Savros’ eyes snapped open as he sat up in a start. Something had happened, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was. He looked around at the unfamiliar setting. Where was he? He tried to stand up, but his whole body protested, and it took much more effort to get to his feet than he was expecting. As he finally accomplished the task, his uncle came through the trees into the little clearing he found himself in.

When he made eye contact with his uncle, everything that had happened came flooding back to him, and he vomited and sank to his knees. He couldn’t believe any of this was real. It couldn’t be. But as he closed his eyes, he saw his mother’s bloody face. He vomited again. He didn’t get to finish the next thought before another wave of nausea hit him. This had to be a bad dream. He knew it was a dream.

His uncle lifted his body from the dirt and vomit, sat him down, and started wiping his face with a damp piece of cloth.

“Just breathe, Lad” his uncle wrapped an arm around Savros’ as the two sat there weeping together. It was too much for Savros’, and after a few minutes, he was out again.

Savrotores gently laid his nephew’s head on the ground. Last night he’d failed to protect his brother-in-law from assassins and then been witness to his twin sister’s murder, right in front of him and her son. He did not know how to explain any of what had happened to Savros. In fact, he really didn’t know what to think himself. A few days ago, strange men had shown up in some of the towns around the area looking for a couple that sounded suspiciously like his sister and his brother-in-law. Thinking it was an amateur tek developer or a merchant looking to get goods delivered, Savrotores had gone to meet with the men.

However, when he’d come across them in town, they refused to say why they were looking for these two people or what they wanted. They declined to answer questions at all and had only made vague threats about ‘finding them eventually.’ It had made Savrotores very uneasy, and he went back to discuss the situation with his sister and his brother-in-law. Not wanting to worry Savros, they kept it a secret from him until they could figure out what these guys actually wanted.

The night after Savrotores had tracked the men down, he’d caught one of them sneaking around the garden. He’d gotten the jump on him and managed to knock the intruder unconscious before he even knew what hit him. Savrotores tied the man up and interrogated him but couldn’t get any information at all from him. All he would say is, ‘The prophecy must not unfold.’ Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

Unsure of what else to do, and with the man fully immobilized, Savrotores had retrieved his sister and brother-in-law, so they could determine for themselves what was going on. They made their way out into the garden, but when the man saw them, he only said, ‘The prophecy will not unfold.’, and then remained silent.

Not being the violent type and not knowing what else to do, Savrotores hauled the man, still bound, back into town and left him lying in the town square. The townspeople would undoubtedly aid the man, and if he’d broken any laws in the town, they would have justice. It seemed like the safest course of action, and the three of them had agreed. It was the best way to handle it.

But the very next evening, Savrotores caught another man sneaking around, and while he wasn’t able to get the jump on him, he was able to subdue him before he got away. This time he only alerted Savros’ father, and the two of them proceeded to the garden. Again, upon seeing Savros’ father, the man smiled.

“So it is true, I confirm. The prophecy will not unfold” was all he said, and then, like the man the night before, refused to say another word. Savros’ father was at a loss as he stood staring at this stranger. Nothing was familiar about him at all. Strange hair and features, strange clothes of black and green, and in that one statement from the intruder, he’d heard an accent he couldn’t place.

“Would you mind taking the pod and dropping this one at the same place you left the last one? Maybe the townspeople will make some sense of these crazies.” He said to Savrotores.

“I sure hope so because it is not making any sense at all to me.” With that, Savrotores tossed the man in the back of the terrapod and headed for town. Savros’ father ran back to the house.

Upon his return, the three of them had decided it best to leave the house for a day. They could all use a break anyway, and the recent events had made them all uneasy. They decided to leave for the day and focus entirely on Savros’ birthday celebration. Whatever those weirdoes wanted, they could go about it the usual way, or Savrotores would just keep dumping them off in town, still tied up.

Never in his wildest dreams did he see events playing out like this. He still had no idea who those guys were or why they attacked and killed his sister and the boy’s father. He didn’t know if they were after him and Savros or if their targets were only the boy’s parents.

