Dry, near-stifling heat met Aurora li Arakiel’s face as soon as she left the portal, followed by a blazing sun shining quite vigorously from up above, with not a single speck of cloud to be found among the clear blue sky.
She had emerged alongside Arakiel into an open area that was exceedingly flat, yet also partially covered in a soft blanket of finely ground sand, with reddish slabs of sandstone shining through here and there.
She saw nothing but sand in the distance, right where the sky met the horizon – and yet she had to be on some kind of elevated position and as a means to support that theory, a warm gust of air brushed by, causing her golden hair to flutter in a way that reminded her of the fact that she hadn’t braided it today.
A mistake she’d need to rectify soon if this world ended up being the windy kind.
Neither Mellia nor Arakiel seemed surprised by the plane’s appearance, nor did they seem worried that Aurora couldn’t detect a speck of civilization far and wide.
There was only sand, sandstone and heat – another desert by all appearances… and Aurora really wasn’t ready for another desert… for long walks in the dry heat.
She felt her heart sink notably, yet her beloved gave her an uplifting smile, commenting something along the lines of her not getting upset just yet.
To prove his point, he more or less dragged her across the surprisingly flat surface of what should be a mesa of some kind and the closer they got to what had to be the edge, the more Aurora felt her excitement continuing to build.
Whatever he wanted to show her had to be just around the corner, just a smidgen below… right?
So far, there was nothing but a sea of sand with rising and falling tides… dunes.
Aurora had grown to despise dunes with a passion.
But then, when she came very close to the edge, she realized that she wasn’t only very high up, but that there was something at the foot of this mesa.
And it wasn’t just something… it was a building. A massive building in fact!
A large construction made out of reddish sandstone in the shape of an upside triangle – a pyramid if she recalled correctly.
Arakiel pointed towards the structure, explaining. “That’s the Godchosen’s palace. The ‘Godchosen’ are the rulers of this plane, but they’re not exactly honoring their rather imposing name.”
His voice held clear traces of disdain.
“How so?” Aurora queried as she slowly stepped further to the edge, unveiling even more of the pyramid. She didn’t really care too much, but found it polite to inquire all the same.
There was a sort of open level at around two-thirds height and Aurora had no doubt that one would have a wonderful view from up there… but onto what?
“Without going into too much detail… they’ve chosen to antagonize the wrong people while failing to see what made their realm so special.” Arakiel returned ambiguously and then let his gesture present the answer to her earlier internal question.
There was an entire damned city down there in the sand, a large collection of houses clustered around not one, but two large, differently-sized lakes with greenish banks full of grass and even some trees.
On a closer look, there wasn’t just one city – there were in fact two, one centered around each of the lakes and where the two met, there was a sort of barely notable divide in architecture. While the side closer to Aurora had mostly square-shaped houses with flat roofs that were more or less painted white with only very few decorative elements, the side with the slightly larger lake had fairly elaborate buildings with many addendi, little gilded domes or small towers, alcoves and such – that side also lay a little closer to the pyramid than the other one. Both sides had quite a few squares that were just as white-reddish as the streets. There seemed to be water basis on just about everywhere if she categorized the rectangular shapes correctly and if there was particular thing that seemed to be absent, it would be plants outside of the lakes’ immediate perimeter.
“That, my love, is the Great Duality, the main city and one of the most-beloved resorts of the Eternal Cities.” Arakiel explained, pointing towards the smaller of the oasis lakes. “It’s a neutral zone as agreed and upheld by all Eternal Cities together – never mind their stance on political issues.”
There, in the grass, Aurora could indeed make out people and now that she looked a little closer, there were in fact quite a few people moving about, even if they amounted to little less than small moving dots.
The three of them were surprisingly high up and Aurora felt the urge to just jump off of the cliff and take flight.
For now, she held that urge back, however – especially since she didn’t see any other fliers in the air.
“The city of akh and karab… how oddly fitting,” Mellia commented with a soft chuckle. “How strange that we should meet the akh once more so soon.”
“Except the fact that every remaining free akh left here is working in the services sector.” Arakiel pointed out. “Those with power have long since moved on, the others had to submit.”
“I wonder how the karab must’ve felt when their masters joined them in service.” Mellia asked, sounding oddly normal for a welcome change.
“Smug, most likely.” Arakiel suggested, pointing towards a low slope in the distance. “We descend over there.”
“What are we here for? Didn’t you say we were banished?” Aurora found herself asking as she followed along. She really kind of wanted to leap off of this mountain, but she didn’t dare lest someone think her a threat.
For all intents and purposes, she should appear as a free immortal to other people… it was something she forgot all-too easily.
