Forward

AW 8654

he knock on the door startled Kylara. She turned about as the door opened and saw her counterpart master apprentice, Noerobin, standing there. Noerobin's eyes went wide and he smiled when he saw Kylara's surprised face. She was flushed, and her hood had fallen backwards, revealing a mane of ice-blue hair, curled beautifully. Her eyes, nearly the same color but with a twinge of green, glittered like gems. She opened her mouth to speak but the shrill cry of Kiteleeaa, her Dezorian owl, silenced her.

Noerobin laughed, and pushed his own hood back. His hair was the same shade as Kylara's, and nearly as wild, but cropped short and looking a little spiky. His skin was terribly pale, even more so than Kylara's. Though of different sexes, both wore the same long robe and had identical staves hanging from their belts. Noerobin enjoyed their resemblance. It would have been startling even in twins, and it was made all the more remarkable by the fact that the two were of no relation whatsoever.

Noerobin stepped into the room and up to his fellow Esper. He and Kylara embraced. "How are you today?" Noerobin asked. He kissed Kylara on the cheek.

"I am well," she said, looking down at the floor. "And you?"

Noerobin chuckled and shook his head. He pulled back from Kylara but still held her hands. "Ah, Kylara," he said. "Always so formal."

Kylara looked away.

Noerobin put a hand on Kylara's shoulder. "I didn't mean to trouble you," he said. "I sometimes underestimate your shyness... But someday you will realize how much I love you." He held out his arm and Kiteleeaa danced out of his open cage and on to it. Upon meeting Noerobin's sleeve the bird ceased its shrieking and began to sing a beautiful melody. Noerobin blanched, if that was possible in one so white. He looked to Kylara.

"I taught him to sing," she said with a shrug. But a wide grin betrayed her pride.

"You were right," Noerobin whispered, still in awe of Kiteleeaa's heady, intoxicating song. "The Dezorian Owl is not a tone-deaf species after all."

"It was nothing," she said. "Just a matter of training. No magic required!" Blushing, she turned to her desk and began to straighten a pile of books she had tidied just moments before.

"You are far too modest, Kylara," Noerobin said.

Kylara turned around again and held out her arm for Kiteleeaa to take. He did so, and Kylara then gently placed him back in his cage. Once inside, the owl began to sing again.

"There is a difference between modesty and honesty," Kylara said.

"And maybe some day you'll find it," Noerobin whispered, smiling. The two began to giggle, and embraced again.

[     ]

A dark thought came into the room and weighed down upon them. Although the thought contained no actual words, its form was unmistakable. It was displeasure. Anxiety.

Kylara and Noerobin turned to the doorway and saw another Esper standing there. He wore a dark blue robe and a hood that covered his head completely. A spell of shadow had been cast on the space inside the hood, and because of this the Esper's face was completely concealed from view. Around his belt hung a white sash. He balanced himself on a worn wand which he tightly grasped before him with both hands. His knuckles were whiter than the webs of snow drifting on the Mansion windowpanes.

This was Bidandylidara, the Elder. He was said to be the personal assistant of Lutz, and it was also said that he was the only living Esper to ever behold the face of the Most Reverent One.

[I am sorry I must disturb you] Bidandylidara said. He spoke never in words, using only the mindspeak that the telementals shared.

[is something the matter Elder] Kylara asked, using telepathy to respond as a sign of respect to her superior.

[yes] Bidandylidara answered her. He did not move. Although the others could not see them, his eyes were round and wet. [I must ask the two of you to come with me at once]

Kylara and Noerobin, still embracing, looked into one another's eyes. As Bidandylidara shuffled off, the two of them followed. The three Espers made their way through the cold, winding corridors of Esper Mansion. They traveled slowly, as the Elder's legs were said to be lame, and eventually came to the courtyard at the center of the Mansion. Two solemn-faced and silent guards blocked the entrance to the courtyard, but they nodded and moved aside as the Elder approached.

[this is a place of Lutz] Noerobin thought to Kylara. [you can feel the magic power emanating from every direction I have never experienced anything like this]

[I have never even been in this courtyard before] Kylara thought simply.

[nor have any of the others in the Mansion save myself] the Elder added. Kylara and Noerobin both blushed, thinking their conversation had been a private one. They realized they had been foolish to not know that Bidandylidara's powers would allow him to hear the thoughts of others, even when those thoughts were shielded.

