《Disciple of Fire》


 Chapter 1: The Ceremony

    The ceremony began the same as any other. Those aged fourteen were all in a line down the middle of a sprawling palace. Older children off to the left, younger ones to the right. Banners drape down, lapping at the ground from the vaulted cathedral ceiling, bearing a royal purple shade and a golden crest resembling some form of mythological creature. A dozen pillars extend the reach of the palace.


    The line shuffles forward in small, hushed steps as the king passes on his judgment. The children are individually sent to a chamber on either side of His Majesty. Some are escorted out the grand front door. No younger kids know what''s behind the doors, and the older kids are forbidden from saying anything. Any who do are quickly reprimanded.


    17... 16... 15... I come closer and closer to being in front of Him. Glancing around, I see all the older kids standing like an army of statues, the color drained from their faces.


    9... 8...7¡­ My heart is in my throat as I approach the front of the line, ready to live like the rumors I¡¯ve heard around my district. Looking to my right, I see various expressions from the younger children. Some were curious, others shaking anxiously, and a few were excited. Most weren''t even interested, ready to go back to playing in the street or being with their families.


    5¡­4... 3... As I get closer, I can see better what is happening. The King''s right-hand woman is placing a strange, glowing crown on the heads of each child. It seems like the King is listening to the crown or maybe seeing something...


    The King grumbles almost too quietly to hear, "Not them" or "They''ll work." The boy in front of me steps up, and the crown goes on. "No," the King''s voice was much clearer now.


    The crown was quickly removed, and the boy was ushered to the door on the right. Screams echo through the hall for a moment as the door is opened and the boy is escorted in. A tingle runs up my spine, and I see the little kids nearest the door stiffen up. I''m next. I approach and look up at the king. Still, I can''t discern any facial features because of the large stained glass windows behind him shining a beautiful mosaic of color onto the palace floor. I can see he is a large and built man. The light is glinting off his hair. His right-hand man places the crown on my head, and the silence grows even more deafening. The crown glows brighter, and I close my eyes in anticipation, but I don''t hear anything. I slowly open one eye to see a shock on the King''s servant''s face. I have attended this ceremony every year since I was four and have not seen any of the King''s staff show the slightest inkling of emotion. I glance over to the King, beginning to panic when he slowly begins to stand. This can''t be good. I quickly close my eyes again, as hard as I can. Seconds go by, minutes. I can hear my heart beating out of my chest and my teeth grit hard enough that I fear they will shatter. It¡¯s as if a lifetime has passed by. I open them again to the King standing directly in front of me. I feel his commanding presence encapsulating me, his anger crawling under my skin. He leans down, still towering above me, and utters a single word.


    "Out."


    His soft stern voice sent a chill up my spine. I stare blankly for a second, out? Which door do i go through? I look around and see some older kids are white as sheets.


    "Get OUT!" He shouts. Before I can turn back to the King, two servants grab me by my arms, and I''m lifted into the air. His voice boomed through the hall, causing every child present to stiffen up and hold their breath. I heard a few younger kids cry, but servants quickly came and pulled them into a separate room. They begin carrying me to the end of the hall, past the rest of the children in line, everyone still petrified, having heard the King raise his voice.


    I thought I would just be taken outside the palace and brushed along, but we got out the door, and the servants kept walking, my legs dangling in the air. Down road after road, past poorer and poorer neighborhoods. Every person we passed on the street seemed to line up and watched as I was carried by all the way until we reached the wall. THUD. I hit the ground and slid. They must have thrown me. I try to stand up but am quickly forced back down. I manage to look toward the gate, struggling to turn my head. A giant twenty-foot wooden door is in front of me. Six guards run to the door and begin pulling it open. Only once it''s fully open, am I allowed back up. I slowly stand and take in the vast forest in front of me. A small dirt path winds up before disappearing over the hill. I feel a shove in my back and gingerly take a step out past the door. The gate slams behind me, making me jump two feet into the air. They.. they actually kicked me out? I''m just a child. What could I¡­ what could i have done to have them throw me out like this? No, surely this isn''t real. I turn around and start smacking on the gate.


    "Let me back in! This isn''t funny!"


    No response


    I continue banging for what feels like an hour before finally giving up. "Okay..." I mutter, "This is... really happening." I slowly turn back to face the forest. Starting down the dirt path, I begin to fully take in my surroundings. Trees so big they must be hundreds of years old, light barely making its way through the ocean of leaves above. Small animals skitter through the bushes as I walk through, birds bulleting between the branches. Upon reaching the top of the hill, I find there''s a small clearing. I look across the landscape, the forest continuing for a good mile and an open field beyond that. Squinting my eyes through the bright sun, I can very faintly see what looks like a small cluster of buildings in an empty patch of the forest. Well, that''s a start.


    As I begin following the path down the hill, my mind starts to wander. What did I do wrong? Did I speak out of turn without realizing it? What does that crown even do? Is it able to read our minds? How would a crown even be able to do that? Whatever his reason is, I have a bad feeling about it. And why was I the only one removed? What could he have seen that made him so angry at me? I think about my family and how we lived in one of the poorer districts on the further outskirts of the kingdom. My parents would send me to the market to grab stale bread and what little scraps of meat I could find almost daily after my brother went away, but without any money, I had to learn to sneak around and get creative. If I couldn¡¯t bring home food, there would be consequences. And it¡¯s not like anyone would hire a frail child, let alone pay for the labor. Maybe he knew I was stealing? My train of thought moves to the few other kids I would always be with in my spare time. How we would play with whatever trash we found littering the streets, grabbing metal poles to use as swords and have little bouts, or finding something resembling a ball and throwing it around. How they would stop showing up one day and never be heard from again. My thoughts return to the king, questions searing into my spiraling mind. Why was he so angry? Why was he so¡­ angry... Wait¡­ angry? No... No, that wasn''t anger... It was fear. That feeling I was sensing was fear. He was... Scared.. of me? My vision begins to blur. He was scared of me, so he threw me out of his kingdom. Separating me from everyone I care about. Why..? Why would he do that? WHY?! I get a burning feeling in my stomach, rage starts pumping through my body, and everything goes black.


    I wake up bleary-eyed in the dark on the cold path. What.. just happened? As my eyes begin to adjust to my surroundings, I notice the distinct smell of embers. My attention suddenly becomes much more focused. I look around and see burnt black grass. Some of it was still glowing a dim orange. I jump up in a panic, frantically scouring the horizon to see if the fire is spreading, but notice that the burn area is precisely where I was lying, in the shape of a circle. Am I¡­ dreaming? Surely I am. Just as I start looking around to see where to go next, I see a small flame further down the path, gently lapping at the sky in the wind. Someone is out here!


    I was about to speak when a thought crossed my mind. What if that person is going to hurt me too? I quietly crouch down and inch my way toward the bushes. The flame gets closer, and I see an older man, not much bigger than me. He''s inspecting the ring I made and murmuring to himself. Should I come out? He doesn''t seem very strong... Before I can decide, he starts walking back the way he came. I''ll just follow him and see where he''s going. I followed him for what felt like a couple of hours, having a run-in with a strange-looking rodent with a long curly tail that jumped at me along the way. I accidentally kicked it while scooting backward through the shrubs. It scampered off, frightened. W-what kind of¡­ nightmare is this? The old man keeps going, so I continue to follow. I feel a couple of cuts and scrapes starting to sting from moving through the bushes, then we get to the group of buildings I saw from the ridge. I''m about 200 feet away. There seems to be a twinkling campfire in the middle, with a couple of people sitting on stumps around it. There are more people! The old man hobbles back to the fire, says something I can''t make out, and tosses his torch on the fire. Maybe I should wait a while and see if they''re friendly¡­


    Sitting out here for so long has me dozing in and out, but I fight the urge and stay hidden. Some time goes by, and it''s still dark out, but my eyes have fully adjusted. I see a younger man with long black hair and a slimmer build, with two swords resting beside him against his seat. He¡¯s wearing a long tattered black coat that covers the rest of his body as he sits by the fire. There¡¯s a woman as well. She has blazing red hair and what looks like a pistol strapped to her side. She''s wearing a leather jacket, much newer looking than the man''s coat. The old man already went inside a while ago. As I start to creep out of the bushes, believing I have completely surveyed the area, a thud at my feet causes me to freeze in my tracks.


    Looking down, I notice a feathered stick in the ground that wasn''t there before. Is... is that an... arrow? As I reach for it, a whistling tune comes from the trees, pulling my attention away. Grunts come from the camp, and looking back, I see both sets of eyes looking in my direction. Crap. Standing and raising my hands, I gingerly step through the bushes, trying to keep a sense of where the arrow came from. The campers around the fire, weapons drawn, begin approaching me. They get close enough to see I''m just a child, and they lower their weapons just a little, but they''re still on edge. I heard rustling to my right and assumed whoever shot the arrow was making their way down.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Who are you?" the man asks, his voice deep and smooth. I get a better look at him, he''s got a large scar on his face, trailing from his forehead down under his full, scruffy beard, and his mouth disdained a snarl. I guess I got lost looking at his scar because his voice broke my trance. "I said, who are you?" He clenches his weapons tighter, waiting for my response.


    "Oh, uh... I''m... not sure.." I force myself to spit out. I find myself too scared to remember my name. I look toward the woman shadowing the man demanding answers, causing a chill down my spine. Even without her saying anything, she''s more terrifying than he is.


    "Come with us." A voice behind me sends me jumping out of my shoes. Looking behind me, I see the faintest glint of moonlight on his face. He doesn''t feel much older than me, maybe sixteen or seventeen. I silently follow the group back to the fire, the man and woman sitting where they were previously and the boy sitting down opposite them. I stand by the fire, basking in the waves of warmth. Man, I didn''t realize how cold it was out tonight...


    "Over here," the boy calls, snapping me out of my mindless wandering.


    "Oh... Right," I carefully place myself on the edge of the log and extend my hands toward the fire.


    "So. What are you doing in The Overgrowth?" the man speaks up.


    "Hey, give them some space. They''re probably confused as hell," the boy replies, "they probably need some sleep if anything."


    "Yeah, yeah, alright," He dismisses and reaches into his coat pulls out some berries, and proceeds to start popping them into his mouth one by one. I stare longingly at the berries, a grumble croaking out of my stomach. God, I''m starving. My gawking must have been noticed because of the man''s grimace.


    "Would you like some?" He unties the pouch and extends it toward me.


    "U-uh... Sorry, I''d love some," I stumble over my words, my cheeks flushing red. He tosses the pouch to me.


    "Today, they''re free," he chuckles, "We each do our share of work around here. This place is harsh and unforgiving. It''s a miracle you made it out here through those woods. Full of predators."


    "W-what?" I ask in horror, "I only saw this weird little rat-thing on the way here, like¡­ it had a poofy curled tail and a smaller face. It did try to jump on me though, and¡­ Its eyes¡­ almost looked like they were glowing."


    The man busts out laughing, dismissing my last remark, "I''m messing with you, kid, trying to lighten the mood. That was probably a squirbunny. They¡¯re harmless. There''s nothing but game in these woods."


    "H-heh," I laugh nervously. I feel my shoulders begin to loosen up, and my breathing pace slows. I don''t think they could be all that bad, they could have easily hurt me already... Maybe I can trust them¡­


    "So," a steely voice cuts through my thought with an icy tone. Everything in me stops, and a dam forms in my eyes as my eyes dart between the only two men to show me any kindness, pleading for help, "Did you do it?!" Before I have a chance to take another breath she is towering over me. Instinctively, I fall backward off the log and attempt to scramble away, tears and snot now running down my face, my breath stuck in my throat.


    ¡°Hey! Back off him!¡± the archer boy throws himself between me and the woman, holding his ground as she tries to push past, ¡°Can¡¯t you see the kid is goddamn terrified right now!?¡±


    "The ring of embers in the forest!" She shouts past him, completely ignoring his presence, "Did. You. DO! IT?!"


    ¡°HEY!¡± The boy shoves her backward and she stumbles a step, her face contorting in anger, ¡°I said to LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!¡±


    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± she tries to push past once more only for a hand to land on her shoulder, and pull her back.


    ¡°You need to leave the child alone, right now. He doesn¡¯t need this at this moment.¡± The man looks into her eyes, and she pushes him off. They both eye her as she scowls before walking away.


    "I¡­ I don¡¯t know," I start whimpering as the ringing subsides, and curl into a fetal position, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± compulsively muttering through hitched breaths, ¡°ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry,¡± A choked breath musters out, finally finding my voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    The man trods over, offering his hand to me and I reflexively block my face with my eyes closed, and my breath stuttering. He speaks in a calm voice, trying to soothe me, "How can you not be sure if you burned a ring in the ground?"


    I peek through one eye and see he isn¡¯t trying to strike me. I lower my arms apprehensively and speak slowly, "W... Well, after I was banished from the kingdom, I was following the path..." I stumble through the memory before a sensation of pain covers my head and I realize my hand has moved to the left side of my face, gripping myself with my thumb hooked under my jaw, my eyes locked on a small stone embedded in the stone and lost in a trance, still trying to convince myself it''s real. Unable to form complete sentences, words spill out between labored breaths, "I-I remember¡­ feeling weird? Body¡­ getting hotter¡­? M-my stomach¡­ burning... then black. Woke up in¡­ dark¡­ in the ring... I thought¡­ forest fire¡­ Is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± he lowers to the ground and speaks in a hush, ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­ It¡¯s alright¡±. He gently extends his hand out, and the muscles throughout my body tighten, ¡°Could I ask you to look up at me?¡± His voice felt soft, sending a calming warmth through my body. Panting, my distant stare snaps, and I gradually shift my eyes up to meet Joffrey¡¯s. His expression is hard to make out in the night with his back to the fire, but his posture is almost as if he bowing and pleading for forgiveness. ¡°There we go¡­¡± He takes a seat on the ground a few feet away, turned so the fire reveals his face. ¡°Can you match your breathing with mine?¡± His question stops the grinding in my head for a second, just long enough to let out a small noise.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡± My eyebrow raises and my head cocks to the side slightly.


    ¡°Could you try to match my breathing, just think of it like a¡­ copycat game of sorts,¡± He scratches the back of his neck. I peer at Joffrey for a few seconds before nodding and begin to watch the little clouds as he exhales. My breathing stutters for a moment as I finally begin to regain control. Slowing down little by little I match his pace, and the grinding in my head settles as we fall in sync.


    After a few minutes of controlled breathing, I eventually regained my senses enough to let out the first clear words I could since the confrontation, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ if it was me or not.¡± I slump my head down, hiding the bottom of my face behind my crossed arms.


    "Well, I think the only possible explanation is that you did it. What made you feel so off?" He stands and brushes himself off, approaching and hesitantly extending his hand again. I reluctantly reach one of my arms toward him. He gingerly takes my open hand, helping pull me off the ground onto my feet.


    "I just... I don''t know why I was kicked out..." my mouth starts going faster than my brain, "We were going through the ceremony and it was my turn, the king''s servant put the crown on my head and they didn''t say anything, they just stared at it, shocked, then the King got up very close to me, and told me to get out... and I was carried all the way to the gate and thrown out by the servants." I start trembling and my eyes begin to water, "I... I don''t know what I did wrong... I just want to go home..." my eyes well up and tears trickle to the dirt.


    "Hey, I know it''s scary, but all of us were thrown out too." the boy says in a soft voice. My tears begin to slow.


    "Wait... really?" I sniffle and look up at him, his face soft and full of concern, and through blurry eyes, I manage to blurt out, "You remind me of my older brother..."


    "O-oh, is that so? Heh..¡± the boy is caught off guard by the comment but smiles and his cheeks flush, before continuing, ¡°But.. Yeah, of course. Although for different reasons," he explains, "I ''accidentally'' shot one of the royal guards during an archery match."


    My tears stop and my mouth drops open, ¡°Y-you... Shot a guard? What for?¡±


    His smile beams and his voice boasts proudly, "Well he had it coming, he kept harassing a woman in the audience for bumping into him, to the point that she fell down the stairs. I could see the blood on the stairs from where I was standing about a hundred feet off. I don''t stand for power tripping."


    "S-so... You''re a murderer?" I question hesitantly.


    "If that''s what you want to call it, then sure. I prefer vigilante," he bolsters his voice and grips a fist in the air, before quickly slumping back down, "but of course, the King didn''t see it that way. His servants grabbed me before I could even see them approach and they tossed me right out. I was 15 at the time."


    "So you went through the ceremony too?" My mind raced with questions, but I held my tongue and awaited his response.


    He stares into the crackling fire, into the void waiting for a response that would never seem to come, "Yeah, I did." He finally answers.


    "Well? What door did you go through?" I feel anxiety coursing through my body as I await his answer.


    After a moment of hesitation, he replies, "The left one."


    He seems afraid to answer my questions.. maybe I should leave it alone. But I have to know¡­ "So... What''s on the other side?" My voice almost surprises me, and my hands quickly cover my mouth. The boy gazes into the fire for a few minutes, the flame bathing him in dancing orange light.


    "It wasn''t good... Once I entered, I saw lines of the children who had passed on the left side of the room, extending far enough I could barely make out those at the end. Everyone was facing to the right, and I was ushered into place beside the last one. We stood in place forever. More children entering and adding onto the lines." He audibly gulped before continuing, "We were looking through these massive arches... watching these kids that went through the right door..." his words grow quieter and strained, "They were.. the king''s servants were... butchering the other kids alive.." My eyes grow wide, Oh god, what? This has to be some messed up scary story, right? "But not.. haphazardly," his voice suddenly became devoid of all emotion, "They were meticulous and precise... started from the feet and hands and worked their way up. Like they were preparing a meal. Keeping them alive as long as possible. You could see them screaming as they were cut slice by slice, but no sound passed through the arches. They forced us to watch, if we so much as turned our heads we were punished. I could hear other kids throwing up or crying around me followed by a swift CRACK! sound. It took everything I had to not look around."


    I feel a lurch in my stomach, barely holding back the urge to throw up. This is way too messed up, I don''t like this. I look at the man and see his head is sunken, eyes boring into the dirt. Between my gagging I manage to sputter out, ¡°Are you messing with me again? This isn¡¯t nice¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes flutter for a moment to blink away the tears forming.


    "I¡­ I wish I was..¡± he pauses briefly to recollect himself, clearing his throat and furrowing his brow, ¡°... Once all of the children had been ushered in," he pauses for a moment, "... We had to watch until everyone had been processed on the other side,¡± his voice hitches briefly, before continuing, ¡°Then we were led through a door at the end of the room, informed as we pass through the doorway to ¡®find our room¡¯, and down a long corridor lined with doors. Each one with a small wooden nameplate next to it. As we walked down this hall, kids slowly began breaking off the long chain and into their rooms. ¡± I watched his mouth carefully, covering my own in a lack of word or thought as he went on, not wanting to miss anything as his volume diminished, ¡°I saw my name and headed inside. It was small, maybe ten by ten with a small bunk on the right and a half-enclosed toilet in the back left with no door." He paused to pull out a small canteen and drink for a few seconds, "I waited for hours¡­ or maybe days¡­ there weren¡¯t any windows so I¡¯m¡­ not really sure. Well, eventually someone came and retrieved me. They took me to an arena and gave me a bow and a quiver full of arrows. That¡¯s when my Specialty finally started to surface¡­ I looked around the arena and saw large stone structures that were meant to be used as cover and vantage points, my Specialty almost guiding me to the best posts, and then I saw the other children. Only seven of them, but it was clear what they wanted us to do. We were supposed to fight to the death, all for the entertainment of the Noble District. I had too many matches to count.. so many other kids¡­ by my¡­" I feel my heart in my stomach and tears start forming in my eyes.


    "This is crazy!" I shout, ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to believe that, do you?!"


    He recoils at my raised volume, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry... I really am. But¡­¡± His words fade behind a wall of noise.


    ¡°Why would the King put his people through this? What did we ever do? None of this is fair!¡± I yell but can¡¯t hear my own voice. I vaguely see through tear-filled eyes both of their mouths moving but it''s indiscernible. I remember my brother going away, the ceremony all the kids were raised to look forward to, my parents forcing me to steal to survive, all my childhood flooding my mind at once, and everything falling into place. I can''t take it anymore¡­ I just want to wake up¡­


    "Stop! STOP!" my head feels like it''s splitting open as my voice grows in volume. My body is searing and then.. everything went black.

 Chapter 2: The Friends

    I wake up in a rundown-looking wooden shed on a small cot made up of a table and some cloth. Rubbing my eyes, I pull myself up and lazily look around. I can see light twinkling in through the little cracks between the boards. Ugh¡­ God, am I in another dream? Why haven¡¯t I woken up in the Kingdom yet? I sweep my legs over the side and hop up before my head starts pounding. "Man.. my head hurts," I mumble to myself. What happened last night?


    I walk out the door and the sun blinds me for a minute, but as my eyes adjust I see another ring of burnt black grass, much larger than the last one, where the campfire used to be. two of the five buildings were smoldering. Oh god did I blow up again? Is everyone okay? I start panicking and scan my surroundings, spotting the three I talked to all night over by the forest, as well as the old man I originally followed, chopping trees, breaking down sticks, and separating leaves. Oh, thank god, okay. The boy notices me and nudges the old man. He sees me and saunters over.


    "That''s some ability you''ve got there," his voice raspy and calm, yet firm.


    "Uh... yeah, I don''t know how I keep doing that.." my words trail off.


    "No worries, little one. These things happen. We can rebuild them." A wave of relief washes over me.


    "Can I help?" I inquired excitedly, "It''s the least I could do."


    "Of course, you can, I''d expect nothing less from a strapping young boy like yourself." He produces a crudely made ax, seemingly from nowhere. His reply made me feel warm inside, but it quickly faded. Why was he being so nice to me? I just burned down the buildings and he doesn''t want to punish me? This can¡¯t be real, right? ¡°I think that young boy over there wishes to speak with you, you should go see him.¡± I nod and scurry off to the others, looking over my shoulder at the old man to see he is no longer there. My confusion takes hold as my body continues moving like an automatic machine, colliding with the archer boy head-on. I trip over his legs as he falls to the earth, barely bracing himself in time to stop injury, stumbling to the ground myself a few feet off.


    "Hey now, you need to watch where you¡¯re going," The boy speaks as he pulls himself up with a slight groan, walking over and offering a hand up. I grab hold and he effortlessly pulls me from the ground. Wow¡­ I guess you have to be pretty strong to survive out here. On my feet, I meet his solemn face, "Hey¡­ about last night. That was intense, I''m sorry. If I had known you were going to literally blow up I would have stopped."


    The memories from last night play through my brain, all the dark and twisted things he described. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely still dreaming. May as well make the most of it. "N-no, I''m uh sorry for burning down the huts," There¡¯s a moment of desperation as I expect impact, a hit for my actions, but one doesn¡¯t come.


    "Nah, don''t worry. They weren''t too hard to build. Not super sturdy either." His voice almost sounded cheerful. I begin to relax my body. "You know, we spent all night around the fire together, but we never told each other our names." the boy gazing at me, waiting for me.


    "O-oh, right... I''m Salem." I answer, "What about you, what''s your name?"


    "I''m Silven," he points to the middle-aged man, who I can see has long dark hair, and a scruffy face, ¡°That¡¯s Joffrey,¡± his finger moves to the red-haired woman, ¡°That¡¯s Raina,¡± he glances around, searching for the elderly man, but not seeing him simply states, ¡°The old man is Gontu.¡±


    "That''s a lot of names to remember all at once." I try to pair their names with each face mentally.


    The boy laughs, "We''ll let it slide the first few times, but unless you feel brave enough to set out on your own, you''re going to be stuck with us. So you should learn them quickly." As Silven talks, I''m watching Joffrey cut down a large tree, but something seems off. There''s no way the ax he''s using would be working that well against that tree. With ten swings of the ax, I watch as the sixty-foot-tall tree falls.


    "Hey.." I kind of cut Silven off, which I feel bad for but continue my question, "How did he do that?" There¡¯s a small pause between us as he¡¯s trying to piece together the question I had just asked him.


    Silven turns back and his eyes follow mine. "Oh, you mean how he cut it down so easily? That''s his Specialty."


    "Uh... Specialty?" I look at him inquisitively.


    "Specialties are what we call the abilities we have," he goes on, "I call mine Archery Mastery. I can see the exact trajectory and point of impact of my arrows."


    "Whoa, that''s so cool!" My face fills with awe, as I bounce up and down, ¡°What does it look like?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ imagine this,¡± he points to a tree nearby and grabs a small rock from the ground, carving a little circle in the trunk, maybe two or three inches in diameter, ¡°From where you¡¯re standing, This is roughly what I see, only it¡¯s as if it¡¯s glowing in my eye. That, and I can see the path my arrow will follow. Wherever I point it, there is a faint curved line showing how it will fly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! I bet you catch a lot of food.¡±


    ¡°Nah, not quite. I still can¡¯t predict how the creatures move. That all has to come from instinct.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Fair enough,¡± I look over to the long-haired man, "What about Jeffrey?"


    He chuckles at the attempt, "That was close. His name''s Joffrey and he can enhance anything he''s touched into a magical quality. That''s why that measly little stone ax could take down that massive tree so easily. Actually, he enhanced my bow and arrows. Helps with my aim quite a bit." He smiles, then scoffs, "Not that I need it though."


    "And Raina?" I spout, practically vibrating in place. This is so cool seeing people with special abilities!


    "I''m not sure what hers is. She hasn''t told us yet." he furrows his brow in frustration, "Anyway, we should get to work. We gotta get these huts up so we can all have shelter again."


    "Hey... real quick..." It has been itching at me since I woke up. "What happened¡­ last night? Is everyone okay?"


    "Well, yes everyone is okay, we managed to move in time. To answer your other question, however, is a little more complicated... Joffrey noticed while I was telling you about the kingdom... it looked like your veins.. were glowing this deep orange, extending from your heart. He alerted me and I started to move back, then your body started to like... engulf in flames. It just.. expanded. The buildings didn''t even have a chance to burn, they were practically incinerated."


    "That''s... Wow.." I don''t know what to say, my Specialty is that destructive? What good is that... I should just see what I could do to help fix this. I shake my head, ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go get Joffrey to enhance this, see you in a little!¡± I leave Silven and walk over to Joffrey, wishing him good morning.


    ¡°Morning, Firecracker,¡± He halfway lets a chuckle slip, before coughing it away, ¡°How are ya feeling today?¡±


    ¡°My head hurts¡­¡± I reach up and ruffle my hand in my hair gently.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that¡¯s all that¡¯s wrong, given last night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard from Silven. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡±m fine, kid. I was the first to notice.¡± He begins heaving at the next tree, grunting with each swing. Even though it¡¯s enhanced, he seems to be swinging harder than he needs to¡­


    ¡°R-right¡­ Well, I was wondering if you could¡­ e-enhance this?¡± I extend the crude ax toward him and he halts his tree-cutting.


    ¡°Yeah, give it here.¡± He pulls it from my hand and, holding it in place firmly with his right, begins waving his left one over the tool. A purple glow emanates from his palm and the tool raises out of his grip. Now moving both hands around the floating hatchet, the purple aura surrounding it closes in on the tool, wrapping so tightly around it, it¡¯s as if a layer of paint had been applied.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°That is incredible¡­ how does it work?¡± I can¡¯t peel my eyes away from his process.


    ¡°Well, basically, this aura you see weaves its way into the building blocks of a material, creating magical bonds between little pieces, so small that you cannot see them with the naked eye, connecting them together with much greater strength than found in nature.¡± He pulls the ax out of the air, continuing, ¡°I can also determine mentally what purpose I designate for the enhancement. For example, this ax, I also enhanced the edge of the rock, sharpening it far beyond what¡¯s possible with our smithing stations.¡± He takes the ax and gently scrapes the blade against a nearby trunk, the bark shaving off effortlessly.


    ¡°That sounds like a really strong power,¡± I take the ax as Joffrey extends the handle toward me.


    ¡°It truly can be. I¡¯m still discovering new things I can use my abilities on every day.¡± He turns away, walking up his newly-felled tree, ¡°We should get back to work, we¡¯re burning daylight.¡±


    I walk to a trunk far enough away from the others to not have to worry about it falling on them and begin chopping. It took me more than the ten swings that it took Joffrey but it still went down much quicker than it would have with a regular ax. We spend about fifteen minutes cutting down trees and then the rest of the morning chopping the wood into planks. Once we''ve gotten enough boards, we decide to take a break with the sun directly above. Just then, Silven comes out of the woods carrying a couple of Squirbunnies.


    "Hey! Nice catch," Joffrey shouts, and quickly moves toward the firepit and grabs a flint, but then he stops.


    "Do you think you can do it...?" his voice suddenly drops to a gravelly hush. I feel a tingle run up my spine.


    "Uhm... I think so?" I move to take the flint from his hands but he pulls it away.


    "No no. Not with this." He stares me down. I stare back confused, the gears slowly lining up. Does he want me to try to use my powers? Surely he can''t be serious. How would I even bring it out? The last times I did it were when I was going through a lot of feelings at once. How would I even control that?


    "I... I don''t think I can." I¡¯m taking steps back before I can realize I¡¯m backing away from him.


    "I do." All of a sudden, he¡¯s behind me and pushes his hand into the small of my back. A soothing, cool sensation spreads through my body. What is that feeling? His voice cut through my thoughts and sent shivers down my spine as I remember the position I¡¯m in, "Remember what Silven said. What he went through. What that kingdom goes through. Every. Year," I shut my eyes, trying to block him out, but his voice worms its way in, "It happened all around you and you didn''t even know it, surely you noticed older friends going away and not coming back. Where do you think your brother went?" I begin to feel lightheaded and my vision goes red.


    ¡°DON¡¯T talk about my brot-¡± Joffrey cuts me off, shouting into my ear as the chastising grows louder.


    ¡°Good, get angry! Feel the emotion,¡± He shouts, my blood begins to boil having been talked over, "Now¡­¡± There¡¯s a power in his voice, almost like he¡¯s enjoying himself, which only makes me angrier, ¡°This will sound a little strange, but I¡¯ve enhanced you.¡±


    I wonder to myself how he could possibly enhance my body, but my anger overrides my curiosity. ¡°And?¡± I snapped at him.


    His voice lowers, ¡°Your body should be able to handle this ability much better for a short time. But I¡¯m not sure for how long. You need to listen to me carefully.¡±


    I scowl and let out a gruff sound, ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°You need to take your anger, your feelings, in and not let them consume you. Take it one step at a time. Think of it like the campfire, we don¡¯t add too much tinder at once otherwise we have an uncontrollable flame. Add pieces little by little, cradling the fire, keeping it alive but not rampaging.¡± I tread through my thoughts of home, my family, and my friends if I could even call them that. My face contorts in anger, but I hold on to the thought until the emotion passes, letting myself come to an understanding of why they had to do what they did. ¡°Okay, I can see your heart glowing. Don¡¯t panic, or try to look right now, just trust me. Let all of your thoughts fall to the sides. Do you feel the warmth? Focus on that warmth." I take a deep breath and try to clear my mind. Thoughts still speed toward me through my head, but they begin to split away, and I see and feel a warm glow.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it.¡± I calmly state.


    ¡°Good. Now, think about moving that warmth. You have to believe that you can, and focus on the thought of it moving. Try to spread it out.¡± I let my body loosen and focus on the sensation inside. It¡¯s warm... I can feel it moving like waves in an ocean. Getting overwhelmed, I begin to panic, my breathing accelerating. ¡°Don¡¯t force it,¡± I can barely make out Joffrey¡¯s words. ¡°Feel it moving and move with it, not against it.¡± With it... Not against it... Taking deeper and deeper breaths, I calm down, open my eyes and extend my arm, extending my palm toward the firepit. I watch as my shoulder begins to glow, creeping down my arm like snakes under my skin. My arm feels so hot, but it doesn''t burn. The glow reaches my hand and suddenly a gush of flames swallows the ground in front of us. I instinctively yelp, and then I feel a quick jab under my shoulder and my arm goes limp, the fire quickly extinguishing and the glow fading.


    "OW! Thank you¡­ but why did you have to do it like that? That hurt," I glare at Joffrey and rub my armpit.


    "You don''t have full control yet, don''t need you passing out and exploding again." He chuckles and points to the firepit, "It worked well though." I look at the pit and see the fire dancing.


    "Holy crap, I did it!" I turn to Silven as he''s now jogging toward us and shout, "Did you see that?! That was awesome! It went like WHOOSH! all over the ground! I was able to feel the energy moving inside. It felt like my arm was on fire!" I''m practically bouncing in place.


    "AND you managed to not pass out this time?" He laughs, making my cheeks flush, and tosses the Squirbunnies to Joffrey.


    "I was able to control it a little, I even lit the fire!" I point to it in protest.


    Joffrey speaks up as he starts skinning the Squirbunnies, "Now you just need to learn to put a tap on it. Control the outflow. But that will take a lot more than a couple of minutes of practice."


    "Yeah, my Specialty wasn''t precise before. When I first started, it was as if there was a dim spotlight showing roughly where it would land." Silven grabs some nearby sticks and sets up some roasting devices over the fire. "It took me 3 years of training to have it as good as I do now, and could still probably do even more."


    "Wow, that''s amazing!" I admire him in awe.


    "It''s pretty cool, yeah. Makes hunting a lot easier," Silven smiles wide.


    Joffrey shifts toward the fire and skewers the Squirbunnies onto the roaster and sits back. As the meat cooks, Raina comes out of one of the remaining buildings and stretches. She makes her way over and sits by the fire.


    "Good morning Raina," Joffrey is the first to greet her.


    "Mmph." She grunts and pulls some tea leaves and a can out, places the leaves into the can, then pours some water from her canteen in and places it on the fire.


    "There goes Raina with her leaf water again." Silven coos at Raina.


    "It''s. Chamomile." Raina''s icy tone sends shivers up our spines and Silven shuts up quickly.


    As we sit around passing the time, Raina pulls her can off the fire and lets the outside cool, before sipping on it and sighing peacefully. Joffrey pulls the Squirbunnies from the roaster and slices them in half, handing them out as he goes. Silven pulls out some berries he scavenged and shares them as well. We eat in peace around the now dwindling fire, finishing up as the last flames go out.


    "Time to build us some houses." Joffrey moves unnaturally quickly toward a log nearby and begins chiseling away at it. I watch as he cuts grooves at ninety-degree angles along two sides of four different logs. He motions toward the boards we made this morning and I begin hauling them over. He hammers a board into the groove with a blunt rock on a stick. We spent the afternoon building walls, making a hole for the door, and putting up a roof. We finish the first hut once the sky starts turning a golden yellow.


    "That wasn''t too bad!" I bellow loudly.


    "See? What''d I say," Silven wipes sweat off his brow.


    "Now we just have to do one more," Joffrey, without breaking a sweat, begins carving the next four logs. We regain our breath and get back to work, finishing up as the sun sets behind the horizon, the sky a brilliant red and purple. The other four are talking around the newest building, but I make my way to the campfire, quietly stacking up a few small logs. I step back and close my eyes, thinking about what Joffrey told me. Let the feelings through. Let the ocean of heat lap over your body. Move with it, not against it... A warmth swarms in my chest. Okay, now move it to my hand... I take a deep breath and focus all my willpower on my shoulder. Then my elbow. The hot sensation travels down my arm, I open my eyes and point my index finger forward like a gun. Maybe my problem was the point of exit... extending my whole hand last time caused a wall of fire... I watch as the glowing reaches the end of my index finger and a gentle flame, almost like that of a candle, appears on my finger. I gasp audibly and the group looks over, I catch their gaze and freak out, flames shoot out of my palm into the air. The fire roars 30 feet into the air, casting a bright orange light against the dimly lit dirt. I fall backward onto the ground, hitting my elbow and disrupting the flow of energy, the fire halting immediately.


    "I... I did it! I was able to make a little flame!" I shout as the rest of them run over.


    "Are you crazy?! That wasn¡¯t a little flame!" Joffrey hollering at me cuts my excitement abruptly.


    "Uh... I.." my tongue catches in my throat.


    "Why would you try that without someone to stop you if you couldn''t control it!" His voice grows louder, pounding in my head increasing as his volume does.


    "I-I''m sorry... I wasn''t trying to make you mad¡­ b-but... I did make a little one¡­" I cower down and my eyesight blurs as tears begin to well.


    Joffrey sighs and crouches down gently, "No... No, I''m sorry. I''m not angry, I was just concerned. I did see the small flame, but you can¡¯t mess around with something as dangerous as your power seems to be. Regardless... That was impressive. Just next time make sure one of us is around¡­ Okay?" I cradle my legs, not making a sound as I stare into nothing. ¡°Come on, kid. Please. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, you just put yourself in danger. I only want to look out for you out here, it can be rough at times.¡± I gingerly glance at his face, no signs of anger anywhere to be seen, but look away again. ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll leave it for now, and when you¡¯re ready to talk, we can.¡± Joffrey grabs the flint and starts the fire, everyone moving to sit around it until sundown. Joffrey tells a story about some mythical creature that lives in the woods, and slowly I loosen up, beginning to laugh with the rest of the group as we pass the time. The fire dies down and everyone wishes their goodnights and heads off to bed. I was lying down and just about to fall asleep, eyes fluttering shut, my breathing slowing down. Then I heard rustling in the brush outside...

 Chapter 3: The Beast

    I jolt upright, the sound outside startling me from my sleepy trance. Am I the only one who heard that? That sounded too big to be a squirbunny. I creep out of bed and toward the door, opening it slightly and peeking through. It''s dark but I can make out the surroundings. Barely. Looking around at the other buildings, I don''t see anyone else awake. Great, just me then. I sit and stare into the darkness, my eyes slowly working their way to night sight. I spot a pair of thick devil-like horns glinting in the moonlight, but these horns are about fifteen feet off the ground... Surely this thing isn''t that big, right? I watch carefully as it steps out of the brush enough to make out its figure. It got the body of what looks like an Ox, with a human-esque torso attached where its head would be. The horns sprouting from the creature''s head, which looks like an ox''s skull on top of the torso. Oh my god.. what am I looking at? I have to wake up the others somehow. But this thing can probably see at night, so I can''t leave without alerting him. I hear a gurgling from within the creature, almost like a guttural growl that causes all my hair to stand on end.


    While watching the beast, I hear the faintest creak and look over to see Silven poking through his door. He sees the creature, then looks toward me, and puts a finger to his lips in a shushing manner. His door opens silently and I watch as he sneaks around behind his building. He crouches down and moves, so quietly it''s as if he''s slithering, to Joffrey''s hut and slips inside. I look back at the creature and see it has made its way out of the brush and into the clearing with us. This doesn''t look good... I thought Joffrey said there weren''t any predators out here?! I watch as Joffrey and Silven slip back out, weapons ready, to the side of the building opposite the creature. Silven grabs a rock and, using his bow fires it against a tree past the beast. It turns its back to them and Silven quickly escapes into the forest, Joffrey waiting patiently.


    The beast promptly forgets the rock, hearing the light footsteps behind him, and turns, letting out an ear-shattering guttural roar. I cower behind the door and cover my ears. After a few seconds, the roar dies down and I peek back out to see Joffrey with his swords ready. An arrow flies out of the woods and right through the eyes of the beast. A blood-curdling screech escapes it as it flails around blindly. I watch as Joffrey charges the beast. The creature, hearing the heavy footsteps, clobbers in Joffrey''s direction, sending small tremors through the ground with each stomp. Joffrey slides between the beast''s legs, slicing the back of all four hooves with a spin. The monster falls to its knees with a heavy thud, then an arrow lodges into the creature''s neck. It lets out a demonic howl, piercing my eardrums and rattling my core.


    Joffrey doesn''t waste time and jumps on the back of the beast, attempting to pierce the skull before being thrown into one of the buildings with a vigorous shake, knocking the air out of his lungs. It pushes off the ground one leg at a time, until fully standing. A few more arrows embed themselves in the side of it, no longer having an effect. It turns to face Joffrey and a red glow forms in its belly as it draws in a massive breath, the glow moving up toward its now-unhinging jaw. The air begins pulling in toward the beast, growing warmer. I look on in horror. Why does this energy feel familiar? Silven''s arrows aren''t affecting it. I have to do something... But.. I feel dizzy...


    The beast spews out a monstrous ball of fire, jetting directly at Joffrey, and my body pulses. I feel a fiery energy escape me, dragging me upward¡­ only¡­ something feels off. The force pulling me stops a few feet up. Startled, I screamed. But nothing comes out. Beginning to panic, I look around and see my body, lying on the ground unconscious. Okay¡­ This is new... Wait. Joffrey. JOFFREY. I push forward and notice there¡¯s no resistance. Wow¡­ I¡¯m actually flying! I move and peek through the opening of the door. The fireball is barely inching forward, crawling toward Joffrey, who is slowly putting his hands up. I move forward and my form shifts through the wall. What.. is this? I examine my hands and immediately notice I can see right through them. It¡¯s almost as if my outline is traced in a golden flame. What happened to me? Am I still dreaming?


    I fly over between Joffrey and the fireball, gently raising my hand. My palm rests against the roaring inferno. This feeling¡­ It feels¡­ Serene, almost ethereal. I push against the fireball and to my surprise, it begins to slow more. Maybe this will work¡­? I place my other hand on it and begin flying against it. I feel the fireball stop and begin creeping backward. After forcing it a little further, I release my hands and watch it continue back. I really hope this is real... I fly back to the hut, taking one last look at the fireball to make sure it didn¡¯t turn back around. Returning to my body, I see the veins in my hands and feet begin glowing orange, slowly creeping up my arms and legs. It.. it burns¡­ it feels like my hands and feet are roasting from the inside. I recoil in agony as this sensation continues halfway to my elbows and knees. I have to get back into my body. NOW. I fly down and grab my body¡¯s lifeless shoulders. Suddenly everything goes white and I¡¯m back. I barely regain my senses when everything speeds back up. A massive explosion fills the air, and smoke covers the field.


    Oh god, did it work? I go to stand but wince as a sharp pain in my foot takes me back to the ground. I look down and see faint scars that resemble tendrils up my leg. Checking my other leg and arms I see them all over. I take a deep breath and try to stand up once more, wincing again but making it upright. I gingerly step out of the hut and inch forward, the smoke from the explosion making it to where I can¡¯t see but a few feet in front of me. I move toward where I remember seeing Joffrey, stumbling occasionally in pain, and¡­ I can faintly make out a body lying on the ground in the distance. Did¡­ It didn¡¯t work¡­? I continue to step closer and the body begins to shift gently. I let out a large sigh of relief. At least he is moving¡­ I look over to where the beast was, the wind beginning to clear the area of the smoke and see the lower half of the creature slumped on the ground. The top half was nowhere to be seen¡­ Silven rushes out of the woods over to me and begins dragging me to Joffrey.


    "Is he alive?" Silven''s worried, he''s panting. He reaches down to feel for a pulse.


    "Well, he was moving. I think that''s a good sign..." I chuckle nervously.


    He sighs, and begins checking Joffrey for injuries, before shaking his head in disbelief, "Not even a burn mark¡­¡± Silven¡¯s eyes meet mine, ¡°Did you see what happened?¡±


    ¡°O-oh. Well, I think... I think I had something to do with it..¡± I sputter out.


    ¡°Wait... Seriously?¡± Silven asks incredulously, staring with his mouth agape.


    ¡°I... I think so. I saw the ball of fire leave the creature and my body just¡­ it was like I was on fire. But floating above myself. And.. Everything slowed down. I flew..¡± my words trail off as I try to hold on to the feeling I experienced. Why is it so hard for me to remember these things afterward? I don¡¯t get further in my thought before coughing catches our attention.


    ¡°Oh, Christ... I could really use a drink right now.¡± He sputters. Silven cackles while he and I help Joffrey sit up.


    "How do you feel?" I ask worriedly.


    "Sore... But I''ll make it." He sees the smoldering half of the creature. "Ugh¡­ What happened to ugly over there?"


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I scramble to find my words, ¡°I think... I think I happened.¡±


    Joffrey smirks through his pained breathing, ¡°Oh yeah? I don¡¯t-¡± his words interrupted by a rough cough, Silven instinctively leans forward to check but Joffrey waves his hand, pushing himself up to a slow stand. ¡°Damn, that was a hard hit.¡± He chuckles.


    "You stubborn bastard," Silven laughs.


    "Damn right, I am," he stifles a chuckle and looks over to me, his happy demeanor contorting into horror, ¡°Oh my God. Kid, what the hell happened to your arms?¡± His voice grew in anxious volume.


    Silven, who was caught up worrying about Joffrey, sees me now too, and his expression turns distraught, ¡°Salem, are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, I think so..¡± my head still feels fuzzy, ¡°I can¡¯t... Remember what happened..¡± He comes over and examines the scars, growing increasingly worried. ¡°It¡¯s.. on my legs too,¡± I say wearily, ¡°It hurts..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± Silven, trying to hide the panic in his voice, picks me up and hurries to the campfire, Joffrey following behind with a limp. Silven quickly lights the fire, illuminating the area, so he can get a better look at my wounds. After a short examination, Silven speaks up, ¡°I¡¯ve.. never seen something like this before. It¡¯s like your scars are... Inside you? They almost look like¡­ wait. Salem, did you use your Specialty?¡± Joffrey, who is sitting on a log drinking some fermented berry wine he made, chokes hearing Silven¡¯s words.


    ¡°You used your Specialty again? What did we just talk about?¡± Joffrey sounds more concerned than aggressive. It¡¯s nice compared to what I¡¯m used to, although I can¡¯t help but wince a little.


    ¡°I...¡± My memory of what happened is in pieces, like an impossible puzzle, but maybe I can remember just a few. Anything, please¡­ ¡°I remember... Being outside my body... And... I pushed the fireball?¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You were saying something about how everything felt slow,¡± Silven recalls, trying to spark my memory.


    ¡°Yea.. that sounds right. Like time had stopped.. Or at least, almost.¡± I wince as Silven pushes on one of the scars on my leg. The sensation from his pressing sends memories flashing almost too fast to perceive through my mind. ¡°It.. it was my power... That did this. I saw my body... I think it had the same glowing veins you were talking about before... Except... Something was off about it. You said the energy started in my heart¡­¡± My words trail off as I look to Silven and Joffrey, ¡°But.. this started from my feet and my hands... And it burned. Hotter than anything I could ever imagine... It hurt really bad... Like, uhm, lava was being injected into me...?¡±


    Joffrey stares into the fire with his elbows on his knees, hands interlocked resting under his nose. ¡°This power seems like it¡¯s too much for your body.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean..?¡± I ask sheepishly


    ¡°Oh Christ, okay. It means..." he winces as he draws in a breath, "There are different kinds of Specialties.¡± His body moved raggedly as he took in each breath, and he spoke quietly and concisely, ¡°There are Controlled Specialties, which are under complete control of their user.¡±


    ¡°Like... You and Silven?¡± I gawk.


