Ch. 20 Zephyr's Pass

This is a continuation of the Apocalypse Saga

For the other chapters in TAS, click here

For more stories in the world of Astra outside of TAS, click here

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Though the twins could often be found on the land of the mortal realm - for they could last there longer than any other deity - they had become weary in recent years. Weary of cleaning up after war. They answered prayers, focusing on places that were a necessity, but war-torn deadlands were sprouting up at an alarming rate. Some believed that the lords of nature had abandoned them.

Dearest Navia of the wilds and ever-loving Cairo of the fields.

The Sculpted Wilds was their home. A land of immense sprouting vegetation. Navia lay in a hammock of vines made up of her own body. Nothing but the wind shifting the leaves high above disrupted her slumber in the dense foliage of nature. The land trembled with life, reaching to the skies, reaching for the light and cool moisture of mist that cascaded across the sky.

Navia let out a silent, satisfied sigh as she rested her eyes. They flickered open from time to time just to revel in the light. When they did, every tree, leaf, flower, and blade of grass shifted to the light that reflected off her glorious gaze. She herself was a being without form. She was what the vines made of her. A beauteous being of unknown proportions. A being of her own making.

Often when the sky grew dark, she felt the presence of distant realms, but today she ignored it. She ignored the looming stress of another day. Ignored all life that wasn’t her’s. In her home. Her realm. But no sleep everlasting could go on forever. The smell rose from miles down the road. The smell of process. The smell of land terraforming beneath one’s feet. The smell that came with progress.

Before she knew it, her eyes were opened to a blistering gold that flooded through the tree canopy. A light like no other. The light of a golden amber. A carpet of grains rolling out across her land. Leading straight to her. Navia let out a soft groan and adjusted herself to sit up in her hammock. There was Cairo. His skin a dazzling olive. His body plump with meal.

But something was different today. His eyes narrower. Those strange yellow eyes that usually darted about, turning everything into farmland gave a stare of concern.

“She comes this day.” He whispered to her.

Oh, that’s what that sound was… Navia thought, recollecting the strange noise in a nearby realm. It was the crashing of a dragon’s screech. The sound of evil in the shape of a mistress. The sound of that dastardly woman. That unholy thing. Vajra.

And there it was. An opening in the realm. The sound of a guttural roar on the other end, followed by porcelain feet clicking across the sky.

Until she positioned herself upon a thick luscious tree leaf sturdy and impressive enough to hold her, looking down on the twins.

“Dragon Mother,” Cairo said, his voice an odd, soothed tone of disinterest, “to what do we owe the -”

“- Horror.” Navia finished with her eyes closed, bathing in the open air as the leaves above shifted to make way for light.

Vajra gave no reaction. “Listen children,” Vajra began, “The mortals are at risk from a creature from the desolate realm of the fool.”

“Which realm is that Dragon Mother?” Cairo asked.

“Many realms of fools.” Navia added with a snide glare - eyes still shut.

“I agree. I appear to be in one now.” Vajra said, her features flashing to irritation. “The Void.”

“Ah, that one…” Navia said.

“What’s he done?”

“Stolen an important text that can bring the realms together.”

Navia’s eyes shot open, but she didn’t move just yet. “It can do what?” She asked as the trees shook with her words.

“If used properly, it can merge realms together. Send everything into disarray.” Vajra added with a certain dryness to her voice.

“Destroy everything. Everything we’ve worked so hard to build.” Cairo said with a gasp. “How could such a thing exist?”

“Ask my idiot brother.” Vajra replied.

“It sounds like a problem for you, the ‘greater gods,’ to handle then.” Navia said with a sigh she forced to sound nonchalant.

“Charming,” The Dragon Mother continued, “but no. We need everyone for this. That includes you two.”

“I don’t see why this –“

Rain fell and thunder crackled. Then a new voice joined the discussion, “Navia, please.” Centu pleaded.

“The Dragon Mother working with the Storm Bringer?” Navia asked with a slight gasp.

“Must be serious.” Cairo agreed.

“It is. Do we have your support in this coalition or not?” Vajra asked tapping on a plant. The twins looked at each other. Before they could speak, Vajra interrupted them, “I don’t have all day, children. Would you like to save the realms as we know them or not?”

