Seer

[Steelsheen]

Seer

"It was kind of you to come, Nika; had I known the weather would be this bad--""Do not fear, Xaniir; I foresaw the blizzard and set out in plenty of time."The older matoran smiled. "I am glad of that. Will you take some tea?" As he poured out two steaming mugs of sweet liquid and set them on the table fashioned out of carved bone he added, "I suppose you are wondering why I sent for you?""It is not for me to question your actions, elder." Nika replied respectfully."Let me ask you something, Nika; what is it you fear most?"The young matoran of sound did a double take. "I'm sorry?"Xaniir repeated the question patiently. "What do you fear the most?"Nika laughed. "I'm a hunter, a skilled provider for the village. I kill Laepa deer every day, and I ride on a Skovlaki bird. I'm not afraid of anything."Xaniir shook his head. "Even the oldest and most powerful Zuluska bear in his mighty den is afraid of the torches and spears of matoran. All beings have a fear buried in their hearts. What is yours?""With respect, elder, how does this help me understand the dreams?" the younger matoran asked, a faint tone of impatience in his voice.The old matoran fingered his bone staff. "These dreams are not the same with you. For me, for the others of our village, dreams are no more than stories that are strange the moment we wake. But for you... You saw the blizzard four days before it came. You saw the mad Shadir wolf attack Anahav, the Raddat moles getting into the smokehouse, even the Palgus whale being beached, all before any of these things happened. You are a Seer.""Yes; I have known that for many years, Vam." he replied, using the matoran word for leader or respected one. "The whole village knows that. The dreams make me a better hunter."Xaniir nodded. "But you did not know that your dreams can be controlled, made to show you what you wish. You might even learn to see them in your waking hours."Nika's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Why did you never speak of this before?""It... It is dangerous to command the dreams." the old De-matoran answered slowly. "There was a Seer when I was young; he was called Mikha. He controlled the dreams - he could see days into the future without an effort. If he strained, he could even perceive what the next year held. But Mikha was proud and stubborn. He did not acknowledge his fears. When at last he saw something he feared in his future, he tried to escape the future. He did everything he could to prevent what he had seen."Although he was not often interested in stories that were not about hunts, Nika found himself intrigued. "And? Did he prevent the future he saw?""No. In trying to prevent that event, he set it into motion. It was because of him that the Jarakh-Gul, the smiling ones, came here to Avernii."Nika dropped his clay cup on the floor in shock. "He brought them here? The Jarakh-Gul have killed four of our people in my lifetime! They move the rocks and the sea, and make strange things happen in our heads. A Seer brought that on us?!"The howling winds outside the earth hut seemed to echo the hunter's anger. The sound of ice whipping over the frozen plain was still discernible by the De-matoran's keen ears, even behind a wall a bio thick.Xaniir sighed. "I am afraid it is so. Because Mikha did not know how to deal with fear, his fears became real and hunted him. It is the danger of a Seer's gift."Nika ran his hand over his eyes. He had never guessed that such a great gift could cause so much pain and evil. Could I do something akin to that? Could I bring something as evil as the Jarakh-Gul here? He suppressed a shudder, thinking of the hideous smiling ones, whose spines were exposed and mouths never ceased to grin."Yes, you might." Xaniir said softly, as if reading his thoughts. "That is why, before I teach you to use your gift, I must show you how to deal with your fears."Nika nodded. I will be better than Mikha. I will not be a Seer that ruins his people.The elder leaned back in his sling chair of woven grass. "So, then; what is it you fear?"A long moment of silence followed as Nika searched his mind. At last, he answered quietly, "I think I fear a future in which I am no longer needed, Vam."Xaniir smiled for the first time that night. "You have chosen your fear well, my friend, and I pray to the Great Spirit that such a future will never exist. But if it did, if you saw it coming, what would you do?"A second pause came over the room, the silence broken only by the crackling of the fire and the moaning of the wind outside. "I suppose I would find another place that needed me." the younger matoran said. "I would leave Avernii.""Then," Xaniir stood up slowly to put his hand on Nika's shoulder, "you would truly be the bravest among us. It is a good answer, and a truthful one; though I have sometimes scolded your boastful tongue, you have the heart of a Skovlaki - ready to fly out into the storm to save her chicks."Nika smiled, amused at the comparison. "My fear... How will I control it?"As he sat back down, Xaniir laughed. "Such a feat is not mastered in one night over a cup of tea! I will teach you, but it will be many years perhaps, before you are a true Seer and can foretell more than a few days. Are you willing to be taught?""I am." he answered firmly."Then let our lessons begin."-S Edited January 26, 2013 by Steelsheen

[Cederak]

You injected a large dose of fantasy into this, Hahli, that much is certain. The scenery and overall description of the story just has this feeling of being in a place perhaps entirely separate from the Bionicle world I have come to expect. The mention of Matoran manages to ground it to belonging here in the short story forum, if only barely. I actually enjoy the freedom you took with this though, casually exploring the familiar before really journeying out to another place entirely.I must ask, are the Jarakh-Gul a nod to the Skakdi race? I got the visual of something very similar to their kind, and the idea of someone willing them to exist through dreams certainly seems imaginative of you. Fantasy seems the proper genre to dissolve the barrier between what can be done in dreams and reality, and to merge them for the purposes of this story was a brilliant idea.If I weren't struggling with a battle to fight my impatience about seeing the end of Life is a Blank, I would ask you to start writing an epic with this as the prologue. Y'know, I'll just recommend it anyway. The premise has incredible potential, and while I enjoy the comfort of a universe I know well, taking me out of that was fun with what you did. I wouldn't mind revisiting it on a larger scale. Excellent work.

[Steelsheen]

You injected a large dose of fantasy into this, Hahli, that much is certain. The scenery and overall description of the story just has this feeling of being in a place perhaps entirely separate from the Bionicle world I have come to expect. The mention of Matoran manages to ground it to belonging here in the short story forum, if only barely. I actually enjoy the freedom you took with this though, casually exploring the familiar before really journeying out to another place entirely.I must ask, are the Jarakh-Gul a nod to the Skakdi race? I got the visual of something very similar to their kind, and the idea of someone willing them to exist through dreams certainly seems imaginative of you. Fantasy seems the proper genre to dissolve the barrier between what can be done in dreams and reality, and to merge them for the purposes of this story was a brilliant idea.

Thanks! I was in a writing mood and my whole brain just went, "What is the wildest thing I can do with Bionicle?". So I'm glad whatever came out isn't just plain weird. The idea is that Avernii is a land in the Matoran Universe that has been complete isolated for thousands on thousands of years, creating a unique and sort of tribal/mystic culture; I was partly inspired by Inuit tribes in Alaska and Canada. The invading Jarakh-Gul are the Skakdi; these matoran just don't know their real name and consequently made one up. And yeah, I added some fantasy. I just couldn't resist.

If I weren't struggling with a battle to fight my impatience about seeing the end of Life is a Blank, I would ask you to start writing an epic with this as the prologue. Y'know, I'll just recommend it anyway. The premise has incredible potential, and while I enjoy the comfort of a universe I know well, taking me out of that was fun with what you did. I wouldn't mind revisiting it on a larger scale. Excellent work.

Wow, that would be a big project. Since I already have Life is a Blank going, don't expect an epic to be born from this anytime soon, but I'll definitely think about expanding it. Thanks for the advice, Ced! Sorry; Valixia. -HH Edited August 19, 2012 by Hahli Historian