Mazorah didn’t quite mind being scared by the deadly woman that had apparently been nearby for quite some time. It was more that his immediate reaction to being scared was to flail his arms wildly, but as soon as he’d moved to do so he’d remembered who Eadit was and realized she might kill him due to the flailing. On further reflection, Mazorah definitely minded being scared in such a fashion. “Could you maybe do the sudden appearance thing from a few more feet away in the future?” Eadit took a small step back, still very close to him. At first Mazorah thought she was trying to respect his boundaries, but after a moment of expectant silence he realized she’d just moved so he’d have more room to stand up. Mazorah stood up and glanced at Aidar, who had turned back towards his window. Aidar looked in the same direction and realized that the man hadn’t been looking out the window, but rather at a piece of transparent material that had slightly glowing and moving lights.

Mazorah decided that Aidar was as much an ally as he could hope for and it probably wasn’t worth hiding anything from a guy whose eyes could glow. Mazorah closed his eyes, trying to see if Aidar was doing anything to that display. He was rewarded when he saw that ten strings of Ether seemed to be attached to… Mazorah opened his eyes and saw they led to Aidar’s fingers. Mazorah felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over to see Eadit watching him. “Oh, right. Just lead the way.” Eadit walked forward a step, grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her to the door. Once they were out of the door Eadit slowed a bit and let go of his arm as if testing that he’d follow her. She watched him with a slight frown, as if appraising something. “I’m not planning on running off,” Mazorah offered. Eadit sighed, “I know,” she said as she turned away and continued walking. After a few minutes of walking in silence Eadit looked at him again, glancing up and down. Mazorah watched her quizzically, trying to determine what she was looking for. This pattern continued as they quickly went through a series of corridors and doors.

Just as Mazorah was going to ask Eadit why she kept looking at him, she stopped outside a door that she’d just opened. In the next room was a group of white-armored men, which looked similar to all the other groups of people in white armor and clothing. Apparently Eadit wasn’t a fan of this group, however, as she grabbed Mazorah’s arm and quickly led him backwards away from the door. They went through a couple more doors in quick succession. Eadit had stopped glancing at him and had become more concerned with the path she took them on. Mazorah didn’t say anything and followed Eadit more quickly than he had before, vaguely suspecting some kind of danger.

After a few more doors and quick turns, Mazorah could tell they’d looped around the room they’d avoided. “Were those friends of yours,” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Yes,” Eadit replied with a small smile, “I just hate small talk.” Mazorah stopped for a moment, taken aback. First, was that a smile? She smiled? Second, that was probably the worst lie he’d ever heard, and he felt confident saying that even without memories of his life before. “Are we going to zip again? To the new place?” Mazorah couldn’t remember the name of the next place they were going, just something about an imperial school. “We’ll be zipping to Kazar,” Eadit confirmed without elaboration. Maybe she wasn’t lying and she just hated small talk? No, she definitely hated small talk AND was lying about being friends with the people they’d avoided.

Eait opened a door and they walked into a massive chamber filled with hundreds of people, most of them not in white clothes or armor. The exterior wall had massive open windows, exposing the bright sun and outside world. The abrupt change startled Mazorah. He could tell they’d walked out of some sort of Order-only entrance as they seemed to have emerged near the front of the line of people. Eadit led them to the very front of the line where multiple people from the Order were searching bags, boxes and carts. Eadit walked up to a man with white armor, “expedited travel,” she said simply. The man, who hadn’t noticed her until she’d said something, snapped to attention, doing the circle salute with his hands, “of course Inquisitor,” he said, “lane twelve is open.” Eadit nodded and walked forward. Mazorah followed her, catching a few jealous stares from the people in line. Nobody said anything to him, though. Apparently they could sense how terrifying Eadit was.

Soon Eadit and Mazorah had arrived at a large number twelve painted on the floor. Mazorah looked back and noted the line was even larger than he’d realized. “Why are there so many people leaving and so few entering,” he wondered aloud. Eadit pressed her fingers on a nearby panel, ignoring him. Soon the platform they stood on lifted off the ground and floated up. Mazorah glanced at Eadit, “You know, the Lord Templar said he wanted to recruit me. You could be a little more friendly,” he said. Eadit tilted her head and looked at him, “you don’t think I’m friendly?” The question was innocent enough, but just as she said her last word the world lurched, sucking them towards the windows.

