Dark Horizons - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The first rays of the crimson sunrise spilled into the room from the window wall, diluted by the electrochromic tinting. Ryouki, still asleep in bed, breathed gently and regularly beneath the light sheet that sheltered him from the early morning chill. In the distance, the city began to show increasing signs of life. Lights flickered off, their nightly duties completed, even as window tinting throughout the city automatically decreased.
As the light outside shifted to a deep orange, Ryouki's window began to brighten as the electric current flowing through its smart glass was gradually amplified. Gentle tendrils of yellow-orange light reached out across the small expanse to the bed where he slept. Ryouki began to stir, then sat bolt upright as a piercing beep resounded from his alarm clock. He silenced the alarm, threw off the sheet and swung his legs to the right, over the side of the bed. He stretched and let his footpaws touch the cool plastic flooring. He drifted into the bathroom in a groggy, early morning haze and keyed the door shut behind him. As it hissed closed, he stripped off his camouflage sweatpants and stepped into the refresher unit. The fox relaxed as the warm sterilizing vapor dampened his soft orange fur.
After several minutes, he exited the refresher and toweled off the remaining moisture as he shuffled back into his bedroom. At the press of a wall panel, a drawer with some of Ryouki's clothes revealed itself. He grabbed a brick-red polo shirt, dark blue jeans, a white D-ring belt, black socks and black skate shoes. He returned to the bathroom with what in his opinion was a good outfit, though definitely not the best, and dressed himself in front of the mirror. As he did so, he went through the process in his mind with morning-induced boredom. Pants up, button and zipper, button pants over tail, put on belt, pull tight, shirt over head, arms through, only use the bottom button, socks on footpaws, shoes last. It was the type of litany that ran through his head every morning, and its unfaltering regularity never failed to fascinate him in the time before breakfast.
Ryouki made his way into the small kitchen of his apartment. As he stepped through the doorway, the Personal Kitchen Assistant activated and the holographic image of a female skunk wearing a faded blue button-up shirt, white three-quarter length pants and a slightly food splattered apron materialized behind the counter.
"Moarning Mr. Shizukana," she intoned in a tinny New Jersey-esque accent.
"So what name did you choose for yourself today?" The PKA was a simple artificial intelligence system and changing her own identity daily was one of the quirks that developed in her logic core.
"I'm thinkin' Clayah," she responded. "Suits meh, don'cha think?"
"Sure, Claire," Ryouki answered half-heartedly, staring into her hollow eyes. He knew all AI systems had that same graphical flaw, but it still always left him feeling a bit queasy. "Would you mind laying off the accent though, it's rather annoying."
The PKA's voice shifted to the uniform, metallic default feminine voice set. "Fine dear. What can I get for you?"
"How about a bowl of cereal and some eggs?"
"Don't forget, today you leave for that three day educational thing of yours in the fourth that you won't tell me about."
"Shit, that's right. Breakfast'll have to be fast. Uh, make that a bowl of oatmeal and grits if you don't mind." Ryouki ran through the doorway to the bedroom.
"I don't have a mind dear, remember?" the PKA called after him.
"If you can even comprehend having or not having one," he called back over his shoulder as he rummaged through a small pile of his personal effects, his tail waving in the air, "then you have a mind. It's just different than organic ones."
"Whatever you say. I don't feel like arguing with you about this again."
Ryouki found what he was looking for, a dark red backpack and a small black bag, and dashed across the bedroom, the only room in the apartment aside from the kitchen and bathroom. With a quick tap on another wall panel, a closet opened up and revealed Ryouki's clothes. He snagged four shirts, two pairs of pants and some socks. He dumped everything but the black bag on the bed as he sprinted past it and into the bathroom. He threw his toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant into the bag, zipped it closed and returned to the bedroom/living space. Ryouki hastily folded the clothes and stuffed them all into the red backpack. He grabbed his portable network terminal off the nearby desk and gently slipped it into the bag's padded compartment.
