An hour later, Zeni found herself standing in front of Neith, explaining the entire ordeal. Her voice wavered as she recounted the dramatic events, and Neith, usually quite expressive, appeared unusually stoic and disappointed. This sent Zeni's heart into a tailspin, fearing that Neith might be upset with her for assisting in cheating, potentially tarnishing the village's reputation or the legitimacy of the contest.

As Zeni continued explaining, her voice grew increasingly shaky. She could no longer take the suspense, and with a trembling voice, she stammered, "I... I'm sorry, Neith. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Neith, noticing Zeni's distress, immediately shifted into full concern mode. "What's wrong, Zeni?" she asked gently, her voice taking on a motherly tone.

Trying desperately to stop it, Zeni felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"I... I'm scared that I've ruined everything."

She felt foolish for letting it get the better of her, but she truly loved Kephri’s Rest, and did not want to have messed up her chances of sticking around due to her own inability to hold back.

“Ruined what?” Neith asked.

“Everything,” Zeni continued. “The festival’s legitimacy, the village’s reputation, my own reputation…”

Her tear ducts stung as she kept pushing back against the threat of her emotions boiling over.

“I was just trying to even the odds, I swear. I know I shouldn’t have done it—it was stupid.

Neith suddenly laughed, shocking Zeni.

"Oh, don’t worry about anything like that, Zeni,” she said kindly. “There's always bound to be some sort of incident every couple of years or so. Last year, for example, Menna’s baking fiasco with the extra salt. I've never seen people react so violently to sweets in my life! People were throwing up left and right, and Di’ib the mason was so overwhelmed by it—for he’s quite sensitive constitution—that we had to have Aken summon forth a minor healing invocation."

Zeni blinked in surprise, thinking that Menna had hugely undersold the severity of the incident when she’d told her about it.

“You seemed so upset, though,” Zeni finally said after a moment of contemplation.

Neith's voice took on a more serious tone.

"I've been considering the possible ramifications of what you did, not in a political or honor sort of way - nothing so outdated - but more in how dangerous your actions were. You could have been seriously injured trying to manipulate another person's Ka as you did."

Neith's expression grew solemn, her eyes narrowing.

"In my life, I've seen some who have attempted to manipulate another's Ka without properly knowing the dune they attempted to surmount, and the consequences can be dire. The intricate balance of energies within a person is not to be taken lightly. Tampering with those forces can lead to catastrophic results, both for the one attempting the manipulation and the target."

She paused.

“I once knew a Ka-sen. He was bright, well-intentioned, and quite capable, and thought he could control the Ka of others to help heal the sick. While his aspirations were noble, the outcome was anything but. He tried to mend a young girl's broken bones, but instead of healing, the Ka he channeled disrupted her very essence. The girl was left in a constant state of agony, her cries haunting all who knew her. The healer, consumed by guilt, never recovered from the incident."

"There was also, once…a very talented Ka-sen named who sought to gain power by binding the Ka of others to her own,” she continued. “Her ambition was her undoing, for the conflicting energies she attempted to harness tore her apart from the inside. The explosion of Ka that resulted from her folly obliterated an entire village, leaving nothing but a barren wasteland."

Looking Zeni directly in the eyes, Neith's voice grew stern.

"Manipulating another's Ka is a perilous endeavor. What you did was incredibly risky, and you were fortunate to escape unscathed. Promise me that you will not attempt anything so dangerous again.”

Zeni felt the breath catch in her throat. She hadn’t known her flight of fancy would be something that could have potentially killed her. Though, she had felt that incredible pull and drain during the invocation that had almost left her unconscious. Or maybe that was death coming a-knocking?

“I promise, Neith,” she started earnestly. “I will never attempt to do that again. I’m too cute to explode.”

Then she considered that.

“Wait, would I have exploded?”

