Chapter 457
CHAPTER 457
NINE YEARS (VII)
There it stood – grandiose, overbearing, domineering, flaunting itself to the world . Daniel and Shane craned their necks and looked flat up, their expressions exact replicas of one another – absolute shock . Sothing inside their minds cracked, like glass, their understandings of laws and reality coming undone . After all, what they were witnessing was not sothing that they ever thought they’d see .
Black fortress cast in silver and laden with golden decorations floated high in the sky, its towers and spires like swords and spears erected from its innards . Arrays beneath its bottom shone in marvelous, rainbow-spectrum colors, dyeing the sky in flaunting, flamboyant fashion, beyond a painter’s ability to translate onto the canvas . There were thousands of them, circles rapidly rotating, occasionally flickering and shimring like torches and candles and precious gems . It was massive, at least fifteen miles across, so large it blocked the sun in the sky . However, it still seed a tiny speck in comparison .
Surrounding it were two beyond-breaking islands, both outgrowing it by countless miles, orbiting it in slow motion . The true pride and jewel of the Empyrion – the heart of everything, Inmistus, the City of Chaos . It was hardly a regular city, and it was hardly chaotic; instead of shade and shadow and darkened clouds and crimson threads, it was lit beyond reproach, colors bounding and draping and folding over its surfaces perfectly . It was difficult to put into perspective, both n realized; after all, the two islands and the fortress combined covered over half the top-end peninsula of the Forgotten Continent . The only reason they were unable to see it thus far, they imagined, was that it was hidden by massive arrays .
Beneath the fortress and the two floating islands was an oasis of life; a string of lakes dyed in marvelous colors was surrounded by gardens of herbs and flowers and a variety of forests inhabited by magnificent beasts . They saw Hippogryphs, Seven-tailed Lions, Three-eyed Eagles, Silver Ravens, Crowned Antlers, Sown Crows... hundreds of different species living beneath the spring of colors and warmth, secluded within a hundred-mile artificial paradise . It was faintly sunk into the earth, as though it used to be a crater, its surroundings slightly elevated like platforms .
Shane and Daniel stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the paradise, behind them a set of walls, each higher than the other, separating them from the outside . The difference was startling, between this and the Hallowed Valley . Which one, indeed, was the embodint of the hallowed grounds? A perennially-shrouded valley that hadn’t seen a trace of the sun in years, where death and anguish are daily occurrences, or... this? Sothing that would take both n years to convey to another soul properly . Rather than a simple sight, it was more of an experience – the warmth, yet pervasive chill, of the Qi, the quantity, quality, purity, the essence of life, Spirits dancing freely about, clinging onto the Threads of Fate... yes, this was certainly a paradise, at least as far as they imagined one .
The Crown above and the world beneath, a symbiotic creation like no other . Perhaps those strange cities they’d passed on their way over were truly unique, like no other in the world, sporting things and objects they could not reason with... but they paled in comparison to this, to sothing far greater than just the surface aesthetics . How far removed from the ’war’ this place seed... did people here even know they were at a global-scale war? Either way, the n doubted it mattered . They, too, would rush headfirst into the war if it ant protecting this place . Rather, they nigh had the desire to join the army right then and there .
"Let’s go," the one-eyed man, one they’ve learned is called Lino by most, and is also the Emperor of everything in front of them, as odd as the image may seem, hugged both of them, throwing his rather muscular arms over their backs . "I promised my daughter I’d let her et so ’outsiders’ so she can chat with you about what the rest of the world is like . She’s very keen on mistrusting everything I say, you see . Little devil, haii . What should I have expected? Ah..."
They stepped carefully into the teleportation array in front of them, thrust through the vestiges of space temporarily before being spat out onto the listone-paved street . They imdiately realized they were inside the fortress’ walls due to the two orbiting islands on two ends, perched there like eternal guardians past which no soul could breach .
Just as they left the spatial tunnel, they were t by a loud rustle and bustle of the city; shops on all ends hollered at the passers, with hundreds of people speeding through the streets and round the corners, hurrying sowhere . They found themselves on a corner, behind them a round platform connected to the spatial tunnel, in front of them a three-way crossing, like a trident with its outer spikes bent even further toward their sides .
