《Crystal Rebirth Chronicles》


 Diamonds in the Rough

    The small cavern was lit by a singular blue crystal. The cave wasn''t particularly large so the gem, maybe the size of a child''s fist, was more than sufficient, its glow growing then dimming in a steady beat. However, its beat steadily started to pick up pace until it was glowing a solid blue, and the far wall of the cave shuddered, cracked, and finally formed a small hole. A yellow light shone through, scanning over the cave before disappearing, and a few more cracks split the wall before it finally fell revealing a small, somewhat hunched figure. They wore a heavy looking mix between a helmet and gas-mask, a yellow crystal set in a cage on the front of the mask providing light, and the figure looked around before it moved up to the blue crystal and swung a heavy pick into the stone beside it. It only took a few swings to free the crystal and it was quickly placed in a dirty cloth bag before the figure turned around, heading for the entrance before pausing, turning to look back at the wall it got the blue crystal from.


    After a moment they returned to the wall and swung more and more into it, eventually coming away with a baseball sized piece of yellow crystal that was hidden deeper in. Running their thumb over it caused it to glow with a sickly light, and the thumb pulled away with a string of yellow slime. With a quiet hum they stowed it away as well and hobbled out of the cave and into a wide area, men and women of all ages digging into the stony cave walls as they were or moving to deposit their found loads of blue crystals into minecarts. Some wore similar masks but others simply had to make do with cloths around their faces, none stopping in their work to even glance as the hobbling figure''s own blue crystals were deposited and they began stalking off along the minecart rails, ending up in a massive cavern. Chunks of crystals embedded in the walls or along tall poles kept the cavern from plunging into darkness, revealing even more tunnels and tracks that spiraled out into the walls or led up to one long building made of sheet metal, and the masked figure scanned the area before spotting his target.


    An area had been set aside for several wooden tables and crates, manned by men and women who looked much healthier than the miners and a few who were even armed. Miners were lined up in front of the tables, dropping off rough gemstones or bright crystals, and those who had their bounty accepted looked like they gained ten years back on their lives before heading to a table with a rotund man behind it. The masked figure got in line for one of the tables and when their turn came they deposited the yellow crystal from earlier onto the table, along with a few small red gems and one large pink one. When their load was counted up they were given a large iron coin, and they clutched it in their pocket as they moved to line up before the fat man.


    When they finally were before the man he smiled wide, "Ah, Hazard! My favorite little roach. Let me guess-" The masked figure wordlessly passed over the coin, and the fat man chuckled as he set a few coins down, two silver dreks and a copper coin "Hazard" didn''t recognize but quickly scooped into their pockets, and the fat man leaned forward on the table. "You know, I could put a couple more dreks in your pocket if you-"


    "No." Hazard said plainly, knowing that anything the man wanted would be either vile or more effort to acquire than it was worth.


    "Someday Hazard, someday." The man waved Hazard off and the small miner found their way through one of the tunnels, reaching the "residential" area and the scrap metal shack they called home. Past the curtain door old Jeddard was in the main room, scrabbling against the stone floor with his long white beard dragging along the ground. The two long white spikes of hair that trailed up to either side of the man''s otherwise bald head whipped as Jeddard looked at Hazard and smiled.


    "Ah, lad! Come, come!" Hazard stepped closer to see concentric circles scratched into the ground, "I''ve been thinking about those "atom" things you mentioned, and I had an idea! If we harmonize crystals using the correct focii and tools, we may be able to combine crystals as you suggested into more powerful forms!"


    "That''s great Jeddard." Hazard''s voice was muffled through his mask and as the old man continued on about theorems Hazard moved to a dirt-filled pot, one of the few pieces of furniture in the room and shoved the coins right into the dirt. Smoothing the dirt inside so the coinage was hidden Hazard moved past Jeddard, careful not to step on any of his diagrams on the way out of the hovel. Down the tunnels he returned, getting back to work on his mining. As always, the usual scrabbers came to beg and Hazard gave a few of them some of the smaller crystals he found, knowing they had actual injuries that stopped them from working. The rest, however, were told to pound sand. His work finally ended with a loud whistle echoing out through the cavern, and after trading in his crystals once more he was back at "home" watching Jeddard make his diagrams.


    As the minutes dragged on a creeping feeling found its way into Hazard but passed when someone came into the home, sighing heavily and practically tossing off their heavy mask into the corner, revealing a female face and straight black hair, "I swear I''m going to just dig my way out of here one day."


    "So you say." Hazard snorted, and he realized he may have messed up when the girl glared at him with bright purple eyes and grabbed his mask, ripping it off his head to reveal a similar appearance, albeit with bright blue eyes and clearly much younger.


    "Well it''s true! How many more years are we going to be stuck down here before we can save up to leave?"


    "One month, three weeks, and two days at Hazard''s current pace. With contributions by you of course, Ro." The girl gave Jeddard a flat look before sighing, rubbing her face as Hazard reached out to pat her arm.


    "Soon."


    "I know, I know, it''s just... ugh." Ro huffed, crossing her arms. "Bal is on his usual stick again."


    "What was it this time? Tried to offer you some rations he swiped?"


    "Worse: he told me about his plan to take up the Toad''s position and told me about how he could "protect" me." Hazard blinked at that, remembering the fat man from earlier.


    "Wait, so he thought the way to get you to like him was by saying he wanted to be like someone everyone hates?" Ro shook her head.


    "I got all the protection I need." She patted a pocket sewn on her rough-cloth pants and Hazard shook his own head, seeing the outline of her shiv.


    "He''s going to go crazy when we leave."


    "Eh, let ''im go crazy. We''ll be long gone on an Aotian beach, watching the sun set." Hazard smiled and snorted, shaking his head again. Realistically he knew they''d never reach Aoti''i, but they''d be out of the mines, that''s all that mattered. They spent another short while speaking before it was back to work, long hours of toil leading up to a dinner of, to no one''s shock, gruel with dried-out vegetables tossed in. A rare treat was added in though: actually fresh bread. When dinner was over they returned to their ramshackle hut, Jeddard already asleep in a corner as the two young folk curled up in their own corner, artificial night coming over the mine as the crystal lights were covered.


    Normally sleep would find them quickly but Hazard felt fingers pressing over his shoulder, tracing them before Ro sighed. "...You awake?"


    "...yes."


    "...you really think we''ll get out of here?" Hazard to think on the question for a moment.


    "Yeah. I do." Hazard turned in to Ro, resting his head on her shoulder. She let out another long sigh before her arms wrapped around him in turn. "You''re just worried because you''re staying up too late."


    "Yeah, yeah." Ro grumbled, pulling him closer. "...we''ll get out of here, we''ll make a little house in Aoti''i, never have to worry about food or money or having to share a bathroom with a dozen other people at once, and-"


    Hazard smiled slightly as Ro started to ramble about all the things they''d have when they were gone from the mines, as close to a lullaby as one could get in the dank work camp outside the clang of tools, drifting off to sleep...


    <hr>


    His eyes opened once more to a bright blue sky, not marred by any cloud. He was laying back against the lip of a wide but shallow crater, drifting slightly in the tides of the sea before he sat up, looking around behind to see a white-sand beach. A home was standing on the sands, red brick and surrounded by a metal gate before he blinked, and the home was replaced by the rounded, natural sandstone homes of Aoti''i. Ro was there in a sundress, Jeddard in a rocking chair, both beckoning him forward and he smiled as he stood. When he took a step towards them however there was a great clanging, and he stared at his foot in confusion as he took another step with another clang sounding out-


    <hr>


    Hazard took a deep breath in, groaning quietly as he heard the morning alarms blare. It had to be early, normally he got much farther in his dreams before the morning call. He sat up, pulling away from a just-waking Ro as he stumbled for his mask, grumbling as his legs pulsed with dull pain. He waited for Ro to join him and they moved to the main hall where... oh wow, seemed like every overseer and guard was out in force today. When the hall was packed with miners practically shoulder to shoulder overseers with clipboards did a headcount, and Hazard immediately knew something was going down. The overseers barely noted it if a miner died, so why were they being suddenly taking stock?


