Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I blame work. 'Hope' you enjoy! Reviews welcome.
Chapter 2: Our Souls Ignite
The fire was warming, it's heat contained within the mouth of the shallow cave formed in the mountainside. On one side sat Ganthet and Sayd, on the other sat Razer and Michael, the human still feeling very out of place among this alien company. There was a fascination about his new hosts that piqued his interest. Probably something to do with the researcher in him.
At the request of the two 'guardians' (as Razer referred to them) he explained the story of how he had come to this point in his life.
"…so they offered me a position in the Anthropology department as a junior researcher, with the odd requisite to teach a class every now and then. That lasted for about three years until they suddenly found the project no longer affordable and cut me loose with no alternative. Which happened to be on the same day I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me with my best friend… sorry, former best friend, and since the apartment lease was all done in her name she kicked me out." It was hard to retell, seeing as it had all taken place just hours ago and Michael had to fight back the bubbling emotions within him.
The last thing I wanna do is break down in tears in front of a bunch of people I've never met.
"So… I started walking, feeling lost and depressed… and I had the thought to just end it all. So I found a bridge and was about to jump off it… and then I just… I don't know." He confessed.
"You were about to end your life?" Razer questioned, apparently shocked by his words.
Michael shrugged. "Yeah. Kinda harsh in hindsight, I guess. But in the moment, having lost so much with no way to fix it, I just wanted a way out."
Across from them, Ganthet and Sayd were quiet as they took in his story, listening to every word and processing every description. As Guardians they had experienced and seen so many similar stories, often paying them no mind until they felt the call to embrace the broader emotional spectrum. But they could testify to having heard very similar stories from beings from around the cosmos. Neither of them sat in judgement on Michael. They just listened.
"Razer," Sayd said quietly, "tell us of your perspective. Where were you when this was happening to Michael?"
"I was flying through Earth's sector, just passing by en route to the neighbouring quadrant." The Volkregian described. "That's when I felt a great surge in my ring. It had sensed an abundance of hope, a kind I've never experienced in a singular instance before. I followed it down to Earth and it led me to the very bridge Michael was on." The human glanced at him, his gaze flickering between the fire and the Blue Lantern as he took a turn listening.
"It appears you have understated yourself, Michael Ryker." Sayd gently mused, earning his attention. Her eyes were kindly, curious even. "Why didn't you jump off the bridge? And do not say 'I lost my nerve'. I believe you know why you didn't." The human exhaled softly.
"Because I had a thought… that tomorrow might be better. That I should hold out and, well, try again." His eyes looked to Ganthet and he found the Guardian smiling.
"You found hope." He said simply. "Brother Razer," he looked to the Lantern in their midst, "thank you for your time. We would like a moment alone with Michael." With a nod, Razer stood up and enveloped himself in a blue aura. He took flight, boots lifting off the cave floor as he hovered out into the open and then disappeared with a flash. Now alone with the human, the pair of Guardians became far more frank with their feelings. "I can see why Razer believes you are a choice candidate for the Blue Lanterns. I'm very glad he followed the path he chose."
"As am I." Sayd agreed. "Michael, I understand how the gravity of your circumstances must weigh on you. But perhaps they may have been for your benefit."
"I don't understand. Why make such a big deal out of me? By human standards I'm just one step above being shameful." Michael responded, shoulders slumping.
"You feel perplexed." Ganthet noted insightfully. "You feel as though you should be admonished for almost taking your life. But instead you find yourself receiving attention from us and you think we are doing the opposite." A bit dumbfounded by just how on-the-nose he was, Michael nodded numbly.
"Well… yeah." He murmured. "No offence, but I hardly think the way I acted deserves any praise."
"Praise, no. But you found a hope so powerful it pulled you back from the brink of death." Sayd continued. "Others could use that, Michael. What you've found ought to be shared."