At the center of the courtyard was a small, simple building. The trio stopped when they reached the entrance, which was sealed with a cast-iron door.

Bidandylidara stopped and sighed. [this is the Sanctum of Lutz] he said. [as you know it was built more than seven thousand years ago as a haven for Lutz the last of all Esper kind it was in this very building that Lutz discovered the means of bringing forth and enhancing magic abilities in Palmans who possessed even scant traces of ancient Esper blood and that was how our people were reborn] Bidandylidara waved his hand and the door slid open. Inside was a single room. A titanium throne with simple padding was near the center of the room, and behind that was a staircase leading downwards. Lining the walls were statues of The Heroine similar to those that filled all the hallways of Esper Mansion.

Bidandylidara continued. [shortly thereafter the renewed Esper society began to flourish this small chamber quickly became crowded and so the Mansion proper and various surrounding buildings were constructed however Lutz himself could not leave this place it had been his home for too long and so he remained here and he remains here still]

Kylara could feel her heart pounding. She grabbed Noerobin's hand and found it cold and clammy. Scarcely breathing, they watched their elder approach the metal throne at the room's center and place his hands upon it.

[this is where Lutz sat] he said. He stood there for a moment and then motioned for the two young Espers to follow him down the staircase.

The room below was very dark. It was deep below the ground, and there were no sources of light within except for an indistinct object resting on a table at the center of the room. Besides more statues of The Heroine along the four walls, there was nothing within that Kylara or Noerobin could determine. Every movement they made, every footfall, caused multiple echoes, prompting the young Espers to be utterly still.

Bidandylidara was silent for several seconds. Finally Noerobin asked [where is the Reverent Lutz]

Normally Kylara would have scolded her counterpart for an outburst in the Elder's presence, but this time she was only relieved that she would not have to ask the question herself.

Bidandylidara looked up at one of the shadowy faces of Alis Landale. He stepped closer to it, and vanished into the shadows. Only the sound of his footsteps remained, as well as a sentence reverberating from his mind. [he is here]

Kylara looked all about her. [where]

[right before you dear children I am he]

Kylara and Noerobin froze. They were so struck by the revelation that they could not move or speak. Their heartbeats and faint breath were drowned out by the flurry of questions that flooded their minds.

Noerobin shook his head. He nearly forgot to use his telepathy when he asked [Bidandylidara is Lutz]

Bidandylidara stepped from the shadows and stood before them, on the other side of the lone table. He placed his wand upon the tabletop, reached up with both hands, and removed his hood. The face that stared out from the darkness within was not that of an old man, as the young Espers had expected, but the face of a boy who looked no older than Noerobin and Kylara were themselves.

[what sort of magic is this] Kylara asked. [we had always been told that you were ancient a hundred years old at least]

"Oh, I assure you I am," the Elder said. It was the first time either of the student Espers had heard him speak aloud. "This is the magic of Lutz. And it is time that you, Kylara and Noerobin, learn the secret of that magic, as well as the truth behind Lutz's history."

Lutz snapped his fingers and two plush chairs appeared before the table. It happened before Noerobin and Kylara could realize, but it seemed as if the chairs had been fashioned from the darkness itself. The two Espers sat, finding the chairs very comfortable, and they were silent as their master spoke.

"Know you that Lutz is both one man and many. I am both the one Lutz as well as simply the most recent. Allow me to explain." Lutz waved his hands and the faint source of light upon the table became brighter and more distinct. It occurred to Kylara that, until then, the object had been only partially within the corporeal plane. The object rose in the air and took the form of a silver sphere.

"Long ago, the man known as Lutz, he who revived the Esper culture, died. He had already lived for over a thousand years, more than his body and mind were ever designed for. However, he knew that the Espers and all of Algo faced dark days ahead, and would need a wise and powerful leader to see them through. Thus, he transferred all of his memories and knowledge into this sphere, which Lutz called the Telepathy Ball. The contents of the Telepathy Ball were then transferred into the mind of Lutz's successor, who took the name 'Lutz' out of respect for his precursor. When the third Esper leader communed with the Telepathy Ball, he gained the wisdom of the first and second Lutzs combined. And so it has continued all these many centuries, with each new Lutz being far wiser than he or she who came before."

"She?" Kylara asked. Her jaw hung open. "We were always taught that Lutz was a man."

