Chapter 5 THE CONTINUUM PRACTICAL

Maranna smiled at the new world she found herself while they rode along the busy roads of the campus. It was a world of ankara wears, dreadlocks, hair spikes, and weird-looking humanoids.

Unlike what Maranna had expected, the alphenes were very stylish and conscious of their hair-do. The males seemed more stylish than the females. Some of them had their dreadlocks packed on both sides of their heads, some had theirs pouring down their shoulders, and some enjoyed braiding and fondling theirs while they walked.

They rode along a tall building where a knot of alfes and alphenes were gathered under a conelike shed, and Maranna's eyes got glued to it.

"Seems the faculty of Dark InfoArts already got something doing," Bala said from behind.

"Dark InfoArts," Maranna said. "Sounds like they practice necromancy."

"Something similar," Uwa said.

"Hail the faculty of Dark InfoArts," Ailo said. "The birth place of macabre-forms and ghost-forms. Probably the most famous faculty in the institute."

"As dark as it sounds, the faculty wears a mantle of pride," Uwa said. "A faculty represented by the almighty planet Neptar."

"You speak so well of the faculty," Maranna said. "You wish to be part of them?"

"I wish I were among the alfes representing the faculty of Dark InfoArts," Uwa said. "They've got monopoly on the Golden Planet Award."

"Reason the end-of-year ceremony makes me sick," Bala said.

"Rather than wish for the impossible, it's best we work on getting ourselves one, don't you think?" Maranna said.

"Nearly as impossible as what Uwa wished for," Bala said. "You need to first outsmart the Plutians and other intellectual beasts that follow."

"Haven't heard of what qualifies them for such an award," Maranna said. "What creation in the Faculty of Dark InfoArts is worth awarding?"

"Their last project was a thought-form that could make a living duplicate of any living thing," Bala said.

"During the ceremony, they pleased the Infolord Supreme and Infolady Supreme by making them a twin each, but it was later dissolved," Uwa said.

"Guess they sensed their supposed twins could snatch the positions from them," Ailo jokingly said.

"Now I see why they're not on par with anyone," Maranna said with her eyes fixed on a wide field enclosed by short bars, in which a few alphenes glided, weaving animated strips of ribbons.

"That's the flutter square," Ailo said to her. "Most ribbons that arrive the institute are guided to the flutter square by the alphenes."

"And they seem happy doing it," Maranna said.

Ailo smiled. "You will see more of that when we arrive the faculty."

In a short while, Ailo cornered into a road that led to a courtyard where a number of alphenes lingered.

"The Faculty of Physical and Life InfoSciences," Ailo said, driving into a parking lot beside the courtyard. "Looks we arrived earlier than expected."

Maranna looked out the window to admire the looks of the alphenes there. Most of the female alphenes gathered beneath an umbrella tree in the middle of the courtyard fondling the hair spikes of each other and giggling, while the males had their hair animated, brandishing them at each other and laughing.

They got down from the car, and Ailo showed them where they could seat: benches surrounding the umbrella tree that shed a few alphenes that sat.

"The practicals would begin in an few minutes' time," she said. "Need to go know what's up with Infolord Malacoid." She gestured to the seats once again and left.

"Looks here was repainted," Uwa said as they walked to where the alphenes of the faculty sat, interacting.

The tone of the students' interactions changed when they saw Maranna and her peers. Their eyes were centered mostly on Maranna, and it made her nervous.

"These are all freshmen," Bala said. "I doubt anyone knows us here."

"And I love it that way," Maranna said while they took seats.

After they had fully settled, Maranna heard Uwa hiss. Maranna looked her way and saw three alphenes with odd hairstyles coming towards them. The one in the middle had his dreadlocks packed on both sides of his head. The one by his right looked like a masculine female, and her hair spikes were jointly twisted to form a dense, erect pole. The other was chubby, and he had his dreadlocks awkwardly tangled around each other.

"Looks it's not just freshmen we've got here," Uwa said. "The ones with an inherent dislike for anything from Earth."

Bala saw them, too. "Infolord Baraki's son and company. Wonder who told them we're here."

"Thought Infolord Baraki was in the faculty of Dark InfoArts," Maranna said.

