Chương 70: Chapter Sixty-Nine: Moonrain

Amelia carefully continued her walk up the magic tower's staircase, glad to see that Lunaria's floor was finally in sight. It had been a slow process; the stacked plates of cooked meats and cheese bites were one wrong step away from causing an avalanche of nibbles. She'd enlisted Mel's help, trying to convince her that this would be some form of balance training. The warrior wasn't convinced, but still happily came with her to and from the kitchens.

"I'm dizzy," Mel muttered.

"Every time I come up here. Twelve floors of winding staircase! Why do mages always build towers? Why can't they stay closer to the ground like normal people?" She shook her head.

"Honestly, I think they do it just to mess with us." Amelia giggled, causing the trays to wobble.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, rebalancing the precarious stack.

"There we go… phew!" She pondered Mel's words for a moment.

"I don't know; I always thought it had to do with the circles."

"Circles?"

"Yeah, first-circle, second-circle and so on. From a bird's-eye view, the floors of the tower would be circles, right? And there are twelve: three circles of magic for non-Speakers, three after the First-Word, three after the Second-Word, and three after the Third-Word. Makes sense, right?"

"Mmm…" Mel hummed.

"Could be that." It seemed logical enough to Amelia. Still, the magic accessible after the Third-Word, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth circles of magic were more or less mythological concepts to the mages here. Their only understanding came from imaginative stories coupled with scripture documenting the Empress's actions throughout history. Amelia decided not to mention the different, titanic forms of power she was able to access in the game.

She didn't know if they existed in this world and dared not invoke them in case they did! She'd barely controlled the Second-Word, and even thinking of trying to invoke the next one was frightening enough! Together, they managed to enter Lunaria's observatory without dropping any nibbles. She even got a small ovation as she caught the attention of the other moonrain partygoers. She and Mel were able to place their haul on a nearby table.

"You should have asked for me, Assistant Instructor!" a voice called. Amelia turned to see Hinako approaching with a look of guilt on her face.

"I would have helped!"

"Amelia," Amelia cheerfully replied.

"Not Assistant Instructor, remember? Amelia's fine, Hinako! Okay?"

"Oh…" Hinako looked to the left and right before leaning in and half-whispering, "But there are so many other staff around! Even Speakers! Are you sure it's appropriate? Eee–!" The woman jumped; Lunaria had appeared next to her like a ghost.

"Do not worry yourself, young woman," Lunaria intoned, her aged face showing mirth.

"This is a casual event, and dear Amelia is…" She paused for a moment.

"A casual person, isn't that right? You won't be offending anyone to use her name here."

"I see!" Hinako bowed.

"Thank you, Head Instructor!"

"Amelia," Lunaria continued, "would you like to see the view? The balcony is open." The Head Instructor gestured to the side of the room where large sections of the wall had slid together, leaving wide openings to enter the balcony that ran the rim of the observatory. Above their heads, the roof was closed in anticipation of the coming moonrain.

"Mmm, sure!" she said, nodding happily. Lunaria led her outside. The balcony was slim, extending not much more than a metre. Above it, a sloped roof would protect them from falling moonstones. Beyond… the city of Asamaywa was laid out in all its beauty. From this high up, she could even see Asamoto to the north! The Three Sisters were fascinating, similar in some ways to Kenhoro but also very different.

The architecture was mostly the same, with the same sloped roofs and stylised pagodas, but there was a distinct lack of kami depictions. It seemed that the Quinto religion wasn't as popular here as it was further to the west. Stone was used more in construction, as was plaster. The city had a kind of grandness that was hard to pinpoint. Well, it wasn't the capital of the Eastern Terra-Firma for nothing! Amelia leaned slightly over the balcony, looking up.

"Whoa…" she muttered, the view causing her mouth to drop open. It was night, with the moonrain due to start any minute. Contrasting against the darkness, the blue-hued sky above glistened. Thousands, no, millions of moonstones, no, aetherliths, were primed to enter the denser parts of the atmosphere. They sparkled in the night sky, reflecting the moonlight. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Well, the most beautiful inorganic thing.

Amelia herself existed, after all, and she was well aware of how thoroughly adorable and beautiful she was! And then, she supposed, above even herself… Was Serena! Careful. Going to make myself blush! she thought, scratching her cheek. When was Serena going to arrive, anyway? Amelia looked around, not seeing the telltale pair of horns amongst the chattering partygoers. Serena didn't believe Amelia's claims that she could pick out her pair of horns from a crowd of thousands.

