Chapter 32

Only a single Lumen’s wailing could be heard as the group of 64 denizens made their way out of the safety of the cave. The acrid scent of burned air filled their nostrils as the scene of the fight came into view. Surrounding trees had collapsed with a particularly large one adorned with a crimson splash, and three figures stood in the shallow crater that Kalex had made during his unwilling descent. Most were looking at their clothes and belongings in hopes of finding what this Moon had bestowed on them. Many let their excitement bloom when they found a new piece of jewelry on themselves or noticed their boots had been renewed and upgraded, despite the tense situation they had been in for hours. The weeping fourth figure stole everyone’s attention with a sob that touched the world around them.

Before Elder Urok could answer the Broken Axiom, the one remaining Lumen let out a very unladylike cry that took the focus before anyone could speak. “Please spare me! I did not want to go on this mission. I was forced to after being measured! I had nowhere to go except the Cabal!” The Lumen said between sobs and sniffles. “My fate will be the same as the other Lumen in this group if I am to return to the Cabal having failed this assignment. Please. I am no threat to anyone.”

Kalex really didn’t want any more death in his realm, so he heard her out but pinged Lex to see if he could tell if she was lying or not. “I can only feel genuinity from the Lumen’s statements and the only anger I see in her is directed towards the Lumen Cabal.” Lex spoke directly into his mind causing the two people behind him to look at each other in confusion as the pause went on for longer than expected. After getting confirmation from Lex, Kalex looked a little deeper into the Lumen’s status.

Name: Lin Fynfa

Race: Lumen (Micarna)

Rank: Harbinger

Maturity: 8,113/10,000

Path: Peerless Divide (Master)

Vitality: 9,500 /110,300

Myst: 14,094/37,000,000

Strength: 1,775

Wisdom: 91

Agility: 654

Charisma: 124

Luck: 14,238

Skills:

-Casualty Exchange: When an ally is to take damage that could be considered fatal, choose to receive the difference in damage to allow the attack to be non-fatal. Will not work if the damage to user and the target would cause both to perish.

-Hearth Carrier: Those around you will feel the calming effects equivalent to a warm hearth. Improves restoration of Vitality and myst reserves.

Even by the Lumen Kalex had seen up until this point, this one was strong and definitely dangerous if she decided to go on a rampage, but Kalex didn’t get that feeling from her in the slightest. When he peered into the rhythm of her myst, fear was the most dominant feeling that met his senses, closely followed by the sense of loss. She said she had been assigned to this directly after joining the Cabal, so Kalex decided to approach her. He strode slowly, attempting to be as non-threatening as possible.

“Hello Lin, can you speak Enternian by chance? I can’t tell, but I’m informed that you’re speaking a language that nobody here but you and I can understand. I’m Kalex by the way.” Kalex said with a soft smile as he stopped a few feet in front of the girl.

“I know your name. The others often called you the Broken Axiom with tones full of indignation. I didn't know you or what you had done and asked who we were going after, and after much coaxing, they begrudgingly gave me your name.” Lin stated through a stuffy nose and bloodshot eyes, with a much more relaxed tone than Kalex thought she was capable of. “As for the Enternian language, I am not familiar with it. I can only speak common and Micarnian.” She said with a downward glower.

“Lex! Can you help this Lumen using your initial function please?” Kalex turned to the cave and needlessly shouted. A smoky black rock shot out of the entrance of the cave and came to rest in a circular pattern around Lin’s head, deftly dodging her swatting.

“By the Deathless! What is this thing? Initial function? Please allow me to leave without injury, I promise that I will cause no harm!” The Lumen said while frantically waving her arms at the lightly glowing rock.

“I mean you no harm, I just want to help you understand Enternian and for everyone to understand you as well.” Kalex grinned as he could feel Lex infusing the entire Enternian language onto Lin’s neural pathways.

