The young man gave aВ cry but realized it was his own Sphynx cat and breathed aВ sigh ofВ relief.
«You startled me! Look what I’ve found today. Are you curious? I am too,» Adam was talking to the cat as if it was able to understand him. It was a hairless Sphynx with pink skin and huge green eyes on the tiny chiseled head. The cat stared at Adam, meowed as if giving a positive answer, purred, and curled up in a ball on the blanket.
«Thousands of years ago, in the part of the world that is covered with impassable hot sands…» Adam swallowed the words as if fearing that something would stop him from reading the book, the accidentally found book that had mysteriously slipped from the firm grasp of its owner, to the end. The young man’s imagination was slowly carrying him into some alternate reality.
PartВ II. Advanced beingsВ and aВ Fork inВ the Road ofВ Evolution
ChapterВ One. The Curious Incident
Thousands of years ago, in the part of the world that is covered with impassable hot sands stretching for hundreds of kilometers, one of the first civilizations was born. Plenty of misconceptions have accumulated about its great achievements while very few know the truth. It’s time to lift the curtain of secrecy for those who are ready.
As is often the case, the great was born from the ordinary. You might argue: «How’s that?! It is not uncommon for the ordinary to remain ordinary unless it is not wiped off the face of the earth yet. But what would undoubtedly result in the Great?» You are right, there is a very important ingredient. It is known to one and all since the dawn of time and yet it doesn’t come easy.
But let us talk first about the events ofВ the bygone history and you will find the answer toВ your question yourself.
It was the end of a sultry day. The outlines of several slowly moving human figures could be seen against the fiery horizon. We don’t know where they came from and what made them travel such an arduous path. By the look of them, it was likely they had been traveling for days and were exhausted.
«I can’t believe it! We’ve found it! We’ve finally found it!» Pharoum, the most athletic of the travelers, yelled as he saw a thin blue line in the distance. «A river!»
The word В«riverВ» seemed toВ be the sweetest and dearest sound inВ the world for the travelers. It filled their hearts with joy, overshadowed the sense ofВ fatigue caused byВ the grueling journey, and gave them quite unexpected strength. The travelers ran as fast as they could. The large and deep river was rich with fish. The travelers were saved.
After they quenched their thirst, washed their bodies, and bathed in cool waters to their hearts’ content, they got back to the shore. They hadn’t felt so happy in a long time. For a while they all just sat on the sand, enjoying the view.
«There’s no point in further wandering,» Pharoum broke the silence. «This place is the best we can find.
From now on, this place is our home. This is our land and our river. We are staying toВ live here.В»
Pharoum was supported byВ all the travelers. He was their leader and he held such aВ position due toВ his wisdom and strength.
One of the women, Noana, who was Pharoum’s beloved one, was pregnant and went into labor, apparently due to the surge of emotions.
The day seemed toВ be already filled toВ the brim with happiness but the joy that Pharoum and Noana felt was even more overwhelming now that their baby was born. However, the happy parents had no idea that once their son grew up and reached manhood, he would not be satisfied with the little he had. His desire for greater power and self-confidence would become extremely powerful and soon would be able toВ get him much farther than his parents had ever gone, so far away from them that aВ fork would appear inВ the road ofВ the evolution ofВ humankind (aВ fork no one saw coming). His name was Pharaon, it was an elaborate combination ofВ the names ofВ his loving parents.
Pharoum and Noana could not stop looking at the cute face ofВ their son under the last golden streaks ofВ the sunset.
«Pharaon, we love you! You were born on a happy day and it means you will be happy. That’s what your father and I want for you very much,» Noana whispered to her son, looking into his beautiful eyes that looked like two jewels, iridescent in the sunlight.
В«Mark my words, Noana! He will be happy,В» Pharoum said with confidence. В«Our son will grow strong, and fortune will favor him because you and IВ want the very best for him with all our hearts.В»
As Pharaon grew older, he hardly ever cried. He was aВ cheerful, affable, and very curious child. He enjoyed playing with other children ofВ their settlement. They competed toВ see who could catch the biggest fish, run or swim faster, hold their breath underwater for aВ longer time, and so on and so forth.
As Pharaon’s parents watched him play, they dreamt that when he grew up, he would easily provide food and water for himself, have decent clothes instead of rags, and become strong and brave. Pharoum and Noana enjoyed those dreams, they helped them take their minds off the pains of their lives.
One day the boy’s parents noticed something strange in his behavior. Pharaon was running around in the sand as if he was playing catch-up with someone and they heard him talking loudly and laughing as if he was in someone’s company rather than alone. But no one else was there.
В«Pharoum, have aВ look. Who is he talking to?В» Noana asked, sounding very anxious. Pharoum watched his son closely.