“Please don’t mind her,” Centu added, “This isn’t us telling you what to do, but please understand, your inaction doesn’t just hurt the mortals, it hurts everyone. If we don’t do everything we can now, the realms may cease to exist. We may cease to exist. We must sacrifice to ensure survival.”

Cairo was the first to answer, “I cannot lose my acres upon acres of farmland to void fiends and chaos. I will do anything I can.”

“As you should.” Vajra said like a dismissive parent. “Nature being?” She asked, gesturing to Navia.

Navia shrugged.

“Navia, please.” Centu said from next to her. She opened her eyes and saw Centu straightening out her pant suit anxiously.

Cairo stared at Navia in disbelief, “This is an easy question, sister.”

“Is it?” She replied.

“One option keeps our home safe.”

“Keeps you alive.” Centu added.

“Idiots. They don’t even have self-preservation.”

“Dragon Mother, please.” Centu pleaded to her.

Vajra smirked and shrugged.

“Don’t they already destroy everything?” Navia asked in such an innocent way that Cairo paused. “That’s all we do. We fix what they destroy. Over and over and over. What if I’d like to lay in my hammock and not fix anymore?”

“That’s all well and good, but what about our home?”

“When the dust has settled, we could make a new one.”

“You won’t survive to.” Vajra added.

Navia shot Vajra a look, “Was that a threat?” Navia stood up and the hammock became a part of her form. Her eyes focused on Vajra and every piece of greenery stood on edge, pointing at Vajra.

“No, not a threat, but…” Vajra began. She paused for a moment and put a hand on the leaf she was resting atop before. It crumbled to dust, and Navia winced.

Centu spoke up, “Vajra, I don’t think -

“Hush, I am talking.” Vajra growled. “Listen, children: When the realms merge, you will have no safe haven where you can hide away, nowhere where half-life won’t devour you – not without the constant promise of death looming over your shoulder. Do you know what death is like? If you’d like, I can give you an idea. Or… you can join us, and all will be well.”

Centu put her head in her hands, “Vajra, that was awful. We can’t just threaten everyone into –“

“It doesn’t seem like we have a choice.” Navia announced, her body slowly merging into the earth beneath her.

“No,” Vajra smiled as she looked up at the sky, “I suppose you never did.” She gave a rigid shrug, “Well, I’m off.” She turned around and walked through a portal, leaving as quickly as she appeared.

Cairo let out a sigh of relief, then turned to Navia, “You play a dangerous game trying her patience.”

“She has tried us too long, but now isn’t the time to try in return.” Navia agreed.

“That could’ve gone worse…” Centu said with a sigh.

“Agreed.” Cairo said.

“Thank you for trying to be a voice of reason.” Navia said to Centu.

“It’s the least I can do.” She said with a sigh, “I need to check on my champion. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

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Zephyr, was the doorway to the east coast of Astra. It was a monastic city-state where the majority of the population served a very specific purpose: Maintaining balance. The city was much more basic than many of the far more advanced city-states of Astra. Zephyr had basics like electricity, running water, and other modern necessities, but there were few vehicles except the ones that may be coming to and from the nearest city, Euco, and the railway line that passed through at regular intervals. The buildings were architecturally beautiful, but simultaneously simple in their bare wood-treated designs.

Though Zephyr was the sister city of Euco, they held very little in common. Zephyr being an advanced metropolis that served the sun god, and Zephyr being a simple place of balance. Still, they worked in tandem together.

In one of the local cafés, Akashi, Seijun, and Lady Vey sat together, talking amongst each other, trying to figure out their next move. Seijun sipped on mint tea, and Akashi drank coffee. Vey just sat there, her fists dug into either of her cheeks and her elbows up on the table. She stared out the window by their table, her mind wandering.

“Excuse me,” Akashi raised his hand to an employee walking by. She stopped and gave him a polite smile, “do you have pie here?”

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any food this season.”

“That’s okay, thank you.” Akashi said with a polite smile. He turned his focus back to the table.

“Are you hungry?” Seijun asked.

