“I’m writing this letter to you, brother, so you can know that things are going well,” the young adult, a genius proven in battle and outside of it, writes towards his brother, who seeks a power above that which he holds. “I hope your venture towards Drakil will be filled with good fortune. And when you have time, do send some of the materials you find along the way, I can only be entertained for so long with what I have.”.

The Human War has ended, and people started to heal from the wounds of battle. Upon the city where the fierce has occurred, the lingering, lost souls of those which had to submit to the Foolish King’s command. The place has been renamed to the Mouner Ruins, a place where humans are forbidden to step foot into.

Once the spirit of the Merolen had been freed from that of the Terror which possessed him, only a lingering, everlasting power, with the wish to consume everything, was left behind. The lights attached to it were dispersed and returned to the Link, those like Uel and Hran, who still lived afterwards, never recovering the strength they once had. The Foolish King, the Terror which inhabited his body and assumed his form, has been captured. With the help of Elde and Eve, the unknown power which wished destruction, was being held in place in Astes. Plans to build a deep prison, where both the Foolish King and Kalagon could be imprisoned, were set in motion. Only Mou’s constructs were allowed to partake, and a church towards the Lightborn would be built on top, so that no one knows of their whereabouts. The reason for Kalagon’s imprisonment was because of his status as a dragon prince, and the certainty that once freed, he would wreak havoc upon the kingdoms once more. He wouldn’t be able to be transported all the way to Drakil. As the journey would take at the very least a few weeks by ship, and perhaps months or more by foot.

Amel and Femel have been naturally excused of their crimes, deemed as heroes of war. But, their efforts would be minimised, especially those of Amel. People had their faith at the lowest, and knowing that a kid only fifteen years of age, was the one who generally helped the war on the right path, would create an upset. Amel, not wishing to cause anymore chaos or destruction, had agreed to keep his involvement to as little as possible. Once a council took place, he also agreed to dismiss most of his constructs. While they proved a powerful force, the fact remained that there was always the risks of them running wild if something were to happen to him. Only Omega, Alpha and Last Prima were allowed to be kept, as they were valuable for the information they still had, and the overall might which Amel didn’t want to give up.

Femel, once everything was over, left Domaire in a journey to search for greater power. The reasons were more than defeating Umshaow. Amel had inherited all of Merolen’s memories. When he did, he could feel the lingering presence of the Terror, even through his memories. There were other reasons behind the Terror’s actions. Whatever it aimed to achieve or do, wasn’t going to stop at what had just transpired. This was further accentuated by the fact that most of its presence disappeared from Merolen’s body once Umshaow had been upset. What was left inside of Merolen was enough to give him the powers he had, maintain and expand his forces. Wherever the rest of the presence went, Amel was sure that the Human War which it caused, and the upset it caused Umshaow, were simply a diversion, meant to hide something more terrifying. The First Six all agreed, as some reports were coming from West Amesion, where somewhere inside the Sevroun Great Lake, things were starting to change. Scouts and soldiers have been sent to the place of land, uninhabited by anyone, to see and report back from it. While nothing has been found, those who travelled there, felt a lingering presence, the description matching that Amel felt from the Terror.

In order to prepare for what was to come, Amel and the First Six warned the neighbouring countries, Ilianor and Sedessi, of the possibility that in the near future, something of even greater proportions may arise, even amongst themselves. They were dismissed, as humans were no longer trusted given the Foolish King. Amel found himself upset, but couldn’t do much about it. All he could do, with Femel also, was to strengthen themselves and those around them. Thus, Femel had left Domaire with his unit in search of greater power. While humans weren’t seen in the best light, Amel was sure that his brother could make it, his good nature shining brighter than the ugly stain painted by the one who stood against the creators and turned against his kin.

Hran had started a retirement plan, as his hands were beyond healing. The Lightborn were the only ones possessing large enough healing capabilities to heal such injuries, but weren’t going to do it if Hran wasn’t going to give up his way, meaning, he had to give up on thoughts of war and battle. Hran refused, choosing to still serve a purpose in the strengthening of Thranes. Hran II was starting to assume many of the responsibilities of his father, lessening the burden on his shoulders.

The six kingdoms have been rearranged, and only four remained. Eueldes and Eveldes have merged with Opeldes and Thranes respectively. This was in order for the siblings to take care of each other and the kingdoms in need, as only twenty nine thousand of the forty thousand which were sent, returned to their homes, further weakening the already frail kingdoms. Weapons, technologies and more were being researched, as a future time of battle may arise, and they couldn’t be left to fate like they did against the Foolish King. The Lightborn didn’t like the prospect of humans arming themselves further, but once they were reminded that their support wasn’t present during the war, they had no choice but to leave the humans be.

In the depths of the Sedessi Desert, in a place called the Red Dunes, an adult Femel was making his way through the harsh sands. Three years after the Human War, he finally could walk freely through the lands of the Sunborn, as he earned his place inside of it. Wearing a creme cloak, pulled together at the middle by an insignia shaped in the form of a sword and spear crossing each other, the symbol of Thranes, black leather boots, loose brown pants and a silk shirt, gold strings making models of the sun on it, he was soon to reach the city of Uneorn. There, he is to meet a sollim, by the name of Melesia. The road would take him another two days, left alone by the sand wyrm riders to find his way by himself, since he wasn’t willing to go through the trouble of first presenting himself to their leader. Femel preferred it this way, having to deal with the dangers himself and challenge himself as he wished, was the perfect opportunity for him to learn.

The night was approaching the desert faster, as the sand storms in the Red Dunes were long lasting and wouldn’t stop for weeks on end. Having little visibility, even for him who could spot anything, he had to find a place of rest. Looking around, he could see mostly the sand, but here and there, rocks which protruded from the ground. Some of those were deep nests of cave dumpedes. Creatures with long limbs, hair serving as sensory points for the winds around, strong outer shells coloured blue-green or yellow-red, small heads on a large two-five metres bodies. These creatures had immense speed across the sands, as their way of hunting was to leap out of their nest, catch and kill whatever moved across the sands. Femel had to deal with some of them so far, but those inside the Red Dunes, the deeper one went, the larger they were. It wasn’t due to there being more food, but due to it being less, as creatures inside the desert had to preserve their resources, and what better way if not growing larger.

Amel had developed a keen eye for tracking in the past three years, during which time the Sunborns had to acknowledge him as not a threat to them or their creations, the sollims. He had spent a long time in the forests and the most dangerous regions. He spent a year near the regions of Astes, where some rootworms were present, once feared by the Lightborn due to their massive size and dangerous hunting methods. It is believed that the ancestors of the sand wyrms are the rootworms, but while it’s not true, it remained as such for many years. There were small signs to be found in the sand, as the cave dumpedes had their hind legs developed in such a way, that they would spread the sand around in an even manner, leaving no visible traces behind. What Femel was looking for, were bits of excrements or fallen flesh from past victims. While the storms could easily cover that up, he would look out for small traces of humidity, in the place where such a thing wasn’t allowed.

He saw some signs near two of the four rocks. There were some slight signs of struggle as well. Whatever the cave dumpedes have caught, put up a bit of a fight, even this deep in the Red Dunes region. He looked at the farthest rock, to the right. It didn’t seem to lead into a cave, and was large enough for him to hide under, dig a little place for him to sleep. He walked carefully, stepping with his tips first, then letting his leg rest easily on the sand. The sand storm was a good cover for someone to not be spotted, but the cave dumpedes could sense the slightest movements through the reverberations of the ground. He didn’t know how to avoid that keen sense of theirs, but rightfully assumed that light steps and little noise could make it hard even for them to spot him. He could kill any single one of them, but there being two caves, could mean there could be up to three or six of them. Six would prove close to lethal for him, probably losing a limb or two in the process, so he had to be as careful as possible.

It didn’t take him long, and he was at the stone. He looked at those to the left, and nothing. To his right was just the storm enveloping the surroundings. The rock seemed to have been used before, some traces of a hole at the very back of it. The rock was leaning slightly forward, acting like a giant leaf in the rain of sand. He stood down, and let his small bag to his side. He didn’t carry much, not even water, as it could be lost easily. Water he procured from the desert, as the sollims did. He wanted to learn their ways and grow stronger through the trial of the desert. Once he dug himself nicely in the hole, he used his cloak to seal the sides and up portions, creating a compact tent for himself to sleep into and not be blasted by the storm. This was also to protect against certain parasites living in the sand, some of which could grow larger than his two and a half metres tall frame.

