The carved stairs led them further and further down into the tangled forest. Pinkish-blue moss covered the underside of the branches, hanging in places like a viscous dripping liquid. Some kind of insect-like creature -translucent, flat and skinny like tiny eels- snaked lazily through the air around them. Ren tried to touch one and it wriggled away, pulsing blue.

It felt like they were traveling both inside and outside at the same time as the a'anu formed a natural ceiling above them. The farther they went, the darker it grew as more of the sun was blocked out. How deep can these plants possibly go? Dax wondered. They must have sprouted from the ground somewhere.

Finally, their path started to flatten out and signs of human habitation appeared. Lanterns hung from the branches above them and signposts appeared pointing in other branching directions. The signs were in a language Dax didn't recognize; he assumed it to be the one Kyra was fluent in.

"So, you wanted to know why I'm helping you. Other than the goodness of my heart." Kyra said sweetly.

Dax berated himself for getting distracted and not asking her sooner. "Yes, I would like to know that."

"See, I belong to an order. A group of like-minded people who use our powers for the good of the galaxy." She held her hands up dramatically.

"Nowadays that means keeping an eye out for potential threats to the common good, like Vanaris, and covertly keeping the peace. But in the infancy of our organization several centuries ago, our main concern was the protection of the Key." She smiled over her shoulder at Ren.

He said, "Really?!" at the same time Dax snorted and said, "Nice job they did."

Ren smacked the back of Dax's head and sped up to walk next to Kyra.

"That's so cool! You're like a superhero-secret-agent! And it's connected to my ancestors too! Is this the group where you learned your Vismuting technique?"

"Yep!" Kyra nodded. "Everyone in our order is a Vismutor. Most of us started as outcasts from places like the Empire where-"

"Hold on." Dax interrupted, stopping short. "Do you mean to tell me you're leading us into the headquarters of an entire organization of Vismutors?"

Kyra smiled sheepishly and Ren put his hands on his hips and stared off the path. He looked peeved, which made Dax even angrier.

"Ren, do you not realize how stupid this is?!"

He gestured carefully with each word. "Vismutors. Are. The enemy."

Ren shook his head. "I guess this is your soldier side."

Dax was startled into silence.

Ren looked at him. "They're 'The enemy', huh? You're too quick to judge!" He motioned towards Kyra. "Kyra isn't our enemy! She saved us multiple times already!"

"It's not Kyra I'm worried about-"

"Look, I know Vismutors are more dangerous to us than regular people, but we're going to be in danger from both types no matter where we go. These people are offering to help, and your stereotyping is stopping you from giving them a chance."

Dax groaned. Ren had always been good at logicking the argument out of his favor. Any point Dax could make, Ren always had a perfect counter argument. When he got like this, he wouldn't stop until he got his way.

Kyra looked back and forth between them awkwardly.

"I'm going," Ren said, turning back towards the path. "You can come with me or not."

For a fraction of a second Dax considered dragging Ren back down the path and stealing Kyra's ship. Then he sighed. There was no way he could do that to Ren again.

"If it's any consolation," Kyra said to Dax, "I give you my word none of my people harm you two."

"It's not." Dax said sharply.

She shrugged. "I tried." She went to walk beside Ren and they started chatting about history again, Ren pointedly ignoring him.

Dax considered what Kyra had told them. An organization of Vismutors who's goal was to protect Keys rather than use them? Dax had trouble believing that. It was in a Vismutor's nature to seek power. Perhaps Ren did have a point about his stereotypes though. The Empire had drilled a distrust for sorcery into him from a young age. But they had also lied about a lot of things. Dax shook his head. Either way, he would have to stay vigilant.

"We're here," Kyra said a few minutes later.

They approached a tunnel made from small branches twisted and lashed together. Lanterns hung along the inside.

"Kyra!" A voice yelled from above. Dax looked up and noticed small watchtower, or more like a watch-treehouse, above them. There was the creaking of wood and then a figure dropped down in front of them.

