Musa had finally gotten used to being in the Pāttiram vehicle although he had yet to pilot it himself.

Well, he had tried to once before but just as his Belts engaged with the machine, he panicked and slammed onto the side of the Temple of Tablets.

To avoid any future damages, we took our driving lessons to my north pole beneath the soaring dragons and the rising sun.

“Alright, are you ready?” I asked while holding Tal’s hand.

She couldn’t feel hot or cold but I thought it’d be cute if she dressed the part and so I made her some puffy winter clothing. Some boots, some sturdy pants and a thick sweater and scarf.

I did the same for Musa who replied from within the ancient machine.

“Yeah!”

I nodded and promptly lowered my Uyil Belt and just as it left the vehicle, the vehicle searched for a new pilot and found one in Musa.

Upon close observation, I saw this was because of countless microscopic feelers and brushes that latched onto one of the pilot’s Uyil Belts and used it to form a bridge to the rest of the machine, making it an extension of the pilot.

Musa gained full control and began awkwardly walking around.

At this point, Tal was no longer frightened by the machine and instead found Musa’s movements funny so she giggled as he almost tripped himself.

He eventually gained enough control to be able to build a gigantic snowman at Tal’s request.

I allowed the boy an hour of fun before asking that he exit the vehicle.

I didn’t want to end his fun for no reason but he had duties to attend to.

Duties that he put unto himself.

We made our way back home where he got changed and, after leaving Tal at school, I dropped Musa off in Hatua where he planned to follow in Jua’s footsteps by healing the sick and feeding the hungry.

It was the front of a political campaign to boost his standing with the people of Hatua.

He also planned to do the same in the north and although it was for a political reason, he really wanted to help people.

While in Hatua, I decided to do what I usually did whenever I wasn’t with my children.

I entered Temple Kupumzika and shifted my perspective to my other denizens.

Pazia was in his tent and office at the foot of Mt. Kupumzika along with Saidia and they were discussing what to do with the twenty thousand men who were charged with building whatever they were ordered to build until they died.

Not a bad price to pay for treason but the problem was that, apart from the great library, nothing of large scale needed to be built.

Pazia had also gotten twenty thousand additional mouths to feed.

“We could… we could kill them.”

“All of them?” Saidia asked while the Fire Breaker pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Mmm… let's take a break. Did you bring some lunch today?” Saidia asked.

“Fire Breakers can go for days without-“

“I’ll take that as a no.” Saidia chuckled while turning to leave.

“Come on.”

Pazia weakly sighed before following the Shangazi out of his tent.

The two then made their way to Saidia’s tent which was a few tents away from Pazia’s.

Littering the path was construction equipment and walking along it were countless builders.

These people were building what would become the centre of government for Hatua and opposite to it, several kilometres north, was the Great Library of Hatua which would stand as the great Coliseum in Rome in scale and design.

“Here.” Saidia offered as she sat next to Pazia on a couch she had in her tent/office.

Pazia accepted the freshly baked piece of bread and almost ate it in one bite making Saidia giggle.

“This is quite good!” Pazia exclaimed.

“I know, right? A very close friend of mine made it and-“

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“Oh, is that what I am? A close friend?” A woman sang as she entered the tent.

She, unlike most women in Hatua, didn’t wear a head wrap and had a cleanly shaven head. She looked to be in her twenties which made her at least twenty years younger than Saidia.

She was also very tall and very muscular with her being half the size of Pazia. She was clad in light leather armour and clothing.

“Well, then what are you?” Saidia asked as the woman sat on the chair in front of Saidia’s desk.

“Tiyrah of the Chofumah people, warrior and definitely more than a friend to the headmost Shangazi in Hatua!”

“Wow! You’re really gonna announce it to everyone, huh?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone’s done this before. What will I call you… my wife?”

An amused Pazia grabbed another piece of bread and silently ate it while the two women before him went on and on.

“Ugh! You know what? We’ll continue this later.” Saidia sighed making Tiyrah stick out her tongue playfully.

“Ahem, anyway, apart from our troubles, twenty thousand of them to be exact, what else is on the agenda?” Saidia asked Pazia just as he swallowed the last of her bread.

“Err… not much. With Our Lady’s guidance, all seems to fit right into place.” Pazia said although his eyes fell a little.

“Mmm… I don’t know what that look means but something tells me it’s not good.”

“Ooh, boy. You’re about to get a talking to and I’ve got training to do so… bye!” Tiyrah yelled while rushing out of the tent.

Saidia and Pazia chuckled at her dramatic exit but Pazia’s face returned to its previous stiffness soon after.

He let out a sigh and raised his gaze as if looking to the heavens, as if looking to me.

