When the light died down, both Mill and Raze’s father fell to the floor. The latter had changed quite a bit. His surface was no longer spiderwebbed with cracks and now reflected the surrounding area uninterrupted, the image distorted by the curvature of his muscles.

He opened his eyes, showing a crystal clarity that hadn’t been present before. “So you have succeeded… interesting.”

“Pa! You’re okay! You’re back to normal!” Raze ran over, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“That I am, my son. And it seems I have both you and this stranger to thank for it. In any case, why don’t you introduce us?”

“Oh, right.” Raze gestured to Mill. “Pa, this is Mill. They got teleported here. And, well Mill, you already know this, but this is my pa.”

“Young human, you may call me Lenthe. So you were teleported… I see. Very interesting. But in any case, I must thank you. Had it not been for your assistance, I would have likely wasted away, forever trapped in a mindless rage. You have my gratitude.”

"Oh yeah, no problem!” Mill smiled. “I just did what I could.”

“That you have.” Lenthe nodded. “And yet, that capability of yours is rather curious. A being of creation has not entered these lands for quite a long time.”

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘a being of creation?’”

“Oh? So you yourself have not realized it? In that case, I ask that you follow me. I have something I wish to show you.” He padded off towards the crystal forest.

Mill turned to Raze. “Any idea what he’s talking about?”

Raze shook his head. “None whatsoever.”

The two of them followed after Lenthe.

----------------------------------------

After walking through the forest of crystal for a while, the three of them came to a stop. They had arrived at the edge of a cliff, looking downwards at the land below.

“We are here.”

“Haah… finally. I’ve been walking and running so much today… my legs are so tired.” Mill sat down to rest. “So? What did you want me to see?”

Lenthe gestured with a paw towards the lands beyond the cliff. “The land below us is known as the continent of Nolissus. Ever since long ago, it has been ravaged by the pure energies of destruction itself.”

“Whoa, what!? First off, I’ve never heard of a place called Nolissus… I must be really far from home. Second, what do you mean ‘pure energies of destruction?’ Do you mean like magic?”

Lenthe shook his head. “Not exactly. Magic does draw from pure energies, or Qualities as they are sometimes called, but they are not magic themselves. Each act of existence exudes a certain Quality, whether that be the fluidity and motion of a raging river, the oppressive darkness of a cave beneath the earth, or the tranquility of a lonely mountain’s peak. As these acts of existence affect Qualities, so too do they act in return. Spending time in areas with certain Qualities can change a being innately, granting them the wind’s swiftness or the earth’s stability. It is a give-and-take relationship between nature and those that live within it.

“However, in these lands, an oppressive force has taken hold. Two hundred years ago, they arrived. Back then, these lands were filled with conflict. A great hero named Nolis— the namesake of this continent— had traveled the lands, fighting all the evil and corruption that dared cross his path. The people rejoiced, as they had been freed from their oppressors. But such peace could not last.

“The hero disappeared, and soon the land fell into chaos. After all, even though the hero brought down the unjust system of power, he had done nothing to prevent the power vacuum that had appeared in its absence. The people fell into conflict with one another, each trying to clamber their way to the top.

“In light of this struggle, a new faction appeared. To the war-stricken people of the continent, I’m sure they looked to be saviors, but they were anything but. They preached that the source of all the people’s woes was creation itself, as to them, it was a perversion of the world’s natural state. They said that only by living as wild beasts would they find peace.”

“What!?” Mill exclaimed. “That’s stupid. Who would buy into something like that?”

Lenthe sighed. “As foolish as it may be, these people were desperate. This group promised them camaraderie and protection from the world’s conflicts, and so many reached out to the only promise of hope they had seen in a long time. They quickly rose into power.

“Just as they forsook creation as a sin, so too did they praise the concept of destruction. They claimed that to destroy was the path to salvation, and to back their claims, they used the hero Nolis as an example. After all, he had saved so many by ‘destroying’ the evil and corrupt, had he not?”

Mill tilted their head. “That seems like kind of a stretch. It’s not like he went going around and smashing up everything in his path, right.”

Lenthe coughed. “Well… he sort of did. Nolis had an unfortunate problem with collateral damage in his fights, and this only gave weight to the new group’s claims.”

