Chapter VI: Sifting in Silhouettes and Sorrows
"Amongst the bellowing rifts of chance, shall fate arise in the burning shallows."
- Prophecies of Tenelor
5 days after reconnaissance. 27th of August, 3000AD.
The streets of Bellus stood busy, as overheaders came and went at their own pace. Lilith had remained recuperating in the medical tent, as Kelly took watch of her occasionally. Vance had already left Bellus to move back into Gainas ⬡, but promised that he would return by the 27th to carry her back to her apartment.
The tent's door creaked, "Update me on your symptoms so far, Varie."
"I have been getting some frequent headaches, as well as weird pulses in my veins that I cannot control."
"Pulses?" Kelly let his arms out in shock. "That's.. new. I'll keep a note of that and interleave data with the other subjects. Either way, once Sumner returns, you may re-enter your homeland. I've already notified your Vallian about your choice to enter this program, which should give you a temporary green light to recuperate from your Gainan ⬡ superiors."
Choice? Lilith thought. The hell do you mean by choice? I was forced to do this.
For your safety, another voice in Lilith's head answered.
What? Lilith stood confused. She didn't understand what that voice was; it wasn't hers, it sounded... robotic.
She gasped and was about to speak of it to the hospitaller, but it intervened.
Halt. Speak not of this tongue, for your safety.
The door of the tent closed, as there was no more sight of Hospitaller Kelly.
She sank back into her medical bed, feeling the pillows wrap around her joints, comforting her, as she waited for the voice to return, but it never did.
She wanted to go home. She needed to go home. Her rusted room by the apartments of Gainas ⬡ was better than living alone in Bellus.
But with this came slight disappointment. She was a Gainan ⬡ , yet she herself had failed to keep that title. Rather than following her values of emotional intelligence, she'd break down to the thought of Daise. Rather than understanding their strategic expertise as people, she had forced herself onto the Senerate, which had now left her hospitalized.
She thought of Vance, the true Gainan ⬡ out of both of them. He could regulate his tone based on the situation, from frustrated to Sermänt, to negotiable with the Hospitaller.
She failed to be like him, but if it weren't for his decision to place her in the program, she would have faced the consequences for her inability to concede.
The door of the tent opened, snapping her out of her trance as she rose from her medical bed.
"Apologies for being late," Vance said as he entered the tent. "Kelly's informed me of your vitals and has advised me to bring you home."
A brush of relief flowed through her veins upon hearing this.
"We'll have to run through the Gainan ⬡ process of entry again, so ensure that your pass is with you."
Lilith reached into her lower-left pocket, searching for a peculiar slip of laminated paper, and there it was.
"Are you ready, Lilith?"
"I am."
The streets of Chimera were broad, yet slim. They were frequently thronged and busy, as the lights remained dim and the air cold. Lilith's arm was on Vance's shoulder, making sure that she wouldn't trip from falling limp. She could feel the frequent abrasions on the pathways of Gainas. It was no longer comprised of smooth stone or asphalt like the ground above them, for the ground of Chimera was layered with cobbled stone, all that their people could get. This, however, rendered land vehicles obsolete due to the rough pathways.
She could hear the distant chatters of men and women around them, as she laid her eyes on overheaders docking and sending back into the tunnels. The dock was broad and spanned nearly the width of Bellus, as behind the overheaders was a large man-made catchbasin, filled to the brim with water reserves.
Bellus was the hub of Chimera, where people from the three Regions came for the processes and conversed. They trudged through the postal buildings and short bars full of other reconnaissance units. They glanced over numerous other Hospitallers, Vallians, Scouts, and occasionally, Viscorps.
Lilith could stare high up into the tall office buildings of Bellus, watching the workers tirelessly slave away to make a living.
"We've arrived," Vance said, facing Lilith, pointing towards an open staircase leading up to the ceilings of Bellus. The pair trudged up the mountain of stairs until reaching a station full of others, patiently waiting.
"The way back to Gainas ⬡ is five miles forth. If we take the UpTram instead, we'll get there in five minutes."
Lilith slumped on Vance, observing everyone around her. The clash of different cultures shook her head with feelings that she could not describe.
She examined a Gainan ⬡ woman slumped onto the wall, waiting for the tram, lighting a cigarette. Gainans ⬡ were known to be recluses compared to others and only spoke in childhood and duty. She wore a trained cossack and untidy leg warmers, with a bag slung over her shoulder.
To her left, three Studon ♡ businessmen with ragged suits, swinging and slumping onto each other recklessly, whamming drops of alcohol into the air.
"T-to freedom!" One of the drunkards yelped, followed by a hiccup.
"Yeah!" The others responded with fuzziness and warm smirks on their faces.
"T-to the Child of Ver'As!"
"C'est Fayt!"
"Stand down!" A voice called out to them, a Regan ∞ guard, carrying a steel baton and a scathed motorbike helmet to cover his face and drifters on his body. "No one taints the proud messiah's name with intoxication!"
Lilith peered away from the disgruntled groans of the guard as he punished the three imbeciles.
It was interesting. It was beautiful. It was… terrifying how fractured the society of Chimera was. Each region had its own cultures, views, and vices. Some coincided as others conflicted, yet… it was the perfect organization for order... too perfect.
"Hm.. Chimera is an interesting place," Lilith sighed, holding onto Vance.
"That's what happens in an apocalypse, Lilith. Desperate times call for extreme measures. We have to instill order while simultaneously keeping individuality, which is why we have our own gates and borders. However, there will always be times in an unstable society when cultures intersect. Why do you think Bellus was reinstated? That's why we have the Hospitallers, proud healers of the slum, Vallians, coordinators of the reconnaissance, or even the Viscorps, elites of the mind!"
"Reinstated?" Lilith trembled as she felt goosebumps travel across her skin. "What do you mean by reinstated? Did something already happen in Bellus beforehand...?"
Vance did not answer. Lilith could tell that he was dodging the question, not because he was unaware of the answer, but because he was hiding something.
"There is still one thing I remain unaware of," Vance changed the topic. "It's interesting how each plaza has its own specialists. The Hospitallers of Studos ♡, Viscorps of Gainas ⬡, yet… Regas ∞ has none. They aren't the Vallians,-no, I did hear through chatter that their specialists are referred to as Wardens."
"Yes, that's interesting, but what happened to Bellus-" Lilith was cut off by a powerful chiming voice.
"All those awaiting service of the UpTram! Make ready for boarding! Model 115 is arriving at Bellus station!"