“What is a world? It is not a place. It is not your definition of existence. A world is merely a playground for those with power over the parameters. Leave the playground, step daintily out of the sand––but the grains will remain on your feet.”
– Render
“Have a good day,” the cashier told them, turning around and pulling out their phone. Scroll, scroll.
Lucas shook his head and double-checked the shopping bag. A clean banana, two coconuts, trail mix, and heavy-duty pliers. It’d do––maybe he’d name his next baby Justaway or something.
“You have the coconuts, right?” Agate asked him, as they walked out of the supermarket.
“Yeah, I do. Don’t worry.” There went that idea. He’d have Cade build something from the crates.
The automatic doors slid to both sides and they stepped out. It was bright outside, and warm. His thoughts returned to Nodari.
“Hey, do you talk to the boss?” Lucas asked, as they turned right and along the sidewalk. Agate knew the way back.
“Should I?” she replied, tossing her blonde hair back. Not in a ponytail today, as she wasn’t playing baker.
“What does that mean?” Lucas asked. “They’re our leaders. They run the whole gamut.”
“It’s a group effort, Lucas. They lead us, but we do the field work.”
“That’s true, but––”
“Including Nodari. Valha’ya needs a new partner, you know.”
"You're saying that as if Nodari isn't coming back."
Agate glanced back at him, before looking back in front as she walked ahead. “It’s Nodari we’re talking about. Even if he wasn’t put in some prison, he’d get lost in High. His fashion sense––haven’t you noticed? He wasn’t quite in control, if you know what I mean.”
Lucas almost made a retort, but didn’t. Agate was right––they rounded the corner onto the next street––Nodari was a power in battle, but he always did have Valha’ya with him. Lucas did have to admit that.
“It’s been two days. Nodari’s either been purified or––he’s been purified, Agate. When was the last time? You keep these records, right?”
“There’s twelve of us now. Nodari is the strongest one of us taken since… you have the trail mix, right?”
“Yeah.” It was one straight street ahead of them now.
“If the current leaders are like the lion, tiger, and bear, then Valha’ya might be a cougar, and Nodari was a lynx.” Agate was sounding a bit more like her direct-over-receptor voice now, he noted, although he didn’t know all of the animals. They were all gone from the earth, anyway. Well, most of them. “I joined when I was sixteen, like Wisteria is now, two years before you.”
“And? Not just the last time, actually. Do you remember how many of us have been purified since you joined?”
“I was getting to that, Lucas. Since I joined, back before you and d’Voris and Faer and Zefayus and others, we had a polar bear.”
“What’s a polar bear? It can throw poles?”
“Ha ha. Imagine a white bear that’s twice as large as a normal bear. They lived on the tips of the planet, back when it still had ice.”
“I’m glad you remember what you learned in school,” Lucas noted. Agate laughed. “So this polar bear was even stronger than the bosses? What happened to them?” he asked.
“They were purified, Lucas. The polar bear, and a couple others in the few years between when I joined and you joined. Nodari isn’t the first time.”
They were now rounding another corner, and up ahead was the new HQ entrance, this time Porte’s daytime business, a small photoshop called Magic Pictures. Photos ranging in size from individual portraits of local high schoolers to large family photos were stuck in the window. Well, sure––and Lucas didn’t even want to think about how someone stronger than the Lazy Boss, the CEO, and the True Boss had been purified. It made sense that no one talked about them, and Porte talked about the old days quite a bit.
Agate opened the door and they walked in.
Porte stood behind the cashier machine, dressed in a red fedora, a full-on black-and-white tuxedo, and what looked like imitation cowboy pants complete with tassels and spurs. “Good time it is, lord and lady,” he stated, spinning an imaginary pistol around his right hand. “How’d ya do today.”
“Ha! Fayar Gaebus,” Lucas exclaimed. The voice made it obvious.
“That’s right-on, good Lucas.” Porte took off his hat to run his other hand through his hair, pressed down by the fedora. “What’s on the menu tonight, Agate? More trail mix hors d’oeuvres?” he asked, back to his normal voice.
Agate was smiling. “With sautéed coconut.”
“Your specialty,” Porte said. Lucas frowned. “But Nodari––” he started to ask, before Agate looked hard at him. If she were Faer, he almost expected her eyes to glow. “We’ll figure it out. Kelit and Cade will do it.”
