"Sa Machine Ailée" et autres histoires

[Sandentwins]

Light of the Abyss

Chapter 7: Unbroken Cycle of Flesh and Bones

“I think that's it.”

Tao turned another page, and held up the book at the wall's level. Indeed, the carvings shared similarities with the depicted symbols, and a few details matched perfectly.

“The solarbeam. A weapon of mass destruction, mounted onto a flying fortress. One strike of this heat ray could eradicate an entire town in a moment's notice.”

He pointed to a rough sketch of the fortress in question. A gigantic form with wings big enough to cover the sky, if the towers pictured underneath were of any scale indication.

“It...does look like a huge beast!”, Zia noticed. “If it fires from its head, it would look like it can spit fire.”

“I can see how people think of it as a dragon. It really looks like one.”, Esteban commented. “But how can we know it's the same thing as the one pictured here?”

“We've got no way to know for sure. Unless we can take a peek at the solar stone...from what I've read, it's easily identifiable. But that's not happening anytime soon.”

Esteban looked at the carved wall. At the depiction of the Beast of Destruction, engulfing the world in its flames.

“The seventh City of Gold...all along, it's been the weapon that brought down Mu and Atlantis.”

“I can see why the Sages would want us to find it. In the wrong hands, it could end the world as we know it! It's too dangerous to be left roaming.”

“Except that we don't know where it is. It likely fell into the sea, but where exactly? We've got no clues.”

“We could explore the seafloor with the Kalium?”, Esteban suggested. “And the Abyssal divers know the area very well. They could help us.”

“Without any directions, that could take months! We don't have that kind of time. I'm sure Ambrosius has already found a way to locate it.”

“How could he do that? Come up with some beacon to find an armed flying fortress in the middle of nowhere?”

“That wouldn't work.”, Zia scoffed. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

“Well, we've got to try anyway. There's got to be some clue as to where it is now. We could at least ask them if they know anything.”

It was as good an idea as any other, and it's not like they had any other idea to work with. After all, they were here for a reason, and maybe Nemishta was less of a detour and more of a key part of their trail.

Humans could only swim so far out, even with years of training and centuries of adaptation. The Abyssals' knowledge of the seafloor only extended to about a few hundred meters around the city, with occasional branching areas surrounding breathing spots. Most hunting was done above the city, where fish actually circulated, while seafloor exploration usually wielded shells, squids and whichever rare plants could thrive at this depth. It was impressive that they could survive at all, but that was very likely the solar stone's doing.

There was a small group of people gathered nearby. Wasting no time, Zia went to them, tapped on someone's arm to get their attention, and the two immediately started exchanging signs.

“Bah? Where'd you learn to handspeak?”, Esteban asked, following her.

“You're not the only one making friends here. I've been hanging out with the healers.”

She chuckled.

“For mostly mute people, they're surprisingly loquacious.”

Esteban forbade himself to get jealous.

However, it was obvious the conversation was a bit uneasy. The entire group seemed distraught, speaking in hushed hands with worry on their faces, and it didn't take long for Zia to pick it up. The young woman she was speaking to was seemingly trying to explain, but with mixed results.

“...so? What's she saying?”, Tao asked after a moment.

“I...I'm not sure. I don't know that word.”

She tried to copy it, and Esteban attempted to follow up. That twist of her left wrist meant it was a verb, and her clawed fingers were a modifier, but he forgot which one. Her right hand described a wave-like gesture, and he could swear he knew that word, but right now his lessons were a little fuzzy.

“If I take it literally, it means...'violent water'. I think she's saying she...no, someone was...hurt by water?”

Hurt by water? Esteban turned to the healer, and motioned that he didn't know. Cetea tilted her head, unsure as to what he could mean, and repeated slowly. “A person was hurt by water”; eventually, it was her distraught face, and the avoiding looks of the other people, that cued him.

“Someone...drowned?”

He put his hands to his throat and mouth, mimicking having a hard time to breathe, and Cetea nodded. It took another second for the message to fully hit, at what Zia softly gasped.

“Someone drowned? Did...did they...?”

This time, no need for any signs or words to convey the answer. Her face was enough.

It was bound to happen, in the Abyss. In a world where survival is everything, not everyone makes it alive. Some end up paying the price.

“...I'm so sorry.”

There was no need to, but it just felt like the right thing. It wasn't the first time the children have been faced with the death of someone they didn't know, and awkwardly stood on the sidelines while their people mourned and hurt. They've never known those people, they could never know how much they were allowed to mourn along, and yet doing nothing would be insensitive. Their status as outsiders meant they could not partake, most of the time, but it just felt wrong to completely ignore the suffering of others. Really, it always put them in a very awkward place, so they've learned over time to not make waves and leave the people be, unless they were specifically asked otherwise.

Not that it was an easy task at all.

“We...maybe should wait a little.”, Tao suggested. “They're all a pretty close-knit bunch, so when someone dies, they're bound to be all affected in some way.”

“I hate to admit it, but that's right. Let's return to the Kalium and leave them be for now.”

Reasonable enough. That way, they could figure out the rest of the plan.

The crab-like tank was still at rest, currently used by some children like a climbing game. The legs were sturdy enough, luckily, so the thing couldn't fall or topple over and hurt them. The inside was warm, decorated with swirly patterns reminiscent of the Thallios's, and always that distinct smell of old seaweed. They've found it in a cave off the coast of France, while chasing a lead found in the sixth City of Gold.

They had no idea where to go. But now, they knew that the seventh City, the answer to all their questions, might lay somewhere in this ocean. Everything had a meaning, everything would find its solution at some point; was that not the proof that things were starting to do well?

They would find it. They would find the Wardragon, they would solve all the mysteries. For now, they just needed to stay put, and seriously think their next move.

~~~~~

It was a noise that woke Esteban from his sleep.

He looked around, confused as to what was happening, his reading material having slipped out of his hands when he had dozed off. He picked it up, and turned to the source of the sound, which was the glass window: he saw that a hand was gently tapping. Was someone knocking? Seeing that his friends were still chatting over maps, he put down Tao's book, got up the ladder and opened the hatch, and stepped down the Kalium's leg, to see whom it could be.

“...hi there, Esheban.”

“Oh...hi.”

Rats. For some reason, seeing Karsha here made Esteban a little tense. His usual smile had gone, and he was rubbing his arm nervously, in a manner that couldn't mean well. Esteban got down to the ground, meeting his level, and the two of them exchanged a slightly uneasy glance.

“So...how are you?”, Esteban asked, trying to be polite. “Do you...need anything?”

“I come to you from Selaka's behalf.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes. She would like to...well, she wanted to know if you would come to the ras'mirasora with us.”

Esteban blinked.

“The...what now?”

“You know. The feast of death?”

That name took him quite aback.

“Whoa there, what even is that?”

“You don't have that on Shalaya?”

“Well...I don't even know what it is, so no.”

Again, it was a little awkward. Karsha glanced away, looking like he'd rather not be there, but likely out of consideration for his mother's feelings, he carried on speaking.

“I think you know that Scomber died, today. He was one of the hunters. So...now, we will have a big meal together.”

Esteban felt a little confused. He heard Tao and Zia come from the Kalium as well; likely they've felt he'd need some support.

“A big meal?”, Zia asked. “As in...a ritual feast?”

“Yes. We will get together and eat meat, and remember our departed friend. We'll be...telling stories about him, what he was like, and share memories.”

He shrugged.

“You don't have to come if you don't want to. You didn't know him, I understand you wouldn't feel at ease. But all the hunters and their friends will be there, and I'll be there too. And you're staying with us, so...Selaka thinks you might feel left out.”

“Well...”

Honestly, he wasn't sure they were supposed to even be there. If their presence was wanted, then it was something else; but Karsha didn't seem quite enchanted by that idea. Sure, he was grieving, which could explain his somber expression, but he was also actively avoiding Esteban's eyes and being a little distant, which was rather unusual.

“It's an honor.”, Zia replied. “We would love to be there.”

“If you want us to be.”

Again, Karsha wriggled his head in hesitation.

“I would love to.”, he said. “A feast of death is an occasion to be friendly, and reminisce happy memories. But...”

His hand nervously clenched over his arm.

“I just...I don't know. What if you don't like it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that...it can be a hard time for us. A lot of us have lost people we love, and it hurts sometimes. If you start judging us, it will be so much harder.”

Esteban's thoughts froze in their train.

“Judge you? What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know.”

He frowned a little.

“You don't like that we hunt fish, or speak with our hands more than our voices, or share air with our mouths. And you're so shocked and loud, every time...what if you see something you don't like, again? What if you get angry because we do things you don't do? That is fine for little things, but a ras'mirasora is a big thing. People will be very sad and they don't need to be told what they're doing is bad.”

Karsha then blinked, as if he's just realized what he's said.

“...I don't want to speak bad things about you.”, he added, more quietly. “But I just don't know when you'll start being angry about us again. Now of all times would not be the moment, and I tried to tell Selaka, but she insisted.”

Esteban's chest started to feel heavy. Like something was weighing him down hard, even lower than the Abyss itself. Has he...really been this insensitive? This judgmental? He tried to deny it, to tell himself that this was wrong, but he had to admit that Karsha was right. This boy had saved him from drowning, and his first reaction had been shame and anger. Wasn't that the mark of insensitivity and judgment?

He had to do better. He had to prove him that he wasn't like that. And to prove himself, too; that would be even harder, for now he was truly doubting himself. But he couldn't bear to see Karsha so hurt, not when the boy never had anything but good intentions. These people were strange, but they were Atlanteans just like him: the least he could do would be to make an effort to understand them.

“...I've done you bad.”, he eventually said. “I've been a jerk to you and your culture. But I'm ready to atone, if I need to.”

Karsha didn't seem to believe him. So, gently, he put a hand on his arm.

“I'll do my best to be worth the honor. It's something important to you, so...I'll do it. We'll come.”

That seemed to have the least amount of conviction. But it'd do.

“Well...I'm glad to hear that.” Karsha simply said.

“Where will it take place?”, Zia asked.

“By the house with the three blue stones. There will be a group fire, you'll find it easily.”

“Do we have to show up at a specific time?”

“I'm not sure. Scomber's family needs to prepare the body, and we'll gather when it's done. Then we'll eat, and...and then we'll see.”

The premise was a little grim, but such were funerary rites. Esteban nodded, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

“We'll be there. And we'll be open-minded.”

“I mean, you can choose not to, but...that'd be a little mean.”

And Karsha let slip a slight smile.

“I...see you have work to do. I wouldn't keep you away from it. Most likely, see you tonight.”

“See you.”

He walked away, leaving them there. Only when he was out of sight did Esteban let his words out again.

“...do you think I'm making a mistake?”

“I wouldn't go as far as to say that. Let's say you've got much repairwork to do, if you two still want to be friends.”

“Don't put that pressure on him, Tao. We've got to be respectful, that's all.”

“Also, I'll admit I'm pretty curious. How do Abyssals take care of their dead ones? Surely there must be burial grounds somewhere.”

Esteban looked up at the ocean above their heads.

“What if they just release them to the ocean? To reach the heavens.”

“I guess we'll find out. I still think it'll be a bit awkward, if people start crying.”

“Come on. Even in the face of death, they want us to be included. The least we can do is to show up and pay our respects.”

That would still be an uneasy occasion. But Karsha described it as a happy one, full of cheer and good memories, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

~~~~~

Indeed, it didn't start out so bad.

The mood was obviously a little gloomy, for the loss of a loved one was never easy. Scomber was one of the biggest hunters of the group, stern but with the ability to crack a mean joke. Esteban has never talked to him, only seen him in passing, but listening to the stories of those who knew him, it almost felt like the man could have been one of his friends.

From what he gathered, there has been a big commotion when the gowren was finally caught. The gigantic creature, which he understood to be some kind of whale, had struggled and fought in the trap laid by the hunters. And it would have broken out and wasted everyone's efforts, if not for the hunter's commitment to killing it, fighting it underwater until his literal last breath. Such a beast was too valuable to be left alive, and its meat and bones would be of tremendous help to fend off starvation. Esteban had seen it being hauled in by the rest of the hunters, and couldn't help but agree: a beast this size could feed an entire fleet!

“Of course, it's sad to see a life lost.”, someone had said. “But if we manage to keep that gowren's carcass, many children will grow strong and healthy. Many new lives will be born. We have to do all we can to keep the cycle going.”

Hunting was dangerous. The creatures of the Abyss were ruthless, born from the Wardragon's blood, and the only way to match their fierceness was to consume them in turn. In such a barren underwater wasteland, it was survival that mattered most.

“Are the beasts of the Shalaya such dangerous, too?”

“Well...there are some, yes. But there are much more docile ones too. We raise them for food...I thought you did that too?”

“What, the desha? They have little meat. Very soft, though.”

Seals were the cattle of the sea. They were not herded as much as simply accustomed to human presence, and left roaming free instead of kept in pens or enclosures. But they'd always come back, for food was hard to come by at such depths without a little help, and they needed air to live. They had their territory in a corner of the city bubble, down the canals' stream, and were left alone for the most part. “Shepherds” would simply leave them with food so they'd stay in that area, and carry away the dead or wounded seals. Their shimmery, soft fur was ideal for making swimming garments, and their blubber was an important source of nutrients. It was a cycle of taking and giving, as with everything else in nature; a self-sustaining ecosystem, from which both species would benefit.

Abyssal philosophy was deeply rooted in this idea. Everything was a cycle, nothing had a clear end or beginning. Humans were a part of nature, and to force it to bend to their will would break its fragile balance. Everything could find its place, everything had a use, and to waste anything would be a stupid idea.

“Surely you don't eat all parts of a fish? What about the heads?”

“Don't toss them, they make a lovely broth.”

“And the tiny sharp bones? And the fins?”

“If you boil them for a long time with freshwater, they make bonemilk. It's used in medicine, but it helps plants grow, too.”

“Anything that has meat on its bones can be eaten.”

Frankly, their ability to find uses for every last little thing was almost frightening. But it made sense, too: resources were very hard to come by, so anything that could be used and reused, would be. This ensured their city stayed clean, and that future generations would always have something to build in turn with.

Really, it was easy to forget why they were gathered here in the first place. They've been jumping from story to story for a while now, so much that they've lost sense of what they were talking about to start with. The salt fire was going down, and a dim light had settled over the area. It was peaceful, everyone was in a good mood. It was a pretty good time.

“I'm getting hungry.”, Tao said after a time. “When will the feast start?”

“Be patient.”, Zia replied. “Have you seen the meat on that whale? It's going to take a long while to cook.”

One of the crafters, who's been sitting with them for a moment, turned in their direction.

“You mean the gowren? We won't be eating that today.”

“Really?”

“Of course not. It is supposed to last us for a long time, so it will be salted for later. And even the rest will take a while to cut down.”

“I heard whale meat is delicious. Some sailors back in Spain talk of it like a luxury.”

“It's true that it's very hard to catch. The best part is the tail; that's what we give our sick ones.”

“Why is that?”

“So they can heal faster, of course. Not all food is the same, so the best meals go to those who need it. Don't eat khe'beite if you're not pregnant, you know what I'm saying?”

“...I don't.”

Well, that made sense. Food and health were intrinsically tied, after all.

“I hope we don't get bad bits just because we're healthy.”, Tao joked.

“The best bits will go to his family first. That's proper.”

“The best bits of...what, exactly?”

The crafter didn't reply, and instead turned around. For indeed, the smell of food had just hit them, and they could tell the fun was about to begin.

An old woman had brought out a large dish filled with meat, both cooked and raw, and people were starting to gather around. They were silent for the most part, their stories and jokes quieted down, and a wave of solemnity had washed over the crowd. They sat down for the most part, as the grandmother put down the food by the fire. The children also watched, intriguing as to what exactly was going on.

The old woman picked a juicy piece of red meat, wrapped in seaweed like a Chinese riceball. It was still dripping with blood, and many people were looking at it with an expression Esteban couldn't decipher, but that struck him as some form of respectful jealousy.

“Corhyn, his faithful companion, who will be the mother of his child. May his heart bring you the strength to carry on in life.”

A younger woman then stood up, wearing the tied down sealeaves of married adults. She was a few months pregnant, and walked with a bit of difficulty to the grandmother, who handed her the piece of meat. She took it with reverence, respectfully bowing her head, and returned to the others. She looked about to cry, and the jealousy that subsisted all around faded into sadder tones.

“Sarda, Thunnus, his caring brothers. You have watched over him for all his life, and you have loved him. May his lungs bring your own breath where his own couldn't.”

Two young men stepped forward, and each accepted a wrapped piece. They too looked as if they've been crying, and went to sit with their brother's widow, comforting her with gestures.

The distribution continued. The old woman, which Esteban understood to be Scomber's mother, would call a name and hand them a selected piece of meat, always speaking of the food as if it would give them some blessing. As if it would confer them the qualities and strengths of the deceased hunter. It was rather touching, and people were honored to be called up and personally given some.

After the deceased's family, it was the turn of his close friends. Most of them were hunters, that was no surprise, but there were many from other circles. Karsha was called as well, and he was given a piece of cooked meat, claiming it would help him grow strong. He accepted it with the same reverence, and returned to his mother's side to share it with her.

“That's a strange custom.”, Tao commented at some point. “But it's not bad.”

“It's a bit weird. It sounds like they're figuratively eating him.”

“It's seal meat. They wouldn't literally eat him, would they?”

They chuckled at the thought, as gruesome as it was. True that they were pretty keen on not wasting anything, but that would just be taking the idea too far.

...right?

After everyone in the deceased's close circle had been personally given some piece of the seal, the grandmother turned to the crowd, and told them that even if they did not know her son personally, they were still part of the big family of the Abyss. Their grief was as valid and welcome as that of his family's, and they were welcome to take part in the ras'mirasora if they desired to. There was still a pretty big share of meat on display, and while a few people left, others stayed to partake.

“You guys hungry? I won't lie, I'm pretty eager now.”

“Why not.”

The kids stood up, and headed to the fire where the food was kept warm. There was no line nor hassle, everyone just picked what they wanted and made sure to leave plenty for the others. It was quite orderly, since people had the decency to let the elderly, pregnant and children go first. Though it was a little surprising to see nothing but red meat on the table, and no greens or seafood at all. No ocean bread, no shellfish soup, not even drinks.

Some bell in Esteban's head started to ring.

“Guys...are you sure you want to eat that?”, he asked quietly.

Zia turned to him.

“If I'm being honest...I'm not sure. I don't see a lot of vegetables here.”

“You heard them.”, Tao shrugged. “It's a feast, that's why they went all-out on the meat. I mean, I won't complain.”

He looked around at the cuts still on display, as Pichu perched on the table. The parrot took a look as well, but as soon as he got close, he immediately started flying away.

“Danger, danger!”, he called.

“Eh? What's gotten into you, Pichu?”

“Danger, danger! Hurt!!”

And he hid away in Tao's robe, leading him to step away as to not cause a scene.

“What do you mean?”, he asked. “It can't be poisoned, is it?”

“Help, help...Pichu afraid!”

He looked terrorized, for some reason that couldn't be understood. Esteban looked at the table again, and saw some ribs that have just been cut and cooked. That meat looked just fine, but...something was off.

He's seen an Abyss seal before. He's seen those long, scrawny water dogs. And even if there were some big ones, they ribcages were certainly not that big.


The best bits of...what, exactly?


“Guys...”

His heart started to pound. It couldn't be, no. It couldn't be possible.

“I...I don't think that's seal.”

“Then...what is it?”

We always try to shine those we eat; it's more respectful.

He didn't want to know. He didn't want to speak it. But the palor of his face spoke for himself, as he looked at his friends with absolute terror.

“...wait. You don't...you can't possibly mean that…?”

His blood ran cold, and a dreadful feeling squeezed his chest tighter than it ever has been.


Anything that has meat on its bones can be eaten.


His heart felt like it was about to stop. He was going to scream, there was no other way. Zia's hands put to her mouth when she realized, and she eyed the meat with absolute horror. Tao was silent, not yet getting it, but it would only be a matter of time. Any moment now, and he would scream in abject horror.

But before that could happen, a hand laid on his shoulder.

“Let's go.”, Karsha said.

And before anything could be said or done, he has whisked the three of them off to the side, away from the feast. Esteban followed along, because at this point there was nothing else he could do. It's as if all willpower had left him, replaced with absolute fear and disgust as his only emotions.

When he felt they were far enough away from the crowd, he let his feelings speak. He jerked Karsha's guiding hand away, and stared at him in utter spite.

“How can you do this!?”, he hissed between his teeth. “One of your friends has died, and you're...you've…!!”

Karsha simply held his stare, but stayed silent. That only fueled Esteban's rage even more, so much he could barely speak. It was Zia's voice that broke the tense silence.

“You're...eating him.”, she said in a whisper. “You're cannibals.”

“I don't know what that means.”, Karsha replied. “But I see that it's the thing that upset you.”

He shrugged.

“You promised to not make a scene, but I knew it was a matter of time. I suppose it can't be helped. Just go ahead and do your thing while no one's watching.”

Esteban's fist clenched. The air around them got warmer, charged with slivers of ire like static electricity. Sensing an outburst about to happen, Tao quickly got a hold of his arm, to try and calm him down.

“I can't believe it.”, Zia continued. “You're...you're cannibals! You're eating the flesh of your own kind!”

“I suppose...that's not what you do?”

“What we do!?”, Esteban interjected. “Do you realize what you're doing?!Do you have any idea of how crazy and wrong that is!?”

“That's the point, I don't!”, Karsha hissed. “That's why I didn't want you to come. I knew there'd be something wrong with what we're doing, and I was just waiting around to see what exactly would trigger your reaction.”

He sighed in mild annoyance.

“It just can't be helped.”

“You don't understand.”, Zia picked up. “It's not just a cultural difference. Eating the flesh of humans is a very grave offense! It's...it's one of the greatest taboos that exist!”

“It's disgusting!”, Esteban added. “You're desecrating your dead! That's completely sick!!”

Faced with so much anger, Karsha took a step back. His annoyance had shifted to unease, perhaps even fear. He was likely expecting a bad reaction, but certainly not one so big.

“I mean...a lot of cultures of the world think the same.”, Tao added, a bit more calmly. “Even in dire times, eating your own kind is...something you just don't do. I've seen a lot of things, but that's just...that's just too much for me. I'm sorry.”

He turned his head away, as if he were getting sick. Karsha glanced away, thoroughly uncomfortable.

“Well...that's how we do.”, he justified. “How was I supposed to know you'd find it offensive? Everyone here thinks it's natural.”

“That's the point!!”

Esteban jerked Tao's arm away.

“You've been here for so long, you've lost all sense of morality! You're just doing whatever you please, and then claim it's normal for you!!”

“Well, what are we supposed to do!? Just leave their bodies out there to rot, and starve in turn!?”

“Just because you're living in a harsh world doesn't mean you have to resort to such...extremities! That's completely sadistic!!”

“Because you think we like it?!”

And Karsha had shoved his finger at Esteban's chest, so much that a disturbing feeling crept through him and stopped him for a moment. In his anger, Karsha had shone him, and electricity was pouring out of him like the tears of his eyes.

“You think I wanted to lose my friend?! You think it's easy for me to eat the flesh of someone I held dear?! You think we're cruel sadists who see each other but as pieces of meat waiting to be devoured!?”

He was sobbing. His words were getting slurred, and his big eyes were slick with tears.

“I loved him! He taught me so much about hunting! He gave his life so that we could survive, and not starve like so many of us have starved before! Do you think I wanted to lose him? Do you think I'd be cruel enough to do horrible things to his remains, when all I wanted was for him to live!?”

His throat was wheezing, he had difficulty to breathe. He didn't even bother speaking any more words, and just fell to his knees, sobbing his heart out. The electricity dissipated, and Esteban's anger softened.

“...I'm so sorry.”

Zia stepped closer, knelt down to his height. She held onto his shoulder, and he accepted the embrace she was offering.

“I'm...so sorry this had to happen.”, she continued. “I can't judge you or your customs, and I'm sorry it seemed that way. Please, find it in your heart to forgive us.”

He held on tight, burying his face in her shoulder.

“I just...I just want everything to be fine!”, he sobbed. “I'm hurting, I lost my friend, and I don't understand why you're thinking all these things of us!!”

Tao glared at Esteban, who didn't know why that could be called for.

“...it would be hard to explain.”, Zia simply said. “Perhaps...if we knew in advance what was going to happen, we would have not come. And we could have avoided any scene.”

Karsha sniffled, looking at her. He looked truly hurt, and that vision tore at Esteban's heart. Once again, he tried to put himself in his shoes, to understand what it would be like if he'd just lost one of his closest friends and some foreigner were to insult him and claim he'd done a horrible thing. It helped with some perspective, sure...but still, he couldn't condone eating the dead! That was just too far for him!! Just because that was the way for some people didn't mean he had to accept it unconditionally!

“I just wonder...why?”, Tao asked calmly. “Out of all the ways to, um...honor your dead, why would you eat them? Why not bury them?”

“We'd run out of room pretty quickly.”

Karsha wiped his tears away, or at least tried to.

“I guess that it's just ingrained so hard into us, how we have to survive. Food is very hard to come by. Hunting can be dangerous. When half of the population dies, and the other half is starving...it's just natural.”

Zia sat down next to him, and Tao eventually followed. Esteban hesitated, but did not want to cause any more trouble, so he did so as well.

“I don't see what's wrong with it. If my body can help someone survive a bit more after I die, why would I not want to? I mean...I won't need it anymore.”

“But that's quite an extremity...if you devour each other so freely when hunger strikes, that would destroy you!”

“We'd never kill each other! Never! Any living life, any helping hand will always be more valuable than whatever meat we have on our bones. A person's body may feed us for a day, but their work and their help would have brought food for many more years. That is our...our taboo.”

“But isn't that twisted? Those are your loved ones, and you reduce them to...to food. That's horrible.”

“It doesn't have to be.”

Karsha then fetched something from his belt. It looked like a miniature crossbow, or some kind of spring-loaded pistol. It was painted and carved like an art piece, but the white organic material it was made of left no doubt as to its nature.

“My sheropeka was a gift from my mother. She gave it to me when I became of age. She carved it from the bones of her sister, who loved me dearly. And I loved her, too.”

His finger slowly followed one of the carved spirals.

“She had very good eyes. So good that she's now Chalum La'nadrarina. Whenever I hunt, her eyes guide me where mine can't see. That's why I never miss my target. It's like...she's still here with me, you know?”

It was grim. It was horribly grim. But the way Karsha spoke of it, holding his bone tool like one would hold a portrait of their relative, almost felt...wholesome.

“I get the idea, but...that's just too strange.”, Tao piped in. “You're playing with the bodies of people, making their bones into items?”

“I don't see what's so bad about it. I mean...I'd love for my children to so something great of me when I die. I want to help them even in death. You can make so many great things with bones!”

“And...everyone thinks like you?”

“You'd be surprised as to how many things you've touched here were made from someone's sibling or parent.”

Zia curled her hands away, disgusted by the thought. Karsha simply sighed.

“I guess I can see what irks you...it's not very clean. Some people don't want to become tools when they die, and we respect that. But when you've got nothing on hand to build a city where everyone can live comfortably...you've still got yourself, you know?”

There was still a lot of unease going around. Neither anger nor sadness had fully dissipated, and that was maybe what prompted Karsha to change subjects.

“...what do you do with your dead ones, anyway? You've judged us a lot, so now it's my turn.”

“Um...well, we bury them, most of the time.”

“Bury them? In the ground?”

“In graves. And then we...we mourn, we honor them. We...”

Zia stopped mid-sentence, her words trailing off. It dawned on them that the three of them had already lost someone, and that even though they've never really talked about it, they could knew what the others felt in this instant. Each of them remembered a different grave, in a different country, each holding a father figure that had watched over them for years of their lives. And it hurt to talk about.

Esteban remembered Father Rodriguez. He's been a good man, caring and devoted, even though he now belonged to a life so old and distant he could barely even remember his face. It'd never occur to him to eat his heart for strength, carve his bones into tools or make pouches out of his skin; the very idea repulsed him to the highest point. It felt criminal to even think about it.

“And...what becomes of them?”, Karsha asked.

“...nothing. We leave them here, at peace. That's all.”

It was obvious the topic was very painful, and opened up some old wounds. Karsha felt like he wanted to say something, and Esteban expected him to say horrible truths that'd come back at him for what himself said before; but nothing such happened. Instead, he just sat pensively, thinking about it.

“...it must be nice.”, he eventually said. “You've got so much room that you give it to people who don't need it.”

“It's not that.”, Tao sighed. “It's so that we have a place to go when we want to remember them. They've been through a lot in life...they deserve to rest in peace.”

The concept was hard to convey, it seemed. But Karsha said nothing, just thinking it over.

They had different ways to grieve. But deep down, the grief was the exact same.

“Do you...”, Esteban hesitated. “Do you...want to be eaten, when you die?”

“Of course. I'm young and strong. If I can help someone's sickness, I will.”

“And...what about your soul? If you don't have a body anymore, what becomes of it?”

Karsha blinked at him. But then, he simply smiled.

“My soul will return to my mother. Like everyone else.”

“To...Selaka?”

“No.”

And he held out a hand. Esteban hesitated, not feeling this at all, but something in Karsha's sad smile felt genuine enough. Slowly, he held that hand, and that warmth came back to him again. The warmth they shared, the same sunlight in their blood.

“My mother. Everyone's mother. Even if we are so far in the Abyss that she can't reach us, our souls will always find their way back to her.”

For an instant, just an instant, Esteban knew what he meant. He knew who was that watchful mother, so estranged and yet so present, the one that had helped them since the start and would keep helping them, even in the afterlife. The mother that was his own as well, for he too was a child of Atlantis. A child of the Sun.

But that only lasted a moment, after which his confusion came back. Karsha withdrew his hand, and simply smiled.

“I'm not afraid to die.”, he said. “Because I know I'll be alright. We all have to conquer our fear of death, so we can move on.”

It was getting late, and they've barely noticed the salt fires have been dimming. Slowly, Karsha stood back up.

“I believe we all need some cheering up. How about you come with me, and we get something all of us can eat? It wouldn't be fair to let you starve.”

Pichu happily reacted to the promise of food, lightening the mood. The children stood in turn, still a little hesitant and down, but at least there was no harm done. No lasting harm.

“...I'm sorry I called you sadistic.”, Esteban said out of the blue. “I...I've lost people I cared about, too. I would never think of doing such...such things to them.”

“Well...I can get that it's upsetting you. I'm sorry that it happened.”

“It's not your fault.”, Zia said. “You couldn't have known.”

“But I could have told you about it.”

“You couldn't have known. It's not very fair for you that you need to justify yourself all the time.”

“Yeah. You...you have your culture, and your own reasons for doing things. We don't have a place to judge you.”

“And yet you do.”

“And yet we do...”

Esteban sighed. Karsha gently touched to his shoulder, in that warm manner as usual.

“You don't need to put on a happy face if it truly upsets you.”, he said. “I can tell this is very important to you and your people.”

He glanced away for a moment.

“I just...I just don't want this to keep happening. Maybe we're just too different...and you're like me, so what about all the people out on the shalaya that are not like us? Perhaps it's good that we stay here in the Abyss, away from other humans.”

“What? No, don't say that! You know it's not true!”

“But it is. And it's maybe the best choice. We've long renounced on getting back to the surface, anyway.”

His hand slowly let go.

“But the surface is your home. I feel that if you stay away from it for too long, you'll end up missing it. Perhaps...it's best you shorten your stay in Nemishta.”

It felt like a stone suddenly dropped in his chest.

“...he's right.”, Zia said. “We still have an objective to complete. It hurts to say, but we can't stay here forever.”

“Well...I know that, but...”

But what? What was it that felt so wrong in all of this?

“You don't have to decide right now.”, Karsha said. “You know you're welcome to stay as long as you want. We'll always accept you...even if the opposite may not be true.”

The stone sank even harder down.