Little did her girlfriend know, she'd burned the exact shape of her horns into memory, never to be forgotten!

"The moons have blessed us with a clear night," Lunaria said softly.

"Look to the west; you can even see the Yellow Moon of Centralis." Amelia followed Lunaria's finger, surprised to see the tiny, distant yellow orb above the Asamaywa Mountains. It had a regal warmth to it. Amelia couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live in Centralis, where the population was bathed in yellow light every night. She'd already grown used to the blue light in the East.

"Whoa! Are any others visible?" she asked, stretching her neck to get a better look.

"You might glimpse the Red Moon of the South if you catch it on its apogee, but it'll be hazy. You'll be looking through the atmospheric dust of the Shattered Isles and the desert. You can get a decent view most nights from Ponan. The Southern Lights become particularly intense after the red moonrain."

"Southern… Lights?" Amelia echoed, tilting her head.

"You've never seen them?" Lunaria asked.

"Or heard about them?" When Amelia shook her head, the Head Instructor continued, "It's an atmospheric phenomenon of how red moonlight behaves when it bounces through the desert dust. It looks like"–Lunaria motioned with her hand–"ribbons of silk, made of light, hundreds of miles long, dancing along the atmosphere." Oh… Amelia's brain clicked. It sounded similar to a well-known phenomenon in her old world!

She'd never had the opportunity to travel to the Arctic Republic to see them in person, but she'd enjoyed the experience through her gaming headset many times!

"Sounds amazing!" she said, smiling happily. The Southern Lights would be another item added to the list of things she'd have to see with Serena! Speaking of… she looked around, again failing to find Serena's horns amongst the crowd. It was strange that her heart would still beat so much in anticipation of seeing Serena, despite only leaving her presence a few hours ago! Was she still in what they called the honeymoon phase?

Whenever she thought the butterflies in her stomach had stopped fluttering, they fired back every time she saw Serena smile or blush! I'm sorry Ren, Amelia thought. Your blushing gives me a positive feedback loop. Hang in there!

"You've been busy today, I see," Lunaria said, bringing Amelia's attention back to her.

"Mmm?" Amelia replied.

"Your mass healing."

"Oh!" Had everyone here already found out about it? Had news travelled that fast?

"I'm surprised you knew already… but I suppose you sensed it." Any mage of Lunaria's talent would have found whatever they were doing rudely interrupted by Amelia's magic. The ripple in the aetherfield would have given whoever manned the city's aetherscopes a scare. Amelia sent a silent apology to them. Hopefully, they didn't have to stay up late buried in paperwork because of her!

"I got some fascinating readings of Aseco's magic. Good data." Lunaria cast her a glance, her eyebrows rising.

"You wouldn't mind doing it again a few times? For me?"

"Ah…" Amelia smiled, scratching her neck awkwardly.

"Only jesting, dear," Lunaria said.

"Poor Oshiro. What a headache he must be having!" The old instructor cackled to herself.

"Serves him right, ha!"

"You… know him?"

"We go back," Lunaria answered.

"Mostly as friends, but we've been borderline enemies at some points. Polite enemies, that is. I was rather… rambunctious in my youth. Although so was he, now that I think about it…" She coughed into her hand.

"Well, I'm just an old woman who enjoys moonwatching. Forgive my rambling, dear Amelia."

"No problem," Amelia replied with a grin.

"Why were you in the lowlands, anyway?" Ah, that was right. Amelia and everyone else were supposed to keep Noburu and Seonmi secret, for their own and the academy's sake. Amelia had yet to sign any documents; the trip to the slums and the events there had delayed such things. Still, given the Lord Guardian's instruction to stay put within the academy, she was sure she'd be asked to sign something similar soon. Even so, she would make sure she could tell Serena anything.

"Umm…" she began. Her brain spent all of two seconds trying to come up with an explanation before giving up.

"Can't tell you!" Amelia settled on the truth.

"And I can't tell you why I can't tell you, so don't ask me about it! Please!?" In response to her pleading eyes, Lunaria chuckled.

