A NEW BEGINNING

Confession of Mediator Uner Ranar:

“Sometimes I dream that the Beacon is truly breathing.

But the breath grows shallower.

It shortens, as if suffocating, dying.

And I feel that it hopes to be saved.

That someone will finally come and cut open its chest, only to find a hollow filled with silence, the kind that slowly chokes.

I don’t know why that dream keeps coming back.

But I fear it’s real.

That the Beacon is dying.

And we are dying with it.”

Ela, the Beacon

“You can’t seriously mean this, either of you!” Ela threw up her hands in frustration.

She paced back and forth across the training hall, her thoughts whirling as fast as her steps. Everything was starting to fall apart. How had it come to this again? They were discussing something she thought had been settled long ago.

Tonot watched her closely, visibly irritated by her reaction. Meanwhile, Reng chose to ignore her altogether and was calmly fastening his training suit. She couldn’t miss the fact that beneath it, he wore not only a full set of sensors to track today’s performance, but also a long, dark purple bruise stretched across half of his ribs. One of the few visible marks left by the brutal methods Kresh had delighted in. The rest had been Nonon’s work. She knew those scars would cut much deeper and would not fade so easily. What made them worse was that they could not be seen right away.

Still, Reng acted as though nothing was stopping him from joining yet another of the endless simulations the werren had scheduled for him. And it had been only four days since she and Tonot had pulled him from the clutches of a mad werren.

Ela had hoped that after everything they had gone through, something would finally change. She did not even know what exactly she had expected, but she had hoped for at least something.

To her disappointment, the following days returned to the old routine. As if nothing had happened at all.

The human staff, the mediators, even the werrens, kept passing them in the corridors. No one mentioned the tragic events that were only a few days behind them. More than once, she found herself wanting to stop them, to shake them until they woke up. In her mind, she was screaming at them: Can’t you see? Don’t you hear? The world is no longer the same!

She could not understand it, and it made her angry. Angry at Tonot. But most of all, at Reng, who had decided to play along with Tonot’s game.

When they had finally managed to get him out of that cell, he had looked like a wreck. It was hard to believe he would ever be all right again. As soon as he could, he collapsed and slept for two days straight. But the moment he woke up, Tonot had wasted no time and threw him right back into training without mercy.

“His mind must not be idle,” he explained to her, justifying his harsh move. “If he had too much time to dwell on what he’s been through, he might break. His mind is wounded, and it needs something to focus on. Something familiar. Routine in training is the best remedy.”

She didn’t like it, but she had to admit it made a kind of sense. At least until today.

“Borin can’t be the one to train him,” she objected firmly. “He’s still putting himself back together, and Borin won’t go easy on him. You know that.”

She was angry, and her eyes darkened when she saw Reng deliberately ignoring their discussion. He was getting ready for the day’s session without showing the slightest interest.

“Reng! You really have nothing to say about this?”

“I’m fine with it,” he answered simply and gave a shrug, indifferent. Yet she thought she saw a flicker of something cross his face for just a split second.

As if he winced from pain, or suppressed something deep inside. But it had passed so quickly she couldn’t be sure.

She cursed under her breath. Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed silent.

“He needs more training,” Tonot insisted. “And right now, Borin is the best the Beacon can offer. If he’s to grow, he needs real challenges.”

Ela let out a sigh, and disappointment settled into her features as she watched Reng’s back, walking toward the arena where today’s training was about to begin. He didn’t even glance her way, fully focused on what lay ahead.

“And I hoped we were going to change everything. Wasn’t that the whole point?”

Tonot’s expression softened slightly as he stepped closer to her. He laid a hand gently on her shoulder. It was a gesture she never would have expected from him until now. This Tonot truly was different, even if his body still looked the same at first glance. Except for the scar on his chestplate and the mind inside that now seemed to think in entirely new ways. Or at least, that was what Seren said about him.

“I understand you,” he said quietly, and his voice carried that calming undertone that hinted at a deeper understanding. “But we have to be careful. The changes will come, but right now we cannot draw more attention to ourselves. Everyone is watching. That means we must move slowly and without drawing notice.

Besides, Reng is still far from meeting my expectations. He failed the first time, but not because he wasn’t capable. He failed because I didn’t give him enough time to become what he needed to be.