    Scanning the are he saw the Toad, sweating up a storm at the head of the hall. This wasn''t just sweat from the heat of the forges or having to walk around, this... he was afraid of something. Hazard looked up to Ro and was partway to opening his mouth when the Toad''s voice started to boom over the hall.


    "All women head down to Spring A! All men head down to Spring B!"


    The pair managed to look at one another before the guards began forcibly separating everyone, guiding them down hall after hall until they reached the springs. The men were lined up along either wall of the sloped room, forced to stand in the streams caused by the water crystals embedded in the walls and strip down. The guards placed more water crystals into their spears and clubs before aiming at the miners and hosing them down. Normally, this would be considered better than the "showers" most took by using buckets to scoop up spring water, but the water blasted at them was ice cold. Still, Hazard frantically rubbed at his body to both warm himself and scrub as much of the accumulated dirt off as he could. Their clothes were given the same rough treatment, and when they were dressed again the guards swapped crystals to blast them with hot air.


    Confusion abounded, but Hazard felt he was the only one who really felt fear in this situation. There were only a handful of reasons the miners would need to look clean: an inspection was coming up and they needed to check if anyone had a contagious illness... or they were being bought out. It was incredibly rare but it did happen that mines that had a high rate of casualties could "buy" miners from other locations, or worse: a noble would need them for some shady reason. When the guards forced them all back to the main hall Hazard immediately began hobbling about to try and find Ro, doing his shuffling "sprint" through the crowd while his head swiveled on the lookout for her. Whether fortunate or not, he found her when the guards started to split the crowd down two lines; one for the adults and older people, the other for the younglings.


    It was pure luck he ended up next to Ro, looking as water-logged as he was. She seemed shocked when he grabbed her hand, whispering to him, "Okay, you are never touchy-feely. What''s going on?"


    "It''s an inspection... there''s only two reasons for that: someone''s got the plague, or we''re being sold." Immediately her hold on his hand got tight as a vice. Ten minutes felt like ten hours before figures in dark metal armor stomped into the hall, much different from the robes and simple breastplates most inspectors had. Even from afar he could feel and see the purple filigree on their armor, no doubt crystal-laced, a sign they were above the average guard... wait. Hazard looked about and noticed how silent it was. There would always be people whispering or conniving with one another in moments like these regardless of the inspection, but it was a terrified silence.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Did the others know what sort noble had come? Had... Had there been an outbreak of some sort and they were here to purge them if they were infected? Was-


    Hazard stopped himself, taking a deep breath to stop his oncoming panic. All he focused on was watching the new armored figures as as a tall figure strode into the hall. Their hair was a shocking white and stuck up in a gravity defying heart shape, a tiny body at their side. The Toad, normally bombastic overseer of the mine, was hunched over and wringing his hands like a cartoon character as he approached the tall one, words lost on Hazard due to distance but the tall figure held up a hand. They said something and the Toad began leading them down the line of adults, Hazard following their walk with his eyes until they reached the end, spoke, and then began moving down the line of youths. He quickly sussed out a pattern in that the older teens were passed over but those on the shorter or younger side were spoken to, then moved on from.


    Two more puzzle pieces were added as the tall and short duo came closer and more details revealed: the tall figure was definitely a noblewoman, face nothing but sharp angles and the ornate robe she wore was decorated in countless small crystals laced between silver chain. He''d seen the dark purple gems in her outfit before, incredibly rarely and only in small grains, but the black crystals dotted between them were entirely new and given how rare the purple ones were he didn''t doubt the black ones cost a small fortune. What really stuck out though was the shorter figure: it was a young girl, near Hazard''s age, dressed in a less ornate robe. She was carrying a stuffed pink rabbit, which was already odd, but it was that fact she was nearly a carbon copy for him and Ro that was truly throwing him off. The jet-black hair, the blood-red eyes, hell even as emaciated he and Ro were, he could tell their faces were practically copy and pasted on one another. He''d been staring long enough that he hadn''t realized the two were looking back at him until they were standing right in front of him.


    Hazard gazed up at the older woman, a single thin brow on her face raising up over purple eyes. There was a tense silence between the four before Hazard waved. "Hello. I... presume I am supposed to bow, but my legs do not allow it."


    The movement of her eyes to his awkwardly shaped legs was obvious, and she sniffed dismissively. Still, she spoke up, voice hoarse but still powerful. "What is your name?"


    "Hazard." The thin brow went up again, and he explained. "My parents died when I was younger and didn''t name me, so the overseer went with what felt appropriate. I always seemed to get into trouble while mining when I was younger, so they joked about me being a "Hazard to our health.""


    The older woman made a noise, looking to Ro, "And you?"


    "...Roanna." Ro squeezed his hand tighter, trying to keep her back as straight as she could as she looked up to the woman. "I''m his sister."


    "What happened to your parents?"


    "Dead." Hazard felt an odd satisfaction at the awkward silence over his blunt response, "Mining accident."


    "...What happened to your legs?" The voice that spoke up was so quiet that they almost missed it, but the three turned their heads to look at the small girl at the elderly woman''s side, Hazard first to respond as the girl started to shrink back behind her elder.


    "A different mining accident." The girl nodded as Hazard tapped his legs, and he tried to come up with a question in turn before he spotted their rabbit. "What''s their name?"


    The girl said nothing for a moment before taking a hesitant step out from behind the curtain of black robes, holding up the rabbit, "Dame Prim-Hop of the Skylands."


    "Well, a pleasure to meet you both." He tried to put as much of a friendly tone into his voice as he could, and it clearly worked as the girl''s eyes literally sparkled and she began to dump all the lore of the Dame unto Hazard. He nodded and agreed when appropriate, asking the occasional question of the Dame''s life. When they were done there was silence, and Hazard looked to see Ro and the woman both looking stunned. The woman more so, eyebrows as high in surprise as they''d go, head tilted back as if she was blown away. Catching Hazard''s eyes she quickly schooled her face and looked back to the Toad.


    "This one."


    "Yes, yes, of course Your Ladyship, an excellent choice, I-" The overseer kept spouting off platitudes until the woman''s words finally processed in Hazard''s head.


    "M... Ma''am? Are you taking us out of the mine?"


    "You shall henceforth be a servant of the royal family." Hazard''s eyes lit up and for the first time in a long while, he felt something like hope... but he knew just how dangerous hope could be. He swallowed down the emotion and spoke up.


    "Does that include Ro, and Old Jeddard?"


    "No." The woman said bluntly. "You are the only one I am purchasing."


    "Then I have to respectfully decline." Hazard was quick to argue but there was a pregnant pause, a dead silence where not even the air seemed to dare move as all but the woman stared at him with shock and fear... and then it felt like the world came crashing down onto him. It was a physical weight that nearly slammed into his body, seeping straight to his bones and forcing his legs to flare in pain, nearly buckling. He could see the purple gems on the woman''s robes flaring faintly with light, and a second later the black gems seemed to bubble and suddenly that weight felt like it was piercing into his very soul. He couldn''t stop himself from falling to his hands and knees, scared for a moment he''d crack straight through.


    "You would defy the High Queen of the Skylands?"


    Hazard tried to respond but what came out was only a pathetic squeak. He couldn''t even raise his head to look at her, whole body straining just to not collapse flat against the ground. His vision started to shake... and then the immense weight was gone. Hazard took deep breaths, flinching when something settled on his head. Hesitantly he raised his head and saw pink, and it was strange enough it cut through whatever fear he was feeling. Pulling his head back he saw the plush Dame Prim-Hop resting a "hand" on his head, and further up he could see the young girl peeking from between the toy''s ears. The High Queen (the impact of her title was only now just sinking in) looked at the two bitterly, but her gems were no longer flaring with power.