"I'm no suitor swayed by a pretty woman's eyes. Fine then, I'll respect your privacy. Still, what a bold action it was! The sirens were deafening. We had to go into lockdown until we got the all-clear. It was all very exciting. Be warned, though," Lunaria leaned in slightly.

"I'm not the only one wondering how you were involved in this mess. Rumour has it the lowlanders are celebrating right now, giving prayers and thanks to the Golden Healer." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Well…" While Amelia was able to stop her hands from reflexively touching her golden hair, she couldn't stop herself from swelling with pride. It felt good to do good things! She should do them more often!

"Is that so…?" she finished, purposely trailing off.

"I wonder, are all human mages this inclined to get involved in all kinds of situations?" Lunaria asked, her mouth curling into a sly smile.

"No!" Amelia replied cheerfully.

"Just me! World's only big enough for one Amelia!"

"Ha!" Lunaria scoffed.

"Thank the hells for that… Speaking of the hells, look upwards. What a brilliant moon we've been blessed with. Don't you think? What do you think of when you see it?" They both looked upwards, staring at the shining moon. Maybe it was her imagination, but the longer they looked at the moon, the more uneasy the atmosphere became. Amelia hadn't missed the implicit question at the end of Lunaria's sentence.

"Would it be impolite if I cast a sound-blocking ward?" Amelia asked.

"Keep it short, and no one will take offence," Lunaria replied. Amelia cast her magic, preventing any of the other partygoers from eavesdropping.

"Did you… manage to look at it?" Amelia asked tentatively.

"In the Shimmer, I mean."

"... Yes," Lunaria answered in a flat voice.

"I'm… not sure what to think. It can't be known only to us, right?" Amelia asked.

"I just… I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at. Is it… alive? Is it… an egg? They're not going to hatch, are they?"

"I was shocked at first," Lunaria replied.

"And I had similar thoughts. Then, I remembered my mythology and my theology. There are old, and I mean old, stories in the North, which whisper that the moons are prisons." The Head Instructor's voice dropped low.

"Dragons," she whispered.

"Ancient rulers of the world, long before the humans arrived, long before the Needles of Nai were built. But…" She clicked her tongue.

"There's also a branch of the Church that believes the moons were where the Empress banished the most powerful Titanlords, and the reason they approach every cycle is because they're trying to return, only to be pushed back by her powers.

"And, of course, we have the tribal desert beliefs. Some believe the Empress is the Great Spider, the animal gods her children, and the moons…" Lunaria gestured towards the night sky, "... Are her eggs incubating more animal gods… Oh, by the way," she leaned in slightly.

"If you talk to Instructor Abbas about desert beliefs, do it politely. The man's already frustrated at people assuming all the desert stereotypes apply to him. The South is a large and varied place, and they often get lumped under one pair of horns."

"Understood! As for the moons… so… no one knows?" Amelia finally asked. She was happy to see her tentative theories already represented in the Empire's plethora of cultures, but she was a little disappointed that there wasn't a solid answer.

"Someone might know. Perhaps they are prisons." Lunaria shrugged.

"Or eggs. Or prisons the Empress birthed from eggs." She chuckled, clearly not giving the thought much credit.

"But you were right about one thing; they certainly know." The demon's eyes sparkled, and she lowered her voice even more.

"A Lord Guardian appeared before me! It happened this morning. I was there, writing out my observations of the Shimmer, in this very room, then snap." Lunaria snapped her fingers.

"She was just standing there, in shining white and gold! I nearly shat myself! Ahem!" Lunaria coughed.

"Apologies, privacy has a way of bringing out colourful language, doesn't it?" Amelia giggled.

"I also met a Lord Guardian recently, but it was a man! What did she say to you?"

"Another one!?" Lunaria's eyes widened.

"Seven hells, is the Empress attending my party or something!?" The demon smiled at her joke.

"It wasn't much," she said.

"She told me not to be too loose with my lips and to remember I needed Imperial permission to publish anything on the subject. I was terrified! They're so… imposing. Truly as the stories say, don't you think?"

"Y-yeah!" Amelia nodded, trying not to recall the friendly conversation she had regarding brewing mint tea.

"Powerful, too! Their souls are so bright in the Shimmer!" she added hastily. Lunaria shook her head.

"I dared not look at them through the Shimmer, lest I offend them! You know they're among the few people in the Empire with the right to execute Cascadian Lords, only needing their own justification?" She shuddered.

