Dreams of the Past

His cell was small and cramped, lit by that same, unnerving, red light. A small mat on top of some insulation foam in one corner served as a bed. A contraption sat in the other end of the room that looked as if a sink and a toilet had a child, which Sentrius figured was an attempt to serve both rolls. He lay on his bed, too tired and sore to get up and move now that his restraints were gone. There was a small crate next to his makeshift bed with a book sitting on it, but he didn't want to move to look at it further. Slowly, sleep wrapped him in its soothing embrace, and he drifted off to the wonderlands of his mind.

He was maybe ten, back on his home world: Mars. He stood at the foot of the Grand Temple of Sol. It rose above the land around it with its polished white marble glistening in the sunlight. Along the walls were depictions of the history of his people. Millions of years ago, Sol had created the planets, each with their own purpose and name. But one stood out above all the others, Terra. This was Sol's favorite. He created human life and put them on Terra which he personally shaped to fit their needs and to provide them with all they would need to survive, including challenges to make them grow. After doing this, he placed himself inside the star at the center of the system, providing light to the inhabitants of Terra as they orbited around him.

For a while, Sol stepped back and watched his creations learn and grow, slowly spreading to occupy each corner of Terra. They learned to do incredible things and master the resources he gave them to conquer the challenges he had planted. However, over time, it seemed darkness slowly crept into the hearts of humanity despite Sol's constant generosity of light. One fateful day, Terra erupted in flames, humanities hunger and greed consuming it. Sol once again stepped in and saved a select few which he moved to Mars to continue living on. He used his power to shape Mars into another Terra-like planet, with plenty of oxygen in the atmosphere, more flora and fauna, and also good rich soil. But in return he asked for a favor: the remains of humanity must purify themselves of the darkness within to reclaim Terra and restore it to its former glory. This was referred to as The Great Work. To abandon such a task was considered the most disrespectful and evil thing one could do. Worse than killing or stealing. One must always work and never cease.

This was a special day for Sentrius. It was the day he started his real inner purification and began doing the real work in The Great Work. As soon as he could walk, talk, and comprehend things, he began to study to help in The Great Work. He had thrown himself tirelessly at his studies, attended every group ritual he could, and begged with his superiors to let him help sooner, who always said it was not his time. But today was different. He was old enough now to begin work in earnest, and boy was he ready for it. His mother came up behind him and put her arm around him and looked up at the temple. "I'm proud of you." She whispered in his ear, pulling him in for a hug. "You've worked so hard for this, I know you'll do great things for Sol." She stepped back and looked him in the eyes, "You've got this. Don't be afraid."

"You ready to go in?" His father said as he came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You bet I am!" Sentrius replied with a grin. And with that, they climbed the stairs to the main doors of the temple. Guards dressed in white armor lined with gold flanked the edges of the stairs like statues, silently watching the family ascend. At the top, there were two more guards standing by the doors with the captain of the guards standing in the center. He stepped forward, "No unworthy sole may enter the Grand Temple of Sol." He said with a voice that commanded respect and obedience. "Those who wish to enter must present their signs of worthiness." He held his hand out.

Sentriuses father stepped forward and grasped the mans hand and looked him firmly in the eyes. "Sweat and tears make the rivers flow." The captain nodded and his father stepped into the temple. His mother came up next, "The rivers give life to those around it." The captain nodded and she also went in. Now it was Sentriuses turn. He took a deep breath, and approached the captain. "The river nourishes the seeds and shows them the way." The captain smiled and let him pass as he stepped through the golden gates of the temple. As they swung shut behind him, darkness swallowed him. A commanding voice echoed around him "Welcome young one. Do you wish to follow the way of the light and leave the darkness behind?"

"Yes, I do." He replied solemnly, a slight quiver of fear in his voice. Nobody had told him he would be doing a secret ritual like this, especially alone. Or, he assumed it was secret since this one didn't appear to be talked about much.

"Are you willing to leave behind your desires and become apart of The Great Work?"

"Yes."

Two guards stepped forward, their white uniforms glowing from a singular light that shone above them. Both put one hand on one of Sentriuses shoulder and closed their eyes. "Guard, what do you feel?"

The first guard tightened his grip and seemed to concentrate. "I feel no darkness. Only pure desire to do The Great Work."

"Good. Other guard, what do you feel?" The other guard did the same as the first but said "I feel no darkness. Only pure joy to serve."

"Good. You are dismissed." And with that the guards walked off into the shadows again. The voice echoed once more, "If you feel any part of you still desires the dark, the door is open behind you." Sentrius didn't even so much as look behind him to see if it was. This was just another test wasn't it? To see if he doubted his inner purity of desire. But he couldn't shake the nagging fear. What if part of him was somehow still dark inside and all those years of purification had missed something? Best not to doubt that now.

"Now, bring fourth the work clothes for the initiate!" The voice sang out as the two guards came back holding a white cloak with gold dotting the edges. "The cloak of light." The voice boomed, a hint of pride in it now. "While plain now, as you serve Sol and fulfill your duty in The Great Work, it will become filled with symbols of your service. But when this cloak is placed on your shoulders, you may never under any circumstances reveal what you have just done. You may never show your cloak to anyone unless they be within the temple. You may never discuss of the cloak or what it means with anyone outside the temple. Doing so will result in you being exiled to the dark outer systems as it is a great disrespect to Sol" One guard placed the cloak around his shoulders as the darkness fled to the corners from the lights beginning to shine above. "All welcome the initiate!" Many people surrounded Sentrius now, each wearing their own cloak. Some looked to still be mostly white, while others were heavily covered in embroidered gold patterns. Each one came up and shook his hand or gave him a hug, all having a big happy grin on their face.

His dream began to slip from his mind, their voices echoing in his skull as he began to slowly come back to the present from the past. He was back in the little cell with the red light, trapped with his thoughts and memories.

To be Continued...