Saia looked at Filsun’s raised hand.

“What?”

“We should start from here.”

He seemed to notice her perplexity, so he lowered his hand and floated around her.

“You have a lot more viss than a human, you said,” he murmured. "And a heightened ability to use it. But the fact remains that I teach my students how to solidify themselves, not an external object.”

“So I have to... melt my body, first?”

“No, not at all. I'd have to teach how to do that too, and one impossible challenge is sufficient for now, especially since you can’t really make any mistakes. So…”

He suddenly stopped, opening his arms to the side.

“You'll solidify me.”

Serit's worried expression resurfaced. It had never really gone away since they had met Filsun.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll become gaseous,” he said, and the contours of his body started to tremble as an immediate demonstration. “And she'll try her best to force me to become solid. I guarantee I'll make it more difficult than putting together a bit of water.”

“Blood,” Serit specified, but they looked impressed.

“Let's test it,” Filsun said.

He returned mostly solid and held out a hand again. Only the tip of the little finger trembled.

Saia buzzed with agitation.

“I don't even know where to start.”

“You can perceive my viss, right?” he asked.

Saia expanded her domain a bit.

“Yes.”

“Do you see that the pattern is different here,” he moved his little finger. “Compared to the rest?”

Saia focused on the movement of his viss: it did seem more erratic, with frequent changes of direction.

“Yes.”

“Then here's what you should do: memorize this pattern,” his finger turned solid, “And try to force my viss to trace it again. Don't worry about messing up, I have limited control on my viss: I'll stop you before you make a big mistake and fix the smaller ones.” He paused. “Do be careful, though.”

Saia focused on the specks of her own viss that were floating inside her domain. She willed them to imitate the flow of viss in the spirit’s solid finger, for reference, then told Filsun to change to an entirely gaseous form.

Deviating an already existing flux of viss proved more difficult than creating a new one. If her attention faltered or if she focused too much on one portion of the pattern while excluding the rest, everything snapped back into place as if she hadn’t touched anything. She managed to get the pattern almost right once, but Filsun sent a bigger stream of energies to erase her progress.

“It’s not supposed to feel like it’s burning. Try again.”

Serit hovered near them, now observing the scene, now looking out of the platform for potential spies. They seemed impatient to discuss the payment with Filsun. Eventually, they seemed to accept that the first lesson had already started and sat down next to a vase.

It took Saia a couple of hours to get an acceptable result. The finger wasn't completely solid, but at least she could feel enough resistance when she pushed it with her own.

“That's enough,” Filsun said, then smiled. “There's potential. And it's an intriguing task, I'll gladly take it on. How long will you stay here?”

Serit stood and stretched.

“Three weeks. I can maybe get an extra one, but I need to prove we're close to a result.”

Filsun nodded.

“Three weeks might not be enough for what I'll ask you to do, but I'm in a desperate position, so I'll take any help I can get.”

He put an intangible hand on Saia's shoulder and beckoned Serit closer. They gave a last glance out of the platform before approaching him. Filsun grabbed their shoulder too, without actually touching it, and lowered his voice.

“The elders are planning the next ascension.”

Serit recoiled a bit.

“What? So soon?”

But their tone was uncertain, as if they were calculating all the years that had passed from the last one and realized it wasn't a small amount, after all.

“I was born some years before the last one,” Filsun said. “It's been barely a heartbeat.”

“The last ascension?” Saia looked at Serit. “Wasn’t it when they left your flying cities?”

They nodded.

“So they'll leave this one too? Build another one?”

Serit turned their finger in the air to indicate that they would explain later.

“This time, shilvé and humans won't be able to follow us,” Filsun continued. “A lot of us have people we don't want to lose. My family is already scattered in two places, and my wife has lived here for most of her life. She can't even stay here without spirits, because the city will be destroyed. There won't be anyone to keep it afloat anymore.”

Serit sighed.

“I agree that it's a difficult situation, but acting against the elders is treason. I hope you don't hate me so much to involve me.”

“I know, believe me. I was there when the rebels tried to secure a city for themselves. Our goal isn't fighting the elders, but leading them to think that it’s too soon for an ascension.”

“Little difference.”

“We have people and resources. It can be achieved without a single spirit dying.”

“On the contrary, the bigger this conspiracy is, the worse the consequences when they find out. Do you at least know what they're planning?”

“Unfortunately not. The way Ifse is structured, it's difficult to get to the higher districts without authorization, or at least a solid excuse. And the elders live at the very top.”

He was looking at Saia now, sensing she was the one less familiar with the city.

“So you're sure they're about to start an ascension, but you have no idea of what it entails?” Serit’s tone raised a bit, as if they wanted to yell but didn’t have the strength to. “How are you so sure they’re even planning it in the first place?”

“Those of us who were there during the last ascension know the signs: more hunters sent out every day, more human and shilvé merchants admitted in the markets despite a general disliking from the higher strati. I personally received a letter from a lower elder saying that I should take in more students and accelerate their education.”

Serit nodded, eyes on the floor and lost in thought. They suddenly flared with anger.

“If I had any choice, I wouldn’t even consider touching this mess,” they said, stepping away from Filsun. “But I really don't. I need you to teach Saia, because the representatives are losing their patience. So I'll help you, but don't behave as if I was part of your family. You wouldn't place a burden like this on Hilon.”

