Luminosity - The Beginning (Book 1) - 5. Part 2

*
Henry approached the body, fell to his knees beside the lifeless form, and cried. His savior and, yes, his first love was gone. In the past, he'd always had his parents to turn to when things in his life went badly, but they were far away, someplace he had no way of returning to. He was so alone, but he knew how to be alone. He'd been alone most of his life. Eventually, he laid down beside what was left of Tomas and fell into an exhausted and restless sleep.

It never got completely dark that night. As the sun set on one horizon, another sun would rise on the opposite horizon. This alien world seemed strange to Henry. During the sunrise/sunset the following day, Henry woke to a strange shimmering aura descending from the brightening sky. He rolled away from Tomas and sat up. Waves of barely visible white light were pouring into Tomas' body, and his wounds appeared to heal slowly

Henry began to cry again; only they were tears of joy this time.
*

Tomas' recovery was gradual. At first, Henry wasn't sure he was healing at all, but he thought there must be a purpose for the shimmering light flowing into him. Days passed without signs of life, not a breath or a heartbeat. His body, although intact again, still had a disturbing transparent quality.

Henry never left Tomas' side. Even before leaving his world, his appetite had waned. Henry attributed it to stress, but now he realized he hadn't eaten in several days, and yet, rather than feeling weak or lethargic, he was brimming with energy. He surmised this was another result of his body's many changes.

On the third riseset, his name for this world's sunrise and sunset phenomenon, he saw lumin flares in the distance. Fifteen boys were running together in a sort of phalanx, with three boys in the front impressively flaring and twelve boys following within their glow of lumin. Henry recognized this as experienced runners guiding novices and fledglings, much like Tomas had done with him. It was beautiful. He was amazed to see others like himself in this world. Unlike his birth world, maybe he wasn't the lone outcast here. He was tempted to signal to them to attract their attention but decided instead that it would be safer to remain hidden for now. Over the following days, Henry observed several formations of these beautiful flaring phalanxs of various sizes running across the plains.

Eight risesets passed with no sign of life coming from Tomas. The battery on Henry's running watch was low, but he determined that a 'day' in this world was about thirty-one hours. Strangely, for some inexplicable reason, this wasn't disorienting to Henry. He naturally fell into the routine of sleeping two and a half hours before riseset to two and a half hours after riseset. He never slept soundly; it was more like deep resting. He would always observe the astonishing moment when the two suns would cross the horizons and cast an eerie yet beautiful, dusky twilight glow across the expansive landscape.

This day, he was jolted to full consciousness by an audible rumbling. The ground shook. Tomas stood naked several yards from where Henry lay. His eyes were peering into the heavens while a bright, solid light poured into his body, primarily from above and around him. It was a glorious sight, like some celestial power breathing life into its most beautiful angel.

Tomas lowered his silvery gold gaze to meet Henry's eyes and stated with a reverberating voice, "I am healed and stronger than before."

The intense light abruptly faded; Tomas returned to normal, smiled, and asked. "How are you, Henry?"

After an astonished pause, Henry managed to update Tomas on the experiences of the last several days, including his concern with Tomas' injuries, his lack of hunger, and the sighting of the phalanx of boys.

"As you can see, I'm whole again. I was close to death, but feeling your presence over the last few days was enough to draw me away from that dark place."

Tomas explained that Henry had surmised correctly that part of the transition was the loss of appetite. All sustenance comes from the lumin itself. Plainsrunners still drank occasionally, but even that was not as vital as before the change. Humidity from the north and south of the plains circulated in the atmosphere. Plainsrunners were naturally efficient at absorbing moisture.

Blushing, Henry asked, "What about … you know … going to the toilet?"

"Have you gone since we arrived?"

Still blushing, Henry replied, "Once, but there wasn't much."

"Unless you begin eating solid food again, you're probably done with shitting for a while. You'll still need to piss now and then."

Sensing Henry's discomfort and suppressing a smile, Tomas asked, "What direction were the phalanxes you observed traveling?"

Henry pointed from right to left, counter to the direction the suns rose and set.

"I wonder if it's gwyl?"

"Gwyl?" asked Henry. "What's that?"

"Once a cycle, about a year and a half in earth years, the plainsrunners celebrate in the various centers around this world. The major center is Dinas. It is considered the cultural center and the portal to the largest mangeni."

"Mangeni?"

