The gem gleamed like liquid twilight in my palm. It was much heavier than an ordinary one. Deep purple swirled with ribbons of mottled green and brown that matched the corrupted wood of the Woodweaver's body.

I looked closer and spotted patterns in the crystalline structure, reminding me of tree bark and fungal growths. The surface felt warm against my skin, almost alive, and beneath the purple, shadows moved like creatures swimming in the depths of a dark lake.

“Gorgeous,” I muttered, unable to let go of the gem. It was almost as if the gem called to me.

Dangerous?

“Drink some tea,” Ma said, placing a glazed cup in front of me.

I nodded but was still unable to take my eyes off the gem, one of the larger sources of light in the dark room.

She poured the salty milk tea, the rich aroma filling our upstairs dining room. The retractable stairs were pulled up and secured, and the shutters closed tight. We had sealed ourselves in and weren't opening for anyone until we decided what we were going to do.

“So, this gem,” I said.

Pa sat motionless, staring into his untouched tea. The silence stretched until I thought I'd scream.

“Pa? What do we do?”

Ma set down the teapot with a gentle clink.

“Well, the first thing we have to do is finish what you started.”

I blinked.

“What?” I asked.

Her lips quirked.

“You didn't finish butchering the spider, did you?”

A laugh burst from my throat, sharp and slightly hysterical.

“Everything's a life lesson with you, isn't it?” Pa said and slowly shook his head. He shifted for the first time in what felt like hours, his chair creaking in the closed room.

“How secure is your claim to the gem?” Pa asked.

The moment of hysteria quickly died as I thought back to the dungeon. The chaos of battle, the spider's death, how I'd stored the corpse before Edwin's group could arrive...

“Tell me the truth, son,” Pa said, his voice gentle but firm.

I swallowed hard.

“Well, I killed the monster myself, bashed its head in with my axe, so by scavenger rules, it was mine to loot.”

“But?”

“It was fleeing from the adventurers, nearly dead. They weren't there, though, nor did they see me store it. And my friends told them it fled so nobody knows we've got it.”

Pa's smile turned sad.

“That's wrong. Four people know we've got it,” he said.

“They'll keep it secret.”

“I wish it was so.”

“You don't know them like I do,” I protested. “I saved their lives today, Pa! All of them know that they'd be dead without me.”

That had to mean something.

“I'm sure they wouldn't spill your secret on purpose,” Pa said carefully, “But this is a soul gem, Ash. This one treasure is enough to change our lives forever. Jealousy does crazy things to people, and all it would take is the slip of one lip and the entire town will know. Maybe you wouldn't kill for twenty-five thousand gold or a soul weapon, but are you prepared to gamble our lives that every resident in Dawnwatch is as kind-hearted and fair as you?”

Benedict's face flashed through my mind - the rage in his eyes when he thought the spider had escaped, how he'd pushed Edwin to chase after it despite the danger. What would he do if he learned it had dropped a soul gem? Would Edwin take it from me? What would the adventuring guild do?

The room seemed to shrink around me, the walls pressing in closer. Sweat broke out across my forehead as I understood.

Pa's comforting hand landed on my shoulder, warm and steady.

“Don't be mistaken, son. What you have done is nothing short of extraordinary. A soul gem? I'd never thought I'd see another in my life,” he chuckled and I could see genuine happiness in his face.

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“But—”

“Hey. Worst case? We sell the soul gem and split the twenty-five thousand gold among the entire village. At twenty-five gold each it would make you the most popular man in Dawnwatch, put the town forward by a year, and set you up here for life. But,” Pa held up a finger, “That's the absolute worst case. A way to buy yourself out of trouble. Heck, we could give each five gold and keep twenty thousand. We could pay off our debt and get you past level thirty.”

“Even if we bought all the mind gems in Dawnwatch, I'm not sure I could reach twenty,” I said, scratching the back of my head, “And that's if there are three class gems available for the breakthroughs.”

“True. Hence the danger of selling it. While we would work to buy any mind gems we can get our hands on to make you strong, someone would try to take the gold from us. Maybe it wouldn't be one of the adventurers already here. But someone would come.” Pa's face hardened again. “They always do.”

“What if we travel to Kingsworth and sell it there? Or, we can sell it to the bank here and get the credit gem-grammed to the capital?”

“The entire world would know a pair of wealthy people, unable to defend themselves, was crossing the entire kingdom. Every shady person in the realm would be looking for us.”

“There is always the second option.” Ma's words cut through like a blacksmith's hammer.

Pa and I turned to stare at her as if she'd suggested we head through the rift sideways.