"Doesn't stop his kids from picking a faculty of their choice," Bala said.

"Infolord Baraki and his wife are executives in the faculty of Dark Infoarts, but his two kids chose different paths. I find it funny," Uwa said.

"There are two of them in this faculty?" Maranna said.

"Not really," Uwa said. "You're watching a brute from the faculty of InfoEngineering coming. But his sister works in our faculty's health centre, though."

They kept mute when the trio finally reached them.

"Was wondering a minute ago how Moshood transformed into a girl," the middle one said.

"Same here," the masculine female said. "And the female he transformed into doesn't seem fit for the practical they're about having."

The other laughed. "Don't know what you guys saw a while ago. I knew it was a newbie." He spoke in a singsong manner.

"Xy never gets tired of being a retard," the masculine female said. "Even the alfe here seems she got the sarcasm." She looked at Maranna. "Ain't it?"

Maranna kept staring.

The masculine female chortled. "She doesn't seem different from Xy."

"Hey, Rhoze," the middle one said. "You need to take things easy. She wasn't the one who absconded with dad's books." He looked down at Maranna and smiled. "Sorry we didn't begin with an introduction. I'm Fargos, from the Faculty of InfoEngineering."

"I'm Rhoze," the masculine female said in a deep tone. "From the prestigious Faculty of Dark InfoArts."

"And I'm Xy, from Fargos's faculty," he sang.

"Pay less attention to how he sounds," Fargos said. "That's why we call him Xy, for xylophone."

"Still don't understand why he was found in InfoEngineering instead of InfoMelody," Rhoze said.

Maranna waited a few seconds, then she spoke. "I'm Maranna."

"Doesn't sound bad, at all," Xy sang.

"Xy was right in a way," Fargos said. "We knew the Earth alfes came with a newbie, and that's why I'm here." He grinned. "As a replacement of the one who absconded with dad's works, Infolord Baraki needs to give you some words."

"I think Moshood would be in the right position to hear his words, not her. She just came," Uwa said.

Fargos laughed. "Sadly, I didn't notice these two here. Welcome back," he said. "But you'd have to tell that to dad, not me. I'm just passing an information."

"I don't think seeing him would be a bad idea," Maranna said. "When does he wish to see me?"

"In his humble words -- anytime," he said. "But I'd suggest next week."

"You'd want to tell this to Lady Ailo," Bala said. "She's our Infoguardian and the one who controls our movements."

"That's some sense he spilled," Rhoze said.

"The very first set of wise words from him," Fargos said. "But it's no problem. The message would get to her at once."

"You wouldn't want to meet her now, would you?" Xy sang.

"Let's get back to class first," Fargos said. "We would know later." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Nice meeting you."

"Moshood," Rhoze bellowed.

They all laughed and left.

Maranna looked at Bala and Uwa. "I felt a dense aura leave our presence now."

"Trust me, you don't want to have anything to do with that guy," Bala said.

"The only sane person from Infolord Baraki's home is Lady Rheoni and, to an extent, Infolady Hindira. Though, that one seems so reserved and hardly talks," Uwa said. "I don't know about his other son. Heard that one schools in another institute."

"But that shouldn't matter a bit to us," Bala said. "I'm getting to understand why Lady Rheoni isn't in good terms with her dad, but Fargos is his dad's pet."

"Obviously, they are individuals with totally different inclinations," Maranna said. "You don't expect them to agree."

They began to hear chimes coming from unidentified corners of the buildings. All the alphenes that hung around began leaving gradually. They saw the males palming their dreadlocks as they entered one of the buildings.

"It's time for the continuum practical," Uwa said.

They left the courtyard for the building.

They reached the second floor of the building and saw the line of alphenes waiting to get through a door in front. Amidst the chatters, was a reprimanding voice coming from the door post, giving them instructions. They quickly joined the line and peeked to see Ailo standing beside an elderly alphene, whom Maranna guessed was Infolord Malacoid, due to his persistent yells.

"Early is not enough, early is not enough...and if you know you didn't study your Elemental Sciences well avoid this practical!" They heard him say.

"What does he mean by that?" Maranna asked Uwa, who stood behind her. "We were never told to study Elemental Sciences."

