ORB- The Manuscript of Cygnus Novel

prologue

                      The small Chamber of Limp was illuminated with a thick-orange color of lava settling in a pit, just outside the chamber's window. A tall, dark man dressed in a yellow cloak, paced around a young, beat up man, who was hanging on a cross. He spoke of the ancient Ven'Ari language. "Ak'Hem, heydute heew herat wha?" How are we today, Ak'Hem?
         The man on the cross, Ak'Hem, replied with a smirk, "Retteb eeb snedukeh. Whee?" Couldn't be better. You?
         "Heal'hearg eem zelzealp hallph surwereloph T'heedernert huth eese whoet enneh hegnuph." Anything to see the Trinity followers fall pleases me greatly.
        Ak'Hem spit some blood. "Hg'narl zih neewid herat whee thawl." What you are doing is wrong.
        "I don't see it like that." The man in the cloak paced around him, like a panther stalking its prey. "I do apologize for my crudeness in replicating the event of a crucification." The man in the cloak gave off a smile. "At least you will die with your beliefs."
        He paused and paced around some more. The cloaked man walked up to the bloody face of the Ak'Hem on the cross. "I hope your religion is more forgiving than I am." The cloaked man smirked, as he wiped beads of sweat off his forehead and flicked them onto the face of the dying man.
        Ak'Hem, blood streaming from his wrists and feet (where nails gouged into his flesh) mumbled in disgust, "Evil begets evil, Acturus."
        Acturus swung his fist into the dying man's jaw. "Shut up!" He didn't raise the volume of his voice, just the anger in his tone.
        The man recoiled from the blow by spitting a tooth out- blood to follow. "You really haven't changed, Acturus."
        Reaching into his long yellow cloak that stretched just below his knees, Acturus pulled out a slender wooden crossbow and loaded a golden arrow. Acturus pointed the weapon the bloody man hanging on the cross. He aimed specifically for Ak'Hem's starved, famished torso.
        Acturus squeezed the trigger.
        A sharp pop of painful sound filled the room. The man's eyes lit up, as he could feel the superiorly-crafted arrow tear through his flesh, piercing his juicy up up his heart. Slowly, but surely, the man's vision began to collapse on itself.
        Acturus gave a disturbing grin. "You see? I have changed. There once was a time when I believed in your foolish religion. I made that mistake so gravely, that my son came to take faith in the myth of God."
        Acturus's voice seemed to deepen and slow down, being warped as the Ak'Hem's soul faded into eternity. "Back then, I had accepted that playing God with lives, was of a practice obviously worth damnation. But once I found out that God didn't exist in the first place, well- playing god became my expertise..."

(Listen to The Murder of Ak'Hem)

the true nature of things

                      It has always been a great wonder, of the little boy: who made all of this? He sat on the shore of the beach. Sea water would rush up to his feet, crash past his legs, hit the rocks behind him. He looked out to the twin sunset, astonished by its beauty, regardless he had spent all of his years in existence on that beach every evening, watching the two suns crash against the horizon. This would cause the blue sky to burst in sunset colors- pinks, oranges, reds, and even the rest of the evening sky's blue.
        The boy sighed- he couldn't help but wonder why the suns set, or why the waves were. His mind was very frustrated with the deep thought for just an eleven year old. Every time he would inquire, few answers would rarely prevail the dumbfounds that would fill his thought. This curious boy had a lot of questions. A lot, indeed.
        A booming, metallic voice shot out from the top of the creator's summit. This was the dinner bell. The boy, Cygnus, turned his head upward as he sat on the beach. The beach was at the base of the mountainous land form of granitic rock with moss and grass growing on it; the crater was where the mansion was.
        He turned back to the two suns, one just set- instantly the sky and the ground became darker, yet still lit by the smaller sun a few miles up from the horizon. He began to walk back when a large white bird landed beside him. It was the size of himself, four-and-a-half feet high. It squawked, making a muffled throaty sound. It wasn't too pleasant, but interesting to hear. It then flapped itÕs white, feathery wings.
    Again, the booming bell rang out over the island. He knew that if he was late for dinner, his father was belt him. The boy slackingly acknowledge the bell as he slowly backed away from the bird, wishing he could examine it further...

