Hail Thy Gods (Books 1 & 2 Complete)

Chapter 97: Nokularok Dama Uton


Kalon

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Nokularok Dama Uton

Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

Solar System: D-447

Planet: Ora

Location: Tarvashal, middle residential district

Luna leads me through the winding streets of the Arasha city Tarvashal. We travel in a different district than Fennec's estate was. There is less wealth here, but still, compared to what I know, it is full of abundance. Smells I have never tasted waft into my nose, singing to my senses. My belly rumbles in protest, when was the last time that I ate? At least a day.

"There's a place that I went a few times, I think you'll like it," Luna says, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the thick crowd.

So many people here, more than in the market of my city, so many that one could become lost in the crowd easily. It seems they are mostly Arasha, though some have strange bodies, extra arms or legs that curve in strange ways, their attire does not seem to have function over form in mind. Frivolous frills and dancing light patterns flutter across them. Countless looks, painted faces, metal being used in strange ways. Some have electronics that flicker on their temples and necks. Some even wear prosthetic limbs, parts of their body more machine than person.

The buildings stretch into the sky much like the place we left Kotina, yet here there are countless bridges of varying sizes crossing overhead. Strangely, some of them even move. The street between the buildings narrows in some places, thick metal fences that block different sections of the city from others. When we reach them, Luna scans her holopad and makes me scan the one that Kotina gave me, always putting in a series of commands depending on the gate type. Some are guarded, most are not. I don't understand the point of it, if I climbed, I could reach the rooftops and jump across the gaps. It seems foolish to have these checkpoints as she calls them. Still, I do not see anyone climbing, perhaps there is a reason. There are many Bipki Sentry drones that float above, maybe it is unlawful to climb.

Each street seems to bring something different, the one we just entered has strange noises pulsing in the air rhythmically, people are constantly yelling, but there seems to be a general mood in the atmosphere of the crowds, most appear… happy, content even. I am not used to seeing such things. In my city there were only faces that hid their intentions, here, it seems like there is no such worry. Food of many varieties is flaunted about, my eyes blink as I see a man discard a plate of something that looks barely touched. A robot of some kind moves through the crowd, picking up the discarded waste, sweeping and cleaning as it goes.

The walls of all the shops sell many things I don't understand. The outsides of buildings are all painted, differently than the murals of war that I saw in the abandoned Kuwathi city. It is artwork, but flowing patterns of random things. It feels strange to walk amongst all of this, when I know all over the barren wasteland, my people toil endlessly, dying for what… so they can waste food? I don't understand, if food is this plentiful, then why do people fight and die for it among the Kuwathi cities?

There is a budding anger that is rising in me, seeing all of these people living without worry. I wonder what they do to earn Deca to afford such a lifestyle. As I pass through the next winding street of bright lights with Luna pulling me, I find myself staring down an alley to our right, scantily dressed men and women dance behind glass in different buildings, several men stumble toward an open door to one of the places. Clearly drunk.

The faces of those who greet them smile with a hollowness that I have seen before. Faces devoid of hope, the owners of them far away in better memories. Signs on the walls make me realize what this place is. A place to purchase the pleasures of the flesh. My eyes travel back to where Luna pulls me. Her hand the tether that stops mine from seeking blood in this city of wonder and lust. My eyes try to forget that I saw some of the hollow faces bearing bioluminescent eyes, some of the signs even read derogatory things about my people. This is not my fight. Do not become entrenched with the suffering of others. You have seen a thousand eyes like theirs, and will see a thousand more.

It does not take long for the sorrow of others' misfortune to fade as I round the next corner. Countless smells hit me all at once. Thick and alluring, intoxicating to one's senses, making my belly roar again in protest. It begs to try what my nose smells. Signs tell me things like 'Fresh baked bread' and 'Smoked meats'.

"Almost there," Luna says, coming towards a sliding door.

Following after her, I see we are in a hall, a moving staircase ahead of us. The steps flow seamlessly forward, brushed marble with ridges so your feet do not slide. She does not try to walk up the steps, she lets them carry us upwards, spiraling around the building. Thousands of pieces of glass hang ornamentally from the tall ceilings at different heights in a wave like pattern. Each one sparkles with light that ebbs and flows.

The light grows dimmer the deeper we travel skyward, until only the sparkling glass illuminates us. I feel Luna's hand gripping mine firmer as she presses her body against me. Distracting memories of her naked frame play in my mind for a few moments as she runs her other hand slowly up my arm.