Akashi shrugged, “I don’t really get hungry anymore. I just like pie, and it’s been a while. Haven’t been in a café or a diner or anything like that since we started this whole thing. Wishful thinking.”

“I understand. Maybe when we make it to Euco.” Vey said, breaking her silence.

“Of course, the land of the sun and endless joy and music. That’ll be fun – wait,” Akashi looked at Vey with a raised eyebrow, “What makes you think we’re going to Euco?”

“I’ve just been thinking. We’ve been following the Brahman’s directions, but if he wanted us to meet him here, there’s no other place to go next. Zephyr is the doorway to Euco.”

“Unless this is where we’re supposed to be.” Seijun replied.

“Hardly.” Vey said. “Do you feel the energy in the air? The push and pull?”

“There is an odd energy to this place.” Seijun agreed.

“Can’t disagree with that.” Akashi fiddled with a folded-up napkin in front of him on the table. “What’s the deal with it?”

“Zephyr is a place of balance. Of push and pull. We’re feeling the push and pull. There’s too much history for the tyrant to play around with here .”

“So, then Euco is –“

“Something you shouldn’t worry about, my friends.” Lou announced as he approached the table. “So glad you made it into the city!” He said with a broad smile. “I trust that all was well in the land of Caaremen?”

“Hardly. But hopefully things are better now.” Akashi replied.

“We can only hope that from here, they will be free.” Vey added.

“I wouldn’t count on it, unfortunately.” Lou grabbed a chair and sat with the other three, “Zanth isn’t one to give up ground so easily.”

“Even with the fire tamer and her daughter?” Seijun asked.

“Those protectors are bound by a code of protection. Even more than that, a protector can only do so much when your attacker is hundreds and hundreds of miles away dropping bombs. Occupations never lasts long, but their scare tactics can go indefinitely as long as no one can get close enough to Zanth.”

“What I wouldn’t give to put those pricks in their place.” Akashi grumbled.

Brahman laughed, “You know, you three remind me of an old legend – a myth if you will.”

“What is it?” Seijun asked.

“A story for another time, maybe.” He said with a wave of his hand, “It would only distract you. Or worse, take power away from the tale. When time has passed and the dust has settled, maybe we can talk about it.”

The three of them shared a look, then Akashi shrugged.

“So, what’s so special about this place then?” He asked.

“Zephyr is the city of balance. They worship no gods or deities nor beings. They worship the natural order that is life.” Brahman replied. “If they were to choose a god, I suppose they’d like the Five, but they don’t prioritize gods. They prioritize balance.”

“They temple at the center of balance is the closest thing to a temple of balance in all of Astra.” Vey added.

“Exactly. And the monks are a closed off bunch. They’ve all taken vows of silence with outsiders, and some have even taken vows with each other. They think interference with the outside destabilizes the natural balance of the world.”

“What do the monks of Zephyr do in their temple?” Seijun asked after another sip of tea. He raised a hand to the man at the counter. He nodded and began preparing more tea.

Brahman shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Akashi asked. “Sounds like the life to me.”

“Well, nothing isn’t exactly correct.” Vey interjected, “Most of the city is dedicated to assisting travelers, or taking care of the central temple, but if things are as they were when I was young - which so far it appears this city has been cemented in time, aside from a few technological advancements - then a large percentage of the population are pious monks and nuns. The rest maintain the city for travelers and holy people alike. The monastic population will either take care of city structures or stay in the temple. Some even switch back and forth!”

“More or less.” Lou agreed with a nod. “I’d say the most holy of the people stay inside their temple grounds. The idea is they believe so greatly in the concept of the natural order and balance that must be maintained that they think it is their responsibility - as those aware of it - to do nothing. If they stay inside their temple, then anything they do is completely closed off to the world and has no rippling effects elsewhere.”

“So, they do something then.” Akashi added.

“Well, yes, but the most devout stay inside their temples. Once every generation, they venture out into the city to preach and convert more of the population.” Lou replied.

“Fascinating,” Seijun thought for a moment, “but I serve the gods of balance. I have a mandate to create balance in the world.”

“You do.” She confirmed. The employee of the café dropped off a large teapot on a holder in the center of the table.

“Good to see you, J.” The man said to Lou.

