The walk to Rihanu was enjoyable. Seranu and Terabi walked along the river, talking about history and King Osai, everything around them shadowed by night, lit by the full moon. The river ran dark, shining in the moonlight. Its light sound was calming and lovely; Terabi basked in the sound as the two of them walked. Eventually they came to the majestic and dark ramparts surrounding Catarika's capital city. The river ran through the stone wall, gated off by iron bars framed in a lovely arch. There was a small gate below a tall tower just left of the large gate closing off the path of boats and the two of them stopped. Terabi followed Seranu's gaze to the very top of this tower and noticed a dark man peeking out of a window.
The man waved, recognizing Seranu in the darkness, and Seranu shouted up to him:
"Ah! Morlea! You're on guard tonight? ...I have business with Osai. I bring a new friend!"
"Oh how lovely! Come right in, Seranu!"
With the grinding of metal within the walls the small gate opened and the two walked in, Seranu waving at Morlea.
"Welcome to Rihanu," Seranu said cheerily as they began their walk through the clusters of houses, "The gates are open in the day but at night they are closed and watched by guards. That was my nephew. He's a fine young man, another Man of Osai. There's six of us in all, blessed with a gift from Osai- well, five of us and Osai himself. We've been imbued with the Power of Threes, so we heal thrice as fast, need one third the sleep--or less--, can lift three times a man our build, and other such things. In addition, and probably the best of all, we have the power of foresight. Osai was given the Realm of Vision to preside over when his time on earth is finished he's going to send choice spirits down through our bloodlines to inherit this gift and be stationed around the Rinniken World. If there is something we need to know, that Rinniken has given permission--and Osai as soon as he takes over-- to tell us, we see it in a flash of vision and understanding. It's a very nice gift indeed."
"How can you tell a Man of Osai from a common man?" Terabi asked.
"Osai has taken the Moon and the Dark Eye to be his two symbols. I forgot to add, we can see in total darkness, especially moonlight. When the moon is full, like tonight, a ring of six small triangles glows in our iris. It also glows when two Osanokai are near each other, when we receive vision, or in the future when an appointed gift-caller called an Aikada calls forth the mark. It's a wonderful gift and though it was started so we could be palace guards he quickly changed his mind and sent us to be in the country quietly guarding the people."
"What does your sense tell you about me?" Terabi said quietly, "Has it told you where I am from?"
"Well," Seranu thought, "I have seen that you are a Mage. I have not been told of your origins, though."
This was a lie, however. Seranu had seen pretty clearly where Terabi came from but was forbidden to say. He searched his mind for words to turn his lie into truth without giving away what he had been commanded not to.
"I can say that you are right where you're supposed to be and you need to figure out for yourself who you are."
Terabi was satisfied with this answer and felt very clearly in his soul that this question should not have been asked. He felt slightly bad but instead of demanding answers he resolved to do exactly what Seranu said and figure out for himself who he was. That he knew for certain was truth.
"Osai's palace is this way," Seranu said, gesturing at a tall and majestic castle in the center of the city. "We will enter through this door you see over there."
He pointed to a small door around the back of the palace, getting closer and closer. As they arrived Seranu shook the hand of the guard outside, and they stepped into a beautiful, long hallway of crimson lined with hundreds of portraits, mirrors, and paintings framed in golds, greens, and reds. There were scenes depicting scenes from previous eras of creation, portraits of many figures, and lovely mirrors.
Terabi watched his reflection as he passed one and caught sight of himself for the first time. He was certainly Catin, having small cat-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and a very pointed face. His hair was straight and quite long, and he looked ageless. He had no idea how old he was but this didn't disturb him. He kept on, following closely behind Seranu, passing scenes and people. He then passed a very large picture showing the succession of gods and froze. As he looked into the eyes of the man standing tallest he saw a striking familiarity. Those eyes.... they were the same eyes he had seen in the mirror. He was looking at a picture of Jinjo and Cocolee, Rancem and Rinniken in front, and their children in front. There were lots of other people in the picture too, blurry and small, standing in a crowd behind the big names. Suddenly a swirl of memories started to come back, as if he was trying to hear their voices, but the more he thought the more distant they became. As he walked away he noticed two people standing around the back but Seranu was getting farther ahead so Terabi turned away and jogged to catch up, still wondering why that picture caught his eye.
As quickly as the feeling came over him it left him and he again felt like the lone person he was before. He saw a glimpse of Osai in the picture and had an idea of what he looked like. As he continued down the hall, which seemed endless, the people seemed alive, as if they could talk through their portraits. Terabi wondered if it were possible to communicate between Realms that way, through a mirror or window. He continued on, his eyes taking in all of the artwork along the endless walls. He passed over a picture of what he knew to be the Realm of Traversing and as soon as his eyes met with the blue sky and dark stone floor he had a stab of pure longing in his heart. As soon as he registered the feeling it was gone. He didn't think too much of it but that picture did stay in his mind. The rest of the walk to the throne room he went over that picture in his mind.
"We're finally here!" said Seranu, smiling as he quickly pulled open a tall door. They had at last arrived at the throne of Osai, the first son of Rinniken and the brother who inherited the most god power. Osai had been expecting them and welcomed them in with a wave of his hand.
Osai looked a lot like Seranu but slightly older and with longer hair. His eyes were a lot darker and he wasn't as tall, although he was sitting so Terabi couldn't be sure. He had a friendly smile and an air of kindness and majestic about him and his presence was totally inviting.
"Ah yes, you've brought a visitor!" Osai said, standing. He was shorter than Seranu but stood no less majestically. He was King of Catarika and it was very clear by how he moved. He walked slowly a few paces in front of his throne and lowered his head the same way Seranu had, and smiled.
"Tell me, who are you and where do you hail from, young man?"
Terabi bowed his head the same way and answered, feeling nothing but the air of friendship, justice, kindness, and god power from Osai.
"My name is Terabi and I know not where I am from."
"Where then did you find yourself?"
"In the forest... Das Verdun."
Suddenly Osai's eyes grew wide. Terabi could see the bright ring of triangles Seranu had told him earlier glowing strong in his dark eyes.
"Seranu," Osai said strongly with an air of excitement, "Come here for a moment. Terabi, you wait here."
Osai grabbed Seranu by the arm and ushered him quickly into a back room. The door slammed and Terabi could hear them talking excitedly, wondering what they were saying, their words masked by the walls. Finally they reappeared, looking no different, and walked over to where Terabi still stood. The two brothers looked him up and down, though Terabi didn't feel any sort of judgment in the air, only curiosity, wonder, and a feeling like they knew who he was. The three of them stood in silence for quite a time before finally Osai broke the silence with a warm voice.
"I know who you are. You are a friend among us and someone seen by us as a Mage destined for greatness. Return to the Circle of Mages and begin your studies. You have a lot to discover and train. You will no doubt be the last great mage, Terabi."
At these words Terabi and Seranu departed and returned to the Circle of Mages. It was a most unusual time for a new Mage to show up up but given the circumstances Seranu wasted no time in getting Terabi a small hut of his own among the newest initiates, complete with a new wardrobe and all the supplies he could ever need during his training.
"I've been saving this hut near the library for someone special," Seranu said, inviting Terabi to feel as at home as he knew how.
Terabi smiled as he looked around at the tiny hut which included a bed, stove, and even a tiny bathroom with running water pumped from the river.
"There should be everything here you could want," Serani went on, "You'll get a good start by reading these texts that are on the bookshelf by the table. Meet me in the library tomorrow when the bells strike high sun for your initiation. Here is a map of the campus with a list of all the current Mages, both in training and masters of their circle. And remeber, Terabi, get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day for us all."
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