The Ascension

Bones and monsters

 Wren and Senya had had little to do in the most since Aster's departure. They didn't dare to spend much time in any of Aeis' cities because they were worried about the strict regulatory patrols. And they couldn't leave the country for the exact same reason- the military had a firm grip on the country's only border, the northern one to Sved. And even if they could leave, they were concerned it would be too hard for Aster to find them again.

The first week they stayed in City Eight in anticipation. The second week they did their best to do the same, but were interrupted halfway when a soldier grew curious about who they were. Though he did not make any real threats, the boys became nervous enough that they immediately left.

Senya had mostly been stealing meals for the two of them, or occasionally he would go out and forage. They paid for a room at an inn by selling off their Svedian currency to a couple of shady types, and made enough paper- as Aeis had paper money for some reason- to pay for a ride to another city.

City Twenty-Three was where they eventually wound up waiting for Aster, a small town on the very edge of Aeis but south enough that the border patrol wasn't around to harass them. The city was somewhat new, and one of many settlements that were positioned on the border of the Western Wastes.

The wastes brought waves of hot dust every time the wind blew in from the west, and City Twenty-Three was constantly hammered by it. Houses were mostly underground, and cloth covered every window. It was not a pleasant place to live- which was why most of the residents here were either firmly devoted researchers and archeologists, or being paid for their cooperation.

Wren and Senya stood right out, but no one was around to care. They bought a room at a house and stayed there. Talked a lot, as one is inclined to do with company, but did so nervously. Neither wanted to address that they had sort of had something, briefly. There was a silent agreement between to forget about that and move on- but either seemed to worry the other wasn't over it yet.

They had just agreed to be friends a week ago. But it was taking longer than expected for that to come true.

Aeis was a country of the sky god, but Ikina couldn't be bothered to visit them- and the other gods weren't allowed in either. Wren passed much of his time on a hot hill beyond the town, a half hour's walk, where he could just barely make out the ocean. And sometimes he would see Silan there. His father, Silan. The title never felt important enough to include.

To help sustain their money, Senya and Wren had found themselves a sort of unofficial job that paid in a lower rent and free dinners- they helped the scavenge the wastes twice a day, when the temperatures were most agreeable. Most of it was running through dirt and sand and tripping over bones.

There was absolutely no available history on the Western Wastes. Back in Baased, Wren had only been taught it existed- as had Senya. It existed. No one lived there. It wasn't even a desert, or a grassland savannah- it was just a Wasteland.

Viewing it for themselves had not improved the boys' lackluster education. No one ever said anything about it, or stopped to explain what was going on. People just worked on it. Dug things up. Shipped them to the First City.

Some of the things they shipped were bones. Human bones, but animal bones as well. The boys were trained not to pay too much attention to the bones though- the city had all the ones they needed. So most bones became a nuisance- unless, as their boss said 'they were very exceptional'.

Their work was suspicious, but Wren and Senya really couldn't be bothered much. They were busy waiting for their semi-godly friend to return from reawakening an apocalyptic ocean god. Weird bones and meaningless wastelands weren't too unique.