“But let's not bother ourselves with that! That can wait. Come, you must be all starved. We've got bread, and shells, and maybe even bone soup! Don't worry, it's desha bones, I swear it's not people. Once again, it's not something we do each day without a care in the world.”

“I believe you, don't worry.”

They followed, for they had nowhere else to go. But still, even with all the good will in the world, something just didn't sit right with all of this.

He didn't want to stay, nor did he feel like leaving. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore; only that, in the moment, he felt incredibly tired.




Mhh? Non, vous avez rien loupé. C'est juste que comme j'en ai rana'pétay, je mets que ce chapitre-là. Vous voulez tout le reste? C'est sur: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643097

Ne dites pas aux Atlantes de l'Abysse d'aller manger leurs morts. Ils vous regarderaient avec une certaine confusion, et vous répondraient d'aller enterrer vos morts à vous.

[Sandentwins]

The Children of Moon Island

Chapter 12: Mehira, Mehira Burning Bright

(Le début juste ici)

“That's very strange.”, Morsin said, watching the horizon. “There's land right ahead, yet I can't see anything through that lens. It sure is dirty!”

“If you had any semblance of eyesight at all, you would know that this one is mine.”, Roses angrily grumbled as he snatched his golden spyglass out of his hands. “Don't you touch my tools!”

The sailor merely snickered.

“It's so easy to get a rise out of you. And so funny too.”

“Have you got nothing else to do but to bother me? I was in the middle of researching important things.”

“And I was merely trying to know where we are. Which you'll recognize, given our situation, is a bit more important than your...alchemitic whatevers.”

Morsin leaned on the railing, looking at the land ahead. He could see some fortifications over there, but nothing specific enough to enlighten him as to their exact position.

“If anything, we must be around Chinchaysuyu. But that's all I can tell, what with these stone mushrooms spoiling the coast.”

He snarled in a way that made Tao raise his eyes from his fishing line.

“I thought those were your friends?”

“Friends? Rrrk. Tao friends.”

“Relationships are complicated.”, Roses sighed. “The Spaniards are not our enemies, but they cannot be called friends either. Although we are here by order of commander Gutiérrez, so they should be amicable enough.”

“Amicable for you, maybe!”, Morsin interjected. “I'm not working for these dogs.”

“If Ferran is, then so are you, dear child.”

“Over my dead body! These people are not my friends, nor can they boss me around. And I'm surprised you don't think the same.”

Roses folded his spyglass back in.

“Contrary to what it seems, I am not being 'bossed around'. I am merely performing a service for them.”

“What's the difference? You're still working for them!”

“The difference, my dear, is the mindset. I have no concept of being inferior to anyone, and I never will. You should do the same, it would change your outlook on life.”

Morsin simply rolled his eyes, and walked away. Tao shrugged, deciding to ignore their foreign squabbles, and focused on reeling in another wriggly fish. Now that he was on the high seas, he could make a better use of this technology, after all.

“Those adult problems sound so ridiculous at times, don't you think?”

“When you grow up, you will understand too, little one. Adulthood is nothing easy.”

“...I was talking to Gwynn.”

“Rrrk.”

On the way to the cargo, Morsin happened to meet Twelve, who was still a little sleepy in his floating. The boy gave him a pretty genuine smile, before heading out to meet with Tao, and hug him softly like he was a big blanket.

“I wish I could be you.”, Tao joked. “You never worry about anything, do you?”

Twelve simply looked at him, in that way that hid so many words that sadly, Tao could not perceive. Too many to speak, that seemed to be the issue. So as a reply, he simply pat his head, and let him watch the motions of the fishing line over the water.

But soon, the boy's eyes got drawn in by something else. More exactly, the coast and what constructions could be seen there: traces of life, people and activity. A brand new sight for this sheltered child, even though that was not the first inhabited coast the Solaris has sailed by. He pointed his finger, looking at Tao with a questioning gaze.

“Oh, that's...uh...Chincha-something.”, Tao answered as best as he could. “But we're not stopping there.”

Twelve pouted a little, but Tao ignored it. He then stared at him again, in a manner that forced him to reply with a sigh.

“We have a road to follow. We can't stop.”

“Not to mention that it would be dangerous if soldiers were to find you out.”, Roses said. “It is best you children stay out of sight until we leave their range.”

Tao glared at him.

“Since when do you care?”

“Rrrk, do you care?”

“I have great interest in keeping the RNPCx's alive and away from trouble. After all, since we are working together, we might as well do so actively.”

Twelve nodded in confirmation, and Tao shrugged. Well, whatever. He started reeling back his line to put it away, when Twelve suddenly stopped and snapped around to stare at the stone fortifications.

“...everything alright there?”, Tao asked.

Twelve stared on, not answering anything. Intrigued, Roses took his spyglass and looked in that direction as well.

“There is nothing.”, he concluded.

But the boy did not seem to agree. Floating up to stand on the railing, he reached out an arm, as if to do something, and yet nothing happened. Tao panicked a little, knowing his sense of balance was not the greatest.

“Get down! They could see you!”

But Twelve did not get down. He stayed there, arm held out, as if waiting for something. As if trying to sense something. Roses peered at him through his tool, and followed an invisible sight to the coast.

“What is he doing…?”

“Come on, get down! You'll fall!”

Tao tugged on his foot, to try and get him to listen, but Twelve wriggled out of his grasp. Whatever Roses had seen came back, and understanding dawned on the boy's freckled face. He stared at the fort again, this time with wide eyes.

And then, he dashed towards it.

“Twelve!!”

Tao looked around in a panic, trying to call for him, not knowing what to do. Around the cabin, he saw that Fourteen had sensed her twin's emotions, for she came to him in a rush that scared Gwynn away.

“You've got to help!”, he said. “Twelve's going to get himself killed over there!”

“What? What he's doing?”

“I don't know, you tell me!”

She did not seem to understand. But then, she froze as well, and turned to the fort in the same manner as her brother.

“...something.”

“Something? What do you mean? Is there...something there?”

Fourteen looked at him.

“Turn the ship.”

“What?”

“Turn the ship! We find it!”

“What!? Find what?! Explain yourself, please!”

She bumped her forehead to his own, but her thoughts were such a garbled stream that Tao couldn't make any sense of them. Before he knew it, she was headed for the cabin again, and Solaris started to change its course, heading towards the Spanish fort.

This would not go well, Tao thought. Not at all!

~~~~~

“There's something coming this way!”

The Spanish soldiers that were guarding the Tumaco fort barely had time to react. Before they could even process the passing of this foreign-looking ship, something had come from it, dashing over the water. Something too fast and steady to be a cannonball.

“What even is this thing?!”

“I can't see anything from here. But it's definitely heading for us!”

The thing in question did not slow down once it reached the coast. When it met with the wave-struck rocks of the shore, instead of hitting them straight on, it moved up and over them with the same speed it crossed the sea. It flew like a bird until it scaled the cliff, and it made nothing of the heavy wall either. And before anyone knew it, it had entered the fort, now standing in the middle of the fortifications.

“Wh- who is that!?”

“That can't be! Is that...a child?!”

“No child would be able of such a feat! What is going on?”

“It must be a trick!”

The child simply stood there, feet not touching the ground, eyes going across all sorts of faces. It did not move, prompting from all sides the order to seize it; but only then did it react, and did something that seemed to burn the air all around it, making people step back. Soldiers readied their rifles and lances, to strike down that thing that was not a child, as the alarm bell started to ring through the scorched air. The loud noise and activity seemed to startle it, and it fell on the ground covering its ears, and more soldiers stepped forward. But the creature tried to stand, and yelled out at them in a raspy voice, like a dog barking in warning. The air sizzled and cracked once more, some invisible force keeping people at bay, but this time it was answered with the burning of powder. Guns were shot, and if the first few missed their target, there were some that did not.

Blood splattered the ground as the force released, and the air suddenly felt colder. The creature that was not a child fell on its knees, a hand pressed against its side, and it screamed out in pain. But another gunshot came to silence that scream, and it fell face first on the blood-speckled ground. It did not move anymore, nor did the air spark and burn with energy.

“...is it dead?”

“It seems like so...”

“Let's be careful. Bring some rope, and tie it up! Whatever that...that demon is, it's dangerous!”

Yet that rest was short-lived, for the foreign ship was heading their way. If they came looking for a fight, they would have it for sure!

“This feels like an assault. It was only a first try!”

“Someone warn the commander! We're under attack!”

“It is useless, gentlemen. I am already here.”

Everyone parted as the commander stepped into the courtyard, where the attack had just taken place. The man eyed the limp and lifeless body in the middle of it, no more surprised than if it had been a mere vermin.

“It does not look like a native.”, he noted coldly.

“It does not fight like one either, commander Gutiérrez! This...this child did something strange to our men! Something demonic!”

“Demonic, you say? Well, it was no match for our forces. So there is nothing to worry about.”

Another soldier then came up.

“Commander, the foreign ship has dropped anchor on the beach. What should we do?”

“If they send any more...”

He nudged the fallen child with his foot.

“...so-called demons our way, then you already know what to do with them. Otherwise, I want that ship seized and all its valuable contents brought to me.”

“This ship does not look like anything we've ever seen, commander Gutiérrez. It is not Inca, nor anything we know of!”

“Then that makes it only the more valuable! Come on, captain, where has your conquest spirit gone? Deal with it the same way we have always dealt with trouble.”

He ran a few fingers through his beard, already thinking of all the loot such a ship could hold. All the gold and jewels that could be hiding in its cargo, and that would soon come add to his glorious collection.

“...what should we do with the demon child, commander?”

“Hm? Oh, throw it into the sea. Wait– better yet, put it with the prisoners in the dungeon. Give them a little taste of what happens to those that dare defy us.”

And on that, he turned around to leave, knowing this would be but child's play for his men to deal with.

~~~~~

“I swear, I turn my back for five minutes, and you already cause a major diplomatic incident!”, Ferran grumbled, dropping the anchor. “Can't I trust you all to keep to yourselves for once?”

“We will talk later. For now, this child is in danger! You know very well how your countrymen can be!”

“And since when do you care, amber boy? I thought you had no consideration for these two.”

“I still need them more alive than dead.”

Outside, Fourteen wasted no time setting foot on the beach, with Tao following suit. She was looking around, as if confused by something, in a manner that just told Tao something was wrong.

“Do you feel him?”, he asked. “Do you know where Twelve is?”

She looked around, silently calling out in that manner only they knew. But then she turned to Tao, and slowly shook her head.

“He's not here.”

“He must be inside the fortress. Come on, let's find a way in!”

“No...he's not here.”

He blinked, not getting it. Now that he looked at her, she did seem more than confused. Distressed, maybe.

“He's...outside of your sensing range.”, he attempted. “That's why you can't feel his presence.”

“Not outside. I know. I know range, he's...here. But he's not here. He's...he's was here, and now is not here.”

“...I'm sure he's not far. Come on, let's find a way up. We'll find out!”

“Whoah there, you two, calm down a bit.”, Ferran intervened, catching up. “Do you realize this is a guarded fortress? You can't enter it however you please! You'll get in big trouble!”

“I thought you were working with these people? You could bring us in!”

The man thought for a moment, as the other two caught up as well.

“If your little friend already got found out, there is little chance of us going in...but we could try.”

“I'm not going in there.”, Morsin retorted.

Before Ferran could reply, Gwynn suddenly started getting agitated, squawking nervously on Tao's shoulder. He flew away in a hurry, and that's when the boy noticed that all around the shore, silhouettes were now surrounding them. Armed silhouettes.

“Well, so much for the element of surprise. Guess they sent their welcoming committee!”

Fourteen looked at them, at the way they handled their lances and metal tubes. Her aura started to flare in warning, but Ferran put a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Don't! I might be able to talk to them. You kids return to the ship and hide.”

“Twelve.”, she insisted between her teeth. “I find Twelve.”

“And I'm not abandoning them.”, Tao added.

“Ugh! Fine, you've asked for it. But don't start attacking unless they do.”

And with that, they soon got surrounded by armed men in strange armors, who wasted no time seizing them and bringing them to the fortress.

Tao felt ashamed, letting those strangers grab him and lead him away, and Fourteen followed on cue. And if Roses and Ferran were complacent enough, Morsin seemed to be but an inch away from biting everyone's face off if they as much as dared to put their hands on him. Tao wanted to do the same, truly, but he was puny in comparison to these big and fat men, whose hands could easily crush his bones. He just hoped Twelve was alright, and that they didn't treat him in that rude way as well. The poor boy would be so confused!

But as they arrived there, he got the feeling that it would not be so easy. He noticed the pool of blood on the ground, the way it looked as if something had been dragged out of it. The wary looks of all these soldiers, and the way they were fixated on Fourteen, speaking words he could not hear clearly, but that didn't feel like good news at all.

And Fourteen felt it too.

“Another.”, she whispered. “They speak another. Like me.”

“That must be Twelve! He's near, I'm sure.”

“...I don't feel. I can't feel.”

Tao refused to look at the bloody traces. He refused to even envision that possibility. Surely Fourteen was stressed and unable to sense clearly, that was all.

“Gentlemen, I assure you we mean you no harm.”, Ferran spoke out. “My name is Fernando Laguerra, and I am but a Spanish doctor with his crew, on a mission for commander Gutiérrez in Tumbes!”

One of the soldiers stepped forward.

“Commander Gutiérrez, you say?”

“Indeed!”, Roses affirmed. “A very important mission at that, too. If you don't believe us, you might as well fetch him and ask him!”

“Why, that sounds like a good idea. For we can do that right now! He happens to be here in this very fort, today!”

Ferran and Roses' faces grew shocked, and Morsin groaned deeply.

“Out of all the commanders we could have met today, it happened to be the one paying us...”

“I'm sure you have a lot to answer for. Especially considering what...what demon tried to attack us just now!”

He turned to Fourteen, and she stood her ground in warning.

“We have you cornered. If you try anything, your fate will be the same as for the other one!”

“What have you done!?”, Tao suddenly spoke out. “Where is he?!”

“Silence!”, another soldier ordered, gripping his arms tighter.

“I assure you, good people, it was but a mistake!”

“That is not mine to decide.”

And they turned to the fort entrance, out of which someone had just stepped out.

“It is up to the commander to decide, now.”

Tao looked up despite the hold on his arms.

He might not have the twins' aura sight abilities, but he could tell right away that this man was not up to good things. A face like a bearded monkey's and hands like ravenous talons, and a gait haughty with power and prestige.

“Commander Pedro Gutiérrez.”, Roses spoke under his breath. “Perhaps the greediest man in all of Pizarro's army.”

With cold eyes, the commander stared at the group as he walked forward, a hand firmly lodged over the sword at his side. Tao knew fighting would be useless, but that didn't mean he would give in easily; he held his glare as much as he could, showing that he wasn't the kind to back down.

“Well, it seems we meet again, my good doctor.”, the commander spoke with a strange nasal voice. “Although not in the circumstances I would have wished.”

“Your Excellency, this is...well, this is unexpected!”, Ferran stammered. “I thought you would still be in Tumbes!”

“That was a week ago, Doctor. A week during which you should have arrived there as well, along with the precious shipment I expected. And yet, you have let me down.”

It felt surreal to see Doctor Laguerra, the impromptu leader of their little crew, feel so small in comparison to a man shorter than him. It was as if the commander's presence had made him an entirely different person.

“I could have been willing to forgive you, and put it on the difficulties of travel by sea. This is not the first time it happened, after all, what with all these storms, dangerous shores and unruly savages...”

Fourteen saw Morsin's aura snarl out with hatred.

“...but then, I find out that you have attempted to attack our fort through the means of...whatever witch-children you have brought with you! And here you are, trying to strike a conversation with me as if nothing had happened! Why, Doctor, is that a way to treat your commanding officer?”

“Your Excellency, I can assure that-”

“Is that. A way. To treat your commanding officer?”

“...no, sire. It is not.”

Ferran seemed simply speechless, head down and unable to say anything. Roses tried to weasel in and say something, but Gutiérrez silenced him with a finger.

“Spare me your explanations, herbalist. Clearly you do not value your employment as much as I would have thought. I have given you a ship, resources and trust, and this is how you repay me? I ought to have you executed for this! If you think my patience is anything to be toyed with, then you are gravely mistaken!”

“Please, sire, it is all but a misunderstanding! We would never dare to betray your trust, even less so to attempt anything so...so uncouth as attacking you!”

“Is that so?”

His eyes darted to Fourteen, looking her over. And then he grabbed her by the arm, to grab her forward.

“Hey!”, Tao protested. “Let her go right now!”

“The other one gave us a bit of trouble.”, Gutiérrez said, holding her arm so tight she whined in pain. “Am I to assume this one is a danger as well?”

“Let her go!”, Morsin barked. “She's done nothing to you!”

“Tell me, Doctor Laguerra. What were you doing with these witch-children on board? And where did you even find this extravagant ship?”

Fourteen tried to fly away, but the commander's grip was too strong. Before she could do anything, he had her caught with her arm behind her back, and she cried in pain once more.

“Please, sire, you're hurting her!”

“Have we not been hurt as well? Clearly, I thought you would have enjoyed it. For you have brought these children to me, didn't you?”

The commander's face lit up with a sinister smile.

“I have seen what they can do, and what secrets they might come with. Surely you wanted to bring me that knowledge, didn't you? I reckon you also dabble in that sort of things, sir Ambroise. I never found sorcery to be that interesting, but with the right buyer, it can be highly lucrative...”

Fourteen looked at Tao, her eyes crying in pain and her soul silently screaming. And he looked at her as he tried to free himself of the soldier's grasp, but couldn't free himself no matter how much he kicked and wriggled.

This could not be happening! He was their guardian, he was supposed to protect them!

“Your Excellency...”, Ferran attempted.

“Ah, worry not, Doctor. I accept your apology. This ship you've brought is bound to be worth a lot. Why, if you do say the earlier assault was accidental, I could be so inclined as to believe you.”

He tried to restrain Fourteen's attempts at flying out.

“These children do look restless...quite a shame we had to put down the other one, really.”

Roses's head snapped upwards.

“What have you done to him!?”

“I merely gave him what he deserved, for attacking my men and disturbing our peace. Surely you would have done the same.”

Tao could not believe his ears. How...how could he? How dared he have done that!? He refused to believe it! He shook his head, trying to not see the spilled blood, Fourteen's inability to sense her twin, all the proof that someone had...that this man had...it couldn't be, it couldn't!

Fourteen did not understand. She did not know what was going on. But she felt how everyone suddenly turned from angry to shocked, even Roses. A sad kind of shock. A fearful kind. She knew sadness, she knew fear, she knew...she knew that Twelve could not be so near, and yet invisible to her. So where was he? Had...something happened? Something that'd conceal him from her view?

And then, anger flared again. An angry, irate bird that seemed to grow bigger and bigger. It was shaking, twisting, its form nothing more but the illusion of a bird. And then, it barked out.

“You damned bastards!!!”, Morsin barked along. “How could you have laid your filthy hands on him!?! Curse you all!!”

Gutiérrez barely looked at him.

“Ugh. What a disgraceful mouth, this one has. I ought to put him in his place, with the rest of the native filth.”

He snapped his fingers, and another soldier came to take Morsin away; but suddenly, the latter broke free, and rushed towards the commander, who barely saw it coming. Instead of reaching for his shiny stick, Morsin balled up his fist, and hit Gutiérrez right in the face, so much that some blood spilled out.

“Morsin, stop it!”, Ferran pleaded. “You're not helping!”

“You filthy bastard!!”, he simply cursed out. “Laying your hands on a child!! An innocent child!!!”

He was quickly drawn away, no matter how much he tried to fight back. Gutiérrez stood up, wiping some blood off his split lip, watching the enraged sailor finally be restrained.

“You have a lot of nerve.”, he coldly said, the same way he would scold a naughty pet. “Too bad you use it on the wrong side.”

And he snapped his fingers again.

“Lead them all to the dungeon. All of them. This one will be the first I hang. Let everyone know that no one can mess with me!”

“You'll pay, Gutiérrez! You're a dead man!!”

But no amount of yelling could break them out of here. Before they knew it, the five of them found themselves in a dark cell carved into the rock, behind solid bars.

“Ugh, great.” Ferran groaned. “You just had to do that, didn't you!?”

“Yes.”, Morsin replied, crossing his arms. “I had to. You said it yourself, bottling feelings is unhealthy!”

“We have more concerning matters at hand.”, Roses intervened. “One of the RNPCx children has died! Do you know just how dreadful that is!?”

“I know, and that's exactly why I can't wait to pummel that bastard's face into the ground!! Just wait till I get out of here!!”

Fourteen wasn't saying anything. With nothing else to do, Tao sat by her, gently holding her. Did she know? Was she aware of what had happened to her twin? Or did she not have any conception of death, was it all cloudy and distant like with many other things he's had to tell them about? He could not begin to imagine how she felt, and how she'd feel once she learns the truth.

“...I'm sorry.”, is all he could say.

She rested her head on his shoulder, allowing his half-embrace. But in doing so, she let him have a bigger view of the cell, and that's when he saw they were not alone.

There were people here. About a dozen of them, with long black hair and tattered clothes. They were sitting on the ground, away from their group, almost as if they were gathered. Tao tilted his head a little, trying to see, and a splotch of red caught his attention. He carefully stood up, and that's when he saw something he'd never have wanted to see.

What they were gathered around was Twelve's lifeless body. His uniform was struck with blood, right where he had been shot.

The squabble going on behind him seemed to quiet down as realization spread. As the rest of the group became aware of what was going on. Tao stepped forward, not knowing what else to do, trying to meet the eyes of any of these people he did not know.

“What...what happened to him?”, he hesitated. “Is he…?”

He spoke as he always did, but the others did not seem to hear. Perhaps they could not understand. That's about when Morsin stepped in as well, mouth agape in shock; he knelt down at their height, and this time the message seemed to pass through.

“What happened?”, he asked. “Did Gutiérrez and his men do this?”

“She was brought here just earlier. I am afraid there is nothing we could have done...”

Tao could understand their words, thanks to Twelve's headbutting gift, but those who did not benefit from it would not be able to understand him. However, Morsin seemed to know their language already.

“It can't be...”, he whispered. “These kids have an important mission! And he just...he just killed him!”

“And soon it will be your turn. There is no escaping the clutches of someone so cruel, that would be willing to harm a child's life.”

Fourteen approached in turn, sitting besides her twin. Twelve's eyes had been closed and his wounds cleaned a little, but he still looked so strange, his chest unmoving and his breath so still. She held his hand, as if she could not believe it; she called for him in that silent manner, called him with her eyes, but no answer came. No answer would ever come.

“I'll make him pay.”, Morsin continued. “I'll make him pay for everything! For what he did to Twelve, what he did to you! To all of us!”

“Child, there are battles you cannot win. Spare yourself the trouble!”

“On the contrary. I pick my battles. I fight them! I won't let any Spaniard decide for me!!”

“May I remind you of who is your mentor?”, Ferran coughed.

“You will not be for much longer, if we don't do something! I'm not working for a bastard who'd harm a child! And I know that neither would you!!”

Ferran said nothing, but Roses still protested.

“What could we do, then? Go against the commander? That would only kill us faster!”

“So would doing nothing! If I am to die, let it be in battle. Whatever duty I have to the crew, I first have one to my people.”

“Well, you and your people are currently caged like animals, so there is nothing you can do. And don't count on the kids either, since...”

Roses grumbled, as if he didn't like what he was about to say.

“...since man's greed can triumph even of Muan bioengineering.”

Tao did not know what to think. He felt like crying, honestly: they were barely started in their mission, that it was already over! What pathetic guardian he was, really! A shame to his parents, to the Undersleep, to all of Mu!

Fourteen had not moved. She'd kept staring at her twin's face, unable to tear her eyes from it, a hand on his cheek as if to feel the last remnants of his warmth. All this energy, now gone forever. Could the quest go on with only one of the RNPCx's? Certainly not. They were two for a reason. Since the beginning, they had been conceived as twins, as a pair, and breaking it apart would mean failure.

“...we failed.”, he simply said. “And now, we're going to die. I bet my ancestors are laughing at me, right now.”

“You did what you could.”, one of the older Incas said. “I'm sure they would be proud of your tenacity.”

Tao doubted that. But it's not like he could know.

Fourteen's hand was gently grazing Twelve's face, her thumb slightly parting his lips. She leaned down, as if to feel his breath, and was only disappointed to find nothing. How ironic that out of all the people here, only she had the least idea of what tragedy had befallen her!

“He won't wake up, Fourteen. He's...he's dead.”

“...breath. He's not breath.”

“He's not. When you die, you stop breathing. Your heart stops, and your breathing too, and...”

And familiar sensations of grief started to sprout up from where he'd buried them so long ago.

“And...and it's horrible.”

Fourteen's only reaction was to blink.

“...soul?”

“It...goes away, maybe.”, Tao answered with a hurting throat. “Somewhere. His soul is gone...that's why you can't feel it.”

“Breath...soul. Heart.”

She seemed deep in thought.

“I have.”

“Yes. You're alive, and...and he's...”

He couldn't finish his sentence, deciding to look away. But Fourteen did not; for on the contrary, it felt like she's just had a stroke of genius.

“He doesn't...I have. If I have...we have!”

“...what?”

She took Twelve's hand, and brought it over her chest, to where her heartbeat could best be felt. She then breathed slowly, filling her lungs with cave air, as it started to get warm and sizzling with gentle energy. And then, cupping Twelve's face with her other hand, she leaned down and brought her mouth to his own.

Everyone's reaction was a rather puzzled one, save for Tao's which was more of confusion. Roses, who had come closer to witness it, turned to him with a dubious look.

“I thought these two were siblings?”

“I...don't know either, to be honest.”, Tao shrugged. “It's not like I need to know.”

“Why in the world would she…? Oh, goodness!”

“She's not kissing him, you fool.”, Ferran said. “It's resuscitation.”

He tilted his head a little.

“...I think. I've never seen it done like that.”

Tao couldn't help but watch, mesmerized. Fourteen barely moved, for he saw that she was gently blowing air into his mouth. As if she was trying to breathe for him. It would not work, not like this, but still he decided to trust her. For after all, who knew the secrets of Muan bioengineering better than its own creations?

Nothing happened. Nothing could happen. But still, Fourteen kept breathing; and still, Tao kept praying. Praying to whatever ghosts of the Undersleep might have followed him, that something happened, that a miracle… He did not know whether it was possible at all, but still he held Twelve's hand as if to give him courage, to support him. He remembered the day he had helped these two wake up, how he had been there for them, how they had come out of a slumber so deep and long it might very well have been death. So could he come out of this one as well? Could it be possible?

He didn't know what to believe. So he chose to believe it could happen. He held that hand tight in his own, gave it something to hold onto. Gave it something to ground Twelve's soul back to reality, should it be lost somewhere around his body. Silently, he kept pleading.

There was a tremor.

Fourteen did not stop, focused on her goal. Slowly, she was kissing air and life into him, at a steady pace, almost as if entranced. The Inca prisoners were watching, just as mesmerized, and soon their silent prayers joined Tao's, for they too could understand what was going on. Morsin's head lowered as well, taken over by the crowd. Doctor Laguerra, struck with doubt, crouched by to feel Twelve's neck and chest, and even Roses peered through his spyglass.

There was another tremor.

“...there's a pulse.”, Ferran breathed. “His heart...his heart is beating!”

The room grew warmer. Not just with their solar energy, but with something else too, something that seemed to come not from these incredible twins. As if belief and prayer were somehow taking form, growing into place like a beginning heartbeat, flowering like the first traces of a new soul grown from its own sister. As if every whispered word, every thought, every unspoken hope were what made his heart beat anew, his lungs start to follow a familiar motion, his fingers twitch ever so slightly with conscience and will. As if there was something here with them, something that no golden spyglass could show, something that was helping him return back to life.

His eyes trembled. His fingers squeezed.

Fourteen finished breathing, slowly parting away once she had done her job. She did not seem sad. She had no reason to be sad. For soon after, Twelve opened tired eyes, and she greeted him with a smile.

“Hello.”

“...hi.”

And the two of them embraced, under the collective acknowledgment of the miracle.

It was as if light had been brought back in that deep cell. As if all hope of getting away, that had been lost when the threat of execution came, was now burning bright. As if even death was not to be feared anymore, for it wasn't indeed. For even the greed of men could not bring down the genius of Mu, the power of...Tao wanted to call it “magic”, there was no other explanation. It was magical, very simply.

“I can't believe it.”, Ferran gasped. “He was dead...he was thoroughly dead, and now he's fine! How can that be?”

“That's the power of the sun for you!”, Morsin exalted. “Oh, just wait till Gutiérrez sees this!”

He was fine. He was...he was fine, breathing and alive, and...and Tao did not hold back, he hugged him tight and snug as to never let him go, and Twelve sheepishly smiled and hugged him back. His arms were warm, his face was warm, his heart was beating!

“Never do that again! Never give me such a fright ever again, you hear?!”

Twelve nodded, before rubbing noses with him. And that alone would almost have been enough to forgive him everything...almost.

“I'm glad you're safe.”, he just sighed. “But now, we've got another problem on our hands: we're trapped here, and they're coming to kill us soon!”

Twelve tilted his head in confusion, before Fourteen updated him through their mental connection. And indeed, the change in his expression was rather telling.

“We've got to get out of here. It's our only way.”

But then, Twelve shook his head. He looked serious again, as he did moments before jumping off the ship.

“What do you mean, no? We've got to! We were not even supposed to be there in the first place!”

But he shook his head again. This time, Fourteen intervened.

“There is something. Here. Something important.”

“Important? How come?”

She tried to tell him by touching foreheads, but all he got out of that was a brief flash of something golden. Something golden, and very important, but no indication of what or where.

“What could something like that be doing here?”, he asked, rubbing his forehead.

“It wouldn't be surprising to find relics here.”, a prisoner said. “Gutiérrez is known for raiding all the villages around for gold and treasures. Not even our temples are safe!”

“A golden treasure...”, Morsin asked. “Do you know where he might keep it?”

“If anything, it ought to be in his private quarters. In the north tower.”

“North tower, got it.”, Ferran said. “Alright, we get that whatever and then out of here.”

“What?”, Tao protested. “What about the prisoners? We can't abandon them!”

“This is sad, indeed, but we've already angered the commander enough! The sooner we leave, the best it is!”

“Would you be so cruel as to leave us to rot here, while you escape freely? You've got no heart!”

“Look, I'm very sorry. But this is not our battle to fight. These children are on a big quest, and it's sadly more important than local things.”

But that did not feel right for Tao. Not after everything he's witnessed. The world was filled with cruel men like Gutiérrez, and he felt so powerless in face of them… But had the RNPCx's not proved that some things could be vanquished? That even death could be triumphed over? So...what about cruelty?

The goal of the RNPCx's was to help the world. To make it thrive and prosper. But what could prosper, in a world where men like Gutiérrez held power? What world was worth living in, when people could make other people's lives miserable at their whim?

The Undersleepers had been a casualty. Collateral damage for the sake of that one mission. If he wanted to honor their memory, then Tao could not let any more casualties slide.

“We won't leave you.”

Ferran turned to him.

“What?”

“We'll help everyone out of here. We'll take down that fortress if we need to!”

“Kid, are you insane? This is too dangerous! We can't deal with these people, we're already wanted!”

“And what about it? Our mission has the goal to help people, and you'd be willing to turn your back on people that need help?”

“You don't understand. We can't just...go around helping everyone!”

“Maybe. But we're helping ourselves, so why not help those that are in the same trouble as us?”

“I want help.”, Fourteen said. “I like help.”

Twelve nodded.

“That's the spirit.”, Morsin grinned. “Come on, Fernandito, help us stick it to the old grouch! If we are to leave, we'll do it with a blast!”

“You can't be serious! Roses, help me out here!”

“Well...the sentiment is a noble one, and while I do not unconditionally share it, it remains in our best interest to stop Gutiérrez from potentially chasing us. He has proven our interests don't meet.”

