Chapter Fourteen

“Well? What’s so important you gotta call us all in?” Casair ruffled his fingers through his hair and stifled a yawn. “Was tryna sleep…”

Jysel eyed the groggy soldier, then glanced over at Rel. He frowned at his twin. Rel had been distracted with his messages to Elara since arriving, but not in the way Jysel expected. Instead of a playful smirk, Rel’s expression burned with the intensity of a volcano that couldn’t be put out by a mere ocean. It was an intense expression Jysel hadn’t seen in a long time.

Attempting to quell his own worries, Jysel shifted to address Casair, “We will wait until Zafir arrives. He is handling Elara’s mission departure.”

Jysel motioned subtly toward his stormy twin. Casair followed the motion and took in his other boss, his forehead beginning to crease with concern

“…I don’t like that look.” Casair took a seat, feeling wide awake after seeing that kind of expression on the ‘calmer’ twin’s face.

“Last time I saw a look like that was when he found poachers hunting Sal’aphel back on Syldra,” Jysel muttered. He flinched and peeked over his shoulder at Rel when he heard metal shear; Rel had sheared a railing from the nearest wall. Yet, his brother’s attention was still elsewhere. “Rel? What is it?”

“Our shadow pulled the charted course from Elara’s shuttle. They’re going to the site of the first Resonance Incident.” Rel stalked over to the table to join Casair and Jysel. He attempted to adopt a facade of calm, but internally he seethed.

Jysel averted his gaze, shame gripping his heart. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before murmuring, “She shouldn’t be forced to revisit that place… If kuhir-dal takes hold of her…”

“I instructed our shadow to stop her if that happens.” Rel curled his fingers into a fist, a vein by his temple throbbing. He took a deep, shaky breath and then exhaled. “Where did Ciheri and Aldiner wander off to?”

“Fetching drinks. We have a lot to go over.” Jysel grimaced and picked up a data pad. “I’ve organized my notes, but even then…”

“Organized or ‘organized?’” Rel scoffed. “Some days you don’t know the seafloor from the sky.”

Jysel eyed Rel. Under other circumstances, he might have been hurt by the remark. But…he understood how Rel felt, even if his personal feelings fell on a different part of the spectrum. He grit his teeth, reminding himself of the information the Y’serdyn had uncovered.

Elara’s memory loss, even her current muddled existence…neither were the fault of the Resonance Incident. They had simply been at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

It seems too perfect, doesn’t it? Rel cast his thoughts to his twin.

Jysel released the breath he’d been holding. …like someone orchestrated for them to be there? Yes.

Rel’s responded, The Y’serdyn’s warnings seem genuine. We should proceed with caution. How many queens are left?

Jysel flicked through his data pad briefly. Less than five, but we’re having some trouble with the readings. Citomy, her entourage, and Elara are making my job difficult. Citomy has the rescues on her city ship, but there’re several queens on the surface at all times. I think more may have emerged in your clan, as well.

Working is getting more dangerous for us. We need to win Elara over to our plans sooner rather than later. Rel stroked his chin, his gaze going out of focus. I’ll inform her that our time window is closing.

“Sorry about the wait,” Zafir muttered after shuffling out of a nearby portal. He adjusted his human clothes with a grimace, returning to his deep grey Syldrari appearance. He searched the room with blue eyes before looking at Jysel. “Is the rowdy pair not here yet?”

“They’re taking too long.” Jysel glanced off toward a nearby door—or rather where the door would have been if Sal’aphel, a large, furred, wolf-bear-like creature sat. “Sal’aphel, bring Aldiner and Ciheri back—but don’t let them drop the drinks.”

The massive white creature perked his ears, stood on all six legs, and pranced off in the direction the two Syldrari in question had gone. Jysel couldn’t help but crack a smile at the companion he and Rel shared—and hoped to share with Elara.

Rel shot his twin a sly look. Elara says she’s going to ‘zap your ass’ if you haven’t been giving Sal’aphel treats.

