Ezekiel ended up going about his day with a subdued spring in his step. It wouldn’t be good to have people wonder why he was so happy after falling out with his sisters. Of course, Shine felt fairly happy as well, but ended up playing the voice of reason.
For the most part, he had managed to contain himself quite well. By the time the school’s midday break rolled around, he was back to his usual mood. So much so that, when they were finally alone, Shine was willing to speak their mind regarding the situation.
“It’s slow.” Was Shine’s blunt observation. “Won’t we be taking too many risks?”
Due to his consciousness being confined to a small portion of his spirit paths, Ezekiel wasn’t able to tell how many more pieces he would have to connect before he managed to make contact with the portion that held his Bond with Shine.
To make matters worse, there was still the possibility that there would be side effects. Even if there weren’t any, it was also incredibly dangerous to do what he was doing.
The books and studies they had read explained, in detail, what had happened to other Mages who had tried to reconnect their spirit paths like Ezekiel was. To say they had a messy ending was an understatement.
“I know. But it works. Plus, with you acting as my beacon, I’ll be able to map things out much more quickly than if I was alone.” Ezekiel refused to let himself be swayed. This was no different than when he was a child. Though, he wouldn’t be keeping it a secret. Not now that he had partially succeeded.
“What would you... have done if you... failed?” Ezekiel took a moment before answering Shine’s question.
“Honestly... I had hoped that you would save me. But otherwise...” Ezekiel trailed off. For the first time since he bonded with Shine, he was happy that they couldn’t read his thoughts and emotions.
While he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on it, he was well aware of the dark places his mind had gone after he had woken up. Not once had he wished to die, like many others in his situation had before him. But a part of him had wondered if it mattered if he did.
The only thing holding him back from doing this the moment their theory had been put together was the fear of losing everything he had gotten back. He wasn’t just going to throw it all away. Hence the constant reviewing he had done with Shine beforehand.
If it wasn’t for his instincts kicking in, and the situation with the Kindled forcing his hand, he would’ve gone straight to his parents and the Church before even his initial attempt.
He still didn’t know why he had such a bad feeling about doing his first test with the Church. But his instincts hadn’t been wrong so far. Better to trust them like always. Even if he ignored the warnings and proceeded anyway.
“You are not... allowed to die!” Shine’s voice was firm, as if stating this to the world, and daring the Ancients themselves to declare otherwise.
“I don’t intend to... But I can’t allow myself to stagnate. You know, just as well as I do, that the times we live in are leading up to something. If we don’t get stronger, we’ll be dead either way.” Ezekiel’s voice was just as firm. He had been sent to this world for a purpose. One he couldn’t achieve, even as a Legendary being, without his magic.
Shine fell silent once more. Ezekiel readied himself for his classes. The midday break was about to end. For now, he had to focus. Later, when his family returned from the wilderness, he would speak to them about what was going on.
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When Ezekiel returned to his home that afternoon, he was surprised to hear that his family had not returned yet. Instead, he was greeted by a familiar and pleasant face.
“Riley. It’s good to see you again.” Ezekiel hadn’t been able to keep up with Riley as much as he’d have liked these past months. They still spoke to each other when he saw her performing her duties as a Hunter hired by the Alkena’s. But those times were few and far between when compared to the number of interactions he’d had with Shari and the other guards.
“It’s good to see you too, Ezekiel.” Celia sat comfortably on Riley’s shoulder as she paused in her patrol. “I heard that things have been troublesome for you. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Ezekiel stopped for a moment to look at Riley more closely. Examining her condition, Ezekiel could see that she appeared to be quite exhausted. There were bags under her eyes. Her posture was slouched, and it seemed like she was resting on her spear more than she should be.
Despite her obvious fatigue, however, her eyes were darting around like mad. Searching for any sort of sign that something, or someone, was hiding somewhere.
To Ezekiel, it seemed like Riley had been even more disturbed by the situation as he and his family had been.
“Are you alright?” Ezekiel had to ask, even though he knew she wasn’t. “You look exhausted. Are you sure that it’s not you that needs help with anything?”
Riley’s face turned a little red before she replied.
