Flicker of Judgment
Chapter 35
Enfolded: Touching the Edge
The Score was many things, many manifestations. It was part memory, part soul, part time. It's essence allowed healing, rejuvenation as time was either pushed forward or back for the battered body. Seventh was the stuff that bound, encapsulating the small crackles of electricity that the brain generated with its rumination, therefore sparing the mind the electrical torment of its own thoughts.
In those aspects, it was known, familiar, friendly even.
"Mind the world s and its dangers, but don't truly fear, a seventh fonist can mend any hurt."
Such were children told, daredevils and bookworms alike. So, though they found awe and wonder in their savage world few knew true fear. After all, while not necessarily abundant there were seventh fonists enough to care for most.
And that was enough.
So the children of Auldrant played their silly games of race and tag and war. And when they became adults they last ceased to be play and they took up blade, and bow, and fonic arte, and marched under the drum of their liege lord.
Little wonder them, the history of Auldrant was but one great war. With immortality almost theirs, its promise set in a glorious future, a tantalizing tomorrow, little wonder they marched fervent, frantic even. So with the clipped tread of a soldier, all of Auldrant marched. It's goal, to fulfill every war, every notion, of the Score.
As for guilt, shame, doubt, the litany was ever the same.
"Fear not, doubt not. Preserve, for this was Scored. It must be, for there is a drive a tempo to Lorelei's will and all must respond."
A stairwell carved of stone, it sported one wall, one hand rail. Natalia gripped that even as she descended, never mind that the… very vertical nature of Kimlasca made such a paltry drop of ten feet or so a paltry thing. The distance, between the noble level and the common level was over a hundred feet, after all.
Still she grouped the offered support, looked down at what lay below and spread before them, with wide eyes.
She wasn't the only one.
Before them the floor spread out. Translucent crystal, polished so it might be mistaken for glass, so clear it was. Only the flaws, runes etched upon runes until the material had lost its translucency due to the scaring, gave the substance away. After all, for all its beauty, glass did not shine for all its flaw. Nor did glass glow so perfectly, with the light of the Sephiroth shining through it.
As for the Sephiroth, it was large beyond imagining, molded of sunlight on the clearest morning. Smooth it hummed, in perfect tune with the very force of creation itself, for it was one of the keystones of the Planet's birth. Closing her eyes, Natalia could almost hear its paean, a soft, subtle song praising the singing world.
Oh glorious Auldrant, savage, magnificent Mother of us all.
She shivered, senses all and one stroked by that soft, overpowering, melody.
Holy mother Auldrant.
Footfalls across stone, by passing Guy, bypassing Jade, behind her. Right behind. His hand slid over her shoulder, so close he leaned down, lips against her very ear.
"Isn't it magnificent?"
Reaching back, she twined her fingers between his, leaned against his offered support. He started at her caress, then he smiled. They were so close she could feel the quirk of his lips.
"It's… beyond words."
As if in response to her paltry praise, the light shivered, a cascade of multicolored illumination, rainbows and sunlight soured from pillars forked crown to its base so far below it defied imagining.
"Yes." Taking a deep breathe Jade adjusted his glasses, or so Natalia imagined. She never looked back, took comfort in Luke's touch. "Fascinating…"
"It is something to see, isn't it?" Guy agreed,
"Supported by life's very melody, such is the singing world. Welcome, oh child, to Auldrant."
Awe fled Jade's tone, surely he lifted his gaze from one of the world's wonders to better consider her. She could feel the force of his regard. "Shadican del Locria… Shards of faith. Book one of Locrian Wonders, chapter twelve, opening line. You're well read, your majesty."
Wordlessly Luke let her hand go, after a final squeeze. She never turned, listened to the tempo of his steps, noted only in idle passing that he'd slipped about her. The noblemen took the final stair with a little hop, he set his feet to a path of five bars, gold of course, as were the runes that bespoke of glories from ages ago. Gold had been their God, their God their love. In that sole aspect, all made perfect sense.
"Now now Luke, you mustn't get too close, while this might be the Sephiroth I've some doubts. For all we know this is a fon tech moth killer made for some monster of a moth."
That, was Jade, of course.
"Seriously man! Don't get too close!" Guy called out, inching near but never drawing the courage to creep past Natalia to get to Luke. Concern replaced previous tension, in that moment there was no difference between this Guy... and the other she knew.
For that revelation, Natalia shook.
All bemused, as if he'd never heard, Luke tilted his head to better look at the top of the forked spore. "So… this is it." Awe seeped out the bravo. In that moment the future king of Kimlasca spoke with something so like reverence, so like piety, Natalia was struck motionless.
"What's it?" Guy groused, blue eyes flicking from Master to the obstacle to his Master. To that unspoken request Natalia slipped down the final steps, and the second she was clear Guy inched down a few more feet. An amused Jade following at the servant's heels.
"This is where I was Scored to save the world." Luke clarified in those same, subdued, tones. "I never… It's just… so much…"
The last was a whisper, Natalia wasn't sure she'd heard him right.
"You're supposed to save what, now?" Guy protested, voice carefully light, smile forced and phony.
"The world, here, in this room…" Louder then, for comprehension, their comprehensions was also Score,d the Noble did not turn about. But he did raise his voice for this repetition. His attention, though he addressed them, was riveted on the Sephiroth. "This is where I'm supposed to save the world."
Guy wasn't the only one to gap out inanities of shock at Luke's distracted response.