“He thinks he was in a vehicle crash. Best correct him before the denial gets any worse.” A feminine voice spoke through the doorway from the hall outside. All three of the room's other occupants all focused their vision on the horrified visage I sure my face had become. I froze in place, unable to understand what was just said. Did I make that up? Or did someone just read my mind? My mouth opened as I tried to form an appropriate question.
Thank you Remmy but you should head back to your class now. We can take it from here.” Redgate said. “Aye Commander” Remmy stated as her voice became distant. The commander continued. “You were not in a crash” she glanced over at the doctor with a brief pause. Before the Doctor answered with my name, I responded “Its Benjamin J. Walker. The Doctor nodded at commander Redgate. “Well that's a bit better, Trainee Mage Walker. No, I suppose that title is a little too premature.” The commander leaned over Dr. Offsman's Tablet. “Master Walker, I believe you should understand something. While you were under anesthesia we copied your knowledge to an air gapped computer system. We are using this information to adjust your mind and teach you Standard. The language you are currently speaking. As it stands now you should not be capable of even forming a sentence. Yet, here you are able to naturally communicate in a language after only 1 hour in the metaphorical mind book.” The commander paused her explanation to read my reaction. I kept my mouth shut in horror. The feeling of fear slowly faded into acceptance, then to curiosity. “I don’t seem to be damaged by any action the doctor made, and I am not being dissected, so that's good. I should use this chance to ask questions. I tried to speak again but quickly decided to not stop any information that may be coming freely as a result of my patience.
“Right” Commander Redgate stated. “Doctor, I was sent the unfortunate circumstances leading up to the summoning when I requested the condition of our newest mage candidates. Master Walker, do you remember the situation leading up to your summoning?” Redgate asked. “Yes, Commander.” I said with my recovering voice. The words still caught in my throat but I could feel my volume returning. “Good, You need to understand your situation very clearly before we continue much further. Master Walker, are you of sound mind, enough to listen carefully while we discuss your future?” Commander asked.
I looked down to see my legs fastened to the bed by shining metal restraints. The bands did not feel cold or hard against my skin. They simply felt like a leather strap holding me in place. A quick wiggle of my feet and a shift of my hips showed my body was truly in one piece. The water cup in my hands felt cold against my fingers and the feeling as I took a drink was real and refreshing. The warmth of the blanket protecting me from the room’s air conditioning was comfortable. Placing my hand on my heart over my chest then my core. I am here, wherever here is. My heart settled and the anxiety that had threatened to overtake me only moments ago left me. My heart stilled as I took a couple controlled breaths. Feeling the fresh air clear my lungs, I nodded back at who I now knew as Commander Redgate. “I think–, I am ready to talk, Doctor, Commander, um, Summoner Keeps.”
“Doctor, It seems the young male here is making a run at your job with a self checkup like that.” Redgate Quipped. “Your status is better than when you left your home on Earth Master Walker. Please do not be concerned with any of your previous injuries and ailments. I would only ask that you not get yourself hurt that badly in the future.” The doctor said through a smile. The camo uniform sifted to the left of my bed as summoner Keeps tried and failed to stop a laugh from escaping. Turning I could see that this person was clearly the happiest person in the room.
“Summoner Juniper Keeps, I want to thank you for your research and extreme efforts in securing another Wraith planet. The United Front owes you much more than can ever be repaid but for now we need to take into consideration the first candidate of this world called Earth.” Commander Redgate said seriously. The mood in the room changed abruptly. “Yes Ma— Commander.” Keeps said. “Master Walker, A wraith, planet as I am sure you are wondering, is a celestial body that actively repels Mana and its influence. Imagine a suit of armor that protects you from mana, It is invisible and intangible, that is your mana filter. Even trainee mages after about a week of training, would be able to crush an ordinary person. Why? Because a mage is gifted with the ability to strengthen their filters through hard work. The bank will grow alongside the filter naturally, and can also be trained to hold more mana.” Commander Redgate explained.