“We are to seek out a certain individual,” Arakiel explained as they began to walk down a rather narrow, winding path that was just broad enough for Aurora to squeeze through without too much difficulty, yet she had to concentrate quite a bit as to now hit her wings somewhere.
That leap off to the side looked ever more tempting.
It really did.
“Rakim al’Akh ibn Kadir,” Mellia added with a clear hint of reverence in her tone and it only intensified. “One of the Godsbinders.”
The name sounded powerful, but Aurora had never heard of them, nor had she read about them in thy myriad tomes she must’ve consumed at this point.
“You’ll see for yourself… but that man is a living legend.” Arakiel stated, his own voice also paying quite a bit of respect, but there was something else in his voice.
This man had to be quite important, then.
Their descent took quite a while and they made a very short break somewhere in the middle, Aurora wished for her beloved to recuperate which caused some of her soul to rush out and engulf her in a soft fiery aura of gold that began to burn away her barely-existent fatigue.
Through it, she could tell that Arakiel’s breathing also steadied and although she wasn’t entirely certain how this process worked, them having officially sealed their covenant ensured that some of her boons reached him although they had yet to properly explore it.
After all, things had been rather grim ever since they deepened the covenant, leaving little time to careful planning and testing.
Perhaps soon, though.
Aurora really just wanted some time to mentally recuperate, to be free of any and all worries for a time.
They continued on and the lower they got, the wide the path became and eventually, Aurora could’ve spread her wings without bumping anything… which she did just to do so.
And then they reached the foot of the mesa made of bluff red sandstone and from down here, the Great Duality’s buildings weren’t small in the slightest… never mind the streets or the amount of people that frequented it.
The sounds differed quite a bit from Kalanaar and here, Aurora had trouble getting used to it.
Arakiel noted that the less representative part of the Great Duality was the Karabean district. The houses all had two to three levels nonetheless, their exterior chalked white to stave off the sun undoubtedly. Many a door wasn’t made of wood, but out of heavy curtains and while the white slabs of stone that formed the streets were nearly devoid of the finely grained desert sand, they still showed signs of constant, decades-long usage.
And while the buildings were kind of imposing from her point of view – although they couldn’t in any way shape or form compete with Kalanaar’s buildings – Aurora found the people walking the streets to be much more interesting, even if a particular problem became apparent almost right away, one exacerbated by the overall high level of noise.
She did not speak these people’s language – and it sounded anything close to one of the languages she could speak. In fact, it sounded like their tongue butchered the very strands of sound they produced. It was almost grating to the ears.
Nonetheless, her curiosity got the better of her.
In the beginning, the most common kind of people that traversed these white streets were the karab as Arakiel called them, a group of milk-chocolate colored men and women that liked to dress in very colorful outfits although the colors themselves looked a little washed out in a bad way. Aurora would never even consider wearing one of their gowns and in all honesty, the way the women dressed was downright indefensible. Who in their right mind would wear a large over-sized blanket for a dress, no matter how ‘colorful’ it had been painted? It completely swallowed their physique and made them appear like walking bags of coarse, stiff cloth. Their hairstyles were also in the barely-defensible category. How could one possibly braid one’s hair so tight and then kind of glue to their head? It looked utterly ridiculous.
In a way, she could understand why they chose to hide their hair behind wraps of cloth, but surely that shouldn’t be the norm?
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When she posed that question to Mellia, the Enchantress merely commented that different cultures had different customs and although she agreed on the general sentiment, she really didn’t care enough to get upset about it.
She had a point, but there was also…
Aurora let her eyes distract her when they fell onto a small group of people that were currently buying something from one of the many shops that lined what might be one of the main streets. At least it was heavily frequented compared to some of the side-alleys she had seen thus far.
That group over there was alien, because they were short – way too short! They were about a third of her size, yet had normal proportions, with a head, limbs and such… all of which were hidden underneath brilliantly bright armor that reflected the sun in an almost blinding fashion.
And then, as if to taunt her, a complete opposite appeared just moments later when another group of tall, utterly green men in nothing but rags strode down the street, their hands and feet webbed together like some sort of…
Arakiel quietly reminded her not stare so hard, yet Aurora didn’t care. She drew gazes towards herself, so she could very well stare back.
These green-skinned men, however, were utterly disgusting to look at. Their skin was rugged, their hair thick and shaggy and even worse, their faces were deformed, with far-too small noses, huge lips and eyes almost bulging out of their eye-sockets.
What made all of this even worse was the fact that they stared right back at her – and given the way they wrinkled their noses, it almost appeared as if they found her ugly.
Aurora worked herself into a mental frenzy that occupied her for quite a while and whenever she beheld another odd-looking species, it only added to the fire.