They were standing on a huge platform suddenly and Mazorah toppled over, barely catching himself with his hands. He glared up at Eadit, who had a small smile and a twinkle in her eye. She wasn’t looking at him, but she’d definitely done that on purpose. Eadit walked away from him and touched a button on a small panel floating in the air. After a moment, their platform slowly lowered itself until they were level with an arch. It was as if they’d teleported to the halfway point of a bridge. Eadit walked off their platform and onto the half-bridge, sticking his tongue out at Eadit. Then he noticed the massive city with floating buildings, moving bridges and things he didn’t have words to describe. The one other thing he noticed were the walls on each side of the city, towering far above it. They were familiar, but not nearly as tall as he’d remembered. One wall was blue while the other was red. “We’re in The Chasm?”

Eadit looked back at him, “you remember what The Chasm looks like?” Mazorah didn’t respond, staring at the walls that glowed impressively with Ether he could see with his eyes open. Something was different here. Not dark and creepy, but powerful and majestic. “This is the northern entrance to The Chasm. We call it the Maw. Most people don’t consider it a part of The Chasm anymore, though, since there’s no corruption here. It was purified long ago.” As they walked along the stone bridge it slowly became less like stone and more like hard flesh. It was as if he were walking on the bare back of a giant person. Indeed, once he’d thought of it that way, he felt like he could see a spine going through the middle of the bridge. Muscles here, ribs there. As they walked further along the bridge Mazorah realized it appeared to stretch its arms out and interlock them with the arms of the next giant figure, forming a path from the bridge and onto the major concourse.

Mazorah eventually had to stop paying attention to the oddly organic structures of the roads and buildings in order to follow Eadit through a crowd of people. People walked back and forth, going into different buildings. However, The entire ground seemed slightly wet and flowed in a specific direction. People stood on it and flowed along with it, not sinking. Eadit walked onto the wet ground and immediately started flowing away from Mazorah, so he stepped onto it as well. His bare feet sunk into the liquid about an inch, making a squish. It wasn’t really wet, more jello-y, so it helped him stick to the ground as he sped along its current. After half a minute riding the slimy express, Eadit stepped off and Mazorah followed her. The transition from moving slimy ground to firm skin-like ground was jarring, but the ground seemed to sink a bit and make it easier to stop his momentum than he’d anticipated.

Eadit looked at Mazorah with a slight frown, “sorry,” she said. Mazorah blinked. Had she apologized? What for? Trying to leave him behind? Knocking him over with the zip earlier? Not answering his questions? Pointing a knife at his neck? “For what?” He couldn’t really think of anything in particular that she would apologize for. Eadit looked at the ground. No, wait, she wasn’t looking at the ground, she was looking at his feet. “I meant to get you shoes before we took the flow,” she said. Oh right, she’d said something about shoes before. That made sense, it wouldn’t be like her to apologize for any of that other completely unimportant stuff. Mazorah really didn’t know what to say. Eadit walked up to a circular hole in a flesh-like wall and stuck her hand in it, twisting her hand slightly. There was a light popping noise as the hole grew into a doorway. Eadit walked into it and Mazorah followed.

Inside were tons of clothes, shoes, belts, gloves, and other accessories Mazorah didn’t recognize. It appeared they were arrayed from comfortable and breathable on his left all the way to scaly and armor-like on his right. Mazorah suspected he could probably find clothes or armor for just about any occasion. Most importantly, the building was decorated with wooden beams and a particular type of lighting that managed to make the place feel less… Biological. It probably helped that the floor was carpeted, too. The door closed behind him with a quiet slurping sound, and Mazorah sighed. When he looked back to where Eadit was, he saw she’d already moved to a nearby rack and picked out a few things. She glanced at him and then back at a shirt she held out in front of herself. Not only was she shopping, which felt like an odd sight, but she was shopping for him!

“I can pick out my own clothes,” Mazorah protested. “For now we should just go find somewhere to eat and sleep,” he said, wincing at how whiny he sounded. Eadit ignored him and continued her shopping. Soon, she had a small pile of clothing. She kicked the ground and a small hole opened up, which she dropped the clothes into. She quickly walked to a nearby wall and rounded a corner. Mazorah would have been frustrated, but he couldn’t help but appreciate her efficiency. How did she know what would fit him? Mazorah rounded the corner to see Eadit approaching a woman who was behind a counter. The woman was elderly with a full head of gray hair and gave Mazorah a smile. “Deliver to Mazorah at the Imperial Academy. Also select accessories for a new student. And shoes.” As she spoke, Eadit pressed a few things on a small panel in front of her, then held it out for the old woman to see.

