《Beneath a Falling Sky [Junkyard Fantasy LitRPG]》 Chapter 1 - Fallen Sky Chapter 1 Fallen Sky Northern Wastes - 897 (present day) Maia¡¯s boot slammed against the metal plate, dislodging it from its frame. The plate fell down a long shaft, clattering and banging the entire way down. Maia winced at the sounds. Uh oh, ba¡¯s not going to be happy about that. ¡°What in the hell¡¯s was that?!¡± She heard her father''s voice crackle over the comm in her ear. ¡°Wasn¡¯t my fault!¡± Maia chirped. ¡°The plate came loose just as I stepped on it.¡± She lied. ¡°Be more careful, these ruins might have some unwelcome lodgers.¡± ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle, eh baba?¡± Maia replied, securing her rappel line to a pipe on the ceiling, then tugged it hard to make sure it was secure. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, Maia,¡± her father¡ªMatthias¡ªchided. ¡°I think I found the energy cores. Comm channel will probably get interrupted once I go in there, if you see anything dangerous, don¡¯t approach it. Wait until I¡¯m out, you hear?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she said with a small touch of bitterness. She wasn¡¯t stupid, she was sixteen years old, practically an adult as far as she was concerned. She leaned out over the shaft and felt air blowing up from far below. ¡°And don¡¯t play any recordings here, you need to stay focused.¡± ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± She retorted. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading in.¡± There was a crackle of static as Matthias¡¯ line was cut off from the channel. A mischievous smirk crossed Maia¡¯s face, and she raised a hand to her overlays control behind her ear. She pressed a button on the device and a track began playing in one ear, she wasn¡¯t so reckless as to block out sound in both ears. It was slow jazzy piano, with a steady drum beat. [Playing: Losu track 11 - Reactor Lofi] The notification appeared in the bottom corner of her vision overlays. She loved this tune, it had the crackle of being played on old vinyl records. Whoever Losu had been, they¡¯d probably recorded the song from a record player into its current format. She started bobbing her head to the beat, then released the lock on her belt rappel. The initial drop made her stomach lurch and she gasped as she fell back. The rappel reeled, then gradually slowed as she descended through the shaft. It was completely dark inside and she adjusted her head to point the algae-light of her head torch to point downwards. She generally loved rappelling down heights but there was no fun in it when you couldn¡¯t see how far up you were. She also had to go slow because she had no way of telling how deep the thing was. She continued slowly descending for a few minutes, grateful for the music to keep her entertained. And then the bottom appeared, the plate she¡¯d kicked through lying bent and busted up, reflecting the light of the algae-light. Hers was a teal blue. A common enough colour. There were four base colours for algae-lights¡ªderived from the colour of the colour of the algae that emitted the light. Vibrant green, teal blue, magenta and golden yellow. There was a crackle on the comm line, and she heard her father¡¯s voice say something discordant but couldn¡¯t make it out. ¡°Can¡¯t hear ya, Ba,¡± Maia replied, she clicked a latch on her belt and the rappel line disconnected. She¡¯d leave it there to climb back up if she couldn¡¯t find another way out. ¡°Foun¡ªjzzt¡­ looks¡ªjzzt¡­ on.¡± And then a second later, dim glowbulbs along the shaft illuminated in soft yellow. Verdant ruins always had these cool glowbulbs that didn¡¯t hurt her eyes when she looked at them. They didn¡¯t use algae-light, they used some other mechanism for producing light that Maia didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Nice one, ba,¡± Maia said, she could see now, the exit from the shaft to her side, she stepped through into a hallway. The whole ruin¡¯s power had been restored, so the lights were already on. Makes things easier. She clicked off her headtorch, no point in wasting the power. She walked along the corridor, her shoulders moving in cadence with the melody playing in her ear. The ruin was a fallen Verdant skyship and many of them that Maia and Matthias had delved into had followed the same pattern, like they¡¯d all followed the same blueprint. This hallway should lead to the central docking bay. That was where the salvage was that they came here looking for. She arrived at a sealed metal door. Damn. She tried kicking it but it didn¡¯t budge. Then tried prying it open with the base of her blade. Her weapon was made from salvage and was in part, both firearm and dagger. The base of the handle, however, also made for a good crowbar. The best tools always had multiple uses. Her muscles strained trying to pry the door open but no luck. She looked up and saw a vent above her head. She shrugged then jumped up, her fingers grasping the bars. As soon as her weight pulled on the vent grate, it was pulled free from the ceiling. She yelped and fell to the ground, the grate clattering on the floor. Whoops. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling, and grinned, then jumped up, pulling herself inside. It was a tight crawl but she was still small enough to shuffle through. She moved forward to where light was pouring up from another grate ahead. As she¡¯d expected it let down just beyond the door. It was always reliable way past a door that couldn¡¯t be opened. She pushed down hard on the grate, sending it down and following after. Her boots landed hard on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re making a lot of noise,¡± her father¡¯s voice sounded in her ear, now clear. He must have finished up in the power room. ¡°I can hear you all the way from the other side of the ruin,¡± he chastised. ¡°I think you turning on the lights would¡¯ve signalled to any squatters that we were here, eh?¡± she shot back. ¡°Fair point,¡± he conceded, ¡°have you made it to the docking bay?¡± ¡°Just dropped in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re listening to music,¡± Matthias said, displeased. ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± she retorted in offence, and subconsciously reached up to lower the volume on her overlay. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it, regardless of how loud she played it. How could he have known that she was listening? ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff in here,¡± Maia whistled as she looked about the docking bay, she still swayed her shoulders in beat with the music. The docking bay was large, the size of a warehouse. Rows of vehicles were arrayed. Nice haul. ¡°I definitely think we¡¯re going to be coming back here for a few more delves. How¡¯s all this not been salvaged already?¡± ¡°We¡¯re pretty deep in scuttler territory,¡± Matthias responded tightly, she could hear in his voice that he was climbing through a small space, likely a vent. ¡°Most people are smart enough to not come here, and the scuttlers have no use for tech.¡± ¡°More goodies for us,¡± she grinned walking along the rows. The vehicles seemed to be all Verdant-made, which was disappointing as the Verdant had completely indecipherable encryption locks on their vehicle tech, making them utterly unusable by anyone else. But they could still take them apart for components. ¡°We should be able to salvage a good haul of pulse rings.¡± Pulse rings were by-and-far one of the most valuable components in most Verdant engines, they were incredibly expensive to make and damn hard to salvage working ones, but they gave your vehicle some push when you needed it. The vehicles on Maia¡¯s world were all combustion engines that ran off algae-fuels, but many had been adapted to work with Verdant pulse rings. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like anyone¡¯s been here in years, there¡¯s dust on¡ªOh!¡± she gasped, followed immediately afterwards with a scream. ¡°What! What is it?! What¡¯s happening?¡± She could hear fathers concerned voice on the other side of the line. ¡°You are not going to believe this, Ba,¡± she replied with awe as she scrambled over some junk to make her way to a large navy truck. ¡°They¡¯ve got a V4 here. Oh hells, ba it looks perfect! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ever been driven.¡± Making her way to the front of the truck, she excitedly rammed the butt of her blade under the hood and pried it open. Inside was a pristine, unused engine. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Engine is immaculate!¡± she yelped. ¡°Hells, girl, don¡¯t give me a scare like that again,¡± Matthias said but Maia wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°Oh shit! It¡¯s even got a cell inverter, Ba, they¡¯d rigged this beaut up to run off their energy cells.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s pretty impressive.¡± ¡°Yeah it is! Better yet, we can use all of this.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not taking the whole engine Maia,¡± ¡°What?! With this we can keep the Dame going for at least another decade.¡± She heard a banging noise, and her head immediately swung to the otherside of the bay. A door leading to a different part of the ship shuddered. She gripped her blade and ducked behind the truck, peering over. The door swung open, and she saw Matthias stride through. ¡°Who¡¯s giving who a scare now, eh?!¡± She shouted across the bay. Matthias gripped his hand to his ear, grimacing as her voice carried over the comm at high volume. ¡°Ah,¡± he grunted, muting the channel on his overlay. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we weren¡¯t going to salvage the thing,¡± he said, making his way over to her. He had a large canvas sack over his shoulder that clinked and jingled as he walked, like it was full of loose glass bottles. ¡°We¡¯re just not taking the whole engine. The Dame¡¯s engine is fine, but that cell inverter¡­ ¡± he peeked at the engine as he approached. ¡°Well, that¡¯s definitely coming with us,¡± he sucked in a breath, ¡°along with those pumps and those air filters.¡± ¡°I think we should take the cylinder too,¡± Maia said, reaching down and running her hand over the cool metal, ¡°I¡¯d like to have a spare.¡± ¡°Those are easy to come by in Port Cervantes,¡± Matthias shook his head, ¡°nah, nah we¡¯re loadin¡¯ up the sled as much power cells and pulse rings as it¡¯ll hold. I don¡¯t want to weigh it down with this big lump of machine.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to take the fuel injector too I think,¡± Maia pointed out, ¡°look, that¡¯s definitely custom made to work with the power cell inverter.¡± ¡°You want to take this apart?¡± Matthias gave her sidelong look. ¡°Can I?¡± she straightened. ¡°Yeah, sure. I trust you. I¡¯ll comb the rest of these for pulse rings.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She jumped up and down, then hopped up on top of the engine, careful to only put her weight on the parts she wasn¡¯t planning on taking out. They both got to work. Matthias began methodically popping the hoods off the vehicles, and checking for working pulse rings. Maia had some tools on her belt that she pulled out and began working on removing the pieces. The first¡ªand most important¡ªwas the cell inverter. It had been over a year since the Dame had been able to move. The fuel she needed just couldn¡¯t be found anymore, no one was producing old-world fuel. The stuff was too toxic to people that accidentally got it on their skin, it was also incredibly explosive. Even the fumes can kill you if you breathe them for too long. Before the war, there had been fuel refineries across the planet, massive pressurised vats of algae working to convert regular water into engine fuel. Those had been among the first targets when the Verdant had invaded. Massive craters still dotted the landscape where those refineries used to be. After the war, people realised that the stuff was just too dangerous to keep producing. That, and the modern energy cells that the Verdant had brought with them were a lot more efficient¡ªand far far less catastrophic when something went wrong. Their truck¡ªthe Dame¡ªdidn¡¯t predate the Verdant¡¯s invasion, that was half a century ago, but she was probably produced not long after. The discovery of the cell inverter was probably the best find they could¡¯ve hoped for. Maia worked delicately, carefully disconnecting the cell inverter and putting it aside, then got to work on removing the other parts that would be beneficial. Generally, she loved tinkering with engines and other tech but when the Dame was concerned she was resolved to be extra careful. She was too important to risk. About an hour later she was finished up but Matthias was still working on collecting pulse rings. Maia brough the salvaged components to him for approval and he dropped them into the sack. ¡°Nice work, you wanna help me clean up the rest of this?¡± ¡°Do I have to? I was hoping to check out the central control room, take a look around for some data archives.¡± ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Matthias continued to work a wrench at a stubborn pulse ring. ¡°Keep an eye out for anything relating to Verdant scravs. Anything that can help with our Fatebonds.¡± ¡°Will do, baba.¡± He likely knew that her goal wasn¡¯t to find data archives. She had her own motives, ones that had nothing to do with uncovering information on scravs or Fatebonds. Slipping away from the docking bay, she made her way through the dimly lit, debris-strewn corridors of the ancient craft. The ruin itself was a relic of a bygone era, a colossal metal carcass that had crashed on this desolate region long before Maia was even born. Its exterior bore the scars of re-entry, the fiery descent that had brought it to its current resting place. As she entered the control room, Maia was struck by the eerie silence that enveloped her. Dimly flickering lights cast long, shadows across the rusted and corroded panels. The air was heavy with the scent of decay. This was not her first fallen battleship that she had delved into and the layout matched the last one, so she found the central control room easily. She pried open the door to the room and, carefully, began to explore inside, her eyes scanning the control panels and the remnants of holographic displays. In her search, she was drawn to a set of controls on a dusty console. Her overlays highlighted the console in yellow and she began following the instructions from her overlays, guiding her blindly through pressing buttons that didn¡¯t mean anything to her. She trusted in her overlays to know what they were doing. There was a successful ding from the console and the yellow highlight shifted to blue. She had no idea how any of it worked but she understood enough to know that her overlays had just taken control of the consoles in the room. As she activated the ancient technology, holographic interfaces blinked to life, revealing data and records long forgotten. Throughout the room her overlays highlighted data chips in a soft blue, letting her know that they still contained salvageable data. Objects that were locked from her access or too damaged from age were highlighted red. A holographic display in the centre of the room revealed a large flickering sphere. It was her planet. Her home. Although the landmarks and cities detailed across globe display were all very different to what the world was like now. The display showed cities that had since fallen during the war, entire mountain ranges that had been levelled, swaths of forest that were now expanses of desert. Oceans that were now exposed wastelands. She¡¯d seen all of this before. It was common enough in other ruins that she and Matthias had explored. No, she was looking for something very specific. She began checking over the data chips, tapping them with her finger, small holographic displays appeared showing lists of data archives. She¡¯d scroll through with her finger, quickly skimming over the file names. Most of it was all useless to her; plans and outlines for the invasion that would¡¯ve been incredibly valuable a few decades ago, now utterly worthless. There were some design schematics for tech but nothing she hadn¡¯t seen before. She and Matthias had already replicated almost all of them and sold them in the past. There were some encrypted archives that she found that looked like they might be related to Fatebonds so she copied all that across to her overlay but there was no one that she knew that could break into those files. After about an hour of searching she finally spotted what she was looking for. [Personal Files: Contractor NMW4 [name redacted]: codename: Losu] Bingo! Whoever Losu was and whatever his job had been Maia didn¡¯t care. All she knew was that she was grateful that he had come to her planet and that he had left behind this legacy. Excitement builded in her she opened the data archive and began copying all the files from the directory into her overlays. She didn¡¯t have time to comb through them now but she could check them all out later. She knew already that it contained hundreds that she¡¯d not found before. Once they were all in her overlay, she tapped a button on the overlay control and a new song began to play in her ear. [Playing: Losu track 53 - Those Who Fight] It kicked off in a high tempo piano tune and she immediately loved it. Losu¡¯s data caches always had the very best tracks. She danced over to another glowing blue data chip, her head bopping in beat with the music. She had just started scrolling through its contents, when something caught her eye. To her right was a console that was flashing yellow. That¡¯s odd. Holographic overlays rarely flashed like that unless it was really important. As she neared, she could see the text box above the console alerting her in Vessian¡ªThe language of the Verdant. The symbols were alien and incomprehensible but once she got close enough, the harsh angles and lines flickered and translated into the flowing, rounded script of her native Arkis language. [Power source online¡­ containment pod activated. Pressure rising¡­ 89.3%] Containment pods were common enough on Verdant skyships. Behind the console, embedded in the wall was a cylindrical glass door. It was completely dark inside. It likely got turned on when Matthias turned on the energy cores. They¡¯d broken into a few in the last one and found only skeletal remains of humans and other creatures. [Power source online¡­ containment pod activated. Pressure rising¡­ 89.4%] ¡°Rising pressure doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Maia muttered to herself. If it blew then the blast might reach the energy cores and then the whole ruin could explode. ¡°Hey bops,¡± Maia flicked on her comms, ¡°got one of those containment pod-thingies.¡± ¡°Waste of time,¡± Matthias replied over the comm, ¡°ain¡¯t never anything good in ¡®em.¡± ¡°I think it might blow if I don¡¯t open it though, mind if I divert some of the power from the lights to release the pod door?¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Matthias grumbled, ¡°can¡¯t have that thing poppin¡¯ on us. The energy cores are unstable as it is, this whole place will go up.¡± ¡°Exactly what I was thinking.¡± ¡°Do what ya need to do,¡± the static cut off, letting her know that he¡¯d closed the comms. Maia tapped the console and holographic buttons appeared overlaid the existing controls. ¡°Right, just got to decrease this,¡± she started dragging a holographic bar down. The lights dimmed as she did so, deepening the shadows. [Power source online¡­ containment pod activated. Pressure rising¡­ 90.2%] Good thing she¡¯d noticed this when she did, this thing would probably reach max in a few minutes. [Containment pod pressure critical. Reserve energy levels now high enough to either open or seal the pod.] Maia could see two options presented to her. Both were clear what they would do. Obviously I¡¯m going to open it. Where would the fun be in just sealing it up forever? She tapped the ¡°open¡± option and was greeted by the immediate hissing sound of an airlock being released. She looked up at the containment pod door and watched as it smoothly opened. The control room was a lot dimmer than it had been before, but she would¡¯ve expected some of the lights to illuminate the inside of the pod. It remained completely black. Well that¡¯s creepy. Chapter 2 - The Hollow Chapter 2 Hollow Hesitantly, she stepped back from the console and drew her blade from its sheath. She felt her muscles go tense and then felt silly at the reaction. This ship had fallen before she¡¯d even been born, whatever¡ªor whoever¡ªhad been in that pod had died of thirst and starvation long ago. But still, something about the blackness of the void caused the hair on her arms to rise. Slowly, tendrils of darkness seeped from the pod, curling and coiling along the floor like mist, but too deliberate, too aware. Maia¡¯s breath hitched. Her pulse hammered in her ears. Oh hells no. Her hand shot up to her overlays, but her fingers stopped short. She was frozen, locked in place as the air around her thickened, pressing against her skin like a heavy shroud. Her mouth went dry. Then, out of the shadow, it emerged¡ªpale, featureless at first, until the darkness peeled back to reveal a face. Hollow eyes, black as the void. A grin stretched impossibly wide, revealing jagged rows of sharpened teeth. Maia was frozen in horror, unable to move, unable to breath, unable to think. The creature stepped out slowly from the chamber, sleek and sinuous. Its body was not pale like its face, instead taking on the appearance of manifested shadow. Maia¡¯s breaths came in ragged now, her entire body tensed. She felt the grip of her blade in her hand, it was as though a veil had been lifted and she had control of her body again. She shifted into an offensive stance, blade raised towards the monstrosity. The creature seemed to sense this and then flickered, and shifted. Its colour began to change in rainbow hues, like light catching particles of water. It shimmered like this for a moment before settling on blue. A mystical blue, almost as if it had become one with the neon blue glow panels. Its smile deepened, the sinuous form coiling in itself in the shape of a person. The creature¡¯s new appearance did little to ease its disturbing presence. ¡°Stay back,¡± Maia warned, raising her blade. The creature rippled, a shimmer of rainbow light passing through it. Its eyes flicked to a violent red, matching Maia¡¯s own eye colour. Then, it moved its mouth and a sound unlike anything Maia heard in her life came out. It was deep, but nothing at all like the gravelly deepness of her father¡¯s voice. This was deep in the way that the ocean was deep, the way that night sky was deep, it was the deepness of an empty void. ¡°Child of Solas,¡± the creature¡¯s voice had a reverb. As though many voices were contributing to the sound to form the syllables. Tendrils of blue mist wafted about the creature as it edged slightly closer to her. ¡°I said stay back,¡± Maia growled, her gaze flicking to the control room exit. ¡°I have seen past the farthest star, and I have gone to the edges of the cosmos,¡± the creature rasped, ¡°I can see in you the desire to explore all.¡± Its words were drawn out as if speaking was alien practice to it. ¡°I can take you there... if you so choose. I can give you all the things you never knew you wanted. Taste from the tallest chalice. Dine in the largest halls. All I ask in return.. Is a taste. For a chance at a life without pain... without heartache. All of this I can give you and more¡­ Simply give to me.¡± Maia tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat. It was speaking to her. And she could understand it. Her overlays weren¡¯t even translating. The thing was speaking in Arkis. This was something of their world, not the Verdant. Nan had told her stories of demons wreathed in shadow that fed on the souls of unwary children. Her father had always told her that demons weren¡¯t real, and that there was plenty to be scared off in the world but ghost stories weren¡¯t one of them. She slowly drew her hand to her overlay and clicked the comm. ¡°Baba,¡± she breathed. "Drain you of woes,¡± the creature made no move towards her, although it made a gesture like sniffing, a large sharp inhale. ¡°Your god has turned his back on you,¡± it teased, ¡°I can sense his absence. There is nothing here, only death." ¡°Maia, what is it?¡± his voice sharp with concern. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± her voice was weak. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± ¡°You resist,¡± the creature pulled up in affront, ¡°I offer you¡­ everything.¡± Its head cocked to the side. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. In the distance, in some other part of the ship, there was the grinding of metal on metal. Like an engine starting. ¡°I will offer you this deal once more,¡± the demon promised, ¡°and then never again.¡± And then in a blur the creature burst into a cloud of black smoke. The blackness rose up towards the vents, faster than any normal smoke and then was gone, leaving Maia panting in the dim light of the glow panels. ¡°Maia, something¡¯s moving in the ship,¡± Matthias¡¯ voice crackled with urgency over the comm, ¡°we need to leave now.¡± Before she could respond, the control room door slammed open, but it wasn¡¯t Matthias standing there. Instead, a hunched, cloaked figure loomed in the doorway, insect-like legs skittering forward across the rusted floor. ¡°Scuttlers!¡± Maia hissed into her earpiece, her pulse spiking. The creature rose higher, its segmented legs lifting it nearly a metre off the ground. From beneath the ragged, oil-stained cloak, two enormous claws slid out, they were wrapped in bent metal, chipped and rusted from years of neglect. But sharp enough. Always sharp enough to kill. Her breath steadied, eyes narrowing as she sized it up. No room for mistakes here. If it closed the distance, she¡¯d be dead before she could blink. Its face, or what passed for one, was a hollow skull-like mask, smooth and yellow-stained, with empty eye sockets that stared vacantly. The absence of features made it worse somehow¡ªa faceless predator, its expression fixed in an eternal, cold grin. But this was the kind of monster Maia was familiar with. She¡¯d fought scuttlers before. The scuttler shifted, cloak billowing out like the wings of some grotesque insect, and its claws twitched as it took a step forward. Maia gripped her blade tighter, her body dropping lower into a defensive stance. The creature¡¯s skull-like face remained expressionless, but its teeth-like mandibles twitched. It was hungry. Come on, then. The creature sprang at her with terrifying speed, two of its claws lashing out in a wide arc. Maia ducked under the first swipe, twisting her body to avoid the second as she slashed upward with her blade. The edge caught the scuttler¡¯s side, cutting into the chitinous armour. It screeched, rearing back as black ichor oozed from the wound. Got you. But the creature wasn¡¯t done. It lunged again, this time faster, its four arms striking out in a flurry of blows. Maia dodged and deflected as best she could, but one claw grazed her shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through her arm. She hissed, spinning to the side as the scuttler pressed its attack. In the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Another one, moving quickly through the doorway. Shit. She barely had time to react as the second scuttler joined the fray, skittering from the shadows with the same unnatural grace. Her heart raced. She couldn¡¯t take on two of them. Not like this. The second scuttler was already on her, its claws flashing in the dim light. Maia barely raised her blade in time, deflecting the first strike, but the force of the blow sent her stumbling back. The first scuttler took advantage, swiping at her legs. She jumped back just in time, but her balance wavered. Too fast. Too many. The creatures closed in, surrounding her. Maia¡¯s mind raced. She couldn¡¯t let them pin her down. She had to move¡ªnow. With a grunt, she slashed wildly at the first scuttler, creating enough space to roll between them, coming up on the other side, blade ready. But before she could catch her breath, a third one appeared, its skeletal form emerging from the darkness. Oh, hells. Just as the three scuttlers began circling her, she heard a familiar sound¡ªa low hum, almost like static, but deeper, charged with energy. Her head whipped toward the source. Matthias. He stepped into the control room, his hand raised, fingers crackling with an eerie, pale blue light. The nearest scuttler turned, sensing the new threat. It screeched, leaping at him. Matthias didn¡¯t flinch. He flicked his wrist, and a pulse of energy shot out from his hand, slamming into the creature with enough force to send it flying across the room. It hit the far wall with a wet crunch and crumpled into a heap. Maia¡¯s mouth dropped open. She¡¯d seen him use his scrav powers before, but never like that. Before the other two could react, Matthias was already moving. With a snarl, he thrust both hands forward, sending a crackling wave of energy through the air. The second scuttler didn¡¯t even have time to scream. The force hit it full-on, disintegrating its cloak and sending shards of chitin flying across the room. The third scuttler hesitated, its body twitching as it assessed the situation. That hesitation was all Matthias needed. He strode forward, his face hard, eyes burning with an unnatural light. He extended his hand, and the creature¡¯s body convulsed, trapped in the grip of his power. With a flick of his fingers, Matthias twisted the air around the scuttler, and it crumpled like a discarded rag, falling limp to the floor. Maia stood there, chest heaving, staring at the remains of the creatures. She swallowed, half in awe, half in frustration. He made it look so damn easy. Matthias turned toward her, eyes narrowing. ¡°You know, I thought I said ¡®don¡¯t be reckless.¡¯¡± His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°You were. You should¡¯ve called me the second you saw them,¡± he cut her off, stepping closer. ¡°You¡¯re not invincible, Maia. You can¡¯t just wade into a fight with three scuttlers and expect to walk away.¡± Her jaw tightened. ¡°I had it under control.¡± He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the black ichor dripping from her blade. ¡°Really? Looked more like they had you under control.¡± She bristled, gripping her blade tighter. ¡°I don¡¯t need you saving me every time.¡± ¡°Your life is too important to risk foolishly,¡± he grumbled, stalking out of the room. Her own temper flared at that. She never asked for her Fatebond. Chapter 3 - Under the Bridge Chapter 3 Under the Bridge Lindrao, 879 (Eighteen years ago) Underneath the towering bulk of the bridge, where the sky was almost entirely swallowed by iron girders and rusted pipes, was a small cantina¡ªa hidden gem in the shadows of a city that forgot it long ago. The cantina huddled against the stone support pillars, barely more than a shack with peeling paint and a crooked sign, its name half-obscured by grime and rust. The entrance was narrow, just wide enough for a man to slip inside unnoticed, the door creaking on rusted hinges. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of stale ale and cheap tobacco. The dull glow of yellow algae-lights cast their weary light over the worn wood¡ªnone of it touched Matthias as he made his way inside. His mind was on Kyra, as it always was when he came here. She was standing behind the bar, as she always did, wiping down the counters with slow, deliberate strokes. The Cantina¡¯s rough edges seemed to fade when she was there. She had a way of making the place feel almost welcoming. She didn¡¯t look up when he entered, but he knew she¡¯d felt his presence. Kyra had a way of sensing things¡ªquiet things that didn¡¯t need words. That¡¯s what he loved about her. He didn¡¯t need to say anything, and yet, tonight, there was so much to say, and the weight of it sat heavy in his chest. The patrons of the cantina were a mix of the forgotten and the desperate¡ªlocals from the lower districts, scavengers with pockets full of scrap. They sat in small, hushed groups, their conversations drowned out by the occasional groan of the bridge overhead as another heavy load rolled across. Now and then, the place rattled, dust shaking loose from the ceiling as the bridge above groans and shudders, but no one looks up. They¡¯re used to it by now. In the corner, an old jukebox, long past its prime, sputtered to life with a crackle, its tinny music barely audible. It¡¯s a forgotten relic, like everything else in the cantina¡ªpatched together with spare parts and held together by stubbornness as much as by screws and bolts. Matthias was tall for his age, broad-shouldered, with the beginnings of a man¡¯s strength but still carrying the uncertainty of youth in his eyes. There was something restless about him, as if he were always leaning toward the future, aching for something just out of reach. He wanted more¡ªmore than this small world beneath the bridge, more than the familiar streets of the market where he had spent his life, more than what his hands could hold in the present moment. Kyra was wiping the same spot on the bar over and over again, her face turned slightly away, her dark hair catching the light in strands that fell loose from the tie at the back of her neck. He loved those strands¡ªhow they framed her face, how they gave her that unpolished beauty that set her apart from the others. ¡°Kyra,¡± he said softly. Her hand stilled, but she didn¡¯t look up right away. For a long moment, the world seemed to hang in the balance between them. The silence stretched, and Matthias felt his throat tighten, a lump of words stuck there, unwilling to come out. He should have told her sooner, should have found a better way to say it. But there was no good way to say something like this. At last, Kyra raised her eyes to meet his, and in them he saw everything he feared¡ªhurt, disbelief, the faint glimmer of betrayal. She already knows. He could see it in the way she stood, her shoulders tense, her fingers gripping the rag a little too tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve enlisted,¡± he said, the words sounding hollow, like they didn¡¯t belong to him. ¡°In the Lindroa army.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The word was simple, but it carried a thousand other questions she wasn¡¯t asking. Matthias opened his mouth to answer, but the words tangled in his throat. He could tell her that it was for them, for the future he wanted to build, for the life he dreamed of giving her¡ªa life far from the cantina, far from the cracked streets of the undercity. But the truth was larger than that. The truth was that he was scared. Scared of being ordinary. Scared of staying in the same place for the rest of his life, watching the days bleed into each other like shadows on the walls. Scared that without this, without the army, he¡¯d never be enough. For her, or for himself. ¡°I want to make things better,¡± he said, the words rushing out. ¡°For us. For you.¡± ¡°You think joining the army is going to fix things?¡± she asked, her voice sharper now, each word like a needle piercing. ¡°Is this what you really want, Matthias? To go off and fight their war, to leave everything behind for¡ªwhat?¡± Kyra shook her head, stepping closer to him, her eyes searching his face for something¡ªmaybe for the boy she had known before the world had gotten its hands on him, before the dreams of Fatebonds and glory had settled into his bones like a sickness. ¡°You think this will make you better? That it will make you worth more than you are right now? They don¡¯t care about us, Matthias.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She was talking about the people who lived in the city. Up on top of the cliff. The people that cared nothing for the scavengers who scraped out a living below the bridge. ¡°The Verdant are winning,¡± Matthias said. He was getting irritated, irritated that she couldn¡¯t see that he was doing all of this for her. ¡°What happens when they come here? They will burn through the undercity. I have to help.¡± ¡°Let them die,¡± she said through gritted teeth. The pleading in her eyes took him aback. Matthias swallowed hard, his hands flexing at his sides. He wanted to reach out to her, to pull her close and hold her until the world made sense again. But he couldn¡¯t. He was too far gone now, too deep into this dream he had built for himself¡ªa dream of becoming something bigger, something better. And for the briefest moment, standing there with her so close and yet so far, he realised that maybe the thing he was chasing was an illusion. Maybe what he really needed was already standing in front of him. ¡°I have to go, Kyra,¡± he said, though the words tasted bitter in his mouth. ¡°I have to try.¡± She looked at him then, really looked at him, her eyes filled with something he couldn¡¯t name. It wasn¡¯t anger, or even sadness. It was something deeper. A kind of sorrow that came from understanding the inevitable. She reached out, her fingers brushing against his for just a moment, and in that touch, he felt everything they could have been, everything they might have lost already. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to wait forever,¡± she said, sharply pulling her hand back. She had waited. ¡°I¡¯ll come back,¡± he promised, though he¡¯d only brought more pain home with him. Kyra stepped back, turning away from him, her hands returning to the bar, wiping down the same spot she had been wiping before, as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed. Matthias stood there for a moment longer, watching her, wanting to say more but knowing it wouldn¡¯t matter. The choice had been made. The path had been set. And now, all he could do was walk it. He stepped out of the cantina and into the street, the warmth of the setting sun brushing against his skin. The golden light poured over the undercity, turning everything¡ª even the cracked, tired streets¡ªinto something almost beautiful. Above him, the underside of the great bridge gleamed, its iron girders catching the light in a way that made them seem alive, like the veins of some vast, slumbering creature. The bridge was a massive expanse of steel and stone, stretched across the enormous gorge, connecting two halves of a world he would never truly belong to. On either side, cliffs bare red rock rose high and unforgiving. The people who lived here, beneath the bridge, were the forgotten ones¡ªthe ones who were simply too poor to rise above, to live in the city that loomed like a dream overhead. Matthias had always known this place. He had grown up here, in the shadow of the gorge, in a world where the sun burned too hot and the rain never came. His parents had told him stories, though. Stories of a time when this vast, empty gorge had been filled with water¡ªwhen a great river had carved its way through the land, bringing life and abundance to everything it touched. But that was a long time ago, before the earth had begun to wither, before the rivers had run dry, leaving behind only dust and memories. The land was dying. Everyone knew it. You could see it in the way the trees twisted, their branches crooked and brittle, their roots stretching deep into the earth, searching for water that no longer existed. You could see it in the dust that clung to everything, in the way the sky seemed too pale, too thin, as if it were a canvas stretched too tightly over a world that could no longer breathe. People blamed the Verdant for what was happening. It was easier that way, to pin the blame on the invaders from another world, to make them the cause of all the suffering, all the loss. The Verdant had come with their strange ships, their alien ways, and suddenly the world had started to die. The seas, once vast and full of life, began to still, shrinking until they were little more than memories of the water that had once kissed the shore. The sandstorms, relentless and unforgiving, came more often, their winds carrying not just dust but the screams of a dying land. And the heat¡ªgods, the heat¡ªit rose each year, burning the earth, scorching the sky until it seemed the world itself was trying to burn away what little life remained. Matthias believed it too, like everyone else. The Verdant were to blame. How could they not be? They were outsiders, invaders, with powers they didn¡¯t understand. It made sense, didn¡¯t it? The invaders were the ones draining the planet dry, sucking the life from the very bones of the earth? He was young then, barely old enough to be called a man, still full of the kind of certainty that only youth can carry. In his mind, the world was simple, and the enemy was clear. The Verdant had to be the reason for all of it¡ªfor the empty rivers, for the cracked soil, for the way life seemed to be fading away, day by day. But he had been wrong. They had all been wrong. Young Matthias had believed that it was his destiny to restore the world. He carried that belief with him like a talisman, something he could clutch tightly in the darkest moments that lay before him. There was a fire in him then, a burning conviction that he would be Chosen¡ªnot just by circumstance, but by the Archons themselves. Gifted great power, with a great purpose. A Fatebond. In those dreams, he saw himself standing tall, driving back the armies of the Verdant to where they came. To be the one to heal the land, to reverse the dying of the rivers and the withering of the trees, to breathe life back into the bones of a world that had grown too tired to sustain itself. It was a beautiful dream. But it was just that¡ªa dream, spun from the arrogance of his youth, from the belief that the universe owed him something more. The truth, though, was far more complicated, far more cruel. Matthias, in his youthful hope, had not yet understood that destiny was not something given, but something taken, and the price for such power was often far greater than anyone could imagine. Chapter 4 - Rust & Dust Chapter 4 Rust & Dust Northern Wastes - 897, current day The wasteland stretched out before them, a barren sea of cracked earth, with no sign of life save for the occasional scrap of rusted machinery or a distant plume of dust kicked up by the wind. Matthias grunted as he hefted the cloth sack slung over his shoulder, the salvaged tech rattling inside. Behind them, the fallen Verdant skyship loomed, crumbling and tarnished from years of exposure from the wasteland dust storms. Their skimmer, hidden behind a jagged outcrop of rock, waited just beyond the ship''s shadow. Sleek and battered, the vehicle was their best bet for crossing the wasteland¡ªfast, sturdy, and built to withstand the rough terrain. It wasn¡¯t much more than a motorised sled, but it had carried them through storms and worse. Matthias reached it first, dumping the sack of salvaged tech into the carrier with a grunt, not saying a word as he swung himself into the driver¡¯s seat. Maia didn¡¯t even bother asking to drive. She knew the look on his face. He was sulking, and there was no reasoning with him when he got like this. Stubborn as a rusted bolt She sighed, settling into her spot beside him, casting a sideways glance at her father. The big grump. He always acted like every decision was life or death. But this¡ªthis was just another haul, another day in the endless stretch of the wasteland. Why couldn¡¯t he see that? Today wasn¡¯t any different from any other day. They¡¯d fought scuttlers a hundred times before. She¡¯d have been fine. She decided not to even mention the thing that she¡¯d released from the containment pod on the fallen skyship. He was in too much of a mood to listen anyway. No, she¡¯d keep that horror locked away for now. Just the memory of it sent a chill crawling down her spine. The twisted smile, the way it moved¡­ She shuddered. Her father didn¡¯t believe in demons, anyway. He¡¯d probably brush it off, tell her she was overreacting. He always does. No, she¡¯d wait until they got back to Red Market. She¡¯d talk to Lani. Lani understood these things better. The skimmer roared to life, its engine barking and growling like an old, angry dog. The whole vehicle rattled and groaned as Matthias twisted the accelerator, kicking up dust and making tracks into the desolate expanse of the wasteland. The landscape was as bleak as ever¡ªvast stretches of nothingness, broken only by the occasional rusted remnants of a world long abandoned. Twisted metal, forgotten machines, and skeletal structures dotted the horizon like ghosts. It wasn¡¯t much to look at, but it was all Maia had ever known in her sixteen years. ¡°What data did you find before those bugs got to you?