The Random

Chapter 19: The Random's Rise

 Chapter Nineteen: The Random's Rise

      The moonlight had a strange effect on the glass arcs that lined along the side of the road running through the coast.Once hit, they lit up into luminous curved platforms, streaming up like gyroscopes wheeling out toward the skies. Charlie watched the scene breathlessly as glowing  disc-like objects spun out to the atmosphere, freeing themselves from the gyroscopes in a seemingly endless shower of outbound circles.

      From the driver's boot, Quince briefly turned back to look at Charlie who looked so consumed by the scene. He pulled the straps more to him, making the animal drawing the carriage move even faster, its gaits becoming bigger gallops. As the carriage rushed through, the transparent road blazed beneath the wheels phosphorescently, fading dim as the wheels draw their touch from the ground. Through the rear window, Charlie watched the ground fade, the lights being reflected on his eyes.

       "Frin" Quince said flatly.

       "Frin, what?" Charlie asked, without even having a tone of curiosity. His eyes were still at the road where lights crept through to follow them. He shifted at the arcs and the spinning disc-like lasers whose white lights were now suddenly turning to luminous green. Charlie noticed that the shift happened as the road that the carriage was taking started becoming steep. He looked ahead and saw the rising horizon burst into blinding brilliance—above it, a city shrouded in pure luminescence. Once again, Charlie wondered whether the place was covered entirely with lights.

      "It's the reaction of the environment to the outsiders—Frin; it turns that way—glowing" said Quince, as the carriage turned left to take a circle that eventually led to what seemed to be a park.

       "Really?" Charlie mumbled breathlessly, still holding his breath as he brushed the view, shifting his eyes from one point to another as bizarre structures come out to view in every turn.

     “Why is that?” he asked. There was an aurora borealis-like flash that cut through the sky—Charlie followed its trajectory   with curious eyes, and whether Quince gave an answer to his question or not, he could barely remember, as he was drawn following the light settling on the horizon.

        “We’re here” Quince declared, halting the animal drawing the carriage.

         “What is this animal called?” Charlie asked as he dismounted off the vehicle.

       Alighting from his seat, Quince gave him an amused grin. “It’s a wolfhorse”

       Charlie shot him a disappointed look, which, later on, turned into a forced smile. “I knew it” he said, flatly.

       “That’s your friend” Quince pointed at Bertie, who looked to be enjoying a small talk with someone—an elf, who was probably laughing at Bertie’s jokes.

       Charlie started climbing through the steps leading to an open park, leaving Quince behind who was left standing beside the wolfhorse, his eyes following Charlie.

        He hopped over a curve on the floor before finally striding towards Bertie.

    “There you are, buddy” said Bertie, pointing Charlie as he finally noticed him. The elf he was talking with also looked at him and gave him a smile.

        “This is Charlie, my bestfriend” Bertie said, shifting from the elf to Charlie. “And Charlie, this is Ryx”

      The elf extended his hand to Charlie for a handshake—which he received.

      “Isn’t that a girl’s—“

     “Here, it’s a gentleman’s name” Bertie cut Charlie short. He himself was surprised finding the name of the elf, whom he bumped into just a few moments ago when he was finding Charlie at the park. “An exceedingly handsome gentle—“