Falling asleep, his thoughts were filled with a wish to go back home, and see his brother, who was probably reading a book or making another construct, one of those which weren’t meant for combat. As his dreams started to take over, he heard a slight sound. It wasn’t much, like a whisper in the wind, but his ears picked it up. He let his cloak down, and looked around. The night was upon the desert, and nothing much could be seen, as the storm continued to rage on. From his bag, he pulled out a smaller bag, about the size of his palm, tied with a rope at the mouth. He let go of the rope, and from inside, a small glowing insect started to fly. It was a glowing bug, one of the many that could be found across the desert, even in the Red Dunes in some portions. These were night creatures, enjoying the cold weather and flying carelessly as nothing wanted them dead. While he couldn’t control its direction, the light it casted allowed his sharp eyes to see more than a dozen metres around it.

Thankfully, it flew where he wanted to see, and looking at the rocks to the right, he saw new signs of struggle. There were cave dumpedes that were confirmed, and whatever they caught, managed to make a noise. In the desert, the critters have developed in such a way so that they wouldn’t make much of a noise. In their adaptation, they weren’t able to scream for help or even squeal in their time of death. Femel thought it might’ve been something larger, that it took longer to kill, and managed to make a small sound, but that didn’t seem to be the case, as the prints left in the sand, disappeared pretty fast, meaning it was something smaller. He didn’t want to have to deal with it, so he tried going back to sleep. However, the noise could be heard again, it was something sharp and meant to be heard by trained creatures or individuals. His ears picked it up, so he was almost certain that whatever, or rather whoever, made that sound, was still alive deep in the cave.

“I didn’t grow up to care too much about those around me,” so he told himself. But he was always thinking of others and caring for whoever he could “even so.”. He looked up at the moonless sky, enveloped by the storm. While there was nothing to be seen, he still stared for a bit, ironing his mind for what was to follow. He adjusted the giant glaive at his back, the blade alone one metre in length and half in width, the handle making it four metres long. “This won’t work really well inside the cave,” he placed the glaive on the ground, and pulled out of a sheath at his back, a cold steel blade, gifted by Hran after the war. The blade would steal the heat of whatever it cut through, and in the desert at night, this could become fatal in a just a few moments. He left his bag behind, covered it and the glaive with his cloak, then started to tip toe towards the cave. The sound could be heard again, ‘Coming for you, just you wait,’ he thought to himself.

Step by step, he made it through the storm, and to the cave entrance, forty metres away from where he was sleeping. He looked at the rock next to it, only fifteen metres away. He could see the dark shadows from another cave entrance. It could be the same cave connected by the two entrances, but he didn’t have the time or resources to find out. So, pulling out of his pocket a stone with a bit of molten steel inside, he lit his way in a dim, red light. The molten steel was just a tiny bit, so that it could be heated by the warmth of his body, while the stone was engraved with runes which could make the body heat into light by conversion of energy. It was a small invention by Mou, something which he also gifted to the young man after the war.

The cave’s walls were close to each other, allowing only for two or three people to fit through. Amel could move with ease, but if he was to wear anything like armour or a large weapon, then this would prove highly troublesome, as the descent was uneven and steep in place. He had to hunch over for most of the time. After thirty metres inside, he found a bifurcation. He listened closely, if the sound was coming from either direction, he could tell. Then, the sound again, it was the left, and so he went deeper. The right one, making a slight noise of its own which he couldn’t catch in time.

He walked for fifty more metres, the walls were growing apart and taller, as it seemed that the cave dumpede, or dumpedes, which lived in there, have been doing so for a long while. He stepped carefully, as the descent became even steeper, sometimes having to descend two or three metres vertical portions. Finally, he had arrived at the entrance of a large room. There was a large, dark place in front of him. The light from his molten stone lantern, only allowing him to see a bit inside from where he stood. He went slowly forward, the shortsword gleaming in the light of the molten stone lantern. Once in the entrance, he held the molten stone lantern high above his head, then immediately put it inside his clothes. While he assumed there could be at most six of them in both caves, in this alone, eight of them were sleeping in the large room. While he couldn’t see too well, he noticed a struggling body at the left of the room, about seven metres from where he was. The cave dumpedes were all in a coma-like state, only the vibrations of movements able to trigger their inner mechanism into action, and leap straight for the source of it. A high pitched, vibrating sound was present in the room. It was their bodies which produced it, as a way to establish a base level of sound. If anything went above or below it, they would wake up in a moment’s notice.

Femel pulled out his molten stone lantern once more, the slight casting shadows from the bugs. A couple have moved, but none have waken up. The vibrations were all that these bugs cared for, while the other senses were less used. At the left, peeking through the cast of sand and spit that these bugs used to encase the victims, there was a sollim. His skin was a powerful bronze, almost reflecting the light of the molten stone lantern, while his charcoal black eyes were begging for help from Femel. Inside his mouth, there was a small whistle, made from the hollow portion of a cave dumpede’s hust, was present. The man was blowing no longer, waiting for Femel to make his move. This was bad for Femel. He was sure that if he wanted to leave, the man would simply throw the whistle to the ground and alarm the bugs, since his hands were free from the looks of it, but couldn’t move properly to free himself, probably needing to make some dangerous noise in order to free himself completely.

Femel made some gestures, one to tell the man to keep silent, and one to ask in a way if there were more. The man nodded at the first, then shook his head at the second. Femel nodded back, and started to make his way towards him carefully. The limbs of the bugs were stretched all across the floor. If he touched one in the slightest, that would be it. Femel’s movements were gracious, although his body would suggest he would’ve made noise with the very first step. His muscles were lean, yet protruded his clothes, as he had to tense himself to an extreme. He passed the first two metres with ease, but then the crossed legs and bodies of three bugs in front of him, stopped him for a moment. He had to look careful at it, he saw a small gap between the legs of the creatures. Not large enough for his whole foot to step into, but enough for his toes to touch. He did, and his leg was between all the other limbs. He took his next step forward, and was over the three bodies with one foot. All he had was to pull out the other one, but the bugs didn’t allow for it, as one of them moved its limb and touched his leg. His heart stopped for a moment, expecting the bugs to awaken at a given moment, the man in the cast of sand expected the same, but nothing happened. The bugs weren’t aware of their surroundings too much, that became apparent. Femel let out his breath slowly in relief. The man relaxed slowly. He had do it it smoothly, and he did, freeing his leg from his boot, leaving the black leather item there, not moving it by the slightest degree. He then stepped fully into the portion of the room, and he was above the man in the cast. He placed his molten stone latern on the cast, and held his cold steel blade against his body, like a butcher ready to cut meat. He had to be careful, as he couldn’t tell just how thick the cast was, the slightest cut into the man’s body, who was for who knows how long, could lead to him losing the precious body heat he would need to escape from the cave into the outside storm.

His precision was impeccable, and slowly, from up and down, he cut the cast through the middle portion. Then he cut to the sides, and removed the pieces of the cast one by one. The man started to do the same once his hands were free. Femel took the molten stone lantern as he cut the last portion, and the man was free. He had two tattoos on his neck, and more on his arms. He wore only a pair of brown pants, made of fine silk and boots made of wyrm metal. Femel extended his hand, to help the man to his feet without making a noise, but the man pushed against the ground with his hands, and with a small jump and landing on his feet, the man was up. There was no noise made, the boots didn’t allow for it, and the man seemed skilled enough. It begged Femel the question inside his mind ‘How did one such as him get dragged here?’.

His question would be answered by the man’s frantic manner of signalling him. He was trying to tell him of something above, perhaps in some other place. Femel looked behind, let the lantern cast its light, and if not for his eyes, he wouldn’t have been able to see the shadow of what seemed to be another cave dumpede. The light also revealed, on the other side, another body in a cast, it was dead perhaps since the morning. Femel looked at the man, nodded, and held his blade close to his body. He was going to kill the dumpede, but the man stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, showing him towards the back. There was another exit. Femel didn’t want to go through there though, as more of these bugs could be waiting there. He shook his head. The man insisted but he still refused. The man, seeing as he couldn’t reason with him, left on his own. Femel didn’t try to stop him, it was his choice, and even if he had lived in the desert for a while, he didn’t believe given his current circumstance, that he was that good at surviving the harsh place.

So, Femel closed his eyes a little, prayed to the creator, as he was taught by Elde during his time in Opeldes, and started to make his way between the creatures once more. Once he was close to the entrance, he pushed his back against the wall. The creature waiting for him was moving its antennas in order to sense the shift in the stale air. He first extended his right hand towards the exit, and with a silent leap, he stabbed at this right. The blade hit right away, feeling the life draining in just moments from the body, as the heat was stolen and its movements got rigid before it could react. The light revealed the large creature, even for its species in the Red Dunes, at six metres in length and three in width. Amel caught its body before it could make any noise, holding his palm against the wound so it wouldn’t drip the blood on the floor. There was the danger of the smell alarming the bugs as well, so he pushed the creature on his shoulders, then on his back, and began to ascend carrying the creature. His strength was far greater than before, so even though the creature was much heavier than him, he had no issue carrying it out of the cave.