    ¡°Yeah, Like me and Silven,¡± He chuckles softly, ¡°And probably any Noble you would meet in the Kingdom had a Controlled type. But.. There are two other kinds as well, not seen nowadays, and they are complex and dangerous. There are parasitic Specialties, and these powers caused incredible damage to the user, who had no control over when it happened, to the point they couldn¡¯t be saved. Very few made it past 16.¡±


    ¡°Why is this the first I¡¯m hearing of this?¡± Silven huffs.


    ¡°Well... It was never relevant,¡± Joffrey turns rigid again, his voice tightening, ¡°And they¡¯re not really around anymore. Ever since the ceremony began at least..¡±


    Silven and I exchange a look of confusion and, practically in tandem, ask, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    His expression drops, realizing he¡¯s backed himself into a corner, and sighs, ¡°The ceremony, it¡¯s used as a way for the King to determine who he thinks would be useful to him.¡±


    My whole body shudders, and Silven, piecing things together, speaks up, ¡°So... All of those kids on the other side..¡±


    ¡°They were deemed ¡®not useful¡¯ and, well... You know.¡± Joffrey¡¯s voice was solemn and low.


    ¡°Christ..¡± Silven squats and stares into nothing.


    ¡°But.. What about the other type?¡± I ask hesitantly.


    ¡°What?¡± Joffrey looks up at me.


    ¡°The other type of specialty, you said there were three right?¡± I ask again.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Joffrey looked defeated, ¡°The last kind is called Symbiotic.¡±


    ¡°What does Symbiotic mean?¡± I look on quizzically.


    Silven speaks up now, ¡°It means two different things are associated with each other and provide for each other in a way that benefits both,¡± He pauses for a second, before asking, ¡°But how does that apply to Specialties?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Joffrey explains, ¡°There isn¡¯t much known about Symbiotic Specialties... They are said to have incredible potential but at a great cost. The further you delve and gain control... The more essence of yourself you lose. What exactly that means isn¡¯t known, and supposedly no one has been able to achieve full control.¡±


    ¡°Whoa..¡± I whisper barely loud enough to be heard.


    ¡°And that¡­¡± He points to me, ¡°Is what I think you are dealing with.¡±


    Silven¡¯s eyes widen and he looks at me, ¡°Holy crap, Salem.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± I chuckle and push Silven¡¯s shoulder, ¡°How would I have known?¡±


    Silven shoves back, laughing too, ¡°I don¡¯t know, you tell me!¡±


    ¡°Boys.¡± Joffrey¡¯s tone cuts our laughter short, and we sit straight up again, ¡°This isn¡¯t something to take lightly. If this power is the type I think it is, then you need to be extremely cautious when you use it. If you aren¡¯t careful, it could potentially do much worse than ending your life.¡±


    His voice was chilling. But something was gnawing at my mind¡­ ¡°How do you know all of this?¡± I ask confidently, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it before.¡±


    He hesitates, staring into the fire, before looking at Silven and me on the edge of our seats. He groans, ¡°I really don¡¯t think that¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Aww, C¡¯mon!¡± I push him harder to answer.


    ¡°Yeah, now I¡¯m curious too!¡± Silven piggybacks my pestering.


    We push more and more until Joffrey finally has enough.


    ¡°OKAY! Fine. You two win.¡±


    ¡°YAY!¡± Silven and I holler at the same time.


    ¡°Well... I guess there¡¯s no real... Easy way to put this, so I¡¯ll just say it,¡± He shifts uncomfortably in place, ¡°I¡­ Used to be the archivist. For the King.¡±


    Silven and I sit in stunned silence for a moment. Silven catches his words before I do, ¡°So¡­ what happened?


    Joffrey looks like he¡¯s hesitant to answer, ¡°I overheard him talking to himself in the Archives. Like he was searching for something. I was hidden behind some shelves trying to hear what I could from his mumbling, but couldn¡¯t make much out. Not soon after, he left the room for some reason. I decided to take a peek at what he was reading, but it was in some language that hasn¡¯t been seen for centuries.¡± His brow crumples, ¡°Although, there was this one symbol that kept appearing through the pages. It looked like a crest with a phoenix on it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm..¡± Silven stares puzzled, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that before.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I¡­¡± I ponder.


    ¡°Needless to say, I got a little too caught up searching through the books and the King¡¯s head maid came in to see me scouring. I barely had time to think before I was outside the gates, exiled by order of the King. I don¡¯t even remember her saying anything.¡± Joffrey explains.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s rough..¡± says Silven, ¡°What was it like? Working for the King?¡±


    ¡°I had a surprising amount of freedom compared to most of the rest of his staff,¡± Joffrey continues, his hesitation no longer present, ¡°They¡¯re all expected to perform exactly what task needs to be done with exact timing. I was just tasked with upholding the quality of the old scrolls, books, and illustrations. The King specifically sought out a Specialty like mine, for exactly that reason. He asked me to never read them, only to preserve them for His sake, not that I knew how to read at the time anyway, but, I managed to teach myself over time. Read plenty about the history of the kingdom, but those are stories for another time. It¡¯s getting late.¡± Joffrey gets up, wincing slightly from his injury, and begins walking toward his hut.


    ¡°Wait.¡± My voice stops him in his tracks. ¡°What was that thing that attacked us?¡±


    Joffrey, with his back to me, groans and stretches his back, ¡°We, uh, aren¡¯t exactly sure. There¡¯s no record of them in the Archive. At least not that I could find or understand. I think it¡¯s some sort of demonic entity,¡± He looks up to the clear star-spattered sky, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen one for around 6 months. Thought they had finally left or starved¡­ If they even can starve.¡± He creases his brow, "They weren''t as strong as this one was, though... This was something else."


    Silven hops up almost excitedly, ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve never seen one just shake off my arrows like that. And the way it stood back up after you cut its legs that badly?¡± He sounds like he even misses fighting those things...


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s concerning to think they¡¯re still out there... And getting stronger as well.¡± Joffrey surveys his surroundings. ¡°We may need to move camp.¡±


    Silven groans poutily, ¡°Seriously? I finally got used to the forest around here.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to move?¡± My question causes Joffrey to look over his shoulder at me.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be more.¡± He said coldly. ¡°But we should be okay for tonight. We need to get some sleep for tomorrow¡¯s journey.¡± He walks into his hut and closes the door.


    Silven and I sit for a second before my curiosity gets the better of me. ¡°Hey, Silven?¡±


    His head perks up, ¡°Yeah, Salem?¡±


    ¡°How did the other two end up out here? Raina, and Gontu.¡± I sit in front of the fire and hug my knees to my chest.


    ¡°Ah.¡± He stares into the fire pit, ¡°Gontu was never a part of the Kingdom. I met him and Joffrey when I was first exiled. They were.. Very welcoming. It was almost unsettling, compared to what I was used to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It was a little bit of a shock meeting you all for me too.¡± I empathize with Silven.


    He snickers, ¡°Yeah...¡±


    ¡°And Raina?¡± my curiosity still not sated.


    ¡°She, uh..¡± Silven stops, he seems stuck on his words, ¡°I don¡¯t know. We don¡¯t really know much about her. She showed up several months ago... Told us her name, and put herself to work. That¡¯s about it. We haven¡¯t seen much reason to complain but... Something seems off about her. I swear I feel a little, uh... Fuzzier... When she¡¯s around. I don¡¯t trust her completely...¡± He stretches into a stand and extends his hand out to me. I grab hold and he hoists me up. ¡°We really should try to get some sleep though. If Joffrey says we have to move, then we have to move, and we need our energy for that.¡±


    Silven says goodnight and heads off to his hut, leaving me alone by the fire. I sit in silence for a few minutes, processing all the information I just took in. So¡­ I¡¯ve got a power that can seriously hurt me. I run my fingers along the scars under the skin of my arms. I need to be really careful if this much happens while using it. What did he mean when he said ¡®The more you delve, the more you lose the essence of yourself¡¯? I don¡¯t know¡­ I should probably head to bed. I kick nearby dirt onto the fire, extinguishing it. Walking over to my hut, I take a quick look around, double-checking there are no more monsters out here, and open the door. As I¡¯m about to step in, a glint in the bushes catches my eye and I look over, I notice a figure gently slip through the brush behind the camp¡­ I huddle behind the door and watch until I can make out enough details. As the figure approaches, I see it. The faintest red glow wisps from the ends of the figure¡¯s hair, illuminating her face for only a second, so short I had to second guess whether I really saw it. But it¡¯s unmistakable¡­ It¡¯s Raina.

 Chapter 4: The King

    The day of the Ceremony began the same as any other. The king''s eyes lazily flutter open, the sound of the bell above his bedroom door pulling him from slumber.


    "Uhm... Your Majesty?" The king''s servant shyly pokes her head through the door, her brunette ponytail slipping off her back and over her shoulder. The King groans himself into a sitting position.


    "What is it, Viralia?" His voice was gravelly and low from a restless night of sleep, sending small reverberations through the room. The servant''s shoulders tighten.


    "Well, it''s time to begin preparations, Your Majesty, Sir." Viralia watches the King carefully, noticing the bags under his eyes and his exhausted demeanor. He nods and the servant snaps, doors flying open as a small crowd of servants piles in. He shifts his legs over the side of the bed, flipping the covers off, and rises. He walks to the center of the room, and some of the staff immediately get to work. Two of them strip the bed completely, hurrying out the door to clean the used bedspread, while another two bring in an identical set and begin reapplying the sheets, covers, and pillowcases. The King grunts as he raises his arms, another group of servants moving to remove the King''s sleepwear and don his intricately crafted, royal purple silk mantle. Viralia, waiting patiently on the side for His Majesty to be dressed, speaks up, "Sir, did you perhaps spend too much time in the Archives last night?" His eyes drift to Viralia, who, realizing she implied His Majesty had done something wrong, quickly attempts to stand even more upright than she previously was, stumbling through her words, "What I mean is that¡ª"


    "You are correct, Viralia. I did." He cuts off her trail of words, before his eyes flick straight ahead, staring at seemingly nothing. He palms the amethyst pendant bound around his neck, the one he hasn''t been able to take off since his coronation. She gingerly steps toward him.


    "Were you¡­ Ah... Successful in finding what you''ve been searching for?" Her voice hangs in the air for a moment, the King''s stare growing further.


    "No," His Majesty hangs his head low. "Not yet." Viralia shifts uncomfortably in place. The final decorations of his mantle are secured.


    "I apologize for speaking out of turn, Your Majesty, but I hope you find whatever it may be soon." The king''s eyes narrow as he lowers his arms and turns to face Viralia, who desperately wants to look away from him but knows she absolutely can not, as per her orders.


    "Yes. I hope so as well." His voice begins adjusting from his groggy morning croaking. He proceeds to exit his room, Viralia and servants in tow, following long corridors filled with ornate vases on railings surrounding a flourishing flower garden, and beautifully painted portraits of the previous Kings lining the walls between delicately etched marble pillars.


    "We need twenty staff on disturbance containment and another fiftee¡ª" Viralia''s voice drifts into nothing as the King''s mind begins to fill and he winces, raising his palm against his temple. "Your Highness, are you o¡ª"


    "Yes!" Booming louder than normal, Viralia freezes in place. He quickly recovers, "Yes, Viralia. Nothing more than a minor headache." She nods, before stepping in front and swiveling in place before the King.


    "Very well, I will call the healer to meet you in the throne room."


    She bows and hastily makes an exit through a side door.


    The King makes his way to the throne room, where he is greeted by the Royal Healer, Kendrick. His Majesty quickly excuses all of the guards from the room to speak with Kendrick one on one. The King has always considered Kendrick to be one of his closest allies, or even friends. They knew each other well before they themselves were subjected to the Ceremony. Growing up no more than a few houses down from each other in the tradesmen district, just a step up from the peasants. "What seems to be the problem, M''lord?"


    "Please, Kendrick. Drop the formalities. It is just us here." The King takes a seat on his throne and sighs deeply. Kendrick loses his preppy demeanor immediately.


    "Alright fine, what''s bothering you now Oswin?" He squats down and takes a seat gently on the floor. The King groans almost under his breath.


    "I spent all night searching again... This is the eighth time this month, Kendrick. I almost don''t know if what I''m looking for exists anymore.¡± He slouches down on his throne, smearing down his face with his hands. ¡°The Archives are so extensive, and I feel like I just keep looking over the same sections, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know,¡± Kendrick¡¯s voice cuts off the King¡¯s words, ¡°I¡¯m sure there is some knowledge about the curse somewhere in the Archives. There¡¯ll be more time to look later.¡± He drones, having heard this same story countless times over the past dozen years or so. His Majesty rolls his eyes at him. ¡°Regardless, Oswin, the Ceremony is going to be beginning soon. Now... I was called here for a reason, Viralia said you had a headache. Shall I?¡± the King nods and leans forward, Kendrick resting his hands against the sides of Oswin¡¯s head. A gentle green glow sends tingles throughout His Majesty¡¯s head, groaning in relief he lifts his head back up.


    ¡°Thank you, and¡­ I really do appreciate you sticking with me through all of these troubling years, friend,¡± He smiles softly toward Kendrick, who returns the fondness with a swift smack on the back.


    ¡°Are you kidding, the shit we¡¯ve been through? I¡¯d crawl through hell and earth for you. You¡¯re practically my brother. Although I¡¯d choose you over him any day.¡± He cackles and makes his exit through one of the many side doors that lead to various parts of your castle, his smile curling into a snarl as he leaves. Servants begin piling into the Grand Hall, preparing every vase, every painting, every plant, and every square inch of the palace to absolute perfection. Viralia walks in and steps before His Majesty.


    ¡°Are we ready to begin the ceremony, Your Royal Highness?¡± She bows before the King, who adjusts his posture to reflect his status. He closes his eyes and draws in the deepest breath he can muster, exhaling slowly and fully.


    ¡°I believe we are.¡± His eyes opened as the first of the doors swung open.


    His breath catches in his throat as he watches the eighteen-year-olds begin to file in, then the seventeens, sixteens, and fifteens. All of the children that have already been subjected to this cruel punishment, but luckily they are safe from further torture. So long as they follow orders¡­ just until he can find a way. The next door opens and children thirteen and under begin to file in, in descending order, all the way down to those who could barely walk at the age of four or five. Chatter begins to fill the room as the little ones struggle to restrain themselves, waiting for the last few to fall in line. Viralia, standing before the steps leading to His Majesty, raises her hand. Every kid¡¯s attention is pulled to her, and she quickly clenches into a fist in such a way it¡¯s as if all the air in the room was sucked out. Complete silence. She lowers her fist and clears her throat.


    ¡°It is time for the Royal Ceremony to commence!¡± She boasts loudly and clearly. The Grand Hall doors fly open, and the fourteen-year-old children walk down the middle aisle of the palace, heads looking left and right, scanning their surroundings. All of the kids on the older side begin commenting amongst themselves, almost like they are guessing which door each child will go to. Only once the fourteens reach the end of the carpet, just before His Majesty, does Viralia use the same motion as before to silence the room once again. Two servants step out of a fake wall-type door, carrying the ornately-crafted golden crown, heavily decorated with valuable jewels, the most valuable being the centerpiece of the crown, the Jewel of Brindovia. They place it delicately on a velvet cushion, on a pedestal a few feet to Viralia¡¯s side and hurriedly move to take their place by the wall. She confidently grabs the crown and approaches the first child, placing it on the little girl¡¯s head. The King stares at the child''s head, who is blinded by the stained glass windows bleeding sunlight, watching the crown intently. The jewel begins to swarm with a rainbow of colors, swirling and blending until it rests on a vibrant orange color.


    "Not them." He speaks almost with a sickened tone in his voice, but pulls his composure together, masking his disdain. The two servants who brought in the crown jog silently to the child as Viralia lifts the crown off them, their faces full of anxiety and curiosity. The look distorts into panic hearing the king, as she is lifted against her will and carried through the door to the right, not knowing what will happen to her. The next child steps up and the crown goes on. An emerald green color consumes the gem and the King nods his head with a soft, "Yes." Viralia removed the crown and they were escorted to the door on the left. The line continues to move as the King accepts or denies the children. One by one. Red, then blue, then yellow, red, orange, green. To those unaware, it almost seems incomprehensible. The Jewel determines the usefulness of the wearer''s Specialty and assigns it a color designation, at least, that''s what purpose they gave the crown where the gem is embedded. Red means the wearer is in no way gifted with a Specialty, they are let loose back to the poor district, blissfully unaware of any wrongdoings of the kingdom, unaware of magical abilities at all. Oranges and Yellows indicated the wearer does indeed have a Specialty, though it is either not very effective or not powerful enough to be useful. They are taken to the room on the right and slaughtered. Greens and blues were the sweet spots, powerful and effective Specialties that would be highly beneficial and sought after. Purples were quite rare and were the most dangerous. Most Parasitic Specialties fall into this category, being immediately taken to the room on the right, and they must be dealt with immediately and without prejudice. They could destroy a kingdom if left alive.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    An hour passes as the Ceremony continues, having gotten through nearly half of the children. The King drones through his judgments, ready to be done with this. Then a boy steps up, and the crown goes on. The King, having lost his will, looks through the boy, almost spacing out. The Jewel begins swarming with color once again, but, snapping him from his trance, it doesn''t immediately assign a color. He begins to stare hard at the Jewel, watching the interlacing colors with extreme focus. Orange, no blue, now it''s green. Blurring as they shift faster and faster, the Jewel begins to glow. The King begins to see images flashing, as he is sucked through his mind. Random recollections of others¡¯ memories. An image of seven silhouettes, each with a different color of immense aura radiating off of them, begins consuming his vision. He lets out a small croak of a sound and realizes no words begin forming, their presence has silenced even him, the King. White light fills his vision and as he squints, he can faintly make out a green outline of a figure, and as it draws nearer he sees the figure is nothing more than a tracing of a woman, made entirely of green pulsing energy. He can not discern any features at all from her and stands, gawking in awe, as she reaches forward with what would be her index finger, and touches the amethyst pendant around the king¡¯s neck, causing the slightest chip in the gem.


    A sudden rush takes over His Majesty, As he is slung into a timeless existence in the confines of his mind, he lands in between two shelves in a library. Taking in his surroundings, it dawns on him that he¡¯s actually in the Archives of his kingdom, but something is off. There isn¡¯t a single candle lit in this windowless space, yet it¡¯s still bright enough that he can see unaided. As he walks to the end of the aisle, he looks to either side and sees an infinite expanse of shelves, all stocked full of unseen journals, encyclopedias, and tomes, seemingly every piece of history has been precariously documented and stored in this expansive space, looking up he sees they seem to reach the highest point of the sky, every section full of dates in time.


    His Majesty bellows out a loud, ¡°Hello?¡±, his voice resonating off the neverending void of books before him. A sound, almost as if a whisper in his ear, pulls the attention of the King, who snaps his head to the direction it came from. It calls once more and the King starts helplessly stumbling toward it, drawing him down rows and rows of shelves before a speeding green light passes him down one of the aisles. He falls forward as he tries to run after the light, jumping up desperately to follow it, only catching glimpses as it turns corner after corner. The King exasperatedly gasps for breath, never having to move this much before, running further and further into the endless maze of skyscraping shelves, until he turns the next corner where the mysterious glow floats gently in place. Approaching the light, it moves toward a battered journal on the shelf. His Majesty guardedly reaches toward the journal and the green light dissipates as his fingers first make contact. He pulls it from the shelf and walks to the edge of the aisle, instinctively grabbing a candle as well as a tinderbox hung next to it off the end. After a few strikes, he lights the tinderbox and pulls a sulfur-tipped match out, igniting it and setting the candle alight. He hangs the candle back up and slides his back down the shelf, slowly regaining his breath, now realizing the candle wasn¡¯t necessary, but he leaves it be. It¡¯s comforting in a way.


    He stares at the front of the battered notebook, noticing there is not a speck of dust on it, but also nothing discernible on the surface itself, just a faded plain brown cover. Opening the journal, he is greeted with a language that he has never before seen. Turning to the next page he finds more of the same letters and symbols. He begins to flip frantically through the pages, trying to find anything that makes sense to him but it¡¯s completely unintelligible. He flips to a page with a drawing of a woman wearing a full set of golden armor, depicting her mid-battle, an enormous blaze spewing from her hands as she is soaring over armies of soldiers. Some writing is around the drawing in the margins, and as his eyes flutter from one note to the next, he lands upon a certain string of symbols that draws him in, he¡­ understands this one, symbols that could hopefully start to lead him to what he¡¯s been searching for. It¡¯s a name. Her name. He knows it is, but has no idea just.. How.. he knows. Infernia. Just thinking of the name causes the King to feel a warm aura. An image of the boy from the ceremony flashes through his mind as the name rings around in his head.


    A gradually increasing wall of sound breaks his trance. Glancing to either side down the rows, he sees the shelves in the farthest part of his perception violently begin rising or sinking into nothing, darkness following just behind. The sound roars like a waterfall, as, one by one, the shelves begin creaking and groaning, closing in on the King from both sides. It dawns on him as the shelves closest to him begin to shift that this mental construct he¡¯s in must be collapsing. Just as the last shelf shifts, bringing with it a deafening grinding sound that disorients the King, does he shout, jolting back into reality. His body reflexively inhales deeply as the trance breaks, it felt like he¡¯d been there an hour, but only a moment had passed here.


    Getting reoriented, His Majesty looks around to see the staff watching the boy in frozen horror, as all the color drains away and the Gem is left as a black stone. No one moves a muscle, a deadly silence covers the room. His Majesty looks at the boy and his eyes widen as a wispy orange glow, invisible to the naked eye, laps at the air like smoke. He feels the same warmth he felt just a moment ago. This boy¡­ He has to be... The King knows he must act before any one of his people can react to the stone. He stands and walks down to the boy, who he has so many questions for. He knows he can''t send the boy through the doors, and he most certainly can''t let him wander the kingdom, they would find him out and end him. There''s only one option he has if he ever wants a chance to meet this boy again. "Out." He knows this boy is probably going to hold a grudge against him. Possibly even resent him. But this is his only hope for survival, for a chance of learning who he is. He watches the boy, whose head spins from side to side, not understanding he''s just been sentenced to exile. His Majesty, masking any hint of disgust he felt toward his actions, booms out once more, "Get OUT!". The servants remove the crown and scoop the boy up by his arms, moving swiftly out the grand doors at the entrance.


    Viralia gawks at the King, who is still standing in place with clenched fists, having never seen such a visceral response from him. Pulling herself together, she steps forward and gingerly mutters, ¡°Your Majesty?¡± She clutches her hands and teeters softly in place awaiting a response, noticing the pendant has a small chip in it. Shit, that''s not good. I have to catch him after the ceremony so we can repair that. He finally draws a breath as if it were his first and releases his fists.


    ¡°Yes, my apologies, let us continue.¡± He saunters wearily back to his throne. Viralia waits anxiously as he calmly lowers down into his chair. As if His Majesty had flipped a switch upon sitting, Viralia promptly calls out.


    "Next!" The line scuffles forward, and she places the crown on the next child. The gem doesn''t shift, staying as black as onyx. Viralia steps forward and inspects the gem, giving it a little rap with her fingertip, her polite demeanor sinking into a frown. The child stands as still as possible, body shaking involuntarily. She removes the crown and examines it closely, but not seeing anything outwardly wrong with it she places it on the child again. Nothing. Her frown curls into the beginnings of a panic, thinking to herself, why the hell is this not working? We still have at least fifty kids that absolutely must be judged. What can we do... Maybe they could just lump the rest in with those who failed? There can''t be any risk of Specialties bleeding into the lower class. But surely some of the younger ones would begin having questions. Questions that we wouldn''t be able to give out answers to. What if we could somehow ensure they don''t develop Specialties¡­ some kind of procedure maybe? We don''t really know what causes them though so we would be doing so blindly. And how will we get the ones in line out without letting everyone know something is wrong? I need to think of something NOW. Just as she is about to begin spouting a vague semblance of a plan, a booming voice echoes over the hall.


    "We will be concluding the ceremony here!" The King stands tall in front of his throne, every pair of eyes in the room meeting his silhouette, "Those who have not endured judgment are free to return home. Everyone else may return to your daily lives."


    Viralia turns toward His Majesty, fire in her eyes, mind racing, What is he DOING? He is going to ruin everything we''ve spent generations building up! Is this because of his pendant cracking? He shouldn''t even be able to make decisions of his own free will. If we don''t repair that now then we''re all in trouble. Before she can perform any sort of crowd control, she turns back to find all of the children filing out, hundreds moving and talking amongst themselves, too many to stop. She snaps her head back to the throne and sees that it''s empty.


    A side door gently swaying catches her eye and she throws herself toward it, knocking down some servants in the way. Stumbling forward she passes through the doorway to see the hallway is empty. Sprinting to the end and looking both ways down the corridor she catches a glimpse of His Majesty''s purple mantle slipping into a room, the Archives. She charges the doors and yanks at the handles but the doors don''t budge. The bastard locked it. Damn it. I have to get to the other entrance before he does. She takes off again down one corridor after another, up a flight of stairs, and slides in front of the doors, catching the door handle to stop her momentum. She pulls on the doors, but again they don''t move. Placing one foot on the door she heaves against the other, attempting to pry it open. Still no avail. Son of a BITCH! That damn goody two-shoes keeps getting in the way of the plan. He can''t find out about Brindovia! She begins throwing herself against the door hoping to bust it down, but these doors are constructed to stop a battering ram. Gasping for air, she slumps her back down the door, until her bottom hits the floor. There''s no other way in there¡­ damn it. I pray to God that Kendrick hid those notes well enough otherwise Oswin could destroy this entire kingdom.

 Chapter 5: The Archives

    His Majesty grips the door handles, holding it shut against Viralia''s best efforts to open it, but soon the banging ends and he stands still, not sure whether to let go or not. His fingers gently lift off and reach for the lock, swiping it shut. ¡°God¡¯s blood¡­¡± He swears with a pant, finally releasing his hands, and he takes in a swallow of air before turning his back to the door. Looking around as if he¡¯s never stepped foot in here before, a feeling of tightness wells in his chest. Why was someone chasing me? And why would they be trying so hard to get in¡­?  Stepping off into the Archives, he begins to palm and examine his pendant, rubbing his thumb over the chip in the top of the gem. Infernia¡­ I don''t think I''ve seen anything on her here. He begins to wander through rows of shelves as if being led by something, his focus on examining the pendant still. Infernia. Who could she be? How have I not heard of her? Stuck too deep in his thoughts, he doesn¡¯t notice he¡¯s reached the end of the walkway, smacking face-first right into the wall and stumbling back onto the ground.


    That''s what I get for not looking where I¡¯m going. Groaning, he picks his head up and moves to hold his now throbbing forehead. After rubbing his injury he takes a better look at the wall, noticing this segment between the pillars is different than the rest. He rests his palm against the solid panel, and raps his index finger against it, making a hollow thud. Hmm.. is there something behind this? He runs his hands along the wall, feeling for any subtle notches, bumps, or anything to find a seam. Unable to find anything, he rears his fist back and lands a blow against the panel, immediately recoiling with a shout and cradling his hand. Damn it, that¡¯s solid. He sits still for a minute, taking repeated deep breaths. God, I¡¯ll need to have Kendrick look at this. Regaining his composure he looks back toward the panel.


    So if it¡¯s too hard to hit through, and there isn¡¯t a seam to be found, then maybe there¡¯s a switch nearby? Moving to the shelves closest, he begins to skim over the titles to try and find one that sticks out amongst the rest. Nothing here. Heading to the next row down, he finds nothing of interest. The next one is more old journals and documents. Where is it?! Now losing hope he continues shelf after shelf, skimming every title, grasping for straws at this point. Finally reaching his breaking point, he begins slinging books from the shelves, swiping whole rows of papers onto the floor. Nothing seemed to open the panel so, as a last-ditch effort, he takes a few steps further back and charged at the wall, throwing his shoulder directly into the wall¡­ No change. Pain shoots through his upper torso from his shoulder and he lets out a loud, ¡°AGH!¡±, as he slides down against the wall the panel lives in. God dammit. Why did I try that again?


    As he sits slumped, holding his now fragile arm, his will whispering in his ear to give up, he begins to hear a voice. It sounds so faint that he was struggling to notice it was there, but he was sure he heard it. His eyes dart from the ground and begin scouring the shelves closest to the wall. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s looking for, but for some reason, his body is telling him to keep looking, harder than he has ever searched before. His stare falls onto one shelf off to the right, a completely barren shelf but he is drawn to it. Pushing himself off the ground, wincing as he used his injured arm to lift himself up and walks over to it. Carefully, he places his hand on the far left side and begins sliding it to the right, collecting the dust on the shelf until his fingers bump into something, just before the other edge. There isn¡¯t anything in the way, but his finger stopped. Did that... Just happen? Looking closer, he sees a spot with no dust in the shape of a book, right where his finger hit something. Suspiciously, he grabs where the spine would be, and his hand grasps hold of an unseeable block. After pulling it from the shelf, the cloaking dissipates and he sees he¡¯s holding an old farming book. W¡­ What the hell? Why would something like this need to be hidden? He opens to the first page and is greeted with basic farming techniques for growing simple grains. Flipping further ahead, he finds recipes for fertilizer and using compost. Is this seriously it?! Groaning in frustration he throws the book and it lands open-faced up, in front of the panel. Furrowing through his hair, unsure of what to do now, he begins stomping back toward the section in the wall. Passing by the book, his eye catches on a small green wisp. His body freezes and he rigidly turns back, peering into the pages, and finding a strange phrase written in a completely different language from the rest of the book. Pervidoculis impestatis¡­ What does that mean? It sounds almost like¡­ a spell. Maybe this is what I needed? Hesitantly he stands in front of the panel and rereads the phrase out loud, ¡°Pervidoculis impestatis¡±. He looks up and sees nothing is different. Clearing his throat, he stands taller and boasts his voice slightly, ¡°Pervidoculis Impestatis!¡± Once again, it doesn¡¯t budge. Son of a sinner, why won¡¯t this WORK?! Giving everything he has, he closes his eyes and shouts, ¡°PERVIDOCULIS IMPESTATIS!¡± A green light seeps through his shut lids and he peeks through, a whirlpool of green energy swirls from the center of the panel, and begins to vanish, taking the wall with it. ¡°U-uh¡­¡± Caught off guard, he takes a step back. Oh my god, I did it? Delicately, he approaches and tests the hole by waving his hand through, it meeting nothing but air. I did it! Okay¡­ So what is so important they had to hide it this well?


    He pushes himself into the hole and begins crawling through. Moving forward about ten feet before reaching the end, he stumbles out of the hole and lands with his back on the ground, letting out a grunt as the air escapes his lungs. Wheezing slightly as he gets back up, he examines his surroundings through slightly welled eyes. Wiping the pain from his face, he takes in his surroundings, he¡¯s inside the base of a tower, and curved shelves line every inch of the walls. A spiral staircase sits in the middle, going up into the darkness, and he notices the shelves are all empty. What is this place? Why is there a hidden area of the Archives? An unsettling air creeps into his chest. Who would need to keep something away from me? He trods up the stairs, counting each one as he goes, trying to maintain some semblance of order in his mind. One, two, three¡­forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven¡­ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred. The steps keep going. He starts to notice small slips of paper and little journals start scattering the shelves as he reaches higher. He loses count around 200, seeing thicker stacks of bound pages, and scrolls, the shelves filling out more. Starting to get lost in all this hidden knowledge, he doesn¡¯t realize he¡¯s approaching the top and bangs his head against a trapdoor. Recoiling and rubbing the top of his skull, he gives it a slight push with his other hand. Hm¡­ Unlocked. I guess they didn¡¯t expect anyone to get back here. He flips the door open and climbs up. Immediately going to one of the four tall, skinny windows facing each of the cardinal directions, he checks to see where he¡¯s at compared to the kingdom, only to see a large stone brick wall in front of him, obscuring any outside surroundings. What? Running to the next, he sees another tall wall. What is happening here? Going to the other two, the same sight greets him. So, this must be entirely meant to be a secret. Finally turning to the room, there are many strange artifacts around the room on pedestals and a few small shelves filled with sequential bound books. A breeze blows by his hair, making him swing around and his gaze falls onto another shelf, cluttered with unorganized scrolls, notebooks, and paper scraps. Being drawn to it, he seats himself in front of the slew of paper, bringing forth the first article he can grab and opening it up. He finds some ancient history of the kingdom when it was first established as a named village. No, this doesn¡¯t feel like what I¡¯m looking for. He closes it and sets it to his side to start a pile. Spending the next ten to fifteen minutes pulling out different scrolls and books, finding random bits of history, sorcery, and different knowledge until he grabs hold of a scroll that sends a shiver through his body. Examining the outside closer, he senses a strange energy emanating from it. I think¡­ this is it. He carefully unravels the scroll, and upon reading the first word, it vanishes, embedding itself into his mind. W-what. The next word disappears. Is it¡­ are they burning into my brain? Continuing through the scroll, sentences fade and move, as new ones fill in from the bottom. Moving past the awe of the moving words, he starts processing what he¡¯s reading about. It tells about a tiny village, built amid a newly sprouting forest. It seems they¡¯ve only just found this place a few years ago.


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    Suddenly, as the words meld into his brain, his vision blurs. Blinking to try and clear his sight, his eyes become blinded by the light. After adjusting for a moment he finds he isn¡¯t in the tower but in the middle of the village itself. He immediately notices he is much lower to the ground, and tries standing up, only to realize he already is. He looks down at his hands and is met with dainty, child-like palms. Am I¡­ seeing someone¡¯s memory? Before he can take his first small step, a woman¡¯s voice from behind cuts him off.


    ¡°Cayna! Don¡¯t go off too far, I need you to stay within earshot, okay? It¡¯s going to be dark soon¡± The body he¡¯s seeing through turns back out of its own will, and a child¡¯s voice escapes his throat.


    ¡°Okay, Mommy! I jus¡¯ wanna play with the others!¡± They turn back and begin running down the trodden-down dirt path. Oswin begins thinking to himself, It seems I¡¯m seeing through the eyes of a young girl. If this is just a memory, then I suppose I won¡¯t be able to interact. Who is this girl? Passing by a few other villagers, each doing their daily tasks, she reaches a field where there are six other little girls all on their knees chasing a little frog hopping around. ¡°Hey! I finished my chores!¡±


    All of the other girls hoot and cheer and Cayna runs up, diving right over the top of the others, and grasping both hands around the frog. Mud slings everywhere, as rain had just fallen the night before, and everyone starts giggling.


    ¡°Caynaaa, you got mud all over me!¡± One of the older girls pipes up, a small hint of frustration seeping through. Cayna giggles and rolls over, her hands still closed.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Well, look what I got!¡± Cayna chirps and the rest of the girls crowd around, the older one included. Oswin takes note of each of the girl¡¯s appearances in this moment Cayna can see them, They all have similar faces, are these girls all siblings? They look so close in age¡­ Twins maybe? They certainly look like pairs¡­ except for that little one, she seems to be alone¡­ The youngest is standing a few feet back, head sunken and not actively participating. She opens her hands and the frog is sat on her palm, jumping at the first sight of freedom and landing directly on the face of the girl who whined. She shrieks and falls backward into the mud.


    ¡°Get it off! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff!¡± Thrashing around, not wanting to touch it herself.


    ¡°Hold still, Mira! I can¡¯t get it if you keep wiggling!¡± One of the middle twins reaches for, whom he now knows as Mira, the girl¡¯s face, trying to claw it off.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying, Aisha!¡± The other of the middle two mocks the first.


    ¡°OH! Like that¡¯s any help, Tesni!¡± Aisha snaps back, finally plucking the frog off Mira¡¯s face, while the youngest two and Cayna sit giggling at them. As Oswin watches on, he thinks to himself, So we have Cayna, who I am currently embodying¡­ and then Mira, Aisha, and Tesni¡­ I wonder who the younger two are¡­ and that little one. Why am I being shown this? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Who are these girls? Why is this important?


    Mira sits up, whining due to mud caking her hair, and glares at the younger girls and Cayna. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you four try to do anything? That was so gross!¡± she practically hisses at us.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sis, I should¡¯ve thought it would have only wanted to attack you,¡± Cayna replies sarcastically and lets out a hearty laugh as Mira stands up covered in mud, falling back into it herself.


    ¡°You are definitely cleaning my clothes tonight. Or else I¡¯ll tell Mom you pushed me.¡± Her foot taps against the wet ground.


    The other girls let out a cacophony of ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± and ¡°You¡¯re so mean, sis!¡±, but are hushed by Cayna.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay girls, I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s only fair.¡± She picks herself up, continuing, ¡°But it¡¯ll be easier if we let this dry out, let¡¯s play another game!¡± Mira scoffs but begrudgingly agrees.


    ¡°Ooh, what kind of game is it Cay?¡± One of the youngest twins speaks for the first time.


    ¡°Well, Nephele, you all go hide somewhere and I won¡¯t look, and then after a few minutes, I¡¯ll come to find you! Whoever is last wins.¡± Cayna explains the rules, and the rest of the girls get excited and prepare to run. I remember this game, I used to play this when I was a child.


    ¡°Oooh, that sounds like fun,¡± a few of them hoots.


    ¡°Alright, everyone go and hide, and I¡¯ll come find you!¡± She covers her face and listens as the footsteps recede in different directions. After some time passes, she opens her eyes, ¡°Ready or not, here I come!¡± She spends the next fifteen to twenty minutes searching for her sisters, finding Nephele and Tesni first, hiding together behind a hay wagon. Terra was next, sitting up in a tree about eight feet. Looking over a small ridge that drops a few feet, she finds Aisha squatting down, trying not to giggle. More minutes pass, and the sky starts to slowly creep a golden yellow. The younger girls she¡¯s found are waiting patiently at the spot they started. Finally, she finds Mira, who had hidden behind one of the houses between a few stacked barrels. ¡°Found you all! Mira wins!¡± Cayna shouts as she runs back with Mira to the other girls.


    A woman¡¯s voice in the distance calls out, ¡°Girls, it¡¯s time to come home!¡±


    Everyone lets out a pouty, ¡°Aww¡­¡±, before beginning to walk back to the house, with Cayna staying at the back of the pack. Weren¡¯t there six of them? I only see five¡­


    They reach the house, to which the mother says, without looking up, ¡°Go clean up and get ready for dinner.¡± She turns her head and gasps, ¡°Where¡¯s Bela?!¡± That¡¯s right, the littlest one. Bela¡­


    All of the girls search their immediate surroundings and a slew of ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± follow.


    ¡°Oh my gods, where is she,¡± The mother mutters to herself as she dashes past the kids, ¡°BELA!¡±


    The sisters all go on ahead to go wash up, Cayna staying back and turning to help Mom, ¡°Bela! Where are you?¡± A small figure steps out from inside a bush nearby, her dark clothes having kept her hidden in the shadows.


    ¡°I¡¯m here Mommy¡­ They didn¡¯t find me¡­¡± Bela twists her foot in the dirt, not making eye contact. Poor child. Getting forgotten like that.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods, you¡¯re okay. Let¡¯s get you inside and cleaned up,¡± she ushers the youngest past Cayna, who trods along behind her mother. ¡°Go wash up, Cayna. Dinner is going to be done in a few minutes. And get out of those filthy clothes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy,¡± Cayna takes off to a water trough to scrub the mud from her arms and face. The other girls have already gone inside. The water is gently rippling from the breeze. Just as she goes to put her hands in the water, she freezes. What is she doing? She stares into the trough, and the water stops, suddenly settling into a perfect mirror. Her eyes seem to be staring through herself. Her mouth moves, saying four simple words, ¡°You can trust her.¡± W-what? Her hands splash in the water, and Oswin blinks, suddenly back in the tower, staring at a blank scroll. What could that possibly mean? Trust who?

 Chapter 6: The Forest

    My eyes flutter open as I lay in bed, beginning to doubt what I saw the night before. Why would Raina be out in the middle of the woods like that? Late-night hunting? No, that wouldn¡¯t make sense¡­ Maybe she¡¯s looking for something? I don¡¯t get much further in my thoughts before a knock at the door snaps me to attention.


    ¡°Hey, hurry up in there. We let you sleep in a little ¡®cause of last night, but we¡¯re just about ready to move out.¡± Joffrey calls through the door.


    ¡°Sure, sorry, here I come,¡± I swing my legs off the edge and put pressure on the ground, a stinging sensation travels up my leg. I let out a gasp, and push myself up off the bed, almost falling forward from the painful feeling in my feet. I walk to the door and grip the handle, and another stinging pain courses up my arm. Fighting the pain, I pull the door open and step out, the sun shining brightly overhead. Joffrey is standing by the door, and I see the rest of the group packing up necessities over by the firepit.


    ¡°You alright, kid? You look like hell,¡± He smirks.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ my feet. And my hands. They¡¯re like¡­ burning still,¡± I examine the scars, noticing they¡¯ve faded ever so slightly. These just happened, how could they be going away already?


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just give you a light load then. Silven and I can pick up the slack,¡± he runs his thumb under the strap across his chest, attached to his bag.


    ¡°I appreciate it¡­¡± I start to walk to the group, but Joffrey stops me with a tap on the shoulder, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look¡­ I just want to say thank you,¡± He hangs his head, hair halfway covering his face.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Okay, but what for?¡± I gaze inquisitively.


    ¡°For saving my life¡­ last night,¡± His voice made my heart feel warmer, he really means it, ¡°That beast had winded me and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to move fast enough. If you really did stop it, then I owe you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I want to help you guys, you¡¯ve already saved me from the outside here.¡± I smile wide, ignoring the searing feeling in my hands and feet.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose we did,¡± he lets out a chuckle, ¡°But I still owe you one.¡±


    I walk off to the others, who are wrapping up packing the last few things, and go directly up to Silven, making sure to acknowledge Raina and Gontu with a little, ¡°Good morning¡±. He¡¯s already packed me a smaller bag and he hands it to me by the strings.


    Joffrey walks up to the group and announces, ¡°Alright guys, are we ready to head out? Got everything we need from here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± everyone says unanimously.


    ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s get moving, we need to find a spot before sundown.¡± He starts to walk South, directly away from the Kingdom, with the rest of us in tow. I turn around to see Gontu wandering in a completely different direction and I tap on Joffrey¡¯s arm. He follows my gaze and sees Gontu as well, shouting out to him, ¡°Where are you going, Gontu? We¡¯re going this way!¡±


    A slew of incoherent rambling comes from the old man, who is waving his walking stick around in the air before he finally metaphorically shoves us off and disappears into a different part of the forest. I turn to Joffrey with my face stuck in a ¡°Huh?¡± position, and he just shrugs.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just keep moving, he somehow manages to just kind of¡­ turn up¡­ perfectly fine,¡± Joffrey states before starting to walk off again. I glance at Raina and see her expression disguising disgust as she turns from where Gontu entered the forest. I wonder what that look was for?


    As we traverse through miles of the thick forest, Joffrey occasionally stops to pick a few leaves or berries off of plants, telling us things like how the Vitrablossom leaves are good for bandages because they secrete a gel-like substance that has healing properties and the leaf itself acts as a binding, or these berries are really good for roasting, or avoid these plants because they can kill you with the hundreds of very tiny spines coated with toxins.


    The sky begins to skew a golden-yellow color, and we agree to quickly find a place to set up camp for the night. We find a clear water creek and Joffrey quickly produces a few small axes and shovels from nearby resources. We chop down a few trees and take long sections of logs, and stand them on their ends into holes we dug, creating a sort of perimeter with the water-side open, finishing as the night sky begins to take over. Raina sets up a campfire, and Silven takes out some fish he caught while Joffrey, Raina, and I were setting up camp.


    "So¡­" I mutter to Joffrey as he takes the fish and starts roasting it, Raina sits as far from the fire as she can, and Silven starts skipping rocks down the creek, "How far do we have to go?"


    "Well, we have a few more days of travel ahead of us. Those beasts can track a very long distance," he grimaces as he bends over to stoke the fire, "They are probably not very far behind us, but this log wall should keep us covered for the night."


    I sit on one of the log pieces we set around the pit, and my legs, numb from the long trek, begin to ache, and the searing sensation trickles back in. I suck air through my teeth as I remove my shoe, worn and torn from years of use. Examining the scars, I see they''ve faded even further, "Joffrey, do you know why these are fading like this?"


    He walks over and crouches down, taking a close look at the tendrils, "Hmm¡­" he sits and ponders for a moment, "I think it could have something to do with the amount of energy you expel." He places his hand on my leg and creates the same purple aura he did before, a cooling sensation creeps into my leg and relieves some of the pain, "When I tested you, that must not have been a release of much energy. But when we faced the beast, from what you described, it sounded like you were producing more energy than your body could handle, and it started to use your body''s life energy to amplify your output."


    "So these marks aren''t burns?"


    "They are," he rubs his hand over his face, pulling against the skin as he tries to form an explanation, "But not traditional burns. Your body can replace your life energy slowly, but if too much is used up at once, then you can reach a point of no return."


    "Oh, so that''s why it''s fading? I''m slowly regaining my life energy?" I stretch my leg out and roll my ankle, the burning feeling not nearly as prominent as before. Wow, I still don''t really know how it works but his Specialty is incredible.


    "It''s¡­ a possible explanation. Like I said the other day, we really don''t know much at all about Symbiotic Specialties, for all we know you may not even be Symbiotic. But I think it''s safe to say you aren''t Parasitic because you''re clearly able to have some control over it." He stands back up and walks back to the fire, taking the fish from the skewers. Silven hears this and throws one last rock, skipping down the creek maybe twenty feet before sinking, and he comes back to the fire to help Joffrey cut up the fish. "Maybe after a while, we can begin work on tapping into your Specialty again."


    "Are you sure? I don''t want to hurt myself more." My eye line falls to the dirt, and I flip over a flat stone with my foot, trying to avoid eye contact. Silven pipes into the conversation, reassuring me.


    "Well that''s what we''re here for," He hands me a chunk of the fish and walks off to Raina, who has been sitting silently in the background with her eyes closed. Why does she never involve herself? I guess she''s just a really quiet person¡­ Silven mumbles something unintelligible and Raina opens one eye, snatching the fish without a word and tearing into it. He comes back and continues, taking a seat next to me, "We''ll do what we can to stop you if you go too far."


    Joffrey adds, smirking, "I wouldn''t have suggested it if I didn''t think we could handle it.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair¡­¡± I curl my knees up to my chest and gaze into the fire, cradling the fish in my hands. The others finish their food relatively quickly, but I''m too stuck in thought to eat my own. Why have I been dreaming for so long? I''m ready to be home now¡­


    "You alright buddy?" Silven''s voice breaks my thought and I glance in his direction, his face full of worry, "You uhm¡­ you haven''t eaten yet, are you okay?"