There was so uniformity between the buildings, naly in their polish, but most had an air of uniqueness about them . So had glassed windows up front, displaying whatever rchandise they were trying to sell, so were clearly residential buildings due to the cloth hanging over the window panes, drying in the sun, and so they could not distinguish the function of because they were just... weird . Like the building straight in front of them – a triangle-shaped rise with a pyramid-like do up top, its bottom sucked in slightly, creating an angular front, covered in glass and steel beams completely . They could clearly see people inside the building, though they couldn’t quite discern what they were doing .
"... shit . " Lino suddenly mumbled as the eyes of two n veered down; what was a hurried crowd ca to a standstill, seemingly shellshocked by sothing, their eyes focused on the trio . "H-hello..." the man in-between them called out awkwardly, waving at the crowd with a bitter smile .
"HE’S OUT!!!" soone suddenly called out, causing the crowd to stir . "LET’S GO—"
"We ought to go too," Lino mumbled lowly; two n could feel the large man shuddering as they vanished from their spots, finding themselves inside roomy and comfy quarters, decorated with silken drapes folding over the open windows . The floor was adorned with oriental rugs, seven in total, splitting the room into two general areas; on one end they saw a canopy bed hidden behind the silver curtains, resting on top of a slightly elevated platform . On the other end, there were splinters, resulting in three areas; one was clearly a study room, one a dining room, and the third seed like a child’s room . "Aii... they are like rabid beasts," the man said, sighing slowly and walking over and onto the balcony, one overlooking the entire fortress down below . Shane and Daniel unconsciously joined him as three of them sat down onto the rather comfortable chairs, glancing over the stone-wall-edge to their right, onto the streets of the fortress . "I love ’em, but they always demand stuff, you know?"
"..."
"There’s such a massive backlog to the ’audience with the Emperor’ crowd that I’m fairly certain nobody’s even keeping the count anymore . I can’t even show my face in public . That’s how little the bastards respect ..."
"..." Daniel and Shane said nothing, unconsciously relaxing further . By now, there was hardly a trace of their initial terror and trepidation . Empyrean or not, the man in front of them was, indeed, just a man... a rather awkward, yet outboundly kind man . "You’ve constructed an amazing Empire, Lord Empyrean," Daniel said . "All said and done, only fools wouldn’t want to live within it . "
"—it’s not without its problems," Lino glanced at them and sighed, the tone of his voice slightly somber . "But, those are stories you needn’t hear . So, Two’s really in the Valley, huh? She takes a lot of this for granted..."
"Not necessarily," Daniel said, shaking his head . "Sneaking into the Valley and attacking it directly... are two incomparable things . "
"I know," Lino nodded . "But, still . She’s done a lot of... odd things recently, if I’m being honest . I’m having a difficult ti trying to reason them . Yet, she’s hardly a fool . There is a reason behind them . "
"—eh? Daddy?" a lodic voice startled Shane and Daniel who looked away from the man sitting opposite of them to the entrance to the balcony . On the doorstep, quarter the size of the doorfra, stood a young girl, around ten years old, clad in a beautiful, white dress .
A pair of gem-like blue eyes stared at them with faint curiosity and wonder, wide and round, seemingly alight . She had a long, scarlet hair folded into twin-tails, and was currently holding a rather massive book, standing barefoot .
"When did you co back?" the girl lurched onto the balcony and jumped onto the man’s lap, putting the book onto the table, pouting . "You should have told ! Are these two n? Are they? Are they?!"
"... manners?" Lino glanced at the young girl who suddenly jumped off his lap and walked over to the other end of the table, bowing halfway down toward the two n .
"Hello," she said, lifting her head up and smiling . "My na is Aaria . It’s nice to et you!"
"—it’s, it’s nice to et you too . " Daniel and Shane nodded awkwardly at the girl who once more ran to the other end of the table and jumped onto Lino’s lap, sitting down .
