XIR

Xir Crosses the Breach!

An Agemonia story by Mike Pohjola

They had always lived in triads, a group of three xi-noq who were bonded from birth. They share everything, often even their thoughts. And they stay connected to the Song of the Xi-Noq, where all of their kind can share their thoughts and feelings, their memories, and their art.

This way the xi-noq remain impervious to decay and the corrupting power of aox. This way the xi-noq have survived through eons and remain perhaps the oldest of the peoples of Agemonia, save for the Ancients. For the Song connects them to the experiences of xi-noq of the past.

But nothing had prepared them for a situation where one of a triad had been infected by aox and turned against the others, against the Song of the Xi-Noq. That should not have been possible. And yet it happened.

Giz Peninsula was the ancestral home of the xi-noq, but few lived there anymore, not since the ignisaurs of the Megeian Empire had invaded it. They had burnt the jungle, destroyed the buildings, and poisoned the waters. The xi-noq had retaliated, but in the end they had had to evacuate. Nniq on the western island and Wa-Liq in the Breach were now their main homes.

The capital city of Ri-Giz had been built in the jungle around the massive Tree of Memory which upheld the Song of the Xi-Noq, storing their wisdom and connecting them together. When the xi-noq had abandoned Ri-Giz, they had taken sprouts of the Tree of Memory with them and planted them in their secret new home, the city of Wa-Liq. New Trees of Memory grew there, well guarded and well nurtured, keeping the Song of the Xi-Noq intact.

It was gardeners like Xir, Woa, and Shan of the Laq triad who took care of the trees and the other plants of Wa-Liq. Like most xi-noq of their age, the cocoons where they had developed had been sheltered in Wa-Liq and they had spent most of their lives in the Breach. But through the Song of the Xi-Noq they understood what life had been like on Giz.

Most gardeners obviously worked in gardens, not battle zones. The Laq triad had been trained at taking empty agura crystals and carefully placing them inside raw fruits of the lu-lu tree. If everything was done right, the ripe fruits would contain a glowing crystal full of power. Agura crystals were vital for operating the weather control magicanisms left by the Ancients.

Unfortunately, some xi-noq gardeners did have to work in battle zones nowadays. Since many other triads had perished in Giz, the job of obtaining more sprouts of the Tree of Memory had been given to the Laqs.

They had opened a portal from Wa-Liq to Giz, and had been glad to bask in the welcoming sun and smell the thick scents of the jungle. The stone buildings, magicanisms of the Ancients, and the trees, vines, and grasses all joined together in perfect harmony. The triad had walked all around Ri-Giz and had seen three half-rotten memory figs which might contain precious seeds they could cultivate back home, but first they had to get to them.

A group of ignisaur soladins was patrolling the half-destroyed jungle city, riding on their sand lizards. Amidst the immobile devices of the Ancients, magical trees and flowers, and xi-noq dwellings, the soladins had become aware of the gardener triad and were looking for them.

One of the huge armored soldiers growled, “Come out little podlings, or we will burn you in sacrifice to the Burning Sun!”

All three knew that was exactly what would happen if they did come out.

They were hiding under the complex roots of an ages-old fruit tree from where they could see both the three memory figs and the group of ignisaurs. They tried to be as quiet as possible, but Xir heard strange whispers. It hissed at the others to be quiet, but the whispers continued. Not words exactly, but almost like speech. It was not Woa or Shan, but they were clearly coming from somewhere quite near. Almost a pleasant voice.

Not again, thought Xir.

“Here you are, you sunless miscreants!” The scaly, horned face of an ignisaur looked at them, its head wrapped in a golden helmet, magical fire brimming all around it.

Just before it managed to butcher them all with its bardiche, its eyes bulged out of its ugly head and went completely blue.

“Sun’s fire!” the ignisaur yelled, with a voice like a thunderclap, and then fell down backwards.

Behind the enemy, Xir could see a triad of lazei-riq who had stunned the ignisaur with a poison dart between the scales. They were armed with blowpipes and golden spears specially crafted with magic to kill ignisaurs, but also with powerful xi-noq magic which was always amplified when three worked together and held each other by the hand, which they did.

The lazei-riq’s magic made the other ignisaurs shrink smaller and smaller, until they were eaten by their own lizard mounts. The lazei-riq were the special forces of the xi-noq, who wielded powerful magics and lethal weaponry. They risked their lives every day, unlike the gardeners who only risked their lives today.

“Be thrice greeted, gardeners,” said one of the lazei-riq as it impaled the stunned ignisaur with its golden spear, blue blood spilling everywhere. “Are you unhurt?”

“We are,” said Xir.

“Good. You are not their main target. They hope to take down one of the weather towers, but we’ll get them.” The weather towers were magicanisms left behind by the Ancients that could be used to control the weather on Nniq Island and Giz. They were the main reason why Nniq still remained independent.

