The Empress of Miraveth

The gates to Miraveth groaned as they slowly opened, gears on either side of them clanking.

Ignacio’s eyes widened as the crowds of people blurred into focus on the other side. Children ran around with blue and red ribbons trailing behind them. Men and women walked in all kinds of clothing, some atop the strangest animals he’d ever seen.

They walked in, the chorus of conversation around them so loud he could barely hear Koharu.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it!” she shouted, her hands clasped together over her breasts. “I feel like I haven’t been here in months.”

Kiyomi said something in her low voice beside him, stretching her arms overhead.

Ignacio crouched. “Pardon?”

She waved him away. “Nevermind. We need to go to the Aspectary. You can train with other Cypher users there.”

Ignacio looked around. “Are these people not Cypher users?”

Kiyomi glanced up at him with narrowed eyes. “No. Are you an idiot? Most of these people have never even seen a Cypher, let alone used one.”

Ignacio blinked. “Wait, so these are all real people?”

“Can we talk about this later?” Daichi shouted from behind. “Let’s find the Aspectary.”

Kiyomi placed a hand to her chin as she looked up, tapping her fingers on her lip. “It should be ahead, on the right hand side of the road.”

Ignacio looked up, following her gaze. And his head spun. A reflection of the city was caught on the surface of the giant water bubble surrounding it. Like they were looking at a giant map of the entire thing when they looked up.

He stumbled back lowering his head as he shook it.

“Disorienting the first few times, eh?” Daichi said, cackling. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Yeah,” Ignacio said, grinning as he looked back up. “It’s amazing. It’s like there’s a whole map laid out for us.”

Koharu nudged him with her shoulder. “Best part is you don’t have to carry it around or update it.”

He smiled at her as she walked past, shooting him a sideward glance with those glittering green eyes.

That was also true. Once someone knew what to look for there was no need for hard copy maps or directions. You just looked up and there it all was.

They began walking, the giant serpent coiled around that roof held up by those gargantuan statues looming ahead. It was surreal how large they were. Just looking up at them also made Ignacio feel a little dizzy, as if they would come crashing down any moment.

“Daichi,” Ignacio asked. “What’s that building called?”

“Colossi Temple,” Daichi said. “That’s where all their funny Miravethian worship takes place.”

Some of the buildings and homes they walked past had plant boxes hanging outside latticed window frames with bright red, pink and yellow blossoms growing from them. Their petals undulated in sync, like they could close at any moment.

Some roofs were made of wood, others of ceramic, some pointed, others flat with battlements around them. But all were made of that same white stone.

Ignacio tapped Koharu on the shoulder, her hair flaring around her head as she turned to him.

“What are these white stones called?” he asked, gesturing to the brick-laid road they walked on.

She smiled, narrowing her eyes. “They’re not stone, Ace. They’re scales.”

Ignacio stopped in his tracks. Now that he looked at it, the bricks making up the road did look like the segmented scales on the back of a snake.

“What kind of scales?” he asked.

“Gaia Serpent scales,” she said, holding her arms wide. “Big ones.”

“Watch out,” Daichi said from behind.

The crowd ahead all stepped to the side like a herd of sheep. Ignacio and the others followed, watching as a beautiful white, gold and red carriage pulled by four winged horses rolled towards them.

“Are those Pegasi?” Ignacio asked.

Koharu placed her hands behind her back, nodding with a wide smile. “I personally prefer unicorns.”

“You’re personally stupid,” Kiyomi said from his left.

Daichi stood beside Kiyomi, the man’s angular face resembling that of a wolf. He had a long mullet of hair that slicked down the back of his head, ending in a curve.

His left arm was longer than his right, but his right arm was thicker with muscle. He wore an open cloak, the fabric a shiny grey as if made from steel. It was covered in a pattern that resembled flames, with teeth lining the fringes of the garment, a silver full moon stitched into the fabric covering his heart. A strap was buttoned across the bottom of his neck, keeping the cloak in place. He flung the end of his scarf around his neck, the end of the ragged black material tattered and moth bitten.

He scratched the top of his head with his longer arm.

“I prefer Jackdaws,” he said.

Kiyomi and Koharo glanced at him and frowned, but Ignacio couldn’t figure out why.

The Pegasus’ walked past, their hooves clapping against the scale road, wings folded against their backs. They grunted, their breath so loud it was like the distant roaring of a forest fire. The rider kept his eyes forward, a white garland with red blossoms around his head and a giant white tortoise shell with red rings painted on it strapped to his back.

The carriage rolled past, and a woman inside turned, her eyes locking with Ignacio’s. Her hair was up in a magnificent array of locks and braids tied into thick buns, resembling a black cloud atop her head. And between the rolls of hair were all kinds of jewelry. Golden hair pins, pearls, necklaces, gemstones, and at the very back, a large fan of some kind of white and red scales.

She wore red eyeshadow, her lips gleaming with some kind of vermillion substance as she smiled at him, shrugging a shoulder against her cheek. She was… beautiful.

The carriage rolled on, Ignacio’s eyes following her for as long as they could. He stepped onto the road, watching the carriage until the crowd closed in behind it.

“Hey,” Koharu said, “are you okay?”

He nodded, turning forward and marching on. “Let’s keep going.”

“Oh, I saw that,” Daichi said from behind.

Ignacio closed his eyes. What a moron.

“Don’t be too flattered, Ace, Lady Shidare has had about ten suitors in the last month and we think she ate them all.”

Koharu glared at Ignacio for a moment then looked away, blushing.

Ignacio glanced back at him. “Lady?”

“Yeah,” Daichi said, winking at him. “That was the Empress of Miraveth.”

The Empress?

He turned back, and ran after the carriage. He jostled past people, catching up to it and running alongside the window.

Lady Shidare turned to him, her large blue eyes widening as she smile. “Hello there,” she said, her voice low.

“Lady Shidare!” he said, weaving past a man carrying a red and white tortoise on his head. “I’d like to have a word, please! It’s urgent.”

She chuckled, leaning her sharp chin on the edge of the carriage door. “Since when do my fellow gods beg?”

He frowned, stumbling over a protruding scale on the road. “I’m sorry, my Lady, I’m new to this realm.”

She chuckled again, leaning her head back. “You’re a Psyonic, correct?”

“Yes… ma’am,” he said.

Her eyes narrowed, thick eyelashes batting. “‘My Lady’ was just fine.”

“I apologize, my Lady,” he said. “Please, I just need a minute of your time.”

She knows what Psyonics are? He thought. That makes things easier.

She sighed, and raised her hand. “Pretend like you’re sitting on a chair.”

He frowned, jumping over a red and white peacock as it crossed the road, the bird flapping its wings as it startled.

“Like I’m what?”

“Like you’re sitting on a chair,” she repeated. “Do it. Now.”

He lowered to his haunches, and she leaned out the carriage window. She waved a hand, and he blinked. The carriage rolled beneath his butt, an intricate white and red lattice suddenly in his face.

“There,” Lady Shidare said beside him, leaning her elbow across the back rest of his seat. “You have a minute.”

Ignacio sat back in the chair, glancing up at the incredible patterns on the carriage ceiling. Even the fabric of the chair was soft and white, sprinkled with red as if someone had been stabbed sitting on it.

“How did you…”