The Arrival At Haven

Trinkets and mementos were laid on the ground in the quietest manner possible. Hundreds tiptoed and slid as softly as they could, spending nearly an hour making the arrangement.

Floral charms.

Scraps of cloth.

Baubles and keepsakes from homes long lost but never forgotten.

Heirlooms from families that were all but extinguished.

All manner of sentimental, reverent items were placed in a ring around the honored leaders who had guided them from the edge of oblivion and to their new home. Every action was serenaded by the never-ending hums of unseen, faint voices that pulsed from the mysterious fog around them.

Even though they’d slept long enough for the sun to return outside, there within the mysterious cave, everything remained dark and shrouded, save for the occasional glittering shimmers of the swaying ribbons of mystical stone and sparkling dust.

Soon, everything was in place. Cautious hands and paws lowered the final pieces of the tribute then slowly backed away. Minutes later, Sayane’s eyes opened when she felt Attis’s fur gently rubbing against her leg.

“Oh! Goodness me!” he exclaimed, causing Sayane to sit up.

“Oh!” she agreed.

Azag let out a groan as clarity returned to his waking mind, along with the daily attack of pain.

“What is it?” he asked as he latched his mask into place.

“What wonder!” Can-Mo sighed.

The four of them had awoken to find themselves adorned and encircled by a carefully placed tribute. Small, sentimental adornments of myriad meanings banded together in a pile to send gratitude to the four of them, and now Sayane found herself sitting mouth open in pleasant happiness.

“What wonder,” she agreed.

It wasn’t uncommon for fans to gift their favorite idols with personal or handmade items at meet-and-greets. Sayane and BrightStar had never been big enough to gain such a following. She could only remember a handful of fans ever waiting for autographs.

But now, she was surrounded by the thank you’s of hundreds or even thousands of beings who were beyond fans.

Her music and the journey they’d all been on together thus far was more than a simple artist tour.

Sayane drank a sip of water and brushed her sleep-tossed hair from her eyes.

“I wish I had my phone, to take a photo,” she said.

“Phone? Pho-do?” Can-Mo repeated.

Sayane laughed at the idea of describing something which was so banal and ubiquitous in her previous life, but would be seen as magic here.

“It was like a voice carrier, but it could also capture images and store them, so you could look back at them at later dates,” she explained.

“Fascinating,” Can-Mo replied as one of his tentacles tapped at a small bell that was laid near him.

Attis picked up a tiny jeweled ribbon and began to tie it around his leg. Sayane moved to help him, as he was once again struggling due to his lack of thumbs.

“This life is beautiful,” he whispered.

“This life is beautiful,” the other three repeated.

Azag observed everything around him then looked out to the crowd. Sayane paused to watch him as he existed among the appreciation and recognition. For so much of his life, he’d been a shadow, hiding away in the depths of The Underworld, untrusted and unseen. She didn’t know the full scope of his isolation in all those years, and she’d never fully understand the stigma his race had experienced for generations. So while she sat there watching him looking at the caravan in silence, while glittering, bejeweled specks casted reflections along his simple mask, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was feeling.

His body was rigid.

Tired limbs still leaned on canes and braces.

Nearly exposed muscles shifted and adjusted as his nervous legs tried to make themselves comfortable.

Cyan eyes glowed out with the same luminosity as the crystals around him.

She wanted to speak, but also wanted to give him that moment for himself. Merely basking in him as he basked in the moment was enough.

More distant hums sounded out, bringing Sayane’s focus back to the present situation. Awareness returned to her body, and she realized she was more rested and nourished than she should have been.

“I’m not hungry anymore?!” she pondered aloud.

Azag rubbed his stomach as his head tilted in thought.

“You’re right?” he chuckled in confusion.

“It is the effect of the awakened Ether that you touched,” Kol’s voice responded from behind them.

Sayane looked up to see that Kol was near them, as though they had appeared out of thin air. Color and light danced along their translucent crystal skull as they approached. Sayane noticed their expression was as disapproving and blank as ever as their glowing, deep-set eyes scanned the situation.

“You sang?” they asked.

Sayane assumed they already knew the answer.

“Yes. Just a simple song to help us all sleep. Did you not hear it on your voice carrier?” Sayane asked.

Kol stood stoic, just at the edge of the caravan.

“We were finalizing your temporary residences. If you had waited for me, I could have helped awaken more Ether,” they replied in a flat voice.

Annoyance tickled Sayane’s neck, but she focused on her Japanese upbringing and gave a layered, fake apology.

“Forgive me. I didn’t think of it. I’m so used to singing by myself. Next time.”

Kol met her gaze without moving.

“Next time.”

They inhaled then smoothed their heavy robes with a slow brushing gesture.

“I can still sense lingering Ether in the air. You awakened a great deal with your ‘simple song’. It should be enough.”

