[Chapter 29 part 2] Silver – Swimming in the Sky

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Partly obscured by the curve of the planet, a row of landmasses were bobbing in and out of the view. So the tooth came from that thing.

“It’s a marvel, even among the HEAVENLY DAO’s creations. A living creature fifty three miles long.” Emerit continued. “It’s composed of magic built up over millennia. All this power is devoted to sustaining its own weight. Extrapolating with simple physics, it’s spinal column is the toughest material on Enera.”

The monstrous beast slowly crossed the Blue Abyss. It must be unstoppable. The worm from this morning was an ant in comparison. No less than that.

“Has it ever attacked?” Soul inquired.

“Just once.” Emerit said. “Long before the Dark Age, there existed a nation called Atlantis. Its rulers pursued a particularly vile magic: wide scale mind control. I’m talking about the manipulation of their entire population. Controlling the beliefs, loyalties, and emotions of their subjects has been an ambition of tyrants since the time immemorial. Rebellion ——or even dissent—— would become inconceivable. The Atlantean leadership fulfilled this dream by developing an enchantment which robbed their people of free will. In so doing, they exposed this world’s one and only taboo.

“The HEAVENLY DAO will tolerate just about anything, the worst of crimes and the most terrible of wrongs, as long as it fits the narrative. It might even forgive mind control on an individual level. However, what Atlantis did crossed a line. If the use of its enchantment spread, it might be possible to manipulate mankind’s collective unconscious, thereby affect the HEAVENLY DAO itself. This couldn’t be permitted.”

“The HEAVENLY DAO sent the Leviathan against them. The beast took out their capital in a single bite and sunk half the country. No one has attempted to reproduce their work since.”

“That lumbering titan isn’t a threat. Like Siegfried, it’s an agent of the HEAVENLY DAO. It did nothing during the Dark Age and will do nothing during the next one. It simply exists because it’s cool.”

Light will be so disappointed when he finds out. The regret would be a better punishment than anything they could come up with. Hopefully, it’d cause him to reflect. He doesn’t have the excuse I do. Silver sighed remembering his jump. He felt horrible every time he nearly killed himself. If only I’d been apprehensive… Other people didn’t know how lucky they were.

Silver’s exhaustion hit him full force once he entered the cabin, and he plopped himself down. It’s amazing what adrenaline can do. Rose, still full of energy, addressed Emerit at the controls, “You said the HEAVENLY DAO hates spoilers. So how did it increase our quest’s difficulty? Alan’s village was attacked two weeks ago. Wouldn’t it have had to peek ahead?”

Emerit lit up. He loves this. “An intriguing query. As I see it, there are two ways it might’ve played out. Bear in mind this is based on second hand accounts from those who’ve spoken with agents.”

“The first possibility is the HEAVENLY DAO did indeed ‘read ahead’. While agents like Siegfried are limited to the present, not so the deity. It’s capable of observing an entire adventure before it begins. There’s nothing spoilery about reading a book two weeks before its published. If this was what happened, then you all were fated to return safely. When the HEAVENLY DAO spices up a concluded tale, it makes certain to keep its conclusion intact.”

“The second possibility ——and the more likely one—— is the past was altered. Apparently, for really entertaining content, the HEAVENLY DAO doesn’t peer ahead. In your case, it must’ve found out about your quest when Astra selected it. It then went back and arranged for Alan to be there.”

“So it can make broad changes that far back?” Rose confirmed. It is a god.

“It can, because the way it alters history circumvents paradox entirely.” Emerit grinned. “This’ll be technical, but you asked.”

“The HEAVENLY DAO exists outside Enera and doesn’t physically travel back like necromancers do. Instead it simulates a new timeline in the Ether and makes the adjustments it desires. Once satisfied, it then copies the changes onto reality. In your case, Alan needed to be teleported to the Field of Graves and his memories altered. The bandits had to be moved and their recollection tweaked. And so on. Like Sola, it’s capable of raising the dead if needs be.”

Doesn’t that mean it killed the outlaws’ ‘victims’ and planted their corpses? Not a reassuring thought.

“For the HEAVENLY DAO, the limiting factor is the cost rewriting reality. It can fairly easily play around with isolated locations such as the deep Twisted Lands. Changing events like Arther’s death is a different story.”

Silver was confused but had no desire for clarification. The time travel habits of gods don’t interest me.

“Leaving aside the ‘how’, this means people at Alan’s settlement died because of the HEAVENLY DAO.” Soul said. This would bother him. “Isn’t that evil?”

“Maybe not as much as you’d think.” Emerit responded. “You must compare both outcomes to pass judgment. People perished at Alan’s settlement, true. But because he came into contact with you, the rest will likely be saved.”

“Now consider the old time line. Those outlaws are still murderous villains. They’ll attack somewhere else, leaving no survivors. Overall, more end up dead.”

“To further complicate things, it’s possible we’re considering this from the wrong angle. Alan’s escape was itself an improbable event. Perhaps the HEAVENLY DAO upgraded the difficulty by saving his life, allowing him to reach the Field of Graves. In that case, it killed no one.”

Emerit shook his head, “It’s impossible the judge a god. It’s not even worth trying. That said, everyone strap in.”

Strap in? Silver looked down. He must mean these. Seat belt harnesses had been added during the remodeling. Why are we doing this? He wondered, buckling himself in. The skies are clear.

“What’s going on?” Soul asked.

“Didn’t you know? This airship, Exodia, is really something special. Top of the line. Although ancient, its specs are ridiculous.”

They looked at each other. “So what?”

“You see, I used to race.” Emerit’s gleeful smile had developed a sinister vibe. “It’s been ages, but right under us is the ‘Wine Trench’ which has become famous recently… Basically, we’re going to find out what this ship can do.”

I’m fairly certain this should be terrifying. One look at his pale siblings confirmed the notion.

“Ready? Here we go!” Emerit cried as the ship pitched forward and dropped. Below was a black chasm. “This gorge connects to a skyriver four miles down. The rock walls are close and irregular. It’s a thrilling run.”

They entered darkness at breath-necking velocity. Once Emerit turned on the floodlights, they watched the narrow, uneven cliffs race by. Exodia expertly danced left and right dodging outcroppings.

“Astra will kill you if you damage this ship!” Rose yelled. This is the most panicked I’ve ever seen her. Is she afraid of heights too?

“What happens will happen!” Emerit laughed, lost to reason. “Oh, this next bit is fun.”

The ship began spiraling in a tight circle. What’s he doing? Looking ahead, Silver saw the stone walls came together everywhere except for one opening barely wider than the ship. We’re going to die, he concluded calmly. They plunged into the passage.

“This is called the ‘corkscrew’.” Emerit explained. “Three full revolutions in a downward spin.”

Outside, rocks flew by in a blur. Silver might’ve enjoyed himself if not for the dread on his siblings faces. That should make me angry.

“And we’re out!” Emerit announced with panache.

The airship slowed and turned upright. They were inside a cave lit by glowing purple mushrooms, another skyriver flowing tranquilly besides them.

It’s over, Silver breathed with disappointment and relief. A realization struck him. What about Dawn? His sister was literally frozen solid. The seat belt hadn’t been enough, so she’d anchored herself with a layer of ice.

“Emerit?” Dawn spoke softly. Oh boy is she upset…

(continued in part 3)