?:?:?:? SIXFLAME ?:?:?:?

  Nights were strange on this world. Long, oddly quiet, and under the glowing gaze of that beast of a gas giant high above.

  The first night out, I slept a few hours at most. The ground was comfortable, yielding beneath my weight like foam. The air sat heavy around me, thick with moisture, not too cold nor too hot. The only sounds were a sort of quiet, mulchy squelching that came and went, as if the ground had a stomach rumbling down below.

  And then, all of a sudden, a loud .

  I held my breath.

  I sat up and gently shed my Torcher cloak. Nearby lay the silent forms of the others. The remaining three novices huddled close together, as if proximity might protect them from Aysa's fate. Ootu snored in his hammock.

  We were under these tree-things. Downy oaks, Ootu had said, their massive twisted, flexible trunks coiling upward like frozen serpents. Perhaps they were making a sound, rubbing their branches? I got up and went to one, cautiously running my hand along its rough, fuzzy surface. The texture reminded me of the static-filter panels, except warmer.

  I looked up, into the crown of the downy oak. The violet light of the gas giant filtered through the canopy, creating shafts of illumination that cast a strange, dreamy light. Thin tendrilling leaves swayed gently despite the still air, rustling with something.

  Not wind, though.

  A pale face stared back at me from the downy oak's crown.

  It didn't seem real at first, like a trick of the light. Had someone climbed up? I glanced back at the sleeping figures and did a quick count. All were there, fast asleep.

  .

  I checked the crown again.

  The face had moved, and a body had appeared. A torso and two arms that gripped the branches near the edge of the crown. The figure was slender and silvery, very still, with a blank expression on its smooth, symmetrical face. Its eyes were bright with cold light.

  Suddenly the head tilted sideways.

  I took a small step back.

  There was a ruffle and a snort beside me....Ootu turning in his hammock. When I looked back into the crown, the face was gone.

  I blinked hard, then searched every branch, every shadow. Nothing. No face, no body.

  No more clicking, either.

  That couldn’t have been real. Faces don’t appear in trees. Great. Barely two days on this world and I was already seeing things. Was this the start of that madness Ootu had mentioned? The Seep?

  Nah, I decided. Just the normal paranoia of a cult member, albeit a reluctant one.

  I considered waking someone, Ootu or Starcarver or one of the Torchers. Sister Pathsong at least didn’t glare daggers at me. But what would I say? “Excuse me, there’s a silver person in that tree.” No. They already had suspicions about me and Aysa's death. This would just confirm I was losing my grip.

  Instead, I wrapped myself in my cloak and sat against the trunk, the most solid thing around, eyes fixed on the canopy. If whatever-it-was returned, I'd be ready. And if it didn't...well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d spent the night staring at shadows.

  ?

  “Ah, meditating. Very good.”

  I opened my eyes to Ootu, wrapping his hammock into a ball and stuffing it in his bag.

  “It’s an excellent practice,” he said. “Very beneficial for mental well-being. I myself sometimes enjoy a spot or two of reflection, when I’m not otherwise occupied.”

  Meditation. Sure.

  "Yes," I said, rising to my feet. "I was just trying to, uh…”

  "Gain some perspective after yesterday's events," Ootu finished for me, his expression softening. "Perfectly understandable. Sudden death can have that effect."

  Around us, the camp stirred. The novices gathered a Kabus breakfast while the Torchers sat together, speaking in hushed tones. Starcarver stood in the centre of it all, commanding attention as usual. Honestly, could the man never just stand? His every pose was a study in spiritual growth.

  This morning, he was staring down the path ahead, probably composing some profound observation about its significance. Not that it even was a path, just a space where the jungle had a natural crease. It ran between massive root structures that arched above the springy ground, forming natural tunnels draped with gossamer filaments.

  "Sisters and Brothers," the Vanguard announced suddenly "Before we continue our Passage, our scientist friend has information he would like to share. Come, Doctor," he gestured to Ootu. "Tell us what you know."

