22. As Below, So Above

        The Merchant U dorms were simple yet stylishly out of date, minimally furnished with rustic decor against glazed, roughly carved subterranean walls, illuminated by an old fashioned neon lighting system that ran throughout the underground establishments. Nolan didn't have a view, but he had his own room, and that was rewarding enough. He pondered his fortune for a moment upon awakening in his new underground world, wondering why he was so lucky. Had he been placed in Panther U he would have faced an entire life in these dark dungeons of the Underworld, it was almost as if his fate had been spared for greater things... 

         He stretched and got up out of bed, feeling hung over from the Initiation Feast and festivities the night before. Like the students in Fina, a closet full of new clothes awaited him. Curious, he sorted through the rack, there wasn’t much to choose from. Black suits, white shirts, black slacks all hung neatly on the rod. He reached in to reach the black robe at the back, complete with a black satin sash, noticing the label. "Nolan" he smiled, fondling the luxurious and heavy fabric in his hands. This was a real Panther robe, even though he didn't go to Panther U he would still be recognized as a Panther at the Temple of Medel...

         Pleased again, Nolan hung the robe on the rod and reached for a suit. The Merchant look suited him well, he smiled in the mirror, ran his hands down the lapel and straightened the collar, the suit fit him so well it was as if it had been tailored specially for him. Was that why they took his measurements at the pageant?

          Nolan caught a glimpse of a framed portrait in the mirror and turned to look... A trio of god portraits graced the wall, paintings of Atalon, Medel and Dell. He moved closer, already familiar with Atalon and Medel's images... Dell looked a lot like Atalon, somewhat thinner, his eyes were a different color, more like a dark yellow, not quite as frightening as King Atalon's electric chartreuse eye beams... 

         Below the paintings stood a small table bearing a bowl of fresh oranges, a strange and glossy black object lay to the right. He picked it up to take a closer look, curious as to what it was. It was very exotic looking, like polished obsidian, like a small vial of sorts with a very cool little gold dial embedded in the side… He flipped it over, it had his name engraved on the side in fine gold script; 'Nolan.' There was another clue, two small holes on each end suggested this was some sort of device… He had used something like this before in the Alchemy labs... He studied the dial, it looked like a flint was inside the hole... Was this a lighter? He spun the dial with his thumb and to his pleasure, a flame flickered from the hole. "Ha!" He was genuinely impressed now, tucked the lighter in his pocket and picked up the business card, laying beside it. "Dion's Hair Salon?" 

         Nolan studied the card, wondering… It was on Main St... He had perhaps walked past it on his way here... Curious, he flipped the card over and read the text. It was a 10% off coupon for his first visit. 

        The notion of a hair salon had never really appealed to Nolan before, there was an old Panther legend which warned against cutting one's hair… He returned to the mirror and ran his fingers through his locks, considering the idea of cutting them off for the first time in his life. He didn't want to... He liked his long hair... It was flaxen… Did he have to?

         As a bell sounded throughout the halls of the institution, he tucked the card into his breast pocket, grabbed an orange and headed out to meet his group for the Welcome Tour.

         As all new Merchant students were, Nolan was outwardly impressed by the underground world so far. There was an entire unknown civilization living beneath Atlan and who knew? None of his classmates had known about the elaborate establishment beneath the mighty city, what was the catch? He gazed out of the reception lobby into the busy Hub as he waited with his classmates. The business center was bustling with activity, fogged by a layer of smoke that hung in the air. Through breaks in the trains, carts and aribu bustling around, he caught glimpses of a large plaque dominating the wall by the stairs, the positioning of which he sort of recognized from his text book… He couldn't make out what it said for all the traffic and trains in the way... Tempted to wander, he scanned the crowd of outwardly impressed students, Dell was nowhere to be seen, it would only take a minute to have a closer look.

         ‘As Below, So Above’  Nolan chuckled, recognizing it now, he should have guessed, it was the ancient slogan of the empire. Except, now it had new meaning! The truth about the Underworld was the first thing the new Merchant students learned about their new environment, but there was much more to discover than the mere existence of the Underworld.

