The truth was not always a simple thing.

What sounded like a heroic quest for one person could sound like a simple treasure hunt for another. For others, a simple hoarding binge.

But for Alistair? None of the above.

“Lenoria, Miss Clara, I’m afraid I cannot take part in this.”

The paladin gazed sternly at the girls, despite their growing disappointment. He considered not holding back, but it was not in him to twist a knife that’s already been plunged.

“We understand, Alistair,” Clara said. “We won’t force it on you. But I’d like to ask why you refuse.”

“Do I really need a reason? The giant we faced last night is enough proof. These stones are a power that’s beyond our ken.” Nearly tearing a small tuft of his own hair, he pointed at Lenoria. “And you’re telling me that same power is now in your hands?”

“The spirits only want to go home, Alistair,” Lenoria sorrowfully said. “But they serve anyone who makes a deal with them. I-it’s not their choice!”

“If only you knew,” he murmured. “I’ve seen what power does to people. It takes them to places they never considered!”

I can’t let that happen to you.

“And you think we’re not responsible?” Lenoria fired back. “You don’t know a thing about us!”

“I never did!” His lips quivered, but he powered on. “And I wish you understood that!”

“I have to admit, you walked right into that one,” Pearl commented.

“Not. Now!”

“You’re playing with fire, Lenoria.” Alistair grabbed Lenoria’s hand, the one that held her Soulstone. “Figuratively and literally. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t smash it to pieces.”

Lenoria could not escape Alistair’s grip. “L-let go, Alistair!” She looked up to find Pearl watching everything unfold; her amused demeanor was gone, and now Alistair had her full attention.

“I’m doing my best not to hurt you, but this will be a lot easier on both of us if you hand it over. You too, Miss Clara.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, either, but you’re not giving me much of a choice here!”

“I can’t let either of you go down this path. My conscience won’t allow it!” The paladin successfully wrestled the stone from Lenoria’s hands.

“Your conscience can suck a lemon! Calm down, and we’ll talk this out a little more!” During the struggle, neither of them noticed the darkening of the skies. Clouds had gathered, the winds were howling, and the familiar cries of corvids filled the air. Not one, not five, not even a dozen; a massive swarm of crows, ravens, and other corvids cawed loudly, their piercing cries putting a stop to their bickering.

And in the blink of an eye, they were no longer in Hammer’s Reach. The trio and the swarm ended up in a pitch black void, dotted by countless stars and blotched with green, nebulous lights.

The Corvus Soulstone was gone from Alistair’s grasp. A white raven descended from the swarm, prompting Alistair to pull Clara closer and do his best to shield the girls from a potential attack.

“A compartment?” Lenoria thought.

And thus, the white raven spoke. “You threatened to smash the stone, boy. Did you think I would take such an offense lightly?”

“P-Pearl?”

“Another monster?” Alistair kept his mace hand ready.

The white raven cackled. “Monster? Only a monster would vow to protect those under his care and hurt them in the same breath!”

“I’m protecting them from the poison that is the pursuit of power!”

“And you would hurt her to accomplish that goal?! Has the Hammer sunk so low to allow cowards into his fold?!” The raven hissed. "You hurt someone who meant no harm. Just look at her hand!"

Alistair looked back at Lenoria, who quickly put her hands behind her. He once again grabbed the same hand as earlier, gentler this time, and found a bruise right where he had grabbed her.

Meeting her saddened gaze with remorse, Alistair mouthed an apology.

“Calm down, Pearl,” Clara said. “We could have handled this!”

“No! The moment he laid hands on the stone was the moment he sealed his fate!” The eyes of the white raven turned completely red. “If you oppose me, I’ll have to annihilate you as well. I can always find someone else to become Apus’s master!”

“She means to kill both of them?” Wiping her eyes with her forearm, Lenoria took a step forward. “Pearl, that’s enough! I know you didn’t like Alistair from the start, but I won’t let you hurt him or Clara!”

“Stand aside, Lenoria! I gave you life, and I have no problem taking it back!”

“L-Lenoria, what does she mean?” Alistair’s soft voice was a sign of his wavering resolve.

Despite the situation, Lenoria grinned with her usual cheekiness. “You asked me to give you a good reason why you shouldn’t smash the stone.” Her grin slowly disappearing, Lenoria knew it was time to confess. “You didn’t save my life back at the park. I was dead when you arrived, but Pearl brought me back to life right before you checked my pulse.”

