The Guardians' Pendants (The Zor Chronicles Part I) (2 page)

“What
could this be?” Ikani asked himself as the elevator reached the
ground level.

As he stepped out, Ikani
took a relieving breath of fresh air – as fresh as it got living
around mines, factories and an active volcano of course. The air
was often thick with debris from the mines and smoke from his other
surroundings at the surface of Af’One Village. As he left the
tunnels fully now and walked beneath the night sky, Ikani caught
sight of an object soaring through the night sky to the east. It
was not an uncommon sight, albeit that did not downplay its
significance. It was the sign of a new spirit falling to the
surface of Paradius, replacing a lost life somewhere with another
to take its place. As was the tradition of the Zor, Ikani raised
his left arm towards the newly falling star in the eastern sky,
paying tribute to a life well-lived in Paradius, all the while also
welcoming the new spirit that would be joining them soon as it fell
to the surface in the distance.

Chapter II – A New Era
Begins

As usual, it was the tolling of the
first bell of morning, signaling the beginning of the miners’ shift
that woke Ikani from his sleep.

He rose from his bed, momentarily
gazing around the single-room hut which he called home, lit by
nothing more than a hazy beam of morning sunlight that peeked
through the far window. Beginning now to come to his senses, Ikani
slowly collected his necessary belongings. As he dressed himself in
his miner’s attire before his mirror, his eyes fell upon the
pendant that hung around his neck, glowing a vibrant blue that
would have been hidden by the similar color of his skin if it were
not for the touches of deep red that marked his flesh as well – a
trait that was uniform to all Zor who hailed from Af’One. He
clasped his hand around the jagged pendant, subconsciously taking
note of his Life Ring, glowing bright orange and in full beneath
the skin of his left wrist, just as it should have been. After all,
it had been but six years ago – give or take a short while – that
Ikani had first arrived on Paradius, without memory of life before
his arrival yet still equipped with the knowledge he would need
when he reached the surface. It was not something that was
questioned – not by Ikani, nor by anyone, really – it was simply
the way the Gods had planned it. Ikani gave his reflection one last
acknowledging nod before heading out.

It had been six days now since he and
Niru had been demoted to processing as punishment for leaving their
posts to explore the mines. As Ikani traveled the winding pathways
towards the Great One Volcano and its surrounding mountains, he
approached another monotonous day of work with some sense of
excitement, knowing at least that beyond today, he would be able to
resume his mining duties anew, and with a greater sense of
discipline, knowing that having to work the processing station was
certainly nothing to aspire to do.

What was more, today would surely
prove to be a day like no other. It had been ten long weeks now
since the Satellites had received news of the passing of their
long-standing leader in Tavar Havea. Havea had served as Tavar of
Paradius for ninety-seven long years before departing to join the
Gods. And, in accordance to standard procedure, the seven-week
evaluation period – conducted by members of Paradius Authority –
had come and passed. The new Tavar would be inducted today to serve
as the new, noble leader of Paradius for many years to come. It was
truly a once in a lifetime experience for many to witness an
Induction; even more exciting in the case of Ikani and other
satellite dwellers, for whom it was a rare and truly special
occasion to be able to venture into the central island – most
commonly known as the Hub – under any circumstance.

“
Morning Ikani!” came the
cheery voice of Niru from behind him.

Ikani frowned, still bitter about the
events of a week prior.

“
Ah, come on Ikani; cheer
up,” Niru urged him. “It’s only one more day.”

Ikani sighed. “I guess
you’re right,” he conceded. “Besides, there
is
a lot to look forward to after
work.”

Niru nodded. “Yeah, I suppose. It’s a
shame that the day like the Induction had to coincide with such bad
news, though.”

“
Bad news?” Ikani
questioned.

“
Where have you been?”
Niru retorted.

