Chapter 7: Psio

After some chat with Kutch, Safo Nur decided to go with him. Kutch seemed to be a very nice guy, funny, and most importantly honest about everything. Kutch made a tour inside the ship, which was very big. It contained lots of different rooms and a big two caged room, where Safo was kept first. Among the rooms were: kitchen, two separated bedrooms with 6 simple beds in each one. A fancy-looking room with a double king-size bed belonged to the captain, his sister. The training hall was the same size as the caged room. All sorts of strange equipment furnished the room, Kutch promised to teach him how to use equipment to improve his body shape and fighting skills in the future. Kutch told that they will be sparring fights when he receives his resource which made Safo nervously laugh. Other rooms like the engine room or storages were not interesting for Kutch so he skipped them.

Finally, they sat in front of a round white table in the kitchen. Kutch Wood showed his hospitality and offered drinks and snacks. Weird slime-like red liquid and jerk meat of alien animals. Even though Safo was hungry he didn't dare to test his stomach and asked only for water which surprisingly happened to be the same old regular water even on an alien spaceship.

"Now I hope you feel more comfortable here with us. I shall begin." Kutch said solemnly. Safo Nur nodded, one could tell that for Kutch it was a big deal to tell him the "story of his origins" that he mentioned very often, so Safo played along, he was interested as well. Currently, he didn't understand a lot of things that Kutch and hooded dude talked about. Safo Nur decided to name it so because Kutch told him that it doesn't deserve to have a name.

"Lots of details had been lost over the years, but anyway, our race originally had been called themselves "Tenga", meaning children of suns. Tenga lived in a long-lost, double sun solar system. Where four planets orbited around two suns. Before inventing space-traveling those planets developed separately from each other, only after interstellar travels between four planets were established they began to consider themselves as one race. Rising civilization gave each sub-race its special features depending on their treats. One of the four races was scientists and researchers inventing all sorts of stuff to drive forward the whole civilization. Others were best with crafting and building, those mainly created goods and built everything on all four planets and connected them via teleporters. Also maintaining work and service was on their shoulders. The other two races were warriors and have had competition and wars with each other for centuries, which finally ended up sharing responsibilities. Winners race became rulers and the defeated race called themselves defenders." Kutch paused to drink red slime with a delighted expression on his face and continued.

"By that time each race's population was near or over 10 billion. So around 40 billion Tenga lived peacefully when things started to crumble down. A serious threat in the form of a deadly virus first appeared on Rulers planet-killing tens, then hundreds of infected each day. No one knew how it came or how it spread, nor how to stop. Things were getting worse and worse, planets decided to call it an emergency and close each planet to quarantine. Exchanging only information among each other they managed to slow down the virus from spreading but it wasn't stopped. Biggest numbers of casualties were on the Rulers and Warriors planets." Kutch paused again to remind that nowadays few wanted to learn about the past and history was fading away more and more by each generation.

"From here I know very little. Very soon Researchers concluded that the virus kills faster if one is physically active. From that moment life on planets stood still. Soon after discovery came from Researchers planet again - mind activity drastically slowed down the virus from taking over and killing the body. With that information, the citizens of four planets launched a practice of a "no movement life". Builders, being most religious among the four races, learned that praying will work the same way and prayed day and night which helped them to get through each and every day with fewer casualties.

And statistics were proving that prayers were even less affected by illness than those who kept practicing an "active mind" way of curing oneself. The least fatality could be seen on Builders planet. 35 billion started to pray after revealing data in numbers and statistics, even those who didn't know how to pray properly just sat and meditated. It didn't stop the virus completely but people could live longer. And after 50 thousand years Tenga won the war against a deadly virus with unbelievable losses."

"New era began, it took 50.000 years and almost 99.9% of the population. The Tenga race reached its evolution and became Psio - meaning the soul. A brand new race born, stronger than ever.

