Chapter 4: Path of Communion
If she tried really, really hard, she could just recall when she first opened her eyes and stared around her as she tried to grasp where she was. She had no memories before that moment, and yet, her mind was turning with all manner of knowledge, calculations, and theories that she had no memories of learning before. It was as if they were automatically planted there.
Which it turns out wasn't as far-fetched as one would think; for as she was contemplating that, she felt the light… a warm and blinding light that wrapped her up as if it were a warm blanket. She blinked before she gazed up at the beautiful, smiling face of the giant figure with light radiating out of her as if she were the sun.
She could not recall ever having met her from before but she knew who she was instantly. A figure she loved as dearly as one would a mother… though in her case, it was very much the same.
"H-H-Hydaelyn," she whispered knowingly, her furry lips a bit numb after having first come into existence and muttering her first word as her voice struggled to make itself heard.
Not long after she was created, Hydaelyn spun her creation magicks again and again until they were surrounded by a whole army of fluffy beings. Loporrits she called them. Hydaelyn welcomed her and all her fellows warmly into the world… well, more like off the world since they were upon the moon gazing up at the gorgeous blue star above their heads.
This particular Loporrit was named by Hydaelyn as their leader, Her Right Paw, so to speak. Of course, the last time that she or any of her fellows had actually seen Hydaelyn in all Her glory was just after their creation before She retreated to the aetherial sea. Hydaelyn feared that Her presence would drain the land of aether and thus dooming the world that she loved so dearly—leaving her with no choice but to remain apart from them and all other life upon the star.
But their orders from Her left no room for doubt on the task that they were to be charged with—their reason for their creation.
A day will come when Zodiark would be unmade… and when that day came, then the Final Days would revisit Etheirys, thus dooming both it and its people. Their mission was to be ready for when that day came and spirit the people of Ethirys to a new star and to safety! This was a mission that they all dedicated their entire beings into fulfilling. It was a long and often frustrating road to get them to this point, but they had time to be able to work a plan out.
Needless to say, it was a hard work to prepare for the inevitable end of the world. They were able to work on a propulsion system at the very heart of the moon, transforming it into a vessel capable of traversing the Great Expanse. After they worked out the problem of moving the moon when the time came, they went to work on building a way to house and care for the people. That part turned out to be even harder to figure out than trying to get a sizeable rock floating out there in the universe to move.
They had only vague ideas to what life was like before the Sundering. But since they had no other means of knowing what life was like now, they could only rely upon those half faded memories from Hydaelyn when she was still Venat and from the Watcher. The Watcher, as they came to understand, was the concept of a dear friend of Venat's who had vowed to become Her eyes and watch over Zodiark's prison. The Watcher was always kind whenever they asked questions and would often tell them stories of Amaurot and what the world was like in the past. So for the longest time that was all they had to work with. As for when the Final Days were to revisit them, Hydaelyn never told them how she knew that it would happen or when, but each Loporrit would tell you that there was always a sense that Hydaelyn was waiting for something.
What that was, she wasn't sure, but she knew better than to ask.
Other than a few mistakes and setbacks here and there, things went on as they planned for the most part and things were relatively uneventful…? Aside from some moments of fright; such as the day that a great red sphere was launched towards them… and then narrowly avoiding the moon all together as it sped even further out into the expanse, though they could make out the tiny red star joining the countless others once it settled into orbit days later.
Well, that was enough for her and the others as they reached out and pleaded for Hydaleyn's help. The last time they were able to communicate with Hydaelyn was so long ago now that she couldn't even remember when it was. Only that She did promise them that She will find others who would be able to help them in time. Communications with Hydealyn grew rarer with every century that went by… with every Rejoining that happened Her strength waned more and more. Whenever she left the Burrows, she could see that terrifying image of Zodiark within his prison and how more and more of him would appear, signaling how many times the worlds were Rejoined and Hydaelyn's dwindling powers.
Still, as She promised, when they next awoke from their hibernation, they were greeted with something new! Books! A veritable mountain of books about mankind and the world below! Oh, it was a joyous day indeed when they received all that work, and they immediately began learning everything they could from them.