One thing Savrotores knew, without a doubt, was that they couldn’t stay here very much longer. They needed to keep moving for now. He also knew that the trail would grow cold if he left the area, and he’d have a much harder time tracking these monsters down.

Savros’ safety came first, though. First, he would get the boy somewhere safe, and out of the way, then he would track these maniacs down and get some answers, not to mention vengeance for his family. He intended to make whoever was behind this pay dearly.

It was already getting late in the day, and, with Savros resting, Savrotores decided it was a good time to round up some food for them before Savros woke up. He checked on Savros one more time and checked his scanner to ensure no large life forms were skulking nearby. On top of the new threat of the men, there was still the usual threat from predators to worry about. Nothing showed on the scanner. Savrotores walked off into the forest in search of food.

A couple of hours later, he returned carrying two small rodents on a snare. As he entered the clearing, he saw Savros right where he left him. Savros stirred and came too as Savrotores came back into camp. He helped Savros sit up and leaned him against the large log near the fire. Savros stared blankly into it. Body slouched and hands in the sand. He didn’t even notice his uncle walk up next to him. And didn’t hear him ask if he was hungry. Savros was unaware of anything around him as the events of last night played through his mind on a loop. It wasn’t until Savrotores dropped the two rodents in front of him that Savros partially snapped out of it. He lifted his gaze to meet his uncles. With tears in his eyes, he just sat there, unable to find the words to speak or the desire to look for them.

His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder and stood in silence, mourning with his nephew. Savrotores once again vowed vengeance, this time on behalf of his nephew.

One of the little rodents had regained consciousness and was about to make a break for it.

“Damn,” he thought to himself, “can’t even get a moment to…”. He put his foot over the snare lead and bent to retrieve the snare before it succeeded in its plan of exodus. There wasn’t much meat on these things. He held the snare up to inspect it. They were both awake now but had seemed to have consented to their fate as they dangled helplessly next to each other.

Rodents like these were on every living world, with a few exceptions. For the most part, knowing how to catch and prepare one here meant you could find food on nearly any world. There were exceptions like the city-planet Deatosfeer, which had less than two percent of its natural terrain. And boasted housing eleven times the recommended population for a planet of that size. And there were several planets with a majority surface of water. Any land on these had such a delicate ecosystem that you dare not disturb it. Fishing was the preferred way to get food, anyway. You got higher quality meat and usually more of it. A couple of fish would have more on them than these two pathetic specimens.

“Still, some is better than none,” he thought as he cut and gutted them before laying them on a rock to bleed out. He continued to busy his body and mind with activity to prevent despair from setting in. He knew he had to keep Savros safe.

Since his uncle returned to camp, Savros hadn’t moved or spoken. Other than flinching when his uncle cut the prey he’d caught. Savros didn’t have the actual strength left to feel startled or alarmed or even afraid. He felt nothing at all. Maybe empty. He looked over at his uncle, who was busy getting a fire going. As he looked around, he realized they were at the first place his uncle had ever taken him camping.

He knew they were a full day’s journey from home, in the wilds north of town. But he didn’t remember any of the trip at all. The last thing he remembered seeing was his mother’s face. But there was something else there, too. He remembered the blinding light he saw surrounding his mother’s face. What was that light, and where did it come from? Come to think of it, how did we even escape at all?

The longer Savros watched his uncle, the more questions he had. He just didn’t have the strength to ask them. Finally, he laid back before hitting the ground. His head hit something soft. His treksac, and off to his left, was his cloak. Judging from the way his cloak looked, it had been lying there for a full day. Savros could make sense of nothing, a day’s journey and then a day laying here asleep?! How was that possible? He laid his head back onto his treksac.

“Uncle Sav?” He finally asked weakly.

“Yeah, buddy.” His voice wasn’t much more substantial.

“How long has it been since…” he trailed off, unable to finish.