“Go with the Trinity,” Xir said, and with that the lazei-riq departed.

Xir, Woa, and Shan climbed out of their hiding place, collected the half-rotten figs, and continued on their way toward the portal to Wa-Liq. They had traveled most of the way when they noticed another group of ignisaurs behind a wall of thick vines, this time foot soldiers, but much more of them. They were quite far away and would perhaps not notice the xi-noq in the middle of the lush undergrowth.

“Let’s hurry,” said Xir.

Woa nodded. But Shan did something unexpected. It shrieked, loudly, and for a long time. Woa shook Shan and made it stop, and Shan looked surprised at itself. But it was too late, the ignisaurs had noticed them.

“Follow me,” Woa said, “I know a good hiding place.”

Everywhere in Giz there were massive stone heads covered in moss, roots, and vines. No one knew their purpose and even the Song of Xi-Noq only harbored rumors and stories about them, but it was generally believed they were made by the Ancients in times long past. They were not xi-noq heads nor ignisaur heads, nor did they resemble the creatures sometimes seen in the mosaics of the Ancients. Perhaps the Ancients had made them in their own image?

This one had a wide-open mouth and Woa directed them right into it. Its smooth stone skin was cold and there was not much room, but hopefully they could avoid the ignisaurs here.

Xir and Woa exchanged worried glances over Shan who seemed to be hallucinating, its large eyes half closed and its green hand grasping at things in thin air. They would have to get their third to a healer, fast.

They held hands and closed their eyes, reaching communion, a connection where they could share their minds and where their inner magical energies would be strengthened. It usually made recovery faster, too. But something was wrong. Xir could not feel Shan’s thoughts the way it always had. Where there should have been sunny skies there was only moonless darkness.

Xir opened its eyes and looked at Woa again. It nodded to let Xir know it had felt the same.

Woa had worried about Shan for many weeks, Woa thought into Xir’s head.

“Shan has ever been like a delicate flower that needs to be protected and nurtured to grow strong and beautiful. Long has it blossomed and without it we would not have been the triad we are. Yet Woa fears it has been infected by some foul disease or evil curse, and is in danger of withering.”

“Xir fears the same,” Xir admitted in shared thoughts. “Sometimes even Xir has heard strange whispers and seen shadows without caster. Perhaps they are glimpses of whatever is ailing Shan.”

Woa seemed alarmed. “If that is true, then we need to speak to the Messengers.”

Xir nodded. That seemed like a good idea, but first they would have to escape Giz and get back home.

Ignisaurs worshiped the sun and shunned the dark nights of Giz. After dusk the triad sneaked out of the mouth and into the cool air. The smell of smoke indicated the ignisaurs had set something ablaze again.

The three sneaked to the portal and used the last of their strength to open it, leaving Agemonia for the Breach. They delivered the memory figs to the other triads who would try to extract the seeds intact, and proceeded to look for help for Shan.

Many triads were lifting massive blocks of stone with their magic, reconstructing the Old Holy District of Ri-Giz here in Wa-Liq. The temples would not be ages-old, but they would still house the Messengers of the Trinity, and all the worshipers. There were already many statues and altars here, and in time there would be many more. Perhaps one day, future xi-noq would consider this the Old Holy District.

Right now, it was the New Holy District, still very much under construction. After some waiting the Laq triad got to see the triads who acted as assistants to the Messengers of Aghe-Zhoa.

“You are not the first to come to us with this problem,” said one of the acolytes. “Ever since we moved our capital here into the Breach, there have been… issues.”
“Why have we not heard of this in the Song of the Xi-Noq?” asked Xir.

“The Messengers felt it best to keep this quiet.”

“Keep what quiet?” asked Xir, losing its temper. “Can’t you tell us what causes it?”

The three of the acolyte triad looked at each other and then back at the Laqs. “We will take you to the Messengers of Aghe-Zhoa.”

The xi-noq worshiped three groups of divinities called simply the Trinity. One of them, Aox-Woan, was destruction and death, who was visible in the demons of the Breach. Another, Aiun-Woan, was creation and birth, whose first creation were the Ancients. And the third was Aghe-Woan, the preservation and life, who was the whole world.

Each divinity had a triad of Messengers, high priests who interpreted their will to the xi-noq, respected elders who advised even rulers and warlocks. It was a great honor for the Laq triad to meet with them.

They were sitting in the glass garden, drinking hot xoa, and discussing amongst themselves, when one of the acolytes arrived to take them to meet the Messengers.

All three bowed deeply as the Messengers turned to look at them.

