I jolt awake from a nightmare, a moment on a loop from a night that feels like a lifetime ago. My eyes fleet to every corner of the room, scouting for any danger. Realizing where I am, my breath finally returns to me and I turn back to the bed I'm sitting beside, a small drool puddle staining the cloth where my head was resting. He's still asleep… But still breathing, thank God. I gaze at his face as he lies unconscious, thinking about what I should do. The village doctor did mention earlier today that speaking to ones in a coma could help them wake up again… Shrugging, I give it a try.

"Hey… it's been… ten days since you, uh… fell asleep. Things have been… okay. I, uh… I have been writing letters to make sure you don't have to miss out on anything. I… Well, the doctor said that uh… talking to you would help? So I figured I could read them to you! Heh… Oh, this one was from the second night. Let's see… I'm just going to, uh… skip over the feelings bits… Trying to stay positive, you know? It was easier when you came around… Cleanup has gotten most of the way through, and now some of the villagers have started rebuilding. They’ve all… been staying in various other homes that can accommodate them around the area. Everyone is waiting for you, praying for you to come out of this fog…” I read my letters, going off-page to talk more in-depth about certain things I had written, for over two hours. “... I saw a Slothadillo for the first time today. I wonder if you have seen one before, they look so cool… …There was this Squirbunny that jumped on Odel’s head when he chopped down a tree. The poor guy didn’t know how to react… …I met the village Elder, her name is Naori, and she has a lot of cool stories! You should listen to them sometime… …The reconstruction is moving along nicely, we’ve gotten about a third of the way done… …I really miss having you around already, please wake up soon. I should have been there…”

A rapping against the doorframe behind me sends me spinning around, and seeing who it is, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. He speaks to me softly, “Silven? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Joffrey… I’m fine.” I reply dishonestly. Marianne pops out from behind Joffrey in the doorway, whispering something to him.

“Marianne thinks it would be good for you to come outside, and… I think it’s a good idea too. You haven’t come out in almost three days, Sil.”

“I can’t… I have to stay by Salem. He could wake up at any time, and I don’t want him to be alone when he does.” I turn my head back to him, his chest shallowly rising and falling as he lays expressionless. I turned back with pools forming in my eyes, “I shouldn’t have let him go on his own, but… there was so much happening all around.” Tears stream their way down my face, and Joffrey walks over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, my head resting against his side.

“This isn’t your fault… Come on, let’s go get some fresh air.” He halfway pulls me up, allowing me to draw myself up the rest of the way.

“But what if he wakes up while we’re out?”

“Are you sure you want him to see you in this state? When’s the last time you’ve bathed?”

I look down at my dirt-covered clothing and limbs, my tears leaving dark droplet marks on my shirt. With a hesitant sigh, I follow Joffrey and Marianne out the door, shooting one last look at my unconscious friend and wiping my eyes. Under my breath, I mumble, “Wait for me before you wake up, okay Salem?”

Stepping out into the sun, I cover my eyes and take a few minutes to adjust to the large difference in brightness. The village people are full steam ahead on reconstruction, moving large piles of lumber down the road, and others are running tools and different necessities to where they're needed. Joffrey turns back, calling out to me.

"You coming, Sil?”

I shoot one last glance at the makeshift medical hut, twinging at the thought of leaving him, and move to follow Joffrey and Marianne, hollering out, "Yeah, I'm right behind you…"

We walk down the road and outside the limits a short way to where a group of folks are chopping down trees for the village. Everyone was using tools that Joffrey had enhanced not long after the beasts attacked, so they were clearing through the wood in no time. We take up axes of our own and set out to a far corner of the field of stumps, waving to Odel as he's hard at work.

I find a wide trunk and start striking it, the axe splintering the bark easily, embedding deep into the tree. Wrenching it out, I swing it again, cutting further in. I spend the next ten minutes chopping through, and eventually, it gives under the weight. "Timber!" I shout forcefully, a few people hurriedly jog out of the way. It crashes to the ground with a heavy thud, and a group swarms it, working quickly to chop it into manageable sections. Moving on to the next tree, I raise my axe and as I'm reeling up to swing, a ruffling in the bushes about fifty feet ahead of me catches my attention. In a blink of panic, I threw the axe as hard as I could in the direction of the sound. As the axe flies through the air, three people emerge from the bushes. Oh, shit. I watch as the woman's arm stretches in the blink of an eye, and grabs the axe, by the handle, out of the sky, inches from the large man's face.

