Relay

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

– Isaiah 9:2

What is a relay? A race—passing a baton from one to the next. The passing of packets by a router or a gateway server. Or used plainly as a verb without technicalities, a relay may simply mean to receive and pass on information.¹

It's worth taking a moment to reflect: what are we relaying? As time passes, more responsibility falls on our shoulders—the responsibility to be helpful (or useful?) in society; the responsibility to mentor; the responsibility to work, to execute; the responsibility to lead.

What are we relaying? What torch are we passing on? What is our light? And what keeps us moving?

The average human works 90,000 hours. There's only so much experience, wealth, and knowledge we can accrue.

Light the torch and guide us through the dark.
Shadows, dispelled by balls of flame.
Relay to us this bright white shining spark.
Ready, for the race to carry on.
^{(Some words to go along with the climactic sections.)}

Similar to Remorse, Relay was featured as part of a challenge in the HKUST Firebird CTF 2024 competition, a competition where teams hunt for hidden pieces of text.