Solsae Kingdom - Part 19

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Episode 2: A Lost Hope
The fire in the hearth flickers with a warm light started moments ago from a fireball slung by the King basking in the basin of his throne, his chin balanced in his other hand. Lying on her belly across one of the three-seater sofas, her legs kicking back and forth rhythmically, was Siakunae, now donning the attire she brought from her own country - a sky-blue velvet cheongsam dress, high-heeled pumps and long silken gloves. And curled atop a massive marshmallow-like bean bag is Amami, her ears aroused while she scrupulously eyes Siakunae.

“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Amami extends very properly.

“It's so nice to meet you too, miss First Wing of Solsae~” Siakunae smiles cattishly.

“It's Amami”, stutters the rabbit.

“Oh! And I am Sia~”

“Sia?”

“Siakunae Lakura!” She says with a giggle.

“I hear you're from another world, Siakunae, like me?” Amami asks.

“Oh yes! A violet world that sails the stars like a ship! It's called Aster Novus.”

“That sounds amazing!” Amami gasps. “I had no idea such a world existed!”

“Well...For me, coming to Solsae was more amazing,” Siakunae expresses.

“I agree. This place is so different than home. The people are nice, and the scenery is beautiful and the food is delicious here…”

“And the sky is so pretty, and the grass is so green! And there’s water! I saw water on my way down!” Sia adds before asking, “So can you see your world from here?”

“Well, you can, sort of…” Amami says, trailing off.

“What do you mean, sort of?”

“It's hard to explain,” Amami says with a sheepish smile.

“I know lots about space. I'll get it.”

Amami composes herself. “Alright then.” She breathes in, as though preparing to make a shocking revelation, “Well, I’m from the moon.”

“So you're from an orbiting satellite like me?” Siakunae asks.

“No, it's different. Not 'A moon’. ‘The Moon’. Actually, moon, meaning satellite only came into use because of my world. But my moon, the Lunalabylon, existed long before this world was a speck amongst the stars! It's always visible, always there - yet not. It's like a ghost world.”

“Ohh, spooooky~” Siakunae giggles.

“I’m serious! The Lunalabylonians once resided over all mortal judgement!”

“It's not like I don’t believe you… But if it's always visible, then why have I never seen your Moon?” She asks in earnest. Amami answers quick as a spit, “Because you didn’t receive the Maya.” She hops up from her beanbag, bounces to the curtain and draws it with dramatic flare. Behind Amami, clear as day, Siakunae can see it. She gasps in awe at the sight, a marvelous silver-white luminescence floating in the sky like some otherworldly spectre, like a massive, blind eye floating, staring.

“Wow, what the heck?” She exclaims in awe and disbelief.

“No matter where you go at night, you can always see my world just like this.” She explains.

Siakunae gets up and goes to the window for a better look.

“You said, your people used to be responsible for judging mortals?”

“Yeah. We were. Do you want to know what happened?” Amami asks. Siakunae nods.

“Well… Long ago now, the moon folk started seeing life as a dirty, rotten thing. Then that disliking grew into a loathing - and further grew into a curse. The Lunalabylonians absolutely believed that making contact with the filthy ‘living’ people would bring you down to their level - it would make you die. That belief was so strong that people… actually did die. They just stopped being alive. It become a contagion, death spreading just from the fear of mortality. The population of the moon declined, and then declined drastically after that man set foot upon it…”

“Oh… That's so strange.” Siakunae says. Amami giggles.

“Yes, it is, isn't it? I mean, even if I touch you, I won't die, will I?”

“Nope!” Sia says, pulling the bunny into a tight hug. “Quite the contrary! Bunnies die if you don't love them enough, right? Right, Rex?” She calls out to the king. He expectedly ignores her.

“I'm not just a bunny, you know!?” Amami protests.

“I knows! Now, why did you stop judging?”

“Well, after that, our powers just waned. I guess…when the system broke, the Maya created a new system. Decided a new judge - Makai, ruler of Heldeth. He controls an organisation called the Reapers and even makes the rules for life and death. It's a stressful job, so the Lunalabylonians weren’t bothered by that.

“All’s well that ends well?” Siakunae asks.

“No… Pure souls after life were supposed to reincarnate to Lunababylon but because of the prejudice, few souls make it, and when they do, they are treated terribly… they become thralls to the Lunalabyon empire and aren’t afforded citizenry rights. And the process for a soul to pass through is so slow... The torment of Heldeth doesn’t seem like a bad alternative.” She sighs. “Even though the enforcement changed, Lunalabyon as the destination of the pure souls will always be the same.”

“Oh… I had no idea. Your home sounds…”

“Its terrible… a scary, hopeless place. Even I hated it, and I wasn’t one of the pitiable pure souls…”

“Maybe we should sin enough to avoid going to Heaven?” Siakunae jokes.

“Yeah. Maybe!” Amami tearfully smiles. “But, what about your home, Sia?” She asks, following it with her scarlet eyes.

“My world is very militaristic. Scholars like me and grampy aren’t afforded much leeway at all to persist our studies. At the very top of that ladder is the Hero King, Ark. He is governor and monarch of our land, and rules with an iron fist. The police are corrupt, the laws are exploited, and the only valued study is that of weapons… dominance, and conquest! I do so wish the people could see beyond their own noses!”

Amami giggles. “You're so passionate, Siakunae.”

“Of course… somebody has to be. I want to see all there is to see! More than anything… I want to find the truth of… of Maya.”

“Truth? The Maya is just… Faith-energy isn’t it? That's what I thought…”

“And because I didn’t have faith, I couldn't see Lunalabyon?”

“Yeah. That makes sense.” Amami answers.

“So what changed?”

“You… become… no… I don’t… really know, Sia.”

