The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) (24 page)

CHAPTER
42

THE GALACTIC GAME

A flood of images rushed into Oonak’s mind.

First, he saw a massive white bubble appear in low orbit over a fiery world, like a soap bubble clinging to a dirty rock. The white bubble glowed brighter and brighter, until it exploded with light. When the light faded, the white sphere and any sign of Durazha’s flagship was gone. Even her entire fleet had vanished. The multitude of orange volcanic freckles across its surface faded, and the planet became utterly calm for the first time in millennia.

Another vision came to him, and Oonak saw Avani from a great distance, a glimmering orb resplendent in the rich blues of its oceans and forests. Nearby, a dark circle approached Avani’s moon, but as he watched, the shadow grew smaller and smaller, until he could no longer discern it against the backdrop of stars. In his final vision, Oonak saw dozens of crystal ships, not unlike his own, fly in formation around Avani, engaging with the remnants of Razakh’s fleet. The dark ships made small gravity wells, but the distortions faded almost as quickly as they formed. Among the crystal ships was a familiar amber octahedron, rushing toward the fleet with a wild energy, and Oonak smiled.

Their power over gravity was fading by the moment, and without their gravity abilities to aid them, the remnants of the fleet did something that he had never seen the Vakragha do before: they retreated, jumping out of the system before they were decimated completely. All around the galaxy, the Confederation must have seen how the Vakragha fissures were fading and sent the few ships they had available. Now that the Vakragha’s power was waning, sending even a few ships could be of great assistance.

Still, Oonak stiffened at the thought that other factions were still out there. One overlord did not rule over their entire race. The Confederation knew that much. To ensure peace, they would have to track down overlords strewn across the galaxy.

The vision ended, and Oonak found himself drifting amidst an ineffable radiance. When he tried to examine his surroundings, he could only discern the faint outlines of intricate fractal patterns within the blinding background, melding into one another, and the beauty and intricacy of the structures filled him with awe.

He looked around for his companions but saw no one, and when he tried to move, he realized that he was frozen in place.

In the far distance, an orb of blinding golden light rushed toward him, speaking to him in a voice that felt ancient.

“Manunakshan!”

A wave of surprise washed over Oonak. “How do you know my birth name? Please, call me Oonak. It is much easier for people to remember.”

“Remember!” The orb zoomed right up to his face and held steady there. From so near, Oonak noticed that it was utterly flawless, still radiating golden light.

“You are the Breath of Life, aren’t you?” Oonak said. “Where are the other two stones?”

The orb hummed to itself and backed away slightly. “Wanderer, haven’t I already told you? When you hold a Chintamani, you are only holding a
piece
of my fractal structure.”

“A
piece
of you?” Oonak said, a realization dawning on him. “So the stones aren’t merely related like we thought. They’re truly all parts of the same entity, aren’t they?”

The stone pulsed in brightness.

“But did we do it?” he said. “Is Razakh’s faction defeated?”

“Unable to say. I am only performing my function.”

Oonak furrowed his eyebrows. “And what is that?”

“You don’t remember? Last time you asked me, I told you. I preserve the integrity of the warp and the weft that makes up the fabric of this Universe. I prevent all manner of paradoxes and incongruities, and I maintain the balance between the two realms. It is my eternal function. None of this has changed. I am, as always,
one
.”

“What do you mean? I have never been here before.” Oonak glanced around the brilliance once again, seeing only unending fractal patterns dissolving into the haze. “Why can’t I move?”

“You are a strange bipedal organism, indeed! As I said last time, it is no easier to move spatially here than it is to move temporally back in spacetime. The rules are inverted here.”

“Of course,” Oonak whispered. “Timespace.”

“When else could you be? Such an amusing creature you are! You and your friends have done well. At a price. You have successfully brought the third piece of my fractal nature to where it was most needed, but this cycle draws to a close. Part of me shall return to the moon where one of my bodies is hidden, another shall return to a heap of rubble on a once fiery planet, and another part will return to your starship. You shall return to your body, as well, yet your work is not quite complete. A power vacuum has formed in the wake of your victory. Remain vigilant, Oonak. The galactic game of free will rolls onward.”

“What about the Empress and Torin? What happened to—”

But Oonak stopped, watching as the orb spun faster and faster, and a quietude washed over him. Long strands of golden light stretched out from the orb, encircling him, and his heart filled with a deep, resounding feeling of peace.

He tried to understand what was happening, but realized that it was beyond his understanding for the moment and simply observed his experience. Oonak got the strangest feeling that all was working out for the highest good of all, and as he watched the spinning orb, the radiant realm faded away.

Meanwhile, the Empress Monument remained immovable in the center of Mirage City, and within it a meeting was called to order around a familiar long table.

Jyana looked around, surveying the assemblage of royal guards, advisors, directors, and other city officials spaced around the table. Advisor Kathini sat to her left at the head of the table, looking somewhat impatient. Not that Jyana could blame her. A medical team had dropped back down to the physical world to see if they could do anything for the Empress and Torin, and they’d been waiting for hours to hear their findings.

At last, a man wearing a long cyan uniform, characteristic of the medical division, materialized in the room. Even before he spoke, his expression filled Jyana with dread.

“Well?” Kathini said. “What of the Empress? Was she irretrievable as we have feared?”

The man’s expression stiffened. “We’ve done everything we can to draw their energy bodies back to Tavisi, but it is of no use. We simply don’t know how to reverse the effects once the Dagger of Kirin is used.”

“So, they’re lost?” Kathini continued. “Do we have any idea of what might happen to them?”