"It's meant for the alphenes, not us," Uwa said. "They must have been taught Elemental Sciences before gaining admission into the institute. The Continuum Practical is all about studying the nature of the thoughts that birthed the Theory of General Relativity. Elemental Sciences prepares one for it."

"And, you already know, we have a huge role to play here," Bala said. "We would be led to the Reflecto Room where we would be given short books on General Relativity to study, so we could spawn thoughts that would be used in the practical."

Maranna took a peek at the line of alphenes that was already getting short. "I know nothing about General Relativity," she said. "How on Earth --"

"On the region of the Infonis," Bala said.

"That shouldn't matter," she said. "How would it be possible for me to study something so complex in minutes?"

"Basics of Four-Dimensional Thoughts by Gerald Somadina, an alfe that once stood here like you and I," Uwa said. "He wrote the book so that alfes wouldn't find it difficult to spawn thoughts that would be employed in the practicals. Trust me, it's simple -- very short."

Maranna shrugged and glanced at the last alphene to enter, who was followed in by Ailo. Done with the alphenes, Infolord Malacoid's eyes met her's, and she turned away immediately. He smiled and stepped down, walking towards them. His dreadlocks, which had grey patches, almost masked his face.

"You act like you left your admission cards at home," he said. "Where is it!"

They all quivered while they took out their admission cards to present to him.

His smile returned. "Welcome so well, alfes." His eyes were on Maranna, who was uncomfortable by his presence. "Hope you wouldn't be this nervous when we enter the Continuum Globe. It's quite difficult working with you new alfes," he said to Maranna.

She moped at him.

"You two should tell her beforehand that a bit of nervousness could cause a disruption somewhere," he said.

Maranna couldn't grasp what he meant, but she kept shut, hoping to see answers falling in place as time went. Infolord Malacoid turned to go in and they followed. They entered an empty class where chairs and ankara fabrics were piled high at the far end. The class had an exit door from which they entered an outlandish room, having plane mirrors kept at right angles to each other. They walked in and saw themselves in multitudes.

"The Reflecto Room," Infolord Malacoid said, walking with them through the maze of mirrors. "While you read the books you are about to receive, the mirrors bounce back ribbons accidentally spawned, so they wouldn't go anywhere."

They got to a point in the room where the mirrors formed a circle around a knot of wooden chairs backing each other. Each chair had a flat book on it. Maranna read the title in mind and it was similar to the book Uwa had earlier made mention of. Infolord Malacoid gestured to the seats and they sat, taking up the books from their respective chairs.

"When it's time to visit the Continuum Globe you hear chimes all around the mirrors. You drop the books and find your way back to the courtyard, we would all be there awaiting you," he said. "Now, the students await me in class. Need to go give them a forespeech." He walked out.

The books they read contained pictures, and it wasn't difficult to understand. But Maranna read it as slowly as possible, because she was almost alien to the concept of space and time being bent by massive bodies. Her thoughts were floundering, and a few ribbons left her head, but bounced off the mirrors.

An hour later, they began to hear distinct chimes coming from unidentified parts of the mirrors. They quickly dropped their books on the chairs and left.

The sky was a bit dull when they got to the courtyard, where everyone awaited them. They saw Ailo and Infolord Malacoid standing beside a female humanoid with a shaggy, brown hair, similar to that of Lastein's. Her skin had the pale-white color of an embalmed corpse. When they reached a halt, Ailo and Infolord Malacoid peered at them, and the circular dots around their eyes glowed white. Their hair began to elongate, until it reached a point where they started to sway around their heads like faltering snakes. Maranna guessed it was the Infoactivation Mamadiya had once told her of. They looked at them in a prompting manner, and it made Maranna feel they had something to do in return. She looked at her colleagues and it seemed they knew what to do. Uwa seemed to read the confusion on her face.

"You didn't read the last page of the book?" Uwa said.

"The chime came too early," Maranna said.

"The last page contains a picture of the Continuum Globe. Picture an emerald globe with a pitch-black interior," Uwa said.

Maranna muttered a few words and nodded. Then they began to spawn, the dots below their eyes glowing white. Their ribbons were visible, green and lustrous, flowing from their heads in a slightly animated fashion, reaching the tips Infolord Malacoid's and Ailo's hair. Infolord Malacoid and Ailo began to glide slightly above the ground, their hair swaying and fluttering intermittently, until the ribbons began to disperse, creating a dark atmosphere around everyone. When the globe was finally formed, everyone found themselves in what seemed like outer space. Suddenly, they heard a puff sound, and distinct amber glows began to hint from various points inside the globe. The glows were seven in number, surrounding them. They got brighter and brighter, creating a sense of vision within the globe until everyone began to see clearly. Maranna marveled at what played before her.

When the setup was concluded, Infolord Malacoid stepped forward and raised his fist. The alphenes split into three groups of twelves, each having a group leader. Their coordination made it seem as though they've done the practical before. Ailo stepped forward and pointed at Uwa, directing her to Group A. Bala went to Group B, and Maranna was assigned group C. The group leader of the last group -- to which Maranna was assigned -- scratched his head with from time to time, and his dreadlocks had an awful smell.

They left a very wide space in the middle, where the practical would take place. Infolord Malacoid activated his hair once again and attached the tips to the temples of the dead-looking thought-form, and fascinating changes happened instantly. Her skin turned caramel, and her eyes opened up to take a slanted shape, making her look pretty. She walked to the center.

"Group A!" Infolord Malacoid said.

Uwa and the female group leader of the Group A walked to where the thought-form stood.

"Now, spawn," Ailo said.

Uwa's eye dots glowed white, and transparent, shimmering ribbons flowed from her head. The group leader quickly activated her hair spikes and, with the ribbons, wove a lustrous sea of fine, intermeshed fabrics, wriggling each second. The thought-form moved closer and stood before the continuum.

"An Arc 70 distortion!" Infolord Malacoid said.

The group leader attached her hair spikes to the arms of the thought-form, controlling the movements of her hands, and the northern part of the continuum got distorted to a measured degree. Infolord Malacoid nodded. He called on the next group leader and demanded an arc 50 distortion. They caused a measured distortion at the southern part of the continuum. Infolord Malacoid looked into it and shook his head.

"Stand aside," he said to him and called on the next group.

Maranna's mind trembled while she stepped out with the group leader. Ailo and Infolord Malacoid seemed to notice it, but Maranna hoped things don't turn out sour. She spawned the ribbons, and while the alphene wove it, he had a little difficulty controlling it. It was shaky and unstable, but at last, he wove the continuum and gave out a brief sigh. The thought-form stepped forward.

"An Arc 85 distortion!" Infolord Malacoid said.

The alphene and the thought-form began to do their work. The depression first went southwest, then it began to change directions rapidly, until the forces depressing the continuum got out of control and pounced on the alphene. The thought-form wore a sorry expression with her hands pointed at him.

Maranna gasped. "Oh, my!"

The alphene's tummy shrank, his iris climbed into his head, his neck bent to one side, and the rest of his body got mangled. Everywhere was thrown into disarray, yellings all over the place. Infolord Malacoid quickly dissolved the globe and the courtyard surfaced once again. Some male alphenes scurried around and took him to Ailo's car while he groaned in pains.

"Would he make it?" Maranna said, crying; she felt she had done worse than Moshood.

"Don't ask silly questions," Ailo said. "We need to take him to the medical center. Get into the car, now."

Maranna followed Ailo to the car and hid her face while Ailo made moves to drive off the courtyard. She looked back at the crowd and saw them staring at the car in contempt. She felt she would never be forgiven.

Ailo drove into a spacious compound where a tall building having THE INFONIX MEDICAL CENTER written on it's parapet stood. She parked under a coconut tree and honked, summoning three white, faceless humanoids out of the building with a floating metal board. They took the mangled alphene out of the car and placed him on the board, with which he was flown into the ward where he would receive treatments.

They got into the ward and saw several hospital beds lined up in it. There were three alphene workers in there, all in white ankara wears. One of them used her hair spikes to work on a female alphene that was aggressively wrapped in strong ribbons that repressed her breathing. The other sat beside a male that had a deep cut in his head. The other sat before a table preparing some potions. The floating board led the mangled alphene to one of the beds and slid him unto it. He laid like someone who had been scorched dead by a desert sun. Maranna avoided looking at him.

