It was hot in the wooden meeting house where the five of us were bunched together on a backless wooden bench to meet the Elders for some reason we hadn't been told about. The Town Leader came in first, cloaked in his pitch-black gown and carrying his ceremonial copy of the town's scriptures. The Keeper of Records came in with her paper notebook (a rare blessing from Old Lady Hess) and took a seat at her desk to open it. Then the other Elders followed, taking their usual seats against the front wall while the Leader approached the podium. The Leader spoke:
"First, as always, a tribute to Our Lady Miss Hess, the Sacred Author from the Great Beyond: today as always, we thank you for opening our eyes to the hidden dangers of our ever-present enemy and its army of captive spirits. Your memory remains strong among us, and your verses continue to guide us. Our continuing wish is for your liberated spirit to smile upon our on-going efforts to walk in the path of The Unmeasured Soul."
"All are in accord," we answered together, as in any other meeting.
"And with that," the Leader announced, "I hereby open this special-purpose meeting of September 7, 1832."
What none of us knew, at the time, was that it was actually 2282, and our "enemy" was a tech company that had been a household name in most places for nearly 200 years.
The Leader continued: "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here. The answer is that you have received the attention of the townspeople and even Elders. We have noticed your dedication to Ennovy: your unrivaled grades in school when you were children, your eager service as guards during your adolescence, and your unfailing completion of your adult labor in the three years since your Rite of Passage. We have noticed that you regularly help dissuade those who might leave the community, and that you are some of the most enthusiastic welcomers for those rare few who come in. Last Wednesday, when each the townspeople voted for the person they believed would be most likely to defend the community even at the cost of their own soul if necessary, your names were among the top ten. The Elders themselves have hand-selected you from among those ten."
I was flattered, but nervous. Were we about to receive some kind of rewards ceremony? Or was the town itself actually in mortal danger? Would our five souls truly be the price to save it? The Leader explained:
"If this is truly how you feel about yourselves and our town, then we have a secret but extremely honorable mission for you. If you accept, we cannot guarantee that you will ever return to Ennovy again, and we cannot keep you safe from the enemy who lurks outside. If you do not accept, you can leave now with no anger or judgment from us. We will simply understand that your desire to stay with us and contribute here is more important than whatever might become of you outside. There is no shame in that, but you must tell everyone that this meeting was canceled. You can never reveal what you've been told so far."
Jonas, one of us five, silently got up and left. The Record Keeper scribbled something in her notebook. The Leader waited until Jonas had closed the door behind him before he spoke again. Indeed, he waited at least a minute longer, to make sure no one else was leaving.
"It is a pleasant surprise that only one walked out this time," said the Leader. "As for the rest of you, it seems we have chosen well. I would like to discuss the monstrous, terrifying creatures that lurk in the forests around us. You have been taught that they are the Crony-backer in disguise. In truth, some of them might be human outsiders who have changed themselves using Chronivac and still carry it with them. The Chronivac really would keep an account of our souls if it came into our village with them, but they almost never succeed in coming here. Most of what seem like monsters are actually former members of this village. They were chosen to watch over Ennovy from the outside, and to test the teenage guards who stand watch. Like you, they were chosen because we believed their souls were strong enough to stay loyal even if they encountered the Chronivac, and we were right. The price, of course, was that their souls were numbered and their bodies changed."
Lauren, sitting beside me, raised her hand to ask a question: "I will do anything to protect our people from the Crony-backer, but why are you calling it the Chronivac? I've never heard that pronunciation before now."
"It is our enemy's true name, known only to the Elders and those who have been changed by it. Our founders believed there should be a remnant of human souls who were unaccounted, and you will be part of their mission despite no longer being part of that remnant. We will take you through a tunnel under this meeting house to a trail, and we will follow that trail to take you to a hut, where you will meet the Chronivac for yourselves. When it is over, you will no longer be human, but you will still be you. You will be feared by insiders and outsiders alike, but you will be pure in our eyes. You are our Secret Protectors. The other Protectors will show you what to do in your new role."