The night was crisp, and the stars surrounding the rise and fall of the floating islands met the surface of the gentle sea upon the limitless horizon. The path of Zeal drifted through wispy, white clouds, occasionally finding a jet of cool, windy air among the darkness of the evening. Enhasa's dreamers lay in blessed rest, and even the most industrious among Kajar's residents and scientists had abdicated their precious workstations to catch a moment of sleep. This seemingly charmed idleness -- when even the illustriously blue-crowned royals were silent upon tender pillows -- was perfect for the trio's meeting. Joining the other two men upon the highest balcony of the Sun Palace, the red-capped sage broke the peace with a concerned tone.
"So you think the legend is real?"
The rotund man in darkened shades of navy blue shifted his weight upon the rail, allowing the taller Guru in royal blue to make his way forward.
"Something is down there, Gaspar. We can't ignore it any longer."
Without blinking behind his spectacles, Melchior added a third voice to the conference.
"It's just a legend, something our ancestors bode their time with beneath a blanket of ice."
"Oral history has given us more than just a pastime," Belthasar responded. "Didn't the Earthbound speak of an amazing capacitor of the planet's shining energy? And then rightly, we found the Sun Stone and created Zeal."
Gaspar rose. "And there have been other sources of magical energy scattered throughout the world. There is little reason to ascribe the ocean-dwelling concentration to an apocalyptic fantasy."
"Entertain the thought, Gaspar," Belthasar again countered. "For such an idea to persist among our predecessors for millions of years is not the mark of idle fantasy.
Lavos...whomever that was, or whatever happened, that name was burned into the minds of every human to ever live. That's more than a simple fairy tale."
Melchior could hardly contain his comments. "But...think of it! It's ludicrous. How can some...thing, some entity, like that persist underground, and even scorch the earth? We reproduce. But to even credit the thought of some immortal demiurge soaking up the planet's life force is beyond reason."
Gaspar nodded. "...Then it must be a Power Spot. As Zeal has increased its magical acumen, so has it sharpened the ability to exploit new forces of magic and elemental energy. We are now aware of yet another focal point of the planet's power; nothing less, and definitely nothing more. Perhaps we can find a way to access it and use it for the betterment of Zeal, but there is no cause for this exuberance or plaguing fear."
"...Do not tell me, for one second, that what you have felt
doesn't border on incomprehensible," Belthasar warned in a low voice. "We are not aware of something new. Rather, we have only stumbled upon something with us our entire lives...so simple, so
fundamentally and powerfully basic, that we never gave it thought. Just like children who don't understand the value of life, or existence..."
The other two were silenced. They inwardly knew that the power felt beneath the waves of the western oceans was difficult to quantify. The signature and radiance was unlike the energy of the planet, though still seemed to radiate from within it. It was either small and very focused, or incalculably large to the point of permeating all matter with invisibility. The warmth of the stars seemed to lessen with ominous glare.
"Fine," Melchior stated. "Then what do we do?"
"I've already thought this through," Belthasar commented as Gaspar exhaled derisively. "We form an exploratory force, utilizing the air displacement magic to allow access underwater. We first measure the size of the power, and research its nature. We should operate assuming that it may be Lavos."
"...Still with the delusion? But even if this titan is present, do you dare to provoke it? The gods you do not touch will not curse you," Gaspar chided.
"If the legend is true, and it is Lavos, then all the better: we have found something capable of holding fantastic quantities of power. Imagine what a...living creature like that is capable of! Just think of how refined its elemental abilities must be. We could study its biology, and reap the benefits. Or, in any case, we can simply tap the reservoirs of power for Zeal. If my expectations are met, we may even be in reach of immortality. Even the Sun Stone now grows dim. We should act to understand and harness this force."
Gaspar drew breath. With hesitation, Melchior uttered an inquiry.
"And if it directs this power at us with less than friendly intentions?"
"This is Zeal," Belthasar began. "This is the ultimate achievement of any sentient race to walk this frozen, but now verdant earth. If there is a malevolent bastard down there, we can eradicate him. Even if it requires the supreme Shadow talents of King Zeal, I am confident that we can overcome any threat. This is not an obstacle, but an opportunity."
The leaves upon the trees at the entrance to the Sun Palace lightly shook in a cool breeze. Far above, the endless current of water descending from the main island's eternal waterfalls shimmered in the light of the crescent moon and fell to millions of sparkles upon its way to the sea. With heaviness in his chest, Gaspar felt he could not divert his eyes from the watery maw below.
"Then continue," the Guru spoke to Belthasar.
"Very well. Tomorrow, let's gather up various capacitors and magic-conductive materials, and recruit the research teams from Kajar's finest. Let's see; we can take a shard of the Sun Stone, some Exedium, the Prism Flint...Melchior, what about that red rock the royal family possesses? The legendary stuff?"
"Dreamstone," he responded. "Tests with planetary energy are only a tiny bit above average, but there's a strange resonance to some energy source yet unfound on the ground. It's nothing special."
"We'll take it anyway. I will draft and file the report to the King and Queen. Gaspar, I will leave the Shadow nature analysis to you."
The two nodded, but reluctantly. Belthasar had always been a passionate upstart, and in some cases, a vehement force in the research and magical policy of the gilded archipelago. But this worked in his favor -- his proofs, logic, and analytical skills had earned him the status of Guru of Reason. He triumphantly bade the others farewell.
"I can't wait to discover what's down there. Best case scenario, it's our path to even higher heavens, just as the Sun Stone let us sail the sky. Our ancestors could only dream of such a thing, and the potential of Lavos leaves us with unfathomable possibilities."
"Careful," Gaspar concluded. "Caution...caution must always be our standard."
"Yes," Melchior agreed. "A burning meteor's fall can be just as spectacular as the sun's daily rise. Until tomorrow..."
The three egressed; Gaspar glanced at the faint Sun Stone upon the central pedestal as he made his way to the golden, white edifice's exit. The few insects permitted to live among the emerald grass were quiet in the still of the night. The infinite darkness reminded Gaspar of the world before Zeal, a frozen, lifeless crust barely survived beneath by pathetic creatures clinging to life. Some amazing event millennia ago had enabled people to love, hate, dream, and dare to change their fates again. The Guru prayed in the absence of sound that humanity would never suffer a precipitous fall back into that never-ending obscurity. His thoughts drifted to his pet project, the creation of a Self-Contained Chronological Aberration Nucleus.
"Perhaps such a thing is needed now more than ever..."
~
From Daniel Krispin:
Comments welcome.