"Are they? Are they?" she started asking again .
"They are . " Lino nodded, smiling warmly and rubbing the girl’s head gently . "You’ll get to ask them plenty, be patient . Where’s mom?"
"We were at Grandma’s," the little girl said . "I went ahead . She should be back soon as well . "
"Oh? Did grandma give you sothing nice?"
"... w-why do you want to know?" the girl suddenly pulled back, the look in her eyes that of caution .
"What? You don’t wanna tell your daddy?"
"..." the little girl suddenly seed to find herself in a struggle, causing both Daniel and Shane to hold back a bout of laughter in their lungs .
"Really? Haven’t you taken enough of her candies over the years?" another voice joined them as the young girl curled her lips up into a relieved smile, jumping off and running toward the woman who walked onto the balcony, hiding behind her legs . Daniel and Shane glanced sideways, their souls stirred; the woman appeared to be in her thirties, her crimson hair long, pulled to one side, heaved over her shoulder . Unlike the young girl, she had erald-green eyes, though they still sparkled just the sa .
"—what? I’m just trying to teach her how to share . " Lino chuckled, taking a sip of ale . "Otherwise, she’ll grow up to be just like you . "
"... are you saying there’s sothing wrong with ?"
"... if there isn’t, then you wouldn’t mind if I took these two gentlen to our warehouses, huh?"
"—give so candy to your dad, Aaria . " Hannah relented, stealthily growling at Lino .
"B-but, mom!!" the young girl protested, feeling sothing was unjust .
"Do it . "
"... fine . " the girl walked back over to Lino with slumped shoulders, digging into the small pockets of her dress and handing a few wrappers to Lino who laughed suddenly, taking one .
"Co on," he grabbed the girl by the waist and lifted her back onto his lap . "Look at my little girl sharing with her dad . Isn’t she adorable?"
"You’ve returned quicker than I thought," Hannah said, pulling out a chair from seemingly nowhere and sitting down as well . "Any particular reason?"
"—I couldn’t wait to see you two . " Lino fired out imdiately .
"... ho ho, really?" Hannah chuckled, her lips curling up into an involuntary smile . "Fine, I’ll buy into it . "
"My family," Lino glanced at Daniel and Shane who sat awkwardly, feeling as though they were encroaching upon the most private monts they shouldn’t have been privy to . "My wife, Hannah, though you may know her better as the Elysian, and my daughter, Aaria . The reason my people are so patient with my antics . "
"It is nice to et you, Lady Elysian, Lady Aaria . " Daniel and Shane got up and bowed, uncertain whether they should kneel as well . "Ah—Empress and Princess . " Shane quickly corrected himself .
"He he, see?" Aaria suddenly said while Lino sighed . "I told you I’m a Princess! Daddy’s a liar!"
"—this really is a slippery slope," Lino mumbled as Hannah nodded . "One wrong move, and we’ll have a hoarder and a galomaniac on our hands... genes have not been kind..."
"... eh, it could have been worse," Hannah shrugged . "She could have turned out like Cae . "
"When’s the last ti that boy left the library?" Lino asked .
"It’s been a few months, actually . Still, fewer than you’ve spent ’crafting and researching arts’ . "
"... what’s that strange emphasis about?"
"No reason . "
"There’s always a reason with you . "
"You fancy yourself clever," Hannah said . "Figure it out . "
"—I have figured it out," Lino said . "I’m just testing to see whether you’re courageous enough to admit it . "
"Are you doubting my courage? I’ll have you know—"
"Hey," Daniel and Shane were too wrapped into the apparent fight that they didn’t even realize the young Aaria had jumped off Lino’s lap and walked over to them . She looked up at them with a beaming, expectant smile . "These can last a long while . I’ll make us so tea, and you can tell all about the outside world! Please?"
"—uh, sure..." Shane nodded awkwardly as the two n seed to be pulled off their seats almost instinctively, following the little girl back into the comfy quarters . Perhaps, of all the strange sights they’ve seen so far in the Empyrion, this family might be on the very top .
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