Johnny took a quiet sip, then spoke up, "Icons." I turned to him, attentive now. "I can demonstrate, if you want."
Nervousness and excitement filled me as I gave him a strong nod. "Please and thank you."
His trench coat turned incorporeal and misty before dispersing into his body, revealing the clothes beneath. "This coat is an Externalization, specifically in its Super-Ego state, the most stable it can be, but also the weakest. Externalizations can be many things, but they're generally corporeal, objects, tools or items." It reappeared, drawing itself back onto his body and becoming indistinguishable from reality. "If you can control yourself, something that represents you will form."
"What about the Image then? Last one I haven't learned about."
He sighed. "I don't have an Image to demonstrate for you. Incorporation usually only gives one of the benefactors Icons. But an explanation, I can do. Think of it like the super imposition of a space over reality."
I blinked blankly at him. "What?"
He paused, thinking for a moment. "Do you watch the TitanForge games?"
"When I can find a place to watch them, yeah." Memories flooded back of sitting in front of stores, cafes and bars, watching the tiny robots fight to the death live on air.
"Well, allegedly, when Ah-Legoria descends, that crack in space… the desert temple he walks down from is supposedly an Image." Seeing my still blank stare, he took a swig. "It's like transforming a space to mirror a space in your mind."
"I think I understand." I didn't fully grasp what he meant, but I felt bad having him try over and over. I paused, changing the subject. "Do you… think my mom is alive?"
Johnny didn't answer.
Even with a dark line of thought scoring my thoughts, my spirits were oddly high. I'll find her. Fire ran through my veins, and an itch burned at my fingertips, begging to let the blaze out, to burn everything in my path. As I stared down at my hands, a faint flicker of white light streaked in front of my neck before evaporating.
My heart sank. Visual hallucination… or Icon? I took a deep breath and focused on the passing scenery, hoping the station wasn't far. Before long, an enormous building came into sight with hundreds of people coming and going across the large courtyard.
As Johnny and I disembarked the car and he thanked Edward, I simply admired the massive building. Tall pillars supported arches with massive, paneled glass windows adorned each wall. Imposing clocks sat interspersed on the taller parts of the building, and ornate stone carved statues lined the parapets.
We weaved through the tumult of passersby, some in the fashionable attire of the Coffers, while others were clearly transplants boasting wild assortments of styles. We quickly breezed through security with no checks due to being part of the Polaroid Office and easily found the train we were looking for.
The sign above the platform simply read. "Stops: District 12 – Singularity, District 11 – The Nexus, District 10 – Tradewinds, District 9 – Offering…" and so on. A direct line around the entire city in reverse order.
The train harshly juxtaposed its surroundings, clearly from another district. It was a jagged, angular vehicle, painted matte black with bronze trim. Rows of similarly bronze tinted windows streamed down to the end, occasionally broken up by an entrance. A soft warble filled the air from the devices that kept it afloat and with a loud ding and a female announcer's voice, the doors opened.
The crowd entered the train and we found a seat by the window. The interior mirrored the exterior, black and bronze with bright orange lights. "Ever been on a train?" Johnny's voice came from behind me as I stared out the window.
"No," I murmured softly, watching as the train silently sped out of the station. The tracks curved upward, leading us over the streets and between buildings. The train seemed to never stop accelerating, and in mere minutes, we left district One and entered district twelve. Tall high-rises jutted up on all sides, massive megastructures lined the distance, pulsating with a turquoise light. The whole district was tinted that same bluish green. Some cars hovered down on the streets, some followed floating beacons in the sky.
Tears welled in my eyes. Mom… you would've loved to see this. She had always dreamed of taking me to the other districts, to see the wonders of this city.
After a brief stop, we moved through the next district, and the next, and the next until we finally arrived at district nine. Each one had a distinct style, a unique beauty that set it apart from the last. The diversity was truly astonishing, and the religious district was no different.
Disembarking the train and stepping out into the plaza by the train station, my mouth sloped slightly agape. The station was high up, positioned such that you could see far into the distance of this district. Divided into four quarters, each section belonged to a different religion, clearly styled like their impressive cathedrals and temples that presided over the land.
I recognized each one immediately. In the distance to my left, white gold and light blue buildings filled the horizon. They were elegantly simplistic, a few stories tall at most, and were cube shaped with sloped roofs. To the right of the Brilliance, the buildings looked almost run down due to the omnipresent greenery and lush plants. There appeared to be plenty of wood, but it was hard to tell beneath the thick lush life. The cathedral of the Resonance Collective resembled a stately manor, which I knew from my studies was where their therapists lived.
To our right directly was a modern mess of black and orange, with neon lights and countless pipes and wires strung from building to building. The buildings were built from a mix of blackened brick, with dark metal interspersed as support, resembling a factory the size of a city. Fitting, with the Axiom's prevalence in the industrial district. Finally, to our immediate left was what resembled a junkyard. It looked as if a city had collapsed, a modern labyrinth of twisted metal. The favored religion of Brilliante, Sillianism.
"Astounding, isn't it?" Johnny stood next to me, casting his gaze across the four religious sub-districts.
"I'm…" I paused, regaining my composure. "I'm surprised they haven't ripped each other apart."
Johnny chuckled. "It would be quite the war." He started down the steps, taking a long drag from a freshly lit cigarette. "C'mon," he said with a wave.
I diligently followed behind him, and we quickly entered the Brilliance's district, arriving at a white car with gold trim. The driver was still in the car behind tinted golden windows, but as we approached, the back door opened.
The mini district was distinct, beautiful and unique, yet still felt familiar. At first, I believed it to be because of my previous knowledge, but the farther into the drive we got, the more I began to realize its similarity to the Coffers. A culture and people stuck in the past, focused less on progress, and more on beauty. The people practically glowed, each person giving off a captivating aura causing my eyes to linger.
People smiled, traded with their neighbors, and seemed to be living in the moment. The technology of today was present, but subtle. That was until we passed a pair from the Luminous Legion. Sticking out like a sore thumb, they wore a suit of armor I recognized all too well.
Created for the TitanForge tournament, the suits were last year's winning model, the MK3 H-Sledge. Painted with the same white gold and blue, it was bulky and large, standing at over three meters tall. The symbol of the Brilliance, a two layered circle with alternating golden lines surrounded by a flash of light, was adorned on their breastplate, as well as the imposing hammers they carried.
The pebbles on the ground bounced slightly with each step, and the mechanical workings inside peeked through the plates, allowing me to see the beautiful harmony of servos and pistons. The Legionnaires strode side by side through a square with a fountain, watching a pair of kids playing in the water, splashing around the statue of an elegant woman. "What a piece of engineering…." I murmured, reveling at being able to see a full-scale recreation of the once tiny robot crowned victor in the TitanForge.
"The Sledge?" Johnny's eyes were shut; hat drooped at an angle to block out the sunlight.
"Yeah."
"More of a Pseudo-Titan fan myself."
I couldn't help but smile, the infallible detective beside me becoming slightly more human. "I heard Ah-Legoria himself bought that design."
"Makes you wonder what He needs it for." Johnny yawned. "Wake me up when we get there."
I didn't respond, opting to just watch the morning routines of the people of the Brilliance as we drove past.