So Far Away Part 2

With Daniel nowhere on the face of the planet, one second grinds by as lethargically as the next. Noe levitates off the ground. Picturing the scene that passed at the Ridge Public School, he addresses the ghosts the same way Feng Mian had, copying the sensation, rises, and falls of her voice. 

"Verstorben," Noe's voice carries throughout the Dome for only the ghosts and mythical creatures to hear. 

'Deceased.'

Every ghost snaps out of their trance and windingly turns their head to Noe. 

"Elhunytál és wava spiriti paez a bolygó. Musaite félelem. Mae siend megmentett."

'You have passed away and are now a ghost roaming this planet. Do not be distressed. You are saved.'

Slowly, their spirits begin to burn orange-red until their ghostly forms disappear and form thousands of hovering flames across Northville. 

"Andestus."

'Be forgiven.'

A tsunami of resentment hits Noe in the face and he blinks. Memories tear through his brain at lightning speed, much more powerful than those he experienced before. He is dizzy. Mind vaulting itself away in the wings of insanity.

But, just as Noe is about to slip and lose the grips on his mind, he feels a tug on his pinky finger. The blue string is nudging his skin. Although Noe cannot sense Daniel, Daniel is still experiencing Noe's motions and pains.

In this, Noe finds comfort and pulls himself against the tide trying to drown him, instead grounding himself in the love Daniel holds for him. Noe is not of hate, he is loved by the most ethereal being across every universe of all realms. And that is enough.

Suddenly, a particular memory catches Noe - one lit by firelight and laughter. It is of Sofie and her grandson whose lament was not returning to his grandmother.

Trapped in his grave beneath the soil, Sofie's grandson could not tell left from right, stuck and unable to find grandmama. The calamity of ghosts and Minions crashing against the ground above him lead him to find his way back to the surface. Because of it, he met his grandmama again. Destruction created his freedom.

That morning, amongst the transitioning orange-red to bright blue flames, Sofie's grandson's soul burns brightest. 

The torrent of memories comes to an end.

Noe uses the air to part the clouds, providing a safe passage for the ocean of souls journeying to the rivers and streams of the Unknown.

Checking off forgiveness from his to-do list, Noe descends to his feet. His gaze lingers on the bronze monument before he turns away and walks out of the square.

~

With rubble crunching beneath him, Noe steps into the hole in the wall.

"Where's Daniel?" Feng Mian quizzes Noe upon his arrival.

"And what the heck happened to the wall?" Jinn asks. "Wait, what is actually happening? I've been in and out these past few days? hours? and I have no idea what's going on."

"I'm sure Feng Mian and Rosalind will explain that to you later," Noe enters mission mode to escape the encroaching longing. The string around his pinky is commandedly invisible but still felt. "It's time we return to Westville and root out the problems the city's facing. We're setting out right now. Forget the wall," Noe advises Jinn, "there's no one who shall return to care for it."

As he closes off his sentence, Rubin lands upon the cobblestone roof. She sensed that Noe was not feeling well and ended up arriving at an opportune moment. 

Rosalind says, "I grabbed some food for Jinn. Are we really not waiting for Daniel?"

"He's not around," Noe snaps back. Gliding out of the house and landing on Rubin's armor, Noe loses the remaining strength in his muscles and lies down upon the cold metal. He rests his head upon his bent arm.

Staring at nothing while facing Rubin's armor, Noe waits for the rest of the stragglers to board before he and Rubin decide it is time to take flight.

The twelve hour journey rolls by with Jinn's disbelieving gasps, skeptical expressions, and resulting amazement at what his two soulmates tell him. Jinn asks many questions which Noe cannot recall and Feng Mian and Rosalind give humorous responses that Noe does not care to listen to. 

To Noe, his world is not crumbling away but agonizingly bland, like a hard, dry, and tasteless biscuit. He does not want to get up, or think, or breathe. If he had a choice, he would deanimate himself into a rock until Daniel returns.

The hours tick by and as the sunset comes about, Rubin smoothly passes through the ward around Daniel's apartment complex.

Landing upon Daniel's roof, Noe leaves the three soulmates to marvel at the sunset like tourists discovering animals for the first time while he immediately flies through Daniel's window. His feet thump onto the floor and Noe sighs. 

"Noe?" Vivian's expression of perplection comes into Noe's view. "Why are you coming in through the window? How are you coming through the window? As far as I know, there isn't any piping to... It's alright, I don't need to know." Putting down the coffee cup she was brewing, Vivian asks, "How was the camping trip?"

"We didn't go on a camping trip."

"But Rosalind told me-"

"She lied. Look, mom. I'm not in the mood for boring small talk right now. Please may I go?" Noe only spoke his true feelings; he did not realize he was being rude.