“I’m fine...” She trailed off as Celia made a noise of protest. “Really. I’m okay.”
Ezekiel could hear her trying to sound more upbeat than she was. Her movements became slightly exaggerated as she straightened her back. But the fact that her voice was quiet and weak meant she failed miserably.
Ezekiel wanted to try pushing a little bit more. To get a better idea of what was going on with Riley right now. He realized that she didn’t have anyone to rely on when she first arrived in Tollren. But he had thought she might’ve been able to reach out to her fellow guards. He had gotten a promise from Shari and her family that they would treat Riley fairly. Especially since her kidnapping and brainwashing couldn’t be considered her fault.
Understanding Ezekiel’s mind and intentions, even without an active bond, Shine rattled a bit in their sheath. Tugging slighting in Riley’s direction. Ezekiel wasn’t sure what they were trying to tell him, but figured he should still try something.
“When’s your next day off?” Ezekiel asked. “We can go into the city and explore a bit. I haven’t really gotten to see too much of it. Having spent most of my time either here, or at other holdings belonging to the Morse family, and the Church school.”
Riley looked surprised at Ezekiel’s question. He realized that he was likely a terrible friend, if this was the reaction that he was getting just for asking if she was free to go for a walk. But her face lit up a little bit as she told him she was free in two days. The same break day that he had.
“Then how about I meet you here in the morning two days from now. I don’t think my mother has an appointment at the hospital, and my father should be free as well. As far as I’m aware. So, my sisters will be well taken care of.” To his side, Shine seemed to vibrate more happily. It seemed like they approved of this plan.
Riley nodded with a smile on her face. The two said their goodbyes before parting ways. Ezekiel headed to his family’s quarters, while Riley continued on her patrol of the grounds.
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Even after a couple of hours, Ezekiel’s family still hadn’t returned from their excursion to the Wilderness outside of Tollren. This was somewhat to be expected. As Ezekiel could still remember that the trip into the Spirit Lands of Harkem had taken over a week. During which time the children who had entered had had to spend the entire time within.
Given the comparative rarity of Spirits in the Wilderness of the Empire, Ezekiel was not surprised that his parents were taking as much time as possible to find Spirits willing to bond with his sisters. He honestly doubted that they were going to find any Spirits at all today.
Most of the nearby ones would have either been driven off, if they were truly Wild, or they would have migrated and set up territories within the, relatively smaller, Spirit lands of Tollren.
Either way, Ezekiel found himself once again meditating, and slowly connected another piece of his spirit paths to his consciousness once more. This time the piece was much smaller than the previous one, and he only managed to get a dozen or so motes of mana back under his control.
“Ezekiel... They’re back...” Shine’s voice quietly spread through their and Ezekiel’s room. They had sensed several figures entering the Luminance family quarters not too long ago but hadn’t said anything. Any interruptions were a potential risk for Ezekiel. Even if Shine was there to protect him.
“Thank you, Shine. I guess we should go down now.” Standing up from his cross-legged position, Ezekiel stretched before straightening out his clothes and heading down.
He was nearly run into as his sisters rushed past him before he could leave his room, however. Neither one looked happy with whatever had happened while they were away. The tears he saw running down Ellen’s face also told him that she had apparently had it worse than Wendy. Though, the latter looked more concerned for her sister than for herself.
Wanting to go after them, Ezekiel stared for a moment, but ultimately turned away. He knew that he was likely the last person either of them wanted to see right now. Instead, he headed down the stairs to the dining area where his parents sat at the table. Warren had his face in his arms, while Evelyn was rubbing his back to comfort him.
“Bad day?” Ezekiel asked. The glare his mother sent him made him wince. She hadn’t looked at him like that in a long time. But he knew that he deserved it. Given his sisters’ attitudes.
A part of him was happy, however, as this behavior meant that Evelyn was becoming more comfortable around him, rather than worrying about him all the time. Not being treated like a glass doll was quite pleasant.
At the table, Reya and Theo were sitting next to Warren. Theo, being Warren’s Spirit, nudged himself under Warren’s arms. Forcing the man to look up and see Ezekiel. The man looked tired, and his eyes drooped with regret. Evelyn focused on her husband once more.
