Creation Of All Things-Chapter 187: Spiral

Vael smirked as he wiped his hands on the cloth over his shoulder. "Come on. You boys done eating? Karyon Sol doesn't wait."

Joshua glanced at his half-empty plate, then back at Vael. "You're gonna show us around?"

"Damn right. You think I just cook dragon beef all day? This city's got stories to tell—and someone better explain how it's been holding together without you playing Archon babysitter."

Adam stood, stretching his back. "Guess we're getting the old man tour."

Vael just grunted. "Old man's still got faster reflexes than most of the guards on the Sky-steps. Let's move."

They stepped out of Vael's Table and back into the golden dusk of Karyon Sol. The city was transitioning—sky darkening into deep blue, streetlamps casting a soft twilight glow. Mana trails floated like threads in the air, pulsing faintly above the streets. There was music, always music. Somewhere high up, a group of Avien were harmonizing mid-flight, their wings catching the last rays of the sun.

Vael walked ahead, motioning with a flick of his wrist. "Alright, first stop—look up."

They did.

Far above, the Aether Crown floated.

A massive ring of crystal and gold, suspended by ancient wards, slowly rotated above the city's core. It wasn't just for show. The Crown regulated all the leyline activity in the region. Without it, Karyon Sol would've been a mana crater ages ago.

"Still works?" Joshua asked, squinting.

"Barely. The current Magisters don't know how to maintain it properly. They got their heads too far up their robes, arguing over who gets to hold the Scepter of Balance or whatever ceremonial garbage they pass around now."

Adam looked unimpressed. "So who's actually running the city?"

Vael sighed. "Depends who you ask. Technically, it's the Council of Twelve. Magisters, Guild Lords, a couple of war veterans with too much ego. But in reality? There's three names you need to remember."

He held up a finger. "First, Lady Vireen. Elari noble. Runs the spellguard and keeps the city from collapsing under arcane debt. Smart. Dangerous. Would love to dissect you, Joshua, just to see how an ex-Archon ticks."

Second finger. "Duke Gorrim. Dwarin brute. Took over the trade sectors after the old guilds got wiped in the Blackfire Riots. Controls ninety percent of the city's weapons flow. Not a bad guy, but he's always prepping for a war that isn't coming."

Third finger. "And then there's the Spiral."

Joshua blinked. "That sounds ominous."

"It is," Vael said. "No one knows what it is. Not a person. Not a group. Just a whisper. People go missing. Artifacts disappear. Prophets say weird things in their sleep. Spiral's always somewhere in the middle. Even the old seers stopped looking."

Adam looked around. "And the people? How are they handling all this?"

Vael glanced at a group of street performers—a Minari girl doing gravity-defying flips while her fox-familiar clapped its paws in rhythm. "People adapt. Same as always. It's not the Golden Age, but it ain't the Collapse either. Karyon's stubborn. Won't fall easy."

They crossed a bridge arched over a slow, glowing river. Underneath, small boats drifted, leaving trails of light as they moved. Couples sat on the edges, feet dangling off, chatting in soft voices.

"This used to be where the Seraph Guard patrolled," Joshua said, mostly to himself. "You could hear their wings before you saw them."

"Yeah," Vael replied, hands in his pockets. "Now it's just lovers and loners."

They passed into the Night Market—an alley-turned-labyrinth that opened wide beneath the city's belly. Hanging lanterns floated above tight walkways. Stalls stacked with potions, relics, cursed rings, and talking cats lined the edges. Somewhere, a flute played off-key. A hooded vendor hawked shadowberries, and a drunk Minotaur was trying to convince a ghost to duel him.

Vael guided them without pause. "This part's changed the most. Used to be just food and fabrics. Now it's where half the black market flows. Spiral leaves trails here, sometimes."

Joshua ran a hand along a cracked stone wall. It hummed faintly under his touch. "Still feels alive."

"Karyon's always been alive. Even when she's bleeding."

They walked past a Memory Fountain—a silver pool that showed glimpses of those who stood before it. For a second, Joshua's reflection shimmered into a younger version of himself. Gold armor. Burning wings. A crowd cheering.

He looked away.

Adam didn't say anything.

Vael kept walking.

Eventually, they climbed up one of the Skysteps—long, spiraling staircases that led to the higher districts. The air grew thinner, the architecture more intricate. Spires turned to towers, and towers turned to floating estates tethered by chain and spell.

They reached a balcony overlooking the whole city.

Karyon Sol stretched out below them like a tapestry of light and history. Airships glided in the distance. Towers pulsed with internal mana flows. High above, the Aether Crown gleamed against the stars.

"This," Vael said, resting a hand on the railing, "this was the city you helped build. Even if you don't want to claim it."

Joshua stared in silence.

"They still tell stories about you," Vael continued. "Not all good ones. But the ones that matter—the ones with heart—they remember. The boy who lit the sky on fire to stop the falling star. The Archon who knelt to save a child instead of chasing a demon. You're still in this city's blood."

Joshua didn't respond.

Adam broke the silence. "So… you brought us up here for nostalgia or intel?"

Vael smiled faintly. "Bit of both."

He turned, eyes serious now. "Listen. Something's shifting. There's pressure under the surface. The leylines are twitching. Old gods poking their heads out of graves they were never buried in. And that Spiral—it's waking up."

Joshua's eyes narrowed. "Waking up to what?"

"That's the problem," Vael said. "No one knows. But whatever it is—it remembers you."

A wind rolled in, tugging at their coats. From the heights of Karyon Sol, the city glowed like a living thing. Beautiful. Unstable. Eternal.

Vael lit a small mana-stick between his fingers and took a drag, exhaling a faint blue wisp.

"So. You staying? Or just passing through again like some story ghost?"

Joshua looked at the city one last time.

Then back at Vael.

"Don't know yet. But if something's coming… I'm not letting it take this place without a fight."

Adam gave a lazy nod. "Guess that means we're in it. Again."

Vael grinned. "Good. Then let's make sure you know where the real fight's brewing. Come on. I've got one more place to show you."

He turned, heading toward a lift that led even higher—toward the Council Spire.

And the secrets buried beneath it.

Karyon Sol wasn't done with them yet.

Not by a long shot.