Chapter One - A History - Contest

Chapter One

A History

Four hundred Cycles A.E. (After the Explosion)
         Come, Young One. It is time for your lesson today. It is a long tale, but we have all the time in the world, said the Old One sitting on a prism rock.
          I would prefer to hear about how growing an appendage works. I wish to create a smaller me to do my chores and sit through these stories, complained Frup. I meant to say I would make a new appendage so they could listen to these wondrous stories.
          Telling falsehoods is not allowed and not warranted. You forget I can see your thoughts, the Old One announced telepathically.
          You know I am yet untrained to reach my Core to be able to use telepathy.
          I am aware of your limitations. I am also aware that you cannot see your potential.
          Please tell me. I want to know my future, said Frup eagerly.
          We can discuss this after the tale I am about to tell begins the Old One. This tale contains valuable information regarding our world and us, and he got more comfortable and started his story.
         When creation began 7.8 million cycles ago, all possibilities began. Universes, stars, planets, and eventually inhabitants were created due to that event. For example, our Planet, Hydranous, is millions of cycles old.
         How do you know it is that old? Queried Frup.
         We analyzed the mountains and ground and looked to our suns for age clues. We have looked back in time and saw the beginning. Now is the beginning of my tale.
         I thought you had already started. How can you start a story twice? Asked Frup.
         Ignoring the question, the Old One began.
         Hydranous combines different components, such as fluorite, glass, helium, phosphate, and Liquid Eterinite. The sky at that time was the color of the Sounds of the Suns and the Highest Peak of the Mountain due to the atmosphere. The atmosphere creates the color of the air around the Planet, depending on what elements are floating in the air. This determines what bands of light get through, creating the colors of mountains, ground, and us.
         So, I am made of light?
         Let us walk a bit. My old legs need to move. As they walked, the Old One began to speak again. When you were being formed, you received a specific color. While others may share your coloring, you are different because when the suns shine on you, they create a different color, as we are made of fluorite, phosphate, and Liquid Eterinite.
         Frup wondered why they needed to walk; it was comfortable sitting.
          The Old One continued, The mountains, hills, and ground were made of fluorite and glass of great colors. This helps sustain all life forms.
         How? asked Frup.
          The light all around provides warmth and nourishment, allowing us to go Out of Phase.
         The Planet's rotation is a helix. Each cycle revolves around both its suns: Retpmoc and Tana. The Old One resumed. As you know, there were three phases in one half of a Hydranous cycle, six phases combined. The Liquid Eterinite would change color in each phase.
         It is boring. Talk about the growth of the appendages, grumbled Frup.
         The Old One began his story when he stopped. Our evolution took millions of cycles to create sentient ancestors. When physical animation occurred, the Hydranousians were formed from prisms, phosphate, and Liquid Eterinite. They each were of assorted colors and shapes. Through evolution, early Hydranousians developed a way to communicate without speaking aloud. This happened, we believe, because of our Planet's atmosphere. We can only be out in the open for half a cycle. A method was needed to speak long distances without going out.
         The Old One continued, As we are made up of prisms, the intensity of our suns creates heat within us. This heat increases the likelihood of using too much energy to cool down. Our ancestors were afraid to go out because of the heat. Creating Phase Buildings took four times as long as it should have been due to the heat. Many of our people became One with the Planet at this time.
         I already know this, but someone told it using big words and lengthy explanations, said Frup.
         Let us talk about something else, then. I have just the story to tell you, explained the Old One.
         The Old One slowed his pace so they could walk together instead of Frup walking behind.
         Long ago, there was a small one much like you. Her name was Eternity. She was a very gifted Young One. Eternity was a brilliant pupil. So much so, she was assigned an Elder as a tutor. Eternity was successful in all her studies and practices. Her only limitation was her assigned Elder. The Elder did not feel it was her responsibility to train a Young One and did not teach everything the Supreme High One thought was being taught. That was not discovered until many cycles later.
          Eternity also had a stubborn side, preventing her from seeing others' views or sharing information. She learned to mask her thoughts and feelings by using her will alone. Being young, the Elders initially did not pay much attention to her. They knew she was gifted; however, they did not realize how gifted she truly was.
