The Laws Of Elios (Book 2) (11 page)

“
You won’t be a full student until you have your own instructor,” explained Ava as they walked into the building.  “Shane’s uncle made mine for me so I don’t think it will be a problem for me to make one for you but we need to get your special glyphs first so we should probably wait until the Arc sends you a dream or a Lumen Master gives them to you.  You need to wait for your own unique glyphs in order to complete it.”

“Why are all of the entries walled up?”  Leslie asked as she took in the peculiar stools and the diff
erent colored stoned over entryways.  “As she turned around she gave a start as she notice the entry that they had entered disappeared.  “Are we locked in?”

“No, it has always done that.  Shane keeps promising that he will get over here to read more into the glyphs and query the records to figure it out
why but he has been too busy.  I can’t get more info because the information is limited to Lumen Mages or given by a Lumen Mage.  The Elios are very protective of who they share their knowledge with.”

“I can
see a need for that,” relied her aunt.  “The amount of power that can be wielded by even a glyph mage is formidable.  I imagine that full Lumen Mages would not want to give knowledge like that to just anyone; it would be the equivalent of handing a sharp knife to a child.”

Ava activated the records interface and introduced Leslie as a new student.  “I need to go, just ask questions and the records center will give you the answers.  Most of what you ask will likely come
tonight when you sleep because direct interface can be quite exhausting and the Elios designed most of the instruction to occur through dream interface.  When you finish up there is a trolley that runs to the corner to the research center every fifteen minutes.  If you get lost just ask for directions or give me a call on the comm,” Ava said as she opened the exit and stepped through.  “Have fun!”  She waved with a smile as the door closed.

Leslie sat
on one of the comfortable stools that required the user to sit in a slight kneeling position.  While seeming awkward at first it was actually quite comfortable and it seemed to afford a comfortable posture even after long hours of viewing information.  After her second hour Leslie stood and stretched and walked around the circumference of the interior feeling the smooth stone.  A tingle seemed to flow up her arm as she touched each of the doors.  Turning she asked the sphere that seemed to be her source of instruction.  “Do the records centers have librarians?”

“The Librarian functions are currently suspended at this records center,” answered the sphere.

“How is new information added, if there is no one to enter it?” asked Leslie.

“That information is not available for students,” answered the device.
  I will provide the information upon the approval of the Lumen Master,” the sphere continued.

Leslie recalled that Ava had told her that she may need to be very specific with her questions if she ran into roadblocks that required an advanced mage in order to get her answers.  “Hmmm,” she pondered
to herself.

“The
Lumen Master authorizes the records center to answer the student’s questions,” spoke an amused voice from behind her.

With
lightning reflexes Leslie turned with a spinning kick that passed through the visage of a robed mage that had appeared behind her.  Dropping to a tuck and roll Leslie relocated herself to a defensive posture across the room, crouched behind the cover of a cubicle beyond reach.  Seeing no pursuit she stood and viewed a tall man in a cream colored robe with a maroon robe length vest with a maroon cloth belt and stood with his hands clasped behind his back rocking back and forth from heel to toe; a knowing smile and twinkling eyes watching her response.

“
The former librarian of the Yllyan records center was mortally wounded in the destruction of Valee City during the meteor storm that destroyed it.  She has not been replaced and until replaced the record keeping is currently limited to automatic gathering from the Arc
,”
the records center sphere answered her question ignoring her startled response.

“What, where?” she stammered.  “Who are you?
  You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that, it’s rude.”

“I do apologize for startling you, Mademoiselle Coeur.
  I’m glad that I chose not to appear in person.  That kick would have been hard to defend against.  Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Ahhan.  Eliom was once my home for a while many years ago.  It is a family estate so to speak,” he added with a chuckle.

“Nice to meet you,” she hesitated, “Do I shake your hand?” she asked recalling the inefficacy of her kick.”

The man disappeared and the stone brick filled entryway that looked to be made of greenish tinted granite faded away revealing a bright sunny green forest morning filled with enormous unfamiliar trees.  The man whom she had been speaking with stepped through and approached her with an extended hand.

Shaking hands the man
smiled and indicated the silvered sphere in the nearby cubicle.  “I believe that the center has answered your question.”

“I was so surprised that
I wasn’t paying attention,” frowned Leslie, looking at the sphere.

“Basically
what it said; if you will allow me to expand,” responded the mage,” a few hundred years ago a man by the name of Pechor stumbled onto our little world of Eliom and started a storm of meteors in an attempt to destroy it.  We had defenses in place but he had the element of surprise.  Unfortunately the damage was quite extensive.  Many of the residents were killed.  Many that were able stayed to assist those that were injured or unable to defend themselves, others fled home to Elios but those not strong enough were forced to stay behind.”

The man called Ahhan waved his hand and the walls of the records center disappeared into a vision of destruction and people pulling each other from the rubble of destroyed cities. 

“For many years the only Elios that remained were the healers and protectors until the last remaining was the Singer of the Arc; referred to today by the Luion as the Chanson. 

Those that were able retreated to the sanctuary of Elios under the protection of their families.  Unfortunately Elios is
system with binary suns and if one is not a very powerful mage one cannot abide its worlds without protection.”  A panorama of a galaxy opened up displaying an array of colors and stars that causing Leslie a brief feeling of vertigo.

The Elios sought the advice of the
Eno far-seers and it was determined that the world plan would succeed and that the mixing of the Luion with the Elios was sufficient to continue.  There was only one problem.  The man known as Pechor did not perish with the destruction of his starblade and he began to poison the world with the corrupt use of lumen that the fallen Allyant have chosen to use rather than commit to the Laws of Light.  The Singer of the Arc was able to halt this but alas the damage was great and almost the entire civilization of the Luion and the remnant of the Elios was nearly destroyed and reduced to the world that you see today.

