Chapter 13: CHAPTER II – Freedom of Power, Confinement of Solitude

Rhystea was awoken by a familiar humming sound when something that had been lying peacefully on her chest snapped to life. She quickly came to, bringing herself to an upright position in such a hurry that the small mass of silver that had been sleeping soundly mere moments before would have been catapulted away, were it not so fast to latch on to her.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a barrier being erected around Sphaere and herself. Before she could react, water rained down around her. but she was protected by the barrier.

The fire crackled and the child gasped, hopping down from Rhystea and again running into the side of his own barrier! Bouncing off the barrier then off the ground and back to his feet with a growl, he dropped his barrier.

Not waking up, but rolling to her side, Sphaere mumbled something in her sleep. 

Rushing over to the side of the fire, the child started to whimper.

Climbing to her feet and stepping to the child's side, Rhystea asked, "Are you worried about the fire? Well aren't you a little sweetheart?"

Ceasing its whimpering, the child closed its eyes and relaxed; then after a moment, started glowing faintly.

"Wait..." Sphaere mumbled in her sleep as she rolled back over onto her back.

Seeing what the child was up to, "Uh-oh..." was all Rhystea could get out before her eyes went wide as a pillar of flame reached high into the sky and then came crashing back down on what was left of the fire.

Sphaere shot forward as her eyes tore open and she quickly reached out with one hand as she yelled, "Kai, wait!" and started gasping for breath.

Rhystea turned to her, but didn't say anything, and instead opted to remain silent. Forgetting about the fire, the child slowly crept over to Sphaere and chirped softly. Regaining her composure but still short of breath, Sphaere slowly got up and without a word, walked over towards the fallen transport.

"Everything... alright?" Rhystea called after her.

"Jus’ need a drink o’ water." Was all Sphaere replied as she walked over to where the containers were sitting on the shelf to collect that mysterious rain. The child followed quietly, but closely behind her.

"Whatcha want?" Sphaere asked, peering down at the child, who responded with chirp.

"Well, I dunno what that means, so..." Sphaere returned her attention to the container, using it as a large cup was a little odd, it was all she had. She took another drink from it before replacing it on the shelf.

The child, still looking up at her, chirped loudly. "Uh-huh..." Sphaere muttered before turning back towards the fire. Before she could take a step, the child lunged up at her, but Sphaere was quick to dodge. Narrowly avoiding his lunge, he rocketed past her and landed on the ground some distance away. With a chirp he came charging back at her!

"Gyah!" Sphaere squealed as, when she tried to evade him again, he was prepared with an outstretched tendril. Latching onto her arm with his tendril, his small body shot past and then wrapped around her. 

Swinging around her from inertia, he landed on her waist, immediately latching on to her, he tightened his tendril around her and gave a resolute chirp before the force of his landing caused them both to topple over.

They landed with a thud and Sphaere coughed hard, almost having the wind knocked out of her. "Oof!" She groaned, "You li'l...! Put yer weight inta that one, didn’ ya?” The child chirped happily in response and squeezed down tighter.

Rhystea could be heard laughing from a short distance. Making her way over to the shelf with the water containers where the child had Sphaere tied down, she could hear Sphaere struggling against him. "He’s a lot stronger than he looks, isn’t he?" Rhystea pointed out with a laugh.

Sphaere didn't answer as she instead focused on her struggle against the child, trying to unwrap him from around her. Treating it as no more than a game, the child kept her wrapped tightly with his tendril. He would occasionally chirp sharply at her, as though taunting her. Sphaere growled as she was starting to get angry. Freeing the arm that the end of the tendril wasn't latched on to, she wrapped it around the child.

With a sharp chirp, and much to her surprise, he let her go as soon as she pinned him down with her arm. There was a stare down between them as he retracted his tendril, but she held him in her arms. "Bleh!" Sphaere spat out as she stuck her tongue out at him.

With uncanny reflexes, the child quickly reached up with his tendril as if aiming for her tongue with it. Sphaere’s eyes went wide as she fell from a sitting position to a lying prone with a thud. "I give up!" She exclaimed.

The child let out a triumphant chirp and Rhystea nearly fell to the ground with laughter. A moment of silence passed before Sphaere inquired, “Do we need ta feed ‘im?”

“Hmmm.” Rhystea paused in contemplation. "We could cook some of that packaged food, we don't have a lot of water, but it does seem to rain a little bit every few hours... It would be prudent to confirm that before using all of our drinking water though." Rhystea concluded, weighing her options.

"Well, let’s finish seein’ what all’s in this thing we can use, an’ then I'm gonna go get some o' them bananas. Want me ta bring ya back a few o' those tomatoes ya like so much?" Sphaere teased as she started towards one of the units they hadn’t yet checked.

They spent the next few hours in relative silence. They had plenty to think about, and probably wouldn’t have spoken at all, aside from discovering a few things that would benefit them, or for the child who would pester them when he wanted attention. 

 

Tired from bending over repeatedly from picking up things that had fallen to the floor, Rhystea paused to let Sphaere know, “So I’ve been thinking about a name, and I think-“

“Quicksilver!” Sphaere interrupted Rhystea, but not what she was working on.

“Interesting.” Rhystea noted with a slight pause, “I was going to go with Mercury.”

“Another person from lore?” Sphaere shot back.

“Not a subject I expected you to be familiar with, but yes. Mercury also happens to be a planet, the first in our solar system; as well as an element on the periodic table, which just so happens to be-“

“Quicksilver is better, dontcha think?” Sphaere pointed out before posing her question to the child, who chirped back in reply.

“I can’t tell if you’re messing with me or not…” Rhystea trailed off.

“Not at all.” Sphaere assured her. “Quicksilver really is better.”

Letting out a sigh before removing and polishing her glasses, Rhystea replaced them and haughtily explained that, “Quicksilver is a common designation for Mercury.”

“Quicksilver is a better resignation for Mercury.” Sphaere shot back.

“Designation!” Rhystea scoffed. “Nevermind, I just, ugh!” Aside from a chuckle from Sphaere, they again fell silent and went back to the task at hand.

They found an assortment of things, from tobacco to candy, bedding to books. One unit was even completely stocked with coffee, cups, creamer, sugar and spoons. Neither of them liked coffee, but at least they would have something to drink from.

Having sorted through most everything available to them, Rhystea had prepared a place for them to sleep while Sphaere secured what food they had found in another unit. They were setting out containers to catch rain water when the child decided he had enough scampering around on his own legs.

Tugging on Sphaere’s leg to get her attention, he reached his arms up to her with a chirp as if to ask ‘please,’ and stood up on his toes.

“Alright, alright!” Sphaere insisted, finishing what she was doing before lifting him up. “You weren’t exactly patient, but it’s probably gettin’ close ta banana time.”

“Well at least he didn’t run off or get in the way more than wanting to be the center of attention.” Rhystea noted as she tend to her glasses.

The child chirped again as he curled up into a ball in Sphaere's arms. "Ya gettin’ hungry, ‘r do ya not eat?” She asked, coddling him as they started walking towards the banana trees they had discovered earlier.

"Maybe we can find some other fruits and vegetables too, we'll get tired of bananas really quick..." Rhystea said, still trying to focus on matters at hand rather than wonder about what-if’s.

"How so?" Sphaere asked, focusing on the child she held in her arms.

"Well, I see a lot of bananas in our future. There aren't exactly a lot of ways to prepare a banana!" Rhystea pointed out.

“Hunger is the best spice.” Sphaere suggested nonchalantly.

“Spicy bananas…” Rhystea paused before adding, “No thanks!”

“Not what I meant!” Sphaere declared, annoyed. Nearing the fruit trees, the girls could see the turtle dragons as they tended to the ground.

“They’re just like little farmers!” Rhystea announced.

“They don’ look very tasty though. In fact, I don’ think I’ve ever eaten anything with scales…” Sphaere said as they headed for the first red banana tree they saw.

Rhystea gasped, “You wouldn’t!”

“All ya’ve been talkin’ ‘bout is food, I thought fer a second there ya were gonna try an’ eat one o’ them!” Sphaere laughed a moment, then her smiled faded. “If I had ta do it ta survive though…” 

Rhystea had never gone hungry before, so she had never thought about what she’d eat just to stay alive.

“You hungry li’l guy?” Sphaere asked as they neared the red banana tree.

“Let’s find out!” Rhystea insisted as she hurried to the tree and from it, plucked a cluster of bananas that she returned to Sphaere and the child. Breaking off and peeling one, she got the child’s attention, took an overdramatic bite, then held a piece out to the child. “It’s not baby food, but it tastes better! Ahhhhhh!” She instructed, slowly holding the banana closer and closer to the child.

Reaching out with his tendril and otherwise not moving, the child probed the banana before turning his focus towards Rhystea with a curious chirp. 

“You have to chew it! Like this!” Rhystea instructed, returning the banana to her mouth and taking another exaggerated bite and slowly chomping up and down on it in an attempt to show the child how to eat.

“Does ‘e even got any teeth?” Sphaere asked with a sarcastic look.

“Ohhh, you don’t need teeth for a banana!” Rhystea assured her. She then removed and polished her glasses while she contemplated. After a moment, she returned them and insisted, “ Give him here, if you would.”

Sphaere passed the child to Rhystea, who looked down at him and went, “Ahh!” In an attempt to get him to open his mouth.

Without duplicating the sound, he did play monkey see, monkey do, and opened his own mouth. Rhystea slowly placed the piece of banana inside, and proceeded to try and get him to chew. 

The child clung to her, mouth agape and still containing the piece of banana for a short moment, then begrudgingly started chewing… ever so slowly. He looked around anxiously as he chewed… and chewed, and chewed and chewed.

Finally, he looked up to Rhystea with a puzzled look, but without his normal chirping response. “Well now you swallow it!” She insisted. The child just peered back at her with a look of bewilderment. “Don’t look at me like that, just swallow it and you’re done!” Rhystea went on.