“It’s been three days, bud. I think we’re safe for now, but we still need to be careful.” Savrotores came and crouched down by Savros and handed him one of their old water bags.

“And my father?” Somehow, Savros knew the answer before he’d asked.

Savrotores hung his head in sadness.

“I’m so sorry, Savros. We’ll talk after we eat, okay? We’ve had a very hard few days, and we both need food and rest if we are to keep going. For now, just rest and drink some water.” His voice was calm and reassuring, but his eyes still bore the weight of his sadness and pain.

Savrotores retrieved the two carcasses from the rock and ran them through with the spit. He placed them over the fire and stepped back as the hair burned off. Acrid smoke swirled past him on its way up the mountain. He thought he heard his uncle say something, but by the time he gathered the strength to speak, he’d forgotten what to ask.

A short while later, his uncle carried two tin plates over to where Savros still lay staring into the sky. Savrotores sat down next to his nephew and set Savros’ plate next to him. Holding his own, he stretched out his legs and, leaning back against the log, shared in Savros’ view. They watched a few clouds go by. It seemed like more may move in. It was a long time before either spoke.

Speaking in short choppy sounds, Savros managed to say, “I don’t understand.”

“I know, lad. I can’t make sense of it either.”

Savros sat up, catching his plate and staring at it.

“But who would do something like that, and what about my father?” he could feel tears forming in his eyes, and his breathing was sharp and shallow.

Savrotores took a deep breath as he finished his meal if you could call two bites of stringy meat a meal.

“I was with your father when the men appeared. At first, we only saw the one, but when we stepped out to confront him, three more appeared behind him, and as they circled around us, two more ran past us towards the house. We fought the four men, but when your father took a blade across the back of his leg, he went down. I was going to leave him safely behind a tree while I tried to hold them off. But your father didn’t want me fighting them. His only concern was you.”

“He made me promise to make sure you and your mother were safe. I ran past her room on the way to yours, and she was gathering a cloak to investigate the fighting in the garden. I told her we were under attack and we had to go. I thought she was right behind me. I sprinted to get you and thought we’d meet her on our way out, but….” Tears fell in the dirt in front of him as Savrotores recounted losing his closest family only a few days before.

He continued, “and then I tried to pull you away, but it was like trying to pull a Goko tree out by the roots. I couldn’t even budge you. I saw your arm move, and with your hand above your head, you spoke in the language of the Ol’Gud’s! Savros, you used magic, real magic, not tek! The man standing over your mother was consumed in light until a doorway of darkness appeared, and the man was taken. With the light fading, you collapsed. I carried you up here, where I hope we’ll be safe. And I’ve been trying to come up with a plan.”

Savros sat in a mixture of stunned dismay and confusion. It had all been real; his mother, the light, and the darkness. All those fragmented memories that seemed like a dream had actually happened. And his father… Were both of his parents really gone?

“But my father. My father could still be….”

Savrotores shook his head. “We passed him on the way out. He didn’t make it, lad.” Silence fell upon them once more.

They both still had many unanswered questions. But there were two things they really wanted an answer to. Who? And why? Neither had even a clue to either. They sat there in shared dismay.

Breaking the silence, Savros asked, “What did you mean I ‘spoke the language of the old Gods’? Only the Az’Reign can use real magic, and I’ve never heard of any old Gods.” Hoping to get an answer to at least one of his many questions.

“Not ‘old Gods’, it’s ‘Ol’Gud’s,’ it’s a single word, and it’s the name of a people, a very ancient people, from the very beginning of our history. From a time before the Holy Catastrophe, when tryptic energy permeated every inch of existence, and magic was accessible to everyone everywhere. Even most of the Az’Reign of today can’t truly speak the language. They don’t really need to say the words out loud to use magic, but those who can usually have much more control of the energy than the others. Of all the things I don’t understand, you speaking that language and using magic is the most dumbfounding thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Savros was equally confused. As bad as they are, tragic and horrible things happen to people of all ages all across the universe. It’s one of the harder parts of life. But he’d never heard of anyone, ever, suddenly speaking the language of magic and wielding its power.