¡± Matthias asked after a long stretch of silence. Maia tensed, her fingers tightening around the edge of her frayed seat. She didn¡¯t want to admit that she¡¯d only found music tracks, that she hadn¡¯t spent much time looking for the Fatebond archives like he¡¯d wanted. She could already feel the shadow of his disappointment looming over her, his fixation on the Fatebonds always hanging in the air between them. She shifted, staring out at the endless wasteland, trying to find the right words¡ªor any words, really¡ªthat wouldn¡¯t trigger another one of his lectures. ¡°I¡¯ll check,¡± Maia muttered, leaning over her seat to rustle through the bag of tech. She pretended to search, buying time to think of an excuse and feigning the need to find her overlays¡ªeven though they were still obviously secured around her ear. But as her fingers brushed against one of the energy cores, she froze. Something wasn¡¯t right. Many of the cores were already drained. What the hell? ¡°Ba, I think some of these are duds,¡± she grimaced, pulling one out to inspect. ¡°These were fully charged earlier.¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± Matthias said quickly, his tone sharp. Maia frowned, holding up the core, its energy all but gone. ¡°But they shouldn¡¯t drain that fast. They should¡¯ve at least¡ª¡± ¡°I said they¡¯re fine,¡± he cut in, his voice more forceful now. ¡°Drop it and stop changing the subject. What did you find?¡± ¡°I found some audio tracks,¡± she mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. ¡°Music archives.¡± His silence was heavier than the engine¡¯s growl. She could almost feel the disappointment radiating off him, but she pressed on. ¡°Oh, oh. And¡­ some Fatebond archives too, but they were encrypted so¡­ I didn¡¯t get a look at any of it. Just copied the files. Maybe someone in Cervantes will know how to crack them?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± he replied, but didn¡¯t sound too optimistic. She tentatively reached up to her archive and hit play on the next track in the cache she¡¯d discovered at the lowest possible volume to be sure he couldn¡¯t hear it, she could barely hear it over the skimmers engine. The music was what mattered to her. The Fatebonds¡ªwell, they were his obsession, not hers. For a moment, the silence stretched out between them, tense and thick. Then, without warning, he spoke again, quieter this time, almost to himself. ¡°The cores aren¡¯t duds. They drained because of me.¡± ¡°What do you mean, because of you?¡± Maia blinked, turning to face him fully. ¡°My powers,¡± Matthias clenched the steering wheel tighter. ¡°They don¡¯t just surge¡­ they drain too. Energy, life force, whatever¡¯s nearby. Sometimes, I can¡¯t control it. When I killed those scuttlers, I drained ¡®em.¡± She stared at him, processing the words. She had always known her father¡¯s scrav-powers were dangerous, volatile even. He rarely used them if it could be avoided¡ªand never anywhere normal people could see him. But she never realised just how much they resembled her own. A strange mix of unease and something close to pity settled in her chest. She wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± she said finally, her voice softer. ¡°Do you think¡­ they¡¯re like mine?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t use them often.¡± Matthias shrugged, his gaze still fixed stubbornly on the horizon, refusing to meet her eyes. Maia studied him, the pieces slowly clicking into place. ¡°You really think the Verdant scravs were like us?¡± ¡°The Archons created scravs by giving regular people Fatebonds¡ªand infusing them with powers to fulfil it,¡± Matthias explained, his voice gruff. ¡°The Verdant just copied that whole mechanism, using tech or some magic shit, I don¡¯t know. But the Verdant had Fatebonds, and the powers to see ¡®em through... just like us. I saw enough of ¡®em in the war to know that much. Maybe there¡¯s something in those old ruins that can help us figure out how to break the Fatebond.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Why though? Why bother breaking it?¡± Maia pressed. ¡°We could just fulfil them.¡± Her father shot her a flat look, his eyes hard and weary. They¡¯d been through this argument too many times. ¡°The Archons are dead¡­ they¡¯re the reason this world is dying,¡± he grumbled, the bitterness thick in his voice. ¡°I ain¡¯t doing shit for them.¡± Maia fell silent, biting back a retort. She¡¯d heard him say it before, countless times. But that didn¡¯t mean she had to agree. To Matthias, it was just a curse, a chain binding him to a dying world he had no faith in anymore. Maia wasn¡¯t sure yet how she felt about her Fatebond. It would help if she knew what it was that she was supposed to do. Matthias revved the skimmer¡¯s engine again, pushing it harder across the barren expanse. The conversation was over. They continued on in silence for a while. Maia was fine with that, she had a whole new batch of tracks to listen to. There was crackling jazzy beats, soft piano, upbeat head-bobbing electronic tracks. She leaned back in her seat, eyes closed, letting the music wash over her. The wind tangled in her hair, cooling her skin as the warmth of the sun soaked her face. In the wastes, there was always heat, an unrelenting presence that settled over everything. Travelling at midday wasn¡¯t ideal, but the skimmer was modified to absorb solar and store in an energy cell, so it never overheated, not even in the worst of it. This was as peaceful as it got for Maia. After a while, Maia cracked one eye open, glancing over at her father. He was reclining back in his seat, eyes fixed on the dirt path ahead. The track playing in her ear had shifted into something slower, a bluesy folk song, all instrumental. Sounds like pre-war blues. The kind of music her father liked, the kind with that melancholic edge. [Playing: Losu tracks #431 - In the Beginning] Smirking to herself, she pulled the overlay out of her ear and adjusted the volume just enough so the music could be heard over the sound of the skimmer¡¯s engine. A quick glance at Matthias and she saw it¡ªthe faintest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. She couldn¡¯t help the grin that spread across her own face. She¡¯d caught him with this one. Before the track had even finished, he was tapping his fingers against the controls, keeping time with the beat. Small, subtle movements, but enough for her to know she¡¯d chosen right. ¡°You see those?¡± Matthias said conversationally, pointing toward the jagged silhouette of mountains in the distance. ¡°The mountains?¡± ¡°Pre-war, mountains couldn¡¯t be moved. Couldn¡¯t be broken, couldn¡¯t be made¡­ Those are called the Archon¡¯s Last Stand.¡± ¡°Is that where they died?¡± ¡°Yup. That¡¯s where the final battle went down¡ªthe Verdant and the Archons met their grisly end over there.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it happened this far out into the wastes.¡± ¡°This place didn¡¯t used to be wasteland.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Maia said, her tone a touch defensive. She turned her attention back to the horizon, her brow furrowing. Matthias rarely spoke about the war itself. He talked about his training constantly¡ªhe¡¯d been drilling her like a soldier for as long as she could remember. But actual battles? That was something else. Something he kept tucked away. ¡°Did you see them?¡± She asked. ¡°The Archons?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± ¡°What were they like?¡± ¡°Big,¡± he said finally, the simplicity of the answer almost making Maia roll her eyes. ¡°Lani told me that an Archon once¡ª¡± Matthias cut her off, his voice low and steady. ¡°Lani wasn¡¯t there.¡± Maia blinked at his sudden sharpness. She looked over at him, expecting the usual sternness in his face, but instead, she found something else. Something harder to read. ¡°What happened to them, Ba?¡± she asked. ¡°The Archons... I mean, I know they¡¯re dead, but how? People say they were supposed to be gods.¡± ¡°Pfft, some gods,¡± Matthias scoffed, letting out a slow, tired breath. He shook his head, eyes narrowing as if he could still see it all playing out in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s what people like to say, isn¡¯t it? Gods. Divine protectors, guardians of the world.¡± He let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°But gods don¡¯t bleed. And they sure as hell don¡¯t die like that.¡± Just then, Matthias swerved the skimmer sharply, the sudden motion sending Maia lurching sideways. She yelped, instinctively gripping the edge of her seat to steady herself. ¡°Whoa, what the hell, Ba?!¡± she shouted, her heart still pounding from the jolt. Matthias chuckled, eyes glinting with mischief. ¡°Just wait.¡± Ahead of them, the land rose into an arcing ledge, curving over a small gorge. Maia¡¯s eyes lit up as she realised what was coming. ¡°No way,¡± she gasped, practically bouncing in her seat. ¡°We¡¯re gonna jump it?¡± She could barely contain her excitement. ¡°No, of course not,¡± Matthias scoffed, shaking his head. ¡°Skimmer¡¯s a junker, but I¡¯m not gonna smash her up with a jump.¡± He slowed the vehicle down as they approached the narrow valley, the hum of the engine quieting. Jumping out, he gestured for Maia to follow. Curious, she leapt from the skimmer and trailed behind him to the edge of the rise. Her father stood there, grinning like he had a secret. ¡°Take a look,¡± he nodded down into the valley. Maia¡¯s breath caught in her throat. So. Much. Green. ¡°Plants!¡± She practically shrieked, leaping down the red rock incline without a second thought. Real plants, growing wild in the wasteland! She scrambled down toward the tiny muddy river running through the gorge, her hands grazing over prickly cacti and scraggly green bushes as she went. Her heart soared. ¡°How¡¯d you know?!¡± she called back over her shoulder, breathless from excitement. Matthias stood at the top of the ledge, hands on his hips, looking smug. ¡°Spotted the green as we came around the rise. Thought it might be an algae pond, though, so didn¡¯t wanna get your hopes up.¡± Maia crouched beside the cacti, recognising some of the types from her books, but there were others she¡¯d never seen before. Some had purple flowers, others yellow. She touched the petals, marvelling at their softness. They were beautiful. A gnarled tree caught her eye. Its twisted grey branches reached up like skeletal fingers, large green berries hanging heavy from them. She rushed over, eyes wide. ¡°Ooh, what¡¯s this one?¡± Matthias ambled down behind her. ¡°Looks like an olive tree.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She tilted her head, inspecting the berries. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Matthias said, plucking a few olives from the branch and popping them into his mouth with a satisfied grunt. Maia hastily copied him, grabbing a handful and biting into them¡ªonly to grimace as her teeth hit the hard stones inside. ¡°Ow!¡± she muttered, rubbing her jaw, but the flavour... it was unlike anything she¡¯d ever tasted before. Salty, fresh, bursting with life. ¡°Reckon I can take a cutting?¡± Maia asked, her eyes alight with excitement. Lani would absolutely love this. ¡°Will it grow?¡± Matthias shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, worth a try, for sure. Lani¡¯ll probably know if it¡¯ll take or not.¡± Maia inspected the tree carefully, her fingers running along the twisted branches before selecting the healthiest one. She pulled out one of her knives, slicing at an angle just below the node, exactly as Lani had taught her. The small branch came away cleanly, and she held it up with a satisfied grin. ¡°And?¡± she asked, glancing around at the other plants, her gaze drifting toward the nearby cacti. ¡°Small ones only,¡± Matthias said, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched her. Delighted, Maia set to work, carefully choosing the most interesting specimens she could find. She dug up small clusters of spiny cacti, their purple and yellow flowers standing out against the dry, red rock of the valley. She wondered if the flowers would make a good hair dye. The purple and green she had in her hair now had barely lasted two washes. Maybe these might make a better one. As she worked, her mind wandered to Lani. She could already picture the look on her face when they got back to Red Market, arms full of new plants to show off. Maia smiled to herself, knowing Lani would be thrilled with the haul. As they packed the plants into the carrier, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the wasteland. ¡°We should probably camp here for the night,¡± Matthias said, scanning the horizon. ¡°We¡¯re not going to make it to Dry Cliffs by nightfall. Better off taking shelter here in case a storm rolls in.¡± ¡°¡±Looks pretty clear,¡± Maia noted looking at the clear blue horizon. An almost clear blue, strands of purple latticed the sky, but Maia was so used to the cracks in the sky that they didn¡¯t phase her. She¡¯d grown up with those purple lines, it was just normal to her. Not like Matthias, who knew what they represented. ¡°Never worth the risk, camping exposed,¡± Matthias said, then set to work building their camp for the night. As he worked, Matthias glanced at the sky every so often, like he was waiting for it to fall apart completely. But Maia? She just sat back, leaned against the skimmer, and let her gaze drift. To her, those cracks were just part of the sky''s design¡ªa broken world, maybe, but still theirs. Chapter 5 - Unwelcome Chapter 5 Unwelcome Cervantes - 881 (Sixteen years ago) Matthias pulled his cloak tighter against the rain, the fabric heavy and soaked through, clinging to him like a second skin. He clutched the small, bundled baby against his chest, her tiny form a weight he had no idea how to bear. The child didn¡¯t cry. She was too quiet, as if she knew, even at that young age, that her presence in this world was unwelcome. He hadn¡¯t asked for this. He hadn¡¯t wanted this. She was a burden, an anchor he couldn¡¯t afford to carry, not with the world falling apart around him. The rain came down in heavy sheets, drenching the cracked earth and filling the air with the scent of copper and iron. It was the kind of rain that came once in a long while, the kind that should have been a blessing in a world so parched, but tonight, it felt like a curse. The downpour only added to the sense of unease that hung over the land like a shroud. The Archons were gone, defeated in a war no one truly understood, and the Verdant had abandoned them to their fate, leaving behind only broken promises and purple cracks in the sky that seemed to widen with each passing day. People whispered that the world was dying, that the very ground beneath their feet was unravelling, and every time those purple fissures stretched across the heavens, the fear grew deeper. Matthias moved through the muddy streets, his boots sinking into the sludge as he approached Red Market. He¡¯d never been to Cervantes before but he couldn¡¯t think of where else to go. It wasn¡¯t the trade he cared about. It was Lani. She was here, somewhere in this labyrinth of stalls and makeshift homes, and she would know what to do. She was good with this kind of thing. She¡¯s a mother. She¡¯ll know what to do. He¡¯d not seen Lani in months but he knew that she¡¯d moved to Cervantes like so many others when the Verdant finally hit Lindrao. Most undercity folk were quick to get out. His thoughts drifted to Kyra, unbidden, sharp as a blade. He clenched his jaw, forcing the image of her out of his mind. Now¡¯s the time to think about that. It was already all too much. The world was ending. And he had a¡­ complication in his arms to think about. He had to focus. Matthias stepped through the massive archway of the Red Market, and it hit him all at once¡ªthe chaotic hum of voices, the smell of sizzling food, the clatter of metal, the hiss of steam. Even at night, the place was alive, buzzing with the constant ebb and flow of scavengers, traders, and those looking for something¡ªanything¡ªto get by. The night sky, barely visible through the crisscrossing girders and crumbling remains of the warehouse roof, leaked streams of rain down onto the bustling stalls below. Puddles formed in the uneven, cracked concrete, and people moved around them without a second thought. They were used to the discomfort, the rain mixing with the grime and rust that seemed to coat everything. Algae-neon signs flickered in vibrant shades of green, blue, magenta, and golden yellow, casting an eerie glow over the market. They advertised everything from spare parts to fresh food, though Matthias doubted how fresh anything could be here. The signs buzzed, some sputtering as the rainwater hit exposed wires, but they held on, lighting the chaos. Stalls crammed against one another, the goods on display protected by haphazardly patched tarps that barely kept out the rain. The warehouse itself was an enormous, decaying relic, with jagged beams and half-collapsed walls, barely holding together. It was all part of some factory long before the war, fallen to ruin and now with a new purpose. Matthias navigated the narrow alleys between the stalls, his boots splashing through the murky water. The baby in his arms stirred, her tiny hand clutching at his shirt. He pulled his jacket tighter around her, shielding her from the worst of the downpour. Traders eyed him as he passed, some with curiosity, others with suspicion, but none of them said a word. Here, everyone had their secrets. It took him a while to find Lani¡¯s stall, nestled in a corner. It was cobbled together from scrap metal and weathered wood, with a large, makeshift canopy overhead to shield her pots and pans from the relentless rain. A flickering algae-neon sign, glowing in vibrant green, hung crookedly above, reading "Lani''s Roots." Still the same terrible name, Matthias thought, shaking his head. It didn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence in her cooking, but anyone who knew Lani understood that her food was the real deal. She had a way of turning the most unappetizing plants into something you couldn¡¯t stop eating. Deep-fried, crispy, spiced with herbs scavenged from archons-knew-where. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Back in Lindrao¡¯s undercity, her fried plant roots had been a hit. They were filling and cheap, and in a place like this, that counted for a lot. Red Market wasn¡¯t any different. The same people, the same struggle. The stall was empty of customers for now, which was unsurprising as the rain was coming down hard, and Lani¡¯s tarp only covered her kitchen, leaving the beer barrels she used as tables out in the open, drenched and uninviting. Lani herself was standing over a sizzling pan. She looked up at him as soon as he stepped under the shelter of her stall. Her dark hair, streaked with grey, was tied back in a loose bun, though strands always escaped to frame her sun-weathered face. Her skin, a deep bronze from years spent working under harsh skies. She was barely a decade older than Matthias, but she¡¯d always looked out for him back in the undercity. She had always been the one people turned to when they had problems. She was the glue that held people together. It wasn¡¯t out of obligation or pity, but because it was simply in her nature. Helping others, fixing their problems¡ªit was as much a part of her as breathing. ¡°Matthias,¡± she said, her voice low and rough from years of surviving in a world that offered no kindness. ¡°Archons! It is you.¡± She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to face him fully. Her eyes flicked to the baby in his arms, and something passed over her face¡ªsurprise, maybe, or understanding. ¡°What in the world¡­?¡± ¡°I need your help,¡± Matthias said, his voice gruff, more a demand than a request. Lani frowned, stepping closer. ¡°That¡¯s a baby,¡± she said, as if he didn¡¯t already know. ¡°Yeah,¡± Matthias muttered, shifting uncomfortably. Lani¡¯s gaze flicked down to the baby, then back up to Matthias. She didn¡¯t say anything right away, but her eyes said enough. There was no judgment, no anger, just a kind of weary understanding that Matthias found unsettling. Like she already knew what was going on, like she¡¯d seen it all before. ¡°Archons, boy, where¡¯s the mother?¡± she hissed. ¡°Gone,¡± Matthias muttered, the single word sticking in his throat like gravel. It wasn¡¯t a lie, but it wasn¡¯t the truth either. The truth was far more complicated than he had the energy to explain. And it doesn¡¯t matter anyway, does it? The mother wasn¡¯t here. That was the point. Lani softened then, her features shifting in that way she did when she was about to coddle someone. It was what she was known for¡ªthis rough exterior that gave way to something almost motherly. Matthias hated it, hated how it made him feel seen, exposed. He wasn¡¯t some kid who needed looking after, wasn¡¯t some lost cause for her to fix. But then again, isn¡¯t that exactly why he was here, for her to help him. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, do you?¡± Lani said quietly, more of a statement than a question. Matthias swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. He didn¡¯t want her pity. He didn¡¯t want anyone¡¯s pity. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this,¡± he muttered, the frustration bubbling up, barely restrained. ¡°But she¡¯s here now. And I need your help.¡± ¡°You think just bringing her here, to the Red Market of all places, is going to solve things?¡± Matthias didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t have an answer. All he knew was that he¡¯d been walking in the rain, aimless, directionless, with the baby in his arms and no idea what the hell he was doing. He¡¯d come to Lani because, deep down, he knew she¡¯d help. Even if she¡¯d give him hell for it first. ¡°I¡¯ll pay,¡± he said, his voice rough. Lani¡¯s lips twisted into a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s not about payment, Matthias. It¡¯s about what¡¯s right for her.¡± She nodded towards the baby. ¡°You¡¯ve got to think about that now.¡± What¡¯s right for her? He wasn¡¯t even sure what was right for himself anymore, let alone for this small, fragile life now tied to his. "Can I..." Matthias started awkwardly, his voice trailing off as he shifted the weight of the baby in his arms. He was terrible at this, worse than terrible. "What?" Lani¡¯s voice was sharp, already knowing what he was about to say. "Can I leave her... with you?" The question came out fast, and the moment he said it, he regretted it. Lani¡¯s expression shifted instantly, her face hardening in a way that made Matthias want to take a step back. This was the Lani he knew¡ªthe one who didn¡¯t take shit from anyone, least of all him. "So that¡¯s what you want, is it? To abandon her?" Her voice was cold, biting, like the wind that howled through the broken windows of the warehouse. "Not forever, just until I figure some things out," he muttered, feeling more and more like a child being scolded. He hated this. Hated the way he felt, hated the way Lani looked at him, hated the baby in his arms that made everything so damn messy. "No. Absolutely not," Lani snapped, her eyes narrowing. "I''ll give you a place to stay, both of you. But this child is your responsibility, Matthias. Not mine." "I need to find work," he said, his voice small and defeated. It was a poor excuse, but it was the only reason he had. And it wasn¡¯t good enough. "Most people do these days, parents included." Lani¡¯s voice softened just a fraction, but her gaze remained firm. "Me and Tan can help you until you''re on your feet, lad. But look at me." She took a step closer, her presence filling the space between them like a looming storm. "If you even suggest leaving this baby behind, there''s nowhere on this living hell of a world the Archons can hide you from me. You understand?" Matthias swallowed hard, nodding because he knew better than to argue. She wasn¡¯t bluffing. Lani never bluffed. Chapter 6 - Red Market Chapter 6 Red Market Cervantes - 897, present day. [Playing: Losu Tracks #32: Underneath the Rotting Pizza] Maia loved the Red Market. It buzzed with life, the kind of life that felt messy and tangled, but real. The algae-neon lights flickered above even in the midday sun, overpowering and casting their bold colours across the varying clusters of stalls¡ªvibrant green, soft blue, magenta streaks weaving through the air like strands. And the smells, it smelled like home to her, spiced roots sizzling, sharp tang of roasted meat, and that ever-present metallic bite from the old pipes overhead. It was chaos, but it was her chaos. The market was a flood of scavengers, traders, and travellers, all crammed into the narrow pathways between the makeshift stalls. Voices overlapped, some bargaining, some arguing, others just trying to be heard above the din. She weaved through it all effortlessly, like a dancer in a familiar rhythm. She knew every twist and turn, every alley and hidden corner. Sure, she¡¯d spent a few years in Lindrao with her father, and lately their ruin-hunting in the wastelands had stretched longer and longer, with nothing but the sun and sand stretching out for days. The wasteland was a void, vast and silent. But here, in the market, it was the opposite. Every inch was crammed with colour, sound, and people. Every breath was thick with life, even if it wasn¡¯t always the kind you wanted to breathe in. And no matter how far her father dragged her into the wastes, Red Market would always be home. Matthias had already gone to Darn¡¯s, their usual buyer for pulse rings. They had a big haul this time, and he wasn¡¯t one to waste time on chit-chat when there was good tech to be traded. But Maia had no interest in Darn¡¯s junkyard on the outskirts of the Red Market. The place reeked of oil and rust, and Darn¡¯s pack of dogs never stopped barking. Besides, Maia had her own business to attend to. The Red Market had changed since she was a kid, growing bigger every year. It now spilled over into the neighbouring warehouses, with rough archways cut through the walls, connecting the once-separated spaces into a maze of stalls, shops, and makeshift homes. Some people had even built proper houses inside the massive space. It was the kind of place where you could get lost for hours, maybe days, if you didn¡¯t know where you were going. But Maia knew exactly where she wanted to be. She headed toward the central warehouse, weaving through the crowds. In the far corner of the main warehouse stood a stone building, half-hidden beneath the sprawl of the market. An outdoor kitchen sat just beside it, surrounded by beer barrel tables, with the green algae-neon sign glowing overhead. Lani¡¯s place. Just as it came into sight, Maia felt the faintest brush against her back. She spun around, eyes sharp, but saw no one immediately behind her. Her gaze flickered across the crowd until she caught a glimpse of a shadow slipping between the bustling people. A grin tugged at her lips, and she took off after it. Like a dancer, Maia moved through the crowds with ease, sidestepping a cart piled high with watermelons, dodging between people, never losing sight of the shadow ahead. She turned one corner, then another, narrowing the gap with each step. Her eyes locked on her target as they ducked into a narrow alley. She took a bet, sprinting ahead and cutting them off at the next turn. Her hand shot out, grabbing the dark cloak by its scruff. The kid yelped, stumbling back. ¡°Your ma know you¡¯re pickpocketing?¡± Maia sneered. ¡°How¡¯d you know I¡¯d go this way?¡± the youth spat, his hood falling back to reveal a mess of bone-white hair and a boyish face. Allico. With a raised brow, Maia held out her hand, and Allico, grumbling, dropped her coin pouch back into it. ¡°Why are you still pulling this crap? You know your ma will kill you faster than the soldiers if you get caught,¡± Maia chided. ¡°Kid¡¯s gotta have hobbies,¡± Allico shrugged. ¡°Right, well¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Allico¡¯s curiosity sparked as he poked at the pack slung over her shoulder. Maia smirked. ¡°Surprise,¡± she winked, turning back toward Lani¡¯s stall, leaving the boy trailing behind. Lani spotted them just as they neared the rootshop, her face lighting up as she waved one hand, balancing a steaming pot in the other. ¡°Maia! My love!¡± she called, her voice cutting through the market noise. Before Maia could say a word, Lani was on her, wrapping her up in a tight, motherly hug that smelled of fried roots and herbs. The place was always packed, especially at this hour, and today was no different. Her husband was frantically trying to fry more roots as more customers shouted their orders at him. ¡°You¡¯re looking thinner than usual,¡± Lani said, pulling back to inspect Maia with a sharp gaze, though a smile tugged at her lips. ¡°I¡¯m feeding you tonight, no arguments. Where¡¯s your father, the big grump?¡± ¡°At Darn¡¯s,¡± she smiled as Lani let go of her. ¡°We got a good haul this time. Big one. Business is booming here, I see,¡± Maia said. ¡°Too booming,¡± Lani grumbled, though Maia could hear the pride in her tone. ¡°Allico¡¯s been slacking again, running off in the middle of his shift. Nix is upstairs, up in her room. Go on up, I¡¯ll catch up with you later.¡± Just then, Lani¡¯s eyes locked on Allico, who was sidling back towards the kitchen like nothing had happened. ¡°Oi!¡± Lani barked, planting her hands on her hips. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯ve been? Customers are waiting!¡± Allico froze, caught in the act. ¡°I was just¡ª¡± ¡°Just running off, that¡¯s what. Get back to work before I have you scrubbing pans all night!¡± She gave him a light scuff on the back of the head as he darted toward the tables, muttering under his breath. Maia slipped through the bustling kitchen and ducked around the corner to the stairs leading up to Nix¡¯s room. The familiar creak of the old wood under her feet was like a warm welcome. She was too young to remember when all this was built. But she¡¯d spent most of her childhood running up and down these stairs. Nix''s room was just as it always was¡ªa strange, beautiful fusion of a botanical garden and a cyberpunk teenager''s hideout. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The small space was cluttered but organised, with shelves lined with jars and containers, each housing plants of different shapes and sizes. Strange glowing algae floated in some of the jars, casting an ethereal light that mixed with the soft neon glow of light strips Nix had rigged up around the room. Her bed, crammed in a corner, was surrounded by hanging pots of vines and flowers, their tendrils spilling over the edges and crawling up the walls. The plants seemed to pulse with life, thriving under the careful attention Nix gave them. Maia grinned, stepping over a tangle of wires connected to a small hydroponic setup that was keeping some of the more delicate plants alive. Nix was hunched over at her desk, her back turned, completely engrossed in whatever project she was working on. A large pair of headphones covered her ears, and she was mumbling softly to herself, her fingers moving deftly over the soil of a small, intricate terrarium. She was the opposite of her twin brother Allico in both appearance and personality. Her jet-black hair was covering her face as she nodded her head to whatever she was listening to. ¡°Hey, Nix,¡± Maia called softly, not wanting to startle her. She knew how lost Nix could get in her world of plants. Nix didn¡¯t hear her at first, too absorbed in her task. Maia chuckled and gently tapped her shoulder. Nix jumping, pulling off her headphones and spinning around in her chair. ¡°Maia! I didn¡¯t hear you come in!¡± She smiled, her face lighting up. ¡°You¡¯re back? You¡¯re back! You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°I am,¡± Maia said, sitting on the edge of Nix''s bed, careful not to knock over the pots nearby. ¡°Aaaaand,¡± she pulled her pack onto her lap, ¡°I brought you something.¡± Nix¡¯s eyes widened with excitement. ¡°New plants?¡± ¡°This one,¡± she pulled out the branch carefully, ¡°is a cutting from an olive tree.¡± ¡°No freakin¡¯ way!¡± Nix¡¯s face lit up with pure joy and it made Maia¡¯s heart soar. ¡°Yup,¡± she grinned, ¡°I even tasted ¡®em myself. Brought some for you.¡± She handed over a few olives, watching Nix take them like they were treasures from another world. ¡°And that¡¯s not all,¡± Maia continued, her excitement bubbling over as she began to pull out more from her pack. ¡°Found a ton of cacti out in the wastes. Like, loads of ¡®em.¡± She laid them out one by one, her energy contagious as Nix¡¯s eyes gleamed with curiosity. ¡°Ma¡¯s gonna freak,¡± Nix bounced. ¡°Actual olives, you know how expensive they are?¡± ¡°Yeah, figure I owe her for, you know, the ten million meals she¡¯s given me,¡± Maia shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re staying for dinner?¡± ¡°¡®Course, Ba¡¯s down at Darn¡¯s. He¡¯ll probably be there a few hours, you know what he¡¯s like.¡± ¡°You been home yet?¡± Home, in this context, was the Dame. Parked up in a nice safe spot just outside Red Market. Red Market was home in the sense that it was her hometown, where everyone she knew lived. Well, almost everyone. But the Dame¡ªthat was home home. Her house. It had been her entire life. Even with all the time she¡¯d spent away from the market, it was always in the Dame, her constant. ¡°Not yet,¡± Maia grinned, ¡°But I¡¯ve got big, big plans for her. Nix, I¡¯m going to get the Dame moving again.¡± *** Maia''s room in the Dame was a tight, chaotic haven crammed into the cab space above the driver¡¯s compartment. It was almost a mirror of Nix¡¯s, though far more cramped, with every inch utilised to its fullest. The walls were plastered with a patchwork of old posters, faded prints from pre-war times alongside sketches and notes she¡¯d tacked up over the years. Twisting vines and small potted plants lined the narrow windowsill, barely held in place by makeshift straps to keep them steady when the Dame was moving. Her bed was a small, built into the wall with storage crammed underneath, blankets spilling out. It was stacked with mismatched pillows, a makeshift canopy of old curtains hanging over it. The whole place smelled faintly of engine oil, warm earth, and a hint of something sweet¡ªlavender from a tiny sprig she kept in a glass bottle by her bed, a gift from Nix. She¡¯d already given Nix a complete copy of all the new Losu tracks she¡¯d found. She leaned back on her bed, listening to a particular good one. Happy to be back in her space, Maia was finding spots for some of the cacti that Nix hadn¡¯t claimed. The olive tree cutting was too large for anything Maia had. That would have to stay at Lani¡¯s place. But that was fine. Her father had been surprised she managed to keep most of these plants alive despite the amount of time they spent away from the Dame the past few months. But Maia had been meticulous and had given any particularly needy plants to Nix before they went out into the wastes. There was a soft knock on the door, ¡°Come in,¡± Maia called, not bothering to look up. Her father stepped inside. He looked worn, he likely hadn¡¯t eaten anything yet. ¡°Lani made dinner for you,¡± Maia said, her tone holding a hint of reproach. ¡°You should go see her.¡± ¡°I will, I will,¡± he sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He lingered, as if searching for the right words. ¡°Look, I know I was hard on you back at the ruin. I just¡ª¡± he faltered for a moment, then forced the words out, ¡°I got scared.¡± She shrugged, not wanting to hold onto the sting of his earlier reprimand, but it still sat heavy in her chest. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He looked away, tension still hanging between them. ¡°I think we should start training with your scrav-powers again,¡± he said, voice quiet but firm. Maia¡¯s heart sank, and she stiffened at the suggestion. She didn¡¯t want to think about her powers¡ªwhat they did, what they took. Her gaze drifted around her room, the small jungle of life she¡¯d built. Green leaves, delicate buds, everything vibrant and alive. She blew out a slow breath, trying to steady herself. ¡°We¡¯ll go back out into the wastes,¡± Matthias continued, sensing her unease. ¡°Train where there¡¯s no one else around. It¡¯ll be different this time. You need to get stronger, Maia. If you¡¯re going to survive out here, you¡¯ve got to learn how to use them, really use them, in combat.¡± She hesitated but nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed, though reluctance clung to the word. He shifted, clearly relieved but still preoccupied. ¡°I tried finding someone to crack those encryptions on the Verdant Fatebond archives you found.¡± ¡°Any luck?¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Not even Ventessa. She charged me twenty shells just to even look at it,¡± he grimaced. ¡°She said our best bet would be Hadras or Lindrao. One of the pros there might be able to help.¡± The mention of Lindrao made her falter. It hung in the air between them, a weight they both knew but rarely addressed. ¡°We could¡­ go back,¡± she offered tentatively. ¡°With a few more days of work, the Dame¡¯ll be moving again.¡± She brightened, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°A road trip, like old times?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Matthias hesitated, something unreadable in his expression. Maia took a deep breath, ¡°I think Kyra might be happy to see us?¡± She said, pushing forward ¡°What makes you think that?¡± His eyes narrowing slightly. Her pulse quickened. Damn it. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve kind of been in contact with her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± His brow furrowed. ¡°Yeah. She sent me a letter a few months ago. Just checking in, asking how I was.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been writing each other?