    "...This... "Old Goddard," who is he?"


    Hazard swallowed at the queen''s question, "Jeddard is... h-he''s a crystalsmith. He said he used to, to be head of the Jeveraux Academy."


    "Find him." The queen didn''t even look back at the Toad who quickly barked commands to find Old Jeddard to the guards. This left the group in an awkward silence, Hazard just about managing to stand up on his feet by the time Jeddard was dragged up to the four of them by the arms, though he was still all smiles as he waved.


    "Hello!" He yelped as he was tossed forward, falling to the ground. The queen raised a brow as Jeddard picked himself up, dusting his clothes off.


    "Who... are you?" She was squinting at Jeddard now as he bowed.


    "I''m Giraurd Jeveraux, of course! Though, everyone calls me Old Jeddard, on account of me bein'' old."


    "Do not lie to me old man. You were the Headmaster of the Jeveraux Academy?"


    "Of course! Who do you think Jeveraux''s Faceted Interlacing theorem is named after? If I hadn''t spent those years with the finesmiths of Bosconau learning to engrave down to the tiniest detail, I would''ve never been able to do it. Of course, I''m still guffed they didn''t credit me for using copper wire to form internal gem lattices-"


    "Enough." The High Queen cut Jeddard off, and after a moment''s deliberation she looked to the Toad. "We''ll take the three of them. Prep them."


    She didn''t even wait and began walking off, the young girl clinging to her side and looking back as Jeddard, Ro, and Hazard were led off by the mine''s guards. They didn''t have much to pack, just spare, slightly cleaner clothes and the dirty coins they had hidden away for so long, marched out by the guards towards the exit to the mine. The air was still heavy but it became cleaner and cleaner as they marched up the winding, angled path, past carts of dross being hauled out as the other miners looked on in confusion. With a final turn they came to the last tunnel, light beaming down onto them and blinding the trio who were far more used to the dark but still they pushed on and out into a while other world.


    Hazard blinked away the spots in his eyes to reveal an only partially familiar plateau with carts of dross being emptied over the sheer edge. What Hazard expected were carriages, but what he got were... boats? Hazard had to blink the sunspots away a bit more to confirm but yes, there was a series of black-painted boats hovering over the edge of the plateau, more of the dark-armored guards standing at the ramps leading up to them. Even from here he could feel the thrum of crystals, likely what kept them afloat, more intricate details revealed as he got closer: the color of the boats was not paint but seemed to be the natural stain of the wood, interlaced with a deep black metal that seemed to be purple in the right light. When he was at the ramp, he could just make out vents lining the bottom that seemed to push out energy, but sadly that was the last he saw before being all but shoved into the purple-clothed seating area of the ship.


    Roanna followed suit, the High Queen and the youngling at her hip joining a second later and sitting on one of the benches. Without much else to do Hazard sat on the opposite bench... and practically melted into the soft purple velvet. This was quite literally the most comfortable thing he''d felt in this life. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Ro trying to remain upright and tense, but even she couldn''t help relaxing back into the seat. His head rolled and he saw out the window as the armored guards of the noble among them shuffled back onto the other boats, and with a pulse of energy they began drifting away from the plateau. As they rose higher and higher into the air and the cart tracks and people shrunk in his view, the realization hit him harder than the High Queen did before.


    They were leaving.


    It was a breathy mix of a cough and a laugh that left Hazard, and he started to blink faster as his eyes grew wet. He didn''t cry, at least he was fighting not to, but that was all the more difficult a battle when he felt Ro''s hand on his shoulder.


    "Haz? Haz, are you okay?"


    "...We''re leaving." He didn''t give a damn how embarrassing it was to squeak out the words, they were out. They were finally out. There was a moment of silence before Ro pulled him in for a hug, her head resting above his and starting to tremble. His vision already was subpar but everything became murkier as the tears finally flowed free.


    And that was how he fell asleep.


    <hr>


    "...Grandmother?" Vitala glanced over to her granddaughter as she spoke up, Dallia staring at the two urchins on the opposite bench who had cried themselves to sleep, "How come they seemed so sad?"


    "Those are tears of joy, little storm." She smiled, even if it didn''t reach her eyes. "They''re so happy to leave and be your friend."


    Her granddaughter said nothing and Vitala turned her attention back to the porthole, watching the lands flow like the ocean below them. At the very least, those two urchins had better be happy to serve the royal family. Trying to find a friend for her granddaughter that wasn''t some sycophant''s whelp trying to weasel their way into the royal family was hard enough, but trying to find people her own age? Near impossible. She had only bothered to come out to this backwater little shithole because she was desperate enough to see if any prisoners had a child to exchange for time off their sentence. Then she found Roanna and... Hazard. She''d have to change his name at some point, lest the Rings find another reason to aggravate her.


    At the very least, they appeared to come from good stock; the hair and skin were Gailian, she could feel a strong Resonance from both, the boy more so. Perhaps their parents were Lower Ring nobles, angered the wrong enemy? With any luck, they know their etiquette. Without any luck... they''ll be taught soon enough. Vitala began plotting all they would need in her head over the next few hours until the sun set and they finally arrived at... who cared. It was one no-name sky island among hundreds, all that mattered was that it had an inn for them to rest at.


    Vitala''s power flickered and Dallia looked up at her as the two children stirred, Vitala taking Dallia''s hand and leading her out the carriage as they docked, turning to one of the High Guard who had moved to flank the landing ramp, "Wake the other two, guide them to their rooms and have them fed."


    The guard saluted and Vitala continued on towards the inn. It was an easy thing to acquire a room for herself and Dallia, letting the High Guards decide among themselves who would remain at the ships and who would get rooms. Their accommodations were hardly fitting of a royal but one more day of travel and they''d be back to the castle, so she and Dallia settled into their beds for the night. Unfortunately, as Vitala was feeling that sweet tug into the darkness of sleep, the word "steak" suddenly came to her ear. Her eyes shot open and she was ready to blast away an intruder as she sat up to find nothing... but the empty room. Hearing muffled speech she turned and realized it was conversation filtering through the thin wooden wall.


    Who would have the gall to- Vitala paused, and she realized it was likely the urchins were placed next to their room. They were the only ones not dressed in armor, after all, the innkeep probably assumed they were close servants. Didn''t make it less annoying. Vitala was about to raise her voice and demand silence when Dallia''s tiny voice cut through the darkness.


    "Have you never had steak?"


    Vitala watched as Dallia somehow managed to have a muffled conversation through the wall, and Vitala pursed her lips before laying down again. It was... a bitter pill to swallow but this was the most she had seen her granddaughter speak to someone who wasn''t her. How many years since the loss has it been that she gave anything but one word answers? She knew it would be good for Dallia to be with them, but there was a seed of fear that she was getting too attached too quickly. She would have to make sure her granddaughter didn''t fall into the trap of being too trusting.


    The warning of too much trust was engraved deeply on her, after all.


    Vitala''s fingers brushed against the gems of her robe, she herself slowly drifting off to sleep, hoping she did not make a horrible mistake...

 Delivery

    "I have made a horrible mistake."


    Hazard mentally berated himself as he, Ro, and the young girl accompanying the High Queen sat around in his and Ro''s shared room, the girl on Ro''s bed and the siblings on the other. Apparently, the girl had gotten up and insisted on visiting them even if they were sleeping, and Hazard was blaming himself over and over for getting the three of them into this mess.


    ...He might''ve been a little dramatic and grumpy from being woken up, sue him.


    It was surprisingly silent in the room. He''d suspected the girl would want to continue the talk they had before they fell asleep, but they were quiet, just staring at them. Eventually the tension was too great and it was Ro who spoke up first. "Why are you here?"


    The girl flinched at Ro''s harsh tone and Hazard rested a hand on Ro''s arm. Ro huffed and crossed his arms as he looked at the other girl, "It''s okay, just tell us what you want."


