Planet Ignis | Chapter 29

When Trother told me about the near-extinction crisis faced by the settlers and how it was traced back to flaws in their education system, I wasn’t surprised. Education is undeniably the foundation of their survival. The crisis, rooted in neglecting to adapt their education system, nearly cost them their existence. It underscored the fragility of their community and the essential role of instilling core values in the next generation.

Witnessing how these settlers willingly gave their lives for one another, without hesitation, moved me deeply. It’s a testament to the incredible resilience and strength of the human spirit when fueled by love. A human who loves can accomplish the impossible.

This love isn’t just instinctual—it’s taught, nurtured through their education system, and ingrained in every aspect of their lives. From a young age, children are guided to see the value of the collective over the self, forging bonds of trust and devotion that become unbreakable. For a group of stranded humans, all herded together in an underground complex, to give their lives so willingly is nothing short of extraordinary. Love, I realized, is the bedrock of their society.

Notes on Ignian Societies, by Hitori Himura, PhD

“Checkmate,” said Trother calmly.

Eli gulped in surprise. He had never won against Trother, but over the last year, he had felt he was getting closer to victory. This game, however, had been completely one-sided. After thousands of matches, Eli thought he could anticipate his teacher’s moves, but this was a different man. It felt like his teacher had fundamentally changed as a chess player in the week they’d been apart.

“Teacher, what’s going on? Where is Hitori? And how come you’re playing chess so differently?”

Trother didn’t answer immediately. His hand blurred, inputting commands on his virtual console with a speed that rivaled Hitori’s. Eli gasped. Was his teacher always this fast? With a flick of his hand, Trother opened a screen before Eli:

Name: Trother

Gender: Male

Age: 57

Body Longevity: 22 hours

Mind Longevity: 5 years

Name: Eli

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Body Longevity: 33 years

Mind Longevity: 44 years

Eli’s voice faltered. “Teacher, you…”

“Yes, Eli. It’s been thirty-five years for me since I last saw you.”

“What? How?” Eli’s words tumbled out in shock.

“Our thoughts can move as fast as light. While you’ve been running the Nexus at a hundred times real-world speed, Hitori and I spent our time at an even faster rate. So, though it’s been a week in your perception, I’ve experienced thirty-five years.”

Eli stared at him. “What were you doing, master? Why spend so many years away from me?”

“Mostly reading. Studying. Playing chess. Writing, sometimes.” Trother’s tone was neutral, but his words stung. Eli felt robbed of time he could have spent with his teacher.

“Why? Why didn’t you spend more time with me instead?”

Trother’s expression softened, but he didn’t answer. Eli knew the reason—it wasn’t Trother’s choice. But understanding didn’t dull the ache.

“Where is Hitori?” Eli asked.

Trother looked down, sadness shadowing his features. “Hitori is gone, Eli. He knew his time was short. I met him once a year for a few days since we last saw you. Each time, he gave me tasks and books, taught me about programming, genetics, and other subjects. We discussed how to prepare you for the Raptor. Everything we’ve done has been uncharted territory. We weren’t even sure if what we’re trying to achieve is possible.”

Eli looked blankly at the chessboard. Another loss. Another death. Hitori was gone, and the weight of his absence settled heavily on his shoulders.

Trother continued, a glint of admiration in his eyes. “By the flames, he was a brilliant chess player. He picked up Longevity Chess in no time.”

“Did he ever win against you?” Eli asked, a spark of hope in his voice. Nothing pleased him more than seeing Trother lose.

Trother chuckled softly. “Many times.”

Eli’s eyebrows shot up. That meant Hitori was truly extraordinary.

“But we weren’t just playing,” Trother said, his tone growing serious. “It was part of preparing your curriculum.”

Eli sat silently, struggling to process the torrent of information. “What now?”

“You and I have studied the organisms that inspired the Celer and Tardus mutations. While you’ve mastered the Celer mutation during our years together in the Burrows, the Statera mutation is fundamentally different. We will push your mind to its absolute limit. This will be far harder than Simultaneous Bursting.”

“But, master, I’ve never been able to do Simultaneous Bursting. Why don’t you do it? Why not stop the Raptor yourself?”

Trother’s weary smile was laced with resignation. “Eli, my body is a complete wreck. There’s no guarantee I’ll have enough Longevity to complete the task. But you… you have the potential to surpass both Hitori and me. Did you know that if you played against the Trother from thirty-five years ago, you would have beaten me in chess today?”

“You’re only saying that to make me feel better,” Eli protested, frowning.

“I’m not, Eli. You don’t realize it, but your constant battle with hunger has always held you back. Here,” Trother gestured at the Nexus around them, “where Faren is blocking all pain receptors in your brain, your mind is finally free to realize its full potential. You’re sharper here than you’ve ever been.”