Lastly, he opened another wall-drawer and removed a three-inch-long black led-flashlight. Knowing that the fourth district wasn't the most up-to-date region of the city, he wanted to be prepared for anything, even the entire power system going out and the city being plunged into darkness as happened now and then. Pointing it at his face, he flicked it on to test the batteries. Slightly startled and temporarily blinded, Ryouki fumbled for the switch. Yep, still good. As he blinked away the violet and black spots that had developed in his vision, he deposited the flashlight in his backpack and made sure all the pockets were zipped closed. Ryouki slung the backpack over his right shoulder and stepped hurriedly into the kitchen. Waiting on the counter was a bowl of steaming cereal, a thick mixture of oatmeal and grits. He set down his bag, grabbed a glass from the cupboard to his right and poured himself orange juice from the small refrigerator below.
Ryouki stood at the counter and enjoyed the meager, yet substantial, fixings. Not wanting to be late, he every so often glanced at his inexpensive water-proof watch, which he never took off. Within fifteen minutes, Ryouki had eaten, cleared the dishes, and was ready to depart for the three-day-long event. He once again slung the dark red pack over his right shoulder and stepped out of his apartment into the cold hallway.
* * * * *
The blue-white sun crept upward past the threshold between earth and sky above the western mountain and shed the first rays of daylight on the small village of Nhia. The ceramic roofs of the citizens' small wood and plaster dwellings, nestled close in the valley formed by the three Apnes Mountains, glistened with a thin frost. A short distance from the town center, elevated by the sloping base of the southern mountain, stood a slightly larger house apart from the rest. This was the residence of the religious. Kyarra, a silver fox and the youngest of the village priestesses, gently brushed the cloth door aside and stepped out into the biting chill of the early morning air.
Kyarra's light grey fur and lovely gold-blonde hair rustled in the frosty breeze. She stood for a moment admiring the glistening crystalline appearance of the village, her brilliant turquoise eyes absorbing every detail. Kyarra wore the standard garb of female religious in Nhia: a black, tight-fitting, sleeveless shirt, which molded to every flowing curve from her shoulders to just above her navel revealing the white fur on her stomach, a straight knee-length skirt of lightweight cream-colored fabric that was cut along each side for mobility and suspended by a wide leather belt, and a small maroon cape, held in place by two unobtrusive gold buttons positioned on her shirt near her collarbones. She took a deep breath and then began up the mountain path to the village shrine, as was her daily tradition. While she was reverently ascending the wide granite steps to the lakeside pathway, she heard a cry from behind her, "Kyarra!" I guess I'm not the only one awake this early, she thought as she turned to see who had called.
"Sajia, good morning."
"Kyarra," the light grey cat panted, trying to catch her breath, "Kyarra, have you seen Noeki this morning? I've been looking all over for-"
Kyarra's temper flared, "What, am I his mother?" she snapped. Then, regaining her usual tranquility: "Oh, please forgive me. I don't know why I said that. My apologies."
"Never mind that. Have you seen him?"
"No." An awkward silence descended on the two for a brief moment. "Sajia, will you walk with me?"
The two turned and continued up the steps, Kyarra's thoughts beginning to stir. Noeki is the son of our best blacksmith, but I've heard rumors of conflict in that family. Might Sajia have something to do about it?
After walking a quarter way around the lake, they came to a much narrower set of steps carved into the mountainside. They climbed the stairs in silence and entered the holy cave at the summit. Sajia gasped, and the echoes broke the sacred peace that was to be observed in that place. Sitting on his knees before the mystical shrine was the husky of Sajia's inquiry, Noeki. I really need to wake up earlier, thought Kyarra.
A subtle movement of Noeki's clothing broadcasted that he was aware of their presence, yet he did not turn to see who was there. Although it was common practice to look exclusively inward while in the holy place and disregard the presence of others, Kyarra knew that Noeki was not the dog to be so immersed in reflection as to resist the urge of curiosity. There could be only one explanation; Noeki knew who had entered the shrine and refused to turn for some reason. There must be something going on between Sajia and Noeki, thought Kyarra. I don't know what it is, but I doubt things are going to go well this morning.
Before Kyarra could do anything to ease or avoid the situation, Sajia spoke up. "Noeki, I've been looking all over for you this morning."
Noeki sighed deeply, letting his shoulders fall as he did so. "I know. I came here to avoid you," he said, still not turning toward the two.
"To avoid me? Noeki, why?"
"Well, you and my family." He paused. "I really don't think I can tell you."
"But Noeki, I love you and I wanted to ask you if-"
Noeki flung himself around to face her. "That is exactly why I've been avoiding you!" As Sajia drew back with a look of horror, Noeki noticed Kyarra for the first time. "I'm sorry Kyarra. I didn't know you were here; forgive me."