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Yeah¡­ yeah I''m okay," my eyes fall back to the fish and I hesitantly bring it to my mouth, and after a moment of debate, I finally take a bite, fighting to chew and swallow it down.


    Suddenly we all hear a very distant roar, the same roar as the beast we fought the night before. My body freezes in place, but Joffrey throws down the last bites of his fish and nearly dives toward the fire, Silven following right behind. They knock the burning lumber across the grass and hurriedly stamp out the last flames and embers. Raina climbs to the top of the log wall and looks out over the forest. We''re plunged into darkness, and just as I''m about to question why, Silven rushes to me and very quietly shushes me.


    "Why are we being so quiet?" I whisper to him.


    ¡°Those things can see a hell of a lot farther than you think,¡± he matches my volume, crouching down, ¡°We should try to get a little rest while we still can.¡±


    Joffrey sneaks over, ¡°They can see the smoke, even this dark at night. We need to stay very quiet, and get some shut-eye before that thing gets too close,¡± he murmurs.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I reply, wrapping up my fish and putting it in my bag, then laying down on the ground. Silven lies down nearby and Joffrey takes a seat on the log and shuts his eyes. I stare blankly at Joffrey for a moment before asking quietly, "Are you going to sleep too?"


    "Raina and I will keep an ear out, you two get some rest," Joffrey reassures me. Just then Raina hops down and lands with barely a ruffle of the leaves.


    "We''ve got three, maybe four hours before they''re too close." Raina says, keeping quiet. Wow, that''s the first time she''s spoken since we''ve left camp, she''s got a really soft-sounding voice, honestly. I can''t tell if that''s more sweet or scary though¡­


    "Sounds good. Hopefully, we can see the first bouts of the sun by then," Joffrey rolls his back and sits up straight, taking a deep breath in and stretching his arms to the sky. "Now then, get some rest, Salem."


    "Yes sir." I yawn and shut my eyes, my thoughts beginning to wander. I hope I finally wake up at home, how long has it been? Has it even been a day yet? I wonder if my parents have gotten anything to eat¡­


    Before I could realize it, I''m being nudged awake. Ugh, five more minutes¡­ I get nudged again and my eyes flutter open and I see it''s the earliest hour of the morning, the first rays of sun bleeding into the sky. I turn over and see Joffrey crouched next to me, holding a finger to his lips. Oh crap, the beast. I fling myself off the ground and see he and Raina packed up the necessities while Silven and I had slept, so we were able to quickly get ready and begin treading through the creek. A roar fills the air and I turn back, seeing a massive gush of fire reaching far above the treeline about half a mile away. Oh my god, that''s too close.


    "Come on, hurry. We need to get out of this area as fast and quietly as possible," Joffrey ushers us into an opening in the dense brush and follows close behind. I''m right behind Silven, slipping between branches and limbs, occasionally getting whipped as Silven passes one that snaps back to position. I look over my shoulder for a moment and Raina is right behind me with Joffrey in tow. Okay, we''re all together. We dash through the brush as fast as we can for what felt like an hour, finally hearing the roar farther away than before and stopping for a moment to catch our breaths. Silven hands me a water canteen as we''re both gasping for air and I take a giant swig, coughing as some enters my windpipe. I hand it back and he chugs some down as well.


    Joffrey and Raina examine the forest ahead and point out a semi-clear path that we can follow. Feeling a bit better, besides a little choking, we continue onward into the woods, slower this time. Finally having a chance to think straight, I look at my arms and hands, the scars have almost completely faded now as well as most of the pain. These marks are so weird¡­ At least now I can probably be okay if I use my power again. That''ll be fun! That beast sounds scary though¡­


    We walk for the better part of the day, trying to take as few breaks as possible to gain some distance from the beast. We pass a smaller creek, giving us a chance to refill our near-empty canteens and keep pushing on. After night falls we finally take a break, and get a couple hours of sleep before pushing onward under the dark sky. Another day and night go by without any incident, and with our food supplies starting to dwindle, we begin searching for an area to settle a new proper camp. Eventually, after a few more miles we found the mother load, just a couple of hours into the morning. A beautiful large pond, maybe 200 feet wide, full of aquatic flora and life. Pernberry bushes are growing on the far right side of the water, and Silven and I bounce energetically on the ground. Joffrey walks up to the pond and scoops up some water, carefully checking the contamination level. He brings it to his mouth and slurps it from his palm, turning back to talk to us.


    "It''s good. There seems to be another small stream of water that runs through this body of water." He points to a water run-off spot where the stream flows down further. We all take the opportunity and jump in, cleansing off nearly a week of sweat and grime that has built up. The dirt flows away as we finally relax for a moment and bask in the sun. I''m floating on my back and the top of my head bumps into something hard. Tilting my head back into the water, I meet eyes with Silven, who is staring back the same way as me. We burst out giggling, and he sinks under the surface, spitting a mouthful of water out like a fountain as he comes back up. We spent the next half hour swimming and cooling off, then it was time to set up a more permanent resting place.


    Joffrey, Raina, Silven and I start working toward creating a clearing in the forest, large enough for a couple of cabins. Taking around three or four hours, long enough for the sun to be overhead, we emptied out a good amount of space but needed just a bit more. At this point, my arms are dragging, and I''m ready to stop. Joffrey''s ability to make these axes strong is nice, but god is this exhausting¡­ What if I tried using my power? Maybe Joffrey could help me¡­? I walk over to him sizing up some of the logs and give him a small poke in the arm.


    "Yeah, kid?" He acknowledges without turning to me.


    "Do you think¡­ maybe I can use¡­ m-my power? To maybe cut some of these trees?" I freeze up as I sputter over my words.


    "No, I don''t think that''s a good idea. You still need to learn control over it." He answers sternly.


    "B-but¡­ how can I do that¡­ I-if you aren''t going to teach me?" I ask, cowering down as he turns to face me before he responds.


    "I will. But not now. Go see if Silven or Raina needs any help at the moment. Then once we get settled in, we can take a crack at it," He lines his ax up to cut the log at an approximate length and raises his arm high, swinging down hard enough to cleanly chop the log in two.


    "Okay¡­" I kick up some dust and wander off over to Raina, who doesn''t pay me much mind, so I don''t bother trying to talk to her. I meander my way to Silven, who is chopping away at trees, clearing more space for the cabins.


    "Hey! What''s up, Salem?¡± his cheerful tone gave me warm feelings inside.


    "Just, uh¡­ Trying to help out however I can," I sheepishly reply.


    "Great! Wanna help me cut up these trees?" He points to another ax lying on the ground nearby, and I hastily grab it.


    "Yeah, definitely!"


    An hour or so passes and we''ve cleared out an area large enough, then we begin working on cutting the logs to the right lengths, stacking them with layers of clay-like mud to fill any holes between. We make three different rooms, one for each of the adults, and one for me and Silven to share. We get the roof done rather quickly, and by the time we''ve got a full cabin built, it''s still early in the afternoon. Silven and I are sat by the edge of the pond chatting, with our legs dipping in, basking in the sun with a cool breeze blowing through,


    "What about¡­ me versus twenty angry Squirbunnies?" Silven asks with a chuckle.


    "Hmm¡­ Definitely the Squirbunnies,"  I burst out laughing as he was taken aback, his betrayed look followed by his dramatic response.


    "Wow, Salem, you dare think so low of me?" He mimics a stab to the heart, sputtering out, "Oh, you''ve hurt me so!" He collapses back onto the grass, opening his mouth and drooping his tongue out with an "Eeegh" sound.


    We laugh for a moment, then Silven sits up, yanks his tunic off, and begins sloshing into the water, diving in once he reaches knee depth.


    Joffrey walks up as I watch Silven swim about, and he gives me a little nudge.


    "Hey.. uhm.." he mumbles like he''s trying to find the words. "Could we¡­ talk?¡±


    "Yeah, is everything okay?" I pat the ground next to me and he slips off his shoes, sitting down and dipping his feet in the water as well.


    "Well¡­ I uh¡­ When things¡­ Uhm¡­"


    "Are you okay, Joffrey?¡± I give him a teasing nudge with my elbow.


    "Yeah, yeah¡­ just¡­ You know." He groans and aggressively ruffles his hair, and clears his throat, "I just wanted to talk about¡­ Well¡­"


    Silven breaks the surface of the water a little way out, hollering, "Guys, I think I made one of the fish mad!" As he says this, Joffrey and I notice a ripple under the water, quickly approaching Silven. As it closes in, the fish flies out of the water and slaps against the back of Silven''s head, causing him to smack his face into the water. I can''t help but laugh at the sight, looking over and seeing Joffrey chuckling as well.


    Silven comes back up and sees us laughing and shouts, "Hey, don''t be making fun of me now for that!" Before diving back under in our direction.


    As our laughs die off, I turn back to Joffrey, who, for the first time since I''ve been out here, is smiling wide. He notices me staring and his face flushes red, sputtering over his words even more than before. "Well¡­ Yeah, anyways¡­" He hurriedly stands up before continuing, "Good talk! Good talk¡­" he says, mumbling as he begins to shyly stumble away. I watch as he walks away, my sight getting drawn to the sky by a stack of dark clouds rising into the sky in the direction opposite of where we came from.


    "Hey, Joffrey?" I holler over my shoulder, to which he turns back around.


    "Yeah?"


    "Is that smoke?"

 Chapter 7: The Village

    I peer over Joffrey¡¯s shoulder as he stares through a bush we¡¯ve taken cover behind. Making sure to stay low, I look forward and see a small building, no more than a room or two big with a small plot of crops growing in front. It¡¯s been a few hours since I first spotted the smoke, and we took a little time to gear up before heading to check it out. Joffrey throws a hand signal up and Silven nods, slinking up into a nearby tree, and scoping out further into the landscape. I shift uncomfortably in place while we wait. Why do we have to do all this? It seems unnecessary. After a minute, he slides back down.


    ¡°I see more buildings in the distance, and there are¡­ people?¡± He crouches down next to us.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a village. I¡¯ve heard rumors there are a few of them outside the kingdom, but there aren¡¯t any records that I¡¯ve seen in the Archives¡­¡± Joffrey scrunches his brow, tossing ideas back and forth in his head, and I hear him mumble under his breath, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they have any records of this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re friendly?¡± I give Joffrey a nudge to break his trance and point through the shrubs, his eyes follow my finger, and we see that a middle-aged man has stepped outside. He¡¯s wearing tattered clothing and a beat up hat, a harsh line on his once-light skin tone darkened by hours upon hours of being under the hot sun. He makes his way over to his plants and begins to water them. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem too violent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you may be right. But we should probably lay low for a while, see if anything stands out.¡± Joffrey hunkers down, getting ready to spend most of the day here, but something in me feels as though I¡¯m being physically dragged toward the village. My body, almost of its own will, steps forward through the bush. Wait, why can''t I stop myself? Stop moving. Stop. Joffrey and Silven try calling my name in hushed tones and quietly grabbing at me to pull me back, but their voice falls on deaf ears.


    My body moves toward the man, and I glance over my shoulder to see Silven and Joffrey waiting anxiously for something bad to happen. The man notices me and gives me a pleasant smile.


    ¡°Hello young man, I haven¡¯t seen you around here before. Are you traveling from one of the nearby villages?¡± His voice was gentle and warm, and his body was very relaxed, easing my mind just a bit. So, I guess it isn¡¯t unusual for strangers to pass through here? How many villages are out here?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Well¡­ Not exactly? I¡­¡± The drive that pushed me to walk out here rapidly dissipated, and my thoughts began crashing into each other, stopping me from getting out a complete sentence. I assume that Joffrey and Silven realized there wasn¡¯t a threat because the man¡¯s focus shifts over my shoulder, and turning back I see them making their way over.


    ¡°I suppose these two are your underlings?¡± The man jokes quietly to me, his face straight before cracking into a smile in such a way I can''t help but chuckle back and nod. He adjusts himself and speaks loudly, "You must be with this fine young man right here."


    ¡°Hello, yes. I apologize for Salem, he likes to wander sometimes,¡± Joffrey answers as he plants himself next to me, ¡°My name is Joffrey and he is Silven.¡± Joffrey gestures toward Silven, who leisurely raises his hand with a nod.


    ¡°Well then, Salem, Joffrey, and Silven. Welcome to the village, my name is Odel, have you lived around here for long?¡± His smile grows, and he begins motioning us to walk with him as we talk. The three of us follow beside him, and Joffrey takes hold of responding for the group.


    ¡°We¡¯ve just settled down a couple of days ago, really. Found a nice plot to build.¡± Joffrey stretches upward, groaning before continuing, ¡°Took a couple of days of work, but we¡¯ve got an adequate place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, we love meeting new people here," Odel continues, "This village is home to around 130 individuals, and we see a lot of travelers coming through. Though we don''t often have new folks settling down here."


    "Why is that?¡± asks Silven, "It''s beautiful around here."


    "Well, since we are rather small, we don''t have a lot to offer," Odel''s voice twinges, his body slumping ever so slightly. Is he upset that people aren¡¯t staying here? His body perks back up immediately, "We have a blacksmith, a bowyer and fletcher, a tailor, and a little market for trading goods. But beyond that you''ll have to find a more populated area for more specific goods. There is a larger village not too far from here that holds an annual festival, I do believe it is coming up soon as well."


    I glance over and see Silven''s eyes sparkling at the mention of a bowyer, and he''s biting his tongue so he won''t cut off the gentleman guiding us. I bet he would love to see that shop. Him hopping with anticipation sparks me to speak up, "Hey Odel?"


    "Yes, young man?"


    "Could we go see the bowyer? Are they nearby?" Silven''s head snaps to me, he starts silently shouting excitedly and he''s staring at me like he wants to throw me into the air in celebration. Why is he so adorable?


    "Oh yes, Marianne is just a little ways up the road here. She would love to meet some new faces." Odel waves to


    a young woman walking the other way, who returns the favor and we continue down the road. A few houses come and go and soon we come upon a hut with a small hanging sign on the front displaying ''bowyer''. Odel walks up to the door and rings a small bell sat beside the entrance.


    "In the back! Come on in," shouts a voice from inside. We all walk in and are greeted with different displays of beautifully carved wooden bows with intricate designs etched into them, a wall of arrows made from different woods, and tipped with different stones, and metals. Silven''s face lights up and he immediately runs to examine some of the woodworking. I spin around, taking in all the different colors. Wow, how do they make these designs by hand? This must have taken so many years of work¡­ After a moment, a woman, who couldn''t be older than twenty-five, walks out from the back room. "Hey Odel, what brings you by today?¡± her face sweetens when she realizes we''re there, "Oh hello! How are you boys doing today?"


    "We''re doing great, thanks, I''m Joffrey. This is Silven, and Salem," He states rather quickly, his demeanor shifts to a much more polite and respectful one. I notice Odel slip out the door and he slips me a look with a smirk like before, making me giggle again. Joffrey reaches out to shake hands and delicately grabs hers, "Silven here is an archer who¡¯s with us, and Odel here mentioned you were near-"


    "How many pounds is the draw on this one?" Silven abruptly cuts Joffrey''s attempt at being smooth and walks over carrying a short bow, made of a very durable and deep-brown wood, etched with different animals and flora along the length. Marianne hesitantly pulls her hand away and turns to Silven.


    "Oh, that one has a draw weight of about eighty pounds. I made the string using a super-dense fiber I wove out of some hardy plants," She takes the bow and effortlessly draws the string back to her shoulder, displaying the curvature and bending on the bow, "Can you handle eighty? What are you working with now?¡± Silven excitedly tries to yank the bow off his shoulder, the string catching on his neck and bag. He''s such a dork. After fighting it for a second it comes loose and he proudly presents it to her.


    "I made it myself out of a sturdy branch I found, and some string I was able to make. I think it''s around fifty pounds?" He confesses proudly. She takes the bow and draws it, and is taken aback by the smoothness of the pull, and the bend of the bow being near perfect. The string snaps back into place.


    "How did you achieve such a high quality bow? Also this weighs closer to seventy than fifty, in my opinion,¡± her expression could only be described as awestruck.


    "Oh, Joffrey helped me with it. His Specialt-" he is cut off by a thump on the arm by Joffrey.


    "I have a lot of experience crafting different things from my time as a woodsman." Joffrey speaks proudly, shooting a glare at Silven for a moment before switching back to his polite self. His words spoke a hint of commandment in it. "Just something I''ve had a lot of time around."


    "But Joffre-" Joffrey bumps his arm into Silven''s shoulder trying to be discreet but being all too noticeable, as Marianne''s composure breaks for a moment, a small strained chuckle escaping her mouth.


    "Yes, we can go check out the market after thi-"


    "But you enhanced his bow!¡± I cut Joffrey off loudly, my voice leaving me as I try to continue, "... didn''t you?" Everyone turns and looks at me, Joffrey staring daggers through my skull. Marianne is the next to speak.


    "What do you mean, enhanced?" Her eyes sizing up the now-shrinking man that was leading us ever so valiantly. He slinks back toward me and I nudge him back forward.


    "Tell her, I trust them. Isn''t that good enough?¡± I push into him. He reluctantly groans and steps back up.


    "I have an ability. Or, well¡­ A Specialty is what we know it as." He shifts uncomfortably in place.


    "Oh? And what kind of ''Specialty'' do you have?" She puts air quotes around specialty, giggling toward him. His face flushes for a second before continuing. Oh my god, does he like her?


    "May I?¡± He reaches toward the bow Silven pulled off the shelf a moment ago.


    "Okay¡­ What are you going to do?¡± She stares cautiously.


    "This," He takes the bow in his hands and begins his process. The bow lifts from his palm and he begins circling his hands around it. A purple aura circles the bow and closes in, wrapping around the volume of the bow and its string. This will never get old, it''s so pretty, I think to myself. He pulls it from the air and extends his hand toward Marianne. She hesitantly takes it from him and looks over it, being satisfied nothing about the appearance has changed, she draws it again. Her jaw drops as she gently releases the string.


    "Why has the weight dropped so much?" Her face was full of awe.


    "Well, the weight hasn''t dropped. I have an ability that allows me to enhance the quality of whatever I choose," He spoke casually, as if this was a regular occurrence, "It''s definitely come in handy a few times. I used it on the bow Silven has been using. Here, try this now." He grabs Silven''s bow and the same purple aura as before unfurls from it, slinking back to Joffrey. She takes the bow and pulls on the string, barely able to pull it more than a few inches.


    "This must be at least a hundred and fifty pounds!" She strains to say through gritting teeth. She releases the string and lays the bow down on the counter, allowing Joffrey to reapply his enhancement. She walks over to the display and pulls a long recurve bow made of a nearly white wood from the shelf. "This bow has a draw strength of about one hundred and eighty pounds. No one has been able to use it, but I think it''s one of my most beautiful works. Do you think you could try your special power on this?¡± Joffrey shrugs and takes the bow, enhancing it rather effortlessly and hands it back. Marianne pulls the string back with a little strain, but clearly ready to fire. "The weight must have dropped at least eighty pounds! This is incredible." Joffrey shies away at the remark, hiding his reddened face behind his long hair.


    "It''s really no problem¡­" He shuffles in place.


    "They actually fire at the force of the original weight also, it takes a little getting used to, but it packs one hell of a punch," Silven boasts proudly, "Do you want to go try it out?" Silven''s words sputtered out so fast I could barely understand, but Marianne''s face lit up and she nodded excitedly. We''re quickly ushered out of her hut and then around behind it, where she has some hay bales set up at staggered distances.


    She has selected a fine tipped arrow of steel, attached to a sturdy but flexible dark-brown wooden shaft, and black feathers attached as fletching. Drawing in a deep breath she nocks her arrow, pulling back the string and taking her aim. Silven speaks up before she releases, "Remember it fires heavier than you feel it will". She nods and lowers the bow ever so slightly. Her focus is incredible, she seems like someone you don''t want to be on the wrong side of. Letting go, the arrow pierces through the hay bale about a hundred feet away faster than we could blink. We walk up to the bale and begin searching for the arrow, Silven finding it about forty feet behind the bale, holding it high above his head and shouting a loud "Found it!"


    "This is absolutely amazing, how long do the effects last?" Marianne exclaims to Joffrey as everyone begins walking back to the firing line. She extends the bow over and whispers to Silven, "Would you like to try?" He nods and takes it quietly, admiring it as Joffrey responds to her question.


    "As long as I don''t remove it, the quality shouldn''t ever go down." He spoke proudly. Their voices trail off as I watch Silven nock the arrow on the bow. His breath is silent and his eyes are cold and calculating. He gets so intense when he''s focused. He tugs the string, testing its weight and draws in his breath. The string inches back slowly, his bow arm extending as he draws back with the arrow. I wish I could see what he sees, I don''t think I could imagine what that would look like. His eyes narrow as his fingers drop the string, the bow snapping back into place and the arrow sails smoothly through the air, embedding itself into the center of the second farthest hay bale, about a hundred and fifty feet away. He releases his held breath, the corner of his mouth turning upward in a smirk, his eyes full of awe. He makes it look so effortless¡­ Marianne speaks to Silven, snapping me back to reality.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re quite the archer, aren¡¯t you?¡± her voice lilting in excitement, having someone to share something she¡¯s passionate about with.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I have a different kind of ability, one that has saved me more times than I can count,¡± He goes on to explain his power, and her face contorts in confusion at first, before coming to some conclusion of understanding and fascination. Marianne thinks for a moment, before turning to Joffrey.


    ¡°Tell you what, if you wouldn¡¯t mind doing your spooky purple magic on some of my weapons to make it easier for us to hunt, I¡¯ll give you the bow that that boy hasn¡¯t seemed to lose interest in." We all turn to see Silven caressing the bow like a newborn baby, studying every inch in awe. His focused look soon drifts to meet all of our gazes, causing his face to flush red, and he begins stammering about something incoherent. Joffrey turns to Marianne.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll take you up on that,¡± He chuckles, to which she replies with a small giggle. Silven obscures his face with his hair and sheepishly whispers to Marianne.


    ¡°Thank you for the bow¡­¡± His voice was barely loud enough to be heard. Aww, why did he get all shy out of nowhere? I can¡¯t help but think to myself. Marianne smiles and ruffles Silven¡¯s hair, to which his lip pouts out and he narrows his eyes as if he''d just woken up from a deep sleep.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Silven. Now then, shall we take care of it?¡± We all head back inside the hut, Marianne walks with Joffrey to the wall and he takes the next few minutes going along the displays and enhancing her gear. I walk up to Silven as he is still is cradling his new bow like a baby.


    ¡°That looks so cool! Are you excited to use it?¡± My voice springs out more energetic than normal, startling Silven slightly. He raises his head with a giant smile plastered across his face.


    ¡°Yeah, this thing is beautiful, she¡¯s gonna tear through just about anything,¡± His joy is infectious and a smile creeps over my face as well. I''m glad he likes it so much¡­ Why do I feel so warm? Soon enough, Joffrey finishes up and we say our goodbyes, meeting Odel outside the hut.


    ¡°Nice upgrade, kid,¡± He says, having noticed the new bow. He kicks off the wall and starts down the path once again, the rest of us stepping in tow behind him.


    "Thanks¡­" He''s regained his voice, but is still acting sheepish. Another quarter mile down the path is the center of the village and where the market is located. There''s eight small huts scattered around between a few larger buildings which I could only assume to be storage, or perhaps places to eat or drink. There''s maybe a couple dozen people walking around the open central area. We walk up to the first stand and are greeted by a short, round man bearing a large, pointy mustache. His voice was gruff and grainy when he spoke.


    "Welcome! Would you like some fresh grown onion? Maybe some potatoes?" His smile was almost unsettlingly large.


    "No thanks," Joffrey replies, ushering us to quickly move to the next stall. The man scowls as we distance ourselves, grumbling under his breath.


    We move to a stall holding different articles of clothing, being run by a younger gentleman with short blonde hair and a clean shaven face. He is very tall, almost brushing the roof of his shop. "Hey folks, y''all doing okay today?¡± His demeanor was very casual, which put us all at ease compared to the last man''s smile, which is still burnt into my mind. I start looking over his different attire, my eyes widening as they set on a pair of gloves, showing obvious signs of age, the color was a washed out, faded red. I''ve always wanted a pair like this! Man, those would''ve been helpful during that last winter we went through. I thought I''d almost lost my fingers¡­ I begin patting myself down, trying to find something to exchange. Not finding anything, I sling off my bag. Joffrey and Silven are stunned at the sight of me frantically searching through the pack to find at least one thing I was carrying of value. Joffrey leans down next to me to ask me something.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Is there something you wanted, kid?" His offer catches me off guard, and I stumble over myself, spilling my bag on the ground. I collapse and frantically grab at my belongings.


    "I-I¡­ Well¡­ I don''t¡­ have anything to trade," my vision begins to blur as my eyes well up.


    "Which one do you want?" He helps me gather my things, and lifts me off the ground. I wipe my eyes on my elbow and shyly point toward the gloves. He scratches his head. He doesn''t say anything, but I can see from his expression he doesn''t get why I''d want these when it''s so warm out.


    "Well, I-" I go to say, but Joffrey speaks over me.


    "We''ll take that pair of gloves," He says, and points to a long, clean black coat, very similar to the one he''s wearing, "And that please." With that, he reaches up to the neckline of his jacket and pulls a small pouch out of a hidden pocket, unstrings it and picks out a large ruby, placing it gently in front of the awestruck salesman. He picks up the ruby and examines it closely, nodding with approval. He hands over the gloves and coat and wishes us a great day. As we walk away Silven and I can''t take our eyes off of Joffrey.


    "How long have you had those?" Silven''s voice strained to keep quiet.


    "Hush, I''ve had them since I left the Kingdom. But we don''t need to talk about that now." Joffrey nods forward as we approach the next merchant. They have a wide assortment of different produce, some of which I''ve never seen before. My brain can''t keep up as my eyes sweep side to side, taking in the array. Yellows, oranges, greens, reds, purples, it''s like looking at a scattered rainbow. Joffrey offers another small gem to the man and he lets each of us pick a couple that we want. I grab a red fruit about the size of my head, which the man tells me is a grapemelon, and they''re some of the best he''s grown yet. My eyes stare at the fruit in wonder, not wanting to wait to dig into it. I also grab a purple fist-sized citrus fruit called a purpfaba. Silven spotted his favorite and grabbed two small light green fruits with what looked like netting that I learned is called cantaloupe. Joffrey grabs a couple that I don''t recognize.


    "What are those?" I stare at the long tube-like produce, one green and one yellow.


    "This green one''s a zucchini, and this yellow one is a squash," He nods to the gentleman, and we set off again, "They''re really good for soup. Though¡­ I''m realizing now we don''t have a cauldron or pot of any kind. Maybe we should find Odel and see if we could go meet the blacksmith." We look over at Silven, who is far too engrossed in his new snacks, salivating while staring at them. Joffrey continues, "Maybe we should stop somewhere to eat these first." He turns back to me and we both chuckle quietly, Silven finally tuning back in.


    "Hey, what''s so funny?" He says with an eyebrow raised. We both clench up and try to hide our laughs, but fail miserably in the process, little cracks of giggles escaping.


    "Are those that good?" I switch sides with Joffrey, putting myself between him and Silven.


    "God, yes. They were one of the best things we got offered as fodder for the nobles. They had so many they thought it was practically worthless like us." The fact that he responds with that so casually causes my blood to start heating up. I grasp his arm and yank it toward me.


    "Don''t say that!" I shout, causing Silven to jump, almost dropping one of his fruit but managing to catch it while stumbling forward. He takes a second to regain his composure, and turns back to look at me with a spooked expression on his face. Joffrey rubs my hair and I glance toward him, his expression very sincere.


    "Hey, be careful shouting like that. Silven''s had to go through a lot to get here, and we probably shouldn''t attract too much attention." I peer at Silven, who is trying to hide the fact he''s shaking. After a moment of realization, I run up and hug him from the side, taking caution to not knock his food out of his hands.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to shout. Just¡­. Don''t say something like that," Silven''s shock slowly settles into a returned hug, and then I continue speaking, "You''ve been the best friend I''ve made. And you were already amazing with your bow, I could only imagine what you can do with this brand new one. Don''t call yourself worthless, please?¡± Silven pulls away from the hug, his face bathed in a pink tone, and he begins stammering.


    "S-s-sure.." He avoids eye contact with me, his expression growing a brighter pink, "I-I''ll try not t-to." We catch up with Odel, who is having a conversation with one of the stall keepers. Joffrey steps forward and gives him a small tap on the shoulder. Odel turns back around and he smiles like we''re old friends who haven''t seen each other in years.


    "Hey! There you all are. How are you liking the village?" He notices all the produce we''re carrying, and chuckles, "looks like you guys are already getting comfortable, I''m glad!¡±


    "It''s a lovely quaint place, that''s for sure. I don''t think we could''ve picked a better spot to set up camp," Joffrey enthusiastically says, "Say¡­ do you know a good place for us to sit down and eat these? Preferably outdoors somewhere."


    "Oh, sure! There''s a few scenic spots around the village. Shall we?" After a few minutes of walking, Odel brings us to a crystal clear pond about a quarter acre wide, with large, colorful fish swimming around. Some have patterns, others are solid colors, no two fish look alike. Around the pond is a cobblestone path with handcrafted benches dotted along the trail. The tree-line is a dozen yards or so off of the path, giving people plenty of room to watch the partly cloudy sky. The sun rays breaking through the clouds land on the water, scattering light throughout the water and creating a mesmerizing moving mosaic of different colors.


    "Whooaa," Silven and I speak in tandem, our jaws on the floor.


    "Isn''t it a gorgeous spot?¡± he asks, Silven and I nodding profusely in response, "yeah, I put in a lot of work to have her look like this." Our awestruck gazes shift to him, me being the first to catch my tongue.


    "You made all of this? This must have taken so long!" My sight swings back out over the landscape, taking it all in. How could he have done all of this himself? That doesn''t seem possible¡­ Maybe he has a Specialty like us? Should I ask? I don''t want to sound crazy though. Do they even know about these powers here? The bowyer didn''t seem to have any knowledge of them¡­


    "Yep, and I did it all myself! It took me about 5 years to get it to look like this," he announced proudly. Okay, five years sounds like a reasonable amount of time. We all walk over to a shady patch in the grass with a good view of the water, Silven and I plopping onto the ground. Silven draws a knife and slices one of his cantaloupe into quarters and cuts out the seeds, handing one over to me. He offers one to Joffrey who politely refuses.


    "Thanks Sil, but I''m going to run down to the blacksmith and see if they have any pots I can cook with. Odel, you mind showing me the way?" Odel nods, and Joffrey continues, "You guys just stay and enjoy your food, I''ll be back soon."


    "Okay!" We both speak together. They head off and Silven and I turn back to the food. I gawk at the early sunset colored flesh and glance over at Silven, who is happily halfway through his second slice. I take a deep breath, and bite wholeheartedly into it, teeth cutting through with ease, a sweet juice joining the soft melon. I savor every chew, the flavor bursting in my mouth. This is the best thing I have ever had, oh my God! In the blink of an eye, I devour the rest of my slice. I look over and see Silven''s face beaming, watching me enjoy the food. My face flushes red.


    "W-what?" I stare at him.


    "I''m glad you like it too," his response causes my chest to fill with warmth.


    "It''s delicious! I would have loved having this in the Kingdom," I twinge for a moment, when am I going to wake back up? My parents need me¡­ I must''ve been out for days by now¡­ am I¡­ dead? No, that''s crazy. Right? Silven must have noticed my somber expression, because he thumps by shoulder.


    "Salem? What''s going on, bud? Is the food okay? Did it make you sick?"


    I shake my head, "No, I''m okay, just uh¡­ my head hurts a little, but I''m alright now."


    His expression looks unsure, but he responds, "Sure¡­ okay," there''s a slight lull, before he perks up again, "Did you want to try the stuff you got?"


    "Oh! Yeah¡­ yeah, they look weird, I''m excited," I crack a smile, "let''s do this one first." I hold up the purpfaba, and he takes it, quickly peeling the skin and pulling out beautifully vibrant deep purple slices, and hands half of them back to me. I pop one into my mouth and bite down, juice gushing into my mouth, the flavor tangy with an almost floral taste. Wow, these are incredible too! My mouth puckers slightly and I look over to see Silven with a similar face. We both giggle as we eat through the rest of our slices. Next we had the grapemelon. Silven cuts into the crisp skin and gets almost halfway through before running into something solid. He cuts around the outside of the center and twists both sides apart, a saturated lime green center greeting us, with a single deep brown seed in the middle. Silven pops it out and tosses it to me, I catch it and examine it with awe. It barely takes up a quarter of my palm, and is smooth to the touch.


    "Watch this," he digs a hole a few inches deep, "here, toss that in the hole." I lean over and pop it into the ground, Silven covering it back with dirt and pouring a small amount of water from his canteen onto the mound. "Now, if we manage to find our way back here in about a year''s time, we can have more of these. The water nearby should be enough for it. This plant will grow giant." I stare at Silven in admiration. Growing food is that easy? Man, if we had space in the outskirts of the Kingdom no one would have to be going hungry.


    "How did you learn to do that? Is that really all you have to do is put it in the ground like that?" I put my hands just beside the mound and bring my nose to practically touch the ground, examining the little bits of loose dirt. I wonder if I can watch it grow? Silven catches on to what I''m doing and laughs, causing my attention to shift to him.


    "It''s a little bit more complex than that, and it''ll take a long time before you''ll see anything coming out of that dirt." He stifles his chuckling, to which I plop back onto my rear and cross my arms grumpily.


    "Well that''s no fun," I grumble.


    "Yeah I''m sure it''s not, but how about we try this fruit now?" He smiles as he extends a half to me. My disgruntled mood settles quickly and I happily snatch my half, taking a large bite without hesitation only to be greeted with tart mouth-puckering juice. Agh, oh god, why is it so sour?! is this thing safe to eat? My body instinctively recoils and I nearly throw the fruit over my head, but the impact of the flavor settles fast and leaves a mix of sweet and tart taste in my mouth. I notice Silven rolling on the ground laughing and I shoot him a glare.


    "You knew it was going to taste like that, didn''t you,¡± I can''t help but chuckle, "You''re an ass, you know that." He manages to reign himself in enough to sit back up.


    "Yeahhh, I know. I can''t help it. It''s great getting to see you try new things."


    "Why''s that?¡± I throw my eyebrow up and lock eyes with Silven.


    "Well, I know you''re from the outskirts like me, and I know they didn''t have space to grow crops or much of anything for that matter. Everyone there gets the leftover scraps from the nobles and tradesmen. So I''m just happy to see you getting to experience so many new things here. Makes me feel good to be a part of." I feel my face heat up as he speaks, but luckily he doesn''t seem to notice.


    "Well I''m glad I met you, Joffrey, Raina and Gontu. No one was really ever nice to me¡­" My voice wavers slightly, and my mouth feels like I''ve spent the day in the desert, swallowing what I can before continuing, "My parents would hit me if I couldn''t bring home something to eat each night. I had to take food from people''s stands just to have anything, and they barely gave me any of what little I could get. There were a few kids that I thought were my friends but thinking back after having met you guys, now I realize that they were just picking on me."


    "Damn¡­ I''m sorry Salem, I wish I could say I understand, but I didn''t really have any experiences like that¡­ We struggled, obviously, but somehow my parents always managed to take care of me," Silven''s expression sinks, "That''s¡­ that''s just horrible. At least you have me now, right? And Joffrey?"


    "Yeah¡­ Things are definitely better out here¡­ I almost feel guilty for leaving my family like that¡­"


    "Hey!" Silven shouts, sending me a foot into the air, "You didn''t leave."


    "But I-"


    "No! you were forced out."


    "Well, wh-"


    "No! you don''t have to feel guilty about anything, you can only hope that they''re doing okay and focus on yourself. That''s all you can do. There is no getting back in¡­" His powerful voice fades away. He hangs his head down, his hair obscuring his face.


    "Silven?¡± His head rises ever so slightly. "Did you try to get back in?"


    He doesn''t say anything for a moment, then slowly nods.


    "What happened?"


    His breath stutters, his body sinking lower to the ground. I''ve never seen him like this before¡­ I should leave it alone.


    "It''s okay, forget I asked. I''m sure it''s not something you want to talk about right now." I awkwardly chuckle and scratch the back of my head. We sit in silence for a few minutes, both facing the water, watching the little ripples as the fish pick at the surface. As I start to turn back to Silven, a woman''s scream comes from the distance. Silven and I meet eyes, then begin scrambling to run toward the commotion. Finally, a chance to use my power again! I hope everyone is okay. As we''re running down the path, Silven readies himself with his bow, arrow in hand and ready to fire in a second''s notice.


    As we approach the source of the scream, near the center of town,  a ball of fire crashes into the building next to us, knocking us to the ground and causing the entire wood building to go up in flames in a matter of seconds. We hurry back to our feet and keep moving toward the center, being greeted with two of those same black creatures we fought during my first few days out. One of them launches a fireball toward a group of buildings, causing an explosion sending wood debris in every direction. As the shower of rubble pelts down on us, the other beast notices us and snarls, a gruff of smoke escaping its mouth. Silven fires an arrow and it embeds itself in one of the beast''s eyes, a horrible ear piercing shriek coming from the creature. Now''s my chance! I begin moving toward the first beast, going faster until I''m sprinting. I feel the warmth¡­ Getting within around thirty feet of the monster, I stomp my leading foot into the ground, halting my speed, and thrust my palm forward. NOW! A pulse of orange travels through my body faster than a bullet, from my chest down my arm and reaching my hand. A blast of fire spews from my palm, sending me backwards and scorching the fur off the front of the beast. What the¡­ Before I can think, the beast tramples toward me and I scramble to get on my feet. Silven catches the beast in the other eye, sending it off course and charging through a building. Why didn''t that work, dammit? Let''s try that again¡­ I turn to the other beast, who is already charging another fireball aimed toward us as Silven chases the first one. Planting my feet on the ground, I focus on finding the warmth. A glow forms in my chest. Got it! The beast fires first, the roaring blast speeding toward me. Come on. Come on¡­ I hold my palms forward and feel the heat snake up my arms. My hands begin glowing just seconds before the fireball reaches me. I squeeze my eyes closed, bracing for the worst. The fire impacts my palms and my feet dig into the dirt, sending me skidding backwards, my balance nearly toppling. So¡­ strong¡­ but I¡­ I''ve got it. It¡­ isn''t burning. I open my eyes and see the roaring wall of flame in front of me. I push into the dirt with all my force, my right foot burying into the ground. Gritting my teeth as I grind to a halt, I begin to step forward and plant my other foot down. With a yell from deep inside my core, I launch the fireball back toward the beast, hitting it directly in the chest, and blasting through. The creature crumples as I turn back to see where Silven and the other one went. I have to move quickly, he might need help! More screams echo behind me as I begin to run in the opposite direction, a burning ache pulses through my feet.


    "Agh!¡± I stumble onto the ground but force myself back up, biting my tongue through the pain. I have to help! I have to help¡­ As a last ditch effort I send out a whistle, three tones, mid, low, then high. I continue running down the path checking every angle imaginable. A whistle matching mine comes from behind me to the left. My body, on pure instinct, swivels without a drop in momentum, dashing toward the direction of his reply. I see a trail of knocked down trees, and follow down, eventually catching up to the fight. Silven is high up in a tree firing arrows at the beast, and I notice that the creature is riddled with arrows all over. They aren''t doing anything to it¡­ I have to do something. With the beast''s back to me, I charge forward and a pulse of burning energy shoots down my leg, a blast surging me upward into the air and landing on the creature''s back. It immediately begins to shake vigorously, attempting to throw me off but my fists grip its fur tightly. I feel a warmth building underneath me, and realize he''s charging up to a fireball, and raising my head, I see it''s aiming directly for Silven. No, not him. My body takes over, a surge of intense burning coursing through me entirely, my vision begins to blur and I scream louder than I thought possible. As my body begins to glow, I feel an intense explosion of energy. I''m sent flying and my back makes full contact with an upright tree, all the air in my lungs escaping me. I land on the ground like a ragdoll, but manage to turn over enough to see only the legs and the head of the beast laying on the ground. Silven slides down from his treetop and runs over to me, helping me off the ground.


    "Salem, holy shit, are you okay?" My leg crumples as I apply pressure to it, but Silven has a good enough hold of me to stop me from collapsing. His comment makes me look over my body for the first time, my hands are fully black with burn tendrils creeping up beyond my elbow. Pulling up my pant leg, I see the tendrils almost reaching my knee.


    "Yeah¡­ I''m fine." I push myself off of Silven, much to his disagreement, "We need to keep moving. I heard more screams from the other side of the village." I begin trying to run in the direction I heard before, but as my right foot makes contact with the ground, I nearly crumple. Silven lifts me back up, slinging my arm over his shoulder and we begin moving as fast as we can back to the village center. As we get close to the center, we come upon not much more than piles of rubble. Standing in the middle of the village square, two shrieks come from different directions. I turn and meet Silven''s eyes. "Go. They need help. I can handle myself." A flicker of hesitation crosses his face, but he quickly nods and lets loose of me, taking off toward one of the screams. "Alright¡­ I can do this. This is my dream. I can control what happens¡­" I shove off the ground and pick up the pace, biting my cheek through the pain in my foot. Approaching the source of the sound, I see another beast taunting a woman with two kids pinned with their backs to a small building.


    "Hey!¡± I shout at the beast, but it ignores me completely, beginning to charge a blast of fire. This one is even bigger than the others¡­ Can I do this? No¡­ No, don''t think like that, I control this. I can do this¡­ I push through the pain and begin charging the beast. The woman cries out to me for help, and my burning grows. As I get close enough, I do the same as I did before with stomping my foot into the ground and throwing my hand forward, only this time I point forward with my index and middle finger, thumb extended in the shape of a firearm. I feel the pulse of energy surge through my body, but as it reaches my fingers, a lightning bolt of pain contorts my body, sending my fire stream into the sky as I collapse onto the ground. My head lands facing the woman, as she shrieks for help, my body unable to move. No¡­ no, no, no. Get up. Help her¡­ I limply throw my arm over, trying to prop myself up and make eye contact with the woman. She mouths something I can''t understand before being engulfed in flames from the beast. N-no¡­ no¡­ no no no no¡­ what is happening. I can see through the seemingly never ending spew of fire as they roast, her arm extending toward me in her last seconds before her demise. The image burned into my mind. No¡­ this is¡­ everything was¡­ This is all¡­ really happening¡­? I''m¡­ awake¡­ As I sit and stare at the charred remains of this stranger, the beast turns to me, satisfied with it''s work on the previous victims. No¡­ I¡­ I can''t¡­ Go down like this¡­ Please, get up¡­ I''m begging you body, please. Move¡­ The beast takes its time, every stomp on the ground reverberating through my body louder and louder. I roll over, making direct eye contact with this monster about to kill me. It hovers over me, a glow emitting from the center of its chest. Please¡­ no¡­ someone¡­. The glow begins traveling up the beast''s throat, his jaw unhinging over top of me, saliva dripping onto my face, causing me to close my eyes. Just as the energy reaches the mouth of the beast, I hear two distinct slices. After a second or two, I hear a heavy thud on the ground next to me. Opening my eyes, I''m greeted with the beast, only its head is gone. I turn my neck and see the creature ''s head laying next to me on the grass. As my eyesight begins to blur, I look up enough to see Joffrey running toward me¡­

 Chapter 8: The Tree

    Oswin''s mind replayed the last part of the memory over and over in his head. "You can trust her¡­" he mutters to himself. She said it so matter of factly, I almost thought she was speaking to me¡­ He scratches his head, yanking his hair enough to feel a slight sting, as frustration begins to set in. I need to know who she''s talking about. Oswin scrambles forward and begins grabbing paper after paper, throwing each one off to the side in disappointment, as he searches for the same zapping sensation as before. Scrolls and notebooks scatter the floor as he slumps back onto his rear. I''ve looked through everything here, damn it all¡­ he looks around at the mess he''s made. I¡­ should probably clean this up. He slowly files all of the different stationery back onto the shelf, and as he''s about halfway through the pile, his foot gently begins tingling, like a small current of electricity. He swings back around and sees his foot resting on a tattered notebook. He swivels around and cautiously slips his fingers underneath either side, gingerly picking it up to avoid any damage. Taking care, he sits back and opens to the first page. Just as soon as he reads the first word, a sharp pulse through his head causes him to keel forward, eyes squeezing shut.


    The sensation leaves just as soon as it comes and he lifts his head back up, eyes squinting as bright light sears into them. Why am I being blinded by the sun all of a sudden? As his eyes adjust, a small waving field of tall, golden, aged grass stands before him. A large gnarled tree is just ahead. Wait¡­ why does this place seem familiar? Where am I even? Suddenly two older girls run past him, startling him. Is this another memory? Whose is it this time?


    "Nephele! Are you coming or not?" The larger one shouts behind herself, springing twenty feet into the air toward the highest branches of the tree. Isn''t that one of the girls'' names from the last memory? Are these the same girls? They must''ve grown a few years. So that one has a Specialty¡­ Interesting. It looks rather useful.


    "Right! Sorry, Aisha!" The words come out of Nephele''s mouth, Oswin hearing her voice reverberating like it was his own in his head. That is something I don''t think I''ll get used to. So¡­ it is the same ones as before¡­ Nephele takes off running, and a burst of wind behind her lifts her up into the sky. She soars through the air toward the branch near Aisha. Oh, my Gods, this child has a Specialty as well? One so powerful? Landing elegantly on the branch, Nephele and Aisha look down at the auburn-haired girl on the ground by the trunk below.


    "Okay, Tesni! Do it now!" Aisha hollers down. Tesni nods and begins sweeping her foot elegantly in the dirt as she rounds the base, almost as if it were a dance. Her feet dig in forcefully enough that her metal-tipped boots kick up sparks as they scratch against hard surfaces in the soil. What is she doing? She continues doing spins as she goes around the trunk of the tree, planting the leading foot down and spinning with the other. More sparks fly into the air, but on closer examination, it occurs to Oswin, Wait¡­ are those sparks¡­ frozen? As Tesni rounds the tree completely, she kicks off the ground, hopping high into the air, and flipping back onto the lowest branch. The sparks, each one floating delicately in place, form a glowing blossom surrounding the base of the tree from above. Tesni extends her hand and snaps, each spark spewing a jet of fire, scorching every blade of grass in a 200-foot radius, a roaring inferno surrounding the tree, smoke billowing into the sky. Just as soon as the fire cuts down the field, a downpour of rain falls from the sky. Wait, why is none of this water falling on us? Almost as if Oswin willed it himself, Nephele looks upward, to see an umbrella of air that she must be creating herself. These girls are incredible¡­ How could they have so accurately predicted the storm? I was blinded by the sun just a few minutes ago¡­ where did the clouds come from? Just as soon as the fire started, the rainfall extinguished it, leaving a large circle of wet ash surrounding the tree. That was immaculate! Such a wonderful use of Specialties! In the distance, two more girls break through the still-standing grass into the ring and they begin making their way to the tree.


