Sky of Paper: An Asian Steam-Driven Fantasy Tale

by Matthew Seaver

  Turning in the direction of the sound, I watched in terror as a warship drifted close, overhead. Behind it, high above, was a fleet of ships blanketing the sky with wispy trails of the smoke and steam. They were western ships, and nestled amongst them, under their stalwart protection was the familiar hull of the flagship. The damaged ship had returned to enact its revenge.

  I picked myself up, crawling at first, then staggering as I fought to keep my balance. The village erupted in a series of screams. People rushed into their homes or ran to hide themselves amongst the trees. Across the water, the capital's air raid alarm sounded.

  Some ways away Auntie stood in a clearing. She was calling out to me, waving at me to come back to the village. I waved back at her then hesitantly shook my head. I then moved as fast and as far away from her as I could. There was no reason to seek safety. Not anymore. If the bomb could destroy a city as they said, then it didn’t matter if we huddled in a shelter or stood out in the open. We would all perish just the same. The only thing we could do now was bear witness to the end.

  Tired and out of breath I made the trek to the far end of the beach and then meandered amongst the trees until I came upon the abandoned temple. As I looked up at the hill -the same one that the broken building nestled against- I saw a faint silhouette of a person standing at the peak. Up the temple steps I went, losing my footing every few paces and falling to my hands and knees, only to find the courage to bear the pain and stand back up again.

  Far away, the distant pops and bangs of the capital's anti aircraft guns could be heard amidst the ominous hum of the enemy ships' engines. Such chaotic, terrifying sounds only hastened my need to climb. After finally reaching the top of the steps I made my way around the temple, up a small path that ascended the face of the hill. I never imagined that when I made it, I would see an everbloom tree there. It was the smallest I’d ever seen. The trunk was as wide as my waist and its tallest branches were easy for me to touch with an outstretched hand. Still dizzy, I pressed my body up against it for support and brushed the tiny blossoms underneath my fingertips.

  "This is the highest place on the island," Kassashimei said as she emerged from the other end of the hill. "This was also the farthest from the temple my mother had ever taken me."

  I tried to go to her but the moment I let go of the tree, I felt as though I were about to lose my balance and fall over. So I remained where I was, holding on to one of the branches.

  "Kass, I don't know who you are. But please, at least tell me why we’re here."

  "To give you a choice," she said sadly.

  "A choice? What choice?"

  "One way or another, something is going to end. It's up to you to decide which one. You can either do nothing and let fate decide or be brave and use the gifts given to you."

  There was hope in her. I could see it.

  The way her face glowed in the morning sun, the somber glint in her eyes, even her hands gripped the cloth of her robes as if waiting eagerly for me to do something. Seeing her as she was, brought to light my own shame. In the back of my mind, I had already given up. Everyone that I had tried so hard to protect; my sister, the Young Emperor even the people that resided in the capital, had been left to suffer the disgrace of my unfulfilled deeds. Yet, in every instance she was there, insistent that she stay beside me. She was unyielding in the belief she had in me.

  The longer I looked at her, the more I felt unworthy to be with someone like her.

  And then, it was only after I’d managed to take my eyes off her and look upon the capital just across the water, did I start to grasp the meaning of her words. The flagship had launched signal flares. Shortly after, the ships ascended as quickly as they could, until they were beyond the reach of the city's guns. They were getting ready to drop the bomb.

  I turned back to the girl whose gaze remained ever transfixed upon me. A long, soft sigh left my lips before I spoke. "After this is all over, maybe we could try your marriage ceremony again."

  I must have surprised her because her eyes widened. She then turned her face away, wiping her cheeks before returning her attention back to me. For a brief moment, there was a look of mournful joy just as she regained her proud composure.

  Then she said, “only if we use a real priest."

  Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she helped me step across the hill to the edge of the peak where I could see the city and my country in full view.

  The water.

  The land.

  The sky.

