Scribe 23 looked from the sun to the jasmine growing under the balcony and marveled at how the small flowers soaked the energy in effortlessly. She turned towards her Master and asked him whether he meant to stay or whether he would be leaving and he made her understand that in a short while he would be leaving again as he had work to do in preparation of the special ceremony. She asked what was so special about the ceremony and he told her that it was not often that the Scribes witnessed a primal being released so it was accompanied by a large ceremony where several Scribes from all over the world were invited to celebrate.
Shortly after the sun had set high in the sky the Master left for his own dwelling and Scribe 23 was left to herself. The house was abuzz now with activity and several attendants were preparing the rooms for the various ceremonies of Conjuring that were to take place later on. Most of the people in the city already had what they required as she had conjured items with many usage times but some people from further cities had a need for several items so her skills were required again.
She wondered whether she had not floated around too aimlessly and too often the past days to wear off the energy and whether she would have enough left for the various Conjuring ceremonies. She was not overly anxious though as the energy had never failed her and she had always been able to perform the Conjuring. Whenever she felt a waning in the energy either because she had not received sufficient energy from the star gazers or earth conduits or because she had not absorbed enough of the energy herself beforehand, the Master always stepped in and compensated. Right from the earlier days when she had been a disciple, the Master had asked her to perform the Conjuring herself, only stepping in to complete the energy required if there wasn’t enough to complete the Conjuring.
Slowly, the house started filling with various persons from the neighbouring city, some star gazers and some normal beings. Scribe 23 noticed with distaste that some of the normal beings were on the older side and realised that she would not be able to ask them for life force energy as they would then be depleted and it was not in her habits to turn away people who required items or to deplete beings that required the Conjuring for their families. She moved towards the front of the first room where there were only star gazers and slowly inked out the items that they required as their flow of energy whirled through her, whipping up the thoughts into manifestation.
When she had first asked the Master why it was that the star gazers or earth conduits did not perform the Conjuring themselves, he had answered that while they were able to channel the energy, they were unable to think creatively or to focus their thoughts together with the energy in order to be prepared to ink them. Besides, none of these beings knew how to register the Conjuring down because they did not know how to make the ink of life from the stars and therefore even if they discovered how to focus the thoughts, they would still be missing that vital item to make the Conjuring concrete.
Upon entering the final room which contained both star gazers and normal beings, Scribe 23 could feel the palpable anxiety of the normal beings, especially the more aged ones. The younger ones were anxious because they felt that she might ask them to compensate for the lack of energy of the older ones and they would then lose more life force and become older themselves quicker than they wished to and the old ones simply because they were not sure the giving of the life force would not finish them off. Scribe 23 signaled to the older normal beings that she would not be requiring their life force in exchange of the Conjuring but could make the items with less usage times than what they initially wished for.
A murmur ran through the huddled crowd as they had come representing the larger population of their city and more usage times were required than what they were asking for. They had only reduced the demand because they realised that they would not be able to offer enough energy for the Conjuring required. Scribe 23 felt their despair and realised that the items they were asking for were not fancy items but simply nutrition and maintenance items so she set about concentrating on how she would harness the energy herself from the room without any of them noticing.
Scribe 23 beckoned to one of her attendants signaling to her that she should open wide the windows which the attendant did immediately. The sunlight streamed into the room illuminating her purple robe and she raised her hands over the head of the first star gazer who started absorbing its energy. Her hands hovered over his head seemingly taking in his energy but all the while drawing the sunlight directly into her body. The combined power of his intake and her own absorption was intoxicating and she felt her heart pulse with the rawness of the energy. Scribe 23 asked the star gazer to retreat as she felt she had had more than enough energy for the Conjuring but instead of simply retreating, he immediately sent in a replacement as he had thought it would be necessary to immediately replenish her energy.
As the star gazer’s substitute entered the ray, intersecting with the angle of her hands, she felt her palms tingle connecting involuntarily again with the sunlight that coursed through her arms. The star gazer who was on the path of the absorption slowly felt the intensity grow into his brain to the point of almost sizzling and she immediately put her hands to his head absorbing the energy off his brain and disconnecting him. As she did so, the energy he had been channeling flowed through her own hands doubling up the quantity and she could feel her heart ablaze with the energy. She closed her eyes thinking that she had been so foolish to absorb the energy directly without putting in place a protection mechanism where she could be able to stop the absorption. She knew that in a few seconds her heart would implode causing the combustion of the entire neighbourhood.
