Notes on the gijinkas' appearance: They are very close to human, with ears and tails nearly always adjusted for species. It doesn't get as weird as extra legs, but the size can be great different between species.
The latias and latios have the wings lower on the back and are very tall. They have the colored marking on their face like in the cover image, and the rest of the skin matches a fairly light human.
The paper was blank two hours ago was now a map of what was most of the known world. The light level of the room lowered since then due to the sun being on the other side of the castle, and the was a single lamp nearby for extra light. The red-haired latias who penned the map was trying to figure out what her test grader would be considered terra incognita or disputed islands. A iota of ink dipped on the land that extended to the North Pole. There was a confusing and numerous set of islands and peninsulas running down the jagged coastline to the south.
"Sheiaral, you pass will a full grade! You're fighting the flatness of the paper. At this point, I am convinced you memorized the world," the seadra tutor said. "You are exempt from basic geography for the final year. The head librarian can give you the books to prepare for cultural and political geography. "
"Thank you, Sir!" the latias said.
There was one other individual in the dim room. The watcher, the one who makes sure the psychic students don't cheat during tests. He scoffed at the tutor, "I wouldn't say that considering I have met people who did have the known world memorized. The world isn't made of beige flat landscapes with noticeable borders in clear sight, Lady Latias."
"I understand that," the young Latias siad.
"You better head to history class." The tutor said while walking to a window. "Those shadows have gotten a bit longer than I should have let them."
The latias stood up fast. "Not Mrs. Cerriuis's class. I can't be late for that class." The latias quickly walked out.
Crossing a courtyard, a clock tower showed that there was still a few minutes before the class started. It was one of three major clocks around the castle considered accurate enough for official business, although the teacher's offices were often adorned by creative timekeeping devices engineered by student over the past decades.
Sheiaral walked into the class with all the other students already seat. Most of the students were dragons, although there were foreign princes and nobles. Sheiaral, despite her height, was the most childish looking among them; latias's age slowly even compared to other dragons. Mrs. Cerrius, an ancient salamence, looked severely at the Latias. The winged old woman was one of the strictest teachers known to the world. She was old enough not to worry about her students gaining power within her lifetime. Right now, her look must have been to try to falsely intimidate Sheiaral into apologize for being late, but Sheiaral just took her seat next to her second cousin, a Latios who the teacher was just as hard on. The teacher walked to the front of the class to the place she likes to lecture.
The salamence suddenly flipped a coin into the air. Sheriaral looked closely before the teacher caught it. "Last week, we finished the Recovery Era. Would anyone like to guess what era were starting on?"
A male charmeleon said, "The Worldsourge?"
Sheiaral spoke. "The Ferron Empire decline before the Worldsourge."
The teacher glared at the Latias. "How did you know that?"
"The coin is from the old Ferron capital, Melorn. It has the old capital slogan 'Permanence as the gods.' That mean it was forged before the Worldsourge. The coin itself aged well, so it's forging method is something that must have been lost to time."
"You weren't snooping around in my office, were you?"
"No, I read it in the air." The salamence looked confused at her student's claim. "I mean I read it while it was flipping in the air. You do make me sit in the front row so I try to pay attention as best as I can."
The teacher turned away nearly snorting. "Amazing, Princess. That's an unheard of power, but kind of useless. Maybe that's why it's unheard of."
The latios spoke up. "You can't just declare powers useless. We still don't know how Rebeiasa the Witch hid an entire nation for most of a century."
"You can't compare that to parlor tricks, Maoirous," said Mrs. Cerrius irritably. "Now, let's get onto the subject. The first two weeks, we're going to focus on the extensive tax laws the Ferron empire had in place."
There was a silence in the class, broken by Maoirous. "But wasn't their tax system a ridiculous patchwork that with exemptions and obligations that were over a thousand years old?"
"Yes, that's part of the reason. You must remember how big these empire were population-wise. There were a lot more people in the world back then and an empire can be defined by the population that it can apply a tax to."
A lot of the students fidgeted. A few of them were very unaccustomed to not getting their way, and were sent to this school specifically for that reason.
The door to the classroom opened. The Latias left her seat. "Father!" Her father was not much taller than her slightly older cousin, although his face was more mature. The older Latios was shorter than the harsh salamence woman.
"Sheiaral, I missed you," he said. "A year is too long, even for me."
"Excuse me but could you not disrupt the class, King Consort Latios?" Mrs. Cerrius said.
