Chapter XX

Dicterium

Zanda traveled at antivelocitas, protected by her merkabah and the porter, which pulled her body through dark matter. Anyone using that tech had to know how to hold their breath for at least thirty seconds. That was why children younger than seven, and people with breathing issues, hypertension, and mental disorders like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and claustrophobia faced restrictions for its use.

Instant travel was usual for Zanda during her time in Asporto. For years, Refius had made her use a trainee’s merkabah, regardless of the distance. After leaving Civitas Permacolae, they landed half a world away at a porter similar to the one they had just left, except the new one was double the size. A dark crystal door awaited them.

Refius turned to Zanda with a warm smile across his bearded face. “Ready?”

“I guess,” doubt lingered in her mind. “It’s sinking in.”

“Don’t overthink; take it as it is.”

“It’s too much to just ignore, Refius.”

He stopped. “Let’s forget about the evolved intuition for a minute. You will remain alive thanks to your time as a gevuritah and what you learned in Asporto. So, you better do great or be remembered as my worst pupil.”

She rolled her eyes once more. “That’s some vote of confidence. Thanks for your pep talk,” it wasn’t what the young gevurah expected from him, and he knew it.

“Let’s go. I’m sure Samelia is waiting for us on the other side.”

The senior gevurah walked out of the circles outlined on the floor. His apprentice followed; the door slid open as they approached it, revealing a construction different from Civitas Permacolae. The walls were made of dark stone, with no windows. Many silver chandeliers hung in a line ten meters above them, illuminating the pentagonal hallway.

“Are we underground?” The lack of windows was disorienting.

“No…” A woman walked into the light. Zanda jumped, not expecting her.

“I just told you she was waiting for us,” Refius mocked her.

“Excuse our somber setup; it’s only but adequate for our setting. We are at Dicterium, at the very core of Dictaduria, the C.O.S. (Center of Organization and Surveillance) of this country, Refius; it is good to see you again, my friend.”

Samelia was tall and imposing. She wore a green merkabah, bulky and majestic. Her dark eyes showed her actual age, which was much more than the thirty-five she appeared to be.

“Still sneaky, huh? It’s good to see you, fren.”

Refius offered a hug, and Samelia responded with tenderness. “I like it when people don’t expect me,” she revealed.

“I was expecting you.” He broke their hug.

“Yes, but your apprentice wasn’t,” the woman turned to her.

Refius realized he hadn’t introduced them. “Zanda, this is Samelia, one of the Senior Gevurah in charge of coordinating surveillance in Dictaduria.”

They greeted each other and shook hands courteously; her grip was soft but firm. “Congratulations on your Ceremonia; that’s one beautiful merkabah,” she was honest and joyful, looking at her bodysuit with superficial interest.

“Thank you. Forgive us if we’re late,” In a way it felt as if her mission had already begun.

“Not a minute late, not a minute earlier. You are always right on time. Now, let’s get on with it, shall we? Please, come along. I’ll show you where we work.” Samelia paced away into the chandelier-lit dark crystal hallway.

Zanda and Refius followed right behind. “It’s your first time in extarri lands.” It seemed there was a rush to get wherever they were going. Samelia made the younger woman walk faster.

“Yes, your Seniorship. I appreciate your welcoming. I’ll do my best to fulfill my branch’s expectations.”

“Oh! My dear! You’re so polite. I like that,” Samelia grasped Zanda’s left shoulder. “Don’t worry. I trust you, and just in case, we will have an open communication channel. I’ll help you clean up after my mess if there’s the need for it.” She threw the right hook to keep the young woman engaged.

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“What do you mean by ‘your mess’?”

Samelia kept going without looking back. “This nuisance could’ve been prevented if I were a better gevurah. Instead, we struggle to hunt and eradicate the issue from its root. I thank you for coming, your aid will be imperative to fix it.”

“Zanda, did I ever tell you how Samelia and I met?” Refius broke through their conversation.

“You tell me a lot of things. I don’t remember all of them, sorry.”

“I have an answer,” Gia whispered in her ear.

Zanda didn’t respond. She wanted Samelia to keep talking.

