Dreams of Eternity
Ulrezaj (part 1)
The indigo fields glittered under the night sky. The cool breeze brushed up waves of dust from the dirt lands. Ennaeor was on her way to the temple to meditate. It was the only way to recapture the glory of home. As much as they had tried, the protoss from Aiur had found it difficult to adapt to the new way of life.
The temple was a simple makeshift structure of concrete and steel – nothing like the temples of Aiur. It was more a compound than anything else, but it would do. As she entered the building, Ennaeor heard only the sound of her footsteps reverberating through the long hallway. It was dark. She remembered how the walls of the temples back home would light up whenever someone passed by. That kind of comfort was a thing of the past, Ennaeor decided.
When she arrived at the heart of the temple, Ennaeor discovered she wasn't alone. Two templars, clad in suits of the Executor's Honor Guard, stood near the altar. As she moved closer, she observed a third protoss standing in between the templars. She could hardly believe it! It was Praetor Artanis himself! The shock of this discovery almost made her stumble. At that, Artanis and his guards turned around, visibly surprised.
“Apologies for disturbing you, Praetor,” was all she could manage. “I didn't know.”
Artanis stepped closer. His eyes were kind, as she had expected. Yet there was a certain coldness in his appearance. The young leader was not young anymore.
“Do not apologize, templar,” Artanis intoned. He laid his hand on Ennaeor's shoulder. “I like to come here and be with my people. I wouldn't have any other protoss do otherwise. En Taro Adun.”
“En Taro Adun, Praetor.”
Artanis and his guards took off, leaving Ennaeor alone in the room full of sculptures and decorations salvaged from Aiur. She walked up to the
Alrae'ah, a pedestal carrying a ball of burning blue fire, symbolizing the immortal spirit of the templar. She looked at it. For a while it seemed as if the object was turning a pale kind of blue, and moments later, the sphere was glowing white.
“What trickery is this?” Ennaeor spoke, but before she could move away, the object shot gusts of flaming energy toward her. Her body began to ache. Flashes of light blinded her eyes. Then a voice spoke to her.
“Adun Toridas, templar!”
“Who... Who are you?” Ennaeor asked while attempting to regain her senses.
“Why, I am your host, templar!”
“My host? What mockery is this?”
“Are you telling me that you've never met your host? Well, in that case, I am not your host and you are not my visitor,” the voice continued angrily. “In that case... you're nothing more than an uninvited guest!”
At that, multicolored fire spouted out of the sphere. Ennaeor drew her psi-blades and generated a shield to block the fire.
“Stop, in the name of Adun!” she shouted. “How I can defend myself if you haven't told me what my crime is?”
“Your crime, templar? You think this is about you?” the voice mocked. “You are merely a message!”
The temple exploded into a huge ball of fire.
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