Chapter 53
Fifty-three
Jada
Listening to my instincts paid off: we were right to go beyond the Scales.
I knew there would be something here for us.
Well, there’s not actually something here, but there’s a flat pocket of land, undisturbed and slumbering.
We land on the smooth surface—neither dirt nor flooring.
It’s smooth and glassy, reflecting mine and Elio’s hesitant faces back towards us.
It’s as if time does not exist here. There’s no sound, no movement.
Surrounded by jet black, inky darkness waiting beyond to swallow us whole.
I take a few steps unsurely, taking in the surroundings.
The floor is prismatic, reflecting a steady glow of ever-changing auroras.
The dome surrounding us is paper-thin, translucent, and barely visible, but safely allowing us to float amongst the stars.
“What are we supposed to be looking for?” There’s nothing out here. Nothing. Simply a path stretched as far as I can see, and never-ending space.
“I’m not sure.”
“What do we do?” This doesn’t make sense. I was certain the prophecy was intended for me to come here. But why would I be sent to a place where there aren’t any next steps? What am I supposed to do now?
Elio shrugs, seemingly unbothered by the entire scenario. “We walk.”
We’ve been walking for more than half the day. Feet aching, stomach grumbling, mood souring—I’m doubting my decision and ready to ask Elio to send us back.
“Let’s rest for a bit,” he suggests.
“No, we should keep going.”
“There’s nothing out there.” His tone doesn’t change, voice doesn’t raise; stars, his expression even remains calm—yet I can tell he’s as frustrated as I am. “We aren’t going to miss anything if we stop to take care of ourselves. Or would you prefer we keel over from exhaustion and starvation?”
“Well, that’s a bit dramatic.” I tut, pulling my pack off my back and kneeling on the ground.
“I am a Kosmo after all.”
“How unfortunate for you, in this scenario.”
“At least my dramatic antics will amuse us.”
I laugh freely at his dry humor. “Who would’ve thought you’d be so funny?” His mouth twists into what could be a small smile as he joins me on the ground, searching through his own pack for something to eat.
“We are our own people too, you know. Outside of what the worlds expect. Outside of what Pluto has made us. I have my own wishes, fears, desires.” Elio’s eyes flick to mine as he ends his statement, and my breath catches. He couldn’t possibly mean me… Could he?
“You’re right, I’m sorry for assuming otherwise.”
“Most tend to collectively categorize us. I’m used to it.” What an awful way to live.
“What do you wish to do, then?”
“When all this is over?” He pauses mid-bite on a muffin that Brinn undoubtedly packed for us.
“Yeah.”
“No one has asked me that before.”
“I am.”
He hums, taking another bite as he considers his response. “I think I’ve had my share of politics. Perhaps something less daunting.”
“Well, that opens up the possibilities to just about anything.”
“I suppose it does.” A beat passes. Is he really not going to tell me?
“Well, I suppose you’ll just keep me guessing, then.”
He chuckles, the sound deeply melodic. “I-I’m sorry. I’m not used to having someone inquire into my personal life so much.”
“Simply making conversation. Trying to get to know my travel companion. That sort of thing. We are kind of on an important journey together right now. It only makes sense that we get to know each other.”
“I wouldn’t have gone with anyone else.”
I hide my smile behind my water jug, taking a swig and separating his words, trying to identify a deeper meaning. He’s an interesting one, that Kosmo.
We finish our meal in silence, watching the stars and planets subtly shift around us.
“I don’t think anything will ever compare to this view.
I’ve never seen anything like this.” It’s as if we’re grounded in the middle of a dance, the planets and rocks and dust orbiting around our very beings.
It’s mesmerizing—breathtaking. Watching from inside a window or behind a dome in the distance will never beat being this close.
Elio sits leisurely, his legs lightly spread with his elbows resting on his knees.
Using his pointer finger, he gestures towards a planet spinning.
“That’s Krythos. Supposedly cold, dark, and devoid of life.
” Indeed, the planet is a deeply ashen gray with not a spot of light or color brightening its surface.
“If that planet is orbiting there…” He twists his torso, throwing out his hands in the shape of a square in an effort to size up other planets.
“Yes… and Merafeth there. It’s nearly morning. ”
“You’ve been meaning to tell me that we have walked for an entire day?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “Time moves differently out here.”
I blink in response, wondering how it’s possible for so many hours to have passed. Each step felt like a lifetime, but surely it wasn’t an entire day’s worth of a journey.
“There was a line in the prophecy…something about the sky. What was it?” Elio mumbles, almost as if to himself.
I wrack my brain, recalling each line of the prophetic poem. “Something about when the skies meet—” My voice cuts off as I recall the information.
Where twilight meets the morning skies,
only then will the fire rise.
“Where twilight meets the morning skies, only then will the fire rise!”
“Yes! Dawn, Jada. It speaks of dawn!”
Stars, above, it makes sense. Why there’s nothing here; how we’ve wasted our day. The space beyond the Scales has been waiting for the right moment. And if Elio is correct, it’s almost upon us.