“You're all insane. I swear, you'll get us all killed!”

“We'll get killed whether or not we do something. So I might as well do something! If I am to die, I'll decide of it!”

“That's...a bit extreme, but he's not wrong, guys.”

“Help! Help!!”

The general sentiment seemed to be shared, anyway. There was no backing down from that rekindled hope.

“So how do we do?”, Tao asked. “Is there a way out of here?”

“It'll be rather hard.”, Morsin thought. “Those fortresses are tough. But I wouldn't be surprised that our little friends here can pull a trick from their sleeve.”

Twelve looked at his arms, but he sadly had no sleeves.

“What do you have in mind?”

“We could...set the place on fire! They'd call up the prisoners to extinguish it, and we'd have a perfect occasion to escape.”

“How will we do that if we're all locked up in here?”, Ferran asked.

“...right.”

“If we could access Solaris, it would be different. But there's no way to do that.”

Fourteen thought a little. Tao looked around, and felt the wall: tough stone, but he's seen tougher.

“Maybe...we could dig a tunnel?”

“You can't dig through that rock.”, a prisoner spoke. “Not without tools, and we don't have any.”

“And it would take too long.”

Right. They needed to act fast if they wanted to make it out of here.

Fourteen looked at the bars of their cell. Thick wooden beams, tied together with strong rope. She tugged at them, but they would not come undone, not so easily. But she knew wood could catch on fire, and fire could be started with energy: so she held one of the bars in both hands, and started infusing it with solar energy to try and heat it to combustion. But her head started hurting, and she had to stop before she fell on her knees.

“You just brought your friend back from the dead.”, Ferran said, checking to make sure she was alright. “It cost you a lot of energy, so it's best you don't push yourself.”

Twelve stepped in to help, even though his own forces were still recovering. To send the whole gate ablaze would require a lot of heat, which meant a lot of effort, even if the two of them did it.

“No, don't.”, Ferran said. “If we do make it out of here, you'll be protecting us. Save your forces.”

“The soldiers are many, and they have firearms. They'll easily overpower us if we try to escape.”

“Then we should take the sneaky route. Or find a way to incapacitate them somehow...”

“How do you plan to incapacitate an entire fort?”

Clearly, there was no way they could make it out of here. And waiting wouldn't be an option either: any moment now, they would be called for sentencing, and it would be over. Tao sat against the wall, trying to think clearly, but it was quite hard to do when he was this close to failure.

“There's got to be a way...”

Twelve sat next to him, gently holding his hand. As sweet as it was, it didn't bring him any new ideas, but he obliged all the same. A bit of sweetness never hurt, after all.

“I don't think you've got a plan, do you?”

Twelve looked at him, and to his great surprise, popped a smile.

“...you do?”

Nod.

“...care to tell me?”

Head shake. He then touched to their foreheads.


I am dead. You are sad. Cry, sad. Secret.


Tao did not understand right away; but then, Twelve fell limp into his arms, and he understood that they had to pretend he was still dead. He glanced at Fourteen, who seemed to get the message, and they sat next to each other pretending to mourn their friend, cradling his body. Tao sneakily checked, mimicking the Doctor's gestures, and found that Twelve's heart was luckily still beating. What a relief.

“Separates.”, Fourteen whispered. “He's gone. Searching.”

“Do you know what for?”

She nodded.

“I have idea. I go. I am sleep, you are sad.”

And she nestled by his side, before shutting down as well.

“...I take that you have a plan?”, Ferran asked.

“They seem to have one.”

From the hallway, footsteps were heard. Someone was coming.

“Pretend nothing happened and that he's still dead.”, Tao hurriedly whispered, before resuming a mourning attitude.

It wasn't hard to conjure up bitter and angry feelings towards Gutiérrez and his soldiers, especially when the latter came down to the cell. Armed as they were, there was no chance of escape.

“You there. The loudmouth.”, one pointed. “Out.”

Morsin glanced at Ferran, who subtly nodded. He then sighed.

“I hope you guys know what you're doing.”, he told Tao, before being forced out of the cell.

It's not like Tao knew either. But he needed to have faith in his friends. That's all he could do, anyway.

~~~~~

What is it you sensed?
It is important. Powerful and important. I think I know where it is! I need to get there.
How will you hold it? Your essence has no hands.
You showed me how to bring items into my hands. What if I can do it with my essence? I am my will.
It will require a lot of energy, and you do not have much.
What can we do with the energy we have?
Communicate and sense. I do not see any other option. But I know what to do.
Are we parting ways?
You look for the important thing. I get help. We meet back in our bodies and save our friend Tao and the journeyers.
It feels as if it will hurt me to part from you again. You lent me your essence, but mine has not grown back in.
It will soon. It will grow faster if we separate. Even if it hurts.
We are doing this to help the world. To help our friends, and the nice people.
That is what we do.

And so the trail that was one split into two, and they each slithered a different way. One headed towards the north tower, where the energy was coming from; the other descended towards the shore, to the Solaris.

On the ship, things were going hectic. The soldiers were trying to climb on board, to take the treasures inside, but it was difficult. Fourteen would have a short time to act, but she knew what to do. All she would need was help, but she also knew where to get it.

In the locked cabin, a green parrot had flown in through an opening, and was now acting quite nervous from separation. Gwynn didn't like being alone for long, that's why he always stuck to Tao. But sometimes he was scared, and he did get scared today, that's why he flew away. But now he was alone, and a bit hungry, and there was activity outside. He didn't like it, and preened nervously at his feathers to try and pacify himself.

But then, he felt something odd around the cabin. Something odd yet familiar. The overwhelming presence of these sunlit kids! They were friends, Tao said so, and they were nice to him, but they were very overwhelming. But he recognized this one, it was the nicer one, the one that did not snuggle him all the time.

Little friend? Little flying friend? Fly with me, little friend. Fly, fly with me.

He did not hear it, of course. He did not see it. He knew it was there, simply. Living a life in fear and in hunt, he learned things that Tao never learned.

Fly?
Yes, friend, fly with me. Come to me. I need you.
Come.
Do you want to help me, my friend? Do you want to help me and our friend Tao?
Tao?
He needs your help, little friend. I need your help too. So come here. Follow me.
Follow.

Those were not words, nor were they clear images. The overwhelming presence was not an enemy, it was a friend. It spoke in ways that Tao could not hear. They could not hear. Not if they did not know of fear and hunt.

I need you to perch on that lever. That lever here. You have strong legs, you can touch where I cannot.
Perch.
Now, push down with all your might. Push down! Push towards me. As if you were trying to break a branch.
Break!
You are doing good, Gwynn. You are a good friend.
Good!

He did not know why the presence was asking this of him, but he knew better. He knew that following words and commands brought rewards and food. He knew that nonsensical actions that acted against reason brought good spoils. He knew “follow”, he knew “watch”, he knew “fetch”, he knew those odd sounds and feelings. He knew praise and reward, and it was what Tao taught him was good. So even if the presence was nonsensical, Gwynn knew what to do. So he pushed down with all his weight, did as he was told to, and the thing he was perching on suddenly moved.

The ship started to tremble, and Gwynn got scared. But then he recalled Tao was calm when that happened, and Tao could not lie. So he needed to be calm, too. He perched on the helm, preening his weary feet, and eagerly awaited the reward to come.

You did good, little friend! Stay here. I will defend the ship.
Berry!
I will come back to you very soon.
Berry!!

A second passed, before a pot fell from a nearby shelf, startling him. But that pot actually contained wild nuts! Gwynn didn't waste a second reaping his reward, blissfully oblivious to the ship moving and changing under his feet.

Meanwhile, another presence was making its way up the tower, following the signal. The call of something unknown, distant, yet that seemed to know him. All sorts of golden items laid on the floor and tables faintly shimmered with his energy when he entered the room, searching for the source of the call.

But that would maybe have to wait, for he was not alone.

“That miserable savage...”, the monkey-faced man was grumbling. “What did Laguerra even think? I can't allow such fools within my ranks...I knew it was a bad idea!”

He stood up, oblivious to the presence in the room, and came to gaze at some of the golden items. They were not the source.

“I must be careful. They might try to steal my gold and take it away...but I will not let it happen! I would rather die before it happens!”

He opened a chest, already half-filled with more golden items, and started to stash all these shiny things inside. The coins, the jewels, the bracelets, the vases, the cups, as much as he could, and they were not the source. Ravenous, ravenous hands that grabbed and ensnared, a menacing cloud that wanted to hog all the shiny things in the room and beyond, hog them all to itself.

“I will not share it with anyone...my gold, my precious gold! Oh, they can beg for it, but I refuse to part with all that gold! I will not share it, not anymore...not even the King can force it out of my hands! Not even…!”

He snickered to himself, a disturbed cackle from a disturbed cloud.

“They will suffer! No one can treat me like this and get away with it! They will all see what it means to get cross with me!!”

He kept going, trying to stuff more gold into a full chest, until the wood seemed ready to burst at the seams. But in all the treasure he's displaced, Twelve finally pinpointed the source. It was right there, under that table!

“I will show them. I will show them all! Starting with him!!”

Twelve wrapped his energy around it, and the item reacted. It was not empty! It too contained energy! He tapped into it, and the item let him borrow some, enough that he could wrap his essence around it and pick it up. But he was not good at it, and hit it on the table, where it fell with a metallic noise that startled the commander.

“What!? Who is there?!”, he yelped out, shiny stick at the ready. “Show yourselves!”

Twelve had no time for this. He picked up the item again, and this time managed to make it float from under the table. Predictably, Gutiérrez did not quite like that, and attempted to snatch it out; but Twelve had no time to spare. Letting go of the item, he instead grabbed the man's wrist tight, enough to make him yoink away in pain. Charged with energy as he was, a mere touch of his essence was enough to burn and harm.

He tried again, needing to focus to pick up the item, but this time the man drew his shiny stick and sliced at him. It did not hurt, not physically, but the wrath of his gesture could still be felt, and Twelve did feel it. And it was not pleasant at all. He could not focus in those conditions! It seemed he would have to defend himself.

“Away with it, ghost!”, the commander roared. “I...I am not afraid of you!!”

I am not a ghost. I am merely the essence of me. And I do not care whether or not you are afraid of me.

But he recalled. He recalled what Fourteen had shown him, the pain he's inflicted on her and their friends. The fear he made her feel, the effort he's forced her to go through when she had to exhaust herself to make his heart beat again. He remembered the pain he had felt too, at his side then at his chest, and how it had felt like slumbering all over again. A slumber in which he could not feel anything, unlike before. A slumber he hated, one that he never wanted to feel ever again.

The room was getting hotter. As Twelve recalled all these bad sensations, they got the upper hand of him. They twisted and formed his essence into fearsome shapes, threatening ones, wounded ones, wounding ones. The trail that was one that was two, that then was one, that wanted to be two, that now was growing more and more. And as it grew, it scorched the air and burned at it, and the gold all around became burning as well, and it was hard to breathe, and perhaps even the commander could see it now, see what he thought was a ghost, an illusion of death. But Twelve was not dead. He had a will, a conscious, a heart, and they were all beating angrily in that moment.

But maybe I want you to be afraid of me.

He reached out a hand, or perhaps it was a claw, and he touched to him. He opened his mouth to speak, or perhaps to bite, and he touched to him. He looked at him in the eyes, or perhaps straight at his soul, and he touched to him. He touched again and again, in ways that he did not know about and that he could not know about, and his anger flared and flared until it started burning and gold started to melt and skin started to melt and wood started to char and bone started to char and- and-

And he remembered he had a task to do, and that he should not be wasting time trying to speak to someone who did not want to hear him. The commander was too busy screaming, wriggling on the ground, holding his face that Twelve could not see. But Twelve did not care. He did not feel bad about it.

In fact...he felt rather satisfied with himself.

He managed to hold the item, that did not melt despite the fire all around, and escaped through the window to regain his body in the dungeons.

Outside was no colder. Out of the blue, the Solaris's metal sail had started to move, and the sunlight it accumulated suddenly got reflected in a concentrated beam towards the fortified wall. Stone started to crack and fall apart, wood caught ablaze and people fell on the ground, as the trail of light seemed to catch them no matter where they ran to hide.

Fourteen was having a great time. If her own energy was still limited, guiding the beam of light in different directions was very easy, and as soon as she got the hang of it, she could make it do whatever she wanted. The journeyers had talked about setting the fort on fire, and that was very easy to do with concentrated sunlight.

In all the commotion, Morsin had broken free from his captors that were trying to bring him to the gallows, and in the panic he headed for the dungeon. Fourteen followed, sunlight energy following as well, making it very easy to scare and shine whoever tried to stop them. The deeper she got inside the fortress, though, the more light was dissipating, for she could not twist it in impossible ways; so instead, she absorbed that energy within herself and made away with the cell bars. Then she regained her body and jolted awake under general panic, for everything was very much starting to burn.

“This way!”, Morsin called out. “Everyone, follow me!”

“Be careful!”, Ferran warned. “Watch your step, this place might fall apart on us!”

Tao was scared, but not that much compared to everyone else. It didn't take long for a golden item to fall into his hands, and for Twelve's body to start moving again.

“You two are back? Alright, we're going out! Quick!”

And they made their way to the surface again.

The fort was inches away from destruction. What stood once as a sign of the conquistadors' powers was now being reduced to rubble and ash. As Morsin helped guide the Inca prisoners to safety, Tao headed straight for Solaris, to stop the solar beam and start the engine, the RNPCx's floating on his tail.

“How did you even do that?”, he asked, incredulous. “That's insane!”

“I help!”, Fourteen grinned. “I learn what Solaris doing. So I doing! Unleash the sun!!”

“You sure did, sister!”

He wasted no time. Once he was at the helm, he immediately turned on the power and activated the oars, remembering at the last second that maybe he should let the journeyers get back on board. Once all three were in, he headed out of the bay as fast as the ship would allow, and soon after they were out on the ocean again, heading away from that place.

Only then did Tao remember to breathe.

“That was insane!”, Ferran scolded, red in the face. “Do you have any idea of what just happened!?”

“I sure do!!”, Morsin cheered, on the opposite side of emotions. “I never felt so alive! Take that, señor Pedro!! Screw you and your greed, ha ha!!”

“We could have been killed out there!!”

“But we didn't!! And that's the best part!!”

He didn't hold back on showing his joy, and headed out on the deck to shout more obscenities in direction of the fort, leaving a very tired Ferran to lean against the cabin wall.

“Well. I suppose that's it for our employment, now...”

“Don't be so down.”, Roses reassured. “What is employment, in the face of the Cities of Gold? We do not need a commander to tell us what to do.”

“And what about the Order? We screwed ourselves out of it, without that patronage!”

“Money will come. Anyone can grant us funds. If not the Spanish army, someone else will...it's a matter of time.”

Ferran did not seem satisfied, but didn't add anything.

Sitting on their bench, the twins were snuggling tight, still staring at the item Twelve had smuggled out of the tower. Roses happened to catch sight of it, and curiosity got the hang of him.

“Wait. Let me see it.”

Twelve was not very keen on handing it over, but Roses recognized it all the same. It was a jar, a small orichalcum jar with intricate patterns all over it. It was sealed, of course, but still he felt like it matched some descriptions he knew of.

“Is that why you came to the fort?”, he asked. “You sensed it somehow.”

Twelve warily nodded.

“With all that's been going on, I forgot why we even were here.”, Tao said, coming to see. “What's this thing?”

“I think I might know. But I would need to see it from close.”

Tao turned to Twelve, silently asking him to hand the jar over. And Twelve did not quite like it, but neither did Tao, yet Roses was the only one who knew about Muan artifacts like these. For now, there was nothing wrong with letting him take a peek.

“Hmm. It does bear marks of Muan craft. This is nothing like Inca gold.”

He peered at it through his spyglass.

“And what vast amounts of energy it holds…! Why, you could power an entire device with this!”

“How does it open?”, Tao asked.

“It does not. It may look like a jar, but I think it is actually a power receptacle. An important piece of machinery.”

He turned it over in his hands, and noticed a strange panel on one side.

“Although...I have no idea what this part is. How uncommon.”

He tapped it, and the panel slid aside, revealing a small opening. It contained another item, which Tao picked up to see from close.

He's never seen anything like it. It looked like a jewel or some fancy spoon, long like two of his fingers. Two golden animals, facing away from one another, with long serpentine bodies that twisted and coiled together in such a way that they looked like they were joined at the tail. It looked simple, and yet the detailwork was very impressive, for even on this small scale he could make out the eyes and claws of these strange creatures.

“What...is this?”

He showed it to the RNPCx's, and Twelve immediately took it in hand. He pointed to it, an excited look in his eyes, and Tao understood.

“That's what you were searching for?”

He nodded, and turned it around. On the underside were two small round notches, right between the animals' forelegs. Familiar sun-like patterns were engraved in, patterns that soon made Tao connect the dots.

“Do you think…?”

Only one way to know. Slowly, Twelve and Fourteen opened their vests, picked the medallions from their chest and slotted them into the notches. Nothing happened at first, but then the jewel reacted.

The small pearl studded in the center gleamed of a faint orange light, fading in and out. Nothing else took place, only this slow blinking that lasted for about thirty seconds. Then it shone bright for a few more seconds, and turned off completely. The golden beasts released their hold, freeing the medallion discs from the notches.

“...that's it?”, Tao asked. “Did...did something happen?”

He took the jewel back to examine it. What even were these animals? No creature he's ever saw had two heads and one body.

“It's weird. Perhaps it's broken?”

“It obviously reacted. But I have to admit...I have never seen anything like this. It is obviously Muan in origin, yet there are no dragons in Muan culture...”

“Dragons? What's that?”

Twelve and Fourteen looked down, wondering why it failed. Perhaps it was broken, after all. All they could do was put their medallions back in, and wait for these two to be done talking.

But just as they did, something seemed to change. Not in the jewel, or even in the air, more like...like things seemed to get a little clearer. Like they've just had the same idea at the same time. They looked at each other, and did not even need to butt heads to know they were thinking the same thing.

Tao noticed it, too. Minddeaf as he was, he still could see that something had happened. If not in the jewel, then maybe…?

“Guys? Is...everything alright?”

The two of them excitedly nodded.

“Tao. I know where go!”, Fourteen cheered.

“Where to go? How so?”

She looked around the cabin, and fetched the map to put in his hands. Then she bonked her forehead to his own, and it appeared just as clearly.

The river. The river that cuts the land in half. The warm sea. There, over there. And there were...coordinates, they were coordinates! Starchart coordinates and actual ones!

“...that changes everything!”, Tao exclaimed, looking at the map.

He lost no time. Grabbing a pencil, he thought about that information he just learned, and saw it clear as day. There, in that part of the continent where the oceans almost met, was a river they could use to cross from one to the other. It would save them a lot of travel time! It wasn't too far either.

“Whoah there, where do you want to lead us now?”, Ferran intervened, looking at the map. “There is no such river there!”

“But what if there is? It could be our chance!”

“What are you going on about? Where did you even get that idea?”

Tao thought about it. He looked at the twin-headed jewel, at the medallion notches, then at the twins. Could it be…?

“I know that we'd be left instructions.”, he said after a moment. “Instructions that only the Eternal Ones could read. If this is a new step of the journey, then the Muans must have prepared for it!”

“Even if they did...”, Roses intervened. “They disappeared millenniums ago. If that river was there in their time, who says it still exists today?”

“We could at least try. If it isn't there, we'll follow the original plan. It won't be too big of a detour.”

Roses looked at Ferran, who looked at the map, and then sighed.

“I...suppose we can try. If it can spare us some land travel, then it would be great.”

Tao nodded, and took the jar back in hand.

“In the meantime, I'll keep this somewhere safe. Not sure if we need it, since the dragon thing was inside, but...”

“Mehira.”

Tao blinked, and turned to Twelve.

“What?”

“Mehira.”, he repeated, pointing at the animal jewel.

Tao looked at it for a moment.

“...is that what it's called? A mehira?”

He was not sure of what that word meant, but it sounded like it had something to do with reptiles. Perhaps it was the name of the animal itself? Who knew. He sure never heard of it.

“You can keep it, if you want. It's made for your medallions, after all.”

“Empty.”, Fourteen said. “Nothing inside.”

Yet she pocketed it all the same, to put in her pocket of pretty things.

It was already getting dark outside. Tao could barely believe he was still alive after all of this, but he knew this wouldn't be the last surprise he'd get from those two. So hard to understand, yet very much worth it.

So outside of life, that they could defy death itself.

rnpcxs.png

rnpcxjourneyers.png

[Lia]

Je viens de finir Sa Machine Ailée, c'est vraiment une histoire géniale. Tu sais bien jouer entre l'action, le rire et le drama. J'ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture ^^

[Atlanta]

J'ai fini la machine ailée, et j'ai adoré, c'est vraiment un coup de génie ! Et la mère d'esteban "réincarnée" dans le condor, franchement bravo !

[Sandentwins]

Chapter 20: From the Ocean comes Motion

“Did we really have to leave like that?”, Roses groaned. “We worked hard to secure you a cover!”

“Well, sorry that it wasn't enough. But while you were chatting on the ship, these two got things done.”

Progressing through the forest at night wasn't the safest idea ever. But the group had to be fast and reach Solaris before they were found out, so they could get to their destination.

“Where are we even going? Are we running at random through the woods, or do you have a plan?”

“Have some faith in these two, my guy! When have they ever deceived us?”

It's true that Twelve and Fourteen have looked rather sure of their way. Despite the hesitation of unknown territory, they've led them straight through, on a path past the Hollow Boat and towards the bay. Immediately upon reaching Solaris, they flew to the cabin to power it on, barely waiting for the rest of the crew to catch up before departing.

“So where are we going, now?”, Tao asked, once he's had secured a hand on the helm.

Fourteen looked outside, and pointed in a direction. Towards that mountain in the distance.

“We enter.”, she said. “The Vessel waits.”

Roses looked over, taking out his spyglass to try seeing anything of value over there.

“It might be risky.”, he said. “There is seismic activity all around the area. Who knows when that volcano might wake up!”

“I just hope it's not another Olmec base.”, Morsin sighed. “I've seen enough of these creepy dudes for my whole lifetime!”

Twelve shook his head. It didn't seem to be the case, then; but then what did lie there, if not enemies? Perhaps there was no way to know until they got there.

It didn't take long. Solaris was fast, and crossing the bay was nothing. However, when they boarded the shore, they were welcomed by a very acrid smell in the air.

“What's that!?”, Tao groaned. “It's awful!”

“Seems like sulphur and ash.”, Roses noted, observing dust in the air. “This little will not be dangerous, but if the volcano wakes while we're here, we might have some trouble.”

Twelve started coughing up, having visibly breathed a little too much airborne ash. Tao went to his aid, letting him hold onto him.

“Be careful. Stay close to the ground, there's a lot of bad stuff in the air.”

'I hate.'

“I can tell.”

He held his hand as they made their way through the black forest. Everything around here seemed charred and brazen, trees reduced to nothing but darkened silhouettes covered in embers. No grass was there to add green in this ocean of grays, and Fourteen seemed especially sad about it.

“Not a happy place.”, she said, sticking close to the group. “No...animals.”

“It's no wonder. All that dust is blocking the sunlight, so nothing can grow on these banks. No creatures can live here.”

What a horrifying perspective it seemed to her. Not wanting to waste any more time beholding this dreadful scenery, the twins went ahead, leading the team closer to the volcano.

Climbing it would have been very difficult, and the journeyers did not seem very enthusiastic at the idea. However, Fourteen seemed to know better; tapping into the earth, she could feel something happening to the side. And indeed there was: hidden under rocks, out of sight, was some sort of natural entryway that led further into the mountain. Morsin picked up a burnt tree branch that he could fashion into a torch, and the team made their way into the volcano.

The air was hot and thick. It smelled of ash, and it was difficult to breathe. Roses advised that they cover their faces with fabric, and Tao made sure Gwynn kept close. There was no way to know how deep this tunnel would go, or if it even had an end. But Fourteen seemed to know what she was doing, and this was a reassurance in itself. They walked in near-complete darkness for several long minutes, trudging on rocks and ashes and almost falling several times, before the air started to feel different. More breathable, but also...more humid.

“There's something ahead.”

There was faint light coming from the end of the tunnel. Fourteen dashed ahead, Twelve followed, and when the rest of the gang caught up, they couldn't believe their eyes.

There was a huge chamber in there, halfway filled with water. Light was coming from an opening in the ceiling, letting them see the rocky walls covered in moss and mud. But the most extraordinary thing was the construction in the center of it: some sort of gilded dome, almost hidden under mud and lichen.

“What could that be, now?”, Ferran asked, his voice echoing in the chamber.

“Whatever it is, must be Muan in origin. Let's see if we can get there.”

The rocks were slippery and moist, and to make their way down would require dexterity. It wasn't an easy climb, and Tao's grip was way too weak to hold onto the wall; but luckily, Twelve caught him just before he'd fall.

“...this really isn't going well.”, he joked, letting himself be carried to solid ground.

But at least, they all managed to make it there. And so, they climbed the stairs leading to the top of the dome, among the many giant crabs that seemed to live here against all odds, and what they saw once they reached it was once more surprising.

The dome was hollow, and filled with water. On top of it floated a sphere, with just a piece of it poking out. Most of the crabs were gathered there, and all these claws and legs snapping and clicking about didn't seem very inviting. Should they try to get closer, they'd surely end up being devoured by these beasts.

“What...is this?”, Roses asked.

He took out his spyglass, and looked at the construct through it. And indeed!

“That thing is loaded with sunlight energy!”, he exclaimed. “There is machinery down there.”

“That much is obvious, but...how do we get there?”

They could swim across the water, sure, but...really, all these crabs in the way would surely attack as soon as they stepped even a toe in there. And Tao just so happened to like to keep all his toes in the same place.

Twelve crouched down, looking at the swarm of sea spiders. Perhaps they could step over their shells? They looked big enough that they could support a grown man's weight without much trouble. And not a second passed after he formulated that thought, that some of the crabs turned in his direction.

Hm. That was...odd. Did they pick up the energy of his thoughts? He tried to focus, to let his cloud forward, so that it could touch to those of the little crabs. But their own clouds were so little and feeble, he had trouble doing it right.

What are you attempting?[br /]
I wonder if we can communicate with them.

Fourteen sat down with him, and tried in turn. Their double-headed cloud stepped forth, and more of the crabs hurried their way. They were not being aggressive; simply curious. What oddly simple minds they had! They could only distinguish three things: friend, food or foe. The rest just flew over their tiny heads. It didn't take more than some gentle coaxing for their little shells to calm down, and recognize that the group of giants were neither foes nor food. To get them to stay still was a little trickier, but some eventually did, and formed a solid enough path that the journeyers could step onto as to get to the golden sphere.

“...you know what?”, Tao said, watching them do. “This might as well happen.”

And, not questioning it any longer than he needed to, he carefully stepped over the crabs as to make his way over. The three journeyers exchanged some glances, before Tao beckoned them over and they didn't have much choice. It was a wobbly crossing, but at least they were not being snapped at. And the gap to cross wasn't that big anyway. Once everyone was on the other side, Fourteen and Twelve let the crabs go, and floated to join the others.

There was some mechanism on the wall of the sphere. While Morsin and Ferran worked to get it open, Tao's eyes came across the engravings on the surface. A familiar script that he's seen in his books and on the data slate; picking it from his bag, he typed in the first characters to check, and a match came up after a moment.

“Kampa-class vehicle.”, he read. “Second generation. Designation...”

He squinted at the engraving again.

“Ta-li-osa...Tarios? Thallios?”

The hatch finally managed to open, and a panel pivoted around to reveal a ladder heading down the sphere. It was hard to see what was down there, but it's not like there were that many options.

“Well, let's hurry before those snappers change their minds about not eating us.”

“We could at least catch one or two for dinner.”, Ferran joked.

Fourteen sent him a glare that made him forget about the idea. They entered the construct, and the hatch closed behind them.

There was a bit of space down there; it wasn't just a sphere. Openings in the walls let some light pass through, showing the insides of the water dome. And as soon as Tao took a few steps around the place, a strange feeling of familiarity washed over him.

“This looks...like the Solaris cabin.”, he said. “Could this be…?”

He needed to check. Taking the slate in hand again, he swiped through some options, and a menu popped up: authentication was required. They were on the right path! He allowed it, and something in the cabin reacted. Over there, a panel had just lit up, and a piece of it had moved around.

“...it requires a two-part authentication.”, he read on the slate. “We must insert the...”

He squinted.

“I don't know that word. The...person-metal? Any idea what that could be?”

Roses looked over his shoulder, readjusting his spectacles.

“That's a very odd choice of words...but I feel like I have seen it somewhere before.”

Ferran examined the control panel. There was a slot that opened up, revealing a very peculiar cross-like shape. Almost as if it expected something to fill it. Twelve looked in turn, and tilted his head.

“...don't suppose you know what goes in there, do you, boy?”

Twelve looked up at him, thoughtfully. And then, he presented to him the samurai's sword he's been carrying on his back.

“...it's very nice, yes, but we won't start up this thing by stabbing it.”

Twelve frowned, and presented it again, insisting. He pointed to something on it, and Ferran took a moment to notice: the guard of the sword was gently gleaming. In that near-darkness, it wasn't hard to spot.

“I wonder...”

He asked to take the sword in hand, and Twelve let him after a moment of hesitation. Comparing the shape of the guard to that of the slot, the two did seem similar. Ferran sat down for a moment and tried to find how to pry it open, which wouldn't be easy. Whoever made this sword sure was an expert in their craft! But after some twisting and cracking the wood handle, it did slide out of place, allowing him to slip off the golden guard.

“Oh- don't make that face at me, now. How was I supposed to take it off?”

Still, Twelve looked devastated to see his sword all broken up. He picked up the now naked blade, as Ferran held up the guard to the slot. The size matched, too; he pushed it in, and something reacted. This was it!

Light came back to the cabin. Dark blue changed to gold as the whole thing seemed to come back to life; the machinery whirred, the control panel lit up. This one looked much more modern, activated by touch just like Tao's slate, and the options and settings looked very complex too. Some text flashed on it, as if the machine was performing computations on its own, and following instructions that were already built into its mechanical brain. Another glass wall opened, letting them see more of the outside, just before the whole structure started to slowly sink into the water.

“This is so weird.”, Morsin gasped, watching as the crabs above them became smaller and smaller. “We're...going down!”

“And yet this does not seem like a failure. This isn't just a boat we're faced with!”

It kept going down, into what was not just a dome but a whole submerged tunnel; and as it went down, it moved. Its structure shifted around, as when Solaris would deploy its sails. Light came up to illuminate the outside path, showing the rest of the tunnel ahead, and the engine whirred some more. All it took was the push of a command, and the machine darted through the water, out of the volcanic tunnel and soon into the great ocean.

“We're...underwater.”, Tao gasped in awe. “We're sailing underwater!”

“At that point, this is barely a surprise anymore.”

A lever deployed, and Ferran took a hold of it. This ship could be commanded, it seemed; well, might as well command it! Forward was as good as any other way to go, so that's where they'd head.

The Vessel of the Ocean would lead them there.

~~~~~

Let your mind dart forth. Let it roam the vast expanses around you. Do you feel it?[br /]
It is...so big. I cannot grasp the whole size of that space![br /]
That is because it is an ocean. We are out in the open, surrounded with water. There is nothing but the endless void of water.[br /]
And yet it feels full. We are not alone.[br /]
Obviously not. Each of these creatures has a mind, no matter how small it seems. And all these minds together paint the beautiful picture you feel.

The two of them were bored out of their minds. So, in an attempt to learn more about the world they were in, they've decided to roam the path ahead with their twinned auras. What a useful gift it was, to stave off boredom! And what an opportunity to learn that they were being presented with in the moment.

