Lens of the Void by JJ Wolficus (read full novel txt) 📗

one

who has taught so many young protoss, you are

awful y detached when you speak of

death."

The ancient Nerazim turned his head to meet the

commander's eyes. "You command

protoss in a time of conflict. You must have seen

death before, lost comrades to the Void's

embrace."

"Yes, I have. But I speak their names after they are dead. I mourn them and honor

them for their sacrifices."

Feranon thought he saw a flicker of emotion in the

old protoss's face, but he couldn't

be sure.12

"Commander, I wil keep my own counsel regarding

my students. We Nerazim are

not as demonstrative as the khalai. Over the

centuries, I have seen much death."

Feranon shook his head. "I have met many Nerazim,

and even though they do not

share the Khala, I know they feel just as strongly as

any protoss. And would time not make

you more sensitive to the loss of life?"

"Be that as it may, Commander, it is not your

business. I wil thank you for my

privacy."

"My crew is important to me, and I am responsible

for its health, physical and

mental."

"You may rest easy as to my mental health,

Commander. If I mourn, I wil do it in my

own way and without your hovering presence. Is

there anything else?"

Feranon was frustrated by the lack of a connection

between him and his Nerazim

crewman. He believed that Theromos was suffering

from some emotional wound, but

without the deep psionic link provided by the Khala,

he couldn't see how to help the old

protoss.

Feranon nodded. "Very wel . But know that you can

always come to me, if only to

talk."

Theromos didn't answer. He merely resumed his

meditation. Stil ness fil ed the

room as Feranon left.

* * *

Sitting in the calm center of his quarters, Theromos

waited until Sharas had

matched his meditative pose before speaking. "You

did very wel today. I expected you to

have more trouble handling the power of two

projectors, but you rose to the chal enge.

However, do not think that this makes you a master.

Few dark templar can control the full

might ofthe void ray's weapon. Some have even

died, their minds unable to focus the

Void's raw energies."

Sharas shifted uncomfortably but didn't answer.13

Theromos shook his head. "You took control of the

Void energies through your

anger. I could see your fear fueling the strength you

needed to keep them within your

grasp. This will work for a while, but eventual y your

passion wil falter."

Theromos inspected his student. "Let us try another exercise. Create a stream of

Void energy between your hands."

Sharas brought up her arms, holding them apart at

shoulder width. As she

concentrated, wisps of shadow curled around the

fingers of her left hand until the bunching

threads reached a critical mass and leapt. The dark

tendril flowed between her palms, left

to right, appearing on one side and then dissipating

on the other.

Theromos nodded. "Good. Now break it into smaller

strands and weave them

together like a rope."

Sharas's brow furrowed. The dark cord of energy

split into a number of narrower

tendrils, and after a moment, they pulsed in sync.

The new bandwas wider than before, and

individual strands moved in a braided stream.

"Adequate. Hold that in your mind. The rope is

strong; it wil not break, because

your focus sustains it."

The braid tightened, the energy flowing more quickly

from one hand to the other.

"Now, reverse the flow. Draw the energies from your right hand and dissipate them

on your left."

Sharas struggled to comply. The threads slowly

loosened. The motion of the energy

stopped and reversed, but the movement was

uneven and streams began to unravel.

Theromos pointed to her hands. "No, you must…"He broke off as understanding

flashed across the young protoss's face.

Immediately the rope tightened and the energy

flowed more evenly. If anything,the stream was

stronger than ever.

"Excel ent."There was respect in Theromos's tone.

Sharas's skin flushed in pride as she let go of the

Void and the tendrils disappeared.

"Once again, student, you show your ability to leap to understanding. I expected you

to take much longer to grasp these concepts, but

you have mastered them as quickly as any

student I have known. I caution you, however.

Sometimes this leap wil be of help, but often14

epiphany wil escape you. If you do not have

discipline and wil to fall back upon, the Void

shal consume you."

The room was quiet as Theromos's student thought

about the lesson.

Finally, Sharas spoke up. "If handling this much

power is perilous, shouldwe not

have two dark templar manage the energies in

tandem?"

"That creates its own dangers."Now Theromos

looked uncomfortable.

He stood and turned to face the far wal . "I have not talked of this in centuries. But

you remind me so much of her."

Theromos collected himself and then continued.

"When I was young, the Nerazim

were still experimenting with the Void energies, stil

discovering the various paths to their

use and their hidden secrets. I spent many years

deep in meditation, fol owing the currents

of the Void. But I was not alone.

"Naraza and I were close friends throughout our

training; we even passed our

Shadow Walks on the same day. She was my

complete opposite. Where I plodded, she flew;

where I was methodical, she was mercurial. She

found her power instinctively, jumping

ahead to the answer. In those days, we Nerazim

were particularly independent, preferring

solitary work and study, but Naraza and I

complemented each other well. Together we

accomplished much more than we could have

individual y. My studies were the rock to

which she could anchor herself as she cast her mind

farther into the Void.

"However, our investigations took us into dangerous territory. We discovered

techniques that suggested we could merge to create

a dark archon, one that could survive

far beyond the usual brief lifespan. Back then,

forming dark archonswas forbidden due to

the great forces they wielded. But we Nerazim have

never shied away from breaking rules.

Naraza became obsessed, pushing us to develop

these techniques. Final y, she laid plans to

enact the transformation ritual.

"I followed, inspired by her brilliance, hoping to solve any problems through logic

and dedication, but in the end I failed her. Aswe

began the ritual, I found I could not

complete it. I was fil ed with the fear of losing myself or,worse yet, destroying us both. I

tried to help Naraza recover, aborting the ritual, but

in a fit of pique, she continued on. She

would not let my pace slow her down. She reached

for far more power than she could 15

control, and it consumed her. In my grief and

disappointment, I swore I would no longer

embrace the Void