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NINE YEARS (VII)

There it stood – grandiose, overbearing, domineering, flaunting itself to the world . Daniel and Shane craned their necks and looked flat up, their expressions exact replicas of one another – absolute shock . Something inside their minds cracked, like glass, their understandings of laws and reality coming undone . After all, what they were witnessing was not something that they ever thought they’d see .

Black fortress cast in silver and laden with golden decorations floated high in the sky, its towers and spires like swords and spears erected from its innards . Arrays beneath its bottom shone in marvelous, rainbow-spectrum colors, dyeing the sky in flaunting, flamboyant fashion, beyond a painter’s ability to translate onto the canvas . There were thousands of them, circles rapidly rotating, occasionally flickering and shimmering like torches and candles and precious gems . It was massive, at least fifteen miles across, so large it blocked the sun in the sky . However, it still seemed a tiny speck in comparison .

Surrounding it were two beyond-breaking islands, both outgrowing it by countless miles, orbiting it in slow motion . The true pride and jewel of the Empyrion – the heart of everything, Inmistus, the City of Chaos . It was hardly a regular city, and it was hardly chaotic; instead of shade and shadow and darkened clouds and crimson threads, it was lit beyond reproach, colors bounding and draping and folding over its surfaces perfectly . It was difficult to put into perspective, both men realized; after all, the two islands and the fortress combined covered over half the top-end peninsula of the Forgotten Continent . The only reason they were unable to see it thus far, they imagined, was that it was hidden by massive arrays .

Beneath the fortress and the two floating islands was an oasis of life; a string of lakes dyed in marvelous colors was surrounded by gardens of herbs and flowers and a variety of forests inhabited by magnificent beasts . They saw Hippogryphs, Seven-tailed Lions, Three-eyed Eagles, Silver Ravens, Crowned Antlers, Sown Crows... hundreds of different species living beneath the spring of colors and warmth, secluded within a hundred-mile artificial paradise . It was faintly sunk into the earth, as though it used to be a crater, its surroundings slightly elevated like platforms .

Shane and Daniel stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the paradise, behind them a set of walls, each higher than the other, separating them from the outside . The difference was startling, between this and the Hallowed Valley . Which one, indeed, was the embodiment of the hallowed grounds? A perennially-shrouded valley that hadn’t seen a trace of the sun in years, where death and anguish are daily occurrences, or... this? Something that would take both men years to convey to another soul properly . Rather than a simple sight, it was more of an experience – the warmth, yet pervasive chill, of the Qi, the quantity, quality, purity, the essence of life, Spirits dancing freely about, clinging onto the Threads of Fate... yes, this was certainly a paradise, at least as far as they imagined one .

The Crown above and the world beneath, a symbiotic creation like no other . Perhaps those strange cities they’d passed on their way over were truly unique, like no other in the world, sporting things and objects they could not reason with... but they paled in comparison to this, to something far greater than just the surface aesthetics . How far removed from the ’war’ this place seemed... did people here even know they were at a global-scale war? Either way, the men doubted it mattered . They, too, would rush headfirst into the war if it meant protecting this place . Rather, they nigh had the desire to join the army right then and there .

"Let’s go," the one-eyed man, one they’ve learned is called Lino by most, and is also the Emperor of everything in front of them, as odd as the image may seem, hugged both of them, throwing his rather muscular arms over their backs . "I promised my daughter I’d let her meet some ’outsiders’ so she can chat with you about what the rest of the world is like . She’s very keen on mistrusting everything I say, you see . Little devil, haii . What should I have expected? Ah..."

They stepped carefully into the teleportation array in front of them, thrust through the vestiges of space temporarily before being spat out onto the limestone-paved street . They immediately realized they were inside the fortress’ walls due to the two orbiting islands on two ends, perched there like eternal guardians past which no soul could breach .

Just as they left the spatial tunnel, they were met by a loud rustle and bustle of the city; shops on all ends hollered at the passers, with hundreds of people speeding through the streets and round the corners, hurrying somewhere . They found themselves on a corner, behind them a round platform connected to the spatial tunnel, in front of them a three-way crossing, like a trident with its outer spikes bent even further toward their sides .

