As the box opened, Alex''s mind buzzed with whispered words. Images flashed across his eyes faster than he could even understand. It was just like when he accessed an island core. Every time he interacted with the technology, it implanted something in his mind. He blinked a few times as he took in the box''s contents.


    It took him a few moments to figure out what he was looking at. A figure in a white gown, not that different from a hospital gown, lay in the rectangular box, curled up in on itself in a fetal position. Stark-white skin shone in the light from the box''s corners, and black lines ran down the figure''s limbs to ball joints at every point a human body could bend. Long white hair was wrapped around the figure''s form, reminding Alex of a sleeping child.


    "What the heck is this?" he whispered, remembering that Erin stood beside him.


    "You''re the one that opened it," Erin said. "Shouldn''t you know?"


    Alex truly had no idea. He felt like he stood on the precipice of a cliff. Whatever the creature was in the box, he knew it was what the coordinates pointed to. His breath caught in his chest, and he hesitated. What was it? Alex hesitated to call it human.


    "It looks like a doll," Erin said, leaning forward but keeping her hands away from it. "I''ve never seen anything like it before."


    Listen.


    A soft voice rang out in Alex''s head. It was familiar to him, mainly because he had heard it two times before when he had been close to island cores. His hand shook as he picked it up from the lip of the box and reached down to touch the figure.


    "Wait." Erin tried to stop him, but it was too late.


    Bzzt.


    Static crossed the distance between his fingers and the creature''s skin. The figure shook in the box, its limbs shaking suddenly before stopping. Erin jumped back immediately. Alex didn''t. He saw the creature continue to move. He kept his eyes on it as the figure continued to convulse as he took his hand away. Whatever it was, it was waking up.


    "Why did you do that?" Erin asked in a terse whisper as he took a step back.


    Tiny fingers gripped the side of the box, each one closing around the edge as the arm raised the figure up from where it lay. Blue pupilless eyes looked out over the room as it pulled itself to a sitting position. Its white hair fell around its face, which was more human than he expected.


    "Think about it," Alex whispered. "The coordinates led here. The logbook responded to me the same way that everything like island cores do. This has to be what it was leading us to."


    "And if it isn''t?" Erin raised her eyebrow at him. "What if it was at the other temple?"


    Thump.


    The creature leaned forward and fell face-first onto the dais. Alex resisted the urge to laugh, stepping forward as it fell further down the dias in an almost flip and landed splayed out on the steps. He knelt down next to it and reached out a hand.


    "Are you okay?"


    It looked at him as it lay on the floor. Aside from the ball joints and lines across its body, it looked surprisingly human. With the right clothes, the only way someone could tell it wasn''t human would be the eyes.


    "Starting. This unit is designated M.A.R.I.," it said in the same soft feminine voice he heard when he accessed cores. "What settings would you like to implement?"


    "Now that''s a question." Alex frowned, scratching his chin as he looked at Erin.


    She looked just as lost as he was. Alex gestured with his head and eyes, asking for her to come closer, but she just shook her head and stayed back. Alex sighed. He would have to go it alone, and he had no idea what he was doing. Granted, that wasn''t that different from his normal life.


    "What options are there?" Alex asked.


    Bzzt.


    M.A.R.I.''s body flinched with an electric shock, and Alex reflexively rocked back on his heels. The spasm stopped a moment later, and M.A.R.I. looked up at him with glowing blue eyes. They flickered, almost like a blink, as M.A.R.I. tilted its head.


    "Roald?"


    "You know Roald?" Erin crossed the room in an instant, bending down to look at M.A.R.I.


    Alex shook his head. Of course, that was what it took to get Erin to rush in. M.A.R.I.''s head turned to Erin, and Alex waited. He wasn''t sure what to make of it and had no idea what it was. However, M.A.R.I. was something out of a science fiction movie to him. A robot that looked like a human. Now wasn''t the time, but maybe M.A.R.I. dreamed of electric sheep.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He kept the smile off his face.


    "Roald is the name of the original user," M.A.R.I. said. "Would you like to reset to factory default, or would you like to restore settings ''Roald?''"


    "Use the ''Roald'' settings," Alex said immediately before nodding at Erin. "Trust me. If you want to know more about that guy, that''ll be the best option."


    Erin frowned but nodded. Light flashed on M.A.R.I.''s blue eyes again, and then they went out. M.A.R.I. collapsed back onto the dais, her body completely limp. Silence filled the room for a moment, and Erin and Alex both shared a look.


    "Did she break?" Erin asked.


    "I have no idea," Alex said, poking at M.A.R.I. with his finger.


    Bzzt.


    Blue light flickered across M.A.R.I.''s eyes as it twitched again. Alex could hear a faint whirring noise as M.A.R.I. rose again, taking in the room around it. It looked between Alex and Erin for a moment before it opened its mouth and spoke.


    "Where is Father?" The voice was less robotic now and reminded Alex of a young girl''s voice. "Where is Roald?"


