Chapter 22: Pilgrimage [3]
<So Luna, imagine someone had basically ultimate power. The absolute strongest, able to crush stars between their fingers, the absolute fastest, able to move faster than light. Able to destroy the entire planet with just his eyes.> Noona suddenly said.
Luna quaked in terror, was this the true power of the Ancestor before her? Before she could express her awe properly, Noona continued.
<Now, imagine that guy has to fight…a random dude. Guy doesn't even have gene powers. Just fancy toys. And he likes to wear black underwear. Who do you think would win?>
Luna was immediately confused. "Wouldn't the omnipotent God just squash the…dude…in an instant?"
Liam felt both offended and embarrassed. "Imagine the dude knew the omnipotent God's weakness and was completely prepared for the fight. Who would win then?" he still asked with the last vestige of nerd hope in him.
"An ant before an Eyun will die no matter how much time it has to prepare." Luna said with confidence. 'Is this a test? Clearly I could never defeat Liam…' Luna thought.
To Luna's surprise, Liam rolled his eyes for a moment and was about to launch into explaining why a random dude in black underwear would beat a God, when Noona spoke up first.
<Luna…what is an Eyun?> Noona's voice seemed incredibly focused for a change.
Luna hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "The Eyun are the ones that consume. It is said that just seeing one is to see death.
No one really knows what they look like as there are no survivors where they strike, but everyone among all races agree; There is not so much as a blade of grass that remains where they have been, for they are death to the world. Even the gene energy in the air is gone in places they have been.
They are said…well…" Luna took a deep breath and steeled herself before continuing, "They are said to have been the ones that wiped out the Ancestors..."
Liam's eyes became focused as he listened, and by the end of Luna's narration he came to the conclusion that whatever the Eyun were, they were bad news for him to avoid.
Liam decided to end the conversation there. He had enough on his plate without considering what in the world the Eyun were. He spoke tersely, perhaps he was just the tiniest bit annoyed due to the previous conversation as he said, "Cryptonite. Easy. Anyway, we need to focus on what we are going to do, not listen to Noona's preposterous suppositions. No one could have the power she is talking about. At least, not anyone from Earth."
Luna was confused, it seemed that conversing with an Ancestor meant learning a lot of new words. "Earth?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah you know, big blue marble. Seven continents, four oceans, has a big beautiful moon…"
Luna stared at Liam for a moment before asking, "Is this…the world you know of before… the Breaking?"
Liam was startled for a moment as he stared at Luna. He had heard her mention the 'Breaking' before, but hadn't really thought much about it. To him, it was just The War.
<Luna, how would you describe the world as you know it?> Noona picked up on the inflection in Luna's voice as well and asked the pertinent question.
Luna took a deep breath and said "I have seen the world through the lens of the eyes of a Star Clairvoyant before. The world is not blue. It is a constant surging changing mass of colors as the various races fight for territory, their own racial genetic energy pervades the atmosphere.
Right now, about 30% of the world is a ruddy red-brown color due to the Conquest energy of the Ipili. There are blips of blue, black, iridescent white, and many other colors on the planet, but the energy of Conquest is still only second most visible. In the far East, the energy of Death is always growing. Unlike the energy of Conquest, where Death goes, no other energy ever pops up again.
The energy of death…belongs to the Eyun we believe. Lastly, there are 9 continents and 5 Oceans. As for the Moons…the second moon is visible in the North during the summer, and the South during the winter. It is called 'Abundance' for where it travels the world grows food."
Liam took all of this information in and couldn't help but start to wonder before Noona beat him to it.
<Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.> It seems that Luna's Nan hadn't just been speaking superficially after all.
"I've made my mind up Luna. We need to travel and meet your Nan. I have many questions for her."
<Oh how romantic, going to get permission from her grandmother first befo-OW!> Noona croaked. Liam had a self satisfied smile on his face as he turned to pack. His Neural stability which had dropped while Luna described the world, had picked up fourteen more percent in the last ten seconds.
'Heh, I can read him like a cheap web novel about some aspiring [hero] with a System…wait a second…' Even Noona didn't notice how self-aware she was becoming.
Liam, with a head full of things to ponder decided to rest for the evening. The last 48 hours had been as exciting as even the best days of his youth. He went to his chest and pulled out his pelts that he used to make his bed for over ten thousand years. In his mind he asked,
'Noona, this is a very important question for me to ask you. I understand the elemental reconstruction NANO did to all of my gear and my home. Did she touch…The blanket?'
<I won't lie to you Liam. It has been reconstructed on an atomic level many, many times.>
'What percentage of it remains from the original?'
<Liam. I know how important that thing was to you, but it can't replace her. I think you know it's been long enough now. You are just looking for a reason to justify moving on. I won't give you that. It is better that you move on yourself.>
Liam frowned for a moment before a refreshing smile lit up his face. He laid in bed and wrapped himself in the quilt made from a baby blanked wrapped in pelts.
<You seem…quite happy?>
'Of course I am. You just admitted that NONA used the original parts of my quilt here to remake it and that its still the same quilt I've always known. You also told me you want me to put it away and chase Luna's tail…tails.'
<What! I did no such thing! I would never! I…damn it you need to get rid of that blanket and catch that poke'mon!>
'Noona…she's not a Vulpix. Goodnight.'
As Luna prepared her tent outside the small cabin, she had no idea of the weird conversation about her that had just transpired inside. All she could think about is her grandmother… and the fact that her Quickening would last 29 more days when they were two months away from her homeland.
She felt embarrassed that she felt excited about that prospect, but she knew she couldn't be completely to blame. Her Nan definitely had to see this coming. Was that her goal all along? Luna's thoughts drifted down a long and convoluted path of [free will] versus [carnal desire] versus [filial piety] as she drifted off to sleep.
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