There was some uniformity between the buildings, namely in their polish, but most had an air of uniqueness about them . Some had glassed windows up front, displaying whatever merchandise they were trying to sell, some were clearly residential buildings due to the cloth hanging over the window panes, drying in the sun, and some they could not distinguish the function of because they were just... weird . Like the building straight in front of them – a triangle-shaped rise with a pyramid-like dome up top, its bottom sucked in slightly, creating an angular front, covered in glass and steel beams completely . They could clearly see people inside the building, though they couldn’t quite discern what they were doing .

"... shit . " Lino suddenly mumbled as the eyes of two men veered down; what was a hurried crowd came to a standstill, seemingly shellshocked by something, their eyes focused on the trio . "H-hello..." the man in-between them called out awkwardly, waving at the crowd with a bitter smile .

"HE’S OUT!!!" someone suddenly called out, causing the crowd to stir . "LET’S GO—"

"We ought to go too," Lino mumbled lowly; two men could feel the large man shuddering as they vanished from their spots, finding themselves inside roomy and comfy quarters, decorated with silken drapes folding over the open windows . The floor was adorned with oriental rugs, seven in total, splitting the room into two general areas; on one end they saw a canopy bed hidden behind the silver curtains, resting on top of a slightly elevated platform . On the other end, there were splinters, resulting in three areas; one was clearly a study room, one a dining room, and the third seemed like a child’s room . "Aii... they are like rabid beasts," the man said, sighing slowly and walking over and onto the balcony, one overlooking the entire fortress down below . Shane and Daniel unconsciously joined him as three of them sat down onto the rather comfortable chairs, glancing over the stone-wall-edge to their right, onto the streets of the fortress . "I love ’em, but they always demand stuff, you know?"

"..."

"There’s such a massive backlog to the ’audience with the Emperor’ crowd that I’m fairly certain nobody’s even keeping the count anymore . I can’t even show my face in public . That’s how little the bastards respect me..."

"..." Daniel and Shane said nothing, unconsciously relaxing further . By now, there was hardly a trace of their initial terror and trepidation . Empyrean or not, the man in front of them was, indeed, just a man... a rather awkward, yet outboundly kind man . "You’ve constructed an amazing Empire, Lord Empyrean," Daniel said . "All said and done, only fools wouldn’t want to live within it . "

"—it’s not without its problems," Lino glanced at them and sighed, the tone of his voice slightly somber . "But, those are stories you needn’t hear . So, Two’s really in the Valley, huh? She takes a lot of this for granted..."

"Not necessarily," Daniel said, shaking his head . "Sneaking into the Valley and attacking it directly... are two incomparable things . "

"I know," Lino nodded . "But, still . She’s done a lot of... odd things recently, if I’m being honest . I’m having a difficult time trying to reason them . Yet, she’s hardly a fool . There is a reason behind them . "

"—eh? Daddy?" a melodic voice startled Shane and Daniel who looked away from the man sitting opposite of them to the entrance to the balcony . On the doorstep, quarter the size of the doorframe, stood a young girl, around ten years old, clad in a beautiful, white dress .

A pair of gem-like blue eyes stared at them with faint curiosity and wonder, wide and round, seemingly alight . She had a long, scarlet hair folded into twin-tails, and was currently holding a rather massive book, standing barefoot .

"When did you come back?" the girl lurched onto the balcony and jumped onto the man’s lap, putting the book onto the table, pouting . "You should have told me! Are these two men? Are they? Are they?!"

"... manners?" Lino glanced at the young girl who suddenly jumped off his lap and walked over to the other end of the table, bowing halfway down toward the two men .

"Hello," she said, lifting her head up and smiling . "My name is Aaria . It’s nice to meet you!"

"—it’s, it’s nice to meet you too . " Daniel and Shane nodded awkwardly at the girl who once more ran to the other end of the table and jumped onto Lino’s lap, sitting down .

