Chapter 4: I just want to believe

Max'Sall's body felt heavy. Everything was dark around him as his eyes fluttered open to see the dark and dreary ceiling of his room. He was home; he was sure of it. He turned his head in slight pain as he saw that the door to his small room was closed and the only light through the room was the small window like hole in the wall above that was cast down moonlight into the room, giving an ethereal look.

He craned his head up in pain as he used the rest of his strength to push himself up on the bed. This bed, a more cot if anything, was already covered in a small thin blanket that was a size too small. He still had his pants on, but his shirt was gone and he could see the makeshift bandages that covered his body, which were mostly scraps of cloth that were tightly wrapped around the parts of his body that were clearly more bruised than others.

He looked to his left as the small desk that he had kept from his childhood had a small thing of bread on top of a small cloth. Everything hurt. It wasn't as bad at the moment, but it would clearly last a long time. He felt up some bruises on his body before wincing in pain. He didn't hear any constant ringing, and his vision was coming back, so perhaps there was nothing permanent. He moved his body and stood up. His legs had that feeling come back as he looked around the room for his tunic.

It was against the edge of the bed as he grabbed it and put it on before he stretched some of the exhaustion out of his legs. It was harder to walk. Running was a no go for now, but he wanted to see where Dormion went.

"He most likely did all this... I should thank him." The actions of however long ago that was poked back into his mind as he was trying to wipe away the almost memory like pain that came back as he thought back. How many hits did he take? Maybe that wasn't the best thing to think about.

"Why did I stand back up? Was I stupid? I know I am but, was there something I was trying to prove?" Those ideas flashed into his mind, trying to piece together what made him do it. Though he honestly knew the reason.

What was the point of giving up? If he had given up, accepted that he was going to be beaten nearly within an inch of his life, then yeah, it might have happened. Dormion would have the same thing happen to him. They would have lost their money and they would starve another day, licking their wounds and broken bones. So he changed.

"I had to... I had to get back up." That thought in his head stuck there for a while as he grabbed his brown boots near his bed and slipped into them before walking out of the door towards the rest of the house.

There were only two rooms of the house, a small bedroom and a small dining room style room. There was a small table for two with wooden chairs of a type he didn't know. There was a small kitchen area, with a small pantry that kept food and other ingredients. He heard that wealthier folks had devices that could carry food within and also kept meat from spoiling. That astounded Max'Sall, but rich people always had some things that he never truly understood.

Dormion wasn't in this room either, so he was most likely on the roof. Max'Sall walked to the left where a small ladder was leaned against the wall towards the ceiling, going out onto the roof. He walked up the wooden ladder as he stepped out into the cool night air. It was still night and the tiny little lights that poked through the sky were gleaming and twinkling. They say they are called stars, that each Creti has a star designated towards them, but that would mean there are thousands of Creti, so he didn't know if that was true or not. There, upon the roof, he saw Dormion sitting against the ledge of the squared roof. He was holding a small piece of bread, most likely the other half of the loaf.

Max'Sall simply walked forward as he sat down next to him. There were no words between them, only the wind and the moon to let them bask in a nice night.

"Max'Sall... You're ok!" Dormion was looking over him, checking the small cloth wrapped wounds with a small. Max'Sall looked away as he smiled a little.

"Didn't think I was just going to die on you there, did you?" He laughed a bit. Was it fair to laugh at that? Dormion seemed to think so as had a small chuckle before taking a bite of the bread. Max'Sall simply looked towards the large city of Kursoon. Despite the color of the day, there was very little at night besides the small lights that protruded from other houses in the distance.

Humans hated the night. It was apparently ingrained into Creationism itself, that the Twin Sisters were sent to hurt humanity and plunge Fala'Mor into despair. Max'Sall had never read The Book of Beginnings, not that he could anyway, but whatever was in that book must have been the key reason people didn't like Dull.

"Have you ever read The Book of Beginnings, Dormion?" He asked discreetly, almost like he wasn't trying to let Dormion know he was asking.

"I've had read a few bits, but only because my parents wanted me to learn how to read. I wish I could teach you... I'm not that great at it myself." Max'Sall remembered back a few years ago, when he and Dormion had become good friends. He had learned that Dormion could read and write, and he tried to teach him to do the same, but there is a reason that never truly came to fruition.