"I'm taking my daughter home," said the man, "and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"Uncle, save me please," Maoirous said.
"Please, Father, Mao is the only latios my age in the entire city," Sheiaral said.
Her father looked up towards the teacher before the educator's eyes quickly struck him down. "You're not even his blood relative. Stop wasting my time, King Consort." There was hard emphasis on that last word. The constitution meant they the only government in the world where the word king would be spoken down to by non-royalty, although being on good terms with the reigning power favor the teacher.
"Alright Sheiaral, lets go to the keep," said her father grabbing her far shoulder. "What were you going to learn about?"
"We finished going over the the aftermath of the Worldscourge. Then she illogically skipped pass the Worldscourge," Sheiaral said.
He responded with a whisper. "Well, Mrs. Cerrius, like your mother, is old enough to remember that time. It's not something they like talking about with kids. You could ask me what I know though. My young life was full of people who were willing to recount their tells."
"I wouldn't even know what to ask. I was hoping for a full class, not a collection of localized war stories."
"Well, in four years you'll get that covered in some more military related classes. It's good that you still love history. The teacher didn't kill that in you. Wait until you see what I gathered while I was away."
Eventually they reach their home behind the thick walls holding the the impressive structures on the top of the castle, but the Latios couldn't help but notice that his daughter's belongings were out as if being reorganized. "I'm sorry, Sheiaral I can't stay. Don't you like living with your brother?" her father said.
"He's always busy and he's so boring. He talks to Mrs. Cerrius in his spare time… out of his own volition! You're a lot more fun than him."
"Yes, your mother suspected you might be getting bored of life in the capital with just your brother. Unfortunately, your mother can't come. This world is too damn needy to give her time off. Also, there's some interesting site near the negotiations that need to be examined."
"Well, can I go with you?"
"I don't think it will be as fun as you think it will be. I've been doing a lot of work. It's really repetitive and slow work actually, although…" He stop to get up mid sentence and walked across the room and pull some far away mass. A scroll flew down the stairs to the summoner's hand. "This appears to be the right one. Sheiaral, you remember General Tridious Faroon Latios?"
"The man from thousands of years ago who may not even exist? The hero you are named after? Yes, of course I remember. I guess you found something from that era."
"Well, he seemed to exist in the records of ancient Ryrbola, which would indicate he's more than a mythical hero."
Sheiaral leaned forward, "really? So which stories are true? I don't expect all of them to be. Even back then, our race must have been capable of great things. Actually, it's more interesting to find out if he had children. A Latios that lived that long ago would be all of our ancestors, including the nomads. I don't know why a city of desert dwellers would have records on dragons. The sand would have destroyed the teeth of dragon while they slowly matured, so a population of them couldn't survive. Rybolains were probably eighty percent steel and ground type species at that time."
"Well, more like 60% from the translated text. Some stories are basically confirmed. We actually are finding out events we never thought of. There is one event that seemed to take place after all the legends, well into his old age. Ryrbola was merely a walled city of scholars in the legends, and during much of the man's life." The Latios opened the scroll. "However in a couple of decades, the entire world changed under a new empire. You're going to have to use your own imagination on this one, Sheiaral. It's important for us historians to get as many original ideas from the brightest and new minds."
"So, it can't be like our old story times? At the very least, I'll like to hear it in your voice, please," Sheiaral asked.
"Alright-" Her dad cleared his throat. "The opposing army-
The opposing army, the one we have we've been fighting for seven month appeared across the desert. This was the hour the mubarizunis foretold many years ago. No army before has lasted for more than three weeks against the Eternal Empire, but this Latios General was able to keep the imperial army at bay for far longer than any opponent. However, his army's defeat was playing out on this seventh hour, a testament to every event foretold by the mubarizunis.
The tallest soldier looked over at Mubarizun Remeis, an gallade half his height. Although the metagross exceed everyone in sheer power, the mubazinis was most dangerous man to ever walk these sands. The gallade sighed as he became aware of the distressed metagross's expression. The past seven months have been little more than an annoyance to the commander. However, there was relief when he spoke. "Your orders are to take General Tridious duFaroon Latios to the imperial prison. You are the only one qualified to handle the Latios."
The metagross nodded. "Yes, Your Eminence." Most of the men were not privy to the knowledge of their own survival. Losses were inevitable, but not all losses were equally likely. The metagross showed no reprieve in the small revelation.
