Hey guys. Upload is a little late, but I was pretty busy this weekend. Still managed to type it all this morning though. Have you guys been keeping up with the Fall of Five passages? I read the Sarah one. It's pretty good, but it ends with her getting a dagger stabbed into her shoulder :( So anyway, as promised, here is the next chapter. John and Eight meet with Pittacus again and they learn a thing or two. I'll try to get the next chapter up Thursday or Friday since school gets out on Wednesday. Don't forget to review!
Chapter 25
The van is loud on the way back. Everyone's telling each other about their experiences and congratulating Ella on developing telekinesis. I listen to Lucy and Sarah tell their stories. We stop for dinner on the way back and Patricia switches the driving role with Nine.
We get back to San Francisco and Patricia stops us before we get inside.
"Nice job today, guys," she compliments. "Not everything went well, but we managed it. I'm going to be planning a trip soon. We'll destroy all of the bases that are left in California. We'll leave in about a week, so be prepared. Pack your stuff and train hard."
"Are we gonna eventually destroy every base?" Eight asks.
"That's the idea," Patricia says evenly. "Obviously, it's a huge task. I think if we can take out enough of the bases to cripple the Mogadorians, and then launch a final attack on wherever their headquarters are, we can win." Patricia steps aside and lets us through.
"So how'd you do today?" I ask Sarah.
"I did okay," she says. "It's a lot scarier than I thought it would be."
"You get any ash on your clothes?"
"Some. I freaked out the first time. You should have seen me," she says, then laughs quietly.
"Remember your training."
"I did."
"This is just your first time. You'll get better at it. You're a warrior." I smile and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She yawns.
"Goodnight, John," she says.
"Goodnight."
I'm in the weird dimension with shades of blue. Here we go again, I think. Eight's a little bit closer this time and I run up to him.
"So what do you think he's gonna do this time?" I ask. Eight shrugs.
"I don't know," he says. "We'll have to see." The void opens again. I step back, but I don't fear what's coming this time. Pittacus steps through and looks down at us.
"Hello," he greets. We return the greeting. "I trust everything has been fine since our last meeting?" We nod. "Very good. Let's begin. I have much to teach you tonight."
"Hang on first," I say to him. "I have a question."
"Yes?" Pittacus raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Is…is Setrakus Ra a Loric Elder?" I ask. Pittacus hesitates a moment.
"Yes, he is," Pittacus says finally. "That is a long tale to tell, but I was going to teach you that today anyway."
"Don't let us stop you," I say. "Go ahead."
"Wait," Eight stops. We look at him. "I've got a question too. For the past few months my Legacies have felt stronger. I can do things I wasn't able to do before. Are you…giving us power or something?"
"I am," Pittacus confirms. "I have allowed you to channel my power for the last three months. This is why you can teleport around the world, and Four can become aflame without using his Lumen."
"I thought there was something wrong when I could teleport from New Mexico to Indiana," Eight mutters. "But go on."
"Shall we start from the beginning?" Pittacus says. We nod and sit down next to him. He takes a deep breath and begins.
"There are two Garde chosen to be the leader of the Elders," Pittacus begins. "That is how it has always been. The Garde who is not chosen to become Pittacus Lore becomes the Elder known as Setrakus Ra."
I listen intently. Maybe we can find something to exploit in Setrakus Ra.
"The soul of the first Pittacus Lore will always live," Pittacus continues. "Each Garde that represents him has a name, but takes the title Pittacus Lore to preserve him. The soul of the original Pittacus Lore will always stay in the next Garde to become Pittacus."
"So that means…one of us will have Pittacus' soul?" Eight asks nervously.
"You will hear the voices of all that have come before you," Pittacus explains. "Pittacus himself will guide you through it. It is unnerving at first, but you will settle into it."
"So I'm assuming Setrakus Ra is a Loric Elder title too?" I ask.
"Yes, but do not think he was always corrupt. The first Setrakus Ra was a fierce warrior and second to only Pittacus."
"So what happened?" Eight questions.
"I will answer that. 500 years ago, we were ordinary Garde just like you are now. When it was time, another Garde and I were chosen for Pittacus. There was no Lorien Defense Academy like there is now. We were put to a test. Whoever Pittacus determined was worthy and demonstrated knowledge and bravery was chosen."
"Our test required us to go to the planet Mogadore. We traveled alone to the barren planet. The local people recognized us but did not do anything to us. The people of Mogadore had a problem. They could not live in harmony with the wild beasts that roamed the planet. We needed to tame the animals and make a world where they could live in peace with each other. The Elders instructed us to go about our ways alone. I decided to bring the Mogadorians to the animals and show them that they could coexist."
"The animals were the kraul and piken, weren't they?" I ask. Pittacus nods.