        The 53rd Family was gathered at a long, luxurious glass table in the Chamber of Dining. The walls were of a light blue marble, as the floor-tile was of the same material, but a checkered black and white. The ceiling had intricate carvings in it's pale-tan plaster. From the ceiling, hung a grand, golden chandelier holding a number of thick, ivory-colored candles. There seemed to be two types of candles, equal in numbers, in the chandelier. One type was thick and short; its flame was blue. The other type were long and slender, spouting fire of yellow color.
        Under the lovely lighting, sat the family eating roasted Tk'toc'el'n, a fabulous bird which appeared only around the end of summer time. It was gigantic; a bird that's wings spanned fifty feet! The bird Cygnus encountered, at the beach, was merely a Tk'toc'el'n infant. The family had determined there were three Tk'toc'el'n birds that soared around the family's private island every year. Only a small portion of the torso's meat was roasted for this feast, the rest was used for other purposes.
    The aroma of the grilled bird was like the smell of chicken roasted during a cool summer day. Cygnus smiled as his tongue filled with the sensation of a dozen of his mother's spices, as the meat was a lavishly pleasing flavor.
        It was a holiday, which Cygnus had been looking forward to all year. This day was named Nd'Smre, which marked the finish of summer, and the beginning of fall.
        At the far end of the rectangular table sat Crux. He was elderly, but strong and alive in appearance. This man had thick, silvery hair (far from going bald), and a beard and mustache to go along with it. He shaved the middle section of his mustache, the area that falls from the base of the nose to the pinnacle of the top lip.
        Behind him was a large round window, with black metal frames. A waterfall, surrounded by tall trees, crashed against tan rocks at the base.
        His brows were thick and black. He looked like a hawk. Crux's eyes, shifted over to his son, at his left hand side. "Acturus, how is your progress on the black hole you've been studying?"
        Acturus was a younger image of his father, in his twenties. Acturus had an average sized nose, and the same mustache as his father's under it. His eye brows were almost as lengthy as his father's, and his hair was jet-black. He replied in a smoother, but deep voice, "I have been tracking it for several years now," He paused to take the bite of his Tk'toc'el'n on his fork. He chewed it gracefully, with proper table educate. "...and I've come to the conclusion that it is about to give birth to another singularity within a week's time. I believe that this an Orb with a harmonic too high to count with our present instruments." He turned to his father, "We must inform the Ven'Ari Council at once. After all, I am apart of the Royal Council of Astronomers. I believe I should be the one to travel back to Ven'Ari to inform the King."
        "Someone from this family will be going back." Crux slowly said, "But it is not you. I will take your message, my son, but I have to go back to Ven'Ari for other reasons you will shortly discover." Crux raised his wine-glass. "To a new Orb."
        The motion of everyone at the table was still. Acturus, his wife, Agena, and their son Cygnus all froze.
        "It is time. I am old, too old to continue to live in this Orb. Next week- my seven-hundred seventy-seventh birthday. The most important year in the life of a Ven'Arian. We have spent two-hundred years on this island. My one last wish before I...die...is to have one last world." He looked at Agena, whom was seated at the far end of the table (just opposite of him) and nodded. "It is time to leave."
        Cygnus spoke, "But Father said there isn't any other islands at all. We're the only place on this planet with life, and land above water... if this is true, then what would be the point in leaving?" The entire table looked at Cygnus, who was seated across from his father, Acturus, and fell silent.
        Crux chuckled, "Soon you will find out that your father hadn't lied to you, Cygnus."
         "Well..." Cygnus began. "Where would we go?"
        His mother looked down at her plate. "You needn't worry, now finish your bird." Agena brushed aside some of her extremely healthy, blonde hair that gracefully fell in front of her forehead and her right eye. She then looked back up her father-in-law, "When will we depart the 53rd Orb?"
        "There will be a vote by the Royal Council of Colonization Educate in the presence of King Kajora. This is all for a charter. The royal messenger arrived yesterday, and departed at night. He informed me that, because of my special age, we are on a committee to be selected to colonize the next world. Kajora said that seeing it is a special age in one's life, that I will soon live, he will give us the benifit of the doubt. This one will be the 947th Orb- however, getting the charter to colonize and then to eventually depart the 53rd Orb will take close to half a year..."
        "Great." His son added. He then looked up from his food, "As for the natives of this island? The villagers?"
        Crux immediately responded, "Another fresh Ven'Ari family, of lower class to us (obviously), will come to this Orb in our place. We are a family with the ability to construct our own worlds. They are a family that can only populate them for a simple purpous of residency. It is better than living in Ven'Ari. They have other tasks, such as astronomy, or chemistry. They simply need a fresh and safe environment to work.
        "I will make the villagers a speech, telling them something like...'well, I am angry with their progress on this island, so I am to give them a new god, who will pay little attention to them'. Something to frighten them. We need a good exit. As for now, I need to go to Ven'Ari."
        "Who will you be taking with you, father?"
        "I haven't made up my mind yet, if I would rather take Agena or you." Agena stared at her father-in-law and lit up with anticipation for the wonderful opportunity to see Ven'Ari. "It will probably be you, son." Her hope sank, as so did her posture.
        Crux, however, smiled more so than anyone in the family had ever seen. "Getting a seven of any place value in an Orb harmonic is...well- for lack of a better word: wonderful! Do you realize what this means?"
        Acturus threw down his food in joy, "A family with seven in their Orb's number, will have free access to any form of trilight they desire!"
        "Then we can make numerous islands!" Agena laughed.
        Crux had the broadest of all smiles, "Tomorrow morning, I will travel!" Everyone at the table was excited.
        Cygnus had dampened their excitement. "Where are you going?!?" No one replied.

