Celestial Crisis

PART ONE

EMOK

THE DIMENSION OF Asah! A dimension of a much higher vibrational frequency than that of Lemuria. The dimension contained no realm and it was home to beings so relatively high up the evolutionary ladder of Creation that they could create and populate other realms and dimensions. Over the span of time, these beings became center pieces in the mythologies of many creatures in realms of lower vibrational frequencies, alluding to them as makers, creators and as such, they are worshipped as gods and goddesses.

Emok teleported to the main hall of Asah. The Council had summoned him for one reason, and Emok already had his response ready. His reputation for being a great creator preceded him, and he ranked among the top five creators in Asah. He courteously greeted the assistants at the door to The Council hall as they politely returned his greeting and opened the door for Emok.

Gratitude, brethren! Emok said as the door closed behind him.

The three-people council sat at a table elevated in midair. Emok regarded his mentors with awe and respect. My turn as a council member will come, he promised himself yet again. He bowed slowly at each council person, and they all nodded their respective greetings back at him, almost imperceptibly. The head and most long-existing member of The Council, Salok, was the first to speak.

How are you doing, child? Salok asked most amicably.

Very well, mother. Thank you, Emok replied with a smile of his own.

Even though The Council people were not his parents, because everyone in the Dimension of Asah was spawned directly from the Zarark and therefore had no parents, these council people had been Emok’s mentors for as long as Emok had existed. As such, he never referred to any of them by name or title. He chose to refer to them as either ‘mother’ or ‘father’. The Council loved him even more for this initiative.

You know why we summoned you, Salok said flatly.

Yes, mother, Emok replied. I am ready whenever you are.

You make us proud, son, Collok chimed. Be ready by the next spark.

Thank you, father, Emok said gratefully. My team and I are ready to depart as soon as you dismiss me.

Emok saw their garments of light flicker from pale yellow to bright yellow. His parents were pleased with his enthusiasm. His garment, however, remained colorless and translucent, as did his body.

Salok raised her right hand in the air and a flat tablet of light formed in front of her palm. She gently placed her hand on the tablet and held the tablet there for a moment for it to register her auric prints. Then, the tablet vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared and a list of symbols of pale blue light formed in midair. Salok tapped on three of the symbols and the rest of the symbols disappeared. The three symbols she tapped on spun around one another until they formed a single flat, circular beam of light. This circular beam of light then stopped spinning as a portal appeared in the center of it. Salok slid her hand through the portal and retrieved a Zarark. The portal disappeared along with the circular beam of light.

Here you go, son! Salok said as she held out the Zarark towards Emok.

Emok levitated towards his mother and took the Zarark with both hands, bowing his head at the same time. He floated back to the floor as he pressed the Zarark on his chest. The Zarark merged into the safety of his being.

I know you chose a name for your next assignment already, Mulok, the other councilman, said. So, I will ask you some questions in reverse order.

Father knows me too well, Emok replied with a smile.

Was there a reason for the name you chose? Mulok asked.

No, father, Emok replied. I just liked the way the name sounded!

The Councilman chuckled and shook his head. Emok chuckled as well.

Alright, Mulok said and absentmindedly rubbed at his left eyebrow.

And what will you call your new assignment, my son? Salok asked.

‘Celestia’, mother, Emok replied. I will call it ‘Celestia’.

CHAPTER ONE

COMING TO CELESTIA

GET READY TEAM, Emok said as he appeared in his command center.

But we just returned from Camerus, Emok! Obok whined.

You know what you signed up for, Obok, Emok replied curtly.

Emok touched his chest with his left index finger and traced an imperfect parabola in the air with his right palm. Specks of white light slowly appeared and coalesced into a holographic screen. Still keeping his left index finger on his chest, he tapped on a series of glyphs on the holographic screen and the screen curved unto itself into a five-dimensional globe with many specks of white light arranged in a seemingly random pattern around and within the globe.

Place your bets! Emok said, without taking his eyes off the holographic display of a condensed portion of Creation.

Here! Hikok said as she pointed at a spot on the sphere.

I say here! Izok said as he pointed at another spot on the sphere.

Emok telekinetically highlighted the two choices from his teammates. The others had no interest in the game. Obok was just being playfully dramatic, and Emok was aware of that. But he could not understand why his response to Obok was so curt. If Obok noticed, Obok did not care. Lately, Emok had been feeling a little… off-center? Was that what it was? Emok could not tell. These feelings were alien to him, but they were not important enough to cause him to lose focus on the assignment. There was a new dimension to populate and realms within that dimension to create and populate as well. He was, however, appreciative of the fact that Obok seemed to ignore his reaction.

