Chapter 3 - The Gaiasphere

Several hours pass as Artemis with surgical focus repairs the gynoid assassin that he has come to know and love as Siren Coratania. Working in tandem with the nanosuretical machines Artemis laces his artistic prowess into her broken body. Siren, the first of her kind to enter into the Holoverse, the universe from which all Artificial Inteligence resides, has been working for Artemis sometime.

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Graven conjured a sharp edged stone and,using a vine, attached it to a long branch.

"Alot of good that's going to do you against anything lurking here."

"If I can't be prepared the least I can do is present the illusion of it." Graven said, laughing for the first time in a long time.

"Suit yourself, I am sure whatever animal kills you will be incredibly inconvenienced by the wound you give it as it's eating you alive."

Again he laughed, half-heartedly this time. His laughter, the crunching leaves and snapping twigs drowning out any noises from the forest. Graven had been in an etherforest once before when he was younger with his father, but that time seemed ages ago and now he found himself as an infant in an unforgiving and ominous territory.

Three days passed in the forest without incident until Graven stumbled upon a clearing centered by a gargantuan tree. The tree stood over ten stories high with a massive sphere of vines taking the place of the normal blood red leavs from a normal etherean tree. Like every other tree in an forest were veins of glowing red ether running all along the dark blue bark tree, the lifeblood of all things Ether dependent. As if this sphere were not odd enough the vines moved. The entire tree was in a perpetual state of transition. Always there were vines being tied and untied, tangled and untangled.

"I think this is an interesting place to make base camp Axis. It's certainly the most intriguing thing we've seen so far and the area seems safe enough."

"It's a fragment of Forge itself...the force of creation. This is not possible. It is the era of Order, of purpose. It is not time for this to be here and yet there it stands. Alas this is the work of my forebearer Fracture. Forge's chain is not supposed to be in play for a millenia and the chain is supposed to be the strongest of the three... Unbreakable... If this is here it means that Forge's chain has been compromised. I agree this is the place to make base camp. I must investigate."

"What does all this mean?"

"Nevermind that. This is my ordeal. Set up camp."

Over the next several days Graven used a combination of stonecalling, the art of crafting stones from runic signs, and branches to make a rough shelter at the base of the Sphere tree. Each day Axis would try to teach him how to listen to the forest, to feel it's lifeforce, it's vibrations. Learning came slow to Graven and even the humblest of life runes were nearly impossible to learn without killing the beasts themselves or disecting the plantlife, both of which Graven refused to do.

"It will take an eternity if you keep refusing to get your hands dirty."

"I can't help it, I feel some connection to these lifeforms. Something deep inside I cannot deny."

"You don't listen and yet you can hear...perhaps there will be no need for carnage after all, though it will take a few more years." Axis found himself humbled by the speed at which Graven's instincts were adapting, far beyond his own comprehension.

"A few more years?...I'm not sure whether to be insulted or honored by that comment."
"Let's just say that you possess instincts beyond what I expected, perhaps that was why you were chosen. Don't let it go to your head, you still have ages to go, life is not some stone to be cast about."

Months go by as Axis begins to teach Graven how to extrapolate the three dimensional alphabet from what only reveals two dimensions using the call of each animal or the arcs of each plant. The level of intricacy involved far transcends the rocks, slabs, crystals and boulders of the cave and Graven finds himself offput and frustrated by his slow progress.

"What was that you said about me being 'beyond expectations,' and yet here I toil day by day with little to show for it. At least with the stones I could study without them hiding or panicking by my mere presence. Every day is a constant pursuit. I can't focus like this."

"Kill one. Rip the life from it's ether and you will find the pursuit much less...chaotic."

As if for the first time Graven considers Axis's proposal."No...No...Taeran taught me that life was to be respected, something cherished, not merely an empty vessel to be cracked open."

"Then I expect your complaining to wane and your patience to procreate."

For the moment the two were so busy bickering between each other they didn't notice the adolescent etherian playing in the stream before them. Suddenly quiet, Graven scrutinized the child who was seemingly unaware of his presence. The child played in the stream as if lost in some daydream and so carefully and with trepidation graven approached.