    "...to talk..." He almost missed the girl''s words due to her quiet voice.


    "Okay... how about your name? Can you tell us your name?"


    "...Dallia." Hazard nodded, trying to commit it to memory. He was still off-kilter from... really everything that happened today, so he was trying to focus on gathering details as a way to anchor himself.


    "That''s a very pretty name. Can you tell us why the High Queen visited the mine?" Dallia said nothing, gently fidgeting with and rubbing one of her plush''s arms.


    "...Grandmother said she wanted to find me friends. Good friends that I could trust... but you were crying but Grandmother said you were happy..."


    "Crying- oh! We were crying, yes, but we were just happy to finally leave the mine."


    "...So you weren''t happy to be my friends?"


    "It''s not that we aren''t happy to be your friends, Dallia, it''s just... we don''t really know what''s going on." Hazard kept his tone as gentle as he could, "Why did your grandmother bring you all the way out to the mines to find a friend?"


    "She says we can''t trust nobles but..." Dallia shrunk in on herself, "...there wasn''t anyone at home she wanted to be my friends. We went all over the kingdom to find someone but she always said they could find someone better... and we did."


    She was back to looking at them with bright eyes, Hazard smiling back and nodding even if he didn''t feel as excited. That did very little to explain why they were chosen, but she was probably way too young to understand. Ro made a noise, one he recognized as her being discontent, and Dallia looked to his sister. Hazard breathed out a laugh, "Ignore her, she''s just grumpy."


    "Not grumpy." Ro grumbled.


    "Grum-py." Hazard sing-songed, and Ro pointed at him.


    "Short."


    "Beanpole."


    "Are you fighting?" Dallia asked in confusion, but they both shook their heads as Hazard answered.


    "No, no... well, kind of. Still, we don''t mean anything by it, it''s just what we do." Dallia still seemed confused.


    "Do all brother and sisters do that?"


    "Some do, some don''t." He shrugged, memories tickling at his mind. An all too familiar house faintly-


    Dallia suddenly, quietly gasped, eyes locked onto Hazard. "A Bright One!"


    "A what?" Hazard blinked as Dallia slid off the bed she was sitting on, her toy tucked under her arm as she hustled up to Hazard, eyes actually glowing this time.


    "Do you remember who you were? Were you a soldier? A crystal-smith? Did you have-" Dallia was rapid firing questions, Hazard unable to get a word in edgewise until Ro whistled, cutting Dallia''s deluge of words short.


    "How ''bout letting him breathe, huh?" Dallia blink-blinked, frozen a moment before she nervously leaned away, clutching at her toy with both arms. Hazard noticed her eyes started to dim, and he cleared his throat.


    "It''s okay, Dallia. She''s not mad at you, she''s just worried for me." Dallia gave a tiny nod. "It''s okay to be excited. Now, tell me: what is a "Bright One?""


    Some of the glow returned, as did her excitement though it was clear she was trying to tamp the emotion down. "They have a lot of different names but Lady Lubel says there are people whose souls get picked up by the Light to return to new bodies."


    Hazard felt a pit in his stomach, Ro going stiff-backed in the corner of his eye. His mouth was suddenly dry and he glanced to his sister before looking at Dallia. "I... see, can you tell us more?"


    Dallia nodded, "She says that the souls that come back get gifted with a bit of the Light''s power, plus sometimes they remember bits of their old life." She pointed at her eye. "I''m really good at seeing magic, and Lady Lubel says sometimes you can see a Bright One''s echoes. Their soul is still attached to their old memories, so their magic sometimes shows pictures-"


    As much as he tried to focus as Dallia explained Hazard was, quite frankly, having a massive existential crisis.


    In essentially 30 seconds, a literal child proved he wasn''t going crazy.


    She was right. Even when he was younger than he was now, he always had memories. A life not this one. A home, a job, even an entire different world as he could remember, but he... he thought he was crazy. Everyone said he was, hell he thought it was crazy, nothing of his memories matched this world after all. Ro was the only one to defend him but he knew even she had her doubts.


    He was right.


    The world suddenly jolted, and he felt something tight around his shoulder. He had no idea where he was just a moment ago, as if he was in another world entirely before he was back in the inn staring at nothing. A hand pressed against his face and quickly his head was turned, now staring at a scared Ro, only just realizing she was speaking.


    "Haz!? Haz, Haz it''s me. Haz I-" He blinked and she paused, breathing deeply, "Haz? Haz, a-are you back? Are you okay?"


    "...-ah." His voice cracked, getting half of his word out. "Yeah."


    "You''re crying..." He blinked and slowly he raised his hand, touching at his face. When he pulled his fingertips back he saw they were in fact wet and warm, but Ro quickly angled his face so he could look in her eyes again. "Haz, are you... are you okay?"


    He knew that tone, familiar from when she knew he was lying about how he was feeling. Despite this he only said, "Yeah."


    There was an unsettling silence as she searched his face before pulling her hands away carefully, slowly, as if he would fall apart the second she''d let go. He simply breathed and blinked, mind too filled with thoughts yet then too empty as he sat and ruminated. He needed time to remember there was a third in their room, and he looked at Dallia to see tears welling up in her eyes,


    "I-" Hazard has to cough, throat suddenly dry, "I guess we should explain, huh?"


    Dallia said nothing, just staring and Hazard took a breath to calm a heart he realized was trying to pound out of his chest. "It... yes, yes I think I''m a "Bright One," like you said. It''s just... down, down in the mines there wasn''t-, there was no one who ever told me anything like that. I- they said I was insane, because I said I had memories that weren''t my own."


    "...I''m sorry." Dallia nearly buried her face in her doll. "I-I''m sorry, I never mmmmeant to make you think of bad things, a-a-a-and-"


    The apologies were cut off as Dallia fully buried herself into the Dame, body shuddering, and Hazard took a long, deep breath that helped clear his mind as he fought to bury his own turmoil. "It''s okay-"


    "It''s not!" Dallia''s head shot up, "I saw your magic, you, your soul is all shaky! It-"


    "Dallia." He raised his voice, and the princess froze minus her sniffling. This time Hazard took a deep, long breath through his nose with his eyes shut, and as he let out through his mouth it was like his whole body cooled down. When he opened his eyes he tried to keep his voice as even as he could, "I''m okay, I promise."


    "...Promise?"


    "Promise." He nodded, "I''m not mad, it''s just... today has been a lot, and I need some time to process- uh, to think on it."


    Dallia nodded back and stepped back, slipping back onto the other bed. "...I''m tired."


    "...Would you like me to tell you some stories from what I can remember?" That perked her up a bit and she curled up under the bed''s blankets, looking at him expectantly. It was somewhat difficult, having to remember the fairy tales of a youth that was a whole lifetime ago, but with some ad-libbing she eventually drifted off to sleep. After a few moments of silence Hazard let out a long, slow breath, and Ro pulled him into a close hug with his head tucked under her chin. An old, familiar move done whenever he was upset. "...I''m tired."


    "I know, Haz." Ro gently laid on her side, bringing Hazard down with her. "It''ll be okay."


    Truthfully, she didn''t feel confident in her words. Ever since the moment in the mines they''d met the queen and she''d floored him, she knew they were in trouble. The high of knowing they were free of the mines was steadily replaced with the realization they''d have to live on a constant knife''s edge around the royal family. The idea of simply taking Hazard, slipping out of the inn window, and finding some way off the island teased her but in the end she knew it was pointless. Angering the royal family would be a death sentence, moreso than any mine collapse or accident. Ro clutched Hazard a bit closer, "...You know I''m always going to protect you, right?"


    "..."