"You're not necessarily the best teacher I've ever known." Max'Sall snickered.

"I'm probably the only one you've ever known. Don't nag on my teaching ability. Plus, I said I was sorry." The tension was gone between the two as they both laughed at each other. He took another small piece of bread and ate before he continued.

"The Book of Beginnings isn't even a very interesting read. Just another Creation book trying to make everyone convert. Honestly, you'd think that they wouldn't devote themselves so hard to it too, considering that most people don't follow all the rules of Creationism."

"There are more rules to Creationism?" This is the first time Max'Sall heard of this, though he suspected that Dormion didn't bring it up, as it made both of them feel worse when they did, like rubbing salt in a wound.

"Yeah. You know that in Creationism, it's said that woman are supposed to be the main caretakers. They call it a rite of their own to bear." That was odd. Most of the time, it was the woman around the town that ran the stores and did a lot of more technical challenges. Even the Kursoonian Treasurer was also a woman, though he did not know her name.

"Nah, that is weird... What about Dulls? Did you get to that part?" Dormion simply sighed as he placed the bread down.

"No, by the time we were close..." There was a pause. It was clear he was uncomfortable in the situation and Max'Sall simply sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder. He understood Dormion's situation, but bringing it up would only cause strife. So he simply said nothing.

"Well, maybe it would be better if you hadn't. There are things you don't want to know. Like where those meat disks from Coulon's comes from."

"Ah man, don't remind me of that! I don't think we've gotten one since then!" Dormion put his head down in defeat as Max'Sall simply laughed it off. There was still pain from his wounds, but it would go away, eventually. Max'Sall paused for a moment before looking back towards the city.

"Maybe we should just leave... find somewhere else to live."

"You've said this how many times I've known you?"

"And you agree with me every time."

"I know. It's not like I think about it all the time, you know? I would go somewhere else in a heartbeat, but where in Final Paradise would go?"

"Scarletandor isn't too far, we could save up and find someplace out there." Max'Sall didn't want to suggest leaving either, but the wounds had reminded him of what it meant to live in Kursoon.

"We could become farmers, live off the land. We could raise our animals," Dormion exclaimed a little louder. Clearly, the idea of having cattle to raise might have piqued his interest a little more.

"No more meat discs!" Max'Sall said with a slight smirk towards Dormion, who only scoffed at him in annoyance. Dormion looked back at the city, clearly something making him think more deeply.

"Did the meat disc comment really set you off?" Max'Sall responded, still keeping that jovial tone. Dormion simply sat down and looked back at the city.

"How are we supposed to get that much money? Sure, we could save up to buy cattle, but what about land, workers? What if they don't sell it to us?! There is so much to think about. Where do we begin?"

The tone was a little harsher than the beginning conversation, and it felt like it was getting a little colder out into the night. Max'Sall knew that those dreams were fleeting. How many times had they had the same conversation? It would always go the same way. No matter where they went, they were outcasts. Maybe the Luong or the half-born would take them in, but half-born already deal with so much and that was half away across the world.

"I don't know..." Max'Sall simply said. There was a pause to the both of them before Dormion simply just smiled.

" I think that's fine. We get hurt, we help each other. We work together and work hard together. As long as I'm with you, I think we can change our outcomes." Dormion said, his face never wavering away from the light of the moon.

"How could you feel bad with Dormion?" Max'Sall wondered to himself? Dormion wore his feelings on his large coat sleeves. He was strong in his mind and in his heart. Physical strength meant nothing. He could hold up the world with his will alone. Max'Sall sighed as he looked towards the night.

"Yeah, glad to have you with me," Max'Sall said without hesitation. Both of the two laughed together as the light shined down.

It was only by that moment that Max'Sall believed he saw something down below. Curfew had long passed and so being out passed this time meant they were breaking the law, at least from what he knew. There in the darkness's corner was a cloaked figure, in a dark black cloak, an odd style of clothing, as there was another figure near them.

This other figure, a man who was wearing ragged clothes and had shaggy brown and tinted teal skin. The figure in the robe was walking with him. The figure in the cloak walked with the other man, and as he turned towards the eastern gate towards the edge of Kursoon, the cloak had a symbol on the back.