"Young one...young one." He beckoned but got no response and so began to close the distance between them.

"You there...young one...etherhil (the name for adolescent's in Gravens tribe)," Graven continued to call softly until he was upon the child. Finally he reached out and touched the child on the shoulder.

The child exploded into action, running at high speed in a manner more feral than bipedal before stopping on a branch. Turning around to look Graven dead in the eyes she turned once more and ran doggedly into the forest. Graven paused.

"Don't just stand there, after her!"

As if prodded by Axis's call Graven sprints in pursuit. Graven finds a hard time dodging the branches and roots but the child seems to have no time weaving over and through the surrounding plant life. The pursuit ensues for many minutes before finally Graven trips upon the root of a large tree and into the clearing ahead, hitting his head upon a fallen branch. The child stops and just before Graven succombs to darkness he sees three more forms approaching with the child sitting calmly in the background scrutinizing the fallen etherian.

Once again Graven is ripped from reality and into darkness. This time things are different. All things are in motion. The four masks have transcending their plaques and are now floating in orbit around the obelisk center to the four. Suddenly a voice tears the silence.

"My children you were born not of my will but of my heart and so it is bittersweet that I set you free. Here I stand ready to unshackle creation, set loose abrasion, set forth purpose and release chaos. The solemn silent silver sea will no longer swallow eternity and a new delineated universe will rage forth upon the hub of time.

With each word a crack forms on the obelisk and is alit by the following. Soon the entire obelisk is alight with cracking spitting forth blazing light and fire.

"Though bound by time you will set loose your wills upon all creation and chains will be the instrument of your influence. Forge your chain of steel shall never falter. Order your chain of iron will give all purpose. Entropy your rusted chain shall wittle the weakness from creation. Fracture your chain will shatter and you shall endure no reign over the sovereignty of time. You alone will play fate to all ages, denying all clairvoyance."

As each chain is mentioned so to are the links set ablaze with the will of the creator. Finally Fractures chain shatters in cataclysmic seizure. The four masks eight eyes burn bright assaulting Graven's eyes awakening him once more to reality. Graven is startled that upon waking the four masks place themselves on the four forms, one on each etherian, standing over him.

"Greetings Graven, it has been a long time my friend."

Blinking and clearing his eyes with his palms Graven is confronted by a friendly, familiar face.

"Abnagn is that you?"

"None other friend."

"But how...all these long years we thought you were dead."

"Not dead but exiled by Iboga."

"That's impossible I remember...I remember back to the days in lecture. Taeran mentioned how you had at one time been his best student, but one day just vanished. He spoke of you often."

"Those days are long passed and near forgotten for I fear I will never return home, and so I am Abnagn no longer. We have no names here for their ability to communicate has faded or never existed to begin with."

"We must get them speaking Graven, there is too much to be learned...to be lost," said Axis in the silence of Graven's thoughts.

At this point Graven finds himself surveying the four before him. There are two adolescents, one child and Abnagn, who seems to be in his 200th year (an old man in terms of etherian age). One adolescent is the one he chased through the forest who seems mentally adrift on another plane. The other is tattoo'd with a rainbow of exotic colors and shapes and at that very moment was kneeling down drawing in the dirt. The feral child is not more then 20 years of age (a preteen in etherial age). The other adolescent is sharpening a rough splintered branch into smooth perfection, the purpose of which is lost on Graven.

"How long have you all been here?"

"I have been here for ages beyond I can recall. The young one arrived before he could even speak( typically etherians were slow to learn to speak, often learning to hunt and forage to keep their purpose strong enough to survive their younger years). I only recently found the two siblings.I do not doubt that had I not found the three they would be long dead. There are many dangers in the forest."
"No doubt you all have seen your share of trials. For now you all must come with me, there you will find a stone shelter to call home and protect you from the elements."

"Stone? There is no stone in the forest."

"It's a long story and a tale for another time friend. For now it is getting dark and I ask that you spend not another night alone in these shadowed woods."