               Agena tucked Cygnus in his bed. Cygnus had a grand room for such a young boy, but then again- the 53rd Family was a wealthy one. Soon, they would be ultimately flooded with wealth as they would change their family crest to the 947th Family of the Great Monarchy.
        "Mother?"
        "Yes, dear?" She pulled the covers over his chest.
        "What were you talking about at dinner this evening?"
        Her tone was loving, yet stern. ÒIt is of no concern to you, Cygnus.Ó
        "I just...well, you all are confusing me, greatly. If Father claims that what he told me, about no other islands or life, is true, then your plans seem to really loose me! If we actually are moving to a new island, I just wish that I could, at least, know when we're leaving."
        "Why?" She leaned forward to kiss him good night.
        "So I can say goodbye to all of my friends."
        She stared at him in the eyes. "Your friends are nothing. You will make more. They are simply peasants, Cygnus. You are a god to them."
        "A god?" Cygnus did not understand. "No- they're my friends, and I am just as equal."
        "Then why do they obey ever single mumble of your father and grandfather? Why do they smile with a strong hint of nervousness? Hm?" She then leaned forward. "Cygnus, you donÕt really believe they like you, do you?"
        The boy paused, bewildered and a bit frightened at his grandmother. "What?"
        "Cygnus, they play with you because they have to play with you."
        "I don't understand."
        "If they don't play with you, Cygnus, your father will be very angry. He will take them to the Chamber of Limp."
        "..."
        "There, they will fall into a pit of lava and will never return."
        "..."
        "Your grandfather founded this island of the 53rd Orb, many years ago. Your grandfather created it. He created them. He is their god. That is why they play with you, Cygnus. They owe every breath of air they take, to your grandfather."
        "..."
        "I said you didn't need to know, Cygnus. Is that the truth you really wanted to hear?"
        "..."
        She let out a great sigh. "Go to sleep, Cygnus." She left the room leaving her own grandchild feeling cold and alone.

A loud slamming noise, which sounded like the front door, woke Cygnus from his undisturbed sleep. The Morning Sun (the first to rise above the horizon) lightened his room in several pillars of yellow. Cygnus laid there, listening to wall-muffled voices. They sounded angered as if in argument. He could tell it was his mother with either his father or his grandfather.
Cygnus jumped from his bed and ran over to the window. His room was on the third floor, and, even so, Cygnus could not see past the crater walls where the family resided. There- in the grassy null, where the mansion sat in the center, he saw a man in a blue robe walk, hastily, into the forbidden cave, carrying a leather bag of some kind.

        Cygnus opened his door and ran into the hallway. He sprinted past the room where the voices came from, leaping steps as he descended to the base of the mansion. The boy burst through the front doors, and ran off towards the man shouting, "Grandfather! Grandfather!"
        As Cygnus began to run out of breath, someone from behind tackled him. "Cygnus! NO!" A deep booming voice shouted into the child's ear as they both slid on the dew-drenched grass.
        The crushing pressure of the body on Cygnus rendered him unable to breathe. When the pressure was relieved, Cygnus slowly stood up and turned around; he saw his father had caught him. Acturus was catching his breath. "He has decided to go alone. Alone, Cygnus."
        "Where is he going?!?" Cygnus demanded to know as he became tear-eyed.
        "It doesn't matter, Cygnus! You don't deserve to know!" His fouther blasted the words, slaming them in his face.
        "I'm just trying to understand! Why must you keep acting as if this is a big secret! As if it is bad, what Grandfather is doing." Acturus hit Cygnus! He fell to the ground.
        "There will be enough of that, Cygnus." The boy, blood-nosed, stood back up, and glared at his father (half in shock and half in great anger for what his father had just done). He ran off again. Acturus gave off a greatly disturbed groan and started to dash after him. Cygnus ran as fast as his legs could carry, his wet, white night-robe weighing him down because of the dew from his fall.
        "Cygnus! Get back here now!!!" His father commanded him, but Cygnus did not respond. He just kept running, mostly in fear, now. Finally Cygnus made it to the cave. "Cygnus, I'm serious!" Acturus stopped. "If you run into the cave, I exile you from our family!!! You hear me?!?" Cygnus just kept running. "Cygnus!!! You'll never return to your room! You'll see us again!!! You'll live among the trash of this island, while we're gone! No longer will you be a member of our family- having the opportunity to become a god- you will be a peasant!!!!" Cygnus didn't stop. He ran into the darkness of the cave. "Hell! If I ever see you again I will kill you!!!"

