Book of Species was in her mother’s collection, and after reviewing it, she decided on trying to create a small aogh.
Late in the day, under the dimming light of the suns, Melissa sat at a broad table and tried to relax herself. Slowly, she conjured in her mind the details of the picture of the aogh. It had blunt teeth, a plump head containing three wide, golden eyes, and a long, thick bushy tail with four squat legs. When she was younger she saw a couple of them, carried around eternally as pets by pampered, rich girls who deigned to look down on even her.
How I envied them!
She focused hard, and tendrils of sussa extended from her illuminated fingertips. Carefully she coaxed them out, and began to weave them into the rough shape of an aogh. Slowly they bound together, and as they did, the form grew brighter and pulsed as if it had a heartbeat. She kept her focus on the picture of the aogh and the kind of animal she imagined it to be; sweet, kind, a little rambunctious and trusting. It taxed her strength, but eventually the tendrils of sussa disappeared, revealing a small furry animal with its eyes closed. She leaned back, tired beyond belief.
I can’t believe how much that drained me. But I’ve got to finish this quickly. Alright . . . here goes.
She bent over it, and opened its mouth a little. She blew into its mouth, while imagining its eyes open and alive.
“Oh my!”
It chirped, and opened two of its eyes groggily. She held it up and stroked its long, thin fur.
“You’re alive! I actually made something.” She held it in front of her face, and found all three of its eyes were open. It yawned, and reached out a tiny tan paw to touch her. She put a finger in it, and it gently held on.
“I’ll call you . . . Nuri, and I’ll take care of you just as if you were real.” She sat back down, cradling Nuri in her lap. “Of course, I’m probably not even real.” She gazed over the books as doubt surfaced in her mind. “Why should I even bother? I’ll bet Toby isn’t even really my brother.” She sighed. “But he feels like he is.” She glanced down, and Nuri had fallen asleep in her lap. She stroked its back and wept a little, happy for the company.
Nuri was what she needed for a while -- a silent companion to vent all her troubles to. And as she cried a little over what had befallen her, the aogh sat in her lap, chirping now and again as if on cue.
Melissa stretched out her knowledge of sussa, playing with the little creature in creative ways. She could invisibly lift Nuri high in the air, or fly it outside the house, warmed by her power. While sweet for the first few weeks, Nuri was still a little boy, and needed to play and fight in the mornings, when Melissa was at her most irritable. Much to her chagrin, she began to use sussa to restrain her little pet, and tired of its antics. Nuri’s creation was a catalyst to read more, to discover more tricks. In time though she grew restless, and felt like she needed a new challenge.
She also needed true companionship; a person to speak to her, to advise her on the right way to go. She often thought of moving the platform which she could now control down over the surface of Iqui, and sneaking back into Toby’s camp, to speak to one of the soldier-boys she had seen before, but decided against the risk. Instead the lure of creating a human idelfada preyed on her thoughts, presenting a challenge she could not refuse. It was a way she could understand more what a human idelfada was, and make a boy who would love her and distract her from the terminal boredom she endured.
For days and days she paced, reading the books over and over again -- determined not to make a mistake. Nuri didn’t make it easy, as he was constantly nipping at her feet or pouncing on her legs. But her ability to focus improved, and without noticing she had begun training in earnest, sleeping for less than an hour each night. She also began to eat more, as it improved her mood tremendously and helped to keep her mind focused as she sat and read. She found she put on her pants less and less, and took to walking around in a long robe underneath her mother’s sweater.
Melissa oscillated between believing she could make it without a companion, and wanting to make him instantly. Finally, just before sunrise one morning she decided the time had come.
She brought her small levitating platform down to rest on the snow-covered surface, as she knew not how much sussa it would take to create him, and knew if she felt fatigued after creating something as small as an aogh, she might lose consciousness after creating another human being. Melissa stepped out the door, and breathed in deeply the crisp, clean air.
