Matio here

Matio
Lupercal 7, 233 AC


Greetings, friends,

I've finally gotten the opportunity to lay down some text about my life here at the Institute. I'll say right out that this is going to be read by the Information Department before it's published so I can't say anything too controversial or give away any secrets. That's no fun, I can imagine you saying. Well I suppose it would be possible to slip the unexpurgated version to you directly mind to mind, but you would hate it and I would be busted by the security here. But I have plenty to say of interest to you theophore fans and friends of the Institute.

Now some of my co-workers have been jibing me about writing anything. My classmates say, since when did you keep a journal. And the Keilian staff said, why are you writing, real guys don't write or even read, was I a pussy? I was tempted to do something annoying to them but kept the Energies shut like a good trainee. Anyway, I don't give a f--- what they say, and I am studying communications, so this side project is part of my education, not to mention my possibility of advancing to Civic level by making sense of my life in words. Also, I'm dictating this to a very good scriber, so I don't have to struggle with the spelling.

There might be someone reading this who doesn't know me, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Matio Erigeron, and I am a theophore at the Nouergic Institute at Surakosai. I often work as assistant to the Director, Tanheu the Khemaru, and I am his trainee. I come from Auchan, which is a fishing town on the southeast corner of the Ausonian peninsula. Yes, I'm one of Those People who you usually see in movies glowing and casting fireballs and having awesome martial arts battles while flying in mid-air. I hate to disappoint you but most of this does not happen. Well, the glowing part happens, but it is highly controlled and has to be part of the program and it doesn't always happen. When I first came here I thought that's what I was going to do. When I first came here two years ago I didn't know anything. I'm 26 now and I still don't know very much, especially compared to the people I work with, but I'm trying to learn. If I f--- up, then it's back to Auchan to do stupid theophore tricks for the rest of my life.

Just in case you are interested, in my next installment I'll tell you some stuff about my life in Auchan and how they found out I was one of Them, and what happens to you then.