Looking around for where the man had gone, he fails to see any trace to follow. He walks in the same direction the man had left, however he arrives back at the crowd of excited Atlanteans. There is loud cheering and music projecting from the streets. Lance comes across haiku in the group. Attempting to evade him, lance pushes through the pack. Haiku follows him pushing through right behind. Lance trips over a protruding separation on the ground. Haiku reaches him assisting him to his feet. Brushing himself off he pretends as if he didn’t see haiku, “ oh hey, what are you doing?” Lance asks. Haiku replies, “ troubling your paradigm can seem.” Not able to understand what is meant by that lance retorts, “ err... it’s not that bad.” Haiku smiles, “ your outlook seems different from your juxtaposition.” Lance looks to the side, he asks nervously, “ yeah those juxtopistons always seem different don’t they?” Haiku shakes his head. He replies , “ misunderstanding entirely perhaps, unprepared nonetheless.” Lance nods, “ sometimes I can be, but right now I’m actually in a hurry. I’m trying to umm, make it back before the unveiling. Ascension and all you know. Didn’t pass but I still want to be there with my mother and anyway thanks haiku, hope to see you next time.” Lance says quickly as he leaves abruptly walking into a wall in behind as he turns around. Haiku winces before he walks away. Shaking his head just moving along with the crowd. Lance regaining his composure mutters to himself, “ what’s wrong with that guy?”
Walking through the alley that leads towards the center of the outer ring lance checks the time on his armband. There is a message from his mother. “ I made you something to cheer you up, it’s a surprise, see you when you get home.” He halfheartedly smiles, continuing through the alley. Thinking about all that had just happened, and the automation from the central ring lance comes to the conclusion it has been quite a day. He decides to head back home, enticed by the surprise his mother has for him. He walks towards the housing district. Before even reaching the door to his home he smells a scent that initiates a series of memories. The smell of jeeku berry tarts, one that cannot be mistaken. The jeeku berry is nearly impossible to come across on the outer two rings. Since the stopping of ascension long ago people were left to scrounge what little they could. As the years went on, food and supplies coming from the inner rings began to dwindle. The berries that grew wildly on the outer two rings were eventually harvested until none remained. Slowly over the years more plants began to follow the same path. Eventually years later people realized that nothing was going to change unless they controlled their impulsive behaviour. A committee was then formed to establish a community garden, thus the garden district was created. Laws were passed to have only a certain few individuals handle the food to prevent consumption from getting out of hand. Those in charge had created a system which governed who can have what and when. Eventually that too became out of hand, and the people revolted. A new system was put in its place, ‘ you reap what you sow.’ Everyone grows their own food to prevent issues, however even that had its flaws. Automations were then re-tasked with programmable crop control, irrigation and maintenance. This allowed for a more suitable and sustainable system of growth.
Lance steps in to his home, the scent fills the air as his mother pulls the tarts from the oven. Steam infused with the scent of the succulent decadent desserts. Milano asks, “ ah you got my message then?” Lance smiles, “ I could smell them from five houses away. Let’s hope everyone else is out celebrating.” Milano laughs, “ well I just hope this can cheer you up. You missed haiku when he came.” Lance rolls his eyes, “ that guy, what a character. He has some interesting qualities, I don’t get how he ever made it to the third ring.” Milano disappointed, defends her old friend, “ that character brought the berries to make all this possible you know. Perhaps it was his kindness that allowed him to make it that far.” Lance opens his eyes widely as he makes a strange face replying, “ oh yeah, maybe or perhaps it was his ability to say things that make others uneasy, so they let him keep on moving to get him away from the normal people.” His mother furls her eyebrows, “ enough...” she says. “ He didn’t have to bring the berries, but he did. I think you should be nicer to him. Perhaps even be grateful” lance grabs one of the hot tarts, lifting it to his face to smell it as he closes his eyes. “ Oh I am, very much so.” He replies before blowing the steam from his tart and reaching the smoldering dessert to his tongue. The moment the piping hot filling touches his tongue he flinches, “ Ahh hot!” He exclaims. Milano laughs, “ serves you right, they just came out.” Lance holds the tart back and continues to blow on it. Just then a holographic projection displays in the living room. One of the king’s advisors announces the results of the ascension in a message that Milano knows all too well. “ Happy times are upon us my fellow Atlanteans...” there is an unusual static disruption as the image becomes distorted, flickering on and off. Returning to normal the message continues, “ I present to you my fellow Atlanteans, the ruler of our wondrous island someone I am very humbled to even call a dear friend, your king, Poseidon himself.” The image cuts out for a moment changing to that of Poseidon. Milano scoffs, having to leave the room. Lance watches in awe, as he had never witnessed this before. Anything to do with the king excited and enthralled him for some particular reason. Watching the imagery with the utmost attention lance stared with a small smile on his face. Knowing he hadn’t made it forward lance still experienced the excitement that comes with the ascension program.
