Deepness. Eternities, sweeping over the ancients of time and memory, a rolling sky, so dark. Here above the earth, it really put into perspective just how far God hovered beyond the affairs of men… no closer, no further. Orange eyes, beady circles that twisted, rolling over the rippling sky-scape, forever…
Tired, Siqxhe turned back to his work. He’d pulled out a few pieces of paper, scribbling down everything he’d found about the eidolon. It wasn’t much. Well, as scratched off everything that didn’t make sense or contradicted half of what he knew, it quickly became obvious he didn’t know much at all. He slammed a fist onto the table, so frustrated-
“Can’t sleep?”
Siqxhe twirled, gaze settling on Laeo. He was dressed in simpler clothes than the stuff they’d worn to Ididirchi. “It’s… I’m struggling to understand what’s happening here. I don’t have anything to go off of. I can’t think of anything similar to it.”
Laeo chuckled softly. “I’m not quite sure what it is either… well, I’ll leave the thinking to you.” For a long second he looked out of the window, toward a wasteland. “I don’t get it myself… here.” He tossed Laeo a heavy black coat, which hit stunned shoulders and slid off to the ground. “You’ll need this. We have visitors.”
“It’s late-” A knock. Soft- not the loud, clarion-clear announcement of Soshyetay’s presence. Laeo gave Siqxhe a knowing glare, then went to open the door, leaving Siqxhe quietly stunned. Who would… the door swung smoothly open, admitting an old man who seemed a lot stronger than the last time Siqxhe’d seen him…
Ididirchi’s advisor, Railoxhe. Ilyaochi. He strode silently into the room, glancing briefly at everything and nothing at all, before pulling up a chair to the small window-side table. Round eyes looked out darkly onto an endless wash of waste, darkness and the forests that had once been. “It’s cold outside.” His voice was soft, but with an underlying firmness that Siqxhe remembered from the nobles back in Abōeo. “We see this differently than you do, but beneath it, all is the same.”
“What do you mean?”
Railoxhe pursed his lips tightly. “Have you ever heard the story of Rō and the brother of Lā? No, you wouldn’t.” Railoxhe motioned toward the window, and beyond it, immensity. “Brother was the first and greatest of the gods, before he was killed- no, I’m not saying this is truth. It is Ilyaochi legend. Come, I’ll tell you as we walk.” Railoxhe stood, striding confidently out of the door, and after a second and a glance to Laeo, they followed. The fortress was quieter- not that it had ever been particularly busy near their rooms, but it was silent.
Night, and its gentle touch laid over the palace. A false night, common perception, confusion… they followed Ididirchi’s advisor as he led them through the winding tunnels of Laytaihishu toward some destination Siqxhe could not guess.
After a minute of silence, Railoxhe continued with his story. “One day, Rō, the interloper, came from the black of night, destroying Brother and stealing his name in a fit of spite. From then on, only Lā remains whole. Rō was banished to the earth, to crawl it for eternity.” They came to a locked door to which Railoxhe had the key. A small stone portal, laced with weariness, use… when Railoxhe spoke, it was with a cold emotion, iron- “Beneath the shadow of Rō, so many things go awry…” The door opened, revealing a dirt path, gnarled trees, darkness, and so far above, immensity-
God.
Siqxhe stepped out onto the path, feeling the sudden chill of a brisk breeze, the sudden noise of the forest. He hadn’t thought the expansive waste to be alive before, but compared to the absolute silence of their rooms in Laytaihishu, it was positively boisterous. “Rō is God?”
“Your God. It was one of the fundamental disagreements between our people and yours, back when the Grand Journey first stranded itself on our shores. We are an old people… a people of memory.”
“Why have you brought us here?” Laeo stepped up beside Siqxhe, startling him- he’d barely remembered he was there. “And, the story- tell me what it means?”