Once he was at the bifurcation, he listened carefully, and the slight vibrating sounds came from the other way as well. ‘Good to keep in mind,’ he thought, then kept going up until he reached the surface once more. He placed the body on the ground gently, and looking to his left, he could see the man getting out of the other hole. The man raised his hand with his thumb clenched and the rest of the fingers straight up. It was the sign of friendship. One of the many things he had time to learn while in Thranes about the Sedessi Desert language. In response, Femel held his right hand to the side, clenched his fist, then raise the pinky, then the ringer, then pointed at the stone where his stuff was at. He told the man that safety is nearby. The man nodded, and headed with a casual walk towards the stone. Femel was interested in the boots he wore, but had to first deal with the dead body. He could make use of its husk, as it was resilient and could be used to fend off against other critters and even sollims, as not many things dared to approach a cave dumpede. The man looked at him, communicating with him in a more fast manner, thinking he could also communicate well, but Femel only knew some simple terms, directions and actions to describe. He apologised through the sign language, the man getting the idea that Femel wasn’t too good at it, then just stared at him. The sollims kept track of any and all prey and resources, it was their way of living.

Femel returned to it, and cut a piece of the husk, the blade so sharp, that it didn’t take much effort. He looked at the legs, seeing if they’re of any use, but didn’t think they would. The man seemed to be interested in everything, even the eyes of the creature. Femel couldn’t understand their uses, as he didn’t spend time in the desert for long enough, but the sollims would get every bit of moisture and liquid out of it. Femel was only interested in the main portion of the body, where the most of the blood was at. While normally drinking the blood and such from a creature could cause sickness and death, the cave dumpedes had a membrane between the husk and their body, through it, liquids could be filtered, acting as a way for the husk to be moisturised and keep it from cracking. Femel knew of it from some other cave dumpedes, which he fought before. The man shook his head behind him, seeing the messy work he was doing. After Femel got the membrane, he let the blood and fluids of the creature pour through it, and into his mouth. The man didn’t seem interested. The sollims had a good water management inner system, able to survive with half a normal human’s need of water a day, for a week.

Once he was done, he took the dead body at the back of the rock, and left it there. If the cave dumpedes where to find it, it wouldn’t point in their direction. Slowly, he returned to the stone his things were at, passing by the man who was looking after the body still. After he arrived at the rock, the man stood there a few more moments, and joined him. The man didn’t have means to defend against the storm, their skin being strong enough, but Femel felt the need to cover himself, the bits of dust almost cutting at his skin. The man wasn’t too fond of having his vision obscured, but accepted that the man next to him wasn't part of the desert like he was. Femel went to sleep straight away, the man surprised by his carelessness. He wouldn’t have expected someone like him to leave himself exposed to someone he just met. But Femel was never fully asleep, his body always listening and ready to react, the childhood he had to live through, provided his body with plenty of experience to make him wary of his environment while resting. The man leaned his back against the rock, and found it a bit pleasant to be protected by the cloak.

Morning came, and Femel could feel the warmth creeping in. The storm was no longer for a period of time, and the heat would start soon to envelop the region. Once he turned, he saw that the man had left. He wasn’t expecting him to stay, ‘At least some thanks would’ve been nice,’ he thought. He took the cloak down, and the blazing sun was upon him. What made the Red Dunes even more dangerous than the other regions, besides the larger creatures and constant storms, was also the heat which emanated from the ground as well. The Red Dunes is where the desert originated from, so the power of the Sunborns still lingers around, heating the place even more than it already is. Looking around, he couldn’t see any signs of the cave dumpedes. They didn’t like to hunt when there weren’t storms, but would still do it if a prey was close enough. The cave dumpedes were one of the creatures that used more moisture than the average critter, as their husks had their need of maintenance. But, while he couldn’t notice any wild creatures, he noticed the man behind the rock. In the sunlight, his bronze skin stood out more. There was no sweat on his kin, nor was he breathing heavily as someone in the middle of a blazing sun would be expected to. He was casually gathering the moisture which Femel dared leave behind. The man, much like other sollims, had small compartments inside their skin, which were filled with an insulating silk, made from sand wyrm baby shells. Those were made from childhood until adulthood, getting larger in the inside, and making their skin seem flappy in parts. Once it was filled with the fluids, filtered through a part of the membrane which Femel didn’t make use of, the man seemed content. The man stood at a bit over two metres tall, shorter than Femel, but bulkier, the water inside his skin, making him feel even larger. The man rose his hand, and saluted Femel, which Femel responded in kind.

After he gathered his bag, sheathed his glaive and then placed the cloak on top of him, he was ready for travel. The man didn’t seem willing to go alone through the desert, as the sollims were a nomadic kind, and liked sticking together in large groups. This further made Femel curious. The man was either lost from his group, or has left to venture alone. He couldn’t figure out the man’s reasons yet, as he couldn’t speak the language and he had to focus on his road ahead. If he managed a good pace, he would be in Uneorn by tomorrow at noon, before the sun could blaze its heat upon the Red Dunes as strongly as it could. His only guidance through the desert was the sun. If he followed straight while taking a step to the right every hundredth, he could reach the place he wanted to. This was by Amel’s explanation when he looked at the map. But with the constant storms and shifty sands, it would be hard for anyone to guide themselves. And while Amel had a good sense of direction, even he strayed away from the imposed path. The man wanted to reach the same destination, so whenever he would take the wrong direction, he would help him back onto it. Femel wasn’t sure if he should trust the man’s directions, but he didn’t seem like the bad kind, the ones which would kill him to steal his blood. He was also filled with water, so that should keep him away for a while.

Noon was upon them, and the heat got so strong, that Femel felt his skin almost burning through his clothes. The temperature of the desert was at their peak, from below and above. The man had little issues, as the water in his skin acted as a cooling fluid, keeping his exterior at an almost regular temperature. While he would’ve liked to help the struggling man from another land, the man couldn’t do much about it, as he had to deal with the heat himself. Femel was getting wearier, as the heat became too much for his body, and all the fluid he had consumed, wasn’t enough to keep him hydrated through it. He was looking around, seeing rocks here and there, but none were leaning as those prior. There were some tall, large ones that made some shade, but where there was too much shade, there were also creatures ready to prey upon those which sought it. They both knew it, yet Femel couldn’t handle the hat anymore, so he was choosing to handle whatever could be lying in wait for him. The man stopped him by his shoulder, telling him in his language to stop. But Femeel didn’t shrug his shoulders away and headed for the rock, glaive in his hands, improperly held in his hands.

As it was the ‘law’ of the desert, a debt doesn’t go unpaid. This was because of the Sunborns’ generosity. Giving them armour, tools and weapons all the time, the sollims always tried to repay them however they could. And given how Femel saved his life, the man didn’t want him to die until his debt was repaid. So, from his pants, he pulled out a knife made from a sand wyrm tooth. The handle was just pieces of shells from a sand snail, glued together with some cave dumpede spit. If Femel was going to fight, so would he, in order for him to have his shade and not die. Femel noticed the gesture, and kept moving forward. Once they were at the edge of the shade, they looked carefully at it. There were no signs of predators below the sand, and Femel thought of it as enough for him to sit down. The man however, stopped him with his hand, and looked closely at the sand. In the middle, he could see the grains moving by the slightest bit. Femel thought of it as the wind or even their breath, but something else caused it. The man gestured to him for attack and to be ready. Femel understood, and held his glaive high above, ready to take it down upon whatever was below. The man took a step back, then threw the knife at the ground in the shade. Two large needles came from below, clasping in the middle. Femel pushed his glaive at the middle point, and the needles shook violently, then the head of the creature came out on a side further from them, about ten metres, its mandibles black like its needles. It was a sand crawler. Hiding below sand and preying on those seeking shade or a safe place, these were the natural enemies of the cave dumpedes.

Femel nodded in acknowledgement of the man, who carefully retrieved his knife back from below the needles. Even if it didn’t go through the body, but touched the skin, the poison was able to burn anything it touched, having high levels of acidity, beyond the purpose of paralysis. They had to move away from the rock, and find some other place, as other critters would soon be upon this place, some like the san wyrms, able to sense moisture from the ground from many kilometres away. It didn’t take them long to find a place with some shade, and was safe also. They sat down, and Femel could feel his body recovering from the intense heat. The man looked around, careful for the environment, while Femel simply enjoyed his shade in peace.

A while passed by, the man drank a bit of his water from the skin pockets, then lifted himself up. Femel looked around, saw a storm approaching from the west, and prepared for it. They started to travel once more, Femel’s bare foot struggling against the hot ground, which kept growing even warmer. This phenomena would continue all the way through the day, until night would come. It was something still unexplained, as only a few Lightborn were present during the day they have started to rebuild the once green planes, into a massive desert. Unbeknown to most, this was the cause of the Sunborn flowing their light and heat throughout the ground, their essence imbued in the desert itself. It’s what allowed the sand wyrms to grow so large, in some cases up to three hundred metres.