The child finally leaned forward and poured out the contents of his mouth. He looked back up at Rhystea, still confused, but this time he could chirp. Rhystea inhaled deep before exhaling slowly.

Walking over to a brown tomato plant, Sphaere bent down and picked one from the vine. “Try one o’ these! Ya liked ‘em too, didn’ ya?” She laughed, tossing the tomato to Rhystea.

She barely managed to catch it after very nearly dropping it. In an aggravated tone Rhystea yelled, “Here’s what I think of your tomato!” Before turning and lobbing it as hard as she could into the distance. Turning back to give Sphaere a piece of her mind, she did not realize her mistake - not until it was too late.

Rhystea took a deep breath and was exhaling slowly when a low droning could be heard from behind her. Unbeknownst to the two girls, the tomato Rhystea had carelessly lobbed into the woods had been obstructed and stopped by a rather large dome construct that engulfed the base and lower limbs of a tree. 

A low buzzing filled the area as the dome released a number of rather large and exceedingly annoyed wasps with bodies about the size of her forearm, and translucent wings that were even longer. Rather than staying aloft by beating the wind with their wings, they were just outstretched and completely still. Rhystea had accidentally agitated their nest! Forgetting all about the tomato, Rhystea turned around with an, “Uh-oh!”

Sphaere walked over to her and with a voice full of accusation, asked, “What didja do this time?!”

The child seemed to perk up, holding up his tendril, he scanned the area with his probe. Within moments, a swarm of giant wasps had them surrounded, but kept their distance, as though they were assessing the threat the two girls and the war child posed. “Should we run?” A worried Rhystea asked as she took a step closer to Sphaere.

“Don’ move! Stand yer ground an’ don’ make any sudden movements!” Sphaere commanded, looking around her but not seeing any openings through in the wall of wasps. Coming to life, the child started squirming in Sphaere’s arms. “Be still!” She ordered, pulling him in tightly and he stopped resisting.

The wasps slowly drew in closer. Sphaere and Rhystea were pressed up together, back to back. “Take ‘im an’ get ready ta run.” Sphaere commanded in a low, serious tone as she turned and held the child out next to Rhystea.

“What are you going to do?” Rhystea asked as she reached out for the child.

“I dunno, somethin’.” Sphaere stated as she released her grip on the child.

Before the child could be exchanged, he wiggled out of their arms and plopped to the ground. Taking a few steps forward, he reached up as high as he could! Tip-toed and tendril outstretched, he was chirping excitedly at the wasps.  

Rhystea squealed in panic, Sphaere cried out, “Oh, ya’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!”

The wasps’ attention was turned toward the child, they slowly started converging in on him. Sphaere started towards the child, but she was quickly cut off by the wall of wasps. “What do we do?” Rhystea squeaked out, clearly afraid.

“We need a distraction, got anythin’ ya can scratch one o’ those fire scribbles onta?” Sphaere inquired, not taking her eyes off the wasps.

“Sigils can be inscribed on anything,” Rhystea quoted from the very book her parents wrote, “I just need something to etch them with!”

The child was putting up a real fuss, jumping up and down as high as he could, straining to reach the wasp that was hovering just out of his reach while chirping every time he bounced off the ground. “Sphaere… this is bad…” Rhystea said meekly.

“Get over here, runt!” Sphaere growled. Everything slowed down as if the moment froze in time and hung in the air. The child ceased his frenzy as he turned, looked up at Sphaere and paused for a moment, then everything seemed to start up again. Sphaere let out a gasp as, completely to her surprise, she not only got the child’s attention but exactly what she wanted as the child darted right for her.

Snapping back to reality, Sphaere held her arms out and prepared to receive him. Leaping from a full charge, the child slammed into Sphaere hard, where she expected his weightless body, he had used great force. She coughed as the wind was knocked from her lungs and failed to catch him. Instead, using her to get even higher, the child rebounded into the air and came down right on top of a wasp, tearing it from the air and driving it to the ground!

Sphaere watched, eyes filled with horror as Rhystea screamed “Nooo!!!” The very air came alive as the buzzing sound the wasps were emitting was turned into and angry grinding noise. Rhystea and Sphaere could do nothing as, all at once, the wasps swarmed the child.

The child was quickly covered and swallowed up by the swarm. All that could be seen was a mass of insects that were furiously crawling over each other as they rushed the child.

“Oi…” Sphaere said softly out loud, reaching out and lifting her leg, putting it in front of her, then dragging the rest of her body to it. Every fiber in her being warned her to retreat, but she fought off this basic instinct, instead creeping closer to the child enveloped by the swarm.  “Oi!!!” She screamed with all her might.

There was a chirp, and if possible, Sphaere’s eyes went even wider as the child shot out of the mass of insects and charged Sphaere, leaping up into her arms and wrapping his tendril around her, chattering happily as she squeezed him tightly and in response he squeezed her tighter.

Rhystea turned and threw her arms around the both of them, squashing the child between herself and Sphaere.

“What in the…” Sphaere started, but was interrupted as the swarm was quick to realize its prey had gotten away. Tearing through the air, the swarm flew at the three of them. The girls tensed up and did their best to prepare for what was coming. Closing their eyes and wincing, the swarm’s fury bore down on them.

The child chirped happily, then… nothing! Peeling an eye open, Rhystea let out a surprised, “Hey!” 

Opening her eyes, Sphaere could see the child was tensed up. Checking her surroundings, she realized a barrier had been erected around them. She was shocked speechless in surprise. The barrier was covered by the swarm of angry wasps. The girls were dumbfound, entirely unsure of what to make of the situation. 

The child chirped happily, loving being the center of attention. “This kid!!” Sphaere exclaimed, taking a step back. “What’re we gonna do with ya?!”

The child stayed in Sphaere’s arms with his tendril wrapped around both her and Rhystea, let out a sarcastic chirp. “Not letting him out of our sight is so not going to cut it, maybe just never let go of him?” Rhystea suggested, voice full of relief.

 “Good thing ‘e comes with a built in leash!” Sphaere said, snatching the child by his tendril.

“What now?” Rhystea inquired.

“I jus’ dunno… It’s all jus’, so…” Sphaere said slowly, before pausing.

“Surreal…” Rhystea finished.

The child tried to wiggle free but the girls wrapped their arms around each other and held him between themselves. “Oh no you don’t!” Sphaere declared. “Not this time!” Rhystea added.

The child chirped happily and wrapped his tendril around the two girls. The wasps were still furiously swarming the barrier, neither of which were showing any signs of relenting. The three held each other just like that for a few moments before Rhystea broke the silence. “What do we do now?” She asked with rising concern.

“Dunno how long we can depend on this barrier, we don’ really have any options… ‘cept…” Sphaere hesitated in uncertainty.

“Except…?” Rhystea questioned, rolling her eyes.

“Well…” Sphaere started, then stopped.

“Well what?!” Rhystea said, tightening her grip on the other two in anticipation, causing the child to coo happily.

“Well, super kid here can walk through fire an’ lift logs that I don’ think the two o’ us together could budge. ‘Sides, ‘e’s already been covered in them things an’ ‘e came back fine… An’ ‘e seems ta want another go at ‘em… but…” Sphaere trailed off.

“Hmm...” Was all that Rhystea replied.

“But…” Sphaere started, then hesitated before continuing, “but how do we jus’ let ‘em pull crazy stunts like that?!”

“Hmm...” Rhystea repeated.

“We don’ exactly have a lot o’ options!” Sphaere reiterated, the confliction reflecting in her eyes.

“Letting go of family is never an option!” Rhystea insisted, doubtlessly, conviction shining in her eyes.

Sphaere was stunned, she stood slack jawed staring at Rhystea, who stared back with a serious look. They both went to say something at the same time, but neither of their words would reach.

In an instant, something slammed hard into the ground not far behind them and the subsequent roaring wind tore the wasps from the barrier with all the effort it took for a tornado to pluck the seeds from a dandelion. This development caused them to retreat with haste.

The girls’ eyes went wide and the child took advantage of the opportunity and wiggled out from between the two girls, bouncing off the ground and dispelling his barrier with an excited chirp.

“Oh, what now?!” Sphaere cried out, “No more!” Rhystea said at the same time.

A familiar, if not altogether alien, dark and shadowy figure appeared. Slowly it headed for them. The girls just held each other and waited for him. The child ran out to meet him.

Stopping a few feet from the girls, the shadowy figure’s voice boomed out, “For what purpose did you hold him back?”

Gulping, Rhystea meekly replied, “W-what do you mean?

“Why did you prevent a confrontation between the child and his prey?” The figure cocked his head to one side as he asked.

“We don’ want ‘im ta get hurt!” Sphaere blurted out.

The figure stabbed a finger in Rhystea’s direction as it pointed out, “That’s why she’s here.”

“So we’re to throw him to the wolves?” Rhystea questioned.

The shadow answered her question with one of his own, “How else would he learn to defend himself against wolves?” 

“But-” The girls started in unison, but were cut off by the shadow.

“No excuses! From now on, you will allow the child to do as he will. I’ll overlook this instance, as it was indeed an incident that you yourselves incited. In addition, you have also allowed him to experience fire. Thus far, you have been an asset to his growth. See to it that it remains as such, otherwise I will take him back and you will be on your own. Then you can worry about wolves.” The shadowy figure peered down emotionlessly at them as it lectured.

While they had been talking, the child had approached and proceeded to probe the shadow, occasionally letting out a confused chirp as he couldn’t seem to discern whatever it was he was trying to investigate. After a few moments of being eluded by success, the child scampered around to observe from another angle.

“So we bandage his scrapes and kiss his bruises and what, allow him to chase monsters into the night?” Rhystea asked with resolve.