The mangeni is where plainsrunners go after their years on the plains are finished. It is also where future plainsrunners are conceived, born, grow up, and receive early training. All plainsrunners come out of one of the mangeni. All except you, Henry."

Henry felt a panic attack coming on. Having seen the phalanxes transversing the plains, he thought that, maybe, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be the strange, quiet one, the outsider. He now feared nothing would change for him.

As often happens with trainers and trainees, Tomas knew what Henry was thinking and his emotional state.

"Henry, these are your people. The same lumin flows through you that flows through them. We are all plainsrunners. Be brave; you have many wonderful people to meet and adventures to look forward to."

"Dinas is many days from here. We will continue your training. Run with me."

Henry found that running on the plains was different than it was on his birth world. It was easier in some ways because the land was flat with no obstructions, and the lumin flowed more easily through his body. But it was also more challenging. Speeds attained were much greater, and the consequences of a mistake were dire. He began experimenting with turning the lumin flow in on itself, much as Tomas did when slowing or changing direction at high speed. He could feel the forces acting on him but was far from generating the powerful blue lumin glow. Tomas continued to guide him, allowing him to experiment without risk.

Tomas was a steady and conscientious trainer. The two boys occasionally saw other groups of boys traveling in the same direction. Sometimes, they'd be traveling faster and other times slower. Henry learned that there was an optimal level of lumin expenditure for each plainsrunner. This was the level where the lumin absorption was equal to the expenditure. Theoretically, a plainsrunner could run forever at this level, but for some unknown reason, they operated best when resting for five hours around the setrise. Perhaps it was related to a slightly lower level of lumin available for absorption at that time of day.

As they traveled and trained, Tomas instructed Henry on the culture and conventions of his new home.

Tomas made Henry promise not to mention their trip from his homeland to the plains or anything about his previous life. Travel between worlds was frowned upon. From this point forward, Henry, you should consider yourself no longer an off-plainer but an out-plainer.

"What is an out-plainer?" Henry asked.

"Most plainsrunners live in settlements on the northern edges of the plains. Dinas is the largest of these settlements. Some live away from the settlements. They are often loners or small groups that, for different reasons, shun the settlements. Out-plainers are often considered different and are sometimes distrusted by the settlements. It's rare, but sometimes fledglings join out-plainer groups soon after leaving the mangeni. By the next cycle, they often return to a settlement for more advanced training, and this will be your 'cover story.' You have learned quickly, achieved a novice's skills, and are ready for group training."

"Why won't you continue to train me as a novice?"

"You need to train with your peer group. It is the best way to integrate into the larger community."

Henry was disappointed. Although less mature, he considered them about the same age. Why couldn't Tomas continue to train him? He was certain now that Tomas didn't feel the same about him that Henry felt about Tomas.

One day, just before the setrise rest period, Tomas directed them to the camp of a phalanx, preparing for the five hours of rest. Henry was filled with anxiety, much like he felt during the first few days of school not many months ago.

Tomas approached the three Primaries. "I am Tomas, and accompanying me is the novice, Henry. We ask permission to join this phalanx on its journey to Dinas if that is your destination?"

"That is our destination. Tomas is an honorable name, but I have never heard of a Henry. "

"I hail from Dinas, although I have been gone for many cycles. Henry is an out-plainer traveling to Dinas for the first time and seeking novice training."

"I am Aneurin, and these primaries are Hywel and Cadan. You and Henry are welcome to accompany our phalanx to Dinas. Join us for water."

Tomas and Henry drank water from a shared flask. The novices and fledglings of the phalanx sat in a half circle facing the primaries. One of the novices invited Henry to join them. Tomas sat with the primaries.

Henry was petrified meeting all these boys for the first time. The novices and fledglings were all curious about Henry, peppering him with questions about what it was like living outside of the settlements. Tomas had instructed him just enough on the topic for Henry to fake it. They were all pretty friendly, and he soon felt a camaraderie he had never experienced in his former life.

And then … they sang.

Henry had never heard anything as beautiful. All the boys' voices were pure and complementary. He didn't know any of the songs, but the melodies and words were somehow familiar. Henry was content and smiled blissfully as he hummed along with the songs of his companions.

