Nazull was still holding my hand, but almost ignoring my presence. He was looking far—inside or out, that I could not tell. I had lost my conscience during the last part of the fall. By the blood on his forehead, I inferred the landing hadn't been soft for him. My eyelids were half open and I was slowly becoming aware of myself. My heartbeat was soft and my feet were touching the gentle waves of River An.
'Åsaïra th'avaada, N'aarat,' he whispered before letting go, yet without withdrawing his hand completely.
I guess he was trying to make sure I would not sink beneath the surface and get lost as far as its depth went. So soft the water that, I must confess, in all my troubles, it was tempting to surrender to its currents and make it my new home.
'Åsaïra,' I replied, bowing my head slightly and pressing my palm onto my chest.
There were no guards around us, which brought much relief to my heart. No Aquari or electronic system on either side of River An. Instead, there was a peaceful silence, with only a mild wind surrounding us from every side. The morning was warm and the shade of the cave hadn't lowered the temperature below a comfortable level.
I looked up to see nothingness wrapped in darkness, as we were right under the passageway. The window at the top was too far away. Chorus Na ended right above the river, in the colossal arch of two pillars descending one on each bank.
The water was lit from both sides by Ælla and Úna, their satellite moons on either side of the realm. The two moons travelled near the tunnel; therefore, anyone could easily distinguish them, giants among the stars, so bright and beautiful their rays that fell onto the petrified surface. They moved fast through the sky, circling the sixth tunnel, Úna from the inside and Ælla from the outside. We watched them from inside the cave in their symmetrical northwards ascent.
Úna had three satellites of its own, which rotated around it in the most peculiar course, as they moved around their own axes and around Úna as well, east by northeast. One of them moved slower than the other two, so when they appeared from behind the moon, the larger satellite did not accompany them. It was only in their second journey around the hidden side of Úna that all three of them appeared together. Then the moon disappeared from our sight, the pillar blocking the view.
Ælla was of a larger size and it rotated calmly around its own axis, which was not vertical with a slight NE tilt, but almost horizontal, with a major NW one, which I could tell due to the crimson vines on the ivory background. Somewhere on the giant mass, I distinguished a shadow which appeared to belong to a mountain-like surface. Ælla had no satellites of its own, but objects appeared to be drawn to it and absorbed into its atmosphere. The second moon eventually disappeared as well and we couldn't follow it either because of the same pillar.
'This is the realm of Nýriols and Layans,' Nazull interrupted the silence in such a neutral voice that I could not tell whether he thought that was good news or an absolutely dreadful situation.
Perhaps the distance that had toyed with us had been too weary on his heart. I stood up. My legs were wet and weakened, and he helped me walk my first steps on the sixth realm of the Níhalum cluster, which was colder and firmer than our own, in absence of an inner sea. Instead, there were columns of petrified mineral deposits in the colossal inner cities, displayed in vast arches on the high ceilings and down through the multilevel floors.
What was underneath those floors I do not know—maybe nothing and I am wasting time on a nothing as black as the distance between our realms. This one, being farther away from the megastar, had few inhabiting its surface, due to uncomfortable shifts in atmospheric pressure and low temperatures during the nights. Most Nýriols and Layans, the two peoples inhabiting the realm of Sá'aná together, preferred the warmth inside the tunnel-world. Even if this ellipse had half the width of the fifth, it was wide enough to accommodate close to one billion inhabitants.
Nazull, who had lived his first four decades of life on the surface, didn't look all that fond of the idea of losing sight of his starry nights and sunny days. We kept walking under the passageway towards the exit, yet his steps were uneven, suggesting the restlessness and hesitation of one who was second-guessing his decision. Maybe he was momentarily flirting with the idea of going back, so he could have his miserable life ended while he was still himself—silent or otherwise—rather than unbecoming who he had been, so that he could carry on as a new individual.
We walked on the bank of An and left the cave behind us. Strange was the feeling of being out in the open in a land unknown, with potential surprises before us! The ground descended slightly as we walked out and, about a mile farther along, River An sank into a crater, forming what I could guess through my feet were complex patterns beneath the rocks. Most likely that was the water source of our new home.