"I still don't understand." Michael grumbled with a shake of his head. "Is that why I'm here? I've heard of Green Lanterns but not Blue Lanterns. I-I'm sorry but I don't know what you're getting at." Ganthet and Sayd exchanged looks.
"We can see you have many questions, Michael." Ganthet replied in a soft, understanding voice. "We would be happy to explain everything we can to you, if you will allow us." The human nodded slowly and Ganthet hovered closer to him. "The Blue Lantern Corps is an organization that exists to bring the blue light of hope to the people of the cosmos. We exist to channel this band of the emotional spectrum and members are only selected based on the amount of hope they possess."
The human rubbed his face and quirked a brow. "So… what am I? Some kind of 'chosen one'?"
Ganthet chuckled. "Chosen, yes. Chosen One, no." He replied.
"You see, Michael, unlike the Green Lanterns who disperse their rings across the galaxy to seek out those of great willpower, Blue Lanterns are picked in a more singular manner. It is the duty of the newest member to choose the next, combining their experience with their ring in selecting a new inductee." Sayd explained. "Razer is the newest member of the Corps, therefore the responsibility was his to select the newest member."
"So I'm supposed to be some kind of initiate." Michael surmised.
"No. You are our guest. You will only become an initiate once you accept the offer we have for you." Ganthet interjected. "Razer believes you possess great hope, based on the power his ring detected. Given your story I believe he is correct. You have the makings of a possible Blue Lantern, Michael Ryker, if you wish to become one."
"That's…" the human paused, exhaling deeply as he slumped back against the wall of the cave. "I don't know."
"Your conflict is understandable." Sayd spoke in a soothing voice. "Why don't you take some time to rest. You've had a long day on your world and have been through some very trying ordeals. A little sleep will do you good." She suggested. "When your mind is refreshed, you can make your choice to know more or be returned to your world."
It sounded like sage advice to Michael and he took the Guardians up on their offer. They led him to a nearby hut, built into one of the many mighty trees comprising the forest around the central battery. The accommodations were spartan but Michael was not complaining, grateful for a bed to sleep on. Sayd was right; it had been a long day.
Physically tired and mentally exhausted, it wasn't long after Michael laid down that he fell fast asleep.
When he awoke, Michael did so to the tune of babbling water and distant avian songs. Laying in bed for a moment longer to simply savour the tranquil sounds of the planet, he couldn't remember a time in recent memory where he'd felt so safe and content.
This is a turn I never thought I'd take.
He thought about everything Ganthet and Sayd had explained and hinted at prior to his slumber. As a man whose profession revolved around the study of other cultures he was keen to learn more about these Blue Lanterns. While he might not necessarily be able to accept their whole notion of him being a candidate for their Corps, perhaps he could take a measure of satisfaction of learning from them and their interest in him.
He stretched and yawned, rubbing his face before running a hand through stringy brown hair. Michael made to stand, leaving his jacket behind as he slipped back into his shoes and stepped outside the hut. Warm sunlight caressed his skin and he inhaled the fragrant smell of blossoming trees. "Greetings, Michael." The voice of Ganthet called out to him. The human looked up to see both of the small, blue Guardians descending from above. "I trust you are rested?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, thank you. For the bed." Michael replied as graciously as he could. "Best sleep I've had in a while."
"I trust you are hungry?" Sayd inquired, gesturing to a nearby sack full of otherworldly fruit. At the very mention, and one look at the contents, Michael's stomach rumbled.
He sat and ate, surprised by the edible nature of the fruit of Odym. Ganthet and Sayd hovered close by, able to answer the questions he was able to formulate with a fresh mind. "So… where is Odym?" He wondered, after consuming a juicy melon-like chunk.
"It orbits what you humans call 'The North Star'." Sayd described. Michael looked up and put two and two together as he spied Odym's sun above.
"Ohhhh… no way. Cool." He murmured, impressed by the connection. "Odym is… it's beautiful." He confessed after a moment of awe.