Alistair was astonished. “That…thing revived you?” He pointed at the white raven.

“That’s right. Not only that, but the spirit in Clara’s Soulstone restored her legs and gave her the power to save us both from the fire!”

“It’s true, Alistair,” Clara confirmed. “I owe my life to Apus, the spirit in my Soulstone! If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here and neither would Lenoria.”

Determined to see this through, Lenoria grabbed on to Alistair’s shoulders. “I get your reasoning, Al, but these spirits only do bad things when their masters command them to! Power doesn’t make people evil; it just reveals who they are deep down!”

“It is too late for that, Lenoria!” Pearl’s rage intensified along with the buffeting winds. “You’d defend a man who hurt you? This is how it starts; he hurts you, then says he’s sorry. What happens then? You feel sorry for him, so you forgive him and let the cycle continue!”

“Shut up!” Lenoria commanded. “I know what trauma bonding is, and that’s a slippery slope I want to avoid. I know a lot of things, and there are things I don’t know! But one thing I do know, without a shadow of a doubt!”

She turned around, grabbed Alistair again, and…closed her fist and smacked him above the forehead.

“Ow!"

“Both of you are morons! Pearl, I could tell Alistair was a good guy from day one but you didn’t believe me!” Shooting Alistair a glare, she added, “And Al! I could have answered all of your concerns, so there was no need to grab the Soulstone! This could have been prevented if you let me explain myself instead of being so zealous!”

Both Pearl and Alistair were taken aback by Lenoria’s scolding, saying nothing in response except…

“I’m sorry,” Alistair said. “What have I done?”

A raven descended from above and perched on Alistair’s head. Hopping around and preening his hair here and there, the little raven stood right above the paladin’s nape before he cawed loudly.

Lenoria patted the raven on the head. “Poe!”

Clara was relieved as well. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, Poe?” Pearl listened to Poe speak some more. “Even you oppose my decision?”

Poe cawed affirmatively, flapping his wings as he stood firmly on Alistair.

“Even though I have legions of corvids at my command, who will happily rip anyone to shreds?”

Poe cawed bravely, his response the same as the last one.

“What is he doing?” Alistair gestured to the raven on his head.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Poe is such a sweetheart,” Lenoria said. “I’m sure he just defended you and is trying to reason with Pearl!”

“Then let’s put that theory to the test, Poe.” A glowing white spear suddenly materialized above the white raven. The pointy ends aimed below, right at Alistair.

Alistair grunted, eyes wide open. “You were saying?!”

“Pearl! What are you doing?” The girls asked in unison.

“Even if my little Poe is right, the fact that Alistair hurt Lenoria remains.” The polearm was slowly pulled back by a couple of feet. “You had every intent to smash the Soulstone by any means necessary, endangering those under your care as well as myself and my mission. I must still punish you for your crimes, and keep you from ever doing it again.”

“Pearl, this is insane!” Lenoria was then pushed away gently. “Al?”

“No, Lenoria. She’s right.” Alistair looked up at the menacing polearm. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but sometimes pure intention is not enough to stop people from doing horrible things. I shouldn’t have laid my hands on you, and should have instead insisted on you handing over the stone. I’m…I’m sorry.”

“C-come on, Al, it’s not like I said you couldn’t touch me at all. Just be more gentle next time.”

Alistair dropped his mace, which soon clanked on the transparent ground of the void. “Pearl, wasn’t it? I was tasked to protect these two from the dangers of the world. I failed to realize my zeal could also be dangerous, which resulted in this. If I can atone for this crime, then I leave my fate in your hands!”

“Alistair, there has to be another way!” Clara remarked.

“Don’t be crazy, Alistair! It didn’t hurt that bad,” Lenoria added.

“A fool at first, but an honorable man to the last!” Pearl’s telekinetic power pulled the spear some more. “I’ll make this quick and painless!”

“Pearl, no!”

The white spear was launched. There was literally no time for Lenoria to do anything; in a split second, the giant projectile was fired and pierced through Alistair’s neck. He threw his head backward to the pain, struggling to scream due to his blocked windpipe.

Then the projectile started moving again, and went all the way through, and planted itself on the ground. Clara noticed something pulsating at the tip of the weapon; a bloody, fleshy bud, shaped like a bean with black roots, which was soon reduced to ashes along with the radiant weapon that pierced it.