I hope I’m doing the right thing. I hope he doesn’t turn out wrong.
She went back in and cleared a space in the study, even pulling the rug off the old hardwood floor. Nuri ran and cavorted around her, and Melissa opted to lock him in the small bathroom, so he wouldn’t be hurt or distract her. Slowly, she then knelt in the center of the room and pressed her palms on the floor. Using her sussa, she extended upwards into a handstand, then levitated a few feet off the ground. She began to slowly rotate, her hands pressed together, pointing downwards, spinning perfectly. That is, until her robe unceremoniously fell down and covered her head.
“How ridiculous!” she cried, and for a moment her body started to oscillate out of its perfect rotation. “I can’t be distracted, but I won’t look like a fool.” She extended her sussa to push the fabric up, and managed to gather it between her legs.
“Ocha mada, grunxa oyo,” she chanted, over and over, as her body began to spin. She could feel the power building within her; felt the tendrils of sussa get caught on her spinning body like webs of a spider. It was as if she was divining power from the planet itself, drilling down into its depths to extract what she needed. Before long, she was cocooned in those tendrils, her body spinning at a feverish rate. Her mind raced over all the parameters, all the warnings she read about.
I must come up with a form now! The time is near when my power will be at its maximum.
She relaxed her mind, as the books told her, and let the image of a man come. She could see a lean, muscular form, thick, black hair, and golden eyes that twinkled mischievously. Once his face was in the forefront of her thoughts, she instantly stopped her spinning and stretched out her arms.
“Now appear before me; I command it!”
As she pulled apart her arms, she rotated lengthwise in the air, so she was once again upright, though still several feet off the floor. The sussa that was gathered around her gravitated upwards into a rapidly spinning sphere that glowed with intense heat and light. Melissa felt her arms were burning, but knew she must press on.
“Appear,
boy; I demand it!”
The spinning sphere slowly moved out from between her hands, and settled on the floor a few feet in front of her. It continued to spin, but it also stretched upwards into an ovoid. When it was the height of a young man, Melissa gathered her remaining strength and said;
“I . . . demand . . . it!”
The sussa coalesced instantly into a humanoid form, and as it did, she collapsed from the strain.
She knew not how long she was unconscious, but when she woke the room was frigid. I’m glad I set this place down -- I probably would have died if it fell while I was out. Slowly, she got to her feet, and conjured several warming spheres. To her amazement, she actually felt stronger, and it took a visual check to see that she had absently raised her platform high above the clouds.
But her attention was distracted for only a moment, as what she had waited for was now in existence. She walked slowly around a young boy, who stood without clothes. She averted her eyes from his privates, but admired the strength of his shoulders and chest, the proud sculpted brow he wore. He had long, black hair, deep rich sienna skin, and a curious aspect that in one light seemed compassionate and kind, and in another ruthless and determined. Finally, she stopped in front of him, knowing what must come next.
Now, the kiss. I’ve never kissed a boy before. At least he’s asleep.
She stood on her tiptoes and tilted his head down. She pressed her lips against his, pushed them open, and gently breathed into his mouth. After a few seconds, she felt his lips move, felt his arms grasp her shoulders.
“No!”
She pushed back, finding the boy alive.
“What is your wish, dearest one?” he asked softly, in a lyrical baritone she found tremendously appealing. “I am here to serve you.”
“Dearest one? You don’t even know me yet.”
“And yet, I know you created me.” He gracefully knelt before her and gently held her hands. “I know that I am yours, and will do anything to please you.”
Suddenly it all felt very ‘adult’ to Melissa. He was still nude after all, and she could tell that he was eager to please. And while she knew she must do the right thing, his broad strong shoulders and shadowed brow were starting to convince her otherwise.
“First, you need to put some clothes on.” It was in that moment that she cursed herself, as the only clothes around fit her or her mother. She ran into the bedroom and grabbed a thick blanket. “Put this around you.” He did, but she could still see his arousal. “Just . . . sit down,” she said, exasperated. “Let me think for a while.”
