Alma 137 Haufin, The Seashell of the Sea

It was raining in Haufin, but the bustling city cared not. People continued to mind their business, even if the storm above continued to pour down upon their heads. The rain would never reach them, anyway.

Haufin was special in the South in the sense that it'd been built with a design tenet that belonged to North — the city was domed, encased inside of a geodesic force-field made of a thin metmaterial that resembled black, obsidian glass. Tezcat'to was what it was called by the Ancient Mulians.

The black glass had mirror-like qualities to it, but that was not why it was considered valuable. Tezcat'to, when charged by an Anima current, would develop certain characteristics that made it incredibly resilient to physical forces.

Under the effects of Anima, it'd become transparent and tougher than steel, all the while possessing none of the detriments. Chiefly, it did not rust or grow brittle over time. It was also extremely lightweight, making it an incredibly useful material.

Because of the area that Haufin had been built on, a region that was often assaulted by numerous tropical storms and at times, even powerful hurricanes during the summer season, it was a necessity for the city to have a means of defense against the natural elements.

Of course, this problem was only magnified by Haufin's unique circumstances. The Ancient Mulians, in their infinite wisdom, decided to build a city in the spirit of a sea shell, another endeavor of theirs to integrate their society with nature.

In essence, Haufin was akin to a seashell. It'd been built directly past the coast on top of an artificial seabed constructed for it. The city was the natural progression of what the Ancient Mulians had done for Mardeimus, which they considered a harmonious intersection between the land and the sea; man and nature.

Haufin was created under the idea of man and nature becoming one entity, compared to Mardeimus where they'd been a pair-bond, much like the coast and the sea.

To put in words a layman could understand: the city was a tremendous achievement of sublime creativity, technological skill, and design. A timeless, natural treasure that had persisted long after the Ancient Mulians disappeared...

The seashell was a thing that belonged to nature and to the sea, so by building a city around the concept, the Ancient Mulians thought that they'd create a truly natural creation.

Because of this design philosophy, the city would experience dramatic changes whenever the high tide came in.

Haufin would sink under the water until it was completely underneath the sea. It was a true underwater city, unlike Mardeimus. Even at low tide, the city was still half-buried under the waves, with only the upper of the transparent dome sticking out unobstructed.

Reed and Lu'um strolled through the city together as Lu'um continued to recount the rich history of the city she referred to as Tecciztli and what it had taken to construct the awe-inspiring engineering marvel. Of the great labor the Ancient Mulians of generations past had taken to create a city that would endure against the unending cruelties of the mother sea, which eroded everything it touched on a geological timescale.

"The artificial platform beneath the city is actually made of an organic composite designed to endure the enormous weight of the city in a particularly ingenious way, you know," said Lu'um with a blooming expression.

Reed scratched his head and said, "Let me guess, it's probably something to do with all of that, right?" He nudged his head toward the expansive coral reef system that'd grown all around the lower half of the dome, which was always remained underwater at all times throughout the day.

Lu'um nodded enthusiastically and said, "That's right! The coral reefs that encompass Tecciztli's lower half are a part of the symbiotic support system integral to the city's artificial seabed foundation. They were genetically modified to withstand incredible pressures and grow into the base foundation itself and eventually even replace it!"

I'm happy at least one of us is enjoying this— Wait... did I hear that correctly?

"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying what I think you're saying? That this... entire city is being supported by... a coral reef?"

Lu'um smugly said, "The organic composite was a construction material to act as the initial foundation, but it was never intended to remain there forever. I said it was an organic composite, didn't I? Well, it was also designed to promote the growth of the seedbed of the modified coral reef that we planted inside of its honeycomb structure.

It was designed to slowly decompose and turn into nutrients for the coral polyps and the surrounding sea life over the course of... well, a long, long time."

When Reed noticed the unmistakable glimmer of adoration in Lu'um eyes as she gazed at the city, he said, "I've never seen so you... animated about something before. Anything else you want to tell me that you haven't told me yet?"

Lu'um's coughed awkwardly and said, "As you might've already guessed, I have a... special connection with this city."

"Oh, really? I would've never figured that out. Had me completely fooled with all of your elaborate, extremely detailed explanations."

It'd been a while since Reed felt truly astounded by anything. Often time, he'd feel a rush of wonder and awe whenever he saw something novel, but that mental high had somewhat grown dull over the years.

For the most part, it was because he'd gotten accustomed to the feeling of having his expectations destroyed. Mulia was a place filled with incredible wonders, after all.

But this time it was different for Reed. He froze for a good couple of seconds when he heard what Lu'um had said.

"Well, it's just that I... sort of, um... designed this city."

................What?

Lu'um pulled Reed forward and said, "It's not that amazing of a thing, okay?! I didn't even build it myself! It was Grandfather Ulbo that... sent the order that it be built after he peeked on a design plan I had created out of boredom in my atelier back home!"

...Created out boredom? ..........This city?

Reed suddenly felt as if he was staring at an alien from another dimension. What form of genius could create a city such as this out of boredom? And to have it built on a whim, just like that.

An entire underwater metropolis that could easily be called a world heritage and a unique cultural achievement.

If this was her when she was bored, then what was she like at her full potential?

He didn't know. It was a pitifully depressing and immature thought, but he couldn't help it.

Reed suddenly felt small and inadequate beside her. He felt like a... puppy.

They were cute, small, and loving companions, sure, but dogs weren't known to have conversations with their owners. They did not understand their owners with their limited intelligence, but they were still loved and cared for, nevertheless.

He knew that it wasn't like that. That she'd never think of him that way and that it was just his insecurities and fears trying to get at him.

Negativity was the enemy and Fear was its master.

"...That's amazing! You're still full of surprises, aren't you?! When did you design the city? Where you a student of some sort of school in the past?" said Reed.

Lu'um said, "O-Oh, it was a long time ago when I was still under my master's tutelage. I think was about two hundred years old at the time? Maybe a little younger...?"

"Wow, that's incredible. I don't think I'd be able to design something like this, even if I was given a thousand years. I knew you were knowledgeable, but I didn't take you for a nerd, haha!"

Her slightly embarrassed and annoyed expression warmed Reed's heart when he saw it. He knew then and there that she truly cared about his opinion, even if it was limited by his own primitive upbringing. Well, at least in comparison to her education.

Perhaps Reed had not been born in a society as technologically advanced as the Ancient Mulians', but he was studied enough to identify hidden contempt from sincerity. Her eyes were pure and held only the shine of honesty within them.

Reed laughed and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was just a bit... envious of your knowledge and immense talent for a second. But that feeling's passed through me now."

Lu'um tilted her head in confusion and then smiled. "Really? To be honest, I always felt the same way about you, but I eventually realized that..." Her voice trailed off, as if to tease Reed and leave him hanging.

"Hm? What did you realize?"

"It wasn't that I was envious of you but rather, I was scared of being inadequate; that I would not be good enough to stand by your side. I was just scared of being left behind."

Reed chuckled and said, "I... had the exact same thought just a couple of minutes ago, to be honest. Word for word, too."

"Ah! You see! It's the same way for me too!

Chapter end