The next day, the phalanx formed with much laughter and kidding around. Henry took a position between two novices named Hapus and Diffuant. They began to run. Henry had no problem keeping up with the group of plainsrunners. The primaries were exerting more control than he needed or wanted. Tomas projected a minimum amount of lumin when they ran, only exerting control when required. He wondered whether the training of these novices and fledglings was less advanced than his, and they needed more guidance than he. Tomas was running to the side of the phalanx with none of his lumin touching any other plainsrunners. Henry missed Tomas' familiar lumin 'touch'.

Running for twenty-six hours straight was exhilarating. The members of the phalanx would communicate with each other. It was strange at first, but it was easy to talk to anyone, either privately or to a group or everyone. Henry had no idea how it worked, but it came naturally to him. There were cliques, but unlike his home world, no one took it seriously. He soon became best friends with Hapus and Diffuant. Hapus was always smiling and ready with a funny story or joke. At least he thought they were funny, and it didn't matter because it always made Henry and Diffuant laugh. Diffuant, on the other hand, was more serious but highly supportive, offering Henry helpful advice and encouragement. The one negative was his inability to communicate with Tomas.

Henry learned that the five-hour rest period was called gorffwys. At gorffwys, the phalanx would disband, take a few minutes to relax, take care of private matters, and then form the customary half circle facing the three primaries. Tomas would usually sit off to the side. Sometimes, they would share water, and the primaries would lead a discussion about the day run, the history and laws of the plainsrunners, and any other pertinent subjects. The novices and fledglings could then ask questions or offer their insights. And then they would sing …

Henry was never happier. He was a welcome member of the kindest, most beautiful people he had ever encountered. He could tell that they cared for him, and he realized that as the days passed, he found himself trusting these boys more and more. Everything would be perfect except for one thing … every day, Tomas drifted further and further away from the members of the phalanx and … from Henry.

At one of the discussions during gorffwys, the primary Hywel introduced the topic of the recent activities of the nmblings. The nmblings would occasionally organize into raiding parties and ambush solo or small groups of plainsrunners. According to Hywel, large bands of nmblings were seen scavenging in the central plains. There were also unconfirmed reports of attacks on small plainsrunner phalanx's.

During a pause, Diffuant explained to Henry the nature of the nmblings. "The nmblings also live on the plains. The nmbling settlements are located on the southern boundaries of the plains, while our settlements are in the north. The origin of both the nmblings and plainsrunners is a mystery, although ancient legends speak of plainsrunners and nmblings being one people. I don't know about the legends, but we are very different now. While we plainsrunners are swift and graceful, the nmblings are more muscular and sturdier. The nmblings process lumen as we do, but they never rupture."

"They are, however, covetous of the dense and powerful lumin the plainsrunners process. They are drawn to it like junkies to a powerful intoxicating drug. The only way they can possess the pure power is by savagely slaughtering plainsrunners and eating the organs associated with lumin processing. It is ghastly, an abomination."

"They sound scary. Will we see them on our trip to Dinas?" asked Henry.

"Probably not. I've been training on the plains for over a cycle, and I've never seen any of them. Although they are physically stronger than us, they are also much slower. They usually stay in the south where they can consolidate their numbers and overwhelm small phalanxes of plainsrunners," said Diffuant.

The discussion period ended, and they sang. This was Henry's favorite time of the day. As he joined in the songs, he noticed something a little different. Recently, Tomas had physically drifted further and further from the phalanx. Tonight was different. He was sitting with the three primaries in deep yet affable conversation. Henry was hopeful that this was a sign that Tomas was re-engaging with the primaries and gave him hope that he and Tomas might get closer again.

Henry fell into a light sleep toward the end of gorffwys, as he often did. He woke to the noisy, boisterous preparations for the day run.

Looking around, Henry thought, 'Where is Tomas?'

Aneurin motioned Henry to join him.

"Henry, are you happy running with our phalanx?"

"Yes, I am Aneurin. I've never been happier."

"That is good to hear. We enjoy running with you. You make a good addition to our band of plainsrunners. We would like you to join us permanently."

"I would like that more than anything!"

After a pause, Henry asked, "Aneurin, where is Tomas?"

"Tomas has an urgent matter to attend to."

"When will he return?"

"I don't know Henry. Perhaps he'll meet us in Dinas for the gwyl festival. It's time to travel. Take your position in the phalanx. We will drink water and sing a celebration song tonight to honor you joining us."

Heartbroken, Henry thought, 'Time for a run.'