Skypiercer Chapter 1 - The Girl with the Golden Gauntlet (Patreon)

The tallest object in the world, the last unexplored frontier, filled with wonders but also dangers, it stands straight like a primordial spear piercing the heavens. Visible from afar, but its upper reaches always hidden from view by an unnatural haze, countless legends have been spun around this structure over many millennia. For the past five hundred years, people have begun in earnest to challenge its staggering heights both on the outside and the inside, but no clues that would point to the existence of a summit has been discovered, yet.

There are many waterways inside the Skypiercer, and the largest of them all spews out from a hole in its side, a giant gash as if an angry titan tried to chop it down with an axe but gave up when finding out how sturdy it is after one swing. Emerging at a height of over one thousand meters, it flows down the flank of the structure and feeds the pristine Lake Svarus. Around this source of fresh water, a base camp for climbing expeditions quickly turned into a permanent settlement. Centuries of exploration and generations of daredevils expanded it into the city called Bazine, a place solely dedicated to challenging the greatest and last remaining wonder of the world.

As if being charmed by an irresistible magic, people born at the foot of the Skypiercer inadvertently turn into climbers. Many die young, perishing while hunting for strange relics in its bowels, or giving up to live to a ripe old age in the city and passing on their knowledge to those who follow into their footsteps. These people's destinies are irrevocably intertwined with the tower. It is the watchful guardian over their cradle; it is the solemn tombstone over their grave.

Those who devote their lives to climbing are called aspirants - seekers of ascension.

On a rare day, when the eternal cloud surrounding the Skypiercer's lower levels would recede far enough to let the sun shine all the way to its entrance, people in Bazine take the opportunity to spend some leisure time at Lake Svarus. The clear water and the enchanting reflections of its gentle surface serve to soothe the spirits of those aspirants who have yet to fall to the madness of climbing to their dying days.

Yet, there is no question that every single one of them is an aspirant, because that is what it means to be living in Bazine, the city at the foot of the Skypiercer.

Those who have the presence of mind to have a moment of respite are the young, not yet allowed to ascend beyond the first one thousand meters, and the elderly who have successfully torn their souls from the call of the heights. Of course, living in Bazine means that they will never truly be free, as they spend the twilight years of their lives teaching the following generations to fall for the tower's bittersweet beckoning.

At the shores a distance away on the other side of the waterfall, far from the disturbance of swimmers and sunbathers, a group of young people are throwing their fishing lines from atop a long wooden pier. They are children in their early teens, training to challenge the tower under which they were born and follow into their parents' footsteps in due time.

Their supervisor is Old Tommas, a retired Vanguard-ranked aspirant, who has become hard of hearing in recent years. These days, he likes to spend the afternoons sitting on the veranda of his home and telling stories of his old exploits alongside the fabled Eternal-ranked female aspirant Nox, who went missing in the Skypiercer a long time ago, and whose body was never found. He believes that even now, she is still climbing and never stopping to reach ever greater heights.

"She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but she possessed the fortitude of a hundred men." The elderly man recounts with an unusual liveliness in his age-worn eyes, slowly stroking his magnificent white beard, which he seems to have gained in exchange for all the hair on his head.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Kilian suddenly exclaims while pointing towards the group's right, at a rock formation a distance off the shore. The blond boy is known for his short attention span, so hearing Old Tommas' retelling the same story for the umpteenth time, all the while being forced to sit still during an arguably dull task, is causing him to fidget and jump at every opportunity to break out of this boredom.

"Shh, you're going to scare the fish away." It was loud enough for the elderly man to hear, who puts a finger on his lips and warns in a reprimanding tone. Not letting the boy's interruption throw his peaceful fishing and story time for a loop, he continues. "Where was I? Ah, Imperishable Nox..."

"What is it this time?" Ultar adjusts his ill-fitting oversized glasses and turns to Kilian in annoyance. He is used to the latter's misadventures and can sense that this is just another one of his escapades. Wondering why he puts up with it all the time and remembering that they're neighbors and have known each other practically since birth, he stands up from his folding stool and looks over to where Kilian is pointing.