“I already told you that I only speak common and Micarnian, was that so hard to understand?” The Lumen’s reddened face took a soft position as a small voice fell on her ears. A boy of maybe two Moons positioned himself on the edge of the shallow crater. “Miss, what is a Micwanium?” The boy struggled to pronounce. Lin turned a soft gaze to the boy and made to explain her language in a way the child could understand. But it dawned on her. She understood the boy as if he was speaking common and she felt like she was speaking in Micarnian. She turned to look at a lightly giggling Kalex, his stress over the Lumen situation gone from his mind the moment he looked into her status. She was a Lumen forced into a life-or-death situation and had nowhere to go. Even the worst organizations had islands of virtue, and Kalex felt that, like him, she deserved a second chance.

He started to make his way over to the Lumen to provide healing from the various wounds she’d collected and to help bolster her drained vitality but was stopped by the two figures standing behind him. On one side of him, a fist glinting in the light of the eclipse from the half Axiom Sun and the moon, and on the other a blade the width of a leg, but thinner than a fine sheet of paper barred his path.

“Honored Axiom, please allow us to approach the Lumen as we are willing to risk our lives in the case that this Lumen decides to lash out.” Kalex cocked his head to look Elder Urok directly in the eye. Before he could refute him the other figure piped up.

“Apologies Axiom, I have entered your Realm without properly introducing myself. I am Siul Oak Light of the Oak Light Sect, and I would like to ask for your forgiveness regarding my family’s last interaction with you. Although I was not present, Elder Urok has told me of the ordeal.” Siul finished with a deep bow. Kalex arched an eyebrow but could tell just by looking at him that Siul was not cut from the same cloth that the other Oak Light’s had been.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Kalex stepped forward and turned his back to the Lumen to bow to the Elder and the Oak Light. “And I accept your words, Oak Light. As long as you and your sect stay cordial and cause no harm while within the Realm, you will be welcomed.” Siul’s bow deepened at Kalex’s words.

“I promise you, we will treat this Realm as if it were our own!” Kalex smiled and let go of some tension he didn’t know he was holding on to. A light cough brought his attention back to the Lumen who had now stood up but stayed in place. “So, besides the weirdness of being able to understand you, what are you going to do with me?” Kalex looked over to Lex who was floating a few feet away from the Lumen. “Lex, go ahead and give her the test.” He said as he inclined his head toward Lex and the Lumen. “At once, Mr. Wounder.”

—

The passing days seemed to only take hours as Lyla did double duty. She watched over the still-sleeping form of Scyris, while trying to untangle the information Ekk had given to her. She sat on the tip of a rock that jutted out over the sandy beaches that ringed her island with a concerned look on her face. Ekk had told her to prepare for the arrival of Kalex, but was unable to provide a time frame of which they would come. She knew Kalex had a penchant for mischief and tended to get himself in situations that were above his head. She was able to forgo the thoughts that he was in danger knowing that he would have anything like that handled, which Ekk confirmed as true.

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

Scyris herself was another point of contention. The woman had been dumped on this planet, cursing the Lumen all the while. While Lyla didn’t have any good thoughts towards the Lumen, she thought it’d be wise to stay reserved with the information she gave to her new housemate. Although Lyla had powered herself up to the rank of Axiom, after looking at Scyris’ status, she held no hope of surviving a confrontation with the woman. What happened to her, what was her story? Lyla would ask as soon as Scyris woke.

Ekk continued to stay close-lipped when it came to questions about how Elder Viv was related to Kalex, with the voice in her head telling her that all of her questions would be answered in due time. Although she agreed to end her constant questioning, her heart still burned with curiosity, which led to hypothetical thoughts that ate up the hours.

“Hey Ekk.” Lyla said aloud after hours of quietness. Lyla felt a cold breeze touch her brain. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times, I will not be talking about Toraxia and Kalex’s family and how you relate to them.” Ekk said with overly forced exasperation. “Although that is on the forefront of your mind, I can feel your other questions as well. Kalex is preparing to make a journey here and Lex is actively attempting to pinpoint the location of this place. He told me that he and Kalex made a giant beam of myst that is piercing the veil between the lower and the higher worlds to expedite locating Rime. I don’t understand a lot of what he told me, but they are on their way. From the information that I got, it will more than likely take a lot more time than originally expected.” Lyla nodded along with every word as they echoed through her head.

