[Chapter 29 part 3] Silver – Swimming in the Sky

-----------------------------

…

“Ah, yes.” Emerit answered, scratching his head. He knows it too.

“I now hate you. There’ll be retribution for this. I’ll find your deepest, darkest fear, and then, when you least expect it, I’ll send you to the depths of hell.” She looked him in the eye, “I’ll have my revenge.”

Emerit nodded, “Fair enough.”

As Dawn retreated downstairs, Rose approached the cockpit and spoke in a pretty voice laced with spite, “Could I take over? I feel the need to practice. In fact, I’d like to pilot us all the way back.”

Emerit raised his hands and vacated the seat, “Alright, alright… Just follow the Delrune. It’s the skyriver which runs under the Isle.”

“That was exhilarating.” Free chime in. Everyone looked in bewilderment, to which she smiled. “I mean, I sort of figured we’d be safe. There’s no way that Sola’s clone could die in something as idiotic as an airship crash. The HEAVENLY DAO would make Emerit drop dead from a heart attack before it’d let that happen. Am I right?” Ah, there’s the venom.

“That might be true…” Emerit replied awkwardly. If Wise had been awake, he’d never have gotten away with this.

“Emerit…” It was Soul’s turn. “What were the chances of us crashing?”

“I was ninety-nine percent confident we’d make it through unharmed.” Emerit declared.

“So there WAS a one percent chance of death.” Kate exploded. “I’m so disappointed…” It’s working. He’s sweating now.

Although not bothered, Silver felt the need to pile on. He’d show solidarity by saying something impactful. To get through to Emerit… What would work on Light? Inspiration hit him. With all the gravitas he could muster, he said, “Gambling with the lives of others is uncool.”

This hit Emerit like a body blow. He collapsed, “Enough… I surrender.”

“Honestly, I knew it wasn’t rational. I haven’t raced in so long and this ship is so spectacular… I simply couldn’t resist. I didn’t warn you because I knew you’d talk me out of it. Forgive me.”

It’s his abnormality, Silver realized. Just like Light felt compelled to take those weapons, Emerit had to dive into that chasm.

Outlandish characters captured the imagination and had an advantage in achieving immortality. For this reason, personality quirks weren’t discouraged at the Adventurer’s Guild, and most who reached the level of Saint were slightly unbalanced. Some more than others.

They were well set in this regard, except for Kate. She’s the ‘normal’ one. Sure, she was miserly and had feline features, but neither was truly unique. Reflecting, she has me as a boyfriend. I imagine that’s enough to push her into abnormal territory. Silver nodded and smiled.

“The one you should be concerned with is Dawn.” Soul said. “She holds grudges.”

“I believe you,” Emerit declared. “Unfortunately for her, there’s nothing I fear. Her efforts will come to naught.” He recovers quickly. The rest of them gave each other a knowing glance. He’s underestimating her. They knew how foolish this was. Emerit will learn too, with time.

“Is that daylight?” Rose asked. Ahead was a bright opening. But we’re four miles down…

“That’s a light funnel bloom.” Emerit explained smugly. “There was a purpose in bringing you underground. In front of us is Nirvan. Spiral city is part of this kingdom.”

“That doesn’t excuse your means of getting us here.” Soul retorted. Whatever, we’ll finally witness Inner Enera! He’d seen images, but that was never the same.

“It’s fine to go out?” Silver didn’t wait for a response.

Exodia sailed into a space stretching to the horizon. Silver glanced up and blinded himself. So sunny! He tried again, squinting. Vines of light covered the cavern ceiling. I shouldn’t look directly.

Farm compounds littered the grasslands below, intersected by groves of trees. Silver counted eleven distinct land masses, each fixed at different elevations. Some touched while others were separated by bottomless ravines. Far south, a city overflowed from the highest plateau. The population grew too much.

Hundreds of bridges, elevators, and windy cliff roads connected the scattered land. The narrow gaps were paved over entirely while the wider ones were walled off with ramparts. Gargoyles lined these fortifications. Defense mechanisms.

