"We are to take any Spirit Elementalists back to the desert, by order of the Emperor," one soldier spoke to Rujar.

Rujar chuckled. "You want him? You'll have to do it the official way. Get me an order directly from the Soul Emperor himself, and we'll do this properly."

Jet's heart sank. He was being referred to almost as if he was a trade good.

"They can't have him!" Heyvl snapped.

"Calm down, boy," Rujar shot back. "It's all a process. It's the only way I can keep him protected."

Heyvl held his tongue. Neither of the boys were sure what Rujar meant by that.

"Now, unless any of you would like to return to your ruler as a soul, I suggest you all leave...NOW!" Rujar yelled.

The soldiers hesitated but then started to fall back. Jet let out a sigh of relief. Rujar didn't let his Element recede until they were out of sight. It was a surprise to see the Crystal Element firsthand. Jet wondered if that's how his own Element was to Heyvl.

"Rujar," Jet said carefully.

Heyvl shot Jet a look and realized who it was. "Wow, you're Rujar?" Heyvl questioned.

"That's me, kid. Now before you two say anything, what in the world are you both doing out here?" Rujar asked as he turned towards them. He was wearing the same armor that Jet had seen him in before.

"We were hoping to find you in the Crystal Kingdom," Jet explained.

"Is that so? Why?"

"Jet needs protection against the Soul Empire," Heyvl added.

Rujar nodded. "I can see that. Why are they after you?"

"I don't know," Jet admitted.

Rujar's face became puzzled. "Aren't you the boy I saw in Calbar all those months ago?"

"I am."

"What happened that night? What of your brother?"

Jet explained the story of what happened. He had felt like he had relived that night a thousand times.

"If I had known what he was up to, I would have..." Rujar trailed off as Jet's expression became saddened with the thought of that night. The only solace was that Jet knew the time frame. It had been several months since he was thrown out that window. He wasn't sure how he managed to stay in the Plane for so long.

"Well I don't think he knows you're alive. I believe he is after any Spirit Elementalists...and with your story of what he had in that tower...I had seen it myself, but didn't think he was serious in using it. He wanted our Kingdom's support in technology, but I thought it was a foolish idea to mess around with tech like that."

Neither Jet nor Heyvl said anything in return. Rujar shook his head and said, "I'll need to send a scout to the Empire to confirm my theories. No doubt his soldiers will mention me protecting you, so my position as ambassador might be ruined."

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"I'm sorry," Jet apologized.

Rujar shook his head again. "Don't be. I'm also a protector of sorts, so I was still doing my job in protecting you. But come, let's go. We need to travel to the city. We can talk more later."

Rujar turned back towards the outside of the cave. He then gripped his shield and started to lead. Heyvl and Jet didn't hesitate to follow. He saved their lives and they could tell Rujar would protect them.

"Thanks, by the way," Jet said. Heyvl also thanked Rujar.

"While you are in our territories, you are protected by the mutual laws. So I was merely upholding the law. I'm glad I was making my rounds along the border. The Queen's scouts can report to me before they head back just in case they get slowed with other business."

Jet didn't feel that was taking the thanks properly, but he wasn't going to argue. He was just glad that they were safe and glad that Rujar was good at his job.

The sun soon began to rise as the three continued their journey. It was a welcoming sight for Jet. They had overcome the Soul Empire's men and it was a new day in a safer land.

"We've got a ways to go to get to Shnela," Rujar told them.

"What's Shnela?" Jet asked.

"The capital of the Crystal Kingdom," Heyvl replied.

"That's correct. We'll make a stop in one or two villages on the way."

The idea of having to travel so far was a bit disheartening to Jet, but he was content because he was at least safe from the Soul Empire.

The land in the Crystal Kingdom was far different from that of Lonava. Lonava had been flat as far as Jet had seen. The Kingdom, on the other hand, had mountains in the distance, and green rolling hills. There were paths, similar to Lonava that seemed to lead to different villages and cities. Jet could actually see settlements in the distance.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rujar asked Jet.

Jet looked up to the armored Elementalist. Rujar hadn't changed one bit in the several months it had apparently been. His armor still gleamed with the bright pink stones embedded in it. The gold color hadn't faded or been damaged. Rujar still had his sword attached to his side with the pink blade. On Rujar's arm was a small buckler that he had used as the shield against the Soul Element.

"It is. It's all been beautiful out of Calbar."

Rujar nodded. His long hair matched his blade and the stones in his armor. Jet found it curious that he had so much pink on him. He had never seen someone with pink hair before. He hadn't really noticed it the first time he saw him. Rujar noticed Jet staring at him and shot him a smile.

"Yeah I'm sure I look a bit different from the people in Lonava or Calbar," he replied.

Jet realized Rujar had caught him staring. He looked away quickly and didn't say anything. Rujar looked to Heyvl. "Have you ever seen a Crystal Elementalist?"

Heyvl shook his head. "I haven't been this far into the Crystal Kingdom. I've only been to the border."

"I don't blame you for staring," Rujar said to Jet after nodding to Heyvl. "We Crystal Elementalists are quite different looking. Elementalists will sometimes have features that stem from their Element. Your eyes for example," Rujar continued as he pointed at Jet.

Jet looked back to Rujar. "Your eyes are pale green, similar to the color of you Element. Similar to my hair, it's a trait of being an Elementalist."

"Really?" Jet asked.

"That's what we've believed for thousands of years here in the Kingdom. It isn't always the case, but it explains things like my hair," Rujar laughed.

Jet looked to Heyvl. Heyvl shrugged. Jet couldn't tell if that was true or not. It could be, or it could just be a superstitious rumor. Either way, Jet thought it was an interesting idea.

A carriage rode passed them as they continued to walk. Rujar gave the driver a wave and received a nod in return. "Shouldn't we have asked him for a ride?" Heyvl asked.

Rujar shook his head. "He was a trader. He'll eventually be going to the southwestern parts of the Kingdom."

"How could you tell?"

"By what was in the cart. He was carrying spices from southern Lonava. He wouldn't have been able to take us to Shnela."

Heyvl looked surprised. Jet was as well. "You can tell all that from just looking?" Jet asked.

"It's an ambassador's job to know things about each part of our world. It can be dangerous out there traveling, so recognizing traders from raiders might save your life one day."

Raiders? Jet hadn't thought about any danger beyond the Soul Empire. Maybe he wasn't as safe as he thought he was.

"We'll get a travel carriage in the city. We should get there when the sun is at its highest."

Jet looked up to the sky. The sun was still barely rising. They had a long way to go.