    "...Haz?" She pulled away, enough to look down and see her brother fast asleep. Even if she didn''t have the same sight as him or the princess, she could tell that he seemed... lighter, in a way. Normally his face while he slept would be in an ever-present frown, but here it was a flat, neutral line, a rare sign of him feeling relaxed. She supposed that had to do with being proven right about his memories. It was an odd, bitter taste left in her mouth in the realization he seemed to get comfort from someone else, but the more she thought about it she realized this was an opportunity, however dangerous. A glance down to his damaged legs and she started to come up with a plan, even as she too started drifting off into sleep.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I''m going to get us out of this Haz, don''t you worry."


    <hr>


    Watching the two orphans eat was a great and terrible thing: the older girl quickly cut or ripped chunks off the meat and bread of her breakfast to stuff down her gullet, the boy not much better. The Queen could tell he at least had some sort of etiquette drilled into him the way he held his utensils, but he was still shoveling food into his mouth like it¡¯d disappear any second and any mouth wiping was incredibly rough against his lips. Small mercy that Dallia seemed confused instead of trying to imitate them. Her granddaughter was about halfway done by the time the two finished, Roanna tense and keeping a careful eye on everything, but the boy... he was calm. That could¡¯ve been simply not knowing to be worried in this situation, but the bluish light that bled off him yesterday seemed calmer, less a flickering fire and more a smooth current. Had something happened she didn¡¯t know about? Or was-


    ¡°Ro, my lass! Hazard, my boy!¡±


    Vitala managed to stop her eye from twitching, but it still narrowed a hair as she turned her head to see the old man that had accompanied the duo shuffling past the dining area to put an empty bowl on the counter, cheery as yesterday. It was such an odd collection: the boy¡¯s Resonance was like a squire¡¯s, already so strong it bled off him, the girl¡¯s seemed focused purely internally to the point his very veins were almost shining, and the old man glowed like a master.


    Was he truly the Headmaster? The man certainly looked like the Headmaster she remembered from her youth. Rumors surrounding his sudden departure from the academy abound, but for him to have ended up in a random mine, it simply made no sense. He would¡¯ve had enough power, magical and political, to prevent being removed from his position, so why? Too many questions without answers, and in her position a lack of information was a deadly thing.


    The old man had been talking to the orphans, stroking his beard in response to a question, hand leaving long streaks of food matter... and he lifted his beard up, looking at the stains in surprise as the children giggled.


    ¡®...Or perhaps I¡¯ve finally become too paranoid, and I¡¯ve just bought a buffoon and his merry puppets.¡¯


    It was a small mercy he seemed to have whatever shred of sense left to go clean up before the group departed on the ships once more. From there it was the same long, boring journey as she¡¯d been on with Dallia for the past few weeks, rather it was boring for herself. Dallia was livelier than she¡¯d ever seen, talking animatedly with the three every time they had to land. As stinging as it was, Vitala stayed away to let them bond, though a guard was always close by to relay Dallia¡¯s needs and keep Vitala appraised of their conversations.


    She was not expecting them to approach her, however.


    <hr>


    Vitala raised a brow as Dallia approached her on the fine wooden chair the Queen set up on the grass, one hand clutching her toy and the other the wrist of the young boy, ¡°Grandmother, can Hazard ask you a question?¡±


    The brow remained raised as she looked to the miner boy, but she nodded towards him. He swallowed nervously but held her gaze as he spoke, probably already asking for favors-


    ¡°Can a Bright soul come from another world?¡±


    ¡°...Pardon?¡± Her normal harsh tone was completely lost to confusion and boy continued.


    ¡°Well Dallia says a Bright One comes from a soul returning to the Light, even if I don¡¯t fully get it, but does that mean a soul can from other planets, or another dimension, if they have the right crystals or, or something?¡± His confidence waned the further his question went, but Vitala was still stuck on the absurdity of the statement. Besides the fact that it¡¯s a very religious question to be coming from a child, other worlds? Had the boy been in the mines so long that the outside world seemed a fantasy to him? The instinctual urge to tell him to make himself scarce for such an inane question was restrained solely due to Dallia being there, and she considered the thought.


    ¡°...The priests and priestesses would say yes, I believe.¡± She wasn¡¯t exactly religious, so it¡¯s not as if she could say that for certain. ¡°What even brought about this question?¡±


    The boy opened his mouth but Dallia quickly chimed in, ¡°He¡¯s a Bright One! He¡¯s been telling me all about his people¡¯s inventions and stories and-¡±


    ...In hindsight, the answer should¡¯ve been obvious to Vitala. However, she was caught off-guard; Dallia was exceedingly cheery, yes, but it was the fact the boy was claiming to be a Bright One of all things. It was ludicrous... actually, no. No, the more she thought about it, in a way it did make sense, that was a very plausible explanation for why his Resonance was the way it was. From what she could catch from Dallia¡¯s stream of words, however, it seemed the boy was claiming his people were some advanced race, and she scoffed at the notion. Her gaze turned to the boy.


    ¡°Do not be preposterous. Likely, your mind is struggling to reconcile sparse details of your old life, perhaps as some crystalsmith or some sort of learned man, and you¡¯ve imagined any of this ¡°other planet¡± nonsense.¡± He seemingly mulled over her words before he hesitantly nodded.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your time, Your Highness.¡± He awkwardly bowed and hobbled away, Dallia followed along. Vitala quietly snorted as she watched him go. Perhaps she should rename him to ¡°Absurd,¡± but at least now she knows he¡¯ll be good at telling her fairy tales...


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dallia whispered to Hazard, and he looked to her.


    ¡°Hm? For what?¡±


    ¡°That grandmother said...¡± Dallia trailed off and Hazard shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, she¡¯d know more than most, I think.¡± Dallia seemed to brighten at his words, but the truth was that he was still skeptical of this being his imagination. He didn¡¯t doubt the Queen¡¯s information, but these memories... they were so vivid. It wasn¡¯t like he just had ¡°a feeling,¡± he could remember days of his former life down to the minute details. He could remember nearly cursing out one of his teachers because they were mad he chose to attend a funeral instead of study remedials on fractions, he could recall the ingredients of his favorite trail mix down to the salt they used, hell he could remember his exact change from that time he fell over in front of that one cute cashier at the convenience store and she laughed at him. His face started to burn in embarrassment as he recalled her laugh, and to him that was just another piece of evidence that there was more going on than just an overactive imagination.


    ¡°...I bet you were smart.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Hazard was brough out of his thoughts by Dallia.


    ¡°I bet you were a really good crystalsmith, or a finesmith, or maybe you were a really high-ranked mage.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you?¡± The compliment blindsided him and he was brought out of his thoughts, shuffling them aside and trying to focus on the now instead. They returned to their small ¡°picnic¡± area, Dallia returning to the fine seat while Hazard sat on a crate, Ro and Jeddard making do with rocks. A small diamante board was sat between the gathering, though Hazard wasn¡¯t participating; Jeddard seemed the champion, Dallia a close second, and despite her best efforts Ro was getting knocked out of the game first in most matches. He was never a fan of games like chess, so he was happy to watch the other three, and it gave him a chance to... recover, in a sense. He had lost track of whether it had been days or weeks since their travel began, but throughout it all Dallia had been keen on asking him every question that came to her mind and it was exhausting. Trying to gather any information during this was also an issue since she was a literal child, royalty or not, so her knowledge of the world was limited. The kingdom the High Queen ruled was known simply as the Stormlands, a rocky place with arches stretching around the city, and the city was ruled by nobility who lived in the Upper or Lower Rings of the city. What exactly the Rings were and how the Ring nobles ruled was unknown to her, so it was unknown to him as well.


    She seemed more obsessed with magic, something that she and Jeddard would gush about, and thanks to Jeddard¡¯s boundless energy he provided the perfect distraction when Hazard was tired. Speaking of which; Hazard shut his eyes and rested a moment, listening to the sound of the wind, the clack of diamante pieces, and Jeddard and Dallia chatter away. He even heard Ro¡¯s quiet grunts of frustration whenever one of her pieces was taken... but then a familiar ache started to seep through his legs and back, and he opened his eyes. He let out a quiet breath through his nose, but Ro¡¯s eyes locked on his.


    ¡°Haz? You alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, just the usual aches.¡± She nodded but now Dallia was looking at him, more accurately his legs.


    ¡°...Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± It was a particularly odd question, considering she¡¯d avoided speaking up about it until now, but maybe that tension had finally built up too much.


    ¡°How come they didn¡¯t fix it?¡± The change was instant: Jeddard¡¯s face sunk and Ro¡¯s lips pursed, fists balling up on her knees. Hazard was about to tell her the overseer¡¯s many sins, but realized he wasn¡¯t around the jaded old miners he normally was. The queen would also probably not be a fan of him swearing or traumatizing her granddaughter.


    ¡°...Healing crystals are very rare and expensive, especially ones that could heal what was done to me, and they aren¡¯t normally carried around in mines.¡± She said nothing, still looking at his legs before turning back to the game. The conversation between her and Jeddard was much more subdued, and Hazard couldn¡¯t help but feel he screwed up. The feeling doubled when their travels turned silent, Dallia¡¯s questions being a rarity instead of a constant, but as they got closer to Dallia¡¯s home energy returned to her... in fact, it seemed energy returned to everyone. It was hard to explain but his fatigue was quickly disappearing, his sight became sharper, even the pain in his legs started to dull.


    Letting his senses flow he could see the energy radiating off Ro, Dallia, and the Queen become more powerful, something he found ironic given how the land passing under the airships grew rockier and plant life seemed sparse. Dead wasn¡¯t quite the right word to describe the land, but-


    The airship jolted and he pressed himself back into his seat, one of Ro¡¯s arms shooting across his chest to secure him. Dallia seemed nonplussed and the Queen was... smirking? They were much more comfortable than he and Ro were, at least, and he remained glued to his seat until there was another shudder from the ship and the Queen stood. Dallia took her hand as one of the royal guards opened the door to the ship, more guards making a long line to either side of the door to another open doorway. The Queen and princess made their exit, two of the guards taking positions behind them and following them into the doorway. The rest of the guards had followed once the royals disappeared into the doorway... leaving Ro and Hazard alone. Hazard looked at Ro and shrugged before standing up, moving towards the door of the ship with Ro following behind him.


    Stepping out on the platform was the first true look he had had at civilization, and he had to admit: it was an amazing sight. They were atop some sort of tower, that much was clear by the city that stretched out far below like a model. With his eyesight energized as it was the city seemed modern for this world: long, wide roads all laid out in perfect straight lines radiating from the tower and what looked like streetlamps lining each one, tall towers adorned with massive crystals dotting the circular city at regular intervals, and what looked like tall, natural walls of stone stretched up to the sky around the city. Gaps between the stone were filled with row after row of tall archways stretching across the space, the faintest dots of movement he assumed were other ships, flowing through the arches.


    ¡°...Hey Ro?¡± Evidently the sight had mesmerized her just as much, because his question caused her to visibly jolt.


    ¡°Wha?¡±


    ¡°We really did go from the deepest pit to the highest peak.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah... yeah, guess we did. What was it you said that one time though? ¡°Into the frying pan from the fire?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Out of the frying pan, into the fire.¡±¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both going to be ¡°fired¡± from your positions if you do not move.¡± The two of them whipped around to see the Queen in the doorway, and Ro bristled before the two approached her, ¡°And why exactly are you two lazing about?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, we weren¡¯t told to follow, and it seemed like the guards were quick to close around you.¡± Hazard offered in as apologetic a tone as he could muster, now well aware ¡°fired¡± might mean something very different here compared to his memories.


    ¡°You need instructions for me to tell you something so obvious?¡±


    Hazard could tell Ro was about to say something, so he quickly bowed, ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Your Highness.¡±


    Ro seemed to thankfully resign to following his lead, bowing her head as well. He heard the Queen sniff, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The two did so in silence, Hazard keeping his head down and just following the white marble tiles and the Queen¡¯s cape until something struck out in his periphery; a stained-glass window showing a purple tower, maybe some sort of castle? They started down the stairs and each landing included another window; a figure in white, black, and purple clothing holding their hand high and sending lightning towards armored figures, that same figure with their hand outstretched but with plants now sprouting from the earth, them again but now with people behind them as they appeared at the purple tower again, and... Hazard thought the last one strange. The figure from before was gone, this one showing a group of people fleeing from knights. Was this a religious story, or a historical one? He lingered a moment on the last window before he could feel the Queen¡¯s gaze on his back and he hurried along. They were finally led to a round platform with a purple crystal jutting from its center, and the Queen nodded to a figure in white, hooded robes. The figure nodded back and raised a black staff capped with another purple crystal, both gems lightning up before the platform shook, then began to lower.


    There was silence bar the hum of crystal and what sounded like the grinding of gears, until they reached their destination and the Queen walked out into the hall. Hazard followed, taking a deep breath as he stepped over the threshold to their new life...


    ...and everything turned black...

 Healing

    Hazard was used to pain, at least he liked to think so. Outside of the obvious, he¡¯d been zapped, burned, frozen, and slimed by plenty of different crystals, got stuck in a few fights, and one too many head bumps thanks to his poor eyesight.


    This? This was new.


    It was like he was drowning in fire, a cold burn saturating his whole body. Yet... he could feel so much around him. He was in a void with lights of all shapes and colors moving through the darkness, but four white forms rimmed with purple seemed to be constantly moving around his sides, and he felt a constant pull from every light. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he was floating for, like he was in the strange blur of time that usually accompanied a dream, but at one point he started to feel as if he was being drained. The ¡°burn¡± faded away, replaced by a soreness, and the white forms leaned in. He felt like he should be afraid but there was a calmness to their presence that radiated towards him.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how or why, but the lights all vanished suddenly, and Hazard¡¯s eyes suddenly cracked open like he had just had a long nap. Blearily looking around he saw he was in a room with a tall ceiling, a row of beds stretching to the wall on his left, and to his right-


    Hazard practically went blind as bright sunlight blasted his face, and he quickly tried to turn away and raise his arms to block his face. His left arm came up, but something heavy weighed down on his right. He heard a quiet groan and the weight shifted... and suddenly he was wrapped in a tight embrace.


    ¡°Haz!¡±


    ¡°Ro? What-¡± She pulled away so she could turn his face, cupping it tightly with both hands.


    ¡°Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Are-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± He cut her off, trying to blink away sunspots. ¡°Just too bright.¡±


    She laid him back down a bit roughly but she did get up and close the curtains so he wasn¡¯t having the entire force of the sun in his face. She quickly returned to his side, grabbing his arm. ¡°Haz, seriously, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Ro.¡± She nodded but she still held onto him like he¡¯d vanish any moment. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You... You passed out.¡± Her voice was choked and hoarse, and he quickly turned to hold her hand. He only heard her like this once or twice, and it was never a good sign. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for a whole day.¡±


    That would explain the weird dream, at least. ¡°Did they say why?¡±


    ¡°You abs-¡± Hazard practically jumped out of the cot he was in at the sudden voice from his other side. It was a bald man in white robes, practically blending into the white stone of the wall. ¡°Apologies, I did not mean to startle you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hazard took a breath to calm his racing heart.


    ¡°Regardless, you have my apologies. As I was saying, you absorbed quite a bit of power.¡± The man pulled out some sort of short stick with a small, round crystal embedded in the tip from his robes. The crystal began to glow, and Hazard followed it with his eyes, not unlike the doctor visits of his past. ¡°We rushed you here and I must admit; you gave us all quite a fright.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± The light faded and the man stowed the wand away.


    ¡°Tell me, do you remember anything?¡±


    ¡°Not really? I was in the elevator with Ro and then everything went dark. I... had a weird dream, if that helps?¡± The man hummed, sliding a stool from... somewhere and sitting beside Hazard.