“Years? It could take years for them to get here?” Lyla yelled aloud once Ekk completed its explanation of their situation. “What are we supposed to do in that time? This planet barely has any myst since I advanced to Axiom rank so I’m not sure if I can get stronger and we hardly have the reserves to sustain us for that long!” Lyla bowed her head and ran her hands through her hair.

Lyla noticed a change in the large house that her presence had a difficult time penetrating. A moment later, Scyris came cautiously through the door, rubbing the sleepiness from one of her eyes. Bleary eyes looked around the surroundings until they fell upon the only familiarity Scyris had on this desolate world. The girl that had helped her out sat quietly, seemingly in distress, until she looked up and turned towards the house. Making eye contact, Scyris raised her arm to wave at Lyla but was taken aback by the pensive look on her face. A heartbeat later, Lyla’s expression softened and a wave was returned.

As Lyla made her way down to her, Scyris took the time to dig her feet into the warm sand of the beach. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Lyla said as she approached. “The environment here is completely different from what I’m used to on my home planet.” Lyla sat next to Scyris and took in the warmth of the beach in kind before continuing. “I’m glad to see you up and around, I was starting to fear that you’d never wake up.”

Scyris continued looking out over the water as she answered. “I do feel a lot better, but I’m still getting used to being weaker. After I was thrown out of the Lumen Cabal, my mark was removed and the benefits I received were lost.” Peering at Lyla through her peripheral vision showed that she was surprised to hear what had happened, so she continued even though giving so much information to someone you’d only just met was frowned upon. Scyris knew that Lyla was the only other person on the planet, so didn’t think too much about it. “On top of that, this is obviously a training world, but the lack of energy in the air is concerning. Training worlds usually have a lot more than lower worlds, but this place doesn’t seem to have any.” Scyris said as she scrunched her eyebrows together. “Why would Shurai make a pact with this world if it was so empty.”

Lyla sat in shock at hearing more than she had bargained for. Growing up, Lumen were meant to be venerated and cherished as the protectors of Enternia, yet here was one of them sitting right beside her. Her emotions were in a tangle, Scyris seemed a little off when she repaired her myst channels, but otherwise normal. Other than Scyris being slightly more powerful than her, there was nothing that seemed antagonistic.

Lyla inadvertently looked over to the spot on the beach where she had found her captor, and Scyris noticed. “Was that where you came down to this place? I can sense some faint energy associated with the Cabal. Actually, now that I think about it, you must be a new Axiom! From feeling your power, a really good one at that! What planet do you come from?” Lyla felt cold sweat run down her back at the ex-Lumen’s words, and indecisiveness bound her into silence. Lyla went back and forth, trying to decide whether to explain her situation or not. Trying to guess Scyris’ reactions started to strain her as she closed her eyes. A glacial breeze tapped at the back of her head, calming her thoughts. She dipped her head slightly to thank Ekk for the push to do what she felt was right.

“I didn’t choose to become an Axiom, I was more forced into it than anything. The Lumen who came down to apprehend the Axiom was unsuccessful, so he took me instead.” Hearing this, Scyris turned her body to face Lyla and gave her full attention. Nervousness crept into Lyla, but she continued.

“The Axiom hurt the Lumen who took me and I guess we crashed down on this planet sometime after. Luckily the Lumen named Sorus didn’t survive. I fear what would have come to me if I’d have to spend these past few weeks with him here.” Scyris slowly stood up and took a step backward. “Sorus? Sorus was the one that took you? That’s impossible. Tell me, what was the name of your planet? Better yet, what is the name of the Axiom that Sorus left there?” She asked with a knowing inflection.

“My home planet is called Enternia,” Lyla said as Scyris took another step back, her face painted with a complicated mesh of anger and confusion. “And his name is Kalex Wounder, they called him the Broken Axiom.”

Before either of them could blink an eye, Scyris guided her myst to revolve into her feet, letting her effectively glide over the sand beneath her, making a wide gap between the two. Lyla quickly got to her feet as Ekk whispered to her to prepare to go on the defensive.