I stumble over myself as I run over, yelling, "I'm so sorry! I thought you were an animal! Are you…" I skid to a stop, and a moment of blaring clarity falls over me. Is that… "Your Majesty?!" Instinctively I fell to my knees, bowing down before him.

"You… know me?” Oswin replies, startled for a moment, before collecting himself, "Please, pick yourself up."

I carefully draw myself off of the ground, wearily glancing toward the King. "What, um… I mean…" My words fumble out. God… why am I shaking so bad… "May I speak, your Majesty?"

"Child, please. You may drop the formality." Oswin approaches and pulls Silven up delicately. "Please, call me Oswin. It's a pleasure to meet you. Could you tell me your name?"

"You… don't remember me?" Tears well in my eyes as I look into his for the second time in my life, seeing his soft, brown eyes meeting mine. His smile twists in concern as he thinks back.

He pulls back, muttering quietly, "I'm sorry, I don't recall… Could I ask you to remind me?"

"I…" My mind trails off, unsure how to proceed, "Well, sir… I was one of the, uh… pawns. The ones the nobles used… for entertainment. In the arena."

His gaze falls through me for a moment, "Yes… go on." His voice is low and gravelly.

"I, uhm… shot a guard during the middle of a match. He was harassing a woman in the audience… he pushed her and she hit her head. She bled a lot…"

"I've seen so many arena matches, though I do faintly remember an incident like that, but Viralia had told me not to worry about it, that she would… take… care of it." His words slow as it dawns on him what she meant.

"They told me it was by your order!" I blurt out loudly, my hands smacking against my mouth immediately after.

"Child, I did not give any order to exile anyone that day." He says solemnly.

My stare fades into the background, before shaking my head, snapping myself back. "So… wait. Why are you outside the walls? Don't you like… never leave the castle?"

"Yes, well… about that. I never actually… wanted to partake in the Kingdom's misdoings. I only learned of them myself within the last few years… I began researching anything I could find from that point, though it didn't turn up much…" Oswin walks over, sitting on a raised mound of grass, pondering his thoughts. "That is, until a strange boy appeared before me, around two weeks ago. Something awoke inside of me as the crown attempted to categorize him. A vision played in my mind, one of an infinitely extensive library, and I was drawn to a particular journal filled with unintelligible scrawlings, save for one name, Infernia."

I stare for a moment, "...uhhh huh". Has he lost his mind? A thought shoots through my mind and expels out of my mouth, "Wait, two weeks? That's around the time we met Salem…"

The woman of Oswin's group finally speaks up, "Salem? Who's that?"

"Hrithika, come now, give him a chance to explain." Oswin shushes her.

"Right! Sorry." She slinks back.

Oswin continues, "But, as she said, uhm… Who is Salem?"

"Well… I have been traveling with a few other exiled people, and we had recently set up a few shoddy huts just over the mountains in front of the Kingdom when he showed up. We had to leave that camp after one of those, uh… damn, what were they called. They're giant black beasts that stand tall into the trees, their roar can be heard miles away, and when they're close, their footsteps tremble the ground… Joffrey mentioned it the other day… Stalkers! That's what they w-"

"Pardon my interruption, but did you just say Joffrey?" Oswin's eyes grow wide, mouth agape. "Is he here?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah. Yeah, he's actually right over here." I point my thumb over my shoulder, staring incredulously at him.

"May we go to him?" Oswin shuffles forward, almost not waiting for an answer.

The smaller man tugs Oswin back, unamused by his boyish behavior. "Oswin, don't get ahead of yourself."

"But Kendrick, it's Joffrey!" His voice hushes excitedly.

"I have no idea who that is," Kendrick replies.

"Me either," Hrithika adds.

Oswin shoots a distraught look back and forth between the two of them, "He was always there in the Archives with me! We never explicitly, uhm, talked… but I always saw him peeking around corners and hiding behind shelves…" Seeing neither of his friends joining his excitement he huffs and turns back to me. "Can you just… take me to him, please."