Remius smiled at the giant sorcerer. "Don't worry, Detreetis. I know your dislike for spilled blood. This will be a merciful battle. I can guarantee you that much."
The light haze finally reveal the eyes of the dragon warriors. They have seen horror most recently, and they were all nearly ready to die in battle. One wasn't. The blue and gray-haired general had seven bronze swords unsheathed under his telekinesis. His dehydrated eyes said death, but not for himself or his army.
Detreetis ran to the general and four swords came in his range and he had no more control over their movement. Their eyes met, as the metagross realized that this is the first time he seen an latios or latias, he was then seeing through the memories of one. It was an attempt to make him lose focus.
He walked in the front rank in an army of dragon warriors. The construction of the Marble Palace was evidently halted from miles away. No movement happened as the party approach. Soon, the workers should be visible, unless the site was abandoned, which didn't match any of the orders that were intercepted. Eventually, the workers were visible.
"Oh my. They overworked them. All of them," a farsighted dragonair said.
The general, whose eyes were seeing all of this, disagreed. "Not quite Diroisal. Remember who we're up against. We came here for water and whatever we can savage. They cut off the supplies far the source and continued working them down here."
The speed and clarity of the images were unlike most of the meragross's resistance training, although he knew exactly what was going o in the present. The sand harden as Detreetis put his right foot exactly three cubits behind his straight forward. A perfect right angle on now perfectly level ground.
General Latios leaped into the air. The ground raced below. The metagross first experience of flight was spoiled by the blemish of death across the palace. Not a single living soul came across the shared vision. Only one of the general's men had both the ability and strength left to follow him in his flight. "Some of these slaves were the last of their kind. Never again will they appear in this world." The general did not respond. The was now a higher concentration of bodies. "Wasn't the completion of this palace foretold by their marbanus?"
The Latios landed on the end of aqueduct. "The Murbarizunis Council do intend for this place to be completed on whatever hour they foretold, and they intend our people to also clean up this mess." More recent remains were nearest to the aqueduct. The races were different from the rest of the site: kadrabras, sandslashes, hypnos, and various other races from Ryrbolain.
"Taskmasters. Their own people…" the flygon said.
A grid visible only to Detreetis appeared in the distance between the general and him.
He focused on the task at hand while the memory attack played out. It was time to play out his part in ending the terrible war. All the foresight the Sun Emperor and marbarizunis have and they have to resort to such high costs to defeat this general and his people?
What counted as the strongest of the opposing army was two paces behind their leader. A burning string visible to all shot through the grid under the metagross's power.
"Yes, I know." The Latios looked down the aqueduct all the way to the mountains in the distance. At the very edge of his sight, there was a gap that could only be seen for this height. There were also likely gaps obscured within the mountain. "There's no way this can be fixed by us in time to get water to the army, even if we assume the source is unguarded."
"And other supplies?" the flygon absentmindedly said.
A solid vertical plane exploded into existence at the edge of the spell's range to separate the general from those warriors behind him. Dozens of minuscule burning spears pierced the proud dragon from exactly six directions.
"What other than water will stop the thirst? Death is already having His way with the army. Let's return to the men. It's time to face our fate."
"We yield to them today?"
"If only we had more days. I do not intent to lower the cost of this war to them. Whatever dominion they may have on this earth will disappear as we send them to the gods."
A searing silver blade came out the leggings of the latios but it was still anchored to his leg, which was sent to the ground with the rest of his body. His ankles and wrists were restrained by unmoving black metal. No matter how he would struggle, an all-powerful mind made it impossible to even bulge the restraints. The rest of the dragons were blasted by sand. As the sand cleared, they were demoralized by their general being pinned to the ground with the metagross standing over. "I am in full control of the space in which you lie."
"Absolute metal," General Latios murmured. "I thought it was only a rumor."
Detreetis looked at the flanks. The dragons were already surrendering, and falling to the ground out of sheer exhaustion. It seemed not a single Ryrbolain was sent to any deity, although a couple dragons were cut down in their weakened state.
"We call this ability perfect black mineral, and I'm the only person in the world who can perform the conjuration. It's beyond even most metagrosses," the captor said. "You are to come with me to the divine city. There, you will be kept under arrest."
The mubarizun walked over in an official manner and spoke. "Your fate is to remain in a dungeon for the rest of your life. If you try to escape, you will fail. Your natural death will happen on the nineteenth year, fifth month, tenth day and twentieth hour of your imprisonment during your sleep."
