Asunder Chapter 49

Chapter 10.2 (49)

Earlier Life

The Order

”Peace will be her name. And she will be watched for by the order—the Amaranthine. Time has no bounds with its keepers. They wait in silence. Ever watching, ever waiting. Guiding. Protecting. Healing. The order of time stands breathless, bound to honor. Out of order comes perfection.” - Song of the Sparrow 9:8-9, Book of Shepherds.

- Five days before the present day -

- The Year 2296 -

The Judge barreled down through the ravine, feeling as if he were flying. The horse’s speed reached well beyond its capacity, and the Judge could feel Oliver’s breathing becoming labored. He knew he had pushed the creature past its limits, but the more pressing matter remained Jane’s safety. Focusing on Jane’s heartbeat and breathing, the world around him began to shudder. The air oscillated, and his vision suddenly transitioned within her eyes. From her point of view, he could see Jane running through a hallway with flickering lights. He snapped back into his own eyes. The horse slowed with fatigue. The creature would not last much longer. He couldn’t give the horse any more power, as “Suspending Time” for the horse would cause the particles within its body to move at an accelerated rate. In so doing, it would slow time down for the steed, increasing its life, but in the end, this would alter too much within the Judge, rendering him useless to use his powers to help Jane. Manipulating time was an extraordinary gift but required proper use.

He considered using the ability of “Skipping Time” to allow himself complete preservation for the future, in which he could help Jane at the exact moment she needed him. The only caveat was that the act was highly unpredictable. Essentially, time would advance quicker for him, but his ability to control anything between now and then was difficult, if not impossible.

His first experience with “Skipping Time” suddenly flashed to his remembrance. All those years ago, he thought it would help him cope with his poor emotional state after the death of his daughter. He skipped multiple decades in hopes of avoiding the anguish he felt. He assumed "Skipping Time" would help him bypass the grieving period that came with death. He imagined the answer to processing depression after the loss of a loved one indeed was a tincture of time, a tincture of “Skipping Time.” He failed to realize that his metaphysical mind was still unable to cope with the loss. So when he returned to a normal flow of time twenty years later, he not only had to still deal with the emotions of the loss of his daughter but manage to understand all the events that occurred between the past and the present. The knowledge remained and suddenly rushed in and crashed upon him like an unstoppable tsunami. He dealt not only with the emotional ramifications of his memory overload but also with the geopolitical consequences of a World War and the ramping up of yet a second War. Realizing that he had skipped time to satisfy his emotional needs, the act compromised his true mission. By “Skipping Time,” he failed to follow up and keep track of his grandchildren, as he could not be the protector of his family line while suspended in time.

Ultimately, a woman he had never met became his saving grace. Unaware of her oversight, she had been watching over him and his family for decades. In so much, when he began “Skipping Time,” she could sense the alteration in the flow of spacetime and subsequently intervene as the guardian of his grandchildren. When he finally came to his senses twenty years later, the young-looking woman greeted him. His interaction with the woman seared into his mind forever as she introduced him to his true purpose and the Order of the Amaranthine.

He had just rematerialized his mind to his present body’s state in time and sat overlooking Monument Valley near his home. The towering rock structures stood as sentinels greeting his return. Their red faces glowed like fire as the setting sun illuminated them, and its orange light added to the rock’s already warm color. The fiery faces stood in contrast to the cool blue shadows spilling down their backs like waterfalls. Watching the monuments from this spot on the cliff remained his favorite thinking spot. The wonders reminded him of the more excellent laws governing the world—the ability of time, through eons of harsh elements, to carve beauty out from nature’s coarse and rough frame. This beauty was why he chose this place of all locations to freeze himself and chrysalate for twenty years.

When he returned, to his surprise, instead of the comfort the tincture of time was supposed to create, the realization struck him with the same recourse as when he first heard the news. The skipping of time had done nothing to alleviate his severe sorrow. He remembered the loss of his daughter just as fresh as the day it happened—no softening of his anguish. He expected the lapse of time to ease his sadness to some degree, but in a way, it stung even more. Nearly twenty years had passed instantly, and he could still feel the pain as though it had only been seconds. He sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the monuments. His eyes filled with tears. 

