Chapter XI

  Civitas Permacolae

  Zanda glided through the air and landed her merkabah on the upper half of the structure, where an outdoor park bisected the floor. Gia detached from Zanda’s right arm, reshaping into a cuboctahedron that floated behind its owner. The woman felt the gaze of several onlookers drawn to her landing. Her new merkabah turned out to be a magnet for indiscreet stares.

  The misty ground beneath her feet reminded her of orange soda, the surrounding green areas vast and well-maintained. Nearby, Huon pines were arranged in a pattern reminiscent of the flower of life.

  Ignoring the stares of people who paused to watch her, Zanda walked towards the open space, venturing into a trail where the foliage thickened and gardens sprawled extensively.

  Minutes later, she found a wall made of nephrite so polished it mirrored everything around it.

  "Looking cool, huh?" Gia floated alongside her.

  She cracked a smile as her T.H.I.C. dissolved into the crimson Armis enveloping her. Chromatic red chunks of hair danced in her natural brown hair, casting a glow on her shoulders. She passed through the crystal wall and her reflection, entering the building.

  Inside, the atmosphere was cooler, her merkabah adjusting to maintain the warmth of her body. Ahead, a hallway stretched out, its rhomboid shape clean and straightforward, bathed in soft orange and green light that filtered through the ceiling. Crossing it, Zanda arrived at a larger space, a somewhat crowded room. Colorfully dressed individuals with cottophene and silkaphene attires moved across, too absorbed in their own worlds to notice her.

  "Gia, has Refius responded yet?"

  "No, he hasn’t seen the message."

  "What’s the fastest way to the research labs?"

  She was up to something.

  Gia projected the route onto the crystascreen of T.H.I.C before her eyes. Zanda proceeded to a roofless hall, where a series of translucent crystal platforms known as levitators, much smaller than the fishtanks, ferried people back and forth, connecting the various levels of the vast station.

  She stepped onto an orange platform, her kabbalah taking control, navigating through the spacious citadel. The brief journey allowed her to marvel at the architectural feat of that Civitas Permacolae. The platform rotated on its axis, offering Zanda a 360-degree view as hundreds of Porters led to myriad destinations across Malkuth.

  The Porterum, a collaboration between Binah and Tipharet with Chokmah conceptualizing it, was a superstructure that radiated joy and pride, the essence of those three Sephirah unified in creation.

  At the structure’s pinnacle, the flag of Malkuth waved, a piece of white fabric emblazoned with a Metatron’s Cube superposed to a silhouette of the world’s continents in gold at the center, surrounded by thousands of silver dots representing the stars in the visible sky.

  Upon landing, Zanda stepped off the translucent platform, blending with the other Malkuthians, following her T.H.I.C.’s guidance.

  "There’s no point in going to my office. I knew where you were, Zan. Why didn’t you just call?" A familiar voice reached her ears, one she hadn't heard in years.

  Turning, she saw her childhood best friend standing next to a floating green dodecahedron, her own kabbalah. Naydir was tall, her hair a vibrant tapestry of dreadlocks in various colors, adorned in dark purple garments marked with the symbol of her Sephirah, giving her an official air.

  Zanda couldn’t conceal her excitement. Her naadi exploded in gold tones as Naydir sprinted towards her. They embraced tightly, a hug filled with longing, history, and love, their naadis emitting the same color.

  "Naydir! I was going to surprise you…"

  "Nice try. But no. As soon as your merkabah crossed the Vis field around Civitas, I knew you were here. You failed, my beautiful, amazing friend, now a Gevurah! I’m so proud of you," Naydir’s eyes mirrored her emotions.

  A tear slipped from Zanda’s eye as the embrace ended, their naadis blending into a shade of gold with blue topaz, reflecting their deep affection and familiarity between their souls.

  "It’s been six years!" Naydir used her thumb to wipe away her friend’s tears.

  Those beautiful brown eyes with long lashes smiled back, the multicolored eyeshadow matching her dreadlocks. "Closer to seven! I left a year and eight months before you," Naydir corrected, recalling their last encounter before her departure from Kosovo.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Luti! It’s been a while, how did your slacker performed since the last time we saw each other? Could you make a comparison of our statistics?" Zanda greeted her friend's kabbalah to honor their previous tradition to compete against each other, thriving for excellence.