“Enough for what?” Azag asked as he forced himself to stand with a grunt.

“-This,” Kol replied as they raised their arms outward.

When their arms were perfectly parallel to the ground, their eyes faded to black and the ground began to vibrate. Murmurs of confused wonder spread through the crowd like fire. Sayane looked at the path beneath her feet as it began to hum. A new sound rose into the air, and it felt as though it was coming from within her own mind.

It was deep.

Expansive.

Heavy.

Basslike thuds shook her organs from within their skeletal supports, and her chest began to warm.

“Oh… goodness me…” Attis gasped as he rubbed his chest.

None of the noise or exclamations had any impact on Kol. Their wrists flicked and rotated perpendicular, just as their arms swayed in a fluid, dancelike rotation. Another burst of raw resonant force shook the ground in a steadily increasing tremor. More bodies rose to their feet. Kol’s stance slid wider in a graceful twist, and their back bent in a dramatic angle until their extended arms almost touched the ground. A balanced, stable foot raised until only one point kept them on the ground.

Sayane saw flashes of light in the distant definition of Haven’s main structure. The angelic hums rose in pitch and the warmth in Sayane’s chest expanded into her throat. A new wave of glowing specks rose from the fog and hovered in waiting.

With that, Kol’s fingertip touched the ground.

White light burst outward like a ripple, building in a flat wave as it flowed from Kol and down along the winding path in every direction. Energy flowed towards Haven and towards the caravan before splashing outward into the cavern itself. By now the hums were shifting to chants of unknown, fading languages. Every facet and cove of blue light shined out before shifting to glowing green.

There was a pause, then a single chiming note emanated from the entirety of the cave.

Suddenly, they all began to move.

The carefully placed ring of tribute lifted from the ground first.

Then the satchels and blankets.

Then Attis.

“Oh, by the sounds?!” he squeaked as he flailed to return to the safety of the stone.

“Attis!” Sayane called.

When she stepped towards him, her own body untethered itself from the embrace of solid footing.

“Whoa!!” she gasped as she floated forwards into the hovering collection of offerings.

Dozens of small gifts and memories swirled around her as the tribute flowed forward in the air, as though they were all suddenly being carried by an invisible current.

“Sayane!” Azag called as he reached to catch her.

She turned to him just as he himself began to rise.

“Ack! I do not want this! Mage!” he shouted.

But Kol was already fading into the crowd that was now streaming past them. Sayane noticed that they were still firmly on the ground, arms behind their back, even as everything else rose and bobbed along the glowing pathway. A handful more bodies moved between them and Sayane, and they were gone.

“This is why I despise wizards,” Azag sighed as he clung to his braces and canes.

“Ooooooh goodness, no. I’m bottom heavy!” Can-Mo laughed from behind.

A mess of tentacles was flinging themselves in every direction as Can-Mo’s massive lower section lifted itself like a bobbing cork, sending his head down towards the ground. They were all now high enough that he did not strike his head. Instead, all of his pockets simply emptied themselves, until a new batch of trinkets was floating within the tribute pieces. Scissors, measuring strands, pins, and other tailoring tools swayed in the partially erased gravity, and Can-Mo let out a bellowing laugh as his tentacles tried to gather his belongings.

‘Bless me, what a strange morning!” he snorted as he tumbled past Sayane.

“You’re taking this better than me!” Azag laughed.

Sayane tried to swim, even though there was no water. It only partially succeeded, instead leaving her floundering in the air as her hair and skirt billowed over her head.

“Ah!” she squealed as she tried to cover herself.

“Too late, dear songstress! Forgive me, but I looked!” called the being from the night before.

Sayane burst out laughing as she rotated upside down and looked at the mischievous creature.

“Well I hope you enjoyed the view!” she replied.

“I was at Akna! I’ve seen more,” he smirked.

Embarrassment and humor collided in Sayane’s burning face and she held back a snort.

“The orgy… Ohhhh Deflowered. I’m never living that down,” she sighed to herself.

“I’ll do my best to not look again!” he winked as he flew by them.

It was impossible to know how fast they were moving, but the entire caravan was now hurling itself towards Haven’s towering entrance. No one flew from the path. No one was hurt, beyond their pride. Crystals and shards streaked by in blurs as the deep, churning hum continued. Waves of the tiny glowing specks of Ether flowed between them all but never touched any of them.

Azag remained balled into himself for comfort, even as Sayane bounced herself towards him.

When he saw her, he dared to relax and reach for her.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!” Sayane laughed as tears formed in her eyes.

“We look ridiculous!” Azag roared as his legs lowered.

Laughter’s stabbing pain cut into Sayane’s sides as she tried every manner of movement to reach her partner.

Arms swung. Feet kicked. Eyes closed from joy.