Night would come by fast, as their progress through the desert went better than Femel had expected, the man being a great help. They once again looked for a rock, and hid under a hole dug by the both of them, then the cloak on top of it. The man started to grow fond of the way the young man was using his available resources. While he would’ve liked to share a story with Femel, they couldn’t understand each other, so it would have to wait until someone could do it for them. Uneorn had all kinds of people, so someone in there might’ve been able to help them bond as they were meant to.

During the night, a growing sense of tension developed inside Femel. There was something below the sand, and he could tell. The man wasn’t aware of it, but below both of them, a sand wyrm was trying to find them and have its meal. The night went by without the sand wyrm finding their location, and Femel kept it in mind as an issue that might arise some time later. The day was filled with the storm as well, but he was sure that in just a few hours, they should be in Uneorn.

And sure enough, the gigantic rocks which surrounded the city were visible before noon was upon them. Behind, he could tell that the sand wyrm had followed them, but it was too late, they were there and the rocks below the sand, stopped any sand wyrms from getting too close, acting like a dam of sorts.

There was only one entrance, to the west, so the two of them went there. Walking closer to the road, they could see both Sunborn and sollims leaving the city or entering it. Some Sunborn were riding dust beetles, their bodies flying slightly above ground and providing the necessary transport for the richer ones, while some sollims returned to their sand wyrms, hidden in the depths of the sands. Their call was through a similar whistle which the man following him had, except they were larger and more complex than that of the man.

The road towards the city started from outside the ‘gates’, which were stones placed in an organised fashion by the sides of it. Walking on the road, the rocks were getting larger and larger, until, once they were inside the city, they were serving as giant walls, protecting the inside from the outside, even the storms passing by above the city. The buildings were made all of sandstone, none were made more expensive or from a different material than the others, since it was hard to build in the desert, and the city was mainly for exchanging, selling and buying goods. There was no need for people to stay longer than they had to, even those which were selling. Femel was entranced by the place.

Silk clothes, rugs and textile materials were aboundant, some even laying by the side of the road, ready to be taken somewhere away from the place. The Sunborns, most staying between 6-7 metres tall, wore their wyrm metal clothes, loosely around the body and chest, and tight on the arms. There were designs cut out of the clothes, allowing their flaming skin to bring them alive, while at the hands, precious gems were adorning the clothes. They wore baggy, white pants, made of a special kind of silk, that wasn’t able to burn most of them, some were wearing green or blue. They wore simple, black shoes, probably made of the same metal.

Femel wanted to touch one of them, but he got a spiteful glance from the Sunborn, and made him back away. They weren’t hating humans, but didn’t like them around either. The man with him apologised for it, then the Sunborn returned to his shopping. Femel kept walking, dragged by the man as he watched the flames instead of hair on top his head switch colours, from bright red, to soft orange and happy yellow. Getting further inside the city, buildings could be seen being built on the rocks as well, weird angles and architecture making it hard to ignore. While inside, he noticed the missing doors from all the buildings. There were only windows, on which you would have to reach by climbing. People all over the place were doing it, and he wondered why that was so. In the desert, since there are little things which can exert your physical strength without dying, the cities around Sedessi are built in such a manner that it keeps the sollims sharp and fit, on their feet at all times. This was one of the methods, and Femel was happy to try them out for himself, while the man got lost looking at the vendor tables, analysing different silks and materials from all around the desert.

Femel went up inside one of the buildings. There were more vendors, but those were selling at higher prices. Rare materials, minerals, animal parts and even animals were sold inside the buildings. This was meant so that only those with enough money would get inside, leaving the outside for the general people. Mostly Sunborns were inside, making the place warmer than it had to be. Femel saw an expensive, but good looking glaive, and wanted it. But upon hearing the two thousand gold coin price, he thought less of it, and more on how easy it would’ve been as a thief to just steal it. He then climbed down the building, and met with the man again. He wanted to know his purpose and why he was still around him, not knowing of the debt law around the country.

Femel was supposed to meet with Melesia in a certain place, but couldn’t find it. There were no signs, and the people around didn’t speak the human language. The man looked around for other humans, so someone could help Femel. He had found a woman that seemed to be noibilty from Kinlakes, the insignia of the grain on her chest. The man pointed him at her, and Femel talked with her. He asked about “The cold corner,” a place where water and cold ale was being sold. She pointed him in the right direction, and thanked her. The man followed him, even though Femel tried to chase him off.

The place he was looking for was near the centre of the city, where the most expensive vendors were at. There, thousands of gold pieces were being traded each hour. Expensive, rare materials, ores, metals, animals and components were available. The Cold Corner was on one of the busier streets. Making his way through, Femel bumped into a sollim. The man was trying to take away his money for wasting his precious time, but the man stepped into it, and just by looking at his tattoos, the instigator seemed to have calmed down. This was a little, but the man thought he was making good progress in repaying the debt.

To reach the Cold Corner, they had to climb five stories, until they arrived at the top, where inside, tables with sollims were filled to the brim. There, mostly sollims, sometimes a Sunborn or two could be seen as well. Femel didn’t know the table at which he was supposed to meet her, but it became apparent when a woman with black hair, darker skin and a large, bright smile gestured at him. The man followed Femel behind, and once they were at the table, Melesia introduced herself.

“We finally meet, Femel,” her eyes were glittering, looking for a value inside of him. The man knew those eyes, they were those of a merchant, and she was looking to buy something from him. She looked behind him, saw the man and asked “Do you really need protection with me?” she almost gestured at her body saying that with her eyes.

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“It’s complicated, should we sit down?” Amel asked, as she didn’t seem to want with the man around. She looked at his tattooes carefully, and a her face seemed to change its features, displeasing in manner. “I assure you, he means no harm, and he isn’t here for my protection.”. The man, as if he understood, did the opposite and crossed his arms, looking at the woman from above. Amel slapped him over the hands, “Stop that, I don’t need you to scare her,” the man understood somewhat, but still kept his gaze upon her. “Now, do you have what I asked for?”.

“Of course,” she curled her hair around her finger, looked around a bit, then, from under the table she brought up a small box. “This has been hard to get, so you better hold your end of the bargain,” she looked him in the eyes before placing it on the table.

“I assure you, I will. Once I get my hands on this weapon, you will get what you want as well,” Amel tapped the table impatiently. Melesia understood his impatience, they both have wanted this for years, and through him, they might be able to get it, power.

Once she opened the chest, inside of it, a small gem, the size of a needle almost, stood atop a small pillar of gold. “The crystalized light, from the Link, where only the Lightborn and Frostborn are allowed to travel into.”. The light, to Femel, was something his body couldn’t accept. But, in Amel’s opinion, that was because there was too little of it present, thus the body didn’t see it as useful. Even when his mind was assualted by light, when he trained with Hran II, the light was still mere bits and specs of what having one is actually like. Amel had the idea that, if enough light is poured into him at once, an awakening may happen, or he may die a painful death. “You understand the risks, right?” she had to ask, as Amel took the gem on the tip of his finger. Something that was normally intangible, he could feel on the tip of his finger, something which all his life, he didn’t have access to.

“I understand,” he took a piece of black cloth from his bag, and put the gem at the middle, folded the cloth and placed it back in his back. “I should return by the next day, if I don’t, think of me as dead,” he lifted himself from the table. The woman stopped him with a hand on his.

“You’re a man of your word, that I trust. So don’t run on me if it doesn’t work,” her look was desperate. Melesia was aiming to become the leader of a large group of sollims, but due to the tradition of having to take it through combat, Melesia couldn’t stand a chance against the current leader, who had never lost once, and had every victory tattooed on his arm, rightfully so. If she was to defeat him, she would need a champion, which was allowed during those kinds of fights.

Femel snapped his hand away, he didn’t like her. Seeking power by using others, wasn’t something he liked. Even if the rules were against her, he didn’t like the thought of it. “I never run, and I face my challenges head on,” his remark only brought a smile from her, as she was oblivious to his words. Amel took his leave, the man following after staring some more at her. “Let’s get us someone who can speak both our languages then,” the man followed.

They have started to look around Uneorn, seeking the help of others. The Sunborn weren’t willing to, that Femel could be sure by the way they were looking at him, and the sollims were busy selling their goods. While he could try to buy their help, the sollims which knew the human language were just as few as the humans passing through the city. The man suggested through gestures of his hands to go inside one of the more expensive shops. Femel then realised that if a human was in there, they weren’t going to look for the cheap stuff, as it took him three years to get in there. He smiled at the man, and the man did the same. They each climbed a different building, and started to look around. Soon enough, the man would come to find a human from Opeldes, looking to trade large sums of money for some weapons transported from Esheon there.