The moment passes as the moving marble disappears into the ground in front of it, pulled into a recess, leaving my boots upon unmoving ground.

"Welcome, The Terrarium is honored to serve you, how many guests will you be having?" a woman asks, bowing deeply to us and holding it.

"Just us, we'd like to book a private room, if possible," Luna says, swiping her holopad to the woman's.

"Of course, right this way," the woman says after checking the holopad, now righting herself, the smile on her face is less hollow than the ones that peddle their bodies, but still, I cannot shake the feeling of eternal sadness that whispers from the corner of her lips. Even with the flawless paint they have plastered on her face, I see cracks beyond what eyes should see. Misery is intimately familiar to me, I have known many of her faces.

"What is this place?" I ask Luna quietly as the woman leads us into a large chamber with ambient light coming from behind large draping tan fabric embroidered with golden leaves, it spools from the center of the ceiling outward, leading behind tables and being fastened to the walls. In the center of the room, I see a large pool of water, with little streams of water flowing from statues of fish I do not recognize. Inside the waters of the pool, I see many fish, vibrant colors flow across their bodies that sparkle in the light.

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"You'll see soon enough," she says, I can hear the smile on her lips again, the happiness in her stance as she practically drags me with her.

Again I feel lost in her gravity, hopelessly so. Yet, against my better judgment, I feel anticipation and excitement that grows with the scents of the room. Despite my reservations, it is not lost on me that I could have released her hand when we arrived, the comfort it brings is unfamiliar territory for me. My time with Nevari… no, I don't want to compare them, nor do I want her on my mind.

A door opens to a long dark hallway, the woman who led us bows again.

"The menu and our specials will appear shortly if you're hungry, please make yourself comfortable, we will be having a showing tonight," the woman says, holding the bow still.

"Which showing?" Luna asks her in a soft tone.

"The Seranac Exhibit," the woman says, still holding the bow.

"Perfect," Luna says, lifting the woman up from the bow gently, "Thank you."

Luna pulls me again, her pace increasing with her excitement. The door slides closed behind us, another door slowly opening. Barely enough light to catch the outlines of the circular room.

"System," Luna says, pulling me closer behind her as she stands in the room, I feel her hands wrapping my arms around her.

"Welcome to The Terrarium, we are pleased to have you," a voice says, almost monotone, similar to the other system voices I have heard.

"Untint please," Luna says.

"With pleasure," it replies.

The dim lights fade, the walls suddenly changing in a way I have never seen before. Black glass becoming transparent until it is clear. My eyes blink at the sight as artificial light blossoms from the center of the ceiling, warm like the sun in my dreams. All around us is beauty, hundreds of plants of different shades and colors, wrapping the circular room made almost entirely of glass. Water resides in some of the crevices, I can see the root structures of the plants, spreading out in every direction. Hundreds of small fish swim in the larger sections of water.

Luna turns, still in my grasp, her hands reaching up to my mask, pulling at it gently.

"Kotina said…"

"We paid extra to not be monitored," Luna says, her voice sounds almost nervous, "You can relax, the twins, Ralia and Salia showed me this place a few months ago. They told me it's one of the few places that respects client privacy."

"Still," I say, moving my hand to stop hers, "We haven't helped the brothers yet, I don't want to risk anything…"

"It's not a risk, besides we have to wait for Kotina, remember?"

Letting out a sigh, I reluctantly let her remove my mask, hers follows soon after, I find myself wishing it didn't. The gravity increases as I lose my thoughts in her eyes. Was she always this beautiful?

"See," Luna says, pressing closer into me, looking up while nuzzling into my chest, "That wasn't so hard."

My heart beats louder as I look deeper into her eyes, remembering the last time we were this close. Clarity bites at the edge of my mind for but a brief moment, long enough that I can gently push her away and find my thoughts again. This is a bad idea. Whatever this is.

"Why are we here?" I ask her, moving to the edge of the wall, trying hard to find solace in the beauty of the small world of life just outside the glass.

"We needed a place we could eat without our masks, and a place to wait for Kotina, I get the feeling it may be a while, Category Three worlds have a lot of paperwork for offworld guests," she explains, tilting her head, "And I highly doubt Kotina checked in properly when she arrived."

"What is a Category Three world, and why did it become one?" I ask, remembering the conversations on the shuttle about the category changing.