        "Have you heard?"
        "What?"
        "Ak'Hem has been found."
        "Where?" A young man in a red robe, with black stripes down the sides, stood in front of a desk. Another older man in the same outfit sat behind the desk carved out of rock. It seemed like the stone floor was risen up to the elevation of a desk, with space carved out to put one's legs. A lantern flickered beside the elder as it illuminated him with a quill pin in his hand and a new book before him. The elder seemed to be copying from an old, battered up manuscript, which was very thick and appeared to have survived water and fire damage.
        The man behind the desk was Solomon, an elder who had been considered a fool by most of the Ven'Ari for most of his life. This tradition had carried on throughout his ancestors and his followers. A fool because he and his people believed in something that was considered, by most of the Ven'Ari culture, to be a fairy tale. Solomon, as well as generations before him, seemed to take it as a serious way of life.
        Ezekiel stood before the desk of stone and gave his report to his commander. Solomon was a leader to many people, his followers also took the myth very seriously. "Ak'Hem, our faithful double-agent of the Ven'Ari, was washed ashore on island of Treerock, Orb 53. They apparently found out he had defected to us. The know he had been giving us vital secrets."
        "Don't remind me! It infuriates me, Acturus's actions. Of course, finding out that someone is a traitor will make you angry, but to kill them- unless we can pursuade Acturus to join us and repent, justice in the afterlife will govern his fate." Solomon paused. "Treerock. Who's family is there?"
        "It is a private one, a family with royal accesses."
        "I see." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Orb 53 you say?"
        "Correct, Solomon."
         "Perhaps..." He stroked his long, white mustache. "...perhaps Orb 53 belongs to Crux, Acturus's painter. Perhaps now we know where Acturus brings all of his prisoners?"
        "Prisoners for a short while."
        "Indeed."
        "Shall I inform the Monarchy of Acturus's actions?"
        "No, although in good spirit, a protest at this time would not be wise." He glanced up, "...although it would hurt Acturus's reputation, but exposing ourselves at this hour- well...our rebellion might as well give it up all together. We must remain discrete."
        "I understand, Solomon."
        "Even so, I don't think Ven'Ari know what Acturus did to their civillian. I wish we could inform King Kajora. He would see justice, however he might not enforce it. Acturus is a prized possession of the Monarchy. The latest of their Sibbis breed. After all, King Kajora takes faith in Ven'Arism. Believing in our 'mythological' religeon is hard to do now adays- what with the power to mearly paint worlds." He gave a great sigh.
        "Yes, Solomon?"
        "I have been planning to travel to Ven'Ari."
        "That world is swarming with royal officials. Forgive me, my dear friend, but they will seize you, banish you to the Blaspheme, the Prison Orb! It is a wasteland. They don't feed you, they don't even give you sunlight. That world is cast by an endless plane of dark gray clouds. It is next to hell."
        "Why would they send me to Blaspheme?" He smiled. "Believing in a myth is not a crime."
        "Not yet, anyway." Ezekiel sort of mumbled his those words.
        "What do you mean?" There was an awkward pause between the two men. "It's alright, my friend."
        "Word is Acturus has been trying to pursuade the Royal Council of Legislature to make Christianity an illegal practice."
        Solomon replied in a grim tone. "Yes. That's what I thought has been going around. There is not enough people in Ven'Ari to oppose the request of Acturus. They will make it so during the vote, for no one will believe otherwise. Think about it, our entire culture sways more upon creation. If we have that power, that leads people to believe they are actually gods, seeing they can create entire worlds and even specify the characteristics of plant and animal life. Polytheism is a sin by the word of God." Solomon motioned to the damaged manuscript.
        "How is your progress in restoring the Bible?" Ezekiel eagerly anticipated his reply.
        "I am at the book of Mark." Solomon looked back down at his work. "I need you to find out something for me, before I leave."
        "Yes?"
        "Ask Cote if he is near our secret Orb's completion."
        "Who is this Cote?"
        "He is a defector as well. He was of the Royal Council of Painters. He secretly slipped into our Orb. The Monarchy has been searching for him for quite some time now. All these four years, he has been working feveroushly on our secret Orb. I need you to find out how near the completion he is.Ó
        "I will immediately- so I won't delay you."
        "Go with God, be safe from evil."
        "The same to you, my friend." Ezekiel made a movement with his fingers, waving them from his head to his belly, then to the left and right sides of his shoulders. He departed from Solomon's damp, stone-office, closing the wooden door behind him.

