He tested himself once, to see if he was also one of the Keys. It did nothing for him. It wasn’t completely hopeless, though; it helped him become aware and familiar with a certain… aspect of Takane. He noticed a kind of aura about her, one he soon contributed to her connection to the Keys. Assuming it would also help him distinguish Keys he didn’t know, he used it to weed out whatever unlikely candidates they may have come across. He still checked a few, of course, but he trusted it to keep him from having to waste his time.

Still, in the years that they were traveling, they never came across another Key.

“I don’t understand,” Haris mumbled, paying more attention to the map in his hands than where he was going. On the map were all the crossed off places they’d been already—nearly every village on the eastern side of Qizar and everywhere else they’d traveled on their way to the Andrea Province. “According to the book, all of the other Keys were close to each other when they were found. Your companions should have all come from the mountains or the goblin provinces, but there wasn’t anyone there. Not even as much as a hint towards the right direction…”

“Maybe they all left home, too,” Takane offered. “We’re definitely not the only ones who decided to travel. They could’ve all moved to other places of Qizar—they could’ve gone to Seothia, though I don’t know why anyone would…”

“Sarah mentioned something about their low expectations; they don’t care for the Commandments. I suppose, as long as she doesn’t flaunt her magic, they don’t care if she’s a child of Fleyw Bresh, either.”

“I suppose that’s easier for you to say as someone who looks like them…”

What happened while they were talking was something Haris hadn’t noticed. That is, of course, until they went to an inn to stay the night and realized what was missing.

He was, perhaps, a bit too casual with the impatient innkeeper when he asked, “I don’t suppose I can pay you later?”

“It’s four coppers for you and that friend of yours,” the innkeeper pointed out. “From the looks of it, you should definitely have some kind of money to spare.”

Takane hadn’t been concerned before—after all she hadn’t been aware of the situation—but now was on the verge of panic. “Haris, what did you do?”

“It seems that, somewhere along that busy street, we were pickpocketed,” Haris responded casually.

The innkeeper let out a dark chuckle. “This place is full of thieves, you’d do good to pay attention to your surroundings. If you don’t have anything, then that’s your own fault.” Then something on Takane caught his attention, smirking as he remarked, “But you’ve got an awfully pretty carving knife there. I think that’ll be enough to pay for the night.”

“Oh come on, quit messing with them,” another voice sighed. A woman walked up to stand beside the innkeeper and gave Haris and Takane a friendly smile. “Don’t mind him, he’s just as much of a thief as the ones running around outside. I’m Minne, I often clean up around here when I have the spare time.”

“Haris,” he said, then gestured to his goblin companion, “and Takane. We’re… travelers.”

“I can tell just from the look of you! I was just about to head home, I’d be more than willing to help you out while you’re still here. It’ll make things a lot easier for you if you have a local around.”

…

“You really didn’t need to help us this long,” Haris remarked. “We only needed to stay one night…”

“And leave you on your own without anything else? You would’ve run into the same problem in the next town.” Minne shook her head at the mere thought of it. “How could I let you do that in good conscience?”

“That money from home wouldn’t have lasted us much longer anyway,” Takane mumbled. She was busy carving something; a passtime she’d developed in their hometown that was now becoming their source of income. “Sure, we’d done a couple of small tasks along the way… but most of it was relying on favors and getting the help of friends and family.”

“I don’t know how you made it this long,” Minne admitted. “There’s just one thing I want to ask. What is it that you’re traveling for? Surely, if it’s anywhere in Qizar, you would’ve found it by now…”

“We’re looking for the Keys,” Haris explained. He couldn’t hide his excitement when discussing the matter. “They’re supposed to help us access the Labyrinth. Takane’s one of them, but we’re not sure of where the others are.”

“Minotaur hunting?”

“Cavern exploring, hopefully.”