“Was it more of the Hounds?” Ezekiel tried to keep his voice calm, but a hint of anger leaked into his question. Warren simply nodded before sighing and slumping back in his chair. “I don’t suppose you can tell me what happened?”
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“Ezekiel!” Evelyn glared at him again. It was clear that she didn’t want to keep this up if it was bothering Warren. But he just waved her down.
Sighing once more, Warren recounted what had happened.
“We left early this morning, as you know. For the most part, we didn’t have any issues while we were in the wilderness. It wasn’t until an hour after noon that things changed.” Warren’s voice sounded heavy as his tone deepened with grief. “As you know, it was my nephew that you killed a few nights ago. But, given how weak he was, it seems like he wasn’t the pack leader this time around. I guess, since your mother and I are Legendaries, they decided to send some of their own.”
Ezekiel’s eyes widened in understanding and shock. From what he knew, Legendary Hunters and Mages were tactical forces that a family from the Morathi Alliance wouldn’t be willing to risk that easily. To hear that one had been sent here meant that things were heating up. Much more quickly than expected.
“Needless to say, we fought in order to protect your sisters. Which was already enough to scare them. But we couldn’t keep him from talking. He described, in detail, all the horrible ways they were going to torment and eventually kill Wendy. All while telling Ellen that the only way that she could make this stop was if she came willingly. How I was a disgrace but might be spared if Ellen proved herself worthy.” Warren’s eyes fell to the floor. Theo nuzzled against him to try and provide some comfort.
“Neither of your sisters have ever really been fighters. Sure, they tried defending you back when they were much younger. They didn’t take injustice lying down either. But neither of them has ever truly been fighters. We raised them to be civilians. Not Hunters. Something we wished was the case for you as well.” Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at that statement. He quite enjoyed who he was and didn’t like the thought of his parents being against that.
“Needless to say, they both reacted poorly to seeing people dying in front of them. They’ve heard about the loss of Hunters and Mages before but have never been up close and personal to it like this. They were both brave, but when the leader of this group was dying, he cursed Ellen out, and blamed all of this on her. Something that she seems to have taken personally.” Ezekiel almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
But as he thought about it, he realized that Elen and Wendy were both only thirteen, going on fourteen years old. It made sense that they wouldn’t have the mental fortitude that he had. Even Shari had it rougher, as she had to experience tending to her responsibilities to her family’s business.
For Ellen to blame herself for the situation was normal. Ezekiel had been the same, though he hadn’t allowed it to knock him down. Instead, he had doubled down on his path. Willing to shoulder the blame, all while walking forward with his head held high.
Though he did regret the pain his parents went through, he was easily able to realize that it wasn’t his fault he was born. It was his enemy’s, for cultivating a baseless hatred.
“Well... maybe I can actually talk to her about this. No offense, but I think that I have more in common with being blamed for being born than either of you do.” Evelyn’s eyes widened in realization, and it seemed like tears were going to fall. Warren just reached up and held onto her. Neither were happy with what was happening to their children.
“I do have some good news, however.” Ezekiel’s parents looked at him in confusion. “I did some meditation last night. I’ve started to recover. But it’ll take a while before I’m back to full strength.”
Ezekiel held out a hand, pointing two fingers, one at both his parents, and gently channeled his mana. He immediately felt the drain, but his parents immediately felt the pokes he sent their way.
Both his parents’ eyes widened in shock. But massive grins spread across their faces right afterwards. They both rushed forwards and held Ezekiel in a hug as they gushed over his recovery.
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It was the next day that Ezekiel woke up early. This time around, he wanted to speak to his sisters before heading out to his job. Even if it was only going to be for a few minutes.
Yesterday, after calming down, Ezekiel explained exactly what he was doing to recover to his parents. Something that made them worry a little bit and insist that he get help from the Church. But he countered that his instincts, tied to his element, had guided his actions. Something that neither of them could oppose.
He also told them that the warning he got when addressing this issue and bringing it to the Church was even worse than before. The only reason he could think of for this was that the forces that were after him were leaving him alone, for now, due to his injuries.
If word got out that he was recovering, then it was likely that he would become an active target once more. Though, it was still surprising that no one had come for his head just yet.
“I’ll see if I can message the Harkem Cathedral. They might have contacts that can look into things regarding your status with the Cult of Light. Though it’ll take a while to do so.” Warren had said to him before they all tucked in for the night.
It was an unfortunate fact that the number of enemy forces was growing by the day. Soon, it wouldn’t surprise Ezekiel if they all ended up getting kicked out of yet another city.
So far, given that Harkem was still recovering, and Tarquessa hadn’t released any news regarding their current situation, there were few places that they could go if that happened. Trying to travel through the desert was a death wish. Stopping in any ports was also impossible, since the ocean trade routes were also being disputed.
Settling in Sanafalls had basically been written off at this point. As there was no means of traveling to the Archipelago without crossing through the Morathi Alliance, west of the Empire.
Before his thoughts could go much deeper, Ezekiel’s attention was drawn to the stairs as Shine began vibrating on the table. Neither of his parents were here at the moment, though they would enter when Ezekiel left for work. This was at his request, as he believed that this needed to be a talk between siblings.
“Hi girls.” Ezekiel kept his tone soft. He didn’t want this to spark into a conflict once more. He had already decided he would back off if things looked like they were getting too heated.
Ellen and Wendy both looked at him with bleary eyes. Still tired from a lack of sleep the night before. Their heads swiveled around, looking for their parents.
“I was hoping I could talk to you. I’m not sure it’s going to help, but I do think I know what you both are going through after yesterday.” Wendy’s eyes widened in fright, while Ellen glared in anger. Neither were pleased with Ezekiel’s words.
“How would you know anything about what those monsters said to me! What they said they wanted to do to us!” Ellen nearly screamed at Ezekiel as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. Wendy held onto her, trying to keep her calm, but was nearly shaken off.
“It hurts, doesn’t it. The gnawing guilt at seeing your loved ones in pain. The hollow feeling of helplessness. The thoughts of ‘what if?’ that plague your dreams.” As Ezekiel spoke, Ellen grew more and more pale by the second. “The thoughts of giving in. All so no one else has to suffer. All the while keeping quiet, and never letting anyone know what it is you intend to do, because you’re certain that this is the only path that you can take. The only path that you see left. So, you hold onto that choice, never letting go, or else you feel like you’ll be lost, forever.”
Ezekiel hadn’t even realized that he had stood up at this point. But as he loomed over his sisters, who were now sitting on the stairs, having fallen over as he approached, still speaking, he saw the fear and the pain in their eyes. Something that he imagined used to be in his.
“You asked me what I could possibly know about what you’re going through. Well, at this point in time, I’d say the only difference between the Kindled family and the Cult of Light, is their name, and targets.” Ellen’s eyes turned to pin pricks as she realized the similarities between her and Wendy’s situation when compared to Ezekiel’s.
Only he had been younger than them when he had first had to go through this. If you didn’t count the general discrimination and treatment that he received just for being a Void Mage.
“Know this. YOU are not the problem. THEY are. So, all you can do is find a way to deal with the problem. Preferably before it deals with you. But you won’t be alone in this.” Ezekiel reached his hands forwards. “Mom and dad will always be willing to help you. Just like I will. Even if it seems like we’re being mean, we’ll be here.”
Ezekiel stood there, at the foot of the stairs, lingering over his sisters with his hands outstretched. It seemed like an eternity before the twins shared a look before nervously taking his hands. He pulled them to their feet. Now, he was nervous that he had gone too far.
“... For now, both of you need to work with mom and dad to figure out how to stay safe while you get stronger. It’ll take time, but I know you both can do it.” Ezekiel brought them to the dining table and sat them down. “If you ever want to talk about what you’re feeling about your situation, I can share my own experiences with you. They won’t be the same, but it’ll be an ear that you can talk to. Also, if it makes you feel better, I can try to go easier on you in class. I realize now that the concerns I had before were a bit much. There might be a way to handle them without making things more difficult than they already are.”