It was a crescent shape in the back, but there was a small circle outline where the full circle would be, and towards the edge of the crescent shape was a white splotch, that almost looked like there was supposed to be a shine in the artwork itself. Max'Sall couldn't make out the face, but whoever lingered in the dark, walked away into the darkness with that man.

"Did you see that?" Dormion had said as Max'Sall looked back at Dormion and was trying to look towards the figure.

"That was The Nocturne..." The Nocturne was a small religion, some called it cult, but it is said that they worshipped The Darkness and The Moon. Max'Sall knew little else, but the small stories about the twin concepts. Some say that they would steal your mind in the night and change you, others say that they take away parts of your soul when you're out after hours. Max'Sall understood why they believed that they just did. Maybe because bad things happened at night to some, but bad things happened in the day too. He didn't question it any further.

"I wonder what happens to people who go with them?" Max'Sall had asked to Dormion.

"I heard someone say that they "came back" from their lair, and yes, they called it their lair, and said that they sacrifice humans and Dull alike." Max'Sall just simply scoffed at the idea. Perhaps he just didn't understand what they believed like they did, but if that's what others believed in, he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"We should head inside, anyway. Don't want any of them guards taking us, either." Dormion simply walked back to the hole in the house's ceiling and walked down into the room. Max'Sall stared out in the night as the moon casually watched over him. There, that giant orb of opalescent color almost made him feel like the brilliant light was cast on him. For a moment, he felt serene. The tiredness and the pain of only a few hours set in as he got up and walked back to his bed to sleep.

The night watched over him, like a comfort as he slept.

***

Caelen was in trouble. He tapped his finger anxiously against the wooden table in front of him as he tried to wipe away the tiredness that stained his eyes. He could hear Merlin, his Kurona, walk across the floor of his office. The furry four-legged feline was begging for scraps of food that Caelen had on his desk, his deep violet fur rubbing up against his leg. With a scoff, he half hastily threw the plate of leftover meat to the rotund creature as Merlin began his feast.

Caelen was too busy to care about that creature for now. He was already in big trouble to begin with. The business was thriving, but it didn't matter when his resources were being expunged every single way. He didn't want to have to wait long for it, but clearly it had been way too long. He was supposed to be here any minute. Why he waited so long, especially at night where the chance of problems was higher, Caelen didn't know. In reality, he cared deeply for this, because if this ambassador from Araes himself wasn't here soon, he would—

There was a knock at the door, loud and strong, like a solid hit against the wood with a hammer. Caelen had gotten up as quickly as he could, startling Merlin as he walked out of his office towards the front entrance of The Mix. He brushed himself off and flicked away the rest of his food on his tunic before coughing and opening the door.

"Yes, gentleman..." When he had opened the door, he expected many things. What he did not expect was for a riding lizard to be staring at him in the face. Its dark green skin with swirls of deep crimson shined through the moonlight of Noiratha. Caelen almost jumped out of his own skin had it not had been because the creature turned away from the door and a man was perched atop of the beast.

"Caelen Fullon, I presume?" The man's voice was deep, caved in a bit from his steel helm that he wore with the visor still on his face. He wore not the cyan and silver of Kursoon, but a deep orange and purple surcoat around his steel armor. No, it was not steel, it was Rune Silver. Caelen had seen Rune Silver before, but this was different entirely. Interlocking plates of an almost metallic opal color that gave it a luster the likes of which he had never seen before. That must have costed a small army, all for one man.

He had focused in on the colors, the orange and purple already showing the family, but the symbol made it clear. It was drawn on a symbol of brilliant white ink that portrayed a united family, that stood together with a castle like silhouette behind them.

This was the Paramore family symbol, the strongest and most united family in Kursoon, and he worked under them.

Caelen had forgotten his manners as he bowed an almost full bow towards the man with on the lizard and spoke.

"Yes, Caelen Fullon. I assume you are the one that Araes has sent?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The man said nothing more than he launched himself off the lizard. Now, Caelen could see two more sets of figures behind them, both draped in orange and violet cloaks that had the same symbol as the men on the back of their cloaks.

"Things have changed." Changed? What change? Caelen tried to rack his brain on what was actually going on, but it was not like the Paramore family to not let him know something about the change in plans. But this could be good, after all, if things have changed. Perhaps they were trying not to focus on his own mistake, but to push forward with their own plan.