“Honored Messengers,” Xir began. “We are the triad Laq. This one is Xir and that is Woa. The third is Shan and it is the reason we have come to you. Its mind is closed from us and strange whispers and dream-like shadows plague our days.”

One of the Messengers was covered in long tendrils. It motioned for Shan to step toward them. Shan was reluctant and Xir and Woa had to push it forwards. The Messenger in the middle took its companions by the hand and the other two Messengers placed their free hand into Shan’s two hands, linking all four of them together. Shan twitched as they probed its mind.

Xir and Woa looked on for what seemed like a long time. The aromas of different fruits and plants filled the air as the colorful butterflies in the garden flew from flower to flower. Eventually the Messengers let go of Shan who collapsed into Woa’s arms.

“Shan of Laq is tired,” one of the Messengers said. “But its body will heal.”

“Did you figure out what’s wrong with it?” Xir asked.

“A darkness has befallen the xi-noq of late,” said Rran-Sai of Zhu, the middle Messenger. “Ever since Giz was attacked and we moved here into the Breach, the power of Aox-Woan has grown, and the aox-zhoa are a constant nuisance at our borders.”

“We know this and haven’t been to the borders,” said Xir.

“Yes,” said Rran-Sai hesitantly. “But Aox-Woan is like a plant with many roots. If one fails to strike water, another root will travel great distances to find a river.”

“You speak in riddles, Rran-Sai.”

“Then understand this, sproutling: Aox is a living force, an energy that fills the Breach, and can move like it has a will of its own. It does not need aox-zhoa to cross our borders. We know it has infiltrated some cocoons and there are triads who sprout already tainted by aox.”

“No,” said Xir, backing off from the Messengers, as if it could thus escape what had been spoken. All the Messengers looked at Xir solemnly. They knew this was hard to hear but they believed it to be the truth.

“And you’re saying Shan has been… tainted?”

“You have felt the aox yourself, heard its whispers in the wind, felt its presence in the flickering shadows.”

Xir was getting too anxious to talk. This could not be happening. Not Shan. Not funny, odd, delicate, fragile little Shan. No, there had to be some other explanation. Xir wanted to debate the Messengers, to fight them, to…

It felt Woa’s hand on its shoulder, and a gentle thought, “Let’s go home.”

That was probably a good idea. Woa bowed to the Messengers and Xir followed its advice.

“Go with the Trinity,” the Messengers said in unison.

The three turned and left the glass garden, escorting Shan down the long stone stairs and outside of the temple into the construction yard. They said nothing all the way home.

Their little home was a hollow in the side of a tree, modified with magicanisms and stone walls. Woa placed Shan on their bed and then made Xir and itself some xoa. The hot blue drink relaxed Xir a little.

 Over the following days, Shan’s worsening condition was all Xir and Woa could think about. At times they had trouble even hearing each other’s thoughts when they were in communion.

Many a day they listened to the Song of the Xi-Noq, looking for memories, spells, poems, histories, anything to help them.

They visited the temporary offices of the warlock triads of the Council of Eight. The warlock triads would be connected to warlocks of other peoples and might foster ages-old wisdom lost to the Song of the Xi-Noq. But they wanted little or nothing to do with anything related to aox-zhoa.

They returned to the New Holy District to consult with acolytes of the other divinities. They had expected the acolytes of the creator divinity Aiun-Woan to be sympathetic, but they shuddered at the mere mention of aox infiltrating the city, let alone the cocoons.

Surprisingly, it was the acolytes of Aox-Woan who were the most helpful. They did not worship aox-zhoa, but studied them. They had intimate knowledge of how aox works and how Aox-Woan is necessary for change, but how it must always be mitigated by the two other divinities. Left alone, aox would bring about the destruction of both Agemonia and the Breach.

“There is a way to protect against the power of Aox-Woan. Soul lotuses are a flower which grows here in the Breach. While ordinary plants feed off water, sunlight and dirt, these soul lotuses also drink aox and aiun. These flowers are the only way we can exist here in the Breach at all without all of us being engulfed by aox. Aox-Woan is a powerful deity and we must treat it with extreme care.”

“What are you saying?” asked Xir. “Are there soul lotuses here in the city?”

“Yes, right here in the temple of Aox-Woan where we tend to them in our gardens. They are key to our survival. If we had more and they were in full bloom, the infestation would not have been possible.”

“You probably couldn’t give us one?”

“It would jeopardize the entire city. But if you seek one out, it would help your third. Just make sure you don’t give it to Shan. If a soul lotus gets into the wrong hands, it could just as easily empower aox as it could enfeeble it. You must use the flower to help your third.”

“Where can we find this magical flower?”

“You would need an army to go there for the aox-zhoan guard them heavily. The only place we know where the soul lotus grows is Mount Leanaweala, deep in the territory of one of the aox-zhoan rulers.”

