Chapter 2: A Life Revealed
I watched closely as Cygnus demonstrated how to take down a shadowbeast, only to be surprised when another approached me from behind as I was focused on my mentor.
“Vega, defend yourself!” he shouted at me, snapping me out of my focus and allowing me to react. I let my instincts take hold, and only focused on an image in my head...one of a k'tra walker – a large carnivore with bright green scaled skin, a wide gaping maw of hundreds of teeth, and four powerful legs.
The change only took a second, and the next time I opened my eyes, it was to see myself towering over the shadowy entity. This monster and its ilk plagued our lands, and knew not of fear or mercy. With that being the case, I snatched it up in my jaws and bit down as hard as I could, crushing its spine. I heard the creature wail in pain before dissipating into bad-tasting black goop. I spit out the remains and reverted to my common form, rubbing my shoulder as I looked to Cygnus.
“Thank you for watching out for me, Cygnus. That was nearly the end of me.” I told him with a smile.
The older Celestial grinned and ran a hand through his long violet hair as it stuck in clumps to his mottled crimson skin. “If not for you being a morpher, my warning would not have saved you. Thank your quick reflexes.” He then gestured to the felled game we had come for. “Gather our prize and let's head home. Night will soon be upon us, and you must eat to restore your strength after that action.”
I nodded and pulled the rope off of my chest, tying the creatures back limbs together. I then knotted the rope and began to haul our catch with me. “Yes, that would be good. I can already feel the other wanting to be free.”
He smiled back at me and also nodded. “It is the price you pay for the gift you have. All power has a price, youth...remember that.”
“I will, elder. Thank you for your wisdom.” I responded with respect.
We arrived hours later to a darkened camp with only the community firepit in service. The twelve others' eyes widened at the sight of what I dragged into camp, and I just smiled. “I hope that the lot of you are hungry. Castor and Pollux, I want the two of you to prepare our meal while I meet with Old One.” The two younger males flashed grimaces but knew by now not to question me, so they both grabbed cutters and began to skin and butcher the animal.
“You have risen to be a strong leader, Vega. Your father would be proud.” Cygnus remarked as we walked towards a lone tree.
I nodded and sighed. “I know.” I looked to the older one with a look of interest. “Elder, why are there so few of us left?”
The red-skinned Celestial sighed as he walked, a limp showing in his left leg. “I would prefer if Old One told you, as it is not a happy answer.”
Knowing that I would not be able to get anymore out of him, I kept silent as we continued our walk to the large tree in the meadow of the forest.
Now I'd never actually met this “Old One” before, but my father had spoken of it many times, as did Cygnus. Supposedly, it was a guardian that watched over us and protected us from those that would do us harm. I believed there had to be more to it than that though, as my father had been killed by a beast one cycle ago, and the beast that did it was never seen again. I didn't particularly believe that this “Old One” was really all it was made out to be, but for the moment I humored those of my tribe.
After another ten minutes of walking, the two of us arrived at the tree and I saw something waiting for us. It was the visage of a female Celestial, though not one I'd ever seen before. Her skin held the same mottled quality as mine, but was not the normal red is should have been. Instead, her skin was a vivid blue, and her eyes were cyan instead of gray. Lastly, her hair was a strange entity in itself...a flowing visage of the night sky, complete with the twinkling stars that dotted it. Her eyes shone with power, intelligence, and wisdom. The being was something to be awed, and revered. Without thinking about it, I immediately dropped to a knee in respect.
Contrary to what I thought would happen, I heard Old One giggle as a young female would. “Please rise, young Vega. It brings Us pleasure to finally meet thee.”
I was confused with her way of speaking, but was able to decipher what she meant. I stood and averted my eyes from hers in respect. “It is an honor, Old One.”
I could see as she turned to look at Cygnus with a roll of her eyes. “You refrained from speaking unto him Our true name?”
The elder shrugged his shoulders with a nervous smile. “I had assumed it was meant only for my ears.”
With that answer, Old One turned back to me. “Why do you avert thy eyes?”
“Out of respect, Old One. It would be disrespectful of me to gaze upon your face” I answered meekly.
She stood still for a moment before responding with, “We appreciate your respect young Vega, but you needest not avert thy eyes. In fact, We request that you look upon Us as you would any of your own.” I did as she asked, once again seeing her eyes. “Good. Now, We understand that you have a question for Us. Speak it.”
I was still a little intimidated by her commanding tone, but stood tall and nodded. “I wish to know why it is there are so few of my people left...and if possible, I wish to know what is to happen to us.”
The authoritative look in her face was lost, and she looked away in what I could only perceive as shame. “Apologies for that, dear Vega...but perhaps We should explain why that is.” She then pointed a three-fingered hand up at the sky, motioning to the stars. “What do you know of the stars?”
I looked heavenward and shrugged. “Our legends say that they contain the souls of our ancestors, and that it is considered a great honor to be named after one.”
“Were you ever told of the naming ceremony?” She asked me.
I shook my head. “Only very little. I only know that only the village elder and the parents of the youth are allowed to bear witness.”
I looked back to Old One and she smiled softly. “Well it is time you learn the truth. The name chosen comes from Us...We name each and every one of you.”
“So...” I started to respond.
Old One cut me off with a smile. “Yes, We were there when you were named...when all of you were named. We personally name all of Our children.”
“Children?” I asked in confusion. “Apologies Old One, but I do not understand.”
Old One pointed to a place on the ground next to the tree. “Sit please. This will take some time to explain.” I nodded and did as I was asked, noticing that sometime in the conversation Cygnus had disappeared. I looked back to Old One and waited for her to continue. After meeting with my eyes, she turned to the stars. “The legends your people have about the stars are close to the truth, but are not completely accurate.” The powerful being pointed to a star...the one that I was named after. “As you well know, this is Vega. What you do not know, is that the star ceased to exist before you did. You see, each star is a life...and so long as the life remains, so too does the star.” She then turned to me with a smile. “Vega is you...and you are Vega. Your life and the star's light are one and the same.” The blue Celestial then kneeled in front of me and placed her hand on my chest, over my heart. “The night and its denizens are Our domain. We make and maintain them, Vega...and so you are Our son.” She must have sensed my apprehension, because she asked, “Tell Us, have you not wondered why you do not remember your parents before your tenth year?”
Now that she mentioned it, she was right...I couldn't remember anything about my father or mother before age ten. “I have always wondered that, Old One...but what does that have to-”
“We were getting to that.” she interrupted with a smile. “You see, Our older children take unto them a younger child to raise and guide as he or she grows. It is why your markings are never the same.” I looked over my arms and noticed the jagged violet rings that rounded my arms up to my shoulders, along with my unique tribal symbol on my chest. I looked back to her and she nodded. “In truth, you all are only related by species and way of life...you do not share blood.”
The massive influx of information hit me like a physical blow, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. “Why now...why are you telling me this right now?”
“Because,” she started with a loving smile, “it is your time to truly lead the people that remain.” Her eyes fell as she looked towards the village in the distance. “Cygnus will not live much longer...and this knowledge and wisdom must not die with him. Your destiny is far greater than his ever was.”
“And why is that, Old One?” I asked, now both interested and confused.
“Because, you will receive your second name today, dear Vega.” she responded with a warm smile.
I gasped in shock. Only six Celestials in my people's four millennia of history had ever been graced with a second name. It was a sign of both power and respect among the tribe, as the name was only given by Old One herself. To be bestowed with a second name caused one's tribal mark to change, forever identifying them as one of Old One's chosen few.
I looked back to Old One, and she looked up at the star in the sky...my star. “Yours is not the only world We look after, Vega...and on the other, your star is the one that presides over the rising of the sun. It is for this reason that the denizens of Our home call it the morning star.” Old One looked back at me with eyes full of love and wisdom. “From this day forward, you will be known as Vega Morningstar – the guiding light for those looking forward to a new day. You will provide guidance for your people until the time comes when you may pass that duty to another who is worthy.”
I noticed my markings glowing out of the corner of my eye, and looked down to see the violet mark rearranging to form my new name in the ancient tribal language of my ancestors. I looked back to Old One with a smile of my own. “I thank you, Old One. This gift you have bestowed upon me will not be wasted.”
“We know it will not, Vega...which is why We chose you.” she responded. “And please, no more of this 'Old One' nonsense. From now on, you will refer to Us by Our name of Lunacae Lightflier.” She then placed her delicate hand on her chin in thought. “That seems too long...We suppose Lunacae will suffice.”
I nodded. “Yes, Lunacae. One more question, if I may...”
“You wish to know why there are so few of you left...” she responded sadly, to which I nodded. The blue Celestial then closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “You are the last of Our children on this world...and We have reached our limit for how many We are able to create here. The rest will be up to future generations.” She then stood with a sigh. “Apologies, but it is time for me to return.”
“Wait!” I shouted as Ol-...Lunacae began to walk away. She looked back at me expectantly. “Will I see you again?”
Her fingers ran through her beautiful hair and she nodded. “We think so. Continue to impress us, Vega...and perhaps we will meet again sooner than you think.”
I was unsure of what she meant by that, but I nodded with a smile. “I'll try. Safe journeys.”
The being smiled once more before fading away into the night, leaving me to walk back to the village alone.
I arrived just as the last of the light from the fire died, and night was fully upon me. Luckily, Cygnus had apparently cooked and prepared a share of the meal for me, which I was thankful for. The elder was always watching out for me...and I was going to miss him whenever he left us.
I ate my meal in silence as I looked up at the moons and stars overhead. All my years of life, I had always gained a sort of peace from the night sky and its heavenly bodies. I suppose that it all makes sense now, with the truth revealed to me. Even so, knowing that I was in fact connected to the night sky was still odd for me. There was so much I didn't know about my life now...the lives of all of us, really. It was frightening, to be honest. Still...I had learned through my father's teachings that the unknown was never something to be feared. After all, some of the greatest things our people had learned came from discovering and deciphering the unknown. It was a virtue that had passed down through our people...and one of the many I prided myself for having.
Like any rational intellectual though, I questioned myself often. After all, arrogance and ignorance go hand-in-hand, and those were two characteristics that I did not want...for myself or my tribe. These questions would range from the normal “am I doing the right thing” to more personal questions. Lately, it was a question of my future and the future of those I presided over. What was to become of us? I knew now the destination, but not the path we would take to get there. It was depressing in some ways to know that Lady Lunacae could no longer have her hand in the creation of our lives, but she had obviously hinted at something with future generations. What exactly, I did not know...but I also knew that she would reveal it in time. Nonetheless, the thought gave me hope in a time of hopelessness...and it allowed me to smile a bit as I finished my meal and bathed myself in the dual moonlight.
Sleep came slowly tonight, which was the exact opposite when compared to normal. Perhaps I was thinking too much...but I could not help myself. After all, a lot had happened in such a short time. With that being said though, I knew that things would only get more complex.
I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar feeling of sleep started to wash over me, and my last image was that of the moonlight overhead.