It wasn’t a very helpful answer, but at least Savros had learned something about what had happened. Somehow, he had used magic, and he had a faint memory of hearing a strange voice making strange sounds. Was that his own voice he’d heard? He didn’t remember saying anything at all.

The sun was setting, and as the temperature dropped, it sent a chill through Savros, who suddenly felt the need to relieve himself. Setting his plate on his treksac, he tried to stand and found his muscles very uncooperative. Everything was very sore, but nothing felt broken. He stretched his legs as he sat there, moved his arms around, and arched his back. Yep, everything hurt. A shiver ran up his spine.

“Okay,” he thought to himself, “let’s do this.” He bent his legs and slowly stood to his feet. He was a little unstable as he reached his full height, but he was up. He stumbled toward the tree line to find an appropriate place and, on the way, was getting used to having legs under him again. A few steps into the tree line was as far as he made it before he ran out of time and dropped his pants.

He was hungry by the time he finished and stumbled back to his treksac, despite the previous days’ events. The little rodent was long cold by now but only appeared to have a mouthful of meat over the whole thing. He tore out the saddle and loin and tossed the rest aside. It’s funny how amazing gross things can taste when you're starving. And as small as it was, it seemed to help. He moved closer to the fire and Savrotores as he tended it.

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“What are we going to do now?” Savros asked as he sat on a log and picked up a stick to poke around in the fire. He didn’t think he could go back home. Every room and hallway, every entrance, everything in the entire house would spurn haunting memories of times gone for good.

“For the moment, we wait here. Around moon-rise, we should know more and be able to form a complete plan. On the way up here, an old friend of mine tracked us down and intersected us. He’d heard about what happened. He helped me carry you the rest of the way here. Yesterday morning, he left to sneak into town and gather any rumors or gossip. He’s also going by Draklyn’s to make arrangements for…” he broke off his sentence, unsure how to finish it.

He continued, “He’s gonna take care of everything at home for us. It’s too dangerous to return until we get to the bottom of this, but we don’t have many options elsewhere. For now, let’s just wait until he gets back and hear what he’s found out.”

Savros had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Somehow, he could tell that things weren’t about to get any better. As he watched the sun sink below the horizon, it was as though he were watching it set on his childhood and his life with his family. In an instant, everything had changed, and he knew it was going to keep changing. As the horizon buried the last twinkling rays of light, his thoughts drifted to his mother again, but the pain was too much, and he looked away. He chose to focus on something else.

“Uncle Sav, did I really use magic?” His voice carried a mixture of skepticism and wonder and as he watched his uncle’s face take on a look of boyish wonder itself.

“You sure did, Buddy. I wish I knew how….” Savrotores trailed off as he racked his brain for the thousandth time in three days, for even the slightest hint of how Savros accomplished such a feat.

“Does that mean that I’m Az’Reign? How could—“, Savros was interrupted.

“No, you aren’t Az’Reign, neither were your parents. But that does remind me of part of a story that my father used to tell me about the Ol’Gud and the Az’Reign. It went like this:”

“The Ol’Gud’s and the Az’Reign were among the first in the universe. Magic energy filled the cosmos, and the two peoples grew up and evolved on worlds soaked in magic.”

“The Az’Reign learned to harness the energy by manipulating their own. They fill themselves with magic energy and mix their own energy into the magic. Then the magic energy obeys as readily as the body’s energy. It meant as much energy as a body can handle for those with the skill to command it.”

“The Ol’Gud’s were less forceful with their methods. They learned to use their breath gently to adjust the energy. As time went on, this evolved into a language. Spoken words to which the magic energy responds willfully and powerfully but blindly. Once the magic leaves their lips, it’s on a mission with little regard for collateral damage.”

“As the universe became more populated, the Ol’Gud retreated more and more and were seen less and less.”

