4.2.25 - The Weepers of Distant Forevers pt 4

Parable 4: Veils of Vapor and Kingsmen

The trio emerged from the catacombs, crossing into the silver dusk outside. The Kobring awaited them, its sleek hull reflecting the last licks of daylight off the wet ivory roads.

Inside, Aillag reclined and reached for another dose of vyp0r. The cup, shaped to her hand from earlier, hovered back to her lips, refilled by the Kobring's inner systems.

"Do you believe in the oath, Viumod?" she murmured.

"Of course, my Moonya," Viumod slurred. Her voice was thick, dream-bound. "Even the other one."

They laughed. Then hit another dose.

The dream took hold again.

Around them, the world unraveled. The roads broke into threads. The air thinned. Stars turned into paintings, then blurred, then folded into seeds. It was a singular dream, personalized by vyp0r—crafted from the one memory the soul would barter eternity for.

They drooled and consumed.

Outside, the Kobring surged forward, its base coated with a hydroxer film that let it bounce across terrain and funnel vibration into fuel. The second frost barrier appeared ahead.

Aillag leaned forward and accidentally pressed the wrong command.

The top half of the car dissolved.

Wind screamed into the vehicle. The west wind—infused with remnants of miasma—sliced through their shields.

Aillag's dai flared to meet it, casting a faint shimmer of runes around her form. Still, some of the cold clawed past the nation's protective barrier.

"How long until we reach the castle?" Aillag asked.

"Three hours," Viumod replied, apathetic. Her pupils had spiraled wide.

She switched to a forbidden dialect. "We sshould usse dis time to discuss de movement in our kingdom."

Aillag smiled. Her voice took on the same inflection. "It iss time to sssummon our phalanx. If da king moves, den so musss we."

Viumod exhaled deeply. "All of them? That will take months. Can't we wait until after the ceremony?"

The Moonya flinched.

The rune ceremony...

It was one of the only obligations a royal had: to kneel before the King in full ceremonial offering. No land, no taxes—just that. And yet it cost more than most kingdoms could bear. Families were built and razed under the pressure of that offering.

Aillag clenched her hand.

"De tidesss are ssshifting, Viumod. Ma will join uss. It’s only a matter of moments. After dat... I’ll have da weight... the influence..."

She stood, her dai curling tighter around her as the wind whipped her hair.

"One step closer... to becoming the Sunya of Zsolterra."

"As always, my Moonya," Viumod said, reclining with half a grin, "your appetite knows no bounds."

The rest of the ride passed in and out of dream-slow time. More vyp0r. More visions.

Until at last— the Kobring rose into the air.

The pathway cleared for them, hydroxer coils glowing. And ahead: the gates of Ghentsai Castle. Guarding it were three figures.

The vehicle spoke: "Moonya Aillag. Three of your retainers are waiting at the gate."

Aillag stirred from her slumber. Her eyes lifted to see the silhouette of a hulking man with two mouths, flanked by two smaller but identical shapes.

"We are here to welcome the Fallen Sapphire to her great house," the man bellowed, both mouths speaking at once. "By the Sunya of Zsolterra and the illuminated unifier, King Tor Hos!"

Aillag, disheveled and hatless, climbed out of the vehicle.

"Shut the fuck up. My head is repairing. Who are you?"

The large man bowed his head. "I am Yapa. One of the King’s Anguilis."

"I was expecting Da and the twins," Aillag snapped, shielding her face.

"They have other orders. I am here on urgent business."

Viumod emerged, fixing her attire. "If it isn’t the outcasts of Ghentsai!"

The two smaller figures said nothing.

"They only speak to me now," Yapa said with his lower mouth. "Training requirements."

Viumod's smile faded. The silent figures—Maha and Kas—had once been her students. The brightest. The strongest. They were supposed to protect the Sunya and Moonya.

"Let me call Aetor," Viumod said. She leapt into the air, summoning a hydroxer bubble beneath her feet. Her chant cut through the clouds.

"Aya... ama... patelae Aetor..."

Her moth-shaped toatao formed over her ears. She nodded and slowly descended.

"My Moonya, the Sunya is with Da and the twins. They're inspecting town operations."

Aillag nodded slowly.

"Then your time has been wasted, Yapa."

He smiled. "Time given to the King is never wasted."

She turned. "Let’s head inside. We’ll wait for the others there. I doubt the King sent two anguilis for the same task."

The gate opened.

And the party stepped into the grounds of Ghentsai Castle—where the Sunya's dai waited in the walls like perfume, ready to crawl into their minds and test their truths.