Aurelion was a city that was very harsh. The inner parts of the city were really bright and beautiful like the "Eternal Noon" that was always shining.. The outer parts, which were called the District of Ash were completely different. This was an messy place where people did not have much. The sun beat down on them. The air was dirty from the Solar Refineries. The sky was always cloudy with smoke and the heat was so strong that it was hard to breathe. Aurelion was a city of differences, with the nice inner spires and the bad outer District of Ash. The people who lived in the District of Ash had to deal with the air and the hot sun every day.
Lyra and Malachi walked through the alleys. They had the Shroud of Shadows wrapped around them to make them look like they were wearing rags. The people around them looked really tired. Their eyes were. Their skin was dark brown like old leather. They had these marks on their foreheads called the Sun-Brand. The Sun-Brand was like a scar that had lines and shapes in it. It showed that these people were indentured workers, which meant they had to work for someone to pay off a debt. The Sun-Brand was, like a sign that everyone could see and it made Lyra and Malachi feel sad for the people who had it.
Malachi whispered that they do not worship the Sun in this place. His eyes were closed. He could feel the sadness all around them. The people here do not worship the Sun Malachi said. They serve the Sun. Every single bit of work and energy that the people have is used to keep the inner city looking nice and bright. The Sun is very important, to the people who live here Malachi thought. They work hard to serve the Sun.
Lyra stopped when she got to the town square. In the middle of the square was a Solar Column. The Solar Column was a piece of Sun-Iron that gave off a lot of heat all the time. This heat was so strong that it could dry things out fast. Some kids were walking by. Each one was carrying a big clay jar. These jars were filled with Solar Condensate. The Solar Condensate is a kind of liquid that is used to make the Empires war machines work. The Empire uses this liquid to power its war machines.
A boy, who was probably around ten years old. Fell. The jar he was holding hit the stone ground. Broke into pieces.. The liquid, inside the jar did not spill out onto the ground. Instead it suddenly caught fire. Turned into a tiny ball of flames that started to burn the boys legs very badly. The fire was so hot that it was white. It was getting bigger and bigger burning his legs more and more. The boys legs were being consumed by this very intense fire.
The boy did not scream. He just looked at his burning legs and arms with a scary feeling that he could not feel anything. The boy felt nothing as he stared at his burning limbs.
"Step back kid!" a guard shouted. The soldier was wearing the bronze armor of the Cinder-Guard. He lifted up a mace with spikes that had a warm glow. "You have wasted a lot of light, a months worth. The Emperor wants you to pay him back for the light you wasted. The Emperor is not happy, about the wasted light."
He lifted the mace up to hit the boy on the head. He was not doing this because he hated the boy but because it was something he had to do. The boy was not needed anymore so he had to get rid of him. This was a normal part of getting rid of people who were not useful, like the boy. He was doing what he was supposed to do with the mace, which was to make sure the boy did not survive. This was the boys end. It was happening because of the mace.
Before the mace could come down the air, in the square suddenly got really cold it was like the temperature dropped forty degrees.
The Cinder-Guard stopped moving his weapon close to the boys head. He looked down. Saw that his bronze gauntlet had a layer of black frost all over it. This frost was not just very cold the Cinder-Guards bronze gauntlet was covered in it and the Cinder-Guard could see that the frost on his bronze gauntlet was actually taking the heat away, from his armor the Cinder-Guards armor.
The Emperor demands much a voice whispered from the shadows.
Lyra stepped forward. She did not use her sword. She just put one finger on the Solar Column that was in the center of the square. The Solar Column was really important, to Lyra. Lyra touched the Solar Column with her finger.
Eclipse Art: Thermal Syphon.
The big spike of Sun-Iron, which had been making the district unhappy for a long time let out a sad and loud shriek that sounded like metal. The warm golden light went away, from the metal. It turned into a cold grey color. The energy went into Lyra and her Eclipse-Core started spinning around fast with a happy feeling like it was hunting for something. It changed the energy from the sun into a strong purple power that Lyra could use. The Sun-Iron spike was really important. Now Lyra had the power of the Sun-Iron.
The guard yelled "Heretic!". He was really loud. He had found his voice at last. The guard tried to hit something with his mace.. The metal of the mace broke into pieces, like glass when he swung it.
Lyra ignored him. She got down on her knees beside the boy who was on fire. The flames were eating away at his legs. The people watching were really scared.. Lyra did not get burned. She put her hands into the fire. Pulled. The fire went into her hands like water. It disappeared into the purple lines on her arms. The fire just went into Lyras arms into the violet veins. It was gone. Lyra was still holding the flames and they were not hurting her at all. The fire was inside her now inside Lyras arms, in the violet veins.
The boys legs were really badly burned,. The fire was out now. Lyra put her hand on the boys forehead. A calm and soothing feeling, like the quiet of the moon went into the boy. This feeling helped to stop the pain and fixed the boys skin of like sewing it back together with shiny silver thread. Lyra did this to help the boy to make the boy feel better. The boys skin started to heal thanks to Lyra and the lunar essence that was, like a kind of medicine.
The woman told him to run. She said it quietly.
The square was suddenly a mess. The Cinder-Guards called for more people to help blowing their whistles that cut through the foggy air. From the levels the Sun-Walkers started to come down their bright yellow robes waving like birds flying. The Sun-Walkers moved quickly their golden robes shining as they walked. The Cinder-Guards and the Sun-Walkers were trying to get everything, under control in the square.
Malachi said "You should not have done that". A small smile came on his lips, which's something that does not happen very often. His lips were thin and wrinkly. "We are supposed to be invisible" Malachi said.
Lyra said "I have spent a thousand years being invisible." She stood tall as the violet aura of the Eclipse-Vein Realm began to come out of her skin. This turned the falling ash into snow. Lyra said "I think it is time this city remembered what it feels like to shiver." The Eclipse-Vein Realm was really showing itself now. The city was going to feel the cold of the Eclipse-Vein Realm. Lyra was making sure of that. The Eclipse-Vein Realm was going to make this city.
She pulled out her claymore. The starlight that was in the blade made a humming noise. This humming noise was like the sound of the thousands of people in the district who were treated badly. The claymore seemed to be responding to the people who were suffering. The starlight in the claymore was humming in tune with the sadness of the thousands of people, in the district.
Malachi you need to find the way into the tunnels of the Sunken Library. I will give you ten minutes where it will be completely dark.
She slammed her sword into the ground, and for the first time in the history of the Capital, the District of Ash went cold