         Safety warnings were everywhere. As Nolan wandered back to the lobby, he was inwardly acknowledging how endangered they were. The truth was, these were ancient Aquillan tunnels, hidden beneath the empire's powerful façade. Coming down here exposed one to the threat of annihilation. Aquilla was still alive, he had never been conquered. The unspoken truth here was that the Underworld was very insecure. The unspoken truth was that Aquilla had the power to turn everything Atalon had built to ashes, any time he chose. Nolan knew that. Now he understood why Atalon vowed to annihilate him, once and for all.

1.21 Rumour Has It

        Zara’s 180º view of the Atlan Empire was as magnificent as the reverse from the meeting room in the penthouse suite of the Headquarters building. Facing east, the only eyesore was the neighboring island of Lemuria, a taunting reminder of Unfinished Business, thanks to one single hideous beast living inside a mountain. 

        The Time to conquer Lemuria once and for all was near, the future had already been written in the stars, this time was supposed to be different but once again, things were falling apart. This week it was the economic report tablets that had the king wound up tight. "Silence!" He slammed a stack of red folders on the table as he arrived, causing the prints to spill out.  "I need all of your attention! According to these reports, we have lost over a dozen aribu from the TLS program alone in the last month!"

         Gods exchanged worried glances, already aware of the growing concern. There was also reason to be concerned for the king's mental health, his face was red, sweaty, ploughed with furrows, no one had seen him under this level of stress in a few decades.

         "Fifteen files unaccounted for!" Atalon raised one of the empty folders up and waved it, animating his anger "last month it was eleven, the month before that it was thirteen! We cannot achieve excellence if we are losing aribu like this!"

         "Where are they going?" Hedena dared to ask.

         "Obviously, Aquilla has taken them!" Dion, the god of Beauty pitched.

         "Or the dogons" Halios offered. 

         "Who else has access to the Terminated Life Securities Prison?"

         "There is a nasty theory" Atalon hushed them with his hand, "that is spreading throughout the empire that Aquilla is kidnapping them and training them to be Rebels, to fight against us!" His voice was escalating. "I heard this from a Merchant from Ebar! He's turning them into TERRORISTS!"

        "Ebar?" 

         "Yes" Atalon continued, his voice calmed. "It is therefore in the Empire's greatest interest that we prepare for a Coming War. I have ordered a new defence budget so that we can start planning. Immediately!"

         For Halios, the god of War, the news was excellent. He wasn't losing aribu, if he had they had disappeared unnoticed, which meant they were useless defects in the first place. He had bigger plans, war bunkers that would serve to protect Atlan from this very sort of situation had to be built, the extra funding would be a timely windfall, the timing was perfect and the plans were print-ready.

         As Atalon continued to explain some relevant details concerning the Coming War, Orius found himself gazing out the window towards Lemuria, pondering the kidnapping theory, he knew it was a lie. Where had it come from? And was the timing of the Crystal Skull program just a coincidence? Was Atalon panicking over the Panther prophecies coming from the crystal skulls? The latest comet concerns and medicinal plant explorations were perhaps a huge clue that he was... 

         He scanned the faces around the table, pondering the recent trip to Lemuria. Were Halios and Halki stirring the pot? Everyone knew that Atalon used the threat of an Aquillan attack as justification for new project funding, was this not the case today? Was he really considering a war against the Immortal Beast yet again? 

        Success just didn't seem plausible. Aquila had the power to incinerate any of their weapons long before they would get close enough to be of any threat, how many more times did Atalon need her to prove it?

         Late that night after the lab technicians had gone home for the night, Malodon labored under the dim lamps in one of the experimental labs. He placed Zoran's pineal gland on a small stand beside the crystal skull and opened a cabinet full of tools, devices and instruments that he used to conduct his experiments. He picked out a small cage with a large moth inside. The moth was an electromagnetic meter of sorts, it would vibrate its wings in the presence of an electrical frequency, beating them fast for a high frequency and almost stretching them out if it was low. He placed the moth between the skull and the pineal gland and waited, but the moth remained still.

