18 City of the Sun (1/2)

I find myself endlessly amazed at how easily we get caught up in the pull of fate.

Wait, I might have gotten a bit mixed up there. Let me clarify.

What I wanted to discuss was something much more fundamental than the concept of fate; the force that fate was shaped by.

'The call for a journey' is what I originally wanted to speak about tonight. I shouldn't have to explain myself when it comes to this topic, right? We're all too familiar with it at this point. It's the root of every legend, epic, fairy tale, and bedtime story you've heard.

These stories served as a mirror, reflecting the hearts of the people who created them. A crystallization of their emotions, struggles, and the experiences that defined them when they lived.

Wisdom of life that can only be put into words in a certain way.

In essence, it's them transmitting the truths they found. About the suffering of their mortality and the joy of life.

Back in the slums, all I would ever do was read whenever I wasn't working for scraps to eat. I'd bury my head into these stories and escape into the worlds that they created. It was better living in those worlds than being in reality, or so I thought.

I enjoyed the pull of an adventure that did not belong to me.

But then the unthinkable happened; I was summoned for a journey. Never thought I'd get to play the role of the hero one day. I thought it was a role reserved for those who sought something...more than themselves; beyond their selfish interests, so to speak.

So I find myself burdened with a difficult question: If men embark on a journey to connect their tiny, transient lives with the world, what are gods supposed to do?

For what reason would an immortal god need to journey out into the world for? What is there to be found? What is the essence of a god's journey?

There are many more questions I could also bring up, but then we'd be here all night long, haha...

But I'm probably boring you with all this nonsense, eh? Sorry about that.

Now, where were we? Ah, the night we snuck out to Raku, right? Well, about that...

It was currently a little past midnight. Reed, Astor, Horatio, and Sebastian nervously stood in front of the maintenance altar. Tensions ran high as they watched the reconfiguration process silently.

Reed inwardly mocked himself for his cowardice; the longer he thought about it, the sadder he became. He, a mighty contender and chosen being, was afraid of the consequences for playing hooky.

A demigod who was afraid of being punished because of a bit of horseplay. If people heard of this, wouldn't the four of them become the biggest losers in all the land? They'd never live it down for the rest of their lives.

How could they have known that the altar would make such a loud noise when it finished starting up!? The group had no choice now that they had alerted that woman. There was no doubt in their minds that she had heard the racket. She would be coming any second now. They had to move or die.

”And just what are you four doing out here, hm?” Immediately the four of them rushed towards the altar at maximum speed but were dragged back by a powerful force in the air.

As Reed's survival instincts kicked into overdrive and he did something he had never done before. He desperately gathered Anima and compressed it until it became a brilliant mote of light. It was the same move he had performed during his last match with Violett, but this time he took a step further.

”...You wouldn't dare,” Violett growled when she saw what Reed had created.

This was the only way they'd have a chance at escape; hit her with something that'd overwhelm her. Even just a second was enough to make out of this mess.

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Reed recklessly created compressed Anima-motes as if they were going out of style. In a couple of seconds, he had already created a dozen motes of light that hovered ominously around him.

”See ya later, sweet cheeks. I'll bring you back a souvenir.” He fearlessly grinned at Violett and waved his hand as his Anima motes rushed towards her at blinding speeds.

RUUUUUUUMBLE!

The resulting explosion knocked everyone backward like rag dolls towards the altar, which they took naturally took advantage of. They immediately rushed onto the platform and vanished in seconds, before Violett could intercept them.

As soon as they arrived on the other side, Astor furiously threw out a bolt of lightning at the altar's control panel and destroyed it. Reed, Horatio, and Sebastian looked at Astor as if he'd lost his marbles.

”What's wrong with you idiots? The last thing we need is for her to follow us through the altar. We'll need to use a different altar when we go back.”

”Ah, I guess that makes some sense. What's done is done. But man...you made my heart jump when you pulled that stunt, man.” said Sebastian as he clapped on the shoulder.

”You're a madman, aren't you? That move you used was wild, I've never seen someone do that before. Hell, the explosion would've hit me if Horatio hadn't saved me. God knows what she's feeling right now...”

”It's fine, she's built like a mountain; at best, she only received a couple of scratches from that attack. Not like it means anything because of her outrageous regenerative abilities. But you're right about one thing -- you wouldn't have survived that attack if I hadn't pulled you out of the way.”

”That sort of firepower isn't normal in the slightest, Reed. Inner Eye practitioners aren't supposed to be able to do what you did. But then again, you aren't very normal in the first place.”

”Sorry about that, guys. I got a bit panicky when she appeared, so I flew off the handle. I recognize that friendly fire isn't tolerated. I'll try harder next time, so don't get too mad...” said Reed embarrassedly as he tried his best to explain that his attack was reflexive.

”Ahh, enough. It was an honest mistake, so don't get your panties in a bunch, Sebastian. This is exactly why Astrid always walks over you every day.” said Astor. ”I've called my cousin, so he should be picking us up soon enough. For now, why don't we leave the area and look outside?”

They had been teleported not too far away from their destination. A gleaming city could be seen in the distance that pulled in everyone's attention. Tall spires pierced the sky and cast an aurora over the city itself, which gave it an otherworldly appearance. Beneath them, a vibrant city could be seen bustling at the seams with a multitude of moving lights and distant noises.

”That's Raku -- the City of the Sun. The beating heart of the North and our destination. Amazing isn't it? This city is the North's technological hub; most of the empire's technology is produced here. All sorts of rare materials are sent here for processing from across the lands. As a result, it's often said that you can buy whatever you can think of in this city...”