I didn’t sleep all night. Despite having a temperature manipulator, I chose not to use it and shower until dawn instead. The cold water reminded me of the weather back home and it helped me reflect. Next year, the young Sabar will participate in the fight. There are no chances that a small and frail being like himself would win, but it’s evident that whoever will fight him is going to show off. His brother lost three times before being matched against the Zaidan, will he have the same luck?
As dawn approached, I decided it was time to step out of the shower. We had a week before the beginning of our lessons, so we were free to do whatever we wanted until that time. I wore a typical Gliesek religious clothes, I was adamant about visiting the High Priestess.
Not many people expects Glieseks to be religious, we’re not that open about it ourselves. I would say that we’re rather spiritual. We believe in a higher dimension and the equilibrium between events. We can not change the past nor the future because that would change the course of every other intertwined reality. We meditate to put ourselves in the calmest mindset to be sure that every decision we take is the most logical one. The priests’ job is to help through these decisions; they spend their life training to completely detach from their emotions.
In fact, Glieseks believe that our existence itself is to make sure that the universe is in a constant path of equilibrium, this is our reason for becoming the warrior race.
My clothes were black as always, an under layer was tightly covering up my hands and my mouth up to my nose. In Gliesek history, the mouth was considered a private organ and therefore it was hidden. Priests and priestesses still follow the ancient rulings. On top of that I wore a baggy, structured top with a neck that reached my nose. I quickly got out of my chamber, ready to visit the temple when someone from across the hallway screamed my surname. I looked over, unable to recognize the figure until it got closer. I couldn’t help but demonstrate my confusion.
“Surprised, Sdravek?” the Rok’yas was looking at me with a grin on his face.
“Not really.” I replied while closing my door. I was expecting this ever since he said that he would talk to the committee. They habitually tried to kick Glieseks out of the fight as we would always win or even commit travek. Of course they were never able to, the Emperor needs our alliance and the fight is a demonstration of that. However, other beings always took advantage of our reputation and they would complain about how unfair it was to fight us. He probably asked the committee to accept him to the Academy in order to make up for his shameful loss and they agreed.
Something inside me was tingling and I couldn’t help but smile. Thankfully my mouth was covered so the Rok’yas couldn’t see. The mere fact that he was here, despite all of his past wrongdoings, was the demonstration that the committee considered me Gliesek enough to voice that it would be impossible to win against me.
I quickly collected my thoughts and made my way to the exit door when he continued.
“I heard that the Sabar family is seeking asylum in your planet.”
I stopped and slowly moved my head over my shoulder, waiting for his next phrase.
“Voices are that you took a liking for the youngest one. I thought it was just a late night conversation in the dorms but now apparently he sleeps in your same home. Perhaps in your same bed as well?” he smiled from cheek to cheek, he looked pleased with his own logic, as if he deciphered my weaknesses.
“Get to the point.” I quickly replied. His proud grin turned into an angry expression.
“You made fun of me and my capabilities in front of the whole empire,” he said before turning his serious face into a smile again again “I will personally make sure that your little lover will go through an even wickeder destiny”.
The temple was modest and empty. All around the black walls, scriptures of every kind were written in a gray ink. In the middle, the priestess was sitting, throat singing with her palms towards the sky. I approached her and sat on an old cushion in front of her.
“Your father visited as well when he entered the academy,” she said without opening her eyes nor lowering her hands.
“I know.” I replied.
She took a deep breath and stared at me. Her gray eyes were matching her silver hair, short and styled on the back of her head. I looked back at her at anticipation.
She took my hands and positioned my palms towards the ceiling while keeping hers below mine.
“Sing.” she said. And I did. Throat singing wasn’t easy but it was our higher vibrational state. I sang the “Takrashi dsrowat” or “The death’s dance”, a traditional song we sang before all of our wars. She silently listened to me, while closing her eyes and lowering her head. The sun’s rays scattered around the black room. Only a couple of small windows were present in the building but they were enough to see around the ambiance. My voice was echoing all around the empty surroundings, jumping from wall to wall, touching every scripture around. I lowered my head as I reached the Solaris massacre’s part, as if to pay homage to my dead ancestors. Two strands of my hair slipped in front of my face and started dancing at the rhythm of my voice.
As I finished, both the Priestesses and I kept our heads down towards the ground, absorbing the horrific tale of our species’ past. She then slowly raised her head and looked at me in a concerned look, I reciprocated the stare in confusion.
“You lead with your emotions. This is usually a problem but one day it will be someone’s salvation”.
“Someone deserving of it?” I asked.
She closed my palms from underneath my hands and moved closer to me.
“Someone who will save you in return.”
Her eyes were piercing through mine, as if she was trying to read my mind. I closed my eyes and lowered my head again.
Whatever was going to happen, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it.
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