“It goes on from there about the Az’Reign’s rise to power and eventually gets around to the lost magic energy. His stories went on forever sometimes. You know? But that’s pretty much the only thing I have to go on at this point.” Savrotores looked across the fire at Savros, trying to gauge his reaction.

Savros was trying to take it all in. He’d never heard of the Ol’Gud before today and never knew how the Az’Reign did their magic.

“So does that mean I’m an Ol’Gud?” he asked, thinking that was any better of an answer than Az’Reign had been.

“No,” Savrotores answered and continued, “much later in the story, when the magic energy was lost, the Ol’Gud’s all died. They had used their breath as a tool for so long that they couldn’t breathe properly, and their bodies couldn’t function without the magical energy. And so when the magical energy was lost, so were they.”

“You are not Az’Reign or Ol’Gud, I’m sure of that. What you did was something different. You used the voice, but you also used your body and its movements. I’m afraid we may never know all the answers.

The scuff of boot on the gravel made Savros jump, and Savrotores sighed in relief as he turned to see his oldest friend.

“Parson, you made it back, and early too. Did you see Draklyn? And Sophie? Any sign of those—.“ He stopped himself. “I’m sorry, my friend. Please, come up by the fire and sit. I’m afraid I haven’t any food to offer you, but you can at least get warm while we talk.”

Parson approached the fire. Not a large man, but not what Savros would call small either. He was shorter than Savros but still twice his size. A large, petite man, Savros finally decided, and by the looks of his clothes, he’d been on the road for days. As Parson approached and Savros encountered his smell, he changed his estimation to weeks. This man had definitely been on the road for weeks.

He sat across from Savros, thankfully downwind from him, landing in a poof of dust.

“It’s quite alright ‘Tores. I know you and the boy must be eager for information and answers. And if them rumors are true, you won’t want to be hanging around here long.” He looked at Savrotores through his eyebrows with a serious eye before he continued.

“Them men were from a Holy Order of Assassins. Mostly guardin’ prophecies and the like, but them believe they are ordained to prevent the end of all things. You know the same thing all them fanatic types are on about. One of them caused a scene in the pub few nights back.”

“After attackin’ yours, them left in a hurry. Several in town saw ‘em flee out of the old mill. So I investigate it. Not much around, save a black and green cloak. But while I were there, a bird came deliverin’ a message. The message were from a place called PomBomPae but say ‘Execution of the four is priority. Upon completion, return to Towkwa’. Never heard of either of them places, but the four must mean the two at home plus you and the boy. On my way out stopped to see Sophie, give her your message, and overheard a young lad describing men in black and green threatening a shopkeeper. Said they were carrying on and making a scene, desperate, like. I didn’t wait to hear any more; what with you two up here alone. So I left early to give you the word.”

Savros listened with a keen attention for anything that could help fill the hole in his understanding of the last few days, as did Savrotores. Parson leaned back and took a pipe from his pocket. He tapped it on the log, and a pile of dirt and dust fell out of it. He examined it with a scrupulous eye and gave it a “hmmph” before he put his pipe back in his pocket and stood up.

“’ Tores, Savros,” he said as he wobbled to his feet, “it breaks my heart that this happened to them and put you out here. Boy, keep your chin up; things’ll get better. I know them words ain’t much, but they’re true. ‘Tores, if you’re needin’ transport off, use mine. Damn, things just rusting there at Tuscanuchi, anyway. I’ll tell ‘em to keep an eye out for you and a mouth shut about you. I best be off now then.” Parson turned and gave them each a nod and another look through his eyebrow and teetered off.

“Parson, stay here tonight. We’ll all set out in the morning.” Savrotores was getting to his feet.

“Ahhh, would that I could, my friend, but the woods, the woods are lovely,” Parsons continued speaking as he waddled off into the night with a wave of his hand.

“Safe travels, my friend,” Savrotores answered back as Parsons vanished into the night.

“What does he mean ‘the woods are lovely’? It’s too dark to even see them.” Savros asked.

“Oh, it’s something he always says, something from a long-lost story from a long-lost world. ‘The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.’ It’s beautiful, that’s for sure.”