“Sure, yeah.” There went using the crates anytime soon.
Porte gave what might have been a sad smile at Lucas. “I have to manage the shop. Go right on in,” and he put the bright red fedora back on.
Lucas nodded, and he and Agate walked into the back room where Porte would take full group photos. By simultaneously Thought-entering the password, they opened the trapdoor right where families would stand for a picture, under the fabric. Agate went down first, and Lucas followed.
Only a 95%. So it wasn’t just the curves they had to know, but also the life stories of economists who made their theories from the post-WWIV comforts of no AI to dominate everything. Sm. Gordon had mentioned last class that those precise postwar comforts were what stimulated such thinking––of using a trickle-down curve structure rather than the matrices that were used for the world without Sectors. But what did they know, as they themselves taught this material from the comforts of post-AIV technology? She shook her head as she passed the portal antechamber, walked up the steps past Mother’s room, and almost managed to avoid George.
“Giddyup. Giddyup,” it croaked, leaping in front of her. Mother’s alter manker, which was supposed to stay in its room––Mother’s home divan with its own six-poster bed that hung from the ceiling, draperies of the finest flynder, and the best set of Laconica sprinklers in the house.
“Hi, George. How are you doing today?” Eleanor asked, going to her knees. “Had fun?”
“Giddyup. Giddyup.” It turned its black bulbous eyes in opposite directions.
“Ha ha. Now why don’t you go tell Mother that Eleanor would not like tea today, and will not be seeing the von Hiischklen heir, and will be staying in her room. OK? George, can you do that for me?”
The eyes returned to center, and George with its long tongue cleaned its nostrils in a flash. “Giddy.” It slapped its alter plastic tail on the ground, thwack thwack. “Whoa, whoa boy?” it asked.
Eleanor shook her head. “Not today, George. I’ll see her next time, OK? Now go.” She nudged it on its metal-padded forehead. It only frowned up at her. “Go!” she implored, hitting it a bit harder. “Giddyup, giddyup!” it yelled, as it bounded back up Mother’s stairs and disappeared behind the corner up the second flight. It’d take two more, four in total of three steps each, until passing under the V-photo dated eight years when the Dorr family was last whole.
The door opened for Eleanor as she entered her room and her desk haloamp flickered on. She quickly summoned her textbooks via receptor onto her desk and Thought to flick off the haloamp. She fell back onto her bed.
She immediately jumped off. Random texture settings for something different each day, and today had to be the one for non-bio terra wood which she’d normally appreciate and had to really search the customizable settings for.
But a 95. Did she study with the others too much? Too little? She went and sat down in her floafa. Stared at Mincy and Bode. Their leaves wandered.
“Ah, ok. OK.” She Thought for her schedule and went back to her desk, flicked on the haloamp.
Eleanor Dorr, third year, Blazon High, District F, Sector I, World. The “World” at the end always intrigued her. Was it even necessary? Only the school’s name was necessary. The other four Sectors were practically different worlds themselves.
First ring, Economy. 98%. Dropped two points. What one 95 could do.
Second ring, Governing. 100%. Good. She didn’t want to become a Governor… but it was almost time to apply to University. Ha. Tr’aedis would have a hard time with that.
Third ring, Neo English. 100%. Easiest class in the world.
Fourth ring, Human History. 95%. She had to watch Blazon’s version of the notorious Restor documentary, which every school had a different version of. When a single set of famous siblings got their own unit in the year. The only 100% accurate one, she knew and they were always told, was the one in the techist brother’s founded school, William Restor down in Might.
Fifth ring, Elective––Theories of Art. Passing. Approaching the lauded Techist unit. In Might it was probably a core requirement but from what she heard, she could sleep in the Techist unit.
So––documentary was easy, although she’d make sure to watch it without Tr’aedis––she just had to score alter on the Economy midterm in January.
So––work for tomorrow. Clock––3:30 PM. She had time to watch the documentary, visit Mr. Tupil, listen to one of her playlists, do the reading for English, and make some Thoughtnotes for Economy on her own. Father was physically at work today. Mother in her palace.
The reading first, then. Eleanor Thought for the V-book.
Incoming Thought message. Identity, Tr’aedis von Hiischklen.