  "It’s wonderful to see you well, Zan. If Naydir agrees, we can share the data and see where you have improved or slacked in comparison to each other."

  "You and Gia catching up already? I’m down for it, what do you say, Nay?"

  Her friend gestured with both shoulders in a carefree

  "Exchanging data as we speak."

  The two kabbalahs danced around each other.

  "I love what you’ve done with your hair," Zanda reminisced about Naydir’s dream of dreadlocks with that style from their childhood.

  "These things?" Naydir grasped a braid, feigning indifference. "Had it like this for two years, my soul. After graduating from Uvelia. You won’t see it again after today, late arrival…" she said with a smirk, clearly ready for a change. "I see your red chunks of hair, they match your merkabah, smooth crys!"

  “Thank you, is brand new! Not the hair though, that’s old too. I guess It’s time for new hair styles! Oh, Naydir, I’ve missed you so much! When I emerged from Asporto, Gia told me you've become an amazing Tipharet! Look at you, working at the Porterum in a Civitas Permacolae. In just two years. I'm so proud!" Zanda’s voice brimmed with excitement.

  "Thank you too…" Naydir took her hand. "Come with me, it’s been a while indeed."

  They walked away from the levitators, both suppressing her naadi.

  "It took me fifteen months to get here. After my Ceremonia, I took an eight-month sabbatical to Vietnam to study applied hydroponics and, well, enjoy time with the locals. It was fun."

  They had met eighteen years ago, when they were five and seven years old. Zanda, the elder, noticed that the vibe emanating from Naydir was different from what she remembered as children. Back then, Naydir had seemed timid and unsure of her potential; now, she exuded self-confidence, navigating the Porterum as if it were her own domain.

  The hall they walked through was carved from crocoite, like the rest of the Stagnum, but it was adorned with additional materials, patterns, and textures. Suspended glass platforms displayed various objects of historical significance, ranging from hundreds to millions of years old—tools, garments, samples of flora and fauna, literature, art, and remains, all restored to their original condition using replicant biotechnological techniques.

  Naydir led Zanda through a series of passages branching off from the main hall.

  "So, you're in charge of some important operation here, right?" Zanda broached, initiating what felt like an interrogation.

  "You never did care much for details, huh?" Naydir teased.

  "I do. That's why I'm asking. It’s been so long. Imagine, hearing it like it was for the first time will have more impact."

  "Did you forget about my yearly letters?" Naydir's voice tinged with sadness.

  "What?" The gevurah was puzzled.

  "The letters I sent you," Naydir was annoyed, as though that subject was the most obvious thing in the world.

  "What are you talking about? I received no letters from you...!"

  "You replied!" Naydir cut her off, and exasperated, displayed a holographic image of a letter with an unfamiliar handwriting:

  “I feel the same,” Z.

  "That wasn't me, Nay. Did you even check the source?" Zanda was bewildered.

  "So presumptuous!" Her friend refused to believe her.

  "You think I'd neglect to catch up with you? Ha!"

  "Why are you laughing? You ignored me," Naydir seemed truly upset.

  "Hey! I didn’t know any of this. That's why it's funny; those weren't my replies. Gevuritah can't read any messages. We’re not supposed to; it’s against Asporto's rules. For the past five years, my only contacts have been with the Gevurah and my classmates. I haven’t even seen my parents! Don’t blame me for this, Naydir!" Zanda explanation had evident frustration evident in her voice, unprepared for such an outburst from the Tipharet.

  Naydir's expression softened from confusion to a less hostile demeanor.

  "I'll quench your thirst for knowledge. Don't worry. How could I have known?" She pondered aloud, not waiting for a response. "Who received them and replied in my stead?"

  The thought of someone intercepting her correspondence for nefarious reasons sent a shiver down Naydir's spine.

  "Could it have been another Z, by mistake?" Zanda speculated.

  "On the Ethernet? Only if I'd been sending to the wrong address for five years..."

  "It's not too far-fetched to imagine that could happen."

  Zanda’s reasoning came half-expecting a rebuttal that never came.

  "You owe me a narration about your role in all this..." Naydir attempted to refocus the conversation. "I wasn't upset about those replies, by the way; it was a little tease that turned into quite the puzzle, they’re from Refius, your mentor. Let’s enjoy our walk. We're about to reach my studio." Patience was something Zanda struggled with, but she made an effort, placing the idea of her mentor responding for her on the side for a moment.