“Look at the ground Master Walker.” Commander Redgate demanded. Looking down I watched as the wheels of the bed separated from the ground. The bed was in the air not touching anything. The bed rotated and was placed back down where it was before it had left on its exploratory flight. “Thank you summoner Keeps for the demonstration.” Redgate said with a nod across the bed. “As you can see phenomena such as this can be made through the power of mana. Summoner Keeps here is a naturally born mage. Their power is specialized so much that the effect you just saw took most of the strength she had to pull off. A naturally born mage has a single facet that can be used. The ability to create Mage filters on someone who has never experienced mana’s influence.” Commander stated. The pause in the room threatened to ring in my ears. I could feel my head tensed up. With a couple breaths and a manual reset of my muscles throughout my body, I relaxed. “So the summoning that I – no, every summoning has to do with the controlled creation of a person's mana filter and bank? I posited. A smile crept forward from the commander's stoic face. “Just as you assume Master Walker. Summoner Keeps here performed a rather eccentric summoning. I should let the expert explain as it is her long hours or research and foolish efforts that brought you here.” commander Redgate offered.
“Thank you Commander Redgate. Master Walker, The summoning you experienced was as focused and bare of niceties as possible. Based on the condition you showed up in I assume it was also barely able to transport you here after your permission was granted due to the distance. Commander may I include the details related to the United Fronts current Mage issue?” Keeps requested. “Master Walker, you must not share any of this information we discuss outside the people present today.” A gruff Male voice said from the room's entrance way. “I am representative Thomas Fullion, I would act as the legal facilitator to Earth if you would have me Master Walker.” Fullion offered.
The man was dressed in a fully white uniform similar to the commanders in style. No visible seams or extra decorations. A simple long sleeved stiff uniform top covered the red granite pattern that slightly glowed under a layer of transparent skin. Eyes matching the red of the skin made contact with the commanders. “This is your job Mr. Fullion I have no say in your matters related to your constituents. Please do as you must, no one here doubts your capabilities or loyalty to your occupation. Please represent Earth to the best of your abilities.” Commander Redgate said. “Doctor, I believe you have a data packet to transfer to my ownership.” Mr. Fullion requested with an outstretched arm. “I would have loved to review more of this world before you take away my entertainment. Alas good sir, I have your duty and burden here.” Dr. Offsman theatrically gave the serious granite man a silvery flat box no more than three by three inches with a label on it reading Do not Open under threat of Death by United Front Sanctioned Executioners.
“Many thanky Lady Clara Offsman” The granite man returned the theatrics and both laughed. “Now that you have had your fun Doctor, could we please return to the explanation of Master Walker's Summoning?” Commander Redgate interjected. The room stilled and a sly wink crossed the room from the Doctor to Mr. Fullion.
“Okay” Summoner Keeps composed herself. “ The circle I used to summon you master Walker was that of my own machinations. I stripped both the strength of your filter and the size of your mana bank to the bare minimum while maintaining your ability to grow their strength. In this action I have crippled your start and I fear ruined your early progress as a mage, If you continue down the path we have laid out before you. The distance from your home to here was thought to be impossible to reach and predicted to be void of any wraith planets. The reason for your summoning—.” Keeps looked at the commander who was now making herself comfortable in a chair next to the doctor. With a nod aimed back at the excited summoner Keeps continued. “There is a threat to life as we know it in the universe at large. One that we have only just delayed in its takeover. The power of numbers, growth, and adaptation is the strength of these we call voidborn. A ceaseless entity that operates on the other side of the universe. The voidborn consume all living matter as they encounter it. We have tried communicating and signs of peace over thousands of years. We decided at large that our efforts are a waste. The largest groups of sentient races all made an agreement under a single condition. The united front is a flimsy title meant to keep the threat of the voidborn at the top of everyone's priorities. You as a mage when you complete your training will be our response to the invasion of our worlds.” Summoner keeps said ending with a sigh. “I apologize for your troubles in training should you choose to help us fight.”
“Summoner Keeps, now is not the time to sulk. You have given our fight a chance at fresh blood. Our forces will be reinforced thanks to your efforts. All sentient life owes you a great deal of thanks. Your work is only just starting however, Summoner Keeps, I am promoting you to Lead of all summoners on Ommery Station.” Commander Redgate Stated. Keeps stuttered for a moment before being cut off by the commander again. “You, do, not, have a say in this position.” with a soft smile the seriousness fading from the commander's face. “We need you to teach every other summoner we can the method you used. Your work is just beginning, however you will now have the entirety of the resources of the station behind you. You will also need to act as a leader to your Mage while he creates his unit. Do you understand your role Summoner Juniper Keeps? The commander asked as she leaned back in her chair. Her head now leaned back over the rest looking up at the ceiling. “Aye commander Redgate!” Keeps almost shouted. “I will do what I can” keeps continued in a sad tone. “Well said Keeps.” Commander Redgate returned after a brief pause. “ Master Walker, You see the resolve of our united people to fight the voidborn but you should understand why. Even if it is a bit dangerous.”
