Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 15: Sun Rock

July 24, 4021 07:50 [Manzhouli- Matriarch 04 Sun Rock]

Indra stopped to catch his breath, panting as he gathered his bearings. The trio had reached the entrance of Sun Rock, sprinting to the farthest edge of the Matriarch, across the residential district, to make it to the designated location on time. He took a moment to gawk at the expansive dome-shaped building he stood crouched in front of. An intricate carving on the front of the dome portrayed a regal-looking blue crane spreading its wings in front of a shining sun.

"Tired already?" Prasanna teased, slapping Indra on the back.

"We... ran... across... Matriarch. Should... have taken... tram," he sputtered, still wheezing.

Prasanna laughed, slapping his back again. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, everyone and their mother was taking the tram here. Given the rush, I'd say we would've been at least a good ten minutes late if we took that hunk of junk to Sun Rock."

Emil shook his head, smiling. He signed to Indra, "She's scared of public transportation."

Prasanna shot Emil a dirty glance as Indra snickered.

"C'mon, we should get going. Tengri doesn't like it when people show up late," Prasanna said, helping Indra up.

The weary Homunculus sighed, stretching his legs as the trio entered the dome. To the immediate right of the entrance was a reception desk. Behind it, stood a gorgeous-looking man. He was tall and muscular, wearing a tight black t-shirt, his skin as pale as snow, and his straight mid-length hair as dark as night. Opalescent pearls hung from his ears, swaying in unison as he greeted them from behind the desk.

"Hey, how's it going, friends? The name's Jin! I don't recognize your faces! Could you be new patrons, perhaps? I could set you up with one of our membership plans! Hmm, let's see, a beginner's membership sounds good. Of course, I'll even throw in a discount! We could start you off at a monthly premium of one hundred seeds," stated the receptionist, gleefully.

Indra noticed Prasanna staring at the man, entranced. For some reason, this irked him.

He pulled his pockets inside out. "Sorry, I'm out of cash," he stated dryly.

The receptionist's face soured. "We're not a charity. No money means no access to the facilities. Beat it, kids."

"We were summoned here," Indra pointed to his Nerve Cord.

Jin sighed in exasperation. "I see. More of you Homunculi from the other Matriarchs. You people keep congregating here like flies. I'm trying to run a business and instead, I'm left to babysit the underperformers. This is so typical of Kǔ Shén! He keeps dropping his trash here and, of course, that sadist keeps accepting you urchins instead of trying to draw in paying customers!" he complained.

Jin sighed again, resting his cheek on one hand. He pointed behind them to a small worn-out door. Prasanna thanked him, batting her eyes and waving goodbye as they left the lobby, entering a small corridor. At the end of the corridor, two heavyset doors lay open, leading into a large arena. The turf of the arena mimicked the vegetation of a grassland, tall sprouts of grass spanning the entire field. Notably, the elevation seemed to increase and plateau in certain sections of the field, the topography leaving Indra slightly puzzled. The area was packed with Homunculi, grim expressions on their faces, seemingly steeling themselves. The three made their way to the far end of the arena, searching for an open spot amongst the crowd. As they drew nearer to the farthest end, they could see a group of Homunculi, seemingly in better spirits than their cohorts, nervous excitement in the air.

"Alright, fun-size! We made it!" Prasanna exclaimed cheerfully.

"I already told you, my name is Indra, so why do you insist on using that nickname?" Indra asked, slightly incensed.