    "Great job, Mira!" Aisha hollers out to the girls, "Now it''s your turn, Terra!¡± Mira climbs up into the tree, and everyone watches as Terra begins running through the muddy ash. With a small hop as she moves, turning her body to the side, she begins gliding effortlessly on the ground, as if she were riding an invisible board. She starts weaving around, twisting and turning as mud flies through the air under her. Oswin sees her take a handful of something from her pouch and begin flicking them into the muddy soil with her fingers, continuing to swirl around the entire open patch. What is she doing? What are those¡­ Are they seeds? As she finishes the entire round, she slides her way over to the tree and smiles up at everyone.


    "All done! Ready Mira?¡± she bounces excitedly. Mira hops down and looks out over the field.


    "Yeah, let''s do this." She declared. Terra jumps into the air, and as her feet impact the earth, the ground in the surrounding area slams downward, packing in the mud instantly, creating a multitude of long straight mounds where the seeds were planted, reaching out from the center tree to the edges of the ring. As Terra had landed, Mira had lifted her arms, fingers spread downward, and all of the excess moisture left after Terra compacted the earth drew into the air. A giant, floating, wiggling orb of water hanging above the ground. The earth underneath was just damp enough to provide nourishment to the plants. I¡­ wh¡­ I''ve ¡­ never seen anything like this before¡­ These girls are truly astonishing. How is it that their powers are so substantial?


    Mira walks the water bubble away, siphoning it back into a nearby pond that she nearly drained, the ball growing smaller and smaller until the last drops slip in without a ripple. Just as soon as she finishes, Nephele''s head turns back to the field, dragging Oswin''s attention away. The muddy ground was now littered with little leaf sprouts. How did those grow so fast? Was this that Terra girl''s Specialty? Oswin''s thoughts are interrupted by Nephele''s voice as she hops off the tree, preventing her fall with a gentle puff of wind underneath her.


    "Alright, we should get home before the sun sets too far. I bet I can beat you all home!" She cackles as she begins sprinting in the direction of the sunset, the other girls shouting behind her as they stumble into runs themselves. Terra flies by, sliding across the ground and down the hill, letting out a mocking ''Ha ha'' as she passes Nephele. Aisha sprints down the hill, blasting by Nephele at a blistering speed, following right behind Terra. Oswin feels the minor frustration building in Nephele, who proceeds to whip hurricane-force winds behind herself, launching herself forward, and catching up quickly to Terra and Aisha. All three of them speed forward, neck and neck, and exchange glances, their competitive side causing them all to laugh and blast forward. As they charged down the hill, a crack of lightning scattered across the sky. Nephele closes her eyes and Oswin is back in the tower, another blank scroll in his hands. His thoughts last just for a moment, before passing out, as the sound of footsteps rush up behind him. Who are those girls¡­


    Oswin blinks awake, the purple fabric across the top of his canopy bed greeting him. Morning already? Just five more¡­ wait¡­ How did I end up back in my room? The sunset, the tree, wait. Why do I know that tree? Where are those girls from? He shoots up out of bed. I have to find out more. He rushes to the door, slinging it open, and being greeted with Viralia''s presence.


    "Your Majesty," she pushes past, several servants piling in behind her and changing Oswin into his formal attire once again, "We have a lot to take care of today. We must continue with where we left off in the Ceremony yesterday."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Wait, wh-"


    "It really is important we don''t allow those Specialties to run rampant in the streets of the poor, who knows how much damage they could cause. I''ve already begun rounding up the remaining subjects, and they will be here within fifteen minutes. We must have you presentable and ready to begin in ten." Viralia finishes her sentence right as the last piece of Oswin''s attire is set. She walks briskly out through his bedroom door, forking left. Oswin gets ushered out by the number of servants surrounding him, heading right toward the grand hall. I have to find a moment to break away. Practically being dragged down the corridors, Oswin throws his head from side to side, looking for any chance to separate away. Just then, he sees a hand waving from behind a pillar across one of the courtyards, his eyes locking on. The hand disappears behind the pillar, and Oswin is taken aback with confusion.


    "Please tell me one of you saw that as well," Oswin speaks to the servants, all of them keeping their heads down and marching him forward. "No? Okay. Just me then." He mumbles to himself. As they continue down different hallways, he continues noticing little glimpses of someone who seems to be trying to draw his attention. A foot slipping around a corner, a hand making different gestures to beckon him over, a shadow slipping across the space between the pillars, he can''t help but see each one. His focus shifts forward and he sees they are approaching the doors to the grand hall. Crap, I have to think fast¡­ wait¡­ CRAP! Oswin swallows his pride and shouts, "Wait!" The servants stop, waiting for the king to continue, and Oswin, struggling to find the words, blurts out without thinking, "I believe I am experiencing diarrhea, please excuse me." He pushes through the ring of servants around him, separating two of the females and accidentally placing his hand on the left one''s breast in his panicked state. "Oh, gods. I deeply apologize," he attempts to say as she shrieks. Oh Christ, what have I done? He pushes through, running toward where he saw the figure last and hollers behind him, "Please do forgive me! It''s an emergency." The group doesn''t move and watches as he slips down the hall.


    Oswin begins scrambling through the halls, trying to trace where the person he saw before went. Reaching a fork in the halls, he glances both ways and sees a shadow cross the end of the left hallway leading to a spiral staircase. Rushing, he falls onto his hands, stumbling up the staircase following the figure''s shadow. Another corridor goes by and he turns, watching as the shadow slips into the Archives. He runs to the doors, slinking in and locking the door behind him. He rests his back against the door for a moment before pushing himself upright. He projects his voice out into the halls of shelves, "Hello?" His voice echoed in the enclosed chamber. As he walks down the path to the center of the room, a hand pops out from the last bookshelf, the same one as before. The figure slips out and Oswin takes quick note of their appearance as the candlelight bounces off of them. A small woman. Blonde shoulder-length curled hair. Icy blue eyes pierced directly into his own. She stood with an energy that could take on the world. He takes a step back, and continues, "Are you the one who was trying to catch my attention earlier?"


    She nods, her demeanor shifting to a more peaceful one. "I see you finally found it." Oswin looks at her with the same confused look as before.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Let''s just say¡­ you have cute tidy whities," she states almost sarcastically. I guess I know who ended up putting me in my bed this morning now.


    "So, why did you take me back¡­?¡±


    She shrugs, "I dunno¡­ Don''t you have somewhere to be, though?" He clenches his fists as he registers what she says.


    "Yes¡­ Yes, I do¡­ Will you be here¡­ later?¡± He asks softly, "After the Ceremony, that is¡­"


    "Do you need me to be?"


    "Yes¡­ I suppose I would appreciate that," Oswin states, trying to maintain his composure. "What, might I ask, is your name?¡± After a moment of hesitation, she speaks.


    "Hrithika," she says suspiciously, eyeing the king up and down, him not seeming to notice, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts, him taking a moment before responding.


    "Stay right here," he speaks within a moment of clarity, "¨ª promise I will be back soon. I''ve got something." He takes a few deep breaths and slips out the door before Hrithika has a chance to get a word in. I know what to do. He rushes down the hall, jumping and sliding, around down their spiral staircase, stumbling down until he lands on the first floor. He hurries toward a nearby set of double doors, slamming through into a fully staffed kitchen area. Before anyone has a chance to speak, Oswin shouts out through the lengthy kitchen. "Prepare a feast suitable for at least two hundred individuals. As soon as possible. And bring it to the grand hall upon completion." The staff exchange glances around each other, "Bring it in at thirty minutes into the Ceremony. That is all."


    He slips back out exactly as he came in and rushes toward the doors for the grand hall, the group of servants still waiting for his return. He slides back into the ring, slipping in some basic apologies for wasting so much time. The ring promptly closes around him and begins walking toward the doors, without a word. I pray to the Gods they finish the food fast enough. Entering into the grand hall, Oswin is guided to his throne. Upon taking a seat, he takes notice of the room, seeing twice the normal guards and being thankful he prepared a distraction. Now to make time, he thinks to himself.


    He palms the pendant and looks down at it, questions beginning to form in his mind. Is this crack bigger than before? The doors swing open, and Oswin quickly adjusts himself into the posture of a royal. The children between fifteen and eighteen entered first, as well as the first batch of fourteen-year-olds to be accepted into the Royal''s program. Oswin flinches as he recognizes some of the faces he confronted the day before. As the last of the older children lined up, those thirteen and younger began entering through the opposite side. Oswin begins rapping his fingers nervously on the arm of his throne, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Soon after the last of the young ones filtered in, Viralia stepped out of a side door and walked up to the podium, shooting a glare toward Oswin as she approached, a smirk growing across her face, a feeling of accomplishment emanating from her. She takes her place in front of the podium and clears her throat, announcing her words loudly.


    "It is time for the Royal Ceremony to commence!" The doors swing open as before, and the remaining fourteens file in a single line. Reaching the end of the carpet, the line clusters to a stop. Viralia snaps her fingers twice, and two servants push through the same hidden side entrance, carrying the treasured crown. Oswin stares precariously at the head ornament, a strange feeling of unease settling upon him as it is placed on the pedestal in front of Viralia. Come on¡­ please chefs. The sooner the better. She lifts the crown off of its silk cushion and approaches the first child in line. The crown is placed upon the child''s head and the gem begins swirling with colors, settling on a deep shade of orange. Damn the gods¡­ please do not make me sentence this innocent child to their death¡­ Oswin holds his tongue, and a strenuous lengthy silence fills the air.


    "Your Majesty? What is your ruling?" Viralia attempts to pry an answer out of the king, but he refrains from speaking. "You''re Majesty, please find a ruling so we may continue with the Ceremony." Oswin''s eyes flick around the room, making eye contact with different children, older and younger, as everyone in the crowd has their eyes on him. Taking a deep breath, just as he is about to present his judgment, the doors swing open. In marches a slew of cooks carrying a banquet of food, a few more bringing forth a line of rectangular tables, setting up chairs as they go. The children in line move to one side and every last child is salivating as they watch the food be carted in. Viralia stands with her jaw hung open, and she begins to boil inside. He did this¡­ How did he do this? She shouts at the staff to stop what they are doing, but they ignore her and push past her, almost knocking her off balance against the podium. Catching herself, she stares daggers at Oswin, before marching over to the servants that brought him here. ¡°What happened? Who ordered all of this food?¡± Viralia hisses, one of the servants attempts to explain before being cut back off, ¡°Did. You. Let. Him. Out?¡±


    ¡°No Madam, he pushed his way through, he said he had¡­¡±


    ¡°What! What did he say?!¡±


    ¡°The runs¡­ Madam Viralia.¡± The servant woman shrinks.


    ¡°Oh, for god¡¯s sake¡­¡± Viralia turns back to the nearly fully set up dining room, large roasted turkeys and pigs with a plethora of colorful vegetables and side dishes. All the children are ready to dive and crawl over each other to get to the food, and as the last table is set, Oswin stands from his throne, boasting his voice through the hall.


    ¡°Children!¡± A few sets of eyes in the waving sea of small people tear off of the food enough to look in his direction, which is enough of a sign for him to continue, ¡°Please enjoy this offering as my personal thank you from your kingdom. After you have finished your food, you are free to leave. You may begin.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Path

    Almost as if two opposing armies were charging into battle shouting war cries, the children swarmed the tables in the center, climbing over each other to grab the juiciest parts of the meat, tearing into every last platter of food. Viralia screams at the top of her lungs, her seething rage toward Oswin boiling over. But her scream pales to the sound of hundreds of shouting children. She dashes into the hall after noticing the King had slipped out again. Ohhh, no. Not this time you don¡¯t.


    Hrithika trots down the hallway, lost in thought. A burst of wind next to her snaps her to attention, and she twists her head around, "Oh, there goes Oswin." She shrugs and continues galloping down, getting spun around as another gust of wind blasts by. "Aaand, there goes V." Reorienting herself, Hrithika bounds down the hall.


    Oswin was halfway down the last couple of corridors when Viralia shouted in the distance, and looking over his shoulder, he watched as she rounded the far end he was running from. Her speed was incredible, starting to close the gap quickly between them. Reaching the end of the corridor with a hall going either direction, Oswin grasps the corner pillar, swinging his body around to the left with his momentum, and continues on, maintaining his running speed. A large crash behind him lets him know his small plan worked, Viralia must have charged right into the wall. Another quick glance over his shoulder as he runs, he sees a cloud of dust and some rubble on the floor. Viralia leaps out of the hole in the wall and tears down the hall as if she were completely unphased. Oswin skids the top of his foot on the ground, stumbling forward, and scurrying to the end of the hall, shoving quickly through his living quarters doors. Turning around, he sees Viralia getting uncomfortably close to the entrance and he throws his entire weight into shutting the doors, slamming the lock down. As he rests his arms against the door, gasping for breath, a large slam nearly blows the doors open, sending Oswin backward onto the ground. He can¡¯t take his eyes off of the door, his breath caught in his throat, waiting for more pounding to come, but silence fills the room. Finally gasping out again for air, he plops back onto the floor. Thank god, I made it. As he lays down trying to slow his breathing, his mind begins to wander. How could Hrithika have dragged me all the way back to my room? There''s no possible way she wouldn''t have been noticed. Could she have a discreet Specialty? One that could hide someone in plain sight? Or maybe¡­ he scurries to his feet and begins walking the perimeter of his room, looking over the walls carefully. One sweep and he finds nothing, and growing more frantic he begins padding on the wall, searching high and low, nudging shelves out to check behind, still turning up empty. He slumps over to the bed, sitting on the edge and burrowing his face in his hands. What am I doing? This is crazy. There''s no way something like that would exist. He drags his hands down, stretching his face. Am I honestly debating risking everything I have now for this hunch? This¡­ strange feeling? Who is that woman? Is she a member of the castle¡­? Why do I not recognize her¡­ Oswin stands up, his foot slipping on a loose sheet of paper under the side of his bed, and he stumbles into the bedpost. A distinct click sound happens as the post releases effortlessly from its lock above. What was that? He recollects himself and takes a closer look at the bed, seeing that the post was released from the crossbar. Walking over to the other post, he glances to where the first one is locked, noting which way it moved, and pulls the second post back, another audible click sound following. Oswin takes a step back, looking over the strange mechanism. I knew it. I knew I wasn''t crazy! Now¡­ How does it work¡­ Unsure of what to do, he pushes against the foot of the bed, but nothing happens. Okay¡­ He moves back to the bedposts and pushes on one, a joint in the middle creaking slightly. Wait¡­ Underneath? He grips the bottom of the bed, and plants his feet down, heaving upward. The bed tilts up seamlessly, the posts folding back and tucking away nicely under the top. A staircase reveals itself and Oswin stares with his jaw hung for a moment. Shaking his head, he steps down the first stairs when he hears shouting from outside his room doors, and it is getting closer. He slinks down the stairs, grabbing hold of a rope attached to the bottom of the bed, and yanks down the cover, being able to see just barely underneath the drapes. Just as the legs of the bed come to rest on the ground, the doors burst open and Viralia charges in, with two large guards in tow. She gauges the room and stops.


    "Where. Is. He." She strains, grinding her teeth.


    "I''m not s-"


    "What do you mean you aren''t sure!" She shouts at him. Turning and taking a heavy step toward the guard, he stumbles backward. Oswin''s hair begins standing on its end as Viralia closes the distance with the guard. She jabs a finger into his armor, the man screaming as he pulls away, taking off down the hall. She turns to the other one, "I thought I told you to stay outside of his room, and not allow him to leave!"


    "Madam Viralia, he never came out, and I¡­"


    "You what, trash?"


    "I had to use the restroom, Madam."


    "You had. To¡­ Absolutely pathetic. You are worthless, you know that? Follow me." Viralia commands him out of the room, slamming the doors behind them. As the footsteps recede, a loud scream rings out, abruptly cutting short, a dull thud following seconds later. Oswin doesn''t move an inch, even long after the sound has faded. His feet felt as if they were nailed to the floor, his body felt tightly bound in invisible string, holding him in place. Breaking out of his mental trap, Oswin turns around, stepping slowly down the dark passageway. He takes this quiet moment to catch his breath and think over the past couple of days. Why am I doing this? I could have just stayed oblivious, feigned ignorance. Life would have been so simple. But I just had to go running after seeing that¡­ boy¡­ that boy¡­ I wonder how he is. I hope he''s able to handle himself. Oh god, what if he''s dead already¡­ no, you don''t believe that, Oswin. Damnit, now I''m talking to myself in the third person. Have I lost my mind? Why else would I be seeing these strange memories that aren''t even mine? Surely there''s an explanation for this. Maybe I should speak to Kendrick. He would know wha-. Oswin thuds against the secret door, making full body contact, sending the door swinging open and it slams into the shelf next to it, knocking down a few books.


    "Oh shi-" Oswin clatters down and shovels the books back up, haphazardly tossing them back onto the shelf and closing the door behind him. He turns back around and sees he is back in the Archives, in a far corner hidden away. He walks through the familiar shelves and to the center reading table, being greeted with the same curly blonde hair he saw earlier this morning.


    "Jeez, what took you so long? I''ve been waiting here for like, a millennium!" Hrithika throws her hands up exasperatedly.


    "Sorry, I had to¡­ well¡­ ruin the Ceremony again."


    "Oh, yeah, blah blah blah, king duties this, king duties that," She mocks.


    "I- wel- wai- It''s not my job to ruin the Ceremony," he stammers, "I just¡­ desperately need to know more. It isn''t my fault they keep trying to pull me away."


    "And somehow you still managed to make it your job," she kicks back in the chair, leaning on the back two legs, "don''t worry, by the way, the other doors are locked. Your secret way is the only one open right now."


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "Riiight¡­" Oswin turns to walk away, "Well, blunt comment aside, thank you for that. I need to go to the tower again, so I''ll just be-" As he looks away from the table, he''s greeted by Hrithika standing directly in front of him.


    "Okay, let''s go." Her eyes stare blankly up into his. Her sudden shift of demeanor hooks Oswin into place for a moment. What is with this girl?


    "Wh- what do you mean?"


    "To the tower, duh," her stare still looking through him.


    "Well¡­ that isn''t necessary, I can handle myself quite well." Oswin bows and walks by, managing to take just a few steps before Hrithika pops up in front of him again. He visibly recoils, eyes widened.


    "Aaand, what are you going to do if you pass out again?"


    "I- wel- You are very persistent, you know that? Very well, you may accompany me." He sets off to the wall and as they approach it, Hrithika leaps forward and shouts the phrase to unlock the way, diving headfirst into the passageway. Oswin stares dumbfounded for a moment before crawling through the passage and meeting Hrithika waiting by the stairs. Oswin begins climbing first, Hrithika right on his heels. As they climb, a question crosses Oswin''s mind. "Why¡­ are you helping me?"


    "I dunno," She claps her hands together and speaks in a voice he only hears when someone is cooing to a child, "Maybe it''s because I have such a big crush on you."


    "What? I- I- Uh¡­"


    "I''m kidding! Jeez, you''re so gullible," she cackles, the laugh echoing up and down the tower.


    "Yes¡­ Of course, how naive of me," Oswin''s face flushes with heat. He swallows before continuing, "So¡­ what''s the real reason you decided to help?"


    "Eh, who knows? I was bored. I''ve already read everything here. Twice now, actually. I came up here yesterday and saw you all unconscious on the floor, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring you back to your room."


    "Well¡­ that''s certainly an explanation. Thank you for your assistance." They continue up the stairs, the air filled with an awkward silence for a moment before they reach the trapdoor and Oswin swings it open, stepping into the top room. "Alright, now I have to find something. Anything¡­"


    "Wow, that''s descriptive. What kind of something?"


    "I''m not really sure¡­ it''s, well, been purely happenstance that I''ve found the last two items. The first was a scroll that gave me shivers¡­ the second one made me feel¡­ buzzy."


    "Shivery and buzzy, huh? You''re really giving me a lot to work with here, Oz." She begins scrambling around the room, knocking pedestals over, tossing different knickknacks around, and examining things almost too closely. Oswin disregards her comment and tries to search through the nearby shelves, but keeps getting distracted by Hrithika bouncing around the room.


    "It''s slightly difficult to focus with you crashing around, I need to find some more documents that give me a¡­ feeling¡­ when I touch them. I don''t even understand it myself¡­" He glances over to Hrithika and sees her staring at him, squinting slightly like she is allegedly in thought. She looks at a scroll in her hand, and back to him, then back to the scroll. Without missing a beat, she throws the scroll at Oswin and it bounces gently off of his forehead. He stares at her incredulously, unable to process what''s happening.


    She croaks out a quiet, "Hehehe," a sly grin creeping on her face. "Did you feel anything?"


    "What?" Before Oswin can react, a rain of different scrolls begins pelting him. "Excu-" He tries to get a word in but proceeds to get smacked in the face with a thin notebook. He stumbles backward as the onslaught of light rolls of paper smacks softly against him, and he can''t help but start laughing in disbelief. Hrithika runs out of small items to throw and moves on to thicker bound journals. Oswin twists around as one jabs into the side of his ribs and he shoots a glare at Hrithika, who freezes in place just as she was about to release another one, her bottom lip sucked in to feign an innocent face, before a snort of a laugh escapes through her tightly pursed lips. Her laughter breaks Oswin''s attempt at staring her down, his laugh cracking through as they sit in the quiet tower. They cackled amongst themselves for a few minutes, and as the moment wore off, Oswin sighed deeply. He begins slowly and haphazardly sweeping the papers with his hands, forming something bearing the resemblance of a pile. He looks up and Hrithika is crouched directly across from him. "Agh! Damnit, you move so quietly, it''s scary sometimes." He chuckles again.


    "Here, I can do it." She reaches forward, not minding his words and Oswin sits back, letting her take over. He watches as her hands start to change shape and, being caught off guard, he scoots back further, almost reflexively. They shift shape into dozens of needle-like fingers on each hand, each one moving independently of the other as they ruffle through and shift every sheet of paper until a neat stack is left after only a few seconds. "Here you go, all done," she says as one of her hands shapes into a solid flat board that she uses to slide the stack closer to him. Oswin stares baffled for a second.


    "Did I- Did yo- How d- Is that your Specialty?¡± he stumbles as his thoughts pile up.


    "Yeah. It''s pretty handy, why? Did you think I didn''t have one? You know we don''t have anyone without Specialties in this ring, and especially not the castle. Except for the Queen of course, gotta keep that bloodline pure, am I right?" She judges Oswin''s shoulder and raises her eyebrows.


    "Ah, yes, right. So¡­ I''m just," he points to the pile on the ground, "Gonna¡­ yeah." He takes the papers and begins to flip through them. Wait, is that¡­ his fingers begin tingling as he flips further down the stack. It must be. It has to be. He tosses the top half of the stack off to the side and it scatters everywhere across the floor, Hrithika calls out a very distant sounding ''Hey!'', but Oswin is too focused to notice. Another twelve sheets get thrown aside before his fingers touch the page he felt. Delicately, he pulls it out of the remaining papers and lets go of the rest. This¡­ looks like a torn-out diary page.


    Oswin closes his eyes and soon, little pricks travel across his entire body. Opening his eyes, he immediately notices that he''s hiding in a bush, his vision obscured by twiggy branches with thorny leaves. Where is this? Who am I seeing through this time? As he adjusts to the new environment, he sees through the cover he''s behind, and in the distance on the path is a young girl walking away from him. Why are we watching her? She looks almost familiar¡­ The figure that Oswin is spectating crawls forward, and it''s as if Oswin can feel the sting of the sharp leaves dragging across his skin. Breaking through the tangled shrub, they quickly run over to a nearby tree, peeking around to keep an eye on the girl. What is this person trying to do? Why do they have to make sure they aren''t seen?


    This is pointless¡­ Why am I still following her? A woman''s voice echoes through Oswin''s mind.


    Wait¡­ that wasn''t me.


    It''s been two years since they should have shown up. Oswin''s attached body sprints to the next tree, footsteps nearly silent.


    Am I¡­ hearing her thoughts? That''s¡­ new. Hello?


    Surely she has one. She has to. I can''t continue keeping an eye on her. Eyeing around the tree again, the girl is closer, and another person is walking in her direction further in the distance.


    She doesn''t seem to be able to hear me¡­ Is this woman her mother? Trying to see if her daughter has a partner? That wouldn''t make sense, why would I be shown that¡­


    Please¡­ As the far figure closes in, a surfaced root catches their foot, sending them stumbling forward into the dirt. The girl runs over to help them up, and as the stranger takes the girl''s hand, their body begins to rapidly convulse for a moment. The girl screams and tries to yank away, unable to let go and forced to watch as the jolting body begins to slowly melt, bone exposing through the dissolving flesh, the bone liquifying soon after. All that remains is a mass of fleshy goo, stringing up to where the girl had taken the poor victim''s hand. Oh my God.


    Oh my God.


    The mass begins noticeably shrinking, the stringy goo slinking up and pumping into the girl''s fingertips until the last bodily remnants are slurped up. The girl continued shrieking, collapsing back onto the ground, staring horrified at the puddle of remnant blood left behind.


    What the hell did I just see? Both Oswin and the woman think simultaneously. A loud untraceable crack sound rings out, but neither the girl nor the woman seems to notice. Their shared body steps out from the cover and Oswin finally understands why he thought the girl looked familiar. The woman calls out.


    "Bela¡­?"


    The girl''s head snaps to her and Oswin is thrown from his mind, snapping into an upright position back in the tower, smacking the back of his head against the shelf he was leaning on. He manages to focus just long enough to see Hrithika running over before slipping into darkness.

 Chapter 10: The Letter

    Oswin''s eyes shoot open. He wearily looks around and sees he''s still in the tower. A shot of pain fires in the back of his head and he groans, reaching up to rub the swollen bump and finding a soft cushion behind his head as well as one behind his back.


    "Well, that was quite a hit you took there." Hrithika''s voice causes a flinch in Oswin.


    "God, you scared me¡­ How long have I been out?¡±


    "Three weeks."


    "WHAT!" Oswin shoots up, a whirlwind of lightheadedness sending him crashing back to the ground.


    "I''m kidding! Good Lord, do they teach you nobles anything about comedy? It''s been about two hours. Viralia tried getting in a couple of times, but that obviously wasn''t gonna work. You need a more secure bedroom door though. That passage isn''t as hidden as you probably want it to be¡­"


    "Right, thank you. I''ll have to have some workers take care of that."


    "Nooo. No. N-O, no. If Viralia hears even a whiff of this, she''ll probably tear the whole room up and down."


    "Ah. True. Why is she so¡­ insistent about keeping track of me? It''s ridiculous¡­ I''m not a child, I know my way around and I''m perfectly capable of taking care of myself."


    "Uh-huh, this isn''t the first time I''ve had to move you while unconscious, sir. Are you sure about that last statement?"


    "... No need to be so blunt about it." He gruffs and looks over the room again, seeing it halfway cleaned up. Hrithika cackles and continues picking up the havoc she wreaked on the room. "Thank you. For picking up, I mean."


    "Pssh, I know how to clean up after myself. How do you think I slink around so well?" She shoots Oswin a sly grin.


    "Fair enough. So¡­ How long have you been under the kingdom?" Hrithika''s body freezes in place, her eyes seemingly locked in space.


    "It''s been about eleven years, Oz," she says softly without breaking her gaze.


    "Wow¡­ What sort of¡­ test did they give you?"


    "Well¡­ They tried just about everything. No one could hit me in the arena but I refused to fight and just dodged anything they threw at me, I could do basically nothing in the nature group because I have the worst green thumb. Manufacturing didn''t do it for me either, felt too¡­ inhuman. Nothing they really tried fit, but they couldn''t exactly let me leave. Dunno if you''ve noticed but they''re very strict about powers outside of the inner ring."


    "Yeah¡­ I''ve been forced to partake for twenty-nine years. It wasn''t until the past few that I learned what was really happening behind those doors. I was¡­. Abhorrent. I knew I had to do something, but¡­ honestly, I feel I don''t have much choice in the matter. My time is dictated by servants, and I have no idea what my day has in store for me. I feel like I''m just sweeping through my life, brushing by anything that holds any meaning¡­ I''m sorry, I''m rambling."


    "No¡­ please," Hrithika is immediately in front of Oswin, crouched down and making direct eye contact, "This is the first real conversation I''ve had in ten years. The last thing I want to hear is an apology."


    Oswin quietly chuckles, "Understood. I''ll try to refrain in the future." He palms the pendant around his neck, eyeing it and noticing the crack has grown to take up more than half of the gem. Before he can have any thoughts, as his thumb runs over the crack of the amethyst, a zapping feeling courses through his mind, sending him keeling over onto the ground. Hrithika jumps forward, unsure of what to do, but all Oswin can manage is to point toward a cabinet on the far side of the room. She runs over and swings open the small doors, only a few different packets of paper resting inside. Hrithika desperately holds all of them up and, even with his eyes closed, Oswin''s finger hooks to the right. She shoves the other two back into the cabinet and runs over, pushing the stack into Oswin''s extended hand. He slings the file open and begins reading, a searing pain fills his head and he lets out an exasperated scream of overstimulation.


    His eyes shut for the briefest moment, opening to see a small field surrounding him, a distant hut on the crest of the horizon. God¡­ why must this process get more painful every time? He first notices that five girls have huddled around, and then quickly recognizes that they''re the same girls he''s been watching this entire time. Wait, five plus this one makes six¡­ where''s the last one? What was her name again¡­ Bela! That''s right, where is she?


    "Thanks for coming everyone, I''ve got something bad to share¡­" a voice resonates through Oswin''s head, and he realizes he''s seeing Cayna''s view, "I saw something¡­"


    "Well¡­?" Mira speaks up, tapping her foot on the ground.


    Cayna shuffles in place for a moment before continuing, "It''s about Bela¡­ I think I saw her¡­ her power forming¡­" The girls don''t seem to notice Cayna''s somber expression, showing more interest in Bela''s Specialty than anything.


    "Ooh, what is it?" Aisha coos.


    "I bet it''s something like light," Tesni''s voice writhed with distaste.


    "She¡­" Cayna''s vocals trembled as she struggled to form words, "I saw her¡­ consume another person¡­"


    A cacophony of ''what?'' followed this remark, everyone''s attention focusing solely on her, all separate conversations dropping instantly.


    "It''s¡­ hard to describe. I was following her and this stranger tripped as they got close to Bela, and she ran to help them up but¡­" Cayna''s voice trails off as she vividly imagines what happened that day. Oswin gets a flashing memory of the pile of a body she saw before, twinging and trying to close his eyes but is unable to avoid the sight. "She took their hand, and they just¡­ melted¡­" Cayna''s vision blurs as she struggles to recall the horrible memory. A few of the girls'' faces fill with shock and start trying to ask questions, but Mira hushes everyone and takes Cayna''s hand.


    "It''s okay, take your time."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Cayna sniffles, the first tears leaving her water-filled eyes, rolling gently down her cheek. "They melted¡­ and Bela¡­ she couldn''t let go. The body was just¡­ a blob." Looks of concern begin painting the faces of the girls, unsure of how to react. Cayna sees their collective reaction and with her mouth moving before she can think, she blurts out, "It''s not her fault! She didn''t get to choose her power just like we didn''t!"


    Mira pulls Cayna in and nooks her head in her twin''s neck. "We know. It isn''t that¡­ it''s more an issue of how do we deal with something like that¡­"


    "Deal with?! She is our sister!" She shouts loudly at Mira, who recoils back.


    "No, that isn''t what I meant! You know that! I just¡­ I don''t know how we would help her handle it."


    Cayna cools her head, taking a few deep breaths. "The worst part was¡­ the blob .. the body, the person... It kind of¡­ shrunk, and it was sort of¡­ I don''t know how to describe it. It was¡­ pumping? I think that word fits¡­ it was pumping into Bela''s fingers. She was¡­ absorbing them until there was nothing left¡­ just a puddle of blood." Tears pour from her eyes.


    Terra speaks up, rather bluntly, "Well, how long ago did this happen?"


    Cayna sniffles irregularly and rapidly, trying to get out any words she can. "It was¡­ a little over a year ago."


    Terra''s eyes widen and she nearly lunges at Cayna, restraining herself at the last moment. "What made you wait so long to tell us!"


    "I- s-saw a- vision¡­" her breathing slows down, and she takes a small handkerchief, using it to wipe her face before continuing. "It was not long after what happened."


    "Another one?" Mira nearly groaned, knowing that these visions were never anything too serious, but tried to stay supportive. "What was it?"


    "This one wasn''t like the others¡­ It was in my dream." Cayna shifts uncomfortably in place, all of the girls exchanging glances of distress.


    "But¡­" Nephele''s timid voice wisps in the quiet air, "What does that mean? You only see them when you''re awake¡­"


    Mira looks delicately into Cayna''s eyes, holding her twin sister''s face, and asks gently, "Can you tell us what you saw?" Cayna meets her gaze and nods softly. Mira backs up a step to give her some room to breathe.


    "I remember¡­ all of us coming together. Everyone except Bela, like right now only¡­ we look older. We were¡­ in a ring, and all of us were using our power except¡­ it wasn''t our physical power¡­ it felt¡­ like this immense energy¡­ an aura almost. Each one of ours was a different color." Cayna steps through the distant vision carefully, all of the girls silent, enamored by the tale. "I saw us all focus this¡­ aura¡­ into the center of the ring, a swirling glowing ball of pure energy started taking shape¡­ and then a bright flash of light sent us all onto our backs. Once we sat back up, in each of our palms was¡­ a gem." Aisha takes the opportunity to fire off some questions.


    "A gem? What good is that gonna be? How will that help with Bela? And what ab-"


    "Hush! Let her finish," Mira cuts her off. Cayna takes a deep breath, unsure herself what the vision means.


    "I have no idea. I''ve never seen something this big before." As Cayna''s sentence finishes, Oswin, who has been the silent observer, is slung forward in time, nearly a year but remains in the same place. The trees shifted from green to vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows in the blink of an eye, random people zipping by faster than the eye could see. As time slows down to normal, Oswin sees the five girls approach, his sight still gazing through Cayna''s eyes.


    "Thank you for trusting me." Cayna''s voice was steely and hardened more than the last time she spoke. The girls all nod silently, a solemn cloud hanging over them. I know none of them want to do this¡­ I know I don''t. But it has to be done. Bela ran away months ago and that vision has only gotten stronger since¡­ it''s all I''ve been dreaming about. This has to work.


    The girls form a ring exactly as Cayna had envisioned. They take each other''s hands and close their eyes, letting all thoughts slip from their minds. As they stand in a circle, making one continuous connection of energy, their aura begins to grow until it permeates the air around them, colored waves of energy rippling out. Cayna is the first to open her eyes, seeing a swirling and clashing rainbow of color. Slowly the rest of the girls open their eyes, taken aback by the beauty of their energy being visible to the naked eye. Cayna leads the rest through a deep breathing exercise, and as they make their way through it, a glow emanates from each of their chests. The glow begins siphoning out of the girls, tendrils of condensed raw energy crawling toward the center of the ring. As they begin to entangle in the middle, they detach from the girls, slithering into the center and swirling faster and faster, the light growing blindingly bright. Cayna blinks and she is sprawled backward on the ground, and the light is gone. She feels something in her hand and just as she goes to look at it, Oswin is thrown from the memory. He jolts upright back in the tower, and looking around, notices Hrithika is nowhere to be seen.


    Damnit, I shouldn''t have told her so much. She''s probably leading Viralia to me as we speak¡­ I have to get out of here. He scrambles to his feet, and flings open the trapdoor, skidding down the stairs as quickly as possible. Skittering through the narrow passage, he lands roughly back in the Archives. Moving quickly, he reaches the secret shelf door, and frantically scours for any switch or lever to open it. Not finding anything he yanks desperately on one of the shelves, letting out a yelp as the door swings open, knocking him onto his back. Well, that works. Hurrying through, he sees a handle on the inside and shuts the door behind him, scampering quietly back to his bedroom. Reaching the underside of his bed, he hears a repetitive thudding sound coming from the door. Moving the fabric blocking his view, he sees a pair of feet facing the door frame. Who is that? What are they doing? As he tries to peer closer, his foot slips, creating an audible scratching sound, to which the knocking stops. As dull footsteps grow closer, Oswin hears two clicks and backs up into the safety of the dark passage. The bed lifts and the person steps down.


    "Oz? Are you finally awake?" Hrithika''s mostly monotonous voice snaps Oswin from his fear.


    "Dear God, you scared the life out of me¡­ what are you doing in here?" He shouts in a hushed tone.


    "I was making your door harder to get through. We need to keep Viralia out, don''t we? All they''re gonna do is force you to finish the Ceremony and I think we both know you don''t want to." She shrugs and pulls Oswin''s arm, dragging him up the hidden stairs and into his room.


    He sees that there are boards nailed in to secure the door, and with a slight eyebrow raise and head tilt, he lets out an impressed, "Nicely done. I don''t think anyone is getting through that."


    "Thanks, I''m pretty handy. I just tore out a few empty shelves from the Archives and pulled some nails out that were hanging some photos." She explains.


    "Uhh¡­ alright then, that works. Anyway, we need to head back¡­ I¡­ I need to know what happened."


    "Ooh, will you finally tell me what''s going on? You just keep going unconscious and I am so confused."


    "I suppose I could, yes¡­ You''ve been helping me greatly, after all."


    They make their way back through the Archives to the tower, Oswin taking the time to explain the visions he''s been receiving, how he sees through the eyes of someone else, and the recurring girls he keeps being shown. As they''re climbing up the staircase, Oswin finally mentions the name of the girl he''s been seeing the most.


    "Wait¡­ Cayna?" Hrithika''s pace slows as her mind wanders. "I''ve seen that name before." As Oswin is registering what she said, Hrithika''s body becomes a jelly-like blob and rolls upward between his feet, shooting up to the top of the stairs. Oswin almost loses his balance, being equally thrown off by her bumping him, and by the shape she took so suddenly. He steadies himself and hurries up to the tower, finding Hrithika scouring in one of the top corners of the room above the shelves, her legs extended to twice their normal length for her to see on top.


    "Hrithika, what is it? What did you find?" He scampers over and frantically looks in the general area, unsure of what he''s doing.


    "This!" She whips out a piece of old beat-up paper, lengthening her arm so Oswin can reach it.


    He takes it and doesn''t feel any sort of energy from the paper. Just before he can say it isn''t anything, he catches the first words.


    ~


    Bela, I don''t know how to tell you this, but I''ve seen what''s coming.


    ~


    "What the¡­ what is this?¡± Oswin breaks away from the page and looks to Hrithika.


    "Just¡­ read it."


    ~


    I know that we shouldn''t have abandoned you like we did. You didn''t deserve it. You have an unimaginable power and there wasn''t anything that we could do to help understand it. Our powers pale in comparison to what you are capable of. What you will be capable of. By the time you''ve read this, I''ll be gone, and it will be by your hands. But you must know, I knew this was coming, I knew it was my time, and I would do it all again for you. I was never able to forgive myself for separating us, but it had to be done for the sake of everyone, even you. Your time will come, I know it will. I believe in you.


    - We''ll meet again, Cayna.


    ~


    Oswin stares at the page, unmoving. A drop hits the page, breaking his trance and he touches his eye, pulling back to see moisture on his fingers. Am I¡­ crying? Why am I crying?


    "Pretty sad, right? Now it makes a lot more sense knowing more of the story." Hrithika speaks softly.


    "But what did she see¡­" Oswin scrunches his brow, burrowing deep in thought. As he traces back through his memories, he sees the tree the girls were working around. Why do I know this tree¡­ where are you¡­ Images flash in his mind, of the same tree, only grown much larger, more gnarled. Wait. He pounces forward to one of the windows, shaking his head and dashing to the next, Hrithika watching with a single raised eyebrow. As he runs to the third window, he gazes out for a moment before leaping in the air, "There!¡±


    Out the window in the distance, just outside the farthest wall, stands a single tree growing taller than the rest, the gnarled branches barely visible from this distance. He turns to Hrithika with a fire in his eyes she hasn''t seen before, "We have to get out of here. I have to leave the Kingdom."

 Chapter 11: The Escape

    Oswin peers out his bedroom door, having taken time to carefully remove the boards and quietly set them aside. Hrithika''s eyes stretch out cartoonishly through the crack in the door and look in either direction simultaneously.


    "All clear." She whispers. They dash out, running to a nearby servant''s entrance and slipping in just as a guard rounds the far end of the corridor. Hrithika leads Oswin through the narrow passageways, taking him as far as the servant paths can to a door outside the castle. As they traverse the walkways, reaching a four-way intersection, Hrithika holds a finger up to her lips and in a soft voice says, "Stay here. I''ll be quick." And with that, she disappears down the left path. Oswin begins twiddling his fingers, checking down every path to ensure no one sees him. After a few seconds, a maid appears at the far end of the hall, Oswin jumps behind the corner and peers around. Before she reaches the intersection he''s hidden behind, a cloth is thrown over his body from behind, covering him fully. The maid passes by, Hrithika resting her arm awkwardly on Oswin in an attempt to cover him, chuckling nervously. The woman doesn''t mind, continuing whatever task she is set on.


    Oswin whispers through the cloth to Hrithika, "How exactly is this any less suspicious? I''m not exactly a small person.¡±


    "Well obviously not, but it''s better than someone seeing you and going ''Ahh! The King is sneaking away!'' and chasing us down, don''t you think?"


    "... You do know I''m your King, right?"


    "Did I not just refer to you as the King only two seconds ago?"


    Oswin inhales sharply through his nose and lets out a long, deep sigh. "So¡­ how am I supposed to see where I''m going like this?


    "Don''t worry, I''ve got you." Her arm stretches out under the cover and takes Oswin''s hand, guiding him forward slowly down the halls. Oswin reddens slightly, not used to gentle physical touch, unsure of how to respond. He creeps behind Hrithika as they turn down different corridors, soon reaching a point where Hrithika stops. "We''re at the closest point now. I''m going to step out and check the hall, wait here for a second." She drops his hand and exits into the hall, Oswin waiting impatiently. A sudden bump into his back startles him and he freezes, not knowing what to do.


    "Who blocked this door? I have somewhere to be, damn it." The unknown person had a man''s voice, but Oswin knew that voice, it was one he had known for years, it was his childhood friend, Kendrick, Shit, what do I do¡­ Hrithika should be back any second. "What''s even under here?" Kendrick starts raising the cloth just as the door swings open.


    Hrithika reaches under and takes Oswin''s hand again, pulling him forward out the door, but Kendrick''s grip on the cloth rips it off Oswin. Hrithika shuts the door before Kendrick can recollect himself, and begins pushing Oswin to run down the hall. Kendrick stumbles out the door, catching a glimpse of the King''s attire as he slips out of the doors to the lawn with Hrithika on his heels.


    They dash through the intricately laid raised flower beds, taking cover behind different statues and fountains to hide from patrolling guards. They must be on high alert, I''ve been gone for a good while. Hrithika ushers Oswin from cover to cover as they approach the main gate leading to the noble district. Hrithika stops behind the last of the cover and looks toward the gate, seeing a handful of guards standing in front.


    "This will only take a minute, stay down."


    Oswin nods and scrunches down lower, Hrithika goes bounding over the statue and the sounds of thudding metal follow quickly after. A hand snakes around the corner and grabs Oswin''s hand, who nearly jumps backward but instead gets dragged out of cover and pulled up to the now-empty gate.


    "Uhh, Hrithika, what happened?"


    "They''re sleeping for a little while. Don''t worry, they''ll be okay."


    "Oh¡­ Okay."


    Hrithika turns the crank to raise the portcullis enough for Oswin to slip under, dropping it down and slinking her shifting body through one of the holes to get through. Oswin stares for a moment before remarking.


    "That is one of the weirdest, most impressive things I think I''ve seen before."


    "Yeah, yeah, I know. No time for that, we have to go."


    "Right! The escape. Lead the way."


    They take off down into the Noble District and leap into the first alleyway they can find. Slipping through different alleys, they reach a point where they are forced to walk out into the open. Hrithika stops Oswin a few paces before stepping out into the road, taking cover behind a small wall jutting out.


    ¡°Okay Oz, this is the hard part. Chances are someone will see us, and we have to move quickly from that point.¡± Hrithika whispers and Oswin nods understandingly. ¡°Let¡¯s just casually walk down the road at first. Maybe no one will notice us. Also¡­ Maybe take this off.¡± Hrithika pulls the purple silken mantle off of Oswin, still dressed as he should be to host the Ceremony. He starts to protest, but she quickly cuts him off. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll need this anymore. You¡¯re leaving, remember?¡± she says as she throws it on the ground and stomps it into the dirt, Oswin biting his knuckle while subconsciously letting out a withheld groan.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He huffs.


    ¡°At least this way, you look a bit more like a noble and not so much the King.¡±


    She takes Oswin by the arm and pulls him out of the alleyway, entwining her arm with his, bringing herself closer to him, and starts down the road. She speaks quickly, hushedly to Oswin, who is growing red at this level of affection, ¡°Play along, or we¡¯ll get caught. We¡¯re just a couple taking a stroll.¡± She nods respectfully to a family walking by. The woman does a double-take at Oswin but continues quickly after her husband snaps at her to hurry up. "Once we get past this ring, we''ll have a much easier time. There''s still a lot of guards roaming around and I guarantee they''ll recognize you."


    "Alright, so where do we go next?"


    "There''s a gate leading to the trades district not too far up the road, hopefully, it''s not too guarded¡­ "


    Oswin nods as they walk arm in arm, soon turning the corner leading to the gate. Just as soon as they pass the corner, Hrithika shoves Oswin back to cover. She whispers to him, "There are about ten guards by the doors¡­ And I''m sure there''s more on the other side. This''ll be fun," a smile creeps across Hrithika''s face as she lets out a long sigh and draws a deep breath in, ballooning her body to an eight-foot-wide ball and rolling herself increasingly fast toward the gate, the guards noticing too late and trying to dive out of the way as she crashes through the doors, sending those on the other side flying off their feet.


    Oswin trails behind, his face plastered with an expression of pure frightened fascination as he watches the rolling sphere of a person pop quickly back to her original shape. He hurries to catch up and hops over the knocked-out guards, a few of them manage to start regaining their senses and holler out for them to stop. They stumble up and begin chasing after Oswin, who has at this point taken off into a sprint down the declining road.


    After passing a few hundred feet or so of well-trimmed colorful trees, and with the guards trailing further behind, Oswin reaches the trades district and scouts the crowded streets for the direction Hrithika might have gone. He feels a sudden tug from behind and is dragged into a nearby alley behind a shop, his mouth is covered quickly and he hears a small "shhh" from behind. The clatter of the guards running in their armor passes by, the one in front shouting out different directions for each guard to head to cover more ground. The hand drops and he flips around breathlessly, meeting Hrithika''s eyes. She chuckles and speaks softly, "Told you this would be fun." Oswin swallows down some air, muttering quietly.