It got to the point where Arakiel pulled her close, telling her to look at him since she apparently made quite a fool of herself… yet Aurora felt wronged all the same.
She was an Aspect of the Seraphim of Dawn… she was beauty incarnate and none – especially ugly beings – had no right to judge her on such a metric or worse, deny her in this fashion.
On that minor plane, everyone had looked at her with gazes that left little doubt as to their undoubtedly positive feelings. Not once – not a single time had someone uttered something even remotely negative, much left disgust.
Thankfully, all of that changed as soon as they eventually reached the center of the Great Duality after some time – the two oases that were fairly close to one another. The surprise at suddenly being here was enough to pull her from the hole she had dug herself into.
It further helped that from one moment to another, a slightly sweet, pleasant scent permeated the air while the noise all around became an amalgamation of different kinds of languages, some of which she understood – like the Elysian and the Kalanite tongue – whereas others she did not.
All around, there were pretty and beautiful people of all sizes relaxing on the banks of the rivers, whether they lazed in the sun, sat at the lake’s edge while eating or drinking something, never mind those who clustered in small groups, laughing and joking together. Judging by their attire – or lack thereof – most had come here to relax and recuperate, with no weapons, armor or the like in sight. Instead, people chose little strips of clothes that hid or highlighted their assets, even if most made no efforts to hide the intricate tattoos that seemed to cover many a person’s skin. Most were crimson, but a few were azure or black. There was a term for it… both for the tattoos and the attire, but Aurora couldn’t recall it. Marianka had had one of those as well for when she had visited this place alongside Arakiel.
It made her aware that quite a few people here wore bronze, silver and golden collars – and judging by their expressions, none showed any discomfort right now and quite honestly, she would’ve been surprised had it been any other way.
The amount of children present here, however, surprised her – for there were quite a few, from babes over little kids all the way up to adolescents… and everyone of them seem uninhibited.
They squealed and cried in delight and laughter was abundant and from one moment to another, Aurora forgot all about whatever had upset her just a while ago.
This place, she liked – loved even.
They didn’t stay, yet Aurora still managed to espy two other winged aurean girls. In addition, she saw quite a sizable number of exotic people, both as servants as masters – with the most notable being bulky grey beings that had little tusks protruding from their mouths.
She had few doubts that some of the people here were immortals, even if she didn’t try to garner their attention.
Aurora merely asked whether they could come here over the coming days and when Arakiel affirmed, she was content for the time being while having something nice to look forward to.
That was really everything she needed for the moment.
Heading past the first lake, they soon found a similar scene at the larger lake, only that the surrounding buildings were even more imposing, with large wooden patios, excessively decorated stone balconies and wonderfully woven curtains that blocked out any inquisitive gazes one might have.
Despite this, the banks surrounding the soft green water were even more chaotic than the other lake, with hundreds of people relaxing here.
They were just about to pass by here as well when an oddly-familiar sounding male voice suddenly called out to Arakiel in the Kalanite tongue, shouting.
“Oi, Traveler! Now there’s a face I hadn’t thought to see again… ever!”
Arakiel, Aurora and Mellia all turned to face the source of the voice, which came from somewhere close-by, somewhere from the collection of merrymaking people around some table.
It only took a moment for three people to detach from that group and although Aurora didn’t want to believe her eyes at first, she recognized the black-haired man right away, even if he wore nothing but a pair of short pants at the moment.
Her heart skipped several beats, especially when she saw the other two young women that followed him. One of them, a beautiful blonde-haired girl, wore the copper-golden collar of an aes while the other had one of her arms locked with the man who had to have been the leader of the group that attacked the Maidenhold. To this day, Aurora still recalled him declaring ‘open season’ on the ‘Elysian game’.
From one moment to another, a part of Aurora recalled the growing despair that had nearly crushed her at the end in that one particular week… and she found her heart’s beat accelerating while her eyes narrowed.
“Master Laico,” Arakiel returned in a curt, polite manner that could’ve been interpreted in every possible way.
The raider approached and offered Arakiel a friendly smile while holding out his hand.
He was a tall, muscular man with slightly tanned skin, but more importantly – he had several intricate crimson tattoos covering parts of his body… most of which hadn’t been there these years ago.
And now that Aurora got another good look at the demure aes that stole a glance at her, she realized that she knew this woman as well. Esmera ya Isabel ay Elysia.
The man quickly glanced over Mellia and Aurora, causing a smile to blossom on his lips. “Life’s treating you well I hope?” He asked in a cordial manner.
“I can’t complain,” Arakiel answered rather ambiguously, taking the offered hand. “You seem to do quite well yourself.”
“No kidding, Mister Traveler – and it’s really quite thanks to you.” The man named Laico responded in a hearty way. He seemed really quite happy.
