Paragenesis: Stories of the Dawn of Wraeththu

Storm Constantine’s Wraeththu
Mythos

Stories of the Dawn of
Wraeththu

Edited by Storm Constantine

and Wendy Darling

Immanion Press

Stafford, England

*****

Storm Constantine’s Wraeththu
Mythos:

Paragenesis: Stories of the Dawn
of Wraeththu

Compilation copyright © 2010
Storm Constantine

Story copyright © 2010 Storm
Constantine and individual contributors

Smashwords edition 2011

Smashwords Edition, License
Notes

This ebook is licensed for your
personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given
away to other people. If you would like to share this book with
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you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase
it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should
return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction © 2010 Brad
Carpenter

Storm Constantine – Pro Lucror ©
2010

Storm Constantine – Paragenesis
© 2010

Wendy Darling – Something’s
Coming © 2010

Wendy Darling – The First ©
2010

Andy Bigwood – Specimen 16 ©
2010

Christopher Coyle – A Sickle
Blade © 2010

Christopher Coyle – You Can
Never Go Back © 2010

Suzanne Gabriel – The Dawn of
Hope © 2010

Gwyn Harper – The Burned Boy ©
2010

Fiona Lane – The Conservation of
Momentum © 2010

Maria J. Leel – Song of the Sulh
© 2010

Kristi Lee – The Rune-Throwing ©
2010

Martina Luise Pachali – Building
Immanion © 2010

This is a work of fiction. All
the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious,
and any resemblance to real people, or events, is purely
coincidental All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce
this book, or portions thereof, in any form. The right of the
individual contributors and Storm Constantine to be identified as
the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance
with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

Cover Art: Ruby (

An Immanion Press Edition
published through Smashwords

http://www.immanion-press.com

[email protected]

Introduction
– Brad
Carpenter

Paragenesis
–
Storm Constantine

The First
–
Wendy Darling

A Sickle
Blade
– Christopher Coyle

The Dawn of
Hope
– Suzanne Gabriel

The Burned
Boy
– Gwyn Harper

Building
Immanion
– Martina Luise Pachali

Specimen 16
–
Andy Bigwood

You Can Never Go
Back
– Christopher Coyle

Conservation of
Momentum
– Fiona Lane

Song of the
Sulh
– Maria J. Leel

The
Rune-Throwing
– Kristi Lee

Something’s
Coming
– Wendy Darling

Pro Lucror
–
Storm Constantine

The Future of our Dark,
Delirious Imaginings
– Wendy Darling

Early Wraeththu
Inspirations
- Storm Constantine

About the
Contributors

Introduction

Brad Carpenter

It was a dancer friend of mine
who first turned me on to Storm Constantine’s “The Wraeththu
Chronicles.” One day he handed me a chunky paperback copy of the
original omnibus edition, and it soon became my constant companion.
Over the following weeks, I voraciously consumed my way through all
the fantastical adventures contained within its pages until I had
devoured the entire glorious meal. Luckily for us all, there were
several more courses yet to come. Constantine had begun expanding
her series with three more books comprising “The Wraeththu
Histories.”

If you’re already a fan of the
Wraeththu series, the collection of short stories within
“Paragenesis” will feel like a good long drink of water in the
desert, to be savoured to the last drop. The term “Paragenesis”
comes from the Greek for “born beside” and roughly translates to
“the effect of one upon the development of another.”
¹
The stories of “Paragenesis” explore some of the early milestones
along Wraeththu’s journey of self-discovery. As Wraeththu continue
to differentiate themselves from humans, they quickly begin
creating a new civilisation in their own image. Gangs will become
tribes, and tribes will mature into nations. Humanity, on the other
hand, must come to grips with the fact that they have been bumped
off the top of the evolutionary chain by a stronger, more durable
species that is also of combined gender.

Throughout the Wraeththu
series, Storm Constantine reminds us that evolution never takes a
holiday. Mother Nature’s work continues on, shaping all creatures
to be better at surviving and integrating into the world around
them. Creation begets more creation; and so it has been within the
rich literary world of Wraeththu as well. With a growing legion of
online fans inspired by her novels, Constantine has been able to
carefully nurture an ever-expanding world of fan fiction. In
addition to two stories penned by Constantine, “Paragenesis”
contains work by brilliant authors who have sprung up from the
prolific world of the “Wraeththu Mythos.” In this way, the world
Constantine has created continues to recreate itself. Creation
progresses out of its own momentum: a theme throughout the
Wraeththu series itself.

If you’re new to the world of
Wraeththu, then you’re in for a provocative introduction that will
likely seduce you into reading the whole series. In the post
apocalyptic world imagined by Storm Constantine, human civilisation
has all but completely broken down. Having polluted the environment
to the point of crippling toxicity, humans have found themselves
increasingly unable to reproduce. Urban conditions have
deteriorated severely, wars in the Middle East over oil and
religion have stretched the military precariously thin, and Global
Warming has destabilized the weather patterns to the point where
many of the continents have begun to be reshaped. Those with money,
power, or highly prized workforce skills, have hunkered down within
high-security gated enclaves. Those without such means have had to
resort to living on the streets, surviving as best they can. Deep
within the decrepit concrete jungle of the inner cities, where
street gangs battle over territory, a new mysterious clan has
emerged. They call themselves “Wraeththu.” Stories of them are
often so fantastical that many scoff them off as pure fiction.