Alright, now, Emok said, in fake excitement. Let’s see who won!

The hologram zoomed inwards, and the specks of light grew larger. Finally, the hologram stopped zooming in, and a red speck pulsated repeatedly. Emok highlighted the red speck telekinetically, and the rest of the hologram vanished, leaving behind an enlarged holographic display of a spherical dimension. Emok then removed his left index finger from his chest. The Zarark had just indicated the location of its future home, and therefore, Team Emok’s next assignment.

This is your fault, Obok, Hikok joked and rolled her eyes.

Do not blame me for you two losing your bets, Obok replied.

At least it’s not in or near a restricted area, Izok said.

Izok walked towards Emok and stood next to him. Emok concurred Izok’s observation with a nod. Both men studied the hologram intensely and silently for a few moments before Obok and Hikok joined them.

Where are you, Lunok? Emok asked telepathically.

Right behind you, Emok, Lunok replied audibly. Emok turned around and saw Lunok manifesting with a female by his side.

Is she your final decision? Emok asked flatly.

Yes, Lunok, Emok’s second-in-command, replied. Her name is Mashok, and she shows a lot of promise.

I am honored beyond words to be a part of your team, Emok, Mashok said and bowed slightly. I have heard and read a lot about you and your team. I assure you that I will do my best not to let any of you down.

If there were any doubt about that, you would not have been a part of the team, Emok replied and beckoned for her to come closer.

Mashok smiled and did as she was ordered.

What can you tell us about this? Emok asked Mashok, pointing at the hologram in front of them.

Firstly, it is a dimension, Mashok said as she accessed the etheric signature of the dimension. Fairly new, not near any restricted or forbidden zones. The energy and vibrational patterns are quite stable, so there won’t be any need for any energy or vibrational cleansing before we begin populating.

Mashok narrowed her eyes and telekinetically enlarged the hologram again, isolating a realm into focus. The realm radiated the highest and most stable energy patterns than any other realm in the dimension. Mashok zoomed out of the realm and brought the entire dimension back into focus again. She drew a line across the hologram of the dimension and split the hologram into two so that she could analyze the cross-section of the dimension. Emok observed her closely as Mashok went to work. He was pleased with how easily she went about her task.

Mashok then proceeded with an esoteric scan of the dimension. The scans revealed a location with a high concentration of energy and its vibrational pattern also indicated a very high level of stability, which coincided with her initial analysis. She then encased this location in an enhanced esoteric shield and ran a few simulated esoteric attacks, both from outside and from within the shield. The location held its ground and sustained only minimal damage.

I recommend that this be the location for the Zarark, Emok Mashok said.

Mashok then closed the cross-section of the dimension and zoomed out of the hologram, thereby bringing other dimensions into focus. She ran esoteric scans on nearby dimensions for good measure. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for an anomaly that suddenly appeared in a realm that was close to her recommendation for the Zarark. Mashok highlighted this realm in yellow. Mashok was concerned that she may have made a wrong recommendation for the Zarark and thought she might have failed the test. But she followed her instinct and stuck with her initial assessment.

This realm is quite unstable, Mashok started explaining as she made the yellow highlight pulsate. It is close to my recommendation for the Zarark, but, based on its etheric signature, my initial recommendation remains unchanged.

She turned around to face Emok and his final word. Did she make the cut? Or was he going to kick her out? But Team Emok was holding hands in a circle. She was unaware they were not even paying attention to her and her analysis. Was she really that bad on the very first moment on the team?

Better hurry up and join us before we leave you behind, Hikok said.

Mashok grinned and hurried over to complete the circle. Together, the seven of them teleported to their new assignment.

They manifested at the edge of their assignment and stayed hovered there for a moment as they appraised the dimension. Emok was the first to lower his own vibrational frequency until it resonated with that of the dimension. The rest of his team did the same. The team then teleported to the realm the Zarark had chosen as its abode and Emok called this realm Celestia. He ran an onsite esoteric scan on the realm. The results were excellent. Emok gave the word and the rest of the team immediately went to work.

The realm was completely barren but not steeped in darkness. Its source of illumination came from the recycled sparking of the ethers into light from every corner of the realm, unlike so many other realms and dimensions Team Emok had visited, which had a single, or multiple sources of illumination, usually from another realm. Some realms and dimensions had no illumination at all; just total darkness. Celestia and its neighboring realms will never experience an absence of illumination, unless recycled sparking of the ethers into light was terminated.