“I… in such a short time, swore my life to my Queen- to one who I hoped would become my friend even as she burnt the world, to kneeling at the foot of my God and casting aside all thoughts of fire. I speak so candidly because I am… puzzled. I don’t know what to do. Life under Ua may have been… harsh for many but it was also all I knew.”

Saidia’s face twisted with concern.

“Have you… have you spoken with her? Perhaps that would grant you the clarity you so desire.”

Pazia’s eyes fell further.

“Yeah. Oh- and thank you-“ He stopped as Saidia raised her right hand.

“You’ll have to thank me by reimbursing my lunch.”

Pazia’s eyes widened and it was here that I chose to abandon him.

I widened my perspective as the sun generously bathed my surface and it was here that I heard my name.

“Eshu…”

My focus snapped to the southeast, to an Encampment where Ilem were being trained.

It was about the size of sixteen football fields but my goal was one of the many buildings near the facility’s southern edge.

Sitting by a desk near his bed in his single room was Makaa – last of the Mbegu, who had a few pieces of paper in front of me.

I had finally taught my denizens the wonder that was paper but what shook me was the image Makaa had drawn on all of the pages.

It was…

“Eshu…” He muttered while rubbing his temples as if trying to remember something.

It’s here that I realized that when I touched Makaa’s soul, not only was I able to see into his Soul Memories, he was able to see into mine.

I…

How much had he seen?

How much did he know?

I wanted to know as soon as possible and so I returned to my doll, flew out of the Temple and rushed towards the Ilem Camp.

I flew so fast that I broke the sound barrier and probably frightened a few of my denizens but I needed to know.

I landed near the base and was greeted by several Ilem but my focus was Makaa and I asked that they take me to him.

“Yes- oh- good afternoon, ma’am.” Makaa bowed as he opened his door.

I stood silent for a moment while looking into his weary grey eyes.

“May I speak to you alone, child?”

“O-of course!”

Makaa let me into his room and gestured that I sit on the chair by his desk while he sat on his bed.

The Ilem closed the door and I continued to stare at Makaa who seemed a little shaken by my presence.

I let out a sigh before smiling as best as I could.

“Allow me to get straight to the point. Have you been having visions- or is it better to say memories of another life?” I asked and this made Makaa’s eyes widen to their limits.

“Y-yes. I saw a life of pain, suffering and cruelty. I also saw… something else.”

My eyes widened.

“I saw a world form around me and it birthed all that was… and all that would come to be.”

I bit my teeth.

Makaa had seen all of my Soul Memories and I cursed myself for not considering the possibility that touching souls created a two-way connection but how the fuck was I supposed to know that touching someone else’s soul would do that?

How was I supposed to know anything?

Those Glass fuckers left so little knowledge behind that I was going in half-blind on everything.

I had spent millions, upon millions of years looking for answers and all I ever found was nothing.

Glass Transference allowed me to peer into the births of Glass shards but I could only go so far without risking my sense of self.

There was a point in the universe where so much happened so quickly that I struggled to comprehend any of it.

It was all just white-

I noticed that Makaa’s eyes were filled with fear and realized my face was twisted into a scowl.

I quickly recomposed myself and let out a fake cough.

“Could you bring a detailed report of your visions to the Temple Kimbilio, please? I too am very curious as to what may be causing them.”

“Of course, ma’am!”

I nodded before standing up, leaving the building and flying as high as I could.

I could only ever reach my upper Troposphere – the lowest layer of my atmosphere.

This was as far as my Uyil Belts could go.

As far as my arms could reach.

I glared at the infinite and thought about pushing myself away from the sun, that which would inevitably be my doom but the conversion rate of Glass meant that I wouldn’t be able to move myself meaningfully far without using up all my Glass-

No.

I had thought about all of this before and so I let out a resigned sign and returned to Hatua where I picked up Musa who had just finished the day’s work.

We used the ship to get back to the Island of Tablets where we picked up Tal from school before returning home where I made dinner for my children.

As I cooked and as they ate, I felt myself drift into a daze which threatened to make me lose my grasp of time.

But I couldn’t allow myself to miss a moment.

Not while my denizens still walked my surface.

“My Lady?” Musa called bringing me back to the moment.

“Mmm?” I sounded while sitting next to Tal by the dinner table.

“I’ve never seen you eat, so… do you want some?” The boy asked while offering me a spoonful of his own food.

Suddenly that dizzying feeling faded and I smiled before tucking some of my hair to the side and eating what he had offered.

“Thank you but I really don’t need to eat,” I said after swallowing.

“You said that about me and Tal as well but have you seen how much she eats?” Musa whispered while glancing suspiciously at the messy-mouthed girl.

“Her appetite transcends logic.” I giggled while standing up.

I then washed up all of the dirty dishes and tidied up before joining my children in bed but while they closed their eyes to sleep, I stared at the ceiling and thought about the day when they would possibly leave me.

And the day I would die if I didn’t figure a way out.