“You want us to forge a soul weapon?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. At first, they sounded ridiculous, but then an unfamiliar feeling set itself deep inside my soul. Was it greed? Monster balls, I never thought I'd feel anything similar, and I didn't like it one bit. But... it was my right. I had killed the Woodweaver and protected my friends. As a scavenger, no less.

Ma's eyes sparkled with that familiar look she got when she had an idea that scared the rest of us.

“Think about it. Soul weapons are a mystery. No one really knows how they work.” She turned to Pa, touching his arm. “Imagine forging one, discovering what they do. This might be our only chance to find out. How many smiths have experienced that?”

The corners of Pa's mouth twitched upward and he nodded slowly, muttering something to himself and continuing for a good minute.

“But we don't even know what a soul weapon does,” I protested. “What if it becomes worthless?”

Pa shook his head slowly, stroking his beard.

“From what little I know, the weapon grows with the adventurer, adapting to their abilities and fighting style.” His eyes met Ma's as if I wasn't even there. “Without a soul weapon, a level sixty adventurer is an army by themselves. But one with a soul weapon? Our Ash could stand the tallest among the tall.”

“Have you both gone mad?” I gripped the edge of the table. “Selling the gem will change our lives forever. I could finally pay you back for what you've done for me and—”

“Selling it gives us only temporary gain,” Pa said, his voice steady and measured. “It would lift us into a different section of society if done right, true. But a soul weapon will remain with you to death.” His eyes locked onto mine. “How many more gems couldn't you earn with it? And more importantly, how many more lives could you save?”

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I pondered what I could do with a soul weapon. Could I clear out dungeons single-handedly? Stop monster surges? Become the one others looked up to?

I swallowed.

Imagine the places and sights I could see.

I shook my head hard enough to make my neck crack.

“You've already invested so much in me. Selling it will help us all.”

“Thomas. Ash.” Ma's voice was soft but carried the weight of absolute certainty. “When we are old, drinking tea on our veranda, our many, many grandchildren playing downstairs, and we stare out across the bustling city Dawnwatch will become, which path would leave you with a pit of regret in your stomach?” She smiled that gentle smile that could melt Pa's stubbornness like snow in summer. “We can always make gold, my boys. But a soul weapon?”

She kissed Pa on top of his shaved skull and trailed her nails across the nape of his neck, making him smile.

“By the Smith's own hammer, woman. You are crazy!” Pa grinned like a maniac and squeezed her hand.

“Had to be to marry you, didn't I?” Her smile turned wistful. “Besides, what if Ironweave had such a soul weapon that day? Maybe our Sam would still be with us.”

Pa sighed, then nodded.

“True. But in the end, Ash, it is only fair this is up to you.”

“Up to me? How can it be? You're the ones who've given me everything. You taught me to forge, you've housed and raised me as your own, and you invested enough mind gems to get me into the dungeon. I don't think I get to be selfish. Not this time.”

I probably wouldn't even be alive if not for you.

“And we would happily do it all again,” Ma said, topping up my tea.

“But this gem is as much yours as it is mine,” I continued. It wasn’t even so much as repaying them, no, I was afraid to use it.

“As are you, Ash. Your mother and father placing you with us wasn't just for you and them, it was to save us, too. And you have. You gave us our lives back when we had a foot in the grave. And now, look at what you brought home from your first dungeon run! You aren't even an adventurer yet!” Ma smiled as she spoke. “Besides, there is something to be said for learning to walk before you run. Buying the gems to go straight to level thirty, or even forty... Would you survive fighting those wicked monsters, or would you find an early grave, having skipped the hard lessons learned by all other adventurers as they claw their way through the levels?”

“I—”

“Enough. In the end, a soul weapon would put additional pressure on you.” Pa leaned forward, his expression serious. “The decision has to be yours alone, but make sure you can live with it. Whatever you choose, know that we're already proud, and no, you don’t owe us anything, son.”

I stared at the gem on the table, its purple depths swirling with possibility and danger. Rising from my chair, I wrapped Ma in a tight hug, then did the same with Pa.

“Thank you, both. I need a good minute to think about it all.”

“Take your time,” Pa said. “As much as you need,” he added, rising and gently taking the soul gem from the table. “In the meantime, I'll place this you know where.”

I nodded and drained my tea as he went to the corner, undid the hidden lock, and placed the gem in our floor's hidden compartment with the rest of our valuables, before closing it up tight.

“Better go store that spider before anyone sees it,” Pa said. “We'll finish butchering it later.”

I nodded and unlocked the stairs, lowering them down before doing just that. The spider's corpse vanished into my spatial storage with a touch and a thought.

Then I just stood there, staring into the glowing coals of the forge.