Lou smiled, “Thanks Ceren, good to see you, my friend.”

“Man, you know people everywhere, huh?” Akashi asked.

“What can I say?” Lou said with a grin, “I like to make friends.”

“So,” Seijun put the conversation back on track, “if I were to arrive and tell them of my quest, my mandate, and that our belief dictates action by the very gods who control balance, wouldn’t they help us?”

“Doubt it.” Akashi replied. He took a sip of his coffee then continued, “Think about it. Do you really think they’ll leave a place they choose to spend their whole lives inside, under the mandate of their true beliefs, just because we asked nicely and told them that our belief is the true one?”

“He makes a good point.” Vey added. “Balance and order are the conversation of gods. We cannot comprehend such difficult concepts. I’ve been in many debates on what it means for there to be true balance, and it comes down to one question in my eyes.”

“What is the question?”

“The opinion of the believer.” Vey said as she crossed her arms and leaned back. Her incorporeal form pushed against the chair, but it didn’t budge.

“But this isn’t about opinions. It is a fact that we’re doing the work of the Five.” Seijun replied.

“And,” Lou stepped in, “it is a fact that they’re here for a reason as well. Though the exact reason, I’m not at liberty to say.”

“And why’s that?” Vey asked.

“Some things are best found out on your own. I say, two of you – while we have the time for such things – should take a little trip to the temple of balance and learn a thing or two before we move on to the next location. Things are wrapping up, and I’d hate for you to miss a good sideshow in the Astra world tour.” He gave them a wink and turned to Akashi, “Got us a hotel across the way. Doesn’t sleeping in a real bed for once sound nice?”

“That does sound great, Brahman.” Akashi replied. He tapped his chin, took another drink of coffee, then added, “There is one thing that none of this is explaining though.”

“What?” Veyeni and Seijun asked in unison.

“Why does it feel so weird here? It feels… uncomfortable. Strange. Unsettling. I don’t know. I feel like I’m being dragged around by the air. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“That is a good question, ashen friend,” Vey sighed, “I don’t know. But I do know it has to do with the balance of the city.”

“Zephyr holds many of its secrets close to the chest.” Brahman said. “If you want to find out, maybe you should head to the temple too.”

“Honestly? I could use a break from mysticism for a while.” Akashi said with a laugh. “Seij, hit me with a report when you’ve wrapped up?”

“I can do that.” Seijun replied. As he stood up from the table, Vey disappeared and took shape in her ribbon on the sword.

“Great. I’m going to get some rest. Take care of yourselves out there.” Akashi said with a raise of his mug.

“And I will join you on a walk to the hotel when you’re ready.” Lou smiled as he raised his own cup of tea

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As they made their way through the city, Seijun and Vey followed the always looming grand building at its center. It was old and modeled after the peaks of the mountain that surrounded the city. From a distance, it could barely be differentiated between the actual mountain, but up close, they could see the intricate designs. The windows were carved from stone and cragged ledges concealed a clear line of sight into the tower. A 30-foot-high wall protected the temple, but there were no guards outside, merely people tending to the wall and its surrounding gardens.

Seijun walked through the gates and into the garden that surrounded the temple. Silent eyes looked upon him with concern, but it wasn’t enough to discourage him from entering. Past the doors were gardens of food. Local people tended to them, but nobody was dressed in what he would’ve considered the clothing of a holy person. Still, it was an amazing sight to see the temple this close. It was a wide spiraling pillar that projected into the sky, ending in a mountainous crag. From its base, it merely looked like a skyscraper made of stone.

Seijun avoided feeling vertigo by not looking up. Instead, he walked to a nearby woman, “Excuse me?”

The woman looked at him, a stoic, emotionless face stared back at him, impassive to his presence.

Seijun took it as a sign to continue speaking, “I’m hoping to enter the temple. I want to learn about your people’s philosophy of balance. I mean no disrespect – I’m a servant of the Five from far away and I –“

The woman raised her hand, then gestured Seijun to follow her. She guided him to a heavy wooden door to the temple’s interior. She opened the door, but shook her head when Seijun tried to follow. Then, she stepped inside and shut the door.

“Well… I guess we just need to be patient now.” Lady Vey said with a sigh.