“Thank you, acolytes,” said Xir and bowed. Woa bowed, too.

“Go with the Trinity,” the acolytes replied by way of a goodbye.

“We must travel to that mountain, whatever its name was,” said Xir.

“Leanaweala,” said Shan, who was mostly quiet these days. It was staring into nothingness, eyes wide open, but it seemed to listen intently nevertheless.

“Xir, we’re gardeners,” said Woa. “What hope have we against an army of aox-zhoa?”

“What hope have we if one of us succumbs to the corruption of aox? You have seen the sha nnuq wandering the streets pointlessly, the ones who have lost their thirds to disease or ignisaur weapons. They have no reason to keep on living, but they cannot die either, before their time comes. Do you want to be like them?”

Woa looked sadly at Shan and seemed to make up its mind. “We must be well prepared for such a journey,” it said.

They attempted communion again but found that Shan remained closed off to them.

The Breach is a world of its own, existing below and beyond Agemonia, like a shadow or an echo. It is home to countless demons which the xi-noq call aox-zhoa, and several other creatures, too, most of them full of evil aox energy.

There is no sky or land in the Breach, but a vast maelstrom of energies and objects, an aether where ruins, mountains, and much stranger things float, rotating around themselves and traveling about the void following a complex path influenced by aox, aiun, gravity, and the myriad aether currents.

The Breach is illuminated by the light of agura crystals, the shining dream bubbles, and clouds of Living Radiance which the xi-noq believe is the form their souls take before reincarnation.

In the Breach the xi-noq had carved a temporary abode and a refuge from the ignisaurs who would not dare follow them there. And on the edge of this abode, at the Aether Harbor, stood Xir, Woa, and Shan, looking into the strange vistas beyond the city’s borders.

They believed they had everything they needed: tools, weapons, munitions, sleeping gear, and a boat. Well, more like a raft, but still something they could use to navigate in the Breach.

The xi-noq had a small fleet of Breach-going ships, organisms which had grown around the triad that directed it. But they were used for guarding Wa-Liq and occasional missions deeper into the Breach, never for personal journeys like this one.

The aether currents of the Breach were not navigated with oars or sails, but simply with the mind. Xir sat cross-legged at the aft, propelling the vessel, while Woa stood in the front looking ahead and pointing where to go. Shan mostly stayed in the small cabin in the middle of the raft with their provisions.

Here and there the aether was empty save for strange purple and white lights, while in other places strange objects hung in the air, as if frozen in time. They saw a piece of a large white statue that reminded them of one they had seen in Ri-Giz, only this one had just the crowned head and one arm holding a spear. Everything below the torso was gone. They also saw rocks, uprooted mushrooms, corpses of dead aox-zhoa, and pieces of ornate walls similarly stuck in the aether.

As Xir looked back, it saw their hometown growing smaller and smaller until it was nothing but a speck of green light in the distance.

Odd Breach creatures swam in the current, like aox-zhoa in the shape of eels or waterfowl. Some of them attached themselves to the ship with their disgusting sucking mouths and Xir had to remove them with a stick.

The sun did not set nor the moons rise in the Breach, but having lived there all their lives, they could reasonably determine the length of the day and the night. They estimated they had traveled for three days when Woa pointed at a large boulder far ahead.

As they approached it, the boulder grew larger and larger, until it looked like a mountain hanging in the aether: Mount Leanaweala.

“It stretches from left to right,” said Shan dreamily, and it was true. It filled their entire field of vision.

And yet it was still quite far off. Aox-powered boats and ships patrolled the aether near the mountain. A belt of smaller rocks and rubble revolved around Mount Leanaweala, and beyond them there were piers, watchtowers, and fortresses, where the aox-zhoa kept vigilant guard.

One of the aox boats approached them. It was completely covered in metal and its crew could not be seen.

“You approach the Realm of Lahai-Kameowele,” said a voice like withering cacti from the boat. “State your business.”

“We seek but a single soul lotus,” said Xir boldly. Perhaps the aox-zhoa would let them look for it.

“Who sent you here? Graznak? Mahma-Galeezd?”

“We sent ourselves.”

There was no reply, but after a while they noticed the aox boat was getting closer. A lot closer.

“They’re going to board us!” said Woa alarmed. But it was too late to try to stop them. Hooks flew from the demons’ boat and attached to theirs, drawing the two vessels next to each other. Then a hatch opened and demons jumped and flew out, a mess of tentacles, horns, hooves, weapons, talons, spikes, and evil.

One of them hit the stick out from Xir’s hands and another snatched the blowpipe Woa was just about to use on them and broke it in half. A third grabbed Shan and lifted it up onto their shoulders, intending to take it back to the demon ship. The meager magic of individual xi-noq was no match for the brute strength of aox-zhoa in their native environment.

But they were not individual xi-noq. No matter how infested and troubled they were, they were still a triad. Knowing this, Xir and Woa ran to the green-winged demon that had grabbed Shan, managing to avoid the grabbing claws of the other enemies, and jumped on the creature’s back. Xir managed to grasp one of Shan’s hands and Woa another, and then they took hold of one another, reaching communion faster than a butterfly flaps its wings.

They concentrated their strengthened magic on the bulging demon under them and it immediately started to shrink. Soon it was no bigger than a xi-noq, and then even smaller, until Xir could simply kick it overboard.

They turned around and saw that five aox-zhoa were now facing them with a single intent: stop the communion! The triad was not sure whether they could shrink them all so they decided it was better to retreat. In the blink of an eye they were gone. They had teleported to stand on the deck of the aox-zhoa’s vessel, looking at their own raft infested with enemies.

“How should we fight them?” thought Woa at the others.

“I have an idea,” Xir thought back, and shared its plan.

With a small mind push they sent their own boat spinning away and the demons had to focus all their energies just to stay on board.

Meanwhile, they commandeered the well-armored aox ship and sailed off in it. The other patrol ships paid them no heed and they managed to navigate close to the surface of Mount Leanaweala. The pressure from the intense aox energies was painful, but they knew they just had to withstand it.

“We lost all our provisions,” Woa thought.

“That is true,” Xir replied in their mind. “We should break communion and search the vessel.”

“And eat aox-zhoa food?” Woa thought sarcastically, but let go of their hands.

As Woa went below deck, Xir stayed above with Shan and directed the boat. They had reached the mountain but it was vast. How could they find a soul lotus in a place like this?

What had the acolytes told them? The flower grows deep in Lahai-Kameowele’s territory and it would be heavily guarded. Looking at the mountain from the top, it seemed like there were cities of a sort here, ugly constructions made of metal and rock, along with plenty of barren rock. But sure enough, there were also glowing fields of flowers, surrounded by fences and patrols.

Here and there grew forests of colorful mushrooms that radiated aox. It was difficult to estimate their size from a distance, but some mushrooms seemed quite large, bigger than a xi-noq. As a gardener, Xir was aware of such fungal forests spreading in many places in Agemonia and they were never known to bode well for the other plants. Likely the soul lotus would grow far from the mushrooms and the cities.

In fact, if a soul lotus could either empower or enfeeble aox, it should either grow right in the middle of the fungal forests where the mushrooms would suffocate it, or as far away from them as possible. And as the ones far away could work against aox, it might keep the demons away, too. Of course, if the demons did manage to retrieve any, they might be able to corrupt it, like they did everything else. An uncorrupted soul lotus is what they were after.

So, Xir surmised, they should look for one far from the demon cities and fungal forests, which conveniently was also the safest place for the three to be in.

They soon noticed that the demon cities, Breach harbors, mines, and roads mostly existed on one side of Mount Leanaweala with the other side mostly wilderness. But still, no sign of any soul lotuses.

“White palace,” said Shan suddenly.

“What was that?” asked Xir.

“White palace,” it repeated.

Xir followed Shan’s gaze and saw what it had seen: a ruined building made of white marble, some of its pillars and spires still standing. This was not aox-zhoa architecture. In fact, it reminded Xir of something much more familiar.

“That is a ruin of the aiun-zhoa,” Xir said happily. Of course the Ancients had been here, too! “That’s a good sign. Woa, we’re going to land!”

Woa climbed back up on deck as they were descending onto the slope of the mountain. “There is no water or xoa or anything to eat on board. Just weapons and armor and rotten carcasses of Breach creatures. They smell horrible!”

“I have heard they eat the flesh of dead beasts like the ignisaurs,” Xir mused. “I suppose it must be true.”

They landed near the ruins of the Ancients and went to explore. Derelict machines lay about having long ago consumed the agura crystals that once powered them. Some mosaic-covered houses were still standing more or less intact, but the main building, a palace or temple, had collapsed.

Two statues guarded the entrance, one of a fat amphibian dressed in a cape, and the other of an armored humanoid who wore a crown. They had seen similar statues in Ri-Giz, but had not realized they were erected by the aiun-zhoa.

Inside the crumbled palace they discovered strange mosaics, perhaps never before seen by any xi-noq. Some of them were beautiful dream-like shapes that did not seem to represent anything, others depicted scenes of what looked like xi-noq and agurians dealing with a group of the amphibians or fighting aox-zhoa.

They managed to find a working fountain, too, with water in it. It was drinkable, if stale. Thus refreshed, they continued their search.

As gardeners they knew well where plants would grow. Not in musty halls or dark cellars but out in the open, on roof terraces or inner courtyards.