It didn't take them long to learn mankind's most common tongue and written language, though at some point they all realized they may have a problem with their names. Hydealyn had given each of them their own name after they were created, yet they realized that such names would prove to be too complex and difficult for the people of Etheirys to even say. So, for things to run as smooth as possible for their future residents, they decided upon new titles from the dictionary that they learned to translate with.
From here did Livingway choose a name that she would later come to realize the significance of.
Things were moving much faster than ever before now that they finally had points of references to make while also improving their own designs; creating things like 'trees' and 'fresh-running water' for the peoples future home. They also transformed the inner workings of the moon into fully furnished housing for the people to retire to without any worries.
Not only that, but Mappingway—who had spent long years studying the heavens—was able to map out an exact list of all possible new stars to land on. She had seen his report and how he had found promising signs for certain stars across the expanse which they were all excited about. The only downside was that they had no idea of knowing if they would be suitable for resettlement yet. But as Mappingway suggested, they would be prepared for an extended stay on the moon and simply go hopping down the list one by one until they found one that would be best suited for them.
Though, that wasn't exactly a topic that was rare. As they worked, they would always talk about what they thought 'mankind' would be like. Unable to stop themselves from wondering what people were like and what it would be like to meet them when the time came? How they must be truly special if Hydaelyn loved them all so dearly like this. Sometimes Livingway would step outside Bestaway Burrows and just stare up at the world of Etheirys, wondering of the beloved children that Hydaelyn doted upon. As much as she wished that there was a way they could avoid the future calamity, she honestly could not wait for the day to be able to meet mankind herself!
Until that day that it finally happened.
She awoke to the alarum that reactivated everything within Bestaway Burrows and she immediately ran outside to see what was going on. She wasn't sure what happened, only that it had been from the Watcher who awakened them—far too early for the next scheduled rounds of maintenance, so she knew that something big had to have happened for the Watcher to have called out to them like this. When she ran outside to check, she was astonished to discover that the image of Zodiark within his prison of the Cradle of Darkness… was gone. All that remained of the frightening-looking creature was a massive wellspring of aether pouring out into the space above them… signaling the beginning of the end at long last.
She was so stunned that she couldn't believe that it had finally come. But she soon shook her head and happiness bloomed inside her like a carrot that had reached full growth. At last! At long last, they were ready to fulfill their duty!
Livingway ran back inside to whip the others into shape and get everything ready for their guests to arrive. Despite the dire situation, everyone was up and eager in no time at all! What they weren't expecting were for guests to arrive so quickly. At first, Livingway was taken aback by how small they were, immediately thinking that they were children sent on ahead of the adults. Imagine how shocked she was to discover that this was just one of many things that they had gotten wrong about mankind.
Upon meeting them, it couldn't have been clearer to Livingway that their preparations were less than satisfactory… but she didn't know what it was that they were doing wrong! They had all read and reread all the books that were sent to them so where did they miss it? To find out, she sought out the quieter one known as Urianger, who seemed much more open to the idea of leaving Etheirys behind than the others.
"Thou must understand my dear friends point of view," he explained kindly to her. "That thou have worked hard for the salvation of mankind is not lost to them. Yet, they have worked hard to protect and save this star, our home, more times than I can reasonably count. They would be reluctant to leave it behind."
Despite all that, he was able to defuse any possible hostilities between them and his friends, reassuring them that they were all on the same side. He then elected to remain behind to help them all further understand mankind and to help correct any of their preparations that may serve a potential problem in the future.
He was also kind when he gifted to her the ink, promising to help them out in any way possible while his friends would work on seeing if there is a way to save Etheirys. They agreed they would evacuate the star if there was truly nothing more they could do to save it.
For the next few days after all that did she and the other Loporrits would all huddle eagerly around Urianger as he would talk about the world of Etheirys. He would go on and on about the different nations, their histories right down to their clothes and foods that arose from their cultures. It was all fascinating and she couldn't help but fill in the books that they were gifted with notes. Hard to believe she had almost run out of both room to write and ink to write with after only a few days… and it still felt like she had only begun to scratch the surface.