"What about my people?" Latios's parched voiced yelled.
"They are recognized as possessing the light of heaven." Remeis coldly said speaking only of the latios species, the only dragons gifted with the empowered mind. "Their temporary defiance will be forgiven for the next generation."
The Latios voice further stressed the point. "No, I mean, my people. My nation."
"You mean the lesser dragons? Yes, they will be put to work at the Marble Palace. It's not a comfortable fate, but it's better for the world if they are put in their place as soon as possible. Your people's fate, is severed from them forever." The gallade stood there in finality. "Detreetis, I'm done with the sentencing."
"Army, part!" the metagross yelled and the army moved and made a path for the two large psychics. "I'll allow you to walk, Latios. Remember that I've have ripped off tougher limbs than yours."
The disgraced general followed. Eventually, they were far enough from the army for the metagross to speak privately, "You claim you don't believe in the Word of the Sun. Are you going to attempt escape from the prison?"
"No, I need to be as close to my people as possible."
"But everything that the eight mubarizunis has written has happened every time, at the hour. If you escape the nation, that will disprove Heaven's Doctrine. It's clear that the emperor and mubarizunis are formidable with their predictions, but If anyone could defy them, it's you." The metagross looked worried as although it was likely to come across as a taunt by any keen ears.
Latios looked at at the absolute metal encasing his hands. "I- such a thing is unthinkable. My duty is to my people. It is the closest I can tie my fate to them. I will not abandon them out of hatred of your emperor."
The metagross walked in front of the Latios so they couldn't see each other's face. "You may be the greatest military man in all of time. I don't understand why the heavens put you on the wrong side. Your ultimate destiny was to lose and to see your people end up in bondage."
"The powers on high may have something for my people. I don't know all the things that happen on earth or in heaven, I know my people. Do you think you know the world as a tapestry you can look upon? Are you certain of the design of the world from your perspective? Are you certain of which side of history you are on?"
"Yes, I am." Detreetis said. We're both on the wrong side. Detreetis, although able to put up mental shields to stop powerful attacks, was certain the draconic empath could sense the tear leaves his eyes.
Sheiaral had her knees up to her chest sitting on the couch; her dad was finished reading. "That's a disappointing end to the legends. I know the empire will end and that our people will get freed, but it's was their lives back then. How does this all end? Does a murkrow fly across the ocean and smash the prophets and their emperor with a quarterstaff?"
The story-teller carefully placed the scroll down on a table before turning to his daughter. "There are those who think as much. There's problems with every theory. The most popular is that the Sun Emperor revised a lot of writing. Also, marbanzuni is an appropriated title meaning duelist champion. Their prophecy technique did allow them to conquer a warrior culture in this manner. You imagined that gallade as too, ur, priestly, I hypothesize."
"As far as we know, it would be over a thousand years before the dark people even know about this continent. Does General Faroon live to see his people free again?"
"While the Ryrbolains wrote down everything obsessively, much of what was written was destroyed. Trust me, no one stressed over the lacunas more than me. We know the predicted names of heirs to that empire that won't be born thousands of years from now, but don't know how point A becomes point B. It's frustrating that there are still idiots who bring black-powder to an archeological site instead of waiting for someone capable of properly solving their problems. There is a lot we don't know about history, and some things we will never know. However, I do take this pastime quite seriously..."
"Don't be silly, Daddy. Everyone knows that your archeology is just a cover for all the assassination work you do."
"Fortunately, nobody in the upper halls of any nation believes that conspiracy theory. Commoners and bored lords are that only people who gives the idea any credence."
"And that's why you're so good at your job," the cheerful child added.
"On my honor, I'm no assassin. I'll even bring you along if that will exonerate me."
"Well, the-wait. You're taking me away with you? Really?"
"Yes. Keep in mind, not all of our princesses can be assassins, and that they will be much dirt and much brushing of dirt off fragile objects."
"Yes, I know. Sheiaral F Latias, assassin in training, is ready for her first orders."
Her father sighed. "Not all walls are as thick as our inner keep's. You are a daughter of the Empress so the jokes have to stop here. There's not even much I can theoretically tell you about killing as I was always a civilian. There's much more proper thing to teach a Latias, and all of them involve people staying alive."
After a few years, traveling was just a background truth of her life.
