Providence Ch. 01

Aldus – English; From the Old House
Ava – Latin; Like a Bird
Cyrus – Persian; Sun
Dolan – Celtic/Gaelic; Dark Haired
Naava – Hebrew; Pleasant, Beautiful
Nero – Latin; Powerful
Shaun – Celtic/Gaelic; God’s Gift

Part 1

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Duscha. What is the Duscha?” she whispered.

He looked on in amazement. It had happened. The final bridge to connect her earthly and spiritual elements had happened. She was now one mystical being, with the Duscha firmly present in her body, her mind.

Her aura had changed sharply after the awakening. Once an amber shade of gold and orange, it was now strikingly blue, with bands of purple fading in and out. Power and supremacy emitted from her being, and he unconsciously took a step back from the awe that it inspired.

Even with all his spiritual training and schooling, the sheer magnitude of the Duscha presence could never be accurately anticipated. His knees fell week and his legs shook.

Her eyes were still closed, her eyelids trembled, her breath even but deep. She had asked the question that seemed appropriate, but deep down, the answer was inside her – she knew. There was a presence, a companion almost, fluttering in her conscious. The voices had quieted but were still present. The language they spoke was ambiguous; the meaning of the words seemed to rest just out of grasp.

“Where did you hear that name?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

“They called themselves Duscha. The voices.” Her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the harsh sunlight. “What is the Duscha?”

“I think you know the answer to that.” He knew she did, if she would only search her heart. Realization would set in, and she would come to trust that she was the oracle. It was painfully clear now.

She turned to look at him, and was baffled by his appearance. While he was still the same man that she had come to love like a father and respect like a mentor, his authoritative presence was now … inferior. Of what, she wasn’t certain. He seemed unsure, almost pensive, his stance before her was humbled. His eyes were fixated on her, studying her.

She was still getting accustomed to the never-ending voices in her head; thought was hardly effortless. There were so many, too many aspects to give awareness to.

In the short moments of the lesson, ever since she had closed her eyes, Liz had been changed. She was no longer a sixteen-year-old girl struggling with Destiny and insecurities. She was no longer an adolescent searching for her place in the world.

She looked down at her fingers, clenching and extending them. They tingled and sparkled with the after effects of the awakening. Short sparks emitted from the tips, and a hush went through her and the voices with every flicker. Almost as if they were quieted with the power she emitted.

She felt no taller, her muscles no bigger. But she felt different. Her abilities were more practiced, proficient … plentiful; she knew without proof. She was changed, Liz knew.

She was the oracle.

“The Duscha … its, its like a link, isn’t it? A link between the earth and … and God … Fate. I can feel it,” she whispered with awe streaming through her. “It worked. Whatever you wanted to happen today … it worked.” Their eyes met, both holding more emotion than they had known possible. “I am the oracle.”

He nodded, incapable of any other response. Her knees fell weak from the acknowledgement, and she slowly, clumsily lowered herself to the sand. She attempted to get her bearings and took deep, cleansing breathes. The weight of the newly acquired abilities, the voices, the realization all fell heavily on her shoulders. He silently came to her side, and sat next to her, unable to speak.

The full magnitude of her awakening had only begun to be revealed, but Aron knew that everything was different. Her aura exuded authority, and he suddenly felt very insignificant in his student’s presence. She had succeeded him in ability, in spiritual knowledge, in nearly every aspect that one could ponder.

“Elizabeth, how do you feel?”

“Different. It … it feels like a presence in my mind. The voices, they’re so beautiful.” She took in her surroundings, the dunes, the sky, the suns. “Everything is so beautiful. I’ve never noticed before. Even the sand,” she said as she took a handful in her palm. Before it always seemed like lifeless yellow specks. But now – now it was millions of jewels dancing in the sun. Opal, ruby, sapphire, and diamond all mingled in her palm, sparkling with a heavenly magnetism.

Her eyes rose to the sky, now littered with white, billowy clouds, hiding the suns from her view. They were plump, eagerly awaiting the rapidly approaching storm. The sky was streaked with the typical reds and yellows, but also aqua and magenta.

“Do you see that?” she asked Aron, never taking her eyes away from the heavens.

“See what?”

“I … I don’t know. It’s all so new. I don’t even know what I’m seeing, or hearing.” The voices still did not stop, now long minutes after the awakening. There were no words to describe what she was seeing or feeling.

“The voices won’t stop. They will always be there guiding you, speaking to you. Teaching you. Don’t fight it Liz.” Another spark was emitted form her right fore finger as she went to stand up.

“I won’t.” Her whole body hummed with energy. The wind continued to whip through her hair; her tunic was now half undone, most likely from the ordeal her body was subjected to. The maroon undershirt contrasted nicely to the beige over-wrap. Her sandals were filled with the jeweled sand, but she did not care.

She wanted something. No,they wanted something.

She listened to the voices. Struggled to understand, to do their bidding. Another spark came from her finger, and the voices hushed again.

“Aron, prepare the android, please. I want to try something.”

He quickly moved to the target, and righted it. The android, now headless, sat on a small sand mound, leaning slightly to the right, silently awaiting its doom.