"Are they? Are they?" she started asking again .

"They are . " Lino nodded, smiling warmly and rubbing the girl’s head gently . "You’ll get to ask them plenty, be patient . Where’s mom?"

"We were at Grandma’s," the little girl said . "I went ahead . She should be back soon as well . "

"Oh? Did grandma give you something nice?"

"... w-why do you want to know?" the girl suddenly pulled back, the look in her eyes that of caution .

"What? You don’t wanna tell your daddy?"

"..." the little girl suddenly seemed to find herself in a struggle, causing both Daniel and Shane to hold back a bout of laughter in their lungs .

"Really? Haven’t you taken enough of her candies over the years?" another voice joined them as the young girl curled her lips up into a relieved smile, jumping off and running toward the woman who walked onto the balcony, hiding behind her legs . Daniel and Shane glanced sideways, their souls stirred; the woman appeared to be in her thirties, her crimson hair long, pulled to one side, heaved over her shoulder . Unlike the young girl, she had emerald-green eyes, though they still sparkled just the same .

"—what? I’m just trying to teach her how to share . " Lino chuckled, taking a sip of ale . "Otherwise, she’ll grow up to be just like you . "

"... are you saying there’s something wrong with me?"

"... if there isn’t, then you wouldn’t mind if I took these two gentlemen to our warehouses, huh?"

"—give some candy to your dad, Aaria . " Hannah relented, stealthily growling at Lino .

"B-but, mom!!" the young girl protested, feeling something was unjust .

"Do it . "

"... fine . " the girl walked back over to Lino with slumped shoulders, digging into the small pockets of her dress and handing a few wrappers to Lino who laughed suddenly, taking one .

"Come on," he grabbed the girl by the waist and lifted her back onto his lap . "Look at my little girl sharing with her dad . Isn’t she adorable?"

"You’ve returned quicker than I thought," Hannah said, pulling out a chair from seemingly nowhere and sitting down as well . "Any particular reason?"

"—I couldn’t wait to see you two . " Lino fired out immediately .

"... ho ho, really?" Hannah chuckled, her lips curling up into an involuntary smile . "Fine, I’ll buy into it . "

"My family," Lino glanced at Daniel and Shane who sat awkwardly, feeling as though they were encroaching upon the most private moments they shouldn’t have been privy to . "My wife, Hannah, though you may know her better as the Elysian, and my daughter, Aaria . The reason my people are so patient with my antics . "

"It is nice to meet you, Lady Elysian, Lady Aaria . " Daniel and Shane got up and bowed, uncertain whether they should kneel as well . "Ah—Empress and Princess . " Shane quickly corrected himself .

"He he, see?" Aaria suddenly said while Lino sighed . "I told you I’m a Princess! Daddy’s a liar!"

"—this really is a slippery slope," Lino mumbled as Hannah nodded . "One wrong move, and we’ll have a hoarder and a megalomaniac on our hands... genes have not been kind..."

"... eh, it could have been worse," Hannah shrugged . "She could have turned out like Cae . "

"When’s the last time that boy left the library?" Lino asked .

"It’s been a few months, actually . Still, fewer than you’ve spent ’crafting and researching arts’ . "

"... what’s that strange emphasis about?"

"No reason . "

"There’s always a reason with you . "

"You fancy yourself clever," Hannah said . "Figure it out . "

"—I have figured it out," Lino said . "I’m just testing to see whether you’re courageous enough to admit it . "

"Are you doubting my courage? I’ll have you know—"

"Hey," Daniel and Shane were too wrapped into the apparent fight that they didn’t even realize the young Aaria had jumped off Lino’s lap and walked over to them . She looked up at them with a beaming, expectant smile . "These can last a long while . I’ll make us some tea, and you can tell me all about the outside world! Please?"

"—uh, sure..." Shane nodded awkwardly as the two men seemed to be pulled off their seats almost instinctively, following the little girl back into the comfy quarters . Perhaps, of all the strange sights they’ve seen so far in the Empyrion, this family might be on the very top .