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The old woman turned her gaze to Eadit, glanced at the tablet and then nodded, “of course, Inquisitor.” Eadit looked back at Mazorah, “you will pay,” she said, indicating that he should step up to the counter. He did so, but wasn’t sure what to do next. There was a small ‘click’, and the old woman smiled at Mazorah again and bowed her head slightly, “a pleasure, young master.” With that, Eadit dragged him back to the exit and they walked out of the building.

“That was quick,” Mazorah noted. Eadit glanced up at the sky, which seemed like it might be a little darker than before. Eadit turned to him, “Efficiency is my goal,” she said, “now onto the Academy, where we will enroll you. Following that, we’ll find your quarters. After that, you may eat and sleep.” Eadit scrunched up her nose, “and bathe,” she said. Mazorah suddenly felt self-conscious. He sniffed his armpit, which was admittedly a little on the stinky side. When he looked back up, Eadit had already started walking to the road. What had she called it again? The flow. This time, she waited a bit for him to catch up, and they entered the strange transportation system together. Mazorah absently wondered why they couldn’t just zip everywhere as he looked at all the different people around him. The people, even dressed in all sorts of different clothes and hairstyles, were mostly unremarkable. Compared to the organic material and gigantic creatures the entire city and walls seemed to be made of, the people seemed ordinary and small.

Mazorah, Eadit, and a large number of strangers flowed through the enormous city rather quickly. The people on the outside sections of the flow went deeper into The Chasm, while the people closer to the center went towards the outside of The Chasm. As they neared an intersection, large tubes about twice as tall as Mazorah and just as wide curved to the sides. A few people walked to those tubes and flowed right through them, ending up in the flow going perpendicular to the one Mazorah was in. Overhead, buildings connected to each other by titanic tubes, spines, arms, and other things Mazorah had no context for. Even the word ‘building’ didn’t quite suit the structures, which almost appeared alive at times.

The further in they went, the wider the road became. Eventually Mazorah could see two hands as tall as The Chasm itself, palms facing away from him. “The Maw,” Eadit supplied, seeing his stare, “the northern gate to exit the city is much the same, except that one is made of teeth instead of hands. I’m not sure why that gate isn’t called the Maw.” Following perhaps the most comprehensive answer Mazorah had gotten from her, Eadit grabbed his hand and walked them to the outlet tube they were nearing. They rose up as they slid through the tube and Mazorah felt the sensation of dropping as they slid down out of the tube, no longer facing the Maw. They’d turned left, so that meant they were going… West? No, wait, it was East.

As they flowed forward, they approached a tall building that was small at the bottom and grew larger for each layer higher it went. Huge spines jutted from surrounding buildings and the ground around it to support its massive structure, and there was a large dome to top it all off. Mazorah imagined it would look sort of like a strange bug from further away. Eadit pointed to the building, “the Imperial Academy,” she said quietly. The flow only had a few occupants now, so they were mostly alone.

After a few more minutes, right as they’d almost reached the building, the flow stopped. It felt wrong to have stopped, and Mazorah took a step forward by instinct, as if his body just wanted to keep moving. Eadit took multiple steps forward and walked straight into the wall. Instead of Eadit hitting the wall or it opening (which Mazorah had grown used to in Vaylen), it just seemed like it absorbed her. It was like watching a person jump into dark water and disappear, except this was a strange fleshy wall. Mazorah gulped, held his breath and followed after her.

The sensation was not actually uncomfortable as the walls slid past Mazorah. He never hit the front of it with his face or body, and it barely brushed his arms as it allowed his entry. It only took a second to walk through and Mazorah was through it before he had time to wonder if he’d made a terrible mistake. The inside of the building, even though it was the smallest floor, was still a very large room. A man with a goatee and a monocle lounged on his wooden chair, feet up on his desk. When he noticed Eadit, he turned to her and smiled, leaving his feet up on the desk. Mazorah noticed that the thing he’d thought was a monocle was actually attached to the man’s skull by a couple of bone-looking spikes. It didn’t look painful, but Mazorah couldn’t imagine attaching something to his eye socket like that could be comfortable.

“Eadit of the Order,” the man bowed his head slightly, “I was told to expect you. I presume this is our new applicant?” Eadit walked up to the desk and touched a screen. Mazorah observed her and saw her use a strand of Ether to add something to the tablet. “This is your newest student, Mazorah,” Eadit said after doing whatever she did to the tablet. The man smiled, “I am Belson. I specialize in advanced enhancements,” his smile twisted a bit, “and gatekeeping.” “I don’t think you understand,” Eadit said, her voice sharp, “this is not a negotiation. The Headmaster has already agreed-” “The Headmaster isn’t the one meeting you at the entrance,” Belson cut in, “and the one who is meeting you at the entrance doesn’t accept every stray who wanders in.”