The other youths, quick to seek an opportunity to distract themselves from Old Tommas' boring and repetitive stories of glorious but bygone days, follow Ultar's example and turn their attention to the discovery Kilian seem to have made. Among the many light reflexes from the blinding white sun above, a golden glint stands out, coming from between the rocks.

"It's something metallic!" With excitement in her tone, Natalie states and pushes her fishing rod onto her neighbor carelessly, before standing up and shading her eyes from the sun. "Maybe it's a relic that got carried down by the waterfall."

"You know that's impossible. No relics have been found around the waterfall for over a decade now." Skepticism is Ultar's bread and butter. His father Martyn is a famous Claimant-ranked aspirant, lovingly nicknamed The Skeptic, who would always make the most level-headed decisions based on observation and careful consideration. Choosing a "no risk average reward" approach to climbing has allowed him to make a decent living without ever getting injured.

"Then how do you explain that golden shine?" Puffing out her cheeks, Dyanna comes to Natalie's aid, making a stand against Ultar's overly rational mind and seeming lack of thirst for adventure.

"Maybe someone dropped a brass pot, who knows?" Adjusting his glasses once again, the latter does not budge.

"I'll check it out!" With this, Kilian takes off his shoes and jumps into the water without a hint of hesitation. Dumbfounded, the other children stare at the boy swimming towards the rocks with quick strokes.

At this point, even Old Tommas has realized that the disruption has grown too large for him to ignore. Losing focus in his fishing rod, he follows the boy with his eyes and wonders what the commotion is about, owing to the fact that his hearing is not as good as it used to be, and because his mind had taken off into his past as an active aspirant. Natalie and Dyanna run along the pier, soon followed by the others and finally Ultar, who cannot suppress his curiosity.

When Kilian nears his destination, he finds that the shiny object is actually a large golden gauntlet, too big even for an average adult's hand. However, upon finally reaching the rocks and climbing onto them, he can see that an arm is attached to it - alongside an entire human being. It is a young girl around his age, her wet clothes torn and ragged, but her bright, almost pale skin spotless and perfect. Most notable about her appearance is the fact that she has long, light green hair, a color the boy has never seen before.

"It's a girl!" Calling out to the others coming closer along the shore, Kilian waves while pointing at the same time. Then he kneels beside her and checks for any signs of life. She is unmoving, with half her body submerged in the water, and her skin as cold as ice. Turning her over and pulling her out of the lake, he carefully places her on her back in the most horizontal position he can find. "Go get help, she's not breathing!"

Telling his friends to call an adult who can carry the girl to shore, Kilian turns back to her and immediately begins to perform first aid. Pinching the girl's nose shut, he lifts her chin and parts her lips, before placing his mouth on hers and blowing air into her lungs. Pushing down on her delicate chest in the rhythm of a heartbeat, he unhesitatingly and faithfully performs the routine to save a human life. Repeating the process continuously and as long as it takes, he never gives up.

The chirping of birds wakes her up. An unfamiliar brightness assaults her eyes as she opens them, her surroundings blurred due to being unable to focus for a moment. When the world slowly turns sharper within her vision, she finds herself in a white room, lying on a white bed. Turning her head slightly, a large open window from which a gentle breeze blows apart the silky curtains comes into view. Outside is a blue sky, interrupted by occasional streaks of mist-like clouds, extending as far as the eyes can see.

A boy is sitting on a chair by her side, resting his head on the bed. A loose strand of his short flaxen hair sways with every breath of wind, a peaceful expression on his face as he dreams the day away. Looking down at herself, she sees that her right forearm disappears into a massive golden gauntlet, too large to fit her petite hand. But when she moves her fingers, the metal counterparts moves with them. In fact, she has no sense of touch in her hand and unease floods her mind.

