Eli guided us to push two closed fists together while our knuckles touched our chest plates and the armor returned to the stands they had previously rested on. He stated, “This armor is directly powered by bearak and is far too powerful to be contained in your spheres. This room is a conductor of bearak, pulling from the bearak spires in Doxa proper. Your lite suits of armor stored in the spheres can be charged and restored on the stands in your personal quarters, as you know. When, and I did say when, not if, the need arises for you to utilize this heavy armor you must return to these quarters to retrieve it.”

  Asa, always evaluating the architecture, turned his head about the room before asking, “I apologize, and do not intend to ruin the moment, but what would be the best way to get the heavy armor out of this room without obliterating the average sized door or walls?”

  Even Eli let out a chuckle while Speaker and the son let out a hearty belly laugh.

  Eli, a smirk on his face, responded, “Once in the armor, if you approach the far wall you will notice a line carved into the floor surrounded by symbols, prior to reaching the wall itself. If you pass this line in the heavy armor the wall will open, allowing for your exit, similar to a portal or doorway. Just don’t forget you are on the second story and will need your wings upon exit.”

  We all let out a hearty laugh now as each of the Sar pointed at who they thought would be the first to forget this small detail. Speaker stepped forward and said, “Now that this detail has been resolved, please follow us as we have one last gift to give you. Speaker led the way back down the stairs, and onto the path along the River Zoe back towards the dinner table. After the short walk we arrived back at the dinner table, several of the Sar heading to their seats, before Speaker stated, “No, we must continue on.”

  App and I made immediate eye contact, both knowing the only area that lay beyond the dinner table was the meadow, though not just the meadow, but also the Ruach. We had not returned to the meadow since our speaking. The group, fresh off the laughter of Asa’s question, the sacred armor, the Unknown Blades, and the Sidalcum weapons became very somber. So much had transpired since our speaking, so many soul-shaping conversations, so many training battles, so many skill developments, it made the meadow feel as if it hadn’t actually happened. The prospect of returning to the beginning forced a slight flutter in my chest, whether fear, anticipation, anxiety, or excitement I’ll never know.

  We followed Speaker through the pines we had passed only once so long ago, the pines finally opening into a meadow of truly hallowed ground. App and I of course had a great many conversations and dare I say even debates about the contents of this bowl, the Ruach. We were not permitted, though in fairness, we never asked, to return to this meadow after our speaking. I suppose it was only fitting for Speaker after what certainly would have been the equivalent of hundreds of your years for us to end this period here. It was as if he brought us back to our beginning only to be launched forward.

  We gathered around Speaker and his son as they stood next to the stone outcropping full of the brilliant liquid we had been captivated by so long ago. Instead of growing perfectly still as our first interaction, the Ruach gained in volume and motion as it felt our presence, the liquid swirling and rippling in apparent excitement. Speaker looked over us, clearly absorbing a moment he had prepared for long ago. His eyes twinkled with joy, but his somber expression indicated this moment was far greater than any other portions of this graduation process.

  Speaker began, “While you have had a great deal of knowing interaction with myself and my son, there is a third part of us you were not as acquainted with.”

  My thoughts immediately fell to Eli, whom no doubt was a very stoic being, though I felt this was a bit dramatic as we were perfectly acquainted with him, and had been beaten into the ground by him on countless occasions.

  A soft yet deep, soothing voice of a man, ever so gently stated, “It is not Eli, it is I.”

  Not recognizing the voice I immediately turned around, knocking Tabi, who apparently was standing right behind me, to the side. I looked to Tabi and asked, “What do you mean?”

  Tabi looked at me perplexed, slowly shaking his head indicating not only did he not speak, but he heard the voice as well, yet there was nobody behind him. I turned to look to App on my left, his furrowed eyebrows and straight lips indicating he had heard the same voice. As the realization circulated through the group, we slowly turned to face Speaker.

  An incredibly serious Speaker looked over the group and stated, “As you well know, my son and I are the servant leaders of the land of Doxa. What you do not know is there is a third member. My essence, while fully me, also has the capacity to operate independently from me. It can be in all places at once while nowhere at all. It can speak to you, encourage you, lift your spirit, and console your grief. You may call it Osa, as you are well versed in the power of names and understand the gravity of sharing a true name.”

  Briefly breaking from the story, Mik looked at Kai and said, “As you know, I’m typically contemplative and require processing time, however, this was far too much for me to sit silently, I was actually the first to speak up.”

