{-Casrane-}

“Only a couple more things,” she assured them. “And then we’ll be able to put a stop to all of this.”

Both of the twins nodded.

Of course, when she said that, they probably all thought of some kind of trial actually within the region. Casrane had a suspicion that that wasn’t quite the case—those parts of what she’d read had been vague—but she didn’t know for sure until they got to the border.

A fence of runes was built up all around it, pulsing with a dull glow in a way that almost seemed to warn of what they’d face ahead. There was a slightly different set of runes in a specific spot, though it was easier to tell that it was special due to the text written on it and the fact Llewel walked up to it.

“It looks like they’re instructions on how to enter,” he remarked. Beneath the coded calmness was a hint of confusion; he didn’t understand it any more than the rest of them, he’d just been the one chosen to act like he did. “It says, ‘The past can hold hints of the future, and old allies will often return in times of need. Dwell on your journey—the key rests within each of the lives you’ve altered along the way.’”

“We’ve done a lot since we first left Nafrius, though,” Myr pointed out. “And we’ve helped a lot of people along the way. It doesn’t want us to somehow talk to all of the people we’ve helped along the way, does it..?”

Casrane shook her head. “It’s vague, but,,, I really don’t think it’s supposed to be considered that vaguely. I think all we need to do is find the people who we’ve changed the most—the ones who helped us, in one way or another, as much as we helped them. Or, at least, the key names and faces we’ve encountered along our adventure.”

…

It really didn’t matter what order they went in, since it could be done in any order and, for the most part, it was easy to teleport from one spot to another. But once she’d given the twins her idea of how things were going to play out, she asked for their opinions, and together decided they’d repeat their original journey—start at Nafrius, then travel through each region until they get back to Anseshara.

“Who do you think it is?” Myr asked casually. “Duuzlo, maybe?”

Llewel shook his head thoughtfully. “Technically, he’d fit what we’re looking for, but… I don’t think he’s really who we need. It’s supposed to be people we’ve helped during our journey, not before it. So it’s probably got to be someone else we’ve helped here…”

“Do you remember the first two people we helped after I met you?” Casrane prompted. “I’m pretty sure you also mentioned how we should remember them for later.”

Myr thought long and hard for a moment, then asked, “Kiah and Farrar? What happened before you talked to us is a little fuzzy…”

Casrane nodded. “I think it’s as good a spot as any to start looking, at least.”

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“I can lead the way,” Llewel offered.

It seemed that, once he knew where he was supposed to be headed, he had no problem getting there. Even he didn’t quite seem to know where the confidence came from, though; it was just another pre-coded action, something that felt unnatural to anyone aware of it.

Once they got to the house Kiah and Farrar must’ve lived in, he knocked on the door.

“I remember Kiah saying that she had mercenary work, but Farrar should probably be here,” Llewel said. That voice wasn’t quite natural, either. “If not, we can always come back after resting at the inn for a little bit.”

Casrane nodded her acknowledgment, though they didn’t have to wait long.

The door opened to a somewhat-familiar face giving them a smirk. “I was just thinking about how I felt like I should see you soon!” Kiah stepped back so they could enter. “Come in, tell me what you’re here for.”

Casrane explained it, and it wasn’t even halfway through that Kiah darted into another room for a moment to grab something.

“I came across this on one of my jobs earlier,” she explained. She held something out for them, something that glowed slightly even if it only really looked like it could’ve been a part of something. “Do you think it’s a part of what you’ll need?”

Llewel gently took it from her and looked it over. “I think so. You don’t mind if we keep it, right?”

“You’ll have more use for it than I will.”

“Thanks.”

“Just do what you can to make things better, and I’ll say we’re even. And remember to call me if you need my help—I’ll always be ready to lend you a hand.”

…

“Do you really think it has to be Shemle..?” Myr asked nervously. “We weren’t exactly on good terms the last time we saw each other…”

“There’s not a lot of others it could be,” Llewel said. He was leading the way again, once they decided who’d they be visiting. “I think we’ll be able to talk to him, though. It takes a lot of ignorance for someone to continue to ignore what’s going on, even if we’re on different sides…”

Casrane couldn’t help but believe him; there were small, but not unnoticeable, signs that things were changing. The sky grew darker, like the storms in Ilataesi, and there seemed to be a lot more spots of runes. It wouldn’t be long before people not only had the motivation but the means to fight, along with the sure signs that a side would need to be taken.

“The least we can do is talk to him,” Casrane pointed out in her attempt to be reassuring. “Even if it’s not through him directly, I’m sure we’ll find a way to get that part of the key.”

Just then, a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows. “What, exactly, do you want me to give you?”

“We need a piece of a key,” Casrane explained. “It’s how we’re going to fix all of this, and we can’t do it without your help.”

“And why should I help you, again? We’re on different sides. Whatever you want to do, I’m undoubtedly going to want the opposite.”

“I’m not asking you to go back on what you believe in—”

“That’s exactly what it sounds like you’re trying to do.”

“—all I want is for you to consider helping some old friends. If we don’t do this, there’s a lot more at stake than just what the Rune Reactivation Project wants to achieve. I think you can guess the kinds of things that might happen if we let this go on, and I have a feeling that you don’t want them to happen, either. So say we forced you, or tricked you somehow, I don’t care—I just want to know if you’ll give us what we need to help everyone.”

Shemle was quiet for a moment, then took something out of his pocket and tossed it in their direction. He left, still without saying a word.

Llewel cautiously walked up to what he’d thrown and announced, “I think this is a part of the key.”