“By the way, there’s something I think you should know.” Hesitating for a moment, he said, “I’m not sure of the significance of it, but a delegation from Providence Region will be arriving in the area today.”
“Providence Region?”
“It’s essentially the imperial province of the empire. Ah, it should be the area where you grew up. Lahn’s located in its southwestern region.”
“What sort of delegation is it?”
“It’s…from the church. A high-ranking bishop is doing a tour throughout the kingdom, and today he’ll be arriving in our city along with his retinue.”
Aglain’s face grew solemn, his limbs creaking as he scrambled to his feet and stumbled over to Alistar with a wide, glazed-over stare. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner? This…this… You must leave! Take the food, take the water”—he tore off his robes and shoved them into Alistar’s arms, modesty being the furthest thing from his mind—“and take everything that wasn’t here before. Hurry!”
“There’s still time before they arrive.”
“How do you know they haven’t already sent someone to watch this area?”
“I didn’t sense anyone on my way here.”
“You’re talented, lad, but you have no idea how powerful the people who put me here are.” Beginning to pant from anxiety, Aglain rested his hands on Alistar’s shoulders to stabilize himself, giving them frantic, feeble shakes as he spoke out in fright. “Among those that’ve been sent here, the weakest was a high arcanite, and a senior one at that. If such people want to hide from you, then even if you’re facing them you’ll never know it.”
Suddenly uneasy, Alistar gathered up Aglain’s robe and said, “What about you? The delegation has gone through several kingdoms, so I didn’t think it was related to you. If it is, then…”
Aglain stared at him for a long moment, his eyes almost feral.
“If you remember any of my words, then let them be the ones I’m about to speak.” His voice gained a sudden chill, as if their situation had grown exceedingly grim. “You must never take chances in life. Even the slightest mistake could mean death or disaster, so when it comes to delicate situations like these, you can’t afford to overlook even the most unlikely of variables. You also should never underestimate the unpredictability of life, and must do all in your power to ensure that you’re never caught off guard.”
“I…I’ll remember.” Pausing, he said, “What about the dagger that you gave me? Won’t they notice that it’s not here?”
“It can’t be helped. Don’t bother bringing it back, it’s too risky. Just take everything and leave, and don’t you dare return for at least a couple of months.”
“What about you? Without food and water, you won’t make it until my next visit.”
While that was part of it, he had planned to borrow the enchanted dagger from Corrie in order to visit the Iron Dungeon in the hopes that he could harvest enough high-class magic crystals to free Aglain from his eternal prison. If the man were to die and lose all memories of Alistar and the agreement that they had struck up, then there was no telling how long it would take to set things back to how they were, likely too long in regards to his current timetable for saving Kaila.
“That’s the least of our worries. Just go!”
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Growing a bit violent, Aglain shoved him towards the cave’s threshold, or at least tried to. Losing his footing, his arm slipped and one of his fingers snagged against the chain of Alistar’s locket, pulling it up from beneath his tunic as the man fell into him on unsteady feet. Catching him out of instinct, Alistar’s necklace came undone and fell to the smooth, rocky floor with a loud clatter, the locket’s latch slipping open and its contents spilling out.
Alistar watched with horror as his precious crystal tumbled beneath them and bumped into one of Aglain’s bare toes, causing the withered man to lose consciousness almost immediately.
“No,” breathed Alistar, who laid him down and then placed the robe, the letter and the brass seal aside. “Not now…this can’t be happening!”
Aglain’s eyes abruptly shot open as he scrambled onto his hands and knees, snatching up the crystal without showing any signs of discomfort let alone anguish.
“An ancient-class crystal? This is impossible!”
“Aglain!” He rested a hand on the man’s shoulder and spoke in relief. “I found that in the mines as a child. The only person to ever touch it died a terrible death, so I was scared that I had just—”
“You’ve had this the whole time? You should have said something!”
Alistar felt an unusual sense of unease, as if he were looking at a daily scene that was diluted by some indiscernible element. “I thought it was an exquisite-class crystal, which still wouldn’t have been enough to get you out of here. Is it really an ancient crystal? Why can you touch it without getting hurt?”
“The same reason you can. Only bodies that carry the strongest bloodlines can withstand its touch.” Without taking his fogged-over eyes off the tiny crystal, he bit his thumb hard enough to create a deep gash and then allowed his blood to drip onto its surface. When nothing happened, he cursed and then returned his attention to Alistar. “It’s already bonded. Did your blood ever come into contact with this?”
Thinking back, he said, “When I found it, yes.”
“No wonder your energies are so abundant. This…this is probably what stimulated your bloodlines to the extent that they returned to their ancestral standards.” Shutting his eyes and closing his fist around the crystal, a strange smile suddenly sprung to life on Aglain’s face as he adopted a look similar to that which he had been wearing when he and Alistar had first met. The face of a man possessed by anguish, of a man lost in his own suffering. “No matter. This is more than enough. With this, I can finally…”
“You mean, you can use that to break the curses on you and lift the enchantments that bind you to this cave?”
“With this, there’s nothing I can’t do. With this…” Growing serious, Aglain’s gaze widened. “There is a tremendous amount of energy in this crystal. Have you tried using it yet?”
“I haven’t gotten around to it. I prefer using my own magics rather than relying on outside sources.”
Aglain’s body was suddenly engulfed in an eerie red glow, as if a stream of setting sunlight were filtering through a window of scarlet glass. “We’re about to see if this really is my salvation. I’ll now attempt to break the curse of fatigue with a grand dispelling technique. I’ll only be able to access a fraction of the energy within this crystal as I’m not bonded to it, but it should still suffice.”
Alistar watched on in quiet captivation as the light around Aglain began to intensify, gradually at first until it culminated into a brilliant flash of red light that forced him to jam his eyes shut and turn his head. Deep within his heart, he couldn’t help but wonder if Aglain would truly honour their agreement. Including his, only three ancient-class crystals had ever been found, meaning that its worth was likely more than the cost of a large city. What would happen if Aglain grew too attached to the unparalleled treasure and simply decided to keep it?
When the light finally cleared, Alistar’s eyes were met with an astounding sight. Aglain’s appearance began to change at a rapid rate, his body filling out and his skin gaining colour and elasticity that it hadn’t seen in hundreds of years. Within the space of five breaths, the emaciated old prisoner with half a foot in the grave was replaced by a tall, muscular young man in his mid-twenties. Luscious hair the colour of the shining sun hung down to his broad shoulders, his eyes the colour of a perfect sky with a striking air of dignity to his disposition. If Alistar didn’t know better he would have thought that the man was a young adult in the prime of his life.
“Aglain, you’ve really recovered!” Impressed and excited as he was, he felt the need to take an instinctual step forward in order to congratulate his friend. Only, he couldn’t. He tried to glance downward, but found that his body was completely stiff as if he had been turned to stone. “Aglain…?”
The man’s face was covered in tears, his expression twisted into one of the utmost reluctance. Most prevalent, however, was the glint of guilt that had settled into his glistening eyes.