This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Blue skies. White, puffy clouds. The steppe was washed in sunlight, allowing its full vigor to shine brilliantly. Chiyoko sat in the grass, gazing out across the land far below, her hair lightly swaying. With the flying castle stationary, it was only the breeze that ruffled her hair.
From behind, Lev approached her perch on the cliff’s edge. “Whatever do you engross yourself in, dear Chee-yo?”
She did not respond immediately. Eventually, she muttered, “The land.”
The mage gazed out upon her mention, smiling. “Ah, yes. A spectacular vista on a spectacular day.”
Chiyoko, however, did not share his optimism, her brows furrowing a little deeper. “Do you not see the mountain face?”
Lev glanced over to the left. Hearing the seriousness of her tone, the corners of his mouth retreated. Where the sun-dried green met the gray stone, jagged mountains rose above the Earth. They were not very tall, following the curvature of the land. Still, from their perspective high up in the sky, the mountains looked out of place, sorely sticking out.
“Hmm… Yes.”
There was a quilted pattern of sharp divots puncturing the stone. The jagged surfaces of the mountains were too clean in color, as if they were freshly cut. Chiyoko narrowed her eyes as she observed this detail all the way to the horizon. “It is as if a pair of claws sundered the land, tearing a great gash across it.”
“It is not an unfamiliar sight in these lands anymore, unfortunately,” Lev admitted with a deep breath out.
Drawing one of her knees closer to her, she rested her elbow on it and brought her hand to her forehead, her fingers spreading out to lightly touch the skin’s surface. “Their castles are flying rubble piles… crudely held together by mud and clay.”
Frowning even deeper as she talked, her thumb and index drew together to lightly pinch the sides of her forehead.
“They create large and elaborate fortresses this way,” she continued. “An invitation for disaster, if you ask me. Especially when the veins of the earthen energy stone grow like the roots of a tree.”
The mage stayed uncharacteristically silent as his companion vented.
“One fracture… one fault where the sediments tear apart… and you have a catastrophe. Like an earthquake in the sky.”
Her fingers finally came together to pinch the middle of her forehead.
“And the whole structure comes crashing down, scarring the land once more, in a completely new location—”
Coming to an abrupt stop, Chiyoko relented, seemingly realizing she had begun to lecture about something she was certain her companion already knew. Yet, it was a subject that filled her deeply with emotion. Despite her guilt, there was a sense of satisfaction being able to speak her mind freely to someone who understood.
After some silence, Lev finally joined in with a deep and somber tone. “Aye, such are the methods of those who require a vessel of more substance.”
Crossing his arms, he elaborated.
“Building a flying castle through the methods we ascribe to, drawing in particles of earth that naturally drift in the air and packing it down… It is too slow.”
“The castles were not meant to become the huge fortresses the Castles of Gaia have created,” Chiyoko lamented. “They were meant to be vessels for the sky, like ships for the sea. They were meant for exploration… and trade… and a little bit of surveillance, yes… but…”
With a loud and audible sigh, she dropped her hand from her face, allowing her arm to hang in front of her, still propped on her knee.
“They are tearing up this land to prepare for a war they believe is coming.”
“The Xin Empire is not known for its lack of zeal,” the mage pointed out. “Far surpassing the Oda Empire that preceded them.”
Chiyoko went silent again, but did not seem to hear him, stewing in her own head.
“What utter hypocrites,” she finally murmured with a low scowl. “Blemishing the earth, counter to their own teachings to revere the land.”