"It is life. Uninhibited and unrestrained." Ganthet said poetically. "Where life can flourish there will always be hope." Michael nodded slowly.
"Still not sure how that applies to me." He said.
"You must learn to look beyond yourself, Michael. The power of hope begins inwards but works outwards." Sayd told him. The human nodded again, accepting the information but not yet internalizing it.
With his belly full, Michael began to walk with the two Guardians into the forested territory around the central Blue Lantern battery. As they did, Ganthet and Sayd continued to speak. "We have a conviction like no other in the universe, Michael Ryker. A belief that despite life's hardships, in the end when it is over, all will be well." Said Ganthet.
"This belief is at the heart of every member of the Blue Lanterns. Hope comforts those who are lost and everyone is lost at some point in their lives." Sayd continued. "You can certainly attest to this."
"We all have a specific journey that must be taken." Ganthet added. "For a Blue Lantern it is to find hope and to pass it on to others."
"Reminds me of monastic orders back on Earth." Michael noted. "I studied some Eastern European factions who set out to 'convert heathens'. Their writings sound similar to what you're saying."
"But ours is not a mission of conversion, Michael. Ours is a mission of giving the gift of the blue light to those who need it most." Ganthet corrected him. Michael took a moment to mull that over, walking in silence with the Guardians.
"So… why is hope blue? Or, uh, what's with the colours referring to specific emotions?" He asked after a time.
"That has to do with the universal emotional spectrum." Ganthet said. "The Guardians discovered it early in our existence and saw fit to uncover its power. Those who remain in leadership of the Green Lantern Corps decided the other emotions were too volatile and elected to allow only the green light of willpower to manifest in their lives. They cut themselves off from the others… but it would seem that the rest of the spectrum is responding in turn."
"The red light of rage, the yellow light of fear, the violet light of love, the indigo light of compassion; all of these have followers beyond the control of the Guardians." Sayd explained.
"Then why did you two take up with blue?" Michael inquired.
"When the Guardians banished us for choosing to embrace emotion, we came here to Odym in order to channel the light of hope. Together we believe it to be the greatest ally a Green Lantern will ever have, for hope and willpower are intertwined." Sayd told him.
"Really? How?"
"Because hope needs will." Ganthet told him softly.
High above, observing their interactions from afar, Razer floated in the air and watched as Michael conversed back and forth with the two Guardians. A burden fell upon him, one that refused to be shaken. "I feel as though I should go to him. Perhaps hearing my experience would make him understand." He said aloud.
"As wise as that may seem, do not interfere, Brother Razer." Another voice responded. Beside Razer floated another Blue Lantern, wreathed in the same shining aura as the Volkregian. He appeared as a bipedal humanoid, albeit with far less near-human characteristics than Razer. For one, he had no nose or hair, only a long tendril that extended from the back of his pale cranium. His eyes were dark and beady, as if made to see the unseen things others would overlook. He laid a four-fingered hand on Razer's shoulder, one of which bore a Blue Lantern power ring. "Ganthet and Sayd's process takes days to choose a new Blue Lantern. Unless specifically summoned, we should leave them to it." Saint Walker continued.
"But what if he chooses not to stay?" Razer inquired. "Too many have fell weak under the burden of hope. Our ranks are so small as it is."
"And yet those who remain, those who are chosen, shine like the brightest stars in the universe." Saint Walker countered. "Those who have become Blue Lanterns I am proud to stand alongside. Trust the process, Brother Razer. Hold out hope that this human will see the truth of the blue light. All will be well." He promised. Razer turned and nodded.
"All will be well, Brother Walker." He responded in kind.
The next day, Michael brought along the notepad he kept in his jacket. It was a small thing; plastic coil coverings with simple, thin white sheets of lined paper in between, a token piece from his old college, but he had spent many hours scribbling notes across its pages (front and back) as he studied other cultures. Now that his mind was filled with context and history, he wanted to know more about Blue Lanterns and sat with the Guardians under a canopy of trees rattling off question after question. Ganthet and Sayd were more than happy to answer him.