I have been! Jysel shot back defensively. He’s been behaving better, but keeping him from hunting her down and bringing her here himself—

I’m sure she will be pleased to hear you’re both loyal pups, Rel mused.

“Sorry we took so long!” Ciheri called as Sal’aphel levitated the missing pair through the door with vibrant purple energy. “We couldn’t decide what to make that wasn’t alcoholic.”

Sal’aphel gently set the pair down beside the large meeting table, then turned to look at Jysel, his thick tail wagging as he sat back on his haunches. Jysel gave the creature a half-smile. He knew that look. As per Elara’s insistence, Jysel interfaced with his ship’s storage and found a steak of jihgsar for the loyal animal.

Knowing what came next, Sal’aphel caught the enormous cut of bright blue meat and trotted off to a corner of the room to enjoy it.

“Now then…” Zafir finally took a seat at the table. “What are we here for?”

“I think I’ve told you before that we chose this location for our hideout because it’s adjacent to buried structures that gave off Syldrari signatures, right?” Jysel glanced around the table as most present nodded.

“Nope! I wasn’t here for that. What kind of structures?” Ciheri inquired excitedly. “How ancient are they?”

“They’re…ancient by human standards, but not ours.” Jysel shook his head. He had, admittedly, forgotten that Ciheri and Aldiner were recent additions to the mirrored clans. “We discovered a new chamber today. Taking the knowledge we gained from the Y’serdyn, we altered how we had been investigating the ruins.

“My team wants us to see what they’ve discovered for ourselves. They believe these ruins belong to the clan Elara came from—or was at least raised by.”

“I…reviewed the extracted information he gave us,” Zafir murmured, his eyelids half-closing. “Her guards were intentionally left with partial memory, but they did not consent to the procedure. The identity of those responsible is almost fully hidden—but I’m certain they were Syldrari.”

“Then, either an enemy clan attacked, or their own clan did this to them.” Rel’s eyes narrowed, his glow shifting to a mix of dark red and black.

“You’re okay with me being here, even though you know the Y’serdyn can watch through me?” Aldiner spoke up in discomfort, his eyes averted.

“A show of good faith in return for his gesture. I trust he won’t squander it,” Jysel stated, eyeing the black-haired Syldrari briefly before turning his attention to Casair. “You judged Elara’s character faster and more accurately than me. I want you with us as our equal, not as my ‘assigned guard.’”

Casair gave his boss a crooked smile. “Whatever you say. I’ll still haul your asses out if you get in over your head.”

“Please, just let my awkward half dig himself into a deeper hole, we’ll all find it entertaining,” Rel remarked dryly.

Jysel shot Rel a sharp glare. “I don’t think Elara would approve. She seems more interested in lifting us up and empowering us.”

Rel sighed and propped his cheek in one hand. “You’re right. I apologize.”

I haven’t seen you so stressed in a while. Are you going to be alright? Jysel nudged Rel.

Not until Elara returns safely from her mission.

Rather than offer empty reassurances, Jysel let his brother stew in his thoughts. Speaking up again, Jysel continued, “If you want to bring any specific equipment with you, grab it. We haven’t come across any of the expected automated defenses yet, but that doesn’t mean there’s none. Or, if you would like to bring research equipment…”

Zafir shook his head. “I want to see it first before I decide if I need additional tools.”

“Me too! And, I already have a comprehensive kit I keep in my storage module so I’m ready for any form of investigation!” Ciheri clasped his hands together, eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’ll change into my battlesuit to be safe!”

“Anyone else need to prepare?” Jysel inquired. “No? Let’s suit up and head out. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

Ciheri practically bounced off the dusty, engraved walls, unable to focus his attention to study one. The rest of the group looked on as he flitted to and fro, while Zafir studied another section in complete silence.

The large, spherical room was empty aside from the group of men and the researchers who had accompanied them. Every surface was made of the blue-green metal Syldrari were accustomed to building with, and every wall segment was engraved in dozens of characters. For each name that was engraved, a small crystal was set into the plate—some glowed, others did not.

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“I’ve never seen smart plating of this design…” Zafir murmured, running his fingertips over the engraved wall.