Several moments later, Team Emok met to decide on the logistics of their assignment. Each team member had completed their initial analysis in their field of expertise. They had to address topics like basic infrastructure, species type or types, initial and follow-up education, self-sustenance, governance, procreation among other important things. Lunok sparked a round table and seven chairs into manifestation. Team Emok sat down as Hikok summoned a hologram of Celestia above the table.

Izok filled the hologram with the five-dimensional data from the esoteric scans of Celestia and Obok made annotations.

Mashok did a cross-section of Celestia and highlighted the Zarark’s residence.

Finally, Emok inserted nearby realms with their basic esoteric signatures, as well as four and five-dimensional simulations of the possible effects these realms may have on Celestia and vice-versa.

So far, she seems to be in a great position, Lunok said gesturing towards the hologram of Celestia. Her vibrations are normal and stable. I do not think we will need any fine tuning for now. Maybe on their next cycle.

I agree, Lunok. Seems like we have our work already cut out for us, Obok chimed in as he/she scratched his/her head.

Obok never cared for gender identification, especially since they, from Asah, were spawned genderless.

We’ll start with basic abodes and infrastructure, Hikok spoke up as she summoned holograms of basic three and four-dimensional representations of her initial designs.

Even though we cannot predict the most likely outcome of the next shift in vibrational frequency, Izok said as he shifted his weight on his chair, I ran some simulations on possible future vibrational shifts based on previous shifts in this part of Creation. A large part of the shift will depend on the collective vibrational patterns of the creatures we will place here, and my simulations did compensate for that as well. Even then, she remained stable during and after the simulations. But they are just simulations.

Great job! Emok’s telepathic voice harshly sliced through everyone’s mind.

It was unintentional, and everyone but Lunok flinched at his telepathic tone. Lunok kept his calm but decided to start keeping a close eye on Emok. Emok quickly realized what had just happened and immediately apologized.

I am not sure why I said it like that, Emok said. Apologies, everyone.

I said it, Obok joked. We should have waited for the spark before we set out on another assignment.

You did not say a darn thing, O, Hikok countered and rolled her eyes.

Because you were too busy losing a bet to pay any attention to me, Obok rebutted. Why does no one ever listen to me? Obok’s shoulders slumped.

Mashok burst out laughing, but everyone else shook their heads at Obok’s outbursts. She was still too new to the group to be used to Obok’s sense of humor and theatrics yet. At times, like now, Obok’s sense of humor and theatrics served as welcome distractions. Regardless, no behavior from any team member went unnoticed, including Emok’s.

So, I never got to ask, Mashok said after a few moments. Do we have a name for our team? I am just curious.

We are ELOHIM, Lunok replied flatly.

ELOHIM? Mashok asked, feeling a little confused and intrigued.

There was a moment of silence, and five pairs of eyes zoomed in on her. Mashok realized that this was a test and she had to figure out what the name stood for. She noticed Obok started tapping his/her right middle finger on the table, Hikok began whistling idly, and Izok closed his eyes and faked snoring. It was something he had learned from some beings living in a realm of a much lower vibrational frequency. It always amused him how these creatures required sleep. Mashok thought for a few more moments before she it finally hit her.

ELOHIM! Mashok exclaimed. Emok, Lunok, Obok, Hikok, Izok and Mashok!

She grinned when she said her name. It was a wonderful endorsement.

Regarding the creatures, Emok spoke as if nothing had just happened.

Mashok was a little surprised and thought Emok’s behavior was an aberration from his reputation; the creator that so many younglings wanted to emulate. If anything, she thought Emok was a very cold, uncaring leader. She did a poor job at concealing her sentiments and Izok was quick to pick up on it..

Don’t take it too personally, Mashok, Izok said telepathically, startling her back to the present. I assure you that we’ve never seen him warm up to a new member like he has with you so far. If he even feels the need to hold your hand at any point, you will be kicked out of the team. Rest assured that he has the much respect for you for being so outstanding thus far. But, for your sake and the rest of the team’s, get a hold of your petty sentiments. This is neither the place nor the moment to entertain them. One mistake, one oversight from any of us and this realm and even this dimension could be lost. Do you understand what I am saying, Mashok?

Yes, Mashok replied telepathically. Thank you for your kind and insightful words. I will cease being of any further distraction to the team and the mission.

