Chapter 17

THE ENDLESS WORLD ABOVE

ARIEI

I consider the fact that I am not surprised by this revelation. Any sane person should be- it’s a miraculous change in the body, to suddenly have these marks, to have defied death’s natural grasp so casually.

But, if anything, I'm satisfied. Luciaphon was telling the truth. This isn’t a set of metaphysical ideas or beliefs- it’s real.

Bryatt calls, snapping me out of the realization.

“What’s wrong, Ariei? Too sc- SHIT! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

I can hear murmurs before more of them see the state of my arm. Their discussion grows louder. I ignore them for now. A small flow of blood has begun to seep from the wounds, running down my arm and dripping from my wrist. I go to touch it when a slight pain starts.

“Is this natur-”

The pain increases. I grip my arm, gritting my teeth, trying not to alert the others- they are on a very small ledge. A tear runs from the agony as light begins to spill out of the wounds, forming into lines that run between all of them like liquid silver. Finally, after what feels like forever, it stops. A tattoo-like mark has enveloped my entire arm. The cuts have formed into small, black diamond-like emblems, dark lines crossing and connecting them. A thick, dark line circles my wrist. I lift my sleeve. A circular emblem sits in the center of this bizarre augmentation, a wide circle with curved points jutting out, a diamond in the center. It settles itself on the outside of my shoulder.

I stand there, sweat dripping from my face, still gasping from the pain. Luciaphon gets closer.

“What did you do?”

“What?!”

“What happened? What was your ability? I did not see anything happening.”

I look to the others. They gaze at me in shock, even after they’ve seen so much in just a few days. I don’t blame them- it’s not every day that a colossal design similar to a tattoo consumes somebody’s arm in an instant.

“I’m alright. Don’t worry about me.”

Emetia raises her arms in a questioning gesture.

“I THINK IT’S FAIR TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT, ARIEI!”

I shrug, unable to formulate an adequate response. I decide to respond to Luciaphon instead.

“I fell from the beam.”

“You tried to cross the beam by balancing on it? What foolishne-”

“Shut up. Listen. I fell. I heard this voice in my head telling me to react. I did what felt natural, and immediately I was back where I started.”

He steps back, his glowing eyes widening.

“Tell me, exactly- as directly as you can. How far back did you go?!”

I think for a moment.

“I’m not sure. Fifteen seconds, maybe?”

“Fascinating.”

I tilt my head.

“What?”

“I said, fascinating.”

He circles me on the platform, his massive claws ticking on the stone floor.

“Your gift, it must be time manipulation of some sort. This is useful. This is unique.”

I follow him, turning as I lock eyes.

“Do you think I can go back further?!”

“No. Gifts have a set quantity and quality. If you went back around five seconds, then that is the ability you possess. I am certain you can chain your… reactions together, however. So, in that case, you can go back as much as you can.”

The realization dawns on me immediately.

I can go back.

I can fix this.

I can warn everybody.

We can leave early.

This can all be prevented.

I close my eyes.

“WAIT!”

A roar stops me in my tracks. My eyes snap open. Luciaphon has stepped closer.

“REMEMBER MY WARNING, CHILD. You have a limited amount of ability. See those marks across your arm?!”

I stare at the diamonds dotting the tapestry.

“For each time you use your ability one will fade. If you can only travel backwards fifteen seconds at a time then you’d kill yourself long before you manage to reach even a day. This has to be circumstantial. It CANNOT be used to correct everything that’s happened, regardless of how much you want it to be so.”

I turn and gaze deeply into his massive eyes. He remains solitary, refusing to break composure even after the rage I feel. How dare he give me such hope? How dare this world give me such revelations, only to rip it away as soon as it’s given?

Nothing is easy.

Everything must be a struggle.

“I am sorry, child. I wish for it to work that way. Gierant would still be here. But it is not to be.”

I turn away from him, place one foot on the beam, and start moving once more.

“What are you doing! You’ll just waste another use!”

I shake my head slowly, not daring to turn my head too far.

“I won’t let myself.”

I take deeper breaths this time. I ensure my feet are evenly placed, my weight divided across the soles of my boots as Iuse the central wedge to level myself. My steps are slow, even, my arms outstretched. Bryatt cheers me on.