"C-Change?" Caelen barely forced out that statement. He wasn't sure how far he could push this conversation with the ambassador of their family, but what are the two for? A man in Rune Silver could take on over forty men on his own, arrows and normal steel couldn't even get past that. So what was the point of having the other two?

"Yes, something has changed." The man in armor walked through the door with a strong stride as he basically shoved Caelen away to get into the main room. The other two cloaked walked in behind him as they left the riding lizard out in the front entrance of The Mix. Caelen steeled his nerves as he looked outside to make sure not Kursoon guards were watching, he would pay them off if they saw something anyway, but that was money he didn't want to have to spend.

All three of the figures walked in towards his office space as they almost barged the door down. With the man's armor, he had to slide into the door frame while the others simply walked through. Merlin quickly saw all three figures as he ran outside the room towards a small box that he had made his home. Caelen straightened himself as he walked into the office room with the other figures inside.

The man in the armor reached up for his helmet as he removed the intricate helmet. He was a broad-faced man with deep cutting scars that spanned across most of his chin and his forehead. They were deep and almost serrated, like he had been cut by a hacksaw. He had a scraggly black beard, clearly dyed, and his skin was like that of a molten rock with lines of red in between a deep brown, almost black skin.

"You must be the ambassador, I am to presume?" Caelen didn't want to take any steps too far in any direction, dealing with a powerful family meant taking risks, but it also meant keeping your head bowed down like the floor was the most interesting thing nearby. You kept your nose to the floor, so that you make other do the same, Caelen had at least believed that.

The large man, which already was an understatement since he could have been mistaken for a Luong in that armor, began to sneer and chuckle a small amount. Caelen looked back up to the man, his almost snarl like grin gleamed across his face.

"You are not..." Caelen could barely let out the words before the other two figures shifted in the room before. The large man looked towards the two as they let down their cloaks.

"Who is going to tell him?" There was another snicker that came from the same large man as Caelen looked towards the two other figures.

The first figure was a woman with stern raven black hair that went down to her hips. It was mostly unkempt with small strands that split. Her skin was pale, but with lots of cuts and deep wounds that still waited to be healed. She looked rough but young, like she had been through too many fights. Her face looked to be in a permanent scowl, but she stood tall, as much as the other figure next to her.

The other figure that flicked down the cloak was a much older man, could be in his upper fifties. His hair was a deep white, which was odd. His face had sets of wrinkle but with a strength to it like a warrior. His were like lake blue marbles that shone like the sea and after the cloak went up, it showed off that he was carrying a thin blade on his hip, a rapier most likely.

If Caelen was any much of a lesser being, he would have asked more questions, but he quickly realized what was going on. In a quick motion, just as the elder man put his cloak down and Caelen recognized the face, be put his body to the ground in a kneeling position as he was sweating. How? How could be possibly be here in Kursoon?!

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Caelen Fullon?" The elder man spoke, his voice like a strong general; tough, commanding, but overall his tone was soft, and it made Caelen feel like the soldier he never was. Caelen, despite all this, was still trembling. This man, the absolute power this man exhumed over him, was too much.

"Sir.... Sir Paramore. I didn't expect you to be here..." He didn't know who the other woman was. Maybe his new wife. He wouldn't be surprised if he did; What happened to Morigane was something almost everyone in Kursoon knew.

"Well, I thought it would be good to check on how everything was going, that you were pursuing our goals at well and healthy peace." This man was the most powerful person he could think about besides the current ruler of Kursoon, but even she could not hold up the amount of power the head ruler of House Paramore had. Araes Paramore was one of the strongest humans he had ever known.

"Our goals, I assure you sure sir, are on the same path. I have been pushing more and more Blot out of the network." Caelen was trying to force his voice not to crack, but when up against an unstoppable force, what was one to do?

"I agree with this, and mostly, you have been doing very well." Araes motioned to the large man in the room as he bowed and walked back outside towards the riding creature. Araes had already taken a seat across the office table that Caelen was at. He had motioned for Caelen to sit down where he would normally, with a little hesitation he stood up and sat down in his chair before slouching a bit in the chair as Araes left his left leg over his right in his chair, like he was trying to keep himself comfortable.