She felt more than she saw the rush of cool air as something sucked her lips shouting “Primum Invocatio” before it hit her on the chest knocking her off her feet and out of the sunlight. Several feet above her body, there was the looming head of what she recognized as Elohim, the first Master. Inside his forehead was the blazing ball of fire that had been seconds before within her heart and Elohim’s head was shimmering translucent under the effect of the condensed energy. The crowd that had dispersed frantically running for cover when they had seen her close to imploding ran back towards them, their eyes wild with adoration and hope that the Master of all Masters would notice them and take one of them as disciple.
Above Elohim’s head, she could sense the Master looking down at her and next to him she saw the vial from her locket floating emptied of its content. She could see the outline of his lips where traces of the blood shimmered and moved and she could feel the same movement and tingling on her lips too. The Master made her understand that he had used the vial to invoke the Primal, Elohim, by painting her lips with the blood and when Elohim had appeared and delved into her to absorb the fire ball he had then sucked him out of her, pressing his lips against hers and subsequently levitating with him several feet above her. She knew confusedly that this was not exactly how they were supposed to have carried out the ceremony of releasing the Primal and was sorry she had spoilt it for so many Scribes who had been waiting but was grateful that her life had been saved. She was also surprised to find out that the Primal was Elohim, the Master of all Masters and wondered what this had to do with a second sun.
She heard sizzling sounds around her and saw that several Scribes had materialized all around and realised that they had probably felt the release of the primal and had come to pay homage. It was a rare event when a primal was invoked and it was even more precious considering it was the Primal, the Master of all Masters. The Scribes hovered in the air around Elohim, sheltering him from the groping hands of the desperate star gazers and slowly lifted him higher. The Master explained to her that Elohim who was holding her fireball intact with the power of his intent could not use his energy to levitate away as he would then activate the fireball that would pursue its combustion. The Scribes continued floating slowly upwards and dissolved into the ceiling taking the Primal, Elohim, with them.
Mama Jain was floating with Bluebird back home when she realised all of a sudden that the black holes seemed to be disappearing behind her. She could hear a strange sizzling sound and felt the intensity of the pull behind her subsiding. As she turned back, she caught a glimpse of the last black hole shimmering before completely disappearing. She wondered what that meant considering the extensive Quantum regeneration program that Mother had talked about involving Gaia and the black holes but Mother seemed nowhere to be seen.
Puzzled and a little taken aback at the disappearance of the black holes, she continued slowly her descent towards home with Bluebird now in sleep mode on her back. She had come to realise that Bluebird’s sleep mode with her actually corresponded to moments of intense activity where she was being solicited by Nemolusk’s team. Perhaps Bluebird was not eager to show the team that she had acquired a very developed consciousness as she had been put apart bit by bit the last time that something extraordinary had happened. Mama Jain had no doubt that the team would not hesitate to take her apart again if they suspected that she had acquired such a superior consciousness.
As she approached her own home, Bluebird dissolved bidding her goodbye as she did and leaving Mama Jain to contemplate the rising sun alone. Mama Jain had so often enjoyed this moment with Bluebird that she felt a sense of loss when watching it without her. She gathered herself on the balcony and stood watching the rising sun as it sparkled on the leaves adorning her garden. Soon she would have to go back inside and start her work but this time without Bluebird for the weaving as she was busy. Mother had told her that together with the weaving for the Regeneris code, she also had to undertake a more compelling and difficult work which consisted of mastering the spirals of Life. Until now, Bluebird had simply helped her with unweaving and reweaving together differently strands of her DNA before she affronted the spirals but now she would have to do more extensive work alone in view of the transformation of her Self.
The first time that Mama Jain had come in contact with the spirals of Life, it was like as if a giant snake had bit her and then whipped her out of her senses while holding her in its mouth. She had felt herself rise shooting towards the sky before a giant freefall until she could balance herself and still herself to avoid continuing the freefall. The coil that had seemed like a giant snake seemed to be glaring at her while she hovered in the skies and she knew that she would have to come back towards it and hold on to it until it did not whip her around anymore. Time and time again she had held on to the coil while it thrashed her around between myriads of light particles and portions of shadow that seemed to attempt to cling on to her.
Mama Jain walked slowly towards her chair realizing that this time it could be even more difficult as Bluebird was not even there to help her with the initial weaving that infused her with more light and diminished the quantity of shadows that tried to cling on to her. She sat in her chair, assumed the inward position and started swaying to the frequency that was building up. Her hands initially rolled into the form of an O started slowly extending and weaving something before she felt them hook on to the coils and be twisted into various twirling positions as she felt the energy coursing through her arms and body.