When at last they found the garden, it was not a pretty sight. It had been set up on a roof with an irrigation system pumping water to the plants. But the roof had long since collapsed and they could only find dried soil, dried leaves, and dead stems. Xir tried picking one up in its hands, but the fragile stem turned to dust upon touch.

“Xir was certain we would find a soul lotus here,” said Xir disappointedly.

“We will look for it elsewhere,” said Woa. “We have to. For Shan.”

That was when they noticed Shan was no longer with them. It had been with them when they found the ruined garden. Or had it?

Xir and Woa retraced their steps, crying out for their third. The name echoed in the empty hallways.

They grew worried, checking every room to find it. Eventually they discovered it sitting cross-legged on the courtyard floor, looking into the distance.

“You can’t run off like that,” Xir berated it.

“Soul lotus,” Shan said quietly.

It was right! A plant was levitating in the back of the courtyard, its roots hanging in the air, its large blue flower shining with a pleasant aiun light.

“You found it!” said Woa greedily, and moved toward the flower.

“Well done, Shan!” agreed Xir. But If Shan was consumed by aox, why would it help them get the cure against aox? Xir put that thought aside for now, since the main thing was that they had found what they were looking for.

“Xir,” said Woa. “Remember what the acolytes told us. This must not get in the wrong hands. Hold Shan while I catch the flower.”

Had Woa read Xir’s mind? No, they were not in communion. But it was a good idea, so Xir grabbed Shan’s hand. Not that Shan was going anywhere, it was still sitting there.

The glow of the flower gave Woa a strange hue as it placed its hands on the aerial roots, a cluster of thin vines which extended downward like the arms and tentacles of a jellyfish. The light of the plant dimmed a little upon touch but soon returned to normal as Woa held it.

“I’ve got it!” it said.

“Well done,” said Xir.

Shan did not say anything, but started to hum nervously.

“Now, how do we use it?” asked Xir. They were told it could enfeeble aox. But how?

Woa did not reply, as it was tending to the plant. There was an offshoot growing near the stem, another smaller soul flower. Left there, such a thing could consume the water and nutrients of the main plant itself so Woa picked it off and dropped it on the floor. This moment of ordinary gardening seemed to consume its entire attention.

“How will we get it home?” asked Xir, a little louder.

“Here’s the thing,” said Woa, looking up from the plant with a curious expression. “Aox is not something to fear. It is one of the powers that govern Agemonia and Breach, and can be used to our advantage. When we xi-noq have fought the ignisaurs, we have been like a sha nnuq trying to fight the lazei-riq, weak without its triad. If we harnessed not just aiun energies, but aox, too, we could save Giz from the invaders. And perhaps unlock secrets in the Song of the Xi-Noq that have been hitherto hidden from us.”

“Woa, the aox is starting to affect you, too!” yelled Xir, alarmed.

“Don’t you get it?” Woa laughed. “It was ever Woa. Not Shan, but Woa. Woa was given the gift of aox before its sprouting. Woa has been growing stronger. Woa closed off our communion. Shan was getting suspicious so Woa had to take away some of its will. But soon we will all embrace aox and learn to use the soul lotus to our advantage.”

This was too much for Xir to hear. In its aox-addled mind Woa had decided to hurt Shan, its own third. And hide the truth from Xir, its other third. And refuse communion. And lie.

“Put the soul lotus down,” said Xir, trying to be calm, but without much success. “We can use it to heal you, purify you of aox.”

“But Woa doesn’t need to be purified,” Woa said, holding the flower in both hands like an offering. “Woa needs its triad and together we will purify Giz.”

“No, Woa. Upon our return we will consult the Messengers on how to save you. And who knows, perhaps there is a way to use the soul lotus to help us against the ignisaurs.”

Woa looked at Xir temptingly and spoke softly as it walked closer. “Xir, if you could only see what I have seen. If you could feel the power of aox and imagine the future I do. Let me share my thoughts with you. Come, let all three of us commune like the triad we are.”

It was true. They were still a triad, that could never change. And here they all were. Whatever vision Woa had in its mind, Xir and Shan would be better off seeing it, too. Xir extended its hand toward Woa’s. Woa let the soul lotus float in the air between them.

“Danger,” said Shan dreamily, but let Woa grab its hand.

Xir retracted its hand. Did Shan just issue a warning? Against Woa? Xir stepped back just before Woa could touch it.

“Xir, it’s alright,” Woa said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Come now, touch Woa’s hand.”

“No,” Xir said hesitantly, “no, I don’t think so.”

“Xir!” Woa commanded. “Take Woa’s hand.”

“No.” Xir was resolute now.

“Xir!” Woa shouted. “I am your third and you will obey me.”

“The aox has consumed you! I will not let you take Shan. And I will not let you fall into madness.”