"Go ahead, sweety," Vivian smiles at him and reaches her hand up to pat his head. "I still can't believe my eyes."

Noe bypasses her hand and enters Daniel's bedroom, shutting himself within Daniel's dominating scent until everyone has entered Daniel's apartment and he makes an appearance. 

"We have things to discuss," Noe tells everyone. 

"Wait, let me show Jinn around the apartment and have him rest in my room," Feng Mian throws over her shoulder. Jinn's semi-dazed and semi-amazed dumbfoundedness takes in Feng Mian's words like an overused sponge.

Rosalind enters the kitchen and calls out to everyone, "Who wants some tea?"

"We do," Feng Mian responds.

Vivian intervenes and slides into Rosalind's working space, taking the dark green mugs into her own hands, "I can do that dear."

"Oh, no. Please go and enjoy your coffee before it gets cold," Rosalind objects tenderly. She has a dimple on her cheek when she smiles.

Vivian laughs, "I finished my coffee in one gulp. Reporters are always in a hurry so it's almost reflexive now."

Watching the fluff ensuing in front of him, Noe feels like he is about to burst from frustration. His breaths become shallow, as if his lungs will not fill to capacity no matter how hard he breathes in. A tingling takes over his nose.

Vivian dotes over him, "Noe, your nostrils, there's smoke coming out of your nostrils! Are you alright?"

"Could you all just stop what you're doing and start getting some real work done? You're just making each other tea, and coffee, and tucking someone into bed while there are thousands of people about to lose their homes! How can you?" Noe fumes.

"We can't get any work done if we're too exhausted to do anything," Rosalind relaxedly points out. 

The tension in Noe's chest builds until the dam breaks. "Fine. Fine! Continue. Don't mind me," Noe is about to leave and go for a walk until he remembers Daniel's warning. "UGHHHH!" he groans before turning around and flying back into Daniel's room. He slams the door behind him and lands upon Daniel's bed.

Brushing his hands against the blanket, he inhales softly. 

"This sucks," Noe says out loud. The blanket smells like his mom.

~

"Noe? Sweety?" Vivian wraps her knuckle against the door. "It's been two hours now. Aren't you hungry?" 

Ignoring her, Noe plays with his blue string and wonders when Daniel will be back.

"Look," Rosalind voyces Noe. "I think you're overreacting. You're stressed because Daniel isn't here and we get it, we get it. We're ready to talk now so put your pride away and let's get to business."

Pride? Noe thinks. What is pride?

"Are you sad because Daniel isn't here?" Vivian whispers and Noe hears her crystal clear. "When you were talking to him, that was the first time I ever saw you smile."

Noe can hear the joy in Vivian's words.

"When things don't go as planned and you feel like quitting, it's alright to let yourself be bad as long as you aren't hurting others by doing so. After that, it's important that you think of what those loved ones would've wanted for your life, for you."

As vivid as if Daniel himself was in front of him, Noe sees Daniel's face pleading that he save the shantytown dwellers.

The door quietly unlocks and Noe emerges from hiding.

"I'm ready," Noe says. "I'm sorry for making you wait," he tells everyone. 

Rosalind, Feng Mian, Vivian, and Noe sit around the dinner table. A bowl of rice and stew that Vivian made for everyone an hour before turns cold in front of Noe. 

"I know how we can reach the Prime Minister," Vivian commences.

"How?" Noe prompts her to hurry up. He cannot stand the suspense of not knowing.

"The only place Kamiyama converses is at the weekly galas held at her Crystal Palace, an enormous luxury building designed for hosting lavish upper class parties."

Feng Mian fingers Daniel's glass flowers that sit on his dining table.

"Champagne, jewels, diamonds," Vivian continues, "The entire building is a spectacle that only the top one percent and honorary citizens are permitted access to. Kamiyama says she received the inspiration for such infrastructure from a memorandic dream which showed her the Kingdom of Angels. I don't know how true that is but it's the only place she frequents."

"When's the next gala?" Noe assesses.

"Tomorrow evening."

"We have to go."

"And we might just have the connections to do so sitting in this household. I can't go because reporters are strictly prohibited from entering, thus the mystery shrowding the Palace itself is poignant and awe-inducing for regular people."

"It's settled then, we leave tomorrow evening."

"Not exactly, my boy. They wouldn't let you in looking the way you do."

Noe's long hair loosely sweeps his waist, Rosalind's Ephrene robes are as plain as a doormat, and Feng Mian has the face of innocence, none of these features befitting the raw extravaganza of the Crystal Palace. 

"We'll spend tomorrow working on your appearances." Vivian leans over the dinner table and her presence looms, "If we can find our way into that building, weasel our spot into her network, and befriend Kamiyama, we might just have a shot at bringing her down."