The Guardians of Tomorrow

Congruence, the mystical entity that connects each and every one of us while simultaneously eluding our full understanding. Almost every being on the continent has some connection with congruence, the biggest difference between us all is our own individual aptitude with and understanding of it. For some, that bond is like meeting up with an old friend. For others, it may be more structured and require training and study. Most of us, however, don’t really know the full extent of this relationship until we’re well into our youth. It’s around this time that The Guardians pays us a visit.

Guild

The Guardians of Tomorrow is a guild established continent-wide that specializes in testing the aptitude that citizens, primarily children, have with congruence. They’ve been around for as long as I can recall, and if I look back on it, I can still remember bits and pieces of my own aptitude test from about a decade ago. Comically enough, my main point of contact was even able to pull up my test history (Fret not, reader, I wasn’t a tragic case!) in order to walk me through the process again, but before we get to that, I suppose I should explain the guild itself a little more.

Founding and Brief History

Founded by Mona Sundri generations ago, this guild started as a humble quest to bring knowledge to folks who weren’t quite sure what a world in tandem with congruence meant for them. Some children found themselves naturally blessed with a high aptitude only to be swept up by their homeland’s elite without any answers or understanding of what was to come. Mona’s own son was gifted with a particularly strong connection to congruence, and because of him, she partnered with some of the greatest minds I’ve ever heard of and created a technological device: One that provided a numerical rating system based on the flow of congruence created by someone’s willing call. With this technology, The Guardians began to work towards a positive relationship with all of the nations on our continent, offering to provide this service as soon as a child came of a certain age (anywhere between eight and twelve, depending on the nation’s bylaws) for the small price of their operating fees and a place of operation in their capital city. It was too good of an offer to refuse - pay for a small headquarters and a bit of travel fees and suddenly a nation had access as to who among the future generation could lead them to better understanding of congruence. Before too long, The Guardians had struck up a contract with every nation on the continent. They even had an agreement up in Rowlem in the days of old, long before that new and not-so-improved theology spread like wildfire… Thankfully from the whisperings I’ve heard, they don’t let it stop them from helping some of the smaller cities who ask for their services.

Testing

As far as the test itself, it’s a perfectly safe practice, and many children find the process to be rather soothing. Even now, a decade later, I found no contention with the test itself as Taletha, my guide, walked me through the process. It starts off with a basic comprehension test, searching to see just how much of an understanding of congruence the child has at this point in their lives. Some view it as sorcery, while others are riveted by the concept and spend their allowances on any sort of book or resource that can tell them more. After the knowledge test, each child is assigned to an attendant that guides them through their session with the reading device. The attendant often asks pleasant questions like “what do you want to do when you grow up?” as they set up the device and make sure it has a proper connection to the child for the reading via nodes placed on the tester, and once the connection is made, the reading can begin. The attendant will turn on the device at this time, channeling a bit of their own congruence to do so, and guide the child through a brief meditation, reciting a small repetitive process of welcoming affirmations for the congruence around them and some breathing exercises. Once the congruence is welcomed to connect with the child, the device can measure just how strong the connection is, and once the reading is collected, the attendant will end the meditation, disconnect the nodes, and inform the child that their test is complete. Results usually come to the families about a day later, accompanied by which paths forward are recommended (or required, depending on the nation) for the tested child.

For instance, a child with high aptitude might be offered a future in the military or national security, while a mid-aptitude reading could be encouraged towards research and a lower rating might offer futures in agriculture. For some nations, this is a bit more of a demand than an offer, such as Curath’s requirements for highly scoring children to work for the government once they come of age, but that is the territory one finds themselves in when making deals to operate in varying political nations. Depending on each nation’s contracts and allowances, the members of the guild will offer counseling to the child and their families to prepare them for the upcoming changes in their lives, and whether or not counseling is accepted or performed, the guild will always facilitate and aid in the travel of said child to their next step on their path to congruence. No matter the nation-wide ruling on the child’s future after testing, The Guardians always puts the safety of the child at the top of their priority list.

Members and Congruence Ability

And what of the aptitude of the guild members themselves? Surely a guild that is specialized in understanding one’s aptitude with congruence would be full of members with incredible aptitudes themselves, right? In truth, the Sundri family has chosen to accept members that don’t boast the highest readings on their charts. Perhaps that is due to the sheer rarity of these readings, and the even rarer scenario that those select few would escape their politically-fated careers to join a good-will guild, but Taletha told me a far sweeter reasoning. According to her, the guild accepts people with readings all across the board, as long as they have a high enough aptitude to operate the device, because they want the children they test to know that they’re not alone. Every reading is different, completely individual despite the percentages and charts, but it’s nice for children to see people across the board relaying this information to them, rather than just the high and mighty.

Ultimately, contracts with nations aside, Mona Sundri and her subsequent heirs have kept this guild thriving for the good of the children on our continent. There are so many questions attached to our youth, it’s a small comfort to know that a group of kind-hearted people are happy to guide you through understanding your connection to the congruence that surrounds us all daily. I look forward to encountering more of them on my travels, and encourage you to spare them a kind smile on their way through your hometowns.