    "You''re crazy."


    "Only a little." She giggles and slips out onto the road again, pulling Oswin with her. ¡°Come on, we should keep going.¡± They slip into the crowds of people here to bargain or exchange goods, making their way down the busy street. Oswin holds his breath, realizing he hasn¡¯t been this close to this many people before, and grips Hrithika¡¯s hand tighter. Passersby shoot different looks at them as they scoot through, too busy in their own lives to recognize who they bumped into, each time causing Oswin to flinch. Hrithika notices the small squeezes of her hand and whispers softly, "Hey, it''s alright¡­ See?¡± Hrithika waves her free hand outward, and Oswin searches the crowd and starts to notice that no one is looking at him. "These people have too much going on to be bothered by us.¡±


    Oswin drops the tensity in his shoulders, breathing comfortably for the first time since they left the castle. Their pace slows down as they blend into the waves of people. ¡°What is even outside the walls of the Kingdom? What if that boy didn¡¯t survive out there?¡±


    ¡°What boy?¡± She pries quietly.


    ¡°There was a boy during the Ceremony¡­ It was his turn and when Viralia placed the crown on his head, the crown didn¡¯t know how to react, it swarmed with different colors, and that¡¯s when the visions started¡­" He twinges thinking about it, continuing in a hushed tone, "I remember seeing a name in an old notebook during that first vision I had¡­" He stews for a moment as he recalls a memory that feels so long ago. He glances at Hrithika and back into the crowd, lost in thought, "It was¡­ Infernia... I had never heard it before that day, and I still have no idea who she was or is.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of her.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid of that¡­ I believe that boy is the key to finding my answers. I just fear that I only succeeded in sending him to his death. But¡­ I have to find him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here for! Don¡¯t forget who got you this far already.¡±


    ¡°Very true, I wouldn¡¯t dare overlook the help you¡¯ve given to me.¡± Oswin¡¯s mouth upturns into a genuine smile, a moment of fleeting happiness passing through him. Hrithika sees him smiling for the first time, and can¡¯t help but feel her face grow warm. They walk silently for a minute, taking in their bustling surroundings and Oswin begins to notice the little things around them. A man trying very hard to convince the shopkeep that his produce is worth more than a couple of coats, a woman carrying her toddler in one arm and a bundle of branches under her other as she struggles to reach for another item, a shopkeep chasing a child down the street hollering ''thief!'', the old man walking his rolling cart down the road as he shouts about a good deal on his different fruits. Oswin starts to gain a new appreciation for the lower-class people, seeing them living through their day working hard to make ends meet. Snapping him from his trance, he feels a sudden pull of his wrist.


    ¡°Crap, this way. Guards right in front of us.¡±


    Oswin looks over the heads of the crowd and sees two metal helmets not even twenty feet in front of them. Crouching down quickly, he shadows Hrithika as she slips out of the crowd onto a less populated side road. ¡°Good eye.¡±  Oswin grinned. ¡°How much further until we reach the outer district?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, how are we going to get through the gate this time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there isn¡¯t a gate separating these two rings.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Oz, everyone in the outer ring barely has belongings to their name. The kingdom just deemed it wasn¡¯t worth posting a patrol of guards to let them in and out of the trades district. Too much spent manpower that they ¡®need¡¯ elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Things are really that bad?¡±


    ¡°... You have no idea, do you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see, we¡¯re about to reach the entrance.¡±


    Oswin looks up, seeing the road they¡¯re on meets back up with the main street, and his nerves start to heighten. What is she talking about? What could be happening out here? As they merge back in with the crowded street, Oswin gawks at the large wall surrounding the trade district, a massive arch where the gate should be is in front of them, people pouring in either direction. As they pass under the arch, he looks up in fascination, admiring the stonework. Hrithika nudges him, he looks forward, and sees a sea of slums, shambling huts made of scrap material, and people wearing such tattered clothing that they may as well not be wearing anything.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°What the hell¡­ So, this is how the people have been living? For how long?¡±


    ¡°Most of the time the Kingdom has been around.¡±


    ¡°Good god.¡± Oswin feels as though all the breath was taken from his lungs. So, THIS is what I¡¯ve been a part of all of this time? This is horrendous¡­ I can¡¯t do anything now, though. I¡¯m sorry, everyone. I promise I will be back to take care of all of you. They step into the denser crowd, Hrithika holding Oswin''s hand tight to not get separated. Getting pushed around by the bustling horde of people, Oswin''s breathing grows heavier, frantically looking around as he fights to wriggle through the field of clustered shoulders and heads. He loses sight of Hrithika in the crowd but grips her hand tightly as she ropes her arm to leave a trail for him. Following the hand and gently shuffling through for what feels like ages, he reaches a point where the crowd has dispersed slightly as he''s pulled off onto another side road. Hrithika''s arm retracts back to her body with Oswin in tow and finally having some space, he tries to slow his breathing, bending over with his hands on his knees. He rips open the top buttons of his attire as he struggles to bring air into his lungs, his heartbeat thudding rapidly in his ears. He feels the graze of a hesitant hand on his back, padding down more confidently once he doesn''t outwardly react. The gentle feeling grounds him long enough to mutter out a small, "... This is what I''ve been allowing?"


    "Hey¡­ it''s okay, you didn''t directly cause it, you just kind of¡­ maintained it. But that''s not important, right now we should really focus on getti-"


    "Oswin?"


    Oswin and Hrithika''s heads snap to the person who walked up on them, and Oswin''s jaw drops as he meets eyes with Kendrick.


    "Uhm¡­ Hello, Kendrick. What brings you out to these far reaches of the Kingdom?"


    "I could be asking you the same question. What the hell are you doing out here?"


    Hrithika pops up between the two, turning to Oswin, "Hey, I''m really glad you got to meet up with your friend, but we really have to go."


    Kendrick cuts in, "And where exactly are you two going?"


    Oswin steps in front of Hrithika, bringing himself a foot away from Kendrick''s face and pleading with him, "Kendrick, I beg of you. I can''t stay here. There is too much to explain, but I can say this. I have to get outside of the walls¡­ To find a way to right the wrongs happening within my Kingdom."


    Hrithika''s hand passes in between their faces, "Oswin! We really need to go, now!"


    Oswin sees three guards slowly making their way down the road they''re on and turns back, he and Kendrick maintain silent eye contact for almost too long before Kendrick nods. Oswin calls out, "Hrithika, he''s coming with us. No time for questions, just lead the way."


    "Works for me, this way you two." She extends a hand to both Oswin and Kendrick, and Oswin takes it confidently, glancing over to Kendrick who hesitantly takes hold as well. As she takes Kendrick''s hand, the rest of her body takes off, slipping into the spattered crowd as Kendrick stares, gobsmacked, still holding her snakelike hand. Oswin checks left and right before disappearing into the cluster. Kendrick, making sure to not waste any time, follows him in. They all slip through the congested street, Hrithika staying a small distance ahead of the two, and eventually, Oswin and Kendrick catch up. Hrithika is stopped in the middle of the road, staring down one of the side alleys.


    "Hey, is everything okay?" Oswin goes to put a hand on Hrithika''s shoulder but she pulls away.


    "I''ll be back in just a few seconds. Stay. Right. Here." Hrithika vanishes quickly between the passersby, and Oswin looks down the alley she was entranced by. Sitting in the dark, curled up with their knees tucked and their head resting on their crossed arms was a small child, no older than seven. Their arms and legs were thin like twigs, and Oswin stared in disbelief.


    "I can''t believe¡­ this is how my people have had to live." An uneasy feeling fills Oswin''s stomach.


    "I had no idea it was this bad either¡­" Kendrick''s voice was barely loud enough for Oswin to hear.


    A few seconds go by and Oswin notices a blob appear further behind the child, slinking toward them. Hrithika takes shape from the blob and extends something out. She says something briefly but they can''t make anything out over the noise of the public space. Within the blink of an eye, Hrithika is back between the two men, hurriedly tugging at their hands.


    "What was that, Hrithika?" Oswin spurts out.


    "H-huh? I just had¡­ a small task to take care of, nothing important."


    Kendrick throws up an eyebrow, "All the way out here? What would you need to do this far out?"


    "Hrithika, did you steal something to give to that boy?" Oswin whispers to her.


    "Okay you two, this isn''t the time. There are still a few guards out here, can we please go now? I feel like I''m the only one who is actually trying to leave right now."


    Oswin and Kendrick stare at her for a moment before Oswin speaks, "Sorry, this has just been a weird couple of days. Please, lead the way."


    ¡°Thank you!¡± she hollers impatiently, and without missing a beat, she grabs both of them by the hands and pulls her arms tight to keep them just behind her. Taking off into the crowd, Oswin and Kendrick are dragged along, barely avoiding the people walking around. As they zip through the crowd, the sound of yelling comes from behind, and Oswin peers over his shoulder to see guards trying to push their way through to the three of them. The patrol gets lost in the sea of people, and Hrithika yanks the boys hard to the left, slipping into another of the many narrow alleyways.


    Crouching down behind some piled-up junk, they all take a moment to sit and breathe. Kendrick is the first to break the quiet, ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s the reason you¡¯re attempting to escape?¡±


    Oswin and Hrithika exchange a glance, unsure whether or not to give any info to him. After a short silence, Oswin nods defeatedly. ¡°There was a boy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a great start, Oswin.¡± Kendrick cuts in.


    ¡°Shush, let me finish. Do you want to know or not?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, sorry. Go ahead.¡± He bites his tongue.


    ¡°It happened during the Ceremony. The crown was placed on this boy''s head and everything flipped upside-down for me. I started receiving these wild visions of different lives. Specifically surrounding this old family that had all daughters. They seem to be¡­ The first.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ ¡®The first¡¯ what,¡± Kendrick throws up air quotes.


    ¡°The first powers. The origin. The ones who started all of this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s uh¡­ that is wild.¡± His eyebrows scrunch together, ¡°So why does that equal you having to leave?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not proud of it¡­ I exiled that boy. But, I felt like he is important somehow, and I had no other way to ensure he had a chance.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°And now¡­ It¡¯s difficult to explain¡­ but it feels as though my soul is drawn to finding him. If only I could figure out why¡­¡±


    "Those must have been quite some visions to make you realize you wanted to leave."


    "They definitely got into my head a bit." Oswin looks around for a few seconds, "Are we clear now? We should probably find the way out before it gets too dark out."


    Hrithika stands up, the other two following her lead, "Actually, we''re almost there. The wall is about half a mile away."


    "Wait," Kendrick utters, "The gate is at least a few miles down the road."


    "Well, it''s a good thing we aren''t going out the gate then."


    Oswin and Kendrick both freeze and the two exchange glances with each other, voicing a simultaneous, "What?"


    "Come on, I''ll just show you." She waves her hand forward as she turns away, motioning for them to follow. The boys look at each other and shrug, stepping in line behind her. They traverse the last stretch through the bustling roads without any issue and reach a point where the buildings space out and they''re given some room to breathe.


    Oswin''s pace slows, trailing behind Hrithika and Kendrick. His vision doubles briefly and he begins to stumble over himself, his mind feeling fuzzy. This place feels familiar¡­ have I been here before? I would remember that wouldn''t I? Hrithika''s hand breaks Oswin''s spell, gently taking his hand into her own, and looking up, he sees the other two about ten feet ahead of him, her arm stretching the gap. Hrithika''s eyebrows are drawn together as she''s staring directly into his eyes. She retracts her arm slowly, pulling Oswin at his own pace to catch up.


    "Are you okay?"


    Kendrick speaks first, "He gets these headaches all the time. Here, let m-"


    "No, this is different, Kendrick¡­" Oswin mutters, holding his head and Hrithika leads him to a nearby spot where he can sit down briefly. As both of them try speaking to Oswin, his hearing fades away, and momentary glimpses of a time in this location many years ago splotch his vision, a distorting blend of past and present as he looks around his surroundings. This all¡­ why does this feel like I know this place? The plastering images of the past consume his vision, a memory he lost surrounding him frozen in time. Slowly, time creeps back to full speed, and Oswin sees a loosely populated street of people. A young boy runs by with frosty silver hair, and Oswin watches him carefully. Wait, that''s¡­ me. What is this place? Why do I not remember this? He follows his younger self down the road, and after a short while the boy breaks off, cutting through the sparse buildings this far out. They soon reach a stream of water around fifteen feet wide, and the boy runs alongside it, jumping onto logs and balancing his way across, and occasionally picking up rocks to toss into the water. They quickly reach the outer wall, and Oswin sees that the river is given a short tunnel to pass through the Kingdom uninterrupted. At that moment, he is flung backward in the memory to the moment he was sitting, and the vision of the past bleeds away, revealing the present time with Kendrick and Hrithika frantically arguing with each other in front of him.


    "How are we supposed to get him out now?!"


    "Kendrick, please. This happens all the time. I''ll just carry him the rest of the way, I''ve done it before."


    "How can you carry him? He''s huge and you''re¡­ well¡­" His voice trails off, wishing he hadn''t started this question, "Not so¡­ large?"


    Hrithika gawks at Kendrick, "I''m going to pretend you didn''t just say that."


    Kendrick lets out a sheepish, "Thank you."


    Oswin sits fully upright. "I''m okay, you two." As Oswin starts speaking, both of their sets of eyes lock onto his.


    "God, Oswin, are you okay? What was that?" Kendrick rushes to him, crouching by his knee.


    "I''m alright, I promise. This, uh¡­ hasn''t been unusual for the last day or two."


    Hrithika slinks close, "What did you see this time?¡±


    "It was¡­ an old memory I had forgotten. Me as a boy, running around in this outer ring¡­" His head snaps up, and he shoots up to a stand, "I know where we''re going. To the stream, right?"


    "Yeah, that''s the spot," Hrithika confirms.


    "Then let''s go, quickly." Oswin begins leading the two the way he followed in his memory, having to make slight deviations to account for the new buildings, but still able to feel which direction is right. Soon reaching the stream without further incidents with the guards, Oswin calls out, "Alright, now we just follow this all the way to the wall. There should be an underpass to allow the stream through." Oswin strides alongside the waterfront and after twenty minutes or so they reach the outer wall, the large stream babbling through the ten-foot-long tunnel.


    Kendrick whistles, "Well I''ll be damned. You were right. When did you have time to come out here? And why wouldn''t you tell me about this?"


    "I''m¡­ honestly not sure. I barely remember this." Oswin stares incredulously.


    "How deep is the water?" Hrithika asks as she elongates her arm halfway across the flowing water, her finger lengthening and submerging down through the surface of the stream.


    Oswin treads into the water confidently, announcing, "It''s only a foot or two down. Come on."


    Kendrick steps in gingerly, groaning as water fills his boots, and Hrithika pulls her arm back, trailing behind the two as they trudge through the knee-depth water. They step through the underpass, and their view opens up to a vast forest with trees scratching the clouds. For a moment, the group ogles up at the canopy above their heads.


    Oswin opens his mouth first, "Have you two ever¡­ seen anything like this before?"


    "No." They utter together.


    "This is incredible¡­" Oswin takes a deep breath, clean oxygen filling his lungs for the first time he''s ever known. "It smells¡­ so clean out here."


    Hrithika hollers, "I was just about to say that!"


    Oswin breaks his nature trance first, snapping the other two to attention, "There''s no time to waste, this way." They step out of the watercourse and onto the untouched soil outside of the Kingdom. Oswin retraces his childhood''s steps carefully, trailing a quarter of a mile into the woods before coming upon a trunk much wider than the trees around it. All of them stare in awe at this tree, easily over thirty feet wide and breaking into the cloud layer. As Oswin gazes at this tree, his mind is abruptly filled with static, sending him reeling onto the ground in pain. A shredding sensation tears over his body, a glow in the cracked amethyst on his immovable pendant forming. The light grows brighter as Oswin writhes on the ground, desperate screams escaping through labored breaths. As he takes another glance toward the tree, the amethyst shatters into dust.

 Chapter 12: The Legends

    I jolt awake from a nightmare, a moment on a loop from a night that feels like a lifetime ago. My eyes fleet to every corner of the room, scouting for any danger. Realizing where I am, my breath finally returns to me and I turn back to the bed I''m sitting beside, a small drool puddle staining the cloth where my head was resting. He''s still asleep¡­ But still breathing, thank God. I gaze at his face as he lies unconscious, thinking about what I should do. The village doctor did mention earlier today that speaking to ones in a coma could help them wake up again¡­ Shrugging, I give it a try.


    "Hey¡­ it''s been¡­ ten days since you, uh¡­ fell asleep. Things have been¡­ okay. I, uh¡­ I have been writing letters to make sure you don''t have to miss out on anything. I¡­ Well, the doctor said that uh¡­ talking to you would help? So I figured I could read them to you! Heh¡­ Oh, this one was from the second night. Let''s see¡­ I''m just going to, uh¡­ skip over the feelings bits¡­ Trying to stay positive, you know? It was easier when you came around¡­ Cleanup has gotten most of the way through, and now some of the villagers have started rebuilding. They¡¯ve all¡­ been staying in various other homes that can accommodate them around the area. Everyone is waiting for you, praying for you to come out of this fog¡­¡± I read my letters, going off-page to talk more in-depth about certain things I had written, for over two hours. ¡°... I saw a Slothadillo for the first time today. I wonder if you have seen one before, they look so cool¡­ ¡­There was this Squirbunny that jumped on Odel¡¯s head when he chopped down a tree. The poor guy didn¡¯t know how to react¡­ ¡­I met the village Elder, her name is Naori, and she has a lot of cool stories! You should listen to them sometime¡­  ¡­The reconstruction is moving along nicely, we¡¯ve gotten about a third of the way done¡­ ¡­I really miss having you around already, please wake up soon. I should have been there¡­¡±


    A rapping against the doorframe behind me sends me spinning around, and seeing who it is, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. He speaks to me softly, ¡°Silven? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Joffrey¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± I reply dishonestly. Marianne pops out from behind Joffrey in the doorway, whispering something to him.


    ¡°Marianne thinks it would be good for you to come outside, and¡­ I think it¡¯s a good idea too. You haven¡¯t come out in almost three days, Sil.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I have to stay by Salem. He could wake up at any time, and I don¡¯t want him to be alone when he does.¡± I turn my head back to him, his chest shallowly rising and falling as he lays expressionless. I turned back with pools forming in my eyes, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let him go on his own, but¡­ there was so much happening all around.¡± Tears stream their way down my face, and Joffrey walks over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, my head resting against his side.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault¡­ Come on, let¡¯s go get some fresh air.¡± He halfway pulls me up, allowing me to draw myself up the rest of the way.


    ¡°But what if he wakes up while we¡¯re out?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want him to see you in this state? When¡¯s the last time you¡¯ve bathed?¡±


    I look down at my dirt-covered clothing and limbs, my tears leaving dark droplet marks on my shirt. With a hesitant sigh, I follow Joffrey and Marianne out the door, shooting one last look at my unconscious friend and wiping my eyes. Under my breath, I mumble, ¡°Wait for me before you wake up, okay Salem?¡±


    Stepping out into the sun, I cover my eyes and take a few minutes to adjust to the large difference in brightness. The village people are full steam ahead on reconstruction, moving large piles of lumber down the road, and others are running tools and different necessities to where they''re needed. Joffrey turns back, calling out to me.


    "You coming, Sil?¡±


    I shoot one last glance at the makeshift medical hut, twinging at the thought of leaving him, and move to follow Joffrey and Marianne, hollering out, "Yeah, I''m right behind you¡­"


    We walk down the road and outside the limits a short way to where a group of folks are chopping down trees for the village. Everyone was using tools that Joffrey had enhanced not long after the beasts attacked, so they were clearing through the wood in no time. We take up axes of our own and set out to a far corner of the field of stumps, waving to Odel as he''s hard at work.


    I find a wide trunk and start striking it, the axe splintering the bark easily, embedding deep into the tree. Wrenching it out, I swing it again, cutting further in. I spend the next ten minutes chopping through, and eventually, it gives under the weight. "Timber!" I shout forcefully, a few people hurriedly jog out of the way. It crashes to the ground with a heavy thud, and a group swarms it, working quickly to chop it into manageable sections. Moving on to the next tree, I raise my axe and as I''m reeling up to swing, a ruffling in the bushes about fifty feet ahead of me catches my attention. In a blink of panic, I threw the axe as hard as I could in the direction of the sound. As the axe flies through the air, three people emerge from the bushes. Oh, shit. I watch as the woman''s arm stretches in the blink of an eye, and grabs the axe, by the handle, out of the sky, inches from the large man''s face.


    I stumble over myself as I run over, yelling, "I''m so sorry! I thought you were an animal! Are you¡­" I skid to a stop, and a moment of blaring clarity falls over me. Is that¡­ "Your Majesty?!" Instinctively I fell to my knees, bowing down before him.


    "You¡­ know me?¡± Oswin replies, startled for a moment, before collecting himself, "Please, pick yourself up."


    I carefully draw myself off of the ground, wearily glancing toward the King. "What, um¡­ I mean¡­" My words fumble out. God¡­ why am I shaking so bad¡­ "May I speak, your Majesty?"


    "Child, please. You may drop the formality." Oswin approaches and pulls Silven up delicately. "Please, call me Oswin. It''s a pleasure to meet you. Could you tell me your name?"


    "You¡­ don''t remember me?" Tears well in my eyes as I look into his for the second time in my life, seeing his soft, brown eyes meeting mine. His smile twists in concern as he thinks back.


    He pulls back, muttering quietly, "I''m sorry, I don''t recall¡­ Could I ask you to remind me?"


    "I¡­" My mind trails off, unsure how to proceed, "Well, sir¡­ I was one of the, uh¡­ pawns. The ones the nobles used¡­ for entertainment. In the arena."


    His gaze falls through me for a moment, "Yes¡­ go on." His voice is low and gravelly.


    "I, uhm¡­ shot a guard during the middle of a match. He was harassing a woman in the audience¡­ he pushed her and she hit her head. She bled a lot¡­"


    "I''ve seen so many arena matches, though I do faintly remember an incident like that, but Viralia had told me not to worry about it, that she would¡­ take¡­ care of it." His words slow as it dawns on him what she meant.


    "They told me it was by your order!" I blurt out loudly, my hands smacking against my mouth immediately after.


    "Child, I did not give any order to exile anyone that day." He says solemnly.


    My stare fades into the background, before shaking my head, snapping myself back. "So¡­ wait. Why are you outside the walls? Don''t you like¡­ never leave the castle?"


    "Yes, well¡­ about that. I never actually¡­ wanted to partake in the Kingdom''s misdoings. I only learned of them myself within the last few years¡­ I began researching anything I could find from that point, though it didn''t turn up much¡­" Oswin walks over, sitting on a raised mound of grass, pondering his thoughts. "That is, until a strange boy appeared before me, around two weeks ago. Something awoke inside of me as the crown attempted to categorize him. A vision played in my mind, one of an infinitely extensive library, and I was drawn to a particular journal filled with unintelligible scrawlings, save for one name, Infernia."


    I stare for a moment, "...uhhh huh". Has he lost his mind? A thought shoots through my mind and expels out of my mouth, "Wait, two weeks? That''s around the time we met Salem¡­"


    The woman of Oswin''s group finally speaks up, "Salem? Who''s that?"


    "Hrithika, come now, give him a chance to explain." Oswin shushes her.


    "Right! Sorry." She slinks back.


    Oswin continues, "But, as she said, uhm¡­ Who is Salem?"


    "Well¡­ I have been traveling with a few other exiled people, and we had recently set up a few shoddy huts just over the mountains in front of the Kingdom when he showed up. We had to leave that camp after one of those, uh¡­ damn, what were they called. They''re giant black beasts that stand tall into the trees, their roar can be heard miles away, and when they''re close, their footsteps tremble the ground¡­ Joffrey mentioned it the other day¡­ Stalkers! That''s what they w-"


    "Pardon my interruption, but did you just say Joffrey?" Oswin''s eyes grow wide, mouth agape. "Is he here?"


    "Oh, uhm, yeah. Yeah, he''s actually right over here." I point my thumb over my shoulder, staring incredulously at him.


    "May we go to him?" Oswin shuffles forward, almost not waiting for an answer.


    The smaller man tugs Oswin back, unamused by his boyish behavior. "Oswin, don''t get ahead of yourself."


    "But Kendrick, it''s Joffrey!" His voice hushes excitedly.


    "I have no idea who that is," Kendrick replies.


    "Me either," Hrithika adds.


    Oswin shoots a distraught look back and forth between the two of them, "He was always there in the Archives with me! We never explicitly, uhm, talked¡­ but I always saw him peeking around corners and hiding behind shelves¡­" Seeing neither of his friends joining his excitement he huffs and turns back to me. "Can you just¡­ take me to him, please."


    "Yeah, absolutely Your maje- I mean, Kin- no, sorry, Os¡­win?" I wince as a warm flush rushes across my cheeks, "This way¡­" I quietly mutter and turn back, walking the three of them up the path I took. We soon meet up with the clearing of trees, and I spot Joffrey and Marianne hard at work, chopping more trees. "We just had a large attack on the village by more of those Stalkers, there were at least four of them. It happened about ten days ago and we''ve just been trying to¡­ rebuild from that."


    Oswin speaks with a grave tone, his head hanging low, "How many did you lose?"


    My tone matches his, "Twenty-three, and¡­ one in bad condition. He, uh, has been asleep since the attack happened."


    "That is horrible, I''m sorry for your loss." He places his hand on my shoulder, and I hide my eyes behind my hair, a few drops escaping my eyelid.


    I raise my hand and point to Joffrey, quickly wiping my face with my other arm, "He''s right there. C''mon."


    We walk over, and getting close, I call out, "Hey, Joffrey! Someone wants to have a word with you!" I watch as he extends his arm, holding out his index finger at me, stuck in conversation with Marianne. I groan as we get closer, and holler out again, "Joffrey, I really think this person needs to talk with you!" I finally yank his attention and I savor every moment as his expression distorts from uninterested to confused at who is trailing behind me, to shock as he realizes, happiness for a brief moment, then horror as the reality sinks in. I can''t help but laugh out loud, and manage to let out a short, "It''s okay! Come here!"


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    He excuses himself and makes his way over, Oswin taking his hand heartily and pulling him in for a hug as tight as a snake. "Your Majesty?! What in God''s name are you doing out here?"


    "Oh, come now, there''ll be plenty of time for that later. Please, how have you been, Joffrey? You had better believe I noticed the day you weren''t around anymore." Oswin replies, his face carrying the most genuine smile I''ve seen. It''s like they''ve known each other all their lives¡­


    "Oh, well, your Majesty, I managed to learn about my Specialty. It''s good for more than just preserving books, it turns out." He halfheartedly chuckles.


    Oswin corrects him, "Just call me Oswin, please. I''m not the king of anything out here. Now then, this boy here," He points at me, "He says someone is in critical condition, and I just happened to bring my good friend, and medic Specialist, Kendrick." He pulls Kendrick forward and under his arm, "May we see them?"


    Joffrey turns to me with so many questions racing in his mind, his face twisting awkwardly as he tries to process what''s happening. I look back at him for a moment, and I shrug. Joffrey turns back to Oswin, and with a sudden release of air, he bursts out, "Yeah, come on, he''s back at the village."


    Hrithika loudly announces, "There''s a village?!"


    Kendrick stares gobsmacked at Hrithika, "I can''t believe you are somehow part of the inner castle''s staff."


    "I saw a butterfly! It was pretty. It had purple wings with little white sp-"


    "How are you allowed to do practically anything you want? It baffles me to this day."


    "Come on, you two," Oswin waves his large hand between the two butting heads, "I know it''s been a rough couple of weeks, but we finally found somewhere with shelter. Let''s go see how we can help."


    He quashes their argument while Joffrey and I lead them back to the village medical hut. As we walk, I whisper to Joffrey as the other three trails behind a few paces, "Sooo¡­ this is weird, right?"


    "Yeah, I''m, uh, surprised he knows my name."


    "He was saying something about always knowing you were in the Archives."


    "O-oh," His face flushes slightly, "That''s a little¡­ embarrassing."


    I shrug, "I don''t think so."


    We soon get to the hut, and I step inside first, holding up my index finger to the others while I slip in. Walking over to the bed, my eyes immediately well up and I fight the urge to break down. Don''t worry, we have someone who can help now. You''ll be awake soon. I wipe my face on my sleeve and walk back to the door, waving for Kendrick to enter. Hrithika was busy telling Joffrey some story with Oswin, so I let them be and shut the door behind me.


    Kendrick walks over and looks over the work that''s been done up to this point. He asks me over his shoulder, "Did you bandage him?


    "I did, yeah. I have Joffrey to thank for that."


    "You did good, Vitrablossom leaves are wonderful medical tools." He begins pulling off the wraps, unraveling carefully as he examines Salem''s arms carefully. He audibly gasps as burnt-black tendrils clearly visible through his skin begin showing. He finishes unwrapping one arm, and I can hear him refrain from gasping again as he sees Salem''s hand almost solid black. I wince seeing it again myself, and how little the bandages have helped. He takes a deep breath, finishes unbandaging each limb, and begins going through the basic health check. "His vitals are still good, though they''re a little weak. His body temperature is easily far higher than normal, much more than a normal person could survive¡­ but it doesn''t seem to be having any adverse effects, which is¡­ extraordinary. No sweating, strained breathing, or shivering. Looking at just that, you wouldn''t be able to tell anything is outwardly wrong. As for his limbs¡­ the only slightly logical conclusion I can reach¡­ is that they cooked from the inside. What Specialty does this boy possess?"


    "Well¡­ he uses fire."


    Kendrick turns to look at me, "So he can control fire and he pulled it too close to himself?"


    "No, not quite. It''s like¡­. He is fire. It comes from him."


    "You mean to tell me he can create it at will?" Kendrick stares at me agape for a moment.


    "Yeah¡­ sort of. He''s brand new to it, and it¡­ seems to only come out with strong emotion."


    "I see." He turns back and gently takes Salem''s hand in between his own, closing his eyes. I watch in awe as Salem''s arm turns a gentle glowing green color, and I step closer to the bed. Looking at his arm, I see the tendrils gently creeping back to his palm, the color returning to the edges of his fingers. The glow fades, and Kendrick takes a gasp for air.


    I reach forward instinctively, "Are you okay?"


    He breathes deeply momentarily, then replies, "Yes, I''m fine. For me to heal others, I supply part of my life force to the area I''m tending to, accelerating the natural speed of recovery. Don''t worry though, as long as I don''t use too much, my life force will replenish over time. I can handle the rest of this young boy''s injuries before I''m too drained." He glances up at me, "What is this boy''s name again? I know you mentioned it earlier, but I fear I missed it.¡±


    "Salem."


    "Well," he turns back to the bed, speaking to him, "I''m going to fix you up quick Salem, you''ll be on your feet in no time."


    I stand back in the corner as he works over the next few minutes. He couldn''t heal all of it, some small black scars that seemed more permanent were burned into his palms and on the soles of his feet, but the rest of his body was back to normal.


    Kendrick stands up, walking over to me, "His vitals are strong again, and his temperature has regulated quite a bit. He should wake up any minute now." He pats my shoulder and walks out, leaving me alone with Salem. I go and sit beside him, rocking my heels back and forth, watching his face closely. It feels like ages before his eyes open and I see his dark chocolate pupils stare directly up at the ceiling, his lids fluttering as they take in the light again. Tears stream down my face as I''m too overcome to speak, mouth trying to find words but none come out.


    He draws in a deep breath, blinks a few times, and turns his head over to me, looking into my water-filled eyes, and I manage to sputter out a small, "Salem¡­ Thank god."


    He closes his eyes, groaning hoarsely, "Just a few more minutes¡­"


    I let out a chuckle, and nudged his shoulder, "Can you move?"


    He pushes himself up, wincing audibly, and I stand ready to support him, but he sits up the rest of the way on his own. "What happened?" He looks into my eyes again, his expression blank.


    My mouth hangs open for a moment, not sure where to begin, "Well, you''ve kind of¡­ been asleep for a while."


    "Oh? How long?" He looks over himself calmly, his gaze falling onto his palms, seeing the two charred marks in the center of each hand. "I overdid it again, didn''t I?"


    Tears stream down my face and I dive in, hugging him tight. "Yeah, yeah you did. But it''s okay. It''s been ten days since the attack."


    "Is- is everyone okay?" His eyes widen, and he begins to look around the room, panicked. His first thought is still about others. How can he be so caring?


    I grab his hand, pull his attention back, and tell him confidently, "Hey, everyone is fine."


    I watch his eyes gloss over, his voice barely a whisper, "Not everyone¡­ I couldn''t¡­"


    "I know, Salem. It''s horrible what happened, but you did everything you could¡­ You took down two of those things, all on your own. If you hadn''t been there, who knows how many more would have been lost¡­ I was amazed you were still standing after you finished off the one that almost took me out¡­ You¡­ weren''t looking too good."


    "I''m sure¡­"


    "But, uh¡­ Things are getting back to normal. Though, we did just have a big surprise drop by on us.


    He blinks blankly at me, tilting his head slightly to the right. "What kind of surprise?"


    "Well, uhm¡­ the King is here."


    His eyes flutter as he processes, "Uh, what?"


    "The King. He''s, kind of, right outside. Right now."


    "Oh." He stares blankly at the door, then looks back at me, then squints at the door and rubs his eyes.


    "Should I let them in?" I stand up and walk halfway across the floor.


    "Uh," he sits still for a moment, staring at nothing, before shaking his head back to reality, "Yeah¡­ that''s fine."


    I nod and shuffle to the door, opening it to let everyone in, and luckily Hrithrika was just now seeming to wrap up her story. Everyone steps in gingerly, and I slip through them, reaching Salem''s side first. I notice he''s making direct eye contact with Oswin. I can''t tell any kind of feeling either of them is expressing right now¡­ what are they doing?


    Oswin steps closer, and just as I''m about to jump to block him, he drops to his knees, bowing so hard he smacks his head audibly on the floor, everyone around stares in confused silence. "I can''t believe it¡­ I honestly wasn''t sure if you would survive¡­ I can never apologize enough for what I had done without giving you any explanation, but it was the only way there was a chance¡­ a chance for me to find you again."


    Salem is stunned by Oswin''s words, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before sliding off of the bed, kneeling beside Oswin, and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It''s okay," He says in a hushed, strained voice, and Oswin looks up to meet his gaze.


    I watch Salem stand up, leading Oswin off of the ground, maintaining silent eye contact. Oswin stands fully, looking down at Salem, who stands barely above half of his height.


    Suddenly, the door swings open and an elderly woman with salt-and-peppered hair in a bun steps inside, and everyone''s attention is drawn to her. She blinks a few times as the door shuts behind her, and takes stock of everyone present.


    I stand up and move in front of the crowd, bowing deeply to her, "Hello, Elder Naori, what''s brought you here today?" Everyone behind me quickly bows as well before she speaks.


    "Calm down everyone, I simply heard we had some new travelers and came to see for myse-" She stops in her tracks as her eyes land on Oswin. "My God¡­ I never thought I''d see the day in my life."


    Oswin meets her gaze, standing up tall, "What do you mean, Elder?"


    She replies softly, "You''re Brindovian, that silver hair¡­ Our village has legends of them." All of us stare at her dumbfounded.


    Oswin asks the question we all were thinking, his voice unsure of himself, "I''m sorry, Brindovian? Legends of who?"


    "Legends of the Goddesses. Seven women were born in this village to one family, blessed with different unearthly abilities over a thousand years ago, three sets of twins, and a final single child. Each one could create and manipulate their own element of energy at will."


    "Seven¡­ women¡­" Oswin trails off in thought as the Elder continues.


    "They each were given a name in legends, so they would be known for all time. Brindovia was the Goddess of the Mind and the eldest of the sisters. Kuraquia, Brindovia''s younger twin, moved oceans and created rivers as the Goddess of Water. Deltania controlled life, and the energy of the planet, as the Goddess of Energy. Infernia lit up the world as the Goddess of Fire, keeping danger at bay. Sta-"


    Oswin cuts in quickly, "I''m sorry, Elder, did you just say¡­ Infernia?"


    "Yes, I did. What of it?"


    Oswin steps out of the way, revealing Salem behind him. "I''ve seen a vision¡­ of an infinite library and everything was in some indecipherable scrawl, save for one word below a drawing of an auburn-haired woman in golden-clad armor¡­ Infernia. I only received the vision after meeting this boy¡­"


    "Hmm¡­" The Elder taps her chin and walks closer, taking Salem by the hand and walking over to a window. The sunlight shines through his hair, and glints of a deep red hue light up across his head. "You are definitely Infernian. That Auburn hair only occurs with those bearing the Goddess of Fire''s ability. Same for you with that silver hair, you possess Brindovia''s ability."


    "So¡­ I possess the Goddess of the Mind''s power? Is that why I kept seeing visions?"


    "I believe that''s safe to say. Though, no one has seen silver hair for as long as the legends have been around."


    "My bloodline has had silver hair that recurred many times over the years, Elder. You see¡­ I''m the King of the nearby Kingdom."


    "Power that passed down through your bloodline? That''s interesting¡­"


    Salem quietly utters, "But, neither of my parents has hair like mine." The Elder turns to him.


    "That happens as well. The energy of that element continues to persist across the world when the previous user passes on, thanks to the gems that Brindovia created with her sisters, which contained the bulk of their powers. The energy emitted by these gems has shaped the world as we know it, each laying fibers deep inside the planet, balancing all the elements harmoniously. In the same moment as a previous user leaves this world, the energy chooses a new life coming into the world to carry on the path of the Goddesses. Those who are chosen gain distinct traits that are more vibrant than those who are merely children of the Goddesses, or their descendants, where they end up with some muddled trait. You two," she points at Oswin and Salem, "Are, without a doubt, Disciples of the Goddesses."

 Chapter 13: The Infernian

    A few hours have gone by since the Elder told the King and I that we were Disciples. I''ve been ordered to stay in bed by Kendrick until my muscle strength returns, which should happen sometime soon. I''ve been sitting on the edge of the medical bed, looking out the window, staring at nothing. Everyone went to help reconstruction move along, though Silven stayed back for a while, trying to make sure I didn''t need anything. It took about thirty minutes to convince him I was okay, that he should be out there helping the others, and he eventually made his way out.


    My gaze shifts to my palms, and I stare at the charred spots in the center of each one. That night has been playing through my mind since I woke up. That woman and those two children''s expressions just before they''re consumed by fire are plastering my mind, I can still distinctly see the woman¡¯s arm, reaching for me. I¡­ couldn''t save them. I went too far over my limit¡­ Now I have these scars to always force me to remember that night¡­ I¡­ I can''t let that happen again. My eyes well up, tears dripping down my cheek, but my body refuses to move or react, no matter how badly I want to throw myself face down into the bed and scream at the top of my lungs, or cry until my eyes dry out. Why¡­ Why does it have to be me? A¡­ Disciple of a Goddess? That''s crazy¡­ I can''t even protect people¡­ How am I supposed to do anything if I can''t even use my Specialty to help¡­


    As my thoughts run rampant through my mind, my sight planted firmly on my palms, two small, frail hands cover the burns, and snap me from my trance. I look up to see Elder Naori in front of me, a concerned smile on her face as she looks up at me. When did she come in¡­? Did I really not hear her?


    "Good afternoon, Salem. How are you feeling?"


    I look back at her hands resting on mine, unable to look her in the eye, and shrug my shoulders just barely enough to be noticed. Does she really need to ask me that?


    "I heard from Joffrey about what had happened, and I''m sure you must be fighting an impossible battle in your mind. Moments like those will stick with you for the rest of your life, and it''s up to you to choose how you will let it affect you. There is no changing how those events happened."


    "Mm," I mumble. Of course, I know that. I don''t need you to nail that point down further¡­


    "May I tell you about the Legend of Deltania?¡±


    I shrug, which she takes as enough of an affirmative response.


    ¡°Deltania was the strongest of the Goddesses. Since she possessed the ability to control energy, she realized she could stockpile it within herself, and unleash as much she had contained, as she wanted, when she wanted. The gems the Goddesses created, not only did they shape the planet, but each gem sowed deep lifelines throughout the planet, growing stronger. Deltania learned her gift had blessed her with youth, appearing years younger than any of her sisters upon reaching adulthood, and she could tap into the power the gems have been depositing into the planet and use herself as a conduit, releasing unimaginable amounts of strength in a single blow. Some say she could punch through mountains. There are only a handful of records of what happened to her after that, some say she went mad, and others depict her leaving the planet thanks to her near-endless energy supply. But the only thing known for sure¡­ is that one day she disappeared without a trace.¡±


    I lift my gaze, finally making eye contact with the Elder, and my words come out as hardly a whisper, "What''s that have to do with me?"


    "Well, as much as our Legends tell of the incredible feats that these Goddesses have laid upon the land, they were still regular people, with all of their emotions, struggles, passions, and relations, just like you. I believe Deltania reached a point where she couldn''t handle the pressure of her powers, and that was her reason for disappearing."


    I stare at her for a moment, unsure of what point she''s trying to make, and say softly, "This isn''t exactly making me feel better¡­"


    "I understand, but there is a point to this. You see, Deltania took it upon herself to leave everything she had known behind her, spending her time alone. Now, You¡­" She gestures to the window and I look over, seeing Joffrey poking at Silven with a small branch from a section of trunk they had just cut up and Kendrick trying to get them back on track in the distance. She continues, "You are in a very similar situation as her. You have many people who care deeply about you and are ready and willing to do anything for you. However, It''s up to you to decide whether you''ll let them stand with you and fight together, or go your own way and face it alone. Both are viable options, and there is no right or wrong answer, but as the Elder of this village, I personally want to thank you for all of the efforts you and your friends put into protecting us. It''s true that lives were lost that day, and we are all grieving the losses, but if not for you and your friends, this village might not have been here anymore¡­ You''ve done a great service, and I hope you can forgive yourself one day. I know you will make the best choices, Salem."


    I nod gingerly, muttering quietly, "Thank you, Elder¡­"


    Elder Naori takes her leave, and I stew in my thoughts for a while. How can I forgive myself when all I can see is that woman¡­ I don''t even know what her name was¡­ and those kids¡­ and if it weren''t for Joffrey, I''d be dead right now¡­ I ball my fists up and rub my eyes aggressively, strained groans escaping me as I rock myself on the edge of the bed. Maybe it would''ve been best if that beast had just killed me¡­


    Some time went by, and my stare shifted out the window, though I don''t remember when I looked over. I see the sun starting to set on the horizon, and a thought crosses my mind. I wonder how my parents are¡­ thinking back, they never were good to me, but¡­ I miss them¡­ I still hold tight to the memory of me with my family, the one time we watched the sunset together. It was before my older brother disappeared¡­ I don''t know what we did that made them want to do something for us, but one day our parents surprised us and took us onto the roof. They had laid out a blanket that we all sat on, and they even had a few different leftover scraps set out for us while we watched the sun slip gently behind the massive walls, the beautiful golden rays bouncing off of the rolling clouds overhead in a prism of red, purple, orange, and blue as the sky grew darker. They didn''t even lay a hand on us that day¡­ Lucian disappeared not long after that¡­ he turned fourteen around a few years before I did. I¡­ I wonder if he made it through the Ceremony or not...


    As my thoughts spiral downward, someone thumping my shoulder behind me pulls me back to reality. I turn and see Oswin standing by the foot of the bed.


    "Sorry to bother you, I tried saying hello and tapping you, but you seemed a little lost in thought."


    I shrug and make a small gesture to the chair and he walks over, taking a seat.


    "I wanted to talk to you¡­ about what the Elder said. About us apparently being some sort of Disciple. And¡­ about the Ceremony."


    "Okay." I stare at him blankly, my body too drained to try and force any kind of expression.


    "Is that alright? It''s a lot of information¡­ Are you well enough to want to hear?"


    I nod, looking down at my legs.


    "Okay, you can stop me at any time if you wish to not hear more," he pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts and nods affirmatively to himself before continuing, "Elder Naori managed to confirm a few things for me with what she told all of us and¡­ it only feels right to share with you seeing as we''re connected on a grander level. So¡­ I suppose I should start from the day we met. When you stepped before me during the Ceremony, it was as if time had frozen in the real world, and in my mind I entered an imaginary realm with a seemingly infinite library. I was drawn to a notebook in this world and searching through it, it gave me the name Infernia. I was thrown back into the real world, right back to the moment I left, and looking back at you I could see an aura emanating from you¡­ It was orange and whipping at the air around you. I just¡­ felt that the energy you gave off was connected somehow¡­ and now I know I was right thanks to the Elder. I just had a pure instinct feeling that I had to do something to get you out of there, because, well¡­ They would have killed you. Had I not intervened, guards would have taken you¡­ and¡­ chopped you up¡­" His voice trails off, expecting a reaction, but I sit stone-faced, gazing at him.


    "I know, " I state matter of factly.


    "Oh, I see. O-of course, " he stammers for a moment, "Joffrey must have said something, or perhaps that boy did. I should have thought of that."


    "Silven," I say, correcting him.


    ¡°I''m sorry?¡±


    ¡°That boy''s name is Silven.¡±


    ¡°Right, Silven. I can''t believe I didn¡¯t ask for his name¡­ Regardless, you must think horribly of me, doing all that I''ve done to you.


    ¡°I did,¡± I watch him look up at me, and I make full eye contact with him, straight-faced.


    "Did?" His eyes light up with hope, his mouth agape.


    "Then you came here."


    I watch his hope grow brighter, his smile beaming through. I guess that was weighing on him pretty badly.


    "I''m so glad¡­ I do hope to go back one day and change the ways the Kingdom is run. That''s why, just as soon as I exiled you, I ran and hid in the only place I could have for myself, the Royal Archives. My right-hand woman, Viralia, chased me down and tried to force her way in, but I managed to make it in time. I wonder if she knew what was hidden away there¡­" he trails off for a second, but snaps back to, "Anyway, I found a secret tower hidden behind a magical panel. It led me to ancient scrolls and papers, and some of the writings were causing more visions. It was as if I was living through the eyes of someone else, and I watched as seven girls developed incredible and pure energies, I saw their powers in action. It was¡­ breathtaking."


    "Okay¡­?" My eyes narrow as I think to myself, what are you getting at? Oswin notices my demeanor and pulls himself back on track.