Why had he chosen immortality? 

Then, like a rehearsed verse, he remembered the same story he told himself daily to balm the ache. It was the only way to save his young granddaughter all those years ago.

His grandchildren had known him as an acquaintance—the Judge. It stung and took away the joy of being their grandfather. They always considered their grandfather to be a runaway—someone who could not handle the weight of raising a family. It was the lie he created so questions didn’t arise when he no longer aged at the same rate as his wife and daughter. He created the lie after his wife was diagnosed with cancer, and he used his ability to heal her. Since the cancer was metastatic and nearly consumed all of her vital organs, the act had caused a reformation within him. All color had drained from his hair and beard, turning them stark white. On top of the color change, his face had suddenly aged. He had not realized the toll the healing would take upon his body then, but it completely healed his wife, which was all that mattered. Because of the dramatic change in his features, he decided it was time to hide from the world, only seeing his wife and daughter in secret.

As he sat upon the cliff’s edge, just having returned from his skipping state and wallowing in the loss of his family and loneliness, a rustling of feet across the rocks startled him. A young woman dressed in a full desert tunic approached. Her dark blue robes tossed about in the wind cresting the plateau. Her brown face glowed orange in the warmth of the setting sun, bordered by her head covering. Baffled by the woman's presence, he rose from his seat.

“Sit, Jeremiah, I will come to you.” She spoke in a slightly accented voice.

She couldn’t have been any older than nineteen, yet she carried herself and spoke as though she were much older than the Judge. When she finally reached him, she plopped beside him and panted, slightly winded from her journey. 

“A beautiful sight, isn’t it?” She stared into the valley as it began to take on the deep blues of the long shadows. The orange faces of the formations became ever more prominent, like amber boats in a deep blue sea. The Judge’s mind reeled at how this young girl had made her way to the top of the plateau, how she had found him, and more so, why she had found him.

“I suppose,” the Judge spoke questioningly. The monuments now only reminded him of his loss, as though the upright formations represented each person he missed.

“It’s hard. I know. We all go through it, especially at this point in the process.” She spoke with authority yet with empathy. Like a general speaking to a soldier after losing a battle.

“We?” The Judge asked with some curiosity but with more confusion.

“Yes, we. Of the order.”

”The Order?” The Judge reeled. “What are you talking about?”

”The Order of the Amaranthine.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” the Judge scoffed, looking back into the distance.

“You have much to learn, Jeremiah. That old book of yours can only teach you so much, and time skipping is not likely what Tkin had in mind when he found you.”

How did she know Tkin, and how did she know he skipped time? Who was this woman? Was she an immortal like him?

“How…” the Judge started but was immediately interrupted.

“I know more than you realize, and we can teach you more than that old book of yours.”

He recalled the old book in the cave. It was where he learned about “Time Skipping.”

”I didn’t realize I’d….”

”Lose track of your grandchildren?” She finished his sentence.

”Yeah… how’d you know…” He looked at her speculatively.

“They are fine for now.” She spoke again. “I have been watching over them for you while your mind was away.” Her face took on a more stern expression. She clearly did not like his choice of "Skipping Time."

“Thank you,” he looked down, guilt overwhelming him.

“Jeremiah,” she placed her hand on his shoulder. He could feel a warmth emitting from her, radiating through him. 

“We have chosen a difficult road requiring sacrifices beyond what any mortal can understand. I have seen and lived through many generations. I have seen their mistakes. The repeating of those mistakes. The rise and fall of nations. The loss of my family. But I assure you there is hope in all things. I have seen the goodness in those where no goodness should have grown. I’ve seen the light in the darkest of dark. Likewise, I have seen women and men overcome this world and become new beings. We will fall. We will feel pain. But there is a reason beyond our understanding. We are here to ensure the hope remains. The Order commissioned you to perform one of the most important tasks—ensuring your family's safety for generations. Even without meeting anyone in the Order, you have understood this commission. This tells me you are in tune with the Order, but you just haven’t been taught properly, is all.”

