CHAPTER ONE
Abdicate the Tower

Isla stared blankly at the brick bridge that led from the heart of downtown Glass Heights to one of the city’s developed islands - Emerald Island, the jewel of the Navigation River.

Misty orange light pollution hung above the city, eerie and dissonant. Just beyond the bridge, the island’s buildings- built in the modern glass style that characterized much of the (aptly named) city- glowed amongst the darkness of the luscious plant life that populated the (also aptly named) island. Even at 3 in the morning, the island showed signs of life; portions of the nearly transparent glass buildings were awash with light and distant flashes of movement. The shopping district in the center of the island was faintly visible as colorful neon lights and moving traffic.

I envy their auspicious reasons for being awake at this bleak hour.

It was a strange view - the juxtaposition of technology and nature. She found herself appreciating it in spite of herself.

A scene worth appreciating; the kind of sight for which you drop the past and future to step into the present - just for one brief, ethereal moment.

Emphasis on the word ‘brief’.

Sometimes I wish I could stretch moments like this into infinity, but I think I’d actually hate that too.

Isla drew her focus back to the present. The bridge’s well-lit walkway stood still and silent in the streetlights. Light glittered in Isla’s long black (highlighted with neon red

CHAPTER ONE
Abdicate the Tower

and blue) hair. A sense of terror hung in the back of her mind - harsh white noise that kept her thoughts in a straight and narrow path.

When did terror become my defining state?

A sense of a vast emotional burden came over her; the answer occurred to her the moment she asked it of herself.

Isla began walking without engaging with the answer.

There is a time and place for navel-gazing. It’s not now.

A large, glowing screen hung from a brick archway in the center of the bridge. The shifting light from the video bounced around, peppering Isla’s surroundings with flashes of dancing light. Isla paused as her university’s familiar logo- a glass house with Saturn behind it bookended by three stars on either side- splashed across the screen. The university’s slogan phased into existence in cyan letters beneath the logo. “Ad astra per scientiam.”

Glass Heights University is the only one that rents this mystic board.

Isla felt a small twinge of- dissonant?- feelings as the glittering Saturn Tower flashed across the screen - feelings so miniscule against her sense of numbness that they may not have existed at all.

On the illuminated screen, varying groups of humans and mythics stood in different rooms filled with scientific and mystical instruments - clearly the staff of different labs in Saturn Tower. Isla recognized about a third of the labs that flashed across the big screen.

An electric feeling of sharp emotional pain- nearly indistinguishable from physical pain- shot through her chest as her lab flashed across the screen. Dr. Ersatz was

CHAPTER ONE
Abdicate the Tower

smiling near the front of the shot. A neuraic brain map hovered to the side of him, glowing different shades of neon red.

Isla was in the back of the video, turning from a small glowing model of the brain to smile in the direction of the camera. Isla recognized the moment from the previous academic year.

I had no idea what was happening then.

Isla watched as one of her lab’s primary investigators, Dr. Cohen, began to explain their lab’s research.

“We study consciousness here in Saturn Tower’s lab 708,” said the tan, freckled woman. Her hair was dirty blond and naturally curly. “We are a part of the university’s basic science program in the College of Neuro-scifantasies.”

Scifantasy, the juxtaposition of science and magick. The methodical study of reality using an empirical application of magick-or-mundane means.

Numbness began to take hold inside of Isla once more.

Isla walked past the archway holding the screen as Dr. Cohen began to give a layperson's summary of how they used complex aetherics to understand the brain.

I’m going to scream if I have to look at Dr. Ersatz again.

“...and then we used a two-step atomistrual process to map the functional and anatomical dimensions of the brain…” continued Dr. Cohen, her voice receding in the distance as Isla walked progressively farther away.

“I probably don’t need an education on my own lab,” said Isla softly to herself as the sound from the illuminated board echoed behind her.