Alistair touched his neck. “I-it doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“Of course not,” Pearl said. “The righteous never need to fear the [Holy Javelin].”

And just like that, they were all back in Hammer’s Reach, specifically in the bigger room back at the inn. The sunlight greeted everyone with warmth. The swarm was gone and everything seemed to have gone back to normal.

Pearl, however, was prone and hurt. She was back to her human form.

“Pearl!” Not wasting a single second, Lenoria went to her partner’s side and knelt to provide a softer surface to rest her head.

“Ugh. I can’t manifest my power for that long.”

“Don’t you die on me, you old witch!”

“I just need to rest inside the Soulstone for a week.” Pearl coughed. “And who are you calling old?”

Alistair knelt next to Lenoria and leaned closer to Pearl. “Ma’am, tell me where you’re hurt so I can treat you!”

“Heh.” Pearl scoffed cockily. “You would heal someone who threatened your life?”

“It’s obvious to me that you mean something to Lenoria. A-and there are things I’d like to ask you.” He grabbed Pearl’s arm to check on it, but she immediately retracted it.

“Don’t push your luck. You get one question,” she said coldly.

“Very well,” the paladin said. “Why are you here?”

Pearl chuckled. “You had one question. It could have been about the secrets of the universe, if there was life beyond the solar frontier, or even about the degree of lust this girl holds for you.” Pearl closed her eyes. "As infinite as the void, I'd say."

Lenoria scoots slightly backward, blushing as she did so.

“Instead, you ask something inane.” Pearl coughed. “Lenoria already explained to you why I’m here. I’m collecting the other Soulstones and returning them to my master. I don’t know what drove you to be so hostile, but it’s in your best interest to work with these two. That’s why I’ve granted you my Spirit Sight.”

“Spirit Sight?” Lenoria asked. “Is that why he can see you now?”

“Yes. I’ve determined that he’s trustworthy. Sorry, perhaps I should say that I was convinced.” Pearl looked over at Poe, who happily perched on Alistair’s head. “Every corvid gets a single wish from me when I adopt them. Most ask for food or shiny trinkets, but Poe withheld his for a special occasion. He decided to use his own wish for me to spare Alistair.”

Tears formed in Lenoria’s eyes. “You did that for us, Poe?”

Poe cawed again, spreading his wings affirmatively.

“So it was this or my life.” Alistair said.

“Poe didn’t do it for you. He did it for Lenoria. He figured she’d be sad if I claimed your life, and he owed her a favor for saving his life.” Pearl’s exposition was tiring her out at this point, pausing to take a few breaths. “Our goals align, Alistair. If you don’t want these stones to fall into the wrong hands, it’s in your best interest to help the girls. And as an added boon, your Spirit Sight will also allow you to see ghosts and other incorporeal horrors.”

“And by doing so, you’ve aided my own cause.” With a sigh of acceptance, the paladin rose to his feet. “Very well. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Yay!” Lenoria leapt for joy, hugging Alistair and then Clara.

“Ow,” Pearl said as her head clunked on the ground.

“Isn’t that great, Clara?” Lenoria grabbed Clara’s hands and jumped in place. “Alistair gets to help us!”

“Huh?” Distracted, Clara took a moment to read the room. “Oh, r-right. Congratulations, Alistair.”

“You won’t be hearing from me for a while, but the stone will glow when it detects a Soulstone outside of our collection. It is up to you to locate them until I get back.” Closing her eyes, Pearl yawned. “See you in a week.”

And with an explosion of star-like particles, Pearl disappeared. Alistair sat down on the bed, trying to take it all in. The girls sat next to him, flanking him, and patted him on the back.

"Welcome to the team," Clara said warmly. "I guess you're stuck with us for now."

"It would seem that way." Alistair looked back at Lenoria. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

“I already said it was fine, Al." Blushing again, Lenoria stared at the wooden floor. "Buuuut, if you want to make it up to me, just grab my hand a little more gently next time."

"I'm serious! Huh?"

Lenoria grabbed Alistair's hand and held it between them. She smiled at him, seemingly leaving the whole thing behind them already.

"So am I." Lenoria grinned. "Sadly, as much as I want to enjoy this moment, Clara and I need to change our clothes. I wouldn't mind if you stayed, but Clara..."