"I know it probably isn't my position to speak, but this," she indicated their surroundings, "is truly not the place for such conversation," said Kyarra. "May we move outside?" Noeki nodded once in agreement and rose to his feet. After one last look at the giant stone circle of divine origin with a square hole in its middle that floated, unmoving, one foot above the ground, he and Kyarra moved out of the sacred cave, Sajia following hesitantly, a look of consternation still plastered across her face.
* * * * *
Ryouki stood amid the crowds on the bustling street, the straps of his dark red backpack pressing firmly against his shoulders. The journey to the fourth district had been by maglev, and he had spent the hour of boredom humming tunes to himself, sketching on a napkin, staring out the window and trying to sleep.
A look at one of the many slightly dingy street signs told him which way he needed to go and he set off. Ambling unhurriedly along the avenue, Ryouki eyed the dilapidated buildings and rundown superstructures, most of which were dangerously overhanging the pedestrian thoroughfare.
As he continued to scan his surroundings, his eyes locked on a grey wolf of average height standing in the distance. The wolf had distinctive crimson highlights and was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, an open red button-up shirt, a black hat, a studded red belt and tight black pants with a chain from both front belt loops to the opposite back pocket. His black hair, blown out of place by a stiff breeze, hung to his jaw-line. He combed it back into position with his paw, and the crimson highlights, catching the midday sun, seemed to blaze. He knew the wolf, Tsuichi Sabishiku. Ryouki took a deep breath to strengthen his courage and strode toward his target. Weaving his way through the jostling crowd, Ryouki came to stand behind and to the right of Tsuichi, just outside his field of vision. After waiting what seemed like an appropriate length of time, he set his paw on Tsuichi's shoulder.
"Tsuichi." he turned and peered at Ryouki with his piercing red eyes. Ryouki's heart began to race from being so close to his old friend and from the usual nervousness he experienced when entering a conversation. "Long time, no see," he commented with a slight grin.
Tsuichi, complacent as always, merely responded with "hey." The two stared at each other for some time, not quite knowing where to begin.
"So, how has life been going?" Ryouki attempted to move the conversation along.
"Fine."
"What's new?"
"Not much."
"Anything interesting going on?"
"No."
Ryouki sighed. It was the same as it always had been when he tried to talk to Tsuichi; Ryouki dragged him along as if he were, conversationally, a limp, unconscious body, getting no help whatsoever from his friend. That's it. I'm going to shut up and make him do the talking. Ryouki stood there staring at Tsuichi, waiting for him to make the next move. He was fairly patient, but no amount of patience could save Ryouki from the torture of Tsuichi's blank, half-hearted stare, as the friend continued his unfaltering silence, the awkwardness of the situation growing continuously.
The two were so involved in not talking that they didn't see the crowds sprinting away from where they stood. Someone noticed their ignorance and yelled out for them to move. Unfortunately, the steel truss that had been dislodged from its position high above the walkway was already too close to permit the two any escape. The heavy metal slammed into the walkway next to them, throwing the fox and wolf to the ground and creating large cracks in the duracrete surface. The ground shook once more, and the portion of walkway Ryouki and Tsuichi were sprawled across disintegrated beneath them and cast them into the city's dark sublevels.
They tumbled down through ancient sewers and long forgotten tunnels. Eventually, the underground walls sloped off to one side and began slowing their fall. The shaft leveled off completely, and the two, though dazed from the terrifying plummet, rose up on faintly trembling legs and found themselves in a spacious cavern.
The cave did not appear artificial, but did not appear natural either; the rock walls were as smooth as glass. A short pedestal stood in the center and four gigantic granite blocks seemed to be carved out of the cavern wall itself, two near the floor and two near the ceiling. The blocks were generally square in shape, but each had a quarter circular section removed from the corner closest to the center of all four.
The two stood for a moment, transfixed by the sight. A shaft of white light surrounded the pedestal in an intense, hazy glow.
Before either realized what was going on, they had walked to the small construct, drawn by an overwhelming subconscious magnetism. Tsuichi bent down closer toward the pedestal, and Ryouki noticed for the first time that he wore a white crystal on a simple leather strap around his neck. It swung out from his shirt and dangled in the supernatural light before settling at the end of the taught cord.
