THE SUN ELIXIR
Henry N. Silva
NOTE: The following story is a sequel to my other story Glass of the Sun, which is itself a sequel to the book Sunrise Order. That said, I did my best to structure this story in a way where it can be read without needing to also read the material that precedes it.
Kane Solaris faces the blue sunsrise…
In times of stress, the sun of his home-world usually manages to put him at ease. He cherishes that blue sun, against the reddish-gray sky, the two colors meshing perfectly together, across the world of Deltax…
But everyone knows that Kane doesn’t just admire the sun for its beauty. He needs that sun, more than any ordinary human ever could…
He remembers hearing the bedtime stories from his parents, over and over, when he was just a little boy. Night after night, they told him of the time, centuries ago, when humanity first came to Deltax, and how some of those very first settlers became blessed by the blue sun. These chosen few soon found themselves with heightened strength and intelligence. They were humans no more…
They and their descendants became known as the Sunchildren, and together, they formed the everlasting Sunrise Order.
And you’re a Sunchild too! Kane remembers his mother first saying to him, so long ago…
The young man continues to gaze at the sunrise, feeling his mind clearing with each passing second. Back when he was a child, hearing the stories about his ancestors for the first time, he dreamt endlessly of the many ways he would use his “gifts” to bring peace to the people of Deltax. Now, as a young adult, he does his best to realize those dreams…
Kane stands beside his airship, having just landed in a docking bay, in the metropolitan land of The North, a far cry of the small towns that rest upon the ice and snow of The South. He feels himself beginning to sweat beneath his golden travel robes, but dares not expose his black Sunchild armor, accentuated with patches of silver, the color of The South…
As he waits for those he has come to see, Kane passes some time by people-watching. He notices a handful of Northern Sunchildren, their armor accentuated with patches of green, sprinkled amongst the ordinary citizens… Soon enough, a pair of older men make their way towards him. A Senator in a dark-blue formal suit, and a Chemist in a white lab coat.
An ear-to-ear grin sweeps across The Senator’s face, “Greetings, Mr. Solaris!”
The Chemist smiles faintly, “Wonderful to meet you.”
Kane smiles faintly in return, “Thank you for taking my call and seeing me here on such short notice, gentlemen.”
“Of course!” The Senator continues to grin, “Anything for the man who stopped the Bloodchildren from destroying the world… I always wanted to be a Sunchild too, you know.”
Kane turns his attention towards The Chemist, “Do you have the prototype?”
“A copy of it, yes.” The Chemist withdraws a small, glass tube of golden liquid, from beneath his coat, “We call it the sun elixir. Still a work in progress, but once the formula is perfected, it can be mass-produced.”
“I was placed in charge of the program,” The Senator chimes in, “so I will secure the funding for mass-production once it’s ready… Amazing, isn’t it? One injunction of this, and anyone will be able to become a Sunchild for the rest of their lives, without even needing to be anywhere near our sun!”
Kane winces, “That’s exactly what I came to discuss… I understand this may be difficult to believe, but recently, with the help of a device, I was able to harness the full power of the sun, to briefly expand my intellect to its fullest potential. In this short amount of time, I was able to make an accurate calculation of the future, and determined that this very elixir would be invented. Then, when I heard about this program, I knew I needed to reach out to the two of you.”
The pair of Northerners briefly exchange awkward looks with one another, before turning their attention back towards their Sunchild visitor.
The Chemist clears his throat, “So when you, umm, looked into the future, what did you see?”
The Sunchild takes a deep breath, as he begins to answer, “Unfortunately, our regions will always be in conflict with one another, on again and off again, no matter what. If this elixir is completed and mass-produced, nearly everyone on Deltax will become a Sunchild, and therefore, the violence between the regions will get even worse.”
“I see,” The Senator responds, his expression blank.
Kane continues, “That said, when in that same future, people within each region will be able to help one another even more than they already do.”
The Senator raises an eyebrow, “Interesting! So less internal crime, but more bloodshed on regional lines.”
“Precisely,” Kane nods in agreement. “Higher highs, but lower lows.”
The Chemist tilts his head in confusion, “So why tell us all this, then?”
“I am not here to stop you two from completing this program.” Kane explains, “I merely hear to provide you with as much information as possible, so that you can make a fully-educated decision. And now, you have a choice to make… And I must go.”
With that, the Sunchild returns to his ship, taking off into the skies above…
The Chemist turns back towards his superior, “So now what do we do?”
The Senator remains silent for a few tense moments, before finally delivering an answer, “We proceed as planned.”
The Chemist recoils, “But you heard him! He said-”
“I know what he said. Higher highs, but lower lows… I say we should focus on those higher highs, should we not?” Under his breath, he repeats his words to Kane from earlier, “I always wanted to be a Sunchild too.”
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