Reject, Eleanor Thought. She wasn’t in the mood today. Her perfect copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude, the Neo English translation, lay on her desk. She rather liked the Modern Era edition’s chosen Alterart illustration of a rather simplified family tree of the Buendías. Much simpler than its depiction in the text.
She used her fingers to turn to page 127, physically bookmarked. Incoming Thought message. Identity, Tr’aedis von Hiischklen. Reject. If it was about his failed audition, which they’d already discussed ad nauseam, she wasn’t doing it today.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Moving forward from that time, the parochial diviner commenced displaying telltale signals of time’s passing, that would cause their saying an era later that the formless being had likely triumphed in his struggle against the nameless entities, and that they were the one who denied heaven’s throne, without making revelation of their real identity to decipher the unknowing.
The original language, Spanish, was dead but this translator, Sierra Pangle, was famous for doing not only Spanish but the other dead Romantic languages.
Not that she knew any Spanish, except names like Aureliano, which was just a name.
She’d send a TM to Tr’aedis at least. Tr’aedis––I’m studying. I can see you at school tomorrow. There, that should do it.
Thought message from Tr’aedis von Hiischklen. OK, she’d see it, and go back to reading.
Eleanor, I’m going to try to go to Sector II. Parents against of course. If you’re with me, see me in first circle tomorrow.
Oh, dear alter. Now this he had not suggested before, and the tone actually sounded like himself. Somewhat serious.
And they had university applications coming after midterms.
A José Arcadio Segundo stared at her from the page, as she thought.
They had just moved into the new District, still the same Levgion, and Daddy was introducing her to their neighbors, long name she couldn’t say right. They had a son her age, and Daddy was pushing her gently forward, to stare at the boy with hair that went to his shoulders. His eyes were very bright as he put his small hand out. “I’m Tr’aedis! Let’s be friends!” She looked back at Mommy who smiled and nodded. Eleanor tried to smile back at the boy and shook his hand.
It was a soft hand, one she knew at the time wasn't used to shaking hands. She stared past his happy eyes up to the tall outline of his house. It was taller than her house. But it didn't have the pointed tops.
She’d make things right, not getting into Blazon’s troupe all three years was pretty stymying. Going to Lowers was one thing, but to the next Sector? Ridiculous. There’d be nothing alter coming from it. Tr’aedis was her friend, and they had to go to university next year. Ideally different ones. And she had to ensure that happened.
Eleanor took off her receptor and looked back at One Hundred Years of Solitude.
As he expected, Valha’ya was standing against the wall as they came down the ladder. Her face didn’t alter at all upon their entrance.
Cade, from where he’d been sitting on his own crate, came over and clapped Lucas’s shoulder. “Welcome to the club.” Lucas grinned and removed the pliers from the flimsy bag, which had a hole in it torn by the steel. “Read these for me, Cade.”
“A new weapon?” Cade sighed, but took the handles with his hands. Agate moved past them, greeting Zefayus and Faer.
Valha’ya, he noticed, was glancing at them from the corner of her eye. Cade’s trait was even cooler than his, although less useful in a fight. Cade held the pliers up close to his beard and closed his eyes.
A moment later, and Cade reopened them. “The same thing, Lucas, the same thing they all think. Supermarket, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what I thought. Just another object screaming for release from its container, or along those lines.”
“Huh.” Lucas could read people’s emotions, but he’d only do it for Agents whose well-being he didn’t care much for anyway. Prime for combat and once in a while for future. Cade could read the minds of objects, non-living of course, whatever that even meant. Sure, Scion traits broke the rules, but Cade’s made a new one.
“Anyways, sure, I can make something from this. Much smaller than the Ustih, but still good to wield. And again––unless you get something that’s free, don’t ask me to read it. I’m serious.”
“Sure, sure Cade.” Lucas scanned the cold concrete room, their container. The True Boss was talking about something urgent with d’Voris by a stack of crates, waving their hands around. Their hair shone blue and dark.
He dropped the bag into the designated food crate and walked over. “Need something, Taylor?” he asked the True Boss.
“So a pyramid, then. That’d be great!”
d’Voris was nodding. “We’re just discussing how to use the crates here,” she told him. Damn, that auburn hair though. Her eyes. They were right under a photoshop, too. “Besides weapon storage and cooking?” Lucas asked.