"What does it take for a Blue Lantern to use this light of hope?"
"The ring acts as a conduit, powered by the central battery, but true power comes entirely from the the one who wields it. You need to find something to hope for, you need to see it in your heart and you need to unleash the power of the ring." Ganthet told him.
"So it's less of a physical thing and more of a… psycho-emotional thing." Michael mused as he scribbled down a few lines with the pen he kept in a different pocket.
"Precisely." Ganthet affirmed with a smile and a chuckle. "But it is not nearly as trivial as you make it sound." Michael looked up.
"I… excuse me?"
"To take on this responsibility is to give one's self to the universe, Michael. Hope is the most powerful of light and to some, it would be considered the most costly. But not to us." Sayd told him. "The power of the blue ring burns brighter than any other within the emotional spectrum. Although there is a cost to joining our ranks. We will educate you on that."
"Okay… sure. Tell me more." Michael said slowly, flipping over a new page.
"To posses the power of the light of hope, to become a Blue Lantern, means becoming a servant to the people of the galaxy. Your life is no longer your own. Your life, your purpose, is to give hope to those who need it." Sayd continued. "But the price of servitude is worth the mission at hand: giving hope to all life. The Green Lanterns you are so familiar with are nothing but a police force, Michael Ryker. We are the saints of the universe."
"Saints?" Michael repeated, scribbling down the word. "Well… I'm no saint."
"No. Not yet." Ganthet replied with a knowing smile.
"I'm sorry… is this supposed to apply to me?" Michael wondered with a furrowed brow as he looked up from his notebook.
Ganthet laughed, a good humoured laugh, and clapped his hands. "Oh, young man, you still hear with old ears and see with eyes unchanged." He said with a slow shake of his head. "The great hope you experienced, the hope that kept you from leaping off a bridge, there are others who could use that hope!" He told Michael. "This is not the afterlife. You are not dead. You are not being punished for your thoughts or your actions. We are telling you what it is you've found and yet you remain so blind to our message."
Michael's posture slumped, his notebook dropping with his hand as he fixed Ganthet with a stare of confused scrutiny. "…was that an insult?" He wondered at length.
"Not if you have to ask." Sayd replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Michael," Ganthet leaned forward, putting them eye to eye, "listen to what we are telling you. You have great hope. You found a great hope. You may not feel like it but that is because you are still hung up over your previous actions." He implored. "I know the sting of losing everything. We both know what that feels like. But there is always something greater over the horizon. Even in the blackest night, all will be well for those who embrace the brightest day." Ganthet floated over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Put down the notebook. Set aside the anthropologist. And listen with the heart of a seeker."
Michael did so. Slowly, reluctantly so, and gave Ganthet and Sayd his undivided attention. "I-I don't… I feel like I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what."
"Your heart, your mind, your spirit, they are all out of synch." Sayd quietly told them. "Slow down your thoughts, relax your innermost being, and just listen to the stillness. The light of hope shines brightest when life is at its darkest. There are very few people who have seen this!"
"You are worthy of the blue light because of what you discovered in the pit of your despair." Ganthet chimed in. "Brother Razer did not bring you here to study us. Of course, your natural penchant for such a learning is a great boon to you. But he brought you here because Razer believed you had what it took to embrace the blue and let it shine through you."
"You're… You're sure of this?" Michael wondered.
"There are no mistakes, Michael. But we won't force your decision. We will simply tell you what we believe with all our hearts." Ganthet promised him. The human fell silent, caught up in the tumult of his mind struggling to process everything.
"You said that this is a great sacrifice. That I will be changed if I joined you." He said at length, neither assessing nor inquiring.
"Indeed. But it is for the better, Michael." Sayd said. "Take some time to think about the moment you chose not to end your life. Think about what transpired in that moment, both what you have and what you have not told us." She urged him. "Tomorrow is the last of the three days we promised you. We will give you all the time you need to make your decision concerning our offer. Whatever you decide, we will honour it."
