"What's the matter, young prince? Are you tired?" The sound of Marcus' taunting laughter was truly starting to grate on Marley's nerves. They were near the apex of another mountain run, and again, the old man was way ahead. Marley watched as Marcus reached the peak then turned around and stood there with his arms folded across his chest laughing like he didn't just run up a freaking mountain. When Marley reached the top, he doubled over leaning on his knees gasping for air. Marcus clasped his hands behind his back and began to circle Marley slowly. Every day for the past week they had run this same mountain, and every day it had ended the same way. Marley was on the verge of passing out and Marcus, walking around him, looking fresh as a flower, saying the same thing.
"Stand up. Breathe deep. Strong mind. Strong body. Strong spirit. True power."
Marley stood up, chest heaving, with frustration etched on his face. He glared at his mentor as he stopped walking and stood in front of him. "What is that? What does that even mean?" Marley said between breaths, probably a little harsher than he intended to. Marcus smiled and chuckled. "Finally. I was wondering how long it would take you to ask." Marley's frustration turned to confusion as he just stared at the man. Marcus motioned for Marley to follow him as they went and stood at the edge of the peak they were on and looked out at the vast expanse of the forest that surrounded it.
"Azaacar's gift, the Old Power, is widely misunderstood. Most people treat it as you do, for short bursts of power to augment their own strength and skills. Azaacar's gift is not a tool that you pull out and use whenever you deem it necessary. It is a force of nature. It is the life force of the planet itself. It flows through every living thing. It's not a question of how much or how little you have of it. It's about how attuned to it you are. You have a natural affinity for it. You have learned to manifest it and use it. But what you need to learn is how to channel it, how to be one with it. Instead of augmenting you, let it permeate you, become a part of you. You have limits, Azaacar's gift does not."
As he spoke a cool wind blew across the mountain top causing the man's dreads to flutter behind him like the cape of an old sage. The truth of his words resonated with something deep within Marley. His eyes flashed blue and he looked up at the older man with one singular question.
"What do I need to do?"
"Strong mind. Strong body. Strong spirit. True power." This time when he said it Marley felt like he had heard the words for the first time. "The first two you have in spades. Your strength and determination are greater than anyone I have ever met, and I suspect they go deeper than even you know. However, your spirit only seems to be able to commune with the goddess by accident. When you're unconscious or in a trance like you were with Raeni. That won't do. In order to be one with Azaacar you must first be one with yourself. It takes most, many years of study and meditation to obtain and understand this concept, but you, my lord, don't have that kind of time. There is a place north of here. It is secret, hidden, and sacred. It is called Azaacar's Embrace. It is a place of pilgrimage and where the kings, high priests and priestesses of the past have been laid to rest. It will take us two days to get there from here if we run. You will learn everything you need there. We leave in the morning."
Marley remained silent and unmoving for several minutes. In his mind he remembered his mission. He remembered his friends. He remembered his people. He remembered the oppressive regime they all lived under that he was all too familiar with. The fire in him was renewed and he swore to himself that he would stop at nothing until this world was free once again. He looked up at Marcus, determination in his eyes, and gave him a firm nod. With nothing else left to say, they began their morning sparring session.
LaStirk was in her office on the edge of madness. Midday found her personally coordinating the rebuilding process following all disasters that happened the previous week. Twenty years of smooth operations and absolutely everything fell apart in a week. There was no way possible this wasn't sabotage. She would have loved nothing more than to be out looking for whomever was responsible for all of this, but there were more important things to worry about. She had several holo-screens up and was working feverishly on all of them. On one screen she was tracking repair progress, on another she was managing personnel and ordering supplies on yet another, across all five disasters. She took a breath and growled and pulled on her long, red ponytail. Just then, one of her faceless attendants walked and addressed her bowing deeply. Before he could say why he was there she interrupted him. "Ah, perfect timing. I need you to head over to the jail and have them release my overseers. I really need to delegate some of this." when the attendant didn't immediately scurry off as usual, she gave him a deadly glare. "Is there a problem attendant?" The attendant lowered his head and spoke nervously. "Your highness, the congress has convened and requested your presence." Lastirk stared at him briefly. Finally, she shut down her holo and stormed past the man. "Let's make this quick. I have work to do."
The congress was made up of the rich and influential of the planet. Twenty years ago, they were all handpicked loyalists, seat fillers appointed only because Rednasi law says a colony had to have a congress. Twenty years of being kept rich and fat had made them loyal only to their money and station. They were supposed to be Governors and representatives for different districts of the planet, but none of them had ever done any actual governing. Lastirk had been running everything so smoothly and so rigidly that these eight people had to do nothing but reap the benefits. Most of the citizens would not even know who they were if they didn't take every opportunity to flaunt and abuse the power their station afforded. What could they possibly want now, after all these years?