“Ahh, so that’s it.” The shadow sighed, shaking his head back and forth as he threw his hands out to his sides. “You simply fail to understand.”

“Understand what?” Sphaere asked.

“What you don’t seem to understand…” The shadow said sharply as he reached down and picked the child up by the back of his neck, causing him to groan and squeak uncomfortably as he flailed around, helpless in the shadow’s grasp. “…Is that this child, born for the sole purpose of raining down destruction as an instrument of war, is the biggest monster of them all. Shall I…” The figure’s piercing gaze shot right through one girl, then the next “…demonstrate?”

“Demonstrate what?” Rhystea asked.

“You both seem to doubt his durability, shall I put your worries to rest?” The shadow asked with a stone cold straight face. “I’ll admit, so far he has vastly exceeded each and every expectation placed on him. It was no less than a miracle that he survived the wound he obtained before metting you. Though, by the time you got him, the cut was little more than a scratch. Would you…” The figure paused and stared right through each of the girls, “care to know the true depth of that wound?”

Both girls stare at him silently.

The shadow held the child up high by the back of his neck and continued on with his lecture. “This child is alive. Just what does that mean? For this particular child, living means to fight. He was born tearing the life from his own mother, and the wound you met him with was the result of his own father trying to take back that very same life in an act of vengeance.” The shadow tightened his grip on the child, causing him to make a choking noise as he resisted in futility. 

“And that means he is to be used as a tool for war?” Rhystea asked, afraid, yet defiant.

“Not at all. That fact was determined long before his birth. It has seeped through his flesh, down into his very core, coloring his soul and sculpting his very fate. He is to be a weapon. Destiny decreed that he must claw his way into life, and necessity demands he fight to keep that life.”

“An’ what ‘bout ‘is own will? What if ‘e don’ want ta be a tool meant fer the endin’ o’ lives?” Sphaere asked brazenly.

“That too will be tempered, along with every other part of his being, each aspect to be sharpened. He has been forged for a singular purpose. He will move forward from one conflict to the next, growing each step of the way. His potential can only be limited by his experience, and you will not be permitted to hold him back!” The shadow bellowed at them, still holding the child up by the back of its neck as he continued to squirm in futility against the shadow’s grip.

“What if he wants to be a shield and not a sword?” Rhystea asked, looking up at the child.

The shadow paused at looked at her, “Amusing!” he said loudly, “A shield cannot cut down your enemies, when they come at you baring fangs and blades and fire, do you think it is a shield that will turn them away?”

Rhystea found her nerve and looked the shadow in the eyes, she replied, “Of course. An omnipotent shield would be neither intimidated nor scratched by things as trifling as teeth, swords or flames!”

“Interesting.” The shadow stared down at her, taking her measure as he chose his words. “The immovable object rather than the unstoppable force. That would indeed work, but only if your shield was powerful enough to turn away any blade. Let us test this theory of yours. I will allow you to mold him into a shield, and we shall see.”

“See what?” Sphaere asked up to him.

“If the immovable object can fend off the unstoppable force, then your bid for a shield will have had merit.” The shadow stared them down coldly.

“And if the sword prevails?” Rhystea replied.

“Then the shield will be devoured and I’ll be back to sharpening a blade.” The shadow answered emotionlessly.

“What do you mean?” Rhystea started.

“Devoured?” Sphaere added. The shadow stared down at them silently. “Well?!” Sphaere half yelled.

There was a long pause before the shadow answered them, “An explanation is in order, and it occurs to me that while you are his caretakers, you know nothing of him.”

Letting go of Sphaere, Rhystea stepped forward and held her arms out towards the child. “Then please, return him, and explain.” She said softly.

Reaching his hand out to her, the shadow released his grip and the child chirped happily as it landed in Rhystea’s waiting arms. “Very well.” Was all the shadow said before pausing again.

The girls momentarily turned their focus on the child. Taking a seat side by side before the shadow, the child stretched out across their laps and cooed happily as they pet him like a cat before returning their attention to the shadow.

“Well now, where to begin?” The shadow stated.

“What exactly is this child?” Rhystea asked.

“An experiment. A gamble. A chance. Hope. This child is our only means to stopping…” The shadow paused and looked at Rhystea, then Sphaere, then down at the child. “Look, I’ve explained this to your people before, and it’s nothing short of a history lesson. I’m going to provide you with the condensed version for now.”

“I’ll…” Rhystea paused and looked over at Sphaere, who was preoccupied scratching an ecstatic war child on the back of his neck, then back over to the shadow and finishing, “…have to be satisfied with that.”

“My kind is alien to yours. We exist as beings of pure matter, a dense mass of protons, the Umbralim. There are also Astralis, beings consisting of pure energy, a tightly knit stream of electrons. It was thought we could not coexist, let alone come together and compose a single being. Your kind, beings consisting of both energy and matter – are an astonishment to our own-” The shadow paused when interrupted by Sphaere.

Seemingly ignoring the lecture, Sphaere was focused on rubbing the child down, massaging up and down his spine as he curled back, enraptured with the special treatment. She started off praising him under her breath, quietly so as not to disturb her companions' conversation, then gradually got louder. 

“Oh, you like that, huh? Who’s my good boy, huh? Who’s a good boy?!” Sphaere spoke gently, slowly increasing volume, then finally interrupting the shadow, “Yer my good boy, ain’tcha?! Yes you are! Yessssss~! Yooooooou~!! ARE!!!”

The child had curled backwards, bending sharper and sharper as she rubbed his back faster and faster; before losing his balance and falling backwards off the girls’ laps. Bouncing off the ground and to his feet all in one motion, then chirping happily as he quickly climbed back up and made himself comfortable and wrapping his tendril around Sphaere.

Sphaere started rubbing his otherwise bald head when she looked up and saw both her companions staring at her and immediately turned slightly red and falling still.

“He’s not a dog!” Rhystea blurted out in disgust, yanking a surprised and squirming child off her and wrapping him up in her own arms as though he were an infant and gently rocked him side to side. The child quickly calmed down and both girls glared daggers at each other.

Losing the glaring contest, Rhystea returned her attention to the shadow and asked, “Before you continue, what are your names?”

Having patiently watched that whole scene, the figure replied, “I am known as Verakry.” Then took a moment of silent thought before turning it’s focus to the warborn and continuing with, “His mother, Linley, chose the name Cekell. She… never really got to meet him. A shame, really, she was so excited for them. Her’s is truly a tragic loss – not to mention what it did to his father, Kade…”

“She died giving birth?” Rhystea asked as she fought with Cekell, who was raising his tendril to her face, then repositioned him to one arm, she pushed his tendril away, only to have it put right back. 

“Not…” The shadow paused and seemingly looked deep into Rhystea’s eyes, “…exactly.”

still batting away the child’s probe, much to the amusement of the child, Rhystea asked, “How so?”

“Every precaution was taken, but it all went so much faster than anyone could have anticipated. They were prepping her for the birthing when…” The shadow paused again, looking down at Cekell.

“When…?” Rhystea urged a continuation, grabbing ahold of Cekell’s tendril and holding it down - this time not letting go. Cekell reached up and grabbed her nose in retaliation. Rhystea rolled her eyes. Sphaere tried, to some degree, to hold her laughter in, but did not succeed.

Pausing silently for a moment, the shadow answered, “When he decided he wanted out.” The shadow fell silent.

Both girls ceased what they were doing and swallowed hard. “They couldn’ save ‘er?” Sphaere asked, breaking the silence.

Turning to Rhystea, he answered with something heavy in his voice. “They tried. They also tried to draw blood from Cekell, he turned… aggressive. Several were killed. Most were afraid to get near, but… some lost their lives trying to help. Theirs was also a tragic loss. Several more were injured. One very good man lost his mind.” The shadow stopped and all three fell into silence.

Both girls looked down at Cekell, who had finally stopped fidgeting. He yawned and stretched before closing his eyes and curling up in Rhystea’s arms.

“Ya said somethin’ ‘bout ‘is father… takin’ revenge?” Sphaere asked, something sad permeating her voice.

“Indeed, the first time he had alone with his sons, he attempted to cut the Astral Point from Cekell’s chest. The first time he surprised me was by surving that. Your kind has a saying about what doesn’t kill you…” The shadow answered.

“So his father-” Rhystea started.

“Wait…! Sons?! As in… pearl?” Sphaere interrupted her out of surprise.

“Ack!” Rhystea scoffed before correcting her, “Plural! It’s plural!” Her eyes went wide when she realized it, “But hey, that means he has a brother!” Sphaere sighed in dejection. 

“Indeed, as I was getting to in my original explanation…” The shadow paused and looked from one girl to the other, as if he expected them to be focusing on anything else.

“Oh, um, please continue!” Rhystea stated before turning and glaring at Sphaere, who just looked back at her, annoyed.

The shadow continued on with his explanation, “In order to stop a ceaseless conflict between Umbralim and the Astralis, we have taken the Points and tried placing them in the same body in order to create a being capable of ending this conflict. For unknown reasons, in the early stages of development, the embryo split, dividing the two Points into two bodies. Cekell is the Astral Point, and his brother, Devose, is the Umbral Point.”

“Ain’t it better ta have two o’ them?” Sphaere questioned as she turned her gaze to the shadow, never seeing Rhystea gawk at her simply ‘turrible’ grammar.

“Each Point is something that I can only describe as a… Mana Converter. It’s a painfully slow process, but they bleed mana. What’s more than that is they can effect particles aligned with their charge. The negatively aligned Astral Point can manipulate electrons freely. The positive Umbral Point exerts control over protons...” The shadow paused his lecture for a moment, looking down at the child. 

After looking at each girl to make sure he had their attention, he continued with, “…Connecting the two creates something of a perpetual engine, one with an unfathomable output. Being able to freely manipulate both electrons and protons simultaneously is… being able to control the very fabric of creation. You could turn one substance into another, with absolute mastery over both magnetic and gravitic forces, you could control the universe on a far more fundamental level. The combination of the two creates something that is simply greater than the sum of its parts.”