The man pursed his lips. “We don’t know. I’m only the chief medical advisor. I’m not a priest. It is possible that they could make their way back to the inner planes of light, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

A lump of tension formed in Jyana’s throat. The thought of Torin being lost in deep space sent a wave of despair over her, like being caught in a rushing river she couldn’t escape from.

“I am sorry,” Kathini said and then surveyed the audience around her. “You all know what we must do.”

“We must find Torin,” Jyana said. “He doesn’t deserve to wander alone forever, and I’m afraid that’s what will happen.”

Kathini turned to her. “Jyana, I understand that this is difficult for you. It’s difficult for all of us, but their cords were severed tens of thousands of light-years from here. And who
knows
how far they could have drifted by now. The galaxy is vast, and search is impractical. Besides, even if we could find them, we don’t know how to reattach someone’s silver cord.”

Anger bubbled within Jyana’s heart. They didn’t even want to try, after everything Torin had done for them.

She turned to her left, her expression twisted in sadness. “Advisor Kathini, don’t you remember? Without Torin’s help, the scourge would have gained power over death itself. He sacrificed himself to keep us safe. He deserves a chance! He deserves some kind of search party, at least.”

Kathini shot a stern look back to her. “Jyana, now is not the time for debate. I am sorry for what happened to Torin, but they are both lost to us.”

Across the room, another advisor spoke up, a woman wearing a marigold robe with long brown hair. “And what of the ambrosia supply? I manage the automated systems that offload the supply from the freighters, but I must admit that Jyana was right. My team and I have surveyed the ocean floor. I hadn’t been down there since I was a girl. It’s definitely changed, and I read Jyana’s research. It’s solid.”

Another advisor spoke, a man wearing a teal uniform. “But we rely on ambrosia for our way of life! Do you want my teams to simply halt all construction? Our economy could collapse!”

Kathini nodded. “If we don’t do something now, the crabs will certainly go extinct. Because of the time dilation, we often forget the pace at which they grow and multiply, and the constant harvest of ambrosia has not allowed the crabs to recover. For the long-term interests of our city, we
must
regulate ambrosia harvesting to ensure future supply. Furthermore, thanks to Jyana’s careful research, we now understand that the crabs are vital to the health of the marine ecosystem. We condemned the scourge for destroying our planet’s surface, yet we have been ruining one of the last natural jewels Tavisi has left. However, our economy
can
be adjusted. New incentives can be put into place to encourage more efficient use of space, and better oversight can be put on ambrosia supply.”

“Yes!” The woman in marigold said. “I have worked with ambrosia all of my life, and I have seen an undercurrent of greed grow within the ranks over the years. That greed poisons us, but we can change. I was inspired by Jyana’s study, and I ran some numbers. It will be difficult, but we can change our policies and habits. We can survive this, but we’ll need to work together. After all, as a wise man once said, I believe there are enough resources for everyone’s need, but there certainly isn’t enough for everyone’s greed.”

Jyana felt a half-smile form on her face. After all this time, her research was being taken seriously, but it was still bittersweet.

Torin wasn’t there to enjoy it with her.

For the rest of the meeting, they discussed who the new Empress and Chief Ambrosia Director would be, as well as further ramifications of her research. But Jyana had trouble keeping her focus on it. All she could think about was Torin, stranded on Agnira.

What could he be doing there? If the dagger drains your vital energy, what happens if your cord is severed at the same time?

After the meeting, Jyana pulled Kathini aside. With just the two of them, Kathini might be able to understand.

“What is it?” Kathini asked, her eyes filling with concern. “I’m sorry that I don’t have much time to talk. They want to elect a new Empress soon, and they’ve asked me to be on the election committee. It’s Torin, isn’t it? Jyana, he’ll find his way to the inner planes, you have to realize that. The wheel of soul evolution doesn’t stop so easily. He will find his way.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know that. We only have one record of this ever happening outside of the Mirage. You have to admit that we simply don’t know enough. That’s why I have to go. I have to find him. I have to know if he still…”

Kathini’s expression fell. “If he still what?”

Jyana blinked a tear away. “Kathini, I know you want me to stay and help with the restructuring, but my heart won’t be in it. I have to go and find him. He wasn’t perfect, but I love him. Can’t you understand?”

Advisor Kathini pressed her eyes shut for a moment, her face tensing. “You love him. And how much do you love your people, Jyana? When are the needs of the people greater than the needs of one?”

Jyana winced. “You expect me to think about this with cool detachment? I know what I have to do.”

“No, I expect you to think about it practically! What are you going to do? Skip tens of thousands of light-years and search that burning world alone? Do you have any idea of how long that would take? How dangerous it would be?”

Tears welled up in Jyana’s eyes once more. “If that’s what it takes, then so be it. It’s the only way I’ll have peace.”

Jyana pictured the burning world as clearly as she could, and as she stretched out, she heard Kathini call out to her in protest. She refocused onto the obsidian tower, and when she let go, she lost all sense of orientation as the world around her blurred away.

…

Durazha felt as if a mountain were pressing down upon her, and forced her eyes open, seeing only darkness. She tried to move her head, but found her neck frozen in place.

How am I still alive? My energy body was split in two! Yet I seem to be in one piece.

“Gah!” she groaned, and pushed her claws out from her fingers and focused all her strength on moving her arm upward.

With great effort, she pushed through the rubble she was buried in. Pinpricks of light shined through tiny gaps in the obsidian rock, and she pushed the rubble aside, stone by stone, until she could at last push herself upright.