“Doctor, do you have any more actions to take before my squad and I extricate Master Walker here from your rather intensive care.?” Redgate asked while turning to the doctor.
“I must tell you Master Walker about your condition. Summoner Keeps is right about your mana filter and bank. You will not be able to sustain your mana intake by yourself. Even with how small your capacity to store mana is, your filter is even weaker. You probably remember a burning and choking feeling from before. I assume that was the cause of your screams earlier?” The doctor asked while leaning forwards in her chair slightly. “Yes, It was horrible” I said after a long pause. I had been too busy absorbing the world around me to remember that I could also add to the conversation.
“I apologize for not preparing the collar before you woke up from the surgery. The box you should be able to feel just under your chin operates by slowly feeding mana into your bank. You need not worry about it overstressing your bank or your filter being damaged. It will only benefit you. You will need to wear the collar until you are capable of absorbing mana for yourself otherwise, well, you remember the feeling from before.” Dr Offsman explained.
Moving my hand up to my neck, my fingers explored the box. It was smaller than I had expected. Two fingers were enough to cover the front of the box while it only jutted out about one finger width from my neck. I imagined sleeping, eating, and studying would not be too horrible with this collar for now. “I think it will be preferable to the alternative doctor. Thank you” I admitted.
“So long as you understand then you may go with the commander and Mr. Theater over there” Offsman said with a wink at Mr. Fullion. The representative rolled his glassy eyes and smiled at the doctor. “Master Walker, we are not so rude as to ask you immediately after your summon to take on our troubles without understanding the danger you will be in. If you would please release the restraints on your captive doctor we will be taking our conversation to a more secure location.” Commander Redgate stated. No later than a heartbeat after the commander's order was given did the restraints on me lift.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I shifted under the blankets to stretch my legs a bit. Leaning towards my toes with my fingers, I pulled my back and hamstrings. The blanket that had kept me warm, folded down and away from my torso to my lap. The fresh air combined with the stretch felt so refreshing. “Uuggghhh, ahhhh” I finished my stretch. Do I get a fancy outfit to wear or is everyone okay with a toga blanket? I asked jokingly to the room. Looking up I could not see any faces as everyone had turned around. “Did I say something wrong? I asked. “Please make yourself presentable," the Granite man said. He turned his head briefly to lay a paper package at the foot of my bed. “These should suffice for now. This is a trainee mage uniform. Just to tide you over until you make up your mind.” He said. Immediately closing the curtain hanging around my bed, and walking away, the voice returned to the wall of the medical room.
“Thank you Mr. Fullion Just a moment and I should be good to go. Unfolding the brown paper package revealed a pair of black canvas weight pants at the top of a neatly folded pile. An orange copper bar stripe lined the outside seam of the pants. Sliding out of the bed after finding the rail controls on the side of the bed, I pulled on my new protection against the cold. Thankfully the cold did not last too long as I found the top next. With a mostly normal set of sleeves I guessed that the flap to one side must be the front. Arms through the sleeves and a quick fold of fabric and nothing. The front did not close as I thought it might. I moved on to the normal looking black socks and a flexible rubber material with feet shaped openings on them. The boots were simple enough after I accidentally clasped one to my hand. The button was placed under a lip on the back of the ankle of the book. Piece of cake I thought to myself. Gloves were the last item on the bed. I didn't see anyone else with them on so I searched for a pocket opening in my pants to set them aside.
The sound of heavy breathing came from behind me as my pocket search ended with a twist to look behind me. There standing behind my bed facing away was Summoner Keeps, Hands over face looking in the other direction as hard as she could.
A smile crept onto my face as I made a request from the embarrassed Summoner. “Could you help me close this top Summoner Keeps? I can't seem to find any latches.” An eep left her before she explained where the button to close the top was. “Your shoulder on the left side. There should be a button under a small fold of fabric.” She instructed. “Thank you” I said. Not getting the quite the reaction I wanted I poker further.”Could you tell me if this is correct please?” I asked as politely as I could manage. She turned in place and slowly opened her eyes between her fingers. Checking carefully before fully committing to the act and looking me over once. “Yes that looks okay” she said carefully before seeing that I had my gloves in my hand. “You should put those on. They keep buildup of dead skin cells and diseases from spreading in this closed environment.” Keeps offered in explanation.