“Can’t they just work together?” Rhystea asked when the shadow stopped his lecture.

“Truly controlling them both requires that they be linked to a single consciousness. The Points serve as their hearts, and even I am not sure what would happen if it was removed, it’s not something I want to risk. They were originally one body to start with, I don’t understand your hesitation.” The shadow answered, cocking his head to one side while curiously peering into Rhystea.

“Cuz they’re both alive now…” Sphaere answered, causing the shadow to shift his gaze over from Rhystea to her.

“It’s not as if he’d die.” The shadow retorted.

“But they would change and then they’d never be the same…” Rhystea shot back.

“It would be a melding of experiences, at the very least, he wouldn’t forget about you.” The shadow replied.

“What else would it do to ‘em?” Sphaere asked.

“Hard to say, I imagine whichever is stronger will remain the dominant personality. Either way, it does not change your objective.” The shadow answered.

“We are not making him into a weapon!” Rhystea half yelled, causing Cekell to wiggle a little in Rhystea’s arms before falling still again.

“Indeed, you’re turning him into a shield. By coddling him.” The shadow chastised their methods, looking at one girl and then the other. He started to turn, then paused and asked, “Is there anything else that you require?”

“I’m guessin’ we’re stuck here in this place still, right?” Sphaere asked.

“Only until he is strong enough to leave of his own accord. I have no intention of preventing him from doing anything, save fleeing.” The shadow said, turning and looking up.

The girls turned their attention to Cekell, who lay sleeping in Rhystea’s arms.

“So that’s what it means to be a warborn, huh?” Rhystea smiled softly and added, “You were born to protect people from war!”

“What’s ‘e eat?” Sphaere asked.

“He does not consume as you do. He can absorb energy just by coming into contact with it. He can syphon off the ambient energy of his surroundings, like the molecular vibration from something warmer than himself. Unfortunately, until he becomes more attuned to the Point, it will be necessary to transfer energies from something else in order to sustain himself at his maximum potential.” The shadow answered.

“‘E don’ need ta eat at all?” Sphaere asked, surprised.

“All he could need to sustain himself should be provided by the Point.” The shadow insisted. “Even lacking that, I don’t believe he would be in any immediate danger, but it would undoubtedly be harder for him.”

A loud humming sound caused Cekell’s eyes to snap open. Both girls looked up just as a barrier shot up around them. The shadow was already gone. Rain poured down, but only for a moment.

A smiling Cekell dispelled his barrier and chirped up happily.

“Darn, I was going to ask him what he meant by turning one substance into another. That almost sounded like…” Rhystea trailed off before shaking her head in denial and turning her focus to Cekell.

The girls quietly looked down at him before Sphaere broke the silence with a laugh, “Well ‘e may not need food, but I’m hungry ‘nuff ta try even one o’ yer tomatoes!” 

Rhystea sighed. “What?!” Sphaere retorted. Rhystea simply sighed again in reply. “Hey now, yer the one that made the mistake o’ pissin’ off them wasps!” Sphaere insisted with a laugh.

“A mistake is only a mistake if you didn’t learn anything from it. If you did learn something, it was simply an experience. Knowledge is the culmination of experience, and with knowledge, we can fix our mistakes!” Rhystea responded with a confident smile.

“Hey, that’s nifty, I like it! Good attitude with positive thinkin’! I’m gonna hafta ‘member that one!” Sphaere declared, impressed.

Rhystea’s smile grew wider as she explained, “Those are my dad’s words. It’s something like his family’s mantra, and if you couldn’t tell, he’s a teacher - his whole family is the scholarly type.”

“Gettin’ ta know ya, wouldn’ doubt it. Ya seem like the daughter o’ true, blue, smarty pants.” Sphaere said with a laugh.

Thinking about her parents for a moment, but her hunger nagged at her thoughts. “Let’s get something to eat, and then…” Rhystea paused before finishing, “…I don’t know.”

“We’ll eat, later on we’ll sleep, in five minutes from now… who knows, we may be swimming. What I do know is this:” Sphaere flashed a smile as she looked right into Rhystea’s eyes; finishing with, “wherever we are, we’ll be there together.”

“Ah, that’s right!” Rhystea said, perking up, “We’ll have you, won’t we? My little shield!” She cuddled Cekell tightly, who chirped happily.

Sighing, Sphaere walked over to one of the fruit trees and plucked down a cluster of bananas, turned to Rhystea and said, “Let’s head back, it’ll be dark ‘fore long, an’ that… Verakry said we won’ safe after dark.”

“We’ll be safe so long as we have Cekell around!” Rhystea stated confidently as she hugged the warborn tightly.

Sphaere frowned, “Hard ta argue with that… then again, we don’ know what else is out here. Better safe than sorry.”

The girls chit chat with each other as they walked back to their makeshift camp. Rhystea did most of the chatting, talking about her mom and dad and their studies, often shooting a question at Sphaere; who, rather than fielding any of Rhystea’s questions, evaded and revealed little of herself.

Closing in on their camp, Rhystea was still going on about her life but had stopped asking personal questions of Sphaere, as it became evident that she was keeping everything locked tight on the inside. 

Coming in view of their camp, they could see a medium size turtle dragon rooting around by what was left of their fire. Sphaere stopped, noticing the turtle dragon first as Rhystea took a few more steps forward, continuing on about her life when she noticed Sphaere. Stopping and turning to Sphaere, she put her thoughts on hold and asked, “What’s up?”

Sphaere simply pointed at the turtle dragon. Rhystea turned and only managed to let out a contemplative, “Hmmm…” before Cekell saw it. Raising up as much as he could in Rhystea’s arms, Cekell let out a piercing cry. The three of them fell still, as did the turtle dragon after turning and scanning the area from which the sound emanated.

Cekell tried wiggling out of Rhystea’s arms, but she was prepared for this. The child struggled, but Rhystea wasn’t about to let go of him. The turtle dragon let out a panicked squawk when it saw the motion of Cekell’s struggle, then turned tail and hurried off in the opposite direction.

You are reading story Candle in the Rain, Inferno in the Wind at novel35.com

In trying to keep Cekell from chasing after the fleeing turtle dragon – a losing battle for the poor girl – she abandoned trying to keep Cekell in her arms and instead latched on to his tendril with both hands.

Cekell chirped in surprise when his feet hit the ground. Time seemed to slow to a stop as he landed and fell to all fours, leaned forward and let out a shrill cry as he catapulted himself off the ground! 

“Oh no you d-!” Rhystea started to say as she braced herself against Cekell’s launch. Cekell shot forward, tearing his tendril from the girl’s hands. Rhystea was pulled forward hard and toppled over. He never looked back as he darted off after the turtle dragon.

A hysterical Sphaere moved to help up an angry Rhystea, laughing as she offered her hand to help the girl up, “You should o’ seen the look on yer face!”

“Bah!” Rhystea declared angrily as she swat Sphaere’s hand away, “I’ll pick myself up!”

“Well make it quick ‘r we’ll lose ‘em!” Sphaere said, still laughing. She quickly ran over by the transport to set down her supply of bananas. Rhystea growled back at her as she climbed to her feet, and without a word, both girls hurried off after Cekell.

He wasn’t hard to find as it didn’t take long for him to catch up to and pin down the turtle dragon, who rather than put up any kind of a fight, deployed his barrier just before he was overtaken by the warborn. 

Heading in the direction he took off in, it wasn’t long before the girls heard him chattering up a storm. Hurrying in the direction the chattering was coming from, they were soon upon him.

Ignoring everything else, as soon as the girls spotted Cekell, they marched right up to him. When they reached him, he was sitting on top of the turtle dragon’s barrier berating the poor frightened animal with excited chatter. 

More partial to her surroundings, Sphaere’s focus shifted over to a plume of steam rising up from a clearing in the trees not much further past Cekell, then back to the child himself as she followed after Rhystea.

“Hey!” Rhystea called out, trying to get the attention of the preoccupied warborn, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, she was determined to get his attention; and the longer she was denied, the more her determination grew. “HEY!!!” She finally yelled at the top of her lungs, commanding not only the child’s attention, but surprising even the usually stoic Sphaere.

The child immediately hushed and turned toward her, but kept his perch atop the frightened turtle dragon’s barrier. “Easy now!” A cautious Sphaere warned. “It’s startin’ ta get late, ya ‘member the warnin’ that Verakry gave us, right?”

“Yes I RE-member!” Rhystea answered harshly, never taking her eyes off of the child as she walked up to him. Cekell stayed calm as she approached, standing on the turtle dragon’s barrier but otherwise ignoring it.

“When I say no-!” Rhystea snatched Cekell off of the barrier and was about to give him a piece of her mind when he wrapped around her neck and cooed happily. She was at a loss, pausing, then again with a softer tone, “When I tell you no-!”

Sphaere erupted into laughter, earning her more of Rhystea’s ire, who simply turned and glared at her. Catching her breath, Sphaere managed to speak again, “Ya know what? Yer adorable when yer angry!” And started laughing again.

The turtle dragon dispelled his barrier and took off shortly after everyone’s focus shifted to Sphaere. Cekell noticed and started squirming in Rhystea’s arms. “NO! YOU!! DON’T!!!” Rhystea told him, shaking him vigorously to get her point across. “I WILL teach you ‘no’ if it’s the last thing I do!”

Cekell’s eyes rolled in his head and he let out a long, dizzied chirp. “Ahh, the two o’ ya are a riot!” Sphaere laughed, still trying to catch her breath.

Rhystea all but growled at her. Taking a firm hold of Cekell and making sure she had his attention, Rhystea pressed upon him the importance of the word ‘No.’ Ignoring her little lecture, Sphaere started off towards the plume of steam rising up from a hill of out of place rocks not far from where they were.