The man took Femel and presented him to the man called, “Leneel, sir Femel,” it was something which Amel didn’t want, but Femel accepted, the title of knight, as his insignia suggested as well. “Your friend, Eleas, told me you were seeking my service, yes?”.

Femel looked at the man. His name was decently popular, and he had spent a few months in Opeldes. But it still didn’t sit well with him that the man immediately recognised him. He could’ve been someone who looked like him, and while his stature was taller than a vast majority of humans, it wasn’t that uncommon. “Indeed,” Femel pointed at a table where they could sit, and Eleas and Leneel followed behind. Eleas was exchanging some friendly words, half spoken through gestures as it was the manner of the sollims. “We two have met under, peculiar, circumstances. And I can’t figure why he is following me still,” Leneel gestured the words as he listened to Femel, so Eleas could understand too.

Eleas didn’t need to respond, as Leneel already knew the costums of the sollims, showing that it wasn’t his first visit in the place. “They have a strong sense of pride, and like to repay any debts they own. Given how close he stands to you, I figure the debt must be pretty large,” Femel widened his eyes, then looked at Eleas. He smiled and nodded. “I won’t ask about the matter, but I wouldn’t be too upset to have a sollim in my debt. They’re useful if you want to travel the deserts, and as you can probably knew,” Leneel showed his arm, deep scars of some long ago battle, “the desert is not really forgiving.”.

Femel sighed, looking at Eleas, he thought for a bit then nodded. “Very well, just tell him I accept his services,” Leneel obeyed. “And tell me your reasons, why are you helping us, and how did you know it was me just by looking?”. Leneel smiled, seeing the sharp wits of the man.

“Word goes around,” he closed in, “that you have with you a certain kind of diamond.”. Feme pulled out his short sword and placed it at Leneel’s neck, Eleas reacting a moment later and ready to fight himself. “Easy, I’m not looking for trouble. Merely some, service if you will,” the smile of the man stood on his face, his eyes filled with the greed of merchants. Femel put his blade away, the cold steel leaving a faint trail of cold air behind it. “I know that people like you don’t buy such things, they do favours.”.

“How can you tell I’m not the kind to buy?” Femel felt a bit insulted, as he thought the man was accusing him of being a thief, which he once was, while he wanted to know how he could draw the conclusion.

“Let’s just say that you don’t dress like one of us, those which buy,” Femel could see what he meant. It wasn’t just the clothes, the hair too, brushed carefully and having a certain shine to it. The man’s clothes were of the finer, less common silk. Probably made from baby sand wyrm egg shells, the man’s clothes had a softness which one could simply look at and tell. The colours were bright red, painted from blood seekers probably, and a soft, bronze brown, something which could match Eleas’ own skin. “You also carry those terrible weapons, the one which you showed me peculiar, yes, most so.”.

“So you’re seeking my service, but if you want me to kill or beat someone, then simply helping us understand each other, won’t suffice. You’re a merchant, so I believe you can tell,” Leneel widened his smile, a couple gem teeth showing at the deeper ends. While it was easy to discern an adventurer like Femel, it wasn’t as easy to discern a merchant from a buyer, as these were two different kinds of people. The buyers were usually in the employment of other individuals. Merchants would go through extensive lengths to employ buyers, especially for places like the Sedessi Desert, where access was generally denied. For Leneel to be there, something worth that much must’ve been around.

“That’s very good. I would rather have someone who knows their own worth, than someone who doesn’t,” Leneel stroked his smooth hair and licked his lips. “You see, there are these gems which the royalty has, and they’re generally not available for most other Sunborn, let alone sollims, and much less humans,” Leneel then pulled from behind a bag, and from within, he pulled out a map of the desert. He looked around a few times, then spread it across the table. “We are here, and as you can see, these are all the trade routes,” red dotted lines were going from place to place. Dangerous and safe routes were present. The dangerous ones were those where rootworms and powerful storms were at, while some black lines showed paths for illegal goods.

“I’m guessing the black ones are those which I must pay attention,” Femel said, analysing the map in detail. Eleas only took a glance, then looked no more. He knew all about the illegal goods, he sometimes took part in sneaking them around, but he didn’t want to give himself away. There was some bad blood between him and some merchants, so he didn’t want to give way to belief that he was part of it. Leneel noticed his odd behavior, but didn’t think much of it. “So, you need me to protect your goods, or?”.

“Oh no, hee, far from it,” Leneel pointed at a route which went from the river north, then south east towards Esseri. It was a long, two weeks road, passing through a couple dangerous zones. “What I want is for you to steal me some of those gems, as they are being transported to that city. And as for pay, I have many connections, they run as deep as Esheon.”. This sparked Femel’s interest, Eleas noticed it.

If he wanted to get stronger, he would need to train and attain power however he could, without compromising his own morals and dignity. While stealing was considered a crime, something which he wanted to more to be part of, those were still illegal goods. If it meant stealing from those which were criminals already, then perhaps it wouldn’t matter as much. “Can you put me in contact with a smith then? A Sunborn would be preferred. Also, I will need someone to come with us, and be able to speak both my language and the sollim one.”.

Leneel held his chin with his right hand and pondered for a bit. “I can do that,” he extended his hand, the golden rings with many gems casting coloured shadows on the table. Femel shook it, Leneel smiling, Femel thinking of the road ahead. “I have an entourage not too far away from here, just at the exit of the city. Meet me there tomorrow morning.”.

Before he let go of his hand, Femel asked, “For someone who seems careful, you sure just placed a lot of trust in me to not say anything, why is that?”.

Leneel pulled out his hand and straightened himself. “Don’t think wrong of me, Femel, I don’t put my trust in you, I simply think we both want something, and to that extent, we’re willing to compromise,” he got up from the chair and started to walk towards a window, “so call it that, a compromise between two fellow criminals,” then jumped below, a soft thud could be heard, as a couple men caught him on large pillows.

Femel didn’t like how the man knew so much about him, while he didn’t know anything. But he was right about it, he needed something, and in order to get it, he was ready to do many more things. Femel and Eleas left the building some moments after, seeing Leneel being carried towards the edge of the city by two large men. He couldn’t communicate properly with Eleas yet, so he signaled him to go and find a place to rest. Eleas didn’t want to sleep inside any of those buildings, as his body got used to sleeping in the harsh weather and storms outside the city. Some other sollims were sleeping outside as well, only some rugs or clothes serving their heads and bodies as places to sleep upon. Femel understood his reasons, so they looked for a more silent place between the building, until they found one and could sleep. Eleas grew fond of him, as Femel was willing to make himself uncomfortable for his sake, while his debt was still to be repaid.

“I know you can’t understand me, but I’m thankful for you,” he tried to recall the thanks sign, but couldn’t remember it. Looking in his eyes however, Eleas seemed as if he understood. “You may think you have a debt to me, well, I don’t think you do. I feel like we’re more like friends,” Eleas didn’t listen much to him, as he couldn’t understand Femel, gazing at the stars and the moonless sky, the storm silent for the night. “Once my business is done here, I will return to Domaire, and I want to bring you along, show you to my brother. He’s a bookworm, so he only read about you people. I bet he will be surprised by your skin, we’re mostly white, well, his skin glows at times, you know?.”. While the words fell on deaf ears, Femel didn’t mind it, he could pour his thoughts, even the more intimate ones, and there would be no prejudice for it. Slowly, his eyes were falling asleep, the face of his brother showing up before he would fall into the world of dreams. Eleas didn’t sleep, he knew these cities best, and since Femel was a human, there were those which thought ill of him.

Morning came by. Femel opened his eyes as the cold of the night faded, and the warmth of the sun started to make itself present. In front of him, about three metres away, he could see two bodies of sollims. He jumped a little, then looked at Eleas, his eyes fixated ahead, his fists slightly bloody, from both his own and those fallen. Femel didn’t need much to understand, so he got himself up, and helped Eleas, who was in his head space until he touched him. Eleas grabbed his hand, blinked a few times, then moved over the bodies and outside the street. Femel checked upon the two men, they were still breathing. He kicked them once in the ribs for trying to kill him in his sleep, and left after Eleas.

At the exit of the city, as promised, Leneel was there. A group of thirteen sollims, each dressed differently, some in armours, some not, and two humans were with him. One of the humans was taller than all of them present, his biceps grabbed by golden claws made of folded steel, slightly bending when he moved his muscles, then returning to normal. The other one was normal in appearance, while his eyes almost seemed to emit a glow of their own. Once Femel had approached Leneel, the large man stepped in front of him. “Is this necessary?” Femel didn’t appreciate the distrust.

