40 Citlai, The Crown of The Stars (1/2)
Magnificent crystal pillars formed a gorgeous archway that lead to the great hall inside the Joyous Divinity. A shining path made of the purest gold and silver, adorned with an elaborate engraving marked the way. An illustrious throne made of a jagged boulder of dark rock lay in front of him.
Reed knew he'd gotten himself into something out of his league. No doubt about it. The moment he laid his eyes on the enormous fleet, he'd already resigned himself to his fate. He didn't even bother resisting and went along with the flow. Nothing else he could do, anyway...
'But man, this is one hell of a welcoming committee...'
An innumerable of souls knelt and bowed silently as Reed and Itotia waited for, ”the shipmasters of the fleet,” as she had put it. The soldiers remained motionless akin to statues as they bowed in a formation. Reed crossed his arms and played it cool as he waited.
Suffice it to say that it was not a pleasant experience; a strained, tense atmosphere loomed over the hall as they waited.
”Are your people always this serious when they welcome foreigners? It's a bit much, don't you think?” said Reed. He'd heard of some cultures being overly serious with their customs, but none such as this. He wondered if he had not experienced enough, despite having lived in a foreign world for a year already...
”No. Noble One, they are acting like this because of...” The sound of heavy footsteps caught their attention and Itotia swallowed her words.
They were titans in the truest sense of the word, for they stood several heads taller than anyone Reed had ever met. The tallest one, the one in the middle was at least eight feet tall, give or take. All three wore sublime armor made of shining gold and pure quartz adorned with intricate imagery of stars, suns, and all manner of mighty beasts.
These golden giants looked akin to living masterpieces that a master sculptor might have created during his prime. They were certainly a sight to behold, thought Reed as he inspected them.
The tallest one roared with laughter as he walked towards and said, ”Well, well, well. Look which rapscallion turned up tonight?” He grabbed the girl and tossed her in the air like one would a child, to her embarrassment. She struggled fiercely but couldn't escape the jolly giant's affectionate teasing.
Eventually, he had his fill and released the girl from his embrace, content with his handiwork. He turned around and the other two giants moved towards Reed and circled him as they inspected him from head to toe.
”Hmm... what do you think? It's been only been a few years, right?” said the golden titan on the left.
”Yes, you're right. Even so, he's grown splendidly, wouldn't you say? If I didn't know before, I would have thought the boy a reflection of 'him'...” said the towering figure on the right.
”No... look closely, you old farts. Look at those beautiful golden eyes of his... those are eyes are 'hers' and not 'his',” said the tallest of the three as he craned over to look at Reed.
He lurched over and put his massive hand on one of Reed's shoulders and said, ”We've all missed you greatly, little sun. Especially Xitllali and Itotai, though they might not admit it to you in person.”
Itotia kicked the golden titan and harrumphed coldly when she heard that. Her eyes narrowed in disdain and said, ”These old farts are the shipmasters I spoke of, Noble One. Think nothing of these impolite tricksters.”
She pointed at the golden giant one the right that bore the sigil of a hawk on his armor and said, ”This old coot is the shipmaster of the Royal Armada — Koyovo, The Pure Moon. He's sweet-talker that'll get you in trouble before you know it. Don't let his title fool you.” The old man kept a grin on his face and softly chuckled when he heard his introduction.
”The one on the right is the shipmaster of the Silent Fleet — Morate, The Hidden Star. Trust nothing he tells you, Noble One. He's the biggest trickster of the lot.” Morate shrugged his shoulders solemnly in disapproval but quickly grinned and winked at Reed once Itotia looked away for a second. There was mischief hidden within his eyes.
”And this one is my grandfather, the shipmaster of the Joyous Divinity and Grand Protector himself — Ulbo, Father of Stars. Don't stand on ceremony for him, Noble One, or he'll take advantage of you...” He acted as if hadn't heard his granddaughter's disparaging introduction at all as he focused on Reed's eyes.
Ulbo gently pulled Reed into his arms and held him close as he ruffled his hair softly.
”Look at how much you've grown, little sun. You've become a proper young man in the blink of an eye. It seems that the plan worked like a charm, despite the misgivings I had about it...”
Reed didn't understand at all why the titan was acting so familiar with him, given he'd never met before in his life. It felt extremely awkward being treated so affectionately by a stranger during their first meeting.
”U-Um, sir... I don't think we've met before or at least, I don't remember such an occasion. Might you have mistaken me for someone else? I'm just a nobo-”
”No.” The golden figure interjected firmly. ”Boy, I held you in my arms when you were no bigger than a loaf of bread. I still remember clearly the day you were born into this world.”
His words left Reed speechless and for a second and he blanked out of shock.
'He was present for my birth? How was that even possible? I'm... nothing more than a street rat from the slums.'
Reed doubted the man's words but kept his tongue check, nevertheless. He wasn't about to start an argument with the giant; He immediately noticed how powerful these three shipmasters were once they within arm's reach and tossed out any stupid fantasies he had about diplomacy.
The surrounding Anima was stifling and imperious, as if they'd completely bent it to their will. He'd never felt such an overpowering aura of control, even among his instructors. Reed had some suspicions but was confident that these three were easily leagues above the likes of common conquerors.