  This was my home. This was where the heavens and the Earth met. I searched my memories, recounting every breath-taking moment from my past as I watched the trees and valleys below from the drifting bow of countless airships. I never imagined that all of it would come to an end. Yet, as I was faced with the inevitable, I realized there was a change that had occurred within me. So much time had passed since the day I left home, since the day I left Rune. I remembered the faces of everyone I had met along the way and recalled the incredible experiences of every place I had visited. Every event in my life had shaped me, carried me to this very moment. I still didn’t understand Kassashimei's reason for bringing me to that hill, but even so, my true purpose for being who I was, endowed with the gifts I had, became clear to me that day.

  Every former chienkuu ko that had come of age, secretly remembers the last ship they ever flew, the last time they saw the ether, the last great act carried out by their dying gifts before losing it forever and becoming an adult, plain and unspectacular. I was certainly not becoming an adult and neither was I of the age when our gifts would finally fail us, but I knew that this would be the last time that I would ever turn the sky.

  I looked up at the flagship, a distant shimmering dot the size of a bird high above the morning sun. Taking a deep breath, I took a stance and lifted my arm in its direction. Immediately, my weakness overcame me and fell backwards. To my relief, Kassashimei had caught me and quickly propped me to my feet. She took my arm and helped to point it at the ship.

  The ether was mine. I had both the sight and the means to control it. It was an extension of my will as well as a part of me. We were companions, the ether and I, and together we would shape the final course of that moment.

  A tiny, black speck fell from the ship's clutches.

  Against the orange and red sky it was like a drop of dark rain traversing the fateful distance between the ship and the city, and seeking a patch of earth with which to lay all around it to ruin. My arm followed it steadily through its course while my silver eyes watched how it disturbed the currents. I imagined myself cupping it with my palm. Then, allowing my instinct to take over, I held my breath and snapped my palm into a fist, holding my arm absolutely still. I’d never known that I was gifted enough to affect things at such a great distance. But I watched on the edge of disbelief as the speck held its place in the sky. A sphere had formed around it, keeping it buoyant amidst the surrounding ether.

  It was then that I became aware of the fact that I no longer needed the motions of my body. And so, with just a thought, I shook the currents back and forth until they became like a welling tide. I exhaled slowly, then took another breath as I turned the tide into a wave that lashed upon the speck, sending it speeding like an arrow, towards me.

  As the bomb came closer, it grew larger and larger; from a black dot, to an object the size of a boulder. It sped along with such ferocity that it split the ocean underneath it. Then, like a comet, it tore past me, barely missing the hill from which I stood, leaving behind a thunderous sound that shook the trees and tossed roofs off the huts in the village. For a brief moment I’d managed to see it as it past: a glimpse of man's destructive creation, a bulbous metal bomb the size of a building. With all my strength I cast it as far away as I could. Across the ocean it flew, past the horizon, until it became a speck again, and then disappearing.

  It must have sensed the end of its course, because a second thunderous sound was heard as a distant explosion heralded its demise. A
great pillar of fire blazed skyward and then smoke puffed out from its peak in the shape of a mushroom. It was the same fire, the same shape that I saw emerge from the mouth of the dragon that visited my dream so long ago. Its glow filled the entire sky and shoved away all the clouds in its domain.

  I shouted in triumph, lifting my hands in the air before falling to my knees.

  "Kass. I did it!" I turned my head frantically about, only to realize she was no longer beside me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of her as she walked away and disappeared over the far side of the hill.

  With all my strength, I picked myself back up.

  But just before I went after her, I found myself pausing at a strange, curious sight. It was like snow, and it was glowing as it started falling from the sky. It fell in curtains, cascading around us like confetti. Yet, unlike snow, it wasn’t icy to the touch. In fact, I couldn’t feel anything as the shimmering flakes brushed against my skin. As they drifted to the ground, they disappeared, melting into nothing.

  Confused, yet captivated, I remained breathless as I watched the mysterious flakes drift and whirl at the slightest breeze.