“I prefer not taking risks, people are flimsy creatures, one day they are willing to help, the next they throw you in the hands of the enemy,” Femel could tell there were deeper reasons behind his mistrust, but didn’t care for it.

“What’s your name?” Femel asked the other man, looking at the side of the large man. The man stepped forward, his long clothes moving with the air.

“Arnaial, child of Amouldes,” he was from the same kingdom as Femel. “I have heard much about you, Femel Stoneborn, and your brother especially,” Arnaial’s eyes seemed more alive with the mention of Amel. “I will serve as an observer, and communicator for you sir, and the good Eleas,” Arnaial told them, looking briefly at Eleas.

The large man stepped back as Leneel made his way to the front. “With that being said, I hope we can see soon enough. Arnaial will bring you into a certain place in Esseri, so make sure you don’t lose him, hee.”. Leneel then walked back into the city, the men following him going in different directions, so they could form a perimeter.

Femel, Eleas and Arnaial left as soon as the merchant was out of his vision. Arnaial asked about the hurry Femel seemed to be into, but didn’t answer him. After they left the city, Femel said “Tell Eleas that I need to find a sand wyrm.”. Arnaial widened his eyes, then translated for Eleas. Eleas pondered a bit, then answered.

“He says there are some on our way towards Esseri and at the sand hills behind Esheon. May I personally ask why you need the knowledge of the worms?”. Femel thought for a bit, then looked at Arnaial.

“I’m going to need to kill one,” his answer left Arnaial speechless, Eleas trying to get the translation from the man, pulling him by the clothes. “I know this is foolish, but I’m not going into it blindly. It’s just a way for me to measure my strength once I enhance myself.”. Arnaial couldn’t make sense of it, he translated to Eleas, and Eleas wasn’t perturbed by it. If the sand wyrm was small enough, even he could take one down, so if need came to be, he could help Femel out of the dangerous situation, repaying some of the debt he owns. “Let’s move, the storm may be upon us at any moment, so it’s best to travel while we can.”.

Their day of travel was only met by the storm as an obstacle, but thanks to Eleas, they managed to travel a good portion, covering one day and a bit worth of it. The Red Dunes extended west the least, so it wouldn’t take more than another day before they were out and no more storms would hinder their travel. Arnaial proved to be better at moving than Femel has anticipated. They didn’t talk much, so no creature of the desert would come leaping for them, so Femel didn’t know that Arnaial had been on many travels with Leneel and other people. For him, the desert was just another place to travel into and from. His knowledge was extensive and valuable, which is why Leneel liked to have him around. It wasn’t as if either of them cared for each other, but it was good business and seeing new places excited Arnaial. He was reading at times from a small book. The books had letters made of light, each containing more information than it was written, so whole books could be written upon a couple of pages. There, he held his notes and wrote some books he found either useful or entertaining.

“What are you reading?” Femel asked him, Arnaial’s eyes slightly glowing, barely noticeable, as the light transferred through his eyes in his mind.

“About your brother, I’m trying to understand more about you. And I got myself hands upon a book that has been written about his constructs once I heard you were in Uneorn,” his eyes moved to the next letter, “I find it interesting that his name is everywhere, but yours is barely noted, why is that?”.

“He was born a genius, gifted from the beginning. Me? I don’t even have a light, like you people have,” Arnaial stopped reading, looking at Femel. “But don’t worry, once I’m through with this, you might start reading about me too,” Femel smiled and didn’t seem the least upset about it. Arnaial could only appreciate the sincerity of this young man.

Once night started to set upon the desert, they found themselves a large enough rock to sleep under, and Femel had spread his cloak as a little tent to envelop them. From his bag, he pulled out a small piece of meat. While small, it would allow him to feel filled for a couple of days. It was a special kind of ration that the sollims were selling inside of Uneorn. Eleas preferred fresh food, while Arnaial had some of his own.

“So, you don’t have a light, yet you seem strong, how is that possible?” Arnaial prepared his little book to note the details. If he stood next to a name that was going to be worth noting in the future, he could be the first to write about him, and maybe make some profits for himself.

“I wonder that myself,” he bit from the ration, “perhaps me not having a light, made my body far stronger than what is considered normal.”. Arnaial noted his response with a letter, his eyes flickering with a little bit of light, as he imprinted the information in the letter.

“And, if you don’t mind me asking, what is your purpose here? You mentioned that you wanted to confront a sand wyrm, and an enhancement of sorts, what is that?”. Femel looked at the man, carefully analysing him. Arnaial saw the distrust in his eyes, “Oh, please. Don’t worry about me, I’m not going to tell Leenel a word about it. It’s merely a curiosity, I’m interested in about anything around me.”.

“I won’t tell you anything about it, since it’s best if you see it with your own eyes. And my sole purpose here, is to grow stronger, so when the next fight, the next calamity will occur, I will be ready,” Femel’s eyes had a fire that couldn’t be seen inside of them, Arnaial acknowledging his passion, didn’t write it down. “Not going to note that down?”.

“No, I will keep it inside my head, it would be hard to forget anyway,” Arnaial smiled at him, and Femel felt a bit closer to the man. Eleas listened for the surroundings. They were in a more open area, fewer rocks and caves were around, which made the place even more dangerous. Sand lurkers, skin snatchers and heat terrors were some of the predators that were active all the time. The one which worried him most, were the sand lurkers. These were some of the few reptilians which grew in the desert, and they were fast, strong and massive, the larger ones measuring around thirteen metres in length. The sand lurkers usually dig themselves into the sand, in packs of three or four, and wait to pounce on anything that gets into their territory. Some even dig themselves into rocks, their large, thick, sharp claws allowing them to dig through even the more tougher materials. The skin snatchers and heat terrors would become an issue for later.

Femel took the first watch, as Eleas didn’t sleep. While Eleas tried to argue that he could go another two nights without issue, Femel told him that he will need him the next day. Unsure of what he meant, but trusting him, he went to sleep. “What’s going to happen that you need him?”.

“Haven’t I told you? I can’t tell you, it’s best if you see it,” Arnaial looked in wonder at him, then noted a few more words inside the letter he wrote for him. ‘Soon, I should be able to stand next to you, brother,’ his thoughts went to Amel.

In Amouldes, the brother who held the great power, on par with the First Six, perhaps greater, was inside the Builder’s Keep, teaching young minds about the principles of light. His name, although his efforts diminished in the Human War, has spread around the six kingdoms. Being fifteen at the time, and accomplishing great deeds in the war, meant that he was someone to be great, and people liked the idea of investing in someone who might turn out good. The way they were doing at that time was by sending their children to learn from him. If they could get under him, and learn more about what he can do and perhaps even replicate it, then success would be sure to follow. Amel wasn’t stupid enough not to see through their faces, but was still going to teach the young minds what he could. While they were using him, he was also using them. He was receiving money and gifts from the parents of these children. And if somehow one of them proved to be as talented as their parents made him or her to be, he would have an apprentice that could help him get the strength needed for both the evil that is to come, and Umshaow. He was planning everything in advance, while he didn't realise how hard it would be. Trying to gather strength was one thing, teaching kids who were nowhere near his level of intelligence, proved a difficult task.

While he struggled to teach the kids about the concepts of light and their appliances, he received information from one of his constructs, they were one of the new generations, as those old ones had to be destroyed. Amel scrapped some of the materials, and has built more functional ones. Some were gathering intelligence from all around the kingdom, while others were procuring different items and materials he could experiment with. One of them informed them that, at a site where he assigned some to dig up, there could be precious ores, and what better way to make use of his power, if not to make money and fund his own plans. But, while they were digging, something more precious would come out of it, as they had discovered a new, more powerful and potent ore. At a high depth, under the crushing pressure of the earth, an ore of blue colour was found. At first, it seemed like some sort of gem, but upon closer inspection, it was no rock, but a metal. The constructs couldn’t detect the reason of the blue colour, but Amel was sure something good was about to happen. He dismissed the class and ordered the hundred mining constructs to get as much as possible and bring it back to him, no one to notice it.

Mou was under the keep, where he would go once he entered his state of control, in order to make what he envisioned. Fueled by his own sense of pride and not wanting to acknowledge that Amel had surpassed him, Mou had trained his body and mind to further his ability. During the past three years, his ability to control a few hundred builder constructs, has expanded in the order of thousands. Amel was most surprised by his growth, not expecting the old man to be able to still improve himself. But given the hundreds of years of peace and prosperity, it only made sense that someone like him wouldn’t find the need to push himself. And since the times have changed into more challenging ones, with the possibility of a greater evil on the horizon, improving oneself was only natural.

