Page 78 of Dark Awakening: New World

She glanced at Ell-rom, expecting to see him join in their mirth, but instead she noticed a nervous expression flitting across his face, and she suspected the reason for that was fear. Ell-rom was a novice, and he was afraid of not meeting her expectations, which was natural.

Wanting to change the subject and ease his embarrassment, Jasmine turned back to the Clan Mother. "You mentioned that the Fates are responsible for truelove matchmaking. How does that work exactly? Do they just push people together?"

Annani looked pleased by the question. "The Fates weave intricate webs of circumstances and coincidences. Sometimes, it takes years for their plans to come to fruition. They might influence a person's career choice or prompt them to move to a new city, all to set up the perfect meeting between trueloves."

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ELL-ROM

Ell-rom didn't know whether his sister was stating facts or being sentimental. She seemed to believe that coincidences were actually not coincidences at all but the Fates working in roundabout ways to bring mates together.

"How can you be sure it's the Fates and not just random chance?" he asked, looking at Kian.

The male seemed far too cynical and jaded to believe in magical beings.

"That is an excellent question." Kian leaned forward. "The truth is, we can't be certain. For a long time, I scoffed at the idea of the Fates arranging matches, but when I witnessed time and again highly improbable coincidences, I became a believer."

Jasmine nodded. "Take us, for instance. The events that put me on the path to finding you were so convoluted that believing they happened at random is even more far-fetched than believing in divine intervention. On the other hand, though, what about free will? If the Fates are manipulating everything, does that mean we don't have a choice?"

Annani shook her head. "The Fates may set the stage, but we still make our own decisions. They might bring two people together, but it is up to those individuals to choose to be together." She smirked. "Although truelove mates do not have any choice in the matter. In a way, it is like Perfect Match, but instead of an algorithm finding the best possible match for you, it is the Fates who do the matching, and since their database is much larger than the one on Perfect Match's servers, they can do a better job."

Everyone around the table was nodding their heads, but Ell-rom was stumped. Something must have been lost in translation because what Annani had said made no sense.

"Forgive me, sister, but the translation device must have gotten it wrong. I did not understand what you just said."

"Speaking of translation devices." Kian reached into his pocket. "I have earpieces for you so you can communicate with people who don't have the pendant." He leaned across the table and put them in Ell-rom's hand. "They are already configured to translate from our language to yours, and Jasmine can show you how to operate them."

"I should do so now and make everyone's life easier."

They all had translation earpieces, and because he didn't, they used teardrop devices to broadcast what they said in Kra-ell. Since the teardrops also canceled the sound of what they said in their own language, the others had to hear it through their translation earpieces as it was translated from Kra-ell back to their own language. He could only imagine what a mess the two-way translation made of the original words.

"It's very simple." Jasmine took one of the devices and put it in his ear. "Give me your finger." When he did, she tapped the device with it and then tapped her teardrop. "I deactivated my translator. What do you hear?"

"I hear you speaking directly in one ear and the translation in the other." He smiled at her. "I like your real voice better."

"I'm glad, but you should put the other one in as well. Listening to both languages at the same time will give you a headache."

Reluctantly, he put the second device in his other ear. This time, he did not need to tap it to activate the translation feature. It was already doing so. Evidently, they both started working as soon as one was turned on.

"They are impervious to water," Kian said after deactivating his teardrop. "You can shower and swim with them, and since they mold to your ears, you can even sleep with them. I suggest you just don't take them off until you learn our language."

As the others also deactivated their teardrops, Annani explained that Perfect Match was the name of a service that found perfect matches for people, but only from the database of others who applied for the service and filled out the questionnaire. The Fates had no such limitations.

"Now I understand. It is an interesting concept to find one's mate with the help of artificial intelligence."

"It is much more than that. When they meet, they do not meet in person. They meet in a virtual world and go on an adventure together. Aru told me that Anumatians use virtual reality extensively and that every patrol ship is equipped with several virtual rooms. I do not know if the Kra-ell use it as well, though, and even if they do now, I do not think that they did seven thousand years ago."

"I have no concept of such functionality," Ell-rom said. "So, I believe that you are correct about that." He thought about his statement for a moment. "I wasn't surprised by the translation devices or by the medical equipment in the clinic. So, I must have had a concept of such things, at least subconsciously."

"That's an interesting topic." Kian tore another piece off his dessert. "I think we've covered how our clan was created and why we need to find Dormants. Do you have any other questions?" He put the piece in his mouth.

Ell-rom chuckled. "I have hundreds, but I don't want to keep you here all night."

The truth was that he was getting tired again, and thinking about how long the trek back to the clinic was, he wasn't sure he would make it.

"Well," Kian said, glancing at his watch, "This has taken longer than I expected, and I need to head back." He shifted his gaze to Ell-rom. "You should probably rest."

Ell-rom nodded. "I probably should." He looked at Annani. "When will I see you again?"