-so that will be their main purpose, Emok was still addressing the team as Izok was keeping Mashok in tow.

For the briefest moment, Emok made eye contact with Izok, and Izok nodded at Emok. The message was clear; Mashok had learned her lesson.

So, you are saying that the sole purpose of these beings will be to serve as protectors to beings of certain dimensions of lower vibrational frequencies? Lunok asked, even though he did not need to.

He only asked so that Mashok could be brought up to speed on the current topic of discussion. Izok did not require any updating. He could handle paying attention to several conversations at once.

Indeed, Emok replied.

And what will be their design, Lunok asked further.

Emok paused for a moment. The design of creatures of a realm was left to the discretion of the team leader. The team leader could also delegate that task to another team member, if he or she chose to. Emok had two sets of designs in mind, and he had wrestled with these designs for a while. He was still unsure of his preference. This was the very first situation in which Emok was suffering from indecision.

Let us make these beings in our own image, Emok said. Let us make them in the same likeness and form we have chosen for ourselves.

Emok looked around the table and saw the looks of surprise and excitement in the eyes of his teammates. It made him smile.

So be it! Emok exclaimed and clapped his hands once. In our image and likeness shall these beings be made!

So be it! Team ELOHIM chorused.

Let’s get to work then, Emok ordered.

CHAPTER TWO

CONSTRUCTING CELESTIA

LUNOK TELEPORTED TO a vantage point that brought Celestia and a few realms close by within his vision. He studied the etheric signatures of these realms relative to one another. Next, he increased the vibrational frequency to resonate with that of the Dimension of Asah. He then closed his eyes and focused on his chest area until it glowed. The glow brightened and engulfed his form. For a moment, Lunok was an embodiment of light. The glow then shrank to a dot on his chest area and a pulse of energy shot out seven times in steady succession from the glowing dot on his chest area.

After the seventh pulse, Lunok’s essence was one and inseparable from that of the entire dimension of Lemuria, Celestia’s home dimension. He experienced Lemuria at the etheric level. He could only hold this position for a fraction of a moment, lest he compromised the etheric signature of Lemuria. If this came to pass, the damages that could follow would range anywhere from realms and creatures getting wiped out to Lemuria and other nearby dimensions getting affected or even obliterated. As such, there was no room for error and, so far, in the recorded history of Asah, there have been no such errors.

Lunok completed his analysis of the dimension. He transcribed his results into fifth-dimensional codex glyphs and uploaded the glyphs into the collective database of Team ELOHIM. When the upload was complete, Lunok began the process of gradually decreasing his vibrational frequency until he resonated once again with that of Lemuria. He teleported back to Celestia and summoned a five-dimensional hologram database.

Lunok touched a few glyphs on the hologram and the display changed from pale green to dark blue. He then touched two more glyphs and summoned a chair as several burgundy-colored cosmic bodies of different shapes and sizes appeared at various positions on the hologram. Via telekinesis, he tapped on two more glyphs and the hologram disappeared, leaving the five-dimensional burgundy-colored cosmic bodies hovering in midair. The five-dimensional holographic display that represented Celestia was highlighted in a white glow. Lunok studied the displays. Only one realm displayed extreme anomalies in vibrational frequencies and energy patterns. This realm would require some fine tuning to bring it to harmony with the rest of the dimension. The other realms in the dimension indicated relatively stable vibrational frequencies and energy patterns. These would not need any fine tuning. Lunok concluded that Celestia was, indeed, the ideal choice to house the Zarark.

She is a true beauty, isn’t she? Izok said as he manifested at Lunok’s left side.

She is, indeed, Lunok affirmed. "This will be an easy assignment."

See me complaining? Izok agreed as he mentally tapped on the holographic display of the realm with the anomalies in its vibrational frequency and energy.

Except for this! It should be an easy task, though, he added.

Izok summoned a seat and sat next to Lunok.

You could always help me out after you’re done with your task, Lunok suggested. I may have something special for you.

What’s brewing in that brilliant mind of yours, brother? Izok asked grinning.

I’ll tell you about it later, brother, Lunok replied almost dismissively.

Izok got the subtle message in Lunok’s telepathic tone of voice. He would just have to wait as Lunok had said. Lunok may not be their leader. But it was clear who was the most brilliant among them. Better yet, Lunok was his best friend and a true brother. It was a surprise that Lunok did not have his own team yet. Sometimes, the will of The Council was hard to understand, let alone predict. Izok was confident that eventually Lunok would have his own team and when that came to pass, he would ask for a transfer to Lunok’s team.

