Eternal
Year 16
You and four of your fellow Eternals stand once again before Brother Gray this time though he is joined by another one of his fellow shadows. This man is almost indistinguishable from Brother Gray, similar robe, head covering hood, the only thing really different about him is that he’s slightly taller.
“Eternals, you have survived this far when some of your fellows have not. This means you show promise in joining our order, but it does not yet mean you belong. There is one more test that you have to pass through, before that can happen. I shall let Master Ebon explain more.”
With this, Master Ebon steps forward and begins to speak, it is at that moment you notice that something is slightly off about him. Like part of him is becoming translucent momentarily.
“Eternals, I have heard much about you and how skilled you all are. So far I am not impressed. You have been given gifts and advantages from birth yet only a few of you actually made it this far. However, given Brother Gray’s sterling assessment of all of you that do remain, perhaps I just need to see it for myself. In any event, all of you shall be undergoing the Ritual of the Shadow. It is in this important ceremony that you will gain abilities such as this…”
Master Ebon, suddenly disappears completely and before you know it, he is behind all of you, forcing you all to turn around.
“This is just a simple ability, compared to others you will gain in time, assuming you survive the ritual. I should also mention this ritual will also open your eyes to the truth and bind you…all of us in a way you have never even pondered before. I am not sure if you Eternals have bonded despite growing up together, but you even if you have, that bond will not compare to that of the shadows. Our order has existed for a very long time and will continue to do so long after other systems haven fallen to the dung heap of history.”
Master Ebon at this point turns around and begins to chant in some strange language. After about five minutes of this, a shimmering portal opens up, though it sort of fades in and out of existence.
“And now Eternals, the ritual begins. You two, enter the portal together.” Ebon says pointing at Cyrus and Brian. The pair of them nod and walk into the portal.
After a few moments have passed, Ebon speaks again.
“You two, enter the portal together.” He says and Talia and David enter the portal leaving you by yourself.
A longer stretch of time passes and even you begin to feel a little anxious despite your best efforts.” Master Ebon naturally notices this.
“Since you have been spoken about in such high regard from Brother Gray, I have decided that you do not need to take this test, you are already skilled enough. In fact I believe that you probably do not belong in our order, and you would best serve the Emperor as a soldier. I will inform Mr. Mol of this and he will probably have you transferred to an appropriate post of your skill.”
“Master Ebon, I’m not afraid to go through the ceremony! I want to do this!” you protest.
“Hmm, didn’t expect you to protest. I was told that you have a habit of not questioning orders almost to a suicidal degree, though due to your skill, you manage to survive, so I know you are not afraid. However, while loyalty and obedience are certainly important traits to have, I believe that your particular mindset really would serve the Empire’s military instead. The military is a very simple place. Your superiors tell you to kill and you kill. They tell you to die, and you die. The Shadow Guard is a less…absolute branch that requires questioning and deeper thought at times. Contrary to popular belief we do not just snatch people off the streets because someone criticizes the Empire. Such a policy would undoubtedly depopulate countless cities and towns. No, we only seek out those that truly desire the fall of the Empire and sometimes that requires investigations.”
“So you are telling me I am not intelligent enough to be a Shadow Guard.”
“I didn’t say that. Again from what I’ve heard, you have exceptional intelligence. No, what I’m saying is your mindset is different. Now I know Brother Gray said he spoke to you about maintaining a survival instinct, but mere survival isn’t enough.”
“I know this. I survive so that I may serve the Emperor longer.”
Master Ebon at this point raises his hands and drops them.
“And that’s exactly why you would better serve in the military. There is no shame in this, not everyone is meant to be a Shadow Guard, not even an Eternal. I will make the preparations to have you transferred.”
Master Ebon turns from you to speak to Brother Gray and you’re left speechless. You’re also left with a lot of conflicting feelings. You feel disappointed, angry and confused all at the same time. Part of you is content on accepting Ebon’s assessment. He may even be right. He’s talking about questioning and complex thought and you don’t exactly know what he means by all that. What else could there be other than serving the Empire?
Another part of you feels defiant. You want to prove that he is wrong, you want to jump into the portal before he can do anything about it. Maybe he’s expecting you to do that though. Maybe this is a test? But why would there be a test that encourages disobedience?
In any event, if you’re going to make your move, you need to do it now.