A party of seven stood in front of temple overgrown in jungle trees. An older Sheiaral as tall as than her father casually had a balled-fabric gag stuffed in her mouth, like one another here. She might of been confused for an adult for those not familiar with her species psychology, but she still had over a decade of puberty left. Many did suspect the the stature of latios was an exaggeration, but she will tower over her father in time.
Three of the men were from strength-gifted species: mienshao(gagged), machamp, and a native chesnaught. Metang and a tauros were the other archaeologist.
The Tauros broke the silence. "The loud mouths may remove their gags."
Sheiaral and the mienshao did so but remained sileny.
"As you know, four people died upon entry to the inner temple," the Tauros said. "Three of them were dedicated archaeologist. This mission claimed the lives of many innocents, as well as two others. The runes above each archway inscribed the prerequisites to entry. All who fall short will die, as far as we know. Now, many have entered the antechamber without such extreme precautions, but as head of this mission, I will not allow a single person to die to carelessness.
"The first barrier, the entry you see, says, 'This last day, I have not impersonated a Tolo priest.' Not a problem; we've had zero deaths. The next archway say 'these three days, I have not lied.' Any spoken lie, not matter how small, will kill you. Big problem. If you speak within the temple, do it with purpose. Avoid any grammatically declarative statement. Avoid queries, as that leads to declaratives. Forget pleasantries, even with the imperial consort and princess. Commands won't kill anyone. Be rude if you must.
"These ghost barriers work both ways. If at any time you do not feel you should attempt to enter another section of the temple, don't. We can provide supplies if you think you cannot exit. Caution is the key. This mission is already four days late and we had to change who was 'essential.' So, let's move that stone."
"That was of course a simplification. Sheiaral's dad was supposed to be the first to explore a secret chamber.
The six in front were nervous as the began there step forward. Many reacted as they stepped which made Sheiaral hesitate for a split second. The magic felt as a cold hand of wind pulling out something through her back. Although the magic was based on justice, Sheiaral could understand why it has always been considered evil magic. Suddenly the temple seemed more ominous and Sheiaral was regretting coming.
That was her irrational side though. This magic would have very useful application as the later archways demonstrate, but it's lost to time. The living world has lost the means, and even Hell may not hold the secrets. While those specific discoveries are held back, possibly forever, more await.
It wasn't long until the next barrier. "I have not lied," the tauros said. "This is where I stay. Authority isn't enough to exempt me from caution. Be safe."
Her father grabbed her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. It may be deadly magic, but the princess knew what she was getting herself into. The dad frown at his daughter's annoyed look, One again Sheiaral braced herself against the intrusive magic. It didn't seem as bad, although it did finish off people from this century unlike the entry.
The third barrier wasn't far. Through it, the party could see a recent hole in the ancient wall. The hole didn't work for one poor soul.
"Stay if you think you've stolen anything, no matter how insignificant, in the past week!" said the latios who rehearsed those words. The actual period was five days.
Sheiaral walked through first in. The third time was the worst, and clearly deeper. Two known people from this era were killed by what she just felt. She couldn't shake off the feeling that coinciding with that realization. Her father's warm hand grabbed her.
It was hard to believe someone tried throwing all the artifacts through the barrier and survived by waiting for the sin to expire. It's almost a childish loophole. Sheiaral would not tempt this magic.
There were more corners on the way to the fourth barrier. I have not kidnapped this week. The condition didn't matter, but she kept her father's hand. The familiar feeling struck again. Zero people from this era, and no skeleton noted by the teams. That was irrelevant to the deep gripping freeze. This time, she suspected her father took it worse. All of the others archeologist were taking it better, all having experienced this before.
The anti-adultery barrier. Will the cold have mercy on this poor maiden? She know better than to ask out loud. It probably wouldn't kill anyone; a white lie might come out, but everyone would be smart enough to realize their mistake. It would not be princessly to trap someone in the temple for multiple days.
It was about as mild as the second one. It was time to regain composure. Two were left.
Dismemberment at an year long period, which probably includes murder. The next one was a lifetime check as the temple builders had no special words for a handful of years.
That barrier was the most mild, by she still held one.
The next barriers was about six feet away. "If you think you might trigger a false positive turn, and stay," the latios said. It was unlikely rapist and other like unsavory types would volunteer for this, but an objectively bad translation got one rapist. The other known 'rapist' apparently just forgot he was one, although that seems excessively irrational. This paradox led to three separate fist fights among the archeologist, and the linguists all the way on the home continent nearly escalated to that level.
