Chapter 57
As the flying carriage, pulled by a Pegasus, soared through the endless expanse of the azure sky, Yumeko, Sky, and Layla peered out with wide-eyed wonder. Below them, a breathtaking vista unfolded, a sight so vast and unfathomable it defied all known measures of infinity.
Aquora, the Tidal Haven, lay sprawled beneath them like a living, breathing entity of water and light. The cascading waters of Aquora tumbled from unimaginable heights, flowing into pools that shimmered with a spectral radiance. These pools, like mirrors to other worlds, seemed to plunge into an abyss without end, an eternal descent into the unknown.
The seascape stretched out in all directions, a panoramic spectacle of aquatic grandeur. The horizon, where water met sky, was a blurred line of perfection, a seamless melding of elements that toyed with the very concept of boundaries. In Aquora, the notion of finite measurements seemed laughable, a mere human construct rendered obsolete by the magnificence of nature.
The waters of Aquora were not just blue; they were a tapestry of every conceivable shade of the ocean, intertwined in a dance of light and shadow. Sunbeams pierced the surface, casting ethereal patterns that danced over the depths like playful spirits.
As the carriage descended, Yumeko noticed something extraordinary about the waters of Aquora. They didn't just flow linearly but seemed to fold upon themselves, creating layers and dimensions of aquatic beauty that one could hardly fathom. It was as if the waters were a living, dynamic canvas, constantly reshaping and reforming into new patterns of awe-inspiring complexity.
Sky pointed out a cluster of islands that floated amidst the waters, each unique in shape and size, yet harmoniously woven into the tapestry of Aquora. These islands were like jewels scattered across a vast, liquid blanket, each holding secrets and stories of their own.
Layla, with her keen eye for detail, observed the marine life that thrived in and around Aquora. Schools of iridescent fish swam in formations so intricate they seemed choreographed. Whales, colossal yet graceful, traversed the waters with a majesty that commanded respect. They were known in books of the lower realms as Dimension Eaters because they consumed dimensions. To the residents of the lower realm, these creatures were the be-all and end-all. To them, however, they were mere sea life that didn't attack unless provoked.
As the carriage gently touched down on the outskirts of Aquora, a place not monitored by the guards or the kingdom for reasons unknown, Layla, Yumeko, and Sky stepped out, their senses overwhelmed. The air was filled with the sound of cascading waters, the scent of salt and life, and the palpable feeling of being in the presence of something far greater than themselves.
Just like they had read in Skyhaven, Aquora was not just a place; it was a living testament to the boundless wonders of the universe, a realm where the conventional laws of space and infinity were rewritten by the hand of nature itself, or perhaps did not apply. In this moment, Yumeko, Sky, and Layla knew they were witnessing a miracle of creation, a spectacle beyond the realms of imagination.
"Wow! Look," Sky exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement at the colossal waterfalls, their cascades dwarfing even the expanse of Aeritha. Using his Aura by channeling it in his eyes which allowed Sky to see different types of infinities, the world revealed its hidden layers, each realm a testament to the endless scales of infinity.
In Aeritha, the fabric of reality was woven with a familiar pattern, an endless repetition akin to the steady rhythm of a heartbeat, predictable and countable, like the endless march of numbers in a sequence. It was a realm where the infinite was as familiar as the streets they walked, a comfortable, never-ending loop.
Then there was Ignarock, a realm where the tapestry of infinity took on a more complex weave. Here, the endlessness was not just a line but a plane, a vast field of possibilities spreading out in all directions. It was like watching the stars in the sky, each a point of light, but together forming an uncountable expanse, a step beyond the simple line of Aeritha.
But Aquora, oh Aquora, was something else entirely. Sky's eyes, enhanced by Aura, could barely grasp its magnitude. Here, infinity did not just spread; it folded, it layered, it intertwined in ways that defied understanding. The waterfalls, the pools, the horizon itself seemed to exist in dimensions beyond the mere spatial. It was as if each drop of water contained an infinite amount hierarchies of dimensions which were themselves never ending or infinite, within the dimensions were boundless universes and multiverse, an infinity within infinity within infinity, a realm where the very concept of size and scale lost meaning.