Continuing on to the source of the steam, Sphaere nimbly climbed over the large jagged rocks jutting up and out of the ground that were between her and the base of the plume. Making her way to the top, she looked down to behold a rather large spring of clear water from which the steam was rising out of the middle, where the water was churning and bubbling. “Hell yea!” she exclaimed with excitement.

This caught Rhystea’s attention, who ceased her attempts of defining ‘no’ to the rambunctious war born. “What is it?” she asked, staring up at Sphaere.

“A hot springs!” Sphaere stated with delight before hopping down the rocks and out of Rhystea’s line of sight.

“For real?” Rhystea called after her.

“Come an’ see fer yerself!” Sphaere called back

Rhystea grumbled as she slowly made her way up the rocks and after Sphaere, but quickly stopped once she caught sight of the beautiful hot springs. Then she noticed Sphaere shedding her clothing as she hurried towards it. “Hey, what are you doing? There are children present!” she declared in protest.

“Well, when life gives ya lemons… ‘sides, ‘e’s a baby an’ we need ta get back ‘fore long.” Sphaere responded without so much as slowing down.

“I… am inclined to agree.” Rhystea answered with reservation. Before continuing on, she grabbed Cekell’s small hands and used them to cover his eyes. He quickly pulled them away with an excited chirp, when she firmly said “No!” and replaced them. Seeming to catch on, Cekell held his hands in place and chirped resolutely.

Praising him and gently setting him down, she led him by his tendril along Sphaere’s trail of clothing, picking it up piece by piece and setting the pile on a large rock near the edge of the springs and, making sure Cekell kept his eyes covered, started shedding her own clothing. Walking to the edge of the water, she paused and asked, “How is it?”

“Amazing!” Sphaere gushed as she stretched and sighed in relaxation.

Testing the water with her toe, Rhystea quickly agreed, “Wow, it’s just right!” And continued in. When Cekell made it to the hot water, he quickly tore his hands away in shock and let out an excited squeal, much to the embarrassment of a stark naked Rhystea, who turned bright red and quickly replaced his hands.

Erupting into laughter, Sphaere called Cekell over to where she had found a large rock in the water to sit on while still being mostly submerged. He was all too happy to comply as he dashed blindly through the water to her side, where she sat him down and turned her attention back to Rhystea.

“Well this is… unexpectedly nice!” Rhystea said modestly, still bright red.

“Ah, don’ be so uptight! Ya only live once!” Sphaere suggested. 

 “Maybe, but all things considering…” Rhystea said as she made her way over by Sphaere.

“Yea, the whole sitchy-ation is a bit crazy, but that’s why we gotta enjoy the parts we can!” Sphaere said with a smile.

Rhystea forced a smile as she took a seat close to Sphaere and responded, “Yea, things could definitely be worse. Who’d have thought we’d get to enjoy a nice, quiet and relaxing bath like this?”

Sphaere started, “No kiddin’! This’s the first peaceful moment we’ve really had since-” Then it dawned on them how quiet it was. Both girls’ eyes went wide as they scanned the water in search of their mischievous Warborn.

It wasn’t long before they found him curled up in a ball between them - completely submerged, yet eerily peaceful and motionless... Both girls reached down in a panic and ripped him out of the water. Cekell let out a startled chirp before quickly slapping his hands over his eyes.

Both girls stared in shock for a moment before Sphaere snickered and then they both started laughing. “Conned ‘em inta jumpin’ inta the fire, now yer tryin’ ta drown ‘im, eh?!” Sphaere accused, almost angrily, as she pulled Cekell away from Rhystea and reeled him in tightly as if to shield him with her own body.

“I would never- he was going to leap into that regardless of what I said!” Rhystea was at a loss, and without a pair of glasses to tend to, she didn’t know what to do with herself. 

“And who started that fire?!” Sphaere articulated.

“Who asked for that fire?!” Rhystea shot back.

“Didn’ ask ya ta cook the kiddo!” Sphaere deflected.

“He was fine!” Rhystea insisted.

“‘Member that time ya sicced a swarm o’ giant murder hornets on ‘im?” Sphaere reminded her. Rhystea started to snap back, but upon taking a moment to think about it, she felt bad and remained silent. “Oh quit it!” Sphaere insisted, “I was jus’ teasin’, an’ like ya said, ‘e’s fine!”

“What happens when we come across something or somethings even bigger that decides one of us looks tastier than a turtle?” Rhystea asked, concerned, again having to stop herself from reaching for a pair of glasses that weren’t there.

Sphaere took a moment for contemplation, then answered, “Look, I dunno what’s gonna happen. I got a feelin’ we’re only jus’ startin’ ta see what’s out here. We’ve made it this far without a scratch though, so don’ go lookin’ all down in the mouth jus’ cuz somethin’ ain’t gonna be easy! ‘Sides, I’m willin’ ta bet ‘is barrier can keep out bigger bugs than them hornets!”

“Well, he certainly hasn’t given me a reason to doubt him.” Rhystea said assuredly as she placed a hand on the child’s head and scratched behind his tendril causing him to lean his head back against her hand as if he were a cat getting behind his ears scratched. “Did you see the size of the tree he was hauling around with just one hand? And the way he leapt into that swarm of giant wasps?!”

“Yea, ‘e’s a li’l action hero wannabe alright!” Sphaere said and both girls laughed. Cekell chirped excitedly in agreement.

Stretching with a yawn, Sphaere pointed the sun was hanging low in the sky as it sank into the horizon, “Can jus’ barely see the sun through the trees, sure is beautiful though - jus’ like the rest o’ this place. I cain’t get over all o’ this green! Not ta mention all these crazy critters!”

“Yea, it’s wild… And that’s precisely why we should be getting back soon.” Rhystea declared as she grabbed Cekell, placed his hands over his eyes, stood up and went to retrieve her clothes. “What are you waiting for?” Rhystea asked, looking at Sphaere as she dressed herself.

“Yea, yer right. We should get us a stock o’ water ‘fore the sun sets.” Sphaere stated before begrudgingly trudging her way out of the comfort of the hot springs. They got dressed and headed back to their makeshift camp.

 

Before the sun sank below the horizon, they made a trip to and from the hot springs in order to supply their camp with water. They finished by setting containers up on the two remaining shelves as well as on the transport in order to collect rainwater.

Grabbing a piece of wood she severed off of the giant tree Cekell dragged to their camp earlier that day. Rhystea asked Sphaere for her knife to carve a small sigil array into the wood. She looked up and noticed Sphaere was staring at her curiously. “What? It’s just for a cooking fire!” She quickly insisted. “This array is different, it will smolder rather than flare up!”

“I didn’t say anything!” Sphaere insisted.

“Maybe not, but you were thinking it!” Rhystea responded, annoyed.

While her focus was elsewhere, Cekell quickly snatched the piece of wood away from her and chirped in excitement. When nothing happened, he slammed it down on the ground a few times before cocking his head to the side and chirping curiously.

Taking the piece of wood back, Rhystea firmly scolded him, “No! No more fire for you!” To which Cekell replied with an annoyed chirp before running over and clinging to Sphaere.

“I dunno, I may stick with bananas!” Sphaere said, laughing again before reaching down and picking up Cekell, who let out a happy chirp and glared at Rhystea.

“More for me then!” Rhystea said as she climbed up their makeshift staircase to the top of the transport, then across to the unit serving as their pantry. Entering and quickly returning with a canister, she made her way over to the unit containing utensils, cups and the like, grabbing a metallic container of water before making her way inside. Sphaere had followed after her, snatching up one of the bunches of bananas they had acquired earlier.

No one even noticed the dark shadow hovering just above the treetops, and that’s exactly how Verakry preferred it. “They come!” Verakry announced gleefully with an ominous smile and continued to observe with bated breath.

Rhystea set her piece of wood down on the steel side of the transport that was serving as their floor, then placed her hand a little ways above it. Commanding, “Ignite!” Rhystea activated the sigil array before placing a something she found to use as a makeshift grate for the purpose of setting the container of water over the flame to boil. It wasn’t a kitchen, but it was as close as she was going to get.

Cekell slowly approached her shoddy stove only to be quickly apprehended by Sphaere. “No!” She firmly insisted with a laugh before peeling a banana. Cekell groaned, but didn’t resist her, instead wrapping around her and staring curiously at the smoldering piece of wood.

“Whatcha makin’?” Sphaere asked before taking a bite of her banana.

“Soup.” Rhystea answered callously.

“Oh yea, what kind?” Sphaere asked with a grin.

“It’s Mystery flavor made by the Unmarked Powdered Soup corporation, want some?” Rhystea replied sarcastically without looking up as she poured the powdered mixture into the water.

“Are ya sure it’s even soup?” Sphaere inquired sarcastically before taking another bite of her banana.

“Soup was all it said on the canister. You were in here cleaning the place up earlier, did you not notice?” Rhystea asked smugly before producing a spoon and stirring her concoction.

“No, I didn’ notice, must o’ been the shock o’ seein’ ya set poor Cekell on fire!” Sphaere stated mockingly as she pulled Cekell in tightly, who in return let out a happy chirp.

“Quiet you! Eat your banana!” Rhystea said, focusing on her soup.

Sphaere smiled as she finished her banana, then turned to tend to Cekell when she noticed his probe was pointing at her chest. “Whatcha lookin’ at, runt?” She watched him intently as he placed the end of his tendril above her chest, just over her heart, and looked up at her with a curious chirp.

“Yer takin’ a gander at my heart, eh? Good answer!” Sphaere noted as she lifted Cekell and tied him up in her arms, squeezing a delighted chirp out of him.

“What are you two doing over there?” Rhystea grumbled

“Ooh, Ceke, I think she’s jealous!” Sphaere suggested with a laugh.

Rhystea scoffed and rolled her eyes before returning to her soup. It got quiet as she watched her meal heat up.