"It can happen for many reasons, it was only a Category Two before…" she pauses, a familiar look crosses her brow as she replays a painful memory.

"Before you killed him."

She nods, one of her arms pulling the other uncomfortably. My directness has made her more uncomfortable. She moves slowly to a seat across the room, sitting down, her mood having turned as she relives it. I remember helping Arrum through it, as he helped me through it as well. Though it was the words from the Sage that gave us peace through the shadow of the haunting nightmares that came from our actions.

My body moves to her, sitting across from her, I lean forward and grab her hand gently. She does not look up at me, nor does she pull away though.

"Nokularok Dama Uton," I say softly, waiting for her to look up, when she doesn't, I continue, "It is what your Grandfather told Arrum and me after we too struggled as you struggle."

Her eyes lift towards mine, glistening with the ravages of her conscience.

"It is difficult to translate exactly what it means," I admit, thinking on it.

"Try, please," she says, eyes seeking guidance from the pain they witness.

"Those which you return to the flame, honor them," I say, my brow furrowing as hers does in response, "The dead cling to the living, the greatest honor you can give them is to live a full life and die a worthy death. Living with regret about killing them is akin to dishonoring them."

"I do not want to honor him," she says, my jaw flexes at her words, but there is calm that rises in me, "I do not believe we carry the dead, only their memories haunt us."

"I believe it," I say, eyes leveling with hers.

"You didn't even believe in the Gods until they forced themselves upon you, yet you believe in something like that?" she asks me.

"I see them, the dead, in my Realm of Dreams, the place you call the Spiritual Realm."

She does not reply, her brow furrows more.

"Regardless, if you won't honor him, then do not give him the satisfaction of feeling his passing. His eyes did not belong among the living," I say, remembering them well, "He is not worth your tears, nor your regret, do not forget that you did it to protect… to protect someone you care about."

These words, though less forgiving than the Sage's, they seem to resonate with her.

"Why did you," she stops, pausing for a moment to work up the courage, "Why did you kill your first time?"

My hand tenses, memories spilling in.

"Revenge."

She pauses again, unsure of if she wants to press more, yet she does anyways.

"For what?"

"They took someone precious from me," I say, my eyes closing for a moment as I try to pull away my hand.

"Who did they take?" she asks, and I wish that she didn't.

"My mother."

"But you said your mother died when you were young, you told me it was before you met my Grandfather," she says, recalling our conversations, her face filling with that thing I despise… pity, "You were a child when you…"

"I carved all three of them, removing each of their hearts with my bare hands when I was done, cursing the Gods for it all."

She blinks at me, her eyes growing distant, I feel her pulling away. Her lip quivers before it dares to speak again.

"What happened next?"

"After, I met Arrum, he saved me from myself and his family took me in, until they died, and then your Grandfather, who… well, you already know the rest."

"Kalon," she says, tears welling in her eyes, one of her hands covering her mouth, the other on her stomach, clenching the fabric, "I don't know what to say."

"There is nothing to…"

She moves from her chair and wraps me tightly, surprising me. After a few minutes of silence she finally pulls away, her eyes bloodshot from tears as she sits on my lap and pushes my hair back.

"I am so sorry," she says, kissing my forehead, "I wish that I could take that pain from you."

Take it from me? It is all I have left… besides what grows in me for her.

"Let us not talk anymore about it," I say, shaking my head, feeling wary of the weakness in my walls.

Standing and setting her down, I move towards the glass walls, trying to find something peaceful in all the beauty again. She stands by my side, putting her head on my shoulder, she doesn't speak though for a time, until my belly grumbles.

"Are you hungry?" she asks me.

"Yes."

"Well, shall we eat then?"

Nodding to her, I take one more glance at the water, crystal clear, blue water, almost in the same shade as Luna's hair, it reminds me of the question I had earlier about her and Kotina.

"Your hair," I begin, Luna looks toward me, a strand of the blue twirled around her finger, "It's similar to Kotina's."

"Ah," she says, smiling for a moment before moving to sit again, her mood becoming more jovial, "Yes, to honor her on my travels, also Fennec said my natural hair color would stick out too much, though honestly…"

Blue is not her natural color… then.

"White, like snow…" I say, barely above a whisper.

She pulls at her hair, trying to look towards the roots in vain, she turns back to me, a curious look on her face.

"How did you know?"

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