“This has nothing to do with how I feel about you. I’m only asking because you’re in a high enough position to do something, if there was someone else in your place I’d still…”

“Let's go, Saia,” Serit interrupted him. “Please.”

They started descending the ladder alone. Saia looked at Filsun.

“I’ll send a message with the schedule of your training,” he said in a sad tone.

She nodded and left too. Once she had reached the platform below, the birdguards approached to stand right behind her. She followed Serit, as they seemed to remember which way they needed to go.

“What is an ascension?” she asked straight into their ears.

They stopped halfway through a platform and looked back.

“Sorry,” they said, then waited for her to reach them before resuming their march toward the lowest portion of the city.

“The ascension is... It's a bit as you said, building a new place, but the reason they're doing that is crucial.”

A spirit flew past their group and Serit lowered their voice.

“They believe that they are almost gods.”

Saia was glad she had full control of her body, because she'd have laughed so loud everyone in the market would have turned to look at them.

“What?”

Serit nodded, no trace of hilarity on their face.

“The very first spirits lived near the earth with humans and were aware of their differences. They believed themselves to be better, because they didn't need to drink or sleep, they didn't tire out, they could fly and change their bodies the way they wanted. When solid they could interact with humans, when gaseous they couldn’t be hurt by physical weapons.”

“But they eat, right?”

“Yes. They need to assimilate the viss of other living creatures. They saw this as the only thing that distinguished them from their gods.”

“They have gods?”

Serit opened their mouth to answer, but let out a laugh instead.

“Coming from you, this is a trickier question than it should be. Yes, they believe there are entities who created them and this world. They believe they live somewhere beyond the sky, and that wind spirits can become exactly like them. The gods know this and they gave them hunger to test their worthiness. If they can reach the gods' dwelling despite it, their prize is to fully become deities.”

“So the ascension is just moving up?”

Serit laughed.

“Yes, you could put it that way. I'm sure they wouldn't take offence in that.”

They reached the outskirts of the market district.

“They have to plan each ascension carefully,” Serit said, weaving through the crowd of spirits as if they were all completely solid. “Because they have to make sure they can get food easily. Their starting point was at earth level, which is full of creatures to get viss from. Then they created our cities, and could only have a limited amount of animals to choose from, plus birds. Here they only have birds. If they go higher, they won't have that either, the sky's conditions are unsuitable for any kind of life that requires to breathe.”

“What if someone refuses to leave?”

“They are unworthy and get killed,” Serit's voice lowered to a whisper she could only hear with her powers. “You see now how what he's asked me to do might be dangerous.”

They were now in the middle of the market. Serit descended toward a small platform that was used by humans and shilvé as a bridge. Wind spirits flew past, following a straight line right above it, which meant it was quiet enough to talk without anyone hearing.

“Filsun has mentioned merchants,” Serit murmured. “So finding out what's being bought by the elders would be a clue to guess what the next ascension will entail.”

They looked at Saia, as if wanting to ask something. She crossed her arms.

“Say it. It's time you admit that you only care about what I can do for you and all of your nice gestures are just for show.”

They took a deep breath.

“I… Could you please use your viss to check what's being sold here?”

“Even if it'll kill me faster?”

Serit sighed.

“Answer,” Saia said. “Even if it will kill me faster?”

"Yes."

Saia nodded.

"Good. Remember this conversation the next time you get the urge to invite me to the gardens.”

She expanded her domain to include as many platforms as she could before the flux of viss toward the mountain could become vertiginously high.

"Cloth," she listed. "Wood, rope and materials for ropes. Dead birds, living birds…”

“That's all expected,” Serit said. “Look for bigger cargos, not for regular stalls.”

“I can see some on the landing platforms, but they’re a bit too far.”

There were crates, each either carried by a strong kind of wind sprite or positioned on their own small platforms while the guards examined the contents.

Two well-dressed wind spirits talked to the merchants who had brought them, their cloth flowing well past the borders of their bodies, to the point the interlocutors had to step back to avoid them.

She couldn't hear the conversation without losing at least one year of life in an instant, but there was no need to: it was clear were haggling. She was reminded of the registers her dad and the other merchants of Suimer kept to track earnings.

She waited for the transactions to be over. The two spirits flew away, surrounded by a flock of guards. She examined them as soon as they were close enough. The registers were being carried by one of the two high-ranking spirits and had evidently been compiled before negotiating the price.

“I know what’s in there,” Saia said.

“And?”

“And I want to know what I’ll obtain in exchange for this information.”

Serit closed their eyes and sighed.

“What do you want? Besides returning home, getting your shard back, or other things that are impossible to do at the moment,” they quickly added.

Saia thought about it.

“I don’t know. But keep in mind that I saved you and used my viss to help you next time I’ll need something.”

Serit relaxed and nodded.

“There was a lot of iron,” Saia said. “More than we have in all the nine villages, probably.”

Serit frowned.

“What else?”

“Copper, also. Lower quantity but still significant. And glass containers, for some reason.”

“This actually makes more sense than the rest. You can store things in containers, like food or pieces of it. But the metals…”

Saia shrank her domain and observed the crates.

“It can’t all fit in there.”

“Exactly. The whole city would be collapsing. Which means they are storing them somewhere else.”

They thought about it for a long time.

“I have no idea where it could be,” they concluded. “Let's go back to the hostel for now. Tomorrow we'll ask Filsun which resources he was talking about.”