¡± Now, there was a note of irritation in his voice, a flicker of something that annoyed her too. He didn¡¯t get to decide who she talked to. She wasn¡¯t a kid anymore. He didn¡¯t get to keep treating her like one. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said firmly, feeling her own frustration rising. ¡°Oh,¡± he said quietly, and for the first time, Maia noticed the sadness in his voice. It caught her off guard. The tough, unshakeable man she¡¯d known her whole life seemed, for just a moment, vulnerable. That one word¡ªoh¡ªcarried more than she¡¯d expected, and guilt bloomed in her chest. Of course he¡¯d feel something about her talking to Kyra. The woman he didn¡¯t speak of. And here Maia was, bridging a gap he probably thought was long sealed off. She hadn¡¯t meant to hurt him. Not like this. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± He waved it off, his usual stoicism returning, though it didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Maia. Really.¡± But it wasn¡¯t. She could see that now. The silence that followed wasn¡¯t like the comfortable pauses they usually shared. It was thick, full of unsaid things, regrets, and history she didn¡¯t fully understand. And in that moment, the bustling noise of Red Market outside, even the warmth she¡¯d always felt from her father¡ªall of it seemed distant. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get some rest,¡± he said after a beat, his voice soft again. Chapter 7 - Uninvited Power Chapter 7 Uninvited Power [Now Playing: Losu Tracks #192: The Price of Freedom] The Dame was tucked into a shaded nook between two of Red Market¡¯s towering warehouses. Maia was thankful for the shelter¡ªworking under the midday sun would¡¯ve been brutal. Sweat still trickled down her forehead as she tightened the cell inverter into the Dame¡¯s old engine, her fingers greasy but sure. This part, at least, was easy. She knew the Dame like the back of her hand, a lifetime spent watching her father tinker with the old girl. She took pride in that he trusted her with this, trusted her to keep the Dame running. They could¡¯ve brought the engine to Darn or one of the hundred other tinkerers littering the Market, but neither of them would ever let anyone else touch their home. The Dame¡¯s too important. ¡°You reckon you¡¯ll talk your Ba into going to Lindrao?¡± Nix asked, perched on a rusted beer keg in the shade, her pale skin glowing almost ghostly under the daylight. She was fiddling with a music box, an old pre-war relic she¡¯d been trying to wire up to play tracks like Maia¡¯s overlays. ¡°Maybe,¡± Maia replied, wiping her hands on a rag. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem too thrilled about the idea.¡± Nix was pale white, she looked like a ghost in the midday light. She rarely left her room above the rootshop, unless Maia dragged her out. ¡°How far¡¯s there anyway?¡± Nix glanced up from her project, looking thoughtful. ¡°How far is it anyway?¡± ¡°Two weeks, if we get the Dame running,¡± Maia grinned. ¡°Ba¡¯ll avoid the main road as usual, so we¡¯ll probably take the Dry Cliffs road along the wastes before cutting east.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot of scuttlers out along those cliffs?¡± ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle¡± Maia shrugged. ¡°Ba wants me to start training with my, eh,¡± she glanced around to see if there was anyone nearby. There wasn¡¯t, ¡°my abilities.¡± She said quietly anyway. ¡°Oh,¡± Nix¡¯s fingers stilled on the wires, her dark eyes lifting to Maia. ¡°And how do you feel about that?¡± ¡°Apprehensive.¡± Maia sighed and glanced down at the engine. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m going to need more copper wire. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s head into the Market.¡± She shut the Dame¡¯s engine cover and motioned for Nix to follow. The Dame was a pre-war beast of a cargo truck, now faded orange with rust creeping in like vines across its panels. Over a decade, she and Matthias had turned it into their home. With wheels nearly as tall as Maia herself, the truck was built for the harshest terrains, towering like a giant box of metal. The door to the living area was so high up that Maia had to leap just to haul herself inside. When your whole life was in a tiny space, you had to be meticulously organised. Everything had its place¡ªthough to anyone else, the scattered bits of machinery, tangled wires, and makeshift comforts might seem like chaos. But to Maia, it was perfect. It¡¯s home. She reached into a hidden compartment, fingers brushing the cool surface of some coins before pulling them out¡ªbronze, circular, slightly domed. Shouldn¡¯t need more than a few shells for some wire. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± she called over to Nix, hopping down, her boots landing with a thud on the dusty ground. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to get all this working before it gets dark.¡± They made their way into the central warehouse, and as they rounded a corner, a sharp whistle pierced through the din. Maia turned, spotting Allico lounging against a rusted pipe, his trademark cocky grin plastered across his face. He wasn¡¯t alone. A few of his new friends, boys she hadn¡¯t seen before, flanked him, looking her up and down. ¡°Hey sis,¡± Allico grinned, ¡°cuz,¡± nodding to Maia. They weren¡¯t actually cousins but they might as well be considering how closely they¡¯d been raised. Nix raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be working?¡± Allico shrugged, not even bothering with a defence. ¡°I¡¯m on break.¡± One of the boys¡ªa tall, scruffy one with a dirt-smudged face¡ªstepped forward, a lazy smirk curling his lips. His eyes on Maia ¡°What¡¯s a girl like you doing hauling parts around when you could be hanging with us?¡± ¡°Lay off,¡± Allico said with a warning at the same time Maia said, ¡°I¡¯d rather hang with the dogs, thanks.¡± The boy blinked, clearly not expecting such a quick dismissal. ¡°Easy there, just trying to be friendly.¡± ¡°Your definition of friendly needs work,¡± Maia said, turning her back on him. ¡°Nix, c¡¯mon.¡± ¡°Just wanted to give you guys a heads up,¡± Allico said as they turned to leave, his tone genuine despite the bravado he liked to put on in front of his loser friends. ¡°Ex said that there were scravs in Red Market.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Maia asked. Scravs were a rare sight these days, so long after the war. So many of their Fatebonds had been tied to war itself that most had simply died the moment the Archons did. There were few stragglers still left, still going about trying to fulfil their oath to gods long dead. ¡°The guards are looking for ¡®em,¡± another of the boys said¡ªhis name was Ex if Maia remembered right. ¡°They¡¯re not welcome in Red Market. When they catch ¡®em they¡¯ll put ¡®em down for sure.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nix asked, ¡°what¡¯d they do?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ex spat. ¡°Don¡¯t matter if the Verdant or Archon scravs, neither¡ªthey¡¯re all dangerous. My Pa says they should all be wiped out before they cause more trouble.¡± Nix stiffened beside Maia, but Maia kept her face neutral, though her heart hammered against her chest. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem right to kill someone that¡¯s done nothing wrong,¡± Maia said, her voice cool. ¡°Yeah?¡± Ex stepped closer, eyes narrowing. ¡°And maybe you oughta listen when someone¡¯s giving you good advice. Scravs aren¡¯t human anymore. They¡¯re freaks, ticking time bombs.¡± Allico shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Ex and Maia. ¡°Cool it, Ex.¡± Only Nix and Allico knew what Maia really was. It was something her father had taken pains to hide over their years living here. Red Market was a place where people loved to gossip, and while most of it was harmless chatter, whispers about Matthias always lingered. People knew he¡¯d fought in the war. They knew he was good¡ªmaybe too good¡ªat handling scuttlers and whatever else wandered too close to town. It earned him a reputation, sure, but there was a fine line between being skilled and being unnervingly skilled. ¡°You know it¡¯s true,¡± Ex¡¯s voice rose, sharp with bravado. He looked at Allico, trying to bolster himself. ¡°Scravs are dangerous, and they¡¯re here.¡± Maia could see it now¡ªthe tremor in his words, the false courage that boys used to cover the truth that they were simply scared. Scared of what they couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°I bet they¡¯re already scheming something,¡± Ex grumbled. Maia forced a smile, her jaw tight. ¡°We¡¯ll be careful, thanks for the tip guys.¡± She grabbed Nix¡¯s arm and walked away, her mind spinning. People like Ex didn¡¯t know the truth. They didn¡¯t know about Maia. To them, she was just another face in the market, just another girl. And for now, that¡¯s exactly how it needed to stay. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Ex,¡± Nix said quietly, ¡°he¡¯s an idiot.¡± ¡°He is but he¡¯s also not entirely wrong,¡± she admitted, her eyes scanning the crowds. ¡°Scravs are dangerous, I wonder if Ba knows there¡¯s some here in Red Market.¡± ¡°Maybe we should find him?¡± Nix offered. Maia hesitated. Her father had a way of reacting¡ªsometimes too strongly¡ªwhen it came to scravs. He hated what they were, hated what it meant for them, for her. ¡°Maybe,¡± she said quietly, her mind wandering to the thought of the Verdant scravs. They were far more dangerous to her and Matthias than any gossip in Red Market. Who knew what old Fatebonds still pulled them across the wastelands? For all she knew, there could be Verdant scravs with Fatebonds tied to hunting down Archon scravs like her. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. Now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°Let¡¯s just get the parts and head back to the Dame,¡± Maia said. They found a merchant, who initially tried to rip them off before realising they were Red Market locals, and Maia¡¯s knowledge of the parts needed helped haggle the price to something reasonable. They swung by Lani¡¯s for a quick lunch, wolfing down spicy root fries. Lani greeted them with her usual smile, wiping her hands on her apron before setting down two plates in front of them with some kind of jerked meat. "You girls have been busy this morning," she remarked, her eyes sparkling with warmth. ¡°I¡¯m pretty i¡¯m going to get the Dame running again by tonight,¡± Maia said proudly. ¡°And I¡¯ve almost got this working,¡± Nix held up the small music box, putting a small needle in place and a fuzzy, crackling melody started playing, it sounded like guitar strumming but was hard to make out. ¡°I¡¯m close.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my old Luska player, where¡¯d you find it?¡± Nix¡¯s head shot up. ¡°Wait, really?¡± A panicked look crossed her face. ¡°I thought it was just some old junk. I thought¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lani chuckled, calming her daughter, knowing her tendency to overreact. ¡°It was broken anyway. And no one makes those old tapes anymore. You rigged it up to play from data archives? That¡¯s clever.¡± She smiled, her eyes distant as nostalgia crept in. ¡°Oh, that Luska... it was everything back then. You know, your father gave it to me when we first started seeing each other.¡± A wistful smile tugged at her lips, and for a moment, Maia thought Lani was the most beautiful person she¡¯d ever seen, her smile brighter than algae-neon. ¡°The nights we¡¯d sit in the old alleys of the Undercity,¡± she continued, ¡°listening to that, dreaming about... well, about everything. About getting out of Lindrao,¡± She chuckled, her gaze far away. ¡°It¡¯s funny, feels like a lifetime ago. I suppose the world was very different back then anyway.¡± ¡°You miss it?¡± Maia asked, curiosity tugging at her brow. Lani sighed softly. ¡°Sometimes. Lindrao was hard, but it was home. I¡¯d like to go back one day, show you where I grew up.¡± She glanced at Nix, a knowing smile on her lips. ¡°But I doubt you¡¯d want to leave the Market, hmm?¡± Nix shifted uncomfortably. Nix wasn¡¯t exactly keen on travel. ¡°Maia said she wants to go,¡± she blurted out, trying to deflect the attention. ¡°She¡¯ll go with you.¡± Maia shot her a sharp look, why¡¯d you bring that up? ¡°Oh really?¡± Lani¡¯s eyes turned to Maia. ¡°Not really,¡± Maia backtracked quickly. ¡°I just kinda mentioned it as a maybe to Ba. But nothing¡¯s decided yet.¡± The last thing she needed was Lani bringing it up to her father and spooking him out of the idea. He was already hesitant about staying in Red Market, and getting him to actually go back to a city like Lindrao was going to take careful planning. From across the market, a sudden commotion broke through the usual hum of Red Market life. Maia and Nix turned their heads towards the source, their curiosity piqued by the raised voices. A group of local town guards stood in a tense standoff with a pair of unusual looking people¡ªand in a place like Red Market that was saying something. The crowd around them had begun to back away, whispering amongst themselves in hushed, fearful tones. "Traitorous Verdant scum!" one of the guards shouted, his voice dripping with hatred as he brandished a blade. The threat was clear, scravs weren¡¯t welcome here. Maia¡¯s breath caught in her throat. That must be them. The scravs Allico mentioned. One of the scravs, a man with pale, almost translucent skin, narrowed his eyes, and before the guard could take another step, he flicked his wrist. In an instant, an isometric sphere of shimmering crystal materialised out of nowhere, enveloping the guard. The crystalline structure lifted him off the ground, suspending him in the air as he struggled helplessly inside. The crowd gasped, stumbling back further, the fear palpable now. The scrav¡¯s lips curled into a cruel smirk, his eyes dancing with amusement. "You think you can make us leave?" he laughed, a sharp, mocking sound that rang out over the market square. The second scrav, seemingly more calm and collected, stepped forward, raising her hands as if to ease the situation. ¡°We¡¯re not here to cause trouble,¡± she said in a smooth, almost soothing voice. ¡°We¡¯ve got business in the Market. By nightfall, we¡¯ll be out of your hair.¡± Her gaze was steady, lacking the malice of her companion. The crystal prison holding the guard shimmered again, and the first scrav released his hold with a snap of his fingers. The sphere vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the guard crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, his face pale with the realisation of how close he¡¯d come to death. Before Maia could process any more of the scene, her father appeared beside her, his face hard and grim. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± he said, his voice low but urgent. ¡°Matthias,¡± Lani gasped, startled. ¡°Where did you even come from?¡± Maia blinked in surprise, still caught in the shock of what had just happened. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Now,¡± Matthias insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument. His eyes flicked to the scravs, lingering a moment longer than necessary, his expression unreadable. ¡°Come on.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard for them to slip away unnoticed. Half the people in the market were already making themselves scarce, pulling back into the shadows, while the rest remained frozen, watching the unfolding tension like moths to a flame. Watching to see if the guard was stupid enough to push further against the scravs. No one moved to get involved. Not against scravs. Chapter 8 - The Fate of a Dying Planet Chapter 8 The Fate of a Dying Planet A breeze swept through the wasteland. He wasn¡¯t that far out from Red Market. The scuttlers were pressing closer to town these days, bold enough to venture where they normally wouldn¡¯t with the world ending and all that. It surprised him when the contract went up¡ªscuttlers spotted this close was a bad sign. But bad signs were good business. His business specifically. Merc work, especially jobs like this, paid well enough to make sure Maia had a future. His battered pre-war motorcycle¡ªand barely holding together¡ªroared to life beneath him. He kicked it into gear, feeling the familiar hum of the engine as he moved toward the scuttler band. No more than five of ¡®em. Easy. They moved across the sands like predators. Matthias watched as they closed in on a pair of travellers¡ªeasy prey for them, if it weren¡¯t for him. It had been little over two years since he¡¯d first arrived at Red Market. From appearances he didn¡¯t have much to his name, barely more than the cloak on his back, the blade at his hip, and the motorcycle he rode on. Lani didn¡¯t charge him much rent and he¡¯d already paid her back the amount he owed from the early days of his arrival. Despite her grumbling she looked after Maia most days too. But Matthias¡¯ merc work was more than enough to cover that and then some. He barreled toward the scuttlers, not bothering to slow down. The roar of his bike gave him away, but it didn¡¯t matter. They couldn¡¯t react fast enough. One of them tried, but Matthias hit him head-on. He leapt from the bike before it hit, his blade drawn in a fluid motion. The force of the impact threw the scuttler to the ground. The first one barely had time to scream before Matthias¡¯ blade was in his chest. The second came at him from the side, but Mtthias was faster, cutting through weak points in the creature¡¯s chitin with brutal precision. It was instinct these days, the way he fought¡ªsharp, quick, and efficient. The third and fourth fell quickly to his strikes. He didn¡¯t need to think, didn¡¯t need to feel. His scrav-powers pulsed beneath his skin, amplifying his speed, his strength, his very presence. He could take blows that would shatter a regular man, endure pain that would bring anyone else to their knees. But there was no need for that here. They were easy kills, too slow, too weak. The last scuttler, big ugly thing, came at him with a snarl, though their skull-like faces always had that snarl on them. Matthias didn¡¯t reach for his blade. Instead, he raised his hand. He¡¯d been meaning to test this power. The energy drain. It was a slow ability, not ideal for fighting against groups, but now with only one remaining enemy, it was time to see what it could do. The scuttler froze, its mandibles spasming with terror as Matthias¡¯ hand closed in. The touch was brief, but it was enough. He felt the energy, like a current surging through him, draining from the creature and pouring into his own veins. The scuttler buckled, its strength fading, and Matthias grinned like a demon. He guided the energy flow in his body, concentrated it in his free hand. He felt it shape itselfin his hand, solidifying into something tangible. The air around him crackled as the energy coalesced, forming a blade in that hand¡ªa blade crafted from the very essence of the creature he had drained. Without hesitation, he thrust it forward. The energy blade pierced the scuttler clean through, burning through chitin and flesh as if it were butter. The creature¡¯s body crumpled as the last of its life force was ripped away. Matthias stood over it, breathing heavily. A cruel trick, he thought, but that¡¯s what being a scrav meant. Ruthless. Monstrous. And in this world, that was the only thing that mattered. The pair of travellers were already a speck on the horizon, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Foolish. Matthias shook his head. Travelling the wastes on foot was a death wish. Only the truly desperate would take that risk, and desperation usually led to graves out here. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Though there was a railway line not too far ahead. Most likely that pair hoped to jump on one as it passed through. It was probably still only a half day walk to Red Market from here. Still foolish, all the same. If it hadn¡¯t been for Matthias they¡¯d be just two more dead out here. He turned his attention to his bike, now sputtering and pluming smoke from the crash. Maybe driving it straight into that scuttler hadn¡¯t been his best idea. He heaved the bike onto its side, checking it over. The engine still hummed, faint but steady. She¡¯s still good. A smirk tugged at his lips as he patted the old machine, satisfied. He swung his leg over, settling back into the seat. Just another day in the wastes. *** As he neared Lani¡¯s food stall, he spotted her immediately¡ªtwo newborns strapped to her chest in cloth slings, fast asleep despite the noise. She spotted him before he could slip away unnoticed. "Matthias," she called out. ¡°Get over here.¡± She hadn¡¯t stopped working, still flipping roots in a sizzling pan. He sighed, knowing what was coming but made his way over anyway. As he approached, he could see the weariness in her eyes¡ªmaybe not just from the newborns, but everything else she was managing too, running this place, looking after Maia. ¡°You alright?¡± he asked, trying to deflect whatever lecture was brewing, he¡¯d been hoping to grab a quick shower, wash off all the scuttler ichor off him before he went up to Maia. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said flatly, not missing a beat as she dumped another batch of fried roots into a serving bowl. ¡°You, on the other hand? You¡¯re an idiot. He opened his mouth to argue, but she wasn¡¯t done. ¡°I know what you¡¯ve been up to out there. You took that contract on those scuttlers sighted near town, didn¡¯t you?¡± Matthias tensed. She had always known more than she let on, and when she confronted him like this, it was hard to dodge. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lani. I can handle a few scuttlers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± she hissed, casting a glance around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game. There¡¯s been rumours, Matthias. You think you can just keep this quiet forever? What happens to that little girl if people find out.¡± ¡°Find out what?¡± he asked innocently. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie to me, Matthias, and don¡¯t you make me say it either, we both know what you are.¡± He tensed again. Shit. Maybe he had been a little too reckless with his powers lately. ¡°Have you even thought about Maia?¡± Matthias¡¯ stomach twisted at the mention of Maia. All of this was for her at the end of the day. ¡°No one¡¯s not going to find out,¡± he said, his voice tight. ¡°I¡¯ve got it under control.¡± ¡°You think you have control?¡± she snapped, her frustration boiling over. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t turn you in myself. Do you know what they do to scravs, Matthias? The guards, the townspeople¡ªthey¡¯ll hang you before you can even blink if they knew what you were. And they¡¯ll kick me and my family out as outcasts for letting you stay with us. You even think about any of us?¡± Matthias held her gaze. He¡¯d heard the stories. He knew the risks. But he also knew that there was no turning back for him now. ¡°What else am I supposed to do, Lani?¡± he asked, his voice softening. ¡°This work pays for Maia¡¯s future.¡± ¡°Find a better way,¡± she stared at him for a long moment, the fire in her eyes dimming, replaced by something softer¡ªconcern, maybe even pity. The twins in her slings shifted, one of them letting out a soft whimper, and Lani immediately shifted her attention, bouncing them gently. Matthias looked away, feeling the sting of her words. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he muttered, though he knew it was an empty promise ¡°Yeah, well,¡± she said, turning back to her work, ¡°just don¡¯t get yourself killed out there. Maia¡¯s already lost enough. I can¡¯t look after her full time Matthias, I love the girl, you know I do but I''ve got enough on my plate as it is.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he replied, turning away from her and making his way upstairs. What he didn¡¯t tell her is that none of this was going to be her problem much longer. She didn¡¯t get it. She couldn¡¯t. This was about survival. It always had been. And now that Maia was getting older, it was about more than just keeping them fed¡ªit was about getting her out, getting her away from this life, from him. He almost had enough money now, and Maia was almost old enough. He reached the door, pausing for a moment before pushing it open. Inside, it was quiet, but it never truly got quiet anywhere in Red Market. Maia was sprawled out on the cot, fast asleep, her small chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. For a moment, his heart softened. She looked so peaceful. Still so tiny. So young. Too young to have the fate of a dying planet tied to her existence. Matthias turned his gaze toward the window, to the purple cracks in the sky beyond the gaping, broken roof of the Red Market warehouse. The cracks gleamed faintly in the distance. Just a few more months, he reminded himself. And then this whole chapter of his life would finally be over. Chapter 9 - More Than Responsibility Chapter 9 More Than Responsibility Maia couldn''t forget the way the crowd had reacted, the fear that had swept through them like wildfire. They were terrified. Hells, even Maia had been and she was a scrav herself. Although she couldn¡¯t do what they did. Matthias hadn¡¯t said much about the scravs, but she could feel the tension radiating off him since their appearance earlier in the market. She glanced over to where her father was making some tweaks to their skimmer. He¡¯d been working more furiously than ever, like he was desperate to leave. Like there was something chasing him. Maia herself was just finishing up one last wiring on the Dame¡¯s engine, then pulled herself into the drivers cab, turning the key on the ignition. The Dame¡¯s engine rattled in protest, gave a spluttered, smoking cough, the old machine desperate to stay dead. But Maia was like a necromancer. Except for machines instead of fleshy things. With a final splutter, the engine roared to life, ticking over smoothly in a way she¡¯d not done in months. Maia squealed, her joy spilling out in a burst of energy. She¡¯d done it. She¡¯d done it! She¡¯d fixed the Dame all by herself. From the corner of her eye, she saw Matthias glance over, his face breaking into a rare smile. "You did it!" he cheered, making his way over, his usual gruffness softening. She leapt down from the cab, throwing her arms around his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his approval wrap around her. ¡°You clever girl,¡± he said, squeezing her tight, and for that moment, all was right. The Dame was back, and with it, the freedom to roam again. They could go anywhere they wanted¡ªmaybe to the golden lake like last summer, or somewhere entirely new. They could drive down to Nephi or Sanjura, or could even head to¡­ Matthias put her down, making his way over to look over the engine as it purred. As the excitement settled, a thought came. One she had been nursing for a while. ¡°Ba, I think¡­ I think we should go to Lindrao,¡± Maia began cautiously, testing the waters. ¡°There¡¯s skilled ciphers there, right? We could get those Verdant data archives unlocked¡ªfigure out what¡¯s inside. It could help us¡­ you know, with figuring out our Fatebonds?¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely sure why Lindrao called to her so strongly¡ªpart of it was Kyra, of course. Maia missed her. Lani was as close to a mother as Maia had ever had, but there was a detachment from Lani. Something that held the woman back, she felt more like an aunt than anything else. While she¡¯d not spent much of her childhood in Lindrao with Kyra, she had a connection with her. Something that she couldn¡¯t explain. And she¡¯d made other friends in the years they¡¯d spent in Lindrao too. Then there was all the other promises that a major city like Lindrao held too. She couldn¡¯t ignore the pull she had for all that teeming life. Something bigger¡ªmetaphorically¡ªthan the wasteland they were stuck in. Matthias looked at her, his face shadowed by the encroaching twilight. She knew he hated the idea of returning there. She didn¡¯t know what had happened between her father and Kyra. Something had driven a wedge between them because they¡¯d seemed so happy together. ¡°Tonight,¡± he said after a long pause. ¡°We¡¯ll leave tonight.¡± Maia blinked, surprised by his quick decision. She¡¯d expected more resistance, more grumbling. ¡°Wait, really?¡± she asked, unable to hide her shock. He nodded wiping his hands on an old rag. ¡°The sooner we¡¯re out of here, the better. We don¡¯t need scravs sniffing around Red Market looking for trouble.¡± His words were clipped, dismissive, but Maia caught the undertone. This wasn¡¯t just about the scravs. This was about something deeper¡ªsomething that made him uneasy. ¡°We¡¯ll take the skimmer with us,¡± he added, ¡°it¡¯s light enough to fit on the Dame¡¯s roof if we latch it down. Pack up everything you want to hang on to, Lani will probably let us store some bits at hers, but everything else we¡¯ll let Darn pick through.¡± Maia stared at him, her heart racing in a swirl of excitement, nerves, and something she couldn¡¯t quite name. He¡¯d agreed with me. A part of her was scared to ask why, that by questioning it, would make him think and maybe change his mind. So instead, Maia quickly and quietly set to packing up the Dame for her first trip in nearly a year. *** Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. [Now Playing: Losu Track 53: Shop] It never truly ¡®got late¡¯ in Red Market. Stalls didn¡¯t close, not really, and people were always moving about, haggling, trading, and scurrying from one corner of the market to another. And most of the bars stayed open all night. But it was still ¡®late¡¯ by traditional standards, so Lani¡¯s rootshop was quiet at this hour, past the evening rush. The smell of charred roots and spices, the warm glow from algae-neon lights lighting up the tables. Maia sat across from Nix, chewing slowly on her meal, knowing it would be the last time they saw each other for a while. She loved Nix¡ªloved her like a sister, loved all of her little quirks and idiosyncrasies. The way Nix always named her plants, the way she fussed over the smallest details. But a part of Maia wished that Nix had some spark of desire to explore more, to see beyond Red Market. If she did, Nix could¡¯ve been coming with them to Lindrao. The thought lingered, bittersweet. Maia didn¡¯t want to leave her behind, but she knew that Nix¡¯s world was here. ¡°You know, you could come with us,¡± Maia said softly, breaking the comfortable silence, ¡°I I could ask Ba if you could come?¡± ¡°Lindrao? You know that¡¯s not my thing, Maia,¡± Nix didn¡¯t even look up from her plate as she spoke. ¡°I know, but...¡± Maia trailed off, her gaze drifting to where her father and Lani were standing and talking under the Lani¡¯s Roots sign. Their conversation looked serious, then, after a few words, they moved inside the house. ¡°I just feel like there¡¯s so much out there you¡¯re missing. You¡¯d love it, Nix. There¡¯s loads of plants, there¡¯s libraries, coffeeshops. It¡¯s not all crowds and noise.¡± Nix sighed. She met Maia¡¯s eyes. ¡°I love Red Market. I¡¯m not like you, Maia. I don¡¯t need to see what¡¯s out there to feel like I¡¯m living.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Maia rubbed the back of her neck, frustration mingling with affection. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see more? To see what it¡¯s like outside of here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always looking for more,¡± Nix gave a small smile, shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s what makes you, well... you. I¡¯m just... content. Red Market already is more for me.¡± Maia studied her, a pang of disappointment in her chest. She wished Nix could understand that it wasn¡¯t about restlessness; it was about not settling for ¡®just enough¡¯. But Nix had always been grounded, like the plants she cared for. ¡°I guess I just wanted you to come,¡± Maia admitted quietly, staring down at her hands. ¡°It would¡¯ve been fun to have you with us. And¡­ I¡¯ll miss you.¡± Nix reached over, lightly tapping Maia¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ll be back before you know it. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep working on turning the whole of Red Market green while you¡¯re gone.¡± Maia chuckled, but there was an edge of sadness to it. ¡°Yeah, I know you will.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always had this pull to see more, to do more,¡± Nix softened. ¡°I love that about you. But don¡¯t feel bad about me staying. I¡¯m where I need to be.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Maia sighed, offering a small smile. ¡°But I¡¯m still going to try and convince you next time.¡± Nix laughed lightly, rolling her eyes. ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less from you.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I grab a few things I left in your room?¡± Maia asked, remembering the few bits she¡¯d left there that she should really bring with her for the trip. Nix nodded, and indicated she¡¯d follow up after she finished her fried roots. Maia made her way inside the house, the stairs creaking beneath her weight as the music of the nearby bars faded away. She was about to turn into Nix¡¯s room when she caught the low murmur of voices from another room. She could hear Lani¡¯s voice, edged with concern. ¡°They were looking for you. Both of you,¡± she hissed. ¡°I know,¡± Maia heard her father¡¯s reply, ¡°I asked around. That¡¯s why we¡¯re leaving tonight.¡± ¡°What shit are you pulling that girl into, Matthias?¡± Lani was furious, angrier than Maia had ever heard her. The edge in her voice sent a chill down Maia¡¯s spine. She hesitated, guilt pricking at her for eavesdropping, but they were talking about her. She had a right to know, didn¡¯t she? ¡°This is my problem, Lani,¡± Matthias shot back, his tone harsh. ¡°I know it is,¡± Lani snapped. ¡°That¡¯s the issue! You¡¯re endangering the poor girl, Matthias.¡± ¡°Endangering her? Nothing is more important to me than protecting her. Nothing.¡± His words came out fierce, laced with frustration. Maia froze, her breath caught in her throat. ¡°Oh really?¡± Lani challenged, refusing to back down. ¡°Because this sure as hells doesn¡¯t look like it. Those scravs murder people, Matthias. Whatever you¡¯ve done has drawn them here.¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Matthias'' voice rose, and Maia could almost picture him standing there, jaw clenched, eyes hard. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re leaving!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going Lindrao to open up those data archives, don¡¯t lie to me. This is about your Fatebond, I know it is. You¡¯re going to risk Maia because of it.¡± ¡°Maia is my Fatebond, Lani,¡± Matthias hissed, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to protect her. And that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡± Maia felt the world tilt beneath her feet. She stumbled back, her heart racing as if she¡¯d been punched in the gut. Her father knew? He¡¯d known all along what his Fatebond was? And he¡¯d lied to her? He¡¯d always claimed that¡ªlike her¡ªhe wasn¡¯t clear on what his demanded of him. That he was just in the dark about it as she was. But why? Why lie to her? And¡ªperhaps more importantly¡ªwhy was his Fatebond to protect her? He¡¯d always done that anyway, but he was her father, he was supposed to protect her, wasn¡¯t he? All of the implications of that revelation rushed at her. The fact that it was more than just love, more than just responsibility¡ªit was his Fatebond, something he couldn¡¯t escape from. And he¡¯d hidden it from her. All of it was too much to think about right now She quietly stepped away from the doorway, her feet barely making a sound as she made her way down the stairs. It wasn¡¯t the time for confrontations. Not yet. They were leaving tonight for Lindrao. She didn¡¯t want to risk her father changing his mind about that with her confronting him. Everything else could wait until after. ¡°You get what you need?¡± Nix asked as she stepped outside. Nix was idly fidgeting with a plant pot, oblivious to the conflict inside Maia. ¡°Oh what? Uhm, oh, I think I made a mistake, I¡¯ve got everything.¡± From above, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs. Lani and Matthias were coming, Lani looking as jovial as ever though Maia knew better now. Lani pulled Maia into a warm hug. "You look after your father, yes? The man never eats enough." ¡°Thanks, Lani. I will,¡± Maia returned the hug, holding on just a moment longer than usual. ¡°Got everything?¡± Matthias asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Maia tried to match it, to plaster on some semblance of excitement. ¡°Yeah. Got it all.¡± Lani glanced between them, eyes sharp, catching the tension in the air. ¡°Maybe you should wait until morning?¡± she suggested gently. ¡°No,¡± Matthias said firmly. ¡°We¡¯re going tonight.¡± Chapter 10 - The Dame Chapter 10 The Dame Sanjura - 886 (eleven years ago) ¡°Baba! Look, look!¡± Maia was excitedly pointing at the rusty orange cargo truck parked in the courtyard. A grey-haired man was unloading food crates. ¡°Not now, Maia,¡± Matthias shushed her as the Dame approached. The Dame was an elegant woman. Her dark hair had turned mostly white with age and she moved with the grace of a trained dancer. Even now, in the early morning, she was dressed as though she was heading to some fancy dinner or gala. She looked at Matthias as though he were an unwanted animal that had strayed into her garden. Not at all like he was about to give her six thousand shells. A damn fortune. ¡°You are Matthias,¡± the Dame greeted him stiffly. ¡°I am,¡± Matthias nodded, and held out his hand for her to shake. She looked at it, ignored and moved her eyes down to Maia. ¡°You certainly are a beautiful child,¡± she said warmly to her. Maia clutched Matthias¡¯ leg. ¡°A bit dirty but I suppose you¡¯ve been living out in the fringes, is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Matthias grunted. ¡°Not a very suitable place to raise a little girl¡ªor any child for that matter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. It is an honourable thing, to sacrifice everything for your child. Many would not do the same.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be safer here than out there with me.¡± ¡°Of course she will. The Academy is one of the safest places in the entire Holy Empire. Your daughter is exceptionally lucky that we even had a space for her. She will be raised amongst the very finest Sanjuric stock.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± The truck engine shuddered to life. It sounded like an old-world engine and likely running off algae fuel. It reminded Matthias of the agriculture vehicles that used to pull ploughs in the fields. The truck rumbled as the engine ticked over. Maia jumped with excitement. ¡°Baba, look, the truck!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be looking at trucks,¡± the Dame chided, ¡°you¡¯re a girl! But don¡¯t fret, all of those unseemly characteristics will be trained out of you here, girl.¡± At that comment, Maia recoiled further behind Matthias¡¯ leg. He found himself placing a protective hand on her head. She looked sad. It was a look on her face that he was well accustomed to, a puffed lower lip and big round eyes. That face often appeared whenever he would leave her to go on a contract. Or when it was time for her bath¡­ or when he served bitebug meat for dinner. He usually found the expression funny, because he knew that picking her up would make her happy again in an instant. But now he did not find it funny. It made him sad. ¡°You will learn all of the proper ways in which a Lady of the court should conduct herself,¡± the Dame beamed. ¡°Where and when you should speak. What you should dress for which occasion. We will even find appropriate courtiers for you when you come of age. Many of our pupils go on to marry future government officials or wealthy administrators. This is a place where we only train the very¡ª¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Matthias was only half-listening to the Dame¡¯s swaggering speech. He¡¯d expected as much from a fancy girl¡¯s academy in Sanjur. This was the heart of the Holy Empire after all. Women were traditionally encouraged to be wives and to raise children. Only poor women or those who had no family to care for them needed to work in this country. Sanjura was one of the remaining bastions of the old religion. Where people still believed in the power of Archons and their will, mainly because their city hadn¡¯t been ripped apart in the war like everywhere else. In pre-war times, Lindrao and Sanjura had been enemies, but all those old prejudiceness had been put aside when the Verdant had arrived. And, these days, the world was simply too broken for old disputes to flare up again. It had taken them three weeks to reach Sanjura. Riding trains, and buses and whatever else Matthias could find to get them here. It had been a long journey to make with a young child. But this was where she needed to be. He looked down at Maia. He could tell she wanted to leave. But this was the best place for her. As the Dame had said, there was no safer place. She would be protected here. Out in the wastelands, they were exposed. Any of the monsters or bandits could kill her out there¡­ but then again. Matthias had survived out there, hadn''t he? Admittedly, he wasn¡¯t a five-year-old girl when he first ventured out into the wastes. But Maia would have him to guide her. And, in truth, who else was better suited to keep her safe? Who else was cosmically bound to her wellbeing? ¡°¡ªAnd of course, there are the monthly galas that we hold to indoctr¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªon second thought,¡± Matthias held up his hand interrupting the Dame. She looked as though he had slapped her. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the right place for her. Come on, Maia, let¡¯s go.¡± He lifted her up into his arms and propped her on his hip. The smile she gave him made him feel a burst of warmth in his chest. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± the Dame stammered, ¡°what do you mean? Do you have any idea how prestigious this academy is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Matthias turned to leave. ¡°You are throwing away this poor girl¡¯s future!¡± her voice was rising, not yet with anger, just shock. ¡°I think she¡¯ll be fine with me,¡± he gave Maia a wink and she hugged her arms around his neck. ¡°You¡¯ve already paid a deposit! Do you want your two thousand shells to go to waste?!¡± That comment did make Matthias stop in his tracks. He turned to look back at her. The Dame¡¯s surprise had now escalated to anger. She likely wanted the rest of her due. ¡°You¡¯re right. It would be a waste, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± He nodded to the truck, ¡°tell you what. That thing¡¯s probably only got another few years left in her. Those old-world engines are hard to maintain.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± the Dame shook her head. The older gentleman who¡¯d been unloading the truck paused, now with the eyes of both the Dame and Matthias on him and the truck. ¡°You know,¡± Matthias mused, ¡°I¡¯d heard the Sanjuric factories on the outskirts of the city have started producing new models. How¡¯s about I buy that old truck offa you, and you can use the shells towards a vehicle that better suits the prestige of this place.¡± ¡°You wanna buy this old rust bucket?¡± The older man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve already given two thousand shells, let¡¯s say another three thousand, eh? Call it an even five.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Five thousand for this?! Sir, you¡¯ve lost your mind. But it¡¯s the Dame¡¯s call on it.¡± ¡°You would throw away your daughter¡¯s chance at a good life¡­ for this?¡± she gestured towards the truck. Matthias knew that the truck had once been worth a lot more than five thousand shells. And what this pair didn¡¯t realise was that old-world vehicles were a lot more reliable out in the wastes than any of the newer Verdant tech ones. Five thousand wasn¡¯t much of a price for a working carrier like this. Especially not considering what Matthias now had planned for it. The Dame clearly wanted Matthias¡¯ shells more than she wanted to argue because soon enough the shells had been exchanged, the keys to the truck handed over. The older man was emptying the last of the crates as Matthias and Maia approached. She had since moved up onto his shoulders. ¡°What d¡¯ya think?¡± Matthias asked brightly. ¡°I love it, Baba!¡± she shouted with excitement. ¡°What shall we call her, eh?¡± ¡°Umm,¡± Maia¡¯s face scrunched up as if this was the most important question she¡¯d ever been asked. ¡°How about Dame?¡± she said proudly. ¡°You know what,¡± Matthias chuckled, glancing over at the now red-faced Dame, ¡°I think that¡¯s a fantastic name for this old truck.¡± Chapter 11 - Breaths of Power Chapter 11 Breaths of Power The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground and painting the wastelands in hues of gold and amber. The wind was warm and dry as it breezed in through the window to the driver cab of the Dame. She leaned back in the driver seat, the hum of the engine beneath her feet a steady. Maia allowed herself to enjoy the moment. She hadn¡¯t let herself dwell too much on what she¡¯d overheard the night they left Red Market. She wasn¡¯t ready to confront it, not yet. Instead, she focused on the journey. On the wind in her hair and the warmth of the sun on her skin. This was what she wanted¡ªwhat she¡¯d been asking for. And she was going to enjoy it. Her father even let her drive. She¡¯d only driven the Dame a handful of times before she¡¯d finally broken down. Back then, her legs hadn¡¯t even been long enough to reach the pedals. She drove the truck now, while her father dozed in the passenger seat, the warm breeze ruffling his greying hair. They were two days into the journey, and his mood had been lighter than she¡¯d seen in months. They were hunting along the way, cooking whatever they could catch, not yet cracking into the supplies they¡¯d packed. It felt good¡ªnatural, even. He was even letting her control the music. She took great pride in her choices, grinning every time her father stirred from sleep at a particularly well-timed beat. This was how it was supposed to feel¡ªfree, the world opening up to them [Now playing: Losu tracks 14: Ahead On Our Way] It was a very fitting title for a road trip. It wasn¡¯t exactly a road they were driving on. More like a worn track in the dirt. They¡¯d taken this route many times before, it led to the Dry Cliffs, but soon they would cut east towards Lindrao. She loved this part of the route, the red cliffs loomed in the distance, jagged and fierce, but what Maia loved most were how vibrant the purple cracks in the sky where out here. Most people feared them, but to her, they were beautiful¡ªlike threads of crystal weaving across the sky. Maia¡¯s grin spread wide as she her thoughts¡ªonce again¡ªfound their way to Lindrao city. She was trying to enjoy the moment but she was also very excited to see Lindrao again. The giant red bridge that stretched across the chasm was an epic sight. Even the landscape itself around Lindrao was so much more interesting than the wastes. There was greenery. Well, at least a little. There were the remnants of woodlands, still clinging to their old vibrancy. She could remember it all a little from when they¡¯d left Lindrao a few years ago. She glanced back at her father. And this was also for him too. He might not ever talk about her, but Maia knew that he still thought about Kyra. He¡¯d never started seeing anyone else anyway. Not that she knew about anyway, and it was kind of hard to keep a hidden girlfriend from your daughter when you both lived in a truck. And Kyra missed Matthias too. She was sure about that. She¡¯d ask about how he was doing in her letters, she wouldn¡¯t have done that if she didn¡¯t care about him. This was for all of them. They¡¯d been happy when they all lived together in Lindrao, hadn¡¯t they? At least it seemed to her like it was only after they left the undercity was when her father had started being the miserable grouch that he was. The truck jolted over a rock, and Matthias woke with a start, his eyes snapping open. Maia couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the look of surprise on his face. ¡°We can stop soon, I reckon,¡± he muttered, rubbing his eyes and scanning the landscape ahead. ¡°You remember that camp by that old abandoned mill?¡± ¡°I know the one.¡± ¡°If I remember right there¡¯s a bunch of cacti there, we¡¯ll practise your abilities tonight.¡± ¡°Not on the cacti!¡± She protested. ¡°Better than people.¡± ¡°Nix would disagree,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Yeah, well, good thing she¡¯s not here then,¡± he replied dryly. A comfortable silence settled between them as they drove on. The cliffs in the distance slowing growing larger. The occasional clumps of rusted machinery marking their way. ¡°I like this one,¡± Matthias said, nodding toward the Dame¡¯s audio player where the soft melody of the track still played. ¡°This is from those Verdant caches, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Huh, sounds like a song I¡¯d heard in Lindrao. What was the name on those tracks again?¡± ¡°Losu.¡± ¡°Maybe this Losu guy just went about collecting songs from all the places the Verdant destroyed.¡± ¡°Grim way to look at it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± Matthias frowned, his thoughts clearly drifting. ¡°The Verdant came, and despite what they promised people, they burned and they didn¡¯t stop burning.¡± ¡°Promises?¡± ¡°Some folk joined the Verdant. They came in with big promises of restoring our world, or some shit. But it was all lies. They wanted to break our world, suck it dry and that¡¯s what they did.¡± ¡°Those verdant scravs back at Red Market¡­ what do you think their Fatebonds are?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Best not to think on that.¡± ¡°But I mean, if the Verdant are gone¡­ why would they have left scravs behind with Fatebonds unfilled. Seems cruel?¡± It was something she¡¯d been wondering about for a while. ¡°No more cruel than the Archons leaving us with ours,¡± he replied bitterly. ¡°But the Archons died. The Verdant left,¡± she emphasised but Matthias just shrugged in response. The nothing answer wasn¡¯t enough for Maia. She was curious. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to them when they don¡¯t fulfil their Fatebonds?¡± She pressed on. ¡°Same thing that happens to all of us,¡± Matthias said, glancing at her. ¡°We die.¡± ¡°But what determines it?¡± This was the part she was confused about. ¡°If both the Verdant and the Archons are gone? Who decides if the Fatebond was fulfilled or not?¡± ¡°Nothing to do with those powers anymore, I guess. I think it¡¯s something inside of us. Once we give up, maybe. Once we know in our hearts that we can¡¯t fulfil it. Maybe there¡¯s some killswitch in there, wired up in our brains when we got these damn Fatebonds.¡± He sounded sad then, frustrated even. Which sparked Maia¡¯s annoyance a little. What did he have to be sad about? If his Fatebond was to protect her, then it wasn¡¯t like his was at any risk. He was going to do that anyway. He¡¯s her father! But maybe that was the problem. Maybe as she got older¡ªand more reckless as Matthias liked to say¡ªthe risk to her was growing, and therefore the risk to him? She didn¡¯t know why that thought bothered her so much. She shook her head to clear it out of her mind. She didn¡¯t want to think about any of that right now. The whole point of this trip was to have fun. Not mope about Fatebonds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kiddo,¡± he said then, his voice softening, he must have picked up on her shifted demeanour. ¡°We¡¯ll find out what your Fatebond is. We¡¯ll get it done.¡± That wasn¡¯t what she was annoyed about, but she gave her father points for trying. Truth was, Maia wasn¡¯t too bothered by her own Fatebond. She didn¡¯t know what it was, so it didn¡¯t scare her. She was confident that whatever it was she could handle it. *** "Just focus," Matthias instructed, his voice gruff, as he stood a few feet away. Their small fire crackled not far away, casting long shadows across the desert floor. "Pull the energy in, hold it, and shape it. It¡¯s not that hard." ¡°I am focusing,¡± Maia muttered, her fingers twitching in frustration. ¡°You¡¯re not," Matthias countered, his voice tightening with impatience. "You¡¯re barely trying. You¡¯re holding back." Maia glanced at him, her jaw clenched. She hated this. Hated when he got like this¡ªpushing her to do something she didn¡¯t even fully understand. And worse, something that felt wrong. ¡°I¡¯m not holding back,¡± she said through gritted teeth, her eyes fixed on the tall cactus standing in front of her. ¡°You are," Matthias said flatly, stepping closer. "You need to stop being scared of your own power, Maia. It¡¯s part of you, whether you like it or not." "I¡¯m not scared!" Maia¡¯s voice was louder than she intended, frustration boiling over. She wasn¡¯t scared of the power itself¡ªshe just didn¡¯t want to use it the way he wanted her to. It didn¡¯t feel right. Draining life from the plants, shaping it into something destructive¡­ it wasn¡¯t her. ¡°Watch,¡± Matthias said, raising his hand toward the cactus. Maia watched in silent discomfort as the vibrant green began to fade, the plant slowly withering, drying up, its skin cracking and turning grey as he drained the life from it. The faint teal mist that emanated from his skin was like a ghostly vapour, swirling around him as he absorbed the energy. ¡°You can feel the life energy in this, I know you can, you¡¯ve told me as much before,¡± he said. ¡°And I know you can draw on it the way that I can.¡± He sighed. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re approaching this wrong. Tell me, how does it feel, to you?¡± She turned to another cactus nearby, holding out her hand, letting it hover just above the spikes. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, trying to block out her father¡¯s heavy presence next to her. ¡°It feels¡­ fresh.¡± ¡°That''s just the smell.¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not, it''s more like a feeling¡­ an idea?¡± she cocked her head. ¡°Interesting,¡± Matthias stepped closer to her, ¡°let¡¯s work with that. Where exactly do you feel this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ breathing it,¡± and then added quickly, ¡°but it¡¯s not the smell, it¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay,¡± he chuckled softly, his patience surprising her. ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. Your overlay isn¡¯t picking up anything?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied. ¡°Alright¡­ I want you to try breathing in that feeling. Not sensing it the way you currently are. I want you to visualise drawing all of that into you in a breath.¡± She nodded, taking a deep breath and focusing her mind on that idea. Of pulling in that sense of life from the cactus in front of her. She felt it fill her lungs. That freshness, full and energising and alive. She gasped, her eyes snapping open. She could feel it everywhere now, coursing through her. She glanced down at her hands, seeing a soft green mist surrounding her fingertips. The feeling was intoxicating. She trembled, overwhelmed by the raw, unshaped power flowing through her. ¡°Yes,¡± her father¡¯s voice urged her on. ¡°Now, focus. Shape that energy. Your arcanum overlay will guide you.¡± Maia¡¯s eyes darted to the overlay windows hovering in her vision, but there was nothing there. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, Ba,¡± she whispered. ¡°They work by picking up your own power, you need to give it shape. Concentrate on pushing that energy forward in a blast.¡± She stared at the withered husk of the cactus in front of her. How could something that felt so right have come from something that felt so wrong? She felt her resolve falter. She hesitated but then thrust her hand forward, focusing on expelling the energy just as her father had instructed. But nothing happened. The mist just continued to flow out of her, gently falling and evaporating into nothing before even touching the ground. Her breath was coming in ragged now, the excitement and intoxication draining out of her. The light of the green mist about her fading away until she was again cast in the flickering orange light of their campfire, and the faint purple hue of the cracks in the sky above. "Better," Matthias said, satisfaction clear in his voice. He didn¡¯t seem to notice the shift in her mood, didn¡¯t see the way she hugged her arms tighter around herself filled with a horrible sense of regret. She knew she shouldn¡¯t feel this way, it was just a cactus after all. But still, it felt wrong. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for tonight,¡± he took a sniff, ¡°I think the meat¡¯s ready,¡± glancing over at the smoking pot over the fire. Maia nodded, though her heart wasn¡¯t in it. It wasn¡¯t supposed to feel this way. She ate plants all the time. She hunted and ate animals too. She¡¯d fought and killed scuttlers and other monsters of the wastes. She¡¯d taken life before. This shouldn¡¯t be any different. "It¡¯s just a cactus," Maia murmured, almost trying to convince herself. Her father was already crouched by the fire, poking at the pot, oblivious to her discomfort. As she turned to follow him, she felt a sudden sting on her shin. Startled, she glanced down to see a small cactus at her feet, its prickly needles poking through her trouser leg. Odd. She hadn¡¯t noticed that one before. Looking closer, she realised there were more. Small clusters of cacti that hadn¡¯t been there just moments ago. That¡¯s weird. She hadn¡¯t noticed any of these earlier. Chapter 12 - The Arcanum System Chapter 12 The Arcanum System The Wastelands - 890 (seven years ago) Nine-year-old Maia sat cross-legged in the cramped space at the back of the truck. The walls were covered with hanging tools, cables, and bits of scavenged tech that always seemed to accumulate no matter how much they tried to keep it organised. It was their makeshift home, a rugged place that suited the wastelands¡ªbut not for the kind of training she was about to do. She loved when her father would take her out of the city for trips in the Dame. She¡¯d spent much of her childhood living in it, so that it was comfortable to slot back into. This time they¡¯d driven out into the wastes and her father had salvaged something he said was very important for her future. Matthias sat across from her on an old stool, checking over a small silver device with slow, methodical movements, his eyes occasionally glancing up at her. He¡¯d cleared the back of the truck to give them space, leaving only the essentials tucked into the corners. ¡°Alright,¡± Matthias said, his voice gruff. ¡°You ready?¡± Maia shifted uncomfortably, the coarse fabric of her worn-out trousers scratching her legs. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Do not be afraid,¡± Matthias instructed, ¡°it will sting a little but the arcanum will not hurt you¡­ just a pinch in your mind, and then it will work with your overlays.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Maia replied, but her muscles were tense, betraying her. ¡°Then we shall begin,¡± Matthias pressed the needle against Maia¡¯s thumb, the point piercing her skin enough to draw blood. At first nothing seemed to be different and then her vision blurred. She suddenly felt an overwhelming nausea, then a sharp pain erupted in her head. She felt like someone was trying to pry out her eyes with a hot spoon. Something bizarre appeared in her field of vision. It was ephemeral, like it didn¡¯t really exist in the world. Her vision flickered and warped, and she was back in the ruin with her father, huddling around the campfire. As the blinding pain in her forehead dissipated, a blue box with white symbols appeared in front of her.
????¡Ñ¡à
Maia whimpered softly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Matthias asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine,¡± Maia responded in a barely audible breath. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°Ow,¡± Maia pressed her hand to her head as another headache shot through her mind, ¡°feels like an engine revving inside my brain.¡± The blue box shifted and warped and a row of new symbols appeared.
???¡Ñ¡à???¡Ë
¡°What does all this mean?¡± Maia said through gritted teeth. The text blurred again and began rapidly shifting between different shapes. Before finally taking form into characters that Maia recognised.
Language Calibration Complete.
Unknown Controller¡­ Initialising Arcanum System.
Executing neural nexus scan¡­
¡°What does it say?¡± Matthias asked patiently. ¡°It wants to execu¡ª¡± another sharp blinding pain tore through her. Her eyes felt like they were on fire. She couldn¡¯t even make a sound, her mouth silently working.
Neural nexus scan complete.
Hello Maia, Welcome to #7H;Err!
Current Planet Identified: #4166 - #7H;Err! Known to inhabitants as ¡°Solysterra¡±
¡°It knows my name,¡± Maia whispered. She shook her head trying to dispel the blue boxes, she was sick of looking at them. They winked out of existence as quickly as they¡¯d appeared. ¡°Good,¡± Matthias nodded, ¡°then it is done.¡± The pain was receding away. ¡°So the headaches will stop?¡± Maia could hear the element of pleading in her voice. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That was more than a pinch,¡± Maia glared at her father. ¡°What does it say now?¡± Matthias asked, ignoring her comment. ¡°Nothing, I shook my head and it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t need to actually move to do that, simply will them to be hidden, and they will comply,¡± Matthias advised, ¡°call them back.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How?¡± As if in answer to her question the boxes suddenly reappeared in the centre of her vision. I wish they wouldn¡¯t block so much of my sight. The boxes then shifted to the corner. ¡°It can read my thoughts,¡± Maia gasped. ¡°It is your thoughts. Do not be alarmed,¡± Matthias said, ¡°the arcanum is not a sentient entity, it is merely an extension of your own mind, supplemented with the knowledge and understanding of the Verdant.¡± ¡°The Verdant were demons though, does this mean there¡¯s a demon inside me?¡± ¡°Superstition,¡± Matthias spat, ¡°I see Lani has been in your ear. There is no such thing as demons. The church simply deems any legacy of the Verdant as ¡°demonic¡± but that is all myth and folly. You need to leave all of that nonsense Lani taught you in the past. Now, tell me, what do you see?¡± ¡°Blue boxes with text on them.¡± ¡°Really? Huh,¡± her father chuckled. ¡°I thought you had the same one?¡± Maia asked, worry creeping into her tone. ¡°Mine are black,¡± Matthias shrugged, ¡°it is inconsequential, I think. What do they say?¡±
Name Maia Cain
Age 9
Species Human
Attributes
Strength 2
Dexterity 4
Vitality 5
Umbra [Attribute is locked - cannot assess]
Maia read the information that was visible out loud, her father nodding along. ¡°Good,¡± he said after she was done. ¡°What is umbra, and why is it locked? Is yours locked?¡± ¡°Umbra gives strength to our scrav-powers, yours has a lock in place until you turn sixteen.¡± ¡°Seems arbitrary,¡± Maia replied, ¡°who decided that?¡± ¡°The Archons.¡± ¡°Why would a god care about my magic?¡± ¡°The lock acts as a limiter, preventing you from using your full power until you are ready to. Also the Archons were not gods, do not think of them as such. They were powerful creatures, but that is all they were. They lived and they died, just as all other beasts on this world do.¡± Matthias spoke the words harshly and with such disdain that Maia felt herself recoiling.
Abilities Assessment Complete
Class Soulrender
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Life Drain Siphon life energy from plants, animals, and enemies to restore your own mana. None 0%
Forcefield Manipulation Generate energy barriers by manipulating latent energy in the environment. 30 seconds 0%
Augmentation Use ambient umbra energy to temporarily increase your physical traits, including strength, speed and vitality. 5 minutes 16%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
Assigning an Arcanum Class based on existing traits and abilities
Arcanum Sub-Class Assigned
Class Phase Shifter
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Shadow Dash Speed is increased by 100x for 0.2 seconds allowing for near instantaneous movement 3 minutes 0%
Phase Evade Parts of your body can become incorporeal for 0.2 seconds, any physical damage is negated. Ethereal force damage can still take effect 5 minutes 0%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
¡°What is all of this?¡± Maia asked. ¡°These are your scrav-powers,¡± Matthias answered. ¡°But what does it all mean?¡± ¡°The arcanum system works with your overlays to give you a visual display of what your body already knows intuitively. It will help guide us as we train with your scrav-powers. You¡¯re still too young really to understand much of how this works but I will begin teaching you.¡± Maia blinked, her vision still a little fuzzy from the blue boxes as they flickered out of sight. The pain in her head had finally begun to ebb, but a dull throb remained. She didn¡¯t like this¡­ any of it. Not the Arcanum, not the strange, unsettling feeling that had taken root deep inside her chest. ¡°Call the interface back,¡± Matthias said, his voice cutting through her thoughts. She hesitated, looking up at him. He stood there, calm and expectant, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. It wasn¡¯t. But she wasn¡¯t about to admit that. She closed her eyes and willed the boxes back, the symbols flickering into place. ¡°Good,¡± Matthias said with a nod. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll start slow. The abilities will come in time.¡± Abilities. Fatebonds. Scrav-powers. The words rattled in her mind like loose gears. None of it made sense, not yet. ¡°You¡¯ll learn to control it,¡± he added, though his tone was more commanding than comforting. ¡°You¡¯ll be strong, Maia.¡± She wanted to believe him. She wanted to feel strong. But the truth was, the moment that Arcanum had opened inside her, she felt smaller than ever. The strange names of powers and classes¡­ it was too much, too fast. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some dinner going,¡± Matthias said, his hand on her shoulder now. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. We¡¯ll take this one step at a time.¡± She gave him a small nod, her eyes still glued to the place where the boxes had disappeared. As if something might crawl out of the air again. As she turned to follow him, a final message blinked into existence in the corner of her vision, faint but undeniable:
Arcanum Stabilisation Incomplete
Shutting down additional arcanum functions
Awaiting User Activation
Her breath hitched, but before she could process it, the message blinked away, leaving her alone in the cool warm cab. She wasn¡¯t ready. Not yet. But as she glanced at her father as he climbed out of the Dame. She knew there was no going back. Chapter 13 - A New World Chapter 13 A New World Maia stirred awake, squinting against the morning light filtering through the cracked pane of her cabin window in the Dame. A soft buzz hummed in her vision, her overlay flickering to life, icons shifting and drifting in the periphery. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep, when a strange pattern of symbols caught her attention, pulsing faintly in a shade of deep blue. That was weird, her overlays never alerted her to anything first thing in the morning like this. They usually only reacted to different types of technology. At first, she thought it was some glitch in her overlays. Her control device that she normally kept over her ear was just by the bed and she reached over to reset it. Then realised it was already off. What the hell? That can¡¯t be right, she was seeing the overlays, it couldn¡¯t be off?
Arcanum Stabilisation Complete
Activating all Arcanum Functions
¡­
She bolted upright in her bed. The Arcanum system! She hadn¡¯t seen it since she was a kid. Her father had set it up, calling it a ¡°guide¡± for her scrav-powers. Over time, though, she¡¯d practically forgotten about it. Her father barely mentioned it anymore, only occasionally asking if she got prompts for anything related to her powers. Otherwise, he¡¯d left it alone, as if waiting for something¡ªsome signal she¡¯d never picked up on. But now, here it was, waking itself up after years of silence.
Arcanum Functions Activated
Abilities Assessment Complete
Class Soulrender
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Life Drain Siphon life energy from plants, animals, and enemies to restore your own mana. None 0.03%
Forcefield Manipulation Generate energy barriers by manipulating latent energy in the environment. 30 seconds 0.01%
Augmentation Use ambient umbra energy to temporarily increase your physical traits, including strength, speed and vitality. 5 minutes 100%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
Arcanum Sub-Class Abilities - Reactivated
Class Phase Shifter
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Shadow Dash Speed is increased by 100x for 0.2 seconds allowing for near instantaneous movement 3 minutes 0%
Phase Evade Parts of your body can become incorporeal for 0.2 seconds, any physical damage is negated. Ethereal force damage can still take effect 5 minutes 0%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
She sucked in a breath. These were her scrav-powers. This was what her father had meant every time he asked what her overlays told her about her abilities. She vaguely remembered seeing it once, ages ago, back when she was too young to make sense of it. Shadow Dash and Phase Evade. She couldn¡¯t recall ever doing anything that matched those names before. Curiosity flickered in her mind, sparking a thrill she hadn¡¯t felt in ages. Maia slipped out of the Dame, her bare feet touching the dry ground, the sun hadn¡¯t yet scorched it and it felt cool underfoot. The Arcanum system pulsed again, displaying a faint, translucent map in her vision. It marked landmarks she hadn¡¯t noticed before¡ªa cluster of stones overgrown with desert moss, a trail of faint footprints leading out toward the horizon. Even the temperature shifts of the land came alive in her vision, layers of warmth and coolness undulating like waves, all insights she hadn¡¯t realised she could access with her overlays. With a thought the map receded to a corner of her field of vision. ¡°Everything alright?¡± Matthias asked. He was already busy packing up the Dame to get back on the road. How much easier would her journeys have been if she¡¯d had this all along? The system seemed to sense energy patterns in the landscape too, overlaying subtle traces of life that appeared as faintly pulsing light. It was¡­ extraordinary. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d let this tool lie dormant for so long. Slowly, Maia extended her hand towards a clump of thorny brush nearby, watching as the Arcanum displayed the plant¡¯s life energy. Beneath the ground she could see its roots pulsing with a gentle green light that mirrored the rhythm of a heartbeat. Her scrav-powers tingled faintly at her fingertips, responding instinctively to the information in front of her. She didn¡¯t drain the life this time, only hovered on the edge, marvelling at the energy coiled inside each twisting branch.
Lifeform Type Plant
Name Urdantus Spiculata (Common Name: Desert Thorn)
Description A hardy, drought-resistant shrub native to the dry wastelands and arid plateaus of Solysterra. Urdantus Spiculata, or Desert Thorn, is known for its dense, interwoven branches and sharp, spine-covered stems that deter most desert animals. These plants often grow in small clusters, their tangled shapes offering shelter to smaller creatures seeking refuge from the desert''s harsh climate.
Physical Characteristics Height: Typically grows up to 1 meter in height, though some clusters can reach nearly 1.5 meters in wetter seasons. Leaves: Small, silver-green and oval-shaped, the leaves are covered with a thin layer of protective wax to retain moisture.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Flowers: Small, yellowish blossoms appear only after rare desert rains, emitting a faint, citrus-like scent. Thorns: Prominent, sharp thorns run along the entire length of each branch, with larger spines concentrated near the base.
Life Energy Resonance Pulsing light marked by Arcanum system corresponds to the plant''s steady nutrient absorption from the parched soil, which enables it to endure long stretches of drought.
Energy Value The plant¡¯s life energy can be safely drained at low quantities, providing a weak restorative effect. However, its energy reserves are minimal and deplete quickly if harvested aggressively.
Medicinal Properties Urdantus Spiculata possesses latent healing energy in its roots, which can assist in wound cleansing and minor infection prevention when ground into a paste.
¡°Ohhhh Archons!¡± Maia blurted, her voice bursting with a mix of awe and exhilaration. ¡°What is it?¡± Matthias asked, concern written all over his face as he hurried toward her. ¡°This is what the Arcanum system could do this whole time?¡± She spun to face him, her eyes bright with excitement. She felt like she''d just uncovered a hidden treasure.
Further Analysis¡­ Additional notes from the Ecogenesis Archivist have been located regarding Urdantus Spiculata data files. Would you like to understand more?
Yes No
¡°Um! Hells yeah, I do!¡±
Notes - Brael Gainsby, Lead Ecogenesis Archivist (local year 812)
Lore and Cultural Significance The Desert Thorn is respected by the people of the wastelands for its survival ability and resilience. Some desert-dwellers believe that carrying a thorn from the plant brings protection and resilience in battle. Its spiky branches are sometimes used by merchants to fortify tents and temporary structures in windy regions, as they naturally interlock when placed together.
Arcanum Detection Properties The Arcanum system registers Urdantus Spiculata as a low-intensity energy source, making it useful for training in basic scrav-powers. The plant¡¯s energy signature serves as a useful training focus, allowing young scravs to practise drawing in and releasing energy in controlled amounts.
Archivist¡¯s Commentary This plant¡¯s sharp thorns should be avoided by novices practising energy absorption, as the spikes can penetrate deep into skin and are difficult to extract.
¡°Has it always done this?¡± Maia whirled on her father, barely able to contain herself. ¡°What are you talking about Maia?¡± ¡°This!" She gestured at the floating Arcanum text boxes, still glowing faintly in the air around her. ¡°I can¡¯t see your overlays,¡± Matthias pointed out. ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± She instinctively reached up to her control to enable sharing, only to remember she hadn¡¯t even put it on. But as if reading her intent, the Arcanum system responded, and the displays became visible to Matthias. "Huh," he grunted, nodding with mild appreciation. "Impressive¡­ mine doesn¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°These look like notes from someone called a Lead Ecogenesis Archivist. You know what that is?¡± Maia asked, eyes scanning the detailed text. ¡°If I were to guess,¡± Matthias mused, ¡°some Verdant researcher? They surely did a lot of research on our planet¡¯s flora and fauna¡­ we¡¯ve salvaged a lot of data archives from all Verdant junk over the years. Maybe a lot of this data¡¯s just been buried in those that we never got around to digging through.¡± ¡°Flora and¡­ fauna,¡± Maia repeated, eyes narrowing as an idea struck. The Arcanum overlay cast Matthias in a faint, pulsing purple light¡ªsimilar to the green aura she¡¯d seen over the plants. Curious, she extended her hand toward him, and the floating boxes fuzzed and shifted, new fields flickering into appearance.
Lifeform Type Human / Sacred Ravager Vessel (Common Name: Scrav)
Enhancement Source [Locked]
Name Matthias Cain
Description [Cannot Assess]
Physical Characteristics Height: 6''2" / 188 cm Build: Muscular, resilient, with a hardened physique from years of combat. Likely elements of scrav-enhancement. Distinctive Traits: Faint teal-blue glow emanates from his skin when actively using scrav-powers. Several scars from past battles, notably one across his left brow
Life Energy Resonance [Locked]
Energy Value [Locked]
Scrav Abilities [Locked]
Primary Class Soulbound Protector
Arcanum Sub-Class Shieldbearer
Arcanum analysing Fatebond information
Fatebond Type [Locked]
Fatebond Duty [Locked]
Binding Origin [Locked]
Arcanum system compiling assessment¡­
Data compiled from visual analysis, data records in existing system and arcanum host system. Matthias Cain exhibits signs of advanced energy manipulation typically observed in scravs who have fully integrated their Fatebond with their scrav-powers. Combat Notes: He demonstrates high compatibility with life-force energy and is known to instinctively alter his approach to combat based on his environment and nearby energy sources. Cautionary Note: The Arcanum system detects potential overreliance on Life Drain abilities in combat, which could result in long-term physical and mental strain if used in excess.
"Whoa¡­" Maia breathed, eyes widening. "What¡¯s ¡®Sacred Ravager Vessel¡¯ supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s us. Scravs. But Sacred Ravager Vessel is a bit of a mouthful,¡± Matthias said tightly. She watched his gaze flick over his profile, his shoulders relaxing as he scanned it. ¡°¡®Overreliance on Life Drain abilities,¡¯¡± he scoffed. ¡°My ass. I barely use ¡¯em.¡± ¡°Why is so much of it locked?¡± Maia asked, frowning at the restricted sections marked as [Locked]. ¡°Hmmm,¡± he rubbed at the stubble on his chin, ¡°It says the data is coming from a mix of what your overlays already know and can see, plus info the Arcanum system has stored. So, a lot of this is just scrav basics and assumptions. But it¡¯s¡­ surprisingly useful.¡± ¡°Yours doesn¡¯t do this?¡± ¡°No,¡± he tutted, ¡°would be pretty handy if it did¡­ I know that the Verdant designed the Arcanum System to supplement scrav abilities, that it works with them. Maybe your Life Drain ability is a little different to mine. Could be that it¡¯s feeding you info on your target¡¯s state when you focus on them.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not draining you.¡± "Not fully, no. But there¡¯s a small, subconscious connection when you focus. I¡¯m blocking it easily, so there¡¯s no harm, but¡­ yeah, you¡¯re pulling a bit.¡± Maia stumbled back a few steps, the text boxes vanishing as a look of horror swept across her face. ¡°I was¡­ I was trying to drain you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ like I said. It was weak, and I¡¯m blocking against it easily. Likely another reason why so much of that information was locked from your senses. We¡¯ll only make a little distance today and focus more on practising your abilities. Give you more control.¡± Maia wasn¡¯t so convinced. She felt disgusted at herself that she¡¯d been subconsciously trying to life drain her father. The thought terrified her. What if that had happened with Nix or Lani, or anybody else? Someone who didn¡¯t know how to shield themselves from her. But that train of thought only further cemented it in Maia¡¯s mind that she really needed to figure out how to use her abilities properly¡­ Even if that meant absorbing the life from a few plants to figure that out. "We¡¯re in no rush today, Maia,¡± Matthias gave her a steady, reassuring look. ¡°Take your time with it. Control comes with practice.¡± She nodded apprehensively. Maia followed her father back to the Dame. She tried to shake off the nagging guilt, focusing instead on the road ahead, of what was waiting for them in Lindrao. She¡¯d learn to control her powers. She¡¯d always known that she would one day need to. As she climbed into the passenger, the engine roared to life, her father firing it up. The wheels crunched the earth as he drove away from their camp. Maia¡¯s gaze drifted to the desert stretching beyond them. It wasn¡¯t long before her mind wandered back to the Arcanum and its functions. Despite the realisation of how it was gathering that information, she couldn¡¯t deny how useful it was. As if in response to her thought process, the Arcanum overlays appeared casting faint, pulsing colours over the landscape. There was far more life than she''d ever noticed before¡ªsubtle greens and golds, small flickers of blue from hidden patches of moss or hardy shrubs clinging to survival in the sands. Tiny notes of moving patches red which she figured were likely small animals. SHe thought then about insects and microbial life her vision became dominated by swirling colours. Okay, don¡¯t focus on the microscopic life then. It returned back then to more obvious lifeforms. She was beginning to realise the Arcanum system was very adaptive to her own thoughts and intentions. Showing her overlays only relating to what it thought she wanted to see. They passed a cluster of cacti¡ªhighlighted vibrant green by the overlay¡ªand she opened her palm towards them, but she was too far away and moving too fast for her abilities to make a connection, so no information appeared. That was okay, there would be plenty of time later to toy with that. She watched, mesmerised, as these patterns of life dotted the wasteland, each pulse of energy unique¡­ intricate. Something else caught her attention in the wasteland. A strange dark shape, barely visible, flickered at the edge of her vision. The light that this thing seemed to pulse with was not exactly light, but with a kind of dark energy. As if pure blackness could radiate a light. It felt like a deep absence in the spectrum of life she was beginning to see. The shadow seemed to shift and twist as if aware of her gaze. She blinked, trying to focus on it, willing her overlays to bring it into view. But when she looked again, it was gone. A shiver crept down her spine, the sense of being watched settling uneasily in her chest. "Maia?" Matthias¡¯s voice pulled her back. ¡°Yeah, ba?¡± ¡°Want to pick us a tune?¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­ sure.¡± [Now Playing: Losu Track #26: Schala]
Arcanum System detecting additional informational data relating to this audio archive.
Would you like to review?
