Chapter 6
Alura must have returned while I was sleeping and placed the note on the table. Funny girl … she knew that Kyiel popping out of nowhere would scare the crap out of me.
“Let me make sure I got this right. What you’re telling me is that I can summon you anytime when I say aptier Kyiel?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“What do I say to get rid of you?”
“You simply dismiss me.”
“Who came up with this idea?”
“You created the summon spell to preserve your privacy and maintain my counsel,” Kyiel said. “Only you can use these words. It will not work for anyone else because the spell is unique to your will and power and not germane to any language or other being.”
Pretty cool. This should prove to be handy from time to time, especially with all the questions I have.
“Alright Kyiel, grab some grub and a beer. I have a thousand questions to ask you,” I said and drank some more beer, but Kyiel sat motionless on the couch staring at me.
“Hey, don’t you know it’s rude to watch someone eat, especially after being offered their hospitality? What’s wrong, are you a vegetarian or something?”
“No Azul, I am not a being of flesh and do not require sustenance.”
I stopped chewing and raised my eyebrows.
“Really? What exactly are you?”
“I am not a corporeal being and have no physical form. I am imprisoned in a limited state of existence on this plane to serve you. Think of me as a collection of molecules arranged in a way to make sense while in the presence of physical beings.”
I took another sip of beer emptying the can and thought Kyiel was pulling my leg.
“You’re a collection of molecules and not solid? Seriously?”
“Not solid in the sense a corporal being thinks of such things, but I am real just the same.”
I got off of my chair and walked closer to Kyiel. His eyes followed me as I looked closely at his face, only a few inches away.
“You certainly look solid to me.”
“You are thinking you should be able to pass your hand through me if I am not solid,” Kyiel said. “Proceed.”
I narrowed my eyes and moved my hand slowly through his head. Swirls of light moved out like air displacing smoke and then reformed back to the shape of his head. I returned to my chair and quietly stared at Kyiel for a minute.
“What exactly did you do to deserve this state of existence? I know the short of it, that something happened at this place you call Zeshtune, but what exactly did you do?”
“Zeshtune is our homeworld where a great battle once took place. It was where choices were made, sides chosen, destinies created, and punishment administered. Dark and light exist throughout the universe, and as with all living beings, Zeshtunians have free will to decide for themselves either dark or light. Most chose light and battled the dark on Zeshtune and have continued doing so through the ages in an eternal struggle of good against evil.”
I frowned. “Imprisonment until the end of days seems a bit harsh for getting cold feet during a battle if you ask me.”
“You choose light Azul, as did Alura and countless others, but I chose neither light nor darkness. I stood by watching the great battle on Zeshtune unfold and was indifferent to any outcome. The elders and their wizards drove out darkness from Zeshtune to the void of empty space. Those who stood by were spared from the void, but we were condemned to exist in between light and dark until the end of days. I am one of those condemned.”
I was feeling a little sad for Kyiel, realizing the punishment explained his lack of emotion and stone like appearance.
“If those who stood by, sitting of the fence so to speak, were condemned to an existence between light and dark, how is it that you are here right now?”
“A few had someone advocate for them to the elders of Zeshtune for mercy and a pathway to undo their punishment. You were my advocate and the council agreed to your plea. I and the others who had advocates have been given a chance to overcome their indifference while existing between light and dark.”
“That’s a tall order,” I said. “Overcoming any shortfall of character would be a difficult task, if not impossible, without having free will. So, you’re telling me that I have some clout with these elders?”
“You are the Council of Elder’s most honorable colleague and a wizard possessing great power and knowledge. It is because of you that I am here now to serve you.”
“Are you saying I am one of those people I saw in the chamber room?”
“Yes, you are an elder and came to this world to protect it from the Darkzon and all those who exist in darkness.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t even ride a bike without a safety helmet. I am nobody’s hero, believe me.”
“There is no other who is more capable than you Azul. You have saved this world many times from the Darkzon and I have been with you for each battle. It will take time for you to realize your destiny and importance in protecting this world. First, you must complete recognition.”
“Who exactly are the Darkzon?”
“They are beings from another world who harbor great evil towards all beings of light. Humans are insignificant to them and only slaves to do their bidding while they are here on Earth.”
This was a lot to take in. I asked Kyiel to leave so I could think about all he told me. He bowed his head and dissolved into thin air. Feeling confused, I did what anyone else would do in my situation. I grabbed another a couple of beers to engage myself in some serious thinking.
What the heck did I get myself into?
“A little overwhelming, isn’t it?” a voice asked.
I looked toward the kitchen and saw Alura grinning. She walked over and sat down on the couch and I tossed her a beer.