“Very well,” Eadit said as she made a grasping motion with her hand. As she did, the chair in which Belson sat came alive, grabbing him as if it were a hand. Belson tsked and made a motion with his hand as if he was releasing something. The chair beneath him split into dozens of pieces, Belson standing up as it did so. The pieces floated in the air and became spikes, which flew towards Mazorah and Eadit. Mazorah jumped backwards, but Eadit simply put her hands together, making a circle with them. The wooden spikes became attracted to each other in mid-flight, causing them to all attach to each other in a large circle. Eadit stepped aside as the wooden circle hit the ground near her, then pushed a hand forward. The wooden circle spun quickly and flew back towards Belson, who had stepped out from behind his desk. Mazorah took a few more steps back.

Belson made a snipping motion with his fingers, and the wooden circle shredded into thin sheets, which coated his hand and formed a gauntlet. He swung his gauntleted arm towards Eadit, and a wooden fist shot out towards her. Eadit held her palm out to the fist, and it dissipated into a cloud of wood chips and fell at her feet. Eadit made a throwing motion and the cloud of wood chips whirled into the air and at Belson. Belson made a wiping motion and the wood chips dissolved further into small grains. However, by the time he’d done so Eadit had disappeared from in front of him. She held a dagger to his neck, triumphant. Mazorah gulped, remembering feeling a similar sensation earlier that day. Belson smiled, “I got you to inhale some of the wood grains earlier, so it’s a draw.” Eadit cocked her head to the side, “if I’d slit your throat they wouldn’t do you much good. I win,” she said in his ear, drawing a little blood with her dagger.

Belson chewed on his lip for a moment. “I’d reinforce my neck and survive the cut,” he said. “I’d break your legs,” Eadit countered. Belson pursed his lips, “very well.” Eadit released him and her dagger seemed to disappear into thin air as she sheathed in her cloak. She motioned to Mazorah. Mazorah walked to her and Belson nodded to him, “Maz… Mazoroo, see you in class, kid,” he said. Mazorah was taken aback by the sudden change, “will the greeting be friendlier,” he asked. Belson laughed, “not really, but I’ll try to level it down for you,” he said. That was good, Mazorah wasn’t very good with Ether and didn’t fancy blowing holes into his teachers. Not unless they really deserved it, at least.

Eadit motioned to a large platform, and for once today Mazorah felt like he knew what was going to happen. As predicted, the platform lifted into the air and they were raised up to the next floor. After another few moments went by and the platform went up a few more floors, it stopped. Eadit stepped off and Mazorah followed her down a corridor. There were a few doors along the way, but Eadit passed them all, stopping at the far door. She held out her hand, revealing two small emblems. When Mazorah reached out to grab them, she pushed them into his hand. They sank into it, seeming to find a place to live beneath the skin of his right hand. “This is your room,” Eadit said, “Good luck.” Mazorah blinked. Was she going to leave him here? With the maniac teacher that threw spikes at them? “You’re leaving?” Eadit smiled at him, “see you around, Maze,” she said. With that, she blurred a bit and disappeared, right in front of him.

“Wait! What now?” Mazorah was not sure what to do next, but after a minute without a response he gave up. He turned to the door and reached for the handle. The door opened as he reached for it. The room inside illuminated as Mazorah walked into it. There was a loaf of bread on the counter immediately inside, and Mazorah grabbed it, biting into it. The bread seemed fairly fresh, and Mazorah wondered if it had been delivered here for him. It must have been, since this was his room.

A few minutes later, he scarfed down the last piece of bread and inspected his surroundings. He was in a living room with a couple of desks, a table, and a few things he wasn’t sure of. There was a hallway leading out of the room and into what Mazorah hoped would be his bedroom. Mazorah walked down the hallway and saw two doors. He guessed which was the right one, and guessed correctly. The bedroom. Mazorah collapsed onto the bed and almost fell asleep before he remembered the Inquisitor’s insistence that he needed a bath. Mazorah considered the fact that she could turn invisible and might have stayed with him. She might just kill him in his sleep if he didn’t take a bath.

Mazorah sighed loudly, “This is for you, Eadit,” he said loudly. He got up, went into the bathroom, and was immediately impressed by the massive bath. There was already water in it, and it was steaming slightly. Mazorah undressed quickly and got into the bath. His feet stung and muscle cramps he didn’t realize were there seemed to relax. Mazorah scrubbed himself with a small bar of soap and used a nearby bucket to pour water on his head. Leaning against the edge, Mazorah closed his eyes. He could finally… Go… To bed…