           The granitic structure of the cave turned into a concealed forest. It was lit by tunnels in the ceiling of the rock- large, round, verticle tunnels for light that stretched to the surface of the rock, up to a hundred (plus) feet high. Cygnus had never seen anything like it. Of course, he had never been into the rock cave. Now he understood why they named their island Treerock.
        Bird calls, snake hissings, bear growls, lion roars all filled the forest. It was alive with insect activity. Thousands upon thousands of butterflies, blue and yellow, flooded the atmosphere. Huge bees were present, carrying pollen and honey to and from their hives, which hung off of the branches of thick maple trees. At the trunks of some trees, a nest of termites flourished. It was like he was in another world. Cygnus had never seen the inside of the forest, let alone the abundance of life that thrived within it.
        His white robe was beginning to dry, as thorns and thickers would stick to it. He brushed them off, but Cygnus would only cut his hands, so he left them. Eventually so many thrones would catch onto his robe, that it would tear. As he continued to walk, working to get the thorns out of his robe, Cygnus realized something. He looked around him. He could see forest in front of him, forest to his left, forest to his right. He turned around, and the same thing was portrayed.
        He was lost.
        Which way was he going? He could not tell. The forest's massive abundance in life hid its variety. The holes in the ceiling of the cave seemed to be so round, that they almost appeared to not even be there, that sky filled the ceiling. The numerous varieties in trees created a canopy, which was so thick he could barely tell if either sun was out! A ballet of insects danced around him, some clinging to his robe, landing and crawling on his face, buzzing in his ears...
        Cygnus swatted at the swarm of butterflies, bees, flies, and termites. The hum of their wings overpowered all other sound. He was instantly stung several times. Cygnus fell to his knees, pleading to God to take mercy upon him. The hum grew louder..........louder.....louder....louder...and

....then silenced as if in response to a great hissing noise which overpowered the massive swarm of insects!
        Cygnus withdrew his hands from his face, and opened his eyes. He looked around, still laying on his belly on the ground covered in vegetation. He saw a green fog surrounding him. The insects had cleared away.
        Suddenly a familiar voice filled his ears, laughing. "You are a foolish boy, your actions humor me." His eyes shifted to see two black boots, and a blue cloak.
        Cygnus stood up, pain pulsing throughout his dozen stings. "Grandfather?"
        "Did your father tell you about the law he made up? Only I or someone with me can exit or enter the forest. It's rubbish. The forest is a forbidden place, but only on the fact that it is dangerous. I'm not trying to hide anything from you, Cygnus. Your father is. You could've explored here anytime you wished. There are just so many insects with venom in their stingers, well- it is a dangerous place. Did Acturus follow you?"
        Cygnus shook his swollen head.
        Crux saw how badly stung his grandson was. "Here..." Crux pulled out a glass vile of some sort of amber-colored liquid from his case. "Rub this ointment over your wounds. It will heal them instantaneously by dissolving everything inside the wound, even your blood before it carries throughout your body." Cygnus looked at him strange. "Don't worry, it thins out before it can travel through your veins. It will only dissolve fluids at the immediate wound."
        Cygnus looked back up at his grandfather. "Thank you"
        "Hurry, Cygnus. The swarms will return shortly." Crux pointed to the ground. Cygnus continued to rub the ointment on him as he looked. There was a silver canister laying on the ground with green smoke oozing into the air. The gas's color would dissolve into invisibility a few feet from leaving the canister. The gas was based on odor, not fog. "The repellent is about depleted. They will come back immediately. You just happened to walk onto a site where a mother hive is located- a nexus for virtually every insect in the forest." Crux again pointed to the ground. A big cone of clay and dirt, raised seven feet high, was beside Cygnus. Crux chuckled. "Smart move." Cygnus thought it was just a hill of mud! He never would have dreamed it was an entire hive for every insect in the forest!
        Cygnus handed the ointment back to Crux. After returning it to his case, Crux looked at his watch. "Can I come with you?" Cygnus asked.
        "Absolutely. Now that you have finally eluded your father, you can thus see the ways of the Ven'Ari." Cygnus didn't quite understand what his grandfather meant, nor could he fathom the excitement in Crux's eyes. "We must go now. I have a speech to deliver."
        The ointment stained Cygnus with a sharp, tangy odor, which was, obviously, repulsive. Nevertheless, it got rid of the venom, which got rid of the pain. The odor was to vanish within a half hour. They quickly made their way through the forest. Whether they were still under the cave's ceiling, Cygnus couldn't tell. Crux seemed to know exactly where he was going...

