HTG - Chapter 183

Kalon

Chapter One-Hundred-Eighty-Three: Udan Jan - Part Two

Planet: Etheria

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Present Time

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Kotina moves in front of me through the cave’s tunnel, “Right then, listen up, I’m only going to say this once. Keep your eyes open and follow close. If I get in over my head, you leave me. The creatures on this planet aren’t something you can hope to overcome. Throwing your life away for me would be pointless, so don’t do it.”

She stops suddenly, her eyes peering out through the tangle of vines that cover the cave’s entrance. My stomach begins to growl in protest as the adrenaline now fades from the fight with the Narok. How long since I have eaten? Before we started jumping the gates. How long since I have had water? My mouth does not feel dry, but my lips are chapped. It can’t have been that long. The air is dry, and somewhat cold. She said upper region, in the mountains perhaps.  

“Gods…” she says, pressing through the vines into the light.

I push the vines aside, following her. When my eyes finally adjust to the light, they grow wide, taking in the scenery. Sheer mountains and cliffs jut into the sky, glowing water falling from them, flowing towards a snaking river that extends towards the setting sun on the horizon. In the skies above islands of land float in defiance of gravity, filled to the brim with violet trees and lush grasses, vines hang down from them, some barely scraping the ground. As my eyes go higher, I see orb-shaped objects gliding slowly across the periphery of the atmosphere, like ornaments decorating the sky.

“Vena Bip Allak…” I whisper in the old tongue. Its meaning depends on the tone, but in this instance, for the first time in my life I used it to mean – My eyes do not believe the wonders before them.

Above the clouds, I see a large moon, so close that I feel that if gravity did not hold me down, I might be able to leap through the heavens toward its icy surface. Above, further still, I see clouds past the atmosphere which dance with light, and beyond them I see the sparkle of the stars. My eyes fall downwards towards the surface, and bioluminescence hums from many different plants speckling the landscape and the edges of the waters. There are strange formations that rise from the ground that look like a blend of organic and inorganic materials. Deep blue light glows from their surface.

There is light all around me, things I have never seen before, even from Sage Artemius’s holos, there was nothing that compared to it. It is wonderous, defying everything I have ever known, bringing hope to my heart as my mind is awash in its beauty.

Kotina has not spoken for some time now, she moves slowly towards a violet flower which hums with light, kneeling before it. The gauntlets of her armor retract as her hand delicately touches the petals.

“Etherius Prism Flower…” Kotina whispers finally, her eyes seemingly entranced by it, “I didn’t know that Etheria had any.”

Kotina once said that wars had been fought for a mere handful. Yet before me, I see thousands upon thousands of them, more than any pair of hands could carry.

As I lean closer to inspect one of the flowers petals that lays on the ground, I see the edges have begun to dry, turning a darker shade of purple, rolling into black at the very tip where all moisture has left it. Small speckles of silver in it. This is what Tavjac and Dargo made me drink in a tea, I am sure of it. What does Dargo have to do with it all? I feel Amon moving into my perception now. His eyes taking in the sights. His voice enters my mind.

Etheria, how many years has it been since I last saw it…

There is an air of nostalgia about him as Amon leans down, passing his hand through the petals of one of the flowers, the whisper of a smile crosses his mouth as he stands fully again and looks out on the horizon. His figure is even more defined than the last time I saw him. He looks like a man in his thirties, though I know he is much older. There is a softness to his face, one that is familiar. His eyes are a deep violet, just like Luna’s.

“You have been to Etheria before?” I ask him aloud.

Kotina turns my way. However she does not speak, she puzzles at the words I spoke. She cannot see him as I do. Amon speaks again, still looking out at the horizon.

If he has taken you here, it can only mean one of two things.

He either plans to kill you and harvest your Spark, or he plans to train you.

Which he will choose, even we The Nine do not know.

Amon speaks once more into my mind, before fading into shadow, leaving my perception.

Be wary and do not venture where the light does not shine

Follow the river, and you will no doubt find my old master and your friend

For better or worse, he awaits you at Jukanta Nul

My ears take in the words he spoke, and even though I have never heard them spoken in such a way, I think I understand the meaning. Yet I will not know for sure until I look upon it. My jaw tenses, there are so many questions I have and so few answers ever given. Soon I will pry the truth from whichever mouth can speak it.

Now, as I move towards the river, Kotina finally speaks again.

“Where are you going?” she asks me, “And who were you speaking to?”

Pausing in my steps, I think for a moment, wondering how I can explain why I know that I must follow it. She senses the apprehension in my stance and walks towards me.

“There are bound to be more of those Ethaki. If you don’t want to be food, I suggest you follow my lead.” She says, now upon me, her eyes searching past the flesh, looking for meaning.

