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- Dec 25, 2017
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- Nebulae
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"Trials overcome. Identity forged. You have harnessed the gifts bestowed upon you by the Malefactor."
"The stairs to the Stars are before you. The gateway is open. Permit yourselves this rest, weary Pilgrims."
"Ascension is here."
ACCORD SPEAKER <:: DAMOCLES ::>
STAGE 5:
Transcendence awaits. Elevate thyselves to the Stars. Join our brethren in their Duty to safeguard the flock.
I was gone far longer than I had initially anticipated.
I packed for two weeks. I was gone for three, almost four.
I appeared at the steps of our Monastery a mess. Physically.
In mind, I am tranquil.
A vessel of completion.
I feel it. I comprehend it. All of it. What the Speakers have been preaching is finally within my grasp.
I spend the day settling down. Reflecting on what has been.
Once I was a dutiful asset to the Malefactors.
Then, a stalwart amalgamation of the natural and unnatural.
Now, I am one with my augments. My burdens. My identity.
The following day, I wander our Library. I pick no particular book and begin reading to pass the time.
I recognised Pausanias from the corner of my eye.
He was looking for someone.
Then his gaze landed upon me.
I placed down my book and stood up to meet him.
I was lead down a hallway I'd never been through before.
There was nothing this way besides a single room that was highly off-limits.
The Ascension Communal.
The Speakers call it the 'Gateway To The Stars'.
For the first time that I can ever remember... I'm nervous.
I'm being lead into a room of such great purport.
Just as he goes to open the large doors, Pausanias looks back at me.
"Are you ready for Ascension, Fulmar?"
I consider it.
Am I?
Hm...
There is no reason for doubt. I am a Pilgrim.
I am ready.
Yes.
Entering the chamber felt like I was walking through a portal to a completely new world.
Even from beneath my armour, I could sense a change in air.
I could almost smell it.
The room is dark, yet all the necessary areas are dimly lit by a nest of candles.
Hundreds. Perhaps thousands of candles. Deeper in the large room I spot two ornately-dressed half-servitors.
They're tending to the uncountable candles. Replacing the old with the new.
Front row and centre where a statue may be inside of an old church, stands a monument.
Not one made of marble.
But one of technology.
A towering creation filled with dazzling lights.
A collection of blues, reds and yellows.
Remarkably designed, it resembles a Transhuman in all aspects.
From the head of the statue are hundreds of cables sprouting out from behind it.
It encompasses the room like a web, reaching out towards the pews.
Sat upon the pews are hundreds of our Helmets of various kinds.
The armour of the Transhuman sits neatly in a pile below the helmet.
Next to, or atop, each helmet is an item.
One, a rose.
Another, a book.
Some, firearms.
A graveyard?
I think.
No.
Before I can ask the question, Pausanias speaks aloud.
"Magnificent, is it not? What you are witnessing is the Accord's efforts in one big culmination. You, Fulmar, are now part of it."
I stop thinking for a moment and just stand there with Pausanias. I'm fixated on the statue.
What comes next, Pausanias?
I don't dare take my eyes off the statue just yet.
"You shall be prepared for Ascension. Relax. Think about everything you have done. What you have learned. Be at peace."
He strides forward with purpose down the long aisle, masterfully avoiding the candles and cables.
I follow him after just a moment, tracing his footsteps to not make a fool of myself.
Not now.
He stops abruptly at a set of pews and turns to face me.
He extends an arm towards the seat.
A space on the end, just for me.
I sit at his request.
"To begin the process, we must ensure you are truly ready. Body and Soul."
"The process is very uncomfortable awake, thus we will safely place you into a stasis. We all know how that feels."
I nod. I do, of course. It's silent. The best we had as an equivalent to sleep.
A half-servitor appears next to him, holding a cable.
"Tilt your head forward, Fulmar."
I do so, and I feel and hear the click as he connects me with the statue.
From behind, I hear at least three sets of footsteps, yet I can't hear much of anything.
I'm already drifting off to sleep...
It's dark.
Unsettlingly so.
I feel no wind. The temperature is perfect.
I try to walk and I am left confused.
I feel as if I am walking, yet I am going nowhere.
A small red hue is off to my 'right'.
I float towards it.
As I get closer, I start to pick up sounds.
A deep humming.
I get so close that it blinds me.
I blink and the whole world changes.