Still, that "most part" that Araes had mentioned scared him. He knew what he did wrong, and yet. The man came back into the room carrying a small satchel and large silvered opalescent maul. The hammer weapon must have been made of the same Runic Silver, as its luster caused a relatively small glow around it, like Creation itself blessed it.

The man removed the items in the satchel, small vials of Blot Elixirs. The large man took out small tea cups and set them down in front of Araes, the woman and Caelen himself. He took out the Elixirs and poured each one into the cup, as the liquid swirled and shimmered in various colors. Caelen always liked the way Blot looked. Its swirling magnificence gave it almost an ethereal feeling when he stared into it and made him feel like he belonged to this high class.

He waited to sip from it as the large man stood back, this time with his right hand on his beautiful maul. The other two sipped as Caelen waited, he felt like there was something up, but would not drinking it here make him rude? He didn't take that risk, any more mishaps, and maybe he wouldn't see where this would go.

"Tell me, Mr. Fullon. What is the goal of your business model? Remind me again." Was this a test? Caelen didn't know, but part of him was to guess that lies and remarks would get him nowhere.

"I sell illegal and explicit goods to others who will buy." He just was truthful.

"That is correct, and recently you have been getting an influx of Jewel fruit and Blot. You know this, right?" Araes looking still calm in his chair, but he stared into the cup itself, as if he was trying to find something within.

"Yes, sir. That is because of you, sir..."

"This you also know. I supply and you must, how I say, get rid of the things that stand in my way."

"This I know..."

"Oh, so you know this? Then what happened with the last shipment of Blot I had given you?" He knew. Of course he knew, it wasn't truly a surprised that he knew, but the problem was that Caelen was trying to dodge the question more and more. He was trying to get out of it when he was already on a ship down.

"I did, sir. It was a bad business deal gone south. Dr. Nahatlan told me he could afford what he was paying for. I should double checked my sources." It was a simple but horrible mistake. He had assumed that this "Dr. Nahatlan" had the income to be spending to be getting his fix. They had stolen it in the night, a team of his comprising junkies looking for a fix. He had the First captain deal with it. They would most likely be dead, or worse, but the shipment was lost.

"Bad business deal, huh? You've spent how long scouring the Midlands regions, learning trade secrets, and you made a bad business deal? It's an understatement to the say the least." Araes had already been sipping the cup of Blot as the other woman just stood there, watching him like a hawk. Those eyes bore into the side of his head like she would have burned a hole in them. Who was she?

"It was an honest mistake. I--"

"Honest mistake? That's not how this works, Mr. Fullon. Honest mistakes are when you spill tea on a friend, or when you drop a plate of food and have to clean it up. No, this is your fault, and unfortunately, that means it's much worse than you think."

Araes snapped his fingers as the large man walked over to Caelen. He had his maul in his left hand and his right hand free. He leaned over to Caelen had grabbed his right hand in his and forced it into a tight grip. Caelen felt that squeeze of force. Pain rocketed into his hand as he gritted his teeth, looking towards Araes.

"I'm going to tell you right now that you have done a grand disservice to the Paramore family. The plan is still going, you know that, right? If a word gets out about this, or that more Blot is circulating more frequently in the city itself, the plan doesn't work! Araes was getting more heated, his voice a tempest of force and authority, but his voice volume didn't get higher, but it felt louder in Caelen's ear like thunder.

"So, you have to truly understand how you messed up. For Life's sake, you have one job!" Araes snapped his fingers again as the force of the man's grip tightened as hard as he could. Caelen felt every bone in his right-hand snap and shift. It was quiet, but he was sure he heard his bones crack under the pressure. Caelen wanted to scream, he wanted to shout even more loudly than before, but before he could, the woman that Araes had brought had put her finger to her mouth, remaining Caelen to keep quiet.

"Understand where we stand. I don't have another smuggling unit like anyone else in this city. I'm too well known. You have been doing this too long to think I don't notice when something is off." Caelen was trying really hard to not scream out loud, so he simply just nodded as his fingers felt numb. This man was too strong. How could a simple man be this strong?

"You have done something bad, but think of it as out good graces that I don't actual just chop off that hand. So I won't chop off that hand." Araes looks at the large man as he lets go of Caelen's hand. He felt the flop down, clearly broken from most of the joints, if not more than likely, it being disjointed from the wrist itself. He hisses in the pain as he holds it with his others, swells of tears running ample down his cheeks.

