Eighth Lunar Month, Full Moon
2219 CE
INTERSTITIUM, LUOYANG
Everything new begins with an act of the imagination. Yinhe leaves the house a half-hour earlier than usual, chooses an alternative route on the way to work, one that brings her into Jewel Corner, the poshest section of Interstitium. Jewel Corner is exactly what its name suggests – sparkling with allure. The area is graced with specialty health and wellness shops, all of them open twenty-four hours a day for those who wish to sample various products such as aphrodisiac mists, supplements to correct every mood imbalance imaginable and portable neuroelectric stimulation kits for increasing relaxation and for simulating chosen scenarios at home. The streets are noticeably wider, the overhead visual displays even more glittery.But of course, Yinhe smirks. It’s mostly the high-ranking people in Bright Order and Palace Zone who patronize Jewel Corner. Quite a number of people are out at this time of night. She turns into Fortune Avenue and stops in the middle of the block across from Spirit Supreme Assembly.
The building is a concrete structure with brutalist overtones. Large slabs of stone have been stacked to resemble a hefty beast. A formidable dark wood frame surrounds the main entrance, like a cavernous mouth. In contrast, wiry, antennae-like lamps extend from the perimeter of the roof, casting iridescent pinks and indigos onto the facade.
The emblem of the movement sits above the front doors – bright neon and flashing, the outline of two electric blue gourds spill golden liquid into a lake below, depicted as three golden squiggly lines.Pretty chintzy, thinks Yinhe, recalling the pamphlets that Phoebe used to bring home.
A cool breeze caresses her skin. The full moon is slightly hidden behind clouds. Thin jets of mist stream from two tubes placed above the main entrance. Yinhe picks up the scent. It seems innocuous at first, but it soon irritates her lungs, sending her into a brief coughing episode.
Moments later, several cars pull up to the building. Individuals in identical navy-blue suits step out. Yinhe retreats into a shadowy corner. She mumbles the spell for becoming invisible and enters the building just behind the last person and slides quietly into a seat at the back. The ten followers are lined up in a row at the front of the hall facing the raised platform. Clean-shaven, the followers’ skin colouring ranges from very pale to olive-brown. Their ties are green – the colour reminds Yinhe of tide pools.
She doesn’t have to wait long before Phoebe appears from a side door at the front and takes her place on the platform, facing her followers. She wears a red velvet cloak with gold trim at the hem and sleeves. Her fingernails have been painted a glossy black. She has done her long salt-and-pepper hair in an updo. Tendrils of hair hang on either side of her face. She wears eyeshadow of dusky blue and earthy brown that accentuates
