rogue_4

Out of the deep Ashoka Woods, and into a wasteland no ship can currently reach.

Thanks to the oasis meticulously tended to by the Anasa, the group manages to push on through crystal tides and thunderstruck plains.

'We are already where the thunder strikes the loudest, so we need only walk until we can hear it no more.'

The enlightened occasionally stops to calm Nymph down, as she often gets startled by the thunder and needs some time to get used to the environment. She is astonished to find plenty of other travelers on the path to the oasis—long-horned Anasa as well as other races, all whom seem to pay the local thunderstorm no mind.

'Is it a Catastrophe causing all these lightning strikes? What if it hits the oasis? Why is no one worried about that?' She asks.

The enlightened points to a roadside mound and she notices, after some scrutinizing, several holes in its side. There seem to be windows, but no door.

'What is that?'

'Bunkers once for refuge, by those who couldn't outrun the Catastrophes.'

'But I don't see any doors.'

'Why would a window not serve as such?'

'Wouldn't they get smashed by Catastrophes?'

'You found your way here to Katsidiya's outer reaches by turning thought to word, so why does your 'common sense' still doubt these windows?'

'Ugh...'

'You said these were 'once' used. What about now?' Mudrock calmly takes over the role of asking questions.

The thunder does not wait for the enlightened to reply before coming to a sudden stop, and silence envelops the oasis instantly.

Just as Nymph waits, unsure how to react, a bell rings from afar.

At least, Nymph immediately thinks it's a bell, apparently familiar with the simple and dull metal-borne sound.

Which she thinks is odd, since there are no bells in Kazdel. She should have found it unfamiliar.

Then, she finds herself back at the Furnace's ceremony, exchanging equally surprised looks with her companions. The revenants seem to be talking privately with each other from their tiny pockets of muddled yet intense conversations, their whispers echoing in her ears.

She sees Tin Man turning his head towards her, and hears Mudrock's clothes rustling as she lifts her arm.

She feels an urge to blink, her eyelids right about to fall shut.

A half-second of darkness, and she finds herself back before the enlightened.

There are no traces of her companions.

'From the peak of Mount Anius to the heart of Lake Hyparion sit numerous monasteries of 'those without roots'. They work when their bells ring and rest otherwise. These bells seem to originate from the source of all things, and their rings resonate through eternity, beckoning all those seeking westward to turn back and ordering those sweeping eastward to lay down their arms. And thus, Victoria and Kazdel have enjoyed a long period of peace.'

The enlightened's narration does not seem to have been interrupted, but Nymph realizes the speaker had been waiting for her to 'return' before continuing the tale.

'Now, the Kazdel of old has become the Katsidiya of today, and it has struck a promise through the sound of the bells with Lokadhatu—the land—where it resides. Likewise, we have drawn a line in the sand defining how we should act with the Victorians, just like we have with Yan.'

Nymph feels the speaker's white eyes fixated on her.

'Even now the Anasa's great bell has not sent you back. You once claimed yourself to be the Djall Nymph. Do you still remain the same?'

'Huh? Uh, yes, that's me.'

Nymph senses that the enlightened's expression shifts just slightly, but she is unable to make out how exactly, and unwilling to use her abilities to understand it.

'Dharmas exist without adapting to Nidanas, and so will never be lost within illusions. Djall Nymph, it seems regardless of the chain of causation, you can enter Nagara Katsidiya. Follow me. Your story has yet to end, and I have more stories to tell as well.'