"Diana!" Kyra embraced the woman in front of her. She was a young adult, a few years older than the rest of them. She wore the same poncho as Kyra, but a slightly different shade of blue, and her hair fell in a braid down her back.

"You're back early! And who in the 'verse are these two?" She looked over Kyra's shoulder at them, eyebrows furrowed. "Why does it feel like I'm standing next to a nuclear reactor?"

Ren rubbed the back of his neck.

Kyra stepped aside proudly. "Diana, meet Ren and Dax. Ren is a Key."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Diana's mouth fell open. "You can't be- For real!? But the Navinians haven't been seen for centuries!"

Kyra beamed. Ren looked uncomfortable. Dax wanted to tell them to go make a circus show out of someone else.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ren." Diana said.

Ren nodded shyly. "Nice to meet you."

"And you too...Dax was it?"

Dax nodded irritably. Diana smile wavered.

"Diana," Kyra said seriously, "We need to speak to Madam Nula right away. We think Ren's being tracked by Vanaris."

"Vanaris again? That's not good." Diana's face fell. "Ah, but Kyra, I have some bad news. Well, it's not easy to tell you this but..." she took a breath. "Madam Nula passed away a few months ago."

"What?!" Kyra's hands flew to her mouth. "No, that can't be! She was supposed to hold out till I got back." Her eyes brimmed with tears

"I know." Diana put a sympathetic hand on her friend's shoulder. "It was hard on all of us. Ludvin is the head now, but Elois has been whispering in his ear lately and I don't like what it's been doing to the organization."

"Elois." Kyra grumbled. "I never liked that guy." She blinked back her tears before they could fall in an impressive display of emotional control.

"There will be time for mourning later. Let's go see Ludvin then."

The corridor led to an impressively large dome-shaped room, with walls and floor made from branches lashed together. It reminded Dax of a bird nest. There were two more corridors on the left and right, where a few people were trickling in to stare at them. The floor in the back half of the room was raised, and a group of people sat on floor cushions around a round table. They looked towards Dax's group as they entered, muttering to themselves. The head of the table seemed to be an old man facing the doorway, sitting on a much larger and fancier looking cushion. He had a long gray pointed beard and narrow eyes. Sitting at his right was the only young man at the table. His cold blue eyes struck Dax uncomfortably.

The elderly man at the head addressed Kyra as they approached.

"Kyra, what are you doing back? You should have had three months more of reconnaissance in Ursai. And who are these outsiders?"

"It's good to see you again too, Ludvin," Kyra said. If there was any sarcasm in her voice, Dax couldn't detect it. "There was an exigent situation that required me to return."

She gestured towards the two outsiders. "This is Ren, and his companion Dax. Ren is a Navinian Key, and not long ago he was attacked by Vanaris' compatriots on Ursai. I helped them to escape."

There were a few outbursts from the leaders around the table. They muttered among each other more insistently. A crowd was starting to form around them in the entryway as everyone tried to get a look at the Key. Dax suppressed a shudder. So many Vismutors. He felt like he had haphazardly walked into a den of criminals.

"Now that is interesting news." Ludvin looked down at them over his nose. "The Navinians have been missing for centuries."

"I'm aware." Ren said under his breath. Dax threw him a side glance. Ren's shoulders were hunched like he wanted to disappear. Dax wished he could shield him from all the stares.

"Kyra, we would like to hear your report. In the meantime, please show Ren and Dax to one of the guest rooms, Diana. I'm sure they could use some rest."

Kyra split up to sit at the head table, and Ren and Dax followed Diana to one of the adjacent corridors. The crowd parted in front of them almost reverently.

Diana led them to another small nest-like room, this one with two twin beds and a bathroom with basins made from some kind of ceramic. Dax wondered where they got the clay when the forest seemed to go on forever.

"We live humbly here, I hope you are comfortable." Diana said. "Let me know if you need anything else, I'll be just down the hall." She left them alone.

"Go take a bath, you need it." Ren said.