  A cold stillness trickled down my back when I finally realized what it was. I was no longer using my second sight and yet, I could see the ether falling down around me. My own secret world had been shattered like glass and its pieces were cast into the wind. I noticed the villagers far across the beach and realized that they too had their heads up at the sky, drifting idly about with their palms outstretched. Even to the common person, it seemed that the ether had made itself visible. In every direction, from horizon to horizon, the glowing snow continued to rain down unceasingly.

  The blazing pillar of smoke and fire was still burning when I started limping down the hill after Kassashimei. I called out to her, carelessly tripping over every stone that blocked my path. My worry grew as she never once replied or called back. Eventually, I found a path along the side, opposite the temple that guided me down the hill's face. I chose my steps carefully, moving slowly, afraid of loosing my footing and tumbling to the ground below. After some time, the path widened, leading into a large, level patch of dirt carved into the side of the hill.

  And it was here that I found her.

  "Kass," I cried out, hobbling after her. "Why did you run off like that?”

  "Terr, I didn't run off." Her voice was solemn, but I noticed a strange, cheerful hint in her tone. "I just thought I might wait for you here."

  "But why? Why here?"

  "Because this place is important to me. Terr, I saw what you did. Everyone is alive now because of you. You did something more wonderful than I could have ever imagined; and you did it all on your own. As a matter of fact, the airships, the sky boats, all of it, you did without me, without anyone."

  "I know that now. I should have realized it. All the clues along the way. But I wasn't alone. You were always there with me."

  She slowly lifted her head up at the sky. "The bomb has done more than its creators thought it ever could. The explosion has torn away the ether. Soon, all of it will be gone and people like you will no longer have your gifts."

  "So this is it. This is the end."

  "No. The ether will be gone, but your life, everyone's life will continue. Your eyes will lose their unique color and so will all the others. When the silver in your eyes disappears, so will your illness. You're going to live a long and healthy life. Aren't you happy?"

  "Please tell me. I don't want you to hide anything anymore. How do you know all this?" I took a few steps closer, then followed her gaze as she lowered it to the ground beside her. There was a gravestone as tall as my knees hidden amongst the overgrowth. Laid out infront of it were flowers that had long since withered and a small, cup-shaped clay container that held the ashes of what was once incense sticks.

  "Do you know how much your sister truly cared for you? After you left, she prayed to her ancestors, to the spirits, even to your mother that you would be kept safe. Even when she was sick, she continued to pray for you. When she died, her last thoughts were of you. I've been watching over you ever since."

  "Then that means you're- " I was unable to finish the sentence. There was no way I could. There was no sense in pretending to know who or what she was, or if she was even real.

  "I never overcame my own sickness Terr. As hard as my mother tried, I never grew up to live the life she wanted me to have. Even though I was angry with her, she always told me that I would be healthy someday, that I would marry, have a family, be happy. But how could I have any of that when I didn't even have a childhood. You see, I never left the temple. And even after I passed away, this was the farthest she had ever taken me. That was over a hundred years ago, and I never got a chance to tell her how sorry I was or to thank her for everything she did for me. She never gave up on me. Even though I had given up on myself."

  For the first time, in full view, and without shame, she allowed me to see the tears in her eyes.

  "I'm sure she's forgiven you. With all the amazing things you've done for me and all the incredible places we've gone, she would have been proud."

  "You think so?" She said brushing the tears from her cheeks.

  "Of course."

  She took a moment to wipe her sleeve over her face and regain some of her composure before she said, "and what about you?"

  "What about me?" I gave her the biggest grin I could muster. "It's been fun. And now that all the hard times are behind us, we can get properly married."

  The both of us laughed.

  It wasn’t long before the both of us were back atop the peak of the hill underneath the young everbloom tree, gazing out at the capital, the ether still falling around us. We stood there for a while, my hand -wrapped with her Buddhist prayer beads- holding hers.