Ahead of us, there were rows of boulders of different sizes displayed linearly, whose well-established function used to be a mystery to me. Since they were not enormous, on that day I presumed that guards monitored the entire region by climbing onto them, which obviously meant that a Nýriol or Layan was getting ready to greet us with brotherly love and trust.
A man, his head covered with some sort of a dark reddish cloth as protection against the wind, was standing at the northernmost tip of the alley which led into Dwerlé Nath, the first and oldest city of the realm. He approached us confidently, scrutinizing our every move. As he was getting closer, I could see he was much taller than me and even taller than Nazull. His shoulders were broad and brown hair was visible around his neck. His eyes were dark grey with an indigo hue.
'A black Onar, most probably a slave, and a young Rayanar on a walk among the stars. What Illumon has brought you to the doors of Sá'aná, the almighty keeper of the sixth realm?'
It was far from a question, for he had obviously understood that we had taken the rocky road from fifth to sixth. As he was speaking, his gaze was moving from me to my fellow escapee and then back into my eyes.
'There was none today,' replied Nazull, his eyes fiery, looking ready for confrontation, should that prove necessary.
'Åsaïra th'avaada,' I interrupted cautiously, aware that this man might have been the decider of our fate on this land. After a brief pause, I added, 'Åsaïra, Sá'aná,' and I bowed respectfully, though our eyes remained sharply connected.
I could sense no evil in this man, his soul lying trustfully within him, which was good music to a listener of the heart. I waited; and seconds passed. His eyes sank deeply, as he appeared to be inspecting our souls after having swiftly analysed our appearances. I felt he was looking not at me, but inside of me, which made me restless, though I do not recall feeling threatened.
Nazull was growing impatient beside me.
'Åsaïra th'avaada ú åsaïra, Veel'le,' the Nýriol finally said, bowing his head slightly.
'We have escaped an injustice that would have ended our lives before we could have proven our innocence,' I tried to persuade him that we were not villains. 'There was a third one as well, yet he could not complete his journey.'
Silence, once more, translatable as hope, which should be filled by the right words, thus I kept on speaking.
'We are most grieved, for he has succumbed to a hasty sentence, which has come at a time of disputes among rulers of the fifth, whom Veel'le will mentor and justice shall be re-established shortly.'
'Is justice pure or is it what we make of it?' hastily asked the Nýriol, who had still not introduced himself, nor had he removed his hands from the hilts of the two curved swords resting at his belt.
Their engravings sparkled bright blue at intervals, starting at the top and descending towards the sharp tips. Those were powerful spells cast by the mighty Eöri, warrior shamans who have learnt their spells from deep within Neen Th'al, directly from Her.
'Justice is beyond what one could make of it.'
Nazull's reply had two sharp edges and so the guard, aware of them, calmly replied, 'When a slave speaks up, there has been little justice.'
'When some are slaves to others, there has been none,' quipped my newly-made friend.
The guard took a step forward, introduced himself as Mikhael and, after receiving our names, he added, 'You have come at a time when Dwerlé Nath is being consolidated and you two will help in the quarry, should you be allowed to remain here.'
'I won't be a slave anymore, here or elsewhere,' Nazull answered, looking straight ahead with all the dignity he could muster.
Yet Mikhael remained unperturbed. His worlds were calm and his answer was to the point. 'There are no slaves in the realm of Sá'aná. You will earn your keep and you will work hard enough because your Veel'le is afar and Sá'aná is up close. Yet she is kind and welcomes souls from every tunnel. I'm sure runaways like you two will make no exception under the given circumstances. Or you could go back with an Illumon.'
I wondered where these peoples kept their Aquari and Illumas. Seeing none, I began to think that perhaps Onars were paranoid with their protection filters. Since our only choice was to move forward, we took the path of Dwerlé Nath, which was inhabited by five million citizens, the Layans and Nýriols living together with refugees from many other tunnel-worlds. In harmony or not, it remained to be seen.
I touched Nazull's hand in an attempt to comfort him: however perilous the journey, it had been sweet for him to be his own master. Yet sweet turned to sour, betraying his deepest hopes. Freedom is elusive. Just as you think you have obtained it, a new chain appears to further challenge you. Should you manage to break it or should you suffocate in its web remains a matter that not even destiny can foresee.