Beneath Us
I leaned against the sturdy ivory pillar of the empty and wide hallway. Light poured through the stained-glass windows in between the columns, reflecting off my horned headpiece.
Everything here was bright and colorful. From the seasonal 'pumpkin' drinks to the radiant orange and red leaves that were everywhere outside.
Green vines climbed the columns. A hint of Aeterna Veritas Arcanum was embedded within the arena's design.
Zionalma architecture was the exact opposite—made from obsidian and black metals. They absorbed the little light that escaped from Zriuctekt**.
Home was… eerie. Dark. Away.
My hands briefly rested on my hips, playing with the handles of my Zytrith—a whip-sword hybrid.
My body ached faintly from the harsh training Solare insisted I should do.
I did it, not because she commanded me—as if I would listen to the commands of a weakling like her.
I trained to catch up to Lambit.
Lambit—a small, fragile body, surpassing all of the High Elder's strength. With Silen—his other half—away on some distant mission, Lambit stayed holed up.
I snickered.
Poor two love birds.
Pathetic two love birds.
I stretched out my arms, feeling the burns of pushing my muscles.
I waited for both Reaver and Skarvek to return from their training rooms. Both of them had been training day and night since birth to catch up with me.
It still wasn't enough.
"Noctira."
I didn't look up. A deep, familiar voice.
"Skarvek. Took you long enough."
"Am I supposed to apologize?"
A beat passed in silence.
We both burst into laughter.
"Having fun without me?"
Reaver drawled, walking over to us.
My head turned towards her, a wide grin gracing my glossy nude lips.
"You wish."
I said, pushing off the wall and standing up straight. I traced the smooth surface of the cold metal that decorated my suit.
"Solare is pushing us," Reaver said.
"She is trying to compete with Ava," I said. My voice lacked amusement.
"No matter how hard the Aeterna members try, they cannot compete with us."
Skarvek added.
I hummed in agreement. My fingers tapped against the hilt of Zytrith.
"My hands are itching to beat someone," I said.
At that comment, Reaver let out a chuckle, making me roll my eyes.
"You're laughing because you had your fill that day, beating that human filth."
"You could have taken the opportunity to do what I did, but instead, you wanted to remain clean and let me do the dirty work." I rolled my eyes as she continued. "By Goddess Leda, I didn't even use a fraction of my strength. The human filth was annoyingly nimble." She added.
The new recruit was weak and fragile, just like the previous ones. It won't be returning.
I turned my head away, looking at the stained glass.
"Sik-sug*."
My eyes narrowed as I spotted two members of the Guardians of Unirex. The tiger girl walked alongside Agile Eye.
Those two got on my nerves. Especially the hooded woman, Agile.
Goddess Leda, that woman was insufferable.
"It's a shame we are stuck on this miserable-looking planet," I said out of the blue. Eyes narrowing into the sky, piercing through the white cloud covering the atmosphere.
As if I could see our home, the Zionalma Kingdom, billions of light-years away. Resting on the edge of everything known to life.
Zionalma.
Our home.
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Notes:
Zriuctekt: A massive black hole that the Zionalma Kingdom orbits.
Zkarna Glossary
Sik-sug (Sss-gkh-sugh) — means "Shut up"