“Besides those, yes,” she responded, eyes still but really like stars. Not real stars, they weren’t visible in the sky. But stars. He could almost forget about Nodari looking at those. d’Voris did act somewhat differently around the True Boss, not as respectfully as she did around the two others, but something different and he liked it. “Taylor, you talk to the other two bosses, right?” he asked them.
The True Boss nodded. “Of course,” they said.
Lucas cursed mentally. He should’ve asked Kelit for a cigarette first.
“What’s the plan for Nodari?”
d’Voris’s face turned stern, and the True Boss cocked their head to the side. “What do you mean?”
You’ve got to be kidding me. Sure, it was Taylor and not the CEO, the CEO would’ve done something by now. “Aren’t we, you know, going to do something about him?”
“Do what?”
“Taylor!” Lucas didn’t know what to think. Taylor Cole, the one who’d convinced him to join the Furies, and who got him out of that school business. Taylor, the only approachable boss, who’d always have a pack of cards ready when things were heating up.
“Wasn’t he the #2 around here? We just lost our #2, after Valha’ya! Do we––”
“Kotaro. He wasn’t our #2.” d’Voris. Did he want to see those eyes looking at him like that? He didn’t want to see those eyes looking at him like that.
“You too, d’Voris?” Lucas asked.
“She’s actually right,” Taylor said, almost giving off a laugh, with their mouth quirked. “Valha’ya is our #2. I am the #1 here––don’t tell me you forgot already?”
“But––” Lucas started to say, before stopping to think. Huh. Was it because the True Boss, or any of the bosses, practically never used their abilities in front of them? Never went on missions but always stayed at HQ on their arbitrary rotation schedule? Huh. “How strong are you, Taylor, compared to Valha’ya and Nodari? We never see you use your trait.”
He noted Wisteria climbing down from where she’d been sitting on the top of the stack of crates, listening.
The True Boss took out their card deck, flipped through them. Removed one, showed it to d’Voris, Wisteria, and Lucas in turns. An alter dart. “This is you, Lucas. Your trait is interesting, but fairly specific, and not used to its full advantage.” Sure. OK. He knew that. He’d work on using it without people knowing he was in their minds. The True Boss then removed a bodieze. “This is you, d’Voris. Your trait is full-body, and you’re using it effectively. A strong hand.” Now a portal. “Wisteria tells me not to reveal too much of her hand, but it’s a lucky one!” Wisteria frowned, and waved her phone at the True Boss. “Now. As for me––”
The True Boss dropped the cards, which slipped and fell freeform to the ground. “I’m not in the deck. Satisfied?” They turned back to Wisteria, who was showing them something on their phone. “Hmm.” Taylor knelt to gather up the cards. “Everyone! Gather ‘round.”
The others stopped whatever they were doing and walked over. “What is it, Taylor?” Zefayus asked, a glow from his hands fading. Agate crossed her arms. Kelit was holding Lucas’s fixed visorface and a pack of cigarettes. Cade put what might have been a makeshift stove back down on the ground and whistled for his bird. Faer, tagged behind by Glid’s bot.
The deck of cards went back into Taylor’s pocket as they stood. “Nodari’s back! He should be coming down in a minute.”
Everyone started saying something, Lucas included, who shook his head. As expected of the True Boss and Secretary Wisteria. He knew they’d figure out something. He told himself never to doubt them again, and resolved to join in on their next game.
They all turned their heads to the entrance, where Valha’ya stood waiting. The hatch opened… and some legs came down, in jeans. They walked over. Then a T-shirt, and Nodari’s face, and no dumb hat. It was Nodari. His hair was even combed.
“Good night, people,” Nodari said, in not his usual drawl, but even more pulled back, like a body being raked over metal in one of those 2121 AI sound horror movies. “Good night? It’s early afternoon, Nodari!” Zefayus exclaimed, executing the Furies hand-signal.
Nodari stared at the hand, and waved his fingers. Not in the signal. “Oh, you’re right. Isn’t it kinda cold?”
“How did you get back?” Agate asked.
Yeah, how did the Boss do it?
“Get back? Oh, to this place. Numbers-guy took me home.”
Numbers-guy? “What do you mean?” Faer, eyes shining.
“Forgot their name. Numbers. Didn’t much like their fashion, and the way back was very very very fast!” Nodari gesticulated something––put one palm out, and used the two fingers of his other hand to jump across like a bug. “Didn’t talk much, but they gave me new clothes. Anyways, the photo man said there’s coconut cream cake?”