“I see,” Eli murmured, though doubt lingered. “Then why did I still lose so badly?”

Trother laughed warmly. “Because I’ve been practicing for thirty-five years, Eli. I’ve been playing against a fully operational AI and Hitori. Let me tell you, they were terrifying opponents.”

Eli swallowed hard. That explained a lot.

Trother’s gaze turned solemn. “Once my fire is out, what I’ve forged remains.”

“What have you forged, teacher?” Eli asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I have forged a whetstone to sharpen your blade,” Trother replied. His words carried the weight of a final lesson, a master preparing his apprentice for a battle he could not fight himself.

*

“You did it, Eli!” shouted Trother in triumph.

Eli had tears of joy in his eyes. It had not been easy, but they had finally made it this far. Over the years, it had taken him thousands of hours inside the acupuncturist program, salamander, and wasp simulators to reach this moment.

Trother designed the acupuncturist program to stimulate different points in Eli’s skin. It felt to Eli as if needles were prickling him. The stings were harmless—there weren’t any actual needles. These sensations were fed to him through the nanite connected to Faren. As the little jolts of pain registered in Eli’s mind, he tried to activate the analogous part of his brain connected to the point of his skin that had been stung.

Trother was trying to teach Eli to control his skin like a muscle. This was the key to controlling Statera. Since the skin could feel pain, the nerve endings were already there. Eli just had to learn how to reroute them. He had to use those same nerves to transmit commands instead of only registering pain.

The lessons from the salamander and wasp simulators had been critical in getting him this far. They’d taught him to feel the invisible flow of energy and channel it deliberately. Now, controlling his skin felt like the natural next step—a culmination of years of work.

Trother made him run the acupuncturist program every other day. The rest of the time, he played chess against Faren or studied more animals. He had already finished a series of quests that taught him everything known about the two creatures that had inspired the Statera mutation: the spotted salamander and the oriental wasp. These animals shared a common characteristic: they could feed on the light around them to produce energy.

The spotted salamander had algae living inside its cells. It was like the animal’s city-like cells had an extra solar-powered plant built into them, giving Hitori an idea: What if we could insert algae inside each human cell? Could we also add this solar power plant to them? Could this be a new way of generating energy to excite ignium?

Oriental wasps had a cuticle that allowed them to turn sunlight into electricity. Could something similar be given to humans?

Eli would often go to the salamander simulator and enter the simulated mind of a little yellow-spotted salamander. Running through the forest, Eli would look for sunlight and try to feel the warmth of the sun power his cells. He had also flown around for many hours in the mind of a wasp, trying to trap the light in its cuticle’s yellow and brown pigments and transform the sunlight into electricity.

Eli did these exercises daily under Trother’s guidance with little respite for six years. The only times that Eli wasn’t practicing in these programs, he played chess against Faren. Playing chess against a computer was significantly different from playing against a human. An AI mind followed no specific pattern or aesthetics as it played. There was no regard for a general game plan or particular strategy. It just won. Faren kept beating Eli by always making the absolute best possible tactical move. Many times, Eli would lose because he ran out of Longevity Stones.

After four years of playing against Faren, Eli started to win games sporadically, then more frequently. Right now, they were toe-to-toe in a match. Trother accompanied his progress by jumping from week to week, varying the rate at which he exploded his brain.

Today was a happy occasion because Eli could control his skin for the first time. There were over a thousand nerve endings, so it wasn’t easy to activate them at will. Faren congratulated Eli and Trother because Eli had finally produced significant results and showed signs of activating his skin at will.

For a moment, Eli let himself savor the victory. It wasn’t just the mastery of his skin—it was proof that he could overcome the impossible, piece by painstaking piece. The thought sent a ripple of hope through him. Maybe, just maybe, they could defeat the Raptor.

Trother looked at a screen that showed Eli’s brain lighting up as he sent command after command to consciously close and open the pores of his skin. He had always had faith that the boy could do it! After the euphoria of success passed, it was time to move to the plan’s next step.

“Master, what next?” asked Eli eagerly.

Trother placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “Thank you, son. I’ve always believed in you. Now, we must keep up this exercise for one more month. I want you to feel more comfortable with controlling your skin. Then, it will be time for the next stage.”

“Which is…” prompted Eli.

“You must play Longevity Chess against Faren while inside the acupuncturist.”

Eli blinked, his eagerness mixed with apprehension. “At the same time?”

“Yes,” Trother said with a glint in his eye. “It’s going to be harder than anything you’ve done so far. But I believe in you, Eli. You’ve already proven you can do the impossible.”

Eli nodded, steeling himself for the challenges ahead. Somewhere out there, the Raptor loomed closer, but here and now, he was forging himself into the weapon he needed to be.

Chapter 30