  Returning to the story, Mik said, “While intending to phrase it as a question but failing miserably, I blurted out, “Osa sits in the third seat at our triangle table. Osa is the third corner of the symbol of Doxa!”

  Speaker, moving from the somber, stoic face to one of radiating pride stated, “Yes, Osa is the third corner, yes Osa sits at our table, and yes, Osa has been there every step of the way, and will also always be with you, so long as you choose to have it.”

  App, finally finding his voice, asked, “Where exactly is Osa and what exactly is it?”

  Speaker responded, “Osa is my essence, Osa is everywhere, sees all things, and hears all manner of things. So long as you so choose to have Osa accompany you, it will always be with you, though it will never be forced.”

  App looked as if he wasn’t at all satisfied with the answer, but also was not sure how to follow up; therefore, returned to silence.

  Looking about, waiting for further questions, Speaker stood silently. When no further questions arose, Speaker and the son stepped towards the rock structure, and the Ruach, which had seemingly calmed, now came back to life, rippling and swirling, darting and dashing back and forth. Speaker stated, “While up to this point you have all lived seemingly outside of time, not knowing a measurable length or duration. On your own, you cannot live forever, as you are still a spoken being. That said, the greatest gift, the final gift, I desire to offer you is time itself.”

  Pulling a dazzling white chalice, seemingly from nowhere, Speaker continued, “The Ruach before you is of our essence. If you so choose to drink from it, you will live forever. It will require occasionally partaking of the Ruach to continue in immortality, however this is my greatest gift, and I now offer it to you. What say you? Sar, will you drink of my cup?”

  The emotional roller coaster was almost unbearable. Believing we lived outside of time, it was like a runaway train striking a small sedan to learn we did not, only for a moment later to hear somebody desired to shield us from that very train. None of the Sar moved, not so much due to not desiring immortality as much as the impact of this moment needed, no, deserved, time to process.

  “I desire that you stand by my side. I desire that you serve on my council. I desire that you live forever with me. Will you drink from my cup and together, we shall live forever?”

  App moved first. Stepping forward he stated, “I will drink of your cup.”

  Speaker dipped the chalice in the Ruach, the liquid desiring to be consumed as it nearly leapt into the chalice. He handed the chalice to App, who drank deeply, draining the cup to the last drop. Tabi, Sid, and Uriah each took their turn. Zera, Sal, Ragg, Ram, Koka, and Raf followed. Before too long it was Asa and I left standing. I nodded to Asa, who with the joy of a child entering an ice cream store, stepped forward and took his turn.

  With only me left standing, Speaker and his son turned to look at me, partially inquisitive, partially already understanding.

  I said, “You withheld our mortality from us, allowing us to not bear a burden not meant for us. Because of this we were able to focus on our training, ensuring we were the absolute best. You shared the full matter with us when the time was right, not only not withholding anything from us, but was also prepared with the greatest gift one could ever offer, time. You have borne this burden for us when you did not need to. You offered us a gift you did not owe us, as you are the one who gave us life in the first place.”

  I locked eyes with Speaker, stepped forward, hand outstretched, taking the chalice with two hands, I stated, “I will serve you for all eternity,” and with that, drank deeply.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  ~

  Again momentarily pausing from the story, Mik looked at Kai and said, “You know this was a very awkward moment.”

  Kai, silently stared at Mik, waiting for Mik to explain, yet Mik patiently waited for Kai to process. Kai finally asked, “Why?”

  Mik chuckled, slapped Kai on the back and said, “What exactly would you do after someone gave you immortality? Don’t worry, I’ll wait.”

  Allowing those words to simmer, Mik and Kai sat silently, staring into the crackling fire. Kai had many burning questions: What did immortality actually mean? Who was Speaker? Did he really speak beings into existence? How did he have the ability to “offer” someone the capacity to not die? Was Mik actually immortal or were these the words of a complete lunatic? Mik had mentioned Doxa operating outside the confines of time, but surely he didn’t actually believe this, and even if he did, surely this wasn’t reality, right? I mean… right?