“Anyway, lad, we have a little more to go on, two names. It’s not much, but it’s something. That bit about ‘the four,’ though, means we really can’t go back to the house. They’ll be watching it for sure. Tuscanuchi should be pretty safe for a while, and from where we are now, we could be there by midday tomorrow if we get an early start.” Savros could tell his uncle was stalling. He usually had a thorough plan.

“What happens when we get to Tuscanuchi?” He’d been through enough surprises and didn’t feel like waiting around for more bad news.

Savrotores took a moment before he responded, “Well, I do have an idea, but it’s not great. We use Parson’s transport to send you to Abriva. You’ll be safe there. Between the Halo and EdenFire Security, it’s about the safest place I can think of. While you’re in Abriva, I’ll track down Towkwa and PomBomPae and put an end to this madness. Then in a couple months, I should be able to send for you.”

“Really? Abriva! But why can’t you come with me? We can go to Abriva together, then in a couple months, they’ll think we’re gone, and we’ll be able to go home again.” Savros thought about returning home, and everything that had happened came rushing back to him again. He fell to his knees and cried. Savrotores knelt beside him and embraced him.

“It’s alright, lad; I know how hard it is. Life can seem very cruel at times, and it is. We must be strong and brave. And we must face whatever life throws at us. We must show her we are not afraid, and even when we feel afraid, we don’t let it stop us. We cry we scream, we wail in the night, but we continue.” Savrotores hugged his nephew, his only living family, tighter as they both wept.

“Let’s get some rest, lad. We’ll be able to think a little clearer in the morning.” They’d been sitting there in the dirt for a while, and it was actually late. If they were getting even a halfway early start, they needed to turn in now.

Savros gave no argument. The two bites of food had helped earlier, but now he just felt exhausted. He twisted his legs out from under him and sat flat on the ground, reached back and grabbed his treksac, and, as he laid his head down, he entered a world of troubled dreams and restless sleep.

Savrotores stayed up only up a few minutes longer. He contemplated just running with Savros. Would they ever have peace, or would they be running from maniacs or looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives? The only viable solution he could think of was to kill or be killed, and since they’d already killed his sister and his brother-in-law, he decided it was time to do some killing of his own. Before he let sleep take him, he knew he’d made up his mind.

Savros woke with a start. Savrotores was already up and had the entire camp packed up and put away. The sun had only begun to brighten the sky, and it would still be a while before it crossed the horizon.

“I could have helped,” Savros said sleepily, getting to his feet and gathering his stuff.

“Thought you could use the rest. Besides, all done!” Savrotores, with a cheesy grin, gave a flourish of his hands as if to say ta-da!

Savros smiled and shook the dust from his cloak before wrapping it around his shoulders. The morning air had a bite to it that he hadn’t noticed until he stood up.

“So, I guess we’re going to Tuscanuchi then.” It wasn’t really a question because he knew the answer. His uncle was right. It wouldn’t be safe at home until they got to the bottom of this. And he certainly didn’t know where to go on his own. Besides, seeing Abriva would be incredible! All the different people and cultures come together all in one place, trading with each other and collecting rare goods. His head reeled at all the possibilities.

“Yeah, I’m sorry lad, I wish I could come up with a better plan. But, well, neither of us asked for this. And no one would have expected it. Try to think of it as a vacation, a chance to experience one of the ‘Wonders of the Age.’ There’s nothing like Abriva anywhere else in Living Space. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get to spend a night in the Halo. Now that would be something, wouldn’t it? The finest rooms with the most luxurious furnishings and the best food in all of Living Space.”

“Yeah, I guess it would, and I don’t think I’m ready to go home, anyway. I guess the best thing I can do is keep moving forward.” Savros meant it. He honestly couldn’t think of a better idea, anyway.

They spent the better part of the day traveling to Tuscanuchi. Heading out that morning, Savrotores explained, “Going around would take at least twice as long, but the route is well marked. Easy enough, but lots of cutting back and forth.”