As you wish, brother, Izok replied, stood up and dismissed his seat.

Whatever was going on, Izok sensed it was serious enough for Lunok to act solo. There was nothing wrong with the second-in-command to run further analyses on situations. In fact, it was expected. Izok stayed his thoughts for the moment as he teleported to the nearby realm with the anomalies in vibrational frequencies and energy patterns. He sat cross-legged on the ground and tuned into the realm’s frequency until he attained resonance. Izok held this resonance for a moment and created an imprint of the resonance on his essence. Then, he tuned into the vibrational frequency of Lemuria until he attained resonance. He could have obtained the vibrational frequencies from Lunok’s uploads. But he preferred his method. It felt more personal and helped minimize possible errors that could have resulted from transference during uploads, temporal aberrations or esoteric distortions of the realm or dimension. The best part of his process was that it was more fun for him.

Izok crouched on one knee and placed his right palm on the ground of the realm. He smiled. He could feel the pulsations of the realm. It was sweet music to his essence. He then closed his eyes and initiated the gradual synchronization of the realm’s vibrational frequency with that of Lemuria. The pulsations of the realm increased as its vibrational frequency approached resonance. Then, the entire realm began physically pulsating with increasing rhythms as the syncing drew closer towards resonance. The rest of the team ceased what they were doing and watched. Fine tuning a realm was something that never got old.

It is going to implode! Mashok exclaimed with concern.

Izok forgives you for your lack of faith, Hikok said and chuckled.

Oh! was all Mashok had to say.

You’ve never worked with Izok, that is why, Obok explained.

Izok continued crouching. He felt every pulse, every vibration and every energy pattern. He absorbed some, he released some away from the realm and he returned some to the realm. Izok remained calm despite the etheric chaos that brewed within the realm. It was just another task and he was in control. He rubbed the ground with the palm of his hand as if to soothe a savage beast. Finally, at resonance, the pulsing in the realm began subsiding. Izok initiated a drop in his own vibrational frequency and his form became denser as well. Fine-tuning was complete, and the realm became stable. The realm with the anomaly now resonated with the rest of Lemuria. Izok then uploaded his work into the database and teleported back to Celestia.

Obok stared at the barrenness that was Celestia, smiled and sighed. Too easy. Everything was right with this realm. He/she chose not to use any preexisting data from the database yet. He/she was going to work from scratch and when everything was complete, he/she would upload the results into the database. Obok became a female; it was her preferred gender when working on designs. However, Obok’s preferred gender was male when it came to manifesting his designs. Other than the fact that it just felt right, there was really no rationale for these choices. Obok mentally generated her designs and she uploaded them into the database, before assuming a masculine form.

Obok began with the most important structure; the Spawn Sanctuary, home of the Zarark. He observed as the structure slowly manifested, moment after moment, until it was complete and resplendent at the physical and esoteric levels. The second most important structure he summoned was the domain of the future leader of the future inhabitants of Celestia. Obok tweaked the initial designs slightly and manifested the adjustments. Any further changes would be the responsibility of the future leader. From here, Obok turned his attention towards the rest of the realm.

Need a building mind? Hikok asked.

Now why would I say no to your supreme expertise? Obok replied.

Hikok laughed with Obok and joined him in the construction process. Obok switched to a feminine form.

Together, Obok and Hikok mustered the finest particles of creation and, with a unified will, they sparked these particles of Creation into various patterns. Structures gradually coalesced from nothingness and filled the entire realm. The creative energies of the unified wills of Obok and Hikok coursed across the realm, resulting in domains, roads and other structures. Obok preferred working with Hikok. She would assume a feminine form while with him, but with any other team member, he would assume a masculine form. Several moments later, the construction work was complete. Obok uploaded his report into the database.

Mashok observed in fascination and awe as everyone executed their task with precision and without any need of supervision. This was the first time she had ever been on such an assignment. She was as excited as she was fascinated. The way Izok handled the fine-tuning made her concerned, though. She would have to get used to it eventually, if she was going to continue working with this team. According to her studies, the next phases of the assignment included observing Celestia during cosmic leaps, gauging its response to these leaps, as well as placing the Zarark in the Spawn Sanctuary.

