The Magi's Society

Mevi awoke already exhausted and confused with her surroundings. Suddenly remembering what went on the day before she gathered herself to the best of her ability. She hadn’t had the chance to change from her tailored blouse but after looking in the mirror she decided it was fine as it was. Curious why she wasn’t being summoned to be ferried away to places unknown, Mevi slowly crept outside after retrieving her belongings.

Blanket dragging quietly along the polished tile, and staff clicking against the floor as she walked, Mevi began cautiously investigating the outside. Only to find that the sun hasn’t even risen yet. Mevi had woken up a great deal sooner than she anticipated. A sigh of relief escaped as her tensions lessoned. Tense in the dark and silence, she didn’t know how much she craved the safety of the light. The light that kept the outside world at bay with its blinding rays comforted her more than she ever realized. Mevi, despite the dark, slowly walked the halls towards her old room.

The light from the dim and far off emitters in the colony barely breached the ceiling’s windows, giving an eerie but familiar air throughout the long cavernous hallway. Tall shadows enveloped the entire journey. Mevi caught her orange eyes almost glowing in the night like a feline’s, due to the lack of light on their small moon her people became adept at seeing in the dark (or so she overheard in muffled conversations). The star’s light was soon to shine overhead, the few hours in any day she could trust few or no people would be walking about. She relaxed as she finally reached her small room’s old door.

Her only home was practically ransacked, anything of value already taken away or given to her while everything else was clearly moved to make space. They would likely turn this into some kind of equipment closet now that she didn’t reside inside. But before she left there was one final thing she had to retrieve.

Mevi traced a hand across the metallic wall, while her time couldn’t be described as pleasant with the Bensari house, her room was still hers. Mevi almost felt sad to lose the only space she tried to call her own, but shaking herself out of dark thoughts she focused. In the almost complete darkness, due to the room not having a light source, the adults wouldn’t have found her small markings. In the corner, where her bed had been only the day before, a series of small scratches against the wall hid one of her secrets. Pressing into where she made her marks, the panel of the wall came partially loose and a small bundle fell out of the loosened panel.

A small pouch, no bigger than her own fist, made of an old cloth stitched together into an array of vines and flowering blooms. One of her finest creations, most of the others were probably found and thrown away; her staff and mouse were lucky to survive the decompose. Inside the pouch were only a few things, a small marble she once found fallen and lost, a ring she stolen that gives access to food replicators, and the final marvel. A small orange gem, cut elegantly to resemble a small star no larger than her pinky’s nail. It was sharp and jagged, but held an elegant and ferocious beauty. It glowed sometimes, when she concentrated upon it and wished for light. Its illumination providing a spectre of amorphous changing shape that danced across her walls. A beautiful item, she can’t even remember how it was retrieved, and she couldn’t imagine leaving the mansion without it by her side.

As if by instinct, Mevi began concentrating on the small gem and willed it to shine its light in her lightless hovel. Within moments the golden light glowed dimly from the gem and started dancing across the walls. The wild and fast movement of shadows within the gem, making ever changing shapes across her walls. Entranced and calmed by her small companion’s light, she sat and waited for the light’s dancing to reach its magnum opus. But it didn’t come. Almost as if sensing her own tense and sorrowful thoughts, the light’s dancing was sluggish and strained until it almost entirely subsided. Slowly dimming and sinking back into her hand, submerging Mevi in darkness once again. Mevi stood after placing the few items back into her pouch and reassured herself, as long as she had her few treasures she could go anywhere. The Bensari house, her own family, hadn’t cared for her and preferred their power and profits over her place here, so why not embrace her new destination? Mevi steeled herself against her own thoughts and doubts, resolving that wherever she could go would probably be a little better than being sold off by her own family.

Mevi returned to the room she was placed in, and dutifully cleaned and prepared herself. Awaiting whatever future came her way.

It didn’t take Mevi’s family long, after the star’s darkening, to relight the halls and retrieve her. Satisfied with her cleanliness and looks, or not having enough time to fix them, Mevi was swept away with an escort carrying her few things in a bundle within her arms.