“It is you who are mad,” Woa said disappointedly. It grabbed the soul lotus with its free hand and directed a blast of energy at Xir that sent it flying backwards, hitting its head against a tall white pillar. The pillar shook and rocks fell on Xir. Darkness engulfed it.

As Xir came to, it was all alone under a pile of rubble in the middle of the Breach. The ethereal aurora, typical of the Breach, could be seen through the collapsed roof along with the undulating sound they sometimes made.

Xir was in pain but it could still move, sort of. If only it could lift the stones. It tried pushing them with its hands and legs, but they were too heavy. It tried moving them with magic, but being so far from its triad was straining its powers. Equally hopeless were its attempts at hearing the Song of the Xi-Noq and asking for help.

The tiled floor with its intricate patterns continued from where Xir was to the room where they had found the soul lotus. The offshoot Woa had discarded still lay there. Shan and Woa were nowhere to be found, and gone with them was the beautiful bloom of the soul lotus.

Xir wondered whether it would die of thirst before the aox-zhoa would find it. There really was nothing else for it to do.

As it stared at the discarded soul lotus, a thought came to Xir. If a big soul lotus could give its tender great power, perhaps that small one could give a little power before it withered. It was far out of reach by regular means, but perhaps a magical nudge might send it Xir’s way. It tried, but it did not have the strength even for that.

It was frustrating to have one’s only hope of salvation so close and yet so far. Xir kept staring at the plant and suddenly it almost seemed as if it moved. It had seen moving plants before, but this one was so small it had simply been tossed out as trash. No, it moved again!

Come here, Xir thought at the plant, and tried to share its own strength with the plant. The small soul lotus moved again, looking like it had tripped and was trying to stand up. Xir concentrated on giving it as much power as possible, not sure if it was working or if it was just wasting the little stamina it had left for no reason.

The soul lotus stood upright as if pulled up from the stem, and then floated a little above the floor, its thin gossamer roots spread around in the air. It was not much, just a few leaves, really, but it was there. The plant bobbed up and down a little and then started cautiously approaching Xir.

“Yes,” Xir thought, “this way, come on!”

The delicate little plant slowly swam in the air and then landed on Xir’s outstretched palm.

“Yes!” Xir could feel its warm glow soothing it, healing it, empowering it. Using all its magical and physical strength, it managed to move the stones just enough to allow it to crawl out. After it was out, the stones smashed back down with a thud and a cloud of dust.

Xir, bruised and spent, crawled to safety with the offshoot. The little runt of a plant might not have had much life left in it, but it had been enough to save him.

Or had it?

Xir was still stuck in the middle of the Breach, on a mountain crawling with aox-zhoa, and with no way to leave. It did not even bother looking for the vessel because obviously Woa had taken it.

“But where would it go? Would it return to Wa-Liq? Probably not. Where then?” Xir had no idea. No matter, as it was still stuck in here, in the ruin of the ancients, a dying xi-noq in a dying building with a dying plant. Some gardener it was.

“You know what, little plant,” Xir thought, “you saved my life, now I’ll save yours.”

Xir limped with the offshoot to the fountain. Like a xi-noq, all plants required water, light, and nutrients. Since the soul lotuses lived in the Breach, they would not require sunlight, but would be accustomed to the strange luminescences of this environment. Still, it would not survive without water. Xir lowered the plant into the fountain so that its roots could drink and be refreshed.

Offshoots have underdeveloped roots since they have formerly been a part of the bigger plant and gained sustenance through its roots. This one’s few roots were like the antennae of a butterfly, delicate and hairy. If given proper care, they might grow thick and long and strong, into such that could sustain the hardiest of plants, but there was little chance of that here. Yet, it would be a shame to let the last soul lotus of this place die.

Xir washed itself and drank the refreshing water. It found a stone on the floor and climbed on it, crossing its legs to sit and rest. It drifted in and out of sleep as it tried to make sense of everything that had happened and make a plan for how to get out of this mess. Its brief dreams were riddled with eerie images of their triad, the aox-zhoa, the temples, and the mosaics of the Ancients coming alive.

When it was feeling slightly better, Xir took the plant and climbed the highest tower that was still standing. From there it could see the vistas of this side of the mountain. They were either barren or ruined, with some mushroom forests on the horizon, but aox-zhoa cities nowhere in sight.

Xir now understood it had three options, none of them good. One was to remain here and eventually die. Second was to find some way to return home and remain in Wa-Liq as a sha nnuq, a xi-noq without a triad. The third was to find and confront Woa, cleanse it from aox, and rescue Shan.

Thinking about it, Xir really only had one option. It had to go after its triad. But how?

Xir could conceivably use any piece of rock as a raft of sorts, and propel it magically. But where should it sail?