Yes No
Maia tilted her head, smirking at the unexpected prompt. She hit yes and was flooded with information about the track. Losu, as it turned out, had been a Cultural Archivist for the Verdant and had been tasked with recording and archiving music and songs across their world. She skimmed through Losu¡¯s notes, detailing where he¡¯d found this specific song, the names of the musicians, the history and origins. Even Losu''s thoughts on the tune¡¯s cultural impact. Maia felt a surge of fascination as she read the archivist¡¯s musings. Grinning, she sank back into her seat. For her, this was going to be a very interesting drive today. Chapter 14 - Cassix Station Chapter 14 Cassix Station [Now Playing: Losu Track #55 Eterna Forest] Cassix Station was a tangled skeleton of metal, its beams twisting out of the cracked earth like the bones of a long-dead giant. Decades of sandstorms had eaten away at the structure, leaving it jagged and corroded. At its centre, the silhouette of a broken radar tower leaned precariously, its shadow stretched thin against the dusky horizon. The Dame rolled along the crumbling tarmac with a rumble, her wheels kicking up small puffs of dust and grit. The cracked road here was a rarity in the wastelands, but it seemed as worn and beaten as everything else. ¡°We¡¯ll grab some supplies and stay the night,¡± Matthias said. ¡°But we¡¯re not staying any longer than we have to.¡± Maia nodded, though she wasn¡¯t about to argue. She¡¯d never liked Cassix Station. Fires crackled in makeshift pits scattered around the encampment, the scent of roasting meat and spiced roots curling through the air, but it did little to make the place feel welcoming. This wasn¡¯t a home to anyone. It was a waypoint, a brief respite for wanderers before they braved the wastes again. SShe scanned the travellers gathered there¡ªrugged figures with weathered skin and battered gear. Some tinkered with skimmers that looked held together by sheer stubbornness, others loaded supplies onto wiry pack beasts with knotted ropes. That it was always busy here was strange, considering the sheer isolation of the place, but nobody dared linger too long. Not just because of the wasteland''s dangers, but because of something else. ¡°This place gives me the creeps,¡± Maia muttered, her fingers tapping idly against the dashboard. Matthias gave her a sideways glance as he brought the Dame to a halt near a cluster of vehicles that looked like they¡¯d seen better centuries. "Safer to stop here than out in the open," he said, though his tone was distracted. His eyes were already scanning the encampment. ¡°Something about this place keeps the scuttlers and all the other nasties in the wastelands away.¡± "Yeah, that''s not creepy at all," Maia replied, rolling her eyes. She leaned forward, squinting at a cluster of travellers around a fire. ¡°We¡¯ll keep to ourselves, just re-supply and rest up. Stay close to the Dame.¡± His eyes fixed on a group of rough looking men wearing mismatched scavenged armour. ¡°And stay alert.¡± He opened his door and stepped out. Maia followed, jumping down onto the cracked asphalt. She cast a glance up at the strange tower over the makeshift camp, the faint feeling of unease prickling at the back of her neck. ¡°What even was this place?¡± she asked. ¡°Some kind of military base during the Verdant war,¡± Matthias replied, making his way over to what looked like a travelling merchant. ¡°Could there be anything useful in the ruins?¡± she pressed, trailing behind him. ¡°Not a chance. This place has been picked clean for decades.¡± ¡°Were you ever here? You know, when it was operational?¡± She tried again. ¡°No. It was ruins before I even enlisted,¡± he said, his tone gruff. ¡°One of the first spots the Verdant landed in this region.¡± ¡°Why here?¡± ¡°Why build a base here?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Why did the Verdant land here of all places?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Matthias shrugged, his attention already drifting back to the merchant. His usual signal that he wasn¡¯t in the mood for a long conversation. SMaia sighed, rolling her eyes at his retreating back. He could be infuriatingly tight-lipped sometimes. Shaking her head, she turned her focus inward, tapping into her overlays. The last few days had been a whirlwind of discovery, her Arcanum system¡¯s new scanning functions keeping her occupied. With a flicker of intent, her vision lit up with faint markers and a ripple of data scrolling across her view. There had to be something interesting here¡ªsomething new. She focused her gaze on the sprawling wreckage around them, the tangled beams and crumbling structures. Maybe there was a patch of flora hidden around somewhere. Just as she activated the scan, a bold message burst into Maia¡¯s vision:
Energy anomaly detected. Residual source intensity: Moderate. Location: 17 meters southeast.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Maia froze mid-step, her father still walking ahead, oblivious. That was strange. What¡¯s an¡­ energy anomaly? Her curiosity sparked, and she turned slowly toward the marked direction. Her father didn¡¯t even glance back.
Residual energy signature identified. Source: Fatebond nexus site.
¡°Fatebond nexus?¡± she murmured aloud. Her overlays had flagged plenty of things over the last few days¡ªplants, ruins, scuttler trails¡ªbut this¡­ this was different. She focused on the anomaly, and the text shifted to reveal a map of the base. A glowing orange marker pulsed in the shadow of an old storage building, its broken roof leaning precariously against the tower¡¯s skeletal remains. ¡°Ba,¡± Maia called over her shoulder, her tone cautious. ¡°You ever see something like this before?¡±
Site registered as Nexus #47-Beta. Activation date: Local year 815.
Associated entities: Archon scravs.
Purpose: Assignment and resolution of divine mandates.
¡°What is it?¡± her father turned, his brow furrowed. ¡°What are you seeing?¡± She could see in the corner of her eye that he was walking back to her now. ¡°This place was called ¡®Fatebond Nexus¡¯?¡± she read, ¡°47-Beta? Whatever that means?¡± ¡°Huh, the Arcanum is telling you that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Did you know?¡± ¡°Not the name, no. But there¡¯d been whispers about this place during the war. Big push to reclaim it, resources poured in like it was the Archon¡¯s holy grail. Then¡ªjust like that¡ªthe Generals stopped caring. Scrapped it. Wrote the place off. If it was a Nexus¡­ well, that explains a lot.¡± Maia cocked her head, her confusion deepening. ¡°What¡¯s a Nexus, though?¡± Matthias¡¯s chuckle was dry and humorless. ¡°A Nexus is where the Archons made scravs¡­ the Verdant didn¡¯t have scravs when they first arrived here. They must have used this place to figure out how to make their own.¡± He turned to start heading back towards the merchant but Maia was left with a sour taste in her mouth. The Archons made scravs here? ¡°But ba¡­¡± she ran after him. ¡°Scravs¡­ scravs are people, right? Human?¡± ¡°¡®Course they are,¡± his eyes cautiously on the groups around them. ¡°So did the Archons make us¡ªthem,¡± she quickly corrected. ¡°Scravs are infused with a sliver of the Archon¡¯s power. This is what gives them their abilities. It just comes all interlinked with the Fatebond too. This could only be done at a Nexus point¡ªlike this one.¡± ¡°But what is a Nexus point? Why could it only be done here?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± he shrugged, clearly done with the conversation, and started back toward the merchant. Maia realised that was about all she was going to get from her father on the topic. Maia lingered, her gaze locked on the crumbling storage building. Its walls were cracked and worn, covered in layers of faded graffiti left by passing travellers. There were crude messages¡ªhalf warnings, half jokes¡ªabout scuttlers, the heat, and other monsters of the wastes. Bright bursts of colour, swirling patterns of blues, yellows, and reds, marked where some nomad with a steady hand had once taken the time to create art simply because they could. A pair of eyes, hauntingly lifelike, stared out from one corner, while another section bore a chaotic riot of shapes that looked like desert fox. One section of the wall had been painted to look like the desert sky, using the cracks in the concrete, edged in pink and purple to represent the cracks in the sky. Even here, in the middle of nowhere, people liked to leave a mark. To create something beautiful in the harshest and ugliest of places. To carve out some sliver of identity. Maia made her way over to it, let her fingers trail along the surface of the wall as she followed the marker. She reached a portion of the wall were the concrete had crumbled so much she could fit through. She glanced inside and saw a tangled mess of broken machinery and debris. She¡¯d been about to slip through when she heard her father calling her away from the ruin. Maybe later. She jogged over to where Matthias was haggling with the merchant. He was already stuffing supplies into a worn canvas pack by the time she reached them, his focus on the task at hand. ¡°That everything you need?¡± the merchant asked, his tone casual as he handed over another bundle. ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Matthias replied, cinching the pack tight. ¡°You folks heading east?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Maia grinned, ready to spill their plans. ¡°We¡¯re going to¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªjust east,¡± Matthias cut her off with a glance that clearly said keep your mouth shut. ¡°Just came that way myself,¡± the merchant shrugged, he seemed an affable guy. ¡°Few scuttlers roaming, some bandits too. Best mind yourselves. How¡¯s the road back to Red Market?¡± ¡°Same as always,¡± Matthias grunted, his tone curt. ¡°Met some travellers a few days back,¡± the merchant said, leaning in slightly as if sharing a secret. ¡°Claimed there¡¯s some kind of wraith lurking out there on the road.¡± Maia perked up at that. ¡°A wraith?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t see anything like that,¡± Matthias replied, already sounding dismissive. ¡°Oh, you know how folks get,¡± the merchant chuckled, though there was a nervous edge to it. ¡°Always claiming to see boogiemen and ghouls out in the dark. But this lass, she was pale as a sheet, swore up and down she¡¯d never take that road again while that thing¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°What¡¯d she say it looked like?¡± Maia asked, her curiosity piqued. The merchant scratched at his scruffy beard, clearly enjoying the chance to spin a little drama. ¡°Like a man, she said. Draped in shadows, but pale as bone with a big, creepy smile that don¡¯t go away.¡± Maia shivered, that sounded too much like that thing she¡¯d seen back at the Verdant skyship. She glanced briefly at Matthias, he didn¡¯t so much as flinch. ¡°Probably just some creep,¡± Matthias said flatly. ¡°If he¡¯s a danger, Red Market¡¯s city guards¡¯ll put a bounty on him soon enough. Wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± The merchant gave a noncommittal grunt. ¡°Maybe. Still, keep your wits about you out there. Folks¡¯ll say all sorts of things to scare themselves, but sometimes¡­ sometimes there¡¯s truth to it. Heard also there¡¯d been some bother with some scravs at Red Market, youknow anything about it?¡± Maia opened her mouth to speak again but her father quickly responded. ¡°No, we just passed through Red Market, didn¡¯t stick around that long,¡± he said curtly, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. His tone made it clear the conversation was over. ¡°Thanks for the supplies.¡± ¡°Pleasure¡¯s all mine, sir,¡± The merchant chuckled, unfazed. ¡°Always good to offload some goods before the next trading hub. Safe travels to you.¡± Matthias gave a sharp nod and strode off toward the Dame, leaving Maia to trail after him. She cast a glance back at the merchant, whose gaze followed them briefly before he turned back to his cart. ¡°Why¡¯d you cut me off?¡± Maia asked as she caught up to her father. ¡°Because we¡¯ve got no business poking into other people¡¯s scraps,¡± Matthias said, his voice low but firm. ¡°And I don¡¯t want anyone poking into ours.¡± Chapter 15 - Hollow Intentions (Part 1) Chapter 15 Hollow Intentions Maia sat cross-legged near the fire, idly poking at the cooking pot with a stick. The encampment around Cassix station was a lot quieter now, most travellers settled into their own fires or huddled in their makeshift shelters. The merchant had some kind of tinned fish that her father insisted tasted better boiled. The smell didn¡¯t entice Maia in. Matthias crouched nearby, sharpening a blade. Sometimes she wondered if he found it comforting to just listen to the scrape of the blade, because he¡¯d sharpen that thing every night even when he¡¯d not used it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps crunching in the dirt as someone approached. ¡°Evenin¡¯!¡± a man¡¯s voice called out, friendly but cautious. Maia looked up to see a group approaching from the gloom, their figures illuminated by the flicker of the fire. They were a mixed bunch¡ªthree men, two women¡ªdressed in mismatched gear that marked them as scavengers or nomads. One of the men, broad-shouldered and carrying a rifle slung across his back, stepped forward. ¡°Hope we¡¯re not disturbing you,¡± the man with the rifle said with an easy grin. ¡°Just couldn¡¯t help but admire your rig. That¡¯s a pre-war carrier, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t see those every day.¡± Maia felt a small spark of pride. She loved the Dame, and the admiration in the man¡¯s voice made her want to talk about the countless hours she and her father had spent keeping her running. ¡°She¡¯s been with us a long time,¡± she said, standing to greet them. ¡°She¡¯s a beauty,¡± one of the women added, stepping closer. ¡°I¡¯d kill to have something like that. What¡¯s her top speed?¡± Something about the woman was familiar but Maia couldn¡¯t place it. Matthias stood abruptly, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. ¡°She¡¯s not for sale,¡± he said, his tone clipped. ¡°And we¡¯re not interested in visitors.¡± The group paused, their friendly smiles dimming. The man with the rifle held up his hands in a gesture of peace. ¡°We¡¯re not looking for trouble. Just thought we¡¯d say hello. You don¡¯t see rigs like that out here very often.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said hello,¡± Matthias replied evenly, his gaze steady. ¡°Now move along.¡± The tension in the air was palpable. Maia felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and frustration. Why did he always have to be like this? The group exchanged glances before stepping back, their leader offering a stiff nod. ¡°Fair enough. You folks take care.¡± As they retreated into the shadows, Maia rounded on her father, her voice low but sharp. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°What was what?¡± Matthias asked, sitting back down by the fire as if nothing had happened. ¡°They were just being friendly! You didn¡¯t have to shut them down like that.¡± ¡°Friendly?¡± he scoffed, putting away the blade he¡¯d been sharpening, pulling out a smaller knife and started on that one. ¡°They were sizing us up. Scavengers like that? They¡¯d strip us clean the moment our backs were turned.¡± ¡°Not everyone¡¯s out to get us, you know. You don¡¯t even give people a chance.¡± ¡°And you give them too much credit,¡± Matthias shot back. ¡°Out here, trust will get you killed. You¡¯d do well to remember that.¡± ¡°Are we not staying here because it¡¯s safer to stay in groups?¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°We¡¯re staying here because scuttlers don¡¯t come near this place. It¡¯s safer¡­ that don¡¯t mean it¡¯s safe.¡± Maia worked the muscles in her jaw, frustration simmering just below the surface. The fire crackled between them, filling the silence with its soft pops and hisses. ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk,¡± she muttered, grabbing her jacket. ¡°Don¡¯t go far,¡± Matthias called after her. Maia sighed, kicking a stray rock. He always acted like the world was out to get them, like every stranger was an enemy lying in wait. Maybe some are, she thought, but not all. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d smiled at someone who wasn¡¯t her¡ªor even her, now that she thought about it. And it wasn¡¯t just the way he shut people out. It was all the secrets. The way he dodged her questions or gave her half-answers, as though she was still a child who couldn¡¯t handle the truth. Like with her Fatebond. Why couldn¡¯t he just tell her what he knew? And the Arcanum system¡ªhow much did he really know about it? He always acted like it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but now that she was using it more, it was clear there were big differences in how hers operated versus his. Without consciously aiming for it, she¡¯d ambled her way over to the large graffiti-covered ruin. She could barely make out the artwork on the walls now in the dim light. The cracks in the sky gave off their strange light, casting a pink hue on everything not touched by the light of the campfires. But that was normal to Maia, she¡¯d grown up with those cracks in the sky. A particular piece caught her eye, a faded mural of a tree with branches that spiralled outward in impossible loops, its roots twisting into a labyrinth of interconnected lines. The artist had painted it in whites and greys, but now, under the pink light, it looked as though it were glowing. Beside it, someone had scrawled the words WE ENDURE in looping, elegant handwriting, the letters partially covered by newer layers of graffiti. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Maia turned quickly, her hand instinctively twitching toward her belt knife, but the woman from earlier was already standing a few feet away, hands raised in a gesture of harmlessness. She was smiling, her expression friendly but calm, her dark hair catching the faint glow of the cracks overhead. ¡°Sorry,¡± the woman added. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to spook you.¡± She had a strange accent that Maia couldn¡¯t place. Maia relaxed slightly, though her heart still hammered in her chest. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she muttered, glancing quickly back at the Dame. Her father was by the fire, his back turned as he poked at something in the pot. He probably wouldn¡¯t notice. Probably. The woman stepped closer, her gaze moving to the mural. ¡°That tree¡­ it¡¯s different, isn¡¯t it? Feels like it¡¯s got a story to tell.¡± Maia hesitated, unsure if she should engage. But something about the woman tugged at her curiosity, a faint itch in the back of her mind. There was something oddly familiar about her, though Maia couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°Who do you reckon painted it?¡± ¡°Oh, some traveller passing through, I¡¯ve never had the skill to add to this wall. Funny how people are drawn to create art here¡­ of all places,¡± she added the last part quietly. Maia wasn¡¯t sure if the woman meant that because of the remoteness of the spot or because of the Nexus. ¡°What brings you out here, anyway?¡± Maia asked, deflecting. ¡°Same as you, I imagine,¡± The woman chuckled softly. ¡°Passing through. Looking for someplace that could become home.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not staying here at Cassix, are you?¡± ¡°No one stays at Cassix, do they?¡± Maia nodded, though something about the answer didn¡¯t sit right. She found herself searching the woman¡¯s face again, trying to pin down why she looked so familiar. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You¡¯re travelling with the others?¡± ¡°For now,¡± the woman said. ¡°But I¡¯ve always preferred smaller groups. Less noise. Easier to think.¡± The woman began idly walking along the wall, looking at the graffiti. She was very mysterious, her movements were smooth and unhurried, like she had all the time in the world. She focused her intent, letting the Arcanum system engage, her overlays shifting to life around the woman. Almost immediately, a soft purple haze began to emanate from her, faint but unmistakable. Maia felt a small thrill of satisfaction¡ªshe¡¯d done it again. The woman didn¡¯t seem to notice, though Maia knew from experience that subtle pull on someone¡¯s life energy was detectable. Her father had known when she¡¯d tried it on him, but this woman didn¡¯t react at all. Good. Still, the whole thing felt a little reckless. If her father saw her using her scrav-powers like this without telling him, he¡¯d blow a gasket. But he had been pushing her to practise, hadn¡¯t he? And this woman didn¡¯t seem dangerous. Just¡­ strange. And so Archons-damned Mysterious, Maia thought, rolling her eyes at herself. That was just an excuse to keep poking. Then something flickered in the corner of her vision, just inside the storage building. A flicker of blackness. She froze mid-step, her breath catching. The Arcanum overlays pulsed faintly, confirming what she thought she¡¯d seen. It wasn¡¯t just a shadow¡ªit was something. And she¡¯d seen that through the wall. The same way that she could see the faint lights of plant roots beneath the ground. She focused her mind back on the shadow but it was gone. Strange. Her stomach tightened. She glanced at the woman, who was further down the wall now, her attention still on the mural and seemingly oblivious to Maia¡¯s distraction. Taking a cautious step toward the crumbling gap, Maia peered through to the interior. Inside, there was only darkness. The faint pink glow from the sky barely reached into the depths of the ruin, leaving the interior cloaked in shadow. It looked¡­ normal. Or at least, as normal as a crumbling military ruin could look. Her curiosity burned stronger now, and her fingers twitched. She had wanted to have a look around in here. This was her chance. If she didn¡¯t look now, they¡¯d be gone by morning, and whatever was inside would remain a mystery. Steeling herself, Maia slipped through the gap in the wall and into the dark. Maia reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her algae-light head-torch. The greenish glow flickered to life, casting eerie shadows across the walls as she secured the strap around her head. The light illuminated the tangle of ancient machinery strewn across the floor¡ªbroken gears, twisted beams, and shattered consoles half-buried in debris. She climbed carefully over a heap of scrap. The orange marker on her overlay map was only a few meters ahead and she wanted to see for herself what this Nexus actually looked like. There was an old crumbling wall in her way, but she found a narrow gap to slip through into another room. The room was large, its floor cracked and uneven. At the center stood a circular platform. That must be it. The overlay map showed that she was standing right at the orange marker. Her overlays flared, casting a cascade of new information across her vision.
Fatebond Anchor Detected
Type: Secondary Nexus Status
Dormant Activation Date: Local Year 881
Function: Assignment and Regulation of Divine Decrees
Warning: Residual Corruption Present
So this was a ¡®Fatebond Anchor¡¯, or what was left of one. It was larger than she¡¯d imagined, the scorched metal edges looked like someone had tried ripping it up with a chainsaw. To any normal person¡¯s eyes it would appear as a damaged metal platform. Possibly for assembling some kind of machinery. But with Maia¡¯s overlays active, she could see that it was pulsing with life. It was like a swirling stream of rainbow light swirling around the base. It looked¡­ beautiful. Maia stepped closer, and felt a vibrating hum beneath her feet, growing stronger. Her fingers twitched at her sides, her scrav-powers responding instinctively to the raw energy swirling. She knew that¡ªif she wanted to¡ªshe could draw on this. The same way that she did from plants. It was incredible. This has been here the entire time and no one but her could see how amazing it was. What does this thing do? She thought, and as she drew nearer, new overlays flickered into view.
Purpose Anchor divine mandates to mortal vessels, ensuring compliance across realms
Power Energy source decentralised. Collapse is inevitable.
Stability Compromised
¡°What the hell¡­¡± she murmured. The overlay began shifting, displaying a pulsing network of connections radiating outward from the platform like veins spreading from a beating heart. She crouched, her hand hovering above the platform¡¯s edge. Her fingertips tingled with an unnatural warmth, as though the energy within were reaching out to her. A sudden flicker of blackness caught her attention in the corner of her vision. She whipped around, her breath hitching. It wasn¡¯t there anymore, but she¡¯d seen it¡ªthe same shadowy light she¡¯d spotted outside the storage building. A prickle of unease crept up her spine. Was something¡­ watching her? ¡°Mmmmm curious,¡± the voice ears into her chest like oil. She shivered, her blood running cold. She knew that voice. ¡°I¡¯ve begun to understand so much about your world, child of Solas,¡± the words coiled like serpents around her, the tone mockingly smooth. Ice lanced down her spine, rooting her in place. She wanted to scream, to run, but the terror clutched her throat, choking her. The shadow materialised across the platform, dark tendrils coalescing into the form of a man¡ªor something pretending to be one. His robes were black as the void, rippling with shadows that seemed to drink the light around them. His face was pale, deceptively human at first glance, but his mouth... His mouth stretched into a grotesque maw of jagged fangs, like the gaping jaws of a sandworm. And his eyes¡ªempty, endless pits of darkness¡ªseemed to consume everything they touched. Maia¡¯s stomach twisted in recognition. It¡¯s him. Oh Archons, it¡¯s him. The creature she¡¯d released from the containment pod on the Verdant skyship. ¡°Fatebonds¡­¡± the creature¡¯s voice dripped with amusement as it began circling the platform, its movements fluid and alien. ¡°Clever. Not divine truths, but engineered bindings¡ªcrafted and anchored to the physical world like chains. Very clever. But also so very stupid.¡± Its voice slithered over her like eels, writhing and slick. ¡°I¡¯ve been following you,¡± it continued, the faintest edge of hunger bleeding into its tone. Its blackened form seemed to tremble with anticipation. ¡°I had hoped your world would have more of... you. But no. Just... you.¡± ¡°You wish to know what this place is? You desire knowledge. If you give to me¡­ if you let me¡­ feed but a little. Then I will tell you all you wish to know.¡± Maia noticed that the creature gave the platform and swirling light a comfortable distance, evidently unwilling to let any of the light touch it. And then she felt it. The tug. A lurching, sickening sensation that yanked at her core, as if her very soul were tethered to invisible threads and this creature was rattling the jar she was trapped in. It was like her father¡¯s description of life drain¡ªbut in reverse. Instead of her pulling life from a target, the creature was pulling from her. Her scrav-powers flared in response, a tingling heat rising in her chest. She could feel them, instinctively ready to defend, to draw on the energy before her¡ªbut she knew, knew, that feeding on this thing would be a far greater danger than letting it feed on her. ¡°You still... recoil,¡± the Hollow¡¯s voice darkened, offended. Its form loomed closer, the tendrils of shadow curling hungrily toward her. ¡°I offer you what you desire... and yet you... revile,¡± its tone rose in anger and Maia felt her legs begin to shake. And then in a flash, the creature¡¯s cloak flared out and Maia saw it wasn¡¯t just black¡ªit was speckled with countless tiny motes of light. It looked deep, infinite, an unfathomable void that seemed to stretch forever. Maia had never seen stars before; the light of the cracks in the sky drowned them out, leaving the heavens perpetually veiled. But she¡¯d read about them, heard stories from travellers. This¡ªthis was what she imagined they might look like. ¡°Had you given willingly,¡± the Hollow hissed, its voice a venomous whisper that curled around her mind. It moved toward her, a tide of writhing shadows. ¡°Favoured forever, you could have been. Forever feeding,¡± it¡¯s voice building to an angered fevered pitch. Its maw stretched wide, fangs gleaming in the fractured light of the sky. The words came again, overlapping, wrong¡ªeach syllable slipping and twisting into the next. ¡°Meal¡­ fleeting... only... fleeting¡­ why¡­ this... resist?¡± A flash of light erupted through the dark, splitting the creature¡¯s cloak as a brilliant blue spear struck it squarely. The Hollow let out a sound that wasn¡¯t a scream but something far worse¡ªa resonant discord that tore through Maia¡¯s mind, leaving her dizzy. It recoiled, its jagged maw snapping shut, its shadowy form twisting as it turned toward the source of the attack. Chapter 16 - Hollow Intentions (Part 2) A figure clambered through the gap in the wall. ¡°Ba!¡± Maia¡¯s voice cracked with terror as she called for her father. Maia saw the spear was tethered by a shimmering chain of ephemeral light to the newcomer¡¯s hand. This wasn¡¯t her father¡¯s power. The chain rippled as the stranger yanked on it, and the spear recoiled, flying back to their grasp. The faint blue glow illuminated their face for just a moment¡ªit was the woman from earlier. She¡¯s a scrav! The Hollow shifted, and the soul-tugging pull on Maia grew stronger. She cried out, crumpling to her knees, her lifeforce being drawn faster now. The air around the creature warped and pulsed, a dissonant vibration radiating outward. A sound clawed at Maia¡¯s ears, like a thousand screams trapped inside a bell jar, an unnatural pitch humans weren¡¯t meant to hear. The woman darted forward, unfazed by the pulsing. Her spear glowed brighter, then split into two shorter weapons, each connected by glowing chains. She flung both at the Hollow with precision. One missed, clattering against the far wall, but the second embedded itself in the creature¡¯s shoulder. The Hollow let out another deafening screech as the woman yanked on the chain, pulling it toward her with terrifying strength. ¡°Stay down!¡± the woman barked at Maia. The Hollow surged forward, a writhing mass of darkness that didn¡¯t move¡ªit poured. Its form rippled like ink spilled in water, lashing out in tendrils. The woman met the charge head-on, twin blades already snapping into her hands, their chains coiling and twisting like living things. She sidestepped the first strike, the shadow tendril smashing into the ground where she¡¯d been standing, sending chunks of stone spraying into the air. She slashed upward, severing the tendril with a flare of blue light, the severed piece evaporating with a hiss. The Hollow shifted again, its form distorting into something vaguely human, a shadowed figure with too-long limbs and a face that flickered between expressions. Rage to joy to sadness and everything in between. ¡°Run!¡± the woman barked over her shoulder. It took Maia a moment to realise she was shouting at her. Maia stumbled back, watching as the Hollow lashed out again, three tendrils at once. The scrav twisted and ducked. One tendril caught her shoulder, spinning her around, but she used the momentum to whip one of her blades forward, the chain snapping tight as it impaled the creature in its center mass. The Hollow let out another guttural screech that rattled Maia¡¯s teeth. The scrav yanked hard, pulling the blade free and sending the creature stumbling. She hurled the second blade without missing a beat, the chain whistling through the air before the blade buried itself in the Hollow¡¯s shifting form. She didn¡¯t stop moving, closing the gap in two swift strides, gripping both chains tight, and yanking the creature toward her. The Hollow surged against the pull, its body convulsing, more tendrils sprouting and thrashing wildly. One caught the scrav in the ribs, doubling her over, but she held firm on the chains. She took another step forward. The chains glowing brighter as she pulled harder, dragging the creature toward her like an anchor hauling a shipwreck. Maia couldn¡¯t breathe. She felt like the air was being pulled right out her lungs. The creature shifted again, its form narrowing, twisting, and snapping back into something more horrifying, like a mass of writhing worms. Two burning pits where eyes should be turned toward her, and she swore it grinned. ¡°Shit!¡± Maia stumbled away from it, her overlays flashing warnings in her vision. The Hollow jerked toward her, ripping free of the scrav¡¯s chains with a sound like shattering glass. It moved fast, its dark tendrils stretching impossibly far towards Maia. She raised her hands instinctively, but before the strike landed, the scrav slammed into the creature from the side, her blades plunging into its form and driving it off course. The creature turned its attention back to the woman, and the scrav met it with a spin of her chains, the blades slicing through the air in glowing arcs. The creature was relentless. Every time it lost a tendril, another grew back. Every time it faltered, it surged forward with more force. The scrav was fast¡ªfaster than Maia thought possible¡ªbut the Hollow was faster still. It lunged, catching her off guard, slamming her into a rusted beam with a sickening crunch. ¡°NO!¡± Maia screamed, her voice raw. The scrav pushed herself off the beam, blood dripping from her lip, and hurled one of her blades again, the chain following in a jagged arc. It struck the creature in its core, the blue light flaring brighter than before, the Hollow¡¯s form shuddering as if it were coming apart. ¡°Now would be a great time to help!¡± the scrav snapped at Maia. Maia didn¡¯t think. She grabbed the other chain where it dangled on the ground, her scrav-powers sparking to life as her hand closed around it. The chain pulsed green for a moment, the color shifting to match the glow of the blade still embedded in the Hollow. With all her strength, she yanked the chain, pulling the creature toward her. ¡°Drag it onto the platform!¡± the scrav commanded. Maia edged for the other end of the room. The Hollow screeched¡ªa piercing, bone-rattling sound that nearly forced her to let go¡ªbut she held firm, her feet digging into the ground. The light around the Fatebond Anchor flared brighter, the vortex of energy pulsing in strange, erratic patterns. It seemed alive, almost hungry, and Maia could feel the raw power of it tugging at her scrav-powers, urging her to drag the Hollow closer. With a cry, Maia gave another heave on the chain, her strength feeling amplified as the Fatebond Anchor¡¯s light flared. The Hollow''s tendrils clawed at the ground, leaving blackened trails across the concrete, but with the growing light of the Anchor, the tendrils were shrinking back. The scrav lashed out with her second chain, jumping forward snapping it around the creature¡¯s neck-like appendage and pulling hard. ¡°Now, together!¡± the scrav shouted. Maia gritted her teeth and yanked with everything she had. The Hollow¡¯s shadowy form buckled. They dragged it onto the platform and the air around the Fatebond Anchor rippled. Distorting like heat waves as the vortex of light surged upward, spiraling in a dazzling display of energy.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Hollow screeched again, its form breaking apart, the edges of its shadowy mass fraying like smoke caught in a gale. It can began to shift and writhe, and began growing in size. ¡°It¡¯s feeding on the Anchor¡¯s energy!¡± Maia gasped, the realization hitting her like a hammer. ¡°No,¡± the scrav shouted back, her voice taut with effort, ¡°its breaking apart. Hold!¡± The Hollow twisted violently, its tendrils thrashing as if trying to escape. The light grew brighter, the spiraling energy tightening around the creature like a noose. Maia could feel the power of it pressing against her skin, burning her eyes with an intensity that made her want to look away¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t. The Hollow¡¯s form splintered further, fragments of its shadow breaking off and dissolving into the vortex. ¡°MAIA!¡± She heard her father¡¯s voice roaring. He was close but she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the creature¡¯s rippling form. ¡°Hold it!¡± the scrav yelled, her voice barely audible over the rising roar of the vortex. Maia dug her heels in, her grip on the chain ironclad. The Hollow gave one final, ear-splitting screech, its form collapsing in on itself as it was dragged into the heart of the vortex. The light flared blindingly bright, forcing Maia to shut her eyes against the searing glow. And then¡­ silence. Maia opened her eyes, her breath ragged. The vortex was gone, the platform¡¯s light had returned to the light swirl of light it had been before the battle. The chains in her hands started to feel lighter, and she let them drop, her fingers trembling as she stepped back. The chains shattered like shards of glass, the fragments dissolving into nothing. The scrav stood nearby, her blades had vanished. She looked at Maia, her expression unreadable. Matthias was beside Maia in an instant, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly as he scanned her for injuries. His eyes were wild, darting over her. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he demanded, his voice rough, almost frantic. ¡°What the hell was that thing?¡± Maia breathed, her voice shaking. ¡°Something that should never have existed,¡± the woman replied flatly, her gaze still fixed on the silent platform. She folded her arms, ¡°a Hollow. And you¡¯re lucky it didn¡¯t eat you alive.¡± Matthias spun to face her, his stance shifting instantly into one of aggression. ¡°Stay back,¡± he barked, stepping between Maia and the stranger. His hand moved toward the hilt of his blade, the same blade that had felled countless enemies in the wastes. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are, but if you come any closer¡ª¡± ¡°Relax,¡± the woman said, raising her hands in mock surrender. Her expression was unreadable, but a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, by the way. Your daughter would¡¯ve been nothing but a hollowed-out husk if I hadn¡¯t stepped in.¡± Matthias¡¯s grip on his weapon tightened. ¡°I recognize you. You¡¯re one those Verdant scravs from Red Market.¡± His voice dripped with distrust, his posture rigid as if bracing for an attack. ¡°So what if I am?¡± she said coolly, taking a step closer despite his warning. ¡°You¡¯re a scrav yourself. Shouldn¡¯t we be on the same side, brother?¡± ¡°You¡¯re no kin of mine,¡± Matthias spat, his voice low and venomous. ¡°And you¡¯re not welcome anywhere near Maia.¡± The woman rolled her eyes, her demeanor flippant. ¡°You really know how to show gratitude, don¡¯t you? I save your kid¡¯s life, and this is the thanks I get?¡± She turned her sharp gaze to Maia, ignoring Matthias entirely. ¡°A little ungrateful, this one. The name¡¯s Kallira Saren.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care what your name is. You keep following us, and I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Matthias stepped forward, his tone deadly. ¡°Do you understand me? I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ve done or who you are. You come near Maia again, and you¡¯re done.¡± Kallira didn¡¯t flinch, didn¡¯t even blink. Instead, she laughed softly, the sound dry and humorless. ¡°You think I want anything to do with you or your little road trip? Please. I had business here, that¡¯s all.¡± She gestured to the platform behind them. ¡°You just happened to stumble into the middle of it. Consider this encounter a coincidence.¡± ¡°Coincidence?¡± Matthias¡¯s glare hardened, his hand still resting on his blade. ¡°This is a Fatebond Anchor, brother,¡± she pointed at the platform, ¡°in case you didn¡¯t notice. It¡¯s far more important than you or your daughter. I¡¯d been searching for it for years.¡± ¡°And you just happen to stumble upon it, the same day we arrived?¡± Matthias scoffed. Kallira shrugged, her smirk returning. ¡°Whatever you say, hero.¡± She turned and began walking away. Maia stared after her, her stomach twisting. Matthias turned to her, his face ashen. ¡°We¡¯re leaving now.¡± ¡°But she saved my life,¡± Maia said quietly. ¡°And she¡¯s exactly the kind of danger I¡¯ve been trying to keep you away from,¡± Matthias snapped. ¡°You have no idea what someone like her is capable of. Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± They made their way swiftly back to the Dame. ¡°Back off!¡± Matthias barked at a group of scavengers who had wandered too close, their curiosity getting the better of them. They¡¯d all heard the monstrous noises from the storage building. His hand hovered near the hilt of his blade. ¡°Anyone steps near us, and they¡¯ll regret it.¡± The scavengers backed off quickly, muttering amongst themselves. The tension in the air was palpable as Matthias and Maia worked to pack their supplies back into the truck. ¡°Get in, Maia,¡± Matthias ordered. Maia climbed into the cab, her mind still racing. As Matthias threw the last of their things into the Dame¡¯s storage compartment, Maia glanced out of the window. There she was, Kallira was standing at one of the campfires, the faint glow of the fires and the cracked sky outlining her form. The scrav woman caught Maia¡¯s gaze and raised a hand in a casual wave, Maia could see her smirking. The truck roared to life, its massive wheels grinding against the cracked tarmac as Matthias gunned it out of Cassix Station. The road was dark and Matthias flicked on the highbeams, lighting up the wasteland ahead of them. He didn¡¯t usually like driving at night, claiming that the lights attracted scuttlers and the like. Maia stared out the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching as insects would light up then zip past. She couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°You didn¡¯t even let me thank her,¡± Maia snapped. ¡°Thank her?¡± Matthias¡¯s hands gripped the wheel tighter, his knuckles pale. ¡°Thank her for what? Dragging you into that mess? You could have died!¡± ¡°She saved my life!¡± Maia shot back, turning to face him. ¡°That thing came at me, it had been following me! And she stopped it.