Twirling and turning, her body one with the coursing energy now, she could feel herself soaring into the air, right through the edge of her skull. She held on to the spirals as they vibrated, twirled and turned and slowly she herself became the spirals as she watched herself split into two parts which were whole parts of her. The two parts danced above her head, twirling and turning and soaring as she followed them into the blinding light that filled her brain and rushed out of her sockets. Higher and higher she danced the spirals going through her sockets and coming back through her mouth before hitting the pit of her stomach and rising again. The light spirals raged twirling and turning, shooting throughout Mama Jain, spurting out of her and delving back inside her before they stilled all of a sudden and all she could feel and hear was her heartbeats slowed down it seemed a hundred times.
Mama Jain looked out of her eye and felt the love of the light caressing her now, no longer wild spirals raging in a twirling dance but an iridescent lake of light where she felt her body glide and be caressed by the waters. As she waded through the waters, shimmering coils playfully twirled around her cajoling the particles of what she discovered seemed to be her own body. The two parts of her reunited with her in a hiss as the coils integrated them into her. She felt something stir inside of her as she sensed her foot back down so many miles away touch the ground and she felt herself falling, slowly fading away from the light as curtains of shadows started falling across her sight.
Suddenly, with a jolt she felt herself back on the chair again, the energy still coursing through her body, her hands still clinging on to the two coiling spirals of light that resumed their dancing but in a much slower mode. Again, she felt her heartbeat pounding, surrounding her but beating much quicker than it had been before and she felt her face stinging. As her hands slowly moved with the spirals, she could feel the breeze that accompanied them cooling her body and realised that she seemed to have been sweating profusely. The spirals twirled again slower before her hands twined them into her belly where they simmered slowly before becoming fully still again.
The next morning she woke up still feeling warm all over where the beasts were still lying. As she stirred, the first beast that had laid its head against her cheek the night before lifted its head and gazed at her. The large eyes looked soulful and sad from this close and she no longer felt the fear of the creatures anyway as they had clearly saved her life. She wondered what language she should speak and if it would make any sense to speak at all. She wanted to thank the creatures for having saved her but she had nothing to offer them as she had not taken any food with her when she had left Prime Creator’s location.
You are welcome, said the beast in her head
You talk my language, she said aloud surprised and one of the other beasts awoke and stretched itself. She waited for it too to speak in her head but apparently only the first beast could communicate that way.
The others don’t speak human language, said the beast. I do but only in your head, my vocal chords are not evolved enough to make the sounds externally. I am Aiga, I was created by Prime Creator like you were before I decided to take to the woods where I found earlier versions of me. They did not have the same genetic modifications as me so were not able to walk on their hind legs initially and only communicated in snarls. When they saw me moving on two legs, they made me their leader and have been following me around even though they too can now move on two legs after I taught them how to do it.
It really is a unique feature, she said, looking from the first beast to the others. To her, they all seemed alike and nothing other than this wordless communication differentiated them as far as she was concerned.
I know, said Aiga. What is your name, did Prime Creator give you one`?
She looked blankly at Aiga. She was not sure whether Prime Creator had given her a name. You can call me Omega, she said
Welcome Omega, said Aiga. If you wish, you may join our tribe.
Thank you but Prime Creator’s son said another so I think there are more people like me out here in the woods who might be able to help me
They are there, beyond the bridges and huts but we don’t go there, said Aiga. We can accompany you to the end of the bridges. After that you will have to proceed alone.
As Omega awoke, so did all the beasts and she felt the slight morning chill as they moved off her body. She felt like wrapping one around her to fight the cold but she did not think it would be a wise thing to attempt. She could feel Aiga smiling next to her and knew that she was still communicating with her mentally. Aiga nudged her towards a small pit on the side of the first of the bridges’ pillars and she saw what seemed like a stack of clothes on some bones.
We did not kill those, said Aiga in her head. They were already mortally wounded when they reached here and the others just left them and went.
I did not think you would have killed them, said Omega.
She slowly stripped the clothes off the piles of bones and proceeded to wear all of the ragged clothes one over the other instantly warming herself again. It was not as good as the fur of the beasts but she would have to make do with this for now. She mentally signaled to Aiga her desire to bury the bones and Aiga and the other beasts helped her in pushing the earth over the bones until they were fully covered. Omega then took out a few stones from the river banks and put them on the makeshift tomb. She had watched once a priest praying in a funeral but could not remember the words. She looked at Aiga who voiced “Run with the wind” before all the beasts started howling together. Omega thought it really strange that they would howl now while they had not howled at her the night before, not even with the moon out shining brightly upon them.