"A-at once!" Alistair rose from the bed, gave the girls a knightly bow, and closed the door on his way out. Once Alistair was out the room, Lenoria took out the dirty clothes from last night - Clara's armor and her own - out of a closet. With two flicks of a wand from her tool belt, the smudges, blood stains, and grime from their battle gear were removed instantly.

Once this was done, Clara finally addressed something on her mind. “Hey, do you have a second?”

“Yeah, we can chat while we change. What’s up?”

“I’m not sure if you saw it, but there was this...fleshy thing that came out of Alistair when Pearl used that spell on him.” Clara shivered at the thought. “It was all bloody and wriggly. I don’t think Pearl was planning to kill Alistair at all.”

“What are you saying?”

“Well, the spell she cast is typically used for undead, demons, and sometimes people. But with people, there’s never a guarantee it’ll succeed. Maybe whatever that creature was had something to do with the way Alistair behaved earlier, and Pearl took action to prevent him from doing any harm.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her to do something this roundabout.” Now wearing her battle gear, Lenoria shook the Corvus Soulstone. “Yo, Pearl! Are you awake?”

“...yes. Please don’t shake the stone,” Pearl’s voice echoed in their heads. “And you’re right on the mark, Clara. I never planned to kill Alistair. My target was the Cassiopeian Bud in his system, which I detected the moment he showed hostility.”

With a vein pulsing on her temple, Lenoria’s angry grunt preceded a suppressed outburst. “The hell? So you did all of that just for show?”

“No. I also was able to gauge how he handled responsibility, and with the bud out of his system, he should be able to play his role as your defender better. In time, he shall regain his confidence.”

Hearing that made Lenoria calmer in an instant. She crossed her arms as she waited for an explanation from Pearl. “You mean he lost it before? I thought he was just shy.”

“Maybe he is, but the bud was feeding on his negative emotions.” After a pause, Pearl continued. “You are right, Lenoria. The Soulstones do not operate on good or evil, but on the power and intention of their masters. The bud comes from the many powers of the Cassiopeia Soulstone, and it works as a parasite that amplifies their victim’s negative emotions so that it can feed on them. It must have taken a liking to Alistair’s uneasiness.”

"Another Soulstone user did this. Poor guy. I wish I found out sooner...”

"The part about Poe, however, was true. Even if I didn't plan on killing Alistair, I still wanted to scare him and make him suffer for what he did. Poe begged me not to do it, so instead of prolonging things, I went right for the bud."

"Thank you, Poe," Lenoria said, hoping her words would reach Poe. "So he convinced you to do this, then?"

"There was one more factor. When I detected the Cassiopeian Bud, I could also sense that Alistair's divine connection had been weakening. But when he offered to atone for his crimes, his power returned to him." Pearl chuckled. "I won't apologize for doubting what you saw in him, but I'm convinced he means well, for the time being."

"Al..."

"He really does care about you," Clara commented. "Can you imagine what more he'd do once you know each other better for like, like say, a year?"

Lenoria could hear wedding bells in her head, but she snapped out of that immediately; she wouldn't be returning for a while if she indulged her thoughts now. "More on that later. Pearl, is there anything else we need to know about Cassiopeia?"

“The buds it produces also work as wiretaps.”

“What’s a wiretap?” Clara asked.

“Oh, right. I forgot they haven’t invented those here. It is basically an audio-only scrying device. Whoever planted it in him must already know where we're going.”

Lenoria sighed. “That’s just great.”

Clara was not as worried. “You destroyed the bud, so that means they won’t know when we’ll get there.”

“Correct,” Pearl continued, “but it doesn’t change the fact that whoever the master of Cassiopeia is, they’re using their power for evil. They may try to claim your stones, maybe even your lives. This may well be the point of no return. Even if you abandon this trip, Cassiopeia’s master would likely come to Helix if they want more power.”

“Then we’ll find them first,” Lenoria declared with a closed fist. “They’ll pay for what they did to Alistair!”

“Good. I detected great potential in Alistair, and he may be worthy of a Soulstone of his own. I was thinking Scutum, if we ever find it. Hopefully my power will provide him with much needed aid, but I’m counting on you to protect him from Cassiopeia until he awakens as a wielder.”

Strapping up their boots, the girls were ready to go. They left their room and made their way downstairs.

Do not fret. Despite your disadvantage, everything is going. Just. As. Planned.