"Yeah, absolutely Your maje- I mean, Kin- no, sorry, Os…win?" I wince as a warm flush rushes across my cheeks, "This way…" I quietly mutter and turn back, walking the three of them up the path I took. We soon meet up with the clearing of trees, and I spot Joffrey and Marianne hard at work, chopping more trees. "We just had a large attack on the village by more of those Stalkers, there were at least four of them. It happened about ten days ago and we've just been trying to… rebuild from that."

Oswin speaks with a grave tone, his head hanging low, "How many did you lose?"

My tone matches his, "Twenty-three, and… one in bad condition. He, uh, has been asleep since the attack happened."

"That is horrible, I'm sorry for your loss." He places his hand on my shoulder, and I hide my eyes behind my hair, a few drops escaping my eyelid.

I raise my hand and point to Joffrey, quickly wiping my face with my other arm, "He's right there. C'mon."

We walk over, and getting close, I call out, "Hey, Joffrey! Someone wants to have a word with you!" I watch as he extends his arm, holding out his index finger at me, stuck in conversation with Marianne. I groan as we get closer, and holler out again, "Joffrey, I really think this person needs to talk with you!" I finally yank his attention and I savor every moment as his expression distorts from uninterested to confused at who is trailing behind me, to shock as he realizes, happiness for a brief moment, then horror as the reality sinks in. I can't help but laugh out loud, and manage to let out a short, "It's okay! Come here!"

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He excuses himself and makes his way over, Oswin taking his hand heartily and pulling him in for a hug as tight as a snake. "Your Majesty?! What in God's name are you doing out here?"

"Oh, come now, there'll be plenty of time for that later. Please, how have you been, Joffrey? You had better believe I noticed the day you weren't around anymore." Oswin replies, his face carrying the most genuine smile I've seen. It's like they've known each other all their lives…

"Oh, well, your Majesty, I managed to learn about my Specialty. It's good for more than just preserving books, it turns out." He halfheartedly chuckles.

Oswin corrects him, "Just call me Oswin, please. I'm not the king of anything out here. Now then, this boy here," He points at me, "He says someone is in critical condition, and I just happened to bring my good friend, and medic Specialist, Kendrick." He pulls Kendrick forward and under his arm, "May we see them?"

Joffrey turns to me with so many questions racing in his mind, his face twisting awkwardly as he tries to process what's happening. I look back at him for a moment, and I shrug. Joffrey turns back to Oswin, and with a sudden release of air, he bursts out, "Yeah, come on, he's back at the village."

Hrithika loudly announces, "There's a village?!"

Kendrick stares gobsmacked at Hrithika, "I can't believe you are somehow part of the inner castle's staff."

"I saw a butterfly! It was pretty. It had purple wings with little white sp-"

"How are you allowed to do practically anything you want? It baffles me to this day."

"Come on, you two," Oswin waves his large hand between the two butting heads, "I know it's been a rough couple of weeks, but we finally found somewhere with shelter. Let's go see how we can help."

He quashes their argument while Joffrey and I lead them back to the village medical hut. As we walk, I whisper to Joffrey as the other three trails behind a few paces, "Sooo… this is weird, right?"

"Yeah, I'm, uh, surprised he knows my name."

"He was saying something about always knowing you were in the Archives."

"O-oh," His face flushes slightly, "That's a little… embarrassing."

I shrug, "I don't think so."

We soon get to the hut, and I step inside first, holding up my index finger to the others while I slip in. Walking over to the bed, my eyes immediately well up and I fight the urge to break down. Don't worry, we have someone who can help now. You'll be awake soon. I wipe my face on my sleeve and walk back to the door, waving for Kendrick to enter. Hrithika was busy telling Joffrey some story with Oswin, so I let them be and shut the door behind me.

Kendrick walks over and looks over the work that's been done up to this point. He asks me over his shoulder, "Did you bandage him?

"I did, yeah. I have Joffrey to thank for that."

"You did good, Vitrablossom leaves are wonderful medical tools." He begins pulling off the wraps, unraveling carefully as he examines Salem's arms carefully. He audibly gasps as burnt-black tendrils clearly visible through his skin begin showing. He finishes unwrapping one arm, and I can hear him refrain from gasping again as he sees Salem's hand almost solid black. I wince seeing it again myself, and how little the bandages have helped. He takes a deep breath, finishes unbandaging each limb, and begins going through the basic health check. "His vitals are still good, though they're a little weak. His body temperature is easily far higher than normal, much more than a normal person could survive… but it doesn't seem to be having any adverse effects, which is… extraordinary. No sweating, strained breathing, or shivering. Looking at just that, you wouldn't be able to tell anything is outwardly wrong. As for his limbs… the only slightly logical conclusion I can reach… is that they cooked from the inside. What Specialty does this boy possess?"