Michael returned to his designated hut with much on his mind, fell asleep with much on his mind, and woke up much the same way. The Guardians had imparted much information to him but the message he was really getting out of this was the matter of hope and the Blue Lanterns was something that could not be physically quantified. He could take notes, even write a paper, but it would all be worthless unless his heart… his very soul came to a conclusion.
Think about what transpired in that moment, both what you have and what you have not told us. Sayd's words rang in his head. He had refused to do so before falling asleep, the moment too raw and emotional for him to explore. But now, with sleep lifting from his mind, he returned to that dark night. With watery eyes he recalled every second of his actions, from the moment he made his choice to the moment he bowed out and lost his nerve to follow through…
But one thing in particular stuck out to him.
What he had not told the Guardians was the moment the Batsignal appeared in the sky and his memory of rescue by the Caped Crusader had stirred up his 'hope'. I held out a little longer and help arrived, saving me. The same could be said for his struggle to commit to leaping off Founders Bridge. As Ganthet and Sayd had phrased it, that help was hope. The hope that had once taken the form of the Batman, manifesting in a new way in his darkest hour.
Hope.
Michael sat up. The emotional chance that tomorrow would be better had brought him to this moment. When he thought he had nothing to live for, hope kept him going. Hope spared his life. Hope kept him from leaping to his death. Hope…
Hope. Hope!
Michael lept out of bed as the pieces came together in his mind. All at once he was a flurry of thought, pacing back and forth as he tried to make sense of the revelation dawning on him. He needed to give it voice so he turned and bolted out the door. "Ganthet! Ganthet!" He cried out. He and Sayd were never far away and the same went for this morning, Michael finding them barely a minute after leaving his hut. "I-I-I-I figured it out! I-I had an… an, uh… epiphany! That's it! I had an epiphany this morning!" He explained, huffing and slightly out of breath. "My life, th-the way everything came to an end… my old way, the old me, it had to die, metaphorically, so I could discover hope! I didn't understand what was happening becuase, you were right, I was looking at things from the old way. The new me found hope! Not for my old life, but for a new one just beginning! Hope saved me so I could go on!"
Ganthet smiled, broadly and warmly, like a grandfather watching his grandson hit his first ball at a baseball game. There was a pleased sense of pride in his eyes.
"And now you understand, Michael." He whispered as he and Sayd moved closer.
"That is what Brother Razer sensed in you, Michael. He sensed the hope you had found. He sensed the way hope had taken ahold of you and compelled you to keep going. Hope kept you alive, Razer brought you here so that hope could reveal itself through us." Sayd continued.
"I… I get it now." Michael turned and looked up at the mighty central battery, suddenly breathless. "I can't even begin to describe it, but I get it now." The Guardians started moving towards the battery and Michael followed them. "I think… I think I'm supposed to be here. Something… the universe… it wanted me here to understand this."
"Like a lighthouse in the night, so brightly shines the beacon of hope." Ganthet said sagely. "Never underestimate such power, Michael. Hope is a light few can master. A light few truly understand."
"But it appears you have experienced an awakening." Sayd noted warmly.
"Yes, I-I think I have. Everything you were telling me makes sense now." Michael agreed. He looked up, gaze transfixed by the blue light pulsing within the opening of the battery. "My story is not to be thought of shamefully but it is a lesson for others to learn from. I found hope before I could do something unthinkable and it changed my life. And now I can use that same sense of hope to change the lives of others." Ganthet and Sayd exchanged smiles. Unspoken words passed between them, sharing proud and satiated thoughts.
"Your illumination is a welcome and encouraging sign." Ganthet told him. Together they emerged into a clearing, standing on a rocky bluff overlooking a mighty basin of water where the enthral battery sat perched above. The two Guardians looked to their human companion. "You have heard our intentions over the last three days, Michael Ryker. We offer everything we can to educate you on the necessity of the existence of the blue and the sacrifice you will make if you embrace our light."