  "So what happens now?" I asked.

  "You go on living Terr."

  "What about you?"

  I felt her hand tighten.

  "We are all connected to the ether in some way. Some more than others. When it finally disappears, so will I."

  The expression on my face must have betrayed the distress I felt because she brought her other hand up to my cheek saying, "you don't have to worry about me. I'm going back to where I came from. . . to where your sister is."

  I wanted to return the same feeling of relief that she had shown me, but I wasn’t sure I could be as strong as her. Even so, as I felt the warmth of her touch, I found myself emboldened to try. I took her hand from my cheek and grasped both of hers in mine.

  "No matter what happens from this point on," I said. "I promise to always move forward, to live life well enough to make both you and my sister proud. This I swear."

  The sky was finally clear as the last of the tattered ether fell. However, for the both of us who remained underneath the young everbloom tree, the air was full again as the petals from its blossoms were loosed from their branches and sent floating upon a mild breeze.

  "Thank you for saying that." Her eyes welled up with tears again.

  "Don't cry. Otherwise you're going to make it hard for me to thank you too."

  "Hush. Don't say 'thank you'. If you do, then afterwards, you'll have to say goodbye."

  "Then I won't"

  We watched each other for as long as we could, holding hands as we relished in each other's touch. The tears in her eyes continued to fall, yet she found the courage to smile. When the time finally came, a sudden wind brought her hair and the sleeves of her robe to flutter. The glow from the rising sun grew brighter, illuminating her face.

  I turned my head away from the blinding light.

  When I looked back, she was gone.

  In my hand was a piece of rice paper, inked with the familiar brush strokes of my sister; a lasting painting of the clouds that soared above me that day.

  Epilogue

  A few days after, the Imperial Family regained control of the country and declared a general surrender. The western countries, who showed a surprising
amount of empathy, worked to help us rebuild Rui Nan to the glory it once was. At least that was how history recounted the end of the war.

  Yet, for me, the end came that very day when curious onlookers from all over world witnessed the passing of the ether. Few understood its meaning. Others speculated that it was a strange weather occurrence, an odd, worldwide mutated phenomenon of the northern lights. We never would have guessed that the west would have created a terrible technology powerful enough to destroy the very thing our nation held sacred.

  No longer would the chienkuu ko fly ships through the air or levitate stone carvings in intricate ceremonial dances. For most of us, including me, the exotic colors in our eyes had disappeared. We were normal children again, unremarkable and as plain as a blade of grass; yet, still every bit as precious to those that loved us.

  Senior Minister Lu, the man who was just as responsible for the coupe as General Fung, was convicted by the high courts of Rui Nan. Sentenced to death, the Imperial Family intervened and showed leniency, exiling him from the country instead. Faint rumors suggested that the resentencing was influenced by a request made by the Imperial Family's youngest son. It was never confirmed, but it was a fitting form of justice for a boy that also had to suffer the indignity of his own exile.

  As for the young son himself, I had an important request to carry out on behalf of a deceased father. Though it was revealed to me that Jiro was not his true name, it was the name I still addressed him by in the letter I wrote, attached to a package mailed to the Imperial Palace. Inside, was Lord General Fung's cloak with its golden crest proudly displayed. It was only afterwards, did I realize how idiotic I was for mailing something to the palace addressed to a fake name. For a long time, I worried that it had never reached its intended recipient.

  Then, many years later, I saw a rare picture in a news article showing the youngest son of the Imperial Family walking the palace grounds with his cabinet just after the announcement ceremony that proclaimed him Rui Nan's new emperor. Draped over his shoulders was the cloak. Upon closer inspection of the picture, I noticed that amongst his other medals, General Fung's family crest, the golden crane, was proudly displayed. I was relieved; as it must have meant that not only did he learn the truth of his real father, but also that he was at peace with it. Publicly however, it was never revealed that the new emperor was not in fact related to the Imperial Family by blood. That was a secret that had remained with me to this day.