          When confronting her Elder to increase her tutoring and being denied, Eternity determined all the Elders and the Supreme High One must go. They were responsible for the lack of proper continuation of knowledge and representation of all Hydranousians. Change must occur, and she was the One who could make it happen.
          If she has that much power, she sounds like a fully formed Hydranousian, but Eternity wasn't, was she? I do not understand how that is possible.
         The Old One continued the story. The Hydranousians never suspected a Young One could accomplish such a feat, let alone keep it a secret. As she progressed, she became more powerful, all the while, her Elder was unaware. After a lesson regarding the stars' names and their movement, Eternity decided she had enough of the useless information and wanted the secrets of life to become even more powerful and able to send Elders to be One with the Planet. This was forbidding. Only the Supreme High One knew of this. He knew this in case someone became a renegade and tried to upsurge the hierarchy. Of course, Eternity was unaware of this. She had mistakenly thought this was only her thoughts and ideas, and by looking for the information, she would become a Supreme Being, Master of All.
         From what I know of it, she sounds like one who is going through madness, observed the Young One.
          Even though she was still a Young One, Eternity began questioning the rules of the Supreme High One. This brought even more attention to her, the unwanted kind.
          Some of the more arrogant and brazen Elders did not take her seriously. Within the Collective, a ripple of questions went through, including:
          Who could this Young One be?
          Why is she acting so strange?
          Why was a Young One acting like an Elder?
          Are we safe with this Young One around?
          This got the attention of more of the compassionate Elders and, eventually, of the Supreme High One. He could break through Eternity's blocking thoughts and learn the reasons behind what she was doing and why. He sent her a telepathic message. He advised her that he knew of her plans, and she would fail and go back to being taught by her Elder, or she could be assigned a kinder and wiser one.
          The Old One stopped his storytelling and waited momentarily, staring at the Young One.
          And waited some more.
          Well! What happened? Why did you stop? Are you punishing me by leaving out the information? What happened? Please tell me.
         He received her response. Eternity sent a psychic scream.
          While many supported Eternity's principles, her methods were not favorable. Eternity had very few followers, so her psychic scream strength was meager. He overpowered her like you could squash a Meebee. He used a small portion of his power not to destroy her consciousness. Instead, he just nudged it.
          Because Eternity had no defenses and no one had tried to challenge her, her telepathic powers were destroyed. She could neither send nor receive any communication: she was now deaf telepathically.
         The Little One stopped walking. He knew what that meant. She would never be in the Collective, she would never be able to draw any power from anyone else, and she is sentenced to Silence.          
         Do not shed a tear over her. She broke our most sacred rules. She attempted to overthrow the Elders, and, most importantly, she was planning to Silence the Supreme High One.
          Eternity, at first, tried to regain her lost power. She failed. She then went to the Supreme High One and begged for her abilities. The Supreme High One investigated her consciousness and found a seed of revenge and hatred toward him and all the Elders.
         After much contemplation and with wisdom, he knew he could not return her powers. He also knew where this would lead. He advised her of his decision and invited her to be his guest at the palace. He warned her that if she tried anything unlawful or mistreated his staff or him, she would be exiled to the North Quadrant. Forever
         The North Quadrant? I thought that place was a myth. Is it a place? Has anyone who went there ever come back?
         No, was all the Old One said.
         After arriving at the destination, they found an Out of Phase building.
         The Old One stated that we are here and in time for your next lesson, some of which we have touched on before.
         The Young One was still thinking about the story's morale: Do not presume you know more than the Collective Mind, and be careful what you say and think because the truth will always come out.
         If I may ask, what happened to Eternity? The Young One queried.
         She could not stop her cruel ways and was teleported to the North Quadrant without her powers. She was lost to the Collective, the Old One stated sadly. Let us turn back to your studies.
         As you know, our hierarchy is based on our prism bodies' assorted colors, he began. The rarest color is called, Highest Peak of the Mountain. For example, if one of us were the color Ground Shake, compared to the Sound of Running Liquid Eterinite color, the former would be below the latter. The person born with the final color of the Highest Peak of the Mountain becomes the Supreme High One, the ruler of our lives.