«It’s not fair, you are faster than me!» little Pharaon shouted joyfully, trying to dodge something. He moved his little legs quickly and shrieked with excitement.
«It’s alright,» Pharoum said to his beloved Noana. «Many children have imaginary friends. It’s ok, as long as it goes away eventually.»
Pharoum was right. Soon those games were forgotten and the parents’ concerns melted away.
Nineteen years have passed since Pharaon’s birth. One evening, while the women were taking care of the children, the men of the settlement went to the river to have some man time, telling astonishing stories and trying to guess whether they were true.
Here’s what Pharoum, Pharaon’s father, said at that meeting:
В«IВ once met aВ man who told me about snow, i.e. cold white sand falling from the sky. Every single one ofВ the snowflakes has its own unique pattern. When snow is warmed byВ the sun, it turns into aВ river. Do you believeВ it?В»
«That’s impossible!» the men, sitting around the head of the settlement, were saying.
В«And yet it is absolutely true!В» Pharoum exclaimed.
В«It is hard toВ believe. Tell us something else,В» the listeners asked.
В«Those cold lands are infested byВ fantastic beasts,В» Pharoum continued. В«According toВ the story ofВ this man, his father once came face toВ face with aВ huge cat. It was aВ mountain lion. It had huge paws, sword-like claws, aВ strong club-like tail, and aВ massive jaw. And his fangs were as big as my thumb,В» the men were open-mouthed with astonishment. В«It was aВ very strong and fast beast. There was no escape fromВ it!В»
В«But how on earth did the man survive?!В» the men ofВ the settlement were excited toВ learn the outcome.
«The mountain lion roared and bared its fangs like this,» Pharoum imitated the roar and fangs, which scared the gathered men. «No man with bare hands would ever stand a chance against the beast. That man’s father had no choice but to try and placate the wild cat in spite of his fear. He talked to it gently and tried not to move.»
The listeners didn’t dare to move or make a sound, in anticipation of the attack. The most impatient ones asked: «Did it attack him all the same?»
В«The brave man kept on talking toВ it. Slowly, the mountain lion closed its mouth and headed towards him.В»
«That’s it! It’s going to attack him! That’s for sure!» the listeners tried to shout one another down.
«That man’s father held onto the hope. The mountain lion was slowly approaching him,» Pharoum’s voice fell to a whisper.
«That’s it! It’s over!» someone let out a desperate scream.
В«You will never guess what it did!В» Pharoum said inВ aВ teasingВ way.
В«What?! What did it do? Get on with it!В» the shouts came from all directions.
«It began licking his hand, purring loudly,» all the men were amazed at such a development. «And that man’s father took it home, tamed it, and they lived together ever since. The puma even protected him from other predators,» Pharoum said self-contentedly. «Do you believe it?»
«No!» a wave of indignation rippled through the gathered men. «You can’t tame a predator! And they can’t purr!»
InВ the meantime, while the men were shouting, trying toВ figure out whether the story was true, aВ small group ofВ strangers was energetically approaching the settlement, using the cover ofВ darkness. They had heard the voices and were now following them.
«It’s the truth!» Pharoum kept saying but no one believed him.
«I’ve also heard a story about taming wild cats and it’s even more improbable!» they heard the loud jolly voice of Etan, a young man with raven-black curly hair that reached his shoulders. He was one of the two Pharaon’s close friends. «Somewhere in the hot lands, people managed not only to tame cheetahs but also to turn them into their hounds.»
В«What is that supposed toВ mean?В» someone asked.
В«It means that those cheetahs were taught toВ hunt on command ofВ aВ man and give their kill away instead ofВ eating it themselves,В» Etan said so proudly as if he was the one who tamed the cheetahs.
«That’s impossible! A predator that gives away its kill to a man?! That will never happen!»
AВ ripple ofВ laughter ran through theВ men.
В«Shush!В» Pharaon suddenly said, stretching out his hand and showing everyone his broad palm.
That got everyone’s attention.
«What’s going on?» someone asked after a while.
В«It seems we are not alone,В» Pharaon replied quietly.
All the men could hear was silence, however, it did not last long. The next instant they were attacked byВ robbers who were screaming and waving their clubs. There was aВ fight. The attackers were well-trained and, aВ few minutes later, most ofВ the men ofВ the settlement were lying on the ground, unable toВ move.
В«You shall not go any further!В» Pharaon yelled toВ his opponent inВ aВ dreadful voice. He was punched inВ the stomach pretty hard but bounced back quickly and hit the robber over his head with enough force toВ knock him off his feet.
Pharaon came rushing up toВ his friend, Etan, who was holding one ofВ the attackers back with his last bit ofВ strength. Together they knocked the enemy out with hard and swift blows.