”Caring for generations of people who despise you is daunting, I know, but as you know, as you feel and understand, there is a great importance to this cause. The utmost importance. The assurance of the continuation of humankind’s existence. We are not an anomaly, but we are a minority in the universe—intelligence comprehending the cosmos—hearts feeling and understanding the fluctuation of emotions—souls touching and experiencing the divine. I hope you know you are special. You are chosen.”

The Judge sat breathless. Her words flowed through him and caused the world around him to pulsate with majesty and hope. The sun’s last remnant of light streaked across her eyes. The stars peaking through reflected in them as well, as though all existence lived at one moment within her. Taking a deep breath, understanding replaced his doubt. Hope replaced despair. Joy replaced sadness. He knew what he needed to become. He could foresee the circular flow of time. Furthermore, he could simultaneously foresee his past, present, and future.

Rising to his feet, he could feel the cool wind rush all around him. The natural desert monuments now stood as ensigns to the cause. The passage of time would flow. He would ensure it. The prophecies rang through him. He would reveal them in due time. It was how it all worked. It required perception to see the infinite. Not as a straight and narrow course, but as a circular round, and he was its guardian.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The woman stood and dusted off her tunic. “My pleasure.” She grinned. She could clearly sense his understanding.

He looked about. The sky quickly filled with the stars of the firmament. “So where do we go from here?”

“Onward,” she replied plainly.

He nodded. “Hey, I didn’t even get your name. I somehow feel like I’ve known you my whole life, yet I don’t even know your name.”

She pushed her hand out. “Well, as you will realize, we tend to go by different names over time. For now, my name is Maryam Fadel Haidar, but those of the Order call me ‘Nightingale.’”

§

Maryam’s name rang in his ears as he dismounted the horse. She had given him the strength he required when he needed it most. With Jane in danger, he had to call upon this same strength. He recalled the words spoken to his understanding from long ago.

“I am its guardian. I am her guardian.”

He led the horse to the stream.

“Well, partner, this is where we go our separate ways.” The Judge held a sense of struggle in his voice. Oliver had been his faithful companion for years now. The horse looked at him knowingly as though he understood this was the last time he’d ever see the man. The Judge stroked his mane and rested his forehead against the white blaze of the horse's nose.

“Goodbye, old friend.” The horse nodded and grunted.

Slinging the bag of feed from off the horse's back and the saddle, the Judge left a means of food for the animal. “See you in the next life, friend.”

The Judge looked off into the distance. Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt the surrounding air shudder, allowing him to see through Jane’s eyes again. Mechanical red eyes glowed back at him this time, fierce and determined. In the vision, a machine began igniting its palms and heating a metal shaft containing Jane. She needed him now.

Instantly, the Judge reacted. Quickly tapping into Jane via their genetic connection, he immediately harnessed Jane’s gift of speaking. While linked with her, he abruptly knelt and slammed his hand against the ground, whispering into the rock between his fingers.

“Ånaweth åst alövöwæ, köríöeth ålö navaett.”

His incantation created a wisp of blue smoke along the dirt, causing the grass to shudder in its wake. The blades appeared to speak to one another, like a wave gaining momentum in a sea. A thin blue line sped toward the mountain range, firing along the ground like an electrical signal running along a wire. He kept his hand on the ground, feeling for the final effect of the enchantment. His body grew immensely weak from tapping into Jane’s DNA, even if, for a brief moment, the link was enough to cause every fiber of his being to drain its energy supply. He shifted back to Jane’s eyes. The shudder of the air signaled the connection, and he visualized the red eyes again. Its hands still heated the metal shaft she ascended. The Judge felt for it, and then, as expected, the message hit, and the surrounding rock lurched, weakening the tunnel enough to cause it to collapse before her, exactly where he had sent it. Then, the demon's visage disappeared as the rocks crumbled between Jane and the Taker.