Savrotores hadn’t been very specific about exactly what he would do when Savros was gone. But he had promised to stay in touch while Savros was on Abriva and promised not to confront Towkwa blindly or go to PomBomPae without telling him first. He really hoped his uncle would keep his promise.

After arriving in Tuscanuchi, they went straight to the local depot. Savrotores had him wait outside while he went in to inquire about the transport. Savros didn’t mind at all.

Tuscanuchi was the travel center for this world, and as such, there were the usual tourist traps and locals trying to earn a meal. His favorites to watch were the musicians and magicians. Real magic was very rare, but the magicians could fool just about anyone with their illusions. In a way, they were like a reminder that magic is real. Some of the tricks even seemed like an homage to the real thing.

Savrotores came out, shaking his head as the door closed behind him. “Well,” he said, “I’ve secured your transport if you can call it that.”

Savros’ mind jump-started at the reminder of traveling off-world. “So, what kind of ship is it? Is it a freighter or just a pod? I wish it were an actual star-liner; I’ve never seen inside of one.”

Savrotores looked down at his nephew. “Technically, you’ll be flying by freighter, yes. I’m afraid Parson’s arrangements are more suited to himself than anyone else, but that’s to be expected. He never set it up for you to use. It was just an offer from an old friend in our time of need.”

As they entered the loading dock on the far end of the building, Savros saw row after row of cargo boxes. All goods and wares were to be delivered to various places across the planet, with only a handful waiting to be shipped off-world. As they strolled through a row toward the goods destined for off-world, Savros thought they must be going to meet the captain or other member of the crew. But as they approached the six outgoing boxes, Savros noticed a seventh off in the corner, with the lid cracked open. Savrotores walked straight up to it and opened the lid to reveal a padded interior. Wrapped all the way around the inside was a metal band with intricately carved designs on the top edge of the box and the bottom edge of the lid.

Savros looked into the box and then at his uncle, and then back at the box. “What’s this for?” he asked, puzzled.

“It’s a modified shipping container.” Savrotores held the lid open. “Hop in.”

Savros’ eyes drifted from the box’s interior to meet his uncles. He blinked, still staring. Savrotores smiled, “it’s Okay, lad, I promise. I need to show you how it works, so you’ll know how to open it. But there is more, and you have to be inside it to see, so hop in.”

He was half sure that he was the butt of a joke here, but he ended up climbing over the side as his uncle waved him on hurriedly. The top of the box was just about waist high to Savros as he stood in.

“Go ahead and sit down,” Savrotores couldn’t help but laugh at the look Savros was giving him, “you’re gonna like this bit, I promise.”

As Savros leaned to sit, his hand touched the box’s plush red lining, and it turned a slate blue under his hand. The blue color slowly spread out as he stood bent over, watching wonder as every bit of red was replaced by blue. “Whoa!”, Savros plopped down onto the surprisingly soft, dull blue lining. As he sat down and leaned against the wall, a paler sky blue color spread from around his body as it engulfed the stonier blue color, the new blue seemed to roam around over itself a few times before settling in. “Whoa.”

“Yeah.” Savrotores didn’t seem very surprised or impressed by the sudden changes. “Are you ready for the cool part?”

“That wasn’t it?! Did you see what just happened?” Savros lifted his hands and modeled the new wallpaper.

Savrotores laughed and said, “Watch this,” as he slowly shut the lid. As the box grew dark, an ambient light emerged from the corners, soft but more than ample in the space. The cover touched home, and the last sliver of light died. Instantly, a sapphire light followed the path of the etchings on the metal band, that with the lid closed and viewed from inside, made a connecting pattern. As the light continued its path, certain symbols stood out to Savros. He knew what it was. He’d seen them before, and as recognition struck, he sat dumbfounded as the magic worked its way back to where it started.

After completing its journey, the magic energy dissipated into the air around Savros, and he heard a hissing sound.

