The Oath Tower couldn't be more reverential if it tried to be. Sacred markings covered the grounds of the compound; they meant something in the Dead Language, the first language of Cyperan civilization. Most of what was written were declarations of victory, others were warnings of a return and vague instructions for what must be done.

  For a secret so greatly hidden, the act didn't seem wise at first, but then one realizes that even back then, one thousand cycles ago, when they made, very few Houses could decipher the writings of the Dead Language. Now, only members of House Vinid and the Predictors could read these inscriptions. It wasn't every Vinid, even. Araan couldn't, for instance.

  One of those markings held his attention. It was the most central inscription; it never faded. It featured a series of six spiral lines that melded into each other at an end in a single straight path. It supposedly meant the everlasting line of the Alpha-Redinan.

  But it had an end, the last spiral's line lead into the entrance of the Oath Tower. As a youngling, it bothered him deeply that they were exactly six spirals. He was sixth to bear the title, did it mean anything special, was his life going to be different from his eldfather's?

  It was somewhat amusing thinking about it now. Back then he dreaded staring at the symbol—Araan dreaded the whole tower, if he was being honest— like a trap that had been set for him. There was no dread or hate this time, he simply stared with a plain look. He found the indifference oddly fulfilling.

  In comparison, the height of the Oath Tower was a mere fraction of the Citadel's, it was the compound that was massive. It was the size of a battle arena with tall, massive walls that had steps large enough for seats. About ninety armed Redinan Soldiers patrolled the grounds.

  The tower had a wide rectangular base, the width of about twenty Heralders lined up if Araan had to guess. That width tapered off to a much narrower point at the top. There were seven other towers in Kolvak but what set this apart from the others structurally was that the tower and its compound was made from Tipine.

  Tipine was the crystal part of the technology that ran blackstone desks and many other devices. Someone in his family found a huge deposit of Tipine—arguably the largest ever discovered—and made it into a tower. The Oath Tower and its walls were a reddish-yellow, partly translucent crystal for that reason and as an advantage, the Tower never needed taking apart whenever it was renovated or when technological advancements were added. Every wall was one thousand cycles old.

  It also managed to strengthen the people's belief in Predictors. Without them, how else would they have known to build the great Oath Tower with the indestructible Tipine?

  There were eighteen floors in the tower and Araan sat in a room with a view in the highest floor alongside Tisiryk, members of their family and a few other nobles. The floors beneath him, down to the fourteenth, were for the other noble families present. The rest were offices and work spaces for the Predictors and high ranking Redinan Soldiers.

  This was the Tower that the people saw, that families often fought to renovate. If one wasn't Araan, a member of the Redinan Army or in some other way affiliated to this place, you never knew of the rest of the tower below the ground; the real Burial Hall for the Lord Redinans or the seven other levels below it. That was where the big secrets were kept, where the power of the Alpha-Redinan was bestowed.

  Where Araan was dragged to and chained when he refused to become Alpha-Redinan. Seventh Seikan of the Dark Half, Thirty-one cycles ago.

  Araan closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his chest, trying to forget that line of thought. He rarely thought about it but it was so easy to go that mind space when he was in the very building where everything happened. But he had to forget it. He couldn't afford to look distracted let alone upset, not with everyone's eyes on him.

  As far as noble attendance was concerned, every important dignitary was present. There were representatives of the rulership of the other sectors, even some from the Emperor. They sat directly behind Araan and Tisiryk alongside members of House Vinid. Among House Vinid, the few absent were younglings and new born. Nomik and Zamaro sat right behind Tisiryk, Saonim Tuik finally beside her bond-mate, Zamaro. She still wasn't much liked—with the way Araan's cousins and older relatives stared at her—but she never cared in the past, and still looked that way.

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  The Emperor's representatives were two male nobles with dark blue skin, his distinct markings of curved lines extending from the center of their forehead to their jaws. They wore grey Life Armours split into a Torso section with a cape and a Trouser piece. They sat in the third row from the entrance. They wanted to speak with Tisiryk, Araan could tell. They would have sat much closer to Tisiryk if they'd been allowed to. Conversely, neither of them looked in his direction. Almost pointedly so.