Seijun took the opportunity to rest. He sat down and took a deep breath, allowing himself to truly feel the energy around him. He began to feel the drawing energy of the temple. A powerful thing that demanded attention. Demanded one’s life force – the pull. Outside, the city hummed with a different kind of energy. To him, it felt like deference to the power within the walls. Still, it held its own chaotic calling as well - the push.

The energy wasn’t evil or good. Just as the energy within wasn’t either, but they juxtaposed each other in a way he had never felt before. They were black and white in their own way. One a beckoning call to stay, the other a purgatory that expected its inhabitants to eventually go. Seijun could feel something in this place he had never truly felt before. He could feel balance. It was so clear to him that this place was balanced, but there was something he was missing too. There was another push and pull. Not just on the land, but beyond the threads of what he fully understood. There was something else here. He only felt half of the story.

As the day waned on into the evening, the door opened up again and a man was standing there. With a kind face, he beckoned Seijun to enter the temple. He said in a quiet voice, “We welcome you, servant of the Five. Please, walk around, learn from the texts, do whatever you please. Just don’t speak to the monks or nuns unless they speak to you first. Interacting with you may break their vow to not interfere with the outside world.”

Seijun nodded, “Understood. Thank you for granting me access.”

“And thank you for gracing us with your divine presence.” The man said before fading away, leaving Seijun standing on the ground floor of the temple.

Vey appeared next to him, “Well, they certainly know how to show respect.”

“Look at this place…” Seijun said in awe. There was a large spiral staircase that hugged the bare walls, traveling beyond what they could see. In the center of the temple was a tree that grew up to the highest reaches of the temple. Long thin leaves hung from the tree, draping over the stairs.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Vey asked. “There’s nothing to see on the ground floor. Let’s start climbing.”

Together, they walked side by side, higher into the temple. Seijun wasn’t entirely sure of how many floors they had gone up, but they found a library somewhere in the sky. This particular floor was draped in an especially large branch. Dead leaves clung to everything, but the dozen or so holy people on this floor didn’t seem to mind at all. They avoided Seijun and mostly eyed him from afar. Seijun was surprised that each of them wore fairly unique clothes. It appeared this monastic group didn’t have a dress code. It looked to him like they mostly wore whatever they must’ve joined with.

The library was huge, taking up an entire floor of the temple. In the center of the library, the stairwell continued upwards, but wrapped all around the stairwell were shelves upon shelves of books. There were also tables and chairs that were occupied by worshippers of balance. Some of them sat atop the tables, others under the tables or on the floors. Some just sat in their chairs, and laid books out on the tables in front of them. They mumbled amongst each other, but as Seijun came into view, they went silent.

He raised his hand and bowed his head, “I don’t mean to interrupt…”

“You’re immediately breaking the only rule we’ve been given, nephew.” Vey warned.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to speak with you, but I need some direction – any guidance at all, even if its silent.”

“That is exactly what they shouldn’t be doing.” Vey said through gritted teeth as though any of them may see her mouth moving.

A nun sitting on the floor smiled and waved her hand as if to say it’s no problem.

Seijun nodded, “I was looking for something on the philosophy of your people. A document about your idea of balance. About uh…” He felt nervous. It was extremely difficult for him to speak knowing he would receive no response. “If I may,” He began. Several of them gave him a nod, “I just want to know who you are and what you believe. I’ve spent my life working in the name of creating balance in the world, but the philosophy I was raised with is so different from yours. I’ve traveled the continent for my people. My gods. My belief in a world of balance. One in which to create balance, we must act. I mean no disrespect, I only wish to understand.”

The woman who first greeted him stood up off the ground and approached him. As she came closer, her features became clearer. She was a much older woman than she had seemed at first. She had black hair with streaks of gray. Her eyes were glossy as though she may be blind. Her dark skin was wrinkled around her brow and cheeks – the sign of someone who loved to smile. She gave Seijun a toothless smile, but as she did, Seijun noticed something odd. It wasn’t that she was choosing to not open her mouth, it was that she couldn’t. Up close, Seijun noticed that her mouth was sewn shut.

“Gods above…” Vey whispered as she noticed too. “Did she do this to herself?”