“Savros, while the lid is closed, it seals the container. Anyone that inspects it will find it sealed, and while he says he’s never needed it, Parson assures me it is even sealed to protect from the vacuum and radiation of space. Basically, as long as the lid’s closed, nothing and no one can get to you or will even know about you. Scans show an empty container. And if someone wanted to open it for any reason, they couldn’t. Even right now, there is no way for me to open the container.” Savrotores watched the lid of the box.

Two heartbeats later, the lid of the box inched up as Savros, worried he was trapped in the box, tested the lid. It lifted with minimal effort, and light from the storehouse overheads flooded into the container, and Savros heard another hiss as he pushed the lid further open.

Savrotores went on, “the lid can only be opened from the inside. Guess Parson didn’t want anyone walking in on him while he was stinking—sleeping!—I meant sleeping.” He winked at Savros with a silly grin.

Savros laughed, “I’m pretty sure he would be doing both. But where did he get this?” Savros’ voice changed to awe. “This is magic! Did you see the way it changed, and when you closed the lid, there were all these patterns and magic energy going around! It’s magic, like real magic!” Savros leaned over the side to get a fresh look at the outside of the box.

“It is real magic, and Parson won it in a bet. That’s all he’s ever said about where it came from. I assume an Az’Reign made it, but any of the beings still capable of finding magic energy could have made it.” Savrotores watched Savros inspect the box. He continued, “when you first sat down, and we closed the lid, the box conformed to you. It chose a color more suited to your needs and also sampled the air here to recreate for you. As I said, when you’re inside, nothing can open it except you. You’ll still feel turbulence, bumps although they are cushioned, and you can still hear what’s going on around you.”

Savros was only half listening. He was standing in a magic box, about to leave the solar system, and he was going to Abriva. He snapped back to full attention when he heard his uncle say, “they’ll be loading these up soon.”

Savros climbed out of the box, “how much time do we have?”.

“Just enough time to say goodbye.” Savrotores looked like he was trying not to choke. The two of them had just lost their family, home, and income, and now they were saying goodbye to the only family they had left; each other. A tear slid down his cheek, and he smiled to hide it or pretend it wasn’t there.

Savros made no attempt to deny his tears; his uncle was the only thing in existence that was still a constant for him, he’d been a daily part of his life for years, and with everything else that had happened, it just didn’t seem fair that they had to split up now.

Their tears fell as they hugged. “Don’t forget what I told you about the Halo if you run into any trouble. And take this, you won’t need any food in the box, but once you get to Abriva, you’ll have to barter for food and goods. On the surface, Abriva is a lot to take in, but once you get down there, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Remember, you’ll need to head west. The nearest town, BelToa, is due west of the depot. You’ll meet with Sadjier; he will be looking for you.”

“I know, meet him in the tek piles,” Savros looked at the ground. “I love you, Uncle Sav. Please don’t die out there and send me letters like you promised.” Savros hugged his uncle again as the clanging of a large door opening echoed down the corridor or containers. He could hear men talking and laughing as they entered the building.

“I love you too, Savros, and I haven’t broken a promise to you yet, have I?” Savrotores gave him a questioning look.

Savros shook his head, “Hm-mm.”

“And I never will, lad. Now go on, hop back in that box.”

Savros jumped in, and as he was closing the lid, Savrotores said, “Remember ‘west, tek, Sadjier.’ I’ll come and get you the moment it’s safe.”

“Good luck, Uncle Sav” was the last thing he got to say before the men came around the corner and the lid dropped shut with a hiss and a light show that was exclusively for Savros.

So, there he was waiting, suspended in midair somewhere above Abriva. At some point, he would be sent, along with the other containers, to a storage depot. It had been about a day since he said goodbye to his uncle. He’d been too excited to sleep, but now, with nothing to be done at the moment, sleep began creeping up on him.

“Here I come, Abriva.” He drifted off to sleep as his thoughts turned to his uncle and the horrible events that had led him here. Still, he was determined to make something from it.