After all the many stories that Urianger had to tell them, she could no longer imagine a sight without the big, beautiful Etheirys above them any longer. Though she still found it strange to imagine that there are those upon Etheirys who do not enjoy the taste of carrots? Either way, the more that she grew to learn of this place, the more she longed to be able to see it with her own two eyes… to walk through its forests and witness the sun rising from its shores or to gaze up at the moon and stars like the rest of the people were able to do so…?
But then… what would become of them?
What reason would she and the others have if they are able to save Etheirys? Would they be consigned to wait here and only ever dream of what could have been?
Such thoughts plagued her to no end, and it was on this day as she wandered out unto the white landscape to stare up at the star, her mind wondering for what felt like an age.
"Ah, I hath found thee."
Her ears twitched at the sound of footsteps upon the hard ground and she turned her head to find Urianger coming towards here.
"Forgive me for seeking thee out when thou has clearly sought solitude," he told her as he drew up beside her. "But I could not help but notice thy lack of presence during my latest lecture and I could not help but worry."
"Oh? Did I miss one?!" Livingway gasped, having not realized how much time had passed. "NO! What have I done?! I can ill afford to miss even one of them and…?!"
"Calm yourself, Livingway," he soothed, his voice deep and relaxing as ever. "I shall be more than happy to go over what I discussed with you again. I simply wished to know if you were well? 'Tis not like you to disappear like this."
"Well… you see… I was…?" Livingway was struggling to voice what she was thinking before she gazed up at Etheirys once more. Urianger looked up as well and understanding washed over his face as he whispered, "I see."
Things fell silent between them, which struck her as odd for some reason and she gazed up at his tall frame, about to ask, before realizing the sudden faraway look in his eyes as he remained transfixed upon Etheirys.
"Urianger?" she asked him slowly.
"Hmm? Ah yes," he said softly, looking back down at her. "Pray forgive me. It would seem that I am captured by a twinge of homesickness."
"Homesickness?" Livingway repeated in confusion, having never heard of such a thing before. "If you are feeling ill then know that we have arranged an entire medical bay and could…?"
But to her surprise, Urianger was shaking his head with a sad smile.
"Nay, my friend," he counted softly. "I fear that this is not a physical ailment that plagues me. Know that I have enjoyed my time here, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to be able to learn and teach in equal measure—even if one does grow weary of the taste of carrots after a time. Yet… sometimes when I gaze up at our beautiful home… I find myself longing to return to all that I know and love."
Livingway's ears twitched at that as she tried to understand.
"So… being away from Etheirys… makes you feel bad…?" Livingway questioned, not sure she understood and he nodded back.
"It… is hard to describe," he confessed after he thought it all over. "But know that it is not through lack of feeling welcomed by you and yours. Just that I think of all the sights and sounds of home… where my friends are surely still fighting for our future… and I wish to fly to their side and offer any aid I am able."
"Your friends…?" she repeated softly, still finding herself strangely transfixed by the unfamiliar look in Urianger's eyes as he gazed upwards with a fondness mixed in with his longing. Would this be how the other people would look when they would arrive to the moon? Would they all wish to return to their home star? Would they even wish to come with them to a new world?
"How do you think your friends are doing?" she asked instead.
"Surely still searching for a way to avert the Final Days," he said at once without any hesitation. "Rest assure that I hold no doubts that they will find one… whether they will be able to do so in time… is another thing."
"But what if they do find a way to save Etheirys?" Livingway asked him curiously. "What will become of us? We, who have done all in our power to follow the orders left by Hydaelyn?"
Urianger seemed to understand the uncertainty that was waging on inside her, so instead of answering right away, he sat on the ground besides her as the two of them gazed up at both Etheirys and the stars themselves… taking time in giving her an answer.
"That thou hath dedicated countless years to work in service to mankind will not be in vain," he reassured her at last. "For even if we are able to save it… which I am hopeful we will, I am certain that there is much that we could learn from each other."
