The Singing Sun

Spiral Seven - Mun 3

I awoke, and my heart beat furiously in anticipation. Judgement day. After decades of fantasy, sating my ever gnawing awe toward the hearers only with daydreams and imaginations, the real experience was to come. I kicked the blankets away then walked out my room. Rial still appeared to be in bed.
"Rial?"
I tested my hypothesis.
"Mmm, yeah?"
A grumbled reply returned.
"Oh sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No, I was in that half-sleep half-awoken state for a while."
Reaching out to my pre-packed baggage, I informed her of my intentions.
"I'll be going, Rial."
A pause. Shortly after a her answer in a much more lucid voice came back.
"Have fu-, no, good luck."
The shaggy brick residence shrunk out of view as I stepped out and set foot onward to my destination. Back once more moving toward the brighter hemisphere, toward where Sun shines greater light.

It was a long, tedious walk to the nearest mirror, which laid at least 4 generous spins on foot. Naturally I began entertaining myself with personal thoughts and recollections. While then an interesting, yet curious question popped into mind.

Why did Pyio's words upset me so much

An odd memory, surely. I was enraged at such a measly comments. Comments about how hearers are not some sacred clique of holiness. Yet that anger was more than enough to drive me to challenge Rial's no-touch zone and ask for her permission for me to visit the mirror. I respect hearers, yes. However I'm fine when Rial talks down about them, labeling them hypocrites. What did Pyio do differently?

Perhaps the fact that an actually hearer confirmed, no, accused, themselves of showing hedonism is what gave the sentence emotional leverage over me. Nevertheless, it'll be settled soon. The mirror inches closer with every footstep taken.

The silhouette of the mirror was caught in my sight. Each step grew hastier and hastier. My heart pumped gallons of blood explosively throughout my veins. When the entrance to the grand structure began to be recognizable, so too did the person who stood beside the gate. A rather familiar face. Pyio.
"Welcome to the mirror, my child."
Pyio greeted me with her frozen gaze.
"You."
I murmured.
"Yes, I believe we've met before, no? Come inside, boy."

She led me through the white hallways. Cobwebs and dust marks clouded the ceiling. Pyio noticed me staring around, and spoke out.
"We don't quite have enough people here to keep everything absolutely spotless. I hope you understand."
I kept silent. The image of the mirror was, truthfully, a lot more elegant and charming in my past imaginations. I turned around the subject.
"Are you the only hearer here?"
"Of course not, every mirror requires at least three of us assigned to there. This is a rather remote station, but we keep the bare minimum number."

Pyio led me to a small room containing two chairs and a crude chair. She told me to sit down.
"You're here to see a hearer, right?"
I nodded.
"And you'd prefer someone other than me."
Speechless.
Pyio feigned a smile than walked off. She shouted back as she left the room.
"I'll fetch someone else!"

After some thought I figured Pyio being here wasn't all that unexpected. She still is, while I remained skeptical of its authenticity, a hearer, isn't she? She was bound to be a hearer here, unless she walked all the way from another mirror to the bar until her legs gave out to have a drink.

An elderly man, with hair completely greyed out and struggling to walk, came inside the room supporting his balance on a cane. He sat down as well. He wheezed for a bit, then spoke to me in a raspy voice.
"Hello there, the name's Marcius! So! What brings you to the mirror, boy?"
An awfully cheery tone that didn't exactly match his looks caught me off guard.
"I'd like to ask some questions."
He leaned back against the chair, smiling. Again with the hearer's smile. The mouth made a smile, but the eyes didn't so much as move an inch.
"Curiosity! A wondrous trait of youth!"
He chuckled. The despondence of movement between the upper and the lower part of his face gave his laughing expression an eerie feel.
"As is. Tell me, boy. What tricky thoughts vex your mind?"