Ethan blinked, processing Jack’s words. Then, a slow smile spread across his face. “The spell is working?”
“Yes!” Jack said, nodding vigorously. “The crystallization is reversing—slowly, but it’s happening!”
To say that relief flooded Ethan’s chest at that very moment would be the understatement of the century.
The tension of the past few weeks eased—for the first time.
“That’s incredible news, Jack,” Ethan said, standing up and crossing the room to clasp the man’s shoulder. “You’ve done something truly remarkable.”
Jack grinned. “And that’s not all. I’ve also been working on a cure—a way to reverse the process entirely. It’s nearly complete, Lord Theodore. We’re so close.”
Ethan’s heart swelled. “I knew you could do it,” Ethan said. “The people of the village owe you their lives.”
“We’ve all worked hard to get to this point. It’s a team effort.”
“True,” Ethan agreed, “but your contribution has been invaluable. Once the cure is complete, we can start treating everyone. We can save them.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll keep working on it, refining the formula. But we’re on the right track.”
“Let’s not waste any time,” he said. “We’ll start treating the villagers as soon as the cure is ready.”
***
The first patient they treated was an elderly woman.
They wouldn’t know that she was a woman until later, when the crystal that had replaced her hands began to crack and peel away, revealing the skin beneath. For now, she was simply a figure on a slab, her form encased in crystal.
“Are you sure this will work, Jack?” Rosemary asked from the side. For someone who had been excited since Jack had made the cure, she sure was appearing quite nervous.
Jack nodded, his eyes focused. “I believe so. The cure is a potent elixir, and the life force within her is still strong. And I’ll be using the spell anyway.” His hands began to glow. “Focus, Rose. This isn’t the time to second guess.”
Ethan watched with bated breath as Jack cast the spell, the magic flowing from his hands in a soft, golden light.
Slowly, the crystal began to crack, flakes of crystal falling away to reveal healthy, living flesh underneath.
The woman stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked rapidly, her gaze confused. Her voice was weak when she spoke, “Where am I? What happened?”
“You’re safe now,” Jack assured her. “You were sick, but we’ve healed you.”
“I... I don’t remember anything,” she said, her voice trembling. “Who am I? Where is this place? I—I know I was... trapped? But—I don’t know anything else...”
She continued to talk for a while, and Rosemary tried to calm her. Apparently, she didn’t have any memories, but she knew she’d been trapped and that they’d just saved her from the way she reacted. The woman’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude as she regained the use of her hands, her voice trembling with emotion as she thanked them all.
“I... I can’t believe it,” she whispered. She lifted her hands, examining them with wonder. “Thank you,” she managed to say. “Thank you so much.”
This was it. This was the moment they had been working towards. Hope. Healing. A chance to turn the tide against the plague.
Ethan felt it at that moment—yes, yes he did. A deep sense of fulfillment as they moved on to the next patient, and then the next. And the next.
***
To say the following days were a blur of monotony would be quite an understatement. Ethan got up, trained, played with Wynd and Opie, created the runes needed for the filtration system, and worked on the filtration system. As the days went by, and Ethan completed the final adjustments to the filtration system. The runes he had made were installed into the mechanical framework one by one. Of course, Ethan couldn’t quite do it all on his own, and thus, Bishop Ezekiel was there throughout the process. After all, the man’s magic proved rather necessary for it all.
When the last rune was in place, the moment of truth was at hand. It was time to put their creation to the test. Anticipation and trepidation coming out in the form of the restless movement of his legs, Ethan turned to Bishop Ezekiel. “Are you ready?”
The old man nodded. “Let us hope the Goddess smiles upon our endeavors.”
Ethan and Ezekiel then went ahead and tested the system for the first time.
After a moment of pause, Ethan grinned.
It was time to install it in the wells.
Ethan gathered his team—Roland, Artos, Jack, and a few trusted workers from the village—and together they set out to the central well. The sky was overcast, but the cold did little to dampen his spirits. Behind them, a small group of villagers followed. They had been living on the brink for too long—with their lives dictated by the whims of a poisoned well.
Today, they hoped that would change.
“Alright, my lord, you sure about this?” Alaric asked.
“Absolutely.”
Jack intervened. “And the mechanics? You’ve double-checked everything?”
“Yes, yes. Stop doubting.” Ethan shook his head and Jack coughed in embarrassment. “Let’s just hope the well water doesn’t play any tricks on us.”
“Yeah,” Jack answered.
They lowered the filtration system into the well and secured it in place. It was, in a way, a water tank. It would suck the water from the well, then go through several layers of
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“purification” and then move to the connected tank.
From there, the water would be withdrawable through a water tap Ethan had made.
A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd of townfolk as their eyes were fixed on Ethan and his team as they worked on the well.
“Do you think it’ll work?” a woman whispered to her neighbor.
“I hope so. For the children’s sake,” the other woman replied, her voice trembling slightly.
“But Lord Theodore... he wasn’t a good baron.” Another one chimed in, even quieter, not realizing that the Classed people’s senses were sharper, and that included hearing.
“He’s changed. But can a leopard really change its spots?”
“Maybe he’s just after something. Power, maybe?” a man said.
“Quiet! They might hear you,” his wife shushed him, glancing nervously at the group working on the well.
“It’s just a machine. How can a machine clean water?” a young boy asked his father.
“We’ll see, son. We’ll see,” his father replied, ruffling the boy’s hair.
“I don’t like this,” an old woman muttered. “It feels like something bad is going to happen.”
Ethan and others could hear, of course, but they pretended not to. After all, reprimanding the townfolk would do no good and instead only make them more concerned. Regardless, they’ll see for themselves anyway.