Amel made his way out of the Builder’s Keep without much issue. Once on the streets, people were smiling at them and waving their hands. Due to the high prestige the Builder’s Keep had, having another teacher besides Mou, meant that people were technically seeing him as the strongest in command. He didn’t like the attention a whole lot, but in order to prepare himself for the kingdom he and his brother had to build, he knew that avoiding people wouldn’t work to his advantage. ‘Perhaps I should really let my brother be the one in charge of the people. I can’t stand their looks,’ he thought as he waved at some people. Some girls were whispering as they passed by them, he gave them a terrible look, thinking they must be trying to hide something for him. The girls hurried away after they saw his face, he didn’t know how it was to be in the centre of attention, only when he was in trouble. Walking down the street without a dozen constructs or so by his side, felt wrong in a way. He wanted to get away from the open, and inside a little tight space. Seeing some kids running around and people enjoying their lives, made him sick to his stomach. ‘Their lives continue, oblivious to the greater evils that could take it all away.’.

Once he was at the edge of the city, he could see to the left and right, the walls being built. Times were changing, and with them, the way people lived. Even if they didn’t completely understood what and how changed, those in powerd did, and took action. “At least, for the time being, I can count on those which wanted me dead to keep the rest of the country alive,” he told himself, making his way to the farm. From behind some bushes, a Mover appeared, serving as his horse. While he could afford a horse, “What point is there to a horse, when my constructs can do the same job, and better,” Amel told himself as he willed the construct to run towars the farm. After a long day of work, he returned to his farm, where his constructs worked tirelessly. He would have to wait a few days until the ore would arrive, so until then, he was planning to build another forge.

On top of his construct, as he was speeding to his new home, farmers waved their hands from the field. He was waving back at them, and rarely had to speak with any of them. It wasn’t perfect, but much more preferable than passing through the busy city. Once on his piece of land, he could see all the constructs. A new generation of building constructs, which were partly inspired by those of Mou’s, were rising another forge by the side of a road of stone he laid onto the farm. On each side of the road, small structures, with specific purposes were placed. Three of them were forges, where the ores his constructs mined were brought to, two were for construct building, and one where he was going to build the next generation of constructs, the Tenta Constructs. Since he was going to establish a kingdom, and far greater challenges may appear before them, he had to develop more advanced weapons, more intricate systems and technology. So, based off of Alpha, he was going to make smaller variants of it, with the sole goal of performing delicate, complex tasks with precision and accuracy. This was a project in the works for two years. The last component for these constructs was the need for a metal more resistant than all the others. And given the recent discovery, the blue ore which his constructs have found, may allow him to finish the construction.

The reason he needed a more resilient metal was due to the operations which made work with metals. While the metals could be heated or even melted to be moulded, he also needed finer work with precision, and a lot of the metals and steel was heating up too much and melting before an operation could be started. He tried cooling them with water and such, but small deformities would still form. Passing by the buildings, his house stood at the very end of it. It was fixed by the constructs, kept clean and the underground portion was enlarged. He wanted to perform the more experimental things in his basement. He also enjoyed working in the more dark, cold environments. He felt irritable in the warmer and brighter ones.

He opened the door, and the usual small constructs were around. Recently, he found a small pleasure in making constructs with little to no purpose. This also helped him to diversify the way he thought of their designs, while they took little light off of him. There were those which had cloth fused into their wood, so they can wipe the floors clean. If they got dirty, he would disassemble them, and reconstruct them a bit better than the last time. He could have one of the more humanoid ones do the job, but he enjoyed seeing the small things crawl almost purposelessly on the ground. There were some really small ones, living inside the walls and bringing bits of wood and stone to fix any degradation to the house.

He wanted to work a bit more in his workshop, in the basement, but felt a bit tired after the day of work. He went up to his bed. Another two constructs, built with the sole purpose to make his bed and put a blanket over him, were there. He jumped in the bed, giving the constructs a hard time to put the blanket over. “You two are so stupid,” he snapped his fingers at their heads, pushing them a bit behind. The constructs were stubborn and kept going until he let them cover him up. “I wonder if Femel is fine, what do you two think?” his eyes blinked with the light two times, sending the information inside of them. Their systems were too simple, he managed to design them as such, to a point that they would need a lot more emotions in order to make them create outcomes of their own. It showed that his control got better, but he also wanted them to act emotional at times. The past three years he felt lonely without his brother, only seeing him once before he left for the Sedessi Desert. He didn’t like the company of others, as he lacked the trust needed to accept anyone less, but the pain of loneliness was building on top of his mind. He tried to shut it down with the light, but not even the light could prevent the strongest of feelings. What was worse for him, was that if he let go of the light, then the loneliness he’s been building up inside for the past three years, would risk to erupt in such a manner that he may enter a state of depression, and stop advancing towards his goals. “I consider Hran my friend, but he’s all the way in Thranes, probably not even there though, he likes to travel. Hmm, no, his father is getting ready for retirement, so he must be there. Must he?” the talks he had with himself became more frequent in the last months.

He stared at the roof a good while, trying to rest, but not being able to because of his mind. The constant flow of information made his brain keep being active at almost all times. This, in turn, meant that he could only sleep when the body was reaching its utmost limits. However, much like he did in the prior few months, he took away all the lights from the constructs in a fit of rage. ‘Silence,’ his thoughts were silent, and he couldn’t hear, see or feel anything more through his constructs. His eyelids fell over fast, and soon he found himself inside his mind, naked and exposed. He felt safe, much like he did when he was in his mom’s embrace. Nothing went through his mind, then he opened his eyes, it was late at night. Upon realising what he did, he sent back all the lights, the constructs which were carrying the ore were set back. And, through a window in his room, he could see smoke. Inside his farm, one of the furnaces burnt to the ground. “We’ll rebuild it again,” it wasn’t the first time. He got up from his bed, the two constructs making it up as he left the room. Once down, he saw the small ones cleaning up the place, the smallest specks of dust weren’t allowed by them. He kicked one out of the way, and went into the basement.

There, only stairs led down. To his left were tools, from hammers and clamps, to needles and tools of precision. He picked up a hammer and a pointed tool, a cilindrical shape that went in a spiral and ended in an extremely fine, sharp point. While he couldn’t manage his light with runes, like Mou did, he found out that by creating certain patterns, and allowing the light to course in certain ways inside the constructs, they would behave in a more preestablished way. This would help him to assign more motor functions which his brain didn’t have to account for. In principle, the light simply infuses itself in only the sections that are needed when the construct moves, so there is no waste in keeping track of each individual one. This helped him take out from the strain placed upon the mind, the older generations still needing the upgrade. He was working on another Tenta construct. While he lacked the metal necessary to make them as he envisioned them, building their overall structure was still good enough. He found himself in a peaceful flow of thought. He was thinking of the things Femel must’ve seen so far, and the people he must have met. ‘I bet he made friends with a bunch of weird fellows, much like I am,’ he thought in his head, running scenarios where his brother would befriend the supposed bronze and obsidian skinned people. He had read of them, but the image inside his mind was off by some portions.

The construct’s frame was done, and he placed it down, next to another ten of them, some of them broken by the same tools which built them. A construct came down, planks of wood and already made pieces of metal for the joints. It then left, and Amel kept working on the next construct. His mind was empty, staring at his hands doing the work for him. His body didn’t need the assistance of his willing mind, as the light could take care of it. ‘What am I doing here?’ the question flashed his mind. He knew his purpose, why he was preparing, but “Why am I still here?”. This routine, which kept him going for the past three years, was breaking his mind. While it was true that he would rather be isolated from the rest of the world, he was still a human, he still needed the noise and warmth of others. Since he didn’t grow up properly in his home, he didn’t know what love for another was supposed to be like. All he could feel for other people was a deeply seated sense of animosity. ‘Should I burn it?’ his constructs all stood in place, his eyes glowing powerfully. ‘If I can just make, then remake it, and so on, then it shouldn’t be a problem if I burn it, should there?’ his constructs were all starting to move towards different places, in order to gather things and start bringing down the things which they built. Before they had a chance to begin, Amel heard a knock on the door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, not that anyone would want to come where he was. His eyes glew no more, and the constructs returned to their tasks.

He didn’t get the information from the constructs, he wanted to see for himself who was knocking on his door. And when he opened, “Kid, I saw your toys, they were acting strange,” it was Uel. “Can I come inside? I would like to speak with you,” she allowed herself inside without his permission. “I was expecting a bit more me-” she stepped on one of the small ones, crushing it below her foot.

“What are you doing here?” his mind couldn’t process. He tried to run simulations, but none made sense, because there was a lack of information. Amel looked at her, she was looking sorry for destroying the small thing, grabbing the pieces off her foot and placing them in his hands.