In the other room Milano cycles through old images in her armband. She reaches a set of files that are encrypted. Quickly glancing back into the living room she sees lance is glued to the recording. She returns her attention to her armband. Entering the pass codes to open the files and decrypt the information she shuffles through the images. Lance looks around for a moment noticing his mother is not there. He sees her shoulder protruding from the next room over. Quietly he walks over to see what she is doing. In the room Milano has images of herself beside Poseidon many years ago. In the image she is smiling with her arm around him and his around her. The left hand has the finger on it, as well as a ring. Lance peeks over her shoulder, unable to comprehend what he sees he blurts out, “ whoa, you knew him!?” Startled Milano closes the file and turns around to her son. “ What? Know who? You don’t know what you are talking about.” Lance smiling replies, “ Aww c’mon I know what I just saw.” Milano denies the possibility. Lance grabs her hand, “ your finger, you never told me how you lost it. I saw you wearing a ring in that image. What was that?” He asks. She becomes enraged, pulling her hand away. “ You don’t know anything, I told you before I lost it trying to keep a door from closing years ago.” She pushes past him back into the living room. Lance thinks for a moment, “ that doesn’t even make sense, did you only stick the one finger in the door? Your whole hand would have been crushed not just one finger.” She finally becomes fed up, lashing out at him she yells , “ something are just not for you to know! My life before you were born was my life. I don’t need to tell you anything I don’t want to.” Lance becomes angry as well, “ fine then, enjoy your stupid life without me then because I don’t even want to know. I hate it here and I don’t ever want to come back!” Lance walks over to the table and kicks the whole table over with the fresh tarts on it. The whole tray flies through the air and splatters on the wall and floor. Milano yells, “ great! You see what you’ve done you little... you little” lance waits for a moment, asking, “ little what? You know what, I don’t care anymore, enjoy your life alone.” And like that he walks over to the automated door. It opens quickly, without hesitation lance leaves. An automation comes out of a compartment in the wall to clean the tarts from the wall and floor. Milano very upset with what just happened, drops to the floor and begins to weep as she places her right hand over her face. Finishing cleaning the mess up the automation makes its way over to where Milano is on the floor. Scanning the area in front of her face, it sees the tears dropping from the tip of her nose onto the ground. After a careful analysis the automation decides not to engage and returns to it’s place. As the compartment door begins to open for the little bot there is a strong rumbling that shakes everything. The lights inside flicker, the compartment hatch stops halfway causing the bot to bump into it. Milano feeling the rumble looks around to see the chandelier shaking. Outside everyone who is out and about feels the ground rattling below them. There is a common reaction to check the paused network to see if any explanation is available. Lance looks around to see what everyone else is doing. He too then checks his armband. Nothing appears to explain the rumble that came and went. Everyone seems fine, and moments later goes back to what they were doing. Its almost as if it had never even happened at all.