The father-daughter paired walked through into the central room. The magic struck hard, but it was the third worst in Sheiaral's hindsight. There were four empty pedestals but Sheiaral looked to the empty middle. Everyone followed the hasty teenager to the center of the of the room and made a circle around it.
There was a cover that they were looking at, but only an invisible line separated it from the rest of the floor. It would be four and a half feet deep,
"We're standing on it," Sheiaral said. Finally seeing the line beneath her feet.
Everyone looked at her in panic, except the metang. Then everyone looked to the metang, who gave a thumbs up. People have survived bad estimations according to records, but caution was always the rule.
Everyone backed up. The dimensions were a bit wider than what they intuitively thought. The metang hopped to the ceiling, directly above the glorified lid. The latios and latias stood opposite of each other. The three non-psychics squatted at 120 degrees apart.
"Don't be fooled by the princess's size, or rather my lack of typical size, Grathor," the latios said to the metang reaching down to the lid. "She is far from being physically and psychically mature and her powers won't be comparable to an adult latios, even with my attention divided on two task."
"I understand, Tridious," said Grathor from the ceiling.
The latios's non-telekinetic role was to monitor the bodies of the three physical lifters, as a precaution. The metang had the secondary role of keeping psychic balance between the dragons, along with being the biggest contributor force-wise. That metang was a bit of a prodigy.
With combined efforts of the psychics, the stone raised itself from the floor until the others moved in with their hands. They lifted with their bodies until the shape reveal itself. The stone had a top like a table, but most of was a still wide cylinder that sloped inwards, unsurprisingly.
The first two feet, then the fighting types repositioned and pushed up again. After finally sliding on the floor, the mienshao hopped out of the way and Grathor psychically pushed the entire thing to the wall. It wasn't as deep as it was across.
The metang dizzily floated down to as the rest of the grouped looked in. "Your turn, Tridious."
"Water," the chesnaught said. It was calm water, but the four foot drop would make it hard for someone to get out without levitation.
"runes," the latios said. "Oh no."
"What wrong dad?" Sheiaral asked as she looked into the well with the ruins around it. "Barrier?"
The chesnaught, "It appears to be another lifetime check like the rape barrier. My guess is murder or treason."
"My best translation is 'take a person's life,'" said the latios.
The air was tense for the next moment. Everyone stood their ground as they look at the latios, who solemn turn seemed to doom the mission.
"Sheiaral, as you father, I tell you this much. I don't know if I've taken a life. Life is complicated and you'll just never know some answers."
The meinshou looked down the hole holding his touch. "I can't see anything special down through the water. I theorize this is a well of sort."
"Well I don't know how to swim," said the chesnaught.
Sheiaral looked down. "I see a light!"
"Are you sure you're not seeing my torch?" the mienshao responded. "Don't answer that."
Sheiaral looked at everyone. They all seemed skeptical of the existence of another source of light.
"Please allow me douse your torches," she asked will up two blobs of water from below.
The archaeologists nodded. Sheiaral put out the torch without getting any water on their carriers. "Yes, It appears much brighter, and bigger than a person." It looked like a pathway directly below. No one else was excited with this discovery, as they should be.
Her father spoke for the group. "No one else sees it, Sheiaral. We're in complete darkness."
"I don't recall any illusionary spell being observed at a temple anywhere on Equatisa," the chestnuaght said.
"And I can't recall of any magic every that matches this effect, whether it's affecting my daughter or the five of us. Dousing the light's shouldn't make an illusionary spell appear significantly brighter. Most magic is instantaneous or ephemeral in nature, and I don't detect any living thing around. It's likely set up by the same ancient ghost gijinkas." The latios tapped a torch with a flaming hand. "We should go. The next party should be able to relocate the water. Grathor. Do you have the volume of the chamber below?"
"No, but it shouldn't be something unfeasible from what I can tell. We also need to bring someone to trigger the princess's light. We don't know if the condition is sex, age, or something logistically bothersome like being the blood relative of a sovereign ruler."
Sheiaral did not take her eyes from the chamber below. "It would be rather embarrassing if there was the way to drain it below. I volunteer to take a look as I can even see the floor. I am no murderess."
"It might not be the real floor," the meinshou said.
"There's really not that far," Grathor siad.
There's was also the trouble of rumors surrounding Sheiaral's father as to why such a simple mission failed. The new barrier that was discovered would raise suspicions, and passing out the barrier of lying wouldn't be proof of anything to anyone outside this party.