         Unimpressed, Malodon returned the moth to the cabinet and drew out another small cage, this time trying a scarab beetle who, in the presence of an electromagnetic field, would begin to circle the cage, quickly if it was exposed to a high frequency and slowly if it was low. He placed the cage between the skull and the pineal specimen, but the scarab beetle didn't respond either. He wrote down the findings, frustrated, wondering... Perhaps the pineal still had to be alive?

         Opting for one more experiment before giving up for the night, he pulled out a glass jar of star flies and placed them between the pineal specimen and the skull. If there was any kind of electromagnetic energy being emitted from the pineal specimen, the star flies would light up too. He turned out the lamps and waited for a glimmer of light, but once again the test failed. "Damn!"

1.20 The Cool Roommate

        The pungent aroma of red roses filled the room, Zara’s first impression of her new dorm in Fina took her breath away. Tastefully decorated, this was a huge step up from her dorm in Culloom, these were designer furnishings! The dorm was dressed for two, one set of furnishings was accented with blue, and the other set with golds. Two beds, two dressers, two vases of red roses, two closets… She was to expect the arrival of a roommate but she wouldn’t have to share her bed this time!

         Bursting with joy, she hurried across the room to look out the window only to encounter more utter amazement. Not only could she see beyond the rooftops and alleyways below, she could see beyond the walls, she had an ocean view! "Wow…" Zara took a deep breath of the magnificent vista before her, truly a gift from Medel, she could see for miles and miles, she had a 180º view of the Atlan Empire!

         Filled with gratitude and appreciation, she left the sheers open and wandered around to inspect the room… The name ‘ZARA’ was inscribed on the top drawer of the gold-vase dresser… She walked over to have a closer look. Above the dresser, a trio of paintings hung on the walls, the same paintings of Hedena and King Atalon which she grew up with in Culloom, but here there was a new one, here there was a painting of Medena, the goddess of Plenty… It was all very encouraging, filling her heart with assurance that her future was bright. "Hail Medel" She clasped her hands together and thanked the gods once again for her luxurious placement and all that went along with it.

         Beneath the portraits, on the dresser, beside the vase of roses was a golden bowl of oranges. Feeling hungry, she picked one up, closed her eyes and lifted it to her nose to inhale the sweet scent... But images of the bloody white fur on the other side of the wall in Culloom, returned out of nowhere! Spooked, she placed the orange back in the bowl. Laying beside the bowl, was a business card, it read Dion's Hair Salon in a fine gold font. Curious, she turned the card over, it was a 10% off coupon for her first visit. Dion's Salon? Never had she been inclined to cut her hair, Dion’s Salon was a goddess hangout. She pondered the idea of having her hair cut... Wondering... Did she have to?

         Thoughts meandered naturally from hair concerns to the wardrobe rumors, were they true? Feeling hopeful, she crossed the room to look inside the gold draped closet to behold a full closet of golden clothes! "Oh my..." She stepped back for a moment, then ran her fingers down the rack of garments, parted the collection and reached for a clothing label. "Zara" it read.... She checked a few more... They all read Zara... "Wow..." The rumor was true... there was a whole new wardrobe of fine clothes awaiting her! 

        Thrilled, she slid each item down the rack to inspect the amazing collection of beautiful golden themed suits and perfectly pressed shirts that hung ready for her to wear. There was an evening dress made from luxurious satin, coats, hats and shoes, all of them tailored in golden yellows, oranges and peachy pinks. A white temple robe with a golden sash hung at the end. She pulled it out and held it up to her body, admiring its perfection and satin soft touch.

         "Thank you Hedena!" She whispered, overwhelmed once again by the generosity of the gods. Up until now, the most exciting thing she had ever worn was at the graduation. Now just a day later she was blessed with a full wardrobe of fabulous new clothes, adulthood was everything she had been told it would be and more; it was amazing. She felt truly blessed, King Atalon was right, she owed her life and fortune to the great Medel. They would definitely not regret investing in her. From this moment on, she was determined to make them proud.