"I went into a Mogadorian city and attempted to convince the Mogadorians to come with me. Most refused, however there were about five that joined me. I took them into the heart of the wild, where caves were abundant and beasts roamed free. The Mogadorians were afraid, but they attempted to be brave. I attracted some beasts and they attacked. I stopped them with my Legacies. I slowly taught the Mogadorians how to control the beasts, how to coexist and accept them. They became amazed and told others in their city. Soon the news spread and cities were using my technique."
"So what about Setrakus Ra?" Eight wonders.
"Remember he was not known as Setrakus Ra then," Pittacus explains. "His technique was to enslave the beasts so they could not attack anymore. He tortured them and captured them. The Mogadorians did not want control of the beasts, so they rejected him."
"We arrived back on Lorien. The Elders watched and made their decision. I was chosen to become Pittacus. The other Garde was furious. He thought he had the better method and demanded another chance. The Elders denied him and he became Setrakus Ra. They heaped insults and condemned him for his poor decision. After his humiliation, he disappeared for about 50 years."
"So he just…vanished? What about his duty as an Elder?" I ask.
"The Elders' power was not needed in that time. Lorien was in a time of peace and prosperity. And it would continue to be so for another 50 years. However, Setrakus Ra came back. He had been training in secret and experimenting with dark magic. He attempted an attack on all of Lorien. The remaining eight Elders and I immediately came to the defense of the planet. We overpowered him and banished him to Mogadore for the rest of his life."
"Lorien prospered. Advances in technology and medicine kept the planet running and all was well. But I started to have visions. Ships attacking the planet, every Loric being slaughtered. I was worried. So I made plans in advance. I took 200 of the bravest Cepan and brought them here to Earth." I perk up at this. Not all of the Loric are dead? "They are all hidden together in a supposed refugee camp. I do not know what has happened to them. The war is a bigger priority."
"What happened to Setrakus Ra?" Eight asks. "And the other Elders?"
"Do you remember your Cepan telling you that a pillar of white light was spotted a few weeks before the attack?" Pittacus asks. We nod. "It was my power. I was the last Elder standing. Setrakus Ra had trained again and become even more powerful. He found each of the Elders and killed them in secret, except Loridas, who managed to escape. He corrupted the Mogadorians. They were a primitive but nonviolent species. He changed all of that. He painted the Loric as enemies, as people who were too powerful and who needed to fall. He erased the harmony I had created with the beasts and Mogadorians. He finished his mission, enslaving them and using them as war tools. He hunted me down last. I teleported across space to Mogadore to face him. We engaged in a duel. Before, I could always defeat him. Now we were equals. His skill and rage combined overwhelmed me. I was mortally wounded. I teleported to Earth and hid here, biding my time until I can avenge Lorien."
"I hid on Earth. A year later, I watched as the ship carrying you and your brothers and sisters arrived. I watched as you parted ways and each grew up through hardships. I realized I was not destined to defeat Setrakus Ra. The destiny belongs to you."
Pittacus finishes and silently gazes out into the distance. I look over at Eight and he's deep in thought. I think about it too. It's almost too much to digest.
"Whichever one of you does not become Pittacus will take on an even greater role than him," Pittacus says suddenly. "You will be tasked with clearing the legacy of Setrakus Ra and restoring him as an Elder."
"How will we have 10 Elders?" I ask. "One, Two, and Three are already dead. That leaves three open spots."
"That is a very difficult question," Pittacus addresses. "I have contemplated it for 10 years and still not come up with a solution. But that is secondary to winning the war."
"Thank you, Pittacus Lore," Eight says. "We've learned a lot from you."
"It is my pleasure," Pittacus says. "I have not made my decision yet. In the meantime, you two should focus on leading the Garde and taking down the Mogadorians slowly. I will meet you again next time. Remember what I have told you today. Perhaps you will one day use it."
I feel the familiar tugging sensation. Pittacus Lore steps back into the void and disappears. The dimension starts spinning again and I close my eyes. I reopen them and arrive back in San Francisco. I get dressed and meet Eight. We don't exchange words. We both know what happened. We get up to Patricia's room and tell her.
"That's interesting," she says once we're finished. "It certainly explains a lot of things about the Mogs. I'll have you guys tell everyone this morning. Then go train and I'll brief you on our mission in a few days."
"Thanks," I say. We get in the elevator. "So what do you think?" I ask Eight.
"It was telling," he says. "A lot of it makes sense. Garde doesn't get Pittacus, gets angry, destroys planet." I chuckle at this.
"Do you think you're Pittacus?" he asks suddenly. I look at him.
"Well, I guess so," I say. "I really think I am." Eight nods.
"I think I'm Pittacus too," he says. "But I promised to myself I won't be like Setrakus Ra. If he doesn't choose me, I'll step down peacefully and just accept my role." I nod in agreement. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to take not being Pittacus, but Eight's right. We can't be like the Setrakus Ra before us was.
"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Eight quotes. As we walk out onto the beach, I think about it.
Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.