“I think we should follow the river,” I say finally, warily turning to meet her gaze.

She crosses her arms, tilting her head at me sideways, I have seen this look from Lunara before, and now I see where she learned it.

“Why do you think that?” Kotina begins, I am about to reply but she puts a finger up, “If you say intuition, I’m going to smack you.”

“Instinct…” I say, preparing myself for a strike that never comes.

She squints at me and then starts to laugh for a moment before collecting herself.

“No, unless you have a solid reason, we do a grid-by-grid search. We need to find food and water, and establish a base of operations.” She says, now stretching her arms, her gauntlets folding back over her hands, she turns and begins walking towards the cave’s mouth again, “Questions?”

I pause, wondering how it will sound that I wish to take advice from the fallen Kuwathi emperor who I think may also be an ancestor of Luna’s. She will probably be hesitant to take the advice of anything that resides in the Cursed Edict. Still… truth is the foundation of trust. If I am to work with her, I must be true in my intentions.

“Amon, the last Kuwathi Emperor before the fall,” I say.

She puzzles a look at me and raises an eyebrow, “What about him?”

“He… he knows Etheria, he says that his old master, Dargo brought him here before.”

She blinks then looks at me strangely, “What?”

“He says if we follow the river we will find Dargo and likely Arrum.”

“Wait… so let me get this straight, you’ve got a highly cursed edict that’s made itself at home in your chest, and now,” she does a strange hand motion, “Benevolent spirits now guide you… em… that about sum it up?”

“They are not all benevolent, but yes.”

“And you don’t see the problem with that?”

I sigh, looking toward the river, “When Luna almost died, it was he that dragged us from the water’s churn. When my body nearly broke it was he who held it together so I could slay Adonius. So no, I do not see a problem with him.”

She blinks then shifts her stance, “Well, I’m going to be cautious and not follow a spirit’s advice. Are you with me or not?”

It is smarter to follow her for now, once I have supplies, I can make the journey alone if needed. Though as I hear howling in the distance I realize that I will likely need her.

“I am with you, ma’am.”

I am about to ask her more about what she knows about the Etherium Prism Flower, maybe even about Dargo, but she holds a hand up behind her as my words try to take form.

“Hold that thought,” she says, listening to the sounds of howling, “We need to get to higher ground, the sun is setting. No telling what creepy crawlers come out at night. Arkon said no matter what, never venture out after dark.”

She turns now looking towards one of the floating islands, her eyes squinting at it in the distance.

“We might be able to get up on that one,” she mumbles, then turning to me she says, “Follow.”

Her pace moves quickly almost out of nowhere as the sounds of night falling increase around us. The shadows begin to loom, I remember what Amon said, and my pace increases to try and match hers. We move towards one of the floating islands, some of the vines nearly dragging across the ground as they float above.

“Hurry up!” she yells, looking towards me for a moment, then her eyes falling behind me, a concerned expression now upon her brow.

As the shadows move towards us, the light from the sun nearly gone, I see movement. Hundreds of shapes are moving towards us. My heart begins to thump harder, I do not wish to see what lurks in the night of this planet. I have already seen what lurked on Ora, and I already had my fill of the Narok’s horror, I do not need more. My legs explode in movement.

Sekat.

Bone-chilling shrieks begin to fill the air. The island moves slowly above us, I am only thirty long paces from the lowest vine. I hear the scampering of hundreds of legs running behind me, I dare not look. Ahead of me, Kotina leaps into the air grasping one of the vines, she begins climbing.

Almost there, only a few more paces, my eyes fill with despair as I see the ground disappearing ahead, a sheer cliff ahead of me. I won’t make it, my head spins around to see what awaits behind. My jaw clenches as my eyes see hundreds of deformed shapes chasing behind me, they will be upon me soon. I hear Kotina’s voice yelling above me.

“Slagging hells!” she roars, slamming into the ground next to me, “Gods you’re slow!”

She grabs me by the arm, spinning me in a circle, the air rushing around me, she lets go on the third spin, sending me flying into the sky. My hand reaches outwards as I slam into the island, sliding down its side, trying to grasp one of the vines. I let out a gasp of relief as I find a grip on one. My eyes peel downwards towards Kotina. She has thrown her life away for me, she will never be able to…

My eyes watch Kotina crouching like she is going to jump. The horde that flows from the shadows almost upon her. The ground cracks around her as she launches into the air, high above me, smashing into the island. The wind howls from her movements, the island tremoring, sprinkling stone and dust below. I didn’t feel any fluctuations in the Maka. Was that just her raw strength?

“Hold on tight!” I hear Kotina yell down towards me, though I cannot see her through the dust cloud her body made when she smashed into the floating island.