For the last few days, Deka had taught her and the others about Ux and what it was. The more she learned, the more it all began to make sense. It wasn’t just their souls they offered to the Malaki during the Siren Ceremony, it was everything. It was their mind, body, and soul, their future and their happiness. Kaara knew Malaki loved nothing more than snuffing out potential before it was fully realized. That’s why they all needed to be children for this ceremony. It gave the Malaki an enticing opportunity to accomplish just that.
When she had discussed it with Arik and Rorik, they had all wrongly believed the quality of Malaki meat had imparted some sort of strength to them. All while not recognizing the true source of their strength was the Ux their mentors had slowly been awakening within them during their hunts.
Eating a Malaki was the only way of cleansing its corruption from the world for good. It was the only way to ensure they could not come back. And if they could not come back, then the Ux they had stolen was freed. And if that Ux had nowhere else to go, then it was spread among the ones who helped to free it. The act of eating a Malaki did not impart power as much as the Ux which was freed from it.
Deka had told her that tragedy and near death was necessary for fully awakening Ux. Kaara had nearly killed herself by accident a number of times. Rorik and Tadios had experienced unknowable tragedy at the hands of Malaki already. Arik had brushed with death numerous times as the youngest huntress in their tribe.
And yet according to Deka, only Tadios and himself had fully awakened their Ux. Kaara didn’t fully understand that part yet. What was the difference between her, someone who had only partially awakened their Ux, and Tadios?
Tadios and Rorik had both endured similar fates, but Rorik had not fully awakened his either. What had Tadios done that Rorik had not?
According to Deka, Tadios did not realize it, nor did he know what Ux was. So if knowing what Ux was did not affect whether it was awakened or not, what did? As far as Kaara had learned, it was centered around control. Perhaps Tadios did not know what it was called, but Deka could see that he was intentionally controlling his Ux. Meanwhile, Kaara and the others could only access their Ux indirectly. Her eyes adjusted to the dark on their own, and her magic had always been stronger than most other kids her age for as long as she could remember. Raktus’s hearing had apparently always been as good as it was, and judging by their strength, the Xirxus children had all manifested partial Ux in some way.
She remembered Sancta and how she had managed to match her in a battle of magic. Anitus, Amaro, Rorik, and Arik were all incredibly strong, quick, and resilient compared to their peers. Even Tulos had a very good eye for detail, and he was very clever when he wanted to be. Kaara did not know if that was a result of Ux or not, she had only rarely seen Tulos fight anyone.
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Kaara had barely been paying attention to her task. She had finished a few dolls while lost in thought. Glancing over to the others, she could tell she had a bit of catching up to do.
Even though the ritual decided the ‘group’ someone was tied to, it wasn’t as if they were required to stay in that group. In fact, it was encouraged that the participants stick with whomever would best help to protect them during the ceremony.
She had a quick and pleasant conversation with Gornax while she did his, an awkward encounter with a xio wrapped head to toe in cloth. She had the most beautiful feathered tail, though. Kaara did the doll for Vilka too. It seemed as if she would not allow herself to be done by anyone other than the person who had done Deka’s.
All of the Xirxus children were done by Arik. Amaro had kept looking over at her when he waited in line. Sancta had also been staring daggers. It was funny to Kaara how similar their gazes felt even if she knew the intent behind them was different. Rorik had gotten a few noble children from Deka’s military operation, and Kaara did not know anyone from Tadios’s group, but one of them had wings, and another was really short.
When the ritual finished, Kaara was exhausted. She washed the blood off of her hands, wondering what else she should do today.
Ever since the first Ux scroll reading, they had slowed their horn hunting down quite a bit. However, it wasn’t just because of the horrors they all faced in their dreams. Kaara noticed the Tibur had taken a much more defensive approach. Running, stepping in on duels, and hiding their presences. It was hard enough to get a fair match, let alone get their horn before someone rescued them or they escaped.
The new tactics were garnering a negative reputation too. A lot of the noble children were branding the Tibur as cowards and rats. Something Deka did not stop. At the same time, it was not as if Kaara could blame him. It was hard to control so many people, even for a prince like him.
“Kaara.” A voice sounded behind her. She turned. It was Rorik.
“Hm? What’s up?”
Rorik had a nervousness about him that Kaara rarely ever saw.
“I need to speak with you. Alone. Do you have time?”
Kaara pressed a finger to her lip, “I guess so, where should we go?”
“The dragon tooth cemetery. Have you been there?”
“Oh yeah, my dad took me there a month or two ago. Why do you wanna go there?”
Rorik shifted in his stance, looking away, “There’s a couple reasons, but I don’t think anyone will bother us there. Besides, I wanted to visit my parents with you before we get too busy with the last week leading up to the ceremony. I have something to tell you before then, so…”
Kaara smiled, “Alright! Let’s go.” she said, dashing towards the cemetery, “Race you there!”