Malaki Anthology #5 - "Becoming Literate" - Worldbuilding Excerpt
Nerani remembered the day that his Calling had been revealed to him well. He had only just finished his primary education in common school. That evening his parents had informed him of the Oracle’s determination of his fate. He was destined to become a member of the Literate Conclave, the oldest guild in Malaki. It was a great honor.
Nerani knew that this revelation was coming, his parents had told him long before that after he was done with school then he would have to leave them. Tradition held that the actual Calling was not to be revealed until a child came of age, but did not prevent parents from preparing their children to leave the home early. When that day came, Nerani faced it proudly and bravely. He bade farewell to life with his family, holding back his tears, and accompanied his Enforcer escort without hesitation.
The Conclave had changed little from that first day. Located on the crown of the outer wall directly behind the governmental spire, It was only accessible by hovercraft, making it impossible to reach by anyone but the Empire and preventing the Literate from being disturbed by the commercial bustle of daily life in Malaki.
In Nerani’s opinion, the Conclave was one of the most beautiful buildings in Malaki. Twin streams of water circled the landing pad and fell, cascading into oblivion below. Leading up to the main entrance was a courtyard of trees, grass and other greenery, providing the Conclave a lush, living appearance. The Conclave’s decorate walls were covered in ivy and trimmed with gold, both inside and out. This indicated its status amongst the hierarchy of the Empire.
The halls of the Conclave were tall and spacious, reverberating any sound made in them tenfold. Depending on the time of day, choirs, voices, instrumental music or silence echoed through the halls. Nerani’s favorite hour was when the choirs would sing the Song of Daybreak in the early hours of the morning.
When he arrived at the Conclave, Nerani’s education exploded into many different studies. The Literate studied and maintained the vast history of mankind, records from time and time ago that were saved from the fires of armageddon and brought to the Ark. Though the Empire had outlawed much of the knowledge kept in the Conclave’s great library to the general public, the Literate had existed long before the Empire’s first conception. Thus, the Literate were allowed to continue the study, provided that they never leave the Conclave.
And so, for twenty-six years, Nerani studied, memorized, recorded and taught the history of Mankind with and to the members of the Conclave in the Cycle. In place of his birth family, he found a new home amongst the peaceful and kind members of the guild, making many friends and gaining much prestige within the Conclave. He was happy. However that happiness was not destined to last.
There existed a greater Cycle in the Empire, one that demanded much from many, including the Literate. The Cycle of Life. All life must breathe its last and because of this universal constant, the time infrequently came where the Imperial Academy had need of a Literate to fill a vacancy amongst the Instructors. The nature of the Academy required the utmost secrecy and the decision on which Literate to promote was never discussed with the Conclave in depth. Thus, when Nerani returned to his humble apartment on the eve of the summer solstice festival to find four armed, Academy Enforcers waiting for him, he was given no choice to refuse the Academy’s.
Nerani managed to incapacitate one of the Enforcers with a surprise attack, however the other three proceeded to quickly stun him and beat him into silence so that they could escort him to the Academy. The following morning, his promotion was relayed to the Conclave. The Literate collectively mourned the loss of their friend and brother before returning to their duties.
The cycle of life turns ever onward.
Hello again steemians!
This is part 5 of a series of anthology and worldbuilding short-essays that I'm working on to help promote and build excitement for my book. If you're intrigued, I'd highly encourage you to swing by my blog and catch up a bit on my introductions and other anthology works. A follow would also be highly appreciated!
Incorruptible is now releasing on Steemit, follow and stay tuned for details!
Catch you on the flipside,
~ Mako
Malaki Anthology #1 - "I wasn't there"
Malaki Anthology #2 - "A Class Project"
Malaki Anthology #3 - "Aryth"
Malaki Anthology #4- "The Catalyst of Unification"