 Cekell wrapped around Sphaere with his head above her heart who started to rock him slowly. It did not stay quiet, however.

The silence was broken as the shelves just outside the transport was knocked over and into each other, ringing out in a metallic cacophony, causing Rhystea to cry out in surprise.

Sphaere jumped up with Cekell leaping off her in surprise before looked up at her with curious eyes, cocking his head to one side. She hurried to the door and pulled hard, which caused a loud creaking as it budged a few inches. Turning to Rhystea, she quickly commanded, “Help me!” Rhystea collected herself quickly and jumped to respond, but in her haste, knocked her cooking setup over and hesitated. Sphaere quickly called out to her again, “Hurry!” 

Ignoring the mess, Rhystea ran to assist with shutting the door. To that end, they both pushed hard and the door started to close; but before it could slam shut, a black sickle like claw swung in and prevented the door from closing. The force of the door slamming on it’s claw incited a shrill cry of pain as the claw was retracted.

The girls quickly closed the door the last little bit as Cekell let out a howling squeal. “Quit!” Both girls commanded frantically in unison. Cekell jumped back in surprise

There was an eerie screech as the claw pierced through the transport’s metal structure. Rhystea Screamed. Cekell let out a low, guttural growl. Another eerie screech as the claw was pulled out of the wall, then silence for a few brief moments before another metallic screech as another claw pierced the structure yet again.

“W-what do we do?!” Rhystea stammered. Without a word, Sphaere pulled out the short blade she had found earlier, and with both quivering legs and wavering resolve, took a small step forward. Cekell leapt up and latched onto her foot as if to stall her. The Claw repeatedly ripped out of and screamed back into the metal siding directly in front of Sphaere.

Sphaere attempt to say something, her lips moved but no words came out. She tried again when she realized her whole body was shaking, both she and Rhystea were caught in the grip of fear. She grimaced, imagining how cowardly she looked. Rhystea was a pitiful sight, near petrified by the spectacle. 

Shaking her head side to side as if trying to cast off her fears, she took another step forward and found her voice, it still trembled when she told Cekell to, “Move!”

Cekell refused to let go of her, and let out a strange sound, “Nnnnnnnnnnnn!-”

“Move!!!” Sphaere screamed the word this time, lifting up her other foot that Cekell was not latched onto and stomping down to add emphasis.

“Nnnnnnnnoooooooo!” Cekell screeched. Both girls went wide eyed at the development. “No! No!! NO, NO NO!!! NOOO!!!” Cekell said the word over and over, getting louder with each iteration and practically screaming the last, “NOOOOOO!!!!”

The creature assaulting their transport had by now ripped a sizable hole in its side, but there wasn’t enough light to make out more than the black claw that tore into the unit.

Sphaere dropped to her knees. Rhystea rushed to her side. The creature continued tearing into the transport. Cekell held one hand forward. A wall of light shot up and around the two girls. The creature continued scything away in the pale glow of Cekell’s barrier. The girls stared on in disbelief as Cekell tensed up and glared at the creature while letting out a low growl.

The creature pulled back and emitted a sharp cry of its own before slamming its claw hard into the transport, cleaving away a larger gap. It went to stick its head through when Cekell gave it what it wanted, lunging forward and tackling the creature through the hole! Both girls gasped and reached out, but they could do little else caged within Cekell’s barrier.

Verakry could hardly believe it was seeing! While it did indeed take the child longer than he anticipated to recognize the threat, the warborn’s threat response was no less impressive. The first moment he had a clear shot at the creature, the silver tot initiated a direct assault. Rather than rush to create an opening, he waited for one to present itself and took immediate action. Verakry watched on anxiously.

Cekell’s tendril was just inches away from the stunned creature he had purged the transport of. While his main body was just out of the things reach, he analyzed it with his probe. It was a large black insect that utilized six of its eight limbs for movement with the remaining two ending in scythe-like razor sharp claws. It was agile and had rather powerful regenerative abilities as the fracture in its exoskeleton left from Cekell’s warning attack quickly vanished.

The giant insect stumbled back for a moment before taking a swipe at the tendril Cekell had presented to it, but narrowly missing as the quicksilver tot was quick to retract his tendril and put some distance between them. The insect moved to close the gap.

Cekell got a good, close look at the insect’s claw as it sliced through the air less than an inch from his face. Rather than dodge the following strike, he reached out as if waiting for something. The insect was more than willing to give Cekell something to reach for as it quickly ripped its claw through the air, right at Cekell.

Cekell chirped in excitement as, much to the insect’s surprise, he simply erected a small, circular and flat barrier that caught the assailing claw mid swing. It was unclear as to whether or not Cekell intended for this to happen, or caught the claw in a cross section of his barrier through shear luck. Either way, the insect was caught off guard and quickly tried to retreat, but it’s claw was securely lodged in the barrier. In a panic, the insect slashed at Cekell with his other claw, in reaction to which Cekell – without so much as looking – erected a barrier between them and negated the attack.

Cekell looked up at the panicking insect and grinned wryly. With an excited chirp he wrenched the insect’s claw to the side which was accompanied by a sickening snap, as though bone had just been shattered. The insect wailed in pain and tried to pull away again. Cekell, seemingly amused by the insect's reaction, quickly enveloped the other claw in a barrier.

With a sense of impending doom, the insect now fought to free itself from Cekell’s barrier. The warborn simply watched in astonishment with wide eyes. With it’s remaining limbs the insect tore at the ground to no avail, as the barrier held fast.

Letting out an ecstatic chirp, Cekell started to glow faintly, then brighter and brighter until finally emitting a faint ringing sound. With another excited chirp, Cekell let out a piercing cry his barrier fluctuated violently before shearing the claw off as it fully formed, an unblemished plate composed of light.

With an agonizing scream, the insect fell back hard as it came detached from its severed claw. It turned to run, but before it could even stand back up, Cekell had overtaken it. Errecting another barrier with the purpose of severing another of the creatures limbs while simultaneously letting out another excited chirp, a leg was sheared off as the insect let out a pitiful cry and toppled over as desperately tried to get away.

Verakry watched in amazement and the girls’ eyes were full of horror as Cekell picked at his foe with the cruel innocence of a child, all mesmerized by the way the warborn would get a kick out of the insect’s reactions to his onslaught. “More into the fray!” Verakry caught itself whispering with growing anticipation.

Cekell was playing with his, well, who is the victim in this act? The insect initially assaulted Cekell, but was now at his complete mercy. Cekell was more interested in playing. And then the tables turned. Utterly outside of his awareness, as he was completely engrossed with his prey, three other large, black arachnid like insects blitzed him from behind, their attacks were a concerted effort.

The first claw slashed diagonally across his back, spraying a silver liquid along the path of its swing and snapping Cekell into the reality of the situation. Shifting his weight, he escaped with little more than scratches from the other two claws which were aimed at his neck and lower abdomen.

It was Cekell’s turn to shriek in pain as he put distance between them. The three newcomers were close behind him while the first struggled to crawl away. Cekell opted to widen the gap, but the three new insects weren’t about to allow it.

Cekell stopped and erected a barrier and the three insects quickly surrounded him. The first attack came from behind, but denied by the barrier. The second attack from his side was also unable to penetrate the barrier as well. The insect in front of him charged and unleashed a barrage of swift slices upon the barrier, continuously, one after another.

Verakry was trembling, unable contain it’s excitement. “Show me!” the shadow enshrouded figure demanded out loud. “Prove here and now that you are more than a miniscule sack of meat!”

Cekell was at a loss. He maintained his barrier but could do little else as the insects tore at his defenses from three different sides. He went to cry out, but no sound came out, he choked. Was this… fear?

The insect in front of him reared back for a heavy strike. Cekell couldn’t counter or escape as that would leave him wide open to the relentless assault of the remaining insects. He hesitated and there was a cracking sound as his barrier buckled under the pressure of the insect's strike.

“What light will you find, alone in the dark?” Verakry queried, his voice trembling wildly in excitement.

Cekell closed his eyes as he focused on his barrier, which wavered before fluctuating hard and throwing off his attackers. This reprisal was short lived as Cekell was still stuck in his barrier and the insects were back upon him in a matter of moments. This time they alternated between heavy strikes so that one was connecting to his barrier as another started to swing down and the other recovered from landing a solid blow.

Cekell’s barrier was buckling even as he focused. He was chirping frantically as the insects attacked with great, rhythmic strikes. He was somehow holding his ground, though that would do him little good for long.

“Will you meekly cry out for another? Or will you reach within?” Verakry could barely contain itself.

Cekell was getting desperate. His barrier was trembling. The insects were relentless. With nothing else to do, he jogged his barrier hard just as a claw slammed into it – throwing back the attacker, but before he could repeat this process, another claw slammed into his barrier. Cekell shrank down within his quivering defenses.

One insect let out a cry, to which the other two responded with cries of their own before renewing their assault with increased fury. How much longer would the barrier last? It shook with each blow the insects unleashed. It had buckled in on itself but refused to give way to the flurry of blows.

Cekell was trembling all over, he was afraid and he was alone. From somewhere behind the insects there was a furious roar. Their assault halted, but only for a moment. In that moment, the fourth, now regenerated insect charged in as if seeking revenge. Throwing its weight and momentum into its attack, its claws tore right through Cekell’s barrier. A frightened chirp rang out, and they were upon him. A painful cry followed by a flurry of claws gouging into flesh ensued. The area was sprayed with a silver mist.

“Is that… all?” Verakry questioned in utter disbelief. “This… cannot be!” The dark figure watched on expectantly.

 

“Dammit!” Sphaere yelled as she lashed out with her fist, but such futility would gain nothing from the barrier that contained her. “Dammit!!” again she yelled, louder this time as her other fist met the barrier. Rhystea stood there, motionless as her thoughts raced. She watched as Sphaere hit the barrier over and over to no avail while cursing their situation.