And beyond Aquora, there loomed TerraVale. Even as Sky gazed upon it, he knew that his perception could not truly comprehend its scale. TerraVale existed in a realm of infinity so vast, so profound, that it transcended the very notion of size. It was as if TerraVale was a dream within a dream, an enigma that whispered of mysteries beyond the reach of even the Aura-enhanced mind. In TerraVale, the concept of infinity itself seemed to bend and warp, hinting at realms of existence so vast and so unreachable that they lay beyond the grasp of understanding, a true embodiment of the unattainable, the ultimate infinity.
Terravale always left Sky awestruck. How could his eyes, even enhanced by Aura, not see its entirety? His Aura-enhanced eyes allowed him to perceive infinities of different types, mainly sizes of infinity, but yet he could not fully grasp or perceive TerraVale.
Sky was shaken out of his thoughts as they heard a dragon roar and saw Fire General Kai arrive on a dragon.
"Well, now that I'm here, let's begin the alliance negotiations," Fire General Kai declared.
"Yes, I want to see how this goes," Layla said, eager to see how negotiations with a kingdom such as Aquora would play out.
"Me too," Yumeko agreed.
"Let's go then," Fire General Kai said, when suddenly a giant wave of water flew towards them and the dragon.
"Damn it," Fire General Kai cursed, jumping off the dragon, which was not able to react in time.
Fire General Kai, Sky, Layla, and Yumeko watched as the wave engulfed the dragon and carried him off, never to be seen again.
"Damn it, I just got that dragon, and he was a good one," Fire General Kai cursed.
"Um... what should we do?" Layla asked, confused.
"Why did they attack us?" Sky asked, also confused.
"I don't know," Yumeko admitted, just as confused.
"It's because they are aggressive and see us as prey. You see, Aquora started the Elemental War. Their founding Water God, Poseidon, was a cruel tyrant who cared only for power and prestige. He rose his way up the ranks, killing all in his way. When there, he learned of the other realms or kingdoms - my kingdom Ignarock and your kingdom Aeritha, as well as TerraVale. Thinking his kingdom was superior, he started the Elemental War by attacking every realm. While he was right about Aeritha and unfortunately Ignarock being lower and smaller than Aquora, he was wrong about TerraVale. The reason the treaty was formed was because Aquora's Navy was beaten so badly by TerraVale's forces they practically had to agree to a no-violence treaty between all kingdoms. Luckily for us, TerraVale forced it on all the kingdoms. But still, Aquora sees itself as the top of the chain and the other kingdoms as below them, so they look down on everyone else, even though they are weaker than TerraVale," Fire General Kai explained.
"What's the problem with them? Why are they so hostile to us?" Sky asked.
"It's because it's in their nature. They are opposite of us. They are Water Aura - violent, rageful, and selfish, while Fire Aura and Wind Aurs users are calm, patient, and kind," Fire General Kai answered.
"Oh, that makes sense," Layla said, nodding her head.
"Yeah, it does," Yumeko agreed as they heard a voice.
"So what's Aerithan and Ignarockian trash doing in Aquora? Didn't you read the signs and know that you're not welcome here?" a man with blue hair and aqua eyes said. "Did you like our present? That abomination, the dragon, has been fed to the great creatures of the sea."
"We come with a message from Aeritha and Ignarock. We are here to create an alliance and stop the Void Queen," Fire General Kai responded, keeping his composure.
"Ha, a coalition between Ignarock and Aeritha? And why should we help those two pathetic kingdoms, and why should we care about the Void Queen? We will kill you for even suggesting such a thing," the Aquoran warrior responded.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to take us to your current Water God, Suijin, not just insult us?" Sky said.
"Who the hell is this idiot?" the Aquoran warrior asked, his anger growing.
"Don't speak to Sky like that. He's clever and more powerful than you," Yumeko yelled, making the Aquoran warrior laugh.
"You think some lowly Aerithan is better than me, Nagisa Seafist? All Aquorans are stronger than Aerithan and Ignarockian trash, but I will entertain you. If that idiot and you his allies beat me, I will call off my men and allow you to meet the king, and he will tell you about the current affairs. But if you lose... well then," Nagisa smiled evilly, "I will kill you all."
"I will not allow any harm to come to my friends," Yumeko stated.
"Yeah, same here," Layla declared.
"Then prepare yourselves," Nagisa said as water rose from the ground and turned into a sword. "Because I will kill you and send your bodies to the sea to feed the marine life."