Sitting up and lifting the gauntlet before her eyes, she pulls on one finger to try and remove it, but no matter how much strength she musters, her hand does not slip out of it. She can feel it tugging on her arm as if it is connected to her body, so she soon gives up and tries to remember the circumstances that led to her current situation. Her memories are hazy and every moment of her past appears to resist reminiscing.

Remaining strangely calm at the discovery that her entire past seems to have vanished from her mind, the girl lies back down and sighs. Her body feels weak and tired, so she thinks it best to replenish her stamina before attempting anything further. The fact that she can form coherent thoughts and identify things around her by name at least tells her that she did not lose her intellect.

"Oh, you're awake!" Entering her field of view is the boy that has been sleeping by her bedside. He must have been woken up by her movements. "How are you feeling?"

"... you're close." She mutters with a blank expression and the boy immediately backs away while a rosy blush develops on his cheeks. Sitting back up, she takes a closer look at him. His hair that is standing up on one side due to the awkward way he was resting his head, eyes the color of the sky on a cloudless day, filled with the kind of bright perspective only the youthful can afford to hold, and smooth skin, safe for a slightly faded scar running vertically down his left cheek.

"Sorry, umm... My name is Kilian. What's yours?" Overcoming his embarrassment, the boy introduces himself with a radiant white smile.

"I don't know." Looking down at her golden gauntlet, the girl replies quietly. There is no unease or sadness in her delicate voice, only a tinge of resignation. "I can't remember."

"Memory loss?" Kilian looks concerned and scratches his chin.

"Where is this?" Even though she can see the blue sky and hear the birds outside the window, feel the wind on her skin and smell the fragrance of humanity, an invisible but stinging doubt remains deep in her heart. Since she has no memories, she cannot associate it with a definite reason, but the fact remains that her mind refuses to believe what her senses receive.

"This is Bazine." Responding in the most natural tone, the boy completely forgets his assessment that she may suffer from amnesia. Seeing the girl's questioning expression, he quickly realizes his mistake and elaborates. "The city at the bottom of the Skypiercer. You know, the tower taller than any mountain in the world."

Staring at him and seeing his excitement at being able to tell someone who has never heard about the structure that has defined human history since it began, all she can feel is a wave of relief wash over her. Her vision blurs from the impact of the sensation and she blinks to overcome the moment.

"Huh? Umm, huh?" Flustered, Kilian seems at a loss and fidgets with his hands, unsure of what to do. "Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong? Are you hurting?"

Bringing her left hand up, she notices that her cheeks are wet from tears. Not understanding the reason for this sudden reaction, her emotions begin to run rampant. Lifting up her knees and burying her face in the bed sheets, she sobs uncontrollably. All she can think of is that she has made it, without knowing what it is that she supposedly achieved. A sense of euphoria fills her body and makes her feel like she is floating.

"Ah! You made her cry!" A girl's indignant voice comes from the door and pulls her back down to earth.

"As expected of Kilian!" Another girl speaks right after, the tone different from the first, sounding more mischievous.

"N-no, I don't know why she... I mean..." The boy is overwhelmed by the pressure and is unable to argue against the accusations. Lifting her head, the green-haired girl turns to look at the newcomers. There are two girls and three boys, all around the same age as Kilian, entering the room and surrounding her bed.

"Wow, you have such beautiful amber eyes!" The owner of the first girl's voice speaks. She has medium length hair the color of freshly fallen maple leaves, and eyes like drops of water before the clear midday sky, which are filled with excitement upon seeing the patient. "What's your name? I'm Natalie."

"She can't remember anything." Kilian responds in the girl's stead.

"Oh, you poor thing." It is the owner of the second girl's voice. She is much more unassuming than her red-headed friend, sporting long chestnut hair and droopy evergreen eyes. But what she lacks in visual prominence, she compensates with a sunny attitude and lips always curled up in mischief. "My name is Dyanna. Tell me if Kilian is bullying you."

