Lightning On The Horizon

Chapter IV: Taking Time to Talk

Vivella Soldvari was born bathed in blood. She was raised bathed in blood. She forged her love bathed in blood. She gave birth to Alectronas bathed in blood. Vivella died bathed in blood.

Alectronas sought her own bath of blood. Her search only yielded dry, star-white heat. And she cried because so.

A screeching skid that sparked the rails was enough to jolt Ehlroy awake, his red and tired eyes hesitant to adjust to the light of day pouring in from the window pane. Many citizens had gathered in awe to watch the glow of the sun blanket the Citadel, the reflective metals of the structures creating imagery of gargantuan candles that burned with a divine passion.
Raising himself up, he groaned in aching discomfort but a quick stretch gave him energy. Carelessly looking to the side to look out the window wall, his widened eyes absorbed the Citadel in all of its might. What caught his eye the most however was the sheer vibe of reverence the steel-tipped Cathedral of the Evermother leaked outward, the building melding together with the heavens high fortress of the Matriarch. Guarding that fortress was the largest man-made statue Ehlroy had ever seen; a flame-like golden mimic of the one and only Vivella Soldvari. Standing proud in her youth, she stood at the ready with her enlarged Soldvant, silently warring against the tides of uncertainty. The symbolism her statue carried enshrined the entrance to the Citadel in dedication to virtue and honor. Her positioning played around with the time of day, the red sun inching past her head and shoulders to create the illusion of a powerful halo wreathed around her head.

The speeding transit system looped around the large rounded plaza, walled in by shops and official buildings, dipping into a drop off point just outside of it all. Ehlroy could hardly contain his amazement, evidenced by passerby making comments on his ragged appearance and gaping jaw. Whey they snaked into the station, a crowd of people were ready to pour in as the others scattered out, Ehlroy snagged in a torrent of busy bodies hurrying in many different directions. He brushed shoulders with all sorts of people, but mostly the atmospheric and appropriate Watchmen and acolytes of the faith.

Squeezing himself free of the foot traffic, he met with the statue head on. He lifted his head slowly, trailing up her legs and onto her tightened chest and ferocious grimace. The sun's halo illusion glistened behind her, the midday sun granting her an unparalleled aura of presence. Ehlroy was seized with fear and shock, paralyzing him in empty motion. It was as if the statue would spring to life, bringing down its heavy great-hammer upon him, flattening him into a red pancake. The vertigo that came with looking at the judgemental face of the Evermother brought his eyes back to ground level, where he staggered forward and leaned against the plaque bolted onto it's base. It simply read:

Ever with us. Ever mother to Humanity. Everlasting.

Ehlroy backed away and put enough space between himself and the statue, interjecting into a busy walkway. Now he was just lost amidst the various points of interest, unsure of what to do. Surely the one in charge of the entire city had no time to see random strangers out for information, and Ehlroy knew he would have to begrudgingly become a socialite in order to make progress.

He entertained the idea of visiting the Cathedral, but had no patience for zealots and the way they would likely dance around his questions. Perhaps blending into the Watchmen with a stolen uniform was a likely solution, though Ehlroy was not out to make trouble.

He brainstormed a plethora of ideas, staring out into a direction that happened to phase into two official looking women. One with a student's posture spoke with her hands behind her back at perpetual attention, conversing with a blonde, short but charismatic girl. The pair had exited the citadel doors, walking down the steps with haste. The taller one's bangs bobbed as she continued her march into the courtyard, the blonde glued to her side and reacting in an unconcerned manner. Both were garbed in a superficial sort of outfit, standing out from normal grey and black citizen wear, densely died in the Matriarch's colors. The astute one's long combat boots took large strides for steps, heading right for him. Ehlroy watched these two women who approached him, and pondered about asking them for directions. Unintentionally overhearing information about the Matriarch, he inched a bit closer.