"You and I have a special relationship, Mr. Fullon. I say that knowing that while you have actively failed me, I can't really seem to let you go, and I suppose it is the same for me." Caelen knew he was desperately in need of Araes, then he did of others. Despite what some think, Caelen knew what it was like being at the bottom of the food chain. Days going hungry, blessed days of storms to keep his mind off the pain of hunger. Those days almost rained clear in his mind.

How long had it had been since this deal with Araes had been going on ten years? Ever since... his wife had disappeared, at least. All he had to do was smuggle in a few things, sell off others. The deal was good, and the money was better. Caelen looked around The Mix, the shop that he built up with the money. Where would it all go if he lost this opportunity? He knew the answer, but kept that information at the back of his mind, afraid of letting it slip.

"Even then, understand what it means to keep this charade going. I can't afford to cut you off. You're too valuable. But keep in mind, I don't really think that a single loss, over the occurrence of many, is a price I'm not willing to pay. Do you understand?"

Caelen could only nod from the pain. Araes looked over at the large man as he looked over, awaiting his command.

"Kogon, the artifact please." The large man, now named Kogon, bowed quickly before racing outside to grab the artifact. Only a few seconds later and he brought back a small box. It was simple in design. There was hardly even a lock and key mechanism on it, only a simple ring latch that would life it up. It was the size of the large man's hand, and it didn't even carry the Paramore family crest on it.

Kogon had set down the box as he leaned back against the wall and waited. Araes had taken the small box and pushed it towards Caelen, who sat there surprised. Caelen waited for but a moment to see whether opening the box was ok.

"Open the box for all of Fala'mor's sake!"

In a flash, Caelan had quickly pulled up on the ring latch as he looked inside. The inside sat a cushioned gemstone of ruby color, shaped and trimmed to look like that of a sapphire, the oval-esque shape giving it a distinguished look. It was beautiful in every way, not a single scratch or mark on it, as it was cut to perfection.

"What is this?" Caelen had questioned slowly before Araes simply laughed to himself.

"Show him, Mel." The now named Mel grunted as she stood up and removed her cloak. She was surprisingly armored as well as the other man, though it was smaller to fit her body proportions. Her height made it look like a fine piece of armor. It was also Runic Silver, but where Kogon's was pristine with little to no imperfections, her armor had seen many battles. It was still beautiful with an opalescent glow as part of it, but the scratches and cuts the armor had were visible, unlike Kogon's, which gave Caelen a better sense of humility.

"So the armor is meant for warfare" He hadn't seen the armor being used, so in a way, he assumed that was mostly used for wealthy people to show off.

In a moment, Mel had held out her hand. Caelen, from the corner of her eye, saw that part of the armor in her back glowed a soft blue, another part of the armor, it glowed when an Embody was being used. Mel's eyes were heavily focused as, from the surrounding area, a soft ocean blue sphere rose next to her. It was ethereal and hummed an almost soft vibration in the air.

"An Engrave!" Caelen had almost stood up, as Kogon walked over and picked up the gemstone in his hand. He held it up close to Mel, but a solid enough distance, as if he was expecting something. Caelen was afraid as the ethereal ball of light spun slightly. There was a vibration in the air, generating this high-pitched noise that reminded of him of metal in a storm.

Then Araes had motioned to Mel as the ball generated a small heat that Caelen could feel. Before anything else, the ball quickly flickered before a blot of pure lightning shot out from the ball and into the gemstone. There was very little sound to the lightning bolt, but enough to startle Caelen had he jumped back. The gem Kogon was holding took the entire brunt of the lightning bolt as it hit. It glowed a solid ruby red and shined like the light of Lutana.

Caelen processed what he had seen, trying to answer all the questions burning into his head. Mel put her hand down as he went back to the wall and leaned against it. Kogon held up the gemstone as he tossed it to Caelen.

Caelen quickly maneuvered to catch the glowing stone as he held it in his left hand. That beautiful red stone, now maybe the entire room, glow in a sudden red hue. The gemstone was also hot to the touch, with bits of lightning arcing out of the stone itself... It was charged into the stone.

"What.... what is this?" Caelen dared to ask.