         Curiosity piqued, Zara looked inside the dresser, there were satin pyjamas and warm knit sweaters, socks and undershirts, all made from beautiful golden shades. She pulled out a set of pyjamas and wandered across the room to the washroom. On her way, she noticed her roommate's blue-draped closet. Wondering now, she made a detour to peek inside. Her future roommate also had a collection of clothes to look forward to, almost exactly the same outfits, only hers were tailored in shades of blue... And her Temple Robe was black... 

        A little confused, Zara made her way into her new bathroom... A private bath? "Wow...." She soon forgot her questions and reached to touch her soft, golden towel... Caressed the smooth, shiny obsidian tap handles... The bathroom with it's glassy white tile and pebble tile floor was truly amazing. 

        Zara changed into her pyjamas and jumped onto her bed, it was so soft and bouncy she let out a scream of joy!

         …Zara waited patiently in the reception of Dion’s Salon, it was a strange establishment. Ornate chairs seemed out of place against the rough hewn rock walls, the beaded curtain obscured the view inside… She could see someone approaching… They wore long platinum blonde hair… As the beads were parted, a dark figure entered, he was from a strange land... He wasn't one of them.... He was smiling at her.... She recognized him... She gasped in horror... It was the god of Death! He looked at her…

         "Hello-o-o?"

         "AAAA-GGG-HHH!" Zara bolted up so hard she almost fell out of bed, woken from the very vivid nightmare just in time, panicked for a moment, confused, disoriented and blinded by the light now flooding in from the hall outside the dorm.

         "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

         "No…" Grounding, Zara straightened her pyjamas and got out of bed. 

         "My name is Dena" she held out her hand as Zara came to.

         "Hello, my name is Zara" she replied, taking her hand warmly. "I'm in the Megalith program."

         Dena studied her flushed face, her frizzy mousy hair, her undefinable eye color and gold pyjamas, how perfectly she looked the part. She was sort of pretty, she had fine features, she would make a good makeover subject. "Architecture?"

         Zara nodded smiling, proud of it.

         "Thought so. I'm in the Goddess program" she replied.

         Zara had already guessed.

         "Lucky for you, Sugar Cheeks, because it means there's going to be a party here every night!" 

         Full of life and laughter, lit up on MoonWine and Orange Bubbly the blonde bombshell who just burst into Zaras life with a bang was going to spice up her life, Zara knew that instantly, in spite of the rude awakening. Dena was like a blossom, irresistible and full of life, she left a waft of vanilla behind as she patted her cheek. Zara watched her run through the same routine she had ran, inspecting her new wardrobe right away. She smiled, knowing. "What Institution did you graduate from?"

         "I graduated from the Ephra Institute." Dena opened the closet curtain and stepped back in dismay. "Ugh. Blue. I hate blue, I told Medena I didn't want the blue!"

         "The Ephra Institute?" Zara echoed, she had heard of it. "Is that in Atlan?"

         "It's in Lochia" Dena replied as she closed the curtains and walked across the room to Zara’s closet. She whipped open the curtains to look inside. "Oh. My. God! Look at you!" She pulled out an orange dress. "You get to wear tangerine? That's, like, SO unfair! You HAVE to swap clothes with me... Tangerine? Oh. My. God! Please?"

         Zara liked the tangerine too… She hesitated…Wondering about the rules... Wasn’t she supposed to wear golds because she was a Golden?

         "Come on, don't be a party pooper" Dena implored, "you're a blue-colors person, anyway. Look at you. Your hair's got way too much red in it for you to look good in tangerine. You'll look horrid in those clothes!"

         Zara thought about her hair, about how much she loved her blue graduation gown... Dena did have a point.

         "OK" she agreed.

         "Oh. My. God. Really?" Dena squealed, rushing over to give Zara a hug. "You have NO IDEA how awesome it is to have a such a cool roommate!"