The Key to returning Old World Magic, a rune covered disk that had taken Angel nearly a week to make for the second time, was on fire. This wasn’t the first time that it had set itself aflame that day, but it was the first time it had done so while Angel was holding it.

He fumbled with the artifact, cursing as he cut the flow of magical energy and leapt to his feet, patting out the fire before it could spread to his clothes.

“That appears to be the wrong rune,” Blue said, not sounding particularly concerned. Angel found himself missing the original Blue even more. This new one, controlled by the Star Fragment that resided within his arm, felt far less friendly. “This is good. The remaining combinations have been reduced by several magnitudes.”

“Didn’t you tell me that there were near infinite possibilities a few minutes ago?” Angel asked irritably.

“And now there are fewer,” Blue said. “It is unfortunate that this System artifact’s memory banks were damaged, but I am confident we have found all but one of the proper runes at this point. There are only a few possible combinations remaining now.”

“That’s really reassuring when you aren’t the one setting yourself on fire,” Angel snapped.

“Everything going okay?” Tilly asked, glancing over at him. The young Tinkerer had surrounded herself with a small mountain of scraps and had been working almost as much as Angel had been over the past few days.

“Could be better, but could be a lot worse,” Angel admitted. “How are the others? I don’t think I’ve even seen Alison or Silver today.”

“They’re in another room,” Tilly said. “Silver is trying to help Alison integrate her Old World Magic with a fighting style so she isn’t a sitting duck while she’s using it.”

“Smart,” Angel said approvingly. “What about Lilian?”

“In her room,” Tilly said, nodding to one of the eight doors in the Reawakening’s old base. “She mentioned finding something potentially useful.”

“All the more reason to finish the Key,” Blue said. “Stop delaying, Angel.”

He sighed and picked his scribe back up. “Go on, then. Let’s see your next brilliant suggestion.”

Blue described several runes that could potentially fit into the pattern. Angel discussed with the artifact for a few minutes, then settled on one and used the scribe to wipe the old rune away and replace it with the new one.

He sent a pulse of magical energy into the Key, promptly setting it on fire once more. Angel cursed, yanking his hand back and letting the flame fade out. Blue floated a few feet to the side, just out of his reach, and suggested a new rune.

It took three more tries before they were successful. Angel stared at the artifact suspiciously, half expecting it to blow up. Instead, it remained in his hands, humming faintly with energy.

“It is done,” Blue said. “The Key has been made.”

“Again,” Angel grumbled, but he couldn’t hide the relief in his voice. “At this rate, I’m going to end up memorizing how to make the thing on my own.”

“You did it?” Tilly asked, leaping to her feet and shuffling through the scrap surrounding her. She jogged over to Angel and peered at the artifact in his hands. “It doesn’t look very impressive.”

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“Gee, thanks,” Angel said, rising to his feet and cradling the Key against his chest as led Tilly over to one of the chairs before the console. He sat down and held it out before him, admiring the light as it refracted within the fake gems. “It’s made out of scrap. Don’t expect too much. What matters is that it works. Probably.”

“The Key will function as proper,” Blue said.

Angel and Tilly both turned their gazes to the floating orb.

“You know what this thing is meant to do?” Angel asked.

“Yes. It is a map and a Key to the Vault,” Blue said, stressing the last word.

“How much else do you know?” Angel asked, leaning forward. “Now that the Key is done, I think it’s about time you started sharing some information with me. I’ve got way too many blasted questions.”

“I am aware that the Key must be used to enter the Vault, and it will lead you to it,” Blue said, bobbing up and down in a shrug. “It is likely that there will be more required to return Old World Magic to its proper state, but this is the first step.”

“Let’s go back to you, then,” Angel said. “A few days ago, you said you were a part of a whole – made by someone as a failsafe to bring Old World Magic back. Can you elaborate?”

“I cannot say who my master was. He went by many names, but we most frequently referred to him as the Guardian,” Blue said. “I, and the other Star Fragments, were created many years ago to ensure that Old World Magic would never completely fade. Our ultimate goal is to return it through any means necessary.”

“And how do you do that?” Tilly asked.

“By building the Key and heading to the Vault.”

“Can’t you get a bit more specific?” Angel asked, raising an eyebrow. “You want to bring Old World Magic back, right? Why not just tell us exactly what we need to do?”

“Because I don’t know,” Blue replied. “For whatever reason, the Guardian left us in the dark. I don’t even have a connection to the network that you refer to as the System anymore. Something happened during the Great War and he split all of the Star Fragments apart, sealing us within various catacombs.”

“And that doesn’t concern you even slightly?” Angel asked. “That seems pretty bad. Almost as if he knew that Old World Magic was going to go kaputz.”

“I was not created to wonder,” Blue said. “I was created to act. I cannot answer your question.”

“New question, then,” Angel said. “Tilly recently acquired a Star Fragment. How long until she gains access to its powers?”

“It takes time to integrate with a host,” Blue replied. “Another week or two should allow some initial abilities to manifest. The abilities will vary with the host, so I cannot predict what they will be.”

“I see,” Angel said. “So is there anything you can tell us?”

“Unlikely,” Blue said. “I know little more than you do. The only course of action before us is following the Key to the Vault.”

Somehow, Angel doubted that Blue was as oblivious as it pretended to be. There was nothing to be gained from pressing the Star Fragment any further, though. Angel let the matter drop and turned the Key over in his hands.

“How are preparations on your end going, Tilly?” he asked. “Since this thing is done, I’m ready to head off whenever you and Alison are.”

“I’m building some specialized gauntlets,” Tilly replied. “I can probably finish by tomorrow. I want to make sure everything works as well as possible since I’ll have to be trusting my life to them. As for Alison, you should probably ask her yourself once she finishes up with Silver.”

Angel nodded and leaned back in the chair, catching some rest while he waited. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

His rest was interrupted by a poke in his arm. Angel’s eyes snapped open and he jerked upright. Silver stood before him, his eyebrows raised. The former bandit had managed to expand the jewelry covering him in the time since Angel had last seen him. Several new rings sat on his fingers and he wore a copper necklace around his neck.

“Sleeping on the job, Angel?” Silver asked.

“I got tired,” Angel replied. “That happens to people that are actually working.”

Silver smirked. He jerked his chin toward the Key in Angel’s lap. “Tilly said that thing was functional now.”

“Supposedly,” Angel said. “Blue seems to think so, at least. How are things on your end?”

“Alison is a good student,” Silver replied. “There’s not a ton I can teach her in a few days, but she’s on the right path now. She just needs experience.”

“Then we’ll head off in a day or two,” Angel said through a yawn. “I need to sleep for a bit so I don’t pass out mid fight. Wake me up when everyone is ready if I’m still under.”

“Works for me,” Silver said. “I might follow your lead. Tomorrow, we move once more.”

Angel didn’t hear him. He was asleep again.