Resigned yet hopeful to find shelter Agnagn and the others follow Graven to the large shelter at the base of the sphere tree. Graven then considers new names for the four so that he may take steps toward teaching them to speak so they may find themselves once more. He decides to name all four after the masks he saw upon their faces at their meeting. The etherian words for Order, Entropy, Forge, and fracture that most resemble the four aspects are; Gaia for Forge, Veyn for Entropy, Adahn for Order, and Syrka for Fracture. The feral one, the child with the tattoo, he names Syrka. The next sibling takes the name Gaia meaning Forge. Graven was deeply struck by Gaia most out of all of the ethereans more so than the rest because of her frantic and constant creative and imaginative tendencies. The etherhil that had been sharpening the stick he names Veyn, and finally the one formerly known as Agnagn he names Adahn.

Adahn communicates to the three that it will be safe to travel with Graven to the stone shelter through a series of chantlike grunts and whistling noises that Graven thought for sure he could not emulate. This established Adahn as interpreter for the journey. The trip to the sphered tree would take (7)days but they were all adept at wilderness survival so minimal training and organization would need to be conveyed in order for a safe passage to take place.

Adahn organized the group instructing them all to gather a few provisions that might be needed for the hike. Veyn always carried his small tools of destruction with him were ever he went; a small hatchet, a crude sling shot for hunting, and a sharp stick for taking the life of small animals he would trap and kill for food. Syrka was a disorganized sort of character that seemed hells bent on distraction of the others. He seemed as if their was always something else on his mind like his mind was in some far away place and he didn't want you to know what he was thinking. Syrka tended to stray from the group whenever possible but never far. He would always be reigned in by Adahn. The vitals and victuals in he pack were unknown to the rest of the group due to his secretive yet unintelligent nature. He will be dangerous when evolution finally chooses to take him.

Adahn was of course the second leader and translator between Graven and the other three. His natural organizational talents and insights into language made him indispensible to Graven. In his pack were common sense items such as food, his weapon, and a few rocks that he would finger occasionally that would allow him to collect his thoughts. Adahn was spartan, simple in his appearance and his mannerisms yet deep and likable. His pleasant nature made him a good match for friendship.

Gaia was most outstandingly odd and quite brilliant in her behaviors. She incessantly created art of all kinds where ever her eyes and fingers landed. She placed into her makeshift satchel sticks of medium and small sizes, small bits of clay, powders of various scent, speckles of glitter like residue, and all manner of plant materials that were always discombobulated and rearranged to appear as if they were new life forms. Her ingenuity seemed limitless and her pack was very heavy and inconvienient but she insisted. Gaia carried no food and no weapon. Adahn explained to Graven that her beloved plants would save her if she ever was in the position that she needed to be saved. Adahn and his pleasant nature could not bring himself to tell her how foolish it was to not protect herself and took this on as his charge. Gaia would babble on about how she could see life and wanted to put it together, build things, and see how it all worked together in unison. Things that were not alive frightened her. She shunned Inanimate objects and death hence she precribed her diet to be strictly vegetarian. Anything resembling the metallic caused her to go into a wild unexplainable panic.

This had already been shown evident because of Graven and Axis. The eye caused her to go into hiding in fright as soon as she was able after their first encounter. The Metal Eye pricked her as she would come near to speaking to Adahn later. Gaia, as well as the other three could not speak verbally, but of the other three she was the closest to that ability. Her non verbals were usually easy to understand and Graven tried to cipher her dance as much of it as he could due to his own attraction and intrigue. For Graven Gaia not only held a casual curiosity, but also a heathy bit of attractive mystique.

As they had begun their journey Adahn began to explain the various traits and histories to Graven as they walked through the woods. Gaia, Veyn, and Syrka followed safely behind them. Gaia for fear of the metal eye remained in the rear.

"Graven, how many days journey is it to the stone shelter?", asked Adahn as they walked through the thick green jungle.

"From here we are near seven days journey due to the course of the river. There is a straighter path but we may run the risk of running out of water and I am not willing to take that chance just to save time besides in the time perhaps you can teach me of yourself and your family.", said Graven.

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Several months pass