“I can’t say I have more or less faith in whatever the Maya is, but here, I do receive its... blessing.”

“Maya is a blessing?” asks Amami

Siakunae tilts her head, expressing her ignorance “I don't know. I want to though. The cosmos’s answers lie in the heart of Maya!”

“I think… Whatever the Maya is, it's greater than either of us.” Amami says.

“Yes. I think so too~” Siakunae giggles. “Hey, what do you want, Amami?”

“I’m not sure what you mean?” She questions.

“I mean, why are you here?”

“I was fleeing… I stole some things to make sure my people couldn't use them for evil.” Amami explains.

“Noooo, that's not it! What do you want to do?”

“Well, I hope I can help the people of Solsae.”

“No no no no! Buzz buzz! That's wrong, Amami. What is it that you want, for yourself, more than anything. What do you want to do!” Siakunae berates.

Amami ponders her words hard. Her face is flush red when she finally does speak, “I want to… change the people of Lunalabyon! And stop the prejudice… And, I want to become the new Seraphim!”

“Seraphim?”

Amami squeeks a timid squeak, and hides a flushed face behind her floppy ears. “N-nothing!”

Siakinae was about to ask more when, with all the abruptness of a snowstorm in summer, a gust of wind floods the room in announcement of the arrival of one of Rex’s esteemed staff. The man’s wine-coloured swallow-tailed jacket flairs up in the gust, and then swishes back down. He pushes his glasses up his nose with an outstretched finger, straightens his bow-tie and bows a stooping bow.

“My lord, apologies for rousing you, but this is urgent.” He says so pompously he must have swallowed his silver spoon whole.

“Bluefin? What happened?” Rex asks - More like a command than a question. The man named Bluefin corrects his glasses again, and stands tall, meeting Rex’s fierce gaze.

“We have received a plea, my lord. It's from one ‘Ram Rock’ of Tekkon.

“The leader of Wave°Synthe… What does he want?”

“I cannot discern. It seems that he was under duress when he composed this message. It was delivered in the clutches of a strange stone bird, so heavens know how long it took to arrive or what his current state is, but I fear if he has not corresponded since, it can not be good.” Rex takes the crumpled piece of parchment from the servant. “What happened to the bird?” He asks, unfurling the letter.

“It crumbled into no more than sand, my lord.”

“That's unfortunate.” Rex replies. He turns his gaze to the letter and starts reading aloud, “Tekkon is done for. Help. You are our only hope.” It reads. “Well that was abrupt.” He crushes it into a ball and tosses it aside. “Bluefin, I’ll leave right away,” he says.

“I will make travel arrangements immediately, my lord. Please rest until morning.”

“Right. Thanks, Bluefin.”

“Nothing to it, your majesty.” The servant humbly replies, bowing once again to his king, and then disappearing in a burst just as he had arrived.

Amami takes the crumpled parchment and gives it a once over, while Siakunae looks over her shoulder. Nothing else though, just the message Rex had read aloud.

“This corresponds nicely, doesn’t it, Rex?” Siakunae chirps.

“Yeah. If we want to find a way back to your world from here, we’ll need the help of Ram. We drag his arse out of what ever mess he caused this time, and he returns the favor.”

“Oh Rex, you make it sound like blackmail,” Amami protests.

“Nothing of the sort.” Rex replies. “Just, I’ll give him a hand, so I expect the same in return.” Rex shrugs dramatically.

“You would help him either way, wouldn’t you?” Amami asks with a smile. “Oh well. Let's go and save Tekkon then, shall we?”

“Damn straight!” Rex grins.

“I'll be coming as well, Rexy~” Siakunae insists.

“This is starting to sound fun!” Squeaks Amami. “Then, should we get VyeBlaze too?”

“No.” Rex replies. “He’s...Taking care of the trash.”

“Ohhh… a secret mission huh? Okay, okay. Then, how about 'The Devil Hood’?”

“Demonix? After what happened, I don't think we will see him for a while. Do you have a way to contact him?”

Amami shakes her head. “No…”

“Amami, you know Demonix?” Siakunae asks.

“Yeah! We had a rocky start, but I think we’re friends now.”

“No way! Me and him came here together in the same space bubble! - it was so exciting, hurtling through space! When we crashed, I figured he must have burnt up in the atmosphere! It's so good to know he's alive (even though he did sort of kidnap me).”

“What was that last part?” Amami asks, her eyes wide.

“N-nothing! Well, he has a rocky start with everybody, I guess?” Siakunae giggles. “Water under the bridge, anyway!”

_______________________________________________________

Elsewhere...

“My newest creation, your mission has been assigned.” A robotic voice grumbles masked by static through a monitor. On its display, fizzing scanlines of grey curtain the silhouette of a man wearing some kind of cloak or robe.

The one receiving the message appeared to be a sentinel of stone. Its eyes are glowing slits of green across an otherwise featureless saucer-like helmet and its rugged, yet curvaceous, body is accessorised with tubes glowing from the fuel that powers it.

“Confirmation has been acknowledged.” The monitor replied. The Golem didn’t need primitive motions or audible gestures, after all, the hive-mind linking them was far ahead of any primitive communication.

“Success of this assignment will be the measure of your worth to the hive. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what becomes of failures. That is all.” The voice crackles and then the picture on the display goes blank. The light of the display is vacuumed back into the device that emitted it, which the Golem then slides into a port on the chest piece.

The unit on its back emits a flood of light and, one explosive burst later, the golem is propelled like a rocket into the night sky, becoming nothing more than a star to the people who might see it from the surface. It would be at its assigned location soon enough. Its glowing eyes dim, and all but the propulsion, grumbling angrily as it keeps the stone humanoid aloft, powers down to conserve energy. It's a long trip… And at the end of that, the fate of Solsae could well be decided.

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