128 Fissures Form (1/2)

I sighed. Yawm walked over,

“What is it?”

I let him see the screen. Yawm scoffed,

“I wouldn’t worry about your exile. We have someone who can reconnect us to the system.”

I nodded, “Let’s hope so.”

As I said that, the marble tablet disintegrated in a flash of white fire, like a firecracker burning. Yawm put his hands on his hips, looking at where the tablet was,

“Then that settles that. It’s time we learn some of the cipher’s secrets from Amara, don’t you think?”

I shrugged, “I guess so. Lead on.”

We walked towards Amara, I wasn’t frustrated. I didn’t have time for frustration. I had to learn the cipher with everything I had now. If Schema’s system was taken away, then I’d find another way of fighting Yawm.

By the time we reached Amara’s personal library, I was pumped. Yawm glanced at me,

“You seem revitalized. I anticipated a fit perhaps at signing the contract, even if it was voluntary.”

I raised a hand, “You’re an example of just how strong someone can get without Schema’s system. There’s no real reason to be mortified. It just means I have to focus on something else for progress.”

Yawm knocked on Amara’s door, “I didn’t anticipate you bouncing back quite so quickly from such a setback.”

I looked at the opening door, “It’s just another fight. That’s all.”

Keeja opened the door into Amara’s room. Yawm leaned back, surprise splashing across his face, “Keeja, why are you opening the door and not Amara...better yet, why are you here at all?”

Keeja bowed to Yawm, “She asked for me to serve her tea and turn the pages as she read.”

Yawm nodded, “Hmmm, an interesting request. It’s good to she’s making herself comfortable.” Yawm looked up towards Amara who was lounging on a leather chaise lounge. A stack of books were spread beside her as she read, both her hands scanning across the pages. She raised one hand, looking towards us,

“So you both have come back for what I know?”

Keeja stepped out of our way, letting us walk into the bedroom and library. Every wall was a bookshelf, and she separated her room with them. On one side, the leather chaise lounge let her relax as she read. On the other, her bed was hidden behind a bookcase that acted as a separator for the room.

That was what was normal about the room. What made it extraordinary were the jellyfish. They floated along the air, like floating candles. They added an otherworldly ambiance to the room.

“Why didn’t I get these jellyfish in my room?”

Yawm walked up to Amara, “You never asked for them. I can have them added if you’d like.”

I shook my head, “Naw, I was just a little jelly is all.”

I know, that one was pretty bad. That’s how you know a pun is good though. If it makes everyone else wince, then you can laugh like an evil mastermind afterwards.

Yawm turned towards me along with Amara. Amara tilted her hand which tilted her eye,

“Jelly? Is that a human phrase I don’t understand.”

This was where the pun gets particularly good. If a pun is like stabbing someone with a dagger, explaining one was giving that dagger a twist. Since Amara asked, I couldn’t help but oblige,

“See, I mean jelly as in jealous. I said it like that bec-”

Yawm raised his hands, “Don’t teach her about that evil. Now back to the matter at hand.”