  A minute later, they stood before a peridot entrance set in the center of a citrine wall.

  Naydir approached the glowing entrance and gestured Zanda, giving her access to the studio through the green stone, which dissolved around her as she crossed through it.

  ****

  That's it for Chapter XI!

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  Aequitas and much love,

  Indigo Sapiens.

  ? All Rights Reserved

  Malkuth: Planet Earth and Tenth Sephirah. It is the material and physical realm, its inhabitants seek to protect and preserve nature with a focus on equity and respect for natural resources.

  Aequiteism: It is a system of values and principles in Malkuthian society, based on the Kabbalah and the Edictum Vitae. This approach seeks to promote equitable, sustainable, and harmonious coexistence between technology, nature, and human beings.

  Naadi: Side effect of synthesis that allows humans to project their aura, enabling individuals to share their energy and emotions.

  Vis: It is the primordial energy that permeates everything. It represents the life force that flows through every being and element, connecting the macro and microcosms in an interdependent network.

  Sectum: Continent where the Extarri, the exiled, reside outside of aequiteism and hence, Malkuth. The continent is divided into four countries: Capitalia, Dictaduria, Imperia, and Eslavia, each representing different social systems.

  Dictaduria: Characterized by a dictatorial social system, where a group of leaders and elites exercises absolute control over the population, it's resources and political decisions. Dictaduria stands out for the suppression of individual freedoms, exploitation, corruption in all levels of government and the lack of citizen participation in decision-making.

  Negativus: Clandestine subterranean city thriving under Dictaduria.

  Imperia: Reflects an a feudal and imperialistic social system, where a single central power controls other territories and societies. In Imperia, dominance and expansion of this power are prioritized, often at the expense of the autonomy and cultural diversity of its inhabitants.

  Eslavia: Follows a slave-based social system, where certain individuals are subjected to forced labor and exploited without respect for their rights and dignity.

  Capitalia: Represents a social system based on capitalist economy, where resources and wealth are controlled by private companies, and there is a marked economic inequality.

  Gatvits: Currency of Dictaduria.

  Onis: Currency of Imperia.

  Kabbalah: Technorganic entity guide and and companion that provides information and assistance to each individual in aequiteist society, promoting knowledge, equity and harmony as intended by the Edictum Vitae, the law of Malkuth.

  Merkabah: Advanced suit designed to assist the Sephirah in their individual tasks. It is specially created to improve efficiency in their day to day work.

  Crystaphere: Fusion of crystal and graphene through synthesis. Resistant, lightweight, and conductive material for various technological applications if activated.

  Sephirah: Refers to each branch of intellectual emanation in The Tree of Life (Yggdrasil) and the Kabbalah. Each Sephirah represents a fundamental principle that guides the life and worldview of this society.

  Gevurah: Fifth Sephirah in the path of the Kabbalah. Protectors of Malkuth, it's inhabitants and the Edictum Vitae, it's law. In charge of defending justice, and enforce the principles of an Aequiteist society. Seeks collective harmony and balance.

  Binah: Third Sephirah in the path of the Kabbalah. Applied to architects, shapers and planners, it highlights their role in the malleable construction of sustainable infrastructures in harmony with nature.

  Tipharet: Sixth branch in kabbalistic knowledge. Experts in agroecology and permaculture in aequiteist society. They work on sustainable food production, promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices, in line with the principles of equity and harmony with nature stated in the E.V.

  Fishtank: Vehicles made of crystaphere with ingravitas technology.

  Levitator: Individual platforms for short distances. They use ingravitas technology to fly, offering efficient and eco-friendly personal transportation.

  Ingravitas: Advanced technology that controls and regulates gravity, allowing the creation of weightless zones and adjusting gravitational force of both small and large bodies of mass.

  Porter: Transportation method that uses the repelling forces of dark matter/energy with quantum stabilizers. It allows transporting any human or matter between two connecting points, creating an instantaneous bridge regardless of distance of time.

  Porterum: Collective of Porters, many times part of a larger structure with other services.

  Stagnum: A piece of land, could be anything from an individual space, a neighborhood or city floating in the sky thanks to Ingravitas tech.

  Domus: Levitating, houses powered with Ingravitas tech, often linked to a larger stagnum.