    ¡°Tell me about this dream.¡±


    ¡°Not much to say, there were a bunch of colored stars moving everywhere, and these four... I don¡¯t want to say stars, they were figures, were all moving around right near me. I had this pain like... you ever hold something that¡¯s too cold and it stings? Like that, but through my whole body. That went away, then all the lights, then I woke up.¡± The man¡¯s eyebrows went up in surprise.


    ¡°Are you certain that¡¯s what you saw?¡± Hazard nodded. ¡°Amazing... you absorbed quite a bit more power than we thought.¡±


    ¡°What¡±


    ¡°When a... no, if a... hm.¡± The man hummed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, before he spoke in a tone Hazard usually heard used for children. ¡°When someone very, very skilled with crystals and magic focuses, they can take power from the world and crystals around them. You took in quite a lot of power, and quite rapidly- er, quite fast at that. It seems like your body wasn¡¯t ready for that. Tell me, did you feel anything before you fell asleep?¡±


    ¡°...You can say ¡°fell unconscious,¡± and no, nothing at all.¡± Hazard wracked his brain for a moment before something popped up, ¡°Wait, Ro, do you remember when we first came here? Or started coming in?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You felt that weird charge too, right? Everything felt sharper, we felt better?¡± Ro¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion before it clicked.


    ¡°Oh! When we were on the boat, yeah!¡±


    ¡°The High Queen¡¯s skyship... so you were pulling in energy even then?¡± The man pressed his hand to his chin. ¡°I see... yes, that would make sense. If you grew up somewhere with few crystals, your body was probably starved for energy and started pulling in as much power as it could as soon as it reached any source large enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, that explains why I passed out, but not anything else. How come Ro didn¡¯t pass out then?¡±


    ¡°We did an examination on you both: your sister was suffering as well, but as she was older and healthier, she was much more resilient. It seems her Resonance also focuses inward, so her body was able to process the sudden influx. You, however...¡± The man trailed off, and Hazard had a feeling he was trying to find a polite way to phrase his next words.


    ¡°Going to guess it has to do with me being malnourished, having horribly injured legs, and being cursed with an already underperforming body?¡± The man winced.


    ¡°...It is not your fault; you are as the Light and your situation made you. Thankfully, we were able to get you here quickly. Those lights you saw were likely the other Medennice. By absorbing so much power, you obtained a sense of sight that most mages train their whole lives to have, but it was also hurting you. We drained the energy out from you, and now we just need to slowly give you the power back, so that you will get used to it.¡±


    ¡°So building up the resistance over time.¡±


    ¡°That... is very astute for one so young. Yes, that is exactly it. If you are to remain in the Stormlands, being adapted to the Star is the highest importance. For now, though, I think it best you rest again.¡± Hazard nodded, making himself comfortable in the cot. The man bowed deeply and made his way out of the room, the siblings sitting in silence.


    ¡°...Hey Ro?¡± She hummed. ¡°What¡¯s the ¡°Star?¡±¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°The Star-¡± Hazard jolted as Jeddard¡¯s voice suddenly came from the doorway.


    ¡°Fuck mothering- Jeddard! Gonna give me a fucking palpitation.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that! Anyways, the Star is the single largest crystal to have ever been discovered by mortal eyes.¡± Jeddard waves his fingers around, trying to establish some sort of mysticism with his words. ¡°Legends say the Saintess Alessa led her people after they were driven from their homelands into the wild, dangerous Stormlands, where roiling storms of crystal energy churned and burned the land. Still, they survived and came upon... it.¡±


    The dramatic pause made it clear Jeddard was waiting for one of them to ask, so Hazard spoke up, ¡°¡±It?¡±¡±


    ¡°The ¡°Heart of the Heavens,¡± also known as the Fallen Star: a massive, massive crystal. The religious say it was a gift of the Light, sent down as the holy land for the people of the Stormlands to find, while the more scientific say it was suspended high, high among the sky and came crashing down, causing the deep crater that surrounds it. Whatever the case, no one had seen such a massive, massive crystal before, let alone one so powerful, and Saint Alessa sought to tame the crystal and its power. And she did! Using the energy and shards of the Heart, she led her people into a war to seize back their lands, followed by a long age of prosperity in which she built a capital city over the Heart. Fun fact: the Queen¡¯s Spire, which we landed on, is the tallest shard of the Heart, and is used in multiple ceremonies!¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Thank you for the exposition, Jeddard.¡± Hazard did have one concern, namely if he got sick due to being too infused with crystal energy, a giant, city-sized crystal should be blasting him like a nuclear power plant. Then again, even as weak as he was, he did spend most of his life mining for crystals. Maybe that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t end up worse...


    He shuddered at the thought of how it could be worse, and Ro looked at him, ¡°Haz?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine you¡¯re both exhausted! Ro hasn¡¯t left your side since you fell!¡± The girl blushed.


    ¡°Excuse me for being worried when he suddenly passes out!¡±


    ¡°Actually, that brings up a good point: what¡¯s been going on with the Queen and Dallia?¡± Jeddard opened his mouth but there was a popping sound, and he leaned back into the hallway.


    ¡°Oh! Here she comes.¡±


    There was a quiet tapping noise that grew louder and louder before Dallia came running into the room. She stopped at the foot of the cot and Hazard blinked at her outfit, a mostly purple dress with white filigree in the shape of birds lining the bottom, frillier than anything he¡¯d ever seen. She said nothing, just staring at him for a long moment before Hazard waved to her. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Oh you can do better than that! This is a joyous reunion; she was just as worried as Ro was!¡±


    ¡°...Wait, were you not worried?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I know how great you¡¯re going to grow up to be.¡± Jeddard beamed brightly and Hazard shrugged before looking back to Dallia.


    ¡°Hello Dallia, I¡¯m sorry if I worried you.¡±


    ¡°...are you okay? They sicked you were sick but you fell...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay Dallia. The doctor¡¯s fixed me right up?¡±


    ¡°¡±Doctor?¡±¡±


    ¡°He means the Medecinne! In his home, a healer is called a ¡°doctor.¡±¡± Jeddard supplied. ¡°They don¡¯t use crystals to heal at all!¡±


    ¡°...So he¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Dallia nodded and approached the side not occupied by Ro, curtseying. ¡°By my power as the princess, I hereby grand you this boon.¡± She reached behind her to fiddle with something, and he craned his neck to see a small pouch at the small of her back. When she returned around she gently placed a small, hand-sized plush of a white rabbit in his hand. ¡°This is Baron Jumper. He¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±


    ...He tried, he really did, but the fact she was suddenly acting so prim and proper along with the complete seriousness with which she said the plush¡¯s name made him breathe out a laugh before he could speak, ¡°Thank you. I will also keep him safe.¡±


    She nodded, curtsied, and quickly left. Jeddard watched her leave and there was a popping noise around the corner. ¡°Amazing! Short range transposition at such a young age! Even in the capital that¡¯s impressive!¡±


    ¡°...You are a font of enthusiasm, aren¡¯t you Jed.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Every day I¡¯m not in the dirt is a blessed one.¡±


    ¡°Jed we lived in a mine.¡± Ro pointed out.


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    Hazard shook his head, and for a moment he let himself forget about the situation, and sinking into conversation with the two.


