There were multiple places where Corona's slaves were being forced to work. In the mines in the mountains, doing backbreaking work to find riches for someone else. In the fields, being forced to use the blessings of their gods to benefit their slavers. There were even slaves in plain sight, working in apparently normal businesses where their hours were longers than their free coworkers, and they weren't allowed days off.

Each slave environment encouraged a different culture amongst the slaves themselves. Their days were all completely different. Some slavers only had Saporians, and some had only one or two, if any at all. The only thing connecting the people was the kingdom responsible for their situation.

Despite their differences, and the distances between them, when unfamiliar black rocks suddenly burst into the caves, fields, and buildings, every single slave had the same reaction to it.

They would look at the black rocks and be reminded of a full moon on a cold winter night. They all heard a silent voice in their hearts, giving them all the same message.

"I am coming."

It felt like a threat, but none of the slaves felt fear. For reasons that none of them understood, they found comfort from the cold message. It felt like a promise. Somebody was coming for help. They knew it wasn't rational, but they felt hope. Their salvation was just around the corner. They could feel it.

Unbeknownst to the slaves, their masters and overseers got the same message from the black rocks as they did. Unlike the slaves, the masters did not take comfort from it. The promise was a threat. Whoever was coming, they were not a friend to the slave owners.

The slavers tried to destroy the black rocks. They were impenetrable. Their swords and tools broke on the rocks. When breaking them didn't work many of them tried to hide or cover up the black rocks with sheets and other covers. More black rocks would just pierce through the ground. They wouldn't be silenced.

When the guards realized they couldn't be gotten rid of, they tried to avoid them, and force the slaves to do the same. The black rocks unnerved the slavers, and they didn't like the hope they brought to the people they held power over. This plan didn't last long.

Within hours, black rocks started to grow in this new location, getting more and more numerous. They were impossible to avoid. The black rocks were there for a reason, and even if that reason wasn't known they weren't going to stop.

Slavers and enslaved alike were ready for something new to happen. They all saw the black rocks as a sign of something more. Just what that more would turn out to be, they were, in one way or another, anxious to see.

Change came to the fields on the south of Corona first. The day had been clear, but then, with barely a moment's warning, the skies became overcast and a thick fog covered the fields, making it impossible to work. Everybody looked to the heavens. The guards usually blamed the slaves for the smallest amount of inclement weather, but they couldn't today. Even the nervous slavers could tell that the enslaved were just as confused by the sight as they were.

It wasn't raining, but suddenly there was a rumble of thunder that was so nearby and loud that it seemed to shake the very land that they stood on. Lightning came down and struck the land, blinding everybody momentarily. The wind was whipping around so much that some of the lighter, more tired workers felt like they were going to be blown right off their feet.

There was a dark figure in the fog coming closer. Despite the near hurricane level winds the figure didn't seem the least bit bothered. It didn't even look like his hair was flowing.

The guards tried to demand answers, but the wind drowned out the sound of their voices. The figure continued towards them before he spoke. Unlike the guards' words, the figure's voice came through crystal clear.

"My people will not be held back anymore." The figure said. He raised his hand and another strike of lightning came towards the earth. Some of the Saporians noticed that just before the lightning struck some of the plants in the fields withered and dried. They thought they were just imagining things, but then the lightning struck, hitting the dry plants and making a fire flare up.

The Saporians and guards yelped in alarm and retreated from the flames as they spread and grew larger. They only engulfed the dried plants, which seemed to surround the guards, separating them from the slaves.

The fog cleared from the figure, revealing him. He held a welcoming hand out to the Saporians. "The Coronans have controlled us for too long. One way or another, we're taking our freedom back. Will you stand and fight with me?"

There wasn't a moment's hesitation. This was what they had been waiting for. They may not recognize this young man, but they could feel in their souls who he was. Nobody else but a Saporian royalty could focus the elements so easily all by himself.

It was time to reclaim their lives.


Andrew felt powerful.

It wasn't hard to find the Saporian slaves. The wind guided him, and if he truly got lost he could just follow the black rocks. Adira had said that these things were a message from their moon goddess. Andrew didn't quite believe in the moon deity the way that the Brotherhood did, but he didn't not believe in her. The moon was a part of nature. She may not be as important to them as mother earth and the father son, but she wasn't insignificant.

Andrew had always seen the moon as a distant but caring older sibling. It was there to watch out for them, day or night, lighting up their darkest moments. Lesser deity or not, it was reassuring to know that the moon was on their side.

He had gone to the fields first, using the favor of the elements to his advantage. Saporians didn't normally like to demand so large a favor from their gods, as they weren't under the impression that they were that important in the great scheme of things. After everything his people had been through, Andrew had no such reservations right now. And their gods must agree, because they did not withhold their blessings.

Getting the slaves away from the fields was just the first step. It didn't mean their freedom, it just meant a reprieve. Andrew was just gathering the soldiers for the wars ahead.

Nobody was obligated to fight, but most of the slaves he found in the fields were ot just willing, but wanting, to fight. This wasn't just for them, it was for those who came after them. The strongest and most able-bodied people, Andrew sent them in the direction of Old Corona. That was where their stronghold was. Everybody else went to the settlement.