They are only howling to honour the burial performed, said Aiga
Did they howl when they first found them, asked Omega
No they didn’t. They ate them
What do you mean they ate them?
Well, the other beasts were hungry and the girls were already dead so they ate them. We don’t kill to eat humans but if they are already dead, we are allowed to eat them. That is how the prime code works.
You mean you are coded not to eat living humans
We are coded to protect humans and never to eat them alive as long as that code is not overridden by Prime Creator’s red code
What is the red code?
We can eat any human which threatens the life of Prime Creator or any of its offspring.
Omega looked at Aiga warily and Aiga signaled to her that she was aware of the stun gun but that did not count as an attack on Prime Creator’s life as the stun guns did not kill but only immobilized.
Besides, said Aiga. I know you care for Prime Creator
I don’t… started Omega before deciding that she need not justify herself to Aiga or to anyone else. She wondered whether she did care about Prime Creator. It was true that she had gotten used to his incursions into her world in stealth mode after the initial panic that had seized her but she had always felt like she was some pet and when she had discovered the code, she had been determined to flee
To flee, yes but not to kill
Well I would not have accomplished much if I did kill him. That would have only left the guards and for having roamed into their world unnoticed, I know that my fate would have been worse if I had killed Prime Creator and they had caught me.
I see, voiced Aiga in her head and her tone sounded mocking. She clearly did not think that was the only reason Omega had let Prime Creator live.
Can we continue over the bridges now, she said, slightly irritated
Yes, but you must proceed carefully and walk behind us, said Aiga
Why is that`?
There are much earlier versions that are strong and that do not obey the prime code. They kill and eat humans and other beasts alike. They were released much earlier into the woods and have lost touch with any coding that had initially created them and would kill even Prime Creator if he were to venture out here.
Oh, that is why nobody ventures out here!
Yes, they are quite vicious and we too move in packs to make sure we can protect ourselves.
Aiga and the other beasts proceeded over the first bridge and Omega followed them closely. Aiga informed Omega mentally that the older beasts did not come out in the open during daytime but attacked mainly at night or when the woods were thickest and hid out the sun. She advised her to stay at the center of the pack when they would be in the woods again between the bridges. Omega obeyed religiously as she could hear the woods alive around them with the noise of twigs and even larger pieces of wood breaking. She shuddered imagining what size they might be as Aiga had given her a mental image of a giant beast when she had talked about them.
We are far more numerous and almost as strong despite the fact they are bigger in size, said Aiga. Prime Creator stopped making them after the fifth or sixth unsuccessful trial and so they do not attack us. All in all, there must be only four left as I remember we found one already dead.
Did the others eat that one too, she asked
We don’t eat each other, not even earlier versions of us, said Aiga
Omega bowed her head and said nothing. She wondered whether she would eat another human being if she were to feel hungry and not have anything else. Aiga looked at her and said quietly that she was sure she would. Omega felt like saying she would not but she sincerely did not know if she would or not if she were that hungry so she just kept quiet and followed the beasts. Whenever they had finished crossing a bridge, the beasts spread out around her and formed a circle while crossing the patches of wood between the bridges. Omega walked on, hurrying to keep their pace and also aware that the minutes in the daytime were precious and needed to be fully utilized to cross the bridges. When they reached the seventh bridge, Aiga signaled that this was the last and she would have to continue alone because the other versions like her might attempt to destroy them if they went further. Aiga also warned her to be mindful of how she dealt with the other versions as they were not as evolved as she was.
There was a small patch between the last bridge and what seemed like a criss cross of logs creating a high fence similar to the one at Prime Creator’s location. She wondered whether the earlier versions of the beasts would come out here in the open. She started running towards the fence and heard the pounding of immense paws break into a race towards her as she picked up speed and leapt across the fence. One of the larger beasts had attempted to catch her in mid-air but only ended up hurling itself against the fence as it had anticipated wrongly her jump. She felt the fence behind her quiver with the shock of the beast’s body hurled against it. The beast yelped and seemed to rise stunned on the other side but she had no time to turn around and try to see it through the tightly knit hedge at the bottom. In front of her, there was what she would have otherwise coined as a welcome committee except that they did not sound too welcoming. It was a group of ladies who all looked almost identical to her except that there was something strange about their features.
She moved towards them, hand extended but the first of her copies stopped her abruptly by grunting savagely and shoving a large piece of wood that looked like half a small tree trunk at her stomach, knocking her down and out of breath
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