Lutz nodded. "Yes, you were, in keeping with the legends. And the first Lutz was indeed a man. But I assure you that there have been many female Lutzs since then. And I, dear children, am the twenty-first of Lutz's noble line."

"Why has all of this been made secret, Great Lutz?" Noerobin asked.

"Lutz feared his people would lose heart should they know that their leader for centuries had been replaced by someone new, someone who appeared to be inexperienced. He feared they would doubt the power of the Telepathy Ball. And that concern is relevant even today. How great is the mystique of Lutz? How many Espers would be horrified to learn that the legends they hold so dear contain even one grain of half-truth?" Lutz smiled. "At this moment, how shaken are you?"

"I...I understand," Noerobin said.

"But why tell us, Reverent One?" asked Kylara.

"As you know, the Algoian civilization has begun its expansion into our neighbor galaxy, Do-Na-Kri. It has been difficult enough for me to watch over and guide Algo as it spread throughout Andromeda; it would be all but impossible for me to attend to the new galaxy as well. Even if I could, I fear my performance would suffer, and that is something that Lutz simply will not tolerate. Therefore, it had been decided that when next the mantle of Lutz was passed on, it would be passed to two individuals instead of only one. Since the incredible powers of Lutz could allow the two to remain in constant telemental communication, Lutz would become, in essence, one mind with two bodies -- one in each of the distant galaxies. And you, Noerobin Andol and Kylara Stein, are the two who I have chosen."

What came next was a blur. There was much embracing, and crying, and asking of why such honor had been bestowed upon two so ordinary. But they were ordinary only in their own minds. Lutz knew they were really much more. After many minutes, Lutz held his hands aloft and the two were silent.

"However, there has been a change in my plans."

Kylara and Noerobin looked at one another, confused and afraid. Neither knew how one such as Lutz, who was nearly omniscient, could possibly have need of correction.

"Last night a visitor appeared in my chambers," Lutz said. "He knew my true name, as well as the fact that I am Lutz. Those are secrets known only to me. It was obvious that the visitor was someone of great power. He begged me to listen to his story, and I complied. Listen now and he shall tell you himself what he has shared with me."

A second figure stepped from the shadows near the back of the room. He had typically Esper features, and short blue-white hair. He wore a suit of armor of the same color, with a white cloak over it. Both young Espers recognized the cloak as none other than the legendary Frad Mantle. The stranger strode over to the table and stood before it and the Telepathy Ball. His footfalls did not make a sound. Lutz stepped back into the darkness and nearly disappeared from view.

"What I have to tell you is most shocking," the stranger said. "Listen well, and know that what I say is true. Were it false, my friend the Twenty-First Lutz would have known at once."

Noerobin and Kylara nodded solemnly.

"I, too, am Lutz," the stranger said. "I come from far in the future. The name of the time I come from would be meaningless to you; know that it dates many millions of years after the end of your AW calendar."

[millions] Noerobin asked in his thoughts.

[yes millions] the second Lutz answered. He continued. "You could quite literally call the time I am from the end of time. I cannot explain to you how I know this, although none in all of Creation are more worthy of that knowledge than yourselves. I must ask that you trust me."

Both Espers nodded. "Of course," Kylara said.

"In this future so distant it cannot be grasped, the civilization which originated here in Algo is at war with a great enemy, a force so vile it seeks only to destroy all who stand in its way. And this force has a particularly deadly weapon -- the ability to remove its enemies from history itself."

The Lutz of the present was seen to shake his head in sadness.

"My coming here is a direct violation of my own law forbidding pollution of the timestream. However, the direness of the situation warrants my actions. For you see, my term as Lutz is nearly at an end, but the Esper population, which has forever been small, is scattered throughout the universe. Further, the power of most Espers has weakened, as blocking the advances of our enemy has become a decidedly more vital priority than the studies of the magical arts. What I tell you is that, in my time, there is not a single Esper man, woman, or child with the ability necessary to assume the position of Lutz. I knew that only in the distant, peaceful past -- where magic was even stronger than it is in my time -- would there be Espers capable of taking my place. And you, out of all the Espers I have encountered in my long history, were the first to come to my mind."

Kylara shook her head. "No. No! Noerobin and I are gifted, yes, but not nearly so exceptional in our craft. We are hardly the most gifted Espers to ever live!"

The future's Lutz smiled. "You forget; the two of you were about to be named Lutz. Power comes from experience, experience from age, and you both were about to live for a very long time."