“Overwhelming is putting it mildly. I was beginning to understand who I was back in the day, then Kyiel tells me I am one of those spooky people I met earlier in the chamber. If any of this is true, why can’t I remember?”
Alura reminded me how long full recognition may take before I could recall much of what has been forgotten. She repeated what Kyiel had told me about a human like mind being unable to store all my past knowledge, both mentally and physically. My brain had to adjust and rewire itself slowly to accommodate even a fraction of my past knowledge.
“Be patient. Let’s first start with something simple,” Alura said.
“Okay, I’ll try almost anything at this point, but keep in mind the adage: ‘the simpler the better’.”
“Great, that’s the spirit. Now, hold out your hand with palm up.”
I did as she asked. Alura then focused on her palm and said, “Aknor firster.” A baseball sized blue-white flame appeared in the center of her palm. She smiled and said, “Firster Azul,” and the flame jumped from her palm to mine. I jerked a little in surprise, but kept my hand extended watching the flame which was neither hot nor cold.
Sure seems real.
“That’s because it is real,” Alura said.
“What … does everyone around here read minds?”
Alura laughed. “You will too in time Azul. It’s quite simple really. Minds think first and then use words to express thoughts. Zeshtunians learn to hear the mind thinking words before speaking them. It is more intuitive than actually hearing words. Anyone can do it to some degree, but Zeshtunians are much better at it than other races.”
“I see. So what are we going to do with this flame in my hand?”
Alura smiled. “Try moving it back to my hand. You already know the words in your memory, and you heard me speak them, so it will be easy for to send the flame back to me.”
I looked at the flame and said, “Firster Alura,” and the flame jumped back to Alura’s hand.
“See how easy it was. Now, create your own flame,” she said, extending her other hand palm up, and I did the same.
“Aknor firster,” I said and another blue-white flame appeared
in my other palm. I then said, “Firster Alura,” and the flame jumped to Alura’s hand.
Alura laughed and said, “Firster numerat,” and the flames split into ten separate smaller flames resting on each of her fingers, then she said, “Firster Azul Alura,” and the flames bounced back and forth to our fingers in a progressive wave.
We repeated the game until Alura raised her hands up with all ten flames on her fingers and smiled. She then placed her fingers in front of her face and blew them out like a child would on a birthday cake.
“Did that really happen?” I asked.
“Yes, and it was real fire. It’s not hot to our touch, but if focused on a dark being in the right way, it can burn it to ashes. Magic that we create can not intentionally hurt us Azul, which brings us back to rule number one …”
“I know, I know. Magic can’t be used to harm any being of light, especially humans. The only exception is when trying to protect yourself or other beings of light, which even then, will result in being called before the Council of Elders for trial.”
Alura reached over and tapped me on top of my head.
“Precisely, well said brother. Another thing you must remember Azul is the amount of power conjured up depends on how much emotion is behind the spell. You should avoid casting spells when angry because it could have very destructive consequences. A wizard might want to scare away an agent of darkness with a simple fireball, but it could end up destroying an entire building or city block if the spellcaster’s anger is not controlled.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“This is important Azul. You don’t realize it yet, but when you unlocked your amulet in the chamber room, all its power stored for thousands of years rejoined with your human form. It is in you now and will remain there for as long as you live in this form.”
“Okay, I got it. That brings me to another question. Kyiel told me we have existed for eons. If that’s true, where were we before coming to Earth?”
“Zeshtunians have continued to place their conscientiousness inside their amulets ever since the great battle on Zeshtune and return to physical form as needed. Since the great battle, wizards in particular have returned to human form every 25,000 years to battle against the Darkzon. Before your last sleep, you left clues on Earth to lead you back to start your current recognition.”
“I left clues?”
“Yes, that is why you chose to be an archeologist. The profession prepared you to find your staff and the Gate of the gods. Once your staff was placed into the Gate of the gods, it announced your return to all Zeshtunians.”
Alura also told me that I actually built the Gate of the gods with the Mayans for this specific purpose, which is surprising since I can’t even build a house of cards. My skillset was restricted primarily to academics.
“So, how long do we actually live in physical form?”
“Zeshtunian souls are immortal, but being in human form is a fragile state of existence. Magic can heal many injuries, and wizards can live in human form for hundreds of years, but these physical forms will eventually die from either old age or battle wounds. When that happens, our conscience mind is stored in our amulets until the next Galactic Alignment.”
“This is all very difficult to accept Alura. I mean, I feel very human and always believed that people only come around once to Earth.”
