Ceremony 9

Turquoise to sea green leaves varying in shape, size, and texture greeted them. A jungle of branches and foliage more similarly representing the waves in an ocean than the foliage of the forest.

They were on an elevated platform overlooking this sight, a constant rustling of branches despite the lack of wind. It was as if they were perched on a cliff, the only difference from the bluffs they knew where the fact that the ocean curved up into a ball instead of down and away.

That and the giant glowing orb suspended in the center of this inverted globe.

"...would gravity even allow this?" Don was less in awe of the sight and more stunned by the way that every natural law they thought they knew was being violated as if it was nothing. Sure they could generate artificial gravity themselves, but only in a single direction at a time and most certainly not on this scale.

At least not without extreme effort.

"Is that a star up there?" Diana was far more susceptible to being entranced by the natural beauty of things.

"No, that is the heart of the Great Csillacra. Core may be the better term technically speaking, seeing as it does not pump blood, but I feel the poetic implications of the word are a better fit here."

"So like the bearer of the soul? Kinda like a brain?"

The Arboreal Maiden nodded. "I think the Great Csillacra can take care of us for now, if you would like to get down that is." She once again tapped the floor with her staff.

Just as Diana was dismounting, greeted with nips from an envious Mercedes, the gigantic branch they were standing on shook.

And then it started to move.

Slowly at first, groaning and creaking, but it moved. Up and out in a winding path, undoubtedly headed for the heart.

"How are you doing this?"

"What? Moving the branch? That is the Great Csillacra's doing. I only told it where we were."

The two of them looked a little confused, but were perfectly willing to accept that explanation. Nonetheless, she took the time to elaborate.

"Unlike us, the Great Csillacra lacks many senses. Sight, smell, taste, hearing are impossible for it, and we are so small in comparison that it can't determine our exact location by touch. In most people's case, it would identify them by their unique split profile."

"But not for us?"

"Not for us. You three obviously lack split in the first place, rendering you effectively invisible to it. As for me, well, let's just say I have a somewhat special condition that makes it impossible to separate me from the background radiation. In order to let it know where I am, I have to make myself visible.

Specifically, I send a pulse of split into wherever I may be standing with this staff. Usually it is enough to get its attention."

So it was like a pager of sorts.

"Before we step onto the heart, I ask that you remove your foot coverings. Eventually you will have to remove other garments, but it is custom to be barefoot while on the heart."

"So someone coming here is a common occurrence?" Donovan remembered that others had gone through similar treatments.

"Not at all. In my lifetime the total number has not exceeded the ten-thousand mark, not that I remember their faces." She gracefully removed her wooden shoes, not even bending down to loosen them.

If Don hadn't experienced the walk they went through, he would have thought them closer to slippers.

"Just for reference, how long have you been alive?"

"Don't even bother, it's a timescale you will fail to fully comprehend. I myself have forgotten even the rough approximation." She was the first off of the branch, softly stepping off the edge onto the soft blue sphere.

Donovan and Diana followed suit, Diana in particular grateful for the soft, cool, plush feeling. The it supported her as she sank into it did wonders for the pain in her feet.

Mercedes was far less enthusiastic, crying at the edge as she watched the two of them wade further away. Don had no choice but to go back and carry the whiny mutt onto the ground.

There was a pleasant scent in the air, sweet, but not suffocatingly so. Don wasn't familiar with many scents beyond those associated with cleaning, machinery, and the few deodorants and air fresheners he had been exposed to, but he though it lay somewhere between watermelon and an especially fragrant flower.

He couldn't remember which flower though. Definitely not a rose or daffodil. Lavender? Did lavender smell sweet? He knew it was purple and that it supposedly helped ease the nerves, but he had only smelled it once, walking past a flower display on one of his few outings.

"What does this smell like Diana? It feels familiar but I can't put my finger on it."

"I think it smells like a Sakura tree, or maybe a Katsura tree? I forget the difference. It's definitely sweeter and fruitier, but I think its pretty close. If I remember correctly, some of the trees around Grandpa's house belonged to those two species. The ones that turned pink were Sakura."

He remembered those. He never really 'stopped to smell the roses' as it were, but he could appreciate the short bout of beauty every year.

"When you are comfortable, Donovan, I ask you strip to your undergarments and lay flat on the ground so the Great Csillacra can check your status and determine the best course of action."

Don got to work immediately, removing everything in a specific order so as to not wrinkle the clothing. Once he got around to removing his dress pants, Diana inconspicuously turned around.

Don would not have minded being looked at almost naked, physical examinations were frequent and usually happened alongside many other people, but Diana actually had something called shame.

"Just put your clothes off to the side, this shouldn't take long."