She wandered into another room for a moment before returning with an old book. “I can’t do anything to help you find them, but my family does have an old story about the place. One of my ancestors, on his way to the Labyrinth, stopped by a willow tree in Seothia. One of the most noticeable features was that it seemed ancient and planted there by someone, yet no one lived in the area when he went there. I think there might be a town there now, though.” She flipped through the pages and showed them a map.

Takane, even if she didn’t seem to want to admit it, mumbled, “That point feels… familiar. Do you have any other pictures of it?”

Minne leafed through a few more pages then handed the book to Takane. “Here’s some more of the tree. That’s all there was when one of my family members last went there a few decades ago.”

Haris grinned. “Would you mind if I copied this map? I think it might help us to check the place out.”

…

‘I got to admit, I did not expect you to get that far. I would be impressed if it did not mean I had to explain it to you.

Most importantly: Seothia is not Qizar. There are no friendly people willing to help out. There are no churches. It will be for the better if you do not mention your magic. If you have to use it, stay out of sight. It is not quite so bad where I am, but I gather that is a bit of an outlier. Do not make a fool of yourself. Unlike Qizar, you are going to need to work for what you have. Tell me when you reach the border and I will meet you somewhere so we can talk this all over in person.’

He smiled when he saw the letter and went to write his response. ‘Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate all this effort. I will certainly make sure that we are able to meet up and spend some time together.’

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

…

Sarah’s guidance was invaluable. Not like Haris listened to most of it—he was too interested in learning how this might help him uncover more about the Keys. Takane was the more social of the two, introducing them to their new neighbors in the small mountain village of Idale.

They’d been there for a year now. The Seothians still didn’t like them; Sarah had assured them that they probably never would. He didn’t care nearly as much as he felt like he should’ve. The only time he left the house was to investigate the Keys or offer his services somewhere for some money. Their friendship wasn’t something he required. He didn’t even care about their acquaintanceship.

“One of them is throwing a party soon,” Takane remarked as she moved through the house. “She invited us.”

“Yes, and why should that matter?” Haris had dozens of books in front of him, scanning over all of them in hopes that one of them would shed some light on the place.

“Everyone thinks you’re a volatile recluse who’s going to destroy the town with eldritch magic.”

“That’s ridiculous! I don’t know eldritch magic.”

“It doesn’t matter what you actually know, but what they think you do. You’ve given them absolutely no reason to think that you’re not any of that. This might be the perfect opportunity to change what they think about you.”

“I still don’t see why I should be concerned about their image of me.”

“Every now and again, they talk about getting pitchforks and driving the tynmir out of their village.”

“So?”

She sighed. “Alright, stay here and do nothing to try to prove them wrong. At least I might be able to convince them we can be ignored…” She paused. “Are you even listening to me?”

He quickly got up and grabbed his coat. “I’ll see you after dinner.”

“What, what are you—“

“I have this feeling that there’s more Keys around here.”

Haris didn’t give her any more time to question it before he left. He followed his instincts out of Idale and into the surrounding area, eventually guided to an abandoned town. Anyone else would’ve assumed there was no one here. He knew better than that, though.

“Come on out, there’s no reason to hide,” he said calmly as he looked around. “I know someone’s there. You should be able to realize that I pose no threat to you.”

Something moved in the corner of his eye. After recognizing what it must’ve been, he mumbled, “Unless you’re children…”

Still, he was able to determine where they were hiding—a small home that reeked of unpleasant things. Two children, considerably young, stared up at him with fear.

Haris bent down to be at their level. “I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I want to help you. What happened here?”

“Shadows moved,” the older of the two, a boy, muttered. Of course that was all he was going to be able to understand at that age.

“How long have you been alone like this?”

The boy shook his head.

“I don’t suppose you’re hungry?”

Both of them nodded.

“Then how about you come back with me? You’ll be fed and well taken care of. My home is close to here, so it’s not a very far trip.”

The younger, a girl, asked, “Toys?”

Haris somehow managed a smile. “If toys are what you want, then I’m sure we can spare enough money to buy some. I’m going to be your new father, after all.”