Pharoum and Noumat were trying to hold off several strangers at once. Noumat was the other one of Pharaon’s two close friends and the same age as he was.
Suddenly, something flashed in the darkness. The robbers’ faces were wreathed in smirks: They were holding knives in their hands. There remaining attackers turned out twice as numerous as the men of the settlement. Before Pharoum, Pharaon, Etan, and Noumat knew it, the robbers threw the knives at them. The faces of the men froze with terror. Time seemed to stop. They did not have a chance to survive and protect their women and children.
At that very moment, something inexplicable happened. Pharaon’s desire to fight back got so strong and filled his heart with such a powerful energy that he let out a horrendous shriek, unable to contain the energy inside.
The next instant, all the strangers with their knives were thrown away for about aВ hundred meters as if knocked out byВ an air blast. The landing was hard, many ofВ the robbers suffered various fractures. Silence fell. Everyone who witnessed the entire thing was appalled. The strangers quickly came toВ their senses and ran away like mad with cries ofВ horror.
Pharoum, Pharaon, Etan, and Noumat rushed toВ the aid ofВ their friends.
On the following day, Pharoum, the head ofВ the settlement, addressed his people with aВ speech. He devolved his powers upon his son who proved it inВ the fight ofВ the previous day that he was mature enough and ready toВ replace his aging father for the benefit ofВ the people.
Pharaon took his new position very seriously and began toВ think about the future ofВ their small settlement.
Since no one could explain what had happened toВ the strangers, the entire story was soon forgotten. Our memory has aВ tendency for order and gets rid ofВ all things that are out ofВ whack with our traditional views ofВ the world, incendiary or discomfiting.
However, Pharaon would secretly think back toВ that night again and again. Somehow, he felt that it was he who released the power that threw the strangers back. From that moment on, Pharaon began wondering who he reallyВ was.
В«IВ clearly remember the overwhelming feeling ofВ the energy burning inside me,В» Pharaon would contemplate each night before going toВ bed. В«It made me shout.
And then that energy seemed to splash out of me and I saw something. I saw a wave that was sort of powdered with glittering colorful dust. It swooped down to those villains. I could have sworn I’ve already seen something like this. But what actually happened? What else don’t I know about myself? Will I be able to do it again?»
After that fateful day, Pharaon’s eyes, iridescent just like colored pieces of glass in a kaleidoscope, began glowing even brighter from under his thick prominent brows. His dark oval face with a chiseled jaw and strong neck made the effect quite striking. He had a blatantly masculine face and build, his movements were steady and precise, he spoke coherently and rather bluntly. Pharaon usually pulled back his black long hair, shining in the sun, into a tail to keep it out of his face and eyes.
Back inВ those early days, people had relatively short lives, no one had aВ full understanding ofВ illnesses, there were no medicines. Death rates inВ the settlement exceeded birth rates. Pharaon wanted toВ increase the population ofВ the settlement but the number ofВ his people was not his only concern.
Pharaon chose Etan and Noumat, men of strong build and great fighters, who were almost identical, both in appearance and in character, for a journey. Only Pharaon’s closest friends could be entrusted with such a difficult mission.
В«My dear friends,В» Pharaon began inВ aВ firm, naturally tuned voice. В«Our life is aВ constant struggle. We barely have enough food, our clothes wear out too quickly, our shoes that protect our feet from the burning sand are too uncomfortable, we have nowhere toВ sleep.
We can’t go on like this. Living every new day, granted to us by the gods, in the same way as the one before, not striving for more. Go to the nearest lands. You are likely to meet people who lead lives much different from ours. Bring the best of them with you to help us change our way of life. I know in my gut that we miss something big, something important. We have to get a hold of it.»
В«Pharaon,В» Noumat said, without hesitating, his large hands clenched. В«We promise you that we will find such people, learn their customs, and bring their masters toВ you. No matter what it takes and how difficult it mayВ be.В»
В«Yes!В» Etan nodded, swinging his curly hair. His eyes shone with determination. В«We will do it. We want aВ better life for our people. So beВ it!В»
ChapterВ Two. Meeting with the Unknown
After saying goodbye to their parents and friends, Etan and Noumat set out on their way. They stayed close to the river, the source of life in the desert. They walked for a day, two days, a week and still didn’t meet anybody.
The men couldn’t say how many times the sun went up and down since the beginning of their journey when they suddenly saw some silhouettes over the horizon.
В«Etan, IВ can see something inВ the way,В» Noumat said carefully.
«It’s people,» Etan confirmed the suspicions of his friend.
Etan and Noumat were brave. They walked on, void ofВ fear.
