161 A Woven Myth (2/2)
This was the kind of man the legendary Silver Reaper was at heart — a god-like manipulator of facts, lies, and rumors. He was still the lord of half-truths, whispers, and fleeting shadows, even if he was not King of the East anymore.
He was still the acting chairman of the Council of Shadows, the East's intelligence branch, with over five thousand years of experience in making people believe his words.
Unbeknownst to the world at large, Velvund had painted a portrait on live holovision, one that was endlessly endearing to the masses.
He had failed his grandson when he needed help the most, but he would not fail him again. And he would not fail the task he had been given long ago, either. Velvund swore to himself he would accomplish what he had been entrusted with, even if it meant getting his hands dirty if it came down to it.
If a single shadow must fall so that the sun may rise again, then so be it. ...It is a price worth paying. Not that I have the right to reject that price, anyway...
Velvund would gladly do whatever was necessary to push Reed and Lu'um up into the sky, even if he had to chisel a staircase for them to climb with his own damned hands.
But the greatest part of Velvun's act had not even begun... until now. The time had come to lay his final stroke of genius upon the world for today.
Wasserman smiled in an understanding manner and said, ”Don't sweat it and enjoy yourselves more before the both of you make the jump. Trust this old bag of bones here, there'll be plenty of time for changing diapers later!
I'm three kids into the ol' song and dance and there's no end in sight to that, haha!”
Everyone laughed. The show continued as planned and eventually reached the final part of the course.
”Today, we have something very special to close off the show, folks! To commemorate the return of the Stainless Prince and Lady Evergreen, we're delighted to reveal a treat for all the little heroes in your home!”
Hm? What's he talking about? A commemorative treat? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
The lights dimmed across the stage and then a pair of bright spotlights turned on to illuminate the large red curtain on the far left side of the studio. A dramatic soundtrack played, drumming up the tension in the room and when it reached its climax... they came out.
Children flew out of the curtain as they hovered about a foot and half above the ground with large smiles on their faces. They were all mortal children, of course. Avunian, Human, Eisalon, Cuanian, so on so forth — no race seemed to have been left out, it seemed.
They naturally did not have the ability to fly. No -- they were flying because of what was on their backs, or rather what they were wearing.
It was the cloaks they were wearing that had granted them that ability. A restricted Anima flight-matrix (suitable for children) had been weaved into the nano-mesh of the synthetic 'Quentli' silk -- an Ancient Mulian meta-material of old -- to allow even mortal children the joy of flight.
A grand reveal of a brand new technology -- smart clothing capable of recording simple Anima-matrices for civilian use.
And the world's first piece of clothing to be publicly unveiled for this exciting technology?
Reed felt his heart stop when he recognized the design of some of the cloaks the children were wearing. It was as if his world had suddenly come to a halt.
They had a sleek, polished black appeared that glimmered mysteriously under the spotlights. On the back of each cloak, there was an elegant embroidery of a large, golden sun and various stellar motifs. It was like each cloak was a glittering starry sky of its own, eye-catching as could be.
The audience gasped in amazement as they watched the unreal show play out before them, stunned by what they were watching.
When the demonstrative presentation ended, Velvund stood and explained the nature of Quentli silk to the world for the first time, drawing the attention of every Mortal and Chosen who drew breath. Of its wonderous properties when it came to recording Anima-matrices and its potential applications.
”Truth be told, I myself have only been told of its existence. It was my daughter here today who discovered the ancient knowledge of Quentli silk a couple of weeks ago,” said Velvund gesturing toward Lu'um.
Credit was given where it was due, for it was Lu'um who had created added this part to Velvund's narrative after consulting with him. She had given herself an extra boost in popularity and reputation, but had also helped Velvund cement his narrative even further.
She had given the narrative two symbols. One of the Sun and other of the Moon; tied them to herself and Reed with the reveal of the cloaks and the technology behind them. Pushed the myth one step further with something tangible.
Lu'um stood up and said, ”I hope you all enjoyed this little demonstration we have put on for you. We will be releasing versions of these cloaks so that every child can be a hero, too...”