“There we are!”

I ignore him.

I inch my way across, not noticing how close I am to the platform until I can see the ledge just on the edges of my peripheral vision. I can feel myself start to slip. I take another breath, wait, and slowly tilt my body to readjust my foothold and steady myself. Finally, with one last move, I plant my left foot onto the platform. Bryatt grapes my arm and pulls me to safety. He smirks.

“There! I knew you could do it.”

He looks at my arm.

“I’m assuming that’s more of your mystical shit?”

Emetia punches him in the arm.

“Have some concern!”

She looks at the scrawl on my arm.

“What happened?! You were just standing there and then you were mauled. It was like some invisible force happened to slice into youl.

Aaro steps forward. She looks justifiably concerned.

“Are you alright?!”

I hold up my hands.

“Everyone, please. I’m fine. I promise.”

Aaro doesn’t seem to trust me.

“The truth is, I fell.”

Nobody responds.

“You didn’t see it. Because I, through my bond with Luciaphon, was able to reverse time and attempt it again. That’s when this showed.”

Emetia crosses her arms.

“So, what, you’re a time traveler now?!”

I shake my head.

“Technically. But only for fifteen seconds at a time.”

I hold my arm out.

“Each of these marks represents a single use. I have a limited amount. When I use all of them up, I die.”

Aaro’s eyes widen.

“WHY WOULD YOU USE ONE ON SOMETHING SO FRIVOLOUS?”

“Because I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

She turns to Bryatt.

“She could’ve died! She could’ve died because you dared her!”

He smirks.

“I didn’t do anything. She didn’t have to follow through.”

Aaro sighs and turns back to me.

“Ariei. Please, don’t jump into something you’re not ready to do. You can’t be so reckless.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She turns away from me and looks up through the hole.

“Fine. We’re almost out. Can you get your beast to move the ladder?”

I nod.

“Luciaphon. Could you climb the pillar with the ladder in your jaws?”

“I see you still consider me a beast of burden. Very well.”

He leans down, gripping the sides of the ladder in his massive jaws. He leans over the side, digging his claws into the rough stone before slowly moving his way across. The creature leaps to our pillar, shaking the platform slightly and causing everyone to scream before it settles. He carefully, gingerly pulls himself up, stopping just under us. I kneel down, gripping the edge of the ladder before Gaevan helps me lift it the rest of the way. Luciaphon closes his maw with a soft grunt.

We plant the ladder against the edge of the hole. I test it first, planting my foot to ensure it stays stable against the smooth ground. It sticks. I hop off.

“Children first, then the rest of us. I’ll stay back and hold the ladder steady.”

There are no objections. I kneel and grip the bottom. Tira starts ascending first, then Wyen and Varia. Gaevan begins his ascent. Bryatt waits a moment before following. Emetia goes up alone, leaving Aaro behind. I call to her.

“Aaro. Your turn.”

She doesn’t respond. She’s just standing there on the edge, looking out over Ios.

Our home.

“Aaro, please. We need to climb up- Luciaphon doesn’t have enough space.”

I can hear her voice as it glides across the dead air, soft and frail.

“I’ll miss it, Ariei.”

I nod.

“I will too, Aaro. But it’ll always be there when we think back.”

She nods. She turns and moves towards the ladder. She tries not to look at me, but from the way she’s breathing I can tell that she’s holding back tears. She starts to climb.

“You can move up now.”

Luciaphon scrambles his way up the face, pulling himself over the edge with a groan. He bites the bottom rungs.

“Go on then.”

I start to climb. The height doesn’t hit me until I consider that this is the closest I’ll ever be to my city’s ceiling. It strikes me with an odd nostalgia for a time when I believed that no place could be as grand as this, as miraculous a feat of construction. How naive I was. Before I know it I’ve reached the precipice. I grip the soft grasses that twitch as I move and yank myself out to breathe the fresh air above us.

Everyone else stands completely still. Motionless. Unreactive.