Ailo walked to the alphene who was busy with the potions. "Where's Lady Rheoni?" She asked.

The alphene went on with what she was doing, as though she never knew how critical things were.

"Excuse me," Ailo said. "Where's Lady Rheoni?"

"I'm here, Ailo." They heard hasty clomp-clomp sounds coming from the door. She had a tiny face, like that of an insect. It was as though her hair spikes were heavy on her. Maranna recoiled on seeing her.

"She's deaf or something?" Ailo gestured to the nurse that sat in front of the table.

"Bah!" Lady Rheoni said. "That's her nature. We all stay away from her whenever she prepares potions." She walked to where the mangled alphene laid, groaning.

"It was an accident during the continuum practical," Ailo said.

Lady Rheoni looked down at him a few seconds and chortled. "I was told same thing happened to one of the Infolords years ago, during a similar practical. It normally happens when a new alfe shows up." She glanced at Maranna.

"Yes, true. She spawned a messy continuum," Ailo said.

Lady Rheoni looked at the alphene. "What's your name?"

He moaned, unable to move his lips. Lady Rheoni rubbed his neck a little and cracked it. He let out a deafening yell.

"Now he would talk," she said.

"Wasn't that too hard?" Ailo asked.

"I haven't started yet," Lady Rheoni said and looked down at him. "Don't be so scared, it won't hurt much. But, after I'm done, you'd blame yourself for working with any continuum someone puts up."

He kept groaning

"So, what's your name?" She asked.

"Hord," he said.

"Hord," she said. "Dear Hord, you will stay with us for the week. You will receive Ice-In-Amber Therapy, Spin-Spark Therapy, and on the last day, the one who put you in this condition will come to do the finishing."

Maranna dropped her brows.

"And how would that play out?" Ailo asked.

"What distortion arc was he trying to make when this thing happened?" Lady Rheoni asked.

"The arc 85 distortion," Maranna said.

"You'll show up next week with the thought-form involved in the practical, and I'll make an arc negative 85 distortion to revert this," Lady Rheoni said.

"That wouldn't be a problem," Ailo said. "That's if she wouldn't create a new mess."

"You use this week to work on yourself, alfe," Lady Rheoni said.

Maranna nodded.

Lady Rheoni smiled at Ailo. "The tension in his bones needs quietude to subside. We should leave now."

Lady Rheoni accompanied them to where Ailo's car was parked, and a discussion ensued there.

"The new session brought with it someone my dad would love to see," Lady Rheoni said.

Maranna stepped backwards a little, knowing it must be her.

"The new alfe, I presume," Ailo said.

"Yes," she said. "Guess Fargos had told you that."

"Fargos told me nothing," Ailo said.

"And you?" Lady Rheoni asked Maranna.

"Yes," Maranna said. "He met us at the courtyard."

"Well, I'll just give you both a hint on what he tends to discuss with her, so you'd have no need going to see him," she said.

Ailo laughed. "You haven't yet explained the acrimony that exists between you and your dad."

"You don't expect me to. It's just there." She said. "Well, my mom, who happens to be the dean of the faculty, recently reported to the staff board, some --" she looked around, "-- changes in the weather condition, suggesting an emergence of a heavy mass of macabre thought-ribbons coming from Earth."

"I guess you and I know where this is coming from," Ailo said.

She nodded. "Reason my dad asked to see the alfe who replaced the cause of the forthcoming. Other things he wishes to say to her, I don't know. But, it wouldn't matter that much, would it?"

Ailo looked at Maranna, how her lips quivered.

"I doubt we would be able to make it," Ailo said.

"That's the word!" Lady Rheoni said. "And I doubt you know my place, so changing your mind would be a frail step to seeing him."

"You've already spilled part of what he wishes to let her know and that's enough," Ailo said. "Thank you."

"And I'll need to get back to my business," she said. "Nice day." She fiddled her fingers at them and left.

"What if he wishes to proffer a solution to what's coming?" Maranna asked.

"You're an alfe, Maranna. You know nothing about the emergence of ribbons," Ailo said. "Let's go get Bala and Uwa, we're going home."

Maranna kept quiet as she drove out of the medical center.