        "Solomon?"
        "Yes, Ezekiel?"
        "Cote is here to see you."
        "Send him in." Cote, a middle-aged man with brown, bushy hair dressed in white robes entered. He stood before Solomon's desk and made the same gesture with his figures as Ezekiel had.
        "What is the status?"
        "Solomon, we went to the Starplex and selected the specific harmonic tone that you desired to pinpoint our Orb identification number."
        "And the Orb is of a needle in a haystack?"
        "I have recorded the harmonic frequency on a sheet of paper." Cote glanced down at a paper. "It is 428571428.6. This, when multiplied by seven, comes out to 3 billion. They will never find us."
"Yes, the 3 billionth Orb. The Great Colonization Project is aeons from colonizing this Orb. They are presently on their...oh...around the 1000th. They paint an average of fifty to a hundred Orbs ever hundred years now, their progress merely trippled in the last three centuries. This is wonderful. How's the progress of the Transport Dome?"
        Cote smiled proudly. "I have finished the cyclorama. The secret world in which our rebellion can hide, reside, and work in tranquility is ready to go to."
        "Excellent. What have you named the world?"
        "I simply named it after our rebellion." He paused again, basking in the pure pride in his work and the rebellion. "Trinity."

Crux and Cygnus made their way out of the forest, but it seemed that they were still in the cave. They walked up a long spiral staircase carved out of the stone. Cygnus kept his questions to himself; Crux had told he he would explain everything when the time was right. The staircase ended with the exit of the cave. Cygnus was astonished at how the village looked.

        Cygnus did have a question unbearable to keep to himself. "I've never seen this, Grandfather."
        "Oh?" Crux gave a faint glance to his boy, as he stared out to the rising sun.
        Cygnus hesitated. He then stared out into the sun also. "Why?"
        "My dear grandson." He smiled. "Your father didn't want me to show you this. He wished to keep you narrow minded, only allowing you access to the grass crater and the beach. He doesn't want you to be like me. He wants you to be like him. Even when he believed in the myth of God, you followed. Once he discovered the critisism that the Trinity get's, well- he dropped it. He is not strong in what he believes. He cares greatly of what others do, though. He has looked down upon you eversince. Other people's criticism has changed him so much, that he even considers his own son pitiful."
        Cygnus frowned; Crux smiled. "Which, my dear boy, is far from the truth. You have every right to believe in whatever you choose." Cygnus noticed his grandfather's eyes became ignited in frustration. "But now that your father isn't here...I feel you should see more than he ever dreamed of restricting you. He wants you to be a boy who believes in nothing." Crux knealed before his grandson. "My deepest apologies, Cygnus. But your father hates you. You..." He paused, then breathed in very deeply. "You are an accident to him."
        Cygnus took it all in. He couldn't handle that fact, though. The boy broke down and tears began to roll down his cheaks. Crux came back, "You are not an accident to me, Cygnus. You are a gift. I love you, my boy." He hugged his grandson. "And..."
        Crux stood up, looking back out to the suns. "...you are a Ven'Ari, Cygnus- You deserve to see past this world, your mind's eye deserves to see past the reality your father has drawn infront of you to blind you from the truth! You deserve to learn the Ven'Ari ways, just as a true Ven'Ari is meant to!"
        Cygnus stared into the blazing suns. He did not draw his eyes close, he did not squint. He stared right into the hearts of fire, his eyes watching the wonders of space burn on the round surfaces. He was mad, and he wanted to feel pain. "I will call you Father, now." Cygnus clenched his fists as Crux turned his head back to him. "I will call you Father."