¡± ¡°Verdant scravs aren¡¯t like us, Maia. You don¡¯t know what she wants. What she¡¯s capable of. Hells, for all we know, her Fatebond could be destroy all Archon scravs.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know either,¡± Maia countered, her voice rising. ¡°You didn¡¯t see her fight that thing. She could¡¯ve left me, but she didn¡¯t. And she knew about the Fatebond Anchor. She knew what it was, which is a hell of a lot more than you could tell me.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s supposed to make her trustworthy?¡± ¡°More trustworthy than a creature that tried to eat me!¡± Maia¡¯s words came out sharper than she intended, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°She could help us, Ba. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s worth considering?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said firmly. ¡°You¡¯re not the one that thing nearly killed. And you¡¯re not the one who keeps getting told half-truths instead of answers. You¡¯re so afraid of everything that you won¡¯t even let me figure things out for myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to protect you,¡± Matthias snapped. And there it was. She could tell from the frustration in his voice. He didn¡¯t care about her. He only cared about his Fatebond. The one that he refused to tell her about. He needed to protect her. But not because he wanted to. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she turned her gaze out the window, swallowing whatever comeback was forming. The silence that followed was heavy, the tension between them thick enough to choke on. Matthias¡¯s grip on the wheel loosened slightly, but his face remained hard, his eyes fixed on the horizon. ¡°She¡¯s not to be trusted, Maia,¡± he said after a long stretched out moment. ¡°End of discussion.¡± Maia let out a frustrated breath and turned back to the window. Fists clenched in her lap, but she kept her mouth shut. Chapter 17 - This Love, This Ruin Chapter 17 This Love, This Ruin Lindrao - 888 (nine years ago) Lindrao had been Matthias¡¯ hometown once, a lifetime ago. It was where he¡¯d grown up, where he¡¯d known what it felt like to belong somewhere. And yet, after the war, after all he¡¯d done and all he¡¯d become, he never thought he¡¯d set foot here again. The Undercity was the same in many ways¡ªgrimy and bustling with people¡ªbut he was not. He couldn¡¯t see how he fit into it anymore. How someone like him, with so much blood in his past, could ever belong again. For two years since building the Dame, they¡¯d wandered the wilds and wastelands, drifting from one rough town to the next. They¡¯d never stayed long enough to leave a mark or grow roots. Maia had grown up knowing that nomadic life, but even she had started asking why they couldn¡¯t settle somewhere. Matthias never had a good answer for her. Lindrao hadn¡¯t been a destination he¡¯d chosen, not consciously. But somehow, this was where the road had taken them. Deep down, he knew why. It was Kyra. The hidden part of his heart that he tried so hard to bury, the part that longed to see her again. It had steered him back here, no matter how much he told himself it was just chance. Matthias had prepared himself for the worst¡ªat least he thought he had. But when Kyra opened the door to the cantina that first time, her expression was like a knife through his ribs. Shock, disbelief, joy¡­ and then anger, all flickering across her face like lightning on the horizon. And then came the look that gutted him the most, betrayal. She¡¯d stood frozen in the doorway, one hand on the frame as if to steady herself. ¡°Matthias,¡± she¡¯d said, his name brittle on her lips, like it barely belonged to her anymore. He¡¯d tried to speak, but the words choked in his throat. He had rehearsed a thousand lines during their journey here, words to explain himself, to apologise, to make her understand. But not a one of them surfaced. Her eyes flicked down then, settling on Maia, who stood awkwardly clutching some toy that Matthias couldn¡¯t even remember. She¡¯d been staring up at the strange woman with quiet curiosity. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a pretty little thing,¡± Kyra had said, her voice suddenly warm. She¡¯d crouched slightly to Maia¡¯s height, her smile gentle but strained, Matthias hadn¡¯t missed that. ¡°What¡¯s your name, love?¡± ¡°Maia,¡± she replied quietly, glancing up at her father for reassurance before returning her attention to the stranger. ¡°Maia, ¡±Kyra¡¯s smile widened, but Matthias could see the cracks in it. ¡°That¡¯s a lovely name. I¡¯m Kyra. Come in, sweetheart. The bar¡¯s not open for a few hours, but I can fix you something to eat.¡± She stepped back, holding the door open and gesturing them inside. Maia happily stepped through. Matthias lingered in the doorway, his heart twisting. The pain in Kyra¡¯s eyes had been brief but unmistakable, even as she masked it with kindness for Maia¡¯s sake. He hadn¡¯t expected this. Anger, sure. Fury, definitely. But this¡­ ¡°You can come in too, you know,¡± Kyra said, her tone cool now as she glanced back at him. ¡°Unless you plan on standing out there all day.¡± The bar had barely changed in all the years he¡¯d be gone. And Kyra was still as breathtaking as the day he¡¯d left, perhaps even more so. Time had sharpened her a little, giving her an edge that hadn¡¯t been there before. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, framing a face that still carried that unmistakable warmth. Seeing her now, standing there with Maia, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the ache of everything he¡¯d thrown away. She¡¯d been his world once. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Kyra was already busying herself behind the bar, pouring a glass of juice for Maia. ¡°There you go, love,¡± she said, setting the glass in front of Maia with a wink. ¡°You sit yourself down and make yourself at home.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Maia beamed, climbing onto one of the stools. ¡°You¡¯re very welcome,¡± Kyra replied. But when her eyes flicked to Matthias, the warmth drained away, replaced by something colder. She didn¡¯t say anything to him, just turned back to Maia. ¡°So, Maia, how long have you and your dad been traveling?¡± ¡°Forever,¡± Maia said with a giggle, sipping her juice. ¡°We live in our truck, the Dame. Ba even let me drive it once! He¡¯s really good at fixing it,¡± she snorted, ¡°she breaks down a lot. Like, a lot!¡± Kyra¡¯s lips curved into a smile, but her hands gripped the edge of the bar tightly. ¡°That sounds¡­ exciting.¡± ¡°It is!¡± Maia said brightly, oblivious to the tension. Archons but Matthias loved that innocence in her. Matthias cleared his throat, stepping closer to the bar. ¡°Kyra¡­¡± But the look she gaze him could have cut steel. ¡°Nearly a decade,¡± she¡¯d hissed at him later, after Maia had gone to sleep. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± Her eyes had been filled with tears. ¡°You didn¡¯t even write to me! You could have told me! And now you just show up. With¡­ with her.¡± *** Despite that first night, life in Lindrao had been good. For once, Matthias wasn¡¯t living day to day with blood on his hands or the weight of his blade at his hip. They had the Dame parked up in the narrow alley behind Kyra¡¯s cantina, nestled between the rust-streaked bridge base and the bar itself. Kyra had inherited the bar after her old man had passed. Maia had taken to calling the Undercity home without hesitation¡ªa word that always hit Matthias harder than it should have. The sudden return to Kyra''s life had been tumultuous for Matthias. At first, she had been distant. Her anger surfacing in small, cutting remarks or in the way her gaze lingered on him with something unsaid. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. There were moments of warmth too, fleeting, like the brief return of the sun after a storm. But time had worn down the sharp edges of her hurt, and nearly two years had passed since he and Maia had arrived in Lindrao. Some old friends¡ªKyra included¡ªhad helped Matthias find work fixing up old pre-war vehicles. He¡¯d gotten good at tinkering from his years out in the wastes. These days, he and Kyra danced around each other like moths to a flame. There was an unspoken connection between them that neither could seem to break. Neither dared to voice what they both knew lingered in their hearts. Kyra had had other partners in the years he¡¯d been gone. But she had waited, he¡¯d learned after a few months¡­ like she¡¯d promised. That had been another knife in his gut. But after the Fall of the Archons, and the Verdant left, most soldiers that survived the war had all returned home. Matthias hadn¡¯t. And everyone back home had assumed the worst about Matthias. Kyra was careful, guarded, unwilling to risk the hurt again. And Matthias¡ªhe was too scared of doing the hurting. Because deep down, he knew this was all temporary. As much as he allowed himself to settle, to pretend. He knew it couldn¡¯t last. This could be Maia¡¯s home for a time, but it wasn¡¯t his. And it never could be. Maia thrived in the time they¡¯d lived there. She was now nine, going on nineteen. Her days spent darting between the alleys, playing with the other kids who lived in the neighbourhood. She¡¯d even started helping Kyra in the cantina. She was learning to cook¡ªmostly under Kyra¡¯s impatient but amused tutelage. Kyra had even started teaching her how to play the old battered piano that sat out the back. She would come back to the Dame each night with flour on her cheeks and stories about the Undercity¡¯s colourful characters. Maia was happy here. And that made Matthias happy. *** The cantina was unusually quiet that night. The warm breeze of Lindrao¡¯s night crept in through the open door. Maia had gone to bed hours ago, curled up in the Dame¡¯s cab, the blanket pulled up to her chin. Matthias sat at the bar, a half-empty glass of dark amber ale in his hand. Kyra was behind the counter, wiping it down even though it hardly needed cleaning. They¡¯d spent the night like this¡ªtalking, laughing, sharing stories. He¡¯d come here for a few drinks after work with some friends. Those friends had since headed off home. He and Kyra had fallen into this habit since his return, their walls carefully dismantled brick by brick over the two years. She poured herself a drink, leaning her elbows on the bar across from him, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "You remember that time you got caught trying to sneak into my room?¡± ¡°How could I forget? I thought your old man was going to kill me that night.¡± ¡°What did he do to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never tell, couldn¡¯t break Brod¡¯s trust like that¡± Matthias winked. In truth, Matthias and Kyra¡¯s father Brod had always had a good relationship. But he¡¯d given Matthias a very firm talking to that night. Matthias chuckled, his voice warm and easy, the kind of laugh that came from a place he didn¡¯t let himself visit often. The bar had emptied throughout the night and only the two of them remained. ¡°You¡¯ve always had a talent for finding trouble, haven¡¯t you?¡± she said with a teasing grin, sliding around to his side of the bar. She leaned in, closer than she needed to, close enough that the faint scent of her hair¡ªsomething similar to coconut¡ªwashed over him, stirring something deep in his chest. "Still do," he said, his voice quieter now, his gaze meeting hers. There was something unspoken in the way he looked at her, something that had been building for years. She held his gaze for a long moment, then took a slow sip from her glass, the tension between them palpable. "You haven¡¯t changed much, you know," she said. She was lying, of course. Matthias was a far cry from the boy that had left all those years ago. "Neither have you," he replied, at least he was being honest. "Still the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen." The words hung in the air, daring either of them to take the next step. And then, as if pulled by some unseen force, she leaned forward, and so did he. Their lips met, hesitant at first, then hungry, desperate, as though years of longing and unspoken words poured into that single kiss. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, and he wrapped his arms around her. Before either of them realised it, they were on their feet, his body pressing hers against the edge of the bar. They kissed like thirsty wanderers in a drought, their passion igniting like dry tinder catching flame. But then, as quickly as it began, it ended. Kyra pulled back sharply, her breath coming in short gasps. The warmth in her eyes turned cold, her lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°I waited for you," she said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and hurt. "For nine years, Matthias. Nine years, not knowing if you¡¯d been killed. And you came back¡­ with a daughter. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?!" "I¡¯m sorry," he said, the words weak and hollow even as he spoke them. He took a step back from her. "I would cry myself to sleep with fear that you¡¯d been killed, wondering why you hadn¡¯t written to me. Why I¡¯d heard nothing." "I... I know," he managed, though his voice barely carried above a whisper. "No, no you fucking don¡¯t," she snapped, her pain sharpening into rage. "You never cared about me. You were too busy doing whatever the hell you wanted, falling in love with someone else." "That¡¯s not true," Matthias said, but the words felt like ash in his mouth. "Don¡¯t lie to me!" she shouted, slamming her hand on the bar. The sound echoed in the empty room, stark against the fragile quiet that had followed their kiss. "I..." He stopped himself. He couldn¡¯t lie to her, not anymore. "I... I¡¯m sorry," he said again, and it was all he could manage. "I think you should leave," she said, cold and final. "Kyra..." he started, his voice pleading. "I mean it," she said, her tone softer now but no less resolute. "Maia is fantastic, she¡¯s amazing, and I love her. I really do¡­ but she will always remind me of what you did. The pain you¡¯ve caused me, and I can never forgive you for that." Matthias wanted to tell her everything then, everything about Maia¡ªabout her Fatebond, her importance, the reason he¡¯d had to leave. Why he couldn¡¯t have reached out before. But he couldn¡¯t¡­ Maia was still too young, too vulnerable. Too important. Maybe he¡¯d never be able to tell her. Matthias knew the truth could fix this. If he told Kyra everything about Maia, then she¡¯d understand. She¡¯d see it wasn¡¯t a betrayal, that it wasn¡¯t some cruel abandonment. They could be a real family, the three of them, whole and unbroken. He could almost picture it, a life he didn¡¯t deserve but desperately wanted¡­ But Maia was too important. Too important to the world. Too important to him. He couldn¡¯t let anyone know the truth about her. Not even Kyra. It was a truth he kept buried so deep inside himself that some days, he let himself forget it was there. He couldn¡¯t ever tell her. Maia mattered more to him than anything else in this world¡ªmore than Kyra, more than the chance to heal what he¡¯d broken. And so he stayed silent, the words locked behind his teeth, knowing he was letting Kyra slip away forever. And that was the night Matthias and Maia left the cantina. She was nine years old, and he was taking her away from the first place she¡¯d truly begun to think of as home. They left Lindrao under the cover of night, the old orange truck packed with all the pieces of their lives they¡¯d managed to carve out. As the bridge disappeared into the distance behind them, Matthias glanced at Maia asleep in the passenger seat, her face peaceful in the pale light of the cracks. He gripped the wheel tighter, a hollowness settling into his chest. Chapter 18 - Shell Bark Chapter 18 Shell Bark Her father didn¡¯t care about her. That much was clear to Maia now. He only cared about himself and his Fatebond. She was just the burden he had to carry to fulfill it. The thought burned in her mind, her anger simmering under the morning sun. Matthias had driven through the night, navigating the backroads deep into the wastes. He¡¯d said it was to avoid the main roads for a while, but Maia wasn¡¯t stupid. The real reason was less people. Less travelers asking questions about them. Less chance of running into Kallira again. But taking these routes only invited other dangers¡ªscuttlers, predators, and archons knew what else lurking in the wild. Some protector, driving her straight into the mouth of the wastelands¡¯ worst threats. He was asleep now, sprawled in the cab of the Dame. She could still hear his snoring through the open door. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to talk to her about what happened at Cassix Station. Not the Fatebond Anchor, not the Hollow, not Kallira. He¡¯d always done this¡ªpacked up and moved on without a word of warning. It was just how life was with her father, one place to the next, no roots, no time to settle. The roots he¡¯d ever really let her put in was at Red Market. But Red Market itself was always a transient place. The memory of leaving Lindrao still cut deep. She hadn¡¯t even gotten to say goodbye. Not to Kyra, not to any of the friends she¡¯d made there. She¡¯d written letters to Kyra after they made it to Red Market. Kyra would write her back, and Maia would come to look forward to those letters more than anything. A fragile thread tying Maia to the home she¡¯d barely had the chance to know. Over time, Maia had begun pouring out everything she couldn¡¯t say in person to Kyra. She didn¡¯t ever dare think of Kyra as her mother. Not properly. But a deep part of her liked to pretend. Liked to imagine what it might have been like if things had been different. If they¡¯d stayed in Lindrao. If Kyra had been the one raising her all along, brushing her hair, teaching her songs. It was a foolish thought, and she hated herself a little for having it. Kyra wasn¡¯t her mother, and pretending otherwise didn¡¯t change anything. But still¡­ sometimes it was just¡­ nice to pretend. She crouched beside a cluster of dry shrubs, her fingers hovering over the brittle stems. With her Arcanum overlays she could see the faint glow of life energy pulsed within them. She exhaled slowly and reached out with her senses feeling the¡ªnow familiar¡ªtingling pull at her fingertips. The shrub slowly withered under her hand, its leaves curling inward as its vitality drained into her. This, at least, was something she could control. And she was getting more comfortable with doing it. She¡¯d toyed with the idea of telling her father that she¡¯d been the one that had freed the Hollow from the containment pod in the Verdant Skyship, but decided against it. It would only make him more angry. The creature itself had left its mark on Maia. Not physically, but on her mind. It was the first time she¡¯d needed to confront something like that entirely on her own. And she¡¯d completely buckled under the terror of it. If it hadn¡¯t been for Kallira, Maia would be dead, consumed by that thing. And so, Maia was more resolved than ever to learn how to master her scrav abilities. Never again. She didn¡¯t need her father. She didn¡¯t need Kallira. She didn¡¯t need anyone. She called up her abilities display on the Arcanum system to review them:
Abilities
Class Soulrender
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Life Drain Siphon life energy from plants, animals, and enemies to restore your own mana. None 1.6%
Energy Shaper Use life force to create constructs for defensive, offensive or utility usage. None 0.01%
Augmentation Temporarily increase your physical traits, including strength, speed and vitality for 3 minutes. 5 minutes 100%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
Arcanum Sub-Class Abilities
Class Phase Shifter
Ability Description Cooldown Progression
Shadow Dash Speed is increased by 100x for 0.2 seconds allowing for near instantaneous movement 3 minutes 0%
Phase Evade Parts of your body can become incorporeal for 0.2 seconds, any physical damage is negated. Ethereal force damage can still take effect 5 minutes 0%
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
[Locked Ability - cannot assess]
She already had a full handle on her augmentation ability. This was something she¡¯d always done instinctively. Using her power to increase her baseline strength, speed and endurance. This allowed her to hit harder, and take significantly harder hits than someone of her stature¡ªand age¡ªcould normally weather. What she wanted to practice right now was her other abilities, Energy Shaper Shadow Dash and Phase Evade. Energy Shaper was very vague. Her father had explained that this is the base scrabble ability and it was most adaptable ability in their arsenal. He used it to create blades of light, that form being the most natural form for him. Kallira had her chain spears of light which Maia figured probably was some incarnation of the Energy Shaper ability too. The Arcanum system was not very explicit for her though on exactly what she could create. Although perhaps it was waiting for her to decide. Her hands were still tingling with the energy she¡¯d absorbed from the shrubs.
Lifeform Type Plant
Name Caerulus Spinifera (Common Name: Wasteland Briar)
Description A resilient, low-growing shrub thriving in Solysterra¡¯s arid wastelands. Its wiry branches and needle-like thorns provide shelter for small desert fauna.
Physical Characteristics - Height: Typically 0.5 meters
- Branches: Wiry and tangled, dark grey with sharp, needle-like thorns.
- Leaves: Small, dark green ovals with a waxy surface to prevent moisture loss.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Flowers Rare, pale blue blossoms that appear only after rain, emitting a faint herbal scent.
Life Energy Resonance Visualisation module: Faint steady green glow corresponding to its minimal nutrient absorption from arid soil.
Energy Value Low energy reserves; ideal for controlled practice of Life Drain. Excessive use depletes the plant entirely.
Medicinal Properties Ground leaves can be used for minor antiseptic treatments. Thorns contain trace sap with numbing properties.
Lore and Cultural Significance Often woven into makeshift barriers to protect camps from scavenger creatures.
Archivist¡¯s Commentary "An excellent plant for beginner scravs to hone drain abilities. However, care should be taken to avoid the thorns, as they¡¯re notoriously hard to remove." ¨C Brael Gainsby, Lead Ecogenesis Archivist (local year 812).
A faint shimmer appeared around her hand, flickering in and out of existence like a mirage. "Come on," she muttered under her breath, her brow furrowing. The shimmer expanded slightly, a translucent ball taking shape around her palm. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was progress. This wasn¡¯t like augmentation, where the energy simply flowed into her muscles and bones, making her faster, stronger. This ability required shaping the energy¡ªturning it into something external, something tangible. This was what her father was always trying to get her to do. But he was always trying to get her to shape that energy into a weapon, like the way he did. Or Kallira¡¯s chain spear things. That had never felt right to her though. She couldn¡¯t really explain it beyond that gut feeling. That knowing that it wasn¡¯t supposed to be a weapon. No matter how much she tried, the energy refused to bend into anything violent. Every attempt left her frustrated, and her father even more so, muttering about how she needed to stop holding back. It felt to her like she should be using this power to protect people, not hurt them. So more like shields then? But even still, it still wasn¡¯t working the way that her father described. The energy was¡­ slippery, hard to hold onto, like trying to mold water into a shape with her bare hands. She pushed her hands forward again, this time focusing on the idea of protection, the intent to create something solid and impenetrable. She imagined a shield rising in front of her, glowing and strong. The energy flared, pulsing brighter, and for a brief moment, she thought it was working. But instead of coalescing into the barrier she envisioned, the energy began to spiral downward, sinking into the cracked dry earth. Maia froze, her eyes widening as the ground beneath her hands began to shift. ¡°What the¡­¡± she breathed, stepping back as something started to emerge. From the spot where the energy had vanished, a small plant shoot pushed up through the dirt. What the¡ª It began growing rapidly. Maia¡¯s heart pounded as she watched it twist and unfurl, thickening into something entirely unexpected. The shoot hardened, its surface cracking and peeling like old bark. In seconds, it had formed a strange shell-like structure, its surface rough and organic, like a piece of a tree had sprung fully formed from the wasteland floor. Her breath hitched. ¡°I¡­ I made this?¡± she whispered, her voice trembling with awe. The realization hit her like a freight train. I made this! I fucking made this! She had made it grow. It was her intent, her will. Her hands hovered over the shell, the warmth of the lifeforce still tingling at her fingertips. The shell wasn¡¯t just a shield¡ªit was alive. The bark pulsed faintly, the same rhythmic glow she¡¯d seen in plants she¡¯d scanned with her Arcanum system. This wasn¡¯t anything her father had ever described. This wasn¡¯t about forcing the energy into something physical and temporary. This was something¡­ new. Something hers. Something that grew. Something that lasted.
Lifeform Type Plant (Construct)
Name Arboris Defensia (Common Name: Shell Bark)
Description A rapidly grown organic barrier created through [information locked] powers. Arboris Defensia exhibits qualities of natural tree bark but with heightened density and durability. Its growth is entirely dependent on the intent of its creator, serving as a protective construct rather than a naturally occurring plant species.
Physical Characteristics
- Height Typically grows up to 2 meters tall in its initial formation.
- Thickness Bark layers are approximately 10-15 cm thick, designed for durability against physical force.
- Texture Rough, with deep grooves and ridges resembling ancient oak bark.
- Color A mix of dark brown and faint green luminescence pulsing throughout its riveted grooves.
Life Energy Resonance
- Energy Signature Moderate, pulsing green light aligned with protective intent of the scrav-powers.
- Duration Without a root system, the construct can self-stabilise for up to 10 minutes after creation unless continuously supplied with life energy. With an adequate root system and a nutrient-rich environment, Arboris Defensia could self-maintain for years.
Defensive Properties
- Impact Resistance Highly resistant to blunt and slashing damage, offering temporary protection from physical attacks.
- Weakness Vulnerable to sustained fire or corrosive elements that degrade organic material.
Arcanum Detection Properties
- Purpose Identified as a life-infused construct. Origin: Maia Cain
- Formation Process Requires intent-driven activation of life energy, shaping it into a physical, organic construct.
Archivist¡¯s Commentary
¡°A fascinating and unexpected manifestation of scrav-powers. Arboris Defensia demonstrates that scravs are capable of both destruction and creation, suggesting a nuanced potential for these abilities. The symbiosis between lifeforce manipulation and protective intent offers insight into the deeper mysteries of Fatebond-linked powers.¡± ¡ª Brael Gainsby, Lead Ecogenesis Archivist (local year 812)
Maia stared at the text in her vision, her eyes flicking between the words that the new plant. Her heart thudded like a hammer against her ribs. She reread the profile twice, her fingers absently tracing the rough bark of the shell she¡¯d somehow conjured. She¡¯d grown this. Not with tools, not with seeds, not with sunlight, water and time, but with her power. She crouched down, running her hands over the grooves and ridges of the shell. It was warm to the touch, faint pulses of energy thrumming beneath her fingers, as if it had a heartbeat of its own. The faint green light radiating from the bark was soft, almost soothing. She sat back on her heels, her mind racing. So that¡¯s it, she thought. Her power didn¡¯t want to destroy. It wanted to create, to grow, to shield. Maybe that¡¯s why her father¡¯s lessons never worked. She wasn¡¯t him. Her powers weren¡¯t his powers. She¡¯d assumed that just meant shields of light or something. But maybe the Arcanum system had been nudging her toward this the entire time. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh, a quiet, almost disbelieving sound. Her father would probably have a meltdown if he saw this. He was so focused on teaching her the ways he knew¡ªhow to fight, how to defend herself with force. But this wasn¡¯t about fighting, was it? Her smile faded as a realization struck her. The Hollow had wanted her energy, had tried to consume it. If she¡¯d had this ability then¡ªthis strange, life-grown armor¡ªwould it have made a difference? Could she have stopped it from nearly killing her? Could she have protected herself? She shook her head, trying to push away the what-ifs. It didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was what she could do now. And right now, she needed to practice. To understand this power better, to make it hers. Maia spent the morning coaxing more Shell Bark plants from the ground, her hands glowing faintly with a green pulse of light. The bark-like growths unfurled slowly, spiraling upwards and outward, weaving together like the protective shell of some giant turtle made of trees. She worked in focused silence, her fingers brushing the plants, guiding their shape and size as they grew. Over the course of the morning, she started to form an entire wall of the plant. Each new segment fitting in naturally until it wrapped around the Dame, creating a natural wall of dense, living wood. Maia sat back on the ground, exhausted but proud, marveling at her work. She knew she¡¯d have to practise her other abilities eventually. Shadow Dash and Phase Evade. The thought felt distant now, her limbs too heavy to entertain more effort today. She¡¯d done enough. For now, she¡¯d earned the right to just sit here and breathe. But damn, was she starving. She stretched her legs out and groaned, already dreading the effort it would take to drag herself to whatever provisions her father had stashed in the truck. She glanced toward the Dame, where her father was still sound asleep in the cab. She couldn¡¯t sit on this any longer. As angry as she¡¯d been with him lately¡ªhell, as angry as she still was¡ªshe wanted to share this moment with him. He¡¯ll be impressed. He has to be. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. ¡°Ba,¡± she called, rapping her knuckles on the side of the Dame as she approached. No response. She huffed and opened the door, peering inside. Matthias was slumped against the seat, his arms crossed, his face peaceful for once. She almost felt bad waking him. Almost. ¡°Ba,¡± she said again, louder this time. His eyes twitched open, and he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. ¡°Maia? It¡¯s not dark yet?¡± His voice was groggy, the edge of sleep still clinging to it. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to come see this,¡± she grinned, bouncing slightly on her heels despite the fatigue. He was muttering something to himself but then swung his legs out of the cab and stood, stretching as he followed her outside. Maia led him toward the wall of Shell Bark, her heart thudding in anticipation. When he saw it, she stopped and turned to face him, her arms spreading wide to gesture at her creation. ¡°Well?¡± she asked, trying and failing to hide the note of pride in her voice. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°What¡­ what are these? They weren¡¯t here when I pulled up this morning.¡± ¡°No they were not,¡± she beamed, her eyes glinting with mischief. ¡°You¡­ you did this?¡± he asked, disbelief clear in his voice. ¡°All me,¡± she nodded. He stepped closer, running a hand along the bark, his expression softening. ¡°How?¡± he asked. ¡°I shaped the power! I kept trying to make energy blades like you told me but it wasn¡¯t working¡­ so I, uh, I tried something different,¡± she laughed. ¡°This is¡­ impressive, Maia. Really¡­ It''s incredible. But you should¡¯ve woken me first. Using that much power alone¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, come on, Ba,¡± she interrupted, rolling her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you just say you¡¯re proud of me without lecturing?¡± His mouth opened, then closed again. For a second, she thought he might actually argue. But then he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you,¡± he said, though there was a tinge of a sadness in his voice that she didn¡¯t miss. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough. She beamed, her earlier anger slipping away. For now, it didn¡¯t matter. She¡¯d done something incredible, and she¡¯d shared it with him. That was enough. Chapter 19 - Wasteland Nasties Chapter 19 Wasteland Nasties ¡°Eyes sharp,¡± Matthias warned. He gripped the wheel tightly. Maia didn¡¯t know what got him jumpy but she knew better than to question that tone in his voice. Maia sat in the passenger seat, her overlays pulled up. A faint blue glow flickered in her vision, detecting movement in the distance. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything¡ªwait.¡± She froze as a faint red pulse lit up on her display. The Dame was rattling along the uneven dirt tracks, her engine growled in protest as they crossed over a pair of rusted train tracks cutting through the wastelands. The skeletal remains of the rail line stretched into the horizon, overgrown with stubborn weeds that clung to life. They¡¯d continued eastward four a few days through the wasteland until they hit this old railroad. Matthias had told her that they¡¯d actually ridden a train along this years before they¡¯d bought the Dame. ¡°Hang on, Ba!¡± she said urgently, ¡°something¡¯s really close. Like really close.¡± Before Matthias could respond, the ground in front of the Dame erupted, dust and debris scattering like shrapnel. He reacted quickly, jerking the wheel to avoid whatever had erupted from the ground. This was not the first thing to attack them over the past few days. The backroads were rife with scuttlers and other nasties. A monstrous roar split the air. ¡°That¡¯s no scuttler,¡± her father growled. ¡°A nasty then,¡± Maia nodded. Matthias veered off, following the rusted train tracks, the dust began settling behind them, and some dark shadow was moving quickly out of it. Maia¡¯s overlays were flashing in warning. There was a red haze of light around the creature, but she could see the Arcanum system was locking on. ¡°I¡¯ve nearly got a read,¡± she said. ¡°Good,¡± Matthias responded, ¡°I wanna know if we can outrun whatever it is.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Maia said as the profile appeared in front of her. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°As in¡­ oh, that¡¯s not good,¡± she replied. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A Chimera.¡± ¡°Oh shit.¡± Just as he said it the chimera emerged from the cloud of dust. It was a grotesque patchwork of creatures: a lion¡¯s muscular torso, its mane tangled and matted with blood, scaled hind legs, and a serpentine tail ending in a snapping snake head. The two heads were what made it truly horrific to look at. The goat head atop its shoulders bleated wildly, while the lion head bellowed a roar. ¡°Archons¡¯ breath,¡± Matthias growled, slamming the brakes. The Dame screeched to a halt, skidding slightly as the beast roared again. No outrunning this thing. Maia had never faced a Chimera before. She knew that her father had taken a contract on one a few years before. He¡¯d said it was one of the most difficult monsters he¡¯d faced. The Chimera lunged. Matthias yanked the wheel, sending the Dame veering to the side just as the creature¡¯s claws scraped across the truck¡¯s reinforced hull, leaving deep gouges. The force of the impact rocked the vehicle, and Maia was thrown against the door, yelping in surprise. ¡°Get out!¡± Matthias shouted, already reaching up for his spear blade which he kept strapped above his seat. Maia didn¡¯t hesitate. She kicked the door open and jumped onto the cracked earth, landing hard but rolling to her feet. Her heart thundered in her chest as she watched her father jump out after her and charge at the Chimera, his blade drawn. The Chimera met him head-on, its lion head snapping at him while the goat head lowered, its horns glowing red with some kind of energy. Matthias dodged the lion¡¯s bite, slashing at its side. His blade scraped against its tough hide, drawing a line of dark ichor. ¡°Maia!¡± he barked. ¡°Circle around! Go for the tail!¡± ¡°The snake part?¡± she called back. ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded, adrenaline surging through her veins as she darted to the side. The Chimera¡¯s snake tail whipped toward her, fangs bared and dripping venom. Maia skidded to a halt. Unconsciously, she activated her augmentation ability, her movements becoming faster and sharper. The tail snapped at her, but she dodged, just about avoiding the acidic venom that sizzled where it hit the ground. ¡°Try to drain it, I¡¯ll keep its attention,¡± she heard her father call out. He was surprisingly calm. A lot calmer than she felt. Maia¡¯s overlays pulsed as she focused on the Chimera. Its life energy burned in her vision, a swirling mass of red light pulsing from its core. She had to get close¡ªclose enough to siphon it. The lion head snarled, swiping at Matthias, who dodged just in time. She darted forward. The snake tail-head lashed out again, forcing her to dive into a roll to avoid its venom. She came up on her feet, her hands already reaching toward the Chimera¡¯s flank. Her fingers brushed its scales, and the connection snapped into place.
Lifeform Type Beast
Name Chimera Trifurcatus (Common Name: Chimera)
Description A highly aggressive predator native to the wastelands, the Chimera is a hybrid creature that combines the traits of multiple creatures. Known for its formidable strength and speed the Chimera is a dangerous foe for even the most seasoned travelers. Its three heads¡ªa lion, a goat, and a snake¡ªeach contribute unique abilities that make it a versatile and lethal opponent. The Chimera is believed to have originated from pre-Verdant experiments in bioengineering, though evidence is scarce.
Physical Characteristics - Height: Approximately 2.5 meters at the shoulder
Length: 4 meters from head to tail
- Lion Head: The primary head, with razor-sharp teeth and a mane
- Goat Head: Positioned atop the shoulders, its hollow eyes glow faintly; capable of ramming with immense force
- Snake Tail: A prehensile limb ending in a venomous serpent, capable of delivering a lethal bite
Life Energy Resonance The Chimera¡¯s life energy is a swirling mass of red light. Its core pulses erratically, indicating a heightened state of aggression and vitality. This energy is difficult to siphon in large amounts without overwhelming the absorber.
Behavioral Traits Highly territorial and prone to ambush tactics, the Chimera uses its lion head for frontal assaults and the snake tail for striking vulnerable targets. Its three heads act semi-independently, complicating efforts to predict its attacks.
Energy Value The Chimera¡¯s life energy is potent and volatile. When siphoned, it can provide a temporary surge of vitality and strength. However, the chaotic nature of its energy makes it dangerous to absorb without sufficient control. Extended draining can cause disorientation or physical backlash.
Notes - Savora Ritharn, Lead Fauna Archivist (Local Year 817) ¡°The Chimera is a marvel. Its unique hybrid physiology is likely evidence of soulforging tampering, though records remain elusive. Despite its ferocity, its energy profile suggests instability, possibly due to its unnatural origins. Use extreme caution when engaging.¡±
Lore and Cultural SignificanceThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The Chimera is often regarded as an omen of death in folklore. Stories speak of lone wanderers encountering Chimeras at night, their three heads acting as manifestations of rage, despair, and deceit. Some scavenger clans believe that consuming a Chimera¡¯s heart grants the eater immunity to venom and unparalleled strength, though such practices are rare and unverified.
Arcanum Detection Properties The Arcanum system registers the Chimera as a high-intensity energy source. It is marked as a Tier 3 predator, with a recommended engagement rating of ¡°Extreme Caution.¡± When detected, the system prioritizes alerts for its presence, emphasizing avoidance unless fully prepared.
Archivist¡¯s Commentary ¡°If you see one, run. If you¡¯re forced to fight, pray it¡¯s alone. A Chimera in its prime is an engine of destruction, and it will not stop until one of you is dead.¡± - Savora Ritharn
The Chimera bucked, roaring in rage as Maia siphoned its life force. Green energy flared around her hands, the power surging through her body like lightning. The Chimera twisted, trying to throw her off, but she clung to its side, pouring her intent into the ground beneath them. Shell Bark erupted from the earth, twisting around the Chimera¡¯s hind legs with the sound of cracking wood. The sharp bark gripped like iron bands, pinning the creature¡¯s powerful limbs. Maia clenched her fists, focusing every ounce of her will to hold the Chimera down as it thrashed violently. The snake-head snapped around. ¡°Shit!¡± Maia gasped her eyes catching the open fanged jaw shooting towards her. She wasn¡¯t fast enough to jump back. But she had to do something! Instinct took over. She raised her hands reflexively, but before the snake''s fangs reached her, something strange happened. The world blurred. For the briefest moment, everything felt¡­ unreal. Her body buzzed with an otherworldly sensation, and she felt herself slip¡ªas though her very molecules scattered and then reassembled just a hair''s breadth away. The snake¡¯s fangs passed harmlessly through empty air where she had been standing. She staggered, her vision flickering as the Arcanum system flashed in her periphery.
