ASCENDING many wide and tall stairs of which Hvesykhiḥ seemed rather irritated by, they came across a wide platform with two massive pillars on either end shining from the light as like before. The curved wall was filled with writing, but two figures drawn opposite to the group’s position seemed that pointed to each of the pillars.
“Ah, I wonder what it is we should do,” said Nakthaḥm. “You would not happen to know Yūrmatṛtha, seeing as you know the path to the giant.”
“Indeed, I do!” he said as he laughed.
They separated into two groups, with Yūrmatṛtha and Hvesykhiḥ separated between the two and they went by each of the pillars, standing atop two nearby circles. Iḷēhaḥ put her hands to the pillars and felt the smooth stone surface, but she wondered how they shined like metal that reflected in the sun; nay, even smoother than metal. She noticed her reflection upon it. Looking to Tūmbṃār’s reflection, her complexion went pallor as she saw a black specter not far behind him. In fact, it looked to be reaching toward him. Its arms elongating and expanding as the boy shuddered. Soon its hands would envelop his being. She suddenly turned, bearing her staff ready to strike.
But there was nothing there, and the others looked to her, confused.
“What is it Iḷēhaḥ,” asked Sanyhaḥmān. “Is there something there?”
“No,” she answered in a whisper. “I thought I saw something reaching for Tūmbṃār. A black specter, ghastly and foreboding, as if ready to pull the boy. It was unlike any apparition I have seen before.”
“Ho! So you’ve seen ghosts as well,” said Sanyhaḥmān, laughing. “But it shouldn’t matter, Yūrmatṛtha says we won’t be far from the Giant; I much doubt that whatever you saw, real or not, will venture that way.”
“I assure you what I saw was real!” she said in a sharp whisper. She then sighed, muttering to herself, “Why did Tūmbṃār and I have to be stuck with the animals.”
Hvesykhiḥ coiled herself around the perimeter of the circle, and Yūrmatṛtha and Hvesykhiḥ looked up with their eyes closed and resolute. The circles began to glow in blue and yellow shades, and they slowly lifted. But the earth below was not lifting them nor could air be felt flying it. They increased their speed and spiraled about the smooth pillars. As they neared toward the ceiling, a gaping white hole appeared beside the pillar through which they passed.
Coming on the other side as the platform locked into the surface, they beheld a field of short grass swaying by way of a light breeze. Mountains in the distance, rolling hills, patches of trees, and many many flowers. The clouds above blocked the sun and shadowed the surface. Animals grazed in the distance, and the smells of the fresh scents were all around. The view, the feel of the air, and the grass felt familiar. To all in the group, it seemed as if they were now on the surface, but impossible it was for them to have crossed that vast desert so quickly. Hundreds of leagues did it stretch, and they had passed only a small fraction of it. No, it could not have been the surface, so what was it?
The two groups took a few steps forward. The hard ground and the pressed grass felt not as it should. No amount of pressure applied to it made it feel is if they were walking upon stone.
When they met in the center, Yūrmatṛtha said, “I am sure you have questions about this place and of how I operated those circles,” and indeed they did, but before they could speak, he held his hand forward and said, “I shall speak on that now.”
He beckoned them to sit down and told them to breathe in the air. They did so and it felt refreshing, unusually so, as if the air itself revitalized them.
“This air that you breathe, as you can tell, is not natural. It was said to me by my people that this entire space is unnatural. Not just here, but even the ruins below, which admittedly look little ruins. All the stone, to these levitating circles, to this artificial space: all constructed and autonomously cared and maintained. Hvesykhiḥ and I, having only been to the area of the giant and no farther, can say that nothing of this like was built by any of our forefathers. The people who constructed this must have been separate. Perhaps of a different and possibly older lineage. That is our opinion on the matter.”
And Hvesykhiḥ, having remained silent for long, finally spoke:
Indeed, though I have lived long in both the Heavens and the Midworld, no recollection I have of this. Neither of the ruins, the statues, the pillars, nor the inscriptions. And as Iḷēhaḥ has said, it would seem no recollection is had of this by the Dehaḥṃār, unless of course they have remained silent, but I very much doubt it.
“And that I agree upon,” said Yūrmatṛtha. “When it comes to understanding the structures, my knowledge comes from the few who studied the ruins. My father being one of them; it was he who showed me how to operate those lifts. But do not think it is some kind of magic, for it operates no differently than any of our mechanisms. The powers must pass through it for it to activate. But that alone would not allow it to move as such. For neither earth nor air brought it to ascend. There can be no doubt that there remains an item, a mechanism, that truly does control this. But I shall leave those details to the giant.
“As for this space, there indeed lies an edge, but as like many things here, the surface of it is strange. The walls breath, as air seems filtered through, and this illusion and image stretches far beyond without distortion. I and one other, who I had brought here, had scaled its walls and indeed we found it to be curved. It is a dome no different from Hadeṇvashrahthya. Yet by what method it can show us this illusion, I am unaware.
“And speaking of this image, this scenery is that of the Northern Lands: Soulless and Dull. At least a few of you have seen it yourselves, but that is not the only illusion it can cast. In other months I have come here, I have seen: the range of the Trdsyhrvti and the Svalfvorah mountains of Vzpryṃhaḥ, the areas of the four great trees, the aerial city of the Pakṣhevahm, and even the depths of space with an astral road leading to the stars. Particularly in the last scene, I saw on the side massive wings and a great white body as if it were a massive bird.
In all the images I have seen and spaces I have been transported to, no sign of any Ṃārhaḥn could I see. With that all taken to mind, whatever this place is, they are more than just ruins. The technology of which scours in the deep recesses of these ruins far exceeds that which has been wrought in ages past. Even the Drasūvayeznd, said to be the strongest and deadliest of the aerial vessels, I believe cannot match the power of whatever this thing is. But I suppose that only be confirmed when and if weapons can be found within here.”
“If what you say is true, then are you suggesting this to be a ship?” asked Iḷēhaḥ. “We saw an image to be resembling what you have described upon the mural, but hard it is to believe that such a thing could possess the power of what it you described. Though I much doubt that even with all this, it could match anything that could be found in the higher realms.”
“No, I do not suggest, and what you say is true, but if my eyes did not deceive me then there are indeed more to these ruins then just simple platforms and illusory tricks,” said Yūrmatṛtha. “That said, it is not this place that should be your main concern, rather what it holds. I speak of this only out of personal interest, for I do not think this place will be of much interest past the strange anachronisms. Indeed, it is the desire of the giant that you should concern yourselves with as it rests here, but obtaining it will not be easy.”
“Of what do you mean?” asked Feyūnhaḥ. “You seem unsure of what we shall come across.”
“I am, for both Tūmbṃār and Iḷēhaḥ have sensed the specter that lurks here,” said Yūrmatṛtha to the group’s shock. “And it will not be easy to fight against it; many times have I and others with me engaged, only to be sorely beaten at every turn. No less in pursuit of the giant’s desire.”
He rose from the grass bed and motioned the others to rise. He pointed toward the mountains and they, peering into the distance, could see a small black hole atop one of the hills.
“We shall make there; that is where the Giant abodes.”