  Burvan was absent from the floor, probably amongst those handling affairs and giving orders. Araan had requested Dirakh stayed with him but he'd refused. Instead he was down there, somewhere, with the commoners. After his talk with Pilipe, Araan never got a chance to speak with him. The pointed avoidance seemed like punitive consequence.

  The floor was spacious, fitted with grandiose Tipine-metal seats covered in Dead Language inscriptions. The front wall of the floor was made of a different crystal, this one clear and transparent enough to serve as a view.

  The entire floor was a soft slope, designed in such a way that the first row from the entrance behind Araan was the highest, giving everyone seated an unobstructed view of the compound.

  Araan's row was the closest to the transparent crystal wall and the lowest. It consisted of two seats on either ends of the floor, Tisiryk's and his. Their seats were made of blue colored metals instead of Tipine and black metal. Everyone was dressed the same as they were from the meeting, even Tisiryk. Some had voiced their surprise, thinking he would change into something more traditional and fitting for the burial. He didn't bother to reply.

  The entire ceremony was carefully scheduled down to the very last micro-seikan. Tisiryk would address the people and allay fears, certain events would happen and by the end of it, he'd become Lord Commander. What really mattered were the events between the speech and his coronation; how he chose to mourn the late Lord Commander. With how unpredictable Tisiryk was, no one was certain how things would go and Araan was sure he wasn't the only one who found it unsettling.

  As long as everything went well, Tisiryk would be more than just heir-designate. The Thirteenth Sector would have a Lord Commander again and the transition would be a welcomed and well remembered one. The riots would end.

  Timepieces on the walls read the time as eighth micro-seikan of three hundred, Third Seikan of the Lighted Half. The gates of the tower were still opened and people continued to flow into the arena. Not everyone would manage to get in, the compound wasn't large enough for the entire city. The seated multitude was a unified voice as they chanted solemnly, waiting for the moment Tisiryk would address them. It was time now, one of the guards came up to Tisiryk and spoke to him quietly. The lanky cyperan stood up from his seat.

  Tisiryk didn't move towards the platform but to Araan instead.

  “I never thanked you for the support in the meeting earlier. How's this for appreciation?” Tisiryk asked him, gesturing to the view of the arena. “You and I, handling the address.”

  Do I really look that naive? Araan thought, humorously. “I'll be honored.”

  Tisiryk smiled in response and signalled to the citadel guard that spoke to him. In turn the cyperan spoke into his shoulder and returned to his post. Tisiryk walked closer to the glass and Araan followed. They stood so close to the crystal wall that Araan could touch it if he stretched his arm.

  Tisiryk stood on a Blackstone spot on the floor, Araan recognized its design and knew its function. Whatever Tisiryk said whilst standing there would reach the people loud and clear.

  The people. Araan half-expected a chaotic shout or loud cry the moment they saw them, it was how Trigad soldiers reacted when a legendary general came to camp. But these people, they looked up to them solemnly instead. It seemed odd.

  The chants seized and Tisiryk began. “Ihiti Vita B'egha Kolvaki, B'egha Teradi World'a. Another great ruler has gone into these walls to never return. Our Lord Commander, my Eldfather. True, it is a journey that this world was yet to demand of him and for that, I hurt, my people, I rage...

  “But people of Kolvak, I have not gathered you all to mourn, no... Dnimilah Kolvaki... My eldfather would not be remembered as the Lord Commander that was mourned for, but the one whose last mention shook a sector!” Tisiryk shouted and the people roared in response, Araan could feel the Tower tremble lightly while it happened.

  Right then, three Redinan soldiers marched out of the hall carrying a beautiful Life Armour with a blue and white design in parts. They were followed by ten nobles in basic life armours that had no material extensions, just a torso and trouser piece.

  They carried spears, blades and hammers, all without the plasma add-on that made fatal weapons. The soldiers stood in a tiny circle on the first spiral of the central inscription while the nobles circled them.

  The blue-white Life Armour was one of the late Lord Commander's, the nobles standing before them were to battle for it for the entertainment of the heir-designate and the people.

  Araan found Pilipe amongst them armed with a hammer when they stopped circling to bow at Tisiryk and he. Araan smiled curiously at him, the crowd saw it and the screams intensified.

  As the shouts turned into motivating war chants, Tisiryk's arms were raised sideways. “In his name, the burial games may begin!”

  With that he flashed Araan a toothy smile and left the Blackstone spot for his seat.