    <hr>


    ¡°Never a moment to relax.¡±


    Vitala rubbed at her temples as she sat in the auditorium, the rabble of Upper and Lower ring nobles fighting to have whatever inane or idiotic request heard. Eventually she grabbed her gavel and swung the hammer down onto its platform, a loud crack and boom of thunder silencing the crowd. She glared down and let her eyes roam the auditorium, daring anyone to speak up. She looked to the Steward, ¡°Now, let us try this again: Steward, what are the most important items on the docket?¡±


    The reedy man fixed the clear crystal lenses across his face before looking at his handboard. ¡°The construction in Inani Bay has been stalled for unknown reasons.¡±


    Vitala¡¯s eyebrow raised as she looked to the Upper Ring section of the auditorium. ¡°Lord Gaula, explain.¡±


    The lord slapped a hand to the stand in front of him, ¡°We can¡¯t keep up pace with just the scraps you send us! We need real workers, not just whatever debtors can be scrounged up!¡±


    ¡°You have been given an extra three months and a hundred more workers in that time than you were supposed to need, Gaula. I will be sending a wing of knights and a Steward to make sure if everything is as it¡¯s supposed to be. If not, we can find others more competent to do the construction... and manage the Bay.¡± He was clearly incensed but he quickly sat back down. As if she didn¡¯t know about his little ¡°skimming¡± of resources for his passion projects. Vitala just about kept her eyes from rolling as she looked at the Steward who was noting down the resolution. ¡°What is next?¡±


    She wished she could say anything interesting had happened, but it was more of the same: red-beaked scavengers trying to pick at the Crown¡¯s coffers. Her only saving grace was the recess they took an hour into the Convene, where Dallia returned to her side in the booth. ¡°Hello, little one.¡±


    ¡°Hello, grandmother.¡± Vitala noticed something was off, and she realized Dallia was beaming. It was jarring, even if she had clearly been enjoying her new... friends, it was clear they had a much more profound expect than she thought.


    ¡°I assume the boy is awake now?¡±


    Dallia nodded rapidly. ¡°I had the guard tell me as soon as he woke up. He is healed, and under the protection of Baron Jumper.¡±


    It took Vitala a long, long moment to realize that Dallia must¡¯ve meant one of her toys, and she was struck. Dallia guarded her playthings religiously, but she gave a boy she practically just met one of her treasures. Vitala understood she was excited, the short teleport she did once they were informed of his condition all the evidence she needed, but this? She wanted to caution her granddaughter against being so trusting, but how to breach it?


    ¡°I see... did he, appreciate it?¡±


    ¡°He swore he would keep Baron Jumper safe.¡± Vitala mulled over the words. It was just as likely he understood appeasing Dallia as it was that he appreciated having a toy himself. Only so much entertainment to be gotten from a pet rock, after all. Before she could question her further Dallia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Can I show him the rest of the castle once he¡¯s ready to walk?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll tell you what, Dallia: once we get him a new name and he gets better completely, you can go show him the whole castle.¡± For once a truly soft smile broke her face. Her reservations tried to wheedle at her for being so open to Dallia¡¯s wishes, but she smothered them. Dallia¡¯s smile at Vitala¡¯s words was worth more than the whole Heart, as far as she was concerned. Unfortunately, it was all too soon that they both returned to the Convene and the rabble of the nobles. The temptation to send Dallia back was tempered with Vitala¡¯s need to keep her granddaughter¡¯s learning schedule.


    Hopefully, Dallia would learn how not to act in addition to how politics usually went. Dallia had dutifully sat through the rest of the Convene after the break ended, and Vitala breathed out in relief once she saw the nobles begin shuffling out, ¡°Finally.¡±


    She stood, rolling some of her joints to free them from their stiffness. ¡°Alright Dallia, you are free to go play.¡±


    Dallia nodded, slipping off her own seat and taking Vitala¡¯s hand, ¡°Can you come with me?¡±


    The question soothed Vitala¡¯s soul, and she stooped down to pick Dalia up in her arms, ¡°Of course. What would you like to do, dear?¡±


    ¡°Can we visit Hazard? I think he¡¯d like to see you.¡±


    ...Vitala was certain that was a lie, or the optimism of youth. She could count the number of people happy to see her on one hand. Regardless, Vitala nodded, and she decided some pomp was in order. Her hand raised and a purple portal to the hospital ward of the tower spun open, and she was unsure who was more surprised: obviously Vitala¡¯s visit wasn¡¯t expected, but the Queen didn¡¯t expect to see the young woman hoisting her brother¡¯s cot above her head with one arm. Roanna was quick to lower the cot back down as the Queen stepped through the portal, the old man waving to her, ¡°Hello, Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°What... is going on here?¡±


    ¡°They are brilliant! I decided to give them an exercise, and they passed with flying colors! You see, they were curious about how the princess managed short range transposition without a crystal, and Hazard posited that she¡¯s able to do so by using the Heart as a source-¡±


    ¡°Okay, yes, I understand.¡± Her good mood was bludgeoned with the old man¡¯s rapid rambles, and she set Dallia down. ¡°So, they managed to figure out the obvious?¡±


    ¡°Yes indeedy! The Hazard tried out his magic, and then Ro tried hers, but it wasn¡¯t as impressive. Ergo, I pointed out her Resonance was internal, and she channeled her energy into newfound strength! Imagine what they could do with full bellies and some training.¡± While she doubted it was intentional, Vitala couldn¡¯t argue he was making a good case to keep the two. An extra pair of semi-competent bodies to protect Dallia... or perhaps her edge was dulling. Vitala hummed as she watched her granddaughter approach the bedridden boy, the two chatting excitedly and he raised a hand.


    A ball of soft purple light appeared, and he made it rapidly change color before crushing the light. It exploded into small sparkles, a parlor trick really, but still, more control than she¡¯d expected. Dallia was absolutely fascinated and started showing off some of the tricks she knew from her control exercises, and Vitala mulled over the small lights the two exchanged between them. Perhaps they could change his name to ¡°Little Light¡± in the old tongue or something like that. She¡¯ll have to ask the Medennice when he¡¯d be clear to leave, another chunk of her schedule gone-


    ¡°Up we go.¡± Roanna had picked up Dallia and set her on the cot, apparently some chunk of the conversation missed as Roanna lifted the cot up and down. Her hackles raised at the potential danger of the move, but the two younglings were practically cheering as the older girl lifted them up and down. When they were set back down Vitala was quick to clear her throat.


    ¡°There are some rather important to discuss.¡± Yes, important things, not bitter at all that the dregs of humanity got her granddaughter to laugh more than anything Vitala did. ¡°While Jeddard¡¯s past is being investigated, I will be setting up the Rite of Forebears for ¡°Hazard.¡± Is there any name your parents thought about giving him?¡±


    Roanna and Hazard looked to each other before Roanna spoke, ¡°Nothing... nothing solid. Chevonne if he was a girl, or Chevra. I think... I think Lunas was mentioned? They never picked something before...¡±


    She trailed off and Vitala finished. ¡°Before they died, I assume. And what do you think, boy?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even know what the ¡°Rite of Forebears¡± is, what limits or rules there are to it.¡± The mood had clearly been brought down, the room quieter as the boy rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I mean I would like something my parents chose, but...¡±


    He shrugged, and Jeddard leaned forward in his seat. ¡°The Rite of Forebears is an ancient ritual in which an individual is named a noble by virtue of a sponsor or having a strong bloodline claim! So long as your sponsor and/or the court agrees, you can name yourself whatever you wish!¡±


    ¡°Not like there¡¯s an extra Noirus out there, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t have been sent to the mines.¡± Roanna crossed her arms with a huff, but Vitala grew curious.


    ¡°You had a surname?¡± Now she was almost certain the siblings were noble offspring; no commoner would have a surname. ¡°Do you remember your parent¡¯s names?¡±


    ¡°Our mom was Addelaide. Our dad was Mateo.¡± Now they were getting somewhere in the case of the mysterious orphans.


    ¡°I see. I will begin preparations on the Rite, among other things. Dallia, as soon as you are done here, I want you to study the last chapter of your history book.¡± Dallia nodded, and Vitala opened another portal, this time to her personal office. When she stepped through, she sent a quick message for the Royal Guard to remain with Dallia, and Vitala sighed through her nose as she took her seat at her desk. She¡¯d have to research this ¡°Noirus¡± bloodline, she didn¡¯t come all this way to have her family tied to some sort of dirt farmer or worse: a noble who might get too big for their britches and ¡°conveniently remember¡± their ¡°long-lost¡± family.