An image of a very beautiful woman with long
honey and gold hair with copper and hazel eyes appeared replacing the panorama of the distant galaxy.  This woman was one of the greatest Lumen Mages ever to descend from Elios.  She was responsible for the network of magic and protection that saved Eliom from the bombardment of the meteors.  Additionally she was an amazing healer.  She was also the records keeper of the Yllyan center for knowledge and instruction.  She perished while trying to evacuate the city of Valee.  Her name was Yenal.”  Ahhan paused as if searching for his voice his eyes glistening.  “Please pardon my emotion; we were very close.”  The image of the women disappeared.  She had a daughter that survived and grew up an orphan.  Like her mother she was strong in the capacity and the abilities of lumen, but as a descendant of both Luion and Elios heritages she could not abide Elios without the proper training in lumen magic and was of necessity required to stay here on Eliom.  The reason I bring this to your attention is because you are her descendant. I thought you should know.

Something you should also know is t
he events of the far-seers are coming to fruition and the world plan will soon be complete.  The war with the Allyant is the last bitter pill and the Singer of the Arc has produced an heir.  He is the first to be born on this world with parentage that are both Elios Lumen Masters, as well as a true descendent of Eliom because of his birth here.  He is the only one that can sing the glyphs of both worlds, cleanse the Allyant contamination, and restore the Arc and most important complete the binding between Eliom and Elios.  Once this is done this world will be complete and all born here or live here long enough will have the magic within them to live safely here and when they are ready also abide on Elios and other world’s like it.”

“Why are you telling
me
this?” asked Leslie.

“
Just as important as the restoration of the song and binding of the worlds, the knowledge of both the Elios and the recording of the new legacy of Eliom to come, is vitally important.  One of the strengths of the Elios is due to the knowledge they have obtained and archived.”

“Who are the Eliom?” asked Leslie as she tried to absorb the tale.

“You are, as well as anyone else born here,” stated Ahhan.  “Anyone that comes here from a lesser world and lives the Laws of Light and can abide here will be able to extend their lives and eventually be able to live on the greater worlds.”

Leslie sat on a stool. “This is confusing.  Are you saying that there are other worlds
? The whole “people on other worlds” is not just a myth?  And unless you are a Lumen Mage you cannot live on them?”

“Only partially,” explained the mage. 
The universe is a very big place.  There are the lesser worlds like this world used to be, and there are those of higher orders that only those with a higher ability can abide. 

Once long ago there were worlds that linked the lower worlds to the higher worlds. 
They were called transition worlds.  A good example would be if you were to swim in an icy river then suddenly climb into a warm tub the feeling would seem like a scalding.  However if you got out of the river and waited a while before you climbed into the tub it would feel comfortable and relaxing.  The transition worlds were like that.  If you were born on a lower world you could travel to a transition world, acclimatize, and then move on.  If you were magical you could use magic to accomplish the same thing with out the transitional worlds.    Those that lived on the lower worlds could not survive the higher or greater worlds if they didn’t have access to a transitional world or if they were unable to use magic.  This world was created to do both. The entire purpose of Eliom is to be a transition world for those without magic and to give the magic or control of lumen to those that lack it or need to increase their capacity for lumen; making it possible to transition beyond even Elios.”

Seeing questions in her expression, Ahhan diverted to a different topic.  “
Have you ever been to the southern shores of Jehhet?”

Leslie nodded.

“Have you ever heard of the tuj fish?”

She nodded again.

“Then perhaps you are aware that the tuj is a fish that swims the waters of the rivers and deltas that flow into the southern sea and can only tolerate sea water briefly and if they do not return to fresh water they will eventually die.  When the rivers are high in the spring they can be fished far out to sea as they feed in the nutrient abundant fresh water currents that extend only in the springtime.  As soon as the runoff diminishes they swim back to the fresh water of the rivers and later back up to the head waters to spawn.  If they venture out to the sea without fresh water they perish.

The Tuj are a delicious fish and used throughout Jehhet as a food source b
ecause of their size and flavor.  It might interest you to know that many years ago an enterprising young Luion mage who was fond of the taste for tuj, but happened to live in a northern city known as Coh Y Nord decided that he would like to have the same fish on his table.  He carefully caught some of the fish during the spawn and transported them to the rivers that flowed north to the shores near Coh Y Nord.  Unfortunately the tides and water temperature of the northern seas were uninhabitable to the southern tuj.  Not to be dismayed he discovered a saltwater fish called the runnor.  Being indigenous to both the northern and the southern oceans the runnor was able to tolerate fresh water for short times.  The runnor fish would spawn in the fresh water and then retreat back to the saltwater of the ocean and could survive.  Over a few years he introduced the tuj into the spawning pools of the runnor and before long the tuj cross bred with the runnor and they began to tolerate the colder temperatures of the northern sea and to a minor extent the saltwater. 

Alas the problem still persisted that the tuj of the north still retreated when the runoff retreated.  Additionally the northern tuj could not tolerate the warm southern waters any more than the southern tuj could tolerate the northern waters.  As it turned out
the runnor could survive both.  Noting this, the Luion mage introduced both species into the open ocean and because the runnor was capable of surviving both environments.  After a few years the tuj shared a common genetic similarity; he was able to breed the northern and southern tuj with the pure strain of the runnor and now we have a fish called the junnot.  Which of course is able to abide both the northern and southern seas and it also spawns upstream in the streams of its birth both north and south.  It has the same flavor of the tuj but now survives the waters of both the North and South and can adapt to both fresh and sea water.