"That gauntlet..." The boy with ebony hair states while adjusting his oversized glasses. His sharp mahogany eyes are fixed on the metal hand in place of the girl's forearm, a hint of apprehension in his vigilant gaze. "The analysis says that it's most likely made of the same indestructible material as the Skypiercer, and that the design is very similar to that of the Touch of Power, which-"

"Nobody cares about that right now, Ultar. She just woke up and can't remember anything." Natalie interjects, and the boy named Ultar looks miffed at being interrupted. "You really can't even remember your own name?"

The green-haired girl shakes her head with a somber expression, which results in a round of empathetic sighing.

"Then let's give you a name." One of the boys who has yet to introduce himself pushes his presence to the forefront with a suggestion. His light brown eyes seem to be sparkling with enthusiasm. "How about Margritte?"

"Where did that come from? That sounds awful." Dyanna shakes her head and shrugs, before turning to the girl in question with a reassuring expression. "Don't listen to Lucas, he has bad taste."

"You don't know Margritte the Relentless?" Lucas' expression shows indignation upon learning that his friends are ignorant of this allegedly famous person.

"That name's ancient! Nobody calls their child Margritte these days!" Shaking her head, Natalie exaggerates her expression of disbelief at his bad naming-sense. Turning to the green-haired girl, she looks at her closely and studies her features. "Let's call you Evie."

"Huh, what's that based on? Sounds lame." The other unnamed boy, who has been staying in the background so far, counters the suggestion. He has a round face and short stubbly hair, which paired with its color, makes his appearance conjure up the image of an orange in an onlooker's mind.

"Shut up! It was the name of my watercat." Natalie's retorts angrily, as tears form in her eyes.

"H-huh?" The boy is bewildered by her sudden outbreak and looks at the others in the room.

"Way to be insensitive, Adrien! Evie was run over by a carriage last week." Explaining the reason for Natalie's eruption, Dyanna scolds the boy named Adrien. He looks away in shame and speaks no more.

"I think Alice would be good, named after Alice the Wonder." Lucas, having missed the exchange about Evie the watercat because he was busy thinking of a name, suddenly exclaims.

"Not another aspirant's name..." Ultar rolls his eyes at the boy's fixation with legendary figures.

And thus, a heated argument begins among the children, as more and more names are thrown into the mix. Without paying any regard to the girl and her wishes, one outlandish-sounding name after another is conjured from the creative minds of the young assembly.

"... Sanya." Kilian, who has been quietly contemplating so far, suddenly states in a split second of coincidental perfect calm, during which everyone is catching their breaths or sorting their thoughts. This causes the silence in the room to persist, as the suggestion is carefully considered.

"Like the golden fruit growing inside the Skypiercer?" Ultar is the first to speak, showing off his knowledge about the flora of the tower's interior. "The sundrop?"

"That sounds like a great name! Let's go with that!" Natalie exclaims and points at Kilian, who is dumbfounded by the loud voice directed at him. "From today onwards, your name will be Sanya."

"Sanya..." Repeating it quietly, the freshly-named girl looks at the red-head questioningly. Then her eyes move above her, at something looming overhead.

"You kids..." The nurse in charge is standing behind Natalie and brings down her clipboard onto the latter's head, before quickly doing the same to all the others without giving them time to react. "This is still a hospital. Keep it down!"

"Sorry..." Speaking in unison and rubbing their stinging heads, they turn to look at the newcomer, who appears to be carrying news. Flipping a page of her notes, the nurse adjusts her glasses and settles her piercing blue gaze on the green-haired girl.

"Sanya, huh? It's a nice name. I'm Beatriz, nice to meet you." Unexpectedly, she has a very pleasant attitude as she introduces herself. "You're really lucky to be alive, you know? You had stopped breathing when Kilian found you, and when you were brought in, you had severe hypothermia. It's a miracle to see you up and lively so soon. I'm sure your memories will return to you quickly, too."