“Ah.”

“I doubt any of it was intentional, but regardless, this new doctrine took the land by storm, and the result… Well, just take a look for yourself.”

Mill stared out at the landscape. Earlier, they had seen a similar view from another angle, but from this point it was easy to see what Lenthe was talking about. The land was littered with ruins as far as the eye could see. What had once likely been a thriving city was now no more than a broken, overgrown mess.

“Wow. This is… you’re saying that people did this?”

Lenthe nodded. “That’s right. The group soon grew to be the major ruling power across the entire continent, and since then this land has slowly become mired in the Quality of pure destruction.”

Raze frowned, speaking up for the first time since they had arrived at the cliff’s edge. “I’ve heard you tell this story plenty of times, but what’s it got to do with Mill?”

“I’m getting there, my son. As you can imagine, being mired in the Quality of destruction itself and nothing else for an entire lifetime doesn’t exactly do a whole lot of good for a person. As creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin, their capacity for creation decreases. Even here on our floating island, isolated and far away from the surface, we are not unaffected.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Mill blinked. “Hold on, this is a floating island!?”

Raze snapped his head towards Mill. “Wait, you didn’t know!?”

“How would I!? I got randomly dropped here via mysterious teleportation pad!”

“You can literally see the surface down there!”

“I thought it was just a normal cliff! It’s not like I can see the bottom of the island from here!”

Lenthe chuckled. “Indeed, this is a floating island. If you wish to take a closer look, you may be able to see the clouds pass beneath us.”

Mill, who was sitting about five feet away from the edge, glanced below at the surface. It looked to be thousands of feet below. “Uh, I think I’ll pass on that.”

“Fair enough. Now, as I was saying, even I am affected by the Quality of destruction that rages through the land below. So much so that it is what caused me to enter the sorry state you saw me in before. As a being known as a Scrya, I am a living mirror. As is the nature of a mirror, I reflect the world around me, and as this land is one of destruction, so too did I become a being embodying that.”

Raze put a hand to his chin. “So that’s what it was… wait, but if that was caused by the Quality of destruction down there, then doesn’t that mean that you’ll just go back to that state eventually!?”

“Perhaps I will, my son. But with Mill’s intervention, I don’t believe that it will happen again for a long while. In fact, at the moment I feel as though I embody creation far more. Watch.” Lenthe raised his head to the sky and howled, a pure note ringing out, much unlike the ear-piercing roars of pain he had been letting out before. To the side, the ground rumbled a bit, and a giant crystal sprung up!

“Whoa!” Mill stumbled back in surprise.

“Oh!” Raze exclaimed. “I was wondering what that was! You did that in the fight too! It was after Mill got to you a little bit the first time, so they must have given you some creation juice!”

“I believe so,” Lenthe nodded. “With this Quality of creation within me, I should be able to fight against the destructive nature the world wishes to impose upon me.”

“Huh.” Mill looked at the newly sprouted crystal. “So that silvery-violet energy must have been the Quality of creation… I didn’t know I had that. Neat!”

“That’s right. But in any case, it has been a long day for us all. I’m sure the both of you are tired. Why don’t we all get some rest?”

“Sounds good to me! Today’s been crazy for me.” Mill put their bag down and began unpacking, and the three of them settled down for a night under the stars.

----------------------------------------

The next day, when Mill woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

“Oh hey, you’re awake! Took you long enough.” Raze was sitting down nearby with a crystal in his hand.

“Eurgggh… morning. And for your information, this is a perfectly normal time to wake up. In fact,” they squinted, checking the position of the sun, “It doesn’t even look like it’s noon yet.”

“Wait, do you usually get up at noon!? That’s just crazy.”

Mill shrugged. “Well, it’s as they say. ‘Early to rise and early to bed makes someone wise, but socially dead.’ I’m used to hanging out late.”

“Socially dead, huh… I mean, that isn’t wrong in my case, but I don’t think my sleep schedule is the cause. Pa and I are the only ones living on this island, after all.”

“Oh, right.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, then Raze popped the crystal he was holding into his mouth and began chewing.

Mill raised an eyebrow. “You can eat those?”

Raze shrugged, finished chewing, then swallowed. “Well, yeah. What else would I eat?”