The filtration system started up and Ethan watched as the runes glowed faintly, the magic activating as the system began to filter the water. He waited, then got a glass and filled it with the water from the tap. Pulling it up and examining the water inside, he smiled.
It was clear, pure, and most importantly—free of the contaminants.
Ethan took a sip. The cold water felt rather refreshing as it slid down his throat. It tasted clean. He smiled.
They had done it.
***
The clean water was a miracle. Within the first week, the effects were already noticeable. The villagers began to show signs of recovery—as in, the crystal fragments no longer entered their bodies. Meaning that the filtration system was working as planned. The coughs and fevers subsided, and with them, the fear that had gripped the village.
Children who had been listless and weak now ran through the streets, laughing and playing. The change was so dramatic that Ethan could hardly believe his eyes.
As the second week dawned, reports started coming in from the surrounding farms. Crops that had been withering were showing signs of new life, their leaves greening and standing tall. The livestock, too, seemed to be recovering, their coats regaining a healthy sheen.
But it was during the third week that the true miracle began to unfold.
Ethan was in his workshop, reviewing his plans for soap production, when Roland burst through the door, his eyes wide with excitement.
“My lord!” he exclaimed, breathless. “You need to come with me. Now!”
Curious and a little concerned, Ethan followed Roland out into the street. As they approached the facility where they kept transformed people quarantined. He could hear a commotion. Voices. Wonder and joy.
What he saw when they arrived stopped him in his tracks.
A group of people.
People he knew. Those that had transformed into crystalline creatures. Their skin was back to normal. Their eyes were clear and bright, no longer clouded by the haze.
“It’s happening all over the village,” Roland said. “People are... their memories are turning back! Sir Jack no longer needs to concern himself with a cure!”
Ethan could hardly believe what he was seeing. The transformation back to human form hadn’t been instantaneous in their first tests—it seemed to take hours for a person to fully revert to their human form—but it was undeniable. The plague was being reversed. And now, the memories returned, too?
He couldn’t be any happier.
And he was also concerned. How will the Night Whispers react?
Days again went by and it was calm. Too calm.
His soap production was ramping up. The workshop was a hive of activity, with workers bustling about, mixing ingredients and pouring molds. This, too, was making a difference. Reports were coming in from neighboring villages of decreased illness rates where his soap was being used. It wasn’t just cleaning bodies; it was saving lives.
But with success came new challenges. Ethan knew he needed to expand his distribution network if he wanted to reach more people. And for that, he needed the Merchants’ Guild.
Which would be hard. Given that they didn’t like him. He was indebted.
But now with the soap already selling he knew he could leave this to them.
He doubted they would be stupid enough to deny him. After all, the Merchants’ Guild saw profit above all else.
Thus, to show his sincerity, Ethan made his way to the guildhall personally instead of writing to them or summoning someone from the guild.
It would be a lie if he said his stomach wasn’t churning with nerves. He knew this meeting could make or break his plans.
Well, not quite. I just need their [Merchants’] distribution network. Montague and his people are gonna handle a majority of the stuff, but now that I have Argent and Corinth backing me, I can get the Merchants’ Guild on my side as well and crush competition.
The guildhall was an imposing building, all dark wood and stern-faced portraits. Ethan was led to a room where several guild members sat around a large table, their expressions unreadable.
“Lord Theodore,” the guildmaster said by way of greeting. “You wished to speak with us about distribution?”
Ethan nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Yes. I believe my soap can make a real difference in fighting disease across the kingdom. I already have Baron Montague doing major work for me, as well as Corinth. And now that I’ve had some time for the results to show themselves, I’m proposing a partnership with the guild to distribute it widely. Throughout the kingdom, perhaps even beyond.”
There were murmurs around the table, some interested, some skeptical. Matthew, the guildmaster, leaned forward. “And how much product are we talking about?”
“I can promise 60,000 bars a month,” Ethan said. “I can ramp it up. Though, that would require time.”
The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a mixture of laughter and scoffs.
“60,000?” one guild member exclaimed. “That’s impossible for a small operation like yours—it’s only recent!”
Another chimed in, his voice dripping with contempt. “And let’s not forget the not-insignificant matter of your debt, Lord Theodore. How do you propose to manage such production when you can barely keep your estate afloat?”
Ethan looked at them dryly. “I thought you’d be smarter.”
The man’s face turned red and he appeared to be about to explode.
“Regardless,” Ethan said, not giving him the chance. “I understand your skepticism. But I assure you, I have the means to produce this amount. As for my debt, I intend to repay it slowly, over time. This venture will help me do that while also providing a vital service to the kingdom.”
The guildmaster stroked his beard thoughtfully. “It’s an ambitious plan, I’ll give you that. But the risk...”
“The risk is minimal,” Ethan countered. “The demand is there. People are desperate for ways to stay healthy, especially in light of recent events. My soap works. And I plan on improving it as time goes—making it counter a lot of diseases.”
There was a moment of silence as the guild members exchanged glances. Finally, Matthew spoke. “We’ll need to see your operation for ourselves before we make any decisions. And we’ll want detailed financial projections.”
Ethan nodded eagerly. “Of course. I’m happy to provide whatever information you need.”
“Nah,” Matthew said, “I’m talking about a competition.”
“Pardon?”
“You said your soap is superior, correct? We’d like to see. We’ve already gathered the best soapmakers there are. Way before we were cut off from the rest of the kingdom due to whatever is going on around us. Sir Thomas keeps his lips tight. Regardless, we would very much like to see what makes your soap so much better. What’s a better way to see than a competition amongst you and the best there are?”
Processing what he said, Ethan frowned. “Are you doubting my skills?”
Matthew didn’t speak up.
Ethan’s frown deepened. “Know that there will be consequences. I accept.”