After knowing that those who kept praying to gods were still dying because of the virus by billions, but folk who meditated still lived much longer lives, the whole solar system started meditating as it is in fact was the cure from the virus. By doing so eventually their body became inactive and consumed less and less energy. Next achievement in meditation, they learned to leave their bodies, in a spirit form. That is what we call soul now. This evolution led to significant differences between the four planets in the end.

First, hours then days and months, finally they could abandon their bodies for good. Freeing themselves from the virus attached to their physical selves. Spirit form could travel with an incredible speed and be invincible to physical damage. With more practice more they discovered, some of them could control animals' bodies, some even nature forces.

Some could turn themselves into a fire, water, or wind. Others found a way to make stones alive, occupying them with their spirit like it was before with their bodies. Endless possibilities opened in front of them.

After 50000 years they ended up evolving into 4 different types of Psio.

Builders, our ancestors, by the way, had been called Psiora, they could penetrate any biological creature and take control of it. They were the only race who still could be able to reproduce. Less than a million survived, out of 10 billion. The biggest number of survivors.

Rulers, on the other hand, lost the most. Only 25 individuals of that race were alive. Those 25 were among the strongest, they gained immortality of their souls. Nothing could harm them anymore. Refusing to take over the living creature's bodies, they learned to control lifeless objects.

Stones, water, wind, fire even asteroids, and the planet itself. But nothing could hold their immortal soul power, so anything and everything they were in, rot and decay over time. They lost their ability to reproduce either. They called themselves Psios.

Almost nothing is known about the other two races. Just their new race names, Researchers chose to be Psiox and Defenders kept the nostalgic name Tenga." By that Kutch finished the first part of his story and asked Safo Nur if he had any questions so far. Latter was shocked by the number of lives that the virus took and the time that took to beat it. When he asked the details about the virus, Kutch couldn't tell much, only that it hit body and brain bypassing spirit or soul.

"And now you might think, what is this story to do with me? The answer would be simple, you're the prince of Psiora kingdom, heir to the throne, and future king of the planet New Tenga. We came here searching for you and your mother princess Tala, because we are in desperate need of you two. After you gain your resource and we find our princess we head outback, to arrange coronation as your deceased grandfather wished, our Great King Admaloo. May his soul rest on Ten." Kutch finished his story and stared at Safo waiting for a reaction.

Safo Nur was analyzing all data he got from Kutch and kept silent for a while. After some time he flinched, with all this emotional roller coaster and mind-blowing things that happened he didn't get it right away. But when Safo asked Kutch why they look different if he claims to be the same race, he regretted it.

With a grim face, Kutch said. "Yes, I knew you would ask this. I only hope you won't understand me wrong. Along the way somehow we lost our ability to exist in spirit form, we need an actual living body to live. Psiora newborn is in the form of a pure soul with nobody. We have to occupy some physical body if we want to survive…"

"Like parasites?" Safo Nur interrupted.

"We don't like this term to be used on us, but yes." Kutch was looking down.

Both were quiet for some time, Kutch didn't know what to say, Safo was still analyzing everything. He had so many questions to ask, so many things to know. But he was interrupted from his deep thought by O'rmon.

"All right people, good job Kutch. I hope you are done with your boring history lessons. Are we ready to go back to New Tenga? Do you know where Princess Tala is? We have 74 days before coronation, so many things to do yet." O'rmon said cheerfully, walking from the cage room towards the kitchen. She didn't care about Safo Nur, their mission was to bring back Princess Tala after all. She was supposed to be next who could rule over the Psioras.

Seeing both of them in a down mood she sensed that something was amiss. Kutch took her to the control room where the Hooded dude was moving his metal hands all over the holographic screen. Kutch decided to give some time to Safo so he could digest all changes that piled upon him. Also, he needed a gentle approach to explaining to his sister that they have to spend more time searching for the princess and probably, she will have to kidnap humans again. She was not fond of it.