The Split Sun and The Mechanical Moon

Chapter Eighteen: The Vulcanite

Once again, while I was unconscious, another dream came to fruition. This time, I was standing at the foot of the tallest building in Erun. At the bottom you could see it go into the clouds, the summit of the concrete mountain hidden above the layer of cloud. In the night, its lights reminded me of a lighthouse. I entered inside, there was no one to my left nor right. I walked to the elevators, pressing the button at the very top of the large grid. The doors closed, and it now slowly started to go up. It started to shake, and now the chamber started moving faster and faster, the lights began to flicker. The lights went completely out now, and when they turned back on I saw 2 people standing bending me. I turned around, to my right was my old self... the body I inhabited before I was resurrected so long ago. To my left, was myself now but in a red dress and with flames emerging from her eyes. They both looked at me, with no expression they now disappeared when the lights flickered again. The elevator now was torn apart, and I was sent tumbling through the air. However I quickly hit something solid, I picked myself up to see I was kneeling before a shrine. I looked to a set of stairs, candles lined the steps with flowers and offerings. Standing at the top was a man with his back turned to me, I couldn't see his face... but from behind he had a striking resemblance to Vee. The floor beneath me cracked, the shrine dissipated as I was now falling again... I fell and fell until I-

I was pulled out of the dream by the sound of a gong, and woke up in an unfamiliar place. I was on my knees, a pillow beneath me. I looked around, the place was made out of wood similar to that of a temple or shrine. Lanterns lit the dim room, I could see sliding doors leading to other places. In front of me was 6 other pillows, each differently sized with 3 being on each side of a wooden walkway to a raised platform. On the platform sat one man, a long pipe in his hands. With a red robe, white hair and red eyes, glasses that rested on his nose, he looked down at me.

"What's wrong Dove? Your wings been clipped?"

His voice was soft, but raspy at times. He smoked from the iron pipe, laughing a bit as I tried to speak. He quickly shushed me, putting his index on his lips as the gong rang again. Suddenly a door opened, and one by one a group of people walked and sat in different ways on their respective pillows. I was dazed, I felt like I was dreaming. It was quiet for a moment, until the man on the platform spoke again.

"Welcome to my domain Dove, you've been brought here for a special purpose. I'd like to introduce you to my disciples Dove."

I heard the floorboards creak, and I looked to my right to see William lean on a wooden pillar and catch the attention of the man. The 4 disciples kept their heads low, like they were on sleep mode. William spoke, he seemed disrespectful in nature.

"Let's skip the formalities, shall we?"

The man giggled, but his eye twitched.

"Now, what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"I've been watching over this one."

"Is this what you do with your freedom? Latch onto the most influential person in Erun, so you can suck on their fame like a leech? And here I thought you were more than just gravel."

He laughed again, William snarled his lip and now kept to himself.

"I apologize Dove, I was going to kindly introduce you to my family here, but we were interrupted by a voice in the wind. Now, where were we?"

The man put down his pipe, and cleared his throat.

"My name is Vulcan, leader of The Vulcanite. You may or may not have heard about me, I have been on a sort of sabbatical. Haha!"

Vulcan snapped his fingers, and someone to his left stood up.

"Second strongest man in this room, Val was the one who brought you here."