81. The Greatest Honor


        Orien stood alone at the bow of the ship, fumbling with his red lei, watching the Vimana take off and land from the airport as the ship neared the Atlan harbor, wishing his fate didn’t have to be fated this way. Lochia had been a terrible experience, that he had left Lochia was the only thing that made him happy.
         He fought back a tear as another Vimana roared out of the airport, so stunning in the golden sun, he loved them so much, he was so sure he would be taking them to the stars one day, he had dreamed so earnestly of being an Astronaut since as long as he could remember... And now the dream was over.
         "This is the Greatest Honor" he reminded himself of Hedena's wise words, but it hardy helped. How could it be? He glanced down to the so-called 'sin-full' water below, rushing past the ship's bow, trying to think positive like she told him to. Would the Promised Land really be as cool as this? Hedena assured him it would be, that he would get to be an astronaut after all, but no matter how many affirmations he repeated to himself he couldn't help but feel unsure about it, he felt sad, scared of the journey ahead.
         The happy sounds of Bella laughing amongst a group of goddesses, brought him back to the surface. He turned towards them but only caught a glimpse of her giggling over the silly things they giggled about... He had dreamt about Bella too. Now he would never see her again, unless she died an Honorable Death too.... He eyed the goddesses one by one... They were the lucky ones, born beautiful and carefree, their futures and dreams still lay before them, attainable.
         He let out a sigh and returned his gaze to the so-called 'sin-full' water rushing below. It wasn't that he didn't want to go to the Promised Land, it was that he was going too soon.

         Bella spotted Orien standing alone and broke from the group to walk his way, sensing his sadness. Deep down she didn't want him to go, but she understood why he had to.
         "Are you nervous?" She asked, straightening his crumpled red lei. Bella was graduating from the Ephra Institute, she had quietly taken Orien under her wing because she liked him.
         Orien never told her she had made a difference in his life when some of the goddesses had been so hard on him, he wanted to but the words just couldn’t leave his lips. He stood up straight.
         "Of course not" he lied, feigning a smile.
         She kissed his forehead and pinched his cheek. "Cheer up Glow Boy" she urged. "Soon enough you'll be in the Promised Land! Wow, I wish I could come too!"
         Orien tried to cheer up, Bella was right, it wasn't like he had been sentenced to Hellias or anything. He watched her skip off to be with her friends, hardly feeling any better, longing for more of Bella in his life. Bella was every inch a goddess, a true goddess, she had a fabulous future ahead of her… A future without him in it.
         A tear sprung from his eye, he wiped it away, it wasn't fair. Why wouldn't anyone believe in him? Didn't they call him Glow Boy because of his amazing talents? It seemed like nobody wanted his talents, he didn't understand, they had all been so excited to see them, he even met the king!
         He blinked away the tears, returned his focus to the waves below, he tried to think about other things but the closer they got to the harbor, the closer they got to the airport and that only made it worse.



         Once again, aribu from near and far poured into the Grand Courtyard gates, packing the stands around the royal stage. Zara stood nervously in the wings beside Eden, watching the students moving into their group formations. Her heart was pounding, nervous to be playing a Lead Role in the Graduation Ceremony today, she certainly didn’t feel up to it. In fact, she wasn't feeling up to it at all, she felt so ill, her head was exploding in the bright sun and she was having dizzy sensations under her itchy black robe. Her veins pumped with a violent sort of adrenaline as conflicting thoughts of the sacrifice warred with her consciousness. Orien?
         She tried to remain focused on something other than troubling thoughts, aware of her malfunctioning mind running away on her again, it was scary. What did he look like?
         She tried to shake her thoughts by focusing her attention on the students as they gathered in their groups, they all looked so happy and excited, it brought back memories of her own graduation. It seemed like such a different world now as she watched them giggle amongst themselves in their pretty graduation outfits. A smile returned to her lips as she remembered how it felt, standing there with her class in her glamorous blue dress, so eager to experience the exciting future.


         The crowds hushed as the gods began to arrive, they took their seats on the upper balcony overlooking the stage. From where she stood Zara could see them all quite well, they all looked so important on stage.
         Then Nolan arrived... Visualizing herself wearing blinkers, she tried her best to look proud, watching instead the drummers marching around the courtyard. An emcee marched out of the opposing wing and stood at the podium, commanding the attention of the audience.
         "Citizens of the Atlan Empire" he summoned. "Allow me to present to you, your most noble and almighty... King Atalon, god of Divinity!"
         The crowd erupted in cheers, turning the courtyard into a sea of waving flags as king Atalon took his place at the podium.
         "Greetings, my fine aribu of the Atlan Empire!" King Atalon's voice resonated across the Grand Courtyard, powerful, magnetic, amplified by the echoes as it bounced off the walls. "It is with great expectations that this year, I present the most promising examples in the history of the Atlan Empire..." A short drum roll teased the crowds... "The Rabbit Year Gens!"

         The crowds erupted with whistles and cheers, waving their red flags in celebration as the drums rolled again, building into a thundering crescendo. Feelings of nostalgia poured forth as Zara watched the students climb the steps of the runway, walking the walk she too had worked so hard to master. How many of them would meet nothing but shattered dreams, like she had?
         The drumming rolled to a stop as the graduates gathered in position, quieting for the king as he raised his hand for attention.

         "My friends..." the king began. "These are not the finest examples by chance. I would like you to congratulate Hedena!" He gestured towards his sister, she smiled and stood on cue, radiant in the late afternoon sun. "Hedena, our most gifted and talented goddess of Conformity must be first and foremost, congratulated for her most excellent accomplishments this year!"
        
         The crowds roared with cheer, waving their flags, but Zara felt nothing but deep disappointment surge from inside as Hedena walked up to the podium, still struggling to believe the goddess of Conformity could be so mistaken about her after all this time.

         "Thank you" Hedena began with a smile, holding her hand up to quiet the crowd. "Indeed these are not the finest examples by chance!" She gestured towards the Rabbit year Gens. "In order to produce such an incredible line, we had to start with excellent bloodlinesSixteen years ago we produced an outstanding new generation and this is the result!" Cheers erupted again, stimulated by the rolling drums. "However, it is with great regret" she continued, "that I must remind you how many of the Culloom Rabbits are missing from the Graduation Ceremony this year. Let us take a moment of silence to remember those who were victims of the cruel and savage Aquilla and his TERRIFYING dogons!"

         It was almost as if Hedena was making her cry on purpose. Zara felt sick as she was reminded of the horrific scene in Culloom... Now she wondered, what miracle had saved her Orien from such a cruel and horrid demise? Was this why he had been chosen?

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