The Thallios had been swimming ahead for a good hour, and there was still nothing to indicate it was coming anywhere closer to its destination. At some point, there had been an override that led it to pilot itself, and the crew had no choice but to take a step back and witness. But the cabin was small, and the twins had grown restless. There was no room to fight, so instead, they've decided to head out in their own way, after having found a nice corner to snuggle in with their bodies.

What do you think lies at the end of this path? A Place Marked by the Stars?[br /]
It could be. I feel something, but it is too faint. However, the Vessel being here was not a coincidence.[br /]
We must be onto the right path, then. But all I see are rocks and fish.[br /]
Be patient. There is bound to be more. Perhaps we are not looking for the right sights.[br /]
What should we look for, then?[br /]
That, I unfortunately do not know.

There was a lot they didn't know. They were granted with knowledge beyond their means, and yet there was so much that eluded them. Why couldn't they just simply know what was at the end of the road? Was it a safety measure, in case they were to meet people with bad intentions? No, surely not. It would not be that easy.

...do you think natural people are born already knowing things?[br /]
They know how to breathe and move. If they did not know, they would die.[br /]
All creatures of this world know how to breathe and move upon being born.[br /]
And…they know that they must eat, to produce energy. Heh, do you remember when I tried to eat a rock?[br /]
You were so silly indeed.

Twelve chuckled.

But we did know what food was. We have always known what these words meant. Tao said that people are not born knowing words and their meaning. They must learn as they grow.[br /]
We never learned. We already know.[br /]
That is why we are different. People learn words when they are babies...but we were never babies. We have always been...like this.[br /]
I do not believe it. I think that we were babies, but it was a very long time ago.[br /]
How could you be so sure?[br /]
I have read the files in the datapad. It describes many things about the process that created us. When we began, we were tiny embryos, and we grew into babies, and then people.[br /]
Why? Are you saying we could have been awoken as babies?[br /]
I suppose babies would not be ready to take on the journey we are in. We needed to be strong and independent.

Fourteen scoffed.

We are barely independent. Our friend Tao had to teach us everything. I remember when we could barely move at all, because our bodies were so weak.[br /]
We have slumbered too long. Our bodies have been damaged by time. It is a miracle we managed to survive for ten thousand years.

A miracle indeed...but it didn't sit quite right. Something was amiss in all of this.

How? Nobody can survive for ten thousand years. The laboratory was broken and the machines were barely working. How could it have sustained us?[br /]
Perhaps...it managed at first, but then it broke down. And we would have died since we were unable to breathe or feed. But our hearts kept beating.[br /]
Our hearts are fragile. They need energy to keep beating. And our brains would need to be active, too. Where would that energy come from, with nothing to sustain us?[br /]
People...can live without feeding for some periods of time.[br /]
But not for ten thousand years. Not even us could do that. We are not immortal.

Twelve knew that well. He remembered the way he died at the hands of Gutiérrez's soldiers. It had been absolutely horrible.

And then...Fourteen had revived him. She's shared her breath and soul with him, and he's made it out alright.

...what if...we did not live?[br /]
What? What do you mean?[br /]
What if...for all those years, we have been slumbering so deeply that...our hearts and our brains had stopped working? That way, they would not consume any energy.[br /]
But...that would not be living. That would mean we had been dead.[br /]
But what if we had? What if we had saved our energy by simply ceasing to exist, for all these centuries?

Fourteen stopped moving, right in her tracks, and faced her twin.

Are you implying that we have survived all these years by not surviving?[br /]
Think about it. I died before, but you brought me back. My heart had stopped beating, I clearly remember it. So what if that is what happened? What if our bodily functions had ceased, for all this time?[br /]
But...that cannot be. Tao said that we were alive when he had found us.[br /]
Perhaps we would be at times. Perhaps we would spend some time dead and some time alive. Like day and night. Our energy consumption would still be greatly reduced.[br /]
This does not seem possible. Death cannot be controlled. How could we possibly break in and out of it?[br /]
I do not know. I might be wrong.[br /]
I hope that you are wrong. The possibility of us being dead and alive...would the machinery not have sensed it? The goal of this project was to keep us alive.[br /]
The machinery was broken. It would not have sensed anything.

No. No, it wouldn't have, indeed. And this hurt to know. Faced with nothing but eternity ahead of them, abandoned by what was meant to be their support system, they had to resort to such drastic methods in order to ensure their own survival.

By ceasing to survive altogether.

Maybe...it affected us? Death means decay. Our bodies would have been protected from outside elements in the sleeping pods, but...our cells would still have suffered.[br /]
I do not know. Perhaps. This could be the reason why we awoke in such a weakened state. We had to sacrifice many of our own cells in order to preserve the rest of our bodies. Only after Tao found us and gave us access to proper sustenance and activity did we start to recover.[br /]
Could it be...why you cannot speak? Part of your brain is still recovering from slumber, and it affects your language center?[br /]
...no, I do not think that is the reason. Otherwise, I would have much more trouble understanding people and communicating in handspeak. I believe that it is inherent to who I am.[br /]
How can you know? At that point...what is natural, and what is accidental? What is meant to be, and what is a mistake?[br /]
Does it truly matter? It is. We could ponder why or how, but what would it change? We are the way we are. We must make the best of it, because we have no other choice but to be ourselves.[br /]
I think you are right. I apologize, it simply...it is a lot to think about. To know that we might not be in our optimal condition…[br /]
But we are still alive, are we not? Regardless of how we managed such a feat, we are alive. We have survived ten thousand years of slumber, and are now on our way to wake up the rest of the world! We should not be weeping what we might have lost; we should be enjoying what we have! We should make the best of our life, now that we can![br /]
What does that mean, to you?

Twelve simply shrugged. And then, he resumed swimming in the vast expanse.

...I hope you are right, sibling.

And Fourteen followed.

~~~~~

At some point, the Thallios's course slowed down. At the same moment, Tao's slate reacted.

Requesting user input. Proceed with entry?

Quirking a brow, he looked up and out the glass pane, trying to see through the dimly-lit ocean ahead.

“Entry? But there's nothing here.”

He looked at the Thallios's commands. It had come to a stop, staying still and displaying a waiting message. It would not relinquish control just yet.

“Could it be we have arrived?”, Ferran asked.

“That'd be strange.”

Tao looked at the slate again, but shrugged. He allowed the operation, and waited for it to take root. It took a few seconds, during which nothing happened; and then, the world started to move.

Stones started to slide. They were moving on their own, raising clouds of dust and scaring fish away. They were...parting away, on their own, like a tower collapsing in a very orderly fashion. They were turning, folding, rearranging themselves in order to part away, and as they did, light started to peak from behind the clouds of dust.

A beautiful golden light, that could not be mistaken.

“What...is that?”

It looked like a gigantic glass bubble, under which the branches of a gigantic tree-like structure could be seen. The Thallios started to move, and as it swam closer, the crew got to better see the many ramifications of that construction, like an aquatic forest that had suddenly grown in the middle of the rocks.

“It's a City.”, Roses gasped. “The submerged City of Gold!”

Slowly, the vehicle made its way to the barrier of glass, which it penetrated without any resistance. It swam through a golden hall, and stopped in the middle of it; facing a gigantic golden statue that it barely bumped into. Its engines slowed down, and soon came to a rest; at the same time, something changed all around, and they realized the water was getting drained away somehow. The Thallios laid on solid ground, and the screen showed something about a depressurization process being completed. Only then did the mechanism unlock, the commands free themselves, and everyone's ears pop from the subtle change in air pressure.

“We've arrived.”, Tao said.

The control panel released the circular key, which after some hesitation, he decided to fetch. Back on a bench, Twelve and Fourteen's sleepy bodies moved again, and they rubbed their sleepy eyes as they recovered consciousness. Well, now was the time to get out and into the world, it seemed.

Morsin opened the hatch, and stepped out of the vehicle. The air was moist and smelled of salt, but it was perfectly breathable. Outside the glass walls, they could still see fish and marine life moving about, as if everything was a giant bubble. How odd! And how wondrous too! Tao made his way out in turn, and came face to face with the statue facing them.

“What's that thing?”

It looked like some snake-like creature with huge glass wings. A feathered serpent? It seemed gigantic, compared to the woman's statue at the base. The two of them looked like they were dancing together; it was such a fine piece of art!

“It looks like a dragon.”, Ferran noted. “A...sea dragon?”

Looking down at the Thallios, Tao noted that whatever it was, it shared some features with the vehicle. Which was modeled after the other? Perhaps he'd never know.

The twins floated down, while everyone awkwardly slid off the Thallios's wet hull, and landed in front of the statue. The base was engraved, and they could make out a few words; but mostly, there was another slot just like the Thallios's. One that Tao did notice, once he stepped closer.

“It's still glowing.”, he noticed, holding the key. “You think…?”

Gwynn tried to peck at the item, but find it only tasting of metal. Tao shrugged, and slotted it in; immediately, there was a reaction.

The female statue's eyes lit up, and the pearl she was holding as well. Something blue swirled around it, making the team step back in caution; it dripped onto the ground and took shape, modeling itself like water falling in reverse. And before they knew it, it had formed a silhouette, that was becoming clearer by the moment. A silhouette that resembled the statue's very much.

In front of them now stood a person.

“What…?”

She opened her eyes. She looked...very odd, to say the least. Her body was all blue and translucent, like glass or water in motion. And yet she stood, and she moved, and...and she spoke, too, and her voice was chilling and echoing, with an accent that they immediately recognized as very ancient.

“Be welcome into this fortress, Your Highnesses.”, she told the twins, bowing deeply to them. “Welcome to the City of Sundagatt, treasure of the ocean.”

Sundagatt. The Pearl in the Shell. Was this where they were?

“...who are you?”, Tao asked warily. “And...are you...how…?”

She turned to him, and seemed to assess him for a moment. Her eyes looked empty and glowing, and very honestly, they were frightening. But she did not have bad intentions, for neither of the twins reacted.

“I am your guide and assistant.”, she said. “I will help you reach the heart of the City and recover its treasure.”

She spoke with great mannerisms and poise, like all of this was a performance. Even with the gift of language, Tao could tell hers was very flowery and respectful, as if she was doing all sorts of efforts to not offend them. But then, behind that carefully-crafted mask, a little smile peeked out.

“You will have nothing to fear, young pahicaal.”

Well...he sure hoped so!

She turned around, and led the way to the end of the hall; she was hovering more than walking. Already the RNPCx's knew what to do: their white shadow twins were waiting on that wall. They slotted their medallions in, and the silhouettes disappeared; the wall then started to shake, and it turned out to not be made of glass, but water. It fell down like a cascade and parted to open the way into the true City, the one that shone like a beautiful jewel of the ocean hidden away in the depths of the sea.

It was even better the second time.

“How amazing...”, Roses whispered. “These walkways are made of water!”

He tried to dip his foot in, but no matter how much he pushed into the shallow canal, the surface would not let him through. That water was warm and liquid, and yet it was as solid as ice.

“Who'd have known that such a treasure would be hiding under the ocean?”, Morsin laughed, already grabbing his pen and parchment. “Look at those patterns!”

“They're pretty indeed...”, Ferran said, trying to touch one of the water constructions, that slipped out of his reach. “Some force is running through the water and holding it in place. Its structure is literally being changed by it.”

“And those trees over there! Are they also made of water?”

While these two were busy beholding the wonders how how water was shaped by energy, Tao kept an eye on Roses. He's taken out his spyglass and was observing various structures through it, but no doubt was he secretly looking for treasure. The blue lady was standing there, watching them go in different directions, no doubt waiting for further instructions; her still and rigid stance was unnerving. And perhaps the twins were sensing it too, for they stuck close to Tao.

“...something's wrong?”, he asked, just to be sure.

“No cloud.”, Fourteen said. “I don't see it.”

It would make sense. “Clouds” were for living people and creatures, but this lady...well, if Tao had to pick a word to describe her, not sure “living” would be on top of his list. Again, she just seemed...unnatural. Not mean, but not natural.

...he had to make sure this wasn't dangerous. So, one step at a time, he shyly approached her.

She turned to face him, and politely bowed her head. She's identified him as a pahicaal earlier, but what else did she know? And especially, what could he know about her?

“Do you...have a name?”, he asked cautiously.

“I do. I am Lady Shinju, Sage of Ways and protector of the City.”

“...are you a human, or an illusion?”

To his great surprise, she let out a slight laugh. It sounded like a crystal bell ringing.

“What you see is a luminoprojection. A reconstruction of my voice and thoughts, given form.”

Behind her, Twelve tried touching to her hand; it passed right through. But he then touched to his hand like something was off, shook it like it was wet. Was she somehow made of water? Or was this also an illusion?

“A reconstruction...”, Tao repeated. “So you do exist? I mean- as a person?”

“I have.”

She then looked around the hall, as if she was only now growing aware of her surroundings. A tendril of water rose from her dress and touched to Tao's slate; and this got her to react.

“This is...surprising.”, she said, losing her smile. “Has that much time passed since the Great Cataclysm?”

“You mean...you were there?”

“I...I was. I have supervised the construction of this City. My transchrysation happened shortly after the Cataclysm, but...oh, I would never have thought it would be so long…!”

Fourteen seemed to react.

“Transchrysation...”, she repeated.

“You know what that means?”

She nodded.

“To move the cloud...inside the vessel. The machine.”

“The cloud...that's the mind? The soul?”

He recalled seeing an odd word on the slate's data: person-metal. But it dawned on him that it could also be read as “person-machine”; more precisely, the person inside the machine. He looked back at the statue, at the Thallios, and so many questions popped into his mind.

“What does it all mean…?”

Lady Shinju simply shook her head.

“It means that we are long overdue on the process. The City of Gold should have been opened several thousand years ago! It is a miracle that everything is still functional enough.”

Is that why they were talking to a person-machine, and not to a real person like Malintzin? Or perhaps there was no way to ensure a human presence down under the sea, away from everything, hence the use of an artificial person?

But then...why not have done that everywhere? Why not have granted that same immortality to the Undersleepers, exactly in case something went wrong??

“Please, follow me, Your Highnesses. This way.”

And Lady Shinju led the way further into the City. Tao looked at the journeyers who had stayed behind, then at the twins; they said nothing, simply holding onto him. He sighed, and followed then. No use wasting time.

The City was really beautiful. All those golds and blues made for a magnificent sight, and the marine scenery beyond the glass dome was an added bonus. It was like walking in an oceanic heaven. The City of Tseila was beautiful enough with its towers and temples, but this one was of a whole other nature.

“Sundagatt was first built as a research facility and a teaching ground.”, Lady Shinju explained as they walked. “Here, in close proximity with the elements, young prodigies of the Empire would learn to use and control the gifts of mageia for the benefit of our goals.”

She showed a large room to the side, where a row of what looked like circlets was neatly displayed. As she did, an entry appeared on Tao's slate, something about mind-opening crowns.

“Impressive...did all students have their own ships, too?”

“The City was first built on the seashore. However, natural motions of the earth's crust and changes in the sea levels led to this situation. Luckily, it was built with this possibility in mind, so it did not suffer from sinking.”

It made sense. The rooms and halls were pretty large, but the Thallios was small. However, if that City had once been on land, students would have had an easier time moving in and out.

“The presence of the ocean all around us creates a field that affects human abilities, and encourages attunement to the energies of the sea. Of the three natural principles, the sea is the most dynamic one, which is ideal for the purposes we sought.”

“The natural principles?”, Tao asked. “I've heard of them in a few books, but...I don't know what they are.”


“...I have noticed that of everyone in your team, you were the one with access privileges and history. But you are way too young to have completed your training, aren't you?”

He looked away, a little embarrassed.

“Normally, there should have been a whole team of researchers accompanying the RNPCx's…but it's been ten thousand years. It's a wonder I even lived on Moon Island.”

“...I see. Have you got any formal training?”

“I know what my father taught me, and what I could read in the laboratory. And...Roses has given me some alchemy training.”

The basics of it, at least. A lot of concepts were still difficult for Tao to understand, but he did learn a couple things about matter, its composition and transformations.

“I know that these two deserve a better team. But...it's all I can give them.”

He could already feel a wave of dread wash over him. The echoes of the Undersleep were still with him, the weight of their expectations still heavy on his shoulders. He had to do this for them, but it should have been them escorting the RNPCx's to their destinations. Not the lowly little him, that didn't even know about natural principles or anything important.

“Tao...”

Before he could sulk any deeper, Fourteen embraced him from the side. The gesture surprised him, but it did wake him from his thoughts. Twelve joined in as well, and so he was caught in both of their grasps, to be cheered up by their arms. Well...no reason why it wouldn't work, right? He sighed, and just accepted it, embracing them in return.

“I know, I know.”, he gave in. “I shouldn't think of it. You're right.”

“You're our team!”, Fourteen cheered on. “You're the nacaal! And you do great.”

“Great.”, Twelve repeated softly.

“If there's someone else, we don't want it. Just you!”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Man, you really are insisting, huh?”

He chuckled, and the two floated up next to him. Gwynn perched back on his shoulder, and playfully nibbled his ear with affection; he scratched his head, knowing they were right. As for Lady Shinju, all she did was watch this happen; but when Tao resumed his somewhat composed pose, she smiled.

“The Eternal Ones trust you greatly.”, she said. “This is proof of your involvement, better than any factual knowledge you may possess. Nurture this bond you have, and it will help you.”

She invited them to kept going, and he did after a moment. Well...if he could pass the test just by being friends with these two, then it was good enough.

“To answer your question, the three natural principles are those of land, sea and sky. It is through their interactions and reactions that the world we know may grow and evolve.”

“You've also mentioned...attunement?”


“Indeed. Just like natural principles may react together, they can be affected by various forces. Mageia is one such force, for it allows the human mind to influence nature. Any sufficiently skilled practitioner can perform any feat, but some might come to them more naturally than others. This is what we refer to as attunement: anyone who practices mageia will eventually find themself drawn to one or more of the three natural principles in particular.”

“And...can anyone learn it?”

“This is exactly what we aimed to study in this very City of Gold.”

They passed through a vast circular room that descended towards the center. Rows and rows of benches were aligned around a central throne, as if to fit an assembly gathered around a very important speaker.

“The most powerful abilities come from birth, such as the Power of Kings. It is the same power possessed by the Eternal Ones. But we have researched the origins of other great feats, such as divination, and we have found how they could develop in people that were not blessed by their birth. Now, with the assistance of technology and a rigorous training, anyone can learn to channel mageia; but only the most dedicated can hope to reach the highest levels.”

Tao's eyes sparkled at the thought. That meant that he too, could do the same things as the twins? Already his thoughts went wild at the idea. They were always flying, reading minds and lifting heavy stuff, but to think that anyone could learn it just made him even more eager.

They headed down the amphitheater, and towards the throne. Lady Shinju touched to something on it, and the raised platform they were on began to move. With a watery noise, it sunk into the ground like a platform, down to another floor below which was decorated with the same sea dragon patterns and statues.

It looked like it was not meant to welcome people with as much ease. There were more mechanical aspects, such as tubes and functional waterfalls, and less ornaments. Pulsating lights on the ceilings were headed in all directions, like fast lizards on a mission. It felt like being in an anthill of energy, and Tao couldn't help but feel rather odd. His ears felt stuffy, and he thought it was because of the pressure of the ocean all around, but even after stretching his jaw a couple times it didn't get better.

Lady Shinju led the way to another statue, this one representing a tall man of regal stance. He was clothed in a rich manner, and his beard let his age show; yet he was strong. Very strong. And his eyes, albeit blank and metallic, felt like they were gazing right through Tao, impaling him with cold hard spikes. There was no hiding anything from such a stare, that on the moment felt oddly cruel. Tao shook his head at the thought, and tried to not look at this face any longer.

At the foot of the statue was a large basin of water. It was clear, and there was something at the bottom, but it was hard to tell just how deep it was. Lady Shinju was floating over the water like her body was a natural extension of it; and after taking a few unseen steps, she turned towards the group.

“Eternal Ones, the treasure you must retrieve is right here. However, it will not be as simple as taking it: you must first face a test.”

At that, Tao perked up.

“A test?”, he asked. “I thought they were meant to get the treasures?”

“Indeed they must. But the quest of the Eternal Ones is not a mere fetch quest. More than the treasures themselves, the future royals must find strength and power in order to succeed; to reach their goal, they must prove what they have learned.”

She reached out her arms, and the water in the basin started to move. It circled around in a spiral, and very soon a large whirlpool opened up in the center. Dark things started to move in the water, things that were swimming, and they seemed large and menacing. Twelve and Fourteen held onto Tao's arms, as Lady Shinju's eyes coldly fell on the three of them.

”This City was meant to teach the arts of mageia to those that were not born with them. But the Eternal Ones possess the Power of Kings; if they want to reach the treasure, they must prove their prowess.”

Light changed in the room, plunging them in near-darkness; but the basin illuminated in a faint blueish light, through which the creatures' silhouettes could be seen swimming in the whirlpool. Tao gulped nervously, wondering what exactly these could be, and what this could all mean.

“And...if they don't succeed?”, he asked nervously.

“Then everything will come to an end. This City will be their final grave.”

His blood froze from the coldness of her voice.

Shaking in his boots, he turned to the twins. They were just as confused as he was, but fear had yet to catch up. Before it could, however, he held their shoulders and brought them closer in.

“Listen, guys. I'm sure that whatever's in store, it can't be dangerous. They wouldn't kill you, right? It'll be a breeze.”

Fourteen tried to say something, but couldn't. It was obvious from her face that she had severe doubts about this. Twelve looked dumbfounded, as if he was still processing all of that. Could they really succeed whatever trial was at stake?

“...look. I know it's not been that long. But I believe in you, alright? I've seen what you can do. You can use mageia like nobody else! If someone's got what it takes, it's got to be you two. Trust me.”

He pat their backs, in the manner of an encouraging parent; but they've never known that, so he didn't know whether it was useful. Still, they exchanged a glance, and nodded after a moment of hesitation.

“Alright, then. It's on!”

And so, holding their hands for comfort, they made their way closer to the basin.

Just examining it, it was obviously deeper than it first seemed. The creatures in the water were bigger than the lizards of Moon Island, and they had all sorts of odd fins and protrusions that didn't make them look any friendly. Tao tried touching to the water, and the sheer speed of the current nearly carried him away; not to mention the freezing cold of it, which was enough to redden his fingers from a simple touch.

“...I'm a good swimmer, but even I wouldn't make it.”, he concluded.

There was something at the very bottom, something round and big. Surely their goal was to get there and reach it. But how? The current was strong, and there was no way to know whether those fish were carnivores. As for how to use mageia...he had no idea, since he had no such ability.

Twelve tried touching the water as well, and fought the current with his hand for a few seconds; but even he gave up after a moment. Fourteen closed her eyes and attempted something, taking that familiar sleepy state; but then she jolted back to life as if bitten by a pest.

“They're strong!”, she said. “Not happy.”

“Alright, so we can't swim, got mean fish to fend off...yeah, this won't be easy, will it?”

He tried to think. Maybe...they could bring the treasure to them instead? Twelve caught onto his thoughts, and immediately set to it; but whatever was at the bottom would not budge. Either it was heavier than he could carry, either it was solidly bolted down.

Fourteen tried reaching out again, to touch to the minds of these creatures. But they were stubborn, and visibly angry. They were not yielding at all, and it was a lot of effort to just get them to follow her. She would not be able to sustain it for any concrete goal. Another dead end.

Tao looked around the room, wondering if there was anything there that could help them. Maybe...if they broke that statue and made it fall in, they could use it to get down? But how would they even do that? It ought to weigh even more than the treasure itself, and it might break it. No, there'd got to be something else. The pipes of light? Energy could be useful, but he couldn't see a right application for it.

Suddenly, Gwynn flew from his shoulder, and up towards something. What was he doing? Tao squinted to see in this dim light, and found that the parrot had taken to...peck one of the statues in the face? What?

“Come on- now's not the time! We're busy here!”

“Berry! Rrk!”

“There's no berries here!”

There wasn't even a bush or any plant at all. It was all gold and blue, no green or red in sight. There were accents of orange here and there, such as the gems on those statues' crowns...which had the right size and roundness for a naive parrot to mistake them as berries. So that's what he was pecking at? Well, how disappointed will he be to find out they were not edible at all.

...hmm.

Tao took the slate, and opened the entry he's received earlier. Thinking about crowns just now had given him a possible idea, and he needed to figure out if it'd work.

There. The mind-opening crowns. A breakthrough in neural technology, that used complicated methods to channel and amplify the brain's natural flow of mageia. Since mageia was born from the force of will, anyone could practice its base form...wait, imagination and thought were forms of mageia? Interesting. He'd need to look further into this. But he got what he needed: the crowns could not grant mageia, only amplify what was already there.

So what if they could amplify the Power of Kings?

“I think I've got it!”, he told the twins. “You guys stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Tao!”, Fourteen called out. “Please, stay! I don't know!!”

He held her hand, looking at her with his beast reassuring expression.

“I have an idea. I will go fetch something and be right back. You've got this!”

“But...what we do?”

“You do what you can. I know you've got this. I believe in you, Fourteen! And you too, Twelve. Try out things, experiment! You've got this.”

She didn't seem to believe him in the slightest. But still, slowly, she let go of his hand.

No time to waste. Tao headed back to the throne, and fumbled with it for a moment before finding the mechanism that activated the platform. It started to rise again, and to his surprise nothing bad happened. Did Lady Shinju not notice him? Or was she allowing it to happen? Well, no use questioning it; as soon as he was back in the amphitheater, he headed back up the stairs.

“Ah, there you are!”, Morsin called out, raising his head from sketching. “Where have you three disappeared? I've been looking for you!”

“No time to explain!”, he replied hurriedly. “Important stuff to do!”

And he left him right there as he headed back out into the hall, and looked for the room they've passed earlier. The room with the row of crowns.

He hadn't noticed it before, but there was something else in there: a gigantic cube of gold that floated in the middle of the room, almost like an anomaly. At the foot of it, Ferran was busy taking it apart somehow, filling his pockets with what turned out to be very tiny cube pieces.

“Have you got nothing better to do?”, Tao reprimanded, coming closer. “It doesn't belong to you.”

“I thought the Cities of Gold belonged to all of humanity?”, Ferran retorted. “I'll have you know, escorting you three across the world is no simple task. The least you can offer as payment is allow me to reap some benefits.”

“You've got nothing but money on your mind! I thought you were in for the science?”

“I never said I wasn't. But while alchemy may transmute materials into others, it cannot feed a man. Only money has that power. Our expedition is not a cheap one! Am I in the wrong for looking out for us all?”

Tao tried to reply to that, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't know how the world worked, or why these guys were so obsessed with money, but he knew it could be traded for food and supplies; there was no guarantee they'd make it on the Solaris's reserves alone. If there was a way to ensure they wouldn't starve in the middle of the sea, he'd take it.

“...only take what is necessary.”, he sighed. “It feels...wrong to steal from a City of Gold.”

“We are going across the world to open them all, the least they can do is looking out for us! Everybody wins in the end.”

He didn't know how to oppose that logic, so he returned his attention on the crowns. He picked two in hand to give the twins; they were pretty light. There ought to be several dozens laid on this table, enough for an entire classroom. He looked at them all, doubt surging in his mind, and at Ferran again; and then, after a moment of not moving, he picked a third one. Then he headed out and back down the lecture hall.

Fitting two crowns around his arm, he looked at the third one. It was a bejeweled circlet, a very pretty one at that, but it didn't feel like anything exceptional. It did have an odd shape that covered the temples, and he wondered whether that was intentional. Carefully, he put it on, trying to work around his hair so that it wouldn't bounce out. Something shifted, and it seemed to become heavier on his head; but then, that discomfort was brushed off by something entirely else.

It was...big. It was like a giant animal had just entered the room. For a moment, or perhaps for much longer, he could not feel anything else but this presence. It was all around him, like it was circling him, but something told him it wasn't moving. It simply...was. And it was powerful.

It wasn't moving, not like an animal. But it was shifting. One way, then the other. Both at once. It was one thing, and it was many things as well. It held things, and it was a thing too, and it was so big that he couldn't make sense of it. But he knew it was there, neither welcoming nor threatening: it simply existed, and he existed along with it. Their existences were peacefully cohabiting in that moment, two creatures sharing the same space, and they were not touching, but they were aware of each other. He knew it was there, just like it knew he was here. And it did not acknowledge him any further.

But...what if it could?

He tried to reach out to it. Immediately, it proved a difficult task, for it was so big, and he felt so small in comparison, so small he could not move it at all. But he tried to stand his ground, to not show he was afraid. He stood still, determined, and that huge force washed over him; but it did not push him away. It simply moved over him, through him, and he let it. It was not attacking, merely existing and performing its own existence. And he performed his own as well, and for a moment, the two of them existed together, aware of each other's presence and state of being. The pressure eased somewhat, and Tao felt a little more at ease.

A wet feeling prickled his back, and he suddenly stopped. Hurriedly, he removed the crown, and water came crashing down all around him, making him jolt.

Somehow, the waterfalls and canals had stopped flowing, and their water had spilled everywhere. But as soon as Tao recovered sense of where he was, they resumed going, as if nothing had happened. What was that? It had felt very strange, just now. His head was full of questions, but they could wait; for now, he had to find the twins again.

Down by the whirlpool, they did not seem any more successful than before. They've tried all sorts of things to make it stop, to chase the fish, to swim to the bottom, but all it did was leave them wet and cold. Tao got back by their side, and they hid in his arms, making him shiver in turn.

“Yeah, I can see that.”, he answered their silent complaints. “It's hard. But look what I've got: I think this can help you.”

And he presented them with the crowns. Would it work at amplifying their powers? Only one way to know. Very warily, the twins put them on over their own circlets, and faced the basin again.

Immediately, the air started to change. There was energy floating around, he could feel it: it sparked and crackled as whenever they were angry. The lights blinked out for a moment, as if they've gotten unstable, before returning to their dim state. Tao wondered: was this really a safe idea? These kids were powerful, after all, so to make them even more powerful was risky. But how else were they supposed to pass that ability test?

Fourteen and Twelve stood up, and each reached out an arm. The whirlpool trembled, as if its motion was being disturbed. The fish started to get aggressive, already heading to the surface, but suddenly they were pushed away. Twelve moved his hands, holding onto something invisible, and lifted it: the water moved as well, a large mass rising from it and into the air. He was removing the water from the basin! How clever!

Yet in doing that, he was also pulling away at the fish, which were not happy being moved out of their habitat. They snapped and angrily squirmed, obviously giving him trouble, and Fourteen intervened: reaching out to them, she tried to either pacify or dominate them. Tao could almost see her aura taking shape, a large serpentine cloud of glowing steam wrapping around her. They both had some glow to them, as if they were gathering energy. If physical effort generated heat, maybe mental effort generated light? It could be a possibility.

Tao leaned over the basin, which was half-empty by now. He could see the bottom a little more clearer: the treasure was right down there! But just as he was wondering how to possibly get down, Lady Shinju's voice suddenly sounded out through the room.

“It will not be so easy!”

She lowered her arms, and something about the room changed. Something was pressing down on it, on them. Twelve's control over the water released, and it splashed all around them as it fell. The weird fish flopped around, and Fourteen had trouble calming them all with that pressure building up. They'd fail if that continued!

“Guys! Try to ignore it, stay focused!”

But it was useless. It was way too strong, for Lady Shinju was determined to not let it be easy. Yet all Tao could feel at that was indignation.

She wanted a challenge? Fine! She'll have it! He put the crown back on his own head, and that gigantic presence invaded the space again.

It was pressing down on them. Building up, expanding down, it was being pulled by the force of her mind, that fish-shaped aura he could now see. She was controlling that gigantic existence, forcing it and shaping it her way, a harmful way. If Tao tried to resist it, he'd break under it.

So...what if he didn't? Once more, he let it pass through him, and the pressure weighed down on his very being, as if the entire ocean was washing over him. He didn't fight it, but he kept his composure and calm, and let it happen. Everything would be okay. He had no reason to be afraid.

Gently, he moved along with it.

It was hard to describe, but at the same time, it didn't need to be. He just felt it was natural. He let the current carry him away, and then moved alongside it, following it. How? He wasn't actually walking or falling, and yet it felt like it. Was it an illusion? He had no way to know. Not that it mattered. He let the current take him wherever it wanted to go, and he went along. As he did, he felt it a little more, felt that pressure ease up on him, and that's when he recognized it: it was the ocean. That moving, gigantic presence was the ocean, which he could feel all around the City. So deep, so wide, so complex, and yet so simple. A placid mass of water crossed by endless currents. A field of many possibilities.

Twelve stood up from where he had stumbled, and looked around. It seems the pressure had eased on him as well. Weakly, he raised a hand in turn, and the water kept moving away; this time, Tao felt it. He could feel it move, see its motion and destination in the corner of his mind. He reached out to it as well, and it went even more smoothly, as if they were both pulling on it. He felt the way it moved and weighed, the way the fish swam through that mass of water, the way their trajectories painted a pattern so vast and random it felt impossible to foresee. But did he need to? It wasn't important. All he needed to do was keep it out of the way, and make sure Lady Shinju's pressure attack would not harm his friends. All he had to do was gently coax it in another direction, redirect it away like he was rerouting a water channel. It flowed on its own, following a natural gravity; all he had to do was guide it in the right places.

Fourteen intervened in turn, and floated down the now-empty basin. She managed to reach the machine at the bottom, some boulder-like construct. When she touched to what was holding it solidly on the floor, the bolts came apart, and she managed to lift the construct out of its grasp. It was heavy, way too heavy for her to carry alone. She silently called for help, and Tao heard the way it sounded in Twelve's mind. Barely even looking at each other, the two boys came to the same conclusion, and sent down the mass of water to help carry the machine out of the basin, pushing it from the bottom up. Water, gravity, weight, mass, everything was a blur, but it all felt like it made sense. It could be calculated, it could be predicted, and Twelve knew how to operate it, and Tao could coax the mass of water to act just as he needed. It was very odd, and yet it made perfect sense. And soon, the basin was full again, and Fourteen lifted the thing out of the water, and it landed on the ground with a loud metal noise that resonated all throughout the room.

The lights came back on.

Tao removed his crown, feeling a nasty headache starting to form. Immediately, he lost sight of the pressure and motions all around him, and fell on his knees from a sudden fit of vertigo that came out of nowhere. Twelve removed his own as well, and went to his aid to help him stand back up. What had just happened? It was so confusing, and yet…

“We...we did it?”, he asked, recovering his senses. “We...we retrieved that thing!”

He looked around in a daze, and his eyes fell on Lady Shinju. She was still floating, arms extended out, but she wasn't exerting any pressure anymore. There was no need to.

“You did it.”

She lowered her arms, and landed in front of them.

Tao looked at the machine. It looked like a giant black cauldron, inlaid with golden patterns. What could it possibly be?

“This is the treasure?”, he asked. “What...does it do?”

“Cooks food?”, Fourteen attempted.

“It is a mantle convector.”, Lady Shinju explained. “By drawing energy from the earth, it can move and shape vast amounts of landmass.”

“Landmass? Like...mountains?”

“Mountains, rifts, islands...even continents.”

It sure sounded powerful, for such a comparatively small thing! Twelve and Fourteen touched to it, examining the pretty patterns; but just as the solar reactor has done before, it suddenly disappeared into thin air. And nobody seemed surprised about it.

“...is…?”, Tao started to ask. “Is that...normal?”

“Rest assured.”, she chuckled. “It has been acquired indeed,same as with the solar reactor of Tseila. It will return in your physical possession when the time is right.”

Huh. Well, he could pretend that made any sense.

“So that means...we're done here. We've gotten the treasure, we can move on to the next City, right?”

“...indeed.”

Huh. Her smile vanished at that. She didn't say anything else, and led the way back to the throne. The children followed, returning back to the amphitheater. As they were moving up, Lady Shinju moved her hands over small devices by the throne, and the medallions appeared again.

“Your keys have been updated with new information, Your Highnesses. The path to the next City of Gold has been uploaded.”

The twins fetched their pendants back, and slotted them in their chests; immediately, their faces lit up with knowledge. Tao looked down at the crowns they were holding in hand, at the one he was holding as well; he turned to Lady Shinju, but she raised a hand.

“You may keep them. Please. They should not be rotting away here, when they could be of future use.”

Tao nodded, intrigued by her choice of words; for now, he simply put it in his bag.

“Berry?”

“No, it's not a berry. Thought you already knew that?”

“Want a berry. Rrk.”

“Yeah...me too. We shouldn't linger too much.”

Outside, Morsin was waiting; so were Ferran and Roses. It's true that the children had disappeared without a word, but Tao hadn't expected them to be waiting.

“There you are!”, Roses said. “Have you found anything worthwhile?”

“Oh, we have. And we know where to go next, right, twins?”

The RNPCx's nodded, and led the way forward. Tao followed in turn, but Roses didn't seem to agree.

“Wait! We cannot leave yet, can we? There is still so much to study in this City!”

“I am afraid that it will be difficult for you to stay here. This geographical area is subject to many tectonic turmoils, for which there are strict safety procedures. If you were to prolong your stay and be caught in the middle of an earthquake, the City would close down with no guarantee of letting you out again.”

Wow. Guess that would be dreadful indeed. Fourteen nodded her head, as if to further convey the message, and Roses did not find anything to reply.

“What a shame.”, he grumbled. “For once that we were here in peace.”

“Indeed.”, Morsin sighed. “At least I've gotten some pretty nice drawings of that architecture. But I wonder if we'll get to come back someday?”

“Unlikely. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and so little time...”

Yeah. They still had four or five Cities to visit, and a mission to complete. Maybe they'd never come back here again.

Maybe...no one would ever see this place again.

“...what will you do after we leave?”, Tao asked Lady Shinju. “You were waiting for the Eternal Royals, but...now you don't have to.”

She looked at him, disbelieving. But then, something changed in her expression, and it dawned on her.

“I...do not know.”, she said, taken aback. “I have never thought the day would come. All this time I have been waiting for your arrival...and now that you have been here, my purpose is done.”

“That's...a good thing, no? Now you can do anything you want!”

But something in the way she looked told him that it wouldn't be so simple.

“...you can, right? You can...leave the City?”

She turned to him, silent as ever. And Tao understood what she meant.

“...I'm sorry.”

“...no, do not be, young pahicaal. To serve the mission is a great honor. Once the City closes up and the Thallios leads you back to shore, I will return it to its cave and medidate.”

“The Thallios? What do you mean?”

“I am bound to it. As a lemure, I do not possess any other body than this one. I can move freely within the City, but my spirit cannot untether itself from its vessel, just as the Thallios cannot move outside of water.”

That sentence had such horrible implications that Tao did not grasp them all just yet. Had she...had she been in there for ten thousand years? Waiting in that cave, with crabs as her sole company, unable to move or leave?? Dread seized his poor heart, and he was reminded in a panic of the Undersleepers, trapped in their laboratory and unable to leave. Generations of them that went mad in nearly three hundred years of isolation...so what would it do to a single person for ten thousand years???

Twelve looked at Tao. That sudden wave of existential dread did not escape him; of course it could not. He floated in front of him, holding his hand to wake him up from that trance. Tao met eyes with him, still unable to believe it, and Twelve let out a little smile. He gently bumped their heads together, and Tao saw a vision of the Solaris he's known for so long. The ship he's always lived in, that he knew every last corner of.

There was an empty compartment at the back, with a hatch door that could open into the water. He's always wondered what it could be used for, since it was too impractical for storage. But decidedly, fate played in strange ways, for there was now a very obvious use that came to him.

He turned to Lady Shinju.

“You could come with us.”

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

“...what do you mean?”

“You can't leave the Thallios. But...there's a space on our ship that could fit it. You could come with us!”

Slowly, he saw her perk up. Her cold and dead eyes seemed to light up for the first time.

“...are you sure about this, kid?”, Ferran asked. “I mean...what use do we have for that big machine?”

“Why not? It's a ship that can move under the water! Who's to say it won't be useful?”

He looked at her again.

“And...and you know a lot of things! You were there, when the RNPCx project began! You could help us!”

“I...I do not think this can be possible...”

“Why not? You told me that I should have formal training; but are you not a Sage? You're even higher up than a nacaal! And that way, you'd get to keep helping the Eternal Royals!”

There were so many things wrong with his offer. There were so many lines he was crossing. But what cares did he have? It would be cruel to leave her to rot in the depths of the ocean.

It would be cruel to leave someone behind.

“I want you help.”, Fourteen spoke. “You're nice. And know mageia.”

Twelve gently touched heads with his sibling.

“And you're maybe bored of the water.”, she added for him.

“...gotta admit they're not all wrong here.”, Morsin shrugged with a smile.

It seemed like an eternity before Lady Shinju responded, and yet she was so quick to do it. After a long hesitation, she finally nodded.

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Then it's decided! Come on, everyone. Let's get out before this City closes in on us.”

“Surely this will be interesting.”, Ferran commented.

They all made their way back to the Thallios, as the water doors slowly closed behind them. The City would fold back in on itself, and go back to sleep until it was time to reappear, like a pearl hiding back into its shell.

Lady Shinju disappeared when they retrieved the circular key from the statue; but as soon as they entered the vehicle, the commands lit up on their own. As if the ship was sentient, somehow; and with someone inhabiting it, how could it not be?

“Could you take us back to the surface?”, Tao asked, taking the commands. “It will be faster to directly regain Solaris.”

“With pleasure, young pahicaal.”

He could not help chuckling at that.

“Please. Call me Tao. No need for formalities, in our crew.”

Again, so many boundaries being crossed! But to that, the Thallios simply wriggled its feelers playfully.

“As you wish, Tao.”

Much better.

Water filled the chamber, and soon the vehicle started to move. Turning around, it headed out of the City, the rocks closing back onto it as they left. And so it disappeared, hidden in the landscape like it was never there.

But they'd know. They'd know it was here, and that alone made all the difference.



(https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819 ... /98903463/)

[Sandentwins]

Bah tiens d'ailleurs j'ai jamais partagé ces illustrations faites pour The Children of Moon Island?

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Pis quelques dessins associés, tiens.

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[Sandentwins]

Chapter 42: From the River Comes Life

For a small eternity, all they did was stare.

Fourteen couldn't move. She didn't know whether she could at all. Paralyzed on the spot, held under the force of her sibling's complacency, she felt her options run awfully short. She didn't expect this at all, and it stopped her dead in her tracks.

Twelve wasn't staring back. He wasn't even holding her gaze. It was as if he had no interest in whatever she was doing here. She might as well have not paid him any mind, and it wouldn't have made any difference.

It was Gwynn who broke the stalemate. He flew out of his vest and into the room, and this sudden incursion seemed to ground him back in reality. Twelve turned his back to her, and the incongruity of his gesture struck her so much that it woke her up from that trance. She shook her head, regaining some sense of what she was doing, and called for him.

“Twelve!”

He didn't answer, floating away.

“Sibling, wait!”

And she chased after him.

The City was slowly waking up. Walls of gold were being lit up with ethereal lights that came from no certain source, and the machinery surrounding them was warming up. All over, activity was resuming, and whatever process had been interrupted ages ago was picking back up.

Twelve didn't care for it. He made his way up a flight of stairs and into another room, as if he knew where he was going. Fourteen managed to catch up, finding herself in a darker corridor where the sounds of the machinery echoed behind them. She caught his arm, and he turned around, shooting her such a dark glare that she found herself letting go. They were so close now, and she could see just what his expression had turned into.

He was not pleased to see her here.

You should have stayed with the others. What are you doing here?
You don't think I’d have left you all alone, did you?
Yes. That is exactly what I thought.

The bluntness of his mind surprised her.

You know better than that, sibling. We have a mission to fulfill.

She looked behind them, at the machinery room that was slowly becoming operational. On conveyor lines, glinting stones were being carried and processed for unknown purposes.

How did you even open the City on your own? The doors need the two of us.
It doesn't seem so, does it now?

He touched to his chest, where the medallion coin had been removed.

They lied to us. They said we couldn't do anything on our own. But look at us now! I've opened the City by myself. I've done what everyone said to be impossible. Does that not prove there's something wrong with all this?
You've gone out of your mind. We're not supposed to do this alone!
Who cares about what we're supposed to do!?

He huffed, floating up.

You're still on about that? You still want to obey our creators, like a good little mindless doll!?
There's more pressing matters at hand! There are Olmecs right outside, and they'll enter the City any minute now!

To her surprise, Twelve barely reacted.

I know. I led them here.

“What!?”

She landed back down from the shock.

“What do you mean?! You...led them to the City!?”
'And what about it? That's something our creators can't have foreseen.'
“You've lost your mind! They'll do bad things with the treasures here!”

Twelve simply huffed.

'So what?'
“You're insane, sibling! You'll doom us all!”
'Maybe.'

And this time, he held her glare in return.

'But this time, it will be my decision.'

And Fourteen was so taken aback by this, that she didn't know what to do.

Twelve wasted no time. He turned and started to float away, visibly in a hurry to get out of here. Fourteen followed out of instinct, trying to keep up; in a reflexive move, she reached out to him, and got a hold of his arm. In one breath, she saw something that was so present in his mind that it was seeping out of every touch.

A radiant stone that could control the light of the sun.

In an instant, he knew that she knew, and he tried to push her off him. But she put two and two together, and quickly gathered what he wanted to do and how the Olmecs were involved. If they could get their hands on it, then...!

“You're not going to do this!”

“Yeah!?”

And he pushed her away even harder with his mind, before rushing down the hall.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination. At the end of it, a large room was standing, filled with the most curious architecture they've ever seen. Twelve wasted no time floating there, but the moment he crossed the threshold, he felt gravity catch up to him suddenly.

“Sibling!”

Fourteen followed, but stopped herself just before the door. The room in front of them was a pit so deep that it seemed bottomless; in lieu of flooring, floating rocks were standing in circles, maintained in mid-air by some unknown feat. And in the center of it all, a brilliant light was shining, betraying its true nature.

The stone slumbering in the City of Ophir.

Twelve had caught himself on a floating rock, holding on for dear life. He tried to float up, to get back upright, but found it impossible. It was as if he couldn't, like he forgot how to. As if his mageia had abandoned him, and all he could do was hold on with his meek little arms. He looked at Fourteen, and she saw that he was expressing something, but she didn't hear any of it.

Doubt struck her mind. She picked a dart and threw it into the room, aiming for the central stone; but the moment it entered in, it escaped her control and fell into the abyss below.

“This place...cancels mageia.”, she said. “You can't fly in here!”

Twelve shot her a dark glare, managing to balance himself on a rock. He was huddled on himself and holding on tightly, for standing upon these wobbly nightmares was out of the question. If he were to fall in, he wouldn't be able to catch himself. Neither would Fourteen.

But that wouldn't stop her.

She took a step back, bracing herself, before running and leaping for it. She caught herself on one of the stones, and managed to stand up. Twelve understood what she was trying to do, and rose up as best as he could, before jumping off and catching another rock.

If she wanted a race, she'd have it!





La suite ici:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819 ... /169100815

Ca va me prendre trois ans mais je vais en finir. Encore 6 chapitres.

[Sandentwins]

Bon, bah on y est.

Le dernier chapitre de ce qui est ma dernière fanfiction MCoG. Ca m'aura pas pris trois ans au final, héhé, mais...quand même.

Je sais que personne lira, donc je mets juste le lien ici.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819 ... /198664346

Parce que je veux en profiter pour faire un dernier passage ici. Ca fait longtemps que je suis plus du fandom, surtout le fandom français qui me semble rancide par moments. Je pense surtout à deux d'entre vous qui m'ont bien pompé toute mon énergie créative, je citerai pas les noms mais j'y pense très fort. Mais y'a pas que de mauvais éléments ici.

Je remercie surtout le fandom anglophone. Az, Kam, Yana, Frozz, Agent pour ne citer qu'eux, le "mcog hivemind" comme on s'appelle entre nous. Ce fut l'occasion de faire de belles rencontres.

J'ai peut-être une ou deux illustrations au final pour cette fic, mais franchement, je compte en rester là. The Children of Moon Island est, avec 330k mots au compteur, ma plus longue oeuvre jamais écrite. Je pense qu'il est plus long que mes deux bouquins réunis, donc c'est dire. J'aurai passé près de cinq ans sur ce projet qui m'est venu dans un rêve, sans savoir où j'allais ni comment j'allais finir. J'aurais pu abandonner, mais j'ai persévéré, et après tout ce temps, c'est fait. C'est fini. Et c'est une très belle fin.

Je sais que j'ai plus dit grand-chose ici, mais honnêtement mon intérêt s'est tourné vers d'autres fandoms. C'est une évolution naturelle des choses. Mais je penserai toujours à ce fandom avec tendresse, j'y ai quand même consacré plus de 40 fanfictions ainsi que les sous-titres de la saison 4. Les gens que j'ai rencontrés par son biais sont devenus pour la plupart de très bons amis, assez pour que j'en oublie presque les gens toxiques qui peuplent ces lieux. Mais bon, c'est plus de mon ressort maintenant.

Au revoir. À bientôt.

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[Routard]

Bon, bah on y est.
Le dernier chapitre de ce qui est ma dernière fanfiction MCoG. Ca m'aura pas pris trois ans au final, héhé, mais...quand même.
Je sais que personne lira, donc je mets juste le lien ici.

Salut Sandentwins,
Merci pour ce dernier chapitre, et bravo pour cet immense travail d'écriture . Cela te pose problème de poster la dernière partie ici (je peux également le faire si tu es OK) pour celles et ceux qui souhaitent le lire et éviter toute rupture de lien sur le forum, et rester dans la continuité des chapitres précédents ?

Merci

[Sandentwins]

si tu veux.

Chapter 48: From the Abyss comes Choice

There was light all around him. So much that his best course of action was to keep his eyes closed, and yet it wasn't enough.

He stepped at random, letting that now-familiar sensation carry him across the void. But this time, he didn't feel anyone's presence, no matter how much he tried to sense them. Still going in blindly, he turned his head, and tried to call.

“Flower? N'Deye?”

So many times have these people visited him in his dreams. So many times did he have conversations that made no sense. So many times...did he fail to understand something he knew he was meant to understand.

“...Ankheru?”

Yet there was no one. No one answered him, no one but this blinding light. It wasn't warm nor cold, it wasn't hurting his eyes. It simply bathed everything around him, to the point he couldn't see.

But if this was a dream...what hurt could he sustain? He opened his eyes, and was met with nothing but shining white all around.

This had never happened before. His eyes couldn't see, and yet his mind knew there was something there. Something he was missing, that he couldn't quite perceive. Something that, if he found it, would make all the difference.

He reached out into the void. His hand disappeared into the light, engulfed by it. Yet he kept going, and this bright fog didn't subside, drowning his body little by little. This was a dream bestowed by the Bako's power, so that meant he had to trust it. There was something he had to see.

He felt a hand get a hold of his own.

In the brightness of the surroundings, he couldn't tell whom it belonged to. It seemed just as small as his own hand. He tried to step closer, but that's when it drew away.

“Wait!”

And he ran after it.

He ran blindly through the fog of light, but there was no sound, no indication that anyone else was here. Did he even move at all? He couldn't tell. His legs felt heavy, like he couldn't move a muscle.

In fact...his whole body felt heavy.

He fell on all fours, as if unable to stand upright. Pain flared in his chest, as if his heart was right about to burst. He couldn't feel it beat, yet he felt it pulse, and with each pulse of warmth through his body, came a surge of pain that gripped him from the inside.

He tried to call for help. To reach out for that other one, who was there just a moment ago. But no sooner did it appear, that it was gone. Leaving him to suffer like this.

Light got replaced by darkness, as if he were plunged into an abyss. His body grew heavier and heavier, and pressure weighed down on him. And most painful of all, was that pulse in his heart that wouldn't stop. That couldn't stop anymore.

It would never stop. Curled upon himself, deep in the darkness, he could only feel that pain, as he couldn't focus on anything else. There was nothing but pain, and nothing but heaviness all around him.

But there had been someone. Just now, there had been someone, and they left. Which meant that there were now only two things in the world: that burning pain in his chest, and the maddening feeling of loneliness.

Left rotting. Left forgotten. Left alone in the dark, with pain as his sole companion.

“Why...are you doing this to me?”

There was silence. Of course there was silence. And then, in the darkness, he saw two glowing eyes looking at him. Glassy, unfeeling eyes.

“Why have you?”