But now I will correct that. I want him to succeed, and today’s attempt to surpass Borin is a good beginning for what still lies ahead of him.”

“What exactly did you ask of him? Nonon has something, and Reng is supposed to take it? Is that why you’re training him? Is that why he has the implants… to help him do it?”

Tonot paused for a moment, as if considering how much he could tell her. Then he settled for a short answer.

“Seren, the real one, the one made of flesh and blood, would be proud of you, Ela. You’re smart. Sometimes maybe too much so.”

She shivered. The way he said it sounded more like a threat than praise. Then she frowned, frustrated that she still didn’t know anything for certain.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I still think this kind of training is a bad idea,” she said, not keeping her doubts to herself. “I don’t deny that Borin is the best, but we have to consider that for some reason he hates Reng. Think back to how he tried to sink him in front of the entire Circle. And ever since Reng pushed him out of your favor, he no longer hides his animosity. So if he gets even the smallest chance to take him out of the game, he’ll take it. Believe me.”

“Yes, Borin has certain… flaws of character,” the werren admitted, “but that is exactly why I chose him. I know he won’t hold back on Reng. He’ll push him to his limits.”

“So you’re risking it on purpose?”

Tonot paused again, weighing how to phrase his reply. Then he nodded.

“Yes, because life itself is one great risk, from birth to death. We could go about this more cautiously, but time is running out. We had hoped he would be much further along by now, but he’s still at the beginning. So we are rushing.”

She nodded, a sign she was trying to understand. But it was hard.

“I’m worried about him,” she admitted.

Tonot nodded. “Yes. I know you care about him. But you must not protect him from what he’s become. You’re holding him back. And that isn’t good for either of you.”

Ela lowered her gaze and remained silent. She knew exactly what the werren was trying to tell her, but it was hard to accept.

“I’m trying. But it’s hard for me to come to terms with how much he’s changed. I still see… him… in there.”

“We all change. He does, you do, even I went through a transformation because of you.”

Tonot took a few slow steps to better observe Reng’s first movements on the virtual field, but then turned back to her unexpectedly.

“Do you know what it feels like to realize you’ve become someone else? I do. The process I underwent, thanks to you, is not unlike a human becoming a modificant. My last real memories are from the time when I still had a physical body. Coming to terms with what I am now isn’t so different from what Reng is experiencing. That’s why I know he has to follow this path. He must fully accept what he has become. If he does that, then neither Borin nor Nonon can hurt him. And he will finally fulfill the purpose he was created for.”

Ela froze. She could sense the bitterness hidden in his voice. She had never heard him speak of himself so openly before. She took a breath, but realized she could not find any words that should be spoken. She was standing on the outside. Just a witness. And she had no way of knowing what Reng or Tonot were really going through.

Fortunately for her, the werren decided to change the subject almost immediately.

“This morning, a new request arrived from the Council. And it is definitely an interesting one.”

The silence that followed was like an unsettling omen of something inevitable.

“It seems Valis Noret has finally decided to accept your invitation and visit the Beacon in person.”

At the sound of his name, a chill ran down Ela’s spine. She hadn’t thought of him in some time, and had nearly succeeded in pushing their last, rather unfortunate encounter out of her mind. And now he was back. In full force.

“I don’t want to speak with him,” she admitted.

The last thing she had the strength for now was a round of venomous attacks from the councilor who had always worked tirelessly to make their lives harder.

“But you will,” Tonot rejected her protest. “You invited him yourself, and that cannot be undone without drawing attention. You would cause an unnecessary diplomatic rift, and you know full well that is the last thing we need right now.”

“Valis has been a long-standing critic of the entire modificant program.”

“His criticism is quite justified though, don’t you think?” he smiled at her, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

“Maybe he’s right about some things,” she admitted. “But if it were up to him, he’d shut the whole thing down, level the Beacon to the ground, and dismantle the werrens for parts. People like him would gladly throw society backward if they thought it might make their name.”

“Even that kind of approach can be a form of new beginning,” Tonot replied with a cryptic smile, fully aware it would draw yet another worried crease to her forehead.

“In any case, I would appreciate it if you’re open to everything he proposes. Seren will advise you on how to proceed.”

She blinked at him in disbelief. “Seriously?”