"Well… he uses fire."

Kendrick turns to look at me, "So he can control fire and he pulled it too close to himself?"

"No, not quite. It's like…. He is fire. It comes from him."

"You mean to tell me he can create it at will?" Kendrick stares at me agape for a moment.

"Yeah… sort of. He's brand new to it, and it… seems to only come out with strong emotion."

"I see." He turns back and gently takes Salem's hand in between his own, closing his eyes. I watch in awe as Salem's arm turns a gentle glowing green color, and I step closer to the bed. Looking at his arm, I see the tendrils gently creeping back to his palm, the color returning to the edges of his fingers. The glow fades, and Kendrick takes a gasp for air.

I reach forward instinctively, "Are you okay?"

He breathes deeply momentarily, then replies, "Yes, I'm fine. For me to heal others, I supply part of my life force to the area I'm tending to, accelerating the natural speed of recovery. Don't worry though, as long as I don't use too much, my life force will replenish over time. I can handle the rest of this young boy's injuries before I'm too drained." He glances up at me, "What is this boy's name again? I know you mentioned it earlier, but I fear I missed it.”

"Salem."

"Well," he turns back to the bed, speaking to him, "I'm going to fix you up quick Salem, you'll be on your feet in no time."

I stand back in the corner as he works over the next few minutes. He couldn't heal all of it, some small black scars that seemed more permanent were burned into his palms and on the soles of his feet, but the rest of his body was back to normal.

Kendrick stands up, walking over to me, "His vitals are strong again, and his temperature has regulated quite a bit. He should wake up any minute now." He pats my shoulder and walks out, leaving me alone with Salem. I go and sit beside him, rocking my heels back and forth, watching his face closely. It feels like ages before his eyes open and I see his dark chocolate pupils stare directly up at the ceiling, his lids fluttering as they take in the light again. Tears stream down my face as I'm too overcome to speak, mouth trying to find words but none come out.

He draws in a deep breath, blinks a few times, and turns his head over to me, looking into my water-filled eyes, and I manage to sputter out a small, "Salem… Thank god."

He closes his eyes, groaning hoarsely, "Just a few more minutes…"

I let out a chuckle, and nudged his shoulder, "Can you move?"

He pushes himself up, wincing audibly, and I stand ready to support him, but he sits up the rest of the way on his own. "What happened?" He looks into my eyes again, his expression blank.

My mouth hangs open for a moment, not sure where to begin, "Well, you've kind of… been asleep for a while."

"Oh? How long?" He looks over himself calmly, his gaze falling onto his palms, seeing the two charred marks in the center of each hand. "I overdid it again, didn't I?"

Tears stream down my face and I dive in, hugging him tight. "Yeah, yeah you did. But it's okay. It's been ten days since the attack."

"Is- is everyone okay?" His eyes widen, and he begins to look around the room, panicked. His first thought is still about others. How can he be so caring?

I grab his hand, pull his attention back, and tell him confidently, "Hey, everyone is fine."

I watch his eyes gloss over, his voice barely a whisper, "Not everyone… I couldn't…"

"I know, Salem. It's horrible what happened, but you did everything you could… You took down two of those things, all on your own. If you hadn't been there, who knows how many more would have been lost… I was amazed you were still standing after you finished off the one that almost took me out… You… weren't looking too good."

"I'm sure…"

"But, uh… Things are getting back to normal. Though, we did just have a big surprise drop by on us.

He blinks blankly at me, tilting his head slightly to the right. "What kind of surprise?"

"Well, uhm… the King is here."

His eyes flutter as he processes, "Uh, what?"

"The King. He's, kind of, right outside. Right now."

"Oh." He stares blankly at the door, then looks back at me, then squints at the door and rubs his eyes.

"Should I let them in?" I stand up and walk halfway across the floor.

"Uh," he sits still for a moment, staring at nothing, before shaking his head back to reality, "Yeah… that's fine."

