Welcome to Gaia! ::

The forests of Urania. They were vast and deep. You could be mistaken for believing that they covered all the surface.

If you looked out from where you stand, you cannot see past them. Even if you got as high as you could, you would not see anything but the trees. And if you could get as low as you could, you would only see roots.

But, at the center of the world, there was a large area of mostly stone. It was on the outskirts of this area that you now stood, on ground of a fine and dark dirt. It is as if you stand on the last bit of ground before the untamed wilderness.

This area leads to the Sky Ward.

———

“Welcome to Urania. This sphere here… well, it used to light up this section of the forest! Which section is this? Oh, yes. This is the Sky Ward. Oh! I should explain why it’s called that. The constellation Virgo had that title on my world. But it also represented a clan, the Sky clan, represented by the Maiden. There was also three tribes under them, Aquila, the Eagle; Corvus, the Raven; and Cygnus, the Swan.

See! They are right here on the sphere…

Oh, perhaps I should explain why I’m explaining all this.”

The senshi touches the sphere’s stars in a certain order. Nothing happens for a moment. And then you see the stars shift and move before forming the words:

Are you ready?

“You see, on my world, before I was allowed to leave and explore beyond Urania, I had to complete a challenge from each clan. Which I did! But, um, this thing doesn’t seem to remember that. It won’t let me turn on the light until I do it all over again! I mean… the two things — lighting the way and the challenge aren’t even connected! It must be broken…”

She looked sad and her wisp appeared and tried to comfort her by doing all it could which was spin around her head. Then she looked to you.

“And I was much stronger than… you see. I’m not at the same stage as I was then. So, if this does what I think it does, I’m going to need some help.”

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?

The stars keep reforming and asking the same thing over and over, like it’s broken or something and stuck on repeat. The wisp circles the sphere excitedly as if also asking…

Are you ready?


❂

“Yes. It is a rite of passage.”

Urania was surprised that Procyon was so quick to understand what this was. Others had thought it a challenge and that was what the sphere would call it. But that was just the acts and tasks they would do. That was not the meaning.

The meaning was the rite.

It had been what each tribe had taught her through days and nights and months and days. It was the culmination of her time with each of them and what she had learned and how she had grown. It was so much more than a simple set of three tasks.

“These challenges were only done on my world after I had spent the required time with each tribe. It was to test my learning. Make sure I was ready. But that was so very long ago. Now… well…”

She motioned to the sphere. It looked worse for wear, as if it had endured years of the elements. It was made of stone and floated above a pedestal. There were visible cracks in the stone. Even whole pieces had fallen away. It was a wonder that it still worked at all, even if it was malfunctioning.

When Procyon touched it, it rose higher above the platform it hovered above as if it wanted to fly away.

Welcome to the Sky Ward!

Your first task is from Aquila, the Eagle:

I snatch; I rip; I slash; I grip.
I'm the daggers wielded by every bird above,
from fiercest griffon to most graceful dove.

What am I?


❂

The sphere rings like a bell and a voice says:

Correct!

The second task is from Corvus, the Raven.

A box appears with a raven sitting on top. It has a golden coin in its claws. The raven has red eyes and is made of an almost ethereal quality to its body. It looks at Urania and then at Procyon. It caws and flaps its wings. It croaks:

There are two of you. I only expected one. Well, no matter. Answer me this: I have a large hoard that is 10 inches wide and 10 inches tall. Roughly how many coins can I place in it until my hoard is no longer empty?

“I wonder if the one requires math.” Urania nodded to Procyon. “I can’t tell. What do you think?”


❂

The raven smiled at Procyon — if a raven could be said to smile. It was more a slightly open beak, a tilt of the head and a glean in its red eyes. It confirmed its meaning when it said:

We have clever one. Correct!

The raven and the coins along with it, disappeared.

“You did it! Oh. I’m so glad math wasn’t involved. That was really good thinking on your part. I think I would have gotten hung up on how many coins to put in the raven’s hoard.”

The sphere spun once again.

The final task is from Cygnus, the Swan.

A white swan appears. Its movements are graceful as it opens its wings. It bows its long neck to Procyon. It’s eyes glitter like stars.

Dance with me.


❂

The swan met Procyon’s bow and then locked eyes with him.

As Procyon began to dance, the swan began to follow. It was clear that it was letting the senshi lead. It dipped when Procyon dipped, turned when Procyon turned, spun when Procyon spun. Each movement it matched.

Urania watched in amazement the senshi and the bird. They were in harmony.

The bird was graceful and so was the senshi, the swan matching each movement. And so this went one for several minutes until the swan was satisfied.

With a bow, it said:

You have passed my test with grace. It looked to Procyon and then to Urania. Because your friend’s dance was in step with my own, the sphere will likewise respond to your desires.

“Please. Turn the lights back on and remove the fog.”

As soon as Urania said the words, it was done and the swan disappeared back inside the sphere. You could now see through the forest.

“Procyon! You did it!”


❂