    <div>


    Sayed''s body burned hot when he finally woke up from his dream. As he opened his eyes, the night sky, full of stars, stretched out above him, and a flickering orange flame danced across his vision to his right. He raised one of his massive hands and looked at the back of it. His blessing had grown, and he could feel it even now in his heart. The pulsing heat of God begged to be released from his gate.


    "I have taken another step, my brothers," Sayed whispered. "Where will it lead me now?"


    "To dinner if you''re hungry." Jean chuckled beside him, and Sayed looked up to see the skeletal man in his blue robes sitting in the grass next to him.


    "That is a mighty fine fork in the path." Sayed grinned, pushing himself to a sitting position and taking in the world around him.


    It was not the sands of Hajh that greeted him but a camp in a clearing surrounded partly by a forest and party by broken buildings. A bonfire burned at the center of the camp, and many figures lay sleeping in tattered blankets around him. Sayed recognized the men as the drim they had fought to free, and he saw Michael nearby, leaning with his back against a crate with his eyes closed.


    "I take it from everyone''s position that we won the day," Sayed said, pushing himself up on shaking legs to stand. "I imagine there is quite the story to tell of how your own fight ended."


    "We did," Jean said. "The fight ended in an...unfortunate way. We raided the camp''s supplies and brought them to the west camp. Turns out our friends ducked into a portal of sorts and haven''t come back for a day now."


    Sayed looked out at the ruins around them and realized they were not in the same camp. These ruins were more revealed and, in a way, more intact. A statue rose up until it broke off at the waist, and a tower rose even higher near it.


    "Bargen is watching where they went in," Jean said. "He seems very dedicated to making sure they get back out, even if he can''t get through the door. He told me to thank you for saving his men."


    "I would not dream of doing otherwise." Sayed cracked his stiff neck. "Where there are those who are in chains, it is my duty to free them."


    "You''re all an odd bunch." Jean lounged back on the ground. "But I suppose that''s why I''m glad fate drew us together. Help yourself to any food you can find in the crates, and tell me about your curse. How has it changed?"


    "My blessing," Sayed corrected, walking over to one of the already opened crates and looking inside.


    A flash of movement caught his eye near the crate''s edge, and Sayed quickly moved to see it, but he saw nothing there. Slowly, he looked around, and occasionally, he could catch movement in the forest around them.


    "I feel we are being watched, brother," Sayed rested his hands on the crate. "Do you have my weapons?"


    "I do, but they''re nothing to worry about." Jean motioned near Michael''s crate where Sayed''s two swords and broken gauntlet lay. "Michael told me that there are little gremlins who like to sabotage the excavation efforts. They haven''t done much to us but move around in the night."


    "And you are not curious to see them?"


    "I''ve spent most of my time watching over you, friend." Jean snorted. "Maybe I''ll try and catch one when Alex comes back."


    Sayed did not trust the little things that hid in the shadows, but his stomach grumbled enough to reinforce that he didn''t have the energy to waste chasing them. He reached down into the crate, taking out long strips of dried meat and a few pieces of old fruit. They weren''t rotting, but it was clear that the supplies were old.


    "There is not much here." Sayed frowned.


    "Drim don''t need to eat much, from what I understand." Jean shrugged. "Just make due until we can leave. No one''s in danger of starving to death."


    Sayed sighed and returned to his resting place, sitting down and beginning to eat the food. It wouldn''t sate the fire that burned in his stomach, but it would quiet it for a time. Jean waited beside him, staring at Sayed expectantly, his dark eyes glimmering in the firelight.


    "You wish to know what power I gained from my blessing," Sayed said between bites. "Like you told us before, I was shown a friend from the past, and he helped me along. I think the power will be interesting. I called on my blessing to create mirages for me."


    "Mirages," Jean said, raising one bony finger. "That''s a power I would have never thought of."


    "The power of the desert." Sayed nodded. "The power to fool enemies with a mirage. I thought it very appropriate for myself."


    "Considering how devout you are, I''m surprised you wouldn''t upgrade to flames. Why wouldn''t you want to wield a power similar to your god''s?"


    "I see your point," Sayed said, starting to peel the skin of the orange fruit next. "However, flame is inherently a power of destruction. While God is many things and is, at times, a destroyer of evil, there are other aspects to its power that are more important. The true power of God is not destruction. If I took the flame, I would not honor what I love most about it."


    "So you chose to create illusions?"


    "What better way to tell a story?" Sayed smiled. "The power to control what is seen, whether in battle or when telling a tale. I will be able to bring my stories to life with the power of my blessing. I will be able to show my friends Hajh in its glory. I will be able to give life to the stories of the fallen."


    He took a bite of the fruit.


    "I can think of no better power than that."


    Jean laughed, shaking his head and bending forward. Sayed joined him in his laughter, and soon, they had woken up the entire camp. Together, they waited for Alex and Erin to return. Sayed hoped that they had a grand tale to tell of where they had been.