"That is what we like to call the future of human ingenuity. A Medium, is what we have coined it for now, a way to store into a gemstone." Caelen couldn't believe what he was holding. Blot had many limitations despite its clear power: It couldn't heal or restore things, it was limited in quantity and could only be used by Engraved to harness their Primary, Secondary or Tertiary.... but this.

"This is remarkable! With this, you could do almost anything!" Caelen's mind raised to the ideas of the power this gemstone had. You could power armor and weapons with it, it could be used as ammunition, you could even... this changes everything.

"You think I haven't already thought of those ideas swirling through your thick head? I have, but it's not complete yet." As if on command, the power inside the gemstone dwindled at a rapid rate. In almost twelve seconds, the power was gone, and Caelen was left with the same ruby from before.

"Its duration is short, and it still requires an Engrave to fuel the power. It can last only about thirty seconds before it dwindles the power. Not only that, but only rubies fuel it, and aren't sure why."

"Still... it's incredible." The Paramore family was always the forerunners of brand new technology that scoured the plains of Fala'mor. Caelen still didn't understand how much this meant to the world he knew. Something dawned on him as he held the small gemstone in his hand.

"Why did you want to show me this? If it's not complete, doesn't that mean that anyone having this is dangerous?" Caelen asked, with confusion spread all across his face.

"You're right, it would be pretty dangerous in the wrong hands. More importantly, this kind of power hasn't been shown to the world yet, but we are so close... You asked me why I wanted to show you this, and the answer is quite simple... I want you to keep it."

"What?" Caelen thought in his head, already trying to piece together what this meant for him, remembering and feeling the pain in his broken right hand.

"More questions? Look, simply put, The Medium isn't ready and I think having a pair of fresh eyes to look at what it can do is going to be better. I also think it's the best way to test you."

"Test, sir?" Caelen asked.

"Yeah, a test. I am going to let you have that, and then I'm going to see if you come up with anything later. And, if you lose it... I think maybe this relationship isn't working out, and we can just cut ties." Araes had said without a single hint of remorse on his face.

"What is it you want of me to do with this?"

"Whatever you think you can do with it. We are going to keep working on it, and I want you to think of some ideas, designs even, and then let me know when we meet next, yeah?" Araes stood up as he readjusted his cloak on his back. Mel was already moving out as the large man grabbed his helmet and hammer and moved it back near the wall of the office.

"And Kogon here will be here to help you out if you need anything. He listens to me, and thus he will listen to you." Kogon simply nodded as he sat down in the chair that Araes had gotten out of.

"I thank you sir, this could mean so much too--"

"Please, just see what you can find out. I am going to head out of town. I have spent too much time here already, bad memories." Araes had given a simple wave as both he and Mel put up their hoods and walked out of The Mix. When they both left, all Caelen could do was look at the gemstone in his left hand. He looked over to see that Kogon was drinking the Blot that Caelen didn't drink. His skin glowed as he sipped and sighed into a simple bliss.

"So, you are just here to follow my orders?" Caelen had asked, putting the small gemstone into the box and leaving it on the table. Kogon looked up at Caelen, now with a look of annoyance.

"Unfortunately, yes, I have to do what the boss says, and regardless if I am with the worst person in human history, or a sorry excuse for a criminal like yourself, it doesn't matter, for that is my job." Kogon's voice was still deep without the helmet on, but now Caelen could tell how much Kogon disliked him. He didn't blame the man, but with him in charge, it didn't really matter.

"I advise talking like that, lest I leave you out in the street." Caelen had exclaimed, keeping some tone of authority with the man. Kogon stood up as he walked towards Caelen, towering over him. He was a good foot taller than him, and his armor was like a steel door.

"Is that how you think this is going to work? No, you tell me what to do, but know this... anything that you tell me that might belittle my skills, make waste of my talents, or is just plain stupid, I won't hesitate to break the other hand."

The threat had landed as Kogon had backed off and left the office room and shut the door with a loud bang. Caelen had clicked his tongue before touching the box softly. He had always had a belief, and a dream really, to change the world, to become something more a vagrant on the street. And now.... this gemstone was his key.

Caelen stared at the gemstone with a wide smile on his face, the light of the candles in the room glowing. With a little precision, he could make out his own face in the red hue of the stone, like the him inside knew that this could change everything.

He would change everything.