Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 4

"So exactly what has you so troubled Noah?" asked Jakon.

"I have spent the last several days in the temple trying to find something in the old teachings that makes mention of an increase in temperature like what we are seeing, but have been unable to find anything," Noahim said, "but then today...today I was observing Ratam through the Yevi, and I saw something..."

"Saw what?" Jakon questioned, "If you want my help you must be more specific."

"I know Jakon, I just don't know exactly what it is that I saw," Noahim said.

"Well, what do you think it was then?" asked Jakon.

"I believe I saw some type of explosion on the surface of Ratam...something I have never seen before," said Noahim.

"Well, I have seen many of these occurrences on Ratam over the years," Jakon said, sounding unimpressed, "I suppose for one as young as you this may seem unusual, but Ratam is hardly a stable star."

Noahim stopped walking and turned to face Jakon, "I am familiar with the VegaRa," he said, speaking of the phenomenon of solar flares, "but this was unlike anything I have seen in the past or anything I have read about.  Please do not mistake my youth for inexperience.  I have studied the old teachings more than any Mul'Ki, including you old one."

"That is your problem Noah, you believe that all the answers can be found by reading the teachings of the ancients," Jakon scoffed, "but they were a misguided lot.  They believed in the Gods, they worshiped the stars as more than what they are.  You must have faith not in old doctrine, but in the science that we have proven."

"I believe in the Gods, I worship the stars," said Noahim quietly, "and I am your high priest.  The ancients had more wisdom than you and I will ever know.  Without them, none of us would have ever learned to be Mul'Ki."

"Learned to be Mul'Ki?" Jakon asked, "You more than anyone should know that you cannot learn to be Mul'Ki Noah, you just are or you are not."  With that, Jakon turned and began walking again.  Noahim walked beside him, simmering in his anger.  Jakon had been a Mul'Ki for over three hundred years.  When the last high priest had died, he was sure that he would be the people's choice as successor, but instead, it was Noahim that had been appointed high priest.  Every high priest in the history of Atla had been over three hundred years old when they had been appointed, everyone until Noahim.  The people had resoundingly chosen him, even though he had not completed his formal training.

Mul'Ki were born, this much was true, but they were not Mul'Ki from birth.  At every birth in Atla, a Mul'Ki was present because he could sense whether the child had the gift or not.  If the child possessed the gift, they would live with their parents until the age of five when they would be taken to live in the temple.  There they would be raised by the Mul'Ki, each day being taught to harness their powers.  They would be given lessons in the old teachings and learn to read the stars.  It was a long process and many of the Mul'Ki were not fully trained until they were well over one hundred years old, although they could still carry out some of the duties of the Mul'Ki before their training was complete.  Time seemed to flow differently for the Mul'Ki, and because of the gift, most Mul'Ki lived to be over six hundred years old. 

Noahim, unlike every Mul'Ki before him, was able to command the Ari'Yet from the day he was born.  His RaSheen chose him when he was only three days old, and that RaSheen was the legendary BalaRa.  Noahim understood the stars in a way that no Mul'Ki in thousands of years had.  He understood them as had the ancients, they spoke to him, much the same way his RaSheen spoke to him.  Noahim was special, and most of Atla treated him as such.  Jakon and some of his brethren, however, felt that Noahim was just a boy, a gifted boy, but a boy none the less.  They felt that the BalaRa was nothing more than a fable, just a cat that came to stay by Noahim's side.  The Mul'Ki in many ways despised Noahim and his God-like status among the people.