“By your word,” he said, taking a seat.
She went over to the window and leaned heavily on the sill. Once again, she shifted the platform so she could look on Toby’s camp. At least once a day she would watch the miniscule figures walking to and fro, drawing comfort that one of them was Toby. As she watched, soldiers could be seen running back and forth as Archsussa threw great plumes of sussa.
Wargames, she thought to herself. He must be getting ready. And here I am playing with a naked boy.
She turned around to face her new responsibility. “So, what shall we name you?”
“What is your name?”
“Melissa.”
“What a beautiful name!” he exclaimed, making Melissa blush. “How I love to say it. Melissa . . .” The boy leaned back, rolling her name over his tongue. “But if you just created me, how is it I know how to speak at all? How do I understand your words, and have knowledge of how to use tools?”
“It is part of the creation process,” explained Melissa. “I imbued you with a large segment of what I know.”
He got on the floor and knelt before her. “Thank you, great Melissa! How I love you . . .”
“Enough of that!” she cried, bringing him back into the chair and bringing back up his blanket. “Now, what shall we call you? Do you have any preference?”
“Whatever my Melissa wishes, I shall endeavor to accomplish.”
“Well your Melissa wishes you to have an independent spirit. I wish you to think for yourself, and make decisions on your own. I need a companion who can help me to move forward, and not agree with everything I say. I wish you to name yourself.”
The boy sat back, vexed. “If you wish it, so shall it be. I name myself . . . Asil.”
“Asil?” Her mind raced, trying to figure out where he got the name. “Ahh -- Melissa reversed, and truncated.” She nodded. “Very good -- at least we can begin.”
“If my nakedness causes you discomfort, then may I have some clothes, Melissa?”
“Of course.”
Suddenly she recalled some lessons she read about material creation. She went into the closet, and pulled out clothes she had no taste for. Putting them in a pile, she used her sussa to break down the garments and reconfigure them into three outfits Asil could wear.
“Thank you,” he said, as he dropped the blanket to the floor. “Let me try these on.”
Melissa hurriedly covered her eyes. “Have you no shame?”
“Not in front of you -- you created me,” he said perplexedly.
“Well, then I wish you to have shame. To be modest, and cover your nakedness.”
Asil sighed. “As you wish.”
As he gathered the clothes and went into an adjacent room to change, Melissa sat down, relieved to be rid of him for a short time.
This is going to be harder than I thought. I see why people made idelfada with no knowledge - they would be like mannequins of flesh, poseable and malleable. But with intellect, and a mind, how should I proceed?
He came out, dressed in tan slacks and an open white shirt. He cradled Nuri in his strong hands, and while at first she thought it to be the most precious thing she had ever seen, his brow seemed sad, as if the weight of the world hung on his newborn shoulders. His aspect has a ominous, foreboding quality to it, as if despite all her good intentions, he was still a boy, with a man’s spirit that would prove difficult to understand and impossible to control.
“What’s its name?” he asked quietly.
“Nuri.”
“Nuri.” Asil nodded, stroking its fur. “Did you make him also?”
“Yes.”
“And when he didn’t comfort you as you needed, you made me?”
His honesty and straightforwardness surprised Melissa, but she opted to indulge him with equally blunt replies. “Yes.”
Asil was silent for a moment. “What is it like to be real, to have been born rather than manufactured?”
Melissa went back to the window, and gazed longingly on the limitless snow. “I wouldn’t know, Asil. Now, you have just been made, and I have much to read about and learn. Will you take a seat while I read?”
“By your word, Melissa.”
So they both sat; she behind a table full of books, and he in a large chair nearby, and she read on as he silently sat, stroking Nuri who slept on his lap. She thought it a little idyllic, even if his continual gaze of adoration was a little distracting.