He reached out and patted her on the head, right between her ears which made her smile back as he added with a chuckle, "Thou dedication is truly a miraculous thing. And I am certain that there would be many upon Etheirys who would wish to learn of you as well. If thou should desire it, I shall be more than glad to show thee around as a guide, if given the chance."
Her eyes widened and she gasped, "What? You mean to visit Etheirys myself?"
He nodded and his smile grew into a beaming grin at her amazement.
"As for the moon? We still doth have the transporter in Garlemald," he reminded her. "Now that we know of each other, it would not at all be hard to open passageway between heavens and earth. We would work together… for the future of Etheirys and all who call it home."
"For all who call it home…?" Livingway whispered softly as she wondered what it would be like to visit the world that they had all spent years gazing up in wonder at. To see real trees or swim in the ocean…? To see the cities that Urianger would go on and on about…? Sights that felt as if they had come from some sort of dream one would have if they were full and happy from eating a hundred carrots of happiness.
She wanted to see it all.
She then hopped back up to her feet and declared, "Well, in that case… let us go now!"
The smile faded slightly from his face to be replaced with surprise as he questioned, "Pardon?"
"I want to see that future you spoke of!" she chirped. "I want to be able to visit Etheirys… at least once! Even if we can't stop the Final Days, it could be a valuable learning experience! I'm sure that we could learn much more on how to improve the living conditions of the moon if we were to do so!"
She turned back to the star and pointed out how certain spots upon the beautiful surface were starting to look a bit darker than they were before.
"Besides that," she added, "I see the dark clouds beginning to gather down there. So I fear that they may be struggling to make it up here? So why not go and see what can be done to help them?"
Urianger studied her for a moment before nodding slowly while the biggest smile appeared.
"I understand," he agreed. "Very well. Let us doth pay our friends a visit. And see if there is aught that can be done to lend them our aid. We shall return to Bestaway Burrows and recruit as many others as we can. I fear we shall need their stalwart presence soon."
*Hours later*
Livingway's first view of Etheirys was of more white powder all around them but a lot colder than she was used to. It was not at all what she expected as she walked through the metal halls of this creepy tower before exiting outside while greeted with a chilly wind.
She blinked around as she stepped into something soft, cold, and wet beneath her feet after leaving—what Urianger called—the Tower of Babil. This must be the 'snow' she heard so much about! She was grateful she had such thick and warm fur all of a sudden.
"The sky doesn't look at all like how you described it, Urianger?" Singingway pointed out to the blazing sky overhead while he was frowning heavily up at it.
"Nay, it does not," he said seriously, leading the way even as Puddingway began looking around eagerly for said pudding that Urianger told him about. "'Twould seem that we arrived at a critical time. Let us be on our way."
But once she arrived in Sharlayan with the others, it was more incredible than she could have ever imagined! The buildings… the plant life… even the sky itself was not at all like anything she could have imagined. Yet it was all so beautiful anyway that she could not take her eyes off anything. The furious red that first greeted them was gone to be replace with a color of the brightest shade of blue she could imagine with white clouds that looked as fluffy as their fur!
Not to mention the endless malms of water beneath them as they rode the airship across the ocean. She and the other Loporrits all leaned over the edge to look down at the sparkling waves and began asking a million questions about it. The Scions all answered as many questions as they could before the city of Sharlayan came up and Livingway felt that her heart would burst from exhilaration.
She remembered some of Hydaelyn's memories of pure joy of being able to explore the many different lands of Etheirys but now she felt that she could finally understand her joys at last. It was at that moment that Livingway understood why they were so reluctant to leave this world behind. Compared to the moon, everything here was so bright and free that she could no longer imagine just abandoning it. She wanted to do whatever she could to save this world. In fact, when she spoke to the rest of the Loporrits, they were all in full agreement.
"There's so much more here than I could have imagined!" Cookingway said, munching on a strange new food called a 'lemon muffin' and looked even happier than when he had eaten a full carrot in the past. "We can't let so much delicious foods go to waste!"
"Yes!" Singingway sang out happily, "Many from Radz-at-Han were singing songs from their home and a few dances to help and comfort others! My ears are positively tingling from happiness! I want to be able to match those songs someday! Maybe even come up with my own!"
