Interview with a Mage by Keri Kruspe

 

When I immerse myself creating my latest novel, the characters I come up with take on a life of their own. It begins when I outline the intricate details of their lives and their past that creates who they are. I dive deep into developing personality traits that sometimes end up five or six pages long! I’m sorry to say that most of it doesn’t end up in the story but knowing how they’d react to certain situations has saved me from getting stuck more than once.

In the final installment of the Ancient Alien Descendants series, the main hero and heroine not only have the normal aspects of growing up, but they’ve had to deal with having supernatural powers as well. As the story progressed, my main goal was how do I make people who were once perceived as gods become more… um… human? Then I asked myself, if I had unlimited power over others, how would I handle it? What would stop me from succumbing to temptation and turn into a power-hungry egomaniac?

Here’s another thought: If I lived on Earth for the last seven thousand years, how would I handle the rolling centuries watching all the changes mankind has faced? Wouldn’t you love to ask someone like that what they’ve seen? Get an insight into what humanity has done and forgotten over the millennia? Is any generation better than the last?

With these questions in mind, I decided it was the perfect time to interview the major hero in the last installment of this series, Alien Legacy: The Mage.

Meet Raiden. He is an alien-human hybrid born in South Africa around seven thousand years ago who is introduced to us in, Alien Legacy: The Empath. As the firstborn in a brotherhood of quintuplets, he inherits not only the privilege of leading his family through treacherous times but assumes the burden of doing it alone. While his younger siblings all have some type of majestic psychic powers, they only have to deal with a specific talent.

Not Raiden. He not only carries the paranormal power they do, but his is at higher level than theirs. Because of his unlimited ability, he’s terrified one day he’ll lose control and end up hurting someone. Or worse yet, create major destruction on a global scale.

I couldn’t wait to sit down with Raiden and get some insights from him that weren’t included in the novel. He agreed to meet me at a private tearoom that played soft instrumental music in the background with the enticing scent of incense floating in the air. The relaxing atmosphere along with the herbal tea made it easy for him to discuss his personal life.

Q: “Raiden, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. If you don’t mind, I thought we’d get some basics out of the way first. I understand you were born around 7000 years ago. Where was that and is Raiden your only name? Do you have a last name?”

Raiden: “When my parents escaped the Great Flood, they landed their spaceship on Mt. Kilimanjaro, where my brothers and I were born. It wasn’t until much later we moved the ship to the Himalayas, where it currently resides. 

For now, I use the name Raiden. Throughout the centuries I’ve used several names and currently don’t use a surname. However, the name I was born with is Shahadaku, which means ‘supreme strong bright weapon’” (he pronounced it shaa-haa-daa-koo). 

Q: “What would you say are your good habits and what do you struggle with daily?”

Raiden: (He sits back in the paisley armchair and takes a sip of his steaming tea before he answers). “If I was to be honest, what comes naturally to me is also my major struggle. I have a tendency to think things through and not allow myself to react thoughtlessly. I plan not only what’s needed, but I do my best to come up with several contingency plans.” (He puts the teacup on the round tabletop with his unusual eyes downcast.) “I find it hard to interact with others and prefer to be alone.” (He gives a slight smile and looks up. His eyes are larger than a normal human, somewhat like an anime character. The internal oval shape makes his irises and pupils wider. The double color of outer turquoise with an inner starburst of gold around the iridescent dark pupil is mesmerizing.) “While it’s second nature to me to block others’ emotions and thoughts, it’s still can be quite tiring to be on guard all the time. I admit I have a tendency to avoid people.”

Q: “That has to make you tense all the time. How do you deal with that?”

Raiden: “Around the 5^th century I accidently met a young prince by the name of Siddhartha Gautama.

He’d renounced his position and wealth to seek enlightenment as a spiritual ascetic. During my time with him, I learned the art of meditation to ground myself.”

Q: “Oh my God! Do you mean you met the Buddha?”

Raiden: “Yes.” (He shudders.) “Before I met him, I’d lost a part of myself that kept me human. I’d become arrogant and unfeeling when dealing with others. I can’t imagine how I would have survived without his guidance.” (His gaze became dull and unfocused.)

Q: “Raiden, has meeting Jazmi helped you as well?

Raiden: (He startles and focuses on me. A dazzling smile lights up his handsome face as he spreads his hands wide.) “What can I say? Jazmi completes me. I no longer fear I’ll lose control or who I am when we’re together.”

Q: “One last question. What would you say has been the one constant thing that humanity has carried throughout your lifetime?”

Raiden: (His head tilts as he looks in the distance before answering.) “I believe it’s two things. First, I hate to say this, but it’s war. The never-ending pursuit of wealth and power amazes me. I have no idea why certain people crave this no matter the cost.” (His focus is back on me.) “But the best trait humanity has is we’ve never lost the capacity for unconditional love. I promise you, that quality alone is what will ultimately save us all.”