Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 11: Unsettled Dreams

"Before all of this, a forest lay to the north, and a river which followed the mountains to the east," Bartholomew explained, gesturing beyond the window and out to the sprawling roil of ash. "I built my lab here to be close to everything. Town roads, mountain paths, harbours. To the west there are more islands."

"And what about them?" Lilith asked. "Are they also experiencing storms?"

"I'm not sure," the professor replied. "I cannot find signals for their gateways, and with The Core sleeping, there is no way of telling."

Violet eyes flickered over the desolate wasteland outside. Lilith couldn't say she'd ever experienced anything like this, but Bartholomew's descriptions invoked a land of serenity, balance, and wonder, and she understood why he wanted it back. "Funny how quickly all of this slipped into myth," she mused. "When my guardian told me of the nine worlds, and gateways to other realms, I took them as stories. But they're real, aren't they?"

"All stories have at least a little truth in them. Some more than others."

Lilith drifted closer to the window. Through the hazy veil of ash she glimpsed the curve of a giant rib cage, jagged remnants of war reaching for the misty sky. In the back of her mind, her own world's recent history resurfaced, and she fought against the waves of disquiet. "Has the planet fallen into a sleep before or become unreachable?"

"Not exactly," Bartholomew said, leaning his hip on the glass and folding his arms. "The Core, like most sentient beings, needs times of dormancy. When that happens, it is more comparable to a brief nap rather than a deep slumber, and I can always communicate if needed."

"You've never been totally cut off?"

With a mournful shake of his head, the professor peered at the scuffs on his once spotless shoes.

"In theory, what do we do if we can't wake it up?" Lilith asked.

"I... I do not know," Bartholomew sighed. "Myriad would be without its protector."

"How?"

"The Core acts as a central system, scanning the entirety of Myriad. Everything is monitored from here, from localised unrest to warning networks. When the gateways shut down, all became confined to each individual world, but now... you may have institutes of Delorem eyeing the capabilities of Solgarde and they can travel there within seconds. Just as an example, of course."

"So we're talking inter-world conflicts that have the potential to escalate quickly?"

Bartholomew hummed. "It is not the technology in here that allows me to watch over Myriad; it is The Core. They work in tandem, you see, I designed it that way. In the past, when issues arose, I blocked access to the gateways, but if we cannot monitor the nine worlds effectively, we may be too late to respond to any problems."

"In that case," Lilith said, "we had better wake this planet up while everyone is still trying to figure out what's going on."

As she drew her shoulders back and lifted her chin, Bartholomew regarded the soldier within her, disciplined and capable. Mighty beyond her years. And yet a tinge of mercy lingered in her eyes, hidden in the depths of her resolve. Taking a moment to stand in her presence, he realised why he had been warned not to cross the Sunbreak guards on Solgarde.

A noise of enthusiasm from the stairs diverted their attention from the window. Altair all but bounded down the winding steps from the upper levels and wrung his hands.

"Professor Spark, your laboratory is magnificent," he gushed. "I fear I could spend a lifetime in here and still not be able to study everything. Tell me, is that crown on the second balcony truly made of pure starlight?"