"As much as I would've loved for them to come to the moon, I think that I like this idea even better!" Mappingway added with a hop and tugged on his ears in a happy way. "Let's help them! I think that Hydaelyn would like that idea too if we can prevent them from leaving!"
So it was decided! They would stay to help as many as possible! The only question now was… how were they to do that?
Yet it seemed that Hydaelyn had been one step ahead of them for that as well.
She must have known their hearts desires if they were to see the world themselves… so She gave mankind the keys needed to be able to avert the disaster. They learned this from when one of the Scions had actually journeyed onto the past and had actually met with Venat herself! Before she became Hydaelyn!
They were to descend into the aetherial sea itself to speak with her in person. They needed answers… and it seems that Hydaelyn is the only one left to be able to answer them. Livingway was stunned to hear about all of this from the famed hero herself…?
Now it all made sense to Livingway.
She always felt that Hydaelyn was waiting for something and she had thought that it was for the Final Days to come. But now Livingway understood. She was waiting for Her chosen champion to arrive and answer Hermes question and to pass Her test… which they had done. She and the other Loporrits were the black up plan should mankind find themselves wanting.
Such a thought would have seemed upsetting to most, but Livingway found that she wasn't the least bit bothered. For this meant only one thing… that Hydaelyn believed that this world can still be saved! If Hydaeylden believed then so did she that there was a way out of this mess.
Hydaelyn wouldn't wish for them to cry now of all times.
So, when the Scions returned from the aetherial sea with the crystal—Livingway did her best not to cry at the revelation that their beloved Hydaelyn… their mother… was no longer here—she knew that this was their shining moment! Their true purpose about to be put to use! With the crystal in hand, they were going to be able to reach Meteion's Nest and put an end to the end itself! The night before they were to leave, she remembered looking up at the sky and could see the moon, her home, shining back down at them. How strange it was to see it from this view? To see just how small it was in comparison…?
They would save this world.
They had to. Failure was not an option this time around.
*Months Later*
It had already been a few moons since the day they returned alive and well from Ultima Thule… well, most of them were well anyway. But they had done it though! Meteion was gone and her Song of Oblivion was silenced once and for all!
But now, it was with a slightly heavy heart that she was to return to the moon for the time being. She had to ensure that things were still running smoothly up there in her absence, but she would be sure to come back and visit soon. There were still much to talk about after all.
With Blasphemies having taken over the Tower of Babil, she had to wait until it was all cleared out before beign able to return to Bestaway Burrows. During that wait, however, she had a long talk with Urianger and several Sharlayans that she had become friends with of what would become of them and the moon now. Since evacuating the star was no longer necessary, they no longer had a need to carry the people anywhere. But the Sharlayans had all grown so fond of them that they insisted on letting them stay here on Etheirys with them.
As tempting as it was, Livingway didn't want to just abandon all their hard work on the moon just to be forgotten about…?
Thankfully, the Forum had come up with a plan that worked for everyone.
"Sharlayan is proud to be the leading figure of knowledge in the world," Fourchenault informed her. "But I fear that should some sort of disaster befall our home again, all that knowledge… all that wisdom gathered for hundreds of years…? It could all be forever lost. That is why I believe that we can transform the moon into a repository of sorts for the world's knowledge. It will be safe beyond the reach of any disaster and outside the boundaries of any nation. Of course, we would have to be careful on who we allow onto the moon in the future for all that knowledge and technology could easily fall into the wrong hands. Thankfully, we have just the one transporter for now and we can arrange guards for it for the time being until we come up with a more effective means to safeguard it. But this way, such wisdom will be preserved for future generations. Would you and yours do us this tremendous honor of being the caretakers of such valuable knowledge?"
"And we need not fear that the Loporrits hard work of creating an environment for mankind go to waste," Urianger added with a smile. "I am certain that many will still wish to come and visit the moon and all its many splendors that thou has to offer. Mayhaps even have those who would serve alongside thee as future caretakers?"