She stood quietly for a moment, preparing for the task that the voices requested. She closed her eyes in concentration. What did they ask of her? She listened.

Frytop a grunga. Cenomo ty req. Me vey akkobe laxune.

Hear our words. See our light. Follow your heart.

She let out a frustrated breath; nothing was making sense. If she had thought Aron spoke in circles, she was about to take it back. Liz desperately wanted to understand, to do their bidding, to be a worthy servant. But how could she serve the Duscha if she couldn’t recognize their request?

Hagona.

Fire.

She understood that. Her right arm rose and aimed at the metal target, and this time, she kept her eyes open. The sparks started again, communing at her fingertips. They collected, grew in intensity, swelling into a ball of electric energy. She watched as it mingled with the atoms of the air, building …

She fixed her eyes on the target, this time the torso of the android. Her vision cleared just as it had before, without her eyes closed. She saw the target highlighted by the thick, communing air. The ripples of the wind and slight sounds were visible waves only she could see. Her eyes clouded over a dark gray, and Aron looked on as she trembled from the energy that was literally at her fingertips.

The voices chanted over and over, and she obeyed. The white light was almost blinding and suddenly, it was hurtling towards the android. It flew from her hand in a flash, nothing but a blur of white light and energy.

Aron, who had been awaiting the inevitable impact, was caught off guard by the sheer force of the collision. At the moment of impact, he was thrown through the air, landing roughly a short distance away. Oxygen escaped his lungs, and he breathed heavily for several moments to regain his composure. He was left nearly unconscious, and only Liz was aware of her surroundings, because of the voices …

The velocity of Liz’s energy obliterated the android. The sparks surrounded the robot, filtering through the cracks and openings, tearing it from the inside out. An atomic boom sounded, and the machine was relinquished to distorted metal strips lining the sand. Gold metal on the yellow jeweled sand spread for hundreds of feet; wiring and screws from inside the sleeping robot fell from the sky in metallic rain.

After several seconds of deep breathing, Liz’s eyes cleared to their normal dark, chocolate brown coloring. Her hair was in disarray, and she struggled to regain her vision and concentrate on her target. She shook her head slightly when she couldn’t find it.

She looked again. A crater twelve feet in diameter was all that remained of the sleeping android. It had survived so many training lessons and now, after only a few minutes, it was completely destroyed. Aron lifted his head from his comfortable pillow in the sand. She turned quickly to the sound of Aron coughing, and crawled over to him.

“Aron? Aron are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” His voice was rough from the violent impact his aging body had taken on the dune, and he shook his head again to clear it from his jumbled thoughts. He was still trying to comprehend the awakening. He had been unaware and was completely caught of guard by the powers that she was demonstrating. The old monk had told him the powers wouldn’t present themselves until days later, until the Duscha had time to manifest itself. To create a strong holding in its host. To attach and bond.

But Liz was a special host.

“How did you do that?” he asked huskily, his lungs burning from the effort.

“I just did. They told me to. Was it wrong?”

“No, no. Just unexpected.” He sat upright with her help, taking cleansing breaths. He eyed the crater that was once the crucial training equipment. “You destroyed it … without a weapon.” Aron couldn’t help it; he was in complete awe of her, in only a matter of minutes.

“No, I didn’t. The Duscha did. It just used me, like … like a catalyst. It was amazing. It has so much energy Aron. I can’t even describe it.”

“Do you think you could do it again?” But he already knew the answer.

Her voice held nervousness and excitement, to see what else she could accomplish. “Yes.”

He struggled to stand, suddenly agitated. “Someone must have heard that. The Dolan hunters will come to investigate. We should go.”

“Do you hear them?” she asked, suddenly alarmed.

“No, not yet. But the Dolans are never far from mischief. We won’t want to be here when they make an appearance.”

She nodded in agreement, and they righted themselves; their muscles still weak from the explosive ordeal. Their walk to the sand vehicle was in silence. Both still mentally deciphering her awakening. Even sixteen years had not prepared Aron for her spiritual initiation. And Liz was still trying to decode the never-ending voices.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sand vehicle, called a hovercraft, soared just above the ground as the two made the journey home. The first of the two suns was setting on the horizon behind them, illuminating the sky with brilliant streaks of red and orange. The hum of the automobile was the only sound between them. Both were deep in thought; so much had happened, and Liz had an abundance of questions. All of which the answers had gone mysteriously unrequited.

“Aron, what will happen now?”

He was completely unsure of his answer, finally deciding to be honest with her and fill in the holes later. He looked to the sky. He too had sensed the storm that was only hours away.

“After the storm, we’ll practice your powers. Then we’ll – ”

“Powers? That’s what you’re calling them?” She was somewhat amused by his wording. She was anything but a super hero.

“Well, yes. What would you have me call them?”

“How about … gifts? Or abilities?”

“It is not a talent, Elizabeth. You destroyed our android with a bolt of lightning from your hand. That is not exactly something that anyone can acquire or perfect. You are changed now, Elizabeth.” He looked at her for a moment, and then turned forward while he drove. “You are no longer … completely human.”