Railoxhe shrugged, a faint grin playing at the corner of his mouth. “To the Ilyaochi of these hovels, the story represents caution. Beware the people of Rō. To those who remember, it represents truth, and through truth, superiority. To me, it represents possibility.” The path dipped at a steep angle, descending into a thicket of great trees that lined the sides of the main road, winding. Narrow- so narrow that they were forced to walk single file, Siqxhe watching carefully where he put his feet.
“Ididirchi is obsessed…” Laeo glanced up as Railoxhe said that, neatly avoiding Siqxhe as he stumbled on a root and sliding closer to the front of the line. “He has plans, immense plans, and he will not give them up. Luckily, they make him… easy to guide. You, for example.” He motioned back to Siqxhe. “You can help, even when Ididirchi refuses. The question is: are you of Brother, or just another of Rō’s.
They walked in silence after that, following the deep-trails, the far paths that swerved out from the village and through the dense thickets. Sometimes they came across clearings where the trees had been cut and harvested for firewood, but more often than not it was them and loneliness, and the orange eyes of God.
After half an hour, or perhaps twice as long, they reached the village, the hovels and the inane piles of stone and the dirt. People looked at them suspiciously as they walked out from the woods, then bowed quickly in deference to Railoxhe before backing off back to their tasks. Siqxhe and Laeo both looked out across the busyness, noticing nothing and yet also everything…
Railoxhe led them up to the entrances to the mines, those dismal pits that looked… awful. Motioning for them to follow, he slowly began descending a steep, narrow set of stairs. Laeo followed quickly, but for a long moment Siqxhe hesitated.
Glancing, skyward- one last time seeing the mind-bending scope of God and possibility, before he descended into the second darkness.
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………
It was actually warmer inside the tunnels, something that had surprised Siqxhe as they’d descended. Not warm by any means of the imagination, but warmer- damp, too, flickering torchlight shining off a trickle of water and remembrance… golden radiance, warmth that wasn’t warm. Despite the smoke that wafted off the spars of wood it was never hard to breathe. Railoxhe explained as they continued deeper, speaking of clever ventilation and the things they’d hidden. Done to hide-
Here it was far, far more apparent, and impressive. The village above was just the head of something far more… to those Ilyaochi beneath the shadow of god, the underground wasn’t just a useful refuge- it was life or death. Railoxhe explained- between the work given to them by Ididirchi and the lords of Ilaial and the continuous and exhausting cultivation of various foodstuffs, they wouldn’t be able to spend enough time foraging for wood to heat their homes in the winter.
Hidden beneath the crude stone and not quite as apparent as the spires of Laytaihishu and its imposing walls, the tunnels were still an equally impressive construction. Occasionally they would pass miners hauling up packs full of heavy rocks, climbing out of narrow gaps in the floor and tunnels for darkness-
After a while they stepped off the main path, following a meandering way lit only by the occasional torch. They didn’t have much down here… “Who have you brought to this dark place?” A voice- quiet yet seemingly from everywhere. Siqxhe flinched, though Rail He only looked up to a dim corner and shook his head. The two travelers tried to see what was behind those darknesses, but neither Laeo or Siqxhe could see.
Briefly, a rumbling, and then further down the passage a door opened. Railoxhe grabbed a torch, motioning for Laeo and Siqxhe to do the same- Laeo waved his brand toward the darkness, but it stretched out forever, further than light could see…
As they stepped into the room, the first thing Siqxhe noticed was the scent of blood. Iron-strong and present, as terrible as the near-complete darkness… “What happened?”
“They were injured. Falling rocks, collapses, examples-” A small woman stepped out of the darkness, older than Siqxhe by far but not quite as old as Railoxhe, spitting the last word out with a vehement vitriol. “Railoxhe. It’s been a long time… and visitors.” She faced them, wide eyes suspicious. “We don’t often have visitors here. It’s not a place people like to go.”