Hastily being brought to another room, near to the main gate, she was placed on a small stool and dressed in the fabric that was being sewn and pinned to her the day before. With a view from a wall mirror nearby, Mevi saw her transformation into a beautiful woman of noble caste in moments. Long flowing robes with a pristine white almost glowing across the body, the sleeves and cloak draped in baggy and embroidered orange cloth. Golden yarn twisting in elaborate designs across the sleeves, body, and cloak. A blue undercloak that draped across her chest and down her body like a dress glided lightly around her legs while the golden and white robes dragged slightly across the ground. When she was made to move, and she caught herself in the mirror, it looked almost as if she was gliding across the room. Mevi’s silver hair hung loosely and curling around her, almost framing her body in the far-too elegant clothes.

Her escorts seemed satisfied with her appearance, and as they were congratulating themselves over the ensemble the door behind Mevi opened suddenly and all her escorts fell silent. Turning, Mevi saw a stern middle aged man, who could be said was attractive if not for the scowling disappointment he cast over Mevi. His long platinum hair tied back into a well cared for braid down to his waist, wearing a fine suit of black and silvery white.

The sudden voice made Mevi jump and almost tumble backwards, “Mevare. Come with me, you must be instructed while our house prepares for the Holy Barge’s arrival.” commanded the newly arrived man. The other people in the room quickly left through the door behind him. The man didn’t wait more than a moment before turning and leaving the room himself. Chasing after the man Mevi did her best to pick up her robes to not trip herself, only now noticing her belongings, pouch, staff, blanket, mouse, and all, were stuffed into and tied to a convenient bag that could be hoisted over her shoulders and almost hid against the robe’s natural baggage and cloak.

The two quickly and silently moved through the hallway and up to the gates. The sudden realization of what was happening almost made Mevi want to run, but she steeled herself for the second time that day and watched as the massive doors began to swing outwardly open. A gust of dusty air billowed into the hallway. She can only remember one other time the main doors ever opened, and that was when her grandfather’s wife passed and a procession was made down the slopes into the lower colony. The sudden fear of her marching to her death began to seep in, she was made to be one beautiful corpse for this unknown entity ‘The Holy Barge’.

Before Mevi could run away, the stern man grasped her wrist tightly and began to tug her down the slope’s stairs that wound down the rocky terrain. The doors were quickly closed behind her as many people flowed out of them, carrying various boxes, items, and confection. Though each of her follower’s wore masks that protected from the smog, smoke, and toxins in the air, Mevi’s guide and her were bare and unguarded from the elements. The man who was her strict guide wasn’t fazed by the sudden change in air purity, while Mevi was coughing and struggling for breath.

This man continued to guide her by the wrist down the slope, Mevi’s eyes watering while her cough slowly subsided as she grew used to the sensation. When her breathing was ragged, but breathing regardless, the man finally spoke.

In a clear and unimpeded tone, “Mevare, what do you know of the Barge.” the man demanded.

Coughing one last time and gasping a reply, “Only, the title sir. I’ve known nothing of them before yesterday.” Mevi began breathing deeply to steady herself, but it felt impossible in the intolerable oxygen.

Ignoring her struggle, “The Holy Barge, they provide for us. In exchange, once every fifty years we give them our offerings. The Bensari remain strong by only giving what is least to us, enough to get by and receive their patronage.”

Beginning to become emboldened by her discomfort Mevi retorted, “Then I must be worth very little, how can I be worth anything at all to these people?”

The man actually scoffed and stifled an arrogant laugh, “Do not sell yourself short girl. You are still my daughter, and those of mine are worth more than their looks.”

Almost unsurprised that such an obvious villain could be Mevi’s father, Mevi became further emboldened, “Then it must be a great shame to give me away, or are you glad to be rid of me?” Her tone quickly adopting a rebellious nature.