“Will you introduce us, my little blueberry tart?” The pretty, dark-haired woman asked in a lovely, Kalanite voice. Her yellowish eyes, however, sized especially Aurora up with clearly hostile intent while Esmera remained silent, her entire posture being that of a well-trained maiden… which was quite unlike Aurora recalled her.
The man slightly turned around, ordering in an authoritative voice. “Esmera, windshield.”
“Of course, Master.” The Elysian girl replied meekly and then began to lightly spread her hands, causing little gains of sand to swirl around them.
A brief moment later, the surrounding world’s sound got blocked out as a thin layer of wind began to swirl in a circular fashion around them.
“This is Arakiel, a Kalanite Traveler that really paved the way for the raid on one of the Golden Chrysanthemum’s Maidenholds,” Laico introduced without sparing Esmera another glance.
Aurora wasn’t sure what to feel, but she couldn’t help glancing at the blonde girl that kept her entire focus on keeping the windshield active.
She looked a little thinner and much less… happy.
Should she be sad about it? Esmera, too, hadn’t tried to make a real case for Aurora.
“Arakiel, this is my wife, Aksinya il Kalanaar, scion of House Citrine. She’s a level 17 Air twiceborne Evoker-Alterator.”
Aksinya clicked her tongue, adding in a rather displeased tone. “No need to tell him my classes.”
Laico, however, immediately added something while pulling his wife into a loving embrace. “My dear, he’s an independent Traveler – he’s no danger.”
“Independent you say?” The yellow-eyed woman remarked as she examined him very closely. “Say… what colors did his eyes have when you met him?”
“They were red, why?” Laico asked and when he looked at Arakiel, he suddenly seemed a little puzzled because they were quite green at the moment. “Maybe I remembered it wrong?”
Arakiel gave him a slight smile. “You do not. My eyes’ color changes depending on what kind of light it reflects. I’m a member of House Alexandrite even though it held no importance then, nor does it now. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Aksinya of House Citrine.”
“Likewise, Arakiel of House Alexandrite.” The woman responded, sounding a little kinder than before. She then looked over towards Aurora. “And you are?”
“Aurora li Arakiel, Lady Aksinya.” Aurora responded right away, making a proper introductory curtsy while also unfurling her wings just a little.
“Li? You’re an aurea?”
“Effectively, although I prefer to call her a seraphine.” Arakiel said with a little smile.
“Wait… is that the golden-haired girl you targeted?” Laico asked with audible surprise before letting out a whistle. “Trans’ balls, what a fine eye you have. Never would’ve thought her to be…”
“Do you know what her wings remind me of?” Lady Aksinya asked as she eyed Aurora’s plumage. “And the hair… and the eyes – and really everything.”
“Huh?” Her husband queried but from one moment to another while the Kalanite woman stared intensely at Arakiel.
“Tell me, Arakiel of House Alexandrite… have you ever met Aurore ay Elysia?”
“She’s the Seat of the Golden Chrysanthemum, isn’t she? One of Elysia’s big three?” Laico asked somewhat surprised. “What’s that?”
“Quiet!” Aksinya admonished sharply, staring right into Arakiel’s eyes.
Aurora felt nothing at the name, only that it sounded very similar to her.
“I have not – why?” Arakiel returned, yet there seemed to be some deeper meaning to the way he spoke.
“For your sake, I hope I’m wrong… but your aurea here looks like her, only that Aurore has four wings instead of two. Golden hair, golden eyes – very slender and exceedingly beautiful.”
“What is the Seat of the Golden Chrysanthemum?” Aurora queried, yet Arakiel suddenly interrupted, saying.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters quite a bit, my love!” Aurora objected quite agitatedly, turning towards him. “If this ‘Aurore’ looks like me, she could very well be the reason I was confined in that accursed keep to begin with!”
“We will talk about this, later!” Arakiel objected quite adamantly, adding. “Look, I’m in a bit of hurry so I hope you’ll keep doing well, Laico.”
The man raised his arms in defense and chuckled. “Of course, of course – don’t worry about it! I just wanted to thank you is all. Without you, things might’ve turned out quite differently for me.”
“Arakiel, please!” Aurora objected, but he actually went out of his way and used one of his hands to “cut her off”.
“Aurora, stop. I promise to answer your questions regarding this later, alright?” Her beloved answered and given the sudden urgency in his voice, she couldn’t help but agree… even if she was upset.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Aksinya noted with a mixture of glee and worry.
Arakiel merely snorted at her comment and then bid them farewell, dragging Aurora and Mellia along.
She didn’t even get to glance at Esmera one last time, although she kind of wondered why she should.
No, there were far more important things to focus on.
Did Arakiel know about her family?