The Emerging Part I: Dream
CHAPTER XIX

Vaiqon watches the sun sink low into the horizon after another full day of traveling. He sighs deeply, relief in his mind of another day of hard traveling having been completed. He thinks of tomorrow with a hopeful mind. He turns on his heels to gaze at the group of children he has gathered to become the next generation of Rniti. He smiles.

He casually walks back to his mound beside the fire the children have made on the edge of the massive lake that they have just come to the end of. He looks to his left to see a mere stretch of plains separating him from his beloved Injhihato. Squinting, he almost believes he can see the light of the Pyroternal reaching out to the night.

He smiles again as he turns back to the children. He amuses himself for the moment as he watches Hawk and Fox performing acrobatic feats in rhythm with one another.

Another figure suddenly jumps from a mound, matches Hawk and Fox’s rhythmic movements, and surpasses them with even greater feats of flips and twists. Santhemum lands solidly on her feet and flashes a dazzling smile at them all, baffling Vaiqon and the boys into stunned silence.

For her final performance, Santhemum merely composes her smiling face into her usual neutral slate and walks casually back to her mound next to the fire. The boys catch themselves watching Santhemum sit on her mound and when they see each other gaping as fishes, they all begin laughing uncontrollably. Even Vaiqon accompanies the boys’ merriment, his deep laugh adding a rumbling vibration to their high-pitched squeals of delight.

Santhemum merely smirks to herself as she sits on her mound with aplomb.

Vaiqon and the boys’ laughter soon fades into the night, their cheeks flushed with the heat of the fire and of their prolonged merriment. Vaiqon looks at the children with a vision of the future in his eye. He sees the children as they are now in his right eye, and the potential versions of the children in his left eye. He sees their innocent smiles of the present and their confident gazes of the future. He smiles widely.

“Children,” Vaiqon starts grabbing the attention of each of the children, “the Rniti have many long-standing traditions, many of which you will come to learn in due time, and, you will learn of one tonight.”

When the children lean in involuntarily to better listen to him, Vaiqon continues with a twinkle in his eye, “This tradition has two parts, and the first, being of course, that every new class of Rniti is to share their prized possessions with one another and after this ritual is complete, I will inform you of the second part of the tradition. Who will volunteer to share their possession first?”

Each child appears uneasy at first, but then, surprisingly, Santhemum raises her hand. Vaiqon smiles warmly as he nods to her to continue.

Santhemum then reaches into the front collar of her tunic and brings out a beautiful gold necklace with a cheetah pendant dangling from the delicate gold chain. She holds it out and speaks, her silky voice enrapturing everyone, “My mother gave me this necklace. She told me it had been handed down to every daughter of my family. She felt I finally deserved it when I defeated the obstacle course. She gave it to me for courage.”

She then hands the necklace to Hawk to her right. After the cheetah has run around the circle, Vaiqon hands the necklace back to Santhemum saying, “That is a most extraordinary pendant, Santhemum. Quite valuable I am sure. I would advise you to never lose such a priceless heirloom.”

Santhemum places the necklace back over her head and into her tunic, but says nothing more.

Hawk, feeling courageous suddenly, then reaches into the right pocket of his trousers and pulls out a silver medallion that appears to glow a beautiful scarlet in the light of the campfire.

He holds it out for everyone to see, “I earned this when I won the Karacrross Annual Hunt. I killed the biggest pig that year.”

“We killed the biggest pig that year,” Pork corrects.

Hawk shrugs, “We may have been together on our hunt, but my pig was bigger than what you killed.”

Pork’s eyes widen, his anger exploding through his aura enough that Vaiqon glances at the boy with concern. Hawk then hands the medallion to Fox to his right. After Vaiqon has handed the medallion to Santhemum, he says, “Ah, Hawk, do you know what the image is on the front of the medallion?”

Hawk nods eagerly as he takes the medallion back from Santhemum, “It’s a thunderbird. Supposedly the most powerful being to tear through the skies.”

Vaiqon nods in agreement, “Very few have witnessed a thunderbird, legend states they have the ability diffuse into the very air they fly upon.”

Hawk shrugs as he places the medallion back into his pocket. Fox then pulls out his dagger from his belt and holds it out. The black blade reflects the light of the campfire with a deadly sheen, its sharp point seemingly cutting into each child’s soul.

“This dagger was all I found that wasn’t burned whole from the burned remains of my house,” Fox says. “Its kept me alive in more ways than I can count.”

Fox then hands the dagger to Pork. After the dagger has made its way around the circle back to Fox, Vaiqon asks, “That is a wonderful dagger, Fox. Have you kept it honed to a razor sharp point?”

Fox beams at the compliment as he places his dagger back in his belt, “Oh yes, I sharpen it everyday.”

Vaiqon nods and then sees Pork reach into his right trouser pocket to take out a medallion that glows crimson in the light of the campfire.

Pork speaks, “My father gave me this medallion the night before my twelfth year. He said it was to give me strength when I felt I needed it. Weird. I haven’t needed it yet, but I think I looked at it before I defeated the obstacle course,” Pork shrugs then hands the medallion to Desert to his right.

Vaiqon hands the medallion to Santhemum and then says, “Pork, that is a boar medallion, would I be right to assume you know the significance of that?”