"What do you mean 'about to'?" Noerobin asked.

Future Lutz sighed and scratched his temple. "In my history, both of you lived some thousands of years, but Kylara was assassinated by a hostile alien race before her greatest works could be accomplished."

"How...can you know what I would have done?" Kylara asked, not even sure how best to phrase the question "How can you know of accomplishments I never...accomplished?"

Lutz shook his head. "Such are the powers of a million Lutzs, child, as you will see. But I must continue, and quickly. After your assassination, we Algoians and the race of the assassin became close friends, but the tragedy of the loss of half of Lutz had repercussions that lasted for epochs. Since Kylara was prevented from fulfilling her duties, and since Noerobin and all who followed him proved themselves to be competent enough to serve multiple galaxies -- and more -- at once, I have decided that Kylara should be taken from this time and used to succeed me in the future."

Noerobin began to sweat profusely. Kylara shook her head again and said, "No. No! It can't be! How can you expect me to leave the very reality I know for something I cannot possibly understand?"

"But you will understand, once you have communed with my time's Telepathy Ball," Future Lutz said. "You will be as much yourself as you ever were, but with all of Lutz's collected knowledge and understanding of millions of years of history. You will be more than qualified for the task and more than comfortable in that alien age."

Kylara blinked. How could she possibly argue with the one in whom she had always trusted everything, especially when that individual had literally millions of years of knowledge and experience at his disposal? What being could possibly be more wise than this strange Lutz? She realized that she had no choice; but even if she had, her final words would have been the same.

"I accept."

Noerobin was still. After a few seconds he asked, "But what will I say to the others when they ask what has happened to Kylara?"

The present's Lutz waved his hand. "I will take care of that."

"Then it is done," said Future Lutz. "Kylara shall accompany me to the future, where she will be ordained as Lutz. Noerobin shall remain here, and he will be ordained as well."

Kylara and Noerobin stood and faced one another. They were very quiet.

"You will take care of Kiteleeaa," Kylara said.

Noerobin nodded. "Of course." Noerobin began to cry and Kylara embraced him. Then she, too, began to cry. Noerobin pulled Kylara as close as he could and he whispered in her ear, "I will keep Kiteleeaa singing, in memory of you. And Kylara... I still pray that you someday realize the depth of my love for you."

In scant moments, Future Lutz told Kylara that it was time to go. She could not argue. Through use of an unknown spell, Lutz created a swirling vortex, and Kylara followed him through it. The passage sealed behind her, and the world she had known was gone.

The future was indeed a very strange place. Up was still up and down was still down. The composition of matter and energy had not changed in any way she could perceive. Space was still black, and the stars fighting back the darkness were still shades of white that looked frail in their twinkling. However, aside from this, the world of the future was completely beyond Kylara's comprehension. She had to shut her eyes away from it. It was too strange; she didn't know what she was seeing or what was happening to her. She could feel Lutz's hand squeezing her own. She screamed. She feared she was going mad.

Then she felt a cold metal ball being placed in her hand. She squeezed it, and remembered. She knew. She opened her eyes and everything made sense. That was the most frightening part of all.

That was eleven thousand years ago.

There are nights now when she stands out in the open and looks up at the night sky. Nearly every star her eyes can find is surrounded by swarms of artificial planets, and on those spheres beat hearts whose immediate ancestors came from Algo.

And she personally knows every world.

She imagines all those trillions of lives, and how all are depending upon her. Even with all of Lutz's wisdom and power resonating within her mind and heart, the responsibility sometimes becomes more than overwhelming. She retreats, on those nights, into her most private and secluded of places, and she reflects back on her past. The people, places, and times Kylara knew before her joining -- all of them remain as alive in Lutz's memory as they do in her own. Lutz's past is now her past as well. Noerobin was her friend from long ago. And as he was once Lutz, and she is now Lutz, they have been made one in the same. She hears Noerobin's voice in her mind, and sometimes it is the voice of a beloved friend. Other times his voice is her own. But now she knows Noerobin's mind. Kylara realizes that if there was ever a time when Lutz knew error, it was a split second when Noerobin feared Kylara would never understand how deeply he cared for her. In their memories Kylara sees the happy days, after the fears died away, that Noerobin spent awaiting their "reunion" in Lutz. And in their minds she hears Kiteleeaa still singing.

Fin.