Meanwhile, on the mainland beyond the view of the island, past the shore and over the fields. The native inhabitants known as the Tirbalian people, named after the westerly continent of Tirbal. Coming from the words, tir meaning young land, and bal meaning well balanced. The continent has yet to be exploited, and consists of many natural resources which allow for longevity. Outside of a farming village known as Yenga there are people working the ground preparing to seed the soil. The farmers of the village all reside outside the village perimeter. Passing the fields and entering the village there is a large fence laden with stone and mud which acts as a barrier from the elements. The village had been built around a large hill which had been hollowed out, and flattened at its peak. Stairs were dug into the ground spiraling around the hill. The rest of the hill had been terraced all the way down to the base which is where the village had been built to surround. Errow walks behind the woman in the white cloth robe as the two make their way up the stairs of the hill towards the top. There is a large gate built into a dug out section where the hill had been hallowed. Errow says to the woman, “ wait here, I will ensure Yetzan comes to meet with you.” As he opens the gate and enters the area leading to the chief’s residence. The woman waits patiently looking through the bars in the gate she inspects the property. Errow reaches the large wooden door, knocking several times rapidly. Footsteps can be heard inside as someone approaches the door. Swinging open a woman with long dark hair looks out. “ What is it?” She asks lackadaisically. Errow stammers, “ umm, Shukara. err.. Is Yetzan around?” Rolling her eyes she replies, “ what do you think? Of course he is, and what is this concerning?” Errow answers nervously, “ there’s a um, how do I say? Well, the oracle of Enios is at your gate demanding to speak with the chief of the village.” Shukara squints as she scowls at him. Leaning out past the door frame she peeks over at the gate to see the woman standing behind waiting. She gasps, as her eyes open widely. Without saying a word she slams the door in errow’s face as he prepares to say, “ I can...” as the door slammed he finishes his sentence, “ wait right here.” His heart racing from being in Shukara's presence. Looking back at the gate he sees the oracle is gone. “ Huh?...” He gasps. She says nonchalantly, “ oh relax I’m right here.” From beside him on the opposite side. He asks, “ how did you?... But... where?” Confused as to how she managed that. Inside yelling can be heard indistinctly between Yetzan and Shukara. a moment later the door swings open as a burly man with thick eyebrows and a large beard stands before errow and the oracle. “ What is it?” He demands to know. Errow responds, “ my chief, I present the oracle of Enios.” As errow steps aside allowing the woman to step forward. Lifting her arms to remove her hood it is revealed that her arms are covered in various tattoos and imagery. Her eyes are silver in appearance, startling both Yetzan, and errow. She smiles, exposing her teeth before she says to Yetzan, “ step forward, what I have to say to you is for you only to hear.” Shukara inside the dwelling stands in the back watching and listening. As the oracle whispers into Yetzan’s ear, errow moves closer to hear what she is saying. “ All that you care about, people, places, things will come to an end when the very air rings. As the skae is lit up, at the edge of the wadja, a strange traveller comes taking with him the madja. In your best interests to leave them be, the dadu you won’t though, this I foresee. Think you have it figured out, but your aim misguiding, he wants nothing to do with the truth that you’re hiding. Something of his, you will eventually take, she wants it back, it’s her keepsake. a much larger scheme this object’s accord, beyond what you know, it will cause much discord. Keep your ears to the ground and your eyes to the skae. Your foes speak the truth, it’s your friends that will lie.”
Backing away Yetzan looks at her with a puzzled face having heard this information. The oracle laughs wildly before replacing her hood. She then kisses her index and middle finger placing them on Yetzan’s lips. Yetzan pulls back and spits trying to rid his lips of any residual saliva, as Shukara yells, “ what in Kraznot’s name was that about?” Errow steps to Yetzan’s side to aide the chief, “ are you okay?” He asks placing his arm on the chief’s shoulder. Yetzan booms, “ Yes, just take her away now!” Turning back towards the oracle Errow is surprised to see she is not there. Just then a man with a small stature enters the gate closing it behind him. Errow shouts, “ Yote, did you see a madja just now?” Yote turns back and looks through the gate. Shrugging he turns back, “ jus now?... No.” He replies with a heavy accent as he points to the ground. “ wot appened?” He inquires spotting Yetzan grasping his neck and coughing as Shukara stands at his side with a displeased look. Yote walks over as errow reports what had just taken place. Yote then asks, “ wur’s Lutzi?” Errow then shrugs, “ I’m not sure Yote, why?” Yote turns to the side and spits, “ be a good littul linguist and find em will ya.” Errow nods quickly as he replies, “ yes Yote.” Rushing to the gate to make his way back into the village. Yote then places his hand on Shukara’s elbow, “ you alright den?” He asks. Pulling her arm away she answers, “ get away from me.” As she enter the house. Yote laughs, “ wot’s crawled up er bunga I wonduh?” He asks shoving his elbow into Yetzan’s thigh. Unammused Yetzan turns around to walk into his house also. Yote about to follow is stopped by the door which Yetzan slammed behind him, right in Yote’s face. “ Alright den, I’ll be on me way.” He says, confused about everything that just happened. Making his way to the gate he turns to look back at the chief’s house. “ Someday it’ll all be mine...” he says to himself closing the gate looking back as he sees Shukara in the window.
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