Pork nods as the medallion lands back in his hands and places the copper medallion back in his pocket, “The boar medallion is only given to the best soldiers in Karacrross. And my dad gave me his,” Pork beams.

Desert scoffs inwardly as he then pulls out his prized possession from the inside of his boot. He shows off a jewel of a most unusual coloring, the light of the campfire distorting the true color of the jewel, making it appear an eery purple-orange.

“This jewel is the only gift my parents ever gave me,” Desert says with a downcast tone. “My mother actually gave it to me. She said something about history is to be learned and that knowledge is a power. I don’t know.”

“History is to be learned from so that Knowledge is to become a power?” Vaiqon suggests after handing the jewel to Santhemum to his right.

Desert only shrugs and does not speak until after the jewel is back in his hands, “I just know that when it is with me, I feel calm.”

Vaiqon nods, “Well, thank you all for sharing your most prized possession. And, now for the second part of the tradition, the selection of your class’s name.”

“Our name?” Fox inquires.

Vaiqon nods, “Yes, every class names themselves, normally a powerful name. I shall allow you to discuss amongst yourselves what you all would desire to be called.”

The children glance at one another, their expressions of shock mirrored to them four-fold. They chuckle as their thoughts then begin to swirl in their minds of the best name they can conjure for themselves.

“How about the Five Kids Over Obstacles?” Fox suggests with a devious smile.

“Please tell me you’re joking?” Hawk asks sensing Fox’s tomfoolery.

Fox chuckles and nods in agreement. Hawk smacks Fox in the shoulder and pushes him off the mound. The boys laugh at the dust that rises around Fox’s splatter onto the ground.

The laughter dies away and is replaced with, “We could call ourselves the Power Unit,” Desert suggests.

“Or not,” Hawk says.

“And what would you wanna be called?” Desert demands.

“The Meditatias,” Hawk says.

Desert nearly explodes in refusal, but Pork suggests, “What about the Unity?”

The boys look at Pork with mixed emotions of agreement and discomfort with the name. They each look at each other with disgruntled expressions. Suddenly, a silky voice rings through the air, “The Pentad.”

The boys glance at Santhemum from where the suggestion originated and cannot help but agree with the name.

“The Pentad,” the boys say together.

Vaiqon smiles at the strong name, “Very well, the Pentad it is. Now, tomorrow you all have quite the day ahead of you. We arrive at the Injhihato. I suggest you get as much rest as you can.”

The Pentad nods and rises eager to have the night pass.

Vaiqon feels a presence requesting contact. He permits the aura into his own and feels Uxxok’s anxious aura flooding his own calm aura. Instantly, Vaiqon’s adrenaline spikes as he asks, ‘What has happened?’

’The murderer appeared at the library in Southern Citis. Teqqc was there by herself trying to decipher the meaning behind the late scholar’s words. She was on the verge of discovering something before she cut contact with me sending only an image of the murderer inside the scholar’s office.

’She took off in pursuit and I flashed to join her. We pursued the murderer to a dead end and when we felt the aura oozing from the figure, we could not move. It was as if someone delved into our own aura and decided we could no longer control ourselves.

‘Just as that happened, the murderer disappeared in a cloud of the darkest fog I have seen. Luckily, Teqqc was able to detect a trail end of the aura that controlled us. She connected to the aura to the murderer.’

Vaiqon reels with the rapid-fire information spat at him before responding, ‘Where is Teqqc now?’

‘She is with me, but too busy concentrating on the aura and the scholar’s words to contact you.’

‘I have never heard of someone able to control another’s aura.’

‘Neither have I, but, Vaiqon, that is not what concerns us.’

‘Then what is?’

‘Teqqc believes the aura was Ragefier. She felt a trace of the angered man’s aura just before the figure disappeared.’

Vaiqon cannot believe what he is hearing, ‘No, that cannot be. Ragefier disappeared long ago. Why would he come back now? There is no reason for such a powerful man to return.’

‘Exactly my point, Vaiqon. If that figure was Ragefier, and Ragefier is killing scholars, clearly, he is making a point for him to return. Teqqc believes Ragefier is searching for something.’

‘But you do not even know if that figure was Ragefier.’

‘You must stop trying to protect this man, Vaiqon. Ragefier is no longer your pupil or a Rniti. You know how powerful he is, you know how unstable he was before he abandoned the Rniti. You-’

‘Enough! I have had enough. Determine who this figure is and catch this murderer. Tomorrow I give the prize to these five children who so rightfully deserve it. I need my sleep. Thank you, Uxxok.’

Uxxok’s anger billows through his anger, ‘I do not believe five neophytes are a priority at this point!’

‘But they are, Uxxok! They are! I hope one day you will see it yourself! I see such potential in them!’

‘But do you not see the destruction that is just on the horizon if this is in fact Ragefier resurfacing throughout Munda Luna!’

‘Enough, Uxxok,’ Vaiqon angrily billows, ‘you have been speaking with Vulcan have you not?’ Vaiqon does not wait for a reply. ‘Now. Leave me be. You know what you need to do.’

Vaiqon severs the connection before Uxxok can respond. He looks to the still burning fire, creates a wind current and extinguishes the fire. He rises from his air chair and enters his tent where he then falls into a stressful sleep.