         Where do you rank? Where does The Smell of Rock stand in the hierarchy?
         My color is not rare. Many have the base of this color, The Smell of Rock. I am slotted as an Old One, as I have been around for a long time.
          But we do not have a Supreme High One now. Who is leading us? I volunteer to be the Supreme High One. I will have the final color of the Mountain's Highest Peak. Then I can tell people what to do, Frup wishfully stated.
          The Elders are leading us. They have a collective awareness of all things and govern justly. They wait for a new Supreme High One. The Old One stated, Besides, you have already received your final color.
          How? asked Frup. Will I learn how a young one has reached its final color?
          That is another good question.
         Let us continue where we left off before our walk. As you are aware, our physical forms are solid. Over time, we have developed a large, squared-off head containing our powers and amplifying them, and we have three eyes, with the middle eye being the conduit for our power beam. Through evolution, we developed telepathy and telekinesis. Our telepathic communication abilities allow speaking with different life forms, analyze their needs, and communicating within the stasis of Out of Phase individuals. This allowed sharing of thoughts and experiences as happened to the Out of Phase members.
         That sounds incredible. I can communicate freely and read some thoughts, but mostly emotions. I have wondered about when we fully develop these skills. I thought they were always just there all the time, declared Frup.
         A mistake many of us thought, the Old One began. With telekinesis, adult Hydranousians can create a powerful blast. They use it to cut into the fluorite mountains. It also allowed the sharing of life energy among individuals. This would increase their mental capacities and energy output. We can move, lift, or destroy matter by sheer thought. This enabled us to create structures, meeting circles, and stasis chambers.
         I want to create energy blasts so I can shoot little critters, pew, pew pew pew. I got them all. Frup started happily.
         Yes, changing the subject, all of us can go Out of Phase or stasis. Multiple stasis phases occur per cycle. Stasis begins when we reach maturity. During stasis, aging is delayed, causing us to live many millenniums. It would be possible to go through a life span, never seeing familiar Hydranousians while in stasis. However, speaking with them is easy.
         It is because we are telepathic, right? Asked Frup.
          Correct! You are paying attention. Your questions are well thought out. If you keep this up, I shall reward you.
         To gain sustenance, we go to our ocean, ponds, pools, or streams of Liquid Eterinite. We stand or sit in it and refresh our life force by osmosis. This can occur right before an Out of Phase period. If we cannot gain access to the Eterinite, we use our mental abilities to sustain ourselves until we can reach the Eterinite. Once you are an adult, you must visit the Liquid Eterinite when you can.
         As you are aware, all of us can read the thoughts of others from any distance. Our Elders would have many Out of Phase individuals feeding them the energy to make it dominate among the others. In contrast, the Supreme High One has hundreds of Out-of-Phase individuals providing energy to them. We are careful of where we expend our energy. When more energy is given, the shorter the life span can become.
         The creation of new life forms occurs with everyone.
         About time we got here. Are you going into detail, or are you leaving them out? Oh, how I wish I could read your mind, stated Frup.
         As I began, twice during our existence, we form an appendage during one of our Out of Phase periods. This appendage grows into a smaller version of its creator, though possibly not of the same color. Our miniatures will change colors several times during the formation cycle. It does not signify the status of the formation, just that they are maturing. After the final color is present, which is unknown how it decides, miniatures detach from the host and leave. Once in society, the Young Ones are on their own. They will make contacts, explore, and discipline their mind for when they reach adulthood.
         That was boring. Nothing exciting happened. I thought people gathered around to see me fall off or that I received gifts from everyone. I guess I do not know if that happened. I do not remember what happened when I fell off. I was just broke, you know. I remember going around, meeting many good, and understanding Hydranousians who helped me get ready to meet you to begin tutoring when I was more prepared.
         It is good that you are questioning yourself. It means you are thinking outside of yourself and into the community. Particularly good, praised the Old One.
         To continue, there exists a condition where we can become susceptible to early termination of our life force. It causes us to go into madness that affects our use of mental abilities. Our thoughts can be uncontrollable and disconnected. When this happens, the others in our community stop feeding the Afflicted One's energy and ignore them. This isolates them, causing conscious depression to the point of self-termination. The lifeless body would be taken to Liquid Eterinite to become One with the Planet.