  All eyes turned to Ootu, who straightened and cleared his throat. "Er, yes. Thank you. So, I need to tell you about the tidal event that's going to happen today. I don't suppose any of you have much interest in planetary biomechanics?"

  He looked around at the Torchers with a smile of faint hope. I looked away. Enclave II was famously barren, and my so-called education had been reading whatever I could find in filing cabinets. I had extensive knowledge of mining machinery and claim documentation. My higher eeducationhad consisted of figuring out where the sentinel drones drew the line between borrowing and stealing.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Anyway," Ootu continued when the lack of biomechanical interest became awkward. “Kabus has among the most interesting tides on the known worlds. This 'ground' we're walking on isn't solid rock but rather a planet-wide mat of organic material floating on an underground ocean — one which our grand old giant loves to tug on.” He gestured at Mosogon. “Most of the time, the water ebbs and flows through established channels and doesn’t bother us here at ground level. But now and then things…conspire.”

  Conspire?” This was Sister Pathsong, who seemed unusually invested in the lecture. “Are you saying there is behind this?”

  "Ah, no. Just a figure of speech," Ootu said with an uncomfortable smile. "What I mean is that several factors occasionally align. When the gravitational forces are particularly strong, they pull on these subsurface reservoirs. The water bulges and shifts beneath us, causing the ground itself to...well, I suppose you could call them ripples. It’s like walking on a stiff trampoline.”

  Brother Dawnchaser snorted. "And this matters because...?"

  Ootu offered a patient smile and gestured broadly at the spongy surface. “The biomass stretches, shifts, and in places where it's already thin or damaged, it can rupture. These ruptures release bad gases from below. Hydrogen sulfide, methane, hallucinogens...all very toxic."

  "The world speaks through its breath," Sister Pathsong murmured, her expression serene.

  Huh, pretty nasty breath, if you ask me.

  Brother Dawnchaser scowled. "We are Torchers. The world's movements are merely lessons to be embraced, not dangers to be avoided."

  "My dear Brother," said Ootu. "You can't embrace a lesson if you're unconscious from toxic gas exposure."

  Dawnchaser's face tightened. "Do not presume to lecture me on the Torcher way, outsider. I have walked seventeen worlds before this one."

  "And I've studied fifty-three," Ootu said pleasantly.

  I watched this back-and-forth, wondering if I was the only one who found it absurd.

  Starcarver stepped between them, hands raised in a calming gesture. "Thank you for your warning, Doctor. We will proceed with appropriate caution." He turned to address us all. "The Passage continues, but we will stay alert to the world's movements. We do not fear, we only respect. Prepare yourselves."

  We formed a line, with Starcarver leading, followed by the senior Torchers. Then came the remaining novices, Jacon, Unna, and Matteus, with me directly behind them as the damn bellringer. Ootu ranged around, constantly stopping to examine plants and collect samples. Jacon soon dropped back until he was walking beside me.

  "You're from Enclave II?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  "I’ve heard of it. What did you do there?"

  "Survived," I replied. "Fixed things."

  He nodded thoughtfully. "Useful skills."

  I remained silent, uncomfortable with his presence.

  "I've heard the induction is difficult," he continued. "The First Passage, the naming ceremony... all very intense."

  "Sure is," I replied flatly. No point telling him I'd skipped all that. I'd gone straight to Torcher with nothing more elaborate than Starcarver's outstretched hand and a spacecraft ride.

  We walked in silence for a while. The ground gradually changed texture, becoming spongier and less stable, bouncy underfoot. Ahead were two massive structures that resembled bloated fungi. Their caps towered over us.

  "Single file here," Starcarver called back. "Watch your step."

  We squeezed through the narrow passage. Beyond it, the vegetation parted to reveal a vast pit stretching before us, irregular and jagged. The edges were frayed like torn fabric, with thick roots and fibers dangling into the darkness below. Mist coiled upward from its depths, carrying a faint acrid smell.

  "Ah, a mouth of Kabus," Sister Coralweft sighed as she gazed into the gaping hole.

  Ootu hurried forward. "Actually, this is an old biomass rupture point. An ecological junction where the barrier layer has failed completely." He glanced around hopefully. "I don't suppose anyone wants to hear about the gaseous exchange mechanisms at work here...?"