    "Right, sorry, back to my point. I think it''s safe to say that the girls I watched grow up in my visions are the Goddesses, from before the legends, in a small village. As in, this village. If that''s the case, then I have a very bad feeling that I can''t quite place... In the last couple of visions, I saw something, and I feel¡­ off¡­when I think about it. The youngest girl, Bela¡­ had a disturbing power, though, I''m not sure she even knew about it herself. I watched through the eyes of the oldest sibling, Cayna was her name, as she was following Bela, watching her while hiding along a path in the bushes. I could hear her thoughts, wondering about when Bela would develop signs of any power. Just then, a person passed by Bela on the walkway and tripped, and as she reached down to help the person up, they were¡­ absorbed¡­ gruesomely¡­ I''ll spare the details, but all three of us, me, Cayna, and Bela herself were horrified. I can still hear Bela''s scream¡­"


    "Why is this important?" I reply flatly, my mind a scrambled mess of unintelligible thoughts crashing against one another.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I know this is a lot. But in my last vision, I witnessed the gems being created by the girls, only¡­ Bela wasn''t there. Meaning that only six gems were made¡­ I also heard more of her thoughts, how Bela had run off a few months before this vision, and how they didn''t want to have to do this. And then I found this¡­" he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a letter, "Thank God Hrithika grabbed this, I ran out in such a rush."


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He hands it over and I read through it.


    Bela, I don''t know how to tell you this, but I''ve seen what''s coming. I know that we shouldn''t have abandoned you like we did. You didn''t deserve it. You have an unimaginable power and there wasn''t anything that we could do to help understand it. Our powers pale in comparison to what you are capable of. What you will be capable of. By the time you''ve read this, I''ll be gone, and it will be by your hands. But you must know, I knew this was coming, I knew it was my time, and I would do it all again for you. I was never able to forgive myself for separating us, but it had to be done for the sake of everyone, even you. Your time will come, I know it will. I believe in you.


    - We''ll meet again, Cayna


    As I read the last words, I look back up at Oswin, "What do you think it means?"


    "That''s exactly what I''m trying to find out. What level of power could this girl have that would make these girls have to resort to storing away their own to grow? Cayna had the power to see visions, just like I''m experiencing now, I just wish there was some way I could see what she saw¡­ and why is Bela the one who kills her? There''s so many things that I can''t find answers for and it''s driving me mad¡­"


    "This is a lot¡­" I mutter quietly, rubbing my palm against my temple.


    "Of course¡­ I''ll leave this be for now," he stands up, bows down toward me, and speaks softly, "Thank you for your time, I hope your energy returns swiftly, and I look forward to traveling together." He exits the room and once again I''m left alone. I lay back on the bed and shut my eyes, rewatching that moment on repeat in my head until somehow I slip into a deep sleep.


    My eyes squint open as the first rays of the sun peak through the window across the room, landing right in my face. I shield my eyes and sit up, grumbling to myself. Blinking a few times to adjust my vision, I look over and see Silven curled up on the floor near my bed. He must have never left my side while I was out¡­ I can''t believe I had him so worried. I slip out of bed, putting pressure on my heels and wincing in anticipation, but the pain has settled drastically from yesterday. Kendrick must have done some more work while I was asleep¡­ I examine my palms and see the scorched marks still prominent, no different than before. I wonder how permanent this is¡­ I walk over and crouch down, gently shaking Silven''s shoulder. He groggily rolls onto his back, then shoots up, almost knocking heads with me if I hadn''t pulled back quick enough. "Whoa, it''s okay. Are you alright?"


    I watch his fearful eyes dart around the room, landing on me before his breath returns and he hangs his head, "I''ve¡­ not been able to let my guard down since, well¡­ y''know¡­ I haven''t slept very well for almost two weeks."


    "I''m alright now, aren''t I?" Lifting his head, I gaze into his eyes and smile softly.


    His smile cracks through, his face growing a light pink shade, "Yeah¡­ you are."


    "We should go find the others, and see what we can do," I stand up, teetering slightly but catching myself on the wall. Silven shoots up, ready to catch me, but I stop him, "I''m okay, just haven''t been on my feet in a while." I chuckle weakly to which he softens his stance.


    We walk out into the golden-orange sun, and I take a deep breath. A loud crashing sound in the distance forces my body rigid, my breath halting. Silven puts his arm around me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Salem, it was just a tree. We''re safe.¡±


    I catch a few shallow breaths and start repeating in my head, It''s okay¡­ I''m okay¡­ There aren''t any beasts, I''m okay¡­ My breath returns to me over the next few minutes, Silven keeping his arm wrapped around my shoulder. Once I caught my breath, we headed up the road, Silven guiding me to the house Joffrey was staying in. Entering the hut, I see Oswin and his two friends in there as well. Hrithika and Oswin are trying to wake Kendrick up while Joffrey is busy packing up everyone''s belongings. Oswin is gently nudging him, trying softly to wake him up, but I watch as Hrithika winds up and delivers a quick slap across his face.


    Kendrick shoots upright, muttering half-asleep, "Of course my lord, five pounds of berries¡­"


    I can''t help but chuckle to myself, and walk over to Joffrey who is double-checking his pack. He looks over and is surprised to see me, pulling me in for a tight hug before I can speak. He pulls away, clearing his throat before speaking, "Glad to see you''re feeling better. You had Silven worried sick." He shoots me a smirk, and I smile.


    "Sorry for worrying you¡­ and Silven, of course." I give him the same smirk he gave me, to which he lets out a small laugh.


    With Kendrick awake now, and Joffrey having packed up everyone''s things, we make our way out of the house and head down the road to pay a visit to the Elder. Joffrey knocks on the door, and a frail voice from inside calls out to enter. We step in, closing the door behind us, and all bow to her.


    "Leaving already?"


    Joffrey nods, "Yes, we have a lot more to see now that we know about the Goddesses and their gems. I haven''t had any sort of goal since I''ve been outside the walls other than to survive."


    Oswin speaks up next, "I had a feeling that these gems are necessary for something, though I can''t pinpoint exactly what for. It''s a deep sensation I have that we have to gather them all."


    "I never did finish telling you of the Legends, do you have a few moments to spare before you leave?"


    The group nods, everyone taking a seat on the ground, all eyes on Elder Naori.


    "Let''s see.. where did I leave off¡­ ah, yes, after Infernia was the Goddess of the Earth, Stahnoria. She could create mountains on a whim, cut valleys in the earth with the move of her hand, and blossom acres of land with a snap of her fingers. She created the terrain most of the six Kingdoms lie on. Her twin sister, Zephyria, was Goddess of the wind. She breathed life into the world, helping the planet circulate its atmosphere, and gifting us with natural weather. And then there is the last sister¡­ There is no Legend of her. Honestly, very little is known about what happened to her. The only inscription we have that could be connected to her is one we hardly believe in ourselves here, mentioning the name of Deidamia. But none of us know where the name came from or what it could mean."


    Oswin ushers in a word, "I''m sorry, did you say six Kingdoms?"


    "Of course, young man. The sisters went separate ways after the gems were created, taking their gems to the far reaches of the planet and keeping them hidden. None knew why they were told by Brindovia to do so, but they trusted the word of their sister and did as instructed. Our people believe that there is a great evil permeating the world, waiting for the right moment to take action, though no one can be sure for certain."


    Oswin''s expression drops and he sulks his head, "I think I may have an answer to that." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out Cayna''s letter, handing it over to the Elder who reads through, her free hand moving to cover her mouth. Even with years of built-up life experiences showing in the lines on her face, I could see new creases forming as she reads. In a flash, her face brightens back up.


    ¡°I''m sure this is nothing,¡± she says with a grainy chuckle, and hands the letter back, ¡°Now then, I''ve told you all I can, sorry to take up your time.¡± That didn''t seem like nothing¡­ I look up at Oswin and he exchanges a worried glance back at me.


    ¡°No trouble at all, thank you, Elder,¡± Joffrey says with a bow, the rest of us following his lead, then heading out the door. I notice that Silven has not left my side since I''ve stepped outside, and my face can''t help but grow red a few shades. ¡°Now then, we need to find Odel. He''s mentioned a festival happening not far from here a couple of times, and I feel like that''s a good place to start.¡± The group agrees and we spend the next ten to fifteen minutes going around the village together to find him before running into him by the pond he built.


    ¡°Hey Joffrey, Silven. Glad to see you''re on your feet again, Salem. And some new folks as well? Nice to meet you all, I''m Odel.¡± He gives Oswin, Kendrick, and Hrithika a firm handshake.


    ¡°Hey Odel, I recall you mentioning a festival happening close by. Is that starting any time soon?


    ¡°Oh! Of course, yeah. Marianne is actually prepping to head out that way, she always goes out to sell her bows and equipment, but not many people buy them. She should still be at her shop, you can catch her if you hurry.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you''re a lifesaver.¡± Joffrey nods to him and ushers everyone back down the path, Silven still attached to my hip, and we reach the bowery quickly. Marianne is busy running back and forth between her shop and her cart, loading it with an assortment of items.


    She looks up long enough to see all of us approaching, and lets out a short, ¡°Hey you guys, sorry, I''m really busy right now.¡±


    Joffrey steps forward, ¡°We know. You''re heading to the festival, right?¡±


    She double-takes at Joffrey before refocusing on her task at hand, ¡°Odel must have said something, didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ may have mentioned something along those lines. But I''m- I mean, we are here to help.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, come on then.¡± She chuckles at his slip of the tongue.


    We take the next little while helping her load various bows, arrows, quivers, and apparel into the cart. As we finish up, Joffrey calls out, ¡°Is that everything you need?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I believe that''s all from here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, come on everyone, it¡¯s time to go!¡± He hollers, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention. We all gather around and Joffrey takes hold of the cart handles.


    Marianne steps up, ¡°No, that won''t be necessary. I still have a few errands to run before I leave, you all go on ahead.¡±


    The handles drop from Joffrey¡¯s hands and he walks over to Marianne, ¡°Wait, what? Odel gave me the impression we''d all be traveling together.¡±


    ¡°Settle down now, I just have a couple more things to do. I''m serious, go! I''ll be alright.¡± her eyes narrow and a sly grin creeps across her face, ¡°Unless¡­ you''re worried about me?¡±


    ¡°I- Well- Th- Am not!¡± His face contorted through a cycle of emotions as he processed what she asked, his expression settling on flushed embarrassment.


    Silven cuts in, ¡°Hey, no rush on your little flirty talk, but we should probably get moving now, right?¡± He says loud enough for everyone to hear, the rest of the group cracking up as Marianne and Joffrey turn beet red. They both start stammering about how ¡°No we weren¡¯t¡± and ¡°What are you talking about?¡±. I chuckle and look over at Silven, who is smirking proudly at embarrassing Joffrey. It¡¯s like it¡¯s his favorite thing to do, but I can¡¯t help but find it cute. I know he doesn¡¯t mean in it a bad way. I smile softly at him. He looked over and once he noticed I was staring right at him, his cheeks flushed and he turned back quickly.


    Joffrey clears his throat, ¡°Anyway, it''s time everyone.¡± He turns back to Marianne, ¡°I''ll see you at the festival, but, uhm, which direction is it in?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about North-northeast from the village here. Just a handful of miles through the forest. Head straight north with the lake on your right side, and once you''re on the opposite side of the water, break off Northeast. You''ll be able to see the village from that far side, so it should be easy to know when.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, we''ll be on our way now.¡± he turns back and stops in place one more time, ¡°One more thing, before I go, at least let me do this.¡± He walks over and crouches down, closing his eyes and raising his arms. Placing his palms firmly against the side of the cart, all of us watch as the cart begins to wrap in his purple aura, sealing it with his Enhancement. ¡°This should, uh¡­ help cut down your time to get to the town.¡±


    Marianne walks over and lifts the handles of the cart, pulling it slightly to test the resistance, ¡°Just as impressive as your last display, it glides across the ground now. Thank you for that,¡± she leans in and gives him a hug which he greedily accepts, squeezing her. ¡°Alright now,¡± she pats Joffrey''s shoulder after a few seconds and pulls away, ¡°You¡¯ll see me soon, don''t worry,¡± She smiles.


    ¡°I''ll try,¡± They chuckle and he turns to walk away but stops mid-step and swings back around, ¡°Where are you going to be setting up?¡±


    She chortles heartily, and says, ¡°I''ll be in the shop alley, they have a street dedicated to paid goods. The rest of the festival is free for anyone, almost a celebration of life type of thing. There are oodles of people with quirky powers like yourselves using theirs for the sake of making others happy and entertained.¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you soon.¡±


    He turns back, rounds all of us up, and off we set. It doesn''t take us long to reach the outskirts of the village, and Joffrey leads us around the edge of the lake, holding tightly to the directions he was given. We take our time walking through, admiring the wildlife and fauna. Kendrick and Joffrey are running around picking up anything useful like Vitrablossom leaves or different edible plants. Hrithika is messing with Oswin by stretching her arm out and tapping his shoulder opposite of her, then quickly acting like she''s distracted by something in the trees. Silven is walking right next to me, and looking over I see him watching one of the trees in the distance.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± I whisper to him.


    He points out a branch on a tree about twenty yards away, and I follow his angle, seeing a large creature with claws and hard plating on its back, ¡°It''s a Slothadillo, they''re really cool.¡±


    My eyes grow in awe and I watch as the creature hangs precariously from one of his long arms on the branch. It lets go and as it falls, it curls into a hard-shelled ball, bouncing off some roots and rolling to a stop before unfurling and crawling after some large bugs. ¡°Whoa¡­ that was awesome.¡±


    ¡°They''re tough too, not even a steel-tipped arrow can pierce their shell.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s crazy!¡± I exclaim, unable to draw my eyes from the creature as it plucks a large insect from the ground and eats it, curling back into a ball and rolling away. ¡°Wow¡­¡± A smile grows on my face and I glance over, noticing Silven is beaming with happiness.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s that look for?¡± I feel my cheeks grow warm.


    ¡°This is your first smile since you woke up, how could I not be happy?¡± His words fill my chest with heat, a fluttering feeling fills my stomach, and I feel my thoughts wreck into each other, beginning to stammer incoherently.


    ¡°I-I mean¡­ I guess th-that makes sense¡­¡± My face gets hot to the touch, and I can only assume it shows based on the fact that Silven chuckled after my trail of words.


    ¡°It''s okay to be happy. Really, it is,¡± he puts his arm around my shoulder, drawing me in as we walk, ¡°Just because something bad happens doesn''t mean you don''t deserve to be happy.¡±


    ¡°I can''t help it¡­¡± My smile fades, eyes glossing over, ¡°This isn''t just something small like lying about where I''ve been¡­ people died because¡­ because I couldn''t¡­¡± Tears start to pour from my eyes.


    Before I can finish my sentence, Silven stops walking, pulling my head into his chest, ¡°I know Salem, I know¡­ and I¡¯m not saying to forget about it, just¡­ Even if they didn''t know you, I''m sure they wouldn''t want you to hold yourself responsible¡­¡± His breath hitches for a moment, almost like he''s choking back tears, ¡°You did everything you could, alright? No one blames you¡­ okay?¡± I nod, gently wrapping my arms around him until my sobs quiet down. He waits a moment before pulling away, looking into my eyes. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    I nod again.


    ¡°Good, let''s catch up, they didn''t seem to notice that we stopped,¡± he chuckles and takes my hand, pulling me along until we''re back with the group.


    After a couple of hours of peaceful walking, Hrithika, who has stretched her neck to reach high into the trees, calls out, ¡°I think I see it!¡±


    Everyone groans a sigh of relief and follows Hrithika as her head returns to her body. Oswin, feet dragging in the dirt, desperately mumbles, ¡°Thank god, my feet are killing me.¡±


    Hrithika turns her head around, eyeing him, ¡°I carried you for half of the walk, what do you mean your feet are killing you?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I know that, but, uhm¡­ you see¡­¡±


    Joffrey steps in, ¡°You''ll survive Oswin, just another ten minutes or so,¡± he gives Oswin a good slap on the back, causing him to stumble forward.


    ¡°Good God, that''s quite an arm, Joffrey.¡± They laugh as we continue through the trees, a small glimpse of something manmade slowly breaking through the dense forest ahead of us.


    As we get closer, the tree density grows thinner, and soon I can see a bustling avenue of people, colors, and flags smattering every inch of the town, the crowds cheering loud enough I was hearing them before we could see them. I feel a tightness constricting my chest, my breathing pacing faster. My vision begins to fade, and my feet feel frozen to the ground. I feel a warmth surround my palm, breaking my trance and I look over to see Silven holding my hand.


    ¡°It''s okay, I''m right beside you,¡± he says, and I look up to see him smiling gently at me, ¡°This''ll be fun, I promise.¡±

 Chapter 14: The Festival

    We approach the main road, carts full of goods slowly filing in amongst the sea of people, the cart owners rushing as fast as possible to find the best spots to set up. Silven still has my hand in his grasp, holding firm so I don''t slip away, and he''s practically dragging me along. Joffrey stops about a hundred feet before the road begins, turning to us.


    ¡°You all, uh, go on ahead. I''m going to wait here for Marianne, see if she needs any help.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Silven questions.


    ¡°Yeah, go have fun. I bet they have plenty of things to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don''t try too hard to impress her, alright?¡± Silven sneers.


    ¡°Oh, ha ha.¡± Joffrey replies, deadpan, ¡°Go on, get in there.¡± He moves to give Silven a push in the back, but he dips out of the way, leaning into me.


    ¡°Haha! Too slow,¡± He cackles.


    Hrithika jumps into the conversation, ¡°Look, everyone! Someone''s bringing a Tigerbear through!¡± Everyone''s eyes turn to the road as a hulking creature, easily the size of the carts, with orange fur and black stripes is being led on a rope by a man through everyone, the crowd splitting as the beast treads down the middle of the road.


    My fear of crowded spaces leaves me for a moment as I watch this beautiful animal walk, the muscles in its legs visibly constricting as it applies pressure to the ground.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Silven and I speak in tandem, our jaws reaching toward the ground in awe.


    ¡°I wonder where they''re taking it,¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Maybe they''re an animal tamer? We had a few of those in the Kingdom,¡± Oswin theorized, scratching his bearded chin.


    Kendrick interrupts everyone with a loud shout, ¡°They have free drink tokens!¡± He juts his finger forward, pointing out a small kiosk handing out coins. All of the adults¡¯ heads snap to the stall, Joffrey included. ¡°Come on! Let''s go get in line.¡±


    We leave Joffrey by the front as he goes through an internal crisis. His head snaps back and forth between the forest and the town, debating whether to continue waiting as we take our place in the queue. The line moves surprisingly quickly, and we reach the front in just a few minutes. I see three people working the stall, one at the counter and two in the back, and notice that the coins are being handmade by the back two. One of the men is grabbing small globs of mud, rolling it between his hands as the wet sludge slowly shapes into a ball, and a small teal glow radiates from his palms. Quickly, the mud hardens, growing shinier and smooth, turning into a small sphere of pure copper. He then hands it to the other man, who¡¯s holding two small metal plates with engravings on them. He places the ball between the plates and squeezes his hands tightly together. The plates grow red hot, melting the ball of copper until it becomes a flat, embossed coin that he proceeds to release from the press into a bucket of cooling liquid. That''s so cool! I wonder how their Specialties work. The man working the counter hands each of the adults two drink tokens and sends us on our way.


    The flow of the crowd is relatively easy to follow, which has all of us thankful, and we continue down the main road, looking down side roads to see if anything interests us. I see a boy roll past carrying a cart full of beautifully crafted pottery, and can''t help but stare at the intricate and vibrant patterns. Before I can draw anyone else''s attention, Hrithika booms out.


    ¡°There''s a zoo!¡±


    My eyes break away from the pottery and I see her pointing down a side road, a large sign at the end with the words ¡°Verdangrove Zoo¡± written neatly and decoratively. The first thought that occurs to me is, What''s a zoo? I turned back looking for the cart of pottery, but they were lost in the sea of people. The bustling of the crowd sends me shrinking backward, my breath catching in my throat. I stumble backward into Silven, who turns and catches me with a surprised shock on his face, nearly falling back into Hrithika.


    ¡°Whoa, Salem, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I- I-,¡± my words struggle to escape.


    ¡°Hey, hey, it''s okay. Come on, let''s go this way. I bet they have some cool animals to check out.¡±


    Silven pulls me along through the bustling path, tracking close behind the rest of the group. My body flinches at each passing body as we move, Silven''s grip growing tighter on my shoulder, pulling me as close as possible to himself. He''s so warm. I take in the radiating heat, my focus on the crowd drifting enough to calm my mind as we part through them.


    We reach the entrance archway to the zoo and walk in, being greeted with different large pens lined by people, containing herds of docile animals. So they keep animals in pens? Do the people just¡­ look at them? Silven pulls my hand forward, dragging me in tow to the first enclosure with a large tower of rock in the center. As we get closer, he slips his way in front of the crowd, pulling me alongside him, and I let out a small gasp. The pen is a beautiful miniature landscape, with flowing water, small ponds, and plenty of grass and flora. A rock spire is the centerpiece, jutting edges and platforms across its entirety. My sight lands on the creatures after a few seconds and my eyes flutter for a moment before staring agog, a small excited yelp escaping my gaping mouth.


    ¡°Wh-what are those?¡± I whisper to Silven, starting to instinctually rock back and forth on my heels. Wow, so I guess a zoo brings all sorts of animals together¡­ that''s so cool! I watch one of them float through the water on his back, four little hooved feet, curled up as it sleeps and two little horns on its head barely breaking the surface of the water. I watch the whiskers on its rounded face twitch and my heart warms. How is it so cute?


    ¡°Let''s see what the plaque says,¡± He replies, taking my hand and slithering through the crowd to the nearest information. We stand up and he begins reading the plaque to me.


    ¡°Orrett, this small semi-aquatic mammal can traverse land and water with ease thanks to its special hooves. Their hooves are sharp enough on the edges to wedge into the rocks, creating footing on near-vertical surfaces. However, each hoof splits into four sections, with webbing between them to allow their sleek bodies to propel through water with ease. Their fur is ultra-dense, making them buoyant enough to float on the surface of water. Orretts also have two sharp horns to help them break branches with food, and also to play fight. They are very social creatures and are known to bring gifts to one another.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I look back at the spire and see an Orrett on the side of the spire, walking on almost invisible ledges with no hesitation to reach a perching point. My eyes glimmer with light, and I look over at Silven, who is beaming at me with the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on him. Immediately, the gears in my head jam to a stop and my face flushes with heat. ¡°U-uh¡­ I mea- Wel- Let''s hurry and check out the next one!¡± I dash through the people away from Silven, accidentally bumping into a few of them as I go. Finding a break in the crowd, I take a second to catch my breath. What was that look for? And why did I feel so¡­ warm? I¡­ still do¡­ Someone taps my shoulder and I jolt around and see it''s him, causing my face to warm again, contorting as I fight this feeling in my chest.


    ¡°Hey! Why did you run off like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ uh, I,¡± My eyes meet his and he still holds that same bright expression as before, which suddenly made my eye line bury into the dirt. I hear him chuckle and he swoops an arm under my shoulder, hooking his elbow into mine and pulling me forward.


    ¡°I bet you''re just excited to see all of the animals, yeah?¡± I feel his eyes staring at me intensely as I focus on the path directly ahead of me, my cheeks burning up. Oh god, he''s so close. I nod rapidly and take off, yanking him forward to the next enclosure trying my best to hide my face and catch my breath. I reach the railing, Silven still being dragged with me, and try to focus on the animal in the pen. Focus, focus, just breathe. I stare hard at the half-water, half-muddy land enclosure with a dozen or so really big rocks sitting around, and a handful of smaller ones, but no animals in sight. I hear a few visitors holler things like, ¡®what is this?¡¯ or ¡®There¡¯s nothing there!¡¯, and after a few seconds I see a largely built man with a deep tan enter the pen wearing pale beige shorts and button-up shirt with dark sweat stains under his arms. He begins with a booming voice, projecting loudly over the crowd.


    ¡°Hello everyone, I am Zookeeper Reynolds, and I can answer any questions you may have. For example¡­¡± He wanders over and rubs circles on one of the boulders, lifting one of the smaller rocks set nearby about as large as his head. He looks around and sets his eyes on me, pressed against the railing, and walks over. ¡°Hello young man, what''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it''s¡­¡± I shoot a glance at Silven, confused, but he nods toward the gentleman, ¡°It''s¡­ Salem.¡±


    ¡°Well Salem, want to do me a favor and scratch this rock right here?¡± He lifts the rock up and points to a specific spot on it.


    I gingerly reach out and scratch the rock, and my eyes widen as I see two eyes open and a squeaky little yowl escapes its yawning mouth, four stubby legs separating from the rock body and extending as it stretches into life. The animal tilts its head as if it''s studying me and I scratch its head. It leans into the affection, enjoying the feeling as its eyes flutter. I hear the ¡®Aww¡¯ of the rest of the crowd melt away as I share this moment with this adorable creature, its little head nuzzling into my palm. A smile fills my face as I look into the animal''s eyes. The Zookeeper gently pulls away, moving around and allowing others in the crowd the chance to pet the baby. He moves back to the middle of the pen, bolstering his voice again.


    ¡°Okay everyone, these lovely large rocks are called Bouldozors, and they aren''t rocks at all. These animals have developed a camouflage of sorts over time, allowing them to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. These animals love both meat and plants, and if it can''t find enough of one source, its body can adjust to a one-sided diet.¡± He pulls out a large fish and begins dangling it in front of one of the rocks. In a flash, the Bouldozor¡¯s jaw closed around the fish, crunching through effortlessly and swallowing it in seconds. Gasps fill the air, and Reynolds pets the giant¡¯s head as it settles back into a resting position. ¡°These are indeed dangerous beasts if encountered in the wild, they can move at surprisingly incredible speeds and will strike the moment you let your guard down.¡± As if on cue, one of the Bouldozors behind him thrusts forward at lightning-fast speeds. A few people in the crowd shriek, but Reynolds smirks and effortlessly leaps up, somersaulting over the back of the predator, and lands elegantly in the muddy earth. Everyone cheers, amazed at his speed and precision, and I turn to Silven as he watches the animals in wonder, his awestruck smile causes my breath to hitch and my heart begins beating faster. Why do I always feel like this around him? What do I do? I can''t keep running away from him¡­


    My focus shifts back to the Bouldozors, as the Zookeeper continues his dance of dodging and leaping with the animals, almost too perfectly. Silven nudges my shoulder and I turn to him, he leans in toward my ear and I try to make out what he says over the crowd hollering excitedly.


    ¡°We should probably go find the others, we kind of ran off on them,¡± his words were barely audible above the excited screams.


    I nod and he takes my hand again as we make our way back out into an open space, and I try to avoid making eye contact. With the loud sound no longer encapsulating us, we can finally hear each other again. Silven wiggles his pinky finger in one of his ears, his expression pinching toward the side.


    ¡°God, I forget why I avoid crowds,¡± Silven groans, ¡°Anyway, let''s find the others. Look around, see if you can spot them.¡±


    Our heads go on a swivel, scouting through the crowd until my eyes land on Hrithika, with a group of people between us. Her neck is stretched above the tourists and she seems to be looking for us as well. We make eye contact and her head shoots back down, I assume to tell the other two.


    ¡°Found them!¡± I tug on Silven''s sleeve, pointing in their direction. He takes me under his arm and we walk into and through the people, reaching Hrithika, Oswin and Kendrick as the two men are fighting over which one of the patterns on these animals is more adorable. We walk up to the fully netted enclosure and read the name off the plaque.


    ¡°A¡­ Candagin?¡± My eyebrow raises as I look up into the enclosure full of short trees with ropes, nets and swings spattered around. A sleek feline body darts through an opening in the branches, and I peel my eyes, trying to focus on it. Hrithika sees me craning my head around trying to spot one and she slinks over, crouching down and pointing forward, her index finger shaping into a pointed arrow.


    ¡°There''s one, Salem,¡± She stretches her finger forward deep into the pen. I giggle watching as her finger splits in two at the end and gently pinches the tail of the creature. The Candagin whips around, letting out a small screech, as her finger whips back to us. I giggle some more before stopping to admire the animal.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    Its tail is as long as its body and it has very hand-like back feet. The front limbs were like paws with extended toes, hiding claws underneath their fur. The fur itself is a splotching of black, orange, and white, almost like someone haphazardly threw paint onto a canvas. I look over and notice a few more that are sitting at the edge of the enclosure, right next to Oswin and Kendrick bickering, and they''re all calmly sitting and staring at the two of them. One of the Candagin¡¯s fur is solid black, one is orange on top with a white underbelly, and the last one is nearly solid white with its extremities having a gradient to a dark gray. Luckily this enclosure isn''t as densely packed so I make a quick dash over and in between Oswin and Kendrick, halting their argument as they both look over, noticing the Candagins looking directly at Oswin.


    ¡°Uhh, Oswin, do you see that too?¡± Kendrick stares in awe at the animals.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I do. I''ve never seen one sit still this long before, let alone three,¡± Oswin remarks.


    ¡°Neither have I.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you guys have seen these before?¡± I say, folding my head back, hands gripping the railing, and looking at them upside down. Oswin steps forward, crouching down next to the enclosure and the Candagins take a step closer as well, their little noses sniffing in our direction.


    ¡°Surely these have to be tamed ones, right?¡± Kendrick raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°Of course, that''s the only thing that makes sense,¡± Oswin replies.


    ¡°Unless¡­ These zookeepers have specifically animal oriented Specialties.¡±


    ¡°You might be right, I forget that Specialties aren''t, erm¡­ regulated¡­ outside the walls.¡±


    ¡°It is jarring, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I holler, pulling their attention, ¡°You''ve seen these before?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Sorry, Salem. Kendrick and I saw them frequently about the nobles, they made great companions to the citizens.¡±


    ¡°That''s so cool!¡±


    ¡°Yeah it is, shall we head to the next pen?¡± Oswin smiles at me.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I hop off the railing as Oswin calls to Hrithika and Silven, and together we meander over to a fully caged enclosure, with three birds about the size of a person''s head. I watch as one lifts its wing to pluck at itself and the sun''s rays shine through the translucent feathers of its wing, fractaling into impossible dancing patterns of every color imaginable onto the ground below.


    I stare agape at the shimmering ground, looking back up at the birds. ¡°What are these called?¡± I call out, unable to peel my eyes away. Oswin looks at the plaque and reads out the name.


    ¡°Crystalbeaks,¡± He says, ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve never seen one before.¡± He looks up toward the winged creatures, ¡°They are beautiful birds.¡±


    We spend a few more minutes looking on as they flit around their cage, the light scattering with every motion. A plethora of ¡®Ooh¡¯s and ¡®Ahh¡¯s can be heard from the crowds. Soon, we group back up and move to the last enclosure, a large canopy tent tunnel.


    As we approach the entrance, a worker pulls open the cloth door and we step into the dark pathway. Reaching a second cloth door, another worker opens it up and upon walking in, we¡¯re greeted with a swarm of glowing pink fluttering wings. My eyes grow wide as I struggle to focus on a single glow, and the zookeeper working the tent speaks up beside us.


    ¡°Welcome! These curious little glowing insects are called Lumiflies,¡± She says with a passion in her voice,  ¡°These little guys live their entire lives in caves, which is why their enclosure has to be dark, otherwise their senses are completely thrown off. Their glow is produced in their body from nutrients they absorb by eating smaller insects and algae. They have very large wings compared to their body size, and with incredible complex patterns that are entirely unique to each of them.¡±


    I listen intently to her words while watching the cluster of Lumiflies flutter around in a formation like a comet. I glance over at Silven, whose smile hasn''t left his face since we arrived, as he watches them dance around and I slowly scoot closer toward him. We bump shoulders and without missing a beat, his arm comes up and falls around me. He¡¯s always so warm¡­


    Eventually, I notice that some of the Lumiflies are breaking formation and fluttering over toward us, and I look over at Oswin. I try to stifle my laughter, but to no avail as Oswin, who is trying his hardest not to panic, is covered almost head to toe in glowing pink, gently flapping wings. The zookeeper runs over apologizing profusely, saying something along the lines of ¡®Oh they never do this!¡¯ and Silven and I laugh between ourselves as the rest of them gently brush away the insects, freeing Oswin from his psychological cage.


    We spent some time as a group watching the Lumiflies before making our way out the exit of the tent, leading us right back to the entrance of the zoo. Kendrick stretches his arms high into the sky, groaning loudly as if his body hasn¡¯t moved in years.


    ¡°Shall we head to this so-called trading district Joffrey was raving about?¡± Kendrick lets out mid-groan.


    ¡°Yes, we should probably track him down, it''s been about thirty minutes,¡± Oswin begins looking around for any indicators. ¡°Hrithika, would you mind¡­?¡±


    She rolls her eyes and smirks, ¡°Leaving all the work to me, as usual, it seems,¡±  a laugh escapes her mouth as her head launches into the sky, her neck stretching out like a bundle of rope. A few people nearby stop and stare in amazement, as do I, and her head quickly retracts back down to the rest of her body. ¡°It''s that way, come on guys.¡±


    We walk together down the sparser roads, checking out occasional carts carrying something that caught our eyes, and finally come upon a sign hung across an intersection reading ¡®Trading District'' and we head through it. It didn''t take long for us to locate Joffrey with Marianne as she got a spot close to the entrance. We head over and I see both of them smile when they notice us, waving us over.


    ¡°Sir! I see you carrying that bow, can I Interest you in some accessories to go with that?¡± I hear the loud gruff voice of another shopkeeper over the others and see Silven''s attention drawn, breaking off and ogling their wares.


    ¡°So,¡± Joffrey''s voice pulls me back to the group, ¡°How has the Festival been for you guys so far?¡± His question sparks me to blurt out before the others.


    ¡°I got to see a bunch of really cool animals!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? That''s awesome!¡± Joffrey looks up at Oswin with a bewildered expression, my change in mood stumping him.


    Oswin shrugs with a bewildered look.


    ¡°There was a bird that had clear feathers and made really colorful patterns on the ground!¡± I hop back and forth between my feet, wanting to tell him everything I saw.


    ¡°Wow, I bet that was cool to see,¡± Joffrey ruffles my hair, causing strands to cover my face, and I quickly swipe them back.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Joffrey stifles a chuckle and turns his head away, comedically peering over his shoulder a few times while making a goofy face. A laugh slips out of me, and I quickly try to return to my angry mood, but when he does it one last time, my facade breaks, and I let out a full cackle.


    Marianne giggles watching us, and turns to Joffrey, ¡°You should go enjoy the Festival yourself! I''ve been coming here for a few years so I know what to expect, but this is your first time, go have fun.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don''t mind staying to help out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m sure. Go!¡± She pushes him out from beside the stall, ¡°And take these,¡± She extends her hand and drops around a dozen drink tokens into Joffrey''s palm, ¡°I get extra from some of the boys around here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Joffrey''s eyes snap up to meet her sly smirk, a panicked tone in his voice. Catching himself too late, he clears his throat and recollects himself, uttering a much calmer, ¡°Oh, really?


    ¡°Yeah, I know all of them, they''re good people,¡± she smirks, ¡°Why, are you jealous?¡±


    A flush of red covers Joffrey''s face, his words stammering out, ¡°I just- I uh, no. No, definitely not.¡± He averts his eyes, making every effort to avoid eye contact.


    Oswin tries to hold in a laugh off on the side, giving Kendrick a slap on the back and exclaiming quietly, ¡°I''ve never seen him such a bright shade before!¡± Causing Kendrick to start chuckling profusely.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    A loud booming voice echoing through the sky cuts everyone off, ¡°Archery contest starting at high sun! Thirty minutes until the archery contest! Contestants have fifteen minutes left to sign up! Come win a noble class meal voucher that grants you all the free food you want from any paid concession!¡±


    As soon as I hear the end of the announcement, I turn back to the stall Silven split off to and see he''s no longer there. Joffrey comes up behind me and ruffles my hair.


    He mutters sarcastically, ¡°Gee, I wonder where Silven could have gone.¡±


    A giggle slips out of my mouth and I notice Joffrey''s mouth upturn slightly.


    ¡°Let''s check out a few more stalls here and then head to the competition.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I shout.


    Joffrey and I walk around together while Kendrick, Hrithika, and Oswin split away. We walk around for a few minutes, stopping here and there to look at the different goods, and Joffrey picks up a well-bound hardback book with around two hundred blank pages. I notice he spends a few minutes staring into the empty pages, and I can almost see a twinkle of inspiration in his eyes. He pulls out his coin pouch and hands over a small ruby. The stall worker nods, taking the ruby and reaches under the table, pulling out three gold coins, handing them and the book to Joffrey.


    ¡°Thank you, enjoy the festival!¡± The stall worker says cheerfully, Joffrey acknowledging him with a wave.


    As we step away from the stall, a glimpse of vibrant color catches my eye. I double take back, stopping in my tracks and Joffrey bumps into me.


    ¡°Whoa, you okay Salem?¡±


    ¡°Can we check out that stall?¡± I point and as a break in the crowd forms, Joffrey sees me pointing at the pottery stand.


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure. Why not?¡±


    I run over and begin looking at the different vases and teapots, enamored by the swirls of true colors. I look up and see a boy around my age presumably vibrating with excitement with an older woman sitting in a chair behind him.


    I give a smile and he returns it, practically shouting, ¡°Hello! I''m Quentin. Let me know if anything catches your eye!¡±


    His unusually cheerful demeanor makes me apprehensively respond, ¡°Uh, hi¡­ I''m Salem. I¡­ really like the colors. Who made these?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± he throws me a confused glance as if I should have known on sight.


    ¡°Oh, right, sorry¡­ they''re, uh¡­ they''re very pretty. How did you get the color so bright?¡±


    ¡°I just have a way with clay. I know what ingredients are best for dying and mixing. I''ve been making things for a year or two now so I''ve had some practice.¡±


    Joffrey pipes up, ¡°I''m sorry, you said you''ve been making them, and only for a couple years at most?¡±


    Quentin is visibly taken aback, ¡°Well, I mean, yeah. Is something wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°Well no, it''s just¡­¡± he carefully lifts a medium-sized vase up and examines it closely, ¡°The craftsmanship on this¡­ it''s easily the work of someone with twenty years experience.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Quentin hides his shock poorly, his face growing red with a sheepish smile, ¡°Well, thank you, I put a lot of time into them.¡±


    I speak up again, ¡°Okay, well, we''re going to watch the archery show! We''ve got a friend competing and he''s really good.¡±


    I see a small light in the boy''s eyes and he turns hopefully to his mother, but she shakes her head and wishes us a good day. We head back up the alley looking for the others.


    ¡°Well, what was that all about?¡± Joffrey asks as we meander.


    ¡°I don''t know¡­ I saw his cart earlier before the zoo and I just had a weird feeling like I had to find him.¡±


    ¡°Strange. Well, we should hurry up before the competition starts,¡± he whistles to grab the other three¡¯s attention as they are all huddled around a small stall. I see Hrithika¡¯s ear grow ten times in size, coning toward us. Her head spins around and she nudges the other two, turning to hold up a large backpack, running over quickly with the other two in tow.


    ¡°Good find, Hrithika,¡± Joffrey extends his hand, offering to carry it.


    ¡°Nope! I found it, I''ll wear it,¡± She pulls the straps over her shoulders.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± He slicks back his hair, changing courses, ¡°Anyway, I guarantee Silven went to enter that archery competition, we should head on over before it starts. Better to stay close together anyways.¡±


    With everyone in agreement, we exit the alley and head toward the center of town where the competition is being held.


    As we enter the large open plaza, we see the archery field is easily three hundred feet in length, with ringed targets scattered at different distances. A rather large gathering has formed on either side of the field as the contestants wait patiently to begin on the firing line. There''s also a large selection of food and bar stalls dotting the edge of the plaza, with easily fifty tables laid somewhat uniformly.


    ¡°Should we grab a table?¡± Kendrick suggests.


    ¡°Yeah, my legs are feeling a little sore,¡± Oswin groans, rubbing the top of his thighs.


    ¡°You¡­ can''t be serious, I''ve watched you pace in circles around a room for five hours or more.¡± Kendrick mocks, to which a feigned offended look plasters Oswin''s face.


    ¡°Alright, let''s grab one with a decent view close to the match.¡± Joffrey leads us over to the closest table, about fifty feet from the firing line.


    ¡°I''ll grab us a round of ales,¡± Kendrick takes a coin from each of the adults and meanders off toward the nearest bar. I separate from the group, spotting Silven and running over to where he''s stretching with his back to me.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I holler, causing him to jump like a frightened Squirbunny, and he whips around startled before realizing it''s me.


    ¡°Oh, hey, sorry! I couldn''t help myself, I wanted an excuse to really try out this bow. Y¡¯know, without the, uh¡­ life or death part.¡± he titters.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± my eyes haze, and I stare into the distance. All the sound blurs around me into white noise and my mind replays that instant in my mind on loop. Warmth washes over my body as the beast¡¯s blast covers my thoughts. A shake snaps me back to reality and I stare blankly at Silven as his hand is resting on my shoulder. The heat dissipates and I try to brush it off. Switching gears, I say, ¡°Anyway, how''s the competition looking?¡± I eye down the line-up, drawing in a deep, slow breath as I hold back the well in my eyes.


    He seems too focused on the competition to notice, expressing excitedly, ¡°Most of them should be a piece of cake, but that one guy down there, third from the end, he''s good. His practice shots told me a lot. I''m really looking forward to facing him.¡± His voice has a fire in it, I can hear it. I look down the line and see who Silven referred to, and I don''t know how I missed him the first time. The man is easily a head taller than the next tallest contestant though his body seems rather lanky. I notice the bow the man is using is much longer than all the others and I turn to Silven.


    ¡°What''s up with his bow?¡±


    ¡°That''s an Elderwood Longbow with Iron-fitted eyes for a heavier pull,¡± he stares intimidatingly at the masterwork of a bow, ¡°I bet it has a weight of around 250 pounds. Elderwood is one of the densest woods used to make bows. Despite that density, they have the greatest tensile strength of all. The iron fittings allow the string to pull much further back without risk of splitting the limbs of the bow, it''s a masterpiece.¡±


    As I open my mouth to say something, the announcing voice comes back in the sky.


    ¡°Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it''s nearly time to begin. Let''s go over the rules. Each round will be an elimination round. One by one, each contestant gets a single arrow to hit as close to the center as possible. The targets are enchanted with a momentum-stopping barrier, as well as a creative use of Illusion abilities to display the point of impact as well as the contestant''s number and which ring out of ten they hit. The competition starts with the closest target, and each round moves back to the closest one behind it, until the finalists have a 350-foot shot at victory. There will be fifteen rounds in total. The first round starts at fifty feet. With that being said, let''s begin! ¡±


    I notice the numbers on the back of the contestants, one through sixteen, but sorted randomly along the firing line. They seem to be firing in numerical order, though. I look at Silven and see the number five, and looking at the giant at the end I see the number fourteen. So, the big guy is almost the last one to shoot, I wonder just how good he is.


    The first four contestants take their turns, hitting around the second and third rings. By the time the third archer fires, I look back and see Kendrick has sauntered his way back over to the table carrying two large ales in each hand, setting them down with an audible clank. Recentering my focus, I flip around and watch Silven draw back his string, pull in a deep steady breath, and release. The arrow zips and pings off the target. After a second, the mark appears in the center ring. The crowd starts focusing their attention toward Silven as the contestants continue down the line. It''s clear quickly that none of the others are regular bow users, some of them even struggling to draw their arrows. Next up is number fourteen, and I make sure to watch intently. His leading foot firms into the ground, his following foot digging angled backward into the gravel. That stance looks like a statue¡­ He draws the bow back effortlessly, pulling in a deep controlled breath. PING. His arrow moves faster than I could see, and I look at the target, seeing his mark directly on top of Silven''s. Wait¡­ what? Was that luck? But¡­ no, not with a stance like that. How old is he? He has to have trained for years, right? And someone with his build drawing something that heavy? I wonder what his specialty is.


    The first round finishes up and number seven is eliminated as he missed the target completely. I feel a small tap on my shoulder and look over to see Quentin standing before me.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He says, ¡°I managed to slip away from the stall to come check this out.¡±


    I stare for a second before snapping myself out of trance, my head recoiling, and my voice jumps out of me, ¡°Oh, awesome! We''re rooting for number five, that''s the friend I told you about.¡± I point to Silven.


    ¡°Oh, cool! I''ve never shot a bow before, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven''t, but I want to learn how.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, me too. They''re so cool.¡±


    As we talk, the announcer calls out the start signal and our attention is drawn back to the match. Rounds start going by, Silven and the tall man going shot-for-shot dead center on each target. Seventy five feet, a hundred feet, one-twenty, one-forty, one-sixty, one-eighty. Two hundred. As the numbers begin to dwindle, it''s clear no one is on the level of Silven and the mystery tall man.


    It comes down to the final three. Silven, number fourteen, and number nine. The distance is three hundred feet, Silven goes first and, after taking a moment to control his aim, pings the center ring once again. Number nine is next, and the poor guy has no chance. He''s missed the last three targets and only scraped by because he managed to stay the closest. He fires and it drops down around 200 feet, thudding into the ground. Number fourteen is up now, and he doesn''t seem to be breaking a sweat, he draws, his form just as perfect as his first shot. He arcs his bow up a few inches and releases, the arrow zips through the air at a blistering speed, pinging the target quickly. Finally, Silven''s edge begins showing. Number fourteen hit just outside the center in the first ring. The man groans audibly, cursing under his breath. Before the finals start, the announcer comes back on.


    ¡°Alright folks, for the last round here, each competitor gets three arrows, while alternating their shots. The enchantments are not applied to the last target, so make those shots stick!¡±


    My head swivels around, searching for the announcer. I still can''t tell where that voice is coming from, that''s such an interesting specialty.


    The finalist facing Silven whips an arrow out of his quiver, drawing back rapidly and pausing for a moment to correct his aim. He lets go and the arrow slices silently through the sky, embedding itself with a distant thud. One of the gamekeepers runs on the field, checking the target and the announcer voice booms out from the man. Well I guess that answers my question.


    ¡°Well folks, this is a first! Dead center at 350 feet! Incredible!¡±


    The competitor pumps his fist at the call.


    Wow¡­ This guy really is amazing. It¡¯s okay, Silven¡¯s got this, no problem. Right?


    Silven cracks his neck, rolling his shoulder and huffing a few puffs of air.


    ¡°You got this Silven!¡± Joffrey''s voice behind me nearly sends me careening over the rope toward the firing line. I whip around, ecstatic to see he came up to support Silven. I turn back and shout.


    ¡°Yeah! Show him how it''s done!¡±


    I glance over and see number fourteen scowling at me. Immediately I slink behind Joffrey, trying to hide away.


    I look back at Silven, and watch carefully. He draws the string back, sucks in a big breath, raises his bow and releases. A few seconds go by and we hear a faint thud.


    The announcer makes his way out to check again, his surprise clear in his tone.


    ¡°W-wow everyone, in a crazy turn of events, our other competitor has managed to land his arrow right next to the first, another dead center hit!¡± He shouts as the crowd buzzes amongst themselves. Number fourteen is eyeing Silven closely, muttering under his breath. The announcer exits the field and gives the go ahead.