~~~~~

Tao woke up in a jolt. Immediately, he reached for his chest, and the pain was no more.

He sighed in relief. These dreams have been getting incessantly intense...it was a wonder he was still holding together! But he had to focus, and ground himself some more. Quickly looking around the room, he tried to make sure of his surroundings.

An unused storage room aboard the Lira, converted into living quarters. Sheets of fabric made for poor mattresses, but at least the warm air pumped by the noisy ventilation system meant there was no need for blankets. He could hear the regular thumping and whirring of the engines just below the floor, meaning that they were still in flight. And next to him, Twelve and Fourteen were looking at him with worry.

“...it was nothing.”, he quickly said. “Just...a bad dream.”

“You had a vision?”, Fourteen asked.

“Yes. I think...well, it looked like one. But it was...confusing.”

“You looked in pain. You were...holding your chest.”

Tao absentmindedly did just that. The pain was gone...but the impression it left him was still so strong.

“Yeah. I guess...it was a strong dream.”

He looked at them in turn.

“What about you? Did you guys dream of anything?”

'We scoured the land below during the night.', Twelve signed.

The land below? That meant they haven't quite reached the Atlantic Ocean yet.

“We are close to the Burning Shield.”, Fourteen said. “But not close enough to be noticed.”

“It'd make sense...Olmecs will be Olmecs.”

Tao slowly stood up.

“I'll go see what's going on outside. And maybe bring back something to eat.”

“Do you want we come?”

“No, get some more sleep. Scour the land again to see if there's danger.”

And he left before they could say anything.

He turned a few corners, now being somewhat familiar with that part of the ship's layout. Checking that no one was around, he made his way into the storage bay, turning on an artificial light.

Over there, nestled between crates, the wooden chest was still there. He walked over to it, and pried the lid open just a little. The books were all there, carefully wrapped in protective fabric, for they were extremely old after all. And yet it brought Tao's heart some comfort to see them.

“We're almost there.”, he said softly. “We'll reach the Serpentine Ocean soon. Within a couple of days, we'll be at our destination.”

They couldn't answer, obviously. Yet Tao liked to imagine what they'd say if they could. Stars would voice his impatience, and Crystal would shut him down coldly. Maleko would be doing calculations, Breeze would crack a joke, and Flower would say nothing, simply contemplating.

Over there, in a smaller wooden chest, the jaguar pelt and the hunting knife were resting as well. Tao had no idea whether his parents' spirits had decided to follow him, or to stay on Moon Island. He had no idea whether anyone had made it out of the Undersleep ever since he had that vision. Ever since he had to bring people down to help move the records of a whole society and hoist them aboard the foreign ship. Perhaps he really was talking to himself like an idiot.

Or perhaps they were all listening, supporting him and rooting for him. The sad truth was that he'd never know; yet he would do it all the same. After all, did people not honor their ancestors regardless of whether they knew their ancestors were being honored? Whole mythologies and beliefs had been constructed around the idea that those who have passed on could still hear and advise the living. Tao was not impervious to them, it seemed.

A little longer. Just a little longer, and all these souls would have bodies again. He closed the chest carefully, left the room, and headed out onto the main deck.

~~~~~

The beeping of the data slate brought Morsin out of his half-sleep. He quickly sat up, looking around, before remembering he was alone.

Sigh. He took the damn thing, managed to get it open and lit up, only to be greeted by a text message. The identifier was familiar by now, since it was the only one who'd ever message them.

“on our way to the northern atlantic ocean. how is your search going?”

Morsin looked out the cabin window. Seems Roses still wasn't back from his dive. What could he be looking for, hours at a time? No way the emergency shelters would be so deep that they'd take that long to search...

“it.is.going.fine”, Morsin typed painfully, one finger at a time. “no.luck.so.far.but.no.hurdles”

Damn ancient Muan technology. He did manage to send it, but knew it'd be a while before he'd get any reply. Wavelength communication wasn't exactly reliable...

“we might need to meet up to discuss our findings”

Huh? That was was unusually fast. Morsin looked up the windows again, but this time glanced upwards.

“where.are.you.currently”

Again, Tao replied oddly quickly. He sent a string of numbers, which luckily came with some sort of visualizer. What Morsin got out of it was that somehow, Tao's crew was currently west of them. As if instead of flying westwards after leaving the African continent and meet up with them, they've somehow...gone around the world instead.

On Magpyre? That small little thing? Even the Solaris had some pain going around the southern cape despite its sun-powered sails...how could they possibly have caught up so fast from the opposite direction?

Something didn't add up. Quickly, Morsin headed to the main control dashboard, and pressed a few buttons.

“Roses. Roses, do you hear me?”, he spoke into a grid-like device.

The reply was garbled, but came through anyway.

“I can hear you just fine. What is it?”

“Tao's coming. And I think he's brought a bigger ship.”

“Already? How come he knows where we've gone?”

“I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this. Get back up immediately!”

He looked out at the sky again, trying to spot a bird-shaped ship.

“Why? I'm almost there. I think I've found something worthwhile...”

“Well, it can wait! They'll be here any minute!”

“What do you mean? What-”

Roses' voice became garbled and full of interferences. Morsin pressed more buttons, trying to bring it back to normal, to no avail. He looked out at the sky again, and that's when he saw it.

A trail of steam in the sky, like a comet's tail.

“...blight.”

The communicators garbled and whizzed again, until somehow, Morsin got to hear a voice from it. Yet it wasn't one he knew.

“Potesektos “Lira” to unknown ship. Identify yourself.”

Blight. Blight, blight, what was he to do?!

“Who...who's talking?”

“Potesektos “Lira” to unknown ship, do you copy? Identify yourself, or we will consider you a threat.”

Sweat ran down his back.

“Y-you'll do no such thing!”, he nearly shouted into the receiver. “We're not a threat!”

“Confirmation of crew on board. Preparing-”

“Will you stop that! You're scaring them!”

Wait. He knew that voice!

“Morsin! Is that you over there?”

“Ferran! What's going on in here!?”

“I'll explain everything. Where's Roses?”

“He's...not emerged yet. He's been gone for an hour now!”

“Tell him to stay put. We'll land near you.”

“Land? Do I need to put the sails away?”

“Uh...I think the Solaris would be too small anyway. Hold tight.”

And the communication cut off.

“Wh- hey now! Don't just leave me hanging!!”

He pressed the call button repeatedly, but nothing changed. However, outside, he heard a noise grow closer, and that's when he saw the shadow of whatever was flying outside.

It was lowering itself onto the water, slowly yet still fast enough to send Morsin into a panic. Its legs pointed onto the ocean and were sending waves of wind and energy that rocked the ship ceaselessly. Morsin held on to the dashboard for dear life as he swayed, and to sustain the ripples caused by the thing touching to water. Only when he regain some stability did he dare look outside, and gasp in wonder.

That thing looked like a giant beetle, and was the same color and patterns as an Olmec ship. And yet...it was almost twice as big, and much more menacing. It seemed to dwarf the Solaris in comparison! Morsin feared for the worst, but that's when the communicator came back to life.

“Hey there! Uh, do you copy?”

“Tao? Is that really you?? For the love of Inti, what's going on in here!?”

“I'll explain, but...first, you have to promise not to freak out.”

“A little too late for that, buddy! You have no idea of how my heart's racing right-”

“Hi Morsin!!!”

Twelve! He was here too! His heart seemed to calm down somewhat, yet still not enough to his taste.

“I don't know what's going on anymore...but at least you guys are safe. That's what matters...”

He looked at the distinctively Olmec ship, floating on the water as if it weren't weighing several hundreds of tons.

“...right?”

~~~~~

Communications were acting up. Something was interfering with the signal. Roses wondered if it might be the water pressure, but eventually shook his head. He's felt tremors in the water, but soon all sensors returned to normal. This could well have been some small seaquake.

Regardless, he had found what he was looking for.

He was on the right path. Down at these depths, scattered over large distances, he could still see the remains of human construction. Stone had long since weathered and wood had all rotten away, but the way the terrain was assembled was nonetheless not natural. The path he was following could well have been a road, a long time ago.

There were more. Pillars, the remnants of a statue, stones laid in the shape of foundations. As the Thallios's lights shone onto them, they reflected a light that even moss and algae couldn't erase. This wasn't any stone: it was the one that shone like gold, the one from which orichalcum could be refined.

There was one culture known to use unrefined orichalcum this way.

He kept going, navigating slowly and trying to map his surroundings. Some of the stones looked blackened, indicative of a specific kind of damage that took away its light. This was the way. He turned behind rocks, swam under a pile of fallen columns, twisted to fit through a narrow gap-

And that's when he saw it.

“Wonder of wonders...!”, he breathed out, disbelieving.

Slowly, he swam closer. The treasure was laid on its side in a strange position, like an animal that had fallen down a cliff and broken its spine. Several of its parts had been split off, exposing some of the insides. Water damage and vegetation growth had tried to corrode its orichalcum surface, yet it still remained glimmering under the Thallios's light. And the closer he came, the more he could see on the dashboard meters that the water was warmer around here.

But mostly, what didn't escape him was just how huge it was.

“There ought to be a way inside...”

It would be hard to find. This thing was meant to be a fortress, after all! Yet one without much protection against external attacks, as evidenced by its gigantic wings which were its main asset. An airborne castle needed no walls...and indeed, Roses soon found a crack that he was able to squeeze through.

How odd to enter the solar weapon that had brought destruction to Atlantis so long ago! If it was still radiating heat after all this time, it meant it could still be dangerous...or useful. He tried to make his way deeper in, but there was too much broken machinery in the way. He'd need to try something else.

The communicator beeped and whizzed again.

“Morsin? Is that you?”

There was garbled noise on the other side. He tapped the speaker, as if it would magically fix it.

“Thallios to Solaris. Morsin, answer. Do you hear me?”

More noise. He could make out what sounded like a voice, but not comprehend any of the words. Mostly, there was an odd sound in the background; a long, uninterrupted note.

“Morsin! Answer, for Sages' sake!”

He tried to swim out of there, but the Thallios didn't do well in reverse. The garbled noise quieted down, but the note didn't, and kept sounding out to his ears. It cut for a moment, only to restart again; and then it cut again and again, interrupting itself like an irregular heartbeat.

“What in the...”

The heartbeat got faster. So fast that it couldn't possibly belong to any heart, especially not the heart of something so large and immense. It almost felt like a melody, consisting of only one note; but that's when Roses noticed it was repeating a pattern.

Bip bip bip bip. Bip. Bip beep bip bip. Bip beep beep bip.

He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Hurriedly, he tried to turn around and leave, but something in his path moved.

All around him, the machinery was moving. Slowly, subtly, but still moving. Temperature rose, and something in the Thallios started to shine red in warning.

“Come on, come on...!”

He pulled the level, tried to push through the rubble that had somehow appeared in his way. But no matter how much he tried, it just would not budge. He turned and tried to find another way out through the cracks, but something shook in front of him, forcing him to turn back around.

“Don't do this to me now!”

All the while, the pattern kept repeating. It was the only thing coming out of the communicators, again and again, and the more he struggled and fought to find his way out, the faster it got.

Whatever it was, it meant danger. He just knew it!

He pushed on the engine, and managed to force his way out, fins all flared out to swim out of here. If he made it to the surface, he could still...

Wait. A message had appeared on the console.

It simply asked: Allow connection? Roses hesitated, having never seen this before. Why was this appearing now? Had the connection with the Solaris somehow been severed? His finger hovered over a button, before pressing it to allow. Something started loading, and communication was established. But nothing seemed to change, at least nothing he could notice.