“If you do not want to wear them you do not have to” came the doctor's voice as she opened the curtain. “They do keep the station cleaner but it is your decision. The commander does not touch much more than her own consoles and paper so she prefers to use her hands and I am not wearing any because I maintain my workspace cleanliness myself.
Glancing at the representative’s hands I saw simple white gloves on his hands. After a quick fitting the gloves adjusted to fit my hand. It seemed as if the stitches shifted to meet my comparatively small hands. Strange I thought but I guess I am the dumb one here. Oh god, I hope they don't see me like that. A primitive with barely the ability to think. Nah, I shoved the silly thought to the back of my mind and started making steps towards the commander and representative. “I am ready” I stated clearly.
With a nod the commander made for the door. The rectangular door shifted open breaking the wall’s seamless appearance to a slightly dimmer hallway outside lined with dark pipes behind a sturdy metal grating. The commander turned to the doctor and asked “this room is set at what, point five?”
“That is correct Commander.” the doctor answered. Turning to me the doctor warned. “The gravity outside this room is set to standard. Your home world is just below half standard. Please watch your step in the station while you adjust.”
“Moving on then, Keep up Master Walker. I have been assured by the good doctor that your muscle mass and conditioning should be plenty to keep you on your feet here.” The commander said as she rounded the corner and disappeared into the hall. A heavy hand fell onto my shoulder and gave me a nudge to follow. Looking up past my shoulder was the slightly crouching summoner making an attempt to motivate me with a smile.
“Moving” I said. The imposing hall was only a couple steps away. Nothing to do but try. With one foot at a time I shimmied out of the medical room onto a thin layer of what could only be space carpet. The weight of my body on my legs dramatically doubled. My stomach wanted to leave my body and my head spun for a moment as I faltered in the doorway. A shove came from the medical room pushing me out into the hall entirely as the nausea left me. “Dont stand in between gravity fields. That's a good way to lose your lunch. I stumbled out to the middle of the hall as I tried to regain my footing. After stabilizing I saw the commander still walking, and already a good ways ahead of me down the hall. Pushing off the floor I tried to get into a jog. My muscles strained to match the familiar rhythm I was calling on. I made the most of the situation and experimented with how much I could pull off to catch up to the commander.
Within a few moments I had grasped the strength of the gravity and was panting. With no time to warm up, I could feel the strain on my muscles. I doubt a wake up would even help at this gravity. I was going to be very sore for the foreseeable future. Catching up to the commander's side I noticed the four other armored individuals escorting Redgate. The heavy black plates were held over vital locations by a dark mesh. Through the mesh was a thin plate layer that seemed to slide over itself around joints and form to the body underneath it. The upper back of the armor had a smooth glass over the shoulders outlined by heavy metal beams. The gear seemed quite heavy. The wearer glanced down at me then back up letting a small smile form on her lips. “Commander, It seems the fragile little prince you mentioned has some guts after all.” said the imposing figure. The commander glanced back at me, a look of confusion spread across her face. “Hmmm, I did not expect you to actually try to join us on our walk to my office before you adjusted to the gravity. I suppose this is my fault. Keeps, If he gets tired carry him. We can't let the poor male hurt himself trying to keep up. “Yes, Commander Redgate,” Keeps said confidently. “I'm GASP, just GASP, fine GASP.” I managed. The hallway just seemed to get longer and longer. Sweat was building up, and my labored breathing became audible to the whole group and to any onlookers. I only focused on the commander and her guards. I swear they were speeding up.
The walk to the commander's office became a battle of wills. I don't know how long the walk was but I did not have the presence of mind to care. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. I'm not a weakling. Left foot right foot left right. The commander and her group began to jog in front of me. Oh no you don’t, I thought to myself. I did NOT come this far to be left behind. My legs pushed off the space carpet ground left, right, left, right. Their pace quickened but I was already giving all I had. The distance between the commander and me quickly. I did not stop my weary jog. I could not. I had a point to make.
Just as I felt my legs were at their end the blurry group in front of me stopped. A hand fell on my back for a moment and pushed me forward. With the assist I made the last few seconds of my jog look as controlled as possible. After reaching the area that the escort had stopped at I could see the shocked face of the commander alongside the escort's excited faces. Quickly catching herself the commander regained her composure before a door opened in a flat white wall. She entered along with the frontmost escort.
“You did not have to do that” came a crass voice from behind me. Turning around I could see the disappointed look in Summoner Keep's eyes. “I am going to be okay after I catch my breath. Please do not worry about me.” I stuttered between deep breaths. I entered the white passageway past an armored individual. “Nice stamina” came from a familiar voice. The guard's compliment was matched by a thumbs up from me when I passed her.