Over there too. Drakes and wyverns were perched on the crenelations of the city’s highest tower, with more circling nearby. Although the ‘sky’ around them was clear, in the distance airships plodded along with the occasional winged escort.

I want one. It’d be fun to explore Enera on a drake, and Astra had given them a small fortune. Once we’ve dealt with the bounty…

“Lovely.” Dawn said from the deck’s center. “A pity Rose isn’t here.” Is she getting braver? Normally she’d have stayed inside. Together with her decision to swim, her tolerance was gradually increasing.

“It’s fine.” Soul responded. “The pilot seat has fantastic displays. Magnification too. I bet she’s having a blast.”

“On a serious note…” Free glanced furtively at the cabin, before whispering. “We must warn Astra of Emerit’s ‘impulses’. I suspect he was restraining himself due to our presence. There’s no telling what he might do next time. She can’t lend him Exodia again!”

They all agreed, while also deciding to downplay Emerit’s transgression. The man had otherwise done a decent job. Remarkably, Dawn was on board too. She’ll handle her retribution personally.

Leaving the others to their discussions, Silver made his way up front. Can we see the Isle from here? Tracing the Delrune, he found a wall of marine blue. The Blue Abyss.

“What’d you think?” Kate came up behind.

“I’m wrapping my head around it, the fact that all those spiraling shadows lead to places like this…” Silver turned. “It must be a familiar sight for you.”

“I was born underground.” Kate nodded melancholically. “I first saw the sky when Arther brought me to the Isle.” Her village was wiped out shortly before that.

“Does all of Inner Enera look like this?” Silver asked.

“Oh, no.” Kate leaned on the rails. “That’s a silly question. The HEAVENLY DAO would never engage in uniformity.”

She gestured broadly, “The environments down here are carefully crafted phenomenons. The initial light funnel appeared six months after the Fracturing. They continued popping up all over every few weeks. Only a hundred years later did the process slow. Even now, every decade or so, a new biome is born deep within Enera.”

“Multiple factors determine what shape life takes: the type and power of the bloom, the size of the vent, the surrounding air and water flows… Climate has nothing to do with geographic location. There’s a tropical region not far from the Black Citadel.”

Kate scanned the landscape, “This one’s pretty tame as far as they go, especially compared to the lower Twisted Lands.” Silver detected pride in her words. She knows this topic. Kate was comfortable under this rocky ‘sky’.

One day I must learn more about her past. For now, he asked, “Before, what’d you mean by ‘size of the vent’?”

Kate pointed up. “The holes light funnels travel through are called vents. On the surface, heat can escape into the atmosphere, but that’s not true here. Without vents, the blooms would bake us alive.”

“Got it.” His attention had been captured by a stream which ended in a waterfall. Why isn’t it flowing up to the skyriver?

Kate noted his curiosity, “The gravity of water is nearly always down near surfaces, so rain can fall. It’s also why skyrivers travel along chasms.”

“Of course, there are exemptions.” Kate smiled slyly. “I haven’t experienced it myself, but apparently everyday life becomes interesting when the gravity of liquids is different from your own.”

The Demon World is like that, Silver remembered. In places under the Blue Abyss, lava flowed into the watery ‘sky’ and rocks rained down.

Silver noticed a sunken area covered with a pyramid of dense cloud. Only along the edge were the tips of trees visible.

“What’s with the haze?” He asked.

“That’s a Misty Swamp. They’re common wherever there are steam vents.” Kate explained. “They’re impossibly dank and no one lives there.”

“Steam vent?” He repeated stupidly.

Kate shook her head, “All Passageways which carry heat up through Enera are called vents. Steam vents release humid air from the boiling rivers and seas of the new crust.”

I see. Silver looked at the billowing fog, then at the bloom above. “How does the weather work here anyway?”

Kate froze, adopting a deadpan expression, “I don’t even understand how weather works on the surface.” Right, enough. Kate was tiring.

Also, we’re nearly back. Ahead, the skyriver they’d swam in and the one they were following flowed together and spiraled into the Blue Abyss.