With all the various rumours
surrounding these inexplicable youths, few have guessed their true
nature. Wraeththu are a new advanced species that appear to be
Mother Nature’s cure for the ills that we have inflicted upon the
planet. Their blood can heal us by transforming us into one of
their kind. Some humans are abducted into the fold. Others hear the
call and join willingly. Our civilization has become obsolete. If
we are to survive at all, it will now have to be through them.

The ones who call themselves
Wraeththu look at us as though we’re something out of the Stone
Age. They know they’re genetically superior. Their firm,
panther-like bodies are stronger and more resilient than ours. They
have telepathic abilities, and can manipulate energy in ways that
seem purely magical to us. When they combine these traits in order
to defend themselves, their combat skills are hard to beat, even
against some of our best technology.

To Wraeththu, Humans seem oddly
imbalanced and incomplete. They refer to us as “half-sexes.” Being
hermaphrodite allows Wraeththu to transcend any limitations of
gender. To Humans, a Wraeththu’s exotic combination of both
masculine and feminine traits has the power to entice, or confound,
or terrify.

Of all their prized survival
skills, Wraeththu most treasure their power to seduce. Their dual
gender nature allows them to express their own masculine and
feminine energies as each circumstance dictates, giving them the
advantages of both. When seducing humans, they can project
whichever gender seems most useful at the time. In the presence of
both men and women, they can easily project both energies, so as to
be able to seduce both sexes at once.

When Wraeththu seduce each
other, the attraction is much more complex. They recognize sex as
more than merely a means to satisfy the need for procreation and
pleasure. Their simplest sensual acts, such as the “sharing of
breath,” can reveal memories, emotions and untold secrets. Deeper
coupling can be used to release healing energy, expand group
consciousness, or to explore other planes of existence. In the
emerging Wraeththu culture, sensuality and the combining of one
another’s “essence” becomes a fundamental spiritual practice.

But how did the first Wraeththu
come to be? And is it really simply an “accident” when the first
“mutant” discovers that his blood can transform a human into one of
his kind? Or was this really divine intervention necessitated by an
immediate need to evolve? And if so, where did this intervention
come from? Just when Constantine’s Wraeththu series answers some of
these questions, the author skilfully provides additional mysteries
tantalisingly out of reach in order to keep us asking for more.

Post-apocalyptic fiction has
been around for as long as the written word. From Noah’s Ark and
the Great Flood in the book of Genesis, to
Mad Max
and the
host of films that followed, we’ve long been fascinated by what
could be waiting for us at the end of civilisation as we know it.
Given the precarious state of our modern world, is it any surprise
that we often find ourselves wondering what happens next? I’m far
from what I would consider to be a survivalist, but as I watch our
news devolving into scenarios that would have passed as science
fiction back in the 80’s when Constantine first published “The
Wraeththu Chronicles,” I start glancing nervously at the box of
camping gear tucked away in the bedroom closet. At those doubtful
moments, I’m wondering whether or not that meagre collection of
survival tools might end up becoming our most treasured and useful
possessions.

Happily, the Wraeththu series
is apocalyptic literature at its most optimistic. Unlike other
stories of the genre, the world that Constantine has created
doesn’t simply imagine our civilisation in ruin, only to leave us
in a desolate landscape, regretting our short-sightedness and blind
stupidity. Constantine’s Wraeththu novels imagine another leg on
evolution’s journey. The author provides a world in which our
extinction has been thwarted by a radically new game plan. The age
of the division of the genders has passed. God has put the rib back
into Adam, and his children have been made whole once again. This
more evolved version of ourselves understands its place in the
garden, and will now serve to tend and nurture it. Wraeththu are
the promise fulfilled. The world as we know it has ended because we
have emerged from the cocoon as something better, and a new age of
wisdom and growth has become possible.

As Wraeththu quickly discover,
however, their genetic superiority does not mean that they can
abandon their heritage. They are born from Humanity, so like it or
not, we will always be a part of them. The question posed as we
watch Wraeththu struggle to develop is whether or not they will be
able to learn from Humanity’s mistakes in time to not repeat them.
Wraeththu fiction resonates deeply because we are desperate for the
solutions that this more advanced species provides. As I would
imagine is the case with many fans of Wraeththu, I would love to
somehow truly become one of their advanced species. But even if we
can’t physically transform into one of these glorious creatures
(and I have to admit that I haven’t completely accepted that fact),
then maybe we can instead bring out their more evolved qualities
from within ourselves. Wraeththu may seem magical to us, but
perhaps that’s only because we haven’t yet learned how to reach our
own full potential. And thus the theme I find the most compelling
of all: Can we Humans, remedial students that we are, still learn
from our own mistakes in time to finally evolve to the level of
balance and connectedness that Mother Nature requires of us? I
guess only time will provide the answer to that question.
Meanwhile, I think there is something we can all learn from each
other along the journey to exploring our own inner Wraeththu.