“I believe the trick is to just go with the flow!” Attis shouted as he swirled in a circle.

“Woop! No! I am incorrect!” he screamed as his spinning increased in velocity.

Azag tried his best, extending his brace to Sayane for her to grab onto.

Eventually, three upside down tentacles grabbed them all.

“I can at least be of use while I’m in this predicament!” Can-Mo said from beneath them.

“Bless you, dear,” Attis gasped.

Sayane couldn’t speak. She was too busy laughing until it felt like she was going to vomit. All she could muster was a reach for Azag’s cane. When her fingers found its end, he pulled her to him and caught her in his arms. The momentum sent them tumbling backwards together as they pulled the other closer.

Her hair drifted along his chest and neck. His palms pressed onto the exposed skin of her waist and leg. Glinting jade and sapphire floated around them as colors bled by in a vibrant wave. Their eyes met.

“I’ve got you,” he said.

“You always do,” Sayane blushed.

Their momentum slowed and they bobbed partially even with the ground.

“Okay, I don’t mind this,” Azag said.

Sayane extended her legs then softly twisted, and the two of them were sent into a slow spin. Gentleness and light swayed around them in ribbons. Her hand found his.

“It’s like we’re dancing,” Sayane smiled as she rested her head on his chest.

“It’s nice,” he agreed.

His words sent deep vibrations from his ribs, and she let their sensation wash over her. They rotated together in rhythmic twirls, slowly pulling the other in a harmonized motion. Eventually his legs started to extend and she could feel him relax.

Up ahead, Haven’s circular arches began to refine in detail. At this pace, they would be within the city soon.

Sayane slowly pushed herself away and spun beneath his arm, never letting go of his hand.

When the spin was complete, she pulled herself back to him and kissed his neck. A familiar glow appeared on his mask, telling them that the violated Shard had joined them.

Sayane waved to the upright Shard, which was flying at their speed with ease.

“Good morning!” she called as the massive stone approached and slowed.

“Oh, thank the ether! Let me grab onto you, great crystal mystery…” Can-Mo cheered as he stretched for one of the Shard’s jagged edges.

“Wonderful idea!” Attis replied as he flailed his tiny paws.

The Shard drifted between them, letting all four climb onto its bejeweled body. Azag inspected its inner glows as he shifted himself beside Sayane.

“Your inner flame is brighter and more colorful,” he observed.

The Shard sent out a pulse of illumination in agreement, casting hundreds of colors onto their skin.

Sayane turned to look back at the rest of the caravan. Shock had shifted into chaotic laughter, allowing the thousands of wearied travelers a moment’s respite as they all tumbled and drifted with little more grace than the others.

“Haven, here we come!” Sayane clapped.

A wave of supportive shouts returned to her. With that, she faced Haven and let out a squeal of excitement as her shoulders shimmied with glee. Azag’s gaze stayed on her, and his palm once again found her thigh. For a brief instant, she felt rejuvenated and excited.

Crystal arches greeted them, bowing from so high above, Sayane could barely see their ends. Carved, ornamentation and functional machina accented the organic curves. Rounded towers domed in rolling unison. Harsh edges of natural stone gave way to intentional smoothing.

Mystical symbols and unknown lettering floated from rocks like holograms. Tapestries of visible incantations hung from arches like banners even though there was no page to hold them. Within the spherical center of the massive city, hundreds of rotating gears shifted like clock pieces.

Hundreds upon hundreds of masked, robed figures stood along the edges of buildings and bridges, watching the parade of off-kilter bodies arrive.

Their speed slowed, and soon they stopped. Gravity’s embrace returned, pulling everyone back to the familiar hardness of the crystalline road. Sayane and the others climbed down from the Shard, sending shocked whispers through the host reception.

“A Great Harmony Shard!”

“Sacred Harmonic Sister!”

“A Shard in our presence. This day is anointed!”

“The Songstress arrives on the shoulder of a Shard!”

“A Songstress has returned to us!”

“What wonder!”

“What wonder!”

Heads bowed in reverence to both Sayane and the Shard. More currents of radiant crystal embers floated between them all, and afterglows from the Ether’s power sent beams of brightness along the alien buildings.

Kol drifted up from behind, poised and calm. They landed between Sayane and the other mages with a soft dip then turned to face the caravan.

“That is but a simple demonstration of what our powers can do together, Sayane the Songstress. Imagine what we shall be capable of when we work together.”

Awe-filled muttering of approval rose from both parties. Even Sayane found herself impressed by the idea of what might await, even if she was still hiding lingering fears and exhaustion.

Kol raised a hand to its chest then bowed.

“For a thousand years, mages and songstresses worked together to harness the Ether’s power. After a century of silence, those days have returned.”

Their eyes looked to Sayane and the Shard.

“Welcome to Haven.”