N-85 tried to sit up, but their whole body hurt too much to move. They looked up into the sky and tried to remember how they got there. *Is that snow, or is it ash?* Whatever it was, the soft moonlight made it look bluish green. *That’s strange—but why? Is snow supposed to be another color? And why does my whole body hurt?* As they rubbed their neck, the memory of the explosion and falling from the sky bubbled into their consciousness. *I’m still in the wastelands, which means I’m behind enemy lines.* Then they remembered the Great Griffin. *We are behind enemy lines! Where is he!?* As the brain fog began to clear, they tried sitting up again, but something was holding them down. All they could see was a large mound of snow or ash. Then the wind blew, and the drift swirled away, exposing a tuft of brown feathers. “Great Griffin!” N-85 whispered in horror, pulling with all their might until they freed their arm from beneath the beast. “Are you okay?” Frantically, they scooped armfuls of snow or ash off the bird and pressed their head to its chest. “You’re alive!” The Great Griffin groaned softly and blinked. “Are you okay?” N-85 asked again. The beast stared back at them, closed its eyes, and lifted a wing slightly. N-85 crawled under and nestled into the soft downy feathers. Within moments, they were both sound asleep. --- *What was that noise?* N-85’s eyes opened as they held their breath. Gently, they nudged the Great Griffin to make sure he was awake. Crunch, crunch, crunch… *There it is again. Enemy troops? Whatever it is, it’s close.* The Great Griffin’s muscles tensed. *He’s getting ready to attack!* In a flash, the duo sprang from their snow-ash blanket, ready to confront whoever approached. “HOLY SHIT! You scared the crap out of us!” Theudebald shouted, lowering his sword. “We thought you were the enemy.” N-85 let out a sigh of relief. “The enemy fled several cycles ago after you destroyed the Doomspire Nexus.” Theudebald sheathed his sword. Bunyan and Penelope appeared, holstering their weapons. They had been just as startled, and the relief on their faces was clear. “Queen Vishnayam has been worried sick about you,” Penelope said, patting the Great Griffin’s shoulder. “Indeed,” Bunyan added. “We were ordered not to return until we found you. We feared you’d been sucked into Fomalhaut’s vortex—into oblivion.” “Hold on a second.” N-85 squared up, their hands on their hips. “Did you say Queen Vishnayam? And what’s this about Fomalhaut sucking debris into oblivion?” “Oh, right. Yes—I did say Queen. She, he, they are gender-fluid. It’s common here, and more common in other realms than you might think—though not all are as open-minded as we are.” Theudebald placed a hand on the Great Griffin. “Are you alright, old fellow?” The beast’s eyes looked sleepy, but with a deep breath he stood, shaking off the ash. “I’ve seen these creatures take a beating and shrug it off.” Theudebald shook his head. “Their regeneration abilities are second to none. Maybe that’s why the enemy is hunting them into extinction— they’re always chasing a way to escape death.” “Speaking of that,” Penelope interjected, “our radar picked up debris from the explosion being sucked into Fomalhaut. Including at least one of their new secret weapons.” N-85 stood still, absorbing the words. The voice they had heard in Ruth’s grotto echoed in their mind: *He sent you here while on a conquest for exceptionalism and national consumption—under the calling of a religion built on false superiority and imperialism. You will discover your name when you balance the scales and set in motion events which will bring him back here—for just like you, he is needed.* A chill ran down their spine. “Queen Vishnayam fears an enemy Nyxihungar may have been pulled into Fomalhaut, and now could be headed to other realms in the multiverse,” Bunyan said, handing N-85 a metallic canister. “What’s this?” N-85 unscrewed the lid and sniffed. “A potion to help you heal. You’ve been missing for a long time.” “Speaking of Fomalhaut—where did it go?” N-85 hesitated, sniffing again. “Every age, Fomalhaut’s orbit intersects ours,” Penelope explained. “Its gravitational pull stretches our solar system like a great rubber band. Then, when it snaps back, Fomalhaut is flung far into space.” She brushed ash from her hair. “I see.” N-85 took a cautious sip. “So it’s gone for an age, and now we’re in the winter cycle. This… is snow, then?” “No. It’s ash,” Penelope corrected. “From the burning remains of the Doomspire Nexus. We thought you’d only destroy a battery or two. Instead, you wiped out the entire complex! How did you do it?” “Well, I was making good time on foot through the wasteland after Theudebald and I parted ways. I could hear demons all around me, but they couldn’t sense me. Then a hornwilled bat spotted me—I thought I was done for. But Great Griffin came out of nowhere and attacked it. The bat dropped me, and Great Griffin caught me. The demons were shooting at us, but instead of terror I felt… courage.” “We saw the hellstorm bolts,” Bunyan said. “We wondered what they were firing at.” “They were firing at us. Great Griffin told me to throw my satchel. It was a lucky toss—the satchel went right down a missile barrel. Then kaboom!” N-85 took a long drink from the canister. “I told you Fomalhaut was lucky.” Theudebald smiled. “We need to get back. Queen Vishnayam will be overjoyed to learn you survived.” Bunyan shouldered his pack. “I agree,” Theudebald said. “So we’re headed back to camp?” N-85 asked, feeling stronger after downing the potion in the metal canister. “No. Not camp.” Theudebald’s eyes twinkled. “You’re getting a hero’s welcome at the capitol.” “The capitol?” N-85 hesitated. “Where’s that?” “At the top of the mountain, of course.” Penelope chuckled. “But I don’t know my name yet—I can’t go there.” N-85’s shoulders slumped. “Nonsense.” Theudebald waved it off. “If Queen Vishnayam