…

It took some convincing to make Takane agree to the arrangement, but eventually she complied. Haris had made sure to test both of them—calling themselves Kiraat and Zenas—to find out if they were really the Keys. They were the Fox and the Eagle. He also tested Takane again to see if she was a part of their set (believing it wouldn’t work otherwise), and it still did. That speculation was saved for a later date.

Haris didn’t care what the people of Idale said about him for taking them in. At least one woman didn’t share the thoughts of the others.

“You make good money, don’t you?” the woman asked. She seemed on the verge of tears and she was cradling a baby in her arms.

“Enough to comfortably support the four of us and then some,” Haris assured her. He only spared a brief glance at Takane, who was entertaining the other two during the conversation.

“I can’t take care of him like this,” the woman mumbled. “I’d rather he be raised by someone else than starving. You’re the only ones that have shown an interest in taking him in.”

Haris could feel the aura coming from the baby; another one of the Keys. “It’s the least we can do to help a neighbor.”

“You’re sure you’ll take good care of him?”

“As long as I have a say in it, he will live a long and happy life. There’s nothing you need to worry about.”

She slowly nodded but still hesitated. After a calming breath, she handed the baby to Haris. “His name is Umber. Know that I’m still going to be in Idale—if anything happens to him, I will come at you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

…

He felt it again. It was a sudden feeling, something that led him to leave without a second thought—the blizzard hardly meant anything to the goal he had in mind. He found her, all alone, crying for anyone who might care for her.

Haris gently picked her up, holding her close and hoping that she wouldn’t get too cold. He fought the blizzard back towards Idale.

“We’re almost home,” he assured her when they got closer. “Well… my home. But I doubt you have anywhere else to go. You’re lucky I found you… and I think I’m lucky I found you, too. Otherwise you might’ve died here and all my work up to this point would be useless.”

She’d gone quiet now. It only made him more desperate to get back home.

He trudged through the streets of the town before forcing the door to their home open.

“Takane, get the fire going and put some tea on. Kiraat, Zenas, please get some blankets,” Haris instructed as soon as he entered. Remembering the other expectant child waiting for a command, he added, “Umber… help Kiraat and Zenas.”

The kids left without any more thought about it, but Takane stayed there. “So what’s got you out in the middle of a storm tonight, Haris? I know I don’t really have the place to question you, but… can I get some kind of explanation?”

Haris showed her the baby. “I thought I sensed the fifth of you… the Bear. Following that sense led me straight to her and I don’t doubt it.”

“Okay, but what exactly do you mean by that? You can’t tell me you just walked into someone’s house and—“

“Oh, gods no! She was all on her own. I think… she’s one of them, too. More so than the rest of you are, I mean—that she’s actually a part of the saint’s curse.”

…

Legally speaking, the girl’s name was Minne. To the outside world, that was all she was; she was simply another child adopted by Haris. The depths of it was something only within the six of them, however. She was the Bear, the last Key they needed for Haris to see what else Idale had to offer them. Even if it was nothing more than a nickname, he always thought of her as Callisto—or Calli, as it was soon shortened to.

Two years had passed since they revitalized Idale. Haris faced more opposition in those first few months than he did in any other point in their time there. But it didn’t last long, as the other townspeople left instead of forcing the six of them out.

“You need to figure out where an entrance is,” Takane urged with a worried frown. “You don’t look well.”

“Finding the Caverns can’t do anything to help me now,” Haris mused. He was watching the kids run across the garden, playing some game of their own invention. “I’m going to be honest, since it’s unlikely that they’re listening… I don’t think there’s much hope left for me.”

“You’ve spent nearly your entire life looking for this. Wouldn’t it be a waste to give up on it now?”

He shook his head thoughtfully. “I’ll make notes for those who come after me; anyone else that might be as interested in the Caverns and Keys as I was. I put them all in your care, Takane. You’ve always stayed by my side before, I’m sure you’ll do a great job leading them from here.”