“We met in my third year of Asporto but never hung out; we were part of different circles,” she reminisced. “A decade later, during the underwater crisis in England, Refius and I were assigned to an infiltration operation of a gang, local to a Spanish neighborhood in Londoburg. It was quite the challenge, wouldn’t you agree, old friend?”

“It was supposed to be a simple task, but it ended with us having to escape from dozens of Karunos who thought we were part of their gang. They tried to ambush us on the spot. It was a risky gamble, but we managed to get out alive without blowing our cover with the other groups. We received excellent reviews from our seniors and superiors; they even awarded us the Malkuthian Achievement of Bravery. So, even If we fell into that trap, Samelia and I emerged victorious.”

They didn’t seem proud of that anecdote but did found it amusing, laughing at the memory.

Zanda softened a bit and forgot her annoyance with Refius. “How did you end up in that trap?” She couldn’t hide her curiosity.

It was Samelia who answered. “That was my fault, actually. If you’re interested in hearing about it, join us for breakfast tomorrow. I’m hopeful we can resolve this matter by dawn.”

The clock on the crystasleeve showed 10:12 PM; there was a 12-hour difference between Sectum and Tasmania. She was back on December 20th. Her Ceremonia had been ten hours earlier that same day, which confused her for a moment.

The Gevurah reached the end of their path as they faced a massive iron door ten meters high. It opened with an invisible ease as they approached. Zanda guessed it must weigh a few tons, shielded and powered by Malkuthian technology. Behind it, a control room capable of holding a thousand people dazzled them; the skylight ceiling was at least thirty meters high with walls carved on grey stone with some details on red, both beautiful and cold.

Samelia turned to face them. “This is our Gevrum. Here, we control and supervise the behavior of extarri classified as dictadurians.”

Zanda took in the entirety of the room filled with natural light; hundreds of people worked together in synchrony, spread out among holoscreens across several floors connected by crystal staircases. Not exclusive to the fifth Sephirah, symbols from various branches were carved around the massive room, representing the collective efforts of what she identified as Kether, Yesod, Chokmah, Binah, Tipharet, Chesed and Gevurah.

“So, you just observe and analyze?” The young woman couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

“We rarely act or intervene directly; most of the time, we scrutinize and study each individual’s behavior to assess their development through exile. This isn’t why you’re here, though. One of our active cases has spiraled out of control, and we need your intervention.”

“I’m intrigued,” Zanda admitted, unsure of what to think.

“I have everything prepared. Samelia, would you like to start?” Someone close by interjected.

“Do they train you all in stealth?” Refius was taken aback and regarded him like an unwelcome pest.

“Your timing is impeccable. Were you waiting for Zanda to ask, Hykar?” Samelia ignored his old friend’s remark with a smile directed at his subordinate.

“Yes, my apologies. I didn’t intend to be sneaky,” Hykar approached, ashamed. “I apologize if my behavior caused any inconvenience, your seniorship.”

Zanda wanted to punch her mentor.

“No need to apologize; stealth is a valuable skill. I commend you for it,” Refius said awkwardly, aware of his overreaction.

“Hykar is my right-hand man.” After they shared a moment, Samelia concluded the introduction.

“A pleasure.” They shook hands.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Hykar addressed Zanda. “We are aware your Ceremonia was less than twelve hours ago, so, more than anything, you are doing us a favor.”

“It is my duty,” Zanda felt regret about her earlier reluctance. “I’ll be honest, learning that my first task would be here was difficult to accept. Now, I’m interested.”

“I appreciate your candor. Sectum is a difficult place to understand from any perspective. I’m sure the Superior Gevurah had their reasons for choosing you for this operation,” Hykar seemed to relax after her response.

“It’s time I brief our young friend Zanda on the situation,” Samelia led them closer to Gevrum’s core, a decagonal space at the center of those work stations.

"If you'll excuse me…" A crystal bracelet detached from Hykar's left arm and transformed into a cuboctahedron. The white and maroon kabbalah flew away and disintegrated into a million pieces, settling on a metatronic table at the center of Gevrum creating a map.

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That's it for Chapter XX!

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