“Well, actual food for one thing. Although…” They looked around. “I guess you’ve only really got crystals around here. It’s weird to think of rocks as edible though.”

“Huh, really? So what do you usually eat then?”

“Oh, back home there’s all kinds of foods! In fact, I’ve got some with me right now.” They pulled their half-eaten sandwich out from their bag. “See?”

“Huh. Neat.” Raze continued chewing.

“So what do those crystals even taste like?”

“Well, they’re kinda crunchy. That’s about it. Do you wanna try one?”

Mill shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

He handed Mill another crystal and they put it in their mouth. It didn’t really taste like anything, and when they tried chewing on it, it was too hard to break apart. After a moment, they spat it out.

“I think this is just a normal rock.”

“That it is, young one.” Mill turned around, and behind them Lenthe walked out from the crystal forest. “Might I ask why you were trying to eat it?”

“Oh, hey Lenthe. Raze was eating them so I thought they were edible. Are you saying he just eats straight up rocks?”

Lenthe chuckled. “Well, essentially. Raze has a bit of a peculiar constitution, so I wouldn’t recommend that form of sustenance to anyone but him.”

Raze looked contemplative. “Huh. So eating crystals isn’t normal?”

Lenthe nodded. “That’s right. And I suppose that brings up something to think about; Mill cannot stay here. If they wish to survive, they must travel to the surface.”

“Huh!?” At that, Raze looked shocked. “But didn’t you say the surface was dangerous!?”

“That it is, but if they were to stay here, then they would starve.”

“Hey, it’s fine!” Mill smiled. “I can handle myself. Besides, I do want to find my way home eventually.”

Raze sighed. “I guess, but… it’s a shame to have to say goodbye so soon.”

“Oh, well that should not be an issue. After all, my son, you are going with them.”

“Huh!?” Raze looked up. “I am!?”

“He is?”

“That’s right.” Lenthe turned to Mill. “I do not doubt your resourcefulness, but I did note that you seemed, pardon my observation, rather weak.”

Mill winced. “Yeah well… I wouldn’t disagree, but I’m basically an expert at running away! I’ll be just fine.”

“And where will you run, if the whole world around you despises that which you are? To venture into the lands of destruction as a being of creation is a dangerous task.”

“Wait, but Pa! Didn’t you always say I should never go down there? That I would get corrupted by destruction if I did?”

Lenthe looked away. “I did, but the situation has changed. If you stay by Mill’s side, I suspect the danger of that will become near nonexistent. They need someone to help protect them. You are strong and capable. Besides, haven’t you always been curious about the lands beyond? This is your opportunity for the adventure you’ve always wished for.”

“I… yeah. I guess.” Raze turned to his father. “Can’t you come too?”

Lenthe shook his head. “I’m sorry. Due to my nature as a Scrya, I cannot leave this place.”

“I see…”

“My son. I am not asking you to venture to the surface on a mere whim. I believe that the arrival of a being of creation after so long is an omen that change will soon be coming. I cannot say what the future may hold, but I believe that it will be tumultuous. None will be able to weather the coming times if they remain alone. Now then, go forth! Whatever path you take, I’m sure that you will change the world.”

Lenthe raised his head to the sky and howled out, the noise reverberating across the whole island. From the edge of the cliff, a protrusion began extending out, and soon they were visible as a set of crystal stairs, extending down to the surface.

Raze looked down at the set of stairs, then back at his father, resolve in his eyes. “Alright! If you really think so, then I’ll do my best.” He started down the stairs, then turned around. “And Pa… thanks for everything.” He turned back and continued down the steps.

Guess that’s my cue to follow, Mill thought. They began following after him.

“Ah, Mill? Just a moment.”

They turned around. “What’s up?”

Lenthe frowned. “I was loath to tell my son, but his uncles— my brothers, that is— are likely under the same destructive influence as I was. If you come across them, then I ask that you purge them of their corruption, the same as you did to me. I apologize for asking such a dangerous request of you, but you are the only one I can turn to for this.”

Mill nodded. “Of course I’ll help! Being stuck in a destructive rage isn’t something anybody should have to go through.”

“Thank you.” Lenthe closed his eyes. “And be careful.”

“I will,” Mill promised, and set off down the stairs after Raze.