“Exactly. Sometimes it’s useful to let others destroy the established order so that something new can be built on the ruins of the old.”

Ela froze. She had heard that before and knew exactly from whom. Her mother’s tales about the werrens had spoken in exactly those terms. Could it be that all along, she had been telling her stories about Tonot? A werren who was different and could see further than the others? She shook her head to push the thought away. Clinging to old legends was foolish. What mattered now was making sure everyone got out of this in one piece.

“It was easier being your mediator when you were a bit more... werren,” she said finally, with a bitter tone.

“That’s exactly why you’ll be going to the meeting alone. We have to be cautious. Everyone in the Beacon has plenty to think about after what happened recently. Just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean a storm isn’t brewing. And that is why we can’t delay.

If the Circle turns against me, there’s nothing I’ll be able to do. Which means I need the Council on my side. And I don’t mean on the Beacon’s side. Quite the opposite. Keep that in mind.”

She couldn’t say his words comforted her. But she nodded in agreement and hoped Tonot truly knew what he was doing.

***

She stood in front of the mirrored wall of the meeting room, watching her own reflection in silence. Absentmindedly, she adjusted her uniform, which seemed slightly off-center, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked immaculate, yet she felt deeply exhausted. The events of the past few days had drained her, and there was no sign of calmer days ahead.

When would it end?

When would things return to the way they had been?

Would they ever?

She found herself longing for the days when she had wandered the halls of the Beacon in peace, immersed in the subtle ripples of emotion that echoed off the walls through the meco of those she passed. It had been like walking through dreams, where everyone carried their own private story. But now she understood that something dark had been festering beneath the surface even then, something as rotten as Nonon’s soul. And that something now threatened everyone. Her trust in the Beacon’s safety was crumbling like a sandcastle, and there was nothing to suggest that would change.

“Tonot means well,” came a voice behind her. Ela shuddered involuntarily.

The fact that she couldn’t see Seren in the mirror said it all. Seren was just another manifestation of the madness she had fallen into. Not long ago, she had welcomed her presence as an expanded perception of the Beacon’s reality. But after Tonot’s transformation, her view of Seren had changed. Seren had finally gotten what she wanted. She had pushed Ela exactly where she intended her to be.

And it was bitter for Ela to admit that she had most likely been nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game. It didn’t matter that they stood on the same side of the story. Their relationship would never be the same.

“Maybe,” Ela admitted bitterly, “but I don’t know where he’s headed anymore. It angers me that he keeps me out of everything. Even you are more important to him than I am.”

“That’s not true,” the shimmering vision of her mother protested.

Ela kept her thoughts to herself. It was hard to argue with an apparition that might not even exist. She glanced back at the mirror, wondering whether they were truly alone. The meeting with Valis was about to begin, and the last thing she needed was an unwanted witness. Her meco confirmed that everything was offline, but Ela knew that in the Beacon, nothing was ever truly hidden.

“There’s no one there,” Seren reassured her, sensing her worry. “Tonot made sure the privacy is absolute. Trust him.”

Ela sighed and then scowled. She really wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. Valis disgusted her, which meant forced smiles and pretense.

“How the hell did that bastard suddenly grow the guts to stick his nose in here now, of all times?”

“It’s definitely not a coincidence,” Seren replied calmly. “He didn’t come alone.”

“What?” Ela burst out, startled, but it was already too late.

“They’re here,” Seren warned her quietly. “Just remember this… Tonot must be the one who leaves this meeting satisfied.”

Then she vanished from Ela’s field of vision, leaving her alone to focus on what was to come.

Ela turned away from the glass wall and swallowed hard, trying to suppress the sudden rush of anxiety. She had no idea how to approach this meeting. Not just because of Valis, but mainly because up to now, she had been a staunch defender of the Beacon’s policies, persuading others they were doing the right thing. Now she realized she had been lying the entire time. Perhaps not on purpose, but it was still a lie.  

And Tonot wanted the Council to know. He wanted to bring them to his side. More pieces in a game that was meant to power the engine of his plan.

A plan he had shared with no one. No one but Seren.

Ela was blind, deaf, and still had to play by his rules.

She heard footsteps beyond the door. One last time, she straightened her uniform, squared her shoulders, and frowned at her reflection.

“You can do this,” she whispered to herself, already tired of what was coming.