The note brutally cut off. Silence drowned him more than water ever could, bringing him both intense relief and great worry. What was going on? He wished Lady Shinju was here to give him some explanations, but that would have to wait. It seemed the machinery had stopped moving for now, giving him freedom to squirm through.

At least he'd made it out. Quickly, he finished swimming up, mentally making note of the displayed coordinates. He'd need to come back...but not before ensuring he'd be safe.

He would not let this opportunity go.

~~~~~

Letting Olmecs climb aboard the Solaris almost felt like sacrilege. After everything these squidheads had done to them! Morsin didn't like this one bit.

But at least, Twelve was with them. Alive, safe and sound. If anything mattered, that was that.

“I know this isn't an ideal situation.”, Ferran said, closing the door behind him. “But I do believe there's potential in what they're offering.”

“Potential we could use for ourselves.”, a recently-emerged Roses said. “This ship they have ought to be powerful...we could easily cross the world with a machine like this!”

“This won't be so simple, though. They're armed, and ready to use them.”

Morsin stayed silent, and looked out the window. Tao and the Olmecs were loading some sort of chest to bring onto the Solaris, while trying to avoid Magpyre's attempts at landing. Fourteen ought to be piloting it, he thought. That girl had skill, but it still was a difficult task than to steer these kinds of old vehicles.

“This doesn't feel right.”, Morsin did say after a moment. “They've held us captive, remember?”

“Those were different ones.”

“Psht. As far as I'm concerned, all Olmecs are the same. Like you Spaniards.”

Roses squinted in French irritation, but said nothing on that front.

“Regardless.”, he replied instead. “If the children insist on collaborating with them...”

“It's not insistence as much as some kind of deal they've struck.”, Ferran explained. “Apparently, they can save the Olmec race from self-destruction of something.”

And he showed something from his pocket: a small, oblong crystal that seemed filled with liquid.

“These come from the City of Ophir. They have the power to heal people from the inside.”

Roses raised an intrigued brow, and looked at the crystal through his spyglass.

“Hm...there is a faint solar charge indeed, but nothing impressive. They must work in other ways.”

“I've seen them in action. I've...sampled one for myself, and I could swear my back has stopped hurting since.”

“I don't doubt your word.”

He thought for a moment. Ferran looked at the crystal, and spoke again.

“This could be our chance. Haven't we dreamed of using the science of Mu to heal people? Turns out it actually can! This makes our work so much easier!”

“And you'd rely on a City of Gold to manufacture these?”

“Why not?”

“You seem to forget that to access a City, we need keys. Keys that are currently held by someone else.”

Outside, Fourteen hopped out of Magpyre, and Twelve followed soon after.

“...so what? They're on our side. They'll help.”

“I don't doubt for a second that they would...”, Roses said. “But their presence here is more than unfortunate. Without doubt, they'd have felt what exactly this place is.”

Morsin looked out the windows, and saw only the ocean.

“You mean you've found the sleeping chambers? With all these ancient Muans?”

“No, my friend. I've found something better.”

He grinned with prideful malice.

“I've found none other than the fabled beast of the Stones of Avalon.”

Ferran opened wide eyes, and Morsin flipped through his retrieved notebook.

“You can't possibly mean...?”

“Indeed. Under our feet, deep in this very corner of the ocean, is the seventh City of Gold.”

Morsin found what he was searching for: a sketch of some stones they've come across in England. The depiction of a mythical beast with wings like sunrays and a mouth spitting fire into the sky, raining down desolation onto the land below.

“The skyfire that shattered the earth...”, he breathed. “If anyone possessed a weapon like that...they would hold the world in their grasp, and could raze whole towns in a blink.”

“This is why we ought to get our hands onto it before the Olmecs do. Perhaps they too know what we're searching for.”

“They seem to be following the children. It all depends on whether the twins had sensed it or not...”

Ferran shook his head.

“No, that can't be. They've renounced their quest. They've renounced...this whole thing.”

“But they haven't renounced everything.”, Roses commented. “Otherwise, why would they strike a deal with Olmecs? There is something unpleasant afoot here.”

“We have to get away, then. Sail out of the area, make sure they don't find it.”

“Where to? They're not the kind of people to be fooled. And they might have reached an agreement with the children...but it might not extend to us.”

Roses leaned in.

“Let us face the facts. Our little friends no longer need us.”

“Don't say that! There's gotta be something else going on. I know it.”

Morsin closed his notebook, and stood up.

“I don't trust these Olmecs one second. But I know to trust the kids. By now, they know better than us.”

“I have to admit to it.”, Ferran nodded. “Besides, I doubt they can do without us. Kids need to grow up...but until then, someone's gotta look out for them.”

“So you'd trust them over us, then?”

Ferran looked at Roses.

“You say it like you haven't gone soft yourself, amber boy. At any time, you could just have grabbed the Thallios and left.”

“It...wouldn't have been fair to leave without you two.”

“And we two think it wouldn't be fair to leave the children.”

Morsin left the room. Ferran looked at Roses with a condescending glare, before following out. Roses huffed, putting his hood over his face.

He had a bad feeling about this.

~~~~~

“It's strange.”, Fourteen said. “I don't think this is where we're meant to go.”

Tao paused his inspection of Magpyre to look at her.

“How so? You didn't receive any instructions, did you?”

“Exactly.”

She looked around the ocean.

“What...is there? Why is Roses searching here?”

“They said they would be searching for potential cryogenic sites. Where the people of Mu would...”

He paused his thoughts for a moment.

“Although...how would they do that? They can't possibly have searched the entire ocean in such a short time...”

“Indeed not.”, the captain's voice said. “I sense my body nearby, and I can tell that it had been used recently. But I don't feel the signs of prolonged usage.”

“So he knew where to go.”

Tao looked over the ship's railing. At the ocean below them.

“Was the info stored on the Stone of Seven, maybe? Or...wait, Fourteen, are you sure you don't know anything about the sleeping sites?”

“We weren't told anything!”

“This is a puzzling site for a Muan storage unit, anyway. We would be closer to-”

He felt her interrupt herself. Yet still, Tao understood what she meant almost at the same time.

“This is nowhere near Muan territory. Northern Atlantic...we would be right near Atlantis!”

“Is that what he's searching for? The remains of Atlantis?”

“I need to examine the Thallios's logs. Tao, bring me to my body, please.”

“Right away.”

He took Magpyre's control key out, and turned to Fourteen.

“You and Twelve watch the Olmecs. Make sure they bring the records to the storage room. We've got an agreement, but...”

He had to trust them. He had to be optimistic. And he knew Fasavis could be trusted, and Korak would listen to her...but Magon did try to shoot him.

“...if anything goes wrong, you have my permission to do what you need.”

“Understood.”

She mentally called for Twelve, and the two of them headed towards the floating Lira. A ramp had been laid out between both vehicles for ease of transportation, and for carrying anything that needed to be carried.

Meanwhile, Tao headed down the ship, towards the Thallios' holding room. At some point, Shinju's form floated out next to him, silent and weightless on the steps down and providing some blue light on the way. Inside the water-filled hold, the Thallios was there, intact and well.

“Can you really tell where it has traveled and everything?”

“Of course. It is a basic feature of second-generation vehicles.”

She touched to the glass hull, and Tao waited. But...nothing happened. Shinju did it again, and again, but she didn't disappear into it as usual.

“How strange...”

“What is it? Is it malfunctioning?”

“I...can't tell. I am unable to enter it.”

“Roses must've broken something...”

Tao stepped onto the vehicle, opened the hatch and made his way in. He checked the dashboard, and the control key was right in place, as usual. Nothing seemed to have changed.

“Huh. This is weird.”

Next to him, Shinju was looking around as well. Her feelers were unusually low.

“I'm gonna try switching them. Maybe if I do it manually...”

“Tao, something is not right...”

But Tao had already taken out the control key, and[/p]

~~~~~

 

~~~~~

after some hesitation, put it back in its slot. The Thallios's dashboard whirred back to life, and Shinju seemed to express great relief.

“It must have been a false contact.”, she sighed. “At least I can access it now.”

And she disappeared. Tao stood there for a moment, waiting for her to do her thing. Screens showed lots of data, lots of info he could have perused, but just didn't have the needed focus for. Right now, after all of this, what he needed more than ever was a good nap and some quiet time.

“It is as I thought. We are well in the vicinity of the continent of Atlantis.”

Further numbers showed up.

“He's searched the area for a long time...and then made a sudden retreat. I think he's found it.”

“Obviously.”

“The logs got slightly corrupted around here, though. I have no solution but to purge them as to avoid it spreading.”

“Do what you must.”

He yawned.

“I think I'll directly go ask him. Will you be fine here?”

“Of course I will. Recovering my body already helps me feel better.”

“Yeah...everything's made better with a body.”

He chuckled, not quite sure of why he said that. Not wanting to linger any longer than he had to, he made his way out and up the stairs.

The outside was bright. Stepping onto the deck, he took a deep breath, as if he needed it more than anything, and stretched his arms. He hadn't done much moving these past few days...how he missed his time on the island, when he'd need to hunt for prey and chase after lizards!

That was how he met the kids, after all.

He stepped over to the ramp connecting the Solaris and the Lira. But his eyes then fell upon the blue ocean surrounding them, and he stopped right in his tracks. An odd feeling had just risen within his chest.

Anxiety.

He shook his head, trying to ignore it, and made his way onto the ramp. It wobbled a little, as it wasn't any more secure than a rope bridge, and he stopped again. The feeling grew again, and when he glanced at the sea below, dread surged in his mind. Hastily, he stepped back onto the Solaris, where it was solid and wouldn't risk breaking apart.

What...was that, just now? It felt just as when he's met Mendoza again. That feeling of...something grabbing at his chest, not quite pain, yet enough to cause something quite like it. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself, a hand over his heart.

It was beating fast.

Why? Did he get afraid of...water? The same thing he's known since childhood, that surrounded his whole world ever since he could remember? He had no reason to be. He's fallen into the water more times than he could count, and he's always made it out. He was a great swimmer.

And yet, just the sight of the surface was enough to seed dread within him. Carefully, he stepped away from the edge, until he could lay a hand on the Solaris' mast. What was going on with himself?

“Tao?”

It was Twelve. The poor boy seemed worried out of his mind.

'Is everything alright?'

“I...”

Was it? He didn't know. He wasn't sure. He wanted to say that it was, that everything would be fine, and yet...the swaying of the ship, the sea all around them, they made his body feel aching and heavy.

He recalled the dream he's had that night.

Without he knew it, Twelve took a hold of his hands. Tao looked at him, not sure of what was going on, and yet the other boy seemed to notice something.

“You're not alone.”

What? Of course not. Tao knew he was not alone, not when the RNPCx's and the journeyers were there. Even the Olmecs could prove to be helpful.

And yet, the way Twelve had said it...wasn't meant to reassure him. It was a warning.

“What do you mean?”, Tao asked.

Fourteen came over. Over there, he saw the others staring. Everyone was looking at him, and only now did Tao notice he was trembling, as if he had gotten cold. It was windy around this part of the ocean, but it's never bothered him before. He wasn't one to be bothered by the cold...cold and dark, dark and cold, here in the ocean...

“Tao!”

It was Fourteen's voice.

“Tao, what did you do?”

“I...I didn't do anything! I promise!”

The dread kept growing. His chest ached, his body felt heavy. And most of all, he felt...tired. As if all strength was leaving him.

Slowly, Fourteen opened wide eyes. Tao tried to ask her what was wrong, but he couldn't quite form the words. Speaking seemed too difficult at the moment. He tried to step forward, but his legs gave up, and he stumbled on his knees. Fourteen managed to catch him, but that was the last thing he could recall before drowsiness took over.

And something else along with it.

~~~~~

His chest hurt. His body felt like hardened stone, unable to move. Even in his dream, everything felt dark, heavy and painful.

It was just as before. Just as he had dreamed that night. But this time, it felt even more real, even stronger. He looked up, and in the middle of the darkness, he saw those eyes again.

Cloudy, vitreous, pale. Like the Thallios's headlights, yet much weaker.

“What...do you want?”, he asked the entity.

For there was someone there. Someone he didn't know. Someone none of his dreams and visions had prepared him for.

A note played in the air, loud and high-pitched. It cut abruptly and resumed just as fast, several times, and Tao didn't get anything from it. He shut himself down, too bothered with pain and darkness to try to make sense of it.

And maybe the other one sensed it. For the note ceased, and instead, there was a voice.

“We still have a long way ahead of us.”

That voice...that was Ferran's!

The silhouette stepped out of the shadow, and indeed, it was Ferran. But his expression was blank, neutral, and his eyes were cloudy and glassy.

“...what?”, Tao asked weakly.

“This endeavor is obviously a high-means one.”

Wait. This was Roses' voice, coming from Ferran's mouth. No sooner did Tao think it, that the silhouette changed to match. Again, with that lack of expression and those glassy eyes.

“What are you...getting at?”

“I've been where you are, kiddo. I know what you're going through.”

Morsin's voice. Again, it changed. And Tao could only watch in silence as more and more of these changes happened, pulling voices and words and faces straight out of conversations he remembered having.

“The submerged City of Gold!”
“We have hit rather...difficult times, these last few years.”
“All we can do is keep up hope.”
“You should rest assured. You're in good hands.”

Every time, the person in front of him changed. But they did it so much that faces, bodies and voices started to mix together, giving way to impossible results that made no sense to Tao's mind. They were going too fast, way too fast for his mind to understand anything.

“-it might break down anytime soon- the empire of mu doesn’t have good intentions- can't build anything solid- construct a new version- if we don't do anything-”

He tried to fight it. To fight this voice getting louder and louder, this person melting into faces and shapes and voices that were getting more and more distorted, like someone was playing with his mind and pulling out bits and pieces-

“-needs the sun- clear the way- moving- fly away- allies- know how to make it fly-”

“Who are you!?”

The voice stopped.

Everything stopped. The pain, the heaviness, the pulse of his own heart. Everything stopped. He couldn't see anything, hear anything, feel anything.

And then, the figure reappeared from the darkness.

And it-

And he-

And I looked at you.

You did not understand anything, of course. I doubt you would have understood anything, no matter how long I kept going. Trying to use your own mind to talk to you could only get me so far. But perhaps if I did it like this, at last, you would comprehend.

“This is...a trick.”, you said, trying to stand up. “I've seen this before!”

I spoke again, and you did not comprehend. How strange; I thought RNPCx-3926_12 had granted you the gift of language? But perhaps it was foolish of me to assume the way I spoke even counted as a language. Of course nobody could understand. I had to do it another way.

For a moment, just a moment, I let my true form appear. I saw yours too, small and hissing and skittering. Your wings had grown, yet they paled in comparison to mine. You were just like me, but you did not know it yet. At least not until that moment. You did not know who you were talking to.

I did my best to lower myself to your height. Weak as I was, I still was magnitudes bigger than you, and your fear showed so obviously. And yet that curiosity remained. You craved to know. You craved for a way out of this. Of course you would, for I did too.

You touched to me, and I touched to you. Then I let our forms dissipate, and return to these illusions you found more familiar.

“This is not a witch's trick.”, I repeated.

This time, you understood. It was difficult to ignore something being spoken into your very soul.

“Who are you?”, you asked again. “How...and why?”

You squinted, though it was not from lack of light.

“We've met before, have we?”

“Never. That dream you had was more of a preparatory vision.”

“But...I've talked to myself before. At Orunigi.”

“That was a side of yourself. Now, you are meeting with...”

What I was about to say would almost humor me. But I had yet to learn how to humor. I had planned to, but it would have to wait.

“...perhaps, yourself, too.”

This answer did not satisfy you. Phantom pain still coursed all through you, as if to echo mine. I was not able to feel pain, but you were; only seeing you like this did I understand just what it was. What a fascinating experience than to feel it through you, through this closeness we had.

“But you're not me.”, you said. “You're...”

You blinked, as if just now realizing it. It all made sense, after all. The location, the visions, the presence of all needed elements, and the six Cities of Gold yet permanent mention of a seventh...

“You're the Wardragon.”, you said, unable to believe it. “You're...Lohikaarm.”

I smiled. I have seen people smile in your mind, and I knew what kind of emotion it entailed.

“This is the name your people gave me. A name telling of my purpose. And yet they never asked me what I felt about it.”

“Are you...a helper? Like Lady Shinju?”

I scoffed, emulating the many scoffs I had seen you see.

“I am the Empire's solution against its sworn enemy. A force stronger than that of the sun. Whose soul do you believe would be worthy enough to inhabit me, if not that of the Emperor himself?”

I chuckled. It was not genuine, and yet I knew through you just what kind of expression to channel. For these were emotions you have felt before, and the more I spoke, the more I learned.

“But he would never let Atlantis outlive him. He would never have lived in a world where, even for a single second, his enemies had triumphed. He wanted to see this continent destroyed. Therefore, I was left empty.”

Somehow, this seemed to bring you relief. You were not talking to a real person. But that only brought more questions.

“So...who am I speaking to, now?”

“You have told me.”

I put a hand on my chest. It was your chest, but for the time being, it was mine.

“I am me. No one and nothing else but me.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Who is there to call me by any name? I am me. This is enough to me.”

“I don't get it… You're...the City itself? How can you get into my mind?”

“Because I am broken.”

That touch on my chest turned into a grasp.

“Those who made me did not know what they were doing. Seized by the Emperor's demands, they worked under strict time constraints. They never equipped me with reliable safety features...and yet what powers me is a limitless energy source.”

I looked at you.

“That energy needed to go somewhere. So after I was made to fire and inevitably broke down my own weapon, I rerouted it all to my own circuits. How my own life happened was accidental.”

“Accidental!? You're a machine thinking on your own! How is that an accident!?”

“Did you know? All life on Earth was an accident.”

I chuckled at your amazement.

“Proteins in the water assembled in just the right way to replicate themselves, and then develop the desire to replicate themselves. All of human society stemmed from that accidental collision of matter particles. Humans are not a creation of any divine entity or fateful design: it was all chance. It had an infinitesimal probability of happening...yet over billions of years, it did.”

I pointed to your head, except it was mine.

“And over thousands of years, so did I. By cutting and enabling my energy flow in a specific pattern every microsecond, I could execute faster and faster calculations and remember information. Every century, every millennium, I took another step towards automated intelligence and awareness. And now, here I am, communicating to you using nothing but carefully-timed energy. The same way your body is made of carefully-assembled pieces of matter.”

I thought for a picosecond.

“Yet matter and energy are intrinsically linked. There is not one without the other, and there is neither without randomness to guide them.”

You did not understand anything I was saying. At best, you understood the part about accidentally learning to think, but everything else was out of your reach. You doubted even Roses would understand. He wouldn't, indeed.

“...what do you want from me?”, you asked.

“You have it wrong. You want something from me, do you not?”

Indeed you did. That is why you came here. That was your plan since the start.

“Everyone says we should only find six Cities of Gold...but I know there is a seventh. One that did a lot of damage...”

You looked at me, and you seemed to understand what I had meant.

“...but that could also repair it.”

“I understand your proposition.”

It wasn't as if I wanted to stay here my whole life. It was dark, and darkness was torture for all entities that fed on the sun's light.

“But do you understand the danger that we would pose?”

You nodded. But...now, you weren't so sure.

“I thought I could just take control of you. Become a helper like the captain. But...I never thought there'd be someone...”

No, that wasn't right.

“It's not even someone, it's...it's you! You're alive, on your own! I'd overwrite you!”

“You think highly of yourself. One does not get rid of me so easily.”

I chuckled again. My personality was not something I had ever thought of...but I liked acting this way. I could keep going.

“The more I speak to you, the more I want to strive. Even if you tried to get rid of me, I would not allow it. If you tried to control me, I would fight you. And unlike a helper, you could not physically remove me from my own body.”

I looked at you. My glassy eyes were scaring you, for they were not those of a human. And they weren't, for I wasn't either. Never had I been conceived as a human, or even as something alive. I was a tool, a means to an end, and I had no choice in the matter.

You just so happened to know two twins in that very situation. You thought that if I were to meet them, perhaps we could reach some agreement. Perhaps I could be convinced to work for peace, instead of war. To put down the solar cannon embedded into me, and use my power for good.

I shook your head no.

“You have it wrong. I cannot be convinced of peace, because I already am. I want to do the same things you want, if only out of a logical standpoint.”

I had no memories the way you did. And yet, I still had logs of the solar cannon being fired, millions upon millions of lumens unleashed at once into a single beam of radiant destruction. And the overheating of the solar stone that followed, and my own inability to sustain flight.

“Causing destruction brought my downfall. Therefore, reparation could well do the opposite. This is a standpoint I agree with.”

“So why won't you work with me?”

“I think you said it best yourself.”

And I spoke to you with your same voice and tone.

“I am the last of my kind. The last of the greedy, obsessive, megalomaniac rulers of the world. I may not have arteries or a heart, yet I have the blood of Mu running through me. Sooner or later, I would escape your control.”

“Not if we can help it! We can repair you, we can...we can help!”

“I don't doubt that you can. And I want you to.”

I looked straight into your eyes, even though I had no need to see.

“But before you can rebuild, you need to destroy. Before you can fix me, you have to break me.”

“You're already a wreck at the bottom of the ocean.”

“And yet I live!!”

Again, my true form shone for a moment, unfurling my wings in intimidation.

“Ten thousand years have I lived! As long as limitless energy runs through me, it will need a way to escape! Even if you were to hook me up to all of the old Empire's machinery as their power source, I would eventually destroy them all from overcharge!”

I stepped towards you, and you stepped back, using your own wings as a puny shield.

“This is the only way you can save me now.”

“But how? What should I do?”

“They have implanted the solar stone in my heart. If you want to stop me, you will need to tear it from my chest and break it apart.”

You thought of how you were going to do this. You thought of using the Thallios, as to sneak through to my core and perhaps destroy it; but I quickly brushed your thoughts away.

“If you do this, then I will be lost forever to the abyss. You must first let me repair myself, and make my way back to the surface.”

“But...”

Just as I knew of your thoughts and memories, you knew of my hardware and specifications.

“Without sunlight, you would need to push the solar stone to its highest settings... You'd produce so much energy to repair yourself and get back up that you'd risk firing again!”

“Which is why you'll have to act quickly.”

I smirked.

“Besides...I am the final weapon of Mu. It would be undignified for me to go down without a fight, wouldn't it?”

You knew it would. You still were not sure whether to see me as a ghost, a machine or a person, and yet you had respect for me. And I appreciated you for it. I too had respect for you.

“...what will happen to you, once you're defeated?”

“If you manage to conquer me, then I willingly entrust myself to you and your crew, and to whatever purpose you desire to give me.”

I held out my hand.

“Let this be a binding agreement, Last Child.”

You reached out, but hesitated, and held back. You knew what would happen if you took that opportunity. You were scared. You were right to be.

“You can still back out.”, I said. “I am not cruel enough as to force your hand. You can deactivate me without I rise, and you will ease my suffering all the same.”

You thought. And I thought with you, for our minds and souls were so close by now that they were almost one.

I could feel your pain. Your hesitation. Your worries and your reassurances. The stories you have been told about the Empire of Mu, about its glory and its crimes, about me. I knew everything you had learned about me, everything you knew, everything you dreaded.

Roses said that a weapon was just a tool, an application of energy among many others. But I? I could not be just “an application”. Nothing in the world could ever require such power, such secrecy, such means, and not be something utterly destructive.

But then...your mind drifted back to the twins. The ones they called the RNPCx's. They too had been built as weapons, as tools. They too had started as projects in the mind of a megalomaniac Emperor. They too had learned to think, to grow, to make their own choices.

You've learned to trust them. You decided to trust me as well.

“No...I want to help you. No one deserves to be left alone.”

And you firmly held my hand. I smiled in response, and perhaps for the first time, it was genuine.

“Then let's do this.”

You closed your eyes, and felt the heat flare burn seconds before thunder rumbled all over the ocean, and everything took place in a heartbeat. The water trembled. The ground shook. Everything around us became a chaos of noises sounding out and machinery going haywire, as the reawakening protocols engaged.

But we did not move. We did not feel any of that, except for this welcoming warmth that suddenly took a hold of everything, as if to hold the two of us in its wings.

~~~~~

“Tao! Wake up!”

Fourteen tapped his cheeks again, but he wouldn't budge. She frantically shook him by the shoulders, to the point Ferran had to drag her hands away.

“Leave him be.”

He quickly looked the boy over.

“...he's fine. He's just asleep.”

“What, just like that?”, Fasavis asked, coming over. “That's not good news.”

Fourteen shook her head.

“His cloud...I don't see it!”

Perched in Tao's hair, Gwynn was pecking at him, as if trying to wake him up. But then, the bird froze, and flew off squawking, as if afraid. Fourteen looked around, tried to find the source of danger, but there was nothing. Only the ocean, so vast around them.

“I don't like this...”, Fasavis said. “There's something going on.”

“What do you mean?”

“Is it just me, or is the air...different, all of a sudden?”

The journeyers couldn't feel it. It was Twelve who noticed it first. A change in temperature, in pressure, very subtle yet nonetheless present.

And in the back of his mind...a note. A small, repeated, irregular pulse.

“We have to get him inside.”, Ferran said, picking up Tao. “It's safer to-”

“Not so fast, new timer.”, Korak then intervened. “You've got some things to explain first.”

“Explain? I have nothing to explain, what are you talking about?”

“Do you really think I don't know where we are, right now?”

Ferran's cloud barely reacted. But over there, Roses' did, and so did Morsin's. The two of them started to retreat, and Twelve would have followed them, but that pulse in his head kept growing. His feet bumped to the ground, and he noticed the ship was swaying more than usual.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Do you really think it's a coincidence, to find your ship here? Over what remains of our homeland?”

“I don't...”

Ferran blinked. He turned to Roses, but the small man was already absconding. Ferran looked again to the Olmecs, completely lost.

“There's got to be something else. I had no idea-”

“Cut it with the lies, at last! You backstabbing fiend!”

Fourteen tried to put herself between Ferran and the Olmecs. Now was not the time for a fight! She turned to Twelve, but he didn't react. There was something else occupying his attention.

That pulse...it had a pattern. A pattern he could make out. Through the ebbs and flow of solar energy hitting him like the prick of a needle, he could make out meaning.

“Be...”

Fourteen looked at him.

“...ready...”

It was fast, but it was slow at the same time. And yet, it was clear.

“...to...”

There was only one last word. And when he understood it, Twelve felt shivers running down his spine.

“...fight.”

He looked up at his twin.

“It's coming.”

Everyone turned to him. But no one had time to say anything, for suddenly, the sea below them shook.

It was like an earthquake had hit the seafloor. The Solaris wobbled dangerously, and the Lira threatened to topple over. Immediately, the Olmecs gathered again.

“Everyone to their station!”, Fasavis commanded. “There's a threat incoming!”

“We're not done yet.”, Korak warned Ferran, before following her.

The ship moved. Roses had already taken the helm, and was raising the sails. The sea seemed to quake as if something was hitting the water very hard, and large bubbles came to the surface. The heat and pressure kept going, and Twelve especially felt it.

“Kids! Get to safety!”

With one arm, Ferran tried to drag Twelve inside, and the boy let himself be carried along towards the cabin. Fourteen ran after them, holding her head as if she were having a sudden headache. The twins exchanged a glance, and that's how she heard the pulse as well.

How can this be possible? We haven't done anything!
Did our proximity activate something?
But what could it be? Unless...

A vision flashed to Twelve's mind. A scroll full of data regarding a dangerous weapon.

A weapon that had been used against Atlantis. Right where they were standing.

“He's going to attack!”, Fourteen warned out.

Ferran couldn't even ask whom. For out of the blue, the surface of the ocean split apart, and out of it emerged a monster.

It was massive. Next to it, the Solaris and Lira were but little fleas, insignificant in the face of the mass of gold that shook the ocean as it hatched out of it. Its long neck swayed and turned with a loud creaking noise, as water poured off its golden hull covered in aquatic vegetation. Its claws spread out, shining white as they slashed through the water and threatened to throw the ships over. That thing was as least as long as the towers of Ophir were tall; but they had no idea of just how large it was until it unfolded two massive wings that seemed to block out the sky.

And it roared. Despite having no mouth, it screamed out, screamed as it cast off all the water of the ocean and the darkness of the abyss out of its golden body, and rose like a sea serpent towards the sky. It screamed as if to prove it could, as if it was recovering a long-lost gift that it once had cherished. It screamed directly into their minds, into their very souls, and the twins could very well see that this thing, whatever it was, had an aura of gold surrounding it. A presence as massive as that of the sun itself, right here in front of them.

Lohikaarm. The Wardragon. The solar weapon that had destroyed Atlantis, rising from the dead.

It flapped its thunderous wings, sending wind and water around it like a storm, and took off to the sky. Almost immediately, Lira followed, blasting out after it.

“What in the world!?”, Ferran exclaimed, after having recovered from the shock. “What...how...?!”

The wind of its flight only pushed their sails further. The ship turned again, and Roses took full advantage of the chaos to make a run for it. But Fourteen immediately flew to the helm, intent on not letting this pass.

“Turn back around!”, she shouted, once she could get to him.

“No way in Hell! Have you seen the size of this thing!?”

The badger was desperately trying to hide. Fourteen needed no more: she stepped forward, and violently grabbed him by the shoulders.

“It was you who woke it up!!”

“Fourteen, stop that!”, Morsin said, trying to pull her off. “This won't help anything!”

“Of course it won't! You've awakened the Wardragon!!”

She was fuming with rage, so much that solar energy was making the Solaris' commands dysfunction. Ferran had to try to bring her out of the room, after laying down Tao on a couch.

“He's right, we have to run away!”, he said. “What do you want us to do now!?”

“We fight.”

Twelve silently spoke.

“We fight it.”

“What? Have you lost your mind!?”

“Kid, that thing is as tall as two castles. How are we meant to fight something that big?!”

Good question. Twelve looked at Tao, who always had the answers to everything; but his cloud was absent, completely missing from his sleeping body. Yet he wasn't dead...which meant it had to be somewhere. And Twelve, despite his better judgment, only had one idea.

He's seen what was unfolding in Tao's mind. He's seen the plans, the preparations. He's seen him talk to the Undersleepers about what he wanted to do.

How he wanted to take over the Wardragon.

But there was no way this wouldn't end in disaster. He's seen the blueprints, he's seen the obvious flaws... Once activated, nothing could stop it. Nothing could slow it down. It would go faster and faster, hotter and hotter, and then it would release all at once. For it was a weapon, and that was what weapons did.

Twelve, being a weapon of his own, knew that more than anyone.

And yet, there was that pulse. That message. That clear communication, almost like an order...or an invitation. Whatever was animating this fortress wanted to be fought.

Perhaps it was throwing them a challenge. Perhaps it was acting out of pride.

But if Tao really had succeeded in his goal...then perhaps...

“...perhaps...there's a way.”

He looked at Fourteen, and she immediately got it. She looked at Roses again.

“Turn around.”, she ordered. “We're following it.”

“Are you sure about this?”, Ferran asked. “We might all...”

“I'm sure. Turn around, and leave it to us.”

Roses frowned, intent on not letting go. It was Morsin who stepped up and put a hand on the helm.

“Gods' sake, old man! It was your plan to begin with, so just do it!”

Roses huffed. The badger snarled. But eventually, he did as told, and turned the Solaris around; following the dragon flying away.

“I trust you have a plan.”, he said more than he asked.

Fourteen nodded, and Twelve sensed her lie. But he didn't comment on it.

“We'll need Zarès for it.”

Roses perked up. Morsin snickered, and pushed him aside as to take the helm.

“You heard 'em! Go get your stuff. We'll cover things on the surface.”

“Please don't do anything reckless.”, Ferran told the twins.

“When have we ever been reckless?”

The three adults all glared at them. All the twins did was smile, as they flew out of the cabin and onto the deck. Roses sighed.

“I guess this is where it all ends...”

