Test of Magnitude (The Torian Reclamation) Read Online Free Page A

here.”
    “Are you claiming to be a prophet?” Mip7 asked.
    “I make no claims about myself. I am here to warn and advise.”
    “There have been no confirmed prophets among your people for more than three hundred years,” the governor said. “Have you submitted yourself to the tests? Are you willing to undergo the prophet tests?”
    Arkan9 remained motionless and said, “Because of the passage of time, the inhabitants of Erobian influence become complacent. That which was important, and that which built civilizations, becomes only legend. What we do not consider is that the passing of time is a gracious consequence. Peaceful time is our blessing and our reward. We should all have millenniums of peace, but the passage of time fools us and makes us forget what made the peaceful time possible, so we cannot have it for too long, because we stray from the path of light.”
    “I’m sorry,” the governor said. He placed his hands on his desk and pushed himself out of his chair, as if he were about to call end to the meeting.
    But before he could say anything else, Arkan9 threw off his hood and opened his cloak. A brilliant, white light emitted from him, blinding Mip7 from everything in the room. He and the governor both instinctively put their hands up in front of their faces. Arkan9 spoke again, but in a new voice now—one that rocked the room and knocked the governor back into his seat.
    “You both have sensed in your heart the beginnings of trouble!” he boomed. “You possess good, wise hearts! For honesty prevails in your blood, but you lied to the ambassador who came here, not a lie formed from malice, but from wisdom. Instead of being punished for a law violation,” he faced Mip7 now, “you were commended, because the breach was from wisdom, and then it was recognized by a wise ruler!”
    He turned back to the governor. “You make alliances with those who receive wisdom, and stand against those who dwell in foolish pride. You know not why you do this, but you do it because your instincts show you the lighted path, even when it seems the lighted path is a contradiction of recorded law. You leave the letter of the law to follow the spirit of the law, and those three continental governors and the chancellor of my planet are aligned with you, and so a division in Tora has begun. Rest assured, governor, that your alliance is with wisdom, and those who oppose you, as the chancellor who sent me to you, are aligned with folly.”
    Mip7 couldn’t move. The words of the Sheen were as thunder, paralyzing, and the blinding light that surrounded him was thick and restrictive.
    Arkan9 closed his cloak, put back on his hood, and the light from him dimmed back to his normal shade. Mip7’s eyes were still flash-blind, but he could make out the governor moving around in his seat now. They all sat in silence for a short period. Finally, the governor spoke.
    “I think I now see why Chancellor Renal5 conceded to your request. If you pulled that trick on him, I can understand. It’s quite an impressive show.”
    A slight, polite smile formed on Arkan9’s face.
    The governor continued. “I am not convinced of your prophecy, however. The demonstration was interesting, but unless you have taken the prophet tests set forth by your own order, I tend to suspect the source of your information as being a security breach, possibly attributable to a new technology our signal blockers cannot yet identify.”
    “It is wise now,” Arkan9 replied, “in these new times, to be skeptical of the claims of others. You do your responsibilities a good service. Follow your instincts and you will make the right decisions.”
    Mip7’s eyes were almost back to normal now.
    “Arkan9,” he said, “will the war be terribly destructive?”
    The governor shot Mip7 a look of suspicion at that last question.
    “Much depends on the two of you,” Arkan9 said. “If you behave wisely, and are not seduced by the folly which disguises itself, then