Smiling at Sanya, Beatriz expresses her honest thoughts about the former's circumstances. Apparently she was secretly listening in on the children's conversation and overheard the mention of memory loss. Her smooth voice and friendly demeanor serve to calm the patient, who should have all the rights to be panicking due to her condition. It is testament to the fact that she has found the line of work that best suits her nature.

"We'll keep you here for another night, just for observation purposes. If everything turns out alright, we can discharge you tomorrow." Turning the page on her clipboard back to where it was before, Beatriz explains the procedure. "Regarding that gauntlet, it seems to have been grafted onto your arm and can't be removed. It has been categorized as trinket grade, since no powers were detected in it."

"So she can keep it?" Lucas asks with sparkling eyes. He is the one most taken with the Skypiercer and its many wonders, so it is not surprising that he would be interested in the gauntlet, even if it is only of trinket grade.

"Of course she can keep it, didn't you listen? It's fused with her arm and can't be taken off." Adrien states in a snide tone.

"Yes, she can keep it." Chuckling at the boy's overeager question, Beatriz turns to Sanya and assures her that her only possession, aside from the rags she wore at the time when she was found, will not - cannot be taken from her. "But unfortunately, we had to throw your clothes away. They were shredded and torn, and couldn't even be called clothes anymore."

"Oh, that reminds me. We brought you clothes!" Natalie suddenly exclaims, and immediately gets the clipboard bopped across her head. "Sorry..."

"They're our old stuff, but you're slim, so I'm sure they'll fit you." Dyanna says while keeping her voice low, trying not to give the nurse any reason to do the same to her. Lifting a large linen bag from the ground where she had dropped it carelessly earlier, she places it onto the bed and pulls out its contents demonstratively. "Let's see if they fit you."

"Not today, kids. Let Sanya rest until tomorrow. You can come again when she gets discharged." With this, Beatriz spreads her arms and shoos the group of children out of the room like herding a flock of sheep.

"We'll come again tomorrow. Have a good rest, Sanya!" Natalie's voice grows too loud again, and the nurse lifts her clipboard threateningly. She ducks away under the half-hearted swing that follows and runs out of the room. "Sorry!"

As the last at the door, Kilian turns around one more time and gives Sanya a warm smile, before waving goodbye. A pleasant feeling rises up in her chest and she cannot help but return it, unconsciously using the hand covered in the golden gauntlet, before realizing her mistake and switching hands. Grinning at her, the blond boy finally leaves and the room grows silent.

Lying back down, the girl begins to sort her thoughts. Her memories are gone and she woke up in an unfamiliar hospital room. The children who saved her came to visit and they are all incredibly friendly. Lifting her gauntleted hand into view, she moves the fingers with clicking sounds. Apparently this thing is made of an indestructible material and is grafted onto her forearm.

Her mind occupied by questions over questions, she slips away into sleep.

"We've come to see you!" Natalie has not learned from the punishments she suffered the day before, and her voice is as loud as ever when she enters the room alongside the other children. This time, nurse Beatriz is right behind her, and she angrily brings down her clipboard onto the overly spirited girl's head. "Sorry..."

"You're getting discharged today, so let's try on some clothes." Dyanna keeps her voice level to avoid the same fate as her friend.

"Before that, there's something I would like to settle. Then I'll leave you girls to it." Hinting at the fact that the boys should leave the room when the girls begin their work, Beatriz sits down beside Sanya's bed and brings her eyes as level to her opposite as she can. Her expression is a friendly but serious one, meaning that the topic she wishes to discuss will be an important matter. "Where will you go after this?"

"... I don't know." Responding in a dejected tone, Sanya looks down at her golden gauntlet.

"If you have no place to go to, come to the Orphanage of Muth with me." Kilian steps forward and suggests. He looks at the green-haired girl with a determined expression, as if he means to say that he will take care of her there.

"Ohhh, how bold of you, Kilian." Dyanna teases with a sneer and hides her lips behind her fingertips exaggeratedly. The other children look on in gleeful expectation at seeing the boy show embarrassment, but to their surprise, he remains steadfast in his resolve.