Her gasp spurred him on. “The prophecy said you would be a link between the mortal and spiritual. The Duscha formed a bond with you, but it also had to change you for the awakening to be successful.”

“Awakening?” Her voice was quiet, quivering, unsure. She was almost afraid of what his answer would be. And what it could mean for her.

“These powers you possess, were actually inside you all along. But today, the Duscha awoke those powers. When you were attempting to see the target with your eyes closed, you called them. And they spoke. I am sure they are still speaking, yes?”

She nodded silently.

“The Duscha answered you, and your dormant powers came to life. The voices will continue for several days, and then quiet. From then on, they will only speak when you call them.”

“How will I call them? I don’t even know what I’m doing.”

“You will. You should not worry. Not now. At this moment, a bond is being made inside you. The Duscha and your physical body are molding, merging … bonding. Once it is complete, we will be able to practice and perfect your powers. Whatever they are.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t even know what my powers will be?”

“They are different with every awakening. Every oracle. You must rest and allow the bond to form.” He gave a meaningful look, “Don’t fight it. These next few days are crucial.”

She silently agreed, and the following minutes were spent allowing this new information to sink in. For so long Liz had accepted Aron’s talk of Fate and Destiny without much complaint or question. But with these new developments, she felt compelled to learn as much as she could, while he was still willing to give answers.

“How many oracles have there been?” she asked.

He slightly shook his head in regret. “For years, the awakenings were never documented. There are two that I know of. Now three,” he said with a meaningful look.

“What were their missions?”

“The first oracle was sent to protect a man named Aldus. The prophecy said that Aldus was destined to rule his planet, Naava, which is in a galaxy far from here. The mission was successful; the prophecy was fulfilled.”

Liz turned to look at him. A story such as this should have brought a smile to his face, but Aron was far from happy.

“The second was a boy.” He trailed off, his eyes steadily gazing ahead at the dune horizon, but not seeing it. All he could see were the memories flashing through his mind, slowly haunting him, even after all these years.

“What about the boy? What happened?” she prodded.

His voice was low, and she had to lean closer to hear him over the hum of the hovercraft.

“Fate foretold that a soul would possess strength unknown to mankind. The oracle would be resourceful, wise, and the ultimate weapon against all evil in our galaxy. He would be unconquerable, and because of this power, he would make peace on his warring world.

“A prophet was assigned to seek out the oracle; and a boy was found who met the conditions that were given in the prophecy. As time passed, the prophet became impatient. The oracle was compromised by his own protector.” Aron began to raise his voice in anger; salt in old wounds. “Cyrus forced the awakening early, and the boy died.”

“Cyrus.” Liz’s voice was just above a whisper. She new of him, everyone knew of him. She shook her head sadly for the boy who never knew his Destiny.

“Cyrus is the reason why so many prophets are in hiding. Spiritual teachers and students conceal their true identity for fear of persecution … because of him. Fate is now legend and myth because of the doomed oracle. The prophecy was never fulfilled and so many lost their faith and abandoned all belief, because of Cyrus. So many lost their faith. Aevarians especially.”

The question left her lips before she realized she had spoke, “Why Aevarians?”

He slowed the vehicle as they neared their home, the small piece of land they owned. It was all they had on the dune planet, a small mud-brick home with no windows, and only one door. Fewer openings meant less sand to clean up. The hum of the hovercraft slowly died as he removed the key. He turned to her, wanting to explain fully, wanting her full attention.

“Because the boy was an Aevarian Prince.” He read her reaction carefully. “He would have been the uncle of King Eamon. His name was Shaun.”

She couldn’t grasp it. The boy’s protector had betrayed him. Everyone in the Rylan system, in the Whirlwind galaxy knew of Cyrus and his tyrant-like policies. “Why? Why would he do such a thing?”

“Cyrus felt that Shaun needed to be awakened before he came of age. He didn’t listen for Fate to guide him; he acted on his own desires.” His voice remained low and controlled, but the tension and anger was thick. “He was power hungry, covetous. He wanted to rule Aevar, and Shaun would have been his only key to the throne. The bastard didn’t listen; Cyrus shamed us all. Everyone in the Rylan system lost their faith because of him.

“After Shaun’s death, and his treachery was revealed, Cyrus was banished from Aevar forever. When it was clear that he had lost Aevar, he sought out the planet Nero. He denounced his allegiance to the Duscha, married Queen Ava, and took the throne.”

He sighed as he turned in his seat to exit. “Come on. We should go inside before the storm hits. I’ll prepare dinner.” He walked toward the small home, and Liz slowly followed.

She was emotionally shaken with the new information, and shook her head slightly at the deceit and corruption in Rylan’s history.

But it explained so much. Why they never exposed themselves on Cantu. Why Aron never mentioned being a prophet to the locals. Why he never returned to Aevar and his once good friend King Eamon, whom he hadn’t spoken to in sixteen years.

He had told her so much before, but with everything she had just heard, she had hardly known him at all. Or herself.

Or her Destiny.