“
I’m afraid dear Niru is
right,” came another voice as they reached the entrance of the
mines. The source of the voice was none other than Hari, a longtime
security guard and elevator operator of the Af’One Mines and a good
friend of Ikani’s. “Terrible news, really – out of the Hub just
this hour. Our dear Veha Oren has gone missing.”

“
What
?” Ikani exclaimed in disbelief. “Surely they’ll find him,
right? I mean, first Havea, but Oren as well? He was the only
Guardian that Paradius had left – the last of the Veha we had to
protect us…”

Hari smiled weakly in an attempt to
console the distressed Zor. “Have faith, Ikani,” he said
reassuringly. “The Gods will not let us Zor down. Prosperous times
or dark times, with peacekeepers or without, the Gods always know
what is right.”

At that, Ikani felt slightly relieved
of his concerns and returned Hari’s smile. However, the thought of
losing Oren continued to plague his mind. He too had been a
long-standing figure in Paradius as Veha of the Hub – one of the
five noble guardians, each of whom watched over their designated
jurisdiction of Paradius, handpicked – as legend has it – by the
Gods themselves. Following the loss of the other four Veha long
before Ikani’s coming, he had been the only one who
remained.

Ikani stepped into the elevator that
would take him down into the mine. As he attempted to clear his
conscience of any lingering thoughts or worries, the pendant around
his neck began to glow once again.

***

“
Attention citizens of
Af’One. It is time for you to commence your travels to the Hub for
the Induction of our new Tavar. Attending this event is mandatory
except in the case of being excused at an earlier date, and failure
to attend may result in further action being taken by Paradius
Authority. Please make your way to the nearest Pod Station, where
you will be assisted by an Operator if needed and transported to
the central island. We wish for your travels to be both safe and
enjoyable.
To Infinity Together, Guided by
the Gods
.”

The sounding of the loudspeakers
throughout the village was all of the notice that Ikani needed to
begin making his way towards the Pod Station. As he followed a line
of fellow Zor One along the pathway to the nearest underground
station, Ikani passed by one of the numerous facilities that
spanned the mountainsides of Af’One village that were used for the
task of manufacturing steel – an essential piece of the
construction industry that operated prominently out of the eastern
satellite island of Af’Mara. For it was from them that marvelous
structures sprouted from the grounds below, reaching towards the
sky as they too paid their duties to the Gods and proved every
ounce of their worth with great feats of architecture and
engineering alike. These buildings, in return, were brought to life
almost exclusively by energy that was produced on the northern
island of Af’Lanu, where the surrounding waters served not only as
an abundant source of food, but also the heart of the energy
industry that powered every corner of each great island.

And certainly, without a means of
recording these tremendous feats of the Zor from all around, there
would be no story to begin with. It was for that reason that all
satellites and the Hub alike were forever in debt to the citizens
of Af’Lagi in the south, for it was there that Historical Vaults
spanned the underground of the great desert island, filled to
capacity with both legends of the past and the marvels of the
present day.

As Ikani neared the Pod station now,
he was met with a new onset of anxiety as his indisposition for Pod
transportation returned to him, just in time for Ikani to descend
underground once more, making his way inside the
station.

It was an odd sight, no
doubt, if one had lived great amounts of time amongst the mountains
not having traveled elsewhere. It was as if Ikani had stepped out
of the dingy, sooty world of Af’One and into an entirely new place
altogether. The lustrous chrome walls gave a very
Hub-like
contrast to the
pearl-white Pods that were spread out before him, each large enough
to fit but a single Zor without much room to spare. Several sets of
tracks lined the ground before him, leading – in both directions –
into small holes in the walls just large enough for the pods to
squeeze through.

“
Ah, first time using the
Pods, brother?” Asked an Operator who approached Ikani, dressed –
unsurprisingly – in all white. His blue-white skin tone was clearly
indicative of a Hub native.

“
Oh, no – I’m all right,”
Ikani assured him. “Just a little nervous, you see.”