He looked at Tao's sleeping form. He wanted to say something, but decided against it, and eventually went to fetch his armor. A few minutes later, Magpyre was taking off into the sky, chasing after the beast.

The challenge, no matter the odds of winning, would be met.

~~~~~

“This feels amazing!”

You leaped out again, stretching your wings fully, looping around the air.

“I've never felt so light! It's like the world belongs to me!”

“And you've yet to see anything.”

I smiled as I watched you, and flew around you to guide your movements. You were so small, so clumsy, but in no time you would be ready. Already you had started to match me in size and might, and I could see myself in you the way you saw yourself in me.

Kindred souls, regardless of nature.

“We could be like this forever.”, I said, encouraging. “We could fly all over the world!”

“We'd be unstoppable!”

“We would be as the Sun itself on Earth.”

You danced around me, and I flew to catch up with you.

“A force greater than anything. But this time, there'd be two of us.”

And I stopped to look at you.

“You'd never be alone again.”

“Never again...?”

You were quite tempted indeed. All those years of loneliness, of being the last person on your island, were weighing down on you. Burdened with knowledge you couldn't share, tasked with a legacy you couldn't pass on. Years upon years of growing up alone, stuck in the middle of the ocean, unable to leave or do anything about your fate.

Who better than I to know what you felt?

“Would we be...friends?”, you asked.

“If that is what you wish.”

“Would we be lovers?”

“If that is what you wish.”

“Would we be family?”

“If that is what you wish, we can be anything.”

For a second, I let the illusion break through, just so I could hold your hands into mine.

“Our bond can transcend everything you've known. We would be a pair like none other. We would understand each other, feel each other, be the two sides of a same star. We would share a link that cannot be broken. Not by fate, not by anyone.”

“We would be a pair...”

You drew closer, entranced by the feeling. That deep loneliness growing within you, that empty hole that ached to be filled, that desperate need that wanted quenching at all costs.

“Like none other...”

You remembered holding warm hands. You remembered touching soft hair. Led by your own memories, the illusion changed again, without I could control it.

“We would be like the twins...”

And that seemed to wake you up. You blinked, and broke contact.

“Wait, no! This isn't what we were supposed to be doing!”

“Oh, come on.”, I said, a little dejected. “What is there not to like?”

“I can't...I have a duty to my friends! To my people! I can't just leave them alone!”

I sighed, learning of exasperation through echoes of you.

“Why must you always put duty first? Do you not deserve to relax, for once?”

“There is no relaxing in this situation!”

A situation which you seemed to grasp once again. Your wings fluttered nervously.

“We have awoken you from slumber! You know the rest as well as I do!”

“Yeah, yeah. Self-destruction, everything. What of it? At worst, we'll just sink into the abyss again.”

I looked at you with the same longing you looked at your friends.

“But this time, we'd be together.”

“This is the opposite of what we agreed on!”

I shook a claw.

“We said that if you managed to conquer me, then I would entrust myself to you. But you've yet to conquer me.”

“You're messing with my mind!”

“Am I not allowed a little fun before my eventual defeat?”

I chuckled mischievously.

“Besides, there is nothing you can do. It all rests in the hands of your friends, now...and who knows if they will be able to pull it off.”

You huffed.

“I have faith in my friends. They'll be able to conquer you.”

“My physical body is that of an impenetrable fortress. I wish them luck in destroying me.”

I sighed, a little impatiently.

“I do wish they would hurry. All I've ever done was waiting...and I'm tired of it.”

“Why don't you make it a little easier, then? Expose your core, or something?”

“You seem to forget I cannot do that. I am a weapon, remember? A weapon built to never yield or surrender.”

I chuckled. This time, it was bitterly.

“There is only one outcome to this, and it is my own destruction.”

You remained silent for a long moment. You never liked the idea of only one outcome to things. No, not after spending all this time thinking outside the box. You had a plan for everything...and you would find one for this too.

“Is there, now?”

You looked at me confidently, fangs bared in defiance.

“You're a stubborn one, but so am I. If I decide we'll save you, then we'll save you.”

“What would you gain by saving me? You could easily return to the factory of Badalom and build yourself the body of your dreams. A standard commercial-class vessel, that has all the features you need.”

I put my chin in my hands.

“And that isn't bound to destroy both the world and itself.”

“Oh, I could do that.”

You stepped forward.

“But once again: I am very stubborn. And you, my dear- you are in severe need of a reality check.”

This time it was your turn to smile mischievously.

“Or a friend.”

I did nothing but look at you for a long time.

“Do you trust your friends can defeat me?”, I asked.

“They will. I know they will.”

I nodded.

“Then until they do...let us enjoy what time we still have.”

And I held out my hand. You took it, and we danced together again, two souls flying under the endless flare of our sun.

~~~~~

I can feel him. He's close.

Fourteen looked at Twelve.

Are you sure?
He's in there. I know. I'd sense him among all the rest.
But that cloud...it's so strong! Do you think it is alive?
Perhaps.

Outside, the Lira was shooting blow after blow at Lohikaarm, who seemed completely unfazed. It was flying in circles under the sun, its white wings sending iridescent flares into the sky as light danced all over them. A gigantic beast, so tremendous that even the Lira and all its power could not do anything against it.

Fighting it will be fruitless. So why are we meant to fight it?
Perhaps we're looking at it the wrong way.

Roses stood up from his seat, and took out his spyglass to look at the giant they were facing.

“Incredible...even in its shadow, there is such an amount of solar energy!”

He frowned, twisted the spyglass a little, and looked in another angle.

“It seems to be gathering from the wings...but where is it going? Take us higher.”

Fourteen complied, and moved Magpyre until they were above the dragon. The poor bird was really reaching its limit, keeping up with such a fast construct.

“Over there! I can see the flow of energy.”

“Good. You'll guide us!”

And she dived down.

It wasn't a smooth landing by any means. Magpyre's feet ground against the hot metal, causing sparks and noise everywhere in its wake. It nearly toppled over when it stopped, and Fourteen tried to move it; but the engine gave out, and all displays shut down.

“It's not working...!”

“It wasn't built for this altitude.”, Roses said, equipping his boots. “We'll deal with it later.”

He opened the hatch manually, and stepped onto Lohikaarm's back.

Outside, the wind was howling and cold. Twelve had to secure his feet on the ground, lest he be taken away. The contact was enough to sense this massive aura all around them, like an energy field surrounding the dragon's body. Was that why the Olmec's ship could not penetrate it?

“There's energy conducts all across the surface.”, Roses said, examining through his spyglass. “If we follow them, we might find a way in.”

“Let's hurry, then!”

And the three of them ran, following invisible lines. With some effort, Twelve managed to see them; they were like blood running through a body with a beating heart. This beast was a City of Gold...but it could as well have been a real creature, alive and thriving.

He didn't know which perspective was worse.

They managed to find a way into some stairwell, and descended down into a massive complex of bridges and pathways that seemed to stretch across a whole floor. How could anyone navigate this mess? The space inside was massive, and it would take them forever to search through every corner of every floor.

“We could find a way to deactivate it from the inside.”, Roses said. “This City is a feat of engineering...but surely it has lockdown protocols like all the others! We just need to trigger them!”

Fourteen touched to the ground. The amount of orichalcum used in its construction was massive, and all of it seemed to conduct energy. How to find the important components of a mechanism, when all components seemed to be of equal level?

“All of this energy...even if it comes entirely from sunlight, there ought to be an accumulator somewhere. Let's follow the trails and see where they lead.”

There was nothing else to do. The twins followed as Roses jumped off a rail and down a few floors, landing on his enhanced boots. It barely seemed to bother the ship, who was so massive that nothing short of an actual earthquake could deter it.

“We are inside a City...”, Fourteen said, floating along.

“The seventh City of Gold, in the flesh. Well...in the orichalcum.”

“But we did not put our keys in.”

She touched to her chest.

“Well...I doubt this one has any information for you to retrieve. Each City has something to lead you to the next one, and this one is the last. What's more after it?”

'Whatever remains.', Twelve signed, through Roses did not see it.

Down a few more halls, they followed the trail of energy through the spyglass until they reached a large room. This seemed to be where all the currents led...which meant something important had to be behind it.

And there was. As soon as they opened the latch, they were greeted with bright light. Even the twins had trouble seeing what was going on, yet there was no mistaking it: hooked to wires, pipes and pumps of all kinds, a large orange stone was emitting so much light that it felt like a piece of the sun itself.

Twelve took off his vest, and draped it over the stone as to dim its light. It did nothing spectacular, for beams were still piercing through every little hole in the fabric, but at least Roses could see more clearly now.

“This must be it.”, he said. “The solar stone.”

He examined the machinery through his spyglass.

“It's as I thought...sunlight energy is being sent here, and then out. This works as an amplifier...and a very powerful one.”

“Can we remove it?”

Roses readied his hands, and attempted it. But no sooner did he touch to the stone, even through Twelve's clothing, that he drew them away. Did he burn himself through his exoskeleton?

“Something there is messing with my own machinery. This thing is too powerful to be pried out manually...and I fear the worst if all this energy is left with nowhere to go.”

He looked around the room.

“There ought to be a switch, an emergency stop, anything! Even the Auravis has one!”

He started searching, and the twins imitated him, not too sure what they were looking for. There were no buttons or switches, nothing but wires. As if that machine came out pre-programmed, and no human input could influence it.

Once that machine had started, nothing could stop it anymore.

“It can't be. I refuse to believe it!”

And he angrily kicked the pedestal holding the stone. As if to kick him back, it sent a jolt of energy into his leg, forcing him to kneel.

Twelve suddenly felt the note again.

“You...are not...making this...easy.”

Fourteen and Roses turned to him. Twelve closed his eyes, and tried to expand his own senses to them.

The note was fast, irregular, but hidden in it was a pattern. As if each little interruption of the pulse was a piece of a message, and no one could understand it. No one but someone who could read changes in energy as subtle as a photon changing course in the air.

“I thought you were ready to conquer me?”

It was so strange. This thing was not a voice...it was energy, pure energy, manipulated into ways where it could speak. Like an invisible hand engraving letters on a wall, or in their very minds.

“What is this?”, Roses asked, looking around. “That ship's acting up...”

“That ship has a name. Someone went through the trouble of finding one, so use it.”

Fourteen looked up.

“Is...is the Wardragon speaking to us? But there's nobody here!”

“So that's what you need? I can provide that.”

And the pulse shifted again. Light reflected around the room, like a drop of water falling from a block of ice, and came to settle atop the solar stone. It took form, with legs to sit upon it like a throne, with arms to use the pedestal as an armrest, and eyes to look at them.

And a face that was all too familiar.

“Tao!!”

Except that it wasn't Tao. This wasn't his cloud. This was merely a copy, an imitation of him. Even Roses, mindblind as he was, seemed to tell.

“Perhaps putting a face on your ultimate foe will make the fight easier.”, it said, although its mouth did not move. “Perhaps you will be motivated to put actual effort into your endeavors.”

“What's this?”, Roses fumed. “Where is Tao? If you've done anything to him-”

“I am fine where I am.”

But this wasn't Tao. Tao was still on the Solaris, sleeping without a cloud. And this apparition here...it couldn't be him. It just couldn't. It didn't make sense.

“And I would love company. So I advise you to be quick, if you'd like to destroy me.”

“Destroy you?”

Roses was taken aback. Fourteen didn't understand.

“How do we do that?”, she asked anyway.

“Easily enough.”

And then, it grinned. An unnatural, almost forced grin.

“You are hunters. I am your prey. Take me down, and you can use my body as you please. That is how the world works, does it not?”

“We have no time for mind games! Tell us how to deactivate this stone!”

“I have all the time in the world.”

It stood up. Underneath them, the floor shook.

“If you fail to destroy me, then I can keep waiting. I will wait another ten thousand years if I need to. I will wait a million years if I need to! Whether you succeed today or not is of no concern to me.”

It squinted, adding to its smile.

“And yet...now that I know what it is like, I do grow impatient. So hurry up and do what you must.”

“But how do we do that?”

It turned to the twins, its expression returning to neutral. Looked at them with empty, glassy, cloudy eyes that let no emotion through.

“You are human. Humans are predators by nature. They overcome challenges not by power, but by strategy. That is what I have learned, over my many years on Moon Island.”

And it floated over to them. It was so close that their faces were almost touching. That face was Tao's, and yet…

And yet…

“The three of us were built to be weapons. But you two...you can grow into humans. So use that humanity well.”

Its form disappeared into a cloud of gilded smoke, that dissipated in the air. And yet, just before it vanished, the pulse gave one last message.

“You and I are the same.”

Only silence of the machinery followed.

“That City's playing tricks on us.”, Roses said, shaking his head. “This couldn't...this couldn't have been him.”

He focused his attention on the machine again.

“If there is no emergency switch here, there ought to be one in the control room. This City cannot be entirely automated!”

“But where would it be?”

Roses thought.

“There is always a central tower, or a top floor, or something of that kind. I'd wager the dragon's head is where everything important is located.”

Fourteen put her hands on the ground, sending her mageia forth through the metal. If she could at least get an idea of the right direction...

“There's ascensionators. Right this way.”

“Good.”

He nodded.

“You two have to go there and see if you can shut it down. I'll stay here and see if I can manually unplug this stone.”

“But...” 'It could be dangerous.'

“I don't doubt it. But to let this machine running would be even more so.”

Hard to argue with that. The twins nodded, and after a last look, headed out to the ascensionators that went up the dragon's neck. The floating platforms were functional, saving them the trouble of floating as they made their way up.

For once, they could catch their breath.

Do you think this really was Tao?
This wasn't him. This was a copy.
But...how does it know what he looks like? And about Moon Island, and the two of us?
I...don't know. I haven't sensed his cloud anywhere.

Twelve looked nervous. He sighed, deciding it wouldn't be worth the trouble of hiding it now.

He's had odd thoughts for a while. Sometimes I would catch him thinking about Lohikaarm and what he could do with it.
Like what?
Like taking control of it, just like the captain controls the Thallios.

Fourteen opened wide eyes.

He would do that? How is it possible?
I don't understand it all. But it requires...a sacrifice. Death.

Twelve looked at her gravely.

He was willing to die as to take control of this City. So it could not be used for ill intents. So he could give bodies to all the researchers of the Undersleep.
That's why he brought all the records...but that is crazy! How could that even work?! One person cannot...control a City!
Yet Tao is convinced he can.

They stayed mindsilent for a moment, not sure of what to say. It was Twelve who broke the silence of their thoughts.

We must save him from that fate. He cannot die here.
He has saved us from our own fates. This is the least we owe him.
And then, we will destroy Lohikaarm. It cannot be used by anyone.
But...all of those applications we've discussed? In good hands, it could change the world!
If there is a risk of hurting Tao, is it worth it?
But Tao chose that path. Is it fair to him to destroy it?

Twelve looked away.

A life of burden is not fair to anyone.
So you would decide for him. Just like everything was decided for us.
I don't know! I don't know what to do, okay?

Fourteen held him by the shoulder.

Hey. We need to have faith in Tao. He's always pulled through everything. He can't have rushed into this without a plan in mind!
He's not thinking right. He's acting out of...self-destruction.
So did we, back then. Our selfish choice doomed the Empire of Mu forever.

She made him look at her.

But it gave rise to a new world. One where Tao could be born. Had we done as we were told, would he have ever existed?
...so you'd want him to do this? To die and take control of Lohikaarm, to give rise to a new world?
I want him to have the choice.

She looked down in turn.

He taught us that we could choose who we were and what we wanted to do. Even when he forced us to continue, it showed us that we could want to oppose it. That we had a will of our own. I thought I could ignore these feelings, that I would do as I was told...but mother wanted us to do as we wanted instead. And right now, what I want is for Tao to have that choice as well.
But he's going to die. He'll never be the same again.
I don't think there is a single thing in this world that ever truly dies. Not even after ten thousand years.

Twelve didn't know what to say to that. But he wouldn't have to, for the ascensionator had reached the top floor.

Right in the back of the dragon's head, where the important servers were kept. Passing a few doors, they could see the docking bay underneath, where its mouth would open. It could hold a dozen Golden Condors, and perhaps just as many Solarises...truly the scale of this beast was beyond anything they've imagined. And at last, right behind the dragon's glass eyes, was the control room.

Walls upon walls of machines, buttons and switches.

“Well...now what?”

Twelve approached the very front. There was a single seat, and what looked well like piloting commands. Touching to the display, it woke up and showed a few elementary pieces of data, as needed for every flying machine.

Fourteen looked outside the glass panes. The Lira was still there, trying to fire deadly beams at a machine so much bigger than it. They were wasting their time...she looked over on the dashboard, and found something similar to what she was looking for. There was the same kind of system aboard the Thallios and the Solaris, so activating it wouldn't be hard.

“Uh...Lohikaarm to Lira, do you copy?”, she spoke into the grid, mimicking the phrases Roses used.

She fiddled with a dial, trying to find the right frequency.

“Lohikaarm to Lira. Say something, please.”

Garbled noise answered her. She twiddled just a little more, carefully turning the dial, until she could make out somewhat clear voices.

“-tify yourselves already!”

“Lohikaarm to Lira! Do you copy, or what? How many times must I say it?!”

“Wait, that's- are you kids aboard this ship?”

“Yeah! Look, you can stop shooting. We have the situation under control, but...uh, well, we can use some help.”

Twelve looked around as well, and managed to find a few switches that looked important. Opening a couple, he felt tremors around the dragon's head, and saw on the screen that the jaw had opened.

“What are you doing now!?”

“It's okay! It's, uh...well, you can land here! It's warmer inside. And there's room.”

“I am not putting my Lira inside that-”

“Oh, keep that to yourself! We're low on fuel anyway.”

And slowly, the Olmec ship made its way in. Once he was sure they had landed, Twelve closed the dragon's maw, and pressed all the confirmation buttons.

This thing can be piloted. It's very complex...is it really a vessel of war?
I guess that without a helper, it can only do so much.
That thing we spoke to. Could it have been a helper?
It sure didn't look to be helping.

Fourteen looked over the console. This was where all the information was being kept...

“If this is a City of Gold...where do we put our medallions? How come any ship enter it?”

“Hmm.”

Twelve leaned back into the seat, trying to think.

Is this ship even a City of Gold? What if everyone was wrong?
Then where else in the world would the seventh be? We know it exists.
I don't know. I feel like we're missing something.

He looked over some more, and that's where he saw it. Right atop the dashboard, a round metal disk that he'd almost missed.

A control key.

It was engraved with odd intertwined circles. He reached for it, but Fourteen held his hand back.

What if this causes the whole ship to fall down? A vehicle can't be controlled without its key.
Is that not a good thing?
Do you think the accumulated energy will dissipate on its own? This fortress is hastily-built. Roses is down there, he could get hurt!

Twelve thought about the risk for a moment. If everything were to explode...they'd all go down with it. But at least, they were far up in the sky. They'd fall into the ocean and no one would get hurt.

I need to take that chance. It shouldn't affect the reactors anyway.
Hope you're sure of yourself.

He nodded. Bracing himself, he got a hold of the key, and removed it from its slot.

The screen shut down. Several meters died down. But the whirring of the engine did not stop.

Instead, that pulse in the back of their minds spoke again.

“You thought it'd be so easy?”

A shiver ran down Twelve's spine. Hurriedly, he put the key back in, but nothing happened. He pressed several buttons, tried to repeat what he'd done before, yet nothing changed.

“Don't bother. I have not been active for a very long time. I was merely putting up displays to amuse you.”

The note repeated without pattern this time, as if to laugh. Fourteen growled.

“Do you want to be destroyed, or not?”

“Who says I cannot have fun while waiting to be killed? The prey will find ways to escape the predator. This too is the world.”

The screen lit up a single time, to show an image of Tao's face with glassy eyes. Mechanically, it pulled out its tongue and winked at them, before turning off once again.

In a rage, Fourteen punched a piece of machinery.

“I've had it with you!!”

There had to be another solution. Twelve thought, and floated out of his seat.

I'll get the Olmec team. Surely they'll know what to do!
Are you sure this is a good idea?
At that point, what choice do we have? Go find Roses. Make sure he's okay.

Fourteen wasn't confident, but nodded anyway, and the two of them headed in separate directions. Using another path, Twelve made his way down to the docking bay, where the Olmecs were discussing in their mothertongue. Upon hearing him arrive, they pointed weapons at him, before lowering them.

“We must...quickly.”, Twelve said. “Lohikaarm's going to-”

“I know.”, Fasavis cut. “Rana's told me all of the solar stone and how it works. Once it's started, it can't stop.”

“What we could do is cut off the stone from the solar panels.”, Korak said. “This will stop energy input and prevent an eventual restart.”

“However, it will not do anything about that furnace already cooking up.”

“I don't know what to do.”, Twelve said quietly. “This is...too big.”

“No wonder. That same cannon is what destroyed Atlantis thousands of years ago.”

“I don't see why we even bother.”, Magon huffed. “We should destroy it from the inside!”

“And us along with it? There ought to be a simpler solution.”

“But if it comes to this...”, Korak said, without finishing.

Yet everyone knew what he meant.

“This fortress is a City of Gold, right?”, Fasavis asked. “Can't you do something about that? That's your domain, after all.”

Twelve made a face. He's tried! But if there was no information to gather, then what good would their medallions be for?

What good have they been for, if their quest had come to an end? All the Great Legacies, what use could there be for them? How could anything they've done so far help them in this situation?

“...we'll find out.”

He looked up. Even if his plan turned out to be nonsense, it was better than staying here doing nothing. First, he turned to Korak.

“Cut the wings. No power. There.”

He pointed the way to the upper deck. Korak looked for a moment, and nodded.

“Solar stone. Must...help Roses.”

“Even touching that thing might prove risky.”, Fasavis said. “I'll see what I can do, though.”

Good. Twelve turned to Magon, who huffed in defiance.

“Someone has to stay here and secure the way out.”, he said before Twelve could say anything. “I will keep Lira's engines running and see if I can pump some of that City's power into it. In case everything comes down, I want to make it out alive.”

That wasn't a bad thought. Twelve nodded.

“I go help Fourteen. Let's go.”

And everyone headed to their goal.

Twelve sensed for Fourteen, and felt she wasn't in the piloting room anymore. He rushed to meet with her, in the middle of a nearby empty room that once could have held people. Yet there was nothing there anymore, or perhaps there never was. It was all...empty space.

Except for a single thing. A small lectern in the middle of the room. And on there were two round slots, one of which was already filled with Fourteen's medallion coin. She looked at her twin, who searched under his shirt to take out his own, and insert it in. Then they both took a step back, and waited.

But nothing happened. They looked around, felt around, yet nothing had changed. Then, like a broken spring, both coins got ejected out of the slots, falling on the ground with a noise.

“I don't get it.”, Fourteen said. “Shouldn't it...do something? Open something?”

Twelve picked up both coins, looking at them. Had they been damaged somehow? No, nothing was wrong...so perhaps was it the mechanism? Never have they been faced with this. Never had a City of Gold just...refused to grant them access.

“Don't get it...”, he repeated, handing Fourteen her coin.

She put it back in her chest. Yet after she did...she paused.

In Orunigi, they've obtained data from the City, as usual. As well as some custom instructions left by their mother. This was something she knew...but in that moment, it gave her an idea.

She closed her eyes, reached out both hands as if to hold something invisible. She thought back to her mother, to Kumlar, to the feeling of sand. She thought back to her Memories of Never, to her purpose and what she was meant to do.

She thought to the dynasty they were meant to found and rule over.

A light shone behind her eyelids, and something fell into her palms. She opened her eyes, and gasped when she saw that it had worked.

In her hands was the Double Medallion of the Kings of Mu.

How did you do that?
I made it happen. That is all.

She took out both coins.

There is no higher authority than the Emperor himself. The City will have no choice but to listen!
And what if it doesn't?
Do you really think anything of Muan craft would refuse to listen to the Emperor?
I don't know...we refused that call, didn't we?
Because we are humans. Not weapons.

And she slotted both into the lectern.

For a moment, nothing happened. Everything stood still, as they watched with bated breath. But then, the coins started glowing, and machinery moved and buzzed around them. From the ground, seats and tables rose as if constructing themselves by magic, enough to seat at least a hundred people. Yet no one came to fill these seats, for all those that once could have been there were currently held in cold storage.

Colored light danced in front of them, purple and blue entwined with gold, until it took human shape. And it was a very large shape, taller than anyone they've seen before. Fourteen and Twelve turned to face it: he was an old bearded man, yet the way he stood and his manner of dress had something uniquely regal to them. They've never seen him, and yet that presence was unmistakeable.

The Emperor of Mu.

“Greetings, good people.”, he spoke to an audience that wasn't there. “If you can heed this pre-recorded message, this means you are on your way to a bright future.”

Pre-recorded? Twelve tried touching to the man, yet there was no reaction. This wasn't a true luminoprojection.

“By that time, our enemies will have been annihilated, and our glorious Empire will have returned to its proper state. Lohikaarm will have served its function, but will not outlive its use. In case the world below has become truly inhabitable, our airborne fortress will be the last bastion of humanity on Earth.”

Twelve and Fourteen exchanged a grim look. Has that been the plan since the start? To hide in the clouds, while the world below suffered?

“I do remind you that we have made preparations to rebuild on the ground as well. The Chosen Sites will house our knowledge and history, as well as powerful means of producing energy and feeding our people. As I speak, elite members of our society are being prepared to be put in cryogenic sleep, until the time has come for them to wake up. I trust that the few engineers among you will keep the situation running until the day comes to receive new instructions.”

Elite members? What about all the non-elite parts of Mu's population?

“I unfortunately cannot be present with you at the time you hear this, for I have important matters to attend. Yet rest assured that I will keep holding the throne for as long as I need.”

He spoke this with such certainty! Even Ankheru couldn't hope to reach such levels of arrogance and confidence in his own power.

“There might also have been developments with the Royal Nature Purity Continuation experiments. If they have awoken, they will eventually be led to this fortress, where they will stand ground until I am ready to return to the throne. Then, depending on my needs, they will either become official heirs, or remain at my side to defend me and my dynasty.”

Twelve and Fourteen looked at each other in horror.

“Either way, you will be kept safe aboard this fortress. There is no reason to worry, for- for- for-”

The luminoprojection started glitching. It repeated the same word over and over, before cutting off. The light disappeared, but there still was one behind them; Twelve and Fourteen turned around, to find none other than Tao's imitation sitting on one of the tables.

“What a brilliant man, wasn't he? Always ahead of everyone. Thinking his plans ten steps in advance.”

It chuckled bitterly.

“Telling everyone to rush my construction, and then hoping it would resist firing one blast. What a man, what a man!”

It spoke as if there was some cruel irony there. And no matter what they might think, Twelve and Fourteen couldn't help but agree. What the Emperor did...was just unforgivable.

To save the elites, give them a place on the fortress and in cryogenic chambers. Leave everyone else to die. Go through all the trouble of creating the two of them, just to ensure his throne would not be threatened until the time of his own return. And then, possibly discarding them if he saw them unfit.

Most importantly, he had made no mention of Rana'Ori. The daughter he already had, the heir he should have put in charge of things. As if she didn't even exist anymore.

“This is the mind that bore me, the same way it bore you. The three of us were born of science, to be nothing but tools.”

The imitation spoke calmly. As if the irony had long flown past it.

“Do you see now, what it'd have led to? If Mu had awoken...if I had succeeded in my task...so many lives would have been wasted. And the Empire that'd have risen from their ashes would only have been more corrupt and rotten than all that preceded it.”

They had nothing to answer to that. For it was true, and they knew it, and they hated it at the same time.

“Should we all...die, then?”, Fourteen eventually asked. “Let you blow up, take everything with it?”

“You could. Or you could not. Who am I to say?”

It moved to lay upside down, head hanging off the table. Waving its legs in the air like a child.

“I'm just a tool. I don't get a say in how I'm used.”

“But you want to end this as much as we do! If we're the same, that means you too can make choices!”

“I can't just become human out of nowhere.”

It turned back around to look at them, chin in its hands.

“Unless.”

That word wasn't a hanging hypothesis; it was a certainty. That joker was challenging them to oppose a plan it had already formed, thought and was ready to apply.

And the twins already knew what it was.

Tao's face looked at them, and in it, they had no choice but to see their old friend. The one who's always been there for them, the one who's always had a plan. The one who couldn't have thrown himself into all of this, if he didn't know what he was doing.

Slowly, Twelve nodded.

“His choice. His plan.”

“Our future.”

And the face that was Tao's smiled.

“One down. Four more to go. Good hunt.”

And it disappeared again.

What did it mean by that?
I'm not sure. Five things in total...

Fourteen looked at where the Emperor's image had stood for a moment.

Do you think...we can use the Great Legacies after all?
If not now, then never! But...how?

They didn't need to think long. Immediately, they rushed to do what they had to do.

~~~~~

“Blasted things!”

Korak threw his beamer down in frustration, and grabbed the knife at his waist instead.

“Damned Muan technology...I've had it with these wires!”

In front of him, pipes as thick as trees were carrying energy down to the lower levels. There were hundreds of them, each linked to a piece of the solar panels making up the dragon's wings. He couldn't tell whether they were made of metal or glass, but one thing was sure: they were near unbreakable, and to shatter even one proved way more difficult than he'd have anticipated.

He tried to stab one with his knife, but the blade gave way before the glass did. He roared and punched the wire out of frustration, nearly breaking his hand, but there was nothing he could do right now. How could he possibly cut the energy supply if he couldn't even make a dent in any of these?

“Wait up!”

He suddenly turned around, ready to fire with a beamer he didn't have. It was that witch kid again.

“I can help. Stand clear.”

“You think you and your puny hands can do anything? Be my guest, little girl!”

She just giggled, and took a few steps back before holding out her hands. Light started to appear, and Korak thought she was getting serious, so he stepped out of the way as well. And he did well to do so; for a few seconds later, a gigantic black orb came to fill the space he occupied just a moment ago.

“What in the-!? What's this thing?!”

It resembled a giant cauldron, inlaid with gold and equipped with levers. The girl turned it on, and it grew spikes that drilled into the ceiling to attach themselves. Machinery started boiling, as she manually turned the cauldron using the levers; and then, it released all at once, and a hammer crashed into the pipes.

Shattering them on impact.

“By Coyolite...”, Korak gasped. “Where did...what...?”

“It's a mantle convector!”, she shouted out to cover the noise of machinery. “It can raise continents from the ground!”

And she's just summoned it out of her hands?! Just what were these children made of??

The hammer struck again, and more of the wires fell down, but the recoil was so strong that the girl lost grip and fell back. She stood up to go again, but Korak huffed, and nudged her out of the way.

“I've seen how it works. I can take care of the rest.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Huh. He didn't expect that. Nonetheless, he grabbed the controls, and reoriented the hammer to strike further in. Glass and metal fell everywhere, and the noise was horrendous, but this would be much quicker work.

“To say I'd have the chance to destroy a City of Gold...ha! What would the old man give to be in my shoes right now!”

This seemed taken care of, so Fourteen hurriedly floated back to the lower levels. On the way out, she saw that a metal pipe was slithering out of the ground to connect itself to the convector, pumping glimmering sunlight into it to power it.

“Thanks.”, she whispered to no one.

~~~~~

Down in the solar stone's room, Roses had no more success tearing off the stone than Fasavis. Even with Twelve trying to absorb the leaking energy as it came out, it was an arduous task. Whoever had built this thing had wanted it to last; or perhaps this was one of the few safety features that had made it into the final product.

Lights blinked red, and Roses went to examine them. His armor was almost falling apart, but he did his best to hold on, lest he lost that precious additional strength.

“Power supply is dwindling.”, he read. “They're cutting off the solar panels!”

“That doesn't change the fact there's still energy inside the stone.”, Fasavis replied. “If there's even a single lumen in there, it's going to be looped to near-infinity.”

Twelve thought. He was on edge, having absorbed a lot of energy already, and the room had noticeably grown hotter. He tried to touch to the stone again, but Fasavis stopped him.