    The tall man readies his bow and I make sure to watch carefully. He draws back so much that the bow is practically a ¡®u¡¯ shape. The string snaps forward, the arrow splitting the air and a crack is heard not even a second later. The announcer runs back out, booming out, ¡°This is unbelievable! Our first finalist managed to hit so close to his previous shot that it partially cracked his first arrow! We truly are in the presence of two great archers! ¡±


    Silven grunts and lines up his second shot, wasting no time to fire. The arrow zips down the range, a distinct cracking sound ringing out, and the announcer calls it out.


    ¡°I- Incredible! Amazing! He¡­ he split his previous arrow! Straight down the middle! What are they putting in this food today? I''m at a loss for words here, folks!¡±


    The other finalist growls and grits his teeth, anger showing in his stance as his balance is more dynamic than before. He fires again, and another crack echoes. He managed to split his arrow down the middle just like Silven did. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, a raucous murmur spreads through the crowd. Silven takes a moment to collect himself, breathing deeply in and out before readying his final shot. He lines himself up once more, drawing back as hard as he can. The crowd¡¯s volume has dropped from a loud buzz to complete silence as the arrow leaves Silven¡¯s bow. The distant cracking sound draws out a quick celebration from Silven as he quietly pumps his fists. As the gamekeeper runs onto the field, the people start a dull roar, and after what feels like ages, he shouts out the result.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner! Contestant number five, with his last arrow, has managed to not only split his previous two arrows, but has shot clear through the target! Number five is the winner!¡±


    With that, the crowd erupts into ear-piercing applause, strangers coming up and congratulating him left and right. I get pushed around as people shove by to shake hands with Silven, Joffrey pulling me out by the back of my shirt so I don''t get crushed. The announcer makes his way down the field and booms out once more.


    ¡°Here you go, young man, your noble class meal voucher! Unlimited uses at any concession! As for the rest of you, stay close by as we prepare for the horse races!¡±


    The crowd begins to disperse from where Silven was standing enough for all of us in the group to come over and talk.


    ¡°I knew you had it!¡± I tackle him, almost taking him off his feet. He catches himself and laughs out loud.


    ¡°Yeah, of course I did. But, man, that other guy was good.¡±


    ¡°No match for you though, Sil,¡± Joffrey remarks with a scoff, ¡°Speak of the devil, I think you have a fan¡±. Joffrey nods in the direction behind Silven and we all look, seeing number fourteen making his way over to us with an energy of anger almost radiating off of him. Joffrey, Kendrick and Hrithika bulk up their chests, ready to jump in in case they need to split something up.


    The man marches right up to Silven and before anyone can jump in his way, he drops to one knee, bowing his head.


    ¡°Your archery skills and techniques are truly incredible. It was an honor to compete with you.¡± The man keeps his eyes burrowed in the dirt. Silven extends his hand, to which the man glances up.


    ¡°Likewise, it''s been a long time since I had someone match my accuracy. I''m Silven.¡± He says as the man takes his hand and rises to his feet, giving a quick but firm shake.


    ¡°Emil,¡± He replies, ¡°Thank you for a well fought competition, and congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, I''m always up for a challenge.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Emil pauses for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, rolling his head around in thought before sighing deeply, ¡°Back in our walls, I''m one of our Royal Archers. If you thought I was good and want more of a challenge, you should come back and challenge Araceli. She is the Head of the Royal Archers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow, really? Would she be willing to do that?¡± Silven¡¯s eyes light up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t see much action where we are, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to.¡±


    Silven turns to Joffrey and the others with a hopeful look in his eyes.


    Joffrey looks around for a second to gather small nods from the group, shrugs, and says, ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t really have any idea where to head from here. That sounds like a good place to start.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Silven cheers, bouncing off the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all of you¡­¡± Kendrick steps in, ¡°But I¡¯m starving. Should we get something to eat?¡±


    Before anyone else gets a word in, Hrithika lets out a loud growling, ¡°God, yes.¡±


    ¡°Right then, let¡¯s get some food.¡± Joffrey decides, and as we start to walk away, he looks over his shoulder, ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join us, Emil. It¡¯s on us.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you, sir.¡± Emil bows and falls in line behind the group. I notice that he keeps his distance and I slip back from the others to walk with him. Silven and Quentin see this and do the same.


    ¡°So,¡± I start, ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nineteen.¡±


    Silven goes next, ¡°How long have you been shooting bows?¡±


    ¡°I picked my first bow up at ten. I couldn¡¯t hit a target until after I turned twelve though.¡±


    ¡°Wow so you¡¯ve been shooting for almost ten years?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what about you?¡± He looks inquisitively at Silven.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve only shot for a little over three years.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean to tell me that you beat me and only have a third of my experience?¡± His tone comes across as a mix of impressed and anguished. He mutters almost to himself, ¡°Wow, you really should challenge Araceli, that would definitely be something to see.¡±


    I speak up again, ¡°Emil, I was wondering something while watching your match.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± He turns his head.


    ¡°Do you have a Specialty?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ like what do I do for work?¡±


    Silven explains, ¡°Specialties are what our people call special abilities, magic, gifts, or whatever else people call them.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yes, I do have an ability. I can elementally enchant my projectiles.¡± He bends over and picks up a small pebble and rolls it in his hand as a slimy goo secretes from his palm, somehow sticking only to the rock leaving his hand dry and clean. He tosses it at a nearby torch pole and the rock splats, sticking in place. ¡°I obviously can enchant with more dangerous elements but this is hardly the place to do that.¡±


    Silven, Quentin and I gather around the pole gazing at the rock with a simultaneous drawn out, ¡°Whoa,¡± and I see gears turning in Silven''s head, but decide to let it be.


    Kendrick finds a stall with large roasted meats and gets enough for everybody, and we find a place to sit and enjoy the meal. Part way through we hear a familiar voice and turn to see Quentin¡¯s mother pulling an empty cart.


    ¡°Quentin! What have I told you about running off like that.¡± She looks around and recognizes Joffrey and I from earlier. ¡°Oh, hello. I see why he slipped away now. He loves finding other kids around his age.¡±


    Joffrey stands up and extends his hand, ¡°Hello, my name is Joffrey, the one I was with earlier is Salem. And we have Silven, Emil, Kendrick, Hrithika, and Oswin.¡± He says as he gestures to each of them, the adults busy stuffing their mouths full of food. ¡°Please,¡± he motions to an empty chair, ¡°Join us, Silven just won a Noble meal ticket.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you sure? I would hate to impose. We have to leave soon if we want to make it home before dark.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, it is no problem. Where do you live from here?¡±


    ¡°To the northeast, about a two hour walk from here.¡±


    Emil¡¯s head perks up and he looks over at the two, drawing their attention, ¡°I also live to the northeast.¡±


    Joffrey, almost delighted at this new info, turns back without addressing anyone and boasts, ¡°Maybe we could walk you there.¡±


    ¡°N-No, th-that is far too generous of you, I couldn''t possi-¡±


    ¡°Truly, it''s not an issue. Now come, sit. What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°C-Caralina.¡± She hesitantly lowers herself down next to Quentin and gingerly pokes at the smallest pieces of meat on the table. Joffrey notices and asks what she wants, fixing up a good helping for her.


    ¡°Mom! Silven and Emil are really good archers. They were the best two in the competition.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow! That''s exciting.¡± She takes a moment of looking around the table before speaking again, ¡°So I take it you all are travelers then?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Joffrey responds, ¡°It¡¯s a long story, maybe on the walk we can tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ alright, talking would help pass the time rather quickly.¡±


    Quentin, Silven and I turn to each other with lit-up expressions, excited that we have more people our age around.


    Silven looks at Emil with an inquisitive face, ¡°Hey, so¡­ where did you get that wood for your bow? It''s made of Elderwood, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is, good eye. Elderwood can only be obtained by receiving a blessing from a Colossal Floran.¡±


    Silven and I stare blankly at Emil for a minute, before Silven asks, ¡°Uh, what¡¯s a Colossal Floran?¡±


    ¡°Massive plants with their own consciousness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of them before.¡±


    Emil looks shocked to learn this, as his eyebrows shot up while his mouth hung open, ¡°Never? Where did you come from that you haven¡¯t heard of them?¡±


    ¡°The kingdom in the forest,¡± Silven states matter-of-factly.


    Emil freezes, his eyes wide as the partially eaten chunk of meat falls from his hand. He snaps to and acts as if he didn¡¯t hear Silven, uttering quietly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, where did you say?¡±


    Silven, taken aback by his strange body language response, hesitantly says, ¡°The uh¡­ The kingdom in the forest?¡±


    Emil¡¯s eyes flicker around the table, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.


    I gently nudge his arm, his eyes snap to me, locking in like a panicked deer. I ask gingerly, ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    He tunes back in, realizing his expression and swallows dryly. Taking a deep breath, he nods and simply says, ¡°There are some horrible legends about those woods. I can¡¯t remember much¡­ but, they say there lives an old witch, and something about people¡­ disappearing? People would often enter those woods and would never be seen again. They, uh¡­¡± he furrows his brow, narrowing his eyes as he tries to find words. After a moment, he shrugs, ¡°That''s about all I know, Araceli can possibly explain better when we get there.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we made it through the forest,¡± Silven boasts, ¡°Although we were attacked¡­¡±


    ¡°By what?¡±


    ¡°We named the Stalkers¡­ They¡¯re large shadowy-black beasts, easily ten-feet tall, and can track someone for miles.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve seen such a thing.¡±


    As Silven tells Emil about those nights, flashes of that family run through my mind. I turn to the other end of the table, trying hard to ignore the story, as Silven tries to pry more information out of Emil.


    Joffrey turns to Caralina, ¡°How big is the village you come from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve only got around eighty of us. It¡¯s quaint, and we get by well.¡±


    ¡°That sounds lovely. I hope one day we can stop through.¡±


    She smiles, ¡°That would be wonderful.¡±


    As my focus on their conversation fades, I look around the table hazily before my eyes land on Oswin, staring directly into my eyes, mouthing in my direction. Slowly, I draw my attention together enough to hear him utter the words, ¡°We need to talk. Soon.¡± I nod, and try to stomach what I can.


    Some time goes by and everyone is sat back groaning after the largest meal any of us have had in weeks. Kendrick and Oswin are rubbing their bellies, satisfied with the food.


    ¡°Well!¡± Joffrey exclaims, slapping his hands on his knees and pushing himself up, ¡°I think with that we should start making our way out. I just have to go see Marianne quickly before we leave.¡±


    Silven and I nudge each other, letting out a simultaneous lilting ¡°Ooh¡± which causes Joffrey''s face to redden as he looks back at us.


    ¡°You two, hush. It''s not like that.¡± He says with a spin and quickly starts walking away, ¡°I''ll be back in five minutes at most. Let''s meet at the gate.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long,¡± Oswin hollers after him, everyone else standing and gathering their belongings. Emil walks over to Caralina, offering to draw the cart to which she happily agrees. We make our way to the exit and wait, Joffrey showing up just a minute or so after. By this time, the sun is nearly cresting the horizon.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Oswin asks.


    ¡°Yeah, let''s get moving.¡±

 Chapter 15: The Stahnorian

    Our group leaves the festival, heading Northeast to what we learn is Quentin and Caralina¡¯s communal farm just outside of her village. The walk is rather uneventful, with Joffrey filling Caralina in on the journey so far. Quentin, Silven, Emil, and I are tossing around a small ball-like tangle of brush, bobbing and weaving around trees to give ourselves something of a fun challenge.


    The sun slips under the horizon, and as the sky shifts from a bright clear blue down to a vibrant gradient of orange, red, and purple, we all look for a place to set up camp for the night.


    We manage to find a small stream for refilling our water, and decide this spot is as good as any. Joffrey, Hrithika and Kendrick search for firewood, collecting a large bundle and returning to set up a fire.


    I take stock of the area, and noticing how open we are, the hair on my neck stands up. The tree cover is very sparse, and the ground is relatively flat. This doesn''t feel safe¡­ I stand near where the fire is being set, my head swiveling around as I fidget nervously. I sit next to Silven and try to draw his attention to maybe calm my mind down, but he and Emil are too busy inspecting each other''s bows, their faces full of awe. Dejected, I scoot away a few feet. I feel a little bump in my back and whip around. My eyes meet the color of the trees in spring, a sense of warmth and comfort encompassing me. I blink and realize I''m staring awkwardly at Quentin.


    Quentin is sitting with his knees to his chest beside me, his arms crossed with his head resting on them. He''s gazing quietly at me, causing me to squirm uncomfortably.


    ¡°It''s scary out here at night, I don''t like it.¡± His words are soft and quiet.


    I nod silently, mindlessly watching the others build the fire.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    I lazily turn to look at him again. ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Is it scary for you out here too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I whisper.


    ¡°Are you okay? You weren¡¯t this quiet earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± I utter, my head hanging lower ever-so-slightly. I see him shift in place in the blur of my peripheral.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We sit together in silence for a minute, everyone else¡¯s voices breathing a small glint of life into an otherwise quiet land. Soon we have a fire going and everyone sits around it, taking in its warmth on a chilly night.


    Silven goes to place himself on the other side of me, and quickly notices my sulking. Before sitting, he walks over to Joffrey and mutters something I can¡¯t make out. He comes back and sits next to me, giving me an arms length of space.


    Joffrey speaks up loud enough for everyone to hear, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure we aren¡¯t very tired quite yet. Should we pass the time somehow? How about we tell scary stories? I used to do them all the time when I was younger.¡±


    Excitement spreads through the group, agreeing it¡¯s a good idea. I even managed to pick my head up enough to see them, my interest piqued. I don¡¯t think I know any scary stories¡­


    Kendrick reaches into his bag and pulls out two large jugs of dark liquor, ¡°Well, this seems like a good time to bust these out.¡±


    Joffrey and Hrithika let out a loud ¡°Woo!¡± as they each reach for one. Kendrick swats their hands away, and stands up.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Joffrey rubs his stinging knuckles, grumbling to himself.


    Kendrick stands and walks away for a minute, coming back with a bunch of Vitrablossom leaves in his hand. Without a word, he begins taking them and folding them in and around themselves, creating small cups that are impressively watertight. He pours the liquor into the cups and passes them out to everyone. I shake my head as he extends one out to me. He nods without asking questions and passes it to the next person. They collectively down the drinks and continue to pour more as they begin telling stories.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start,¡± Joffrey continues, ¡°This is one I remember hearing a long time ago. There once was a group of five travelers, who were in the middle of nowhere, lost in a forest. Night had fallen and they couldn¡¯t see farther than the nearest trees,¡± Joffrey stands up as he talks, beginning to stalk around and behind everyone, using the shadows for cover, ¡°Small whispers echoed around them and growing fearful, they decided to stop and camp for the night. One of them chops down a small tree and cuts it into firewood, starting a warm fire in the middle of the darkness. Soon the group found some small breath of calm, but not long after, the sound grew from whispers into shrieks!¡± He raises his voice as he brings his face close to Kendrick, who almost topples backward.


    ¡°Unable to tell where the sound is coming from, they hurriedly tamp out the fire, plunging themselves back into pitch darkness. Just as soon as the light goes out, so too does the shrieking. The travelers, unable to shake this horrible feeling, huddle together, placing their backs to each other to watch every side. As they peer into the nothingness, Fwoomp!¡± Joffrey with his arm extended quickly yanks back, tugging at invisible cloth in the air, right next to Silven¡¯s head. Silven shrinks down, ducking away from him.


    ¡°They feel a small gap close between them, and panic sets in. Why would one of us break off, they thought. Fwoomp! Their backs crash together as another gap forms. Fwoomp! They feel only one other back against them as they desperately lock their elbows together, holding on for their lives. For just a moment they feel safe, not alone. Then their friend¡¯s arms go limp, Fwoomp!¡±


    He jumps up behind Hrithika, who instinctively elbows Joffrey in the gut. He doubles over briefly as Hrithika apologizes profusely. He assures her he¡¯s fine and regains his breath, choosing now to sit back down before picking the story up again. ¡°With their last friend sucked away, they stand alone and afraid, and they feel a sharp object trace along the back of their arm. They whip around to no avail, nothing but darkness. Another creeping poke crawls up his spine and they yelp in fear, falling forward onto the ground. They feel something wrap tightly around their leg, slowly growing tighter as it begins pulling them backward. The person begins scrambling, clawing at the dirt, trying desperately to escape but it''s too late, their leg is bound too tightly. Then slowly¡­ slowly¡­ their leg lifts into the air, then their chest, and soon they''re dangling helplessly in the air, thrashing around to find any sort of leverage. As they swing around violently, a large pair of glowing orange eyes open in front of them. Their struggling begins to slow, body relaxing involuntarily, stuck staring into the almost hypnotic gaze as a gaping mouth glowing even more intensely opens. The light coming from the mouth illuminates the area enough for the person to realize, to their horror, that the tree they chopped up was a living creature, scarred by burn marks and having reconstructed itself. The grip loosens on what the person now sees is a vine, and they begin pleading for their life, begging for mercy, apologizing for hurting it, only to be met by silence. The glowing eyes burn into their mind as the vine loosens more, their body falling a few inches. The glowing mouth curls into a large open smile as the vine snaps, and the traveler falls in. A loud scream echoes out before the maw shuts, and silence¡­ falls once again in the forest.¡±


    Everyone stares silently, and I realize I''m clung to Silven''s arm. I shove away, my face red hot, but he doesn''t seem to have noticed as even he was a little unnerved by the story, his head on a swivel. The silence goes for a few moments before Kendrick speaks up.


    ¡°My God Joffrey, are you trying to traumatize the younger ones?¡±


    Joffrey looks over at Quentin and I, seeing us cowering and quickly realizes the effect it had. ¡°Oh, uhm, well¡­ some- someone else go. Maybe something not as bad as that one.¡± He mutters under his breath, ¡°I didn''t even think that one was that scary¡­¡±


    Hrithika springs up off the ground, ¡°My turn!¡± She spends the next few minutes telling us the story of how she, Kendrick and Oswin escaped the castle, everyone is laughing as the liquor loosens the group up, but my focus isn''t entirely on her. My eyes keep landing on Silven, darting away any time he glances back at me.


    I tune back in to Hrithika around when they made it outside the walls of the Kingdom and try hard to focus on her words.


    ¡°So once we got out we were pretty much in the clear from that point on, we spent a couple weeks walking through the forest. Luckily Kendrick knows the plant life otherwise we wouldn''t have made it past the first few days.¡±


    Oswin jumps in, ¡°Though I do find it a little strange, creatures that are usually skittish acted almost like we weren''t there.¡±


    ¡°It made hunting a lot easier, though,¡± Kendrick tacks on.


    ¡°And then,¡± she cuts off their tangent, ¡°That''s when we found you all.¡±


    I spend the next little bit staring into the fire aimlessly as each person goes around telling some sort of story. By this point, everyone except Quentin and I are starting to slur their words a bit, the alcohol having taken full effect. Kendrick goes next, standing up and stumbling around as he¡¯s telling some tale about a ghost that creeps the alleys of the noble district and I catch myself dozing in and out while laying my head on my curled up knees, nodding off quietly as their words rock me to slumber.


    A deep distant rumble in the ground makes my eyes shoot back open. Crap, I must have passed out. I blink a couple times, and find my head laying in Silven''s lap. A sudden warmth travels up my body. I shoot up, trying to refrain from showing a horrified expression as I make direct eye contact with Silven, smiling. My mind switches gears as time slows down, my chest tightens and I feel my heart beating in my throat. My eyes dart around the camp and see everyone laughing around the fire, blissfully unaware of the sound. Silven, confused by my sudden jolting, starts to ask what''s wrong, but his voice is lost behind my accelerating heartbeat ringing in my ears. I scramble forward onto my feet, my voice catching in my throat, jamming my finger forward in its direction.


    Silven sees me pointing in a panic and shushes everyone. The air grows still as everyone goes silent and soon after, another thud tremors the ground. Oh god, not again, please no. The group sluggishly draw all their weapons and stand at the ready, searching in every direction. The thudding grows louder and I look above the trees, seeing the faintest silhouette reaching far above the trees nearby. As I''m looking at the highest point, I see through the moonlight what looks to be branches, swaying and rustling back and forth as this giant grows closer.


    Before anyone can act to defend, a deep rumbling growl overpowers my mind. It sounds as if it could be words, but nothing like I''ve ever heard before. Everyone recoils, but none of us lose our stance, all locked on the figure, everyone gripping their weapons while they try to steady themselves. Oswin disregards the rest of us and fumbles forward, barely catching himself on a branch, and draws in a deep breath. He speaks almost as if reciting a passage, all hints of drunkenness leaving him for a second, ¡°My name is King Oswin D¡¯lovia Drenwind of the Kingdom of Brindovia. If you are not here to harm us, what is the reason for your appearance?¡±


    Joffrey stumbles over to Oswin, cupping his hand against Oswin''s ear, and shouting in a whisper, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Merely having a conversation with the lad,¡± Oswin mumbles softly, eyeing the figure.


    ¡°A c¡­ a conversation?!¡± Joffrey slaps him hard enough to pull his attention, ¡°You''re telling me you understood that just now?¡±


    Oswin hardly notices, turning slowly to look at him, ¡°You, uh¡­ you didn''t?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Joffrey throws his hands up in the air, nearly toppling himself backward, ¡°Of course not! It felt like my brain was rattling out of my head!¡±


    Oswin holds up his hand as if to shush Joffrey and I watch Joffrey recoil with a hand tented on his chest as he falters backward. Oswin doesn''t pay him any mind, speaking quietly with slurred words, ¡°In that case¡­ I''ll translate. He- he said he means no harm. His name is Ced- Cedr¡­¡± Oswin pauses as a small burp escapes him, ¡°Excuse me¡­ his name is Cedrani¡¯oul. He says¡­ he told me he, um¡­ followed the energy within the world and¡­ it brought¡­ it made him come here,¡± Oswin raises in volume, turning back to the tree, ¡°Cedrani¡¯oul, could you¡­ will you grant the ab- the, uh¡­ can you let everyone understand you?¡±


    Cedrani¡¯oul¡¯s gaze presumably shifts to Oswin, the deep rumbling piercing our brains again.


    ¡°He says he can, and to, uh, let him ente- uhm, touch our minds.¡± Oswin translates, squinting up at the tree.


    ¡°Touch our minds? What does that even mea-¡± Joffrey, standing much more sober than Oswin, is cut off as a creeping branch extends in front of him. ¡°Oh, hello there. I don''t much like this.¡± The branch touches his forehead, his eyes roll back in his head and he falls backward. Seeing this, Silven nocks an arrow to aim at the tree and as he''s just about to fire, Joffrey''s voice rings out again, groggily, ¡°No, don''t. I''m okay. Just dizzy.¡±


    Silven lowers his bow skeptically, and branches extend in front of all of us, touching each of our foreheads as well. As it touches mine, I feel a rush of information enter my mind, and am momentarily blinded, almost as if the words are giving off immense bright light. We all stumble to the ground, waking up just seconds later, and the same rumbling growl comes through my mind, except this time, it''s comprehendible.


    ¡°Greetings, all. I am Cedrani¡¯oul. It is my pleasure to be before a few of you at once. It has been a long while, my ancient friends.


    Oswin slurs his reply, ¡°Erm, well¡­ I still don''t know entirely what''s happening,¡± he pauses to mutter under his breath, ¡°I don''t think I, uh¡­ know a massive tree. Can I get what he''s having¡­?¡± He clears his throat and shouts, "Is there something you require?¡±


    Cedrani¡¯oul rumbles again, ¡°I can feel her energy inside you, Oswin Drenwind. You are one of the Disciples of the Goddesses. Listen to me carefully, it is not what I require, but this world. There is a great plague upon the planet, a corrupt energy spreading and growing stronger. The combined energy of the Goddesses is now the only source powerful enough to combat the great evil. I must ask of you, for the sake of our world, to bring the Disciples together and put an end to this blight.¡±


    ¡°Wha, erm- what would you have us do? We are without direction at the moment¡­¡± He stumbles in place, ¡°We currently are heading¡­¡± Oswin begins circling around with his finger extended before pointing in a random direction, ¡°North! To travel with this young man, Emil.¡±


    ¡°North is that way, Oswin,¡± Hrithika¡¯s hand reshapes into a compass dial, where one of her fingers is pointing true North.


    ¡°Oh yes, that-a-way!¡± He adjusts his point.


    Cedrani''oul disregards his drunken behavior, ¡°Yes, Emil, I believe we''ve met before. It''s a pleasure to now speak to you for the first time.¡±


    Emil, awestruck by the voice of Cedrani¡¯oul, shakes himself back to reality, ¡°Oh, yes, yes of course. I''m glad I can finally properly thank you for the branch you gifted me years ago.¡±


    ¡°Please, there is no need for that, you already have. Has it treated you well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, most definitely. It has been a treasured possession of mine.¡±


    Cedrani¡¯oul continues, ¡°Emil, you are from the Kingdom of Zephyria, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± he confirms.


    ¡°I must ask you to bring these people to Anemone, and convince her to join their cause.¡±


    Emil¡¯s face fleets with confusion for a moment, then quickly rises to shock, ¡°Of course I ca- wait, what? Why her? Are you saying she''s one? A disciple?¡±


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Cedrani''oul looks at the rest of us, ¡°And as the Disciples, you must locate each of your gems and unleash the power within. Only then can you stand a chance against this force. Be wary, an opportunity such as this has not presented itself in centuries, where all seven wielders are of able body simultaneously. Should any one of you perish, I fear there may not be another chance.¡±


    ¡°So we must find this one person amongst a whole Kingdom?¡± Oswin questions.


    ¡°I do not doubt you will find her with ease, Disciple of the Mind, especially with the help of your other members.¡±


    Silven calls out to the tree, slurring as he tries to speak louder than his normal voice, ¡°How did Emil get gifted one of your branches, Cedrani''oul?¡±


    ¡°I have long been a friend of the Zephyrians, going back centuries, and as such have provided their best archers with my Elderwood for their protection.¡±


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    ¡°Where are the other Disciples at?¡± Hrithika inquires.


    ¡°Anemone of the Zephyrians resides to the north, in the Kingdom. The Disciple of Water lives on an island far to the Southeast. The Disciple of energy hasn''t been seen or felt in the world for nearly a millennium.¡±


    ¡°What about Earth?¡±


    Cedrani''oul is silent for a moment, ¡°... I see, it must not have awakened yet.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what does that mean?¡± Hrithika asks further.


    ¡°The Disciple of Earth is among you. Though it appears his energy is latent.¡± Cedrani''oul once again reaches out with a branch, slithering between all of us as we gaze unsurely. It lifts up, and stops just before Quentin''s eyes. His stare grows wide and his hair stands on end as the realization begins to sink in.


    His mother Caralina catches on as well, and despite not knowing what the Disciples are, jumps in front of the branch, arms extended to either side.


    ¡°Ohh no. No, no no. I refuse to believe that my boy is one of these Disciples. He''s barely a teenager, for God''s sake! There must be a mistake!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it is no mistake. I''m sorry you have to learn about the future of your child in this way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ You said he was the Disciple of the Earth? He''s never demonstrated any control over the earth, how is that possible?¡±


    ¡°The gems¡¯ planetary energy is connected with all living beings, and each element has some semblance of a consciousness, determining which life is most capable to harbor their energy. I''m sorry to say, it''s out of anyone''s hands.¡±


    ¡°No, you have to be wrong.¡±


    ¡°I may be able to prove it, would that suffice?¡±


    ¡°Wh- you- how?¡± Her voice growing frantic.


    ¡°All I require is the young man''s permission. I must warn you, it will feel discomforting.¡±


    I stare at Quentin, whose expression is hard to tell. It seems like a mix of excitement, anxiety, and fear. He draws in a deep breath, and nods.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, yeah.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± His mom shouts, trying to shield him.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± he touches her shoulder, ¡°Please, let me try this?¡±


    ¡°Bu- Wh-...¡± She trails off, seeing a look akin to determination in his eyes. She collects herself with a deeply drawn breath, nodding and shaking her hands out as she steps out of the way.


    Cedrani¡¯oul raises a root out of the ground in front of Quentin, high enough for him to realize he needs to step on, and then the root raises him up closer to Cedrani''oul. Three branches extend out, touching Quentin''s forehead and palms. A small green glow emits from the tips of the branches, and I feel, barely registering under my feet, the ground trembling. Everyone else begins to notice, and starts looking around worriedly. The light grows brighter and Quentin groans loudly, twisting around.


    ¡°Stop, he sounds like he''s in pain!¡± Caralina shouts. She tries to run forward to pull her son off the tree.


    Cedrani''oul, without interrupting his concentration, raises a root to hold her back as he focuses his power. With a flash, I see a green glowing energy surge through his muscles, and the ground begins to rumble to life. I watch as cracks form a circle in the earth around us, and feel a jolt as we''re lifted up, the land shifting upward a couple of feet, creating a raised platform of dirt and stone. All of us gawk with awestruck open jaws.


    The branches¡¯ glow fades, and they gingerly hold behind Quentin as he slumps backward. Cedrani''oul lowers him back down, setting him up on his feet as he wearily holds himself up.


    ¡°What did you just do?¡± Caralina shouts. The root retreats into the ground, she stumbles forward and yanks her son into a hug, ¡°He can barely stand now! What the hell was that?!¡±


    Cedrani''oul¡¯s voice rumbles around my head again, ¡°As one of the Floran, being as deeply rooted as I am, I have the ability to channel energies to some extent. I simply allowed the young man and his latent power to act as an empty vessel of sorts. I simply gave him a momentary charge.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ what? That is absolutely ridiculous! He is just a boy! I can''t¡­ You can''t send him off to his death! Come on son, let''s go.¡± She begins to pull on her son''s arm, but Cedrani''oul stops her once again with his roots.


    ¡°I''m sorry, but he has to stay.¡±


    ¡°And who are you to decide where my child goes?! You can''t simply expect me to sit idly by and let this one go! I¡­ no. No, I can''t do this¡­¡± Her voice trails off, and with her confusion and anxiety taken over by defeat, she slumps down to the ground, her hand still gripping Quentin''s hand.


    ¡°Your son is one of the few we have that stand a chance of saving this world. I understand this is an impossible request, but it is imperative that he travel alongside the other Disciples to grow a connection with his power.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± she looks over at Quentin, her eyes brimming, ¡°I don''t want this¡­ Please don''t do this¡­ come back home with me, let¡­ let''s just go enjoy our pottery! I¡­¡± she begins to trail off, seeing Quentin staring at her assuredly, ¡°I don''t¡­ I¡­ think I''ve not got much choice¡­ Is, uh¡­ Is this what you want, Quentin?¡±


    He stares for a long moment into his mother''s eyes, and slowly, he closes them and nods.


    She chokes back a sob, and hugs Quentin tightly, kissing the top of his head, ¡°Okay. Okay, baby¡­ Just promise me you''ll be careful.¡± She looks around at the other adults, ¡°And all of you. If I find one hair on his head out of place, I''ll track you down and have myself some new wall mounts.¡±


    All of them stare shocked, nodding profusely. Cedrani''oul rumbles out, pulling all of our attention, ¡°Thank you, Caralina. Your cooperation is sure to help save this planet. Nightfall has fully come, you all must rest and reserve your energy. I shall guard you through the night.¡±


    ¡°Your protection is very kind, Cedrani¡¯oul, we thank you,¡± Oswin bows and stumbles forward slightly. Everyone begins winding down for the night. I curl up and close my eyes, trying to fall asleep, but finding myself struggling to cross that barrier. After what feels like an hour, I sit up, and look around the camp. Everyone is sound asleep so I carefully stand and tiptoe away from them, walking over to Cedrani''oul and resting my hand against the rough bark.


    ¡°Please stay quiet, I don''t want to wake anyone up.¡± I whisper.


    His voice enters my mind, ¡°Do not worry, I can choose who I wish to hear me. Is something troubling you, Disciple of Fire?¡±


    ¡°N-no. Well¡­ yes,¡± I furrow my brow, my words coming to me with an unusual ease, ¡°I¡­ I don''t know. I''ve just got a lot going through my head. It''s too much to take in. Why me? Why was I chosen to be one of the Disciples? Why can''t I control my powers? Why can''t I¡­¡± My words trail off, the haunting memory playing through my mind, ¡°There¡­ there was a night, I''m not even sure how long ago anymore¡­ The village we found was attacked by giant beasts¡­ I tried to do everything I could,¡± Tears begin pattering against the ground, my eyes running profusely, ¡°I¡­ I couldn''t save them. A family¡­ I watched them burn while I collapsed helplessly on the ground. How¡­ how can I be trusted with this power if I can''t even save a single family?¡±


    ¡°Throughout time, there have been many of Fire¡¯s descent who were incapable of controlling it. Fire proved difficult for them because unlike the other energies, fire lives. It breathes. In order to harness it well, you must be willing to create a relationship of give and take with your power. It has needs in order to live just as you do. If you are able to find that balance, then your energy will resonate with your power¡¯s, bringing forth untold potential.¡±


    ¡°What if I can''t find that balance? What if I get to this fight and I''m not ready? What if more people lose their lives because of me failing?¡± I croak exasperatedly, my shirt beginning to dampen as the tears continue to flow, ¡°What if I can''t protect my friends? What if I don''t make it¡­¡±


    ¡°You have grown fearful of your own strength, have you?¡±


    ¡°Bu-, wh¡­¡± his question throws me off, my running eyes stopping for a moment, ¡°I have already overdone it a couple of times now, and this most recent one left¡­ a family dead¡­ I have these burned marks on my palms that are a constant reminder of my failure. And¡­ I haven''t felt my powers since I woke up from my coma.¡±


    ¡°Fire is very temperamental, and is heavily connected to the emotions running through you humans. Your experience has created a wall on your side of the connection that has become impassable to your power. You must find room in your heart to forgive yourself, and let go of those walls. Only then will you be reconnected with your power.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ H-how do I even begin to do that?¡±


    ¡°That is a journey for you and you alone, I''m afraid. No one will be able to provide a satisfying enough answer to fill the hole left inside except yourself. The answer will come to you one day.¡±


    ¡°Of course that''s the case¡­¡± I grumble to myself, forgetting Cedrani''oul can hear me, ¡°Why couldn''t there just be a switch I can flip and just be okay¡­¡±


    ¡°If that were the case, then do you think any before you would have failed? Each of them faced their own hardships, fought their own wars, battled their demons. Not all of them succeeded. No one can run from the troubles within themselves. If you choose not to confront them, you are only leaving yourself to be consumed. You are young, and have many lessons left to learn. Have hope that you may one day be able to rescue another, and hold firm to that belief.¡±


    ¡°I can try¡­¡± I dig the tip of my foot into the dirt, and kick up a small dust cloud. I sit on one of Cedrani''oul¡¯s roots in silence for a few minutes, watching the starry sky as the moon beams faint light across the quiet lands. I break the silence, turning my head up toward Cedrani''oul, ¡°What is the great evil?¡±


    ¡°A soul tarnished by unending years, growing tired of life as it is. They wish to change the foundation of the world, with a vision of their own twisted reality. They yearn for the power of the Disciples to grant them the status of a God, controlling every aspect of energy across the planet to bend existence to their will.


    As an Elder Floran, I am deeply connected to the planet, and the energies running deep inside it, almost like the veins in your body. I can feel corruption growing in these veins, spreading slowly, but growing in strength with each passing day. The creatures have grown hostile, humans are growing restless, soon everyone and everything will turn on one another.


    The Disciple of the Mind¡¯s gem has been removed from its designed resting place and fallen into the wrong hands. It has caused a worldwide psychic pulse of negative instincts, razing the comfort of the mind. The gem must be returned to its rightful place, and the Disciple of the Mind must present themself in order to unlock the gem¡¯s power. The same goes for the rest of the Disciples. I fear there is a great battle happening in the near future.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Well, uhm, thank you for the talk, Cedre- cadr¡­ Uhm¡­ Is it okay if I call you Cedar?¡±


    ¡°... That will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well¡­ Thank you Cedar,¡± I cradle down into a bundle of his roots, to which he shifts them around, creating a nestled spot for me. My mind strangely sits the calmest it has in a long time, despite the crash of information laid onto me, and as I begin to slip into sleep, Cedar sends me one last message.


    ¡°Be strong, Disciple of Fire.¡±.


    The light of the morning falls onto my eyes and I blink awake. I sit up and stretch with a big yawn, having gotten some of the best sleep in a while and I come to realize I''m sitting next to the firepit. Didn''t I fall asleep on Cedar? I look over to where he was, and see Cedar standing tall among the forest, as still as the rest of the trees. I smile softly to myself and take in the havoc around me. Oswin is asleep on his back with Kendrick laying across his stomach, Hrithika is curled into a ball of some sort right next to them, Joffrey is laid back over a log with his arms spread wide, Silven is laying across the same log next to him. Quentin and Caralina are curled up together a few feet away and Emil is up and walking around, bringing fresh firewood to bring it back to life.


    ¡°Oh, hello Salem, good morning. How did you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, it was more than I''ve had in a while¡­¡± I say, my eyes wandering off for a second, ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I''ve trained my body to wake up before sunrise every day, so I suppose you could say it''s going well.¡± he says as he finishes precariously stacking the logs in a pyramidal shape. He picks up a small pebble nearby and I see him focus intently on it. Soon after, it ignites and he tosses it onto the pile, lighting the fire.


    I chuckle as I bring myself to my feet, pausing for a moment as I think about what''s to come, ¡°So¡­ what is the Zephyrian Kingdom like?¡±


    Emil steels himself for a second, unsure how to respond, ¡°I know I am bringing you to the Kingdom¡­ but speaking of the inside is strictly forbidden. I''m sorry, but the kingdom is very strict on staying hidden. I was barely given leave to attend the festival.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn''t mean to ask too much.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s no problem. Perhaps we should change topics though, maybe¡­ waking these folks up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I walk over and begin shaking the log where Silven and Joffrey are laying. Joffrey''s head thumps the ground a few times and he begins groggily trying to roll over. Silven falls off and jumps up in a blind panic, swinging his arms wildly for a second and almost smacking my head. Both of them sluggishly bring themselves to fully alert, the weight of their drinking bearing heavy on their shoulders. ¡°Good morning, guys. Are you okay?¡±


    They reply with a small nod, and both reach for a water flask, almost mimicking each other perfectly, and drink heartily. I smirk and move on to wake up Quentin and his mom, seeing that Emil is having trouble rousing Oswin, Hrithika and Kendrick.


    I gently place a hand on Caralina''s shoulder and she shoots awake with a gasp, staring me straight in the eyes and clutching Quentin tight. She regains herself and quickly spits out, ¡°Sorry, I had a horrible nightmare¡­ a giant tree came and¡­ told¡­¡± her words trail off as she sees Cedar behind me, and I see the color drain from her face, ¡°Oh god. I wasn''t dreaming, was I?¡± she looks back at me, a wild look in her eyes.


    I shake my head, and she looks down solemnly at Quentin, asleep in her arms.


    ¡°Wow¡­ to think my child is to be someone to save the world¡­ I¡­¡± I see tears well in her eyes, a single drop falling onto Quentin¡¯s collar, ¡°I can''t imagine letting him go.¡± Her grip on the fabric of his clothing tightens.


    ¡°I was separated from my family,¡± I say softly, ¡°The King over there exiled me from his kingdom¡­ it was to kind of save me¡­ but I was thrown out of the walls and left to fend on my own. I luckily found these people and they have gone far out of their way to nurture and protect me¡­ Honestly, in some ways, I see them as¡­ closer than my parents.¡±


    ¡°I''m¡­ sorry to hear that,¡± she wipes the tears from her cheek, ¡°That must be horrible.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ it is, but these people have made it worth it, they''ve kept me safe along the way, and I think he could really use the experience, I know I needed it¡­ We always look out for each other here. We''ll protect him too.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ What if something happens? And you''re too far away? What if I don''t get to see my son again?¡± Her eyes start welling up again.


    ¡°I don''t know¡­ but I do know we will do everything we can to not let that happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ appreciate that,¡± she stares for a long time at Quentin, watching him breathe peacefully in her arms, ¡°I just¡­ wow¡­ I always wanted him to grow up to be something special. If I''d known this was what he had in store¡­ I don''t know¡­ I might not have pushed so hard for him to go do something great. Is that wrong of me?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I wish I had a parent like you, to push me to do more than just fend,¡± I lower my head, ¡°I don''t know much about it, but I''d say it''s natural to want to take care of him and not see him hurt.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you''re right¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I can''t believe I''m ranting about my feelings to someone younger than my son,¡± she laughs in disbelief, ¡°Lots of firsts lately, that''s for sure.¡±


    Quentin''s eyes flutter as he wriggles around in Caralina¡¯s arms, soon opening them and they set upon me.


    ¡°Hey Quentin, how are you feeling?¡±


    He rubs his eyes, letting out a long yawn, groggily replying ¡°like I slept for a year. ¡± He sits up off of his mom, groaning, ¡°Oh man, my whole body is aching¡­¡± he, like a newborn animal, stumbles up to his feet, turning and helping his mother up as well.


    Emil saunters over, gesturing to the pile of sleeping bodies, ¡°I, uh, they won''t budge. Could you help me Salem? Quentin too?¡±


    We nod and move back, attempting to roll Kendrick off of Oswin. We push and finally manage to flop him over, his face smacking on the ground. In shock, he lets out a shout and rolls onto his back, covering his face. The sound makes Hrithika and Oswin shoot up, and scout around. Oswin groans at the sudden movement and holds his head, rocking in little circles. Hrithika pops up, as if she''d not touched even a drop of alcohol, and slinks to Kendrick, whose hands have fallen to his sides as he squints into the sky.


    ¡°Someone extinguish the sun, for the love of all that is sacred,¡± Kendrick croaks out.


    ¡°Here, you big babies.¡± Hrithika extends her arms and legs, stretching her body into a flat sheet and creating a shady tent over top of Kendrick and Oswin.


    ¡°Ah, perfect,¡± Kendrick says as he rolls over, beginning to nod off again.


    Hrithika whips one of her legs inward, kicking Kendrick in the arm and shoving him back over. ¡°Get up, both of you, I knew I shouldn''t have let you drink so much.¡±


    Eventually, with a little help from me, Quentin, and Emil, we get the two off the ground and onto their feet. Hrithika shrinks back down, plopping right next to Emil. Kendrick rummages through his bag and produces two small bottles of liquid, one purple, one green. Using some of the cups he made the night before, he mixes trace amounts of each bottle into the cups.


    ¡°Here, everyone. Drink this, it''ll rid you of those head pains.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Joffrey shoots his drink down, with an audible sigh of relief.


    The rest drink theirs and slowly they pick their heads back up. As they begin to rise and proceed to pack up camp, two figures step out into view from the denser part of the forest. I see vibrant red hair, and a frail man. Joffrey, Silven and I stop what we''re doing and watch them as they walk up.


    ¡°Raina, Gontu! It''s been weeks, how did you find us?¡± Joffrey remarks, ¡°That''s the longest you''ve been gone before.¡±


    ¡°I''m a good tracker, you should know this,¡± Raina comments.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ right. Well, where did you two run off to?¡±


    She tossed her head around for a second, contemplating, ¡°I went south to the Infernian Kingdom, had something I needed to do.¡± Her eyes turn towards Oswin and I notice her posture stiffen for a moment.


    ¡°And I went wherever the winds took me,¡± Gontu says with a large smile, ¡°I found some interesting flowers.¡± He says as he produces a small bouquet of different colored and shaped flowers, handing them to Caralina, ¡°And what might your name be, ma''am?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uhm, I''m¡­ I''m Caralina. Thank you, these are beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I see a few other new faces, as well. Who have we here?¡± He walks over to the three adults who are still packing, ¡°Hello, travelers, my name is Gontu! It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Oswin spins around and sees an outstretched hand. Taking it, he replies, ¡°Of course, hello. I am King Os-,¡± Hrithika nudges his arm, to which he clears his throat, ¡°erm¡­ Oswin. The pleasure is mine.¡±


    ¡°That''s quite a grip you''ve got,¡± Gontu chuckles.


    ¡°My father always taught me that you can tell a lot about someone from their handshake.¡±


    ¡°Quite true. And what might your name be?¡± He says turning to Hrithika, extending his hand.


    ¡°Hrithika, nice to meet you,¡± She takes his hand.


    ¡°A perfect name for a kind-hearted person,¡± He turns to the next person, ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Kendrick, sir. Healer.¡±


    ¡°Splendid, healers are hard to come by. That should come in handy.¡±


    With introductions out of the way, we fill in Gontu and Raina on where we were planning on going, and they begin to help us finish packing. I see Caralina hasn''t left Quentin''s side since he woke up, not talking loud enough for me to hear, but she''s visibly frazzled as her mouth moves a mile a minute, and her body language is frantic almost. Walking over, I start to hear what she''s saying.


    ¡°-ease, you don''t have to go. I''ll make all of your favorite foods! Or, or, or we could get you some new clothing! Please. This is too dangerous!¡± Her voice is trembling, and without thinking she blurts out, ¡°I can''t lose you too!¡±


    Silence crosses the camp, and I see Quentin¡¯s posture stiffen. Her hands fly up to her mouth as it dawned on her what she said, eyes as wide as saucers as she looks around, seeing everybody staring at her.


    ¡°Mom? What did you say?¡± Quentin''s eyes cloud over.


    ¡°I¡­ I said I can''t lose you.¡± She averts her eyes from her son.


    ¡°No, what do you mean, ¡®too¡¯?¡± his eyebrows draw together, staring inward at Caralina.


    ¡°N-nothing! I ju.. I just misspoke! I just don''t want you to leave!¡± she squeezes her eyes tightly shut, dropping to her knees and bending toward the ground.


    Quentin quietly crouches down, his fist clenching white, ¡°Mom. Tell me what you meant.¡±


    A piercing wail escapes her as her face contorts in pain and tears stream down her nose, droplets falling into the dirt. She pounds her fist into the ground until crimson begins seeping from her knuckles. I look around and see everyone is paralyzed, unsure of what to do. Quentin gently hooks his hand in her elbow, preventing her from battering her hands further. She pushes Quentin away, but his grip is firm enough to not let go.


    ¡°Mom. Please. What aren''t you telling me?¡± As she tries to pull away in response, with a swift motion, he pulls her up and into a hug. She scrambles for a moment, shouting as her tears soak into his shirt, before going limp and muffling her cries on her son''s chest. Her hands slowly come up to return the hug as her wails stifle down to sniffles and deep breaths.


    After a few minutes, her breathing returns to her and she pulls herself back to sitting on her heels, taking a cloth from her bag and wiping her face. With her eyes buried into the ground, she speaks softly, ¡°You¡­ were a twin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°When you were a baby¡­ you had a twin sister. Times were so much harder for us back then. There was no possible way we could care for two children.¡±


    ¡°Wh- what?¡± His face contorts through a barrage of emotions, his body physically recoiling.


