076 - Resonance

Pontius took the disc down to street level; as far as they could see in all directions there was the city, not a patch of ash-grey grass. The only part of the Ether that remained was the wide black water river, though now there were a dozen long bridges connecting to the far shores, the city stretching out to the infinite beyond. Quiet, each brick and cobblestone slab appeared almost real, as real as something could in the Ether. Not a noise, not a sound; except for steady chants from both Mithraic Seers.

A whole city! As far as the eye could see, simply incredible! This had to be the Celestials totem; their aspect form within the Ether. Mastery of creation within the Ether to such a degree . . outside the Martial Courts very few could claim to be able to generate illusory world in the Ether, but for Celestials it seemed to be an innate ability - something more than mere illusion. The cobblestones felt real to the touch, each brick as if it had been placed there by man.

The Alchemists of old meticulously recorded every single one of their many incursions into Celestial totems, every single one of them unique, distinct . . but very similar in some particular ways. Strange though . . if the Celestial had fled from the Ether then they would have had no way of tracking its physical location, not with the interference and inability to set marking glyphs. Why had it chosen to stay?

And that forest, the white mist . . that must have been there before they entered. A second Celestial, already in its totem?

Pontius landed on a wide avenue, quickly dissolving the lower disc and sending a second stream of Animus into the upper disc. With a rapid incantation, blue energy pulsed from his hands and swelled into the disc, increasing its size several times and splitting it into several thick strands of blue energy.

With a flick of his wrist the strands shot out, up over the city forming a vast cage blue strands around them. It covered only a tiny fraction of what they could see, with the seven of them at the very centre. As they moved through the silent streets the cage maintained its shape, moving with them and passing over the many roof tops.

"Steady now . . Valerius, ten containment glyphs, second and first grade only. Domitia, marking glyphs and anchor marks; both of you prep lucid sigils, one for each of us . ." Though they said they were trained in magical combat, Pontius gave his orders carefully. They two young Alchemists glanced about nervously, looking down each alley and at every door as if a monster might leap out at any moment.

Dong-Geun and Sung Hu walked in front of the Alchemists and Seers. Their curved swords had a thin yellow aura, their eyes were like bright beacons, sweeping the surrounding streets and city blocks. Everywhere their gaze fell upon seemed to shimmer, turning translucent.

That forest . . . strange . . . was it related to the golden light in some way? Pontius couldn't shake his curiosity; far more than tracking a Celestial, a far greater mystery . . the golden light, gold . . in the histories, in all the books chronicling the Celestials and the Ether, never had there been written anything on a golden light. Those lights, the interference with the tracking, that certainly wasn't something a Celestial ought to be capable off . .

Pontius had in his mind a rough estimation of where the mist and forest had been before the city covered it, the black water river serving as a rough guide. He led them through the city streets in measured steps.

Creak . . .

An studded wood door opened, its rusty hinges squealing hideously, and out walked a dark skinned man carrying a bundle of rolled papers tied with string. He glanced in the direction of the Alchemists, then set off at a brisk pace down the street.

Slam!

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Three young girls tumbled out of a doorway, giggling and skipping along, chasing behind a boy with greasy hands and a snot covered face. The girls shrieked and ran, doing everything they could to avoid the boys advances.

More - a crowd of women in plain green and brown skirts walking together with baskets of fruit and vegetables rounded the corner, at the street corner a merchant busied himself spreading out his wares; silver pots and plates and trinkets.

The city came alive; Pontius and the others froze in the middle of the street, countless people passed by, sparing them barely a glance.

Dong-Geun stared intently at the passers-by, his eyes wide in shock."They're real . . . real spirit forms, there is no doubt. How can there be so many spirit forms?"

"Stick together!" Pontius waved his sleeve imprinting a circle of Animus directly around them. "No one steps outside the circle."

"What are they Magister?" Domitia sent out glyph after glyph onto the streets only to have them dissolve in a matter of moments. "There are Alchemists amongst them! Seers too!"

The streets filled with people going about their business, walking in and out of houses, buying, selling; children playing and laughing, elderly sitting on steps and on benches, people of all ages and descriptions going freely and seemingly without a care. Not just around them; on every street, as far as the city stretched, in every alley and side road, out of every house and from every door people filled the streets.

Amongst them there were Seers, distinct with their colourful attire. Martial Court cultivators too; from the Segye Imperial Palace and beyond, walking, talking . . Here and there Pontius made out more than a few Alchemists, mixing in with the crowds . .

"This is the real face of the Celestials." Pontius said grimly.

"What do you mean Magister?"

"Think for a second dammit. Who do you think these people are? Those poor souls . . they are the devoured, the people that this Celestial has eaten whole!"

"All these people? Good heavens . . there must be thousands! Tens of thousands!"

"Stay focused Valerius, calm your heart. Calm . . keep looking out, this is a distraction. The Celestial must be preparing an attack. When it does . . . Baqir! To our left, dispel!"

"Yes, Magister!" Baqir changed his chant to a high nasal incantation, spitting out several syllables in quick succession that sliced through the air like swords into the brick work of the nearby buildings. The walls crumbled to dust, exposing several rooms and courtyards full of flowers and heaps of gold and silver coins. As fast as it had crumbled, the walls begun to regenerate, in a matter of moments restoring themselves to their previous facade, every scratch and blemish on the bricks and walls fully intact.

"Dong-Geun, any reactions?"

"Nothing."

"We keep moving." Pontius urged the circle onwards, both below their feet and far above the cage made of Animus moved through the air. "Be ready for an ambush . ."

Below the cobblestone, under the walls and through the gaps in the stones crept countless thin red strands. Pale, barely visible; they snaked slowly towards Pontius and the others, gathering around them from all directions.

***

"Gnosis . . El . . El . . will your hatred never die? I can do no more than this . ."

High above the city in the Ether, seated on a cloud was a pale faced man in a silver-white body suit. He looked down, tapping his finger and sighing every time one of the Alchemists sent out a new glyph and watching them fall apart.

"Any more than this and El will never forgive me. Ahh . . it is up to them, I am just an innocent bystander, right, El? Hahaha . ."

***