They would have to wait for the next cosmic leap of the dimension to gauge Celestia’s response. Emok would then place the Zarark in the Spawn Sanctuary. This was one of the most crucial moments in an assignment. The Zarark must sync with not just the realm but with the dimension. Before the Zarark can sync with the dimension and realm, Mother must first accept it. And that was the trickiest part. Without Mother’s consent, there would be no Zarark, and every dimension needs a Zarark.

Mother is the life force and purest embodiment of consciousness of every cosmic body and, from the newest to the oldest, every cosmic body has a Mother. On every cosmic body that is populated with beings, Mother chooses her representative. She does not need one, but now and then, she finds a being worthy of her endorsement. She then designates the being as her representative, and this being becomes the guardian of that cosmic body. Every guardian has the full, unabated protection of Mother and holds this position until such a time that Mother may see fit to relieve this guardian of the title. Emok monitored the uploaded data on the database and was pleased with what he saw. It was now the moment to present the Zarark to Mother.

Emok sprawled on his side on the ground. He stared blankly as he waited. There was no rushing Mother. There was no summoning Mother. Mother was honored. Mother was revered. Mother was worshipped. For those who knew Mother, or who were aware of Mother, Mother was everything a mother could be and a lot more. Emok cleared his mind and core and waited patiently for Mother, like he had done a countless number of times before. Reflexively, he placed his free hand on his chest as if to protect the Zarark from something. Or maybe it was just a gesture of genuine affection.

What troubles you, my child? a formless voice asked Emok telepathically.

Mother! Emok almost exclaimed, rising from the ground and kneeling. I’m sorry, Mother, I do not understand your question, Emok replied in earnest.

What troubles you, my child? the formless voice asked again.

I… Emok started saying but froze.

He paused for a moment and pondered on Mother’s question.

I do not know, Mother, he replied honestly.

You speak sincerely, my child, the formless voice said. I could tell you what is happening to you, but it may mean nothing to you.

What ails me, Mother?

I did not say I will tell you, Mother said. But I will say this much. You will have to make a choice. And if you make the wrong choice…

Mother left her statement hanging.

Mother, if I may speak freely, Emok implored.

Of course, my child, Mother encouraged Emok.

Thank you, Mother, Emok said. I’ve been feeling strange stirrings in me. I’ve been thinking thoughts that I never thought before. Sometimes, I feel as if I am not myself; that I am someone or something else. And even that itself is an alien feeling.

You are experiencing polarization beyond the masculine and feminine aspects of your spawning, child, Mother explained. You are experiencing polarization between light and darkness. The two can coexist in one form. But because such polarization is alien to your kind, you may not possess the knowledge to handle this situation properly. Hence, why I say if you make the wrong choice…. Mother’s voice trailed off again.

What should I do, Mother? Emok asked, almost pleadingly.

You know my stance, my child, Mother replied flatly.

Apologies, Mother, Emok quickly realized his mistake. I meant no disrespect.

It’s alright, child, Mother spoke soothingly to Emok. I feel your intentions.

There was a moment of silence.

I must say this, though, Mother added. The answer to whatever you seek lies in you. Use wisdom in your every step and trust your instinct, not your reason.

Emok heard Mother’s words but, as she rightly indicated earlier, they made no sense to him. Instinct… reason… what to do?

Thank you, Mother, Emok replied regardless.

He thought he felt Mother’s smile.

And I accept the Zarark, child, Mother said. You may now return to your task.

Emok levitated and teleported to the Spawn Sanctuary. The rest of the team was waiting for him. He stepped into the Spawn Sanctuary, and the rest of the team followed him. Emok appreciated his surroundings for a moment before he and his team teleported to the repository for the Zarark. Emok dug his right hand into his chest. He slowly retrieved his hand holding the Zarark. When the Zarark was completely out of his chest, he reverently walked to the repository and placed the Zarark in its stead. Immediately, the Spawn Sanctuary was engulfed in bright, golden light emanating from the Zarark. The brightness then disappeared, and the team could feel new consciousness pulsating from the Zarark. Team ELOHIM was very pleased.

Are we ready to spawn our first being? Emok asked.

There was a note of satisfaction and joy in his voice that elicited a smile from the team.

We are, the team chorused.

Let us make our first being then, Emok said.

The team formed a circle and bowed their heads. Emok already had the basic design for the new creature. As they united their wills and started forming the being, Mashok decided to add an extra feature to the original design that was not part of Team ELOHIM’s initial design. She was so desperate to be an integral part of the process of spawning that she was almost rash about it. Surprisingly, Emok and the team thought