“Me neither!” Ciheri zipped past Zafir and over to a lower wall section, crouching in place. “Hm…mmm… These aren’t the usual clan designs, either. Records?”

“Family bloodlines,” Rel stated, his eyes fixated on one long, curved stretch of wall. “This section here lists people who joined from outside the clan.”

Jysel frowned, a chill spreading through his body. “Then…this is a mausoleum?”

“Nothing of the sort.” Zafir swiped at his data pad, cross-referencing the scans with some database or another. “Most of these people are still alive. The dialect is a touch different from ours—they appear to have retained archaic words that have fallen out of use on Syldra—but I can still read it. Each segment that is marked by a crystal is the name of a clan member.

“The crystals that still glow are actively connected to their living counterpart’s chip. Those that are dim have lost connection.”

“Meaning they’re dead…or they got themselves a new chip. We should be able to find Elara in here somewhere, then?” Casair walked over to a wall and crossed his arms, skimming the listed names.

“Perhaps… I think she should be easy to find. Her name should be marked for her status as a queen.” Zafir frowned at his tablet, then at the stretch of wall Rel had indicated.

“About that…” one of the researchers spoke up quietly, stepping away from a cluster of portable research equipment. “We already catalogued all the names here. None were marked as queens or the descendants thereof.”

Jysel lingered toward the back of the room while the rest of his companions studied the walls. He rubbed his upper arm with one hand, glancing around in search of what made him feel such discomfort with the room.

It’s as if we’re being watched, Rel remarked, causing Jysel to nearly jump out of his skin. “No surveillance or life was detected?”

Jysel shook his head and came to stand by his brother. “No. Granted…the power source down here is making it difficult for us to get consistent readings. We think the clan used a city ship-grade aetheric engine to power this complex, since it’s still running strong.”

“An aetheric engine? Unlikely. It should have deteriorated enough by now to permeate its surroundings with crystallization. Perhaps even to the surface.” Zafir shook his head in disagreement, before a chiming sound made him look in Ciheri’s direction. “Ciheri, what are—?”

“Look, some of the plating moves,” Ciheri pointed out, fully pulling a piece off the wall. “They constructed this room in varying material layers so that no one can phase in or out through the walls. There would have to be a reason for that.”

Rel promptly moved to Ciheri’s side and lifted the plate out of his hands, examining the lettering on it closely. After a moment, he frowned. “Ciheri, see if there are any further plates like this. But first…where was this one?”

“Here,” Ciheri pointed to a gap in the wall. “It was slotted in sideways between these two. I noticed it because it was sticking out.”

“No phasing?” Aldiner tilted his head and let out a low hum, listening as the sound bounced off the surrounding surfaces. A frown tugged at his lips. “That’s a lotta layers. Too many for a ‘clan tree’ room.”

Jysel turned to look at the researchers who had discovered the chamber, “How easily did you find this room?”

“It was a matter of picking the correct corridor to walk down, sir. There weren’t any automatons guarding it, and the door opened on approach.” One answered, frowning. “The entire facility has functioned similarly. Even more private sections already had their passcodes cleared to allow access. We haven’t had to do anything other than search and document.”

Rel narrowed his eyes, running his fingers along the gap Ciheri had pulled a plate from. The black material underneath vibrated against his fingers, but not with an electrical or aetheric current. A harmonic one. Jysel, this room…

…is a distraction? Agreed. Jysel nodded faintly and looked around at his companions. “Search for more plates like the one Ciheri found. We may be looking at a Depthwalker puzzle circuit.”

“Fantastic…” Casair groaned. “I hate these damn things. Can I just look for Elara and her team’s names instead?”

Jysel grinned at his friend. “If that’s what you want, I won’t ask you to hurt your pride.”

Casair snorted and stalked over to the section of wall listing people who had joined from outside clans. Meanwhile, Ciheri hurried back over to Rel with another six plates and a bright smile on his face.

“Look, I think some of the patterns match up. Whatever they did here, they planned this well in advance.” Ciheri knelt, placing the stack in his lap, then held up two plates side-by-side. “I’m not sure where we’re supposed to put these, but they definitely seem like they’re part of something.”

Aldiner shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, listening to everyone’s voices bounce around the room. After a few minutes, he pointed to a section of wall, “Over here doesn’t sound right. The construction isn’t the same. Like a door should be there.”

Jysel grit his teeth, his stomach twisting with unease. Even if the lit crystals indicated many of the clan members lived, that didn’t mean they were living well. After the horror stories he’d heard of Depthwalkers, he wasn’t convinced the clan had left the planet. What if their engine ran off the aether held by people? Or by flesh, blood, any number of horrible materials he’d heard from the stories.

You know as well as I that those were tales to make naughty children behave, Rel commented, though Jysel sensed he was uneasy too. We should be more concerned about the ease with which we’ve intruded into what they would consider a sacred space. And, for them to use such a rudimentary puzzle to hide the corridor… I think we should assume they were rushed.

“Well, this’s strange,” Casair spoke up, drawing the other’ attention. “I found the list of ‘graduated’ Royal Guards. Elara’s team is on here—check this out.”

The twins promptly flanked Casair and peered over his shoulders, baffled by the nameplates.

“Why would they use human codenames?” Jysel grimaced in distaste.

“And for what purpose?” Rel added.

Casair grimaced. “Can you two not do that for the next fifteen minutes?”

Ciheri peeked around the trio. “We should record their real names for when they learn the truth. They might want to switch away from codenames…”

“Human codenames would be useful if you knew humans would be taking over the planet,” Aldiner suggested bitterly. “What about Elara? If all her guards are in that section…”

Casair tapped a warped and burned section of the plate. “…my guess, hers is the name that’s been melted off. Crystal is out, just like her team, and I don’t see any other sections that were ‘erased.’”

Rel lifted his fingers to the burned section, frowning as he felt the groves and slopes of the metal. After a moment, he shook his head. “They brought it to too great a temperature. I can’t feel any remnants of the text. Casair, see if you can make anything else out while the rest of us work on the puzzle.”

“Sure. Maybe I’ll see something.” Casair shrugged.

Over the next hour, they collected nearly a hundred plates and spread them out on the floor, puzzling them together as they went. Most of the pieces were devoid of writing, and instead bore interconnecting lines of varying depths which, when put together, created a diamond-shaped illustration of an aquatic creature that those present had no name for. Below it swam tiny indications of Syldrari, dwarfed by the specimen above them.

“Where would this go?” Rel murmured distractedly, his gaze tracing the waving appendages coming off the almost whale-like creature. “I see no place for it in this room. Are there any missing art installations in other parts of the complex?”

“Much of this place was abandoned mid-construction,” a researcher answered promptly. “My only guesses would be the rooms of the corridor leading here, as they all appear to be offices for the clan leaders.”

Ciheri tilted a plate around in his hands, examining the interlocking edges on the back with a faint frown. “Ah! The ceiling! Part of the ceiling! It’s like those murals humans paint where you can’t see them. I bet we’re supposed to remove some of the plates up there.”

“What makes you say that?” Zafir frowned at the excited Sol’iri. “We like our art where we can see it, not—”

“That’s my point! If this is a key, and not art, then it wouldn’t be the walls or floor!” Ciheri thrust the plate toward Rel. “Look, these are ceiling connectors, and the functionality inside is a locking mechanism. That ‘door’ Aldiner heard probably opens with this.”

“Ugh, I’m starting to prefer when Depthwalker bullshit is difficult. This is too easy,” Casair muttered, summoning a large, sleek harmonic rifle. “Let’s try it. Who’s covering the door with me?”

“I will.” Jysel brandished his sword and took up a position opposite Casair. “Don’t trust myself with delicate work right now.”

“Okay! Let’s find the control panel for the maintenance platforms…” Ciheri began talking to himself as he worked to create a foothold near the ceiling that would allow him to work. “Zafir, Aldiner, you two can help me set this up. Rel seems distracted.”

