The Heir

Emmer knows all these, but these things played so well in his mind.

Emmer walked slowly down the throne room's aisle of the immense Tetrahedral Palace. No music, no orchestra and therefore, no noise accompanied his walk. It is as simple yet as powerful as it can be.

Down the end of the aisle, standing on a three-step dais is his father - ready to confer to him the Memory Scepter and the Jewel Throne. He knows that his father is dying. Yet even in that greatly weakened condition, the Plain Gem Canon must be followed and his father insisted that the ceremony of The Transfer must be performed.

Emmer need not worry about this, but as his wife watches their son develop from fetus to a new human in an embryonic tank, so will the Transfer ceremony be performed. The robed figure of his father looked almost pathetic, yet his appearance is deceiving. The Lord of Million Suns, commands the lives of Trillion Souls - and holds secrets and powers beyond the understanding of any normal Mekholi or Lexai.

As he nears the throne, Emperor Egher Xai raised his Memory Sceptre, signaling the commencement of the Transfer. Again, the silence of the spectators reveals the general mood of this transfer. Emmer had read the Canon, and it instructs musical accompaniment in such ceremonies, yet strains of music or even noise cannot be heard.

After Prince Emmer kneeled in front of his ailing father, the Emperor pointed the tip of his Scepter on Emmer's forehead.

"Emmer, my son, inherit from me the Ancient Memories sealed in this Scepter. For as long as you are alive, so shall I live, and for as long as the children of your children receive these Ancient Memories, so shall I live. For as my own father lived within me, so shall I live within you. May these Memories guide you in a greater responsibility for the Empire that I ever had or experienced."

Then the Emperor placed the tip of the Scepter on his own forehead, and the Memory Scepter emitted a curious iridescent glow. The Emperor closed his eyes for a while. When he opened his eyes, he rested the tip of the Memory Scepter on Emmer's forehead. Emmer felt like a warm fluid trickled out of the scepter into his head. The warmth slowly filled him. It began from his head, and slowly, the warmth flowed down and inebriated him. A few seconds later, Emmer felt like there is something in him that he could not bear. It filled him with ecstasy, joy and other unspeakable emotions. From the depths of his stomach, like a great bubble of feeling welled out. Mixed emotions ran out from him but even with a lifetime of great control and discipline tears ran out of his eyes yet he felt so joyful, and sad and angry and peaceful ....

Then a torrent of visions and sounds flooded his mind. The powerful surge of memories dizzied and disoriented him. Memories! Memories of things he had not experienced before, thoughts and feelings filled his mind. Ideas. Even emotions he never felt before popped out of his mind, as if his mind contains the souls of all of his ancestors, the minds of all people around him. The secrets and powers of his father are now his. He is now his own father and grandfather, yet he is the son! Even with closed eyes, he can see faces and events explode in his inner vision into innumerable number of directions. Memories!

I am my own father!

Emmer stood up and opened his eyes. The tears of his father were the first things he noticed. His beloved father's face displayed all happiness and sadness that he could ever see. Emmer can sense his father's emotions and sympathize with his own father.

His temple throbbed. Everywhere, voices talked inside his head. Others shouted, others cried and others whispered. Asking questions, doubting him, praising him, extolling him, worshipping him! He wanted everyone to be quiet, he wanted to shout, yet when he looked around, the servants are not talking - neither are the dignitaries of the worlds ruled by his father around them.