  ~

  “As the last drop of Ruach ran from the chalice, I slowly brought the cup down from my lips, eyes locked on Speaker. In actuality, there were no words for this moment. Any spoken word would diminish the gift that had been given as it was not a debt to be repaid, nor could it be. Seeing the pain, the inadequacy, the gratitude spill forth from the windows to my very soul, Speaker approached me. I held out a hand, ready to execute the perfect Doxa hand shake. Speaker pushed my hand out of the way and gave a hug a father gives a long lost son, a hug that speaks far more than any words could, a hug that says, I love you and am proud of you. This was the defining moment of my existence, the moment I knew my allegiance would remain resolute for all of eternity. Speaker’s love was not only never-ceasing but it was formed by a genuine desire for real relationship. We were not just spoken by him to reflect his power and creativity, though this was certainly true as well, but spoken to a forge and everlasting relationship.

  Releasing our embrace, Speaker stated, “Sar, you are now my council, my generals, my instructors. I will rely on each of you heavily for this next phase of my plan. As I speak more Malakh they will be broken into twelve corps, each to be led by one of you. While you will lead throughout the land of Doxa our headquarters will be located within my council chambers. As you are now each truly immortal, you will have the capacity to operate outside of both time and space. Do you remember the structure shaped as the triangle without corners in the heart of Doxa?”

  We each nodded. How could we not remember it? The massive structure imposed its will on the landscape itself, and yet in all our time in Doxa, we had never entered it.

  Speaker continued, “As you are all already wearing your lite armor, please envision the steps at the entrance to this structure, straighten your fight hand, and place all five fingers on the symbol on your chest.”

  App was the first to follow instructions and as if time and space had folded in on itself in front of our very eyes, his entire being folded inward to a pinpoint space near where his core had been, and App was no longer there. There was a couple gasps followed by each of the remaining Sar following suit. Speaker and the son looked at me and nodding, I followed my brothers.

  I appeared on the great steps leading to the truly breathtaking structure at the heart of Doxa, the gigantic triangle-shaped structure. We had previously viewed the structure from a distance when we entered from the west gates of Doxa. This time we stood on what would be viewed as the bottom side of the triangle, facing away from the structure to the great northern entrance of Doxa. The beauty of the city and its walls would never cease to push me to a place of reverence.

  The city of Doxa had changed so much since our visit. Asa and Speaker had built magnificent structures throughout, not the least of which was the Peirazo, now situated between the western gate and the triangle structure whose steps we stood on. The Peirazo is more than likely what your Roman Colosseum was modeled after. This structure rose to the clouds themselves, brilliant white stone archways wrapped the entire outer portion of the structure, held up by intricately molded pillars, wrapped with beautiful green vines, which were decorated with the breathtaking Flowers of Doxa. Through and around the pillars flowed the same life-giving essence found at the dinner table. At the center of the structure lay the great arena. We had fought many training battles in the arena. Asa claimed he had designed the structure to seat one million beings, though I never did confirm exactly how many spectators could attend the Peirazo.

  As we stood on the massive steps of the triangle structure, the giddiness of a child entering a toy store filled my spirit. Much like the Ruach, App and I had greatly debated what this structure contained. Despite the twelve intricate yet gigantic pillars that lined each side, we were never able to see into the structure. As if an invisible veil covered the space between the pillars, one could see clearly through the structure to the other side, making the structure appear hollow and empty. From this northern entrance we stood at, we could see the intimidating yet beautiful Doxa Pyramid to the south of the structure.

  I looked around the steps, if you could call them steps, as they were limestone blocks cut to lengths of at least the blocks used in the bridge. Each step, at more than twenty feet wide and two feet tall, was arguably closer to a platform than a step, though by their nature of building off each other in an ascending manner, steps was a more appropriate term. There were twelve of these great steps from the ground to the top of the base of the triangle. Speaker and the son led the way as we climbed the steps, or perhaps more appropriately, walked across the platform and stepped up to each next level. We had never been on these steps, let alone this close to the structure itself and the anticipation of finally learning what was inside captivated us to our very core. If it was anything like what lay behind the seventh door the length of the wait would certainly be worth it.

  Speaker and the son stepped up the last step to pause and turn on the platform above, looking down on us. The son began, “Your quarters will always remain your place for rest and solitude. The dinner table will always remain your place eat, drink, and share life with others. Before you stands the Apeiron. This is the main location you will carry out your duties as Sar, sit on my father’s council, along with seeing to most other business of Doxa.”

  The platform we stood upon was twenty feet much like the steps themselves. Being this close to the entrance of the Apeiron allowed us to see there was in fact a shimmering veil preventing any from seeing into the structure itself, though at this close of a distance some shapes could be seen.