Some people would be treated for their injuries and brought somewhere safe. Some people wanted to learn how to fight, and Adira would be able to guide them. Others didn't want to fight. They were scared of Corona, and just wanted to flee. Andrew understood. Not everybody could flee, but they didn't all have to fight. There were enough warriors that they could fight for their frightened brothers.

Those who were running would regroup in the settlement, rest, and gather supplies. They would leave the kingdom of Corona behind them. Andrew told them that if they followed the black rocks they might find allies, and they had nothing to fear of the people of the Dark Kingdom.

Nobody questioned his authority, and it was odd. Andrew had never before been among Saporians who didn't understand who and what he was, but at the same time these people saw him with more natural respect than others did. These people never truly knew Albrun. They had never seen Andrew as a small child. Their only experience with him was that he was their savior and new leader.

Andrew watched his people leave, and then he made his way to his next destination. There were more fields to expose, more slaves to find, and not just Saporians either. When he was done with the fields he would go to the mines in the mountains, and then to the smaller businesses.

Andrew didn't really know what he was doing, but his uncertainty was not going to cause inaction. If he didn't act and take the lead, then the Saporian's wouldn't follow. He loved his people, but for the most part they were prone to just going through the motions. They didn't try to fight the twists and turns that life threw their way.

Andrew thought it could be a useful trait at times, but not when they had been enslaved for generations. This wasn't the time to be complacent. If the Saporians weren't going to work by themselves, then they would need a push in the right direction, and Andrew was there to provide that push.

Seeking the assistance of the earth and her elements was necessary, but much odder than Andrew had expected. He didn't really feel guilty about demanding the world work with him, he was just surprised that the elements did as he willed. He couldn't control the winds and storms, but they listened to his desires. They helped him to get his people away from the slavers and make sure that they wouldn't be immediately followed.

Andrew had always been taught that the gods were forces that just enacted their own will, and nothing that humans did could change their minds, but now he wasn't so sure. If they couldn't sway the will of the gods, then how come the heavens cried with his people when his father had died. Why had the blizzard plagued Corona when Andrew had been arrested. And now, was the lightning, winds, and, when he got to the mines, earthquakes, following his guidance.

He wondered if the gods of the earth were more like Hector's moon goddess than he had thought. Maybe they were ready and willing to help their chosen people, and they were just waiting for the Saporians to take a stand and show that they were ready to take their fates into their own hands. Maybe their gods really weren't going to fight their battles for them, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't be willing to fight by their side.

Andrew knew that the slaves were a force to be reckoned with, but not if his people didn't recognize that as well. They may not have strength in numbers, or a stable foundation, but they were a united front, and that was where their true strength was. It was just a matter of finding it.

It took a few days of following the black rock's and the earth's guidance to go to all corners of Corona and get the people people trusted him right away, which hurt. Andrew was just reminded of Varian. The kid had trusted Andrew after being shown just a small amount of kindness. That had been all he had needed, and Andrew had taken that trust for granted.

Varian wasn't really mad at him anymore, but he didn't think it was because of anything he had done. It was just because of the kid's forgiving nature. Andrew couldn't get Varian's glare out of his head, or the boy's accusation about him being like Rapunzel.

Varian said that Andrew only cared about his own people, and if he showed care to an outsider it was because he thought he could use them. He'd compared him to the princess, but Andrew thought that the description was more like Corona's king. He knew that wasn't what Varian intended, and Andrew didn't think he was anything like the tyrant, but just the implication that he might be anything like that man was sickening.

Andrew would always put his people first, but he didn't think that just meant Saporians. The Brotherhood were his people as well. They were allies, and not just for a temporary convenience. His was a partnership that Andrew intended to make last. Varian, Hector, they were Andrew's people just as much as the Saporians, and so were the rest of the Brotherhood.

Then there were the other slaves. The ones that may not have a kingdom to their name. The ones who had been through just as much as the Saporian's had. When Andrew saw the slaves, he couldn't really pick out who was Saporian and who wasn't. They were all just people, and they all deserved support and freedom. Andrew knew he couldn't provide all of that by himself, but he had to at least try.

When ANdrew eventually made his way back towards Old Corona, his mind was reeling. He had come up with an idea days ago, and using natural disasters just to get the slaves away from those watching them had solidified the idea in his mind.

Corona relied on Saporians to keep their land thriving. If the land started to work against the kingdom rather than for it, then the Coronans would be forced to let them go. Even the king would have to see that ruling in a desolate kingdom full of slaves was not preforable to being without slaves in a land that was at least able to grow.

But it was one thing to ask the gods for a small fire, isolated earthquakes, or short weather disasters. It was another to ask that the land give up her life for an extended period of time. Andrew didn't think he would be able to get the land to listen to him by himself

Maybe if all of their people prayed to the gods, their prayers would be heard, but Andrew couldn't ask his people to be okay with demanding destruction from their gods. The Saporian's deities were gods of life. Not like the moon, who was a goddess of death and destruction.

It was tempting to ask the Brotherhood to use that destruction that Andrew had seen a hint of earlier, but how could he? He'd pushed Hector away. What right did he have to ask him to spread destruction and take the fