Zahto Zen and Axilis were the last two to leave the conference room. Kuhto Frend had gone with Slalgulathon, escorting him to his newer quarters. Axilis was fond of that Sanitation Office, but it would struggle to fit them both. Juhto Selius had retired to her own quarters, her reticent nature in full effect.
And so the Zahto was left alone with the smaller man and the silence of his thoughts to accompany him. Well, in this case, silence would not be an adequate description. His thoughts were racing through his mind with the speed of a man caught out during an eclipse on Sendo Secundus. That is to say with extreme haste and a healthy degree of growing dread.
He turned to his old friend, hoping for some degree of reassurance.
"What do you make of this, Axilis?"
A response was not immediately forthcoming, though it arrived eventually accompanied by a weary sigh.
"I have no idea what to make of anything anymore. All I can say with certainty, is that we can rely on that boy. If there was anyone from our Order, nay, from any of the Orders we could have chosen to undergo such an ordeal, I would have chosen him a thousand times over without hesitation."
He clenched his four hands into fists, fixing the Zahto with a fiery gaze.
"He is built for this, and so are you, lest you forget. Has the decadence of responsibility decayed you so much that you have forgotten? Wallowing in uncertainty and hesitation is never our way! So what if a boulder blocks our path. All we have to do is destroy the boulder!"
Zahto Zen felt an old part of him stir at the proclamation, like rusty gears spinning, dislodging years of cobwebs. He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"You are right. Maybe it has been too long, and maybe it is about time to begin again."
Axilis looked a little uncertain, an eyebrow raised.
"A few centuries too late for a mid-life crisis isn't it? Still, The Beacon lights our way, but we need your stable hands on the rudder. Neither one can function without the other, before you belittle yourself."
The Zahto shook his bandaged head.
"You're twice as old as I am, it seems that you are forgetting to mention. Regardless, I never had any intentions of letting go of the steering wheel just yet. The Kuhtos and the Juhtos will have to deal with me for just a while longer, perhaps."
"So, then. What is our next course of action, Captain?"
Axilis said with a mock salute, Zahto Zen choosing to ignore him, pondering out loud.
"Zahto Kyl's work is crucial, we cannot spare to bring him away. Not when Nexus Dawn and Silence Reunion are growing so bold as of late. I had hoped that the ritual of Slalgulathon would provide us some inkling to tip the scale, but this...this throws a wrench in our plans. Still, between triumph and disaster, there is only the space of a single heartbeat."
He nodded, affirming some thought hidden behind his veiled visage.
"Yes, this is our way. To venture boldly into the unknown. To be at one with our fear, rather than to let it consume us. If we are to truly venture into Outspace, then we will need the greatest members we can manage."
Axilis nodded. As far as their bluster would carry them, the danger of Outspace was of such intensity that even these two ancient beings beheld it with due caution.
"A crew then, with Slalgulathon at the head. Hah, this may just be an opportunity to bring together some old faces, if only for a dangerous and possibly mortal expedition into Outspace."
The Zahto agreed, though not quite for the same reasons. A few figures came to mind, though it would need discussing with the other Zahtos first. Still, he had no doubt that once they understood the sanctity of this mission, perhaps they would even be clamouring to come along themselves.
His thoughts coalescing, the Zahto spoke finally.
"If The Beacon is to be leading, then The Horizon, The Zenith and The Morning Dew will be good additions. Each of them excel to the same standard, in their respective fields."
"The dangers of Outspace are not to be underestimated," Axilis warned, surveying the Zahto's body language, speaking accusatorily. "You still hesitate. Don't you understand? Can't you sense it? This is the moment that makes us, or shall be our undoing! Will you consign us to failure because of a half-hearted effort?"
The Zahto did not begrudge Axilis' outburst, merely accepting it for the truth it was. And, with a sigh, and a resigned tone that hid shades of ominous warning.
"Fine then, so be it. Recall him from from containment. The Zeroth Axis."
When he spoke that final title, it was as though the room chilled by a few degrees, shadows twisting at the edge of sight. Axilis ignored it, nodding satisfied, though he too could not hide the worry deep in his eyes.
The Zahto spoke again, vocalising the thoughts Axilis had buried.
"This is a heavy burden, but you said it yourself: there is no-one else I would wish to carry it for us. The Beacon will guide our way."
His tone was firm, and Axilis nodded in agreement. And so, two beings far past their prime had, in an insignificant meeting room, made a decision that would change the fates of far more than they could possibly imagine.
Unbeknownst to either of them, a Crow's Feather fell to the ground in the corner of the room, melting into the shadows, as if it were never there in the first place.