Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 12 Part 1 - Sign-ups

Kiel was confused. These gateways were the only places where there were holes in the restrictive barrier, so what he felt wasn't the barrier. Even if the restrictive barrier didn't have holes, he wouldn't have physically felt it unless it repelled him.

Kiel turned his head back to look at the gate.

"They spread a thin veil in between the gates, made out of mana wyrm tail silk. Because of its ethereal nature, we can pass through it." Elaru noticed his interest and explained.

Ah! So that's why the world he saw through the gates flickered and felt blurry. He was viewing it through a veil.

"Mana wyrm silk is very sensitive to Ink, so the Purge use them to test whether someone is Tainted."

Suddenly, everything fell into place, and Kiel understood. Anyone at any point could teleport to this gate if they had an appropriate Beacon. That meant that even people outside, in the dangerous forbidden zone, could also come back inside the Shield of Aegis. However, who is to say that they weren't carrying back with them a deadly plague – the Ink?

If they had been Tainted by the Ink then they would have to be quarantined immediately and not allowed to spread it. That's why everyone needed to pass through the Ink detecting veil when exiting the gate.

The clear view of rows upon rows of light yellow houses greeted them as soon as they passed through the gate.

Elaru tugged on Kiel's hand harder, telling him to walk faster. "Come on. No time to sight see! We have to hurry."

She pulled him down the street. She seemed to know exactly where she was and where she needed to go.

The streets were bustling with people, murmurs of voices created a pleasant background melody. Kiel thought she was going towards a large "Rent-a-dragon" wooden sign ahead of them, but before reaching it she suddenly stopped and Accelerated upwards, pulling him along.

They landed on a rooftop of a building; their landing scaring a flock of yellow tiwi [tee-wee] resting on the roof, making them fly away in a sudden buzz of their wings.

Tiwi were small round birds that looked like cotton balls. They had a small sharp beak, beady eyes and short wings that create a soft buzzing sound when they flap them. They also have a few tail feathers that are several times larger than their entire body sticking out of their behind.

The skies were clear, with no clouds in sight. The only things that could be seen in the sky were flocks of gugoo [goo-goo] and silhouettes of flying dragons and men. The sun was blazing down brightly, but it didn't feel hot. (Gugoo are small birds commonly found in cities. 35 cm in length, with long curved feathers on their head and tail.)

Kiel looked towards the horizon. Countless rows of houses of all shapes and sizes greeted him, as far as the eye could see. Their walls in all shades of yellow, personalized by different engravings, murals, and drawings. Although most houses were made of similar materials in a similar style, each one seemed to have a personality. It showed through many different things: the engravings on the walls, drapes, and carpets hanging from the roof and types of flowers and plants decorating the houses.

The warm colors of the houses mixed with vivid colors of the decorations gave Ashar a pleasant, warm feeling. The feeling was only enhanced by the background noises. Kiel could hear soft cooing of gugoo, the pleasant chirping of tiwi followed by the quiet buzzing of their wings, and even strong swishing of dragon wings. Chatter and laugher of men and women alike, spread from all sides.

Ashar was bursting with life; one could tell immediately that it was one of the five biggest cities in Halnea.

This wasn't Kiel's first time in Ashar; he used to live here, before moving to Beyd.