"I intend to continue saving your life." He states in a serious tone, never breaking eye-contact with Sanya.

"... that's pretty cool." Natalie mutters in admiration for Kilian's proclamation and the others appear to be impressed by his maturity. As the only member of this group growing up without both of his parents, adulthood appears to have already arrived for him. Then, they remember his many childish pranks and antics, and their opinion of him immediately reverts to its previous state.

"If she has no other options, she will have to go there anyway." Ultar remarks on the side, not at all impressed by his friend's awe-inspiring statement.

"What do you think?" Beatriz asks Sanya for her confirmation.

"I don't remember anything and I have nowhere to call home." Looking between the gathered people, she speaks in a delicate tone. The loneliness in her voice is unmistakable; she woke up several times the previous night, realizing that she was in an unfamiliar place, all by herself and without memories. Even if she understood that there was no point in panicking or worrying, she could not suppress the feeling of utter abandonment. "If you are fine with me, please let me stay with you."

"I understand." Kilian nods his head and gives her a reassuring grin.

"I guess that's settled, then." With that, Beatriz stands up from the chair and pets Sanya's hair in a calming gesture. "The Orphanage of Muth is a good place, I grew up in it, too. A fourth of all people in Bazine have gone through orphanages, because they lost their parents to the Skypiercer. You'll find many friends there."

"She already has us." Pushing out her chest, which is barely beginning to develop, Natalie announces with a prideful expression.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone, then. Come to the reception later when you're ready to go." With this, Beatriz drives the boys out of the room.

"I'll be waiting for you outside." Kilian calls out to Sanya on his way out, before the door is shut in front of his face.

"Now that the nuisances are gone, let's get you dressed." Natalie grins and begins to unpack the clothes they have brought. "We'll make a princess out of you."

"This makes it hard for you to wear some clothes." Dyanna complains as she puts aside the fifth dress in a row. For all of them the right sleeve is too small to accommodate the gauntlet that seems to be made for a large adult. "You're lucky it's summer right now. For winter, you'd have to get tailor-made clothes."

"And you can move this without a problem?" Natalie holds up the golden gauntlet and looks at it from all sides.

"Yes, but I can't feel anything through it." Sanya opens and closes the hand as a demonstration. It is entirely possible that her flesh and blood hand no longer exists inside that metal encasing, but she does not want to think about it.

"Hm, what's this?" Apparently the red-haired girl has discovered something, as she squints her eyes and moves her face closer to the underside of the gauntlet.

Upon closer inspection its surface is richly ornamented with flowing lines and leaf-like shapes that barely stand out in relief. But among the flourish, there are fine scratches which look out of place. Hidden from a quick glance due to its surroundings and the sheen of the golden material, it becomes obvious when viewed from up close and shaded from direct light. The allegedly indestructible material was grazed by something.

"Is this some carving? It looks different from the ornaments." Running her finger over the place, Natalie's curiosity has been piqued. "It's almost completely smooth, but I can feel something."

"Huh, what is it?" Noticing that something is going on, Dyanna joins in on the investigation, and the two girls stare at Sanya's gauntleted right hand with their eyes narrowed. "Are those words?"

"I think that's Kuraic. Let's see..." It appears that Natalie knows the writing form, as she begins to decipher it slowly. "This means return, I'm sure of it."

"Is there more?" Her friend asks impatiently.

"Don't rush me. These are really hard to see and it's not so easy to read, either." Pointing at the crude carvings, the red-head focuses all her mind into the task. For a moment, there is breathless silence and even the sounds of birds from the open window seem to have stopped. Then Natalie lifts her head with a blank expression. "I got it..."

"What does it say?" Fidgeting, the girl used to playing pranks on others finds herself at the end of what she perceives as a deliberate buildup of tension, most likely as payback for her earlier mischief on the way to the hospital. "Come on!"

"... it says return to apex." She shares a long look with Dyanna, before the both of them turn their heads towards Sanya, surprise reflected in their features.