Sheiaral dropped her cloak and pouch. "I'm not going to stress you longer than I have to."
"Sheiaral, no!"
Sheiaral turn to her father, but instead spoke to the others. "Make sure he doesn't follow."
Sheiaral jumped down through the ghost barrier, feeling both the magical cold, and the mild cold from the water. The lit opening was below. It was bright and clear, illuminating details around it. The was nothing noteworthy about the floor from what she could see. The opening was too bright, and it ripples, like the surface of water. She put her hand near it and could detect anything out of the mundane. Putting her hand close, it met air and warm…
Stopping to think while holding one's breath underwater always seems like a waste of time in hindsight. Something very much indistinguishable from sunlight was hitting her hand below. This shouldn't be possible.
Dad, Grathor…
She tried contacting them, but realize she couldn't even detect anyone above. Was this some sort of trap? She couldn't even propel herself back up without swimming, and there was no torchlight to lead her back, just darkness.
She put both of her hand in the air she found and kicked her legs, and saw the blue sky. Above.
She couldn't fly, and she couldn't reach the both edges of the opening, and the ground was several feet above. Grabbing one wall seemed enough to keep afloat.
Gravity just flipped.
"Antipode?" she gasped. No, the sun was in the wrong place. She somehow got flipped, lost her ability to fly, and ended up in a different place. The light she saw was very much real, to her.
The opening she was in was basically identical to the one she helped unplugged, but bigger. Maybe she was smaller.
She look at her arm. It was tanned darker than what sunlight could do to her. She looked down. It wasn't her body, although still a woman's body. She was a qualidin, an earthbound grass gijinka. She guess the plump woman was a young adult with at least eighteen years of age, and she can't be as young as fourteen or else she would have been a chespin.
Almost by reflex, her free arm directed three vines up the open. With some effort she pull herself up from the hole and found the temple floor below. The jungle was visible in the distance, but she new she was in the uncompleted temple in ancient times.
A memory? That's the most logical thing. The well is the same one I entered, or at least the memory of that well.
She sighed. Eventually the memory would be over, but it was over a thousand years into history at the very least. There was a wooden path to the center of the temple that she didn't picture being there. She looked at her reflection in a bucket.
She was willing her qualidin self to do things, such as moving her hand through her brown hair, but perhaps that's because the ancient woman herself willed it. She walked in the direction which she supposed suited the qualidin. Still something was bothering her.
"I am a Latias," Sheiaral said. "A, ah psychically gifted dragon." She paused. The qualidin woman wouldn't say that. "From another continent, and I won't be born for thousands of years."
"I'm not remembering a specific moment of time. I am thousands of years ago." Was that even a grammatically proper way of saying that?
Nothing Sheiaral could remember was anything like this, not even in fiction. She racked her mind to recall any story that was like her situation. There was gravity flipping from a story from the age of geocentrism, but that had the character coming out on the other side of the world. There are also future-oriented story that are prophetic, which the narrative either sides with free will or determination. Some culture's cosmologies have an non-linear view of history, but there aren't any stories she knows that a mortal is that involve with history on that scale.
"Come on Sheiaral," she said still hoping for the memory hypothesis. Myths and fiction isn't going to help. Use reason.
"The past may be unchanged, and this stitch of a displace-distimed dragon princess being here was just a truth of this time. Or: my presence here won't change anything in the long term, which I can't convince myself that's even possible. Finally: there the possibility that hasn't been born by this year will never exist. That last one, i really hope it's not true. It'll even qualify as heretical.
"It's probably best to proceed as if the first possibility is true. It's the least awful possibility, although it's the worst option for freewill. If it's the second, I should try to not die as my return isn't guaranteed. There's nothing really prescriptive about this."
She decided to stop speaking all her thoughts as she decide she was sounding really stupid. It's a slow way to think, and she's going to have to think fast to survive. Her head must be in the game. Still she wondered how the dragons were doing at this moment in time, even though that's the last thing she should be thinking about. The chances of seeing a non-western dragon any time soon weren't worth hoping for.
Sheiaral's world hasn't developed time-travel types stories yet, so it took longer for her to grasp than someone from a world as advanced as ours.
This is going to be more of a battle focus story than I originally planned. The world has to be super complex just by have a full history were everyone can do gijinka things. Completing a lore with logical progression in such a world would end me. This isn't going to be some RPG story set in some perpetual middle ages. It's going to be low-tech fighting with superpowers.