“Ah…” Rel tinged blue and crossed his arms defensively. “I was trying to reestablish contact with Elara and her shadow. The composite in here is blocking communication.”

“The entire facility is like this, signals can only come in or go out from designated towers,” a researcher offered apologetically. “We haven’t connected them to our systems because we don’t want to alert Citomy’s fleet to the presence of Syldrari ruins here. It’s concerning enough that the Abyss Father cult has found other sites across the planet.”

“This civilization seems widespread, yet this facility wasn’t finished… A new capitol, perhaps?” Jysel frowned, though he tried to maintain focus on the wall ahead. “I don’t like this. Not a damn part of it.”

To think the spastic one would be the one to take the lead in this mess, Rel complained, joining his brother and Casair for guard duty. I am glad to see that Ciheri is not as withdrawn as he was when first rescued, and he seems to be settling into…himself. However, I wasn’t expecting quite so much pent-up energy.

He seems passionate about some subjects. Maybe you can find him something to work on. Or is he still researching queens for Elara? Jysel frowned slightly. There was a thought: how would they get Elara to claim them if she couldn’t control her powers yet, and how long it would take? Perhaps it was too early to pull Ciheri from that subject.

He’s still preparing a full report. He wants me to be able to utilize the information in her training, since I should be regularly training her at HQ again… Rel shifted, listening intently. “You’re close, Ciheri. A mechanism just depressurized.”

“Great!” Ciheri beamed. “The pattern starts here then. Okay! Give me a few minutes!”

Everyone fell silent while Ciheri gave orders and worked to reconstruct the carving on the ceiling. Once finished, there was another series of hydraulic hisses before a wall shifted backward and then slid into the wall. Ciheri double-checked a few mechanisms, then climbed down from the maintenance platform.

“It looks like it stays open as long as the pattern is up there. Wanna call guards for this room?” Ciheri looked up at Jysel questioningly.

“That would probably be best. We don’t want to get locked in.” Jysel grimaced, turning to Casair. “Go grab a team and bring them to guard this room. No one else is allowed in.”

“Sir.” Casair nodded sharply and jogged off to do as ordered.

“Once he’s back and a team is in position, we’ll proceed.” Jysel clenched his jaw and glanced at Rel. That doesn’t sound mechanical, let alone like an aetheric engine.

Try not to think about it. Your imagination has always been scarier than reality. Rel chuckled.

When Casair returned with a group of armored guards in tow, he gave Jysel a questioning look. “Am I to stay here, or…”

“You’re coming with us,” Jysel stated, then looked toward the waiting researchers. He mulled over his options for a moment, before deciding to go with his gut feeling. “The research team will stay here until we know what we’re dealing with. Don’t let anyone in or out of this room. make sure no one touches the ceiling art.”

With that, Jysel pivoted and took the lead into the new corridor. The others quickly followed, murmuring to each other about the lack of decoration on the walls, and the increasingly decrepit nature of their surroundings.

After what felt like an eternity, they found themselves in a tunnel carved through stone, yet blocked by a distinctly Syldrari door. Casair insisted the others back up and allow him to go first, but again Jysel declined.

“We…should put our weapons away,” Rel spoke slowly, his voice a soft whisper.

“I sense it too.” Jysel eyed his twin, then the door. “Do as Rel said. We enter unarmed.”

“As unarmed as we ever are,” Aldiner remarked sarcastically.

Satisfied, Jysel nudged the door, prompting it to slide open and reveal what would have been a pitch-black room, were it not for thousands of bioluminescent patterns pulsing slowly within. The moment Jysel stepped through the entryway, he felt a vibration pass through him moments before lights flickered into existence in numerous alcoves, illuminating the last thing Jysel expected to see.

“Is…is that…” Ciheri exclaimed in awe, clutching Jysel’s waist and peering around him.

“I’ve never seen such a design…” Rel breathed, his eyes wide in awe. His glow flickered, his skin prickling in response to the energy filling the hollow space.

A melodic, synthesized voice filled the minds of those present, reverberating to their very core.

[Ah… Are you the crew that was promised to me?]