Planet Ignis | Ch. 12

... tales of remarkable achievements echoing through the ages.

Howner, the dwarf, remains an indelible legend in Ignian history. His bursting prowess transcended all boundaries, culminating in a monumental feat that still resonates through the Burrows. With unmatched determination and unwavering resolve, Howner unleashed a blue burst of unprecedented magnitude, carving a tunnel of remarkable scale during his termination. According to the records, the burst was so powerful that some reported seeing hues of violet and purple in the burst. The remnants of his exceptional achievement can still be witnessed in the colossal Howner Avenue, a testament to his enduring legacy.

Players strategize to harness his extraordinary power, contemplating the opportunities that arise when employing his longevity chess Card...

In “The History of longevity chess” by Eli, the Flarewalker

“In today’s class, we will talk about the Womb,” Eli announced. This was Eli’s third class of students, and Trother rarely came to see how he was doing these days. However, Trother followed him here after the council session and told him he would stick around until his class was finished. As Eli spared a glance at his master, he saw that he seemed lost in his thoughts. He was apprehensive about everything that had been discussed in the Council today.

“Can someone tell me anything about the Womb?”

“That’s where mothers give birth.”

“Very well. They give birth in a machine called the birth pool. Think about it; all of you came to this world inside that machine.” Like Trother, he had learned the power of pauses between remarks. It was almost as important as what was said. “What else? Anyone?”

“That’s where the Nexus is.”

“Very good.” No one else raised their hand. Now that he had established what the children knew, he could start a lecture to teach them what they didn’t know. “Just like newborn babies can’t walk or talk, they can’t control their mutations. They would all die before adulthood if we didn’t do anything about it. Our ancestors devised the solutions to this problem: the incubators and the simulator.

Inside the Womb, there are huge glass cylinders. They are called the incubators. In each of these tubes, babies or small children float inside nutrient-rich polarized ignium. They ensure that children can survive in Ignis without bursting. The tribe bursts for them. You burst for them.” He looked each of them in the eyes, looking for signs of disagreement, rebellion, or anger.

Trother had always stressed to him the importance of helping children understand the importance of working for the tribe. A spark of misunderstanding could quickly set a tribe ablaze, and it all started here, in the Collegium. Nothing was more wasteful to the tribe than internal fighting. By ensuring the children understood their role in society well, many lives could be saved down the road.

“Think about it. Whenever you attend a rekindling ceremony, whenever you work down in the mines or the forges, all of us contribute to the welfare of the children of the tribe. If it wasn’t for the collective sacrifice of the tribe, all of them would die, and the tribe would end.

Imagine that those that came before you hadn’t done this for you. Would any of you be here today?” Another pause. Some cinders of gratitude in the children. Good. Touching their emotions was the main point behind this lecture.

“Difficult as it’s been to build the Womb, the greatest challenge our ancestors faced was to find a way to stimulate the minds of the incubated children. Teach them to read, walk, talk, think, and love. Without nurturing the mind, there was no point in nurturing the body. How did our ancestors solve this problem? Yes, Mary?”

“The Nexus?”

“Very good. That’s why we all have these inputs behind on the back of our necks.” He noticed that some of the children couldn’t resist reaching out to feel the metal implant as it if was new to them. “That’s how we can be connected to the Nexus and let Faren manage our longevity while allowing us to enter the virtual space where we are raised. There’s a funny story behind this,” he searched for a sign of disapproval in Trother’s eyes. He never included this bit in his lectures. He was relieved to find nothing in his master’s facial expression that hinted that he didn’t disapprove of where he was taking this.

“Aboard the Phoenix, there were a few virtual reality stations, VR Helmets, as they were called. These were extremely popular on Earth when the Phoenix had been launched, and luck would have it that some of them were brought aboard the spaceship for the crew’s entertainment.

The ingenious solution found by the crew to raise the children, and teach them to burst in a safe manner, was to repurpose these systems.

They reprogrammed one of the games in the VR helmet, adapted it, and installed it in Faren.”

“Why did they have to reprogram it?”

“Its full version would have been impossible to run while hosting the minds of so many children. They had to strip it down to only one simple borderless room.” For the first time since he had started class, he caught Trother raising his brow. He had said ‘they’ and not ‘we.’ He grimaced and forced himself to continue.

“Inside the Nexus, children are cared for and taught by nannies of the tribe.” He looked into the eyes of the girls that were in this class.

“Girls, you might become mothers one day. These nanny shifts will allow you to spend time with your babies. But remember: when your time comes to care for the children of the tribe, treat every child as if they were your own. After all, the next mother will do the same for your children too. It will be one of the most difficult things you will have to do... to shower love on the children of others while yours is also there in front of you. Burn your warmth for the greater heat.” The girls echoed his chant of the truth.

“Why does the king come to the Nexus too?” Eli also remembered being a toddler and receiving visits from the monarch. That had also puzzled him. After seeing the globular throne today, he understood the reason for this better than ever.

“Having to remain confined to the Burrows tunnels exerts great mental pressure. But being restricted to just an insulator globe is too much for a human to handle for a lifetime. Therefore, other than the children and the nannies, the only one who can come to the Nexus is the king. This gives him a little escape from the confines of the globe.”

Talking about the globe and the womb, Eli wondered how the children were doing. Faren had said it would need to temporarily shut off the Nexus to try to decrypt the transmission it had received from Dr. Hitori. The Burrows were paying a fortune in computing power today. The ones suffering the most were the bored children in the incubators.

“Let’s now talk for a moment about the Lighthouse. Who can tell me the purpose of it and why we have a yellow who’s always assigned to serve as the Lighthouse Keeper? Anyone?”

*

In front of Gro, a screen with a maze hovered. Some of her friends huddled behind her, admiring her moves.

Gro was almost six years old. She wore a simple gray tunic like everyone else around her. Her eyes were hazel brown, and she had fair, pale skin. Her hair was blonde and tied in a ponytail.

Guiding Pacman around the maze, Gro hunted for points and cherries while trying to escape the squid monsters. Among the children, Gro was the best player. Excitement filled the air as she attempted to beat her personal record.

If someone checked the scoreboard, they would see the name Trother shining brightly at the very top of the board. Eli held the third place, and Brodnir claimed the eighth spot. Despite being the current top player in the Nexus, Gro still had a long way to go before she could come close to their scores.

Gro felt she was getting closer and closer to the king’s score. She glanced around, hoping to see Uncle Brodnir, but only the other children and a few nannies were present. Mommy wasn’t there today either, but Gro spotted one of her favorite nannies, Aunty Saral. She started running towards her, eager to boast about her latest achievements, when a message appeared in front of her. Everyone froze as they received the same warning. ‘System Notice: Server closing for maintenance. Prepare for a blackout.’

Nannies scurried around, telling the children to relax as they would be out for a longer nap than usual. They instructed them to use the time they would have alone with their thoughts to get some extra rest. The nannies also encouraged them to exercise their minds by coming up with a story or reciting the truths and meditating on them. As the countdown displayed in the upper right corner of everyone’s vision reached zero, all puzzles, games, and lessons were shut down. Blackness filled the vision of all the children in the Burrows.

Ch. 13