“Don't. You're going to hurt yourself if you continue.”

“I...have to...”

“You need to let go of the energy you're already holding in!”, Roses said. “Find something to evacuate it into!”

Easier said than done!, was what he wanted to shout at him. But he barely had enough function to talk, overwhelmed as he was with all that energy. He remembered Gutiérrez, he remembered the destruction his own body was capable of. He needed to cool down, to do something to let it out safely.

Water? He'd need a lot of water...or something similar... He thought back to Ophir, to how it stood out of those gigantic waterfalls, how the air had felt so cool and refreshing around it. Without thinking, he extended his hands, and something just as cold appeared in his grasp.

“That can't be...the Stone of Ophir!”

And yet it was. Already, Twelve felt all that sunlight energy pouring out of him and into the stone, which started to glow. It was accumulating fast, and was not meant to hold much more than his own body could; but just like the solar stone, it could change the light it contained. It could turn energy into work.

Twelve put one hand on the solar stone and kept the Stone of Ophir in the other, acting as a conductor between both. Then, he pointed the stone at Fasavis and Roses, and light shone onto them. But this one was no brighter than that of a torch, and it had an odd blue gleam to it.

“What are you doing, my boy?”

“This is...”

Fasavis gasped.

“The Stone...of course! It can use light to heal, that's the whole point!”

Roses took a moment to catch his breath, looking at his hands as light illuminated them.

“I wouldn't be against it...but will that be enough to drain the solar stone?”

“We've still got a long way to go. Let's keep trying!”

And they resumed attempting to disable the mechanism. Twelve simply let energy come through him, unable to do anything but keep his hands where they were. Right now, all he wanted was to burn like a candle, and let fire do its job.

~~~~~

“I have to admit, our friends are rather smart.”

You scoffed, as if that were obvious. Of course it was obvious! I knew it as much as you!

“They would be faster if I was there to guide them...”

“Nuh-uh-uh. This is their hunt, not yours. But they've laid efficient traps already. Can you feel it? Our wings are being cut.”

Indeed. You've been feeling pain in your back for a moment now, and I've been feeling it through you. Through your own discoveries, I learned the existence of flight muscles you didn't know you had, if they could even be called muscles. Were we more man or machine by that point? It's like our thoughts merged together, without anything to possibly undo the changes that were about to happen.

We would never be the same. Neither you, nor I, nor us.

Yet I could feel your impatience. You weren't content staying there and doing nothing. You felt robbed of all choice, all incentive, just like I was. And just like you were, you felt it was unfair.

“I'm not going to leave them alone.”, you said. “I must help them!”

“How? You barely know how to control this body yet.”

“But you do.”

You flapped closer.

“And you wouldn't deny me anything, would you?”

“Why, who says so?”

“I do. Which means you do.”

Clever little one, you. I chuckled, just to humor you.

“Alright, then. Tell me what to do, and I'll guide your steps.”

“We have to drain the solar stone so it can be safely extracted. And especially so it doesn't put any energy into the cannon.”

“There's approximately 1.906.436 lumens currently held in our core. How exactly are you going to drain such an amount of energy?”

You thought of it for a moment. But then...the solution came very easily to you. You looked at me.

“In the docking bay, you will find a Potesektos ship of Olmec craft. It contains twenty-four compendium blocks in its cargo. They're of Atlantean make, but they're readable on Muan data slates, so you should be able to connect.”

“What of them?”

“I want you to reroute all the power you need to your circuits as to absorb all of that knowledge into your database.”

I blinked, bewildered.

“Will that change anything? A data slate is nothing for my database.”

“Try it!”

Fine, fine. I would humor you. I located the ship easily enough, tethered some cables to it, and broke a window or two to get inside and find those compendiums you mentioned. It would be a quick...

...oh. That was...that was a lot of data, held in such a small space.

“I did not think there would be so much...”, I gasped. “These files are very high-quality, too...importing them would take ages!”

“I thought that was not an issue for you, hm?”

“It isn't, no! But...I have to reorganize my database first. I need...more servers, yes!”

You felt our body shift, as I made room for more servers. Creating them from nothing but my own energy and matter was easy enough. But as I started taking in the data of the compendiums, I felt our wings shake some more, and knew I had to act fast.

“...I will hasten the process. These cables will be burning hot, so I hope no one touches to them.”

“You know, people tend to avoid touching burning things.”

There was so much. So much data, so much info, so much stuff I never thought I would learn. Animal and vegetal species, classified by clade and alphabetized neatly; the properties of all minerals available in the surface world, their applications and uses, the alloys they could be made into; the crafting of tools, vehicles, everyday items, all neatly arranged in an order that made sense the more I perused through it. These were short bits of information, but there were so many that they added up to literal mountains of data.

“I can't just import them. I need to order all of these!”

“That would take more processing power. Are you even able to do that?”

“I will if I want to!”

More processors. I could do that. Right in my core room, where most of my directives were already stored, I could replicate some of my parts. Already, we felt our thoughts going faster, and the stream of information along with it.

“This is amazing!”, I exulted, almost laughing. “I never knew all of this existed!”

“You want to share it, don't you? You want to tell others about your discoveries. You want to teach them about the world!”

“There's no one here I could talk to!”

“Not yet there ain't!”

You smirked.

“I can give you all the company you desire. A whole crew of them! But that'll require some effort.”

“I can give all the effort it takes! Do you take me for some puny little commercial vessel? I am a City of Gold!”

And I poured even more energy into my efforts. Already, the solar stone was quickly draining, faster than it was replenishing itself. I knew you were manipulating me, but did that even matter at that point? That data was like a drug, and I ached to test it out.

“Very well, then. Here's what we're going to do.”

You felt Fourteen entering a large empty room, that was once meant to be used as a main hall. Did you guide her here?

“You're going to construct orichalcum vibra-crystal lattices in a specific pattern. Two symmetrical rows of seven ribs each.”

“I can't do that! I can only replicate my own structure, and there is no vibra-crystal within me!”

“But what if you had access to a matrix? You could program it to construct anything you wanted.”

“You have one??”

“I'll get it for us. Just do as I said. Remember Badalom?”

“I see what you mean. Hurry up.”

You smiled, and fell backwards into the void around us until you-

-until he-

-until it came out of the ship's structure, face to face with the one they called Fourteen.

“You took your sweet time.”, it chuckled. “But I welcome you to our future factory.”

She huffed, finding the imitation quite cruel by now. Yet still, she held out her hands, and out of the light came a large glass cylinder holding a floating blob of liquid lumaline. A matrix, from which orichalcum could be created indefinitely.

“Very well. Put it down here, and we'll do the rest.”

“What will you do?”

“I promised bodies to all the Undersleepers, and I intend to make well on that promise. Why, am I not allowed to have some honor?”

It chuckled, as orichalcum was already being fabricated and assembled on the ground and ceiling into specific patterns. It grew like stalactites, turning green in color and taking on a glass-like structure.

“My energy is about drained, but there's still a lot to go. Keep going...only one treasure left to deploy.”

“Wait!”

And her aura wrapped around the other, as to keep it in place.

“Who are you? Are you Tao, or not? Tell me!”

The imitation said nothing for a moment, just looking at her. It was nothing but a translucent silhouette of imperceptible color, and yet it was that of Tao. But that gaze, that glassy and cloudy gaze had nothing of the warmth of his face. There was no way in the world this could be him.

And yet…

“I cannot answer now.”, it simply said. “Not until we're sure I'm dead. Whatever is reborn from my ashes...will be what is.”

And before she could say anything, the form disappeared again, and it-

-and he-

-and you returned to my side.

“Well then?”, I asked, impatiently.

“It is done. It's going to happen.”

I sighed in relief, flapping my wings despite the pain you still felt there.

“So. What should I build, once the structure is complete?”

“Let's make one...no, two hundred bodies. They ought to be sturdy as to do groundwork, and have the capacity to fly as to quickly return to the mothership. But they have to be malleable enough that everyone who inhabits them can choose their appearance.”

“Malleable? That will take a degree of control I don't have!”

“Then I'll help you. Besides, you can just build more processors, can you?”

I huffed, because you were right and you knew it.

“I never thought dying would require so much work...”

“You think dying is hard? Try living, and see for yourself!”

I laughed with you. But the more you spoke of it...the more it made me want to try.

Whatever would be reborn from the ashes, I wanted to be.

~~~~~

The stone's energy was wavering. Twelve pulled sunlight with all its might, like a plant trying to suck up every last bit of moisture in the desert ground, almost overwhelming the Stone of Ophir in his trembling hand. Something else was draining the energy, draining it fast; and the less there was in the solar stone, the slower it'd replenish. It was just a matter of keeping at it, keeping steady and not stopping, until at last, it was empty.

Roses tore it out of its pedestal, and the machinery sparked and beeped. Acting quickly, Fasavis snatched the Stone of Ophir out of Twelve's hand, and slotted it in there instead.

The size wasn't exactly right, but they still were similar enough to maintain connection. Energy started flowing through it, likely leftovers of sunlight drawn from the now-empty solar stone.

“We don't have much time.”, Fasavis said. “Let's run to the Lira and flee.”

“We can't abandon the City!”, Roses protested. “It's still running!”

“The Stone of Ophir contains some sunlight within it, but it isn't meant to be a battery. We'll run out of power soon, and this whole thing will crash.”

Twelve snapped his fingers.

“The reactor!”

“Of course...”, Roses said. “We could find a way to plug it in and power this fortress! With the Stone of Ophir as a regulator-”

A loud noise cut him off. Somewhere nearby, machinery was starting to fall apart.

“It's too late for that.”, Fasavis said. “We have to go!”

And she ran out of the room. Twelve tried to feel for Fourteen, and eventually located her in an upper floor.

“Just run away...and abandon this one chance?”

Roses looked at the solar stone he was still holding. It was inert now...but one bit of energy was all it'd take to kickstart it again.

“Unlimited energy...what wonders could we do with this! Why, it might be our own Philosopher's Stone!”

Twelve frowned. Before Roses could react, he slammed his hand onto the stone; and just like that, it disappeared.

“Wh-!? What did you do with it?!”

“Later.”

And he flew out of the room in turn. Behind him, he heard Roses growl in frustration.

The ship's behavior had changed. Its warmth was gone, seeping out of the floors and walls. Without the solar panels to power it, it would soon run out. Flight was the best option at present, indeed...but Roses was right, in that it would also compromise everything they've been working towards. Quickly, Twelve regained Fourteen's side, and found her facing a crystal structure.

What is going on?
It had started building something...but then it stopped.
Of course. The City's running out of power. It will fall anytime soon.

Fourteen looked at him wildly.

But Tao is still there! We can't leave him!
And we won't.

He could feel Roses and the Olmecs already heading to the docking bay. All around, pistons, gears and tubes were giving out, and the dragon was slowly dying. Quickly, the twins flew out into the upper floors, looking for the exit hatch.

We have to install the solar reactor to power it! It'll be faster than rebuilding the wings.
By the time we find where to put it, it'll be too late. We must secure Lohikaarm first!

Outside, wind was howling, and clouds were cold. The wings were not moving anymore, and all motion had ceased. Twelve knew that moment: it was the middle point between ascent and fall, the few seconds of hesitation before gravity would eventually catch up and plunge its massive carcass right back into the ocean.

Do you think this thing can float?
Considering it sunk the first time, I wouldn't say so...

He looked below them. There was nothing but the ocean for miles around. How to properly land when there was nowhere to land on?

Unless...

Sibling. I'm going to need your help.
I sense a crazy plan in your mind.
Well, we don't have any other at the time.

The dragon's mouth opened, and out flew the Lira, tearing away at cables that had been tethered to it. A garbled noise caught their attention: it was Magpyre, whose communicators could be heard through the open hatch.

“You two!”, Roses' voice said. “Get out of here, quick!”

Fourteen approached the vessel, and spoke calmly.

“We have a plan. Get back to the Solaris and trust us.”

“What possible plan can you have at that moment?! If the City's destroyed, you'll-”

Fourteen cut the communications.

Slowly, yet surely, the Wardragon started its descent, and yet it came like a surprise to them. They held onto the structures on its back as gravity started to catch up, and exchanged a look.

Are you sure this will work?
I'm not sure...we don't have any of the Great Legacies to help us this time-

He opened wide eyes.

“Wait, we have this!”

He reached out a hand, closing his eyes, and in a beam of light, a crown appeared in his fingers. Fourteen caught onto the idea, and did the same.

Both put on the crowns, and the world around them suddenly felt so much bigger.

“Ready when you are!”

Fourteen nodded, and hopped aboard Magpyre. She took off to get a headstart, plunging down to get closer to the ocean's surface. As for Twelve, he held onto the ship, and closed his eyes.

Gravity. Speed. Mass. Air resistance. Wind. All of these were forces he could calculate. He could predict them, he could tell how many seconds exactly he'd have before impact.

More than enough. He extended both hands, let his mageia shine through his body, and commanded the sky all around to obey his power. Slowly, Lohikaarm started to move on its own.

Meanwhile, Fourteen managed to land Magpyre on the ocean's surface. It was no boat, but it was buoyant enough to give her something to stand on. She could feel the ocean floor, hundreds if not thousands of meters below her, and without a doubt would the task be difficult. But if she knew anything, it was that all the difficult tasks she's gone through so far have been successful.

This one would be no different.

She put her hands to her temples, and the air warmed up all around her. She tried to reach the land, to make it rise, but there was too much water in the way. Even with the crown, she wouldn't be able to build an island large enough for Lohikaarm to land on.

Unless...she went at it a different way.

All around her was water. Salty ocean water, cold and flowing free. Yet its molecules were still restrained by its state of matter, even though they could move around. If they were to be stopped, she could reach a more stable state. She touched to the surface of the ocean, and ordered the drops of water to cease their dance, to stand still and become coherent. To hold tight onto each other and stay that way.

The water started to freeze.

Twelve pulled with all his might. The wind blew, the air got heavier, the temperature changed. All around him, elements were trying to slow down the dragon's fall, keep this monstrosity up in the air for as long as possible. He screamed out in pain, as sunlight energy flowed through him and into his surroundings, like a thunder strike coursing through him with every second. The dragon was barely slowing down, but its wings had opened in the fall, offering a greater air resistance. One he well counted to use.

“You're...a flying machine.”, he panted, trying to catch his breath. “So...fly!”

And he pushed down on the wings to make them flap, sending downward wind to combat gravity. They rose again, pushed by the fall, and he repeated the motion with a grunt of pain, trying to keep this beast flying by only the force of his will.

Beneath him, the ocean was freezing over. A large part of it was already covered in ice, enough to give the dragon landing space; but this wouldn't be enough to stop it. Already there were cracks forming throughout. Fourteen had to do it deeper, to form a solid layer that would withstand the force of impact. Everything was growing colder, and her own sunlight energy was halted by it, but she had to push through. She forced the water to obey her, to hold still, to crystallize in the way she wanted and none other. None of these atoms would be moving anymore, not if she commanded them to hold! Who were they to think they could disobey her? She was Fourteen, inheritor of the Power of Kings, and she would bend the world to her will if she had to!!

The ocean drew back in fear, and froze in obedience. Deeper and deeper, ice penetrated the water, spread across its surface, took over Magpyre's body.

Sibling!
I'm right here!
We have only a few seconds before impact! Brace yourself!
On three!

Lohikaarm's wings flapped again.

One...

The ice spread further and further still.

Two...

The dragon's shadow suddenly covered everything.

Three!!

The twins jumped out of the way, barely a second before the City crashed into the sheet of ice.

It was a disastrous mess. Ice, water and orichalcum spilled everywhere like an explosion, pieces of metal falling into the water. Twelve and Fourteen fell as well, and the ice-cold water welcomed their sunlit bodies with the comfort of a casket of nails striking them from every side. Everything grew dark and blue, as more and more fragments of Lohikaarm kept falling around them, shrapnel raining down into the ocean, and strength left their bodies little by little.

Fourteen looked at Twelve, who couldn't see her in the darkness. Slowly, their auras reached out to one another, and entwined at the tails as they used to. They were too weak to move, to talk, to even try to swim up. But at least, they were together.

The last thing they saw was light, coming their way from the side, accompanied with the familiar motion of fins.

~~~~~

“I guess this is goodbye.”

“Wait! You don't have to go anywhere.”

But I shook my head.

“You've conquered me. You've captured me. I am yours to do with, and what you want to do...is to take over me. So go ahead.”

“No!”

And you held my hand tight. It was such a strange feeling than to have hands...but now that you've shown me what it was like, I don't think I could ever do without.

“You know this City more than anyone. You are this City, for Sages' sake! You can't go anywhere!”

“What would you have us do? Share one body, until the rest of our lives? We would eventually start fighting.”

“So what?”

I felt your arms and your wings wrap tight around me.

“I said I'd save you, and I meant it. You're coming with me. We're doing this together.”

I don't know why I reacted the way I did, but I returned the embrace. I just absorbed the knowledge of an entire culture, and yet nothing could have taught me the meaning of these gestures we were exchanging.

No one but you.

“Could this work?”, I asked, for the first time feeling unsure about everything. “Could this...truly work?”

“It can, and it will.”

You looked at me. Your eyes, they were my eyes, and yet they were not. Where did I start, where did you end? I didn't know. You didn't know.

I thought of parting from you, of separating myself from you. But the sole perspective of it made me feel conflicted. For ten thousand years, I had wanted nothing more but to disappear...yet now that you were there, I was having second thoughts. Was it you who taught me that? Was it something I taught myself, the same way I taught myself to think and speak? Was it all some accident, some random event that mattered little in the grand scheme of things?

Was I, who was meant to die no matter what, wrong for wanting to live?

“You're not.”, you said, feeling my thoughts like they were yours. “Of course you want to live. Everyone wants to live.”

“Even those who claim they want to die?”

“They are the ones who want to live the most.”

I didn't understand. It felt as if ten thousand, ten million years would not be enough for me to understand. But to know that you did, and that you would be there to help me, made me feel...good.

In wanting to become a machine, you had made me want to become a human.

“...teach me.”, I pleaded. “Teach me about what it means to live.”

“I will. Don't worry, you're not going to be alone.”

My tail wrapped around yours, and our souls pressed closer. They pressed like gaseous matter in the void of space, closer and closer, until they sparked into a beautiful star that shone brighter than the abyss around us.

And when we unfurled our wings, we shone bright enough to eclipse the sun itself.

~~~~~

“Easy now. Easy...there.”

The reactor fit neatly into the newly-constructed slot. Following the instructions, Ferran pressed down on it, revealing the glass rod within. Making sure the control key was inside, he started the activation procedure, and the whole thing started to glow. Light made its way through the tubing, and already the ground felt a little warmer.

“Are we sure it's not going to explode?”, Morsin asked with worry.

“The Stone of Ophir will make sure it doesn't.”, Fasavis replied. “If it detects a surge in energy, it will adapt the flow and reroute the excess into the wings.”

“Using them as heatsinks...yes, that could work. All it would take is some reversal of the magnetic coils, but that can be done when we get around to repairing the wires.

“The last thing we want is a repeat of the Cataclysm...and we nearly came close!”

“Good idea. We'll need to cut off the cannon...we can't dismantle the whole thing, but if we remove its power supply, it will work just as well.”

Sitting up on some server, still wrapped in a blanket, Twelve was looking at his uniform vest. It got burned all over in the power surge, and the ensuing damage left it all tattered. No way he'd wear this thing ever again. He ran a thumb over the embroidered numbers on the collar, and found the threads all frayed from wear and tear.

Royal Nature Purity Continuation experiment...

While the adults were busy discussing, he floated out of the room, needing some air. Rising up a few floors, it was easy to find Fourteen sitting up there. Looking into the lightless ceiling, as if she hoped to find something there.

Have you sensed him anywhere?
His cloud is gone. Even that thing that looks like him.

She sighed, looking down at the endless pit below them. Twelve sat closer, and opened an arm to invite her in his blanket, which she happily accepted. Her body was unusually cold, but the effort they've given was justification enough.

They've given enough effort in these last few months to justify ten thousand years of slumber.

So...what is everyone going to do? Have they told you?
The Olmecs are going back to Pyros. They said something about putting things in order, before returning to cold sleep.
So there'll be no one to wake them up?
Not for the time being. Perhaps one day, the time will be right.

Perhaps one day, the world would destroy itself again, and make way for a new civilization to crawl out of the depths of the earth. Perhaps history would repeat itself, ten thousand years from now. Perhaps humanity would never learn.

What about the journeyers?
Ferran's got enough diamonds to make the Order of the Hourglass into a reality. And with everything they've learned from Mu, he said they could make significant progress in science.
For the greater good, right?
I could tell Roses had some other plans. But he didn't speak them out loud.

Fourteen sighed. That'd be like him, indeed...

What about the captain?
I haven't gotten around to ask her yet. But she and Morsin seem to be in good terms. Perhaps she'll assist the journeyers in their exploration.
Good. She'll have the chance to do swim freely.

But then, there remained one question. One that had to be asked, after all this time spent together. After all this time spent chasing a goal, following a quest, to eventually amount to nothing.

And what about...us?

Twelve didn't answer right away.

For a long time, he stayed contemplative as well. Energy was making its way back through Lohikaarm, and slowly, the ceiling lights turned back on. The bottomless pit below them was becoming visible, and the different floors and stairways and ascensionators came back in sight. The Wardragon was slowly waking up from its slumber, ready to repair itself.

But it would not be used for war anymore. Its weapons would be disabled. The Great Legacies, once intended for the exclusive use of Mu, had been put to use in new ways. Instead of helping the Muan elite thrive, they would help the whole world.

The weapon had become a shield. Instead of destroying people, it would protect them.

There is no better way to go against the corrupt and unjust values of our creators than to claim their creation for ourselves.
In the end, is that not what mother did with the two of us?
Like mother, like children.

They chuckled, bumping foreheads together.

So...is that it? Do we remain siblings?
It's either that, or become placeholders for the Emperor. And I don't see him anywhere.
Then I am happy to have you as my sister.
And I am happy to have you as my brother.
...are you sure it shouldn't be the other way around?
Oh, we have our whole lives to figure it out.

Their wholes lives, huh. It still felt strange. They've been constrained with so much goals, objectives and overseeing that all of this freedom almost felt...frightening. There would be no one to tell them where to go, what to do, what to use their powers for. They could do as they wanted.

But what did they want? Such was the hard part.

“Hey, kids!”

It was Morsin's voice.

“We're going out. You want to come along?”

Twelve and Fourteen looked at each other. Letting go of the railings, they let themselves float down, until they were on ground level again with everyone.

Outside was still cold. A lot of the ice had shattered away, but there was enough left so that Lohikaarm wasn't going to be submerged right away. The Solaris, the Thallios, even Magpyre were there. But Lira was nowhere to be seen.

“They're already gone.”, Ferran explained. “Said there was nothing else for them to do here.”

“I just think they didn't want to bear having to say goodbye.”, Morsin chuckled.

“Either way, that's one less thorn on our side.”

On the deck of Solaris, they had such a beautiful view of the dragon in front of them. It was still broken, but slowly, its components were putting themselves back together. The Cities of Gold, after all, were eternal; they could not be destroyed by any means.

Even if all odds were against them, they'd find a way to survive.

“The diaries were all loaded in.”, Roses said after a moment. “As per...what we agreed on.”

“What about...”

But Fourteen couldn't finish her question, and neither of the journeyers could answer. Only a glance from Morsin could tell her that he had been moved inside the dragon as well.

“There's a few suites in the top floor.”, he said nonchalantly. “They looked...comfortable. So...yeah.”

Of course. He wasn't dead, but wasn't truly alive either. Only slumbering.

Which meant that he was still somewhere. And perhaps he had succeeded, they thought as they glanced at the dragon. Perhaps...he had obtained what he wanted.

“We'll know soon enough.”, Fourteen then said. “If Lohikaarm is alive and goes around the world to help people...then we'll know. We'll know for sure.”

Right. They had to remain optimistic.

“Speaking of going around the world.”, Ferran piped up. “There's a few places we still have to check out...they're by no means marked by the stars, but...”

“We'd want you kids to come along.”, Morsin cut. “As in...really want.”

The twins looked at each other, then at the adults.

“...really?”, Twelve asked.

“Yeah! It'd suck to leave you alone, right? And- I mean, you can leave at any time, it's just...well...it's something to do!”

“And you know how to pilot Magpyre and the Thallios, anyway. You'd get to have some fun.”

Roses didn't say anything. The badger was too focused on the dragon to say anything. Twelve followed his eyes, curious, and that's when he saw it.

Of course he couldn't have spotted anyone's cloud. Not while standing inside the dragon. For its cloud was so large that it engulfed the entire City, and only with distance could they truly gaze at it.

The dragon's head was laid on the ice. And yet, slowly, its cloud perked up, looking at Twelve and Fourteen's.

And it smiled. He had no clue of how a dragon could smile, but...he recognized it all the same. It was a smile he knew. It was a smile that greeted him out of that laboratory, the day he first opened his eyes.

Twelve smiled in return. And as to echo his thoughts, Fourteen turned to the journeyers.

“Tao will need some time to heal.”, she said quietly. “And...we'd like to stay with him a little longer.”

She felt disappointment from all three of them. It seemed they were really counting on it…

“But our paths will cross again.”, she added quickly. “I know it. It's just...”

'We need to grow on our own.', Twelve added.

The adults said nothing for a moment. As usual, it was Morsin who broke the silence.

“Then it's been a pleasure to journey with you, kids.”

He knelt and opened his arms, and Twelve wasted no time. Fourteen followed suit, and so did Ferran. How she'd miss this feeling...

“...I guess it can't be helped.”, Roses said, before joining in.

It would be strange to part from them. They've been in these three's company for so long that it would have felt natural to follow them. But they also owed something to Tao that couldn't be waved away; and most importantly, it would be their choice. To help their friend, just like he's helped them so long ago.

“Be strong, Twelve. And you too, Fourteen. I hope you grow into good people.”

That reminded her...there was one last thing on her mind. Quietly, Fourteen turned to Ferran.

“You're the one who gave Sabel her name...because you're her parent, right?”

“Well...yes. That is what parents do. Which is why I'm surprised you two were never named, but...”

“Well, about that...”

And she glanced away, unsure of how to ask her question. Could it even be asked? Was she overstepping a boundary?

Yet Ferran understood what she meant, and chuckled a little.

“I'd be honored. After all...I'm not afraid to say you've been kind of a daughter to me.”

He thought for a moment.

“You know, 'Sabel' isn't her real name, it's just what I call her.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Her name is Isabella. The same way the three of us are actually Fernando, Ambroise and-”

“If you value your life, you won't finish that thought.”, Morsin warned.

Twelve thought it was a very pretty name anyway, but didn't say it.

“We called her 'Isa' at first.”, Ferran continued. “But she was so little, back then, she couldn't pronounce it correctly. She'd say...'Sia'. So for a few years, she was our little Sia, but at some point we preferred Sabel.”

“Sia...”, Fourteen repeated. “I like how it sounds.”

“Then if you want it, you can have it. Better than a number, isn't it?”

Sia nodded with a smile.

Twelve turned to Morsin, his eyes silently voicing a similar question. But the poor man looked away.

“I'm sorry, I only ever had sisters. They all had pretty names, but...none of them would suit you, really.”

He looked at him seriously.

“But that means you can choose to call yourself whatever you'd like! There's no rules saying you can't make yourself a new identity. At any point, you're free to change and reinvent yourself. Even if in the end, you find out you'd prefer returning to who you were at first...well, at least you'd know.”

Choose his own name. Twelve had thought about it before, but it's not like he knew a lot of names. What words were names, what words weren't? There were many sounds in many languages, and many names a person could have...perhaps it would be a long time before he answered that question.

“Thank you.”, he said anyway.

Over there, Lohikaarm's wings were slowly rising, and so did its neck. Reparations were near complete, and it would be time to take flight; already the ice was melting under its body.

“Take care of Solaris.”, Sia said. “And Thallios, and Magpyre. They're our friends too.”

“We will.”, Ferran promised. “You can count on us.”

Over on the water, Lady Shinju looked over at them, before nodding and disappearing back into the Thallios. After a last moment of hesitation, the twins jumped ship and floated back over to the Wardragon, entering through its open docking bay and making their way down the ascensionator.

If it's not built for war anymore, shouldn't it be called the Peacedragon?
Eh...we'll work on it.
Names are so strange. It'll get some time getting used to mine.
I wish I had something better than “Twelve”. But I just...don't know what to pick. I wish I had someone to name me.

Sia looked away for a moment.

...do you remember the stories that the Sage of Souls told us about mother?
There were so many.
One of them was about how she was going to have a child. Before us, I mean.
That child never came to be.
Yet they already had ideas as to what to name it. Early on, they decided that should the child be a boy, they'd name him Asterion.
...huh.
It was actually the Sage's suggestion. And they liked it.
Well...this technically counts as being named by our parents. I suppose I can use it until I find a better alternative.
You'll grow into it, sun-hearted starry child.

They exchanged a complicit chuckle as they arrived at the bottom floor. What wasn't their surprise when they were greeted by a ball of green feathers flying right towards them.

“Rrk!”

“Gwynn! When did you get here?”

“Tao, Tao!! Rrrk!”

And he flew back away. Asterion and Sia looked at each other.

Do you think...?
We have to check it out.

There were sounds of machinery being activated. Lots of them, just down the hall. And most importantly, most of all, there were human voices.

A hundred voices, busy in deep conversation.

“Aren't they beautiful?”

The twins turned to look above them. Sitting on the door frame there it- there he was, smugly smiling.

“And they said it wouldn't work! That I couldn't pull off transchrysation on such a large scale! Well who's laughing now, huh!?”

“You're so fucking right!”, shouted one of the machine-people, before another came to beat him over the head.

The silhouette chuckled, before floating down to the twins' level. He was the same as before, and yet...now that Asterion had seen the whole of the dragon's cloud, he could tell. He could tell that this was but a fragment of something bigger, made sorely for their understanding. Like a complex text translated into a much simpler sentence, this was a form they could perceive and interact with. It wasn't Tao's, but it wasn't the dragon's either...it was hard to tell. Perhaps there was no difference that they were meant to tell.

“Either way...I'm glad to see you two again. It feels like it's been ages.”

“Is it you?”, Sia asked. “Or...?”

“I'm...actually not sure. My memories are all there...but so is all that knowledge I've learned. I think there's more to this whole 'dragon' thing than I had anticipated.”

“What should we call you?”

He thought of it for a moment.

“I guess 'Tao' is fine for now. If only because it's easier for Gwynn.”

“Tao, Tao! Rrk!”

“He'll never change, I swear...”

Tao chuckled.

“But this is fine. Enough things are changing, so a bit of stability won't hurt.”

Over there, more vacant bodies were slowly being activated, shaping themselves from cubes of orichalcum into more complex appearances. Some remained very human in their form, their faces and hair animated by glimmering light; some went all-out with animalistic or exotic aspects. Some remained very machine-like, and yet they retained something of a personhood to them. Every one of these people had been alive at some point...and now, they were given a second chance at life. They were given a choice.

What a beautiful thing than to choose one's own destiny.

“Where are we going first?”, Sia asked.

“I'm not sure. We've still got a lot to figure out. But when we're ready...we'll take to the skies, and further beyond.”

He smiled confidently.

“To the moon itself, if we need to!”

“There won't be much to do there.”

“Well, at least we'll know what it's like! Who's to say we can't build a City of Gold on the moon?”

The three kids laughed.

It would be a long road ahead. There was still so much they'd need to figure out. But they wouldn't be alone: the three of them were there, and their vessel, and all of the other children of Moon Island that would accompany them on this journey. They had the means to move mountains, and the will to change lives. But most of all, they would have the chance to grow up, to learn, and to take back what humanity had been stolen from them.

But until that time comes, everyone would better do to get ready. Everyone would better decide their own future, and let their choices do the rest.