Sphaere sucked in air and reared back, “Damned, stupid…” There was a slight pause as she lurched forward, putting all her weight and might behind her first, “Barrier!!” She roared as her fist bounced off of it like every other attempt; different this time was the bloody print she left where her fist connected.

Noticing the blood, Rhystea reached out and put her hand on Sphaere’s shoulder. “Stop.” Was all she said. The angry cries of the insects rang through the transport.

Sphaere turned and growled at her, “YOU stop!” She articulated. “I cain’t stand here an’ do nothin’!” 

“Give me your knife.” Was all that Rhystea said as she held her hand out, eagerly waiting to receive it.

“Whatcha gonna do with that?” Sphaere inquired with naked aggravation as she produced the short blade and pressed it in Rhystea’s waiting hand.

“What you can’t.” Was all that Rhystea said as she received the blade and made a small incision on her thumb. Sphaere questioned her with a silent frown, unsure of what Rhystea was trying to accomplish.

Wiping some of her own blood on her index finger, she started drawing a sigil on the barrier. “Sigils are unique in that they have to be etched into whatever they are going to be used on, however, there is an exception.” Rhystea explained. Sphaere watched her in excruciating silence.

“Sigils can be writ in mana. To do so is to make it exponentially more powerful. The blood of a mana bearer, though not as potent, will also suffice!” Rhystea recalled a lesson from her parents, trying to concentrate on her sigil array.

“Will that work?” Sphaere asked in anticipation.

“In theory. It’s something my parents were researching the last time I saw them.” She finished her sigil and, taking a lighter tone, turned to Sphaere and smiled, “Guess we’ll test it here and now!” She hesitated as she could hear new sounds, as though the insect was shrieking in fear and pain followed by Cekell chirping like mad. She reached out with her hand, placing it over the sigil. “Mother, Father, if you’re watching over me, I could really use a hand!” She prayed out loud, then, adopting a serious tone again, commanded, “Sever!”

The barrier buckled and shook, tearing and splitting wide where the sigil was before fluctuating hard and coming back together. “Crap!” It was Rhystea’s turn to curse her powerlessness. “Goodness, this is going to take a more complex array!” Rhystea thought out loud.

“How long will that take?!” Sphaere yelled in frustration.

“Longer, with distractions!” Rhystea insisted, otherwise ignoring Sphaere as she went to work on her array.

Sphaere watched in helpless silence as Rhystea went from drawing one sigil to another, and had started pacing back and forth by the time she was on a third. “Gah! HURRY!!” Sphaere urged.

“Patience is a virtue~ Haste makes waste~” Rhystea said in sing song fashion as though she were annoyed and speaking to a child. “Impatient much?” She inquired, stepping back to check her work.

“Finished?!” Sphaere asked as she ceased her pacing.

“Much more care has to go into a array or it won’t process!” Rhystea said, never taking her eyes off of her work.

“Well hurry!” Sphaere reiterated as she stamped her foot in frusteration.

“Looks good, all that’s left is to attach them!” Rhystea said, reaching out when another sound permeated the transport, this time it was shrieks of a besieged Cekell.

“Shit!” Both girls cried out in unison. Turning to look at each other, Sphaere nodded at Rhystea, who immediately went to work on connecting her sigils into an array, all the while many insect shrieks could be heard accompanied by the sounds of a panic stricken Cekell.

Sphaere grit her teeth and did her best to stay calm. It wasn’t working. Rhystea finally finished her array and reached her hand up in preparation for activation, when suddenly her array as well as the barrier it was written on vanished before their very eyes.

“Hell yea!!!” Sphaere roared as she leapt to the closed door, but noticed Rhystea and the look on her face.

Rhystea’s eyes went wide, “It wasn’t me…” She admitted meekly.

“Huh?” Sphaere called out to her as she jerked hard on the door handle above her.

“That wasn’t me!” Rhystea repeated, panic spreading across her face. “A spell shouldn’t collapse like that… unless!” Rhystea grimaced and started running in the same direction as Sphaere.

“Unless?” Sphaere repeated, annoyed, as she grabbed the door from the small opening she created and put her weight into a shove that forced it further open.

“Unless he was unable to maintain it!” Rhystea practically growled the words at Sphaere as she too helped open the heavy door. With elbow grease and some groaning, the girls slowly forced the door to screech open. They popped out just in time to see four insects swarm Cekell, who received their blows quiet and motionlessly. They both gasped in unison, catching the attention of the four insects.

“This cannot be!” Verakry declared fiercely. Where had it gone wrong? Was there any salvaging this? There was still the Umbral Point, but he showed even less promise than the Astral. “Should I start over?” Verakry pondered while watching the four insects close in on the two girls. “Where’s your shield now?” it called out, openly mocking them.

The girls looked up in surprise to see Verakry hovering a ways above them. Had it witnessed everything as it unfolded? “You did NOTHING?!” Sphaere cried out in articulated anger.

Rhystea started to panic as the insects drew closer, revealing the gruesome scene behind them as they approached. Cekell’s body, slashed and torn, laying in a pool of silver, the same liquid silver that was splashed and sprayed in a wide area around him. He was completely motionless.

“Not really your biggest concern right now.” Verakry sneered.

Ignoring the insects closing in on her, Sphaere picked up the short blade from where Rhystea had set it down to help her open the door. With a leaping throw, she flung it at Verakry as hard as she could.

Not bothering itself with dodging, Verakry received the blade, which merely bounced off it’s shadow cloaked body, just below where it’s throat would be - if indeed it had a throat at all. With what could only be described as a shit eating grin, Verakry looked down on her and proclaimed, “Looks like you are in need of a sword!”

With that, the insects were upon them. Sphaere closed the distance between herself and Rhystea, not sure what she could do yet unable to do anything else. She watched as the insect’s claw ripped through the air. Her body felt heavy as her knees gave way. Rhystea screamed and time seemed to stop.

The insect was stopped cold in its tracks. The girls looked away, shielding their eyes as a bright flash briefly illuminated the area. The very air pulsed with electricity.  Verakry found himself at a complete loss. Where Cekell had been laying, there was now a fulgurating figure of furious lightning, least wise as far as they could tell within the moment they laid eyes, on it before flinching away from the blinding light it cast.

Like moths to a flame the insects were drawn, and charged at the light ferociously, and like bugs in an angry storm, they were merely blown away. As the last insect, or rather what remained of it, hit the ground, the storm seemed to calm and condense itself, culminating in a bolt of lightning that seemed to jump in place for a moment.

With each successive jump, the bolt of lightning shrank into something more akin to the edge of a cutting torch. The light it produced grew dimmer, to more of a dull gray glow. “Legatus?!” Verakry called out, uncertainty permeating his voice as the shadow clad figure stepped back in disbelief.

“Interesting. The Astral Point was damaged, and drew in the surrounding mana to repair itself - somehow unfolding the space that held me captive. Well done, Verakry! Our folly might yet be undone! Tell me, how long has it been?” The glowing figure spoke thusly.

“It’s been far too long, my friend. I must admit, it was only a dismal hope that I might make contact with you, but to have you standing here before me… I did not think it possible!” Verakry replied.

“What is this logic defying little being? It’s like a drop of mana containing a will of it’s own! The Point was damaged and he sensed my energy and tried to pry it out of the Astral Point, which was trying to draw upon the mana he was composed of, pulling him into that pocket while expelling myself.” The glowing figure responded.

“Just like that? I guess I have tried about everything except simply breaking the Points to get you out! We have-” Verakry was cut off.

Legatus interjected with, “No, I’m afraid it’s not that simple. While I am incapable of freeing myself from the Astral Point, it seems your little one won’t stay contained long. He’s actually rather desperate to get out of there. That I can continue to feel what’s going on in there proves that I am still connected to the Point. When the little one breaks out of that pocket, I believe Astral Point will seek to swallow me, as it’s attuned to my soul.”

“Bah! A fleeting victory! It’s a step in the right direction at least, this is undeniable proof that you do still exist within the Astral Point. I haven’t given up, I will get both you and Deacon back. I won’t stop until I do!” Verakry swore.

“By all means, fix this failure of ours. I’ll be waiting… impatiently.” The glowing figure stated before starting to shrink. Disappearing into a small, black pyramid that could fit in the palm of your hand, levitating in the air. A moment passed before it started expelling a silver liquid that formed around it, and expanded into a Cekell.

Plopping to the ground with a thump, Cekell picked himself up and shook off an almost tangible surprise before charging Rhystea and Sphaere with a frantic banter of chirping.

Stunned by what they had just witnessed and not understanding what was going on, they were both just happy that Cekell was alright. Rhystea’s eyes went wide as Cekell jumped up and into her arms, grabbing her face. She held her breath for a frozen moment as they made eye contact and Cekell departed.

In the next instant, he was crouched on Sphaere’s shoulder and attempting to get her attention. Instead, he had only managed to spook her and she winced away from him. Cekell chirped shrilly as he grabbed her. She opened her eyelids to find Cekell in her face, peering back into her eyes. Once they made eye contact, he let out a relieved chirp and relaxed somewhat.

Sphaere quickly snatched him up and drilled him, “What the hell was that?! I thoughtcha were gonna die, then I thought we were gonna die, then ya turned into a lightning bolt an’ blasted away them bugs! Then ya had a strange conversation with shadow man, an’ now here ya are spazzing out! What in the hell jus’ happened? Ya gotta slow yer role ‘r, nuh-uh, I jus’ cain’t do it!”

Rhystea calmly stepped up and snatched Cekell out of Sphaere’s hands and berated him with, “She’s absolutely right, what if you’d have gotten hurt?!”

Finally regaining composure, Verakry spoke up, “Worry not, for there is no threat to his life.” Then let out something between a scoff and a laugh before adding, “He’d be hard pressed to find a real threat here!”