"Frightening stuff, isn't it?"

"Oh! Yes!" Amelia quickly agreed. That may be, but the Lord Guardian she'd met definitely had a good soul. She never felt like he was a threat to her at any point. In fact, he seemed rather sweet. Like a protective Grandpa…

"You should drop the muffler now, dear. We don't want your fellow guests thinking we're gossiping about them."

"Okay!" Amelia ended the magic. After she did so, more people came onto the balcony, their auras or wards protecting them against the chilly night. They timed it well; within a minute, the first small stones started pinging against the academy's rooftops. It sounded like slow, heavy hail. It was oddly mesmerising.

"I'm not late, am I?" a smooth voice intoned behind her as a familiar presence made itself known. Amelia had to chew the inside of her mouth to stop herself from breaking into a happy grin. She couldn't be that obvious in her delight; someone in the academy had reported them, after all! As for who it might have been, neither she nor Serena had any idea.

"Just in time," Amelia whispered as the density of moonstones increased.

"Here," Serena said, moving to Amelia's right-hand side.

"I bought a bottle of blue." Serena handed Amelia a glass filled with the light-blue liquid.

"Looks like a heavy one tonight," she muttered, looking up. Amelia's eyes widened at the familiar fragrance of blue loqua. She immediately took a sip. The drink brought nothing but good memories to mind. Memories of nights out with Serena and Aiden, nights with just Serena… Wait a minute, her girlfriend wasn't trying to get her drunk, was she!? Amelia suppressed a giggle. Not that she would mind. Some of their best nights together were conducted under the influence of loqua.

It helped them to get over the initial awkward hurdles of learning each other's bodies. Ah, she was starting to blush!

"Thanks," she whispered, turning to the left to hide her flush. There, she came face to face with Mel, who, instead of looking at the moonrain, was looking at Amelia with a complicated expression.

"N-nothing!" Mel spluttered, turning away. What, did she want some loqua as well? They were friends! Of course she could have some! Mel must have been too nervous to ask. It was an expensive drink, after all.

"Here," Amelia said.

"Take this; I'll share Serena's."

"S-share?" Mel muttered for some reason. Still, her friend took Amelia's mug and, after some hesitation, took a sip. The moment she did, the demon's eyes sparkled. That's how you become addicted, Amelia thought. Now, no other alcohol will come close to loqua! Sorry Mel! Amelia and Serena took turns holding the mug and sipping the delicious drink. The stones started coming down heavier now. The pinging had become more like thudding as larger pieces collided with the ground and roofs.

Serena had said they slowed down, but these were going fast enough to kill anyone! Wasn't this extremely dangerous!? She was about to open her mouth to ask but then realised it was a terrible idea. To most people, she was a resident of the world. While she could use the excuse of a lack of formal education as to why she didn't know the scientific or magical explanations for things to do with the moon, it would seem weird if she asked a question that made her sound like this was her first ever moonrain.

It was a good idea to wait; as the moonrain intensified, the falling stones became brighter, and as they became brighter, they travelled slower. With her perception, she understood why. The moonstones with higher crystal content reacted more strongly with the lumina and slowed down more. The rocks that were slamming into the ground were those that were, well, just rocks. The change was noticeable in the Shimmer as well.

The plain rocks didn't affect the aetherfield much, but the ones with more crystal bent the aetherfield towards them in proportion to the crystal content. As time went on, the descending stones increased in density. It was as if the heavens were falling – thousands of blue lights descending upon the world. If someone were to see this from her old world, they would think of it as a religious event. It was truly magical!

Despite the odd loud thud, the sloped roof above them held well, as did all the roof coverings of the city's residents. However, she saw a few chimney pots get destroyed and broken. The streets were empty; it would be madness for an unprotected person to take a single step outside.

"A lot of smoke tonight," someone said. Amelia was captivated by the night sky. The ground, no, all of Asamaywa, began to glisten as the moonstones continued to shine even after they landed. They didn't shine like an aetherlight; they would need to be properly processed for that. No, they shone with a natural blue hue and glinted as they reflected the moon above. It was a beautiful sight. Even so, she had something more beautiful and pure next to her.

