The Black Phoenix: Chronicles of the Destroyer

Chapter Six: Reflection Day

Morning mist gently clouded the Hall of Prayers, though streetlights shone along the half kilometre long lane. HoloScreen dividers ran along the sides of the Hall, from the palace gates to the entrance of Emerald Estates. Irelyn citizens stood mostly in respectful silence behind the dividers. Imperial guards were interspersed every few feet. 

The city's orbital security cameras, the s.Crows, floated along, twitching every so often. There were so many people that they flittered about, collecting and analyzing. The nine main houses of faith all had their gates open, each delegate standing outside in honour of Reflection Day.

Aside from Caelestis and her siblings, the Ranakan temple grounds were empty. Where there was usually green foliage and shrubbery, there was thick patches of white, freshly fallen from the previous night. The scented pools of water and floating flowers that usually filled the gold braziers lining the stairs towards the main atrium of the temple were full of snow. There were no faint echoes of hymns being sung or prayers being chanted and the archways over the stairs looked bare without the intertwining vines.

Caelestis paced the grounds. Her younger sister, Jaisla, eyed her in annoyance, but she didn't tell her to stop... yet. The twins kept themselves entertained with their personal gaming consoles. They at least had the sense to put their games on silent.

The doors to the temple were closed. Inside, Caelestis's parents were completing the vigil held every year before the Solemn March. When they were done, they would emerge carrying Ranaki's Flame, which Caelestis would later carry when she would lead the beginning of the March.

As Caelestis's umpteenth round around the courtyard brought her back to the the glass mosaic tiled gates that opened to the Hall of Prayers, she heard a familiar yet oddly placed faint whirring.

She looked up. High above the gates, Caelestis caught a glimpse of a s.Crow peering down at her. Just as she noticed it, the s.Crow slunk below the walls.

"Did you see that?" Caelestis said.

"See what?" Jaisla drawled.

Caelestis narrowed her eyes, wondering if the s.Crow would return. As far as Caelestis knew, s.Crows had limited access to the Holy Houses. For a moment she wondered if it was Iris, but Iris would never be so careless as to hack a s.Crow and have it deviate from it's usual behavioural pattern.

"See what?" Jaisla demanded when Caelestis didn't answer.

Caelestis turned around and faced her sister. "The s.Crow. It was scanning us."

Jaisla narrowed her dark hazel eyes in suspicion. "s.Crows can't cross the grounds into the Holy Houses. You're hallucinating. You didn't go to bed on time last night, did you? You did this to yourself."

Caelestis gave her a sharp look, then rolled her eyes as she continued her pacing.

Jaisla scowled and walked in front of Caelestis. "Don't roll your eyes at me!"

Caelestis heard Radha give a slight sigh behind them. Jaisla turned her attention to their youngest sister, further fuelled up. "What? What are you sighing about?"

Radha glanced up from her pocket console, wiping off any expression from her face. The gaming device was barely visible in the layers of Radha's lace white dress. "When you faced the Red Bullet Boss, did you take the Underwater Highway or the Strawberry Galaxy Express?"

Next to her, Rai made sound of distaste, though he did not bother to look up from his own p.Con. "Just take the highway!"

"But Strawberry Galaxy sounds so pretty."

Jaisla chest puffed up in anger. "Turn those off!" she said at the same time Caelestis said, "Underwater Highway."

Jaisla's head whipped back to Caelestis. "You're supposed to be setting an example!"