        Solomon stood before the Royal Council of Legislature. They all were seated in desks raised high into the room. The ceiling of intricate carvings was another twenty feet into the air, from where the council sat. Solomon stood in the center of a star pattern on the floor, made out of white and black of marble.
        "Solomon, what is your purpose here?" Margrenis, an elder council member who knew Solomon from their days at school- long ago, spoke in a disturbed manor.
        "I have come on behalf of God." There was laughter in the Chamber of Law. Everyone knew how this meeting was going to end, and it wouldn't be in favor of Solomon.
        "Listen, you can't make my beliefs wrong."
        "Why not? If no one believes in them, then what's the harm?" Margrenis only heard rumors of the Trinity Rebellion. He did not believe enough Ven'Arians would defect from Ven'Arism to a foolish myth.
        "You know what?!?" Acturus rose from his seat behind Solomon. He had not even noticed Acturus's presence. But when Solomon's eyes fell upon that man, fear and anger surged throughout his old body. "I am sick and tired of my boy rambling on about your foolish religeon!" Acturus's mouth bellowed out angry words at a very high, yet controlled volume. "I...hate...you and your myth! My son! He waste's his time on nothing more than rubbish! He wastes the time he could be spending it wisely, learning the ways of the Ven'Ari! But no, he insists upon believing in a fairy tale conjured to be some sort of explaination for the , at the time, unexplained! But now it is explained. There is no one- God. There are many gods! My father is a god! Your King, whom you should be paying more loyalty to, is a god! This belief in the God is no more than a reason to not feel so alone in the Multiverse- and endless oppertunity for my boy, as well all in Ven'Ari! An infinite supply of worlds waiting to be tapped, are dampened by your beliefs and fears! No more will you disturb the people of Ven'Ari! Quaking our beliefs! No more will you deny our people as well as my son the truth!Ó
        Silence fell upon the chamber. Then, "I agree." A booming voice echoed in the marble room. "As of this moment, it is illegal. No more shall people practice this faith...which you call Chrisitianity. Everyone must believe in Ven'Arism."
        "I knew it." Solomon said, calm. "We are prepaired to fight against this."
        "What do you mean, we?" The King shot back.
        "I mean my entire legion of Chrisitians. Leviticus 26;7 states that killing for what is right is okay. I have no fear in what we are about to do to be wrong. It is in the name of God. You should start to praise God, for generations of Ven'Arians have gone to Hell."
        "Rubbish." The king frowned. "The only thing going anywhere is you to Blaspheme!" Solomon could see Acturus smiling, trying to hide it from the Council. The King glared at Solomon. "You see, we just ship criminals there. We don't support them. It is an endless plane of dried mud and gray skies. It never rains, there is no protective layer around the planet, and you'll never see the sun. I hope you will enjoy the sort of...culture the prisoners of that Orb have formed. Seeing that we don't send food or water, nor is there any available on the world of Blaspheme, they canibalize eachother. Be thankfull- At leaste they do it in an organized fashon. They have dug holes in the rock-hard mud with their bare hands. Holes so deep that they are pits. A crowd of prisoners gather around the edge. They simply pick two people, randomly, and throw them in. The crowd watches the two mean fight to the death, eating eachother alive. These are called Chicken Fights, and from what I hear, newcomers are the first to be thrown in."

         "My Lord," an old, bald man in a brown robe, walked up to Crux. He paused, looking at Cygnus, wondering why he was with Crux. "My Lord, first off, I apologize and accept full responsibility for every flaw you may encounter."
        "Sehldric, you shan't worry about that. Being the mayor of the village is quite a hefty task and weight on your shoulders?"
        "Oh, it is greatly. But the honor comes from you, my Lord." Sehdlric lead Crux the shore. Cygnus followed as his gaze shifted to the surrounding environment. Rolling hills, green vegetation, much like the forest's, but this seemed controlled or maintained. There weren't any trees, though. "Here is the first pillar, sir. At the top is your office, just as you'd left it." They stood in front of a huge column of rock covered in dark moss.
        They entered into the column through a rectangular wooden door with a metal frame. The top of the door was round, but the bottom was flat. The inside of the column appeared to be rock with moss covering the walls and ceiling. The ground was granitic rock, much like the rock in the cave.
        Crux, Sehldric, and Cygnus would pass several dozen villagers, all grouped together in clusters, at a time. They stood beside other wooden doors. It hit Cygnus that they were families. They kept quiet as they looked almost ashamed of themselves. As Crux would walk within sight of them, they would bow to the ground, remaining motionless. After Crux would pass, they would rise back up and scramble into their rooms.
        Cygnus saw some of his friends as they were waiting for their other family members to get inside. Cygnus made a nice 'hello' gesture, but they simply glared at him in hatred and disgust. Cygnus could guess why...Acturus.
        After climbing what seemed like a forever going staircase of smoothed-off gray granite, Sehldric showed them the Master's door. "You have the Master-Key, my Lord?"
        Crux reached into his blue cloak, and pulled out a golden key the size of an entire hand. "Thank you, Sehldric. You are dismissed until I am ready to begin with my inspection." The man quickly bowed, and walked off. Crux rammed the momentous key into the dark, metallic hole. He gave a sudden turn upward, and a metal clang was heard. He then pushed on the key, and the door swung open. He made a motion with his head, indicating that Cygnus should enter before him.
        Inside was an extensively round room. It was carved out of the granite, and appeared sleeked and recently polished. Two curved wooden tables sat on the left and right side of the room. A window, looking out to the sea was over one table, and a window looking out to the cave was another.
        "I'm going to prepare my speech. You may look at my work." Crux sat at the table by the window looking over to the cave. He dipped a quill pen in ink and began to write his speech he was about to give.
        Cygnus walked over to the table which had a view out to the sea. He shuffled through some of Crux's notebooks. He picked up a thick blue-leather notebook, with golden laces holding the paper. Cygnus recognized this to be from a blue colored animal that roamed the island, which gave them milk. He opened the journal to the middle page where his grandfather had written. It was written in backwards Ven'Ari, a mix of english and latin.

