Emral IV
 	“You got the SEAL?” Emral exclaimed in shock, again, for the nineteenth time.
	Tai, as always, remained silent. The Self-sustained Extortionary Aimest Lift floated through the hills north of Chagchaq, in the air. It was naught more than a small encapsulated metal husk with a window-like openings and an open doorway. A few moments ago, it was just an unimpressive abandoned project a blacksmith dumped in the Committee Building’s courtyard. But now, it was floating slowly with the supposed help of a small fan on its roof across the rough terrain below.
	“When did you take it away from Biriyu?” Emral changed the question.
	“He just left it with us” Tai replied for the first time. Tai turned his head and glanced at the small sofas installed into the contraption. “Even with flight, it’s a day’s journey to Tai-One. Aime’s magic has become more random again.”
	Emral relented and walked over to the sofas and sat down, it would be a long flight to the secret base where Aime had retreated. “What is the SEAL going to steal for this journey, Tai?”
	“We have some goons building useless huts for it to steal” Tai replied from the helm of the navigator.
	“Haven’t figured out how to just make it fly without needing to steal a building, huh?”
	“That’s not how magic works.”
	“Of course, of course.” Most of the Great Ailan region functioned on a relatively poor understanding of magic, even poorer than what little he had learnt from Christina. Hyridia, in particular, essentially relied on what amounted to glitches and abusing them to be useful. If only they didn’t share the attitude of “good enough” that seemed to plague Great Ailan, someone would’ve been able to learn magic.
	As the SEAL hobbled over the rolling hills and the weak winter sun slowly sank back down, Emral paced and squirmed in the various seats. The hills got rougher as the day went on; they were approaching the northern fringes of Hyridia. Eventually the boredom of riding on a floating metal hull gave way to sleep on the uncomfortable sofas and a dreamless sleep overtook Emral.
	When he woke, the waning moon shone into the cabin. Tai was asleep, in a sitting position on the sofa next to Emral’s. He got up quietly, but the sound of his boots on the metal floor rang into the night. The scene was quite a sight. Looking out of the window, Emral could see the forested hills slowly pass by as the SEAL weaved through the winding valleys. The taller hills were an indication that they were nearing Tai-One. The whole journey was perfect for internal contemplation, but Emral’s mind reeled at the thought. It hid back into that empty space of thoughtlessness, avoiding thinking about Batra Ria, Aime and all of this past life.
	Instead, he focused his attention on the whirring blades spinning above him, humming softly and impossibly carrying the weight of the SEAL through the hills. To the untrained eye, it might seem to be powering the machine, but was more like a lubricant helping the true power source function. It was powered entirely by the concept of stealing a building, as ridiculous as that might sound to the lunar magicians in Ladia. Somewhere beneath the layers, the enclosed system of building and machine was ultimately powered by lunar magic; if only Emral was talented enough to understand how Biriyu had stumbled into making this system work several years prior.
	Eventually, the sky turned lighter and Tai woke up, still silent. Just as the glare of the sun poked out from the east, the hills gave way to a vast blue expanse of flatness: Lake Tai. Or at least, that’s why Hyridian called it. That name would be unrecognisable to Ladians. The SEAL slowly made its way towards one of the islands poking out from the calm waters near the Hyridian shore. As they descended a small shabby hut seemingly made from mud, no less, came into view.
	The SEAL landed right on the hut, but instead of the expected rubble and dirt, it landed as if nothing was there. Emral knew from experience to get out as quickly as possible, following Tai’s sudden jolt to action. The two stepped off as the SEAL lifted back up and made its way back to deliver the stolen building.
	Tai turned to face Emral and spoke sternly, “Aime seems to want to come back into the world. You know how much Hyridia now relies on her anzadoan* and the magic it sustains.”
	“I see. And what of the Actrunner? Is he still running the results back to whoever needs it?”
	“Yes, In fact, Tephūom has taken up managing the Actrunners’ Guild because we rely so much on it that we cannot have just one man anymore.”
	“So why didn’t he come?”
	“He manages, the Actrunners are not him and Aime doesn’t take kindly to people who rule Hyridia.” Tai then added after a brief assessment of Emral’s face, “Yes and that includes me.”
	“Of course… I will see what I can do.” replied Emral as he knelt down on the sand and reached through the impossibly fluid grains and opened the hatch hidden beneath. He descended down the rusty ladder briefly before Tai close the hatch, surrounding him in blindness. Luckily, a faint glow came from the stairs at the bottom of the ladder. A few rungs later, he made his way down the staircase into the realm of Aime.
*A mysterious set of dice that seem to dictate the random glitches that Hyridia’s magic revolves around.