    ¡°So¡­ we had to find a family to take her. Sh-she¡­ she went to a good family, they were very wealthy nobles!¡±


    ¡°So, what? You, you sold her?¡± I see his fist clenching again, his knuckles white.


    ¡°No, please, I did it so we could all survive! There was no way we could have made it otherwise!¡±


    ¡°So you didn''t take any money for her?¡±


    Her head drops further.


    Without a word, Quentin stands up and grabs his bag. Caralina doesn''t move an inch, frozen in anguish. She''s silent but I still see tears falling to the grass.


    Quentin turns to the rest of us, ¡°Are we ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jeffrey says softly.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±

 Chapter 16: The Mountain

    Without another word, we leave Caralina in the clearing. Cedar, who hadn''t involved himself this morning, promised to travel with Caralina back to their village. Quentin doesn''t attempt to acknowledge this, as he begins walking into the woods to the north toward the mountains. As the rest of the group goes to follow, I approach Caralina, and gingerly place a hand on her shoulder. Her tear stricken face, devoid of emotions, looks up through me.


    ¡°I will do everything I can to protect him. This won''t be the last time you see him.¡±


    She acknowledges me with the smallest nod of her head, and watches as her son becomes obscured by the foliage.


    ¡°He''ll forgive you, I know he will,¡± I softly mutter as I stand and move to catch up with the rest of the group. I stop for a moment to look over my shoulder and see her begrudgingly pick herself up, wearily grabbing the handles of her cart and turning the other direction, trudging away. Creaks and groans come from Cedar¡¯s trunk as he uproots himself, his roots forming giant legs and the ground trembles as he thuds along behind her.


    With a sigh, I turn and catch up with the others, falling in line next to Silven. I look ahead and see, in little groups, Raina and Gontu ahead of us, then Kendrick, Hrithika, Joffrey, and Oswin in front of them by a few paces. Quentin and Emil lead the pack as we trek into the fields. The yellow grass is up to my chest for as far as I can see, the wind whipping waves across the meadow, the morning rays shining over everything gives the illusion of a golden sea.


    As we make our way across, my eyes begin to wander around. I notice little breaks in the grass and can only assume critters are scampering about. The blur of a squirbunny hops by in front of me and I leap away with a yelp, directly into Silven¡¯s arms. Startled momentarily by my outburst, he catches me haphazardly, finding his balance and holding me in his arms, and with a chuckle that fills my cheeks with warmth, he looks right into my eyes.


    ¡°Whoa, hey, you okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh, He- hey!¡± My body tenses up. Crap, how do I always end up so close to him! I chuckle awkwardly, ¡°Yeah, just, uh, hoppy¡­ I guess.¡±


    ¡°Good thing I was here to catch you then,¡± He gingerly sets me back down on my feet. I nod sheepishly, my gaze averting from Silven, focusing on the fields. I turn back and Silven is extending his hand out to me, ¡°Would holding my hand calm you down?¡±


    I stare wide-eyed at his hand for a second, then up to his face, then back to his hand. Oh god, what do I do? As I back away, Silven¡¯s expression becomes dispirited, his head tilting to the side slightly.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong? It feels like you¡¯ve been avoiding me more and more lately,¡± I see his eyebrows draw closer together, his stare piercing into my eyes.


    Crap. I shake my head vehemently, squeezing my eyes shut, ¡°No, no you haven¡¯t. I-I¡­ I¡¯m not, I just¡­¡± As my words trail off, my eyes sluggishly open and I gaze off into the distance, my hand going up to rub the back of my head, ¡°I think, uh¡­ my head¡¯s just not on right still¡­ y¡¯know, uhm¡­ from the coma.¡±


    ¡°No, something is bugging you. What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Really.¡±


    ¡°Please, you don''t have to lie to me.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I don''t know. It''s like¡­ whenever I''m near you¡­¡± my face begins to flush, and I try my best to hide my expression from his view, ¡°I don''t know, I feel¡­ warm¡­ my head goes fuzzy and I can''t think straight¡­¡±


    I glance up with a wince and see Silven''s face is turning red also, averting his gaze with a small, ¡°O-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I promise. You didn''t do anything wrong, I swear. I¡­ I don''t know why I keep feeling this¡­ I''ve never¡­ I haven''t felt like this before and¡­¡± my babbling is cut off by Silven pulling me into a tight hug and my body tenses up, before the warm feeling spreads through my chest and my body relaxes into his, my eyes beginning to well up. ¡°I''m sorry¡­ I don''t know what''s gotten into me.¡± I grit my teeth as tears run down and stain his shirt.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright, it''s okay,¡± his hand holds the back of my head, pulling me tighter in. ¡°It''s a normal feeling. There''s nothing wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°Th-then why,¡± my voice muffles against his chest, ¡°Why does it mess with my head so much? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh¡­¡± I feel his body tense up for a moment before he continues, ¡°It, uh, normally happens when the person likes someone.¡±


    His statement catches me off guard and my crying stops abruptly, my voice still muffled by his chest, a hiccup escapes as I try to talk, ¡°Like someone? I mean, I like all of you, but¡­ I don''t¡­ I don''t really feel like this¡­ around the others, like I do with you¡­ I mean, I can''t think straight and it feels like my heart is jumpi-¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± he pulls back a little bit, enough to look me in the eyes, ¡°I tell you what, why don''t we talk about this later? I can tell it took a lot out of you to bring that up. Maybe once we reach the Zephyrian kingdom? How does that sound? Then we can talk all night.¡±


    Without a word, tears staining my face, I nod tenderly and another small hiccup slips out. He takes me by the hand and we follow behind the rest of the group. I hear Oswin holler from up ahead and Silven and I exchange a worried glance before jogging to catch up. As we get close, I see, perched on his shoulder, is a Glider Fox.


    I remember seeing one a few years ago in the Kingdom, scampering across the slapped-together roofing in the poor district. They have webbed skin that stretches from their front legs to their hind legs that they can use to catch wind and cover great distances. I remember gawking at it before I got caught smuggling a bread loaf. I got beat pretty bad for that one, by the stall keeper and by my parents.


    I stop and stare at the creature. It sits on his shoulder and cleans its face with its front paw, all the while Oswin is crouched down with his arms extended and frozen in place. Another hiccup escapes me and I see the fox tense up, its head swiveling around. Oswin lets out a strained grunt as the claws of the fox dig into his shoulder slightly. Everyone coos a little at the fox¡¯s reaction and Oswin, through his clenched quiet groaning, manages to spit out a soft, ¡°Yep, I¡¯m fine guys, thank you.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing that, Oswin?¡± Joffrey utters quietly.


    ¡°Well, how should I know that?¡± He mutters through gritted teeth, trying not to move an inch, ¡°I suppose animals just really like me.¡±


    ¡°But, this?¡± Joffrey gestures to the fox, and it looks in his direction almost understandingly, ¡°Something is definitely going on.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Hrithika steps closer, elongating her index finger toward the fox. It sniffs her finger a few times before going back to grooming its paw. ¡°Come to mention it, on our way through the woods, there were quite a few animals that definitely wouldn''t normally approach people. I wonder¡­¡± Her finger outstretches further and she begins to scratch under the chin of the animal, and it rolls its head into it, squinting its little eyes. ¡°Yep, that''s it, Oswin is the animal whisperer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous Hrithika, as if I could communicate with animals,¡± He counters, and slowly reaches up toward the fox. Without a blink of hesitation, it crawls down off his shoulder and into his lap, rubbing against his hand. I catch a look of awe on his face as he stares wide-eyed at it. Another hiccup slips out of me.


    The moment is short lived, as the monstrous bellowing of a Stalker comes from nearby. The fox skitters away in a flash, disappearing into the sea of grass, and our attention turns to the direction of the sound. Peeking above the grass, we all see a group of five Stalkers stamping through the field, about a hundred yards off in the distance.


    Joffrey, Raina and Silven draw their weapons without a second thought, Emil and Quentin ready themselves as well, unsure what they''re up against. I try to cower down and cover my mouth as another hiccup comes out. As I crouch, catching my eye is the fact that Oswin, Hrithika, and Kendrick are confusedly staring at the rest of us.


    ¡°What''s goin-¡± Hrithika starts to speak but her mouth is quickly covered by Joffrey.


    With a whisper, he mumbles, ¡°Hush, these things are incredibly dangerous. They nearly took out the village we were in.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Oswin starts, matching Joffrey¡¯s volume, ¡°We¡¯ve seen these before, they never tried bothering us.¡±


    Silven looks in his direction, letting out a confused, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before he can continue explaining, a large grunting sound comes from behind everyone. All of us whip around and freeze in place as, just about twenty feet away, a Stalker stands staring at the group. It is easily nine feet tall, and can very clearly see us. I glance over and see Silven with his bow fully drawn, arms trembling, aimed at the beast¡¯s head. I feel the tickle in the back of my throat and pray for it to stop, but it doesn¡¯t help as another sharp hiccup fills my lungs.


    ¡°Salem, we really need you to get that controlled, bud,¡± Joffrey mumbles quietly.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m trying,¡± my body begins shaking as another hiccup leaves me, my hands flying to cover my mouth as my eyes begin to well up.


    The beast grunts, smoke billowing out of its nostrils, and leans down closer to my face, only a couple of feet away. I feel the heat radiating off of its breath. Another hiccup and the beast comes closer, mere inches from me, sniffing and gruffing out puffs of smoke a few times right into my eyes. Tears are streaking down over my knuckles as my face begins stinging from the grip my hands have around it.


    As this beast stares me down, I feel the tickle in my throat growing again, my body unable to move as I try to swallow it back down. Oh god, is this how I die? No no no please. Please. Despite my best efforts, a loud squeak of a hiccup escapes me and I squeeze my eyes shut. This is it¡­


    I wait for a moment, but the lack of being obliterated has me cautiously peek through one of my eyes. Am I dead? At least it was painless¡­ I look around and see the beast has pulled away, and started to walk off. I stare into space for a moment before looking at Joffrey and Silven, their faces ghostly white, and with tear-filled eyes and voice I break the silence, ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡±


    Joffrey runs over and pulls me into a tight hug, ¡°Oh my god, Salem, are you okay?¡± I nod in response.


    I see Silven still stuck in place, his gaze distant, his hands still wielding his bow at the ready.


    Oswin stands fully upright, brushing off the dirt from his knees, ¡°As I said before, those creatures never paid us any mind.¡±


    I hear a distinct smack sound, but I¡¯m too dazed to see what happened.


    Joffrey lets me go and I walk over to Silven, placing my hand on his trembling arm, lowering his bow and breaking his trance. His gaze slowly returns to us, to me, and he speaks with a soft murmuring voice, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    I throw my arms around him and begin crying into his shirt, another muffled hiccup escaping me. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m alright.¡±


    His hands let go of his bow and arrow. They thud into the dirt quietly, as wind whispers through the grass, the distant grunts of the herd of Stalkers as they slip into the woods. His hands slowly move up and he returns the hug in a slow squeeze, and after a few moments, we pull apart.


    Joffrey speaks up, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break here for a bit. Shake off the nerves before we continue on. Hrithika, do you think you could chop out an area in the grass for us?¡± She nods and bounds a few feet away as he continues, ¡°We¡¯ll use the clippings to start a fire and make some lunch. Just try not to make it too big, I¡¯d hate to draw too much unwanted attention.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make some calming tea,¡± Kendrick says, pulling a kettle out of his pack and pouring some water from his flask inside, waiting patiently for the fire to be started.


    Hrithika pokes her head through the tall grass, ¡°Fire¡¯s started.¡± And her head disappears again.


    The group moves into the clearing she made and begins finding places around the fire, Kendrick sets his kettle on top of it.


    Raina reaches into her side bag and pulls out a couple of squirbunnies, ¡°Maybe we can prepare these?¡±


    Emil opens up a pouch on his waist and produces five fist-sized, bulbous mushrooms that I don¡¯t recognize with a burnt-orange color to them, also pulling out a large knife and a stained wood board, ¡°These should also work well, they¡¯re quite good. They¡¯re Orinbal Mushrooms from Zephyria.¡±


    I see Oswin¡¯s eyes grow wide at the sight of the mushrooms and him quickly running over to examine them, and I notice Raina turn her nose up at them with a sour expression. Huh, so she doesn¡¯t like mushrooms.


    Oswin blurts out, ¡°These look fascinating! I¡¯ve never seen this variety before!¡±


    Emil proceeds to cut the mushroom into small cubes, the inside of which being stark white, and slide them into a stone bowl to place on the fire, ¡°They¡¯re only grown in the Zephyrian kingdom from my knowledge. Nearly a hundred years ago, a man named Sir Orinbal had the peculiar ability to mutate plants. Most of his tests didn¡¯t lead anywhere, mostly ending in plants that wouldn¡¯t survive, be toxic, or just otherwise unsafe, but these mushrooms were his glory. They grow at a tremendous rate in the kingdom, and taste incredible.¡±


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Oswin ogles the mushroom cubes.


    My attention turns to Joffrey having a conversation with Quentin, so I decide to go over to them.


    ¡°Have you felt anything since the tree showed us your power?¡± Joffrey inquires calmly.


    Quentin scratches his head, lost in thought, ¡°No, nothing really¡­ all I remember is a weird feeling, like my muscles were rumbling? Throughout my body?  I can¡¯t think of a better way of putting it¡­¡±


    I step up and interject, ¡°Really? Mine felt like my body was burning, but like¡­ not hot?¡±


    Joffrey¡¯s eyebrows furrow, ¡°Interesting¡­¡± He pulls out his new book and pen from the festival and flips to the first page, scribbling down something, ¡°So each one of you seems to go through different effects from using your powers¡­ For Quentin it¡¯s his muscles¡­ For you it¡¯s in your veins¡­ and for Oswin it seems to be his head¡­ That must have some significance¡­ They don¡¯t seem to be overly adverse effects¡­¡±


    Quentin rolls his shoulders, ¡°Yeah, I mean other than being a bit sore, I feel pretty alright.¡±


    ¡°And my burns¡­ I think they¡¯re slowly going away,¡± I say, looking at the black scars in my palms.


    ¡°Oh, right, thank you for mentioning that,¡± He averts his gaze and calls out over us, ¡°Hey Kendrick, would you mind coming over here for a second?¡±


    Kendrick grunts as he slowly picks himself off the ground, and shuffles over, ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°All good, you think you could do a bit of healing on Salem¡¯s hands again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Kendrick crouches next to me and holds out his hands with his palms open.


    I give him my hands palms up, and he moves in closer, examining the scars.


    He reaches into his side satchel and pulls out a little vial of a thick orange liquid, ¡°This is Gelderberry extract, I found some at the festival. Have you ever heard of it?¡±


    I shake my head, ¡°No, what is it?¡±


    ¡°It is an unmatched burn serum. In the right hands, at least. This should do the trick.¡± He pops the cork out and gently pours a few drops from the vial into each palm, recorking it and noting there¡¯s two-thirds left. He then places it back in his satchel, and takes my hands once again. Using his thumbs, he begins to massage the extract into my palms, and I see a green glow emanate from the thumbs as the liquid absorbs into my skin. After a few more seconds, he stops and we both look again. To his surprise, the scar remains noticeably unchanged. ¡°Or¡­ I suppose not. Peculiar¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, sir,¡± I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to work anyway.¡±


    Kendrick looks slightly taken aback, ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because of my wall,¡± My eyes fall back to the scars.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure I follow,¡± Kendrick¡¯s brows draw together, I see a look of confusion on Joffrey¡¯s face as well.


    Strangled words escape me as I try to find the best way to explain, my eyes flitting around to the members of the group whose attention is on me, ¡°I, uh, well, I couldn¡¯t sleep last night, So I talked with Cedar for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What about?¡± Joffrey inquires.


    ¡°Well,¡± I start, ¡°I told him I¡¯ve been, uhm, struggling¡­ with my power. I don¡¯t feel it anymore. He told me that Infernia¡¯s power is connected to emotions¡­ and because of what happened, with the¡­ the village, there¡¯s a wall blocking my power¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ a trauma block,¡± Kendrick growls under his breath, ¡°Unfortunately, no amount of burn medicine can heal those. Trauma is trickier to deal with, and there¡¯s not a lot of remedies known to help with it.¡±


    ¡°He told me,¡± I interject, ¡°That no one¡¯s answer would be enough except for one I find myself¡­ what, uh, do you think he meant?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kendrick begins scratching his beard.


    Joffrey says, ¡°I think that maybe he meant there would come a moment in time where that answer would, uh, present itself to you, but that no one else could know what that would be. Does¡­ does that make any more sense?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Kind of?¡± I stare at him for a moment, hoping to find the answer in his expression but drawing a blank, ¡°But I still have no idea what he could be talking about.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Quentin pops up beside me, cheek filled with berries like a squirbunny, ¡°It probably just hasn¡¯t happened yet.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I say, my voice monotone, ¡°That¡¯s gonna keep me up at night.¡±


    I see Quentin stifle a chuckle and can¡¯t help but to crack myself, a small laugh emanating out of me. Silven walks over and sits down next to me, still shaken up and distant, absentmindedly holding a section of the squirbunny and some berries. I rub a few circles on his back, and his distant attention draws closer.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay Silven, we¡¯re all alright. Right?¡±


    His stare falls down to me and like a snap, draws in a breath like it¡¯s the first he¡¯s had in years, ¡°Hey. Yeah¡­ everyone¡¯s safe, you¡¯re right.¡± His mouth turns up into a clearly feigned smile. I think to ask what¡¯s wrong but this feels like the wrong time for that. I need to make sure to ask later.


    I stand up and move to grab my own portion of the food, and I hear Emil to Oswin.


    ¡°-true that you¡¯re a king? What was it you said it was named¡­ Brindovia?¡± He asks without looking up from stirring the mushrooms around, a golden color forming along their edges.


    Oswin coughs, choking for a second on his food, and quickly reaching for his canteen. The water spills down his chin as his haste makes him miss his mark, greedily swallowing it down. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he clears his throat, ¡°Uhh, well, yes. I am. And, it¡­ it is,¡± Oswin¡¯s gaze is anywhere but toward Emil.


    ¡°Is that a bad thing? You sound ashamed,¡± Emil pulls the bowl from the fire, quickly and carefully setting it down beside him to not burn himself, and then looks toward Oswin.


    ¡°I¡­ am, yes. I¡¯m¡­ starting to speculate that I was not the actual king of my kingdom. I feel it was mine and my queen¡¯s advisors, Viralia and Dolores, or perhaps it goes back further to previous advisors¡­ And that the King and Queen are merely a farce, a figurehead. Now that I¡¯m thinking back on it, I can¡¯t really remember a time when I made any major decisions for the kingdom¡­ Not to mention that they created a form of horrendous torture that they masqueraded as a time of celebration.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Emil watches Oswin¡¯s expression closely.


    Oswin¡¯s head hangs down, explaining quietly, ¡°By using the age that children develop their abilities, fourteen that is, they hold an annual Ceremony and by¡­ using¡­¡± His words trail off and after a moment of silence, he shoots up into a stand, exclaiming loudly, ¡°They have Brindovia¡¯s gem!¡±


    All eyes around the camp fall on Oswin.


    ¡°Damn it all, it¡¯s so obvious now,¡± He begins pacing around the fire, muttering rapidly, ¡°They were using the gem as a means of determining the power the child would use in the future, the crown acts as a controlling mechanism to prevent any magic beyond just mere glimpses of their abilities¡­¡± Oswin makes a full stop and spins around, continuing to pace in the other direction, ¡°Of course¡­ of course! And that pendant they forced upon me during my coronation must have been to control my powers and connection to the gem. They knew. They knew I was the Disciple of Brindovia, but¡­ how? If I didn¡¯t even know it myself¡­? The secret tower! Hrithika!¡± He runs over and takes her by the shoulders, shaking her around, ¡°Viralia and Dolores must have specifically kept those documents from me! Who knows what other information they may have that we don¡¯t!¡±


    Hrithika¡¯s hands grow five times in size and grasp around Oswin¡¯s waist, lifting him a foot or so off the ground to stop his deep thought rambling. His trance fades away and he looks around.


    ¡°Right, thank you Hrithika,¡± Oswin clears his throat as she sets him back down, ¡°Salem, do you remember that letter I showed you, not long after you woke up in the village?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, the one from Cayna?¡± I tilt my head at him.


    ¡°Yes, the one that Cayna had left,¡± he begins once again gesturing and pacing.


    ¡°Wait a second, what letter?¡± I hear Joffrey on my left ask.


    ¡°This one,¡± Oswin produces the parchment and hands it to Joffrey, the curious ones in the group coming over to read the letter as well.


    Silven starts, ¡°So Cayna knew that this other girl Bela was going to kill her?¡±


    Oswin responds, ¡°Her youngest sister, yes. The seven goddesses were all sisters, and they abandoned Bela for fear of her potential power.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Emil says, ¡°What became of this last sister?¡±


    ¡°The village Elder we spoke to mentioned Deidamia as being the name in reference to Bela.¡± Oswin stands staring at the letter for a few seconds, before another inspiration strikes him, muttering under his breath, ¡°The gem¡­ We¡¯ll¡­ need to return to the kingdom. Oh gods¡­ I could only imagine Viralia¡¯s reaction to seeing me again.¡±


    ¡°Deidamia¡­ I feel I¡¯ve seen that name before¡­¡± I hear Emil whisper quietly.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I draw everyone''s attention, ¡°Cedar told me something else last night¡­ about Brindovia¡¯s gem. He said it was taken and someone bad has it, and because of that, the world felt a¡­ wave of negative feelings? Or something like that?¡±


    I stare at the group as they all process this new information, and after a moment I see Hrithika¡¯s face light up.


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Her hand grabs Oswin¡¯s shoulder, spinning him around to face her, ¡°Oz, I think¡­ I think you¡¯ve been protecting us without realizing it.¡±


    Oswin¡¯s expression shows that he isn¡¯t following her train of thought, made clearer even further by the strained creaking seemingly escaping his throat. She groans and goes on to explain.


    ¡°Think about all of the suffering we only got a glimpse of your people going through during our escape, and surely all of you have had a constant nagging feeling in your head. I know I have.¡± Hrithika states, a few of the group nodding in agreement, ¡°If the gem being in the wrong hands caused this worldwide¡­ itch in the back of our minds, wouldn¡¯t it make sense that you, as the Disciple of the Mind, calmed down creatures around us? I mean it¡¯s the same power, just on a much smaller scale. Why do you think these guys were petrified by that thing? What did you call it, A , uhm, Stalker?¡± her head spins toward Joffrey and flips back around before he can respond.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s scary looking?¡± Oswin looks into Hrithika¡¯s eyes blankly. Hrithika closes her eyes and purses her lips.


    ¡°No, Oswin¨C¡± She says with the sweetest voice as she reaches up and caresses his face before abruptly smacking him, ¡°¨Cit¡¯s because those things have tried to kill them before.¡±


    Oswin¡¯s hand moves to his cheek as his mouth falls open and eyes grow wide, slowly turning back to face Hrithika.


    ¡°Ow!¡± He shouts as he rubs circles on his face, ¡°Kendrick, could you heal my face?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting involved here.¡± Kendrick grunts.


    ¡°You really need to learn some normal social cues, your highness,¡± She says with a little hiss at the end, throwing a smirk at him as the flush on his cheeks deepens.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt¡­¡± Raina swirls her first finger, gesturing toward Oswin and Hrithika, ¡°...whatever this is, but, that¡¯s why that Stalker didn¡¯t attack us?¡± Raina¡¯s eyebrow raises, glancing toward Oswin,¡±Because of him?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just a theory, but I think so,¡± Hrithika shrugs.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Oswin says, ¡°Animals despised me when I was in the castle. Why would they be different out here?¡±


    Kendrick is the next to jump up with inspiration, ¡°Your pendant! When it shattered outside the Kingdom! That must have released the hold on your power. And in turn your power started radiating this¡­ calming energy. I haven¡¯t had the itch in my mind Hrithika was referring to since we left.¡±


    Oswin looks over himself, uttering quietly, ¡°Fascinating¡­¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Silven goes, ¡°As long as you¡¯re nearby, then those¨C¡± He gestures in the direction of the Stalkers ¡°¨Cwon¡¯t¡­ bother us anymore?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea at least,¡± Hrithika says, ¡°But, let¡¯s not test that theory before we have to.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Some of the group says in unanimity.


    Everyone continues chatting for the next few minutes as we finish our food, and then Emil grabs all of our attention.


    ¡°If everyone has finished eating, we should begin our journey again. It would be ideal to reach the top of the mountain before nightfall.¡±


    I look up and see the sun a little ways past midday. Hopefully we can make it.


    Hrithika extinguishes the fire and everyone pulls on their miscellaneous packs, moving together as a group through the remainder of the field.


    As we walk, I notice that everyone is grouped together closer than before and are all conversing as one large group. A thought occurs to me and I sidle up next to Raina.


    ¡°H-hey, Raina?¡±


    She looks over to me, her look almost annoyed, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering what the Infernian Kingdom is like?¡± I ask hesitantly.


    I see the question throw her off her pace and rhythm, ¡°O-oh,¡± She turns her face up and away slightly, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nice. I like to relax there.¡±


    ¡°Relax how?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ There¡¯s a¡­ It¡¯s- uhm¡­¡± Her voice trails off, finishing with a quiet, ¡°It¡¯s a spa.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s so cool!¡± I jump up a bit, which startles her backward. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, scare me? You¡¯re not scary.¡±


    ¡°I could be!¡± I state almost instinctively defiantly.


    She smirks derogatorily, ¡°Yeah, sure kid.¡±


    I furrow my brow for a moment but shrug it off, and we walk a few paces quietly. ¡°Soo¡­ what¡¯s a spa?¡±


    She groans to herself, ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ a natural hot bath.¡±


    ¡°Ohh,¡± I draw out, ¡°You¡¯re right, that does sound relaxing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± She says shortly, rolling her eyes.


    I lean forward, staring at her and putting myself in her eyesight, further and further until I manage to reluctantly pull her gaze.


    ¡°What, kid? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so mean?¡± I stare doe-eyed.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so angry all the time, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I- Th- You don¡¯t-¡± I see her brain visibly misfire, thrown off completely again, and I see what looks like a flash of contemplation. Gone just as it came, she huffs, ¡°Whatever.¡± and quickens her pace to make some distance.


    Huh, it looked like she wanted to say something¡­ maybe another time.


    A short time later, the sun still overhead, we finally reached the base of the mountain. Emil turns to the rest of us and speaks loud and clear. ¡°This mountain was made to protect the Kingdom. As such, there is plenty of danger ahead of us. You all have me, so that threat should be minimized, but it is most certainly not zero,¡± As he gives his speech, he begins marching back and forth in front of us as if he were commanding soldiers, ¡°There are animals that live on the mountain that rely on this specific ecosystem and are not found anywhere else on this continent, so please refrain from any hunting of them. Our Kingdom sustainably maintains the population across the entire mountain range, and the animals are very respected in life and in sacrifice for our wellbeing.¡± He goes to turn around but whips back, ¡°Oh, one more thing, try to walk single file behind me. Some parts of the path are a tad narrow, and well¡­¡± he makes a diving motion with his hand, ¡°... So¡­ watch your step.¡±


    Everyone nods assuredly, and just as we are about to begin our ascent, Gontu speaks up.


    ¡°You all go on ahead without me, my old bones aren¡¯t made for climbing. I will meet you all back here when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Gontu?¡± Joffrey turns around, ¡°Will you be alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you needn¡¯t worry boy, I can handle myself. Run along, find the girl!¡± Gontu shoos us off and begins walking off into the grass in a different direction than we came.


    ¡°Who, uh¡­ Who is that man? Is he Brindovian?¡± Oswin mutters to Joffrey.


    ¡°Not as far as I know. He found me not long after my banishment, around six or seven years ago now. I¡­ don¡¯t really know much about him. He doesn¡¯t talk about his past.¡±


    Oswin whispers, ¡°Does¡­ Does he do this often?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah he does,¡± Joffrey sighs.


    We all stare off at the old man for a moment as he hobbles away into the trees, Joffrey breaking the silence, ¡°Well, let¡¯s not waste more time.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, we need to make the most of the daylight, we should continue.¡± Emil states, turning toward the mountain and taking a confident step forward. ¡°Okay, listen everyone,¡± He calls over his shoulder as we march, ¡°Breathing is going to become more difficult as we approach the top of the mountain, when we get there, try to take in as much air as you can with each breath, and exhale it slowly.¡± Everyone follows behind closely, quietly awaiting Emil¡¯s instructions.


    At the beginning of the trek, the slope of the mountain didn¡¯t prove much of a challenge. We could see little ponds forming in the land from streams higher up where the snow is melting and I spot a few Orretts splashing around in the water, their coats are noticeably more gray and their horns larger than the ones that were in the zoo.


    Oswin turns to Emil and inquires, ¡°Why do those creatures look so different out here?¡±


    ¡°The Orretts in the zoo are a field variety that are bred in captivity, they desired those specific traits over the more natural counterpart, which I personally find to be insane. I mean, look at how beautiful these animals are.¡±


    The groups¡¯ movement slows as we watch a romp of Orretts scurrying in and out of a small alcove den, carrying small bushels of berries to store away inside.


    The mountain began growing steeper, the air dipping colder and colder as we ascended and as we started reaching the lowest hanging clouds, every step had to be precisely calculated so as to not slip off of the icy terrain.


    Soon enough, a perch large enough for all of us to fit comes up as we climb higher and everyone takes a seat, panting and trying to catch their breaths through the bitter cold.


    ¡°I have an idea, can I try something?¡± Joffrey hollers over the wind and pushes himself up.


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Emil¡¯s eyebrow raises.


    ¡°If I can focus on this right¡­ Salem, can you give me your hand?¡± Joffrey reaches out toward me and I silently extend my hand. ¡°Okay..¡±


    I watch his eyes grow distant as he stares intently at my hand, and a visible purple energy radiates from our hands. The glow grows, creeping over my entire body, and as the aura fully encapsulates me, the wind whipping against my skin suddenly feels like a gentle brush across my body.


    ¡°Now take a deep breath.¡± He says.


    Drawing in the air, my breath I could hardly manage before comes to me with ease. Unable to form any words, an incredulous laugh escapes me as I look over my body. The purple aura fades, its effect still in place.


    Joffrey then goes around, doing the same for the rest of the group. By the time he reaches the last person, I can tell that it¡¯s taken a lot out of him, his breathing staggered and his movements sluggish.


    ¡°That is a very impressive ability Joffrey, though you look dreadful,¡± Emil says, putting an arm under his to help keep him upright.


    In between breaths, Joffrey mutters, ¡°The effects¡­ aren¡¯t permanent¡­ We should keep going.¡±


    Kendrick places his hands against Joffrey¡¯s chest, a green glow slowly revitalizing the worn man.


    Joffrey nods, ¡°Thanks,¡± and Emil lets him loose.


    We press on, climbing further up.  Closing in on the swirling clouds overhead, the winds grow in intensity.


    I remember the gloves that Joffrey purchased for me back in the village and quickly produced them from my pack, slipping them on and wiggling my fingers. These fit so nicely, and they¡¯re so warm¡­


    The sky above was dreary and gray, flecks of snow beginning to sting against our face as Joffrey¡¯s enhancement slowly began wearing off. Emil pushes onward, grabbing hold of a ledge around the height of his head and pulling himself up. One by one the rest of us climbed up behind him, Hrithika using her power to lift those of us who couldn¡¯t quite make it up on their own.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I mutter sheepishly as she pulls me up last.


    ¡°Anytime,¡± She says with a smile.


    After another hundred feet of climbing we reach the cloud layer, and I glance around at this near solid shifting void encompassing us. Cyclonic winds threaten to yank us off of the mountain should we lose our footing, and our visibility is next to nothing. I keep my eyes peeled on Silven just a couple feet in front of me, trying not to lose sight of him in the thick fog. My foot reaches for the next hold, and as I go to put weight on it, my toes slip off the icy rock. The sudden jolt of my foot causes me to scramble and my grip loosens. Desperately trying to grab hold of the ice, I topple backwards, and the world moves in slow motion as my mind goes blank.


    I watch as the icy wall fades out of view, a slurry of gray filling my vision, my focus honing in on individual flakes in the air. I hear the lashing wind like screaming around my head. I feel¡­ calm. The gusts begin throwing me around as I descend further. I close my eyes, revelling in this brief moment of internal silence as the frost batters against my body.


    A small yelp escapes me as what feels like a living rope wraps around me a few times, abruptly stopping my descent. My eyes fly open, and through the dense fog I can barely make out Hrithika¡¯s hand resting on my stomach. I feel myself being towed upward as she starts swinging me back and forth, using the momentum to heave me back up toward the cliff face. I hear her let out a faint strained yell over the roaring winds, and I¡¯m pulled up to under her arm.


    We make it up a few dozen more feet and break through the cloud layer.


    Golden orange rays blind me momentarily. The wind halts, and a thick, damp warmth fills the air. My eyes adjust after a moment and taking in my surroundings, my jaw drops as I see the sun cresting the horizon. The light cascades across the sprawling field of clouds surrounding the mountain beneath us in a mosaic of gold, orange and red. Looking upward toward our goal, my eyes widen as I see another cloud layer another hundred feet above, massive tangles of green, algae-covered vines protrude from the underside of the clouds, and off to the side I notice what looks like a cluster of different small clouds flying around almost erratically.


    ¡°Hey, Emil? Do clouds normally do that?¡± I say, pointing toward them, unable to peel my eyes away.


    He follows my finger, and chuckles, ¡°No, those aren''t clouds. They''re Shroudfish. They use the dense air moisture to create a coat that makes them look like clouds.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s amazing,¡± Quentin says a couple feet behind me, ¡°Why do they do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a defense mechanism. They group up together to look like a big cloud when they¡¯re away from the algae forest so the Zephyrfish, their predator, have a harder time seeing them.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± I ask, pointing up at a couple of stray Shroudfish floating between the algae, ¡°What are those ones doing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where they lay their eggs.¡± Emil grunts as he climbs onto the next ledge a few feet high.


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t-¡± Quentin starts to say, but pauses to pull himself up the ledge with a laboured grunt, ¡°-the Zephyrfish just go into the algae to get the Shroudfish?¡±


    ¡°Because then they¡¯ll get tangled up and trapped. Those vines and algae are quite tough with plenty of thorns and places that get caught on their flared and pointed scales.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Joffrey starts, pulling himself up a ledge, ¡°How is all of this even possible? I mean, fish in the sky? These cloud formations?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to answer that, I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll learn more inside the kingdom walls,¡± Emil assures him, much to his dismay.


    The massive mountain peak gradually began flattening as we approached the next ceiling of clouds, much calmer than the layer before. We¡¯re high up enough that the vines above begin grazing the earth as we weave our way through. I run my hands along one of the vines, taking in their rough texture. I flinch away as a stinging fills my hand, sucking air through my teeth, and upon removing my glove and checking, I see a pinprick of crimson form in my palm below my index finger. I watch the bead of red form, entranced as it begins trickling down my hand and leaves behind a bright red trail. As I stare, for the tiniest glimpse of a moment, I see a glint of orange light in the droplet swirling around.


    A hand cups around the underside of my wrist and snaps me back to reality. I jolt up and meet Silven¡¯s gaze, his deep oak colored eyes sending electricity shooting through my body, forcing me to look away as my cheeks grow rosy.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I feel his grip tighten ever-so-slightly, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°U-uhm¡­ yeah, yeah I¡¯m okay. No need to worry.¡± I say with a feigned smile.


    His grip grows tighter as his eyes fall to my hand, ¡°You¡¯re bleeding. Here, this-¡± he pulls out a small rag from the inside of his tunic and begins wrapping it around my palm ¡°-should help it stop.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± I sheepishly mutter, my eyes searching for any place to look except at him.


    He takes the glove from me and carefully slips it over the bandage, ¡°There we go, all better.¡± I feel my will to look away break, snatching a quick glance at him, and seeing that same warming genuine smile grow on his face, his gaze as warm as the oak logs fueling a fire.


    For just a moment it felt as though the world stood still. His expression, mixed with this innocent small act of kindness, flush my body with warmth, and I feel my cheeks beginning to burn up.


    Without missing a beat he twists around, his hand deftly catching my own, and he pulls me forward, drawing me out of my trance as we move toward the group who had stopped to wait a few paces ahead.


    ¡°You okay Salem?¡± Joffrey and Quentin ask nearly in tandem.


    ¡°Yeah, just a little scratch. One of the thorns got me.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to heal it for you?¡± Kendrick offers.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Thank you, though.¡± I smile and gaze at my bandaged hand for a moment, warmth growing again as I snap my attention back to the trek.


    He nods and I look over to notice Raina following me with her eyes, an expression I can¡¯t quite discern on her face. She quickly adjusts her gaze, straightening her clothing almost ritualistically.


    We approach the second layer and as the sound of our feet crunch against the gravelly earth, a comfortable silence settles as the sun rays fade and disappear behind the shifting gray wall. The air is thick, and looking around yields only a blank canvas bathed in shadow. Focusing my eyes on the ground, I can make out Silven¡¯s feet in front of me, and do my best to not lose sight of them as I tread carefully behind.


    The bleak gray gives way to a deep blue as we pass the second layer. The mountain plateaus and I can¡¯t help my jaw go slack as we set our eyes on a twinkling wonderland, an entire civilization resting upon a layer of clouds, sitting behind beautifully intricate stark-white trees grown and trained in a lattice pattern, shaped and molded over many years to form a set of massive natural walls into the Zephyrian Kingdom.


    Looking beyond the doors, I see a forest of the same white trees, their crystalline leaves creating a translucent mosaic as the last rays of sun graze the treetops. From what I can see out here, the trees have been hollowed, converted into homes for the Zephyrian people. Hundreds of little orbs of white light dot the treeline as the citizens go about their evenings.


    As we approach the gate, two guards in sleek, bright silver armor cross their lances, one of them shouting with a growl in his voice, ¡°Halt!¡±


    Emil sighs and turns to the group, ¡°Just a moment.¡± He steps closer to the guard, ¡°Geremaine, can you let these kind people and I pass through?¡±


    The guard furrows his brow, eyes flitting between Emil and the rest of us, ¡°You may enter, but they must have express permission from the Queen to go beyond these walls.¡±


    Emil lets out a frustrated but controlled groan, and comes back over to us. ¡°You all will need to wait outside the walls while I go and speak to Queen Olympia. She has ruling over who may enter, and I feel I may have a strong case considering you lot are here attempting to save the world. No thanks to Geremaine.¡± he throws his eyes over his shoulder at the guard.


    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Joffrey inquires.


    ¡°I suggest you get comfortable outside, it may take me until the morning.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Kendrick states, moving to a good flat space and pulling some timber out of his backpack, quickly throwing together a firepit with a rock ring around it.


    Emil waves to us as he disappears through the gates, everyone waving back as we all begin sitting around Kendrick¡¯s fire pit. The air above the cloud layer here has a chill about it, though not as bracing as before the first layer. I sit close to the fire, extending my mittened hands out. Quentin takes the spot to my right, giving me a little nudge with his elbow and holding his hand out with some berries. I take some and start popping them into my mouth, the sweetness of them bursting has me melting.


    ¡°These are so good, where did you find them?¡±


    ¡°I picked them before we left Cedar and¡­ my mom,¡± his expression shadows over.


    ¡°Right.. What, uh, what do you think about what she said?¡±


    His gaze bores through the fire, a long silence fills the air between us. Just as I¡¯m about to backpedal, he breaks it. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to believe her.. but what reason would she have to lie about it, y¡¯know? I just, she¡­ She gave me a good life, even after my dad passed away, I should be grateful, but¡­ I have a sister. Somewhere out there and who knows if she¡¯s even still¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    I put my arm around him and silently draw him in for a hug. His arms shoot up around me and he burrows his face in my shoulder, tears stain my shirt as he breaks down without a sound, his grip tight around me. Joffrey comes over but I gently wave him away, to which he nods.


    A moment goes by and I hear Quentin sniffle, and his arms loosen up uncertainly, taking another few seconds to let go and pull back. With a deep snuffle he recomposes himself, wiping his bleary eyes on his sleeve. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± he says as his eyes fall to the stone underneath us.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a lot on your mind, just.. you can talk to me okay? And I¡¯m sure anyone else here would be there for you too. We¡¯re all in this together, right?¡± I rub a few circles on his back.


    ¡°Right¡­ Thank you Salem,¡± Quentin''s lips upturn slightly. The green of his iris shimmering with a glint of hope.


    Joffrey comes back over upon seeing Quentin and I separate, sitting down near us. He rocks side to side uncomfortably as the three of us sit in silence for a moment. Eventually he breaks the awkward air, turning to us.


    ¡°Hey you two, I just wanted to check in. You feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good Joffrey, a little shaken from my fall, but I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Quentin stays quiet, his gaze clouding over. After a minute or two passes, like a switch flipping, he sits upright with a smile that looks a bit unnatural, ¡°I really liked those sky fish, the animals up here are incredible.¡±


    Joffrey and I exchange a glance of concern, but silently agree not to push for an answer. I look around and see everyone has taken up spots around the fire, Silven is mingling with Hrithika, Oswin and Kendrick, while Raina sits on the edge of the ledge we¡¯re on.


    With a light couple of pats on Quentin¡¯s back, I stand up, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    They both nod, and I walk over to Raina, placing myself on the ledge next to her, my legs dangling off. She glances in my direction and rolls her eyes, looking out into the distance. I look out as well, watching the sun dip down below the clouds beneath us. The last rays sending a deep red and orange light scattering across the surface of the cloud layer.


    ¡°It¡¯s really pretty isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s like the color of your hair.¡± I say softly without looking in her direction. Out of my peripheral I see her shift uncomfortably before sighing.


    ¡°Yeah. It is pretty.¡±


    ¡°So why is your hair such a bright color? How¡¯d that happen?¡± I ask as I look over to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not really sure.¡± she whispers, pausing for a moment to pull a few strands into her sight, then continuing, ¡°... I¡¯ve had it for as long as I can remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool, maybe that means you¡¯re a Disciple too!¡±


    I hear something of a stifled chuckle from her, ¡°Not likely.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. Just.. take my word for it.¡±


    ¡°Huh.. Okay,¡± I shrug, looking back out at the sunset, fading into deep purples across the sky, ¡°I have a question¡­¡± I pause, waiting for her response.


    After a few seconds, she answers, ¡°Sure. What is it.¡±


    ¡°What''s your Specialty?¡±


    A long silence fills the air. I draw my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around, resting my head on them, watching the last shades of purple give way to a deep navy blue. A smattering of white glowing dots paint across the sky, more stars than I have ever seen before come together into incredible constellations.


    As I¡¯m stargazing, I hear Raina¡¯s voice, ¡°This is my Specialty.¡±


    I turn to her, expecting to see her doing something but she is sat facing forward, still like a statue. I tilt my head, raising my eyebrow.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    I see glints in her hair, red strands that seem to glow brighter than they should, grow in intensity and she says ¡°This is¡±.


    Except, her lips didn¡¯t move.


    It dawned on me that I was hearing her voice in my head, and my jaw hangs low. I¡¯m just about to erupt in excitement before I hear her voice in my head again.


    ¡°No, please, don¡¯t tell the others. I¡­ I don¡¯t like using it.¡±


    Her sudden shift in demeanor throws me off and I settle myself down. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay, yeah. I understand¡­ I don¡¯t.. like using mine either.¡± My eyes fall instinctively to my palms, the black scars shrunken a bit more than before. ¡°I think your Specialty is really cool though.¡± I say quietly.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I see she hides her face behind her hair, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I¡¯ll, uhm¡­ Thank you for showing me.¡± I say as I get up, ¡°Your secret is safe with me. Good night Raina.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t move, still gazing out across the moonlit hills and crests of the white clouds. ¡°Yeah. Good night kid.¡±


    I walk back over to the others, everyone getting ready to settle in for the night, and I see Silven has laid out a small cot for me between him and Joffrey. I walk over, setting my bag neatly at the foot of my cot, and sit on my bedding. I see Silven already curled up fast asleep in his bed. I feel a warmth grow in my body, He looks so sweet when he¡¯s asleep.


    I shake the thought from my head, opting to lay down and pull the cover over my head.


    Sleep comes with relative ease, the cool air soothing me into a deep slumber.


    L.. i. f¡­.


    I bolt up, the sun shining bright in the sky. What was that? Looking around, I see a few of the others up and around, namely Joffrey, Kendrick, Hrithika and Raina. Silven, Oswin, and Quentin are all still asleep as the ones up are preparing a meal.


    Joffrey comes over quickly, ¡°Salem, are you alright? You kind of shot up there.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I think so¡­ I thought I heard a voice?¡± I say uncertainly.


    ¡°Well, what did it say?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t hear it. Not clearly¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s alright. Come look at what Emil had sent out for us, he¡¯s still caught up on something inside but we¡¯re hoping he¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    I crawl out from underneath my cover, slogging myself up to my feet. I rub my eyes lazily as I walk over to the fire, seeing a large farmed Shroudfish with its cloud coat mostly stripped off, revealing a deep blue scaly body under. A guard waits nearby, collecting the cloud puffs in a large basket and returning to the kingdom once all of them are plucked.


    ¡°Wow, so¡­ they really use everything, don¡¯t they?¡± I say.


    ¡°Yeah, seems so,¡± Joffrey goes, ¡°I imagine it makes good cloth.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. I bet they¡¯re really soft.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet. Anyway, looks like Hrithika is done cutting up the fish, shall we go get breakfast ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds good.¡±


    We spend the next twenty minutes cooking the fish and waking everyone up. As everyone gets their portions, I take mine and sit on my cot. I stare deeply into the light pink flesh, saliva beginning to pool in my mouth. I gingerly tear a piece off, the fish flaking effortlessly, and pop it into my mouth. The taste is buttery and sweet, with a hint of saltiness.


    This is so good!


    I begin devouring my fish greedily, scooping it into my mouth and finishing my bowl in record time.


    ¡°Looks like you really liked that, Eh, Salem?¡± Silven chuckles seeing the little flecks of food on my cheeks.


    I feel my face heat up, and begin muttering, ¡°Ye- W¡­ W-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I did too,¡± He says, showing me his empty bowl, and I look up to see a few specks of food on his face as well. The warmth slips away, and a laugh escapes me.


    Silven laughs too and pulls a plain handkerchief from inside his tunic, carefully kneeling down and wiping the food from my face. The heat inside returns and grows until it feels like it¡¯s nearly boiling in me. Silven is so close to me right now. Oh my god. Act normal, this is normal.


    He finishes, and folds it up, taking it to his own face, smiling at me with his silly grin. God, why does his smile make me so warm¡­


    Before I can say anything, we hear the gate doors groaning open and Emil walking out. He heads over to us with his arms outstretched, ¡°Alright everyone, shall we head inside then? The Queen will see us now.¡±