Ignoring her comment, her father continued, “Those from the Barge will expect a certain degree of respect and attitude. If you are in their presence, you first bow low, and never look them in the eyes. If you must look at all, behold their feet and nothing else. When your name is summoned, walk slowly towards them and always behind the one that summoned you. Do nothing else, we of our house will not be harmed or punished for impudence. We get our patronage regardless of your attitude.”

Mevi wanted to respond smartly, but quickly was cut off when a thunderous cacophony of noise ripped through the air. For almost a minute, a wall of noise railed against Mevi’s senses. Her hands kept to her ears and her body naturally crumpled to the ground. When the assault of noise subsided she was surprised to see her father clutching her, his hand over her head and her face pressed against his chest in a protective manner. While she gazed upward, embarrassed, his own eyes were trained on the dark sky far off.

Beyond the protective dome around their section of colony, a glint could be seen. The dredges of darkness absorbing what should be starlight and leaving void instead. The glint grew, golden and shining. As the darkness erased itself, an impossibly massive vessel was seen. Golden, silver, white, and embodying Mevi’s definition of divine. The impossible vessel curved in many strange and alien ways, disregarding coherent structure and artisanship, and instead reaching outward with pointed and spiked mandibles as if attempting to writhe against the empty void of space itself.

From the structure that seemed so close, but must be far across Baes’s small system, the vessel opened. As if it had its own great maw, reaching outward as if it intended to devour their small moon, the vessel split itself open and its shape reached around and enveloped itself. When it was done transforming, a smooth and understandable shape remained. Like ships of ancient times Mevi had learned about from the images in texts she happened across when nobody watched, it wielded itself similar to those within the ancient documents. A long cylindrical form with several stretching towers protruding from a sort of dorsal superstructure on the ship. It retained its golden and silver motif, but additionally exuded an orange glow, as if there were millions of tiny windows each producing its own light that enveloped the ship in an almost holy visage. All of its glory was basking in a iridescent golden light save for the top of the ship, which was dark as pitch and tar while being impossibly flat with no blemishes or curvature.

When the ship was finished transforming, several small glints shining against the invisible star of the Baes system began darting towards the colony. With the danger and eventful appearance passed, Mevi’s father suddenly became aware of himself and for the first time held a look that was neither stern nor mean. Rather he looked embarrassed at his own actions and quickly let go of his daughter, brushing himself and Mevi off from the dirt that spiraled from the force of the Barge’s entry.

The two of them descended the rest of the way in silence, some of their household members racing past with various equipment, items, and even food stuffs. When the descent ended the two were at the edge of a large platform, clearly meant to house large ships that the colony didn’t have access to. Mevi could see around the platform, and clustering in masses she hadn’t seen in any prior event, large quantities of people all wearing their protective masks. Only some of the nobles forced themselves to bear the toxins or suffer pain of pride. A small gathering was made in the center of the platform where Mevi could see other pairs of noble houses. Several children around her age, and some much younger, all alongside what she assumed was a parental figure.

Some pairs were standing proud and tall, while others held frightened or crying children with barely stable parents. Her own father assigned himself to the center stage with her and stood straight and tall, glaring at the sky above him. Mevi realized that, compared to the other houses, she was by far the most finely dressed. Some of the other pairs even showing signs of smudge, dirt, and filth. Mevi wondered if common laborers had to deliver an offering as well?

Her thoughts were quickly torn away from the others as a rumbling was heard overhead. As if appearing from nothing, there was somehow a small vessel directly above the platform. Pure silver, emitting the same glow as the entity it flew out of. The bottom of the smaller vessel opened in a perfect circle, a blue and silver cylindrical glow descended from the opening. One figure, flanked by two heavily armored golden guardians wielding long staves, descended with the blue-silver glow. Somehow these figures passed through the protective barrier of the colony. The figures landed what Mevi assumed to be thirty, maybe more, meters away from where she stood. All the parents and their children encircling this unknown and their guards.

The figure was masked, his face nothing but dark swirling void, and his voice boomed across the space, “Let the Chosen step forward by my summons.”