Ability Activated: Phase Evade. Progression: 0.01%
Ability You become incorporeal for 0.2 seconds, allowing you to evade physical damage. Ethereal or force-based damage can still affect you.
Cooldown 5 minutes
You are now vulnerable to ethereal force damage for the duration of the cooldown
¡°What the¡­¡± she breathed, her heart hammering in her chest. Her whole body felt tingly, like a thousand tiny pinpricks all over her skin. She didn¡¯t have time to process what had just happened. The Chimera roared, the lion-head now snarling and clawing at the Shell Bark restraints. The snake-tail lashed out again with fury. ¡°Maia, focus!¡± her father¡¯s voice boomed from somewhere behind her, but she barely registered it. Her mind was racing. She could feel the adrenaline pumping in her. She felt unstoppable. A wild grin broke across her face despite the danger. She rolled forward, dodging another bite of the snake-head, and slapped her hand against the ground. Something new erupted, this time forming thorned and spiraling spires that forced the Chimera to pull back. The creature¡¯s lion head snarled in frustration. She was testing her limits now, trying to balance her energy reserves, and her heart raced with exhilaration. And then it hit¡ªlike a runner who¡¯s pushed too far. Her breath came in gasps, her legs trembling beneath her. She staggered, the ground feeling unsteady beneath her feet. ¡°Pull back! you over-extended!¡± Matthias shouted, jumping in front of her. A glaive of blue light in his hands. He slashed at the creature¡¯s flank, driving it back. ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± she yelled back. The Chimera snarled, coiling its snake-tail in preparation for another strike. Maia¡¯s hands twitched as she reached for that strange buzzing current again. If she could phase once, she could do it again. But the buzz didn¡¯t flicker to anything. An alert flashed in the corner of her vision.
Phase Evade Cooldown 4 minutes and 12 seconds
Oh right, cooldowns. The snake-head shot forward. Fangs bared. But her father intercepted, slashing up the blade of his glaive. The snake severed, the length of tail coiling and spasming. This time, she didn¡¯t falter. She dropped to her knees, slamming her hands into the ground. She pulled on everything she had left, every ounce of energy within her. Life surged through her like a torrent, and another wave of Shell Bark burst from the earth. The bark wrapped tightly around the Chimera¡¯s torso and the remnants of its snake-tail, locking it in place. The creature howled, thrashing against its restraints, but it was pinned. Matthias didn¡¯t miss his chance. He stepped in, his glaive glowing brighter than ever, and with one final strike, he stabbed through the lion-head. The beast let out a choking roar before slumping to the ground, the goat-head braying weakly. The wasteland fell eerily silent. Maia staggered, dropping to rest on the ground, chest heaving. Her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline and the strain of what she¡¯d just done. ¡°Not bad,¡± Matthias said, his light glaive evaporating. His physical blade was still lodged in the other side of the dead Chimera. He gave her a quick once-over, his sharp eyes scanning for injuries. ¡°You did well. But you nearly got yourself killed.¡± ¡°I was fine, I¡ª¡± ¡°You were not fine,¡± he snapped, cutting her off. ¡°You were pulling on your own life force near the end there. That¡¯s why you feel like you¡¯ve just run a damn marathon.¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± she admitted. ¡°It just happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Matthias said, his tone hard but not unkind. ¡°You have to know your limits, Maia. If I hadn¡¯t stepped in¡ª¡± ¡°But you did step in,¡± Maia interrupted, glaring up at him. ¡°And this was my first-ever Chimera. I think I did pretty damn good.¡± ¡°I fought my first one solo when I was barely older than you. And I didn¡¯t nearly kill myself doing it.¡± ¡°Oh, here we go again. Another story about how perfect you were at my age.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about being perfect,¡± Matthias shot back. ¡°You were reckless, Maia. You don¡¯t think things through.¡± ¡°I¡¯m learning,¡± she retorted, her voice rising. ¡°That¡¯s what all this is, isn¡¯t it? Me learning? Or do you want me to just sit in the truck and hide while you do everything?¡± ¡°I want you to keep yourself alive! You don¡¯t understand yet how easy it is to lose control with these powers. You think you¡¯re unstoppable until the second you¡¯re not.¡± She opened her mouth to argue but shut it again. ¡°I¡¯ll do better next time,¡± she muttered softly. Matthias let out a long sigh, raking a hand through his hair. ¡°Just¡­ take a minute. Catch your breath before you try to stand.¡± Matthias crouched by the Chimera¡¯s corpse, muttering under his breath as he began inspecting the massive creature. Chimera meat was almost universally shunned, and for good reason. Allico used to spin wild tales about how eating it could drive you mad, twist your insides, and eventually turn you into a monster. Maia had always dismissed it as one of his ridiculous ghost stories Matthias retrieved his blade, wiping it clean, before turning his attention to the snake-head tail. Without a word, he started cutting into the thick, scaly flesh. ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t supposed to harvest anything from a Chimera,¡± Maia said. ¡°Most folks won¡¯t touch Chimera parts¡ªtoo much bad luck and superstition,¡± he said, his tone matter-of-fact. ¡°But valuable is valuable, and there¡¯s a market for this stuff if you know where to look.¡± He yanked out one of the long, curved fangs, wiping it off on his sleeve before uncorking a small glass vial. With careful precision, he began milking the venom gland at the base of the fang, the translucent liquid dripping into the vial. ¡°The venom can be distilled,¡± he said. ¡°Can be made into antivenoms¡­ or poisons.¡± ¡°What about the rest of it?¡± Maia asked, glancing uneasily at the chimera¡¯s hulking body. Its lion head was still frozen in a vicious snarl, and she could swear its goat-head was somehow staring at her. Matthias shrugged, slipping the sealed vial into his pocket. ¡°Some people say Chimera parts attract more of them. Don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true, but we probably won¡¯t find any buyers for the other parts. We¡¯ll find an alchemist in Lindrao who will pay good shells for this though, it¡¯s worth the risk. Rest of it stays here, and we get moving before this thing brings anything worse sniffing around.¡±
Lifeform Type Plant
Name Spiraxis Vortica (Common Name: Spiral Spires)
Description A fast-growing plant known for its twisting, spiraling stalks that rise skyward. The Spires are highly adaptive and grow with an elegant symmetry. Its surface is smooth and gleams faintly under light, with patterns reminiscent of spiraled shell carvings. When fully grown, the tips emit a faint bioluminescent glow, making them a natural beacon in the dark. Spiraxis Vortica is prized for its flexibility and durability in both natural and cultivated settings.
Physical Characteristics Height: Grows up to 3 meters in ideal conditions but stabilizes at 1.5¨C2 meters in compact areas.
Leaves: None; the stalk itself is photosynthetic, covered in a glossy, wax-like surface to minimize water loss.
Growth Rate: Rapid, reaching maturity within seconds when manipulated via scrav-powers.
Life Energy Resonance Pulsing, spiraling currents visible in the Arcanum overlay, mirroring its unique growth pattern. The energy feels coiled and reactive, often described as "spring-like" in nature.
Energy Value Moderate life energy reserves, suitable for restorative purposes. Excessive drawing can destabilize the structure and cause the Spires to collapse.
Medicinal Properties The plant¡¯s sap contains compounds that accelerate wound coagulation and healing. When processed, the hardened tips of the Spires can be used as sturdy, lightweight tools or weapons.
Notes Brael Gainsby, Lead Ecogenesis Archivist (local year 812): "I''ve witnessed its potential to strengthen communities when properly cultivated¡ªbe it for light, support, or defense. However, its rapid growth also means it must be used with care, as unchecked development can disrupt local ecosystems."
Lore and Cultural Significance Revered by wasteland tribes as a "Gift of the Archons," the Spires are often planted in ceremonial formations to signify protection or renewal. Some legends suggest that Spiraxis Vortica''s light wards off malevolent spirits.
Maia''s Plant Compendium
Plant Name Type Energy Cost Description Uses
Shell Bark Shield/Snare Moderate Dense, bark-like growths with a naturally interlocking structure, offering exceptional resilience and durability. Provides physical barriers, or snares for trapping enemies. Grows rapidly when energy is drawn from nearby life sources.
Spiral Spires Offensive High Thorn-covered spires that twist upward like corkscrews, forming dense, sturdy structures. Thorns also act as deterrents, causing damage to enemies attempting to pass.
Chapter 20 - The Right Call
Chapter 20 The Right Call The railroad stretched before them, winding through the rugged expanse of the wastelands. Maia leaned against the window, watching as the terrain slowly shifted. The Arcanum system hummed faintly in her vision, marking a growing number of plant profiles as they neared the Lindrao region. Each new entry flashed briefly, some familiar, others completely unknown. She was still groggy, having slept through most of the previous day and night, her body wrung out from the Chimera battle. She could still feel the lingering ache from the exhaustion of drawing on her own life force, a mistake Matthias hadn¡¯t let her forget. ¡°This rail track goes straight there, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Maia asked. ¡°To Lindrao? Yeah,¡± Matthias replied. Maia leaned against the window, her excitement bubbling. Lindrao. The thought of seeing it again, of walking through the undercity¡¯s bustling streets. It was like Red Market but so much more. The excitement was enough to push the exhaustion of the last few days out of her mind. The terrain shifted as rocky outcroppings began to close in around them. The gorge rose on either side of the railroad, its craggy walls painted with streaks of rust-red and ochre. The Dame¡¯s tires crunched over loose gravel. This gorge was one of the many routes that led into the massive canyon that housed the Lindrao undercity. Maia¡¯s eyes flicked over the plant profiles her Arcanum system had logged as they passed through the region. It was all valuable research. Someone else had already done all the hard work for her years ago, cataloguing and evaluating all the plant life on her planet. All she had to do was read, and see which ones she might try to grow with her abilities. She¡¯d realised she could make any type of plant she wanted. Scavenging for food didn¡¯t need to be a problem anymore. With a single touch, she could drain the life from one plant and grow perfectly formed vegetables in minutes. She could solve a lot of the world¡¯s hunger problems with her abilities. Hells, maybe that was her Fatebond. ¡°Hey, Ba?¡± she asked, glancing over at him. ¡°With my Fatebond¡­ do you think I¡¯ll just know when I¡¯ve figured it out? Like, is that how it works?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯re kind of supposed to just know already.¡± She didn¡¯t reply then. He knew what his was already. Even if he hid that fact from her. That still grated on her. She took a steadying breath, pushing down the flicker of anger rising in her chest. She was coming to terms with that truth now. ¡°Right¡­¡± she muttered. The rumbling hum of the truck filled the silence between them. Her fingers drummed against her thigh as she debated what to say next. ¡°Um¡­ so, your Fatebond,¡± she started cautiously, unsure how to phrase it. The flutter of anxiety in her stomach grew stronger. How did you even bring up something like this? Hey, Ba, I know your Fatebond is to protect me and the only reason you even care about me is because of some divine mandate and my whole life has been a big massive lie. He glanced at her, his brow furrowing with concern. Why does he have to look at me like that? His face could be so infuriatingly soft at times, full of concern and affection. She loved him. She did. Even if he was an infuriating liar, he was still her dad. And deep down, she clung to the hope that it wasn¡¯t just his Fatebond that made him care. ¡°So, back at Red Market¡­¡± she began, her voice faltering. ¡°I, uh¡­ kind of overheard¡ª¡± She froze, her head snapping toward the window. ¡°Wait! Did you hear that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Matthias¡¯s voice shifted instantly, all focus. ¡°Shouting,¡± she said, her eyes narrowing. She tapped her overlays, focusing her senses on the gorge above them. The Arcanum system highlighted faint energy signatures flickering in her vision, glowing outlines scattered across the terrain. Her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Over there,¡± she pointed to where a part of the gorge led up to a shelf further ahead. Matthias slowed the Dame, his eyes darting toward the ridge. He rolled down his window, the truck¡¯s engine humming softly as he strained to listen. An unmistakable rifle shot cracked through the air. His grip on the wheel tightened. Maia¡¯s overlays adjusted, highlighting a faint cluster of signatures in red on the shelf. ¡°People,¡± she confirmed, her voice quickening. ¡°Sounds like fighting. Look! There!¡± She pointed ahead to where the narrow shelf jutted out from the gorge wall. Leaning up out of her seat, she could just about see a makeshift camp visible from their angle. A group of travellers, no more than a dozen, were scrambling around the camp, their shouts frantic. They were surrounded by scuttlers ¡°We have to help them!¡± Maia determined. Matthias¡¯ jaw clenched, and put his foot on the brakes. The Dame groaned to a halt, dust rising in a cloud around them. He hesitated for a moment before twisting the wheel sharply, beginning to turn the truck around. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Maia¡¯s voice cracked with disbelief. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Matthias said, his voice low but firm. ¡°Not our problem. They were stupid enough to camp out here, then they should be able to fend for themselves.¡± Maia stared at him, her shock quickly giving way to anger. ¡°Are you kidding me? You¡¯re just going to abandon them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not our problem!¡± he snapped back, his tone rising to match hers. ¡°They¡¯re people!¡± Maia shouted, her voice breaking. ¡°And they¡¯re in trouble!¡± ¡°They could be bandits for all we know!¡± Matthias shot back. ¡°Hiding out there to ambush travellers. You don¡¯t know who they are.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you,¡± Maia spat, disgust clear in her voice. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave them there to die.¡± Matthias sighed, exasperation leaking into his tone. ¡°There¡¯s another route around the gorge. It¡¯ll add a day or two to our trip, but we¡¯ll avoid this entirely¡ªhey! Maia, what the hell are you doing?¡± He reached for her, but Maia had already thrown open the passenger door. Before he could stop her, she climbed out of the moving truck, swinging herself onto the ladder attached to the Dame¡¯s side. ¡°Get back inside!¡± Matthias bellowed, his voice barely audible over the wind. Maia ignored him, her heart pounding as she climbed onto the truck¡¯s roof. The skimmer was secured there, its scratched and weathered frame glinting under the sun. Without hesitation, she began unfastening the straps that held it down. Matthias had stopped the Dame by now, but she didn¡¯t glance back. [Playing: Losu track 53 - Those Who Fight] ¡°The hell are you doing?!¡± she heard him shouting, ¡°What you should be doing!¡± she shot back, kicking the last strap loose. The skimmer¡¯s weight shifted, and she clambered into the driver¡¯s seat, her movements quick and determined. She kickstarted the engine and the skimmer roared to life, its engine growling like a feral beast. Maia pulled her hand on the accelerator, and the skimmer slid off the Dame¡¯s roof, hitting the dirt with a bone-jarring thud. For a moment, the vehicle wobbled, but the skimmer had weathered bigger hits than that many times before. Maia tightened her grip and steadied the vehicles, the wind whipping her hair back as she tore down the gorge.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Maia!¡± Matthias¡¯ voice echoed behind her, but she didn¡¯t look back. Her jaw clenched as she focused on the ridge ahead, the shouts of the travellers growing louder. She wasn¡¯t going to let them die¡ªnot while she had the power to do something. Not while she had the will. She would not abandon these people. Maia¡¯s skimmer roared up the narrow path, its engine growling in protest as she pushed it harder than she should. The rocky shelf where the fight raged grew larger in her vision, the figures of the travellers battling for their lives becoming clearer. Two of them fired shots from battered rifles that pinged uselessly off the scuttlers'' carapace shells. Others wielded crude spears and machetes, desperately trying to fend off the relentless attackers. The scuttlers were grotesque, their insectoid bodies clambering over the rocks with unnerving speed. Their claws snapped, their mandibles chittered, and their segmented legs moved like clockwork horrors. Maia didn¡¯t think. She pulled on accelerating, pushing the skimmer up a narrow path toward the shelf. Cresting it, she drove straight for the nearest scuttlers, yanking the skimmer to the side at the last moment and leaping off. The skimmer slammed into the creature, flipping it onto its back. Its legs flailed wildly, but the impact wasn¡¯t enough to kill it. Maia landed in a roll, springing to her feet as the downed creature screeched in fury. She was over to it in an instant. Her hand slapped against its still-twitching limbs, and her scrav-powers flared to life. The red glow of its lifeforce coursed into her hands, making her fingertips tingle. It thrashed once more before going still, its body crumbling into the dust. Maia didn¡¯t stop to think¡ªshe spun, directing the energy into her next move. Her hands hit the ground, and a wave of Shell Bark erupted in a protective arc around an elderly woman and two children huddling near the cliff wall. The wood grew thick and strong. ¡°Stay behind it!¡± Maia shouted at them, not waiting to see if they heard her. Her focus shifted back to the battle. The scuttlers were closing in, pincers snapping at the desperate defenders. Maia planted her feet, slamming her hands down again. Spiraling spires burst from the earth, creating a jagged barricade between the travellers and the advancing creatures. One scuttler slammed into the barrier, its mandibles clicking in frustration as it tried to climb over. ¡°Get back! Regroup by the wall!¡± Maia yelled to the travellers. The man with the rifle hesitated. ¡°Who¡ª?¡± ¡°Move!¡± she snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument. The travellers began to fall back, taking advantage of the momentary reprieve. Maia darted toward another scuttler that was circling to the side. Its spiny legs glinted in the sunlight as it lunged for her. She ducked, feeling its claw swipe through the air just above her head. Her fingers brushed the ground, and another burst of Shell Bark shot up, catching the creature mid-strike. It screeched, thrashing against the bark that coiled around its legs, locking it in place. Maia wasted no time, rolling forward and yanked one of the newly grown spires out of the ground. She hurled it into the scuttler¡¯s vulnerable underbelly, the tip piercing deep. Another traveller screamed as a scuttler closed in, its claws snapping inches from his face. Maia turned, sprinting toward him. Her hands tingled with the buzzing current of her powers, but she could feel her energy reserves waning already. No time to worry about that now. She drove her palm into the scuttler¡¯s carapace, the lifeforce surging into her once again. It reared back, screeching in agony as the red glow left its body. With a final, shuddering motion, it collapsed. ¡°Get to the barricade!¡± Maia shouted, her voice hoarse now. The travellers were regrouping, and the tide of the battle was shifting. But the scuttlers weren¡¯t retreating yet. They hissed and snapped, their numbers still threatening. Maia planted her feet, ready to push herself further¡ªshe wasn¡¯t going to let these people die. From the edge of her vision, she saw movement. The last scuttler lunged for her from behind, mandibles wide open. She turned, her body acting on instinct phased out of the way, the cooldown flashing now in her overlays letting her know when she could use it again. Maia was still learning to use her Phase Evade skill effectively, she¡¯d only moved a few paces out of the way and the instant shift in her position had left her disorientated. The scuttler, had reacted quickly and was lunging at her again. A rifle shot cracked through the air. The scuttler shrieked, its momentum faltering as its carapace shattered in a splatter of green ichor. It thrashed wildly, its legs skittering before collapsing in a heap. ¡°Got the bastard!¡± shouted one of the riflemen, a wiry man with sweat dripping down his soot-streaked face. He gave Maia a quick, grim nod before swinging his rifle toward another scuttler. Maia barely had time to catch her breath. The barricade of Shell Bark groaned under the weight of another scuttler trying to force its way through. The bark structure creaked, holding firm for now, but the creatures weren¡¯t giving up. She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. Her energy reserves were nearly spent, but she couldn¡¯t stop now. Planting her hands on the ground once more, she channeled everything she had left. A fresh ring of thorned spires erupted around the defenders, creating a second layer of protection. The scuttlers hissed and snapped, retreating slightly from the renewed defenses. One of the travellers, a stocky woman wielding a spear, took the opening. ¡°Push them back!¡± she bellowed, rallying the others. The defenders surged forward as a group, their attacks coordinated now. There was only a half dozen of the scuttlers left now. Spears and machetes found weak spots in the scuttlers¡¯ armor, while rifle shots picked off the creatures from a distance. Maia stumbled back, her knees nearly buckling, but she refused to fall. The remaining scuttlers hesitated, their mandibles clicking, at the renewed vigor of the defenders. And then, as if by some unseen signal, they began to retreat. The creatures scurried back toward the cliffs, disappearing into the rocky shadows. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away!¡± a gruff voice yelled from the crowd. One of the riflemen raised his weapon, his face blazing with anger. ¡°They¡¯ll come back once we¡¯re sleeping!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Maia shouted, raising her hands. Her chest heaved as she stepped forward, her voice cutting through the shouting. ¡°Look!¡± She pointed down into the gorge, where a familiar orange truck roared into view. Dust billowed behind it as the Dame screeched to a halt. Her father leapt from the cab with the fluid grace of a man who¡¯d done this far too many times. His glaive of light crackled into existence, blue light flaring as he charged forward. The nearest scuttler was impaled mid-scramble, its legs curling inward as it collapsed. Matthias spun on his heel, hurling another spear of light into the retreating swarm. Each strike found its mark with deadly precision, the scuttlers falling one by one under the onslaught. Maia let out a slow breath, her shoulders sagging as the tension began to ebb away. Her father would handle it. He always did. She watched him work, his movements efficient, almost mechanical. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. At least he followed. She felt a pang of gratitude, though it was tangled with frustration. Even now, she knew he¡¯d only come to protect her, not because he cared about the strangers she¡¯d risked herself to save. But still, she was grateful. The remaining scuttlers wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him. ¡°Let him finish it,¡± Maia said to the travellers. ¡°They won¡¯t be coming back.¡± The group hesitated, exchanging glances, but slowly began to lower their weapons. The stocky woman with the spear grunted, giving Maia a respectful nod. ¡°Hell of a thing you did for us, scrav.¡± Maia flinched at the word. Ba isn¡¯t going to be happy about this. The word had been spoken without malice, but hearing it aloud sent a jolt through her. They were never supposed to let anyone know. And now? Everyone here had seen her in action. Maia swallowed hard, ignoring the knot forming in her throat. ¡°Just¡­ take care of your people,¡± she said, trying to deflect. The woman gave her a long look but didn¡¯t press. Instead, she turned to the others, checking injuries and patching up scrapes. The group moved with the efficiency of people used to surviving, but Maia could feel their eyes darting to her every so often. She knelt beside her skimmer, pretending to fiddle with the controls, as her father climbed the slope toward them. His face was grim, his glaive of light fading from his hand as he approached. ¡°They were in trouble,¡± Maia hissed quietly, standing to face him. ¡°They¡¯d have died without my help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± Matthias matched her volume, his gaze flicking to the travellers. Some were watching them, though most were tending to their wounded or gathering their scattered supplies. ¡°Now they know.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just let them die!¡± Maia¡¯s voice rose, drawing a few more curious glances. She lowered it again, her tone sharp. ¡°What was I supposed to do? Aren¡¯t you always telling me that we were given these powers for a reason!¡± Before her father could respond, the stocky woman stepped forward, planting her spear into the dirt with a solid thunk. ¡°Name¡¯s Karra,¡± she said, her voice gruff but warm. ¡°I lead this group.¡± She motioned to the dozen or so travellers behind her. ¡°We¡¯re just passing through, heading south to Sanjura. Following the tracks.¡± ¡°Smart route,¡± Matthias replied tersely, his eyes scanning the horizon for any remaining scuttlers. ¡°We owe you both, though,¡± Karra continued, looking directly at Maia. ¡°You saved our hides there, no doubt about it. Let us repay you at least. We¡¯re set up here for the night, join us. We¡¯ve plenty of food and drink. Archons know we¡¯d feel a lot safer knowing you guys were here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind!¡± Maia¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Thank you¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Matthias cut her off sharply. ¡°We¡¯re just passing through too. We don¡¯t need anything.¡± ¡°Listen,¡± Karra raised her hands. ¡°We just want to show our appreciation. We don¡¯t care that you¡¯re scravs.¡± Maia stiffened, glancing nervously at Matthias. His expression darkened, his jaw tightening as though Karra¡¯s words had been a personal attack. ¡°Ba, they¡¯re just trying to be nice,¡± Maia her stomach churning with embarrassment and frustration. Why did he always have to be like this. ¡°Look,¡± Karra went on, a warm smile on her face. ¡°We¡¯re not enemies here. You just saved our asses. Take it or leave it, but the offer stands.¡± Maia turned to her father, hoping for even the smallest sign of compromise. But Matthias¡¯s expression was unreadable, his shoulders tense as if ready to walk away. ¡°Thank you,¡± Maia said firmly to Karra, stepping forward. ¡°We¡¯d love to share a meal with you.¡± She shot her father a pointed look. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Matthias exhaled heavily, his lips pressing into a tight line. ¡°Fine,¡± he muttered. Chapter 21 - Pretending For a While Chapter 21 Pretending For a While The travellers¡¯ camp was a mix of tarps stretched between weathered poles and scavenged materials repurposed into shelters. The plateau¡¯s rocky surface offered some protection from the wind, but the night was still cold. They¡¯d set up a large central fire that gave warmth. The travellers were three families with a mix of generations. Children darted between the makeshift tents while elders huddled together near the fire, sharing stories of the road. If any of them harbored reservations about Maia and Matthias being scravs, they didn¡¯t show it. Instead, they were overly warm and grateful, thanking them repeatedly for saving their lives earlier that day. As they ate, the conversation drifted between casual topics¡ªthe quality of the stew, the unpredictability of the wasteland roads, and the travelers¡¯ stories of the places they¡¯d passed. The group was lively, despite the earlier attack, their gratitude to Maia and Matthias softening any usual wariness reserved for strangers. ¡°So, why are you all heading to Sanjura?¡± Maia asked, leaning forward, her bowl balanced on her knees. ¡°It¡¯s not just one reason,¡± Karra answered. ¡°Folk say it¡¯s safer there , more work too¡­ but we¡¯ve been hearing things. About the Sanjuric trying to turn things around.¡± ¡°Turn things around how?¡± Maia perked up. ¡°Rumors, mostly. They¡¯ve started trying to revive the planet. Using salvaged Verdant tech. That¡¯s what folk are saying anyway.¡± ¡°Last I was in Lindrao,¡± Matthias put in, ¡°folk there still blamed the Verdant for the decay. Surprised to hear you¡¯re putting stock in Verdant tech being the answer.¡± ¡°Aye, most still do,¡± Karra shrugged. ¡°Hard not to, considering the war came so close to Lindrao. Can¡¯t find many families around here that weren¡¯t scarred by it.¡± ¡°So, you think the Verdant weren¡¯t to blame?¡± Maia tilted her head as she spoke. ¡°We don¡¯t know what to think anymore. Maybe they were, maybe they weren¡¯t. What I do know is that there¡¯s no point praying to dead gods for salvation. The Archons are gone. If we¡¯re going to fix anything, it¡¯ll be us that has to do it.¡± Before either Maia or Matthias could respond, Karra backtracked, glancing at them apologetically. ¡°Sorry. I meant no offense. You being scravs and all. I wasn¡¯t thinking¡ª¡± Matthias waved her off with a faint chuckle, his tone dry. ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t care about any dead Archons.¡± ¡°If not the Verdant,¡± Maia asked between spoonfuls of her stew. ¡°Then what do you think caused the decay?¡± The group exchanged uncertain glances, and it was clear none of them had a satisfying answer. Finally, a youth around Maia¡¯s age spoke up, his tone tinged with defiance. ¡°I reckon it was the Archons themselves. If they were going to die, they¡¯d make sure the planet went down with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Kai,¡± an older man snapped, though the boy simply shrugged and fell silent. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Archons,¡± an elderly woman chuckled softly, ¡°I saw one once, you know. During the war.¡± There was more than a few groans and eye rolls from the group as she spoke. This had the feel of a story told a thousand times. Maia grinned, leaning forward. Oh she¡¯d make them all listen to it again. ¡°You actually saw one?¡± Maia asked. ¡°I was working in a little bakery on Tharas street. You know it?¡± ¡°Is that in Lindrao ¡±Maia asked. ¡°¡®Course it is, girl,¡± the woman scoffed. ¡°it¡¯s only the biggest street in the whole city.¡± ¡°I only really know the undercity,¡± Maia grumbled but the woman didn¡¯t hear her, pressing on with her story. ¡°Oh, when he passed down the boulevard, everyone had come out to cheer. A giant, beautiful creature. He looked like a man,¡± the woman went on, her eyes distant but alive with wonder. ¡°But no man ever stood so tall. Taller than the buildings, he was, and his wings¡­ oh, his wings! They were like stained glass, shimmering with every color you could imagine. And his head¡­¡± She hesitated, her voice dropping, as if saying it aloud might break the spell. ¡°It was the head of an eagle. Fierce. Noble.¡± ¡°What was he doing?¡± Maia asked, her voice soft. ¡°Marching. Leading a retinue of scravs and soldiers. Dozens of them, all in formation, their armor gleaming like the scales of a dragon. He passed down the street I worked on, close enough for me to feel the air pulsating with his power. I thought¡ªhow could something so beautiful, so powerful, ever fail? How could we ever lose, with a being like that fighting for us?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. There was a pause of silence then from the group. Because the Archons had failed. ¡°That was Altheon,¡± Matthias said suddenly, his voice cutting through the stillness. Maia turned to him, surprised to hear him speaking up. ¡°One of the patron Archons of this region. Most of Lindrao¡¯s army served under him.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes that was him,¡± the woman said wistfully, ¡°I often wonder how he fell.¡± ¡°How many were there, at the end of the war?¡± Kai¡ªthe young lad that had spoken out against the Archons earlier¡ªasked hesitantly. There were murmurs of uncertainty, guesses tossed around the fire, but Matthias spoke up again. ¡°Seven. And they all fell at the last battle at Rhyvellon Ridge.¡± Then abruptly, Matthias turned to look at Karra. ¡°What¡¯s the road like ahead? Straight shot to Lindrao, or should we be watching for more trouble?¡± This was more expected behaviour of her father. Maia was well accustomed to him giving a small nugget of information about his time in the war then suddenly shifting off the topic. ¡°The gorge you¡¯re in now?¡± Karra took a sip from her tin cup. ¡°Leads straight into the main canyon housing the Undercity. If you¡¯re aiming for the high city, though, you¡¯ll want to take higher ground soon. Steeper climb, but the view alone¡¯s worth it. If it¡¯s the Undercity you¡¯re after, keep to the gorge. It''ll take you right there.¡± Later, as the night deepened, the group¡¯s mood lightened further. Matthias seemed more at ease, even chatting with Karra as if they were old friends. He gestured at the map Karra had pulled out, marking out routes to Sanjura with his finger. ¡°If you¡¯re heading south, stick to the tracks along here,¡± he advised. ¡°Less chance of running into scuttlers around these parts. There¡¯s a pass about three days out; it¡¯s narrow but you guys are on foot so you can pass through without trouble, it¡¯ll save you a good week of trekking.¡± ¡°Appreciate that,¡± Karra said, giving him a genuine nod of thanks. ¡°You¡¯ve been down this way before?¡± ¡°More than once,¡± Matthias admitted, his voice dipping into something almost nostalgic. Nearby, Maia sat cross-legged, soaking in the easy camaraderie. It wasn¡¯t often they stopped long enough to hear other people¡¯s stories. An older man recounted his youth chasing scuttlers for bounties, exaggerating wildly to the group¡¯s laughter. Another spoke about the dangers of the trade roads near Sanjura, spinning tales of daring escapes from raiders. Maia listened intently, her chin propped in her hand, smiling as she listened. Kai¡ªwho¡¯d been stealing glances at her all evening¡ªfinally mustered the courage to scoot closer to her. He cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°So, uh¡­ Lindrao, huh?¡± he started, trying to sound casual. ¡°Yep,¡± Maia replied. ¡°That¡¯s cool, I guess.¡± He hesitated, then added, ¡°You¡¯ve got family there?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± she said, glancing at him sideways. He looked nervous, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. She tilted her head. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was just thinking¡­ Lindrao¡¯s got a lot of guys. And, uh, you¡¯re¡­ you know.¡± He gestured vaguely in her direction, his cheeks coloring in the firelight. ¡°They¡¯re gonna notice.¡± ¡°Notice?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, gaining a little confidence. ¡°You¡¯re, uh¡­ you¡¯ve got that whole hot edgy scrav warrior thing going on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± she replied, her voice light, ¡°but I don¡¯t think Lindrao guys are really my type.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He shifted awkwardly, deflating a little. ¡°What¡¯s your type then?¡± ¡°Not sure yet,¡± she shrugged, a small smirk playing on her lips, ¡°but I know it¡¯s not someone who calls me a ¡®hot edgy scrav warrior¡¯.¡± The group, who had clearly been eavesdropping, burst into laughter. Kai groaned, burying his face in his hands, though he was grinning despite himself. ¡°Alright, I deserved that,¡± he muttered. The rest of the evening passed in easy conversations around the group. Maia noticed how her father seemed at ease for the first time in days, even cracking the occasional dry joke. It wasn¡¯t often she saw him like this, and it made her heart ache a little¡ªwistful for a version of him she wished she knew better. Maybe it was because these people already knew they were scravs. He didn¡¯t have to hold a piece of himself back. Didn¡¯t have to hide that truth. Eventually, the fire¡¯s embers dimmed, and one by one, the group began to retire to their makeshift tents and bedrolls. Maia and her father returning to the Dame, still parked up down in the gorge. The next morning, she woke to the sound of voices outside. It was a comforting sound, the chatter and laughter of the camp coming alive with the new day. It was nice to pretend they were part of this small community, even for a little while. They joined the group again for breakfast before finally parting ways. Karra had even tried to convince Matthias to join them on the road south to Sanjura but he politely declined. Maia wasn¡¯t surprised. He always preferred their solitude, even when the company was good. Then, it was just the two of them again, back in the cab of their truck. Maia waited for a while in silence, expecting a lecture from her father for what she¡¯d done the previous day. But it never came. She didn¡¯t want to apologise. She didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d done anything wrong. She¡¯d saved those people. Maybe they might have fought off those scuttlers, but not without some casualties. Kai¡ªwho¡¯d stumbled through a clumsy attempt to flirt with her the night before¡ªmight¡¯ve been lying dead in that gorge if it hadn¡¯t been for her. She was not going to apologise for that. Whatever her father thought, she knew in her gut it had been the right call. After about an hour of quiet, Matthias finally spoke, his voice soft. ¡°You were right¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Maia blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected apology. For a moment, she considered gloating, rubbing it in just a little¡ªbut instead, she took the high road. ¡°Thank you,¡± was all she said. ¡°You did fantastic,¡± he added after a beat, his gaze flicked to hers briefly. ¡°Well done.¡± A warmth spread through her chest at the words. She¡¯d been waiting to hear them, even if she wouldn¡¯t admit it. ¡°Thanks, Ba,¡± she replied softly. Chapter 22 - My Way Chapter 22 My Way Maia felt a thrill of excitement as the vegetation thickened, the first signs of Lindrao¡¯s outskirts drawing closer. The Dame groaned as it navigated a sharp bend in the track, revealing a view that made Maia grin. Far below, the massive gorge that housed the Undercity spread out like a chasm. She could make out the glimmer of life¡ªthe neon lights of stalls, the weaving lines of trams, and the faint movement of countless people. Above it all loomed the great red bridge, connecting the city above to the gorge below. ¡°We¡¯re going to the Undercity, right?¡± She leaned forward in her seat, her grin widening. ¡°It¡¯s the best place to start,¡± Matthias replied. ¡°We can stash the Dame somewhere safe while we¡¯re down there.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Maia said, her voice brimming with relief. ¡°That¡¯s the real Lindrao anyway up there.¡± ¡°Right local, aren¡¯t you?¡± Matthias chuckled. ¡°Hey! I lived here for years unless you¡¯ve forgotten,¡± she shot back. ¡°I know, I know. Remember though, We¡¯ve got a job to do here. First, we¡¯ll find somewhere secure for the Dame. Then we¡¯ll see if any old friends are still around who might help us find a good Data Archivist that can break open this cache.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Maia replied, though her attention was already on the gorge. This place had been her home once. She hadn¡¯t been here in years, but the memories were clear as if she¡¯d never left. She couldn¡¯t wait to step back into it. Couldn¡¯t wait to see Kyra. ¡°And we¡¯re not staying long, Maia,¡± her father¡¯s voice cut through her thoughts. ¡°This is a stop, nothing more. Don¡¯t get too comfortable.