“Siqxhe is a doctor. Trained in the university in Abōeo- offer him your utmost consideration and access to any resources he needs. Follow closely and watch everything he does. Siqxhe-” Railoxhe paused for a second, looking out over the rows and rows of bodies, some shifting, others completely still- “do your best. Also, don’t forget them. Even left in darkness, they deserve memory…” Railoxhe handed him a simple surgical kit, his own, neatly organized and most importantly, clean. He took it, watching the room solemnly…
He spent a few hours working on the best cases, those he thought most likely to survive, careful to keep his tools clean between usage. It was difficult in the cramped conditions, with the Ilyaochi’s doctor constantly asking questions, but he tried to answer them all while pulling shards of stone from infected wounds and sewing wounds shut. He was filthy, something that would have never happened in a nola hospital…
“Here! Laeo-” His companion padded forward, helping hold down a particularly cumbersome patient. Siqxhe glanced up, noticing that the Ilyoachi doctor had retreated to speak with Railoxhe. “Do you know why he’s having her follow me around all the time? It’s kind of-” he grunted as the patient squirmed beneath him- “annoying.”
“He obviously expects you won’t be able to do this again.” Laeo jumped back as the patient gasped, released he was supposed to be helping, and quickly stepped back closer. “Railoxhe used Ididirchi’s obsession to bring us here, but Ididirchi’s very same obsession will lock us in Laytaihishu.” Siqxhe tied the last suture and they moved onto the next patient, instructing Laeo in what he needed to do all the while. He wasn’t a particularly good surgeon- incredibly inured to the sounds of pain, but jumpy whenever the patient moved.
Eventually, after a few grueling hours their task was completed and Siqxhe managed to drag himself away from those he’d saved and those he didn’t, leaving the room in darkness once again. “Why? They…” He drew a deep breath, steadying himself. “It must be horrible for them, in the darkness all the time.”
Railoxhe nodded solemnly, sadly. “They are the forsaken. After all, the injured don’t need precious light. As the philosophy goes, it’s better given to the living.” They slipped quietly out of the mines and beneath the orange-black sky above, in silence. Through the well lit hallways and their room with its view of cold, he couldn’t quite get the image out of his head-
Darkness. Darkness and the dying, deep beneath crushing earth, deep beneath the infinite gaze of God and its endless expanse.
………
Two doors. Deep wood and a steel that defied description, the same silvery black as the eidolon. They swung open silently, revealing the carpeted way- a path of black and orange, deep colors and the night sky, skies of god reflected. Solid lantern’s light cast diffuse shadows as they entered, glittering chandeliers illuminating a dark place. Atop a palace, a fortress named Laytaihishu, Siqxhe stood before the lord of all the lands visible beyond those massive windows.
He was angry- Ididirchi was red in the face, sharp eyes, lean face glaring with fury only someone who truly and totally believed in their own righteousness. Beckoning, standing, the regalia of Sakaxhy court fully apparent to those who stood in the shadows and the two who stood in the brightness of wrath. “Doctor.” When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly calm for how angry he clearly was. “I saw you. Through the eyes of my servants, I saw you leave. I saw you interact with the Ilyaochi. They have nothing to offer!” The last words of the sentence were delivered in a shout, scant inches from Siqxhe’s face. “Follow my bidding.” A second of silence, the breath of the world held- “and my bidding only.”
Siqxhe almost responded immediately, but restrained himself, waiting until Ididirchi sat on his throne of imperious silver brightness, jagged shattered remembrance. They hadn’t left on their own- “Lord Ididirchi. We were-” Out of the corner of his eyes he caught Laeo’s fierce glare, and he shut his lips, terrified of speaking out of place in the presence of such wrath…
Ididrchi frowned, clasping his hands and looking pointedly at Siqxhe. “Speak, doctor.”
Siqxhe glanced back at Laeo, who shook his head ever so very slightly. “Nothing. I apologise.” He ducked out of the way, slipping quietly out of the room until he found a quiet corner with Laeo. “Why- I was going to tell him we weren’t at fault!.”
“That would have been foolish.” They kept walking, wandering down towards their rooms. “Remember what I said about something happening between those two? You need to be more careful…” They walked in silence through the light of the palace, remembering- darkness.
Secrets- dichotomies broken, and falsehoods. Secrets, things that hid in the shadows-
The darkness of God…