Eternally Sentient
By Niroc8
Hello, all! This is Corin. Hope you enjoyed chapter 0. Here's the 1st. Enjoy guys. :)
Chapter 2
The Birth
It seemed the entire planet had gathered around the capital square and rightfully so. As far as the horizon went there were beings. Some flying, some standing, all trying to get a glimpse of what was about to occur; the creation of another of their own.
Although they have the appearance of humans, Sentient beings were not born, but created from the oldest of them all. There were 26 elders each identified by a letter. Each time this event occurred, there would be one who would lead the creation and the others would give supportive energy in the creation.
On this day, it was Z. A female. Brown skinned, average height, with a hefty weight. The kind that you would want to be held in the bosom of when you wanted to feel safe and comforted. Her hair; black, coiled into a medium sized fro. Her clothing was a robe and like the others were of a crystalized white color. She stood in the center of the circle in front of a stone table and proceeded with the ceremony.
She raised her hands above her head and from the center of her body white aura rose up to her palms and formed into a ball. She carefully placed the ball into the center of the table and began to mold it into a child sized humanoid form inlaying position. Z then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled onto humanoid. It flinched to life which gave the signal to the other elders to proceed. They each raised their hands and as Z, formed a ball of aura but this time they released it into the air in which it all met in the middle. The orbs combined and slowly submerged into the still twitching white humanoid.
As it absorbed into it, skin, features, and details such as hair shaped itself and after a few moments the process was complete. The new sentient sat up and looked around.
"Welcome to the New age, Essense, " said Z calmly as she reached down to pick her up and settle her on the ground.
The child looked confused. "..Essense?'
Z smiled sofly and nodded, "Yes my child your name is Essense, Essense Z. She picked her up smiling and spun her around, making her giggle. She then held her for a moment and Essense snuggled into her embrace. How do you feel Essense?"
She looked up at Z then down deep in thought. She had never known these words yet they are coming to her so clear.
"I feel….happy, and content."
"These are good feelings, Essense. Very good feelings. Never forget them, not matter what happens next alright?" Her tone had gone from motherly to mournful and she then put her down and turned away from her and left. The other elders surrounded her. One grabbed her by the neck and led her into an adjacent room. The others followed behind suit.
"I want her to come back, will she come back?" Essense asked smiling expectantly.
No one answered her, but she remained happy. She was next placed into a chair a room, completely void of anything besides white walls. She turned around to ask what she was supposed to do, but everyone had suddenly vanished.
Before she could have a second thought every wall around her turned on into 4 screens, each showing the same images. Death. People who looked like her being stabbed, shot at, screaming in pain and agony as their bodies glowed for a moment until another person seemed to take their place. This was shown over and over in different ways; being broken in half, being crushed, falling from heights, each ending in the same way; screaming in terror as their bodies change into another person. In the background above the screaming, a robotic monotone voice spoke. "Nothing is worth dying for. Nothing is worth dying for. Nothing is worth dying for," every time a body changed.
Essense cried as she looked around trying to find an exit that wasn't there. She found herself stuck to the seat. She could not move out of fear. She could not close her eyes. This, like everything else, was new experience for her, yet familiar, and although terrifying, it was something she couldn't look away from.
The elders looked from behind one of the walls.
Z sadly walked down the hall and joined them. "Why must we do this, every time?''
No one acknowledged her except for a male elder who stood next to her. "You know this is the only way to insure our species respects the regeneration process."
They looked on as Essense continued to cry, until finally the screens turned into walls again and the voice ceased.
Z was the first one into the room and ran to her, pulling her into her arms.
"It's alright now essence, you're ok now. Shh, stop your crying, it's all alright"
Essense calmed down in the familiar comfort.
Z sighed internally, as she pulled her away. She had a job to do.
"Essense, how do you feel?"
Essense gave a final sniffle and looked at her with saddened eyes, "I'm scared, and-and I don't want to be here anymore, where did you go?" She looked up at her for answers, but Z was interrupted by the other Elders who entered the room.
"Don't worry, you won't have to go through that again." She replied to her assumingly.
"Will...what happened to them, happen to me?" she asks looking at the now walls.
Z knew what she was talking about; dying, but becoming someone new. "One day-" she hesitated, "-maybe. That all depends on how you choose to live your life." She waited for a response. She ws in there for at least an hour,"If this was successful then she should think…"
"Nothing is worth dying for" Essense said monotonously.