“There’s no true telling as to what could have happened if things had prevailed differently.” Neith said. The strain could have injured your Ka channels, leaving you weakened—or worse: unable to access your powers, perhaps permanently. You could have fed all of your Ka into the task, and when it demanded more, without anything left to give, been consumed. Or, the mingling of unfamiliar Ka could have had even more drastic results, as they did with Inkra, that injured others around you.”

She paused, and finally, a smile touched the corners of her mouth again as she spoke softer, and less critical.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“The path you tread is a treacherous one, and we must all remember to be cautious of the powers we wield."

Zeni sighed. "So you're not mad about the cheating thing?"

Neith shook her head and released a little chuckle.

"Oh, gods, no. The whole thing was quite entertaining, actually. You should have seen the look on that vellum's face when the elders converged on him!"

Zeni had to appreciate the humor of that, thinking about how Keela would have reacted knowing the archer had attempted to wrest a win out of her granddaughter’s hands. She and Yasmine were very alike in that both took fairness extremely seriously.

"But, man…I didn’t know I could have been killed!" Zeni exclaimed, feeling both relief and concern. “That could have been so much worse. Exploded.”

"True, but you also learned a valuable lesson. And besides, life in the village would be dreadfully dull without the occasional mishap," Neith said with a wink.

—

Outside the council house, four Ka-sen gathered, their powerful auras radiating with an intensity that was palpable in the warm, desert air. They stood apart from each other, their body language guarded as they assessed one another.

The statuesque fellow with skin like the pre-dawn, stood adorned in his headdress of iridescent plumes. He swept an unnervingly severe, discerning gaze over the rest of the assembly, never relaxing his rigid posture.

“These are auspicious tidings,” he said. “Odd that all of us should be in attendance during such an ordeal, far from our homes.”

The Meru woman smirked at him, neither agreeing or denying, but squinting at him suspiciously.

“I dunno about auspiciousness. Right place, right time, maybe.”

She licked her lips.

“Do I know you, bird boy? You look a bit familiar.”

The man simply inclined his head, regarding her as though she was little more than a slightly-interesting drop of rain.

“I am Seek—”

“Seeker of Radiant Horizons!” exclaimed the girl with the vibrant curls. She released a laugh of delight that floated off like the melody of wind chimes. “I know you! I think you’ve met my brother.”

Seeker of Radiant Horizons lifted his gaze to the monolithic figure next to the girl who’d so soundly dispatched the vellum, swathed in his billowing indigo robes, the gesticulating celestial symbols etched into his bronzed skin.

“Forgive this one,” Seeker said formally. “But I believe that is incorrect. I would hope to remember someone of your unique aesthetic.”

The girl followed his gaze to the man next to her, and then back with another laugh, gesturing at the big man with her thumb.

“No, silly,” she said, shaking her head. “Amun isn’t my brother! My brother is Tentuakh of the Gray Beetle Circle.”

She smiled, trying to jog the other man’s memory.

“Short guy; long, violet hair; carries a big scythe?”

Seeker’s brow crinkled in a brief disapproval at her words. The girl let out a peak of laughter.

“Oh yeah, you’ve met him!” She declared. “That’s the look of someone who’s familiar with Ten. I’m Meryt, by the way. This—as I mentioned—is Amun.”

She slugged the big man on the hip. The large man didn’t budge or even seem to notice he’d been swatted.

“He’s my Hafaza,” she explained. “And not particularly chatty.”

Seeker regarded the man with a respectful inclination of his head. It was not common to see Hafaza outside of their enclaves, but if one was in his presence, he would be sure to offer him suitable deference.

"So, uh, interesting times we find ourselves in, eh?” the Meru said, apparently bored with the way the conversation had been going. “Who would've thought a simple festival would harbor such scandalous behavior?”

"Indeed,” Seeker agreed. “And such blatant cheating in full witness of others. The man’s technique was appallingly disorderly. Negligent, even.”

“Yeah, if even someone as weak as that girl noticed…his Ka control has got to be remedial.” Said the Meru woman.

Seeker considered this.

“She may be just starting down her path,” he said. “I would not venture to call her weak. Unrefined, perhaps.”