1510.5.8
Oh...Acturus insists upon me building him a boat. He has this crazy idea that the sea is the one universal factor in every world, thus every world could be traveled to without leaving its universe- that the sea would carry a boat from Orb to Orb, world to world, island to island. Acturus also has thought that every island the Ven'Ari has 'made' is apart of one planet. This can't be, because the world of Ven'Ari has twelve suns, my world of Treerock only has two to cause winter to cease from existing. Perhaps Acturus is right about the sea being constant throughout the Starplex's continuum of space and time, but mearly a endless bridge between endless singularity universes. I have denied him the boat, for I need him to help me in preparation with the next Orb.

When Cygnus returned the journal to its original location, he moved a canvas to insert the journal back into the shelf just below the window. The canvas was, at the moment, standing up, leaning beside the blue journal. Cygnus pulled it out. His eyes gazed at it. The viewpoint was from a great hill or summit of a mountain. Cygnus thought it was perhaps another crater, like the one where the familyÕs mansion was. The few shot out accross an island of long, tall trees. In the center of the island, seemed to be a huge, monsterous tree. "What is this?"

"Hm?" Crux gave a glance back to see what Cygnus was holding, "Ah, that is my design for the next Orb. Its perspective is of the Centerfie- Ah! Now, Cygnus- you mustn't ask me questions while I'm at work. It disturbs my train of thought. Ah, you see? Now I've already forgotten!" He turned back to his speech. What was this great canvas showing? Did Crux call the viewpoint the Centerfield?
The question that has been running through Cygnus's mind all day was: what in the heck is an Orb? He didn't understand why Crux called it his 'design for the new orb'. He obviously painted an island with a huge tree in the middle that penetrates the upper atmospheres! Was his father designing a request for a new island? Did King Kajora, as Cygnus recalled Crux speaking of, pick an island with the closests resemblence? Was it that, the rational, or was it the irrational- was his father designing a world...

Thank you for reading the first fourth of the Manuscript of Cygnus. Come back shortly to catch the rest of this exciting tale of the lust for power, the abuse of creativty, and the war for what is right...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time. Stephen Hawking.
November 1996 Bantam Books

ABOUT THE AUTHORS & AVOWS

My name is Alexander Scott Davis. I live in Celina, Ohio and have spent most of my time on this manuscript. I converted the Manuscript of Cygnus to a format, which the Institute preferred, to be the best form available to present to the public. I have converted it to a modernly-written form. The actual manuscript was crude in grammar and mechanics, written in a newly discovered language made it all the more difficult. However, everything you read, came from the manuscript. I simply put it into a reading format for the common audience.
        Dan Gudorf also lives in Celina, and he assisted me with the writing format. He gave me support along the way, and came up with a few ideas to help me put the certain events in the manuscript to the form presented, because they were so complex.
        Dr. Luagis is of the Ven'Ari Historical Foundation in Venice, Italy. He communicated to me through e-mailing. His support and time is infinitely treasured. Thank you, Dr. Luagis. Thank heavens he is fluent in english! He has also constructed the web site dedicated to the VAHF. Go there to further explore the world of ORB, and check out the Ven'Ari Desk Reference. Anything you need to know can be found there.
        I also thank the Ven'Ari Historical Foundation. Ultimately, I couldn't have done this without their permission, so I greatly appreciate their time and effort as well. They gladly accepted my finished product, and it will be featured at the Myths of Italy exhibit in the Museum of Italian History. The new exhibit will open in 2002.

THE DIRECTORY-

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