You and four of your fellow Eternals stand once again before Brother Gray this time though he is joined by another one of his fellow shadows. This man is almost indistinguishable from Brother Gray, similar robe, head covering hood, the only thing really different about him is that he’s slightly taller.
“Eternals, you have survived this far when some of your fellows have not. This means you show promise in joining our order, but it does not yet mean you belong. There is one more test that you have to pass through, before that can happen. I shall let Master Ebon explain more.”
With this, Master Ebon steps forward and begins to speak, it is at that moment you notice that something is slightly off about him. Like part of him is becoming translucent momentarily.
“Eternals, I have heard much about you and how skilled you all are. So far I am not impressed. You have been given gifts and advantages from birth yet only a few of you actually made it this far. However, given Brother Gray’s sterling assessment of all of you that do remain, perhaps I just need to see it for myself. In any event, all of you shall be undergoing the Ritual of the Shadow. It is in this important ceremony that you will gain abilities such as this…”
Master Ebon, suddenly disappears completely and before you know it, he is behind all of you, forcing you all to turn around.
“This is just a simple ability, compared to others you will gain in time, assuming you survive the ritual. I should also mention this ritual will also open your eyes to the truth and bind you…all of us in a way you have never even pondered before. I am not sure if you Eternals have bonded despite growing up together, but you even if you have, that bond will not compare to that of the shadows. Our order has existed for a very long time and will continue to do so long after other systems haven fallen to the dung heap of history.”
Master Ebon at this point turns around and begins to chant in some strange language. After about five minutes of this, a shimmering portal opens up, though it sort of fades in and out of existence.
“And now Eternals, the ritual begins. You two, enter the portal together.” Ebon says pointing at Cyrus and Brian. The pair of them nod and walk into the portal.
After a few moments have passed, Ebon speaks again.
“You two, enter the portal together.” He says and Talia and David enter the portal leaving you by yourself.
A longer stretch of time passes and even you begin to feel a little anxious despite your best efforts.” Master Ebon naturally notices this.
“Since you have been spoken about in such high regard from Brother Gray, I have decided that you do not need to take this test, you are already skilled enough. In fact I believe that you probably do not belong in our order, and you would best serve the Emperor as a soldier. I will inform Mr. Mol of this and he will probably have you transferred to an appropriate post of your skill.”
“Master Ebon, I’m not afraid to go through the ceremony! I want to do this!” you protest.
“Hmm, didn’t expect you to protest. I was told that you have a habit of not questioning orders almost to a suicidal degree, though due to your skill, you manage to survive, so I know you are not afraid. However, while loyalty and obedience are certainly important traits to have, I believe that your particular mindset really would serve the Empire’s military instead. The military is a very simple place. Your superiors tell you to kill and you kill. They tell you to die, and you die. The Shadow Guard is a less…absolute branch that requires questioning and deeper thought at times. Contrary to popular belief we do not just snatch people off the streets because someone criticizes the Empire. Such a policy would undoubtedly depopulate countless cities and towns. No, we only seek out those that truly desire the fall of the Empire and sometimes that requires investigations.”
“So you are telling me I am not intelligent enough to be a Shadow Guard.”
“I didn’t say that. Again from what I’ve heard, you have exceptional intelligence. No, what I’m saying is your mindset is different. Now I know Brother Gray said he spoke to you about maintaining a survival instinct, but mere survival isn’t enough.”
“I know this. I survive so that I may serve the Emperor longer.”
Master Ebon at this point raises his hands and drops them.
“And that’s exactly why you would better serve in the military. There is no shame in this, not everyone is meant to be a Shadow Guard, not even an Eternal. I will make the preparations to have you transferred.”
Master Ebon turns from you to speak to Brother Gray and you’re left speechless. You’re also left with a lot of conflicting feelings. You feel disappointed, angry and confused all at the same time. Part of you is content on accepting Ebon’s assessment. He may even be right. He’s talking about questioning and complex thought and you don’t exactly know what he means by all that. What else could there be other than serving the Empire?
Another part of you feels defiant. You want to prove that he is wrong, you want to jump into the portal before he can do anything about it. Maybe he’s expecting you to do that though. Maybe this is a test? But why would there be a test that encourages disobedience?
In any event, if you’re going to make your move, you need to do it now.