I nod and shuffle to the door, opening it to let everyone in, and luckily Hrithrika was just now seeming to wrap up her story. Everyone steps in gingerly, and I slip through them, reaching Salem's side first. I notice he's making direct eye contact with Oswin. I can't tell any kind of feeling either of them is expressing right now… what are they doing?

Oswin steps closer, and just as I'm about to jump to block him, he drops to his knees, bowing so hard he smacks his head audibly on the floor, everyone around stares in confused silence. "I can't believe it… I honestly wasn't sure if you would survive… I can never apologize enough for what I had done without giving you any explanation, but it was the only way there was a chance… a chance for me to find you again."

Salem is stunned by Oswin's words, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before sliding off of the bed, kneeling beside Oswin, and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," He says in a hushed, strained voice, and Oswin looks up to meet his gaze.

I watch Salem stand up, leading Oswin off of the ground, maintaining silent eye contact. Oswin stands fully, looking down at Salem, who stands barely above half of his height.

Suddenly, the door swings open and an elderly woman with salt-and-peppered hair in a bun steps inside, and everyone's attention is drawn to her. She blinks a few times as the door shuts behind her, and takes stock of everyone present.

I stand up and move in front of the crowd, bowing deeply to her, "Hello, Elder Naori, what's brought you here today?" Everyone behind me quickly bows as well before she speaks.

"Calm down everyone, I simply heard we had some new travelers and came to see for myse-" She stops in her tracks as her eyes land on Oswin. "My God… I never thought I'd see the day in my life."

Oswin meets her gaze, standing up tall, "What do you mean, Elder?"

She replies softly, "You're Brindovian, that silver hair… Our village has legends of them." All of us stare at her dumbfounded.

Oswin asks the question we all were thinking, his voice unsure of himself, "I'm sorry, Brindovian? Legends of who?"

"Legends of the Goddesses. Seven women were born in this village to one family, blessed with different unearthly abilities over a thousand years ago, three sets of twins, and a final single child. Each one could create and manipulate their own element of energy at will."

"Seven… women…" Oswin trails off in thought as the Elder continues.

"They each were given a name in legends, so they would be known for all time. Brindovia was the Goddess of the Mind and the eldest of the sisters. Kuraquia, Brindovia's younger twin, moved oceans and created rivers as the Goddess of Water. Deltania controlled life, and the energy of the planet, as the Goddess of Energy. Infernia lit up the world as the Goddess of Fire, keeping danger at bay. Sta-"

Oswin cuts in quickly, "I'm sorry, Elder, did you just say… Infernia?"

"Yes, I did. What of it?"

Oswin steps out of the way, revealing Salem behind him. "I've seen a vision… of an infinite library and everything was in some indecipherable scrawl, save for one word below a drawing of an auburn-haired woman in golden-clad armor… Infernia. I only received the vision after meeting this boy…"

"Hmm…" The Elder taps her chin and walks closer, taking Salem by the hand and walking over to a window. The sunlight shines through his hair, and glints of a deep red hue light up across his head. "You are definitely Infernian. That Auburn hair only occurs with those bearing the Goddess of Fire's ability. Same for you with that silver hair, you possess Brindovia's ability."

"So… I possess the Goddess of the Mind's power? Is that why I kept seeing visions?"

"I believe that's safe to say. Though, no one has seen silver hair for as long as the legends have been around."

"My bloodline has had silver hair that recurred many times over the years, Elder. You see… I'm the King of the nearby Kingdom."

"Power that passed down through your bloodline? That's interesting…"

Salem quietly utters, "But, neither of my parents has hair like mine." The Elder turns to him.

"That happens as well. The energy of that element continues to persist across the world when the previous user passes on, thanks to the gems that Brindovia created with her sisters, which contained the bulk of their powers. The energy emitted by these gems has shaped the world as we know it, each laying fibers deep inside the planet, balancing all the elements harmoniously. In the same moment as a previous user leaves this world, the energy chooses a new life coming into the world to carry on the path of the Goddesses. Those who are chosen gain distinct traits that are more vibrant than those who are merely children of the Goddesses, or their descendants, where they end up with some muddled trait. You two," she points at Oswin and Salem, "Are, without a doubt, Disciples of the Goddesses."