“KALEX?! The boy with white hair and a pet rock? That Kalex?” Scyris screamed. Lyla gave a nod as she plastered a barrier of myst to herself. “It’s his fault that I’m in this position!” Bloodlust dripped from Scyris’ every word as she removed a gleaming scythe from a bag she hung on her belt. “I thank you for helping me, but removing one of his associates would aid me more!”

At Ekk’s insistence, Lyla made layer after layer of defensive myst in hopes that it would be enough to weather the oncoming onslaught. Lex had given Ekk information on this particular person and it knew that it would take everything Lyla had to survive the encounter. The air whistled around Scyris’ legs as she prepared to charge; Lyla added to her defenses all the while. An explosion of air sounded as Scyris took off, melting the very air around her. Lyla closed her eyes and braced herself for impact, but to her surprise, it never came. Only the sound of choking fell on her ears, followed by an even-keyed voice.

“So it’s you two that have given me so much trouble.” Lyla opened her eyes as quickly as she dared and beheld a thin man with eyes like the sun. In his grasp was a flailing Scyris, fighting for a breath. The man gave a pointed look to Lyla. “You in particular. You gobbled up all the energy that this planet held. Do you know how long it will take to replenish that? I’m going to have to speak to that little Shurai about our contract. It seems he’s been the only one benefiting from our agreement. I believe it’s time to renegotiate.” The man let go of Scyris, who wheezed as she took in air. “Run along and tell your boss that we need to speak or he and his little club will be destroyed.”

After gathering her composure, Scyris finally spoke. “I was exiled from the Cabal, I cannot reach them anymore. I was forcefully thrown onto your planet by them. They hoped this place would be my grave.” The man raised an eyebrow at her words, then turned his head at the other inhabitant of his planet. Lyla raised her hands as she made her case. After nodding at her explanation, he took a moment before speaking.

“With the energy of my world being so low, there will be no pointless fighting. What you two were about to be engaged in is just the squabbles of the weak. Move past that and you may stay on Rime. Fight with no logical reason, and I will use your energy to nourish the planet and my Spark.” Both nodded to the man as he spoke, becoming fully aware that he could erase them with little more than a thought. Seeing the man’s relaxed demeanor at their acceptance of his rules, Lyla asked the question that was burning in her mind.

“I took the energy from this world, I apologize. I only hope that I did not damage your Spark. I didn’t, did I?” Lyla was greeted with laughter at her words. “Girl, you could not damage my Spark if you tried!” The laughing man looked upwards and pointed. “As you can see, my Spark is more powerful than anything I’m sure either of you have ever seen.” Both Scyris and Lyla paled at what the man had said. Lyla was the first to gather herself. “Sir, I don’t mean to sound rude, but that is the sun.” More laughter followed Lyla’s statement. “You may see that as the sun that nurtures the planet you are on, but I assure you, that is my Spark. Here, look.”

The entire planet of Rime shifted and careened towards the sun in the sky. It did not get hotter and the brightness of it did not hurt Scyris’ or Lyla’s skin. After gazing at the beauty of the giant celestial object, Scyris peeped as she made a realization. “Sir if I may ask, are we currently in your domain?” Scyris said with wide eyes.

“I’m not a formal person, so you may call me Rigel, and you are correct.” Rigel moved the planet back into place faster than Either Scyris or Lyla could perceive. “Welcome to my domain! You two are the only inhabitants currently, so let’s make our interactions cordial. Since neither of you are keen on the Lumen Cabal, and I have no interest in continuing with our agreement, you can rest assured that you will not be bothered by that lot. Although you two have strength negligible to mine, I hope we can grow in power together! For now, I must leave my domain and tend to other affairs.” Rigel gave a shallow bow and vanished as if he’d never been there. Lyla and Scyris looked over to each other in astonishment. “That was either a dream or the most powerful person I’ve ever seen.” Lyla could only stare in response. “Truce?” Scyris said as she moved in front of Lyla. Breaking out of her stupor, Lyla responded. Truce.”