She gestured to the other side of the spiraling bookcases and walked in that direction. Seijun followed. They walked through the small space between bookshelves. The soft musky smell of books rose through the air as they passed row after row of winding shelves. Finally, at a place that seemed no different than any other, the woman stopped, pulled a large book from the shelf, and handed it to Seijun with her head bowed. Then, she walked a few paces further down the same shelf and grabbed another book – this one almost the same size as the other – and handed it to Seijun as well.

He looked at the titles. The first one was titled, On Balance: The Fiendish History of Zephyr. The other read The Dark Between the Cosmos.

“I’m honored that you’d share these with me.” Seijun said with a slight bow of his head. “May I read it at the tables you were at with your companions?” She nodded to him, and he nodded back.

They returned to the table. She had retrieved a new book as they walked back. Seijun sat down at the table. Lady Vey climbed up on the table and sat next to him, her legs folded under her as she read along. They whispered amongst each other, comparing ideas and notes as they became fully engrossed in the archaic books.

According to the book on Zephyr’s history, once they were closed off from the world of chaos and order, they could do as they please. They were considered within their own bubble where nothing they did could possibly have an effect. Of course, the creators of this philosophy knew this wasn’t without fault. They even argued that the outsider’s knowledge of their existence was by its very nature a fault in their belief. They knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but they tried to make something. Something that they believed would stop a horrible occurrence. They believed they could keep some sort of fiendish, demonic disarray or destruction from occurring. Though for being a book on ‘fiendish history,’ they never quite said what this occurrence they were preventing might be. All it said for certain was that it was a powerful energy derived from the realm of the fiends. That which the very presence of those who believed in the doctrine would help to combat. The nuns that founded the temple long ago felt a disruptive energy, and they believed that by creating this place of balance within Zephyr, they could keep the negative energy at bay.

It was interesting to consider this concept that they believed that the answer wasn’t to destroy the evil, or learn to fight against the evil, but instead sit atop it and balance it out with the will of the mortal being. But what was the great evil? What created this imbalance? The answers didn’t lie in the book. Vey thought it may be because it was something so awful, so disdainful, so terrifying, that by invoking it, they risked destabilizing all of Astra.

As the evening waned on, they began looking into the other book. This book was all about universal balance. It was a lot of philosophy brought down by the Five. It was philosophy they knew all too well, but it did mention a few things they had never heard before. First, that the big three was in fact once the big four, but when the Five split into five entities, they no longer wielded the grand power of creation like their counterparts. They did this by choice, but the book didn’t say why.

Another more interesting point of discussion though left both Seijun and Lady Vey shocked. “Of course it makes sense. It wouldn’t have made sense to believe as we did.” Vey said out loud.

“You’re right… it makes sense, just… I never –“

“How could we ever?” Vey replied. She rested her elbows on her knees and laid her chin on her palms, “but it must be true. I don’t doubt it for a moment. It explains the tome’s grand power. It explains all of it.”

“Nor do I, auntie, but it’s clear now. Oran-Koh isn’t a sun god. He just happened to make the sun.”

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We’ve made it into the 20s! How cool is that? Fun little writing update for you: As of Tuesday, the 13th, the finishing touches of TAS are complete (other than week to week editing). What’s this mean? It means that the novel is going to comfortably go out week to week without issue, and the final chapter will drop on June 20th! So, save the date for the full novel to be readable! I’ve got to say, I couldn’t be more excited! This story is literally six years in the making and I’ve loved working on it for outside readers. After this, I’m looking forward to new projects, but also more broadly, I’m just really proud I did this.

One last thing, I took very very very loose inspiration from monastic tradition in Tibet when writing this chapter many many years ago! I actually remember, around the time I wrote this chapter and the next one, I was writing my final paper for an Asian Religions class in college, and I chose to write mine on Chinese government interference in monastic practices in Tibet. I can’t remember exactly where I pulled inspiration from and where I didn’t because that was a long time ago, but I remember that happening alongside working on this!

So thank you for reading, liking, commenting, and just taking a general interest in my story! Just a few more chapters to go! And I’ll see you next week for chapter 21, Zephyr’s Secrets. See you there!