39 A Fleeting Glimpse (2/2)
A miracle occurred right then and there, on the eve of Reed's desolation. From afar, her figure had shifted ever so slightly. He couldn't make out her visage even though she had turned as the garden continued its flower dance but Reed knew that'd she saw him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.
He couldn't make heads or tails of appearance but from the posture of her arms, she looked like she was carrying something. She shook her head and pointed at something behind him, which caused Reed to turn around.
The bridge of light had transformed — it'd become far more defined and radiant — into a majestic set of stairs that stretched out in the stars and beyond. Anima thrummed softly as it visibly concentrated around the staircase; the sound of deep, booming bells rung in the afar. Even the stars themselves seemed to dim in the presence of the otherworldly construct of holy light.
Ethereal. Sacred. Glorious.
Eventually, Itotia could not withstand the immense burden of her song and roughly fell onto the ground. The wind calmed down and the staircase quickly faded into nothingness. Normality returned to the wild garden.
Reed bolted towards Itotia and was about to ask if she was alright, but she raised her hand as she coughed and hoarsely said, ”You need not worry, Noble One, this is only a minor aftereffect from overdrawing my power. I will be fine.” She shakily stood up and closed her eyes as she focused on her breathing.
”Are you sure you're alright? I can carry you to th-”
”I appreciate the gesture but I am not worthy of such excessive assistance,” she said. Itotia smiled and said, ”A full night's rest will be enough for me to recover from this, I assure you. 'Tis merely fatigue and nothing more.”
He doubted that. But if she would continue being adamant about her condition, he would respect her wish.
Reed wanted answers desperately, but it looked like she wasn't in any kind of state to provide them at the moment. He'd have to put his feelings aside for now and focused his attention on getting the girl back to her home. Then he'd find the way back home, somehow.
”For now, let us return to the road, Noble One. It is getting rather dark and Citlai is only a short walk from here.” She gestured towards the road and waited for Reed.
It turned out that she wasn't lying; a small walk down the winding dirt road led them over several bridges until they reached a certain area. The simple path transformed into an old stone road that had an elaborate pattern. It was faded, but it looked serviceable, a sign that it'd gone under maintenance at some point recently.
The stone road led up a large hill that had a large azure flag with an odd-looking glyph woven in the middle. When they reached the flag's summit, Reed finally saw the city.
His eyes almost bulged out their sockets when he first saw it and he said, ”T-That's your hometown?!”
This couldn't be called a city at all — it was a goddamned island! A. Massive. Island.
Not only that, it effortlessly hovered above the sea several hundred feet in the air. Gorgeous white pillars made of quartz and gold poked out of the bottom of the island and softly glowed. Even from a distance, he could see a myriad of twinkling golden lights on the island and the shades of brilliantly illuminated towers, skyscrapers, and other buildings.
It looked like something that'd come out of a fairy tale or a myth from an ancient legend. How was this a city? Reed wondered if he was out of touch with the world but quickly rejected the notion. Even back in Mulia, he'd never seen something this absurd.
”Hmm? Yes, that's my home, Noble One. Is... there something wrong with it? It was once the heart of our empire, so I don't think it is any less beautiful than any other city you've might've seen.”
”...” Reed was speechless. He didn't know how to respond.
Itotia touched the flag's post and it lit up instantly with a golden glow. Radiance gathered on the flag itself and it shot out a beam of grand light into the sky. The beam twisted and morphed until it formed the shape of the glyph that the flag had.
”Now, we wait. They should arrive soon to pick us up, Noble One.” She let go of the flag post and pointed at small blinking lights that seemed to grow bigger by the second.
”They? Who's coming to pick us up, by the way? Your friends?”
”Mmm, I wouldn't call them friends but I am acquainted with them, I suppose. They insisted that they be the ones to escort you once I brought you back.” Itotia shrugged her shoulders helplessly.
”Who are you talking about?”
”Oh, you know... The Royal Armada, the Silent Fleet, and the Grand Protector's elite battalion.”
Those small blinking lights had grown a hundred-fold in the span of a single breath and they continued growing as they approached. Mountains of refined, shining metal lurched silently at blistering speed and eventually became visible, even in the night's dark.
Massive and imposing ships covered the sky, blocking the starry sky above. Searchlights turned on and landed on the pair as they slowed down and eventually stopped in front of them. They organized themselves into a formation around the largest and most fearsome ship the lot.
A pair of words were inscribed upon the hull of the giant behemoth — Joyous Divinity. Presumably, it was the name of the hovering titan. Reed thought it was a well-deserved name, without a doubt. It was large enough to rival the goddamned Reef in size.
”Forgive them, Noble One, they are merely excited and wanted to greet you personally. Think nothing of it.”
”Y-Yeah, sure.” He felt butterflies forming in his stomach and wanted to cry. It was too much for him to handle. He wanted to go back home already...