“I have some reports, about your constructs. They were seen near the mountains, and since I was passing through Kinlakes, I thought I would pay you a visit,” the woman defied his logic thinking. One would simply send a messenger or such, since she’s royalty and should have other issues. “Do you have a place where I could sleep? There is a bit more until I reach Amouldes, and I figure you shouldn’t have an issue,” her carelessness made him think of Femel for a few moments.

“I have a room above, but you’re too large. More importantly, why did you come by yourself?” he wanted to get to the bottom of it. To him, it wouldn’t make sense that someone would simply want to see him, which she did, after she tried to wrongfully kill him.

“I was worried you might get all sad and potty, since you know, your brother left and all,” she started to walk to the second floor, Amel behind her, the stairs below bending under her weight and the armour she wore. “I’m sorry if I’m a bother, but I have some kids of my own, you know? And you remind me of one of them in particular, he was just like, smart and crafty, but never really had friends,” once at the top, she looked left and right.

“To the left, I’m standing in the left ones,” he sent the constructs from his room to hers, so they could prepare the room. “And I’m guessing you want to be my friend? Last time we had a proper talk, during the Human War, you tried to kill me,” she went to the left, hunching over all the time, as neither the roof or doorframe were tall enough.

“Yesterday’s enemies can be today’s friends, shouldn’t they?” her question made him feel annoyed and frustrated. To him, it seemed as if she was impervious to understanding where the two of them stood in correlation to each other. She struggled a bit to get through the door frame, having to remove the armour around her chest and arms. “And listen, if you don’t like me around, I’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning anyway, so don’t worry too much,” for Amel, it was hard not to worry when the giant woman entered his house and took the room for herself, as if she was part of the house. “This bed is nice,” she sat down, the constructs by the side. “Have you made these ones just to make your bed?”.

“And if I did?” his eyes were watching her sharply standing in the door frame.

“No need to be so on edge with me around, kid, as I said, I just wanted to check on you and tell you of the constructs. Which,” she laid back, the constructs putting the blanket over, “you didn’t tell me about. What were they doing over there, in the mountains?”.

“Has Mou not told you? I’m mining for ores, in order to make my constructs and not cost a fortune,” she looked at him saying these things. His light didn’t waver in the least, while his body stood as it usually did, not even the eyes betrayed his words.

“You’re one good liar, I will give you that,” her words cut him deep. Being caught lying, to him, was like being caught stealing food and punished for it before he had time to escape. It was a basic method of survival he developed during his years of crime, and seemingly being unveiled like this, caught him off guard.

“I-I’m not lying,” he stumbled his words, his mind trying to figure a way out of it. Uel smiled at him, and he realised after. “You fooled me. This shouldn’t be possible, not from someone like you at least.”.

“It means you’re just that tired and stressed kid. You know,” she stood up, the constructs held onto the blanket and were lifted with her, then dropped down as she straightened herself a bit. “If you keep yourself holed up in this place, tinkering all day with your little machines, you will start to lose your mind between them,” her words reflected for the first time the age she held in advantage over him.

“How would you know that? Last I checked, only Mou could make constructs like me,” Amel’s words amused her, brining a small giggle out of her.

“I don’t need to spend my time with these little thing to know how someone can grow miserable, focus solely on their work. Remember, I have a kingdom of my own to lead, and with the recent merging, two” Amel realised the underlying connection they shared. She too was having to deal with certain responsibilities and complexities, yet she looked fine. She didn’t seem like him, ready to burst out in a fit of rage, let everything go, then burn it all on a whim.

“How are you doing it then? How are you fine, while you have to carry so much on your back?” he searched for the wisdom he couldn’t learn from his parents. She looked at him like she did back then, ‘You poor little one,’ she thought.

With a thump, she was back on the bed, her back laying down. The constructs placed the blanket back onto her, “I’ll tell you, if you let me sleep here tomorrow as well.”. Amel didn’t like the prospect of her sleeping in the same house as him. She was large and probably made a lot of noise. Besides, his constructs were made to accommodate him and only him, if they tried to run after her and fit her needs, they might get confused. But, at the same time, the loneliness and mental torment he has been suffering for the past three years, if it meant it could all go away, he was willing to sacrifice a bit of his own space.

“Fine, but don’t go in the basement, and don’t touch them, they’re sensitive,” he then left the room, closing the door behind. Uel smiled and took one of the constructs, threw it in the air with her only hand. ‘Useful little toys,’ she thought as she kept tossing it around. Femel of course got the information, sighing loudly outside the door.

“I won’t break them! I promise!” she cried through the door, hitting another nerve of his. If she made it past this night without him trying to kill her, ‘It would be a miracle,’ he thought. He went inside his room, having to put the blanket on himself, he found his head filled with thoughts on how to make her life as miserable as she just did for the night and following day. Without realising, he soon was asleep, while his mind still enhanced by the light, as the information pouring through, was covered by the voice of his own thoughts regarding the things he would do to her.

The following day came by, and when he woke up, he felt the surge of information, as the constructs were all alarming him of the woman standing close to the small buildings, watching them do their work. He opened his window, seeing her standing at the middle, hand holding her chin. “Go away! You’re distracting them!” Amel cried, she jumped a little at his voice, then came back inside the house. ‘Creator be damned, the things I’m going to do to her once she’s gone. I have just the right Movers to give her hell while travelling,’ he thought as he stomped the floor until he was below.

“Are you always this grumpy in the morning?” her question only fueled his anger further. He looked at the door frame behind him, broken and being fixed by the small constructs. Outside, he could see at least three constructs broken to pieces.

“Do you have the answer? If so, give it to me so I can leave you here, I have work to do,” he crossed his arms, looking at her with anger and frustration.

“Let the day pass, and I will have it. But until then, I will stay with you, you never know when it may arise, so it’s best if I’m around when it does,” Amel could tell through her light that she was lying, she was doing it on purpose he could tell.

“Fine! You want this to go the hard way, so be it. I will have my answer while dealing with you as little as possible,” then, he took his leave outside. He wanted to look at the buildings, while avoiding her. She was behind him, her armour left inside her room, wearing a loose silk shirt and normal clothes for someone who ruled a large kingdom in the north.

“The weather here is nicer than you would think,” she walked by his side, he was looking at anything but her. “At night it does get cold, but when you see those mountains, you would think it would be much colder,” her talk slightly annoyed him, but started to grow used to it. “Oh, look, some farmers are waving at us, let’s bring them over.”.

“What if we don’t? If you’re going to follow me, at least don’t cause me issues,” Amel snapped at her, and she looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. “Since you’re this big and strong, how about you help me a little? Your brothers haven’t been really kind on which kind of constructs I can have, so I will need some help with the stones, those ones will show you where to get them,” Uel listened to him, but didn’t heed him much attention, waving her hands from above him as he explained.

“Hello darling, who is this lady?” an old man approached, and Amel could barely contain himself. “Do you not speak? I won’t hurt you, not unless you give me reason to,” the man laughed to himself.

“I’m a relative, a distant relative,” Uel introduced herself, shaking the hand of the man with her right. “I believe you haven’t had time to talk things with my niece here, have you?”. Amel shook his head, his eyes glowing with light ready to throw his constructs at her, even if they weren’t going to harm her, at least restraint her.

“Oh, sorry, I couldn’t. I have work to do, and those things over there,” Uel hunched over to hear the man better, “they kind of creep me out, ya know? Just yesterday they were throwing stuff around and one of them burned the little house there,” the man was pointing out as if Amel wasn’t near, hearing all of it.

“I told him to get rid of them, but he's stubborn one. And those things won’t do you much of anything,” she was whispering in his ear loudly, the man listening to every word. She then straightened herself, “Do come by when you have time, I’ll treat you to a great meal,” she promised the man. The old farmer seemed delighted, and returned to his field, waving his hand.

“Why did you do that?” Amel was fuming, his eyes glowing with light, looking like a mad dog at her. “Do you wish to embarass me?! Make me feel bad?!” Uel looked at him, felt sorry for the sight before her. But she had to be firm in her actions and words.

“I did it to help me find the answer. And the man was lovely company, you should consider talking with him some more,” Uel was acting almost like his mom. He couldn’t tell however, as these interactions were pretty much a far remote memory, something from his past which he rarely had to interact with, and then forgotten, as he deemed them useless.

“I will consider talking with whoever I want to. And mostly, I don’t want to talk with anyone, especially you,” Ame’s words didn’t do anything to Uel which her children didn't. “If finding your answer comes at the price of my dignity, then perhaps is not worth it,” Amel kept walking around the farm, looking at what the constructs were doing with his own eyes. Uel didn’t follow him any longer, going back inside the house.

After Amel could calm down, his mind was filled with thoughts regarding Uel. For some reason, deep inside, he was starting to feel bad for snapping that way at her. ‘Why do I care what she might feel like?’ his mind, even enhanced with the light, was starting to be more sensitive to emotions.