“Master Walker, Please get a drink from there and find a seat. We need to talk about earth and its people.” Commander Redgate said behind a drink of her own.
After my heartbeat had left my ears I found a high seat with soft red cushions supported by wooden frames. The chair very much followed the theme of the room. A dark wooden wall was outlined by wooden beams to match. The furniture all had red cushions and a wooden desk fortified the far end of the excessively large office. Well I suppose the proportions were off to me since the room was scaled to match the normal station residents.
“Master Walker, The matter of Earth is a simple and terrible fate. To put it simply, our ability to summon mages has been taken by the void born. We could see the adaptations made to the circles on earth and the destinations of most circles. Most being in this case every single one excluding yours.” Commander Redgate paused in her explanation. “This information is not to be shared with anyone. It will never again be repeated. Do you understand?”
“Yes commander” I quickly responded. “So your mortal enemy is making mages of their own?” I questioned.
“Both yes and no. We have not had reports of human mages appearing in portals yet. However, that may not last much longer. The United Front and the Empress do not believe the voidborn have figured out the golden goose they have yet. We expect that will change soon as we have seen a slow down in portal activity recently. From your memories we have seen an uptick in summonings across your world correlating with the timing of this decrease in portal activity.” Commander Redgate said. She must have seen the confusion on my face through my recovery process as she paused her explanation.
“Right, a portal is an invention the voidborn use to isolate a section of a celestial body and catapult it through the abyss at us. Usually filled to the brim with worker drones and a Queen to control them.” Redgate clarified. I must have still betrayed my confusion because she continued her explanation.
“The abyss you might be thinking of Master Walker, and our definition differ greatly. Listen closely because our future is only possible because of the abyss. Many years ago The empress’s people gathered in their homeworld. They created a High frequency gravity anomaly. The anomaly in simple form pushed the voidborn and our worlds apart in space. The voidborn were detected sending FTL ships just one hundred lightyears away from our closest inhabited worlds. We had been observing them using scouting vessels of our own. Attempting communication and the like to reason with them. The empress was sent across the universe on a mission to spread work of a cataclysm and unite people under one foe. The treaties were made as simple as possible. An agreement among those leaders who signed called The United Front. All voidborn must be eliminated above all other priorities. This simple pact allowed for quick growth among peaceful nations leading to the original powers that now run the greater majority of all sentient life in the universe. At least those that have been discovered.” Commander Redgate paused her explanation to grab a drink and slouch back in her desk chair.
“We still war among each other. There are still terrorists that would like nothing more than to welcome the voidborn with open arms. The world at large continues to be separated at all points minus one. Survive this great evil. Ugh” the commander finished. “I am going to get a headache if I have to give this explanation again. Summoner Keeps, explain my situation while I collect my mental faculties.” Redgate commanded.
“Commander Redgate would like you to know that while you are the first from your world, you are not alone in being summoned. Other mages are being requested from many worlds as we speak. The unfortunate truth is that these other wraith worlds are falling. When a wraith world is discovered there is an inevitable decline in population. This decline leads to the eventual fall of the world's organizational structure. Any level of intervention can be made to save the world from becoming barren of inhabitants.” Summoner Keeps explains.
“Why don't you just go and explain the reason behind the summonings to the wraith world?” I ask. The act of removing innocence causes mana to overtake the world leading to a large population becoming unable to wield mana. We lose a whole world of potential mages.” Keeps explained. “We have tried many interventions but no one has figured out a loophole. Ruining hundreds of billions of mage candidates' ability to become something greater.”
“Your world Earth, Is on the other side of this great abyss Master Walker. I am sorry but our summoners can not reach any other wraith worlds closer than Earth.” Keeps said. Commander Redgate spoke up. “We do not know why your world has not been consumed by the voidborn yet. Best bet is that since mana avoids filling Earth the voidborn can not find you with mana’s ability. Earth could also be just at the edge of the abyss where they have not expanded their reach. Out circles latch onto the closest wraith planet to the summoner and request permission from the residents there. Do you understand the situation of the United Front and the importance of summoner Keep’s research now Master Walker? Your planet is one of if not the last Wraith worlds out there. Our side does not have more reinforcements. Earth’s residents are most likely the last mage candidates available in the whole universe and the voidborn are taking you out of the game as we speak.”