“Yea, I know how weird this all seems. Keep in mind though that your return to Earth is not coincidental to the celestial alignment measured by the Mayan calendar. You already understand that the calendar announces a new beginning, or cycle, not doomsday. The thing is, life on Earth keeps repeating the same cycle galactic cycle every 25,000 years, starting with the powers of light and darkness doing battle. It is our job, especially wizards, to make sure light forces darkness out from the Earth.”
“When does this grand battle begin?”
“The time is close upon us and we need to prepare. Humans and this planet will become part of the Darkzon reign if we fail in our mission, but don’t worry. There is plenty of time to prepare. Come on, let’s go outside and practice some magic.”
It was early morning and much warmer than when I first arrived when snow covered the ground. I stretched my hands into the air taking deep breaths and froze still when I saw two moons in the sky. Alura looked up to the sky where I was looking.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?”
“I thought we traveled to someplace on Earth, such as the Himalayan Mountains. Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, huh Dorothy?”
“Nope, not even close. We’re on Keob, a planet revolving around the sun directly opposite to Earth and at the same speed. Scientists on Earth can’t see Keob and are unaware of its existence.”
“We’re on another planet right next door to Earth? Wow, things just keep going from crazy to crazier.”
“We’re safe here Azul. Keob has been our home for millenniums and Earth is our sister planet under Zeshtune protection. Come on, it’s time for your lesson.”
Alura reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring amulet like the one she was wearing and tossed it to me.
I smiled. “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
Alura rolled her eyes. “It’s your ring Azul. You made it when you made mine, millions of years ago.”
I held up the ring looking at the craftsmanship thinking a millions years is a very long time. That may make this the oldest antique in the world, or worlds to be more precise.
“Stop glaring at it Azul and put it on your right hand middle finger. Go on, it won’t bite you.”
I put the ring on and watched it glow. A tingly sensation flowed through my body, sort of like pins and needles when your foot falls asleep. My attention then drifted back to the two moons above reminding me I traveled to a different planet in a few seconds while sitting in a Las Vegas cab.
Alura told me to summon Kyiel. I looked back from the moons and said, “Aptier Kyiel,” and he appeared standing a few feet in front of us.
“Good morning Kyiel,” I said. “Long time no see. How long has it been anyway?”
“Azul, you know such things are relative and I do not distinguish between linear expressions of what you call time. However, using Earth time as a measurement, you have been on Keob for two days.”
“Two days? How is that possible? I just got here last night.”
“Keob rotates four times faster than Earth,” Kyiel said. “A full rotation on Keob is completed every six hours Earth time.
“For every day on Earth, four days pass here? Are you serious?”
“One can not measure all time from sunrise to sunset. Time here and on Earth is passing at a different acceleration.”
Six of one, half a dozen the other. What’s the difference?
“So, if I heard you correctly, you’re telling me that in the 12 hours I’ve been on Keob, two days passed on Earth?”
“That is correct,” Kyiel said.
“Doesn’t make any sense to me, not to mention defying everything I learn about physics, but you know what? Nothing that has happened to me since arriving in Las Vegas makes any sense.”
I shook my head like one of those cartoon characters with their cheeks flapping in the wind and Alura starting laughing. Being on a different planet was more than enough to deal with at the moment, so time and relativity will just have to wait for another day.
“Alright then, let’s keep moving along,” I said, then pointed up to the sky and looked back at Kyiel. “Come on Kyiel, even you can’t be a rainy cloud on such a beautiful day. Look at the sunrise and those two moons.”
Kyiel looked to where the sun was rising and said, “I suppose so.”
Alura laughed again and told me to stop teasing him.
“Azul, you know he does not understand these things. Even so, he has always been there for you and is a loyal friend.”
“Yea, I suppose you’re right. Sorry for teasing you Kyiel.”
“No need to be sorry Azul. I have no emotional component in my
construct.”
No kidding. If Kyiel smiled, I think his face would crack.
“He can learn Azul,” Alura said. “Why do you think you advocated for him and he was compelled to serve you?”
“He can learn? Exactly how does that work?”
“Never mind for now. We have to begin your training.”
I looked at Kyiel who had his eyes fixed on me as usual.
“Well buddy, perhaps one day we’ll share a beer together after all.”
“Perhaps we will Azul,” he replied.
The three of us proceeded down the same path where Alura and I ascended after she kidnapped me. When we reached the bottom, I saw the same cab she used still sitting exactly where it fell out of the sky. It looked out of place under two moons and would drive any scientist back home nuts if spotted from the Hubble telescope.
Who would ever believe it anyway? People would chalk it up to a PhotoShop makeover. That’s certainly what I’d believe.