  Beckoning us forward, Speaker and the son passed through the veil, appearing as if they were stepping through a gentle waterfall. One by one we followed, allowing the veil to pass over us, or perhaps through us. On the other side, we noticed we were still dry, and all of our weapons had vanished, yet our lite armor remained in place. With a bewildered look on each of our faces, Speaker stood before us chuckling yet again.

  “Ah, the Veil of Kathar, one of the better creations of mine if I do say so myself. Any being passing through the veil will be stripped of all weapons and heavy armor. More importantly, if the being's intentions are not true, right, and pure they may not pass through the veil without my explicit permission. This is a place of wisdom, knowledge and truth. Weapons of war and deceit have no place here.”

  The inside of the Apeiron was beautiful, yet simple. The elegance of design around Doxa was woven throughout. Vines running along the stone cross beams of the roof, as always, a swirling, life-giving liquid passing through the vines without restraint, the pure white Flowers of Doxa hanging from the vines. From the inside looking out into the city the view was not only crystal but in fact, appeared enhanced as if looking through a magnifying glass. I peered through the southern side of the Apeiron at the Doxa Pyramid and was startled to find it zooming in for clarity as a microbiologist adjusting his microscope. While the inside of the structure was massive there were three main areas. The first, which we were closest to looked like a circular wall about three feet tall, with an approximately twenty-one-foot diameter, the inside clearly hollow. The second was a group of thrones in the shape of a triangle, five on each side, with no table in between. The third lay beyond the group of chairs, a triangle approximately ten feet tall at the point, standing vertically, like a mirror or doorway.

  Speaker calmly waved us onward towards the first area, the hallowed circle. It was at this point I noticed Eli looking down into the circle, not quite sure when he had rejoined us. Eli gave us a stiff nod, his thick black braids moving slightly on his shoulders, and went back to whatever he was looking at within the circle. We fanned out around the circle, looking down into it.

  “The Eye of Tsach. It allows you to see anywhere you so choose,” said the son, as we all found ourselves staring into the hallowed circle. Inside the circle appeared to be a bowl. Within the bowl appeared a very bright sphere with eleven different shaped, sized and colored spheres at all different distances from the bright central sphere. They all seemed to be orbiting around the central, bright sphere.

  The son looked at App and stated, “Think of the family dinner table.” App looked back down to the Eye of Tsach and the area in front of Eli condensed, keeping the spheres in his view, while the area in front of App swirled about as the empty family dinner table came into view, the corner-less triangle table standing resolute, the water amongst the vines actively flowing.

  We all stared momentarily at the image before us before looking back at the son, “Does this allow us to see anywhere?” App asked.

  “Anywhere the power of Doxa radiates, yes,” said the son. Murmurs echoed out across the group, as an element of disbelief and awe permeated the air.

  While the Sar, myself included, were again captivated with the Eye of Tsach much as we were the first time we had seen the Ruach, Speaker and the son had continued further into the Apeiron, sitting down in two of the chairs. One by one we peeled tore our gaze from the mesmerizing views of the Eye, until only Asa and Sid remained, Sid yelling out, “Now try the seventh door!”, as Asa giggled like a child. Tabi cleared his throat loud enough to get their attention and the two hurriedly shuffled away from the circle.

  Speaker sat at the top of the triangle, the son immediately to his right, and the chair to his left remained empty. The son directed me to sit to his right and Speaker indicated App should sit to the left of the empty chair. Tabi and Raf sat to my right and Sid and Ram sat to App’s left. The bottom of the triangle was filed by the remaining six Sar.

  From his seated position, Speaker stated, “Welcome to the Council of Doxa. This is where we will lead the citizens of Doxa from, where you will provide wisdom, guidance and input to all manners of things. I am pleased to get to lead with each and every one of you. At the conclusion of this meeting I will begin speaking the other Malakh. Before I do, do any of you have questions?”

  Asa, raising his hand as an elementary school pupil asked, “What is that?” pointing to the triangle outline beyond the thrones.

  “In due time, that will serve as the gateway to incredible moments.”

  Completely unsure how to respond, Asa simply stared at the object. App, not raising his hand, looked at the son and asked, “Now that we are members of the council, what shall we call you?”

  Speaker and the son laughed heartily, just as so long ago at the family dinner table. The son, smile on his face, responded, “You may call me, Lyte.”