Amelia couldn't help but steal a few glances to the side, where the outline of Serena's sharp features, lit by the blue moonlight, was intoxicating. The curve of her nose and her lips that were much softer than they looked… Amelia quickly looked away but found her mind pulling her eyes back towards her girlfriend. The tickle of butterflies in her stomach was as addictive as the loqua!

"Focus," Serena mumbled, her face clearly hiding a smile.

"Sorry," Amelia whispered. She looked forward and then to the left. Mel was staring intently ahead, a blush on her face. Was she cold?

"There go the Houks!" someone shouted, pointing to the distance. Amelia frowned, flaring her perception. There, in the sky beyond the city limits of Asamaywa, was a fleet of small ships flying through the moonrain. The ships looked strange, like nothing she'd seen before. It looked like someone had taken a normal fishing ship, like the ones she'd seen crossing the inlet by Nai, and added a bunch of… buckets?

"They're mad!" someone exclaimed.

"Imagine what it sounds like inside!"

"You couldn't pay me to do that!"

"Are those… buckets?" Amelia asked.

"Are they trying to catch the moonstones?"

"Any crystal that falls upon a Captain's ship is theirs to keep and use as fuel," Serena explained.

"In the East, due to the war, people cannot collect the crystals like they used to. Years ago, before the restrictions were in place, all the city's residents would hang out buckets to catch as much as possible. Now, the only exception is the old law applying to those lucky enough to own a ship. The buckets are to maximise surface area. They make a profit, provided their ship isn't destroyed. They're nicknamed Houks, as in Houk -class after the famous Yellow Rogue, Erik Houk.

He became known across the Empire for campaigning for the law to be passed. Wherever you go, you'll see Houks every moonrain, some taking more risk than others." Amelia decided there and then, if she ever had the power, she would ensure a Halen -class line of ships was made, all in honour of her girlfriend!

"Is it… dangerous?" she asked.

"A few ships go down every moonrain, but rarely fatal. Often, the cause is a rock hitting the flaperons or some other part of the ship critical to flight, so they have to make a controlled landing. As long as they sail over the lowlands and not the city, it's fine. The real danger is to the people who go out on foot." Serena sniffed.

"I think something's burning…" As Amelia saw Serena frown, bells started to ring across the city.

"Fire!" someone in the room yelled.

"There's a fire! From below the city!" Everyone, including Amelia and Serena, rushed to the east side of the balcony, the structure barely wide enough to fit everyone cramming in to take a look. There, billowing up past the plateau's edge, were thick columns of black smoke. No longer did the falling moonstones capture anyone's attention. Instead, they were occupied with the abject horror of what the smoke implied.

"Empress…" some muttered, invoking a quick prayer.

"That's a big fire," Serena said solemnly.

"I-isn't that?" Amelia turned towards Serena, her eyes wide.

"Isn't that where we were?" Serena blinked before saying quietly, "... It looks like it."

"Hail!" An instructor appeared at the top of the stairs, judging by the sweat on his forehead, he had raced up all twelve floors.

"Fire!" he exclaimed between breaths.

"In the lowlands! Near the Asamaywa Station! Any mages or warriors who can protect themselves against the moonrain are asked to come! If you can't protect yourself but are capable of water or ice conjuring, please find someone to protect you! It's already engulfed four streets! It's an inferno! Civilian firefighters are being struck by the moonstones! They need support!" A deadly silence took over the room.

"Stop just standing there!" Lunaria bellowed, clapping her hands.

"Let's go! Their taxes pay for our salaries, so we should show them we're earning it!"

"I'll come," Serena said with a nod.

"Me too!" Hinako declared.

"And me!" Mel added.

"There's no time to waste," Serena said, eyeing the staff members hurrying down the stairs.

"Let's jump. We can run to the city edge and jump from there." Jump! What did she mean, jump!? As if reading Amelia's thoughts, Serena said, "Just like in Kenhoro. Come on! People are dying!"

"R-right!" Amelia tensed her fists. She'd grown since then. Now wasn't the time to panic! She was sure Kiku and the children were safe; the Lord Guardian would keep his word. But what about the other residents? Her mind recalled the excessive jettying she saw in the lowland architecture. Her idle comment about it being a fire hazard was now fresh in her mind. Every second she wasted was more suffering that could be prevented. She moved to the balcony's edge.

And without any fanfare, without any crying or screaming, and, most importantly, without any hand-holding… She took a breath and jumped.