Something was off. “Nodari, a game of future?” Taylor was saying. “Wait––I’m making sautéed coconut, I told Porte.” Agate put a hand out, preventing Nodari from walking towards Taylor. d’Voris was looking concerned. “Yeah––are you saying that someone took you here?” Zef asked. “Ah, fuck.” Kelit spoke and took some steps back, readying their hair.
“Guys, girls, dazons, it’s fine!” Taylor was saying. “Nodari was ‘purified,’ but he’s back, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
Too many things were going on. Did a blasted Agent chauffeur Nodari back after they took his ability? Were they found again? Was that R-named guy coming? Purification did do weird things to Scions, but this was on another level. It was almost as if Nodari’s mind had been altered.
Lucas pushed through to the front. “Nodari, show us your power.” They all stopped talking then, even Taylor.
Nodari squinted, as if he was trying to make out something very, very far away. “My power? Oh, my power. Agate––coconut power.”
Yeah, something was off. Their #2 had been purified. At worst, Agents were knocking on Porte’s photoshop upstairs already. “Valha’ya, check it out?” Zefayus was saying, but she was already ascending the steel steps. They all turned back to Nodari, almost surrounding him. He was younger than Lucas, he realized. Couldn’t have been more than twenty. Even younger than Agate.
“Cake––I can cook it for you. Agate, do you have the cream?” Nodari asked her, and she shook her head.
“Get back!” Kelit shouted, pushing them out of the way, holding their hair in their hands. “Give him air.”
They stepped back. “Your hair’s flammable, Kel,” Zefayus said, as Nodari looked at his hands in wonder, before rubbing them palm to palm, slowly, then faster, and Lucas expected to see the smoke rising. The flame glowing. But none rose.
“Well, that’s an alter disaster,” Glid’s bot chirped.
“Let’s sit down everybody,” Taylor stated, voice firm. “Agate, Kelit, pull over some crates.” They started, and Lucas stopped enacting Plan G, halfway into Nodari’s thoughts, which he didn’t even want to start thinking about. Agate tossed her hair back, Kelit let their hair hang loose, returning the mufflers to their pockets, and the two walked over to the tall stack of crates.
As they pulled them over, Taylor remained standing, shuffling the future deck in their hands––in, out, in, out. “Let’s look at our hand. Nodari was purified and there goes our hover––” Taylor showed them all the card–– “and he was taken home by one of them. Bad players, all. Valha’ya’s back. Our––” They looked through the cards for a second. “There, our Alter.” The best card in the deck, and Lucas looked at Valha’ya, who had returned to leaning against the wall over there. OK. If Nodari was a hover and she was the ace, that was a relief to know.
“However, while future is a solo endeavor, Valha’ya still needs a partner! Any ideas?”
Lucas almost raised his hand. Wisteria looked pointedly at Taylor, who shook their head. “Does Valha’ya need a partner?” Faer asked, eyes back to normal. She had a point. In future, having the Alter in your hand gave you license to control the game while you had it, if you played the other cards right. And he still hadn’t seen what her trait was.
Wait. “What about that high schooler Scion Element’r?” Lucas said. “I could track her down.”
“Bad idea, Lucas,” Cade said. “If she doesn’t want to, she’ll only slow Valha’ya down.”
“I may know someone.” d’Voris.
“Who you talked with yesterday?” Zef asked. “You rarely talk to outsiders via receptor.”
She nodded. “Through Glid––” she glanced at the bot, which remained silent–– “I was acquainted with a Scion Magy’cal at William Restor High. Seems enthusiastic, and I have little doubt that she’d be interested were we to approach her.”
“Magy’cal? To match Valha’ya? Damn, Glid, good work!” Zef addressed the bot, which did some happy circles in the air. “I know what to do, then,” Lucas said as he stood, looking at Taylor, who nodded. “Take two others, excluding Glid,” they said. “Kelit, modify the visorfaces?” Kelit nodded. “Excellent. She’s still in school, so don’t treat this like a deal, but a real shuffle.” Lucas nodded, and looked first to Cade, then to d’Voris. “Will you come with me on a nostalgia trip?” Not that he’d finished high school, but still.
Cade and d’Voris nodded in suit. “I look forward to meeting her in person,” d’Voris said.