At that, the Operator snorted somewhat
mockingly and walked on, leaving Ikani feeling mildly flustered as
he made his way towards one of the Pods that had just arrived. He
took a look around, watching as Pods containing fellow Zor took off
towards the exit holes just as quickly as new ones poured in from
behind. Taking a deep breath, Ikani pulled open the overhead door
of his Pod and stepped inside.

“
Choose your
destination
,” came the robotic sound of an
automated voice often stereotyped to the Hub’s technological image
by the Zor of the satellites.

“
To the Hub,” Ikani
declared loudly and clearly.

“
Destination selected.
Next stop – The Hub, Station 36.
”

Before he had even had the
time to take another breath, Ikani felt his body jolt backwards as
his Pod shot forward, beyond the exit hole and into the
transportation heart of Paradius – the Paradius Inter-Regional
Transportation System – more commonly and perhaps more
appropriately referred to as the Web.

Tracks converged all
around him. the Web, in essence, was a series of tubes fitted with
a seemingly endless number of tracks that wound around in all
directions. Ikani was whirled around through the pipe, shooting
upside down one minute and along the sides the next, his Pod
seemingly erratically switching from track to track as it avoided
the hundreds of other pods that surrounded him. Through the glass
door that was fitted above him, Ikani could see the faces of
countless other Zor – most far calmer than himself, with the more
startled of them most likely new to Pod transportation. After no
longer than a few minutes of spiraling through a single long
tunnel, Ikani saw the pipe splitting off before him into a number
of smaller tubes, each leading to different stations where he would
disembark. It was this time precisely that made Pod travel worth
all of the stomach-churning effort for Ikani, as he was shot
upwards, spiraling throughout the tube as he was seemingly
propelled towards the sky. He could feel his Pod gradually slowing
down now as he was pulled onto a flat, forward-facing track on
which he and the other Zor emerged from the tubes and were greeted
with a breathtaking view of the very heart of Paradius – the Hub,
in all its beauty.

Night had only recently
pulled its shades over the sun for the day. Down below, however,
the city continued to glow brightly underneath the lights that
accented every curve and ridge of the ever-expanding city that
stood tall on the central island. It was a far cry from home, but
in reality it was exactly that –
home
. It was the city that allowed
for all regions to unite in times like these; to forget their
differences and realize that they were all one in the eyes of the
Gods. In the distance, Ikani spotted his destination for tonight:
the Tavar Mafa, which was, in reality, the
heart of the heart
of Paradius, so
to speak. The primary tower, reaching highest towards the sky, was
surrounded by a square of smaller buildings that expanded outwards,
serving as the headquarters for Paradius Authority, primarily Hub
Security, the leader’s administration and the Tavar
himself.

Ikani felt his Pod slowly come to a
stop in the station perched above the city.

“
Welcome to the Hub. We
hope you enjoyed your travels.
To Infinity
Together, Guided by the Gods.
”

Ikani breathed a sigh of relief as the
door to his Pod swung open above him. Massaging his neck, he
stepped out of the Pod and took in the fresh air of the city,
marveling at its purity in the absence of the Volcano and the
debris from the mines of Af’One.

He quickly made his way towards the
exit of the station, following the sea of fellow Zor One down
through the elevator tower and towards the Tavar Tower. All around
now, Zor from the other Satellites were beginning to mix in with
the crowds of his fellow race, all headed in the same direction.
The city streets were alive with conversation as old friends became
reunited on this rare occasion. From around him, Ikani could now
pick out a few Zor Lanu, recognizable by the green markings across
their bodies in the same way that Zor One could be identified by
their accenting red marks. Shortly thereafter they were then joined
– in smaller numbers at first – by an influx of dark-skinned Zor
from the southern satellite of Af’Lagi. Along with the
brown-spotted Zor Mara and the blue and white Zor of the Hub, the
masses had now almost completely assembled as they entered into the
Mafa square, standing before the Tower.