It glinted and caught Ryouki's eye. The crystal appeared to be illuminated by a light of its own, which pulsed harmonized with the brightness in which they stood. Without warning, the crystal was yanked toward the pedestal by an unseen force and broke free of the strap that formerly tethered it to Tsuichi's neck.
Tsuichi let out a shriek, and Ryouki's mouth dropped in astonishment as the crystal was absorbed into the solid stone dais. Rock dust began to fill the air, and the four granite blocks detached themselves from the cavern wall and floated through the blinding clouds toward each other. A deafening roar signaled their rendezvous. Both fox and wolf hacked in the hazy surroundings, attempting in vain to draw fresh air into their lungs.
When the debris finally settled and the two young canines could catch their broken and now raspy breath and had blinked their eyes open against tears and stubborn dust particles, the cave had changed drastically. The walls were aflame with blue glowing patterns and the space was lit from the open center of the granite blocks, which were now merged together without any visible seams. Through the circular opening in the middle of the massive stone, Ryouki could see another cavern with similar wall patterns glowing green. The top of the pedestal standing before him emitted a soft blue-white light, which spilled over the sides like dense fog.
He looked over to Tsuichi to see if he was all right. He had been knocked to the ground but not injured, Ryouki found with some relief. His hair, however, looked disheveled, and his normally pristine clothes were covered in a fine layer of muddy grey powder. Ryouki knelt down and brushed the dust off of his shoulders. Leaning closer, his paw found its way to Tsuichi's hair where it combed through the fine strands, attempting to set them straight. Their eyes locked. Ryouki froze for a brief moment, his paw still buried in his friend's long, silky fur. Then his hand shot to the back of his neck, and he gave Tsuichi as innocent a grin as he could muster.
"I've told you before, you're not-"
"I know, I know. Sorry."
Ryouki stood and brushed off his own clothes, then turned to Tsuichi and, without a word, offered to help him up. Tsuichi sighed and accepted Ryouki's outstretched arm.
The two stepped curiously over to the giant stone object. Through the open center, they could see a cavern almost identical to the one in which they stood. There was no explanation behind the massive granite slab for the unusual sight. Staring from the back, the two could see their cavern without any signs of the green cave. They moved around to the front again.
A devious grin spread across Tsuichi's face. "Put your paw through."
"What!?" Ryouki was taken aback. "You want me to put my paw in there? No way!" Tsuichi continued to peer intently at Ryouki, a look of challenge in his eyes. Ryouki sighed. Someone had to try it, he reasoned, and he had just been volunteered. "Fine."
The two moved about, Ryouki stepping up to the stone portal, Tsuichi taking up a position where he could see both sides of it. Ryouki looked at his arm for what he figured might be the last time, then closed his eyes and thrust it into the open space. He inhaled sharply, anticipating a painful jolt. Seconds crawled by like minutes. Ryouki opened one eye, squinting, and was surprised to find nothing had happened. He opened both eyes all the way and twisted his arm, flipping his paw over, palm up.
A sickening yelp from Tsuichi's open maw broke Ryouki's fascination. He pulled his paw back from the opening. "What's wrong?"
Tsuichi stammered, trying to find words to describe the horror he had just witnessed. Yet, he could think of nothing to describe how he had just seen the gory inside of Ryouki's arm. "Your arm," was all he could sound in his deep baritone voice.
"Look, it's fine." Ryouki held up his paw for Tsuichi to see. Tsuichi was still visibly shocked, but he was beginning to get hold of his senses. "What was it?"
"Nothing." Tsuichi chuckled as he, fully recovered, walked casually toward the stone, "I could see the inside of your arm. It looked like it had been cut off. I want to try it myself. Wonder what it feels like..." he drifted off.
"I didn't feel anything..." Ryouki also drifted off. He looked down at his arm suspiciously and flexed it, wondering if what Tsuichi had told him was really true. He was caught up in thought, his mind swirling with torrents of ideas and predictions, weighing odds against consequences. Finally, he looked at Tsuichi with decision.
"Let's go through."
"Sure." Tsuichi was still engrossed in his arm hanging out in space where he knew it appeared to be severed from the other side. Ryouki, somewhat afraid that he would go back on his own decision, didn't want to wait any longer. Within three heartbeats, he had taken a step back, slid over behind his friend and lunged. The two tumbled over through the opening, leaving the cavern empty as the hovering search and rescue device scanned it for any signs of life.