         There is a theory that throughout our history, the Planet and its inhabitants would experience the pull from the place of the color One with the Planet. Time anomalies frequently occur because of the force of both our suns and the distance of the location of the color One with the Planet.
         Let me get this straight. Everyone on our Planet experiences time anomalies or shifts in time, right? The Young One asked.
         Correct. Time could jump forward, backward, or completely cease to exist. All life would not feel these changes because a new reality would be written. It would be as if our original history never happened. When reality moves forward, all memories leading to that moment are gone. The present reality is all that exists. Because of this, time and reality, changes were never noticed.
         So, if that happened now, I would not remember this story or all information. Would it also make me not know what happened? Asked Frup.
         You are learning well. If time shifted forward, backward, or just changed reality, something like this incident could have large-scale consequences. Whole villages would be erased. They would cease to exist, and no one would know. They would not become.
         Do you mean if my creator had this happen to them, I would cease to be me? I would become One with the Planet?
         Good question, you are thinking. It means you, too, would be erased from time. Everyone who met you or knew you would have their memories erased because there is a new timeline and reality that did not have you.
          Despite the influence of the place, the color of One with the Planet, our society prospered. Our collective intelligence allowed us to create stellar observatories using rare power crystals from the crystal mines. The most powerful crystals were the Smell of Silence, the Sound of the Suns, and the Vision of Forever. With the combined energies of all the inhabitants and crystals, we can open one-way dimensional windows to other planets and realms. While our physiology does not allow us to enter new worlds, we can observe the individual planets to gain helpful knowledge to become a stronger society. Some planets are barren of sentient life forms. Most have cultures quite different from ours. Hundreds of other worlds display peaceful habitats. Some have destruction and ruin, with many becoming one with their Planet.
         That window they made; can I see it? Do you need your full powers to see it? That ending was sad, observed Frup.
         You are now becoming aware of our culture and the concern for all our people the Old One offered.
         Through the window, one Planet held our attention. It was smaller than our Planet and had substantial amounts of prisms because the Planet was the color of the Smell of Silence, the Sound of the Sun, and the Vision of Forever. There was also a color on their Planet we did not know. It appears on the Planet's axes and a few other locations. When we focused on the axis of the Planet, we discovered it was all colored the same. The air had tiny falling prisms the same color as the unknown color. We need to do more research on this phenomenon.
         We discovered millions of different life forms when we began looking at the life forms. Some were simple life forms, and others were complex. One species was the most complicated. We were amazed at the diminutive size and lack of prism bodies. We did notice, however, that they came in distinct colors. Despite the variety, no one had a brilliant prismatic color as we do.
         While looking, we noticed smaller versions of the other inhabitants. We surmised these were the appendages that formed and had joined the society. We became alarmed and surprised when larger ones carried the smaller versions and did not seem interested in separating from their host.
         That is very odd. I certainly did not want my creator to carry me around like that. I have feet and hands. I do not need that sort of thing, Frup shared.
         While viewing the inhabitants, another individual intrigued us. It had three legs, though one was much smaller and connected to the upper appendage. Its bent body did not move as fast as the other inhabitants, even though it had three lower appendages. A collective thought occurred that this was an inflicted one, soon to be One with the Planet.
         While we were looking through the window, a sudden gasp occurred from half of the population present. The Supreme High One, controlling the window, suddenly felt a great wrong was happening. Then a giant power surge hit him. His thoughts and control were almost gone. All he felt was a great power flowing through him toward the window. Then an idea flowed from another linked to the Supreme High One. 'The Power Crystals can help. He carefully lifted the crystals and pointed them at the window. Three blinding lights shot out and through the window. The restraining frame began to glow.
         Then half of our people disappeared.
         Frup was speechless. Was that true? I thought you said no one could remember the time-changing thing. If you remember it, it must be a story.
         True or not true, that is for you to decide, proclaimed the Old One. Our time is up for today. It would be best if you explored the western portion of the Valley of the Prism. We will talk about that tomorrow.