I’d forgotten what it was like the first time you leave the city, leaving the safety of our home to face the unknown. None of them can really comprehend what they’re seeing. The sunlight basks down upon us in its golden blanket. The sky shifts its hue around the twin suns. We’re a fair distance away from the excursion point based on my calculations. I can see the outline of a beacon just over a short hill to our left. The trees stand tall amongst us. Wyen screams as a spiralfly shoots up beside her when she takes a few steps. Varia tugs some grass loose and lets it fall between his fingers.

“By the gods…”

I turn and watch as Emetia gazes directly into the sky. She’s not wearing any emotion in particular, instead feeling everything build up at once. Aaro’s entire thought process has changed. She laughs.

“The air. It’s so… so…”

“Clean.”

She nods.

“That’s it. Clean.”

Tira begins walking towards one of the hulking trees, a joyful grin on his face. He’s the happiest I’ve seen him yet. He chases a spiralfly as it hangs in the air. I call out to him.

“Tira! Wait!”

He gives pause.

“Don’t go too far from the group. That stands for all of you. None of you can stray too far.”

Bryatt nods. He points towards the hole.

“Where’s the eidelion?”

Luciaphon bursts from the hole a short moment later. It’s a struggle for him to fit. I move to help him up, but he manages to get a claw out and precariously drag himself through the opening. He stands, breathing heavily and shaking some of the dirt and grime from his coat. Sekra's still there, safe, bundled tight.

“What took you so long?”

“...I was scared.”

“...Of jumping through a hole?”

“It’s a very far way down.”

“You’re a nexumon!”

“We are not invincible, child.”

He moves forward, shaking himself again.

“Tell the tall one I’m no ordinary eidelion.”

I speak to Bryatt with a wry grin.

“He’s offended by your terms.”

Bryatt chuckles, looking towards the beast.

“Fuckin’ crazy.”

I look around and raise my voice slightly.

“Everyone. I think it’s time that we said goodbye.”

They all eventually return their attention, although Emetia is last. She’s still transfixed by the sky. I don’t blame her. Soon we gather around the hole. From here it’s hard to see the world we’ve left. Compared to the surface the scale feels off, miniature. Aaro kneels over the edge.

“This is it.”

I place a hand on her shoulder.

“It is.”

Bryatt takes an esperstone lighter from his pack, along with a few spare microgranite sheets. He balls them up with a rock in the center.

“Any last words for old Ios?”

He waits for people to respond, but nobody can. We’re all gazing down at this hole in the ground that used to be our place of solace. It’s all broken. Bryatt understands the notion.

“I think Aaro’s summed it up.”

Emetia nods.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’ll miss it. Not the place or our lifestyle or the governing system. But I’ll miss the people. We all kept life worth living.”

Varia gazes with melancholy in his eyes.

“I miss my family.”

We turn towards him. I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that he’s alone- none of us have, for any of the children. It’s easy to forget other’s grief when grappling with your own.

Emetia sighs.

“We’re here for you, Varia. And the others, as well.” She nods to Wyen and Tira. “We’ll take care of you. We’re all in the same boat- we’ve lost people we care about deeply. That’s why- as Bryatt said- we stick together.”

I nod.

“Together.”

The sentiment makes its round. I step aside as Bryatt carries the large bundle. He starts the blue flame, letting it burn its way across the top of the sphere. He moves over the edge and throws it in. We all stand there, transfixed, as it falls to the ground. An ocean of light spreads fast, a tranquil glow showing itself over the soft sounds of crackling flames and wheezing smoke. It’s a beautiful sight, one that will remain burned into the mind of everyone here- of us beaten, broken and yet hopelessly strong people- engaged in this moment of history. A loud burst cuts through the soft soundscape as the drum Emetia rolled into the manufactoria explodes. I can just barely hear the scrape of metal as the shrapnel is sent outwards.

It takes several long, quiet minutes before the smoke clouds the rest of the view. It seeps out in a thick, black steam. It climbs into the atmosphere before lingering, then finally immersing itself amongst the endless sky. Nobody wishes to move. We’re here, transfixed in this final mourning, the end of a mass funeral. I almost wished we hadn’t burnt it, but now I’m happy we did.

They get to move on.

The people of Ios.

Once teachers, farmers, fighters, workers, friends, siblings, doctors, writers, poets, governors, cooks, scientists, lovers, enemies, children, prey, prisoners, priests, mothers, fathers.

They’re in the sky now.