"She's ready now" The elders all seemed to say in unison after hearing this.
"Ready?" she looked up at Z,"I don't want to go anywhere else."
Z smiled reassuringly, "Essense you're ready to learn how to be one of us."
For the next 20 years Z trained Essense in the ways of her species.
She learned how to fly at 5.
"Look Z!" she was levitating next to a statue of an elder in the capital square, mocking its serious expression.
The others round the area looked unto the mockery with disgust first aimed at her, then Z.
Z snickered under her breath and in a sham serious voice commanded she come down.
She learned how to use her aura as a weapon at 10.
"Alright, now just think of a feeling. Any feeling you want and concentrate on it until you fill it pool in your stomach." Z instructed her in a dense forest.
She watched as Essense concentrated and smiled proudly as she watched a light pinkish orb form in her hand.
She then got to her eye level, "Good, good, now focus on that tree and imagine that energy shooting toward it." She placed her hands on her shoulders. "You can do it, I know you can."
Essense licked her lips and did what she was told, immediately the orb shot out of her hand and blasted toward the tree which caved in under the pressure. She then turned excitedly to Z.
"Did YOU see THAT!? She yelled jumping up into her arms.
"Psh, um yeah I saw that! You frickin owned that tree! Look at it!" She motioned toward the stump, "Nothing but a stump…" She raised her hand.
"NOTHIN but a stump!" Essense repeated as they high fived.
She learned her species' history and culture at 15.
"But Z...if we then can live forever, what's our purpose?
"My love that is something all species have to find out. Right now, my purpose is make sure you are safe and that you learn all that you need to know to be a successful sentient."
Essense nodded with understanding.
"NOW…..we continue" she clapped her hands and immediately hip hop music played and she slide into a break dance routine. She ended in a laying pose, "Get wrecked.'
The day she turned 20 though, Z taught her about other planets.
"Then there's the Nebulan Galaxy, the Essention Galaxy, the Milky Way- which is my person favorite" Z was pointing to various clusters of stars in the observation tower where a screen zoomed in to whatever she named.
"Why is that your favorite," questioned Essense.
"Because, its home to the most unique planet inhabitants. Humans. They look just like you and me, but without control of their auras. They are limited by this, but with their imagination have created machines and beautiful music, and dances, and multiple cultures with sooooo many delicious foods! And their emotions: they are passionate about everything they do. They may be a violent species at times…other times, naïve in their self-centeredness, but creators of beautiful art and deigns with each generation. And did I mention the food?"
Essense laughed at her guidance, "but we don't need to eat. You told me that we have all the energy we'll ever need inside ourselves."
"Right, but this planet doesn't just eat for energy sake, besides for nourishment also, they eat for taste," she explained her mouth already watering remembering her last visit to Earth.
"Taste?" Essense was now more than confused. She was taught about flavors, but the need for the different flavors didn't interest her.
"Girl, trust me, once you try sugar, and spices, and juicy meats, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about….except for black liquorish," she leant down very seriously, "stay away from black…liquorish…" she then shivered with the bad memory,"actually you know what? How about…I take you down to Earth?"
Essense's eyes widened with wonder, "Seriously? Right now!? That would be so awesome! But it's so far away, how would we get there?"
"Hey," she looked at her scoffly, "we are sentient beings, alright," and began to lead the way down to a hall that at the end held a single door.
She opening it and there held a portal that held blue light.
"Wow, this leads to Earth?" Essense asked
"No. This leads to a dimension void of life and time; it's a default." Z typed into a monitor next to the portal and it immediately turned green, "This. This, is the portal that leads to Earth."
"Z, am I ready to actual visit another planet, what should I dress like? (She was currently wearing one of Z robes, a smaller version per say) Do we speak the same language? Will they be violent on site? Why-" she was cut off by Z grabbing her elbow and running in the portal.
"NoTimeForQuestionsNoTimeForThinkingLetsGo!" Z excitedly dragged her through.
They were surrounded by loud lightening like green sparks and Essense shielded her eyes. Z looked down at her as she continued to run.
"Just think Essense! When you open your eyes, you'll be in a whole new world!"
The lightning stopped and Essense opened her eyes.