summons you, you have a name. She just hasn’t told you yet.” “Care to join us?” Bunyan asked the Great Griffin. The beast squealed joyfully and leapt into the air, beating his wings so hard N-85 was knocked to the ground by the wind-sheer. “I don’t think we’ll all fit on his back,” N-85 sighed. “And trudging through all this ash will take forever.” “Well, we have this.” Theudebald grinned, pulling a metallic cylinder from his pack. “An Orbital Life Launch Pod.” He tossed it on the ground and a moment later it let out a long hiss, then began unfolding. N-85 gawked as it inflated like a life raft made of carbon fiber and aluminum, adorned with glowing lights. “Alright, it’s gonna be cozy,” Bunyan chuckled, stepping into the center of the OLLP “Hop in everyone.” One by one they squeezed inside, even the Great Griffin. “Ready?” Theudebald asked. “Ready for what?” N-85 gulped. “Orbital launch,” Theudebald pushed a few buttons on his wrist. “We use these for medivacs and hasty extracts when things go bad.” There was another loud hiss and then an opaque force field, like some sort of translucent egg shell formed around them. A moment later there was a loud whine and OLP rocketed skyward. ![[asi-iii-theSeeker.jpg]] N-85 watched in amazement as the landscape streaked past. At first, it was the familiar landscape of the war-torn wasteland where the great Samudra Manthana had raged for an age. They could see little tufts of smoke and the mangled trees sticking out of the thick carpet of ash like stubble. Then, slowly, the ash gave way to a cool, pale brown. “That’s the desert where I awoke!” N-85 exclaimed excitedly as they recognized the sand dunes. The desert passed beneath them for several seconds before shifting subtly from brown to green. “That’s where I met Aiō!” N-85 shrieked, pointing excitedly at the hut. There’s no smoke emanating from the chimney, though. “I can see the sheep in the field!” N-85 smiled, then a moment later they yelled, “And there’s the great tree where I met Ruth.” “There’s the capitol on top of the mountain,” Penelope chuckled, pointing off into the distance. At first, N-85 could only see a huge cloud on the horizon. As they drew nearer, the cloud grew larger and larger until at last it morphed into a mountain. “I thought it was a cloud,” N-85 mused out loud. “Many do—it gleams so brilliantly white.” Bunyan ruffled N-85’s hair. “Are you excited to see your husband?” Theudebald asked with a smirk. “You bet I am!” Bunyan smirked. “I haven’t seen him since the end of the last winter cycle.” As they approached the mountain, the OLP began to slow. The mountain was enormous, and N-85 could see its flank dotted with villages, forests, meadows, massive glaciers, waterfalls, and rivers. The top of the mountain was flat, and on its summit perched a city of colored glass—translucent red and green. “Where are we going?” N-85 asked, their mouth agape. “Right over there.” Theudebald pointed. N-85 followed his outstretched hand. In the middle of the emerald city perched atop the great mountain was a huge park. In the center of the park was an enormous crowd. As they drew nearer, N-85 could hear cheering and trumpets. “What are they cheering for?” N-85 asked. “They’re cheering for you,” Bunyan replied. “Why?” N-85 asked. “Why? You destroyed the Doomspire Nexus and routed the enemy. It’s been many eons since the realm has known peace. And now, because of you, our troops are able to come home for the winter.” Theudebald was practically yelling, but the roar of the crowds had grown so deafening N-85 could barely hear him. They looked down at themself and realized they were covered in muck and filth from the battle, and a great wave of embarrassment swept over them. N-85 leaned over and whispered into Theudebald’s ear, “I’m covered in mud and filth, AND I smell horrible.” “Don’t worry—we all do.” Theudebald smiled, then gave N-85 a hearty slap on the back. When the OLLP touched down the translucent force field evaporated and the crowd rushed the group, clamoring to touch them, shake their hands, or give them a kiss on the cheek. Then someone lifted N-85 onto their shoulders, and they were carried above the crowd. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Some people were kissing. Others were crying with joy. Laying on their back, as the crowd carried them along, N-85 gazed up at the sky. It was an amalgamation they didn’t think was possible of fiery orange and red fading into yellow, gold, and coral. Daubed in, as if it was a painter's experiment were hints of lavender and purple. *This beats the hell out of the wasteland for sure!* Then there was a piercing trumpet, and in an instant the massive crowd grew silent. They all turned to look toward a large darkened doorway perched on the wall that wrapped all the way around the great park. A moment later, a tiny figure emerged from the doorway. “Look! It’s Aishani, Queen Vishnayam’s attendant,” someone yelled in excitement. “Loyal subjects!” Aishani’s voice boomed. “Today is a great day, for we have won a major victory against our enemy.” She paused, and the crowd roared in response. She smiled, and after a few moments raised her hand, compelling the crowd to silence again. “Loyal brothers, sisters, family—it is my honor to announce the arrival of Queen Vishnayam!” The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as the Queen walked out of the dark doorway, a grin spreading across her face from ear to ear. She walked into the crowd and made her way straight to N-85. N-85 began to tremble, and they dropped to one knee. “Rise, my child,” Queen Vishnayam commanded gently. “No child of mine needs to ever bow to me or anyone,” she said, putting her arm on their shoulder. Then she took N-85’s hand and kissed them on both cheeks. “Welcome home, Oda—my child!” ### Next Chapter: [Stay Tuned](https://www.substack.mountaintopcoding.dev/) ### Previous Chapter: [[20 - Migration 🌲]]