Was there something Woa had said that would hint at its destination? Hardly, as Xir had not even been able to pick up anything about it being infested by aox.

Where would an aox-infested xi-noq go? Not home, that was certain. To the aox-zhoa? Had Woa sworn allegiance to Lahai-Kameowele, the ruler of this mountain realm? Or did it have some other plan? In fact, it could be anywhere in the vastness of the Breach.

The plant hovered near Xir, like a pet bird. Xir took it into its arms and petted it. Then a vision came upon Xir. It saw the Breach diminished, and Agemonia overlapping it. It saw white lights flashing here and there. Small dots mostly, like stars. And some larger lights, like the sun or the moons. One of them was where Xir imagined Wa-Liq to be. The soul lotus in Xir’s arms was a light, too.

Was the soul lotus showing Xir all its kin? If it was, then one of the small dots of light must be the flower that Woa took. Indeed, one of them was moving away from the mountain. If Xir was right, that would be Woa and Shan!

Xir was flying through the Breach on a piece of tiled floor. It had a ceramic pot full of water to feed both itself and the offshoot. Xir thought the thin roots already seemed a little stronger.

They had left Mount Leanaweala and were already flying in clouds of pink and yellow like a sunrise on Giz. The other soul plant was still far away, but day by day they were gaining on it. It appeared one could move in the Breach undetected if one was small enough. Or perhaps the aox-zhoa just wanted to avoid the soul lotus.

Then something strange happened. They were almost through the clouds and could see a large body of water, like a floating sea, and within it, a golden ring. Xir might not have noticed the ring if it had not been for the many underwater aox-zhoa who were working on it, light shining from the large circular object here and there.

Near the sea, the light indicating Woa and Shan disappeared. No, not disappeared exactly. Concentrating, Xir realized it had grown dimmer and took on a shadowy appearance, the way Agemonia seemed when seen from the Breach. Had they left the Breach entirely?

Hours later Xir reached the spot where the others had disappeared. Sure enough, there was a small portal there just hanging in the aether like a doorway into nothing, its edges already flickering as it was about to close. They must have gone through that. Opening a portal like that without their third would have been impossible before, which meant the soul lotus must have already strengthened Woa.

“What do you think?” thought Xir at the soul lotus. “Dare we go through?”

They did.

Xir jumped from the raft into the portal. It was disorienting and nauseating with its lights, gravity, sounds, and smells all wrong, and then changing, and changing again.

Eventually Xir was sitting on a crude stone floor in a small chamber in what felt like Agemonia. Physical. Sturdy. Moldy. It was dark, but once Xir’s eyes had gotten used to it, it could see there was a brown circle with complex markings drawn on the stone floor, and it was sitting in it. Perhaps that was part of the magic someone had used to open the portal in the first place? Xir examined the markings and noticed they were drawn in what smelled of dried animal blood. Disgusting. Certainly not something a xi-noq would do. Had Xir arrived in the heart of the Megeian Empire and have to face ignisaurs? This was not blue ignisaur blood, but they were known to sacrifice their enemies to their cruel sun god.

There was a ladder leading up in the back of the chamber. Xir climbed it, the soul lotus constantly levitating nearby. There was an open hatch in the ceiling and Xir carefully peered through it. It saw bed rolls over hay, crates, dried plants hanging from beams in the ceiling, and windows leading out. This was someone’s home! Through the windows, the bustle of a city could be heard, but it was almost melodic, not the hard barks of ignisaurs.

Xir grabbed a piece of cloth to wrap around itself by way of a disguise, and climbed out through the window. The people on the street were tall, blueish gray, and furry, and had long tails. Some of them were draped in cloaks, others in armor, or fine suits of strange shiny fabric.

“Heaven protect,” Xir heard one person say to another in an odd dialect.

“These must be nihteegri,” Xir thought. “And this, the Republic of Benem on the far side of Agemonia!”

Why would Woa take Shan here? What was going on? Did they have allies? Was Xir already in trouble? Many nihteegri were giving questioning looks at the small creature wrapped in a towel with a plant flying around it. Xir realized it was likely the first xi-noq they had ever seen just like they were the first nihteegri for it. Better not draw too much attention.

Canals and bridges crisscrossed the city and Xir eventually found shelter under a remote bridge. Here and there it had already seen some familiar symbols like the sign of the Council of Eight and that of the flaming jewel emblem that sometimes decorated imported goods in the bazaars of Wa-Liq. Perhaps Xir would one day grow to understand the nihteegri if it had to stay here.

But for now, it was a stranger in a strange land, on an even stranger mission. It looked at the offshoot, its only companion.

The little soul lotus had grown a new leaf and what seemed like the bud of a flower.

“By the Trinity!” Xir said. It was blooming.