  His question met silence. He shrugged and pulled out a small device from his bag, studying it intently.

  I hung back, eyeing the narrow area that skirted the pit's edge. The ground looked unstable and crumbly. In my experience, large holes meant messy deaths, and this one seemed particularly eager to digest whatever fell into it.

  Starcarver studied the mist rising from below. "We should move carefully. The world has opened itself to us here, and we must heed its warning."

  The vapor enveloped us as we inched along the edge of the pit. I focused on my footing, testing each step before committing my weight. The organic material was less springy, more brittle. It crackled softly under my feet. When I reached the other side, I exhaled slowly, turning to watch the others emerge from the mist.

  Something was wrong.

  The hairs on my neck prickled. There was a gap in our procession. A space where a person should be.

  "Where's Matteus?" Sister Pathsong cried, her voice sharp with sudden concern.

  "He was right behind me," I said, my heart suddenly racing. "Just seconds ago." I stared back into the swirling vapor. There had been no sound. No cry for help, no warning shout. Just there one moment, gone the next.

  We hurried back to the edge, peering over into the depths. Far below, barely visible through swirling layers of vapor, lay a crumpled form on a jutting shelf of dark fibers.

  "Matteus!" Unna cried out, leaning dangerously forward until Brother Stellaroak pulled her back.

  "Alas," said Starcarver solemnly. "Kabus has claimed another soul."

  I just stood there, stunned. Were we just going to keep offering novices up like sacrifices at an aall-you-can-eat moon buffet? Two down, how many more to go before we decide this 'Passage' thing might not be worth it?

  Then I saw Sister Gemheart’s accusing finger pointing straight at me. "Him!" she squealed. "This is the second time! He was with Aysa before she died, and now Matteus!"

  "I was nowhere—" I began, anger flaring, but Ootu cut me off.

  "We need to go. Now.” He was staring at the device in his palm. “The hole is releasing vapor from the toxic layer. We need to move away from the edge immediately."

  But I couldn't move. Something wasn't right. How could Matteus have fallen without a sound? I'd been right in front of him. I would have heard something. A slip, a gasp, anything.

  "He could be alive down there," I said, already searching for a way down. "We need to check."

  "That would be extremely unwise," Ootu cautioned. "The pressure is rising, and there's neurotoxins to consider." He glanced toward the pit. "Not to mention that the walls could also collapse at any moment."

  "The lesson of Kabus is already clear," Starcarver intoned. "It speaks to us through these trials. We must listen and continue our Passage."

  I stared at him, at all of them. Two people dead, and we were just going to walk away? I thought of Aysa, how quickly they'd covered her and moved on. And now they wanted to do the same to Matteus, leave him to be…digested by this world without even checking if he was truly gone?

  "No," I said. "I'm going down there." And without waiting for objections, I swung myself over the edge.

  "Sixflame!" Brother Dawnchaser called after me. "Stop this foolishness!"

  The descent was treacherous. The organic material was slippery and rotten in places. Halfway down, the mist grew thicker with a chemical sweetness that made my head swim and my thoughts turn sluggish. I pressed on.

  The ledge where Matteus lay jutted out at an awkward angle. I had to swing sideways to reach it, and the surface quivered beneath my weight. I knelt beside his still form. His eyes were open, staring sightlessly upward.

  I reached out to check for a pulse.

  And froze.

  There, in the darkness beyond the ledge, hung a silver oval. The face I'd seen in the tree crown now hovered just meters away, its bright featureless eyes fixed on me, limbs extending from its sides with too many joints, its fingers too long and thin.

  It studied me with cold curiosity.

  I remained perfectly still, my hand suspended above Matteus's neck, afraid that any movement might provoke it. The entity moved closer, coming within inches of me. I saw my face reflected in its smooth forehead.

  "Sixflame!" Ootu’s cry came from above. "What do you see? Is he alive?"

  The entity's head snapped up at the sound, then back to me.

  "Sixflame!" Ootu shouted. "You need to come up NOW!"