"Thank you, both of you. Now that I look back, the past three days have been the most enlightening time of my life and I've never felt this sure before." Michael responded. "I understand what is to be asked of me if I am to join you."
"Do you accept the charge? There is no shame in saying no." Sayd asked. Taking a breath, Michael nodded, feeling drawn to the blue light like a new song had been kindled in his heart. It was a calling.
"Yes. I accept."
"Then stretch out your hand, Michael," he did as Ganthet asked and the two Guardians channeled bright blue energy from their hands towards his. They met in the middle, fashioning into a shape that set itself upon his middle finger, hardening into a singular metal band emblazoned with a familiar symbol. "Welcome, Blue Lantern."
At once, Michael fell a change overtake him. The exhilaration of enlightenment was replaced with a wonderous awe of the power opening up to him. Ganthet was right. This was both a privilege and a burden that would require nothing less than his complete devotion. Michael felt as though the universe was coming under his fingertips, filling his senses to a point where all he could sense was life in abundance. His perception of things slowed as a new presence was made aware to him. Like someone standing before him, he felt his ring take on a life of its own. It called out to him, a voice echoing in his mind in the span of a millisecond.
"What do you hope for?" The ring asked him.
Michael answered from the depths of his soul. "I hope to prove worthy of the honor." He whispered.
His ring responded, "Sincerity registered. Power levels one-hundred percent. All will be well." With the announcement came a sudden jolt of power that surged through his body, lightning a fire within Michael that could not be quenched. The blue light of hope swelled within him and power unmatched came alive within his senses. A thought not his own was burned into his brain, echoing over and over until it took the shape of words he could understand. Compelled, he gave voice to them, speaking them aloud for all to hear.
"In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the war of light, look to the stars… for hope burns bright!"
With his pronouncement came a flash of power that rippled across his entire being. Over his clothes formed a skintight black bodysuit, swaths of navy blue shaping across his chest and abdomen and forming around his legs like knee-high boots. A stripe grew down his arm and ended in a cuff as his blue ring shone brightly against his black-gloved hand. A black wrap enveloped the back of his neck, reaching around to cover the sides of his head while exposing his face. A blue circlet kept his hair out of his eyes, framing his features in the black and blue of his new calling. The same oceanic fire of his ring burned in his eyes and a brightly emblazoned symbol took shape on his chest…
The symbol of the Blue Lantern Corps.
His power receded and Michael found himself cloaked in a blue aura, levitating a foot off the ground as he was now dressed in the garb of a Blue Lantern. He was a corpsman now. There was no turning back. He exhaled loudly, savouring the sudden rush that filled his body, as Ganthet and Sayd looked on proudly.
Lights filled the sky as familiar forms descended. Razer and Saint Walker's timely arrival could not have been more perfect. "Welcome, Brother Walker and Brother Razer." Ganthet greeted with a polite bow. "Allow me to introduce you to Brother Michael; the first human member of the Blue Lantern Corps." He proffered, a sweeping gesture bringing their gaze to Michael. Saint Walker smiled warmly. "Michael, this is Saint Walker. The first Blue Lantern."
"I bid you greeting, Brother Michael. I am always delighted to welcome a new member into our ranks." Saint Walker greeted as he laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you. I'm just as delighted to have discovered what seems to be my new calling." Michael responded. His gaze turned to Ganthet, Sayd and Razer. "Thank you. Thank you all so much for this opportunity." Ganthet and Sayd nodded while Razer smiled. "So… what now? Do we go out and find people to help?"
"As soon as your training is complete, Brother Michael, you are urged to bring hope to whomever you can find." Ganthet told him.
"Training? What kind?" Michael inquired, genuinely curious.
"It is a far more physical sense of training. Now your schooling in the ways of the ring begin." Saint Walker replied. "Something I am very much looking forward to." He added with a grin.