Dax suspected he was right. He hesitated at the bathroom door.

Ren sighed loudly. "I won't leave the room, Mom." He jumped on the bed and laid facing the opposite wall. "I'll make sure to yell if any rogue Vismutors try to ambush me from my bed."

Dax grunted. He wasn't sure he believed Ren, but he couldn't babysit him forever, especially if Ren didn't want him around. He went to take a bath.

The cool water allowed Dax to relax for the first time in days. Funny that he could feel relaxed at all in a den of Vismutors. The events of the passed few days flooded Dax's mind. Just a few days ago he could have been playing sports with the Navinian guards, or swimming with Ren in the lake. It had been shaping up to be a hot summer. Those days seemed so far gone already. It was like a dream of peace, destined to end as soon as it started. Maybe Dax just wasn't meant to live a calm life.

He realized with a start he had lost track of time. He must have been soaking for several hours.

After getting dressed he opened the door of the bathroom to a strange scene. Ren and Kyra sitting cross-legged on the floor facing each other, eyes closed. Ren had one hand touching a bowl of ice water and another in a bowl of lukewarm water.

"What's this?" Dax asked loudly.

Ren jumped. "Ah, we were-" he began guiltily, but then set his jaw. "Kyra was teaching me to Vismute."

Dax threw up his hands. "I can't believe this!"

"I know you don't like it but imagine how great it would be if I could use all the this power I have! I'd be so strong we wouldn't have to run away all the time."

"And what if you accidentally blow us all up with that power?"

"To be fair," Kyra interjected. "I'm effectively only teaching him to meditate. If you have the capacity to be a Vismutor you'll usually show signs from a young age. Ren doesn't appear to have the ability in the first place. Besides, throughout history there's never been a Navinian who could Vismute. It's widely assumed it's just not possible."

But that wouldn't stop Ren, Dax thought.

"See?" Ren said. "You've got no reason to be worried."

Dax headed for the door. If he couldn't stop them, he wasn't about to watch Ren sit on the floor with his eyes closed for hours.

"Hey, I didn't leave the room!" Ren called pointedly after him.

As the door shut behind him Dax paused. Maybe he should stay behind and make sure Ren didn't blow himself up. After a beat he heard Ren speaking from inside.

"He's not always like this, you know."

"Hm? Like what?" Kyra asked.

"All grumpy and rude." Dax frowned. He listened closer at the door.

"When he's in a good mood he actually has a sense of humor. And he's really kindhearted, although he doesn't like to show it. One time when he thought no one was looking I saw him rescue a mouse from a trap in the kitchen." Dax blinked. He saw that?

Kyra chuckled. "That is pretty hard to imagine."

"Well, when he thinks there's danger it's like a switch flips. He doesn't think about anything else until the danger is gone. Honestly, sometimes it scares me. He looks like he's ready to murder someone."

And I have. Dax thought sullenly. The killing itself mattered less than Ren's opinion of him.

"Hmm." Kyra thought. "It could be a product of the Empire's training. I've heard it's harsh. He was probably taught to fight from a young age."

"...Yeah, you're...probably right." Dax didn't like Ren's despondent tone.

Ren paused. "Anyways, that switch has been flipped since Vanaris first attacked us. I just hope he figures out how to go back to normal soon."

Dax quietly sat against the wall next to the door. He hadn't realized he'd been causing Ren stress. What a crappy bodyguard he was. But how could he act normal when they were faced with such constant threats?

Threats, Dax thought. 'Eliminate threats to progress. For the common good.' Maybe the Empire's training was still effecting his thoughts and actions in ways he didn't realize. He and his brother had liked to secretly call themselves rebels, but they had still followed orders until the end.

Dax was so lost in thought it took him a moment to notice a commotion building down the hall. There were shouts from the main entryway and several Vismutors with the signature poncho rushed down the hallway towards the noise. Dax stopped one of them.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Apparently there's been an attack on one of the Empire colonies," the young man said. "One of our agents arrived with refugees. They're saying it was Vanaris."