“If you say so,” the Meru said, casually testing the tip of a claw on the exterior of the council house. “Didn’t really stand out much to me…I mean, if we hadn’t stepped in, this town would have likely had to build a shrine in her honor.”

Meryt, cheerful and bright, chimed in and gave it a positive twist.

“Yes, it's intriguing how we all chose to help her without a second thought. Look at all of us! So selfless. Maybe it was shai—destiny.”

Amun, the quiet observer, nodded in agreement, his eyes reflecting the vastness of the cosmos.

Seeker of Radiant Horizons held his tongue on the matter of fate. He did not want to offend the Hafaza nor his charge, even if they happened to be insane. Instead, he reflected on the girl and her curious Ka.

"There was… odd energy scuttling around the edges of her Ka aura. Almost serrated, as though her energy was frayed in some way."

The others exchanged curious glances, their interest piqued by this shared observation.

"I wonder where she comes from,” Meryt said, placing a contemplative finger to her lower lip. “She doesn't seem to be from the Upper Realm, in any case.”

“I’m not from the Upper Realm, either,” the Meru said with a grin. “It’s not that uncommon to be a bit of a wandering jackal.”

“Still,” Seeker said. “There was something strange…I read her Codex.”

The Meru perked up at this.

“Now that’s an interesting development,” she said, her eyes dangerously intrigued. “I thought only Pharaoh-tier classes could do that.”

When Seeker left her comment to hang in the air, her eyes grew wide.

“No shit!” She mused. “Well, your excellence, you’ve got a loyal servant in Senetari of the Silver Scorpion Circle.”

“I do not—“ Seeker began, but she cut him off.

“I’m only messing with you,” she said. “You’re cute, but I’m not looking for any new…masters. Got more than I can handle with the Scorps.”

She winked at him and realized in that moment that the typically reserved man had the misfortune of being a person that was a very obvious blusher.

“What about her class?” Maryt asked, getting them back on track.

Seeker cleared his throat uncomfortably, and turned to the girl.

“Yes,” he said. “Her class was unique—I’d not seen it before.”

“Oh?” Wondered Senetari.

“Something called a Heket Enchantress,” Seeker said.

Maryt glanced at Amun who gave her a short shake of the head.

“Amun’s never heard of it, either,” she explained. “But, that’s not that strange, right? No one even knows how many classes there are. I’m sure there’s many undiscovered ones, especially from outside the Realms.”

Seeker nodded.

“Quite true. Though, that was not what surprised me. It was that it registered her as second level. What she was able to do with the scale of her Ka manipulation would be…impressive at that advancement. Not to mention her suppression—“

Meryt, translating Amun's silent contemplation, added, “Oh yeah, the suppression! Even Amun didn’t even pick up on her Ka until she started using it. So that’s neat.”

“There is even more to it than that…” Seeker explained. “I have noticed that this village is in a close relative proximity to a dungeon.”

Senetari scoffed.

“That’s not unusual,” she said with a laugh.

“No, but considering which dungeon lies just a few hours away, I think it is worth noting.”

The four of them reflected on this for a few long moments until Senetari finally broke the quiet.

“Right,” she said. “Well…my good deed for the season has been completed, so now I’m ready to give some festivities their proper once-over. Anyone interested in a drink?”

“A drink?” Meryt asked, confused.

“Yeah, a drink…” the cat woman said, giving Amun and Seeker a leading look. “To…consider this day more fully.”

Maryt made to clarify but a hand on her should from Amun quieted her.

“I’m just saying that maybe if we can go chat in a more…inconspicuous area, then perhaps we might learn a little bit about what Seeker Under The Raincloud here knows about this dungeon…”

Maryt stared uncomprehendingly.

“…that the villagers might not know?” The Meru stressed.

“Oh!” Maryt exclaimed. “Um, yes! Lead the way.”

And so, the four Ka-sen left the council house and moved off down the twisting road, to find a place to drink and learn a very interesting secret.