Such thoughts were enough to make her want to hop about in happiness. Already, Shalarlayn was hard at work deciding which books would be the first to be moved. Copies of the oldest and most valuable books would be selected first and would be moved within the next fortnight once the survey team had a chance to be able to examine the moon for its potential as a repository. So she had to get back and make sure that the rest of her fellow Loporrits had their work stations spotless!
Some of her fellows even suggested that they create a place called a 'treasure vault' to get adventurers to want to come and visit the moon themselves! Such a thought made her whiskers curl at the potential of so many new people coming and going! Though she would have to do a lot more research on what exactly a 'treasure vault' was.
Either way, Livingway was excited to see what they would learn together.
She returned to Garlemald, ready to take the transporter back to the moon, when she ran into Fourchenault, who was with Hydaelyn's champion and several citizens of the ruined Garlemald… at least, those who she assumed where citizens.
"Livingway, these good people will be the moon's first residence. I trust you and the other Loporrits will take good care of them," Fourchenault said after greeting her.
The three people with them looked a little awkward as one of them choked out a nervous, "Pleased to… meet… you?"
Livingways eyes widened in shock at that as she gasped, "Residents!? Oh no!" She then realized what she said and cleared her throat as she added, "I-I mean, oh yes! Splendid! After many, many long years of planning and preparations, the moon is absolutely, most definitely, ready to accommodate your stay."
At least she hoped so.
"Glad to hear it, and apologies for the delay," Fourchenault answered casually. "I must first confer with Lorens and see to our final preparations, but your residents-to-be and the survey team shall be along ere long."
She was stunned, to say the least. For she knew that while Urianger stated that there were sure to be some who would love the chance to come and live on the moon, she didn't really expect it. After all, how could anyone wish to leave such a beautiful world behind to live on a barren rock like the moon?
But to her amazement, they did have a small handful of people ready to go and start over upon the moon. The first residents! Oh, she could hardly wait. Thankfully, they had plenty already set up for them and with all they learned so far, she was confident that they would only make the moon ever more appealing to come and visit!
She was honestly so excited that she could barely speak, but she hopped all the way to the transporter with their new denizens, asking all sorts of questions on if there was anything they specifically needed or expected. One of them, dressed in red, was all but skipping on their way to the transporter as well, wanting to see their technology first hand… though he seemed only eager to learn from them for the time being, but Livingway would be lying if they weren't still hopeful for the future.
Since most people had a bigger appetite for other foods besides carrots, she did promise them they were sure to have all manner of meals prepared for them in time. Yet, they were insistent that they wished to learn everything they could while they were under their care. They had no desire to be waited upon hand and foot but rather to work with them so that they could 'earn their keep'.
It was a relief to know that she and her fellow Loporrits were still needed.
"Alright my friends!" Livingway called out happily as they all stared around at the lunar landscape, with the shining jewel of Etheirys shining brilliantly in the sky above them. "We have a lot to do! So please, let us all work hard to build for ourselves a new future!"
Her ears twitched happily at the amazed gasps from the moons new residents and she stared back to the star, looking forward to her next visit. There was still so much about this world that she didn't know about. And even more so about its people that were waiting to be discovered as she remembered something that someone once said to her: "You can live here your entire life and hardly learn a thing."
Well, she was eager to see how much she could learn.
So with her head held high, she led their new citizens of Bestaway Burrows across the barren landscape; all the while wondering what new discoveries were going to be waiting for them all on the morrow…?
(Ahhh, what a nice way to end this little story. At least for now. To be honest, picking the character for this chapter was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was torn between Meteion and Hythlodaeus for a long time… but then Livingway popped into my head and I just couldn't stop myself lol. So I think that will be it for now, if anyone has any suggestions for some short stories then please let me know and I may post future chapters if inspiration ever decides to strike! I hope that you all enjoyed these short stories and I want to thank you all for sticking with me till the end. I do have the idea of another story that will be revolving around the 'incident' at Garlemald with the whole body-snatching thing. Not sure when it will be up, but as soon as the first chapter is finished, I will be posting it! Until next time!)