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she replied with a shrug, though she didn¡¯t believe him for a second. He was just as excited as she was to see Kyra. She was sure of it. ¡°So¡­ are we going to the cantina?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he faltered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Kyra¡¯s got her life¡­ and we¡¯ve got ours.¡± But ours isn¡¯t so great without her though. Maia thought. But she couldn¡¯t voice that out loud to him. Instead, she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms and looking out the window as the Undercity drew closer. ¡°Whatever you say, Ba,¡± she muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Maia,¡± Matthias sighed. ¡°People change. Time changes things.¡± ¡°Does it?¡± she asked, her tone sharper than she intended. ¡°Because last time we were here, you guys seemed¡­ pretty close.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same. Just¡­ let it go, alright?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. There was no point in pushing him when he got like this, locked up tight like a vault. But inside, she fumed. It wasn¡¯t fair. They¡¯d been happy here, as close to a family as she¡¯d ever had, and he¡¯d thrown it all away. *** They stopped to eat at an old crumbling diner on the outskirts of the Undercity. The sign above the place was so rusted that Maia couldn¡¯t even make out the name of the place. Faded pictures outside advertised meals no one had eaten for decades, and some of those plants and animals had been wiped out in the fallout of the war. Inside, a few algae-lights buzzed in uneven light. Still, the smell of sizzling meat and baked roots wafted out through the door, drawing in weary travellers like moths to a flickering bulb. Despite its crumbling appearance. Linda¡¯s place was renowned amongst Undercity dwellers for having some of the best eats around. Maia slid into a booth, her stomach growled audibly as she caught sight of the plates being served to a group nearby¡ªpiled high with seared slabs of meat, and crisp vegetables she hadn¡¯t seen in years. Her mouth watered. ¡°I¡¯m going to get one of those,¡± she grinned, ¡°and maybe one of those too,¡± she pointed at another woman eating what looked like some kind of giant red crab. ¡°Oh, and maybe some¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re not staying long,¡± Matthias grunted. ¡°Quick meal and we¡¯re moving on.¡± ¡°No surprises there,¡± she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she reached for the menu. The waitress arrived, her apron frayed and patched but her smile warm. She took their order then disappeared back into the smoking kitchen. The food arrived quickly, and it was as good as she remembered it. The meat was tender, the spices vibrant. Maia took her time savoring it, but Matthias was already halfway through his plate by the time she¡¯d taken her second bite. ¡°We¡¯ll start with Grent,¡± he said suddenly. ¡°Grent?¡± Maia frowned, setting her fork down. ¡°Who¡¯s Grent?¡± ¡°A contact of mine. He used to deal in Verdant salvage. If anyone knows who might be able to crack those archives, it¡¯ll be him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ great, I guess. But does it have to be tonight? Can¡¯t we just finish our meal and maybe enjoy being back here? I dunno, maybe visit someone we actually want to see? Like Kyra?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen what¡¯s after us,¡± Matthias¡¯ voice dropped and he looked around. The place was loud and there was nobody sitting near them. ¡°Verdant scravs are relentless. We can¡¯t afford to waste time.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I know,¡± she replied, she knew but she didn¡¯t agree. ¡°But we¡¯ve been running for days, Ba. One night isn¡¯t going to make a difference.¡± ¡°It might,¡± he said quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t understand what¡¯s at stake here. Your Fatebond¡ª¡± ¡°What about my Fatebond?¡± her head snapped up from her food. ¡°It¡­¡± he hesitated. ¡°We can¡¯t take the risk that it might be something you can¡¯t achieve. We have to find a way to¡­ to break the Fatebonds. In a way that doesn¡¯t kill us.¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s even possible?¡± It had always seemed like her father knew more about her Fatebond than he was letting on. This was just more fuel to the fire that he clearly didn¡¯t trust that she could fulfil hers. And considering that his was to protect her, he would ultimately fail his, if she failed hers. ¡°It has to be,¡± he said firmly, his voice was low but she didn¡¯t miss the hint of desperation. ¡°The Archons made the Fatebonds. And they were far from perfect. They weren¡¯t gods, as much as they claimed to be. They made them, so maybe¡­ maybe there¡¯s a way to unmake them.¡± Maia studied him, her irritation simmering just beneath her skin. She didn¡¯t know what annoyed her more¡ªhis continued crypticness or the fact that he seemed so sure she¡¯d fail at her Fatebond. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew that¡¯s what this was about. He thought she couldn¡¯t do it, whatever it was. ¡°You think that¡¯s why Kallira was following us?¡± she asked, testing him. ¡°Because of our Fatebonds?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other reason.¡± ¡°Maybe she was¡ªI dunno, trying to help us? She¡¯s like us, Ba. She could help us figure this all out.¡± ¡°No,¡± he said sharply, ¡°No she can¡¯t. She¡¯s a Verdant scrav. We can¡¯t trust whatever her Fatebond might be.¡± ¡°But maybe she¡¯s exactly what we¡¯ve been looking for!¡± she countered. ¡°The Verdant knew things about this world¡ªabout the Archons¡ªthat no one else did. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here to dig out information from their data caches. She knew a lot more about that Fatebond Anchor too. I bet she does know a way to break them.¡± Matthias didn¡¯t answer right away. He reached for his drink, taking a slow sip, his eyes never leaving hers. ¡°If the Verdant knew how to break these,¡± he said finally. ¡°Then every Verdant scrav out there would¡¯ve broken their Fatebond the moment the Verdant abandoned this planet. We¡¯re bound by these things. We¡¯ll be the ones to find a way to break the chains¡­¡± Maia looked away, her grip tightening on her fork. A part of her wanted to scream at him, to tell him she didn¡¯t need saving. That she could handle her Fatebond¡ªwhatever it was¡ªon her own. She was growing more accomplished with her abilities every day. But another part of her, quieter and harder to ignore, wondered if he was right. He didn¡¯t believe she could. He didn¡¯t trust her. *** Grent¡¯s workshop was buried deep in the Undercity. He was exactly the kind of person Maia expected to find in a place like this¡ªslightly hunched, with soot-streaked hands and goggles perched atop a mess of greying hair. ¡°Matthias!¡± Grent exclaimed as they entered, his voice booming in the tight space. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. Thought you¡¯d fallen off the edge of the world! Haven¡¯t seen you in¡­ what, months now?¡± ¡°Years, actually,¡± Matthias corrected, Maia noticed that her father was smirking like Grent¡¯s obliviousness was something he expected. They stepped further into the workshop, eyeing the rows of half-finished gadgets and rusting Verdant tech strewn across the tables. ¡°Years?¡± Grent chuckled, scratching at his beard. ¡°Huh. That so? Guess time flies when you¡¯re elbow-deep in circuit guts. What brings you back to Lindrao, then? Finally come to see reason and help me fix this place up?¡± Matthias ignored the question, his focus narrowing on a shimmering piece of Verdant tech displayed prominently on a nearby shelf. Maia stepped closer to her father, watching his body tense as he stared at it. ¡°We¡¯re looking for someone,¡± Matthias said. ¡°A Data Archivist. Someone who can crack into Verdant archives.¡± Grent froze mid-step, his expression shifting. ¡°That¡¯s a tall order,¡± he muttered, moving to clear some clutter from a nearby stool. ¡°What¡¯re you trying to get into Verdant archives for? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got your hands on one of their data caches.¡± Matthias just shrugged in response, sitting down. ¡°You¡¯d best be careful,¡± Grent snorted, shaking his head. ¡°That kind of tech draws the wrong kind of attention. You¡¯re not the first to come sniffing around for a Data Archivist lately. Seems like everyone with a death wish is digging into Verdant relics.¡± Maia exchanged a glance with her father, her curiosity piqued. ¡°Have people not always had an interest in Verdant tech?¡± she asked, it was what she and father had spent years earning a living by selling off salvage from Verdant ruins. Grent shrugged, pulling a dusty bottle off a nearby shelf and pouring a dark liquid into a mismatched cup. ¡°Yeah but a lot more people looking into more dangerous stuff now. Fatebond stuff. That¡¯s been a hot topic lately¡ªalways was, I guess, really. But there¡¯s been whispers about some pretty nasty folks around. Rumors about scravs, even. Not saying I believe ¡®em, of course.¡± Maia stiffened, her heart pounding. She risked a quick glance at Matthias, who was staring hard at Grent, his jaw tight. ¡°What kind of rumors?¡± he pressed. ¡°Nothing concrete,¡± Grent said, waving it off. ¡°Fatebonds grant powers, yeah? Well, by sounds of it, some dangerous people are looking to get their hands on those powers. Anyways, if I were you, I¡¯d steer clear of any data caches that came from Verdant salvage. Those scravs have a way of sniffing out anyone poking around where they shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Matthias said, standing abruptly. ¡°Do you know anyone or not?¡± Grent sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°There¡¯s a guy in Sector 14¡ªname¡¯s Arvil. Runs a scrap depot, but from what I hear the man¡¯s sister¡ªSelinas¡ªis some kind of genius when comes to cracking into ¡®em. If anyone can help you, it¡¯s them.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Matthias said, already moving toward the door. Maia lingered, her mind racing with questions. ¡°Why do you know so much about Fatebonds?¡± she asked Grent, trying to keep her tone light. Grent chuckled, sipping his drink. ¡°You tinker with Verdant tech long enough, you start piecing things together. They were obsessed with the things¡ªtying people to tasks, shaping their lives. Makes you wonder if the Archons were any better.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ makes you wonder.¡± They gave their thanks Grent and left the workshop, Maia stayed a step behind her father, her thoughts swirling. When they were far enough away from Grent¡¯s, she finally spoke. ¡°Why are you so interested in breaking Fatebonds?¡± she asked, keeping her tone as neutral as she could. Matthias didn¡¯t answer immediately. His eyes scanned their surroundings, his body tense as though he expected an ambush. ¡°You know why,¡± he said eventually. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to let them destroy us.¡± ¡°Destroy us?¡± she replied. ¡°Or just me?¡± He stopped, turning to face her. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You keep talking like I¡¯m some ticking time bomb,¡± she snapped, her voice rising. ¡°Like I¡¯m sure to fail my Fatebond. You¡¯re so obsessed with breaking these things, but have you ever considered that maybe I can actually handle it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what it is yet Maia. And it could come any day now. You¡¯re almost an adult now. I don¡¯t know why when children were Fatebonds, their Fatebonds didn¡¯t become clear until they reached adulthood. I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe the Archons were actually decent once upon a time, and created rules so that children couldn¡¯t be made into soldiers. But this isn¡¯t just about you, Maia. It¡¯s about both of us. And if you think for a second that I¡¯m going to let Fatebonds decide our lives then¡­¡± he trailed off, frustrated. She clenched her fists, biting back a retort. ¡°Fine. Whatever.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said, turning back toward the Dame. Maia followed in silence, her frustration simmering. If he wasn¡¯t going to give her answers, she¡¯d just have to find them on her own. Chapter 23 - Whats the Point of Worshipping Dead Gods? Chapter 23 What''s the Point of Worshipping Dead Gods? The narrow streets of the undercity twisted like veins. They pulled up to Selinas and Arvil¡¯s workshop, a dimly lit space tucked between an old repair yard and a scrapyard. This was where the real work began. Inside, the space was a mess of glowing monitors, tangled wires, and the hum of active machinery. Shelves stacked high with gutted terminals and half-built drones loomed over a narrow workbench where a woman sat, her back hunched as she peered through a magnifying lens. Despite the mess, there was clearly a lot of high value equipment in here. Maia could tell from a glance. Salinas also had a large security guy standing by her door¡ªpresumably her brother, Arvil. Selinas didn¡¯t look up immediately, too engrossed in the delicate circuitry she was fusing together with a steady hand. Her fingers were thin and nimble, a few of them wrapped with grease-stained bandages. Her dark hair was tied back in a messy braid, streaked with silver.. When she finally glanced up, her piercing gaze fixed on Matthias first, then flicked briefly to Maia. ¡°Matthias,¡± Selinas said, her voice low and gravelly, a note of recognition there but no warmth. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see you back here. Last I heard, you¡¯d vanished off the map.¡± ¡°Life takes you strange places,¡± Matthias replied, his tone measured but polite. He gestured to the small box in his hand¡ªthe Verdant archive. ¡°Thought you might be able to help us with this.¡± Selinas leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and regarding him with a calculating look. ¡°Depends. You¡¯ve got shells to spare? This doesn¡¯t look like your run-of-the-mill salvage.¡± ¡°What is all this stuff?¡± Maia stepped forward, curiosity sparking in her eyes as she scanned the strange machinery surrounding Selinas. Selinas smirked but didn¡¯t answer, her attention shifting back to Matthias. ¡°Let¡¯s talk price first. Whatever that thing is, it¡¯s big. And big means expensive.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get your shells.¡± Matthias sighed, already digging into his bag. ¡°That¡¯s a good boy, you¡¯ve changed a lot from that stupid boy who wouldn¡¯t part with a single shell.¡± Selinas said, a toothy grin spreading across her face. She snatched the archive from his hand, holding it up to the light. ¡°Let¡¯s see what secrets this little box is hiding.¡± Selinas spun her chair towards a cluttered workstation, brushing aside a jumble of cables to make room. She pulled over a sleek-looking terminal, its screen flickering to life. With a practiced motion, she plugged the archive into a port and began typing commands. The screen filled with cascading lines of text, most of it indecipherable to Maia¡¯s untrained eyes. But the Arcanum System began creating summaries for her in the corner of her vision. She dismissed them for now. She wasn¡¯t that interested in those just yet. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got here,¡± Selinas muttered to herself, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the terminal beeped sharply, and a new window opened¡ªencrypted data scrolling across the display. ¡°Hah!¡± Selinas exclaimed. ¡°Encryption¡¯s tough, but I¡¯ve cracked tougher. This won¡¯t be much work for me. I¡¯ve gotten into the Verdant henhouse so many times over the years, this lock won¡¯t be much to pick.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Matthias leaned over her shoulder, his expression unreadable. ¡°Relax, big guy. Let me work,¡± Selinas shot back, already narrowing her focus on the screen. ¡°I¡¯ve got some Verdant keys from other jobs. Let¡¯s see if any of them fit.¡± Maia shifted her weight uneasily, her curiosity mounting as she watched lines of code flicker across the screen. Selinas worked with startling efficiency, and soon enough, fragmented pieces of data began to take form¡ªschematics, lists of coordinates, snippets of reports written in the same strange Verdant language Maia had seen on her overlays before. ¡°By the Archons¡­¡± Selinas froze suddenly, her eyes widening as a particular file flashed across the terminal. ¡°What?¡± Matthias asked sharply. ¡°This¡ªthis is¡­ classified doesn¡¯t even begin to cover it.¡± Selinas¡¯ voice was laced with awe, her face illuminated by the faint glow of the screen. ¡°I¡¯m seeing references to something called the Arcanum System. Thought it was just a myth.¡± ¡°The Arcanum system?¡± Maia piped. Selinas glanced back at her, surprised. ¡°Yeah. Rumor has it the Verdant scravs used it. Supposedly some kind of tool that allowed them to see beyond the normal scope of human perception. But nobody¡¯s ever found real evidence it even exists.¡± ¡°Maia,¡± he said, his tone low and commanding, ¡°go wait in the Dame.¡± ¡°What?¡± Maia snapped, incredulous. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I have questions.¡± ¡°Go.¡± His voice was sharper this time, shutting down her protest. Selinas raised an eyebrow, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s not make this awkward. You can wait outside, kid. This¡¯ll take a while anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child,¡± Maia bit out, glaring at her father. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Now,¡± Matthias growled, his eyes locking onto hers with a sternness that left no further room for argument. Maia hesitated, fists clenching, but his stare forced her to back down. Selinas¡¯ security¡ªthe burly individual who¡¯d been lurking near the door¡ªstepped forward, gesturing for Maia to leave. She didn¡¯t resist, her jaw tight with anger as she shot one last glare at her father before storming out. Maia slumped into the Dame''s driver¡¯s seat, slamming the door shut with more force than necessary. She pressed her palms to her forehead, groaning in frustration. Her father had practically shoved her out of Selinas'' office like she was some clueless kid. Again. She stared at the worn steering wheel for a long moment, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t understand what was going on. She wasn¡¯t stupid. The Verdant data cache, the Fatebonds, the Anchors¡ªwhatever they were mixed up in¡ªit mattered to her too. But her father treated her like an outsider in her own life. The silence in the truck was suffocating. With a huff, Maia reached for the audio player, scrolling through the tracks until she landed on one she liked. [Now playing: Searching for Friends]Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The familiar tune filled the cab. For a brief moment, the music calmed her, the notes resonating in a way that always felt oddly personal. Then her mind wandered back to Selinas, and the anger surged anew. She jabbed the volume button, turning the music down to a faint background noise. Her overlays flickered into her vision, and she toggled through the data she¡¯d managed to skim from Selinas¡¯ screen before Matthias had pushed her out. Lines of text scrolled past her eyes, accompanied by technical diagrams and scattered notes. Most of it was over her head¡ªdense, cryptic jargon written for people far more experienced in Verdant technology than she was. But certain phrases stood out, tinged with a sinister undertone. ¡°Synthetic replication of Archonic Fatebond mechanisms¡­ incomplete understanding of divine energy principles.¡± ¡°High-level approval despite limitations¡­ Adaptation of Archon Fatebond Anchors to serve Verdant objectives¡­ Approval granted for prototype of hijacked Fatebond Anchors.¡± ¡°Instability in the Verdant Fatebond matrix¡­ unverified long-term consequences for bonded individuals.¡± Maia frowned, her anger briefly replaced by curiosity. The diagrams depicted something that looked eerily familiar¡ªsprawling networks of energy connecting to nodes marked as ¡°Anchors.¡± Her overlays helpfully tagged them with a faint orange glow, similar to the way they had when she¡¯d found the Anchor in the military base. One of the files looked to be a set of coordinates. Her Arcanum System kindly overlaid these points on a region map for her. It appeared to be all of the Fatebond Anchor points the Verdant discovered during their invasion. She noted Cassix Station only a few days out from Lindrao, marked with an orange pulse. The matrix network all seemed to lead to a focal point in the middle of the wastes. What the hell was that? Where even is that? The more she read, the more unsettled she became. The text seemed to confirm what she¡¯d always suspected. Fatebonds weren¡¯t some divine mandate. They were engineered¡ªby the Archons, and then twisted further by the Verdant. Whatever they were, they weren¡¯t natural. But none of this felt like it mattered to her right now. The diagrams, the notes, the cryptic references to instability¡ªit was all just noise. What she wanted, more than anything, was to be back in Selinas¡¯ office, demanding answers. A movement on the street outside caught her attention. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat as she spotted a figure standing just beyond the glow of an algae-lamp. There was no mistaking the woman. It was Kallira. Maia bolted upright, her heart pounding. She pressed her face against the window for a better look, but Kallira was already moving, slipping further into the shadows. Without thinking, Maia threw open the door and jumped out of the Dame. ¡°Hey!¡± she called, her voice sharp. But Kallira didn¡¯t stop. She disappeared into the crowd. Maia hesitated for a split second before her impulsiveness got the better of her. She took off down the street, weaving through clusters of people as she followed the fleeting glimpses of Kallira¡¯s coat. Whatever this was, she was going to get answers¡ªwhether her father liked it or not. ¡°Wait!¡± Maia called out, chasing the woman down the side alley onto a busy street. She called out again but her voice barely cut through the noise of the crowd. She wasn¡¯t going to let Kallira slip away. She ducked under a low-hanging string of lanterns, her overlays flickering with faint notifications as she passed unfamiliar flora growing in cracks and crevices. None of that mattered now. Her attention was locked entirely on the figure ahead, moving with purpose, as if leading her somewhere. Kallira¡¯s doing this on purpose, Maia thought, the realization settling in her stomach like a stone. But why? If she wanted to talk, why not just stop? Why play this game of cat and mouse? The crowd thinned as Maia turned into a narrower alley. The algae-lamps here were sparse, casting uneven patches of pale green light. The shadows seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally, making the alley feel longer than it was. ¡°Kallira!¡± she called again, her voice echoing off the stone walls. No response. Her overlays pulsed faintly, picking up something unusual. A faint energy signature¡ªnot as strong as the Fatebond Anchor back at the military base, but similar in its strangeness. It was ahead, in the same direction Kallira had gone. Maia hesitated, a shiver running down her spine. This felt too deliberate. She pressed forward, her fingers twitching at her sides. The alley opened into a small, dimly lit courtyard. It was quiet, unnervingly so. The faint energy signature was stronger here, her overlays marking it as a point of interest just ahead. And there, standing at the edge of the courtyard, was Kallira. She turned slowly, her coat flaring slightly with the movement, and her piercing eyes met Maia¡¯s. A faint smirk tugged at her lips, as if she¡¯d been expecting her all along. ¡°You¡¯re persistent,¡± Kallira said. She didn¡¯t move closer, just stood there. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d follow.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Maia demanded. She wasn¡¯t in the mood for games, not after everything. ¡°Why have you been following us?¡± ¡°You have questions,¡± Kallira tilted her head, her expression unreadable. ¡°I have answers. But not here.¡± She gestured with a slight nod toward the far side of the courtyard. ¡°Come.¡± ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± Maia¡¯s hands clenched at her sides. She wasn¡¯t about to let herself be led into some kind of trap. ¡°If I wanted to hurt you, Maia,¡± Kallira¡¯s smirk widened, just a fraction. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be standing here right now. And you know it.¡± Kallira wasn¡¯t wrong. She could have left her to that Hollow creature back at Cassix Station but she hadn¡¯t. Her father¡¯s warnings, his distrust, still pressed heavily on her mind. This was reckless, and she knew it. But the chance for answers¡ªreal answers¡ªwas too tempting to ignore. ¡°Alright,¡± Maia nodded. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Maia kept close behind Kallira as she guided her through the twisting alleys of the undercity Old Quarter. The cobbled streets grew narrower, the buildings taller, their facades worn and crumbling with age. Vines and moss clung to stone walls, and broken algae-lamps flickered dimly. Kallira hadn¡¯t said a word in over twenty minutes, leading Maia deeper into the labyrinthine district. Her silence was unsettling, but Maia refused to back down now. Whatever this was, wherever they were going, she was determined to see it through. They rounded a corner, and suddenly the alley opened into a wide courtyard. At its center loomed a structure unlike anything Maia had ever seen before. The Archon Temple stood tall but battered, its once-majestic pillars cracked, and its grand entrance darkened by decades of grime. Intricate carvings adorned the stone walls¡ªdepictions of the Archons in their prime, the one that the elderly woman had described with the eagle head was depicted amongst others. Her overlays flickered to life unbidden, scanning her surroundings and flooding her vision with faint warnings. Arcanum System Alert: High-energy signatures detected. Maia froze. What did that mean? ¡°What is this place?¡± she asked, her unease bubbling into outright fear. ¡°An old Archon Temple,¡± she said simply, stepping forward toward the heavy stone doors. Kallira glanced back at her, her expression calm, almost amused. ¡°Not many of these left standing in Lindrao. Most were abandoned after the Fall. What¡¯s the point of worshipping dead gods, right?¡± ¡°Why bring me here?¡± Maia demanded, her voice rising. Kallira didn¡¯t answer, only pushed open the temple doors with ease, revealing a cavernous interior. The air inside was cool, carrying the faint scent of old incense. Flickering torches lined the walls, their flames casting eerie shadows across faded murals. At the center of the temple stood a group of people. They turned as Kallira entered, their gazes curious and assessing. Some wore the simple robes of priests, but others were clad in more practical, rugged gear¡ªmercenaries, scavengers, fighters. Dangerous-looking people. Maia¡¯s overlays flared again. Arcanum System Alert: High-energy entity proximity. Scravs confirmed. Multiple sources. Her breath hitched. These people¡­ they were all scravs. ¡°Relax,¡± Kallira said without looking back, her voice carrying a calm reassurance that only made Maia¡¯s unease grow. ¡°They¡¯re not going to hurt you.¡± Maia¡¯s instincts screamed at her to run, but her feet stayed rooted. She felt the faint hum of her Phase Evade ability, like an engine revving up in the pit of her stomach, ready to ignite at the first sign of danger. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Maia asked, her voice firmer now, her fear giving way to defiance. Kallira finally stopped and turned to face her fully. ¡°I brought you here because you need to see the truth for yourself. Your father won¡¯t tell you. But you¡¯re not like him, Maia. You¡¯re something else entirely. And you need to understand the truth.¡± Maia¡¯s hands curled into fists at her sides. ¡°What truth?¡± ¡°Come,¡± Kallira¡¯s grinned. ¡°Let me show you.¡± Chapter 24 - The Lost One Chapter 24 The Lost One ¡°This is the girl?¡± one of the priests stepped forward, he had a weathered voice like wind through an old canyon. ¡°Our lost one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lost!¡± Maia bristled, her fists clenching. The priest didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, he studied her with a measured gaze, his hands clasped in front of him. Around him, nearly a dozen others shifted subtly, their attention fixed on her. The flickering torchlight made their expressions unreadable. ¡°You do not know what you are,¡± he said, his words tinged with a strange mixture of pity and reverence. ¡°That is why you are lost, child.¡± ¡°Relax, Maia,¡± Kallira gave her an easy smile walking towards the group. ¡°This is Father Orahn,¡± she gestured to the priest. ¡°He¡¯s the one that has been helping our kind.¡± Kallira then turned to the rest of the group. ¡°Everyone, this is Maia. She doesn¡¯t know it yet, but she¡¯s one of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not one of you,¡± Maia fired back. ¡°You¡¯re a scrav,¡± Kallira said, her tone not unkind, ¡°and so are we.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Verdant scravs,¡± she didn¡¯t mean to say it like an accusation but it came out that way all the same. ¡°The Verdant abandoned them,¡± Father Orahn interjected, his face kindly. ¡°They may have been created through a corrupted means, but they are still Sacred Vessels.¡± ¡°Sacred Vessels?¡± Maia repeated. ¡°That is what scravs were once known as,¡± Orahn explained, his voice reverent, as though speaking of something holy. ¡°Sacred Vessels of the Archons, imbued with great power to fulfill the will of the gods. The Fatebond was not always a thing of fear. It was revered, celebrated. Often, only one person in a generation would be blessed with such a divine connection. It was only during the war, when the Archons were desperate, that they began to anoint more Sacred Vessels to fight the invaders.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re Verdant scravs,¡± Maia argued, her eyes darting to the group behind him. ¡°Aren¡¯t they your enemies?¡± ¡°The Verdant are gone,¡± Orahn said simply. ¡°These people are lost, adrift in a world that no longer knows what to do with them. Their gifts¡ªdivine or otherwise¡ªstill bind them to this planet, to us. They are as much a part of this world as you or I.¡± ¡°But their Fatebonds,¡± Maia frowned, her gaze on the rugged group of scravs. They didn¡¯t look much different to her. Just like regular mercenaries from the wastes. ¡°Aren¡¯t they¡­ I don¡¯t know, against what the Archons wanted?¡± ¡°I do not believe that they are,¡± Orahn shook his head, ¡°at least not anymore. I believe that the Archons wanted me to help them. They are still here, are they not? Their power binds them to this world. Making them invested in it.¡± That did spark something in Maia. How come all these Verdant scravs were still alive? Were their Fatebonds not tied to the war? She looked to Kallira. ¡°Your Fatebond,¡± she ventured, ¡°do you¡­ do you know what it is?¡± ¡°Of course I do,¡± Kallira replied, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. ¡°All scravs do.¡± ¡°All of them are still alive,¡± Orahn said, gesturing to the scravs around him. ¡°Their Fatebonds couldn¡¯t have been tied to the war. If they were, they¡¯d all be gone. We must believe that they are the key to saving our world.¡± ¡°Saving it?¡± ¡°Our world is dying, child,¡± Orahn continued, his tone heavy with sorrow. ¡°The land turns to desert. The seas rage uncontrollably. The heavens shattered. To the north, the snow falls so thickly it has buried entire kingdoms beneath its weight. The balance has been lost.¡± Maia¡¯s stomach churned. She¡¯d heard this kind of talk before. People were always looking for the answer to why the world was dying. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you brought me here,¡± Maia said, turning to Kallira. ¡°To teach you,¡± Kallira replied, her smirk fading. ¡°You¡¯ve been stumbling in the dark, letting your father keep you ignorant. It¡¯s time you understood what Fatebonds really are.¡± ¡°And what are they?¡± Maia snapped, her frustration bubbling over. ¡°What¡¯s this great truth I¡¯m supposed to know?¡± ¡°A divine purpose,¡± Orahn interjected calmly. ¡°That is what Father Orahn believes. But we know that our Fatebonds are shaped by our own perception. All of us here have learned this truth. We¡¯re still alive, aren¡¯t we? Fatebonds don¡¯t kill us unless we truly accept that they cannot be fulfilled. Only once we have fully given up. I choose to keep living. I choose to believe that mine can be fulfilled.¡± ¡°And what is yours?¡± ¡°I was given my Fatebond in the final days of the war,¡± Kallira held her head up, as if in pride. ¡°The Verdant Generals could see there was something wrong with this planet. My purpose has always been clear to me. I must ensure the revival of this planet.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°The Verdant hijacked the Archon¡¯s Fatebond mechanisms,¡± Kallira went on, ¡°this is how we were created. We were created the same way that Archon scravs were created. The same way that you were. Our souls were imprinted with a Fatebond, and linked to the source of power on this world. The same source for the Archon¡¯s power. You¡¯ve seen it yourself. The Fatebond Anchor at Cassix station is a link to it. We might not have been born on this world, but we are connected to it. And we must save it.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain how I come into all of this?¡± Maia said, her voice laced with skepticism. ¡°Because you¡¯re like us,¡± Kallira replied, stepping closer, her gaze intense. ¡°You too are connected to this world. I can see the threads of power flowing through you. It¡¯s one of our gifts as Sacred Vessels. And I can teach you how to see them.¡± Maia hesitated, searching Kallira¡¯s face for deception. She crossed her arms, unsure if she wanted to trust this woman. ¡°What threads?¡± Maia asked. Kallira smirked, then lifted a hand. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Close your eyes, Maia. Trust me.¡± With a huff, Maia complied, though her body remained tense. She didn¡¯t trust Kallira, not completely, but curiosity outweighed caution. She squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°Now breathe,¡± Kallira instructed. Her voice was low, calm, almost hypnotic. ¡°Slowly. Deep in through your nose¡­ hold it¡­ and let it out.¡± Maia reluctantly followed the instructions, her breaths coming slow and measured. The air felt cooler now, the sounds of the temple growing distant. ¡°Good,¡± Kallira continued. ¡°Now focus. Not on what you see, but on what you feel. The faint vibrations around you, the hum of energy beneath the surface. It¡¯s everywhere, Maia, if you just listen.¡± Maia furrowed her brow, trying to tune in to whatever Kallira was talking about. At first, there was nothing¡ªjust the steady rhythm of her own breathing. But then, as she focused deeper, she felt it. A faint, pulsing resonance, like the thrum of a distant drumbeat. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there. ¡°Do you feel it?¡± Kallira¡¯s voice was soft, coaxing. ¡°...Maybe,¡± Maia murmured. ¡°Good. Now, keep your focus on that sensation and open your eyes¡ªslowly.¡± Maia obeyed, her eyelids fluttering open. At first, everything looked the same¡ªthe dim torchlight, the crumbling murals, the gathered group watching her intently. But then, as her gaze adjusted, faint lines of shimmering light began to take shape. They were faint, almost ghostly, weaving through the air like threads of silk. ¡°I¡­ I see them.¡± Kallira nodded, her satisfaction evident. ¡°There they are. These are the threads that connects our Fatebonds, our power, to this world. This is what your father has been hiding from you.¡± Maia stared at the glowing threads in awe. They pulsed and danced in the air, faint but unmistakable. Some flowed from her to the ground. Others from the other scravs, to the ground and to each other. They looked like the same threads that appeared when she was drawing out the life essence of plants. She reached out tentatively, her fingers brushing against one. She coouldn¡¯t feel it her hand passing through. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ seen something like this before,¡± she admitted. Although it had been her overlays showing them to her. ¡°When I used my drain abilities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive. It took me years of training before I could see the threads of my own power. And longer still before I could see others. Your own power is easier to see. Can you see my threads?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Maia replied but that she was speaking she was loosing her breathing rhythm and her focus on the threads was faltering. They began to fade from her perception. ¡°But what does it all mean?¡± Maia asked. ¡°How are you supposed to balance the planet, or whatever?¡± Kallira gestured for Maia to follow her, leading her to a table in the corner of the temple. A sprawling map was spread across its surface, worn and patched together like the remnants of a forgotten age. It was a post-war map, stripped of borders¡ªno Lindrao, no Sanjura, no nations at all. Just fragmented city-states surrounded by endless wasteland. ¡°We¡¯ve been mapping the Fatebond Anchors in the region,¡± she leads Maia over to a table where a map of the wastes was laid out. It was clearly made after the war as it no longer had the nation borders of Lindrao, Sanjura or any other neighbouring countries outlined on it. There were no borders anymore. Just city states and wasteland in between. ¡°We¡¯ve been mapping the Fatebond Anchors in the region,¡± Kallira said, tracing her finger across the parchment. It stopped at a point that made Maia¡¯s mouth drop a little. To her surprise it was the very same location the Arcanum system had revealed to her earlier. The point that all of the Fatebond Anchors were connected to. ¡°We believe the source of everything is here,¡± she pointed at a point on the map and to Maia¡¯s surprise it¡¯s the same point the Arcanum system had revealed to her earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t believe the Archons sacrificed themselves in vain,¡± Father Orahn spoke up, his voice heavy with conviction. ¡°I cannot! They knew something we didn¡¯t. They fought and fell defending this very spot. I believe this is where the Archons made their last stand against the Verdant. And I believe it¡¯s where everything begins and ends.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going there,¡± Kallira said, her tone leaving no room for doubt. Her sharp eyes fixed on Maia. ¡°And I want you to come with us.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re important,¡± Kallira said simply. ¡°In the same way that I instinctively know my Fatebond, I know that you¡¯re a key part of this. At that place, I believe you¡¯ll reach your true potential. Something is limiting you, Maia. Part of it is your father, but there¡¯s something else too.¡± ¡°My father?¡± Maia¡¯s voice sharpened. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°He has been drawing from you Maia. I know his power set. He has no inherent power source to draw from. He draws from you. Your Life Essence. This is what feeds his power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Maia¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°My father wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Look for yourself.¡± Kallira¡¯s voice was calm but insistent. ¡°Yo can see the threads now. Look for his. You¡¯ll see the tether he¡¯s placed on you.¡± Maia¡¯s chest tightened, her fists clenching at her sides. She didn¡¯t want to believe it, but a seed of doubt had already planted itself. ¡°And if I come with you?¡± she asked, her voice low. ¡°What happens then? I¡­ I don¡¯t know what my Fatebond even is.¡± ¡°We break the limiter. Once that¡¯s gone, everything will become clear,¡± Kallira said, her tone almost soft. ¡°You¡¯ll finally see what your Fatebond is meant to be. You¡¯ll see your true self.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Maia hesitated, her thoughts tangling. Part of her was drawn to the answers they were offering, the clarity she had longed for. But another part screamed to stay. She had just arrived in Lindrao. She hadn¡¯t even seen Kyra yet. And her father¡­ Furious didn¡¯t even begin to cover what he¡¯d feel if she ran off with a group of Verdant scravs. Kallira seemed to sense her inner conflict. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving for a few days,¡± she said, stepping back. ¡°Think about it, Maia. The offer stands. I would love for you to join us. The truth waits for no one, Maia, but it¡¯s always there when you¡¯re ready to see it.¡±