I'm packed inside of a dropship. Three other Transhumans I don't recognise are with me.
I look down at 'myself' yet it isn't me.
Or... not the 'Me' that I am.
Instead it is the 'Me' of the past. Before my talent in the service of the Malefactors was recognised.
I notice the red light I saw in that pitch black was the deployment light inside the pod.
The dropship seems to land as we're rocked gently.
The light turns green and the pod opens up.
Wordlessly, my 'team' exits the pod.
The sunlight outside is so bright I can't even see out of the doorway.
On instinct, I move out of the pod.
I fall over forwards on concrete.
I groan, having hit my head on the floor embarrassingly.
As I push against the floor to get myself upright, I immediately notice something wrong.
My gloves. My arms. The armour I'm wearing.
It's all Civil Protection uniform.
I look around, a little more panicked than I would've preferred.
I'm on a street. Empty at that. Yet it's impossible to not notice the towering Citadel over the tops of the row of buildings besides me.
The malevolent tower of control.
Apprehensively, I take off a glove to see a perfectly normal, human hand.
Bar a scar running along my palm, however.
Then, I take off my mask. It was second nature to me.
And finally... I touched my face.
I had a mouth. Eyes. Teeth. Ears.
A tear ran down my face without me knowing.
I take a big gulp of air and shakily place my mask back on.
I'm somewhere else again.
I'm not dressed in any uniform.
I'm sat at a wooden table with white cloth draped over the top.
A faucet is running behind me, yet I can't turn my head.
A voice comes from my left, I'm permitted to look.
A child?
What exactly is going on?
He's insistent on calling me his father.
The faucet comes to a stop.
A soft voice calls out from behind.
"Kian? Did you fall asleep at the table again? Goodness, you work too much."
I turn around, a look of confusion is no doubt plastered on my face.
There stands an unblemished woman with flowing brown hair.
Her smile is so sweet...
"Dinner's almost ready."
I open my mouth, and for some time no words come out.
Until I manage to use my unmodified voice.
It sounded so bizarre.
No vo-coder. No modulator. Nothing speaking for me.
My very own voice from my lungs.
"Thank you... So much."
I smile.
"Pushkin. How goes his Ascension?"
The Librarian looks up from his device.
"There were a couple of hiccups at the start, but he's stabilised. Nothing new."
I look down at Fulmar.
Faint blue hues travel from his helmet to the Statue.
"Keep monitoring him, Pushkin. He was an excellent man."
I look down and recite a small prayer.
"May he sign the Accord with Him, for he is on the way to the Stars. Receive him gently, for the Malefactors mustn't return."
"May FIFTEEN and his ever-growing flock defend us all from the Abhorrent."
I let silence hang in the air for a few moments before I raise my hood over my head.
Casting one final look at Fulmar, I depart from the Communal.
I weave through our hallways and meet two of my Brothers at the main entrance.
"Are you both set?"
They nod, of course. They were never big on talking. It's why I keep them with me.
"The Shepard must tend to his flock. We are the hounds that point them to him."
We crest a small hill with a good overlook of a forested land.
We pass through a small village.
It's muddy this time of year.
Carefully observing our surroundings while we walk, we take a turn off a beaten path.
It leads to a clearing, with a small church in its centre.
I peer down at my PDA.
"The sheep is within. Guide them, we must."
I look up.
"Ascension awaits all those who are willing."
Thank you very much for reading this little story of mine. I'm surprised I managed to finish it.
I've never done anything like this before at all, so I hope any errors or general noobish-ness wasn't too bad.
I'm quite happy with how it's turned out, and I'm happy to have shared even a sliver of lore and world-building from After-Life.
You can expect me to focus on the Transhuman angle of the world as it's what I personally find most interest and inspiration in.
Civil Protection remnants are also on the table, we'll see.
Expect more like this from me in the future!!!
Part 1 - Acknowledgement: https://nebulous.cloud/threads/pilgrims-path-acknowledgement.61545/
Part 2 - Reclamation: https://nebulous.cloud/threads/pilgrims-path-reclamation.61570/
Part 3 - Foundation: https://nebulous.cloud/threads/pilgrims-path-foundation.61574/
Part 4 - Pilgrimage: https://nebulous.cloud/threads/pilgrims-path-pilgrimage.61593/
Part 5 - Ascension: https://nebulous.cloud/threads/pilgrims-path-ascension.61596/
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