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Kanto pranced forward, his large bushy tails training behind him and swishing out of the way of any machinery that leaned a bit too close. The depths of the moving city were always exciting, constantly shifting and changing to cope with the different movements of its legs. If he were to be truthfully honest the whole thing was a miracle, the gangly, thin legs of Chemis would never have been able to support the city without the Alasia that was constantly pumped through the city, almost like blood going through veins and arteries, even seeping into tiny cracks that acted like capillaries.
He hummed softly to himself, his paws screeching sharply against some metal as he took a misstep and stumbled, he flinched at the jagged sound as it grated against his sensitive ears, he long wished for the days before his legs had been replaced when he could sneak so soundly and not have to worry about charging them each night. Granted, all that could be done had, he’d ended up far better off than others he had heard of, even with his title of the exiled one the people still looked to him for alchemy, even just that would have given him a better chance than most, but truthfully it was his divine title that had earned him such ease. He hadn’t needed to fight for anything, the moment they realized who he was they plucked him right out of the lower city to serve their purpose.
A soft chittering echoed from deeper within the city and he felt a soft smile come to his face, she had always been wary after what happened but he was determined to ensure no more suffering would come to her, he just needed to find a way to help and it would be ok.
With little care left now that he was so close Kanto rushed forward, bursting through a large door that led into the engine room of the city he beamed, it was a mess sure, but it was also his alchemy and machinery lab, there were half built machines and vials of chemicals everywhere, barrels of ingredients haphazardly stacked and his greatest achievement lay at the center of the room. Wires and tubes ran a mixture of blood and Promethis through her body to help stabilize her, various parts of her were completely replaced by machinery in an attempt to save her life, but still, the beautiful green, blue, and yellow feathers burned bright, piercing through the dim lighting of the heart of Chemis as she opened her eye and chirped again, looking to Kanto as he crossed the room.
Heretis had been his companion for a few centuries now, after her attack by Rockwell he had recovered her and helped her. One of her wings had been completely torn off and she’d shown no capabilities of taking on her human form, but still, he soldiered through, his greatest creation so far was a lightweight wing, it would allow Heretis to be airborne again if only he could find a way for it not to melt when it came into contact with her feathers, the usual metal he’d used for her was in too short a supply to make a whole wing with, he’d sent people out searching for it but none had returned. Gently placing a hand on her beak he sighed.
“I'm sorry, there's no news from the workers, I was hoping to get the materials this week but it looks like it’s going to be delayed again.”
He frowned, Kanto didn’t like bringing her bad news, sure she was safe here, it was warm and he’d recently introduced a young sunstreak called Lyro whom he gave free rein so it might be less lonely in the heart of Chemis, but the Phoenix matriarchs were made to rule the volcanoes, bend the elements to their whims, live in harmony with thousands, this could not stand up to that. He felt forever guilty for it, he could not bring a thousand creatures here for her to speak with, he could not replicate the heart of a volcano, he couldn’t even find if her last sister was still alive. It made him so incredibly guilty, but also determined, he was going to fix this, he was going to help her recover so she could go back to her old life so that she could see her sisters again, it made him determined to fix what Rockwell had done. It was one of the many tragedies Rockwell left in his wake, but this one would turn out a miracle, Kanto was sure of it. So long as Heretis was willing to keep trying, so was he.