Ignoring the shadowy figure, Rhystea started to inspect Cekell, who did not resist her and was instead happy to have her attention. Turning to Verakry, she posed this question, “What does all this… What does –any– of this mean?”

Verakry grinned at her in silence for a moment before answering, “For whom?”

“For him? For us? For… I don’t know, what exactly just happened?” Rhystea responded, almost timidly.

Sphaere blurted out, “When can we get out o’ here?” with a placid fury in her voice.

“Don’t want to be his caretakers anymore? I thought you were going to turn him into a shield? Afraid of him now that you’ve caught a glimpse of what he really is?” Verakry hit her with consecutive questions.

“I’m afraid o’ what this place- o’ what YOU will do ta ‘im…” Sphaere retorted.

“He goes where he wants. Or, what? After what you just saw, do you really think that wall of paper would contain him?” Verakry asked with a laugh.

“I think if ‘e wanted ta be a… Legatus ‘r whatever ya called ‘im, ‘e’d be in ball o’ lightnin’ mode rather then here squawkin’ at us!” Sphaere gave her two cents.

“That was an altogether unexpected development.” Verakry explained, “While that is indeed the power I was searching for within him, I never expected he would be able to tap that deeply into the Point, especially considering the dormant state it’s in. After all, he is really little more than a human with the Point for his heart, or would it be more appropriate to call it a ‘food source?’ The Astral Point sustains him, and yet, it is capable of so much more.”

“You said his body was composed entirely of Mana? What exactly is Mana?” Rhystea asked, bringing her hand up to her glasses in contemplation, more of a reflex for her.

Verakry thought a moment before giving a response, “Mana is information in corporeal form. Active information normally exists in a quantum mechanical system, but it can be… frozen, to exist in a semi-solid state. More specifically, mana is densely compressed, crystalized information. In its base form, mana is blank information. It’s a blank slate, waiting to be given instruction, such as a sigil command.”

Turning it’s gaze to Cekell, Verakry continued, “Once encoded with purpose, it can manipulate matter on a subatomic level, from it’s structure to its vibration, or even work with your laws of physics themselves by bending or otherwise altering different forces. Using gravitational, magnetic, frictional, even inertial forces, you can change the shape of laws such as ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ You can redirect, compound, or even negate such forces entirely.”

Pausing to let his words sink in, Verakry finished his explanation with, “Complex alterations take certain levels of intelligence. A turtle that wants to hide in its shell can use mana to create a shell to hide in. Hunting dogs that don’t want to be seen as they stalk their prey can bend light around them. Give a fool the ability to change material on a molecular level and he can turn dirt into money, while the educated may turn thin air into a fusion reactor. Although, that would take a considerable amount of air.”

“But, I’ve got mana, and while I can use it to repair flesh, that’s all I can do with it.” Rhystea countered.

“Your kind barely scratches the surface of the potential of mana. Think of a sigil as a simple letter and how you use arrays to make words or even sentences. It’s no simple task to connect mana to that spark in your head, not without killing you, so you’re forced to channel it through an indirect method. It’s your connection that limit’s your utilization. Just because you can write doesn’t mean you can speak. You have a pencil, not a voice. Cekell is a conduit and is directly connected to his mana, and is thereby able to harnesses more of that potential.” Verakry lectured.

“So what exactly do ya want us ta do with ‘im?” Sphaere asked, annoyed, “You don’ want us ta coddle ‘im, an’ yer nuts if ya think we’re gonna push ‘im inta becomin’ a… Legatus ‘r whatever!”

“Seeing as how he can tap that deeply into the Astral Point, I can’t imagine him truly needing anything else. As he is now, he’s little more than an infant, albeit an incredibly powerful one. That being said, he’s formed a rather strong attachment to the both of you. I suspect that is the human in him- There’s a thought! Why don’t you start there?” Verakry inquired, it’s smile widening in excitement.

“What do you mean?” Rhystea questioned.

“Teach him to be a human.” Verakry advised with a deceptive smile.

“Not so easy ta teach someone how ta be human, ‘specially outside a human’vironment!” Sphaere retorted, much to Rhystea’s chagrin.

“I have a feeling he won’t be stuck in here for much longer.” Verakry insisted before turning it’s attention upward.

Sphaere and Rhystea looked up as well, attempting to discern what Verakry was seeing. At that precise moment, a loud humming could be heard followed by a brief, torrential downpour. Thankfully Cekell kept everyone dry with a barrier, and a long, excited chirp, as if to mock the rain. Verakry was gone.

“Aww, so many more questions, although what he said was rather enlightening.” Rhystea noted, eyes sparkling. This faded as she turned to her companion and added, “I don’t suppose you kept up with that?”

“What? The quantity of machine engines? Air powered ‘lectricity generators? I think we’re on the same page.” Sphaere sounded off with a sarcastic smile. Rhystea scoffed, not sure where to begin in reply, as Cekell made himself comfortable in her arms.

Sphaere had a crooked grin as she snatched Cekell away from Rhystea. Placing him in something of a head lock with her arm wrapped tightly around his arms and chest. “Don’ think I fergot ‘boutcha!” She asserted her aggravation as she tightened her grip.

Cekell let out more of a squeal than a chirp and Rhystea laughed, “Shouldn’t you discipline him? I think he likes that!”

Sphaere smiled gently and said, “Well, in the end, ‘e did take care o’ those big ugly bugs!” In an instant, her visage and tone turned ice cold, “An’ almost gave us a heart attack!!!” She yelled as she wrench her arm down like a vice.

Cekell opened his mouth as if to chirp or make some other obscure noise, but all he managed was a pitiful, squeakish sigh, but otherwise did not resist. “Yea, he definitely won’t do that again!” Rhystea snickered.

Sphaere glared at her but otherwise remained silent. Cekell smiled, contentedly tucked under Sphaere’s arm. Side by side, both girls started walking back to their battered transport together. “What do we do now?” Sphaere asked.

“Hmmm-” Rhystea started but was interrupted by her own rumbling tummy. She blushed a little and fell silent. Cekell, still trapped by Sphaere’s grip, investigated with his probe, touching her lightly on her abdomen before chirping questioningly.

Rhystea turned a darker shade of red and Sphaere laughed, asking, “Sure ya don’ wanna banana?”

“I’ll tell you what you can do with that banana!” Rhystea yelled forcefully, turning her embarrassment into anger.

Sphaere gasped, “Not in front o’ Cekell ya won’!” She said, moving her other hand over one of his ears and turning his head to press the other ear against herself to keep him from hearing before adding, “‘Is virgin ears’ll never recover!” for good measure.

“Cover his eyes too, so I can show you where to put it!” Rhystea said hurriedly, turning away, still red from embarrassment. 

“Well if yer not gonna eat the banana, I sure don’ wanna know whatcha are gonna do with it!” Sphaere said with a laugh.

Reaching the transport, Rhystea let out a sigh, “Good thing we set those containers out to catch the rain.”

“We could always get more from the spring, maybe a moonlit dip is in order?” Sphaere suggested, squeezing Cekell in excitement, who could only let out an agreeable chirp.

“I’m too tired to walk all that way and back with water just to cook…” Rhystea announced disparagingly. 

“If ya asked nicely, I bet Ceke’d carry it fer ya” Sphaere advised, looking down at the little guy she had tucked under her arm, pausing a moment before gasping loudly and sarcastically adding, “Or there’s always your favorite, tomatoes!” 

Rhystea silently glared at her as she climbed up the shelf-stairs and into the transport that hadn’t recently received a new door, the one that they were using for a pantry. “I’ll have a big breakfast tomorrow.” 

Setting Cekell down, Sphaere turned and with Rhystea’s help, the duo slammed the heavy metal door shut. Cekell, annoyed with being set down, was eagerly tugging at Rhystea’s leg, as it was apparently her turn to pick him up. 

Scooping Cekell up before grabbing the bedding she found earlier, Rhystea made her way to the most comfortable looking of the four corners available to her and prepared a place for them to sleep. In silence, they curled up next to each other with Cekell in between them. It fell silent, but did not remain so as Cekell sat up and chirped expectantly.

“No, sleepy time, be quiet.” Sphaere insisted as she tied Cekell up in her arms.

Cekell didn’t resist, but chirped again. Rhystea rolled over towards them to see him reaching his hands out to her. “What is it?” Rhystea asked with a yawn. Cekell, defiant to Sphaere’s attempts to get him to settle down, groaned in annoyance before letting out another exasperated chirp and again reached out to Rhystea. “One pretty girl’s not enough, huh?” Rhystea questioned groggily as she crawled closer to Sphaere and laid back down. “Go to sleep!” She insisted, annoyed.

Cekell chirped in protest before reaching and grabbing Rhystea just below her shoulder and all but pulled her on top of Sphaere and himself. “What’re ya-” Sphaere started at the same time as Rhystea let out a surprised, “Hey!”

“It ain’t exactly cold here! Jus’ what’re ya tryin’ ta pull?!” Sphaere inquired, more tired than annoyed.

“Ahh, just for tonight, if it will get him to sleep.” Rhystea conceded, wrapping her arms around Cekell and Sphaere both.

“What-hey!” Sphaere protested as she recoiled.

“Just for tonight… just to get him to sleep…” Rhystea asserted, half asleep already herself.

“Ugh, fine!” Sphaere gave up as she in turn wrapped her arms around Rhystea. They pulled each other in close with and ecstatic Cekell pressed between them who let out a happy double chirp. “Don’ get used ta it!” Sphaere insisted, still flustered.

“Yea, this is a one time thing!” Rhystea added groggily. 

“I was talking to you.” Sphaere said with a snicker.

Rhystea groaned despondently in protest, and that was the last peep out of any of them. Just like this the three fell asleep and didn’t so much as twitch, sleeping through not just one, but two more barrier induced showers.

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