At this, he sent a half-hearted glare at Shine. As it was his fault that his sister’s names had been pulled at the same time. The Void Spirit in question just remained silent and still, ignoring Ezekiel, even though they knew Ezekiel was aware that they had noticed.
Moving away from the table, Ezekiel moved to retract his hands. But the twins held on. Turning back to look at them. He saw that they were glancing around, avoiding eye contact with him. As if struggling to say something.
He smiled, since he figured that this was better than the state they were in before. At least he hoped so.
“We can talk about things more in depth later. If that’s alright. But, for now, mom and dad have things they want to say too. Okay?” The twins looked more relaxed as he gave them an out from whatever they were going to say.
“Okay...” The emotional rollercoaster was winding down as Evelyn and Warren walked into the room. Both were giving Ezekiel looks that were sad. But also thankful, as their gazes lingered when he passed by.
Exiting the house quarters, Ezekiel sighed to himself as he strapped Shine to his waist.
“It seems like my experiences are worth more than just acting as a combat instructor.” Stepping away from his current home, Shine chimed in as well.
“That’s a good thing... isn’t it? It means... you’re not a meathead... that just swings swords around.” Ezekiel just let out a chuckle at the meathead comment.
“I guess so. But we’ll have to see how this goes. Things don’t end with just a few words, after all.” Moving a bit faster, Ezekiel knew he would have to hustle to get to his first class on time.
He didn’t know for certain, but he couldn’t help but feel like things had gotten a bit better for him. He just hoped that it lasted for a while. Before the next major issue inevitably reared its head.
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Far outside the walls of Tollren, hidden beneath the earth in an artificial cavern, a group of figures with cloaks were gathered in a circle. Beyond their elemental colorings, they had no particularly discernible features revealed. None seemed to have a Spirit present, but movement beneath a couple of their cloaks seemed to indicate a hidden Spirit tucked away.
“It seems like one of our leaders has perished.” Said a man with Violet eyes who had his other features hidden. He stood up straight as he looked at the rest of the gathered Mages. Only one of the others held the same posture. The rest were partially bowed, with their faces tilted towards the floor.
“Indeed. Though, that idiot should’ve waited for back up, rather than rushing in like a moron. Given another hour, one of us could’ve helped him.” These words were spoken by the only other upright Mage. A woman with long Golden hair sticking out from her hood.
“Alas, it seems like we will have to take a more drastic route. But at least we know that they do, in fact, leave the safety of the city at times.” The Violet eyed man said. “That gives us some windows of opportunity to act upon.”
“Not if they get more support.” The Golden-haired woman replied.
“They don’t have the money for that.” The Violent eyed man snorted derisively at the thought. “If we all struck at once while they are in the Wilderness, then they won’t be able to escape. The support teams won’t be needed, and we’ll be home before the end of the year. With a scalp for a trophy, and a new broodmare in tow.”
The Golden-haired woman shuddered at the Violet eyed man’s words. But she knew what her orders were. She knew that her feelings regarding the situation didn’t matter. Especially as she felt the contract binding her tighten itself.
“Fine. Prepare your pack. Keep the scouts alert. We strike the next time they leave the city.” The Golden-haired woman turned to leave the meeting.
“My lady!” One of the hunched Mages quietly called out, causing the woman to stop. Though the Violet eyed man glared at him. “What about the anomaly?”
“Kill him like the others. The only ones we want alive are Warren and his true daughter. The false daughter and the seducer will die, as will the anomaly.” The Golden-haired woman replied.
“But-” The man who spoke was silenced as he found his head chopped off. The Violet eyed man glaring as the blood dripped off his sword. His movements were too fast for any of the others to have seen.
“You have been given your orders. Do not question them. Merely fulfill them. That is your only purpose. Understood?” Violet eyes sparked with Lightning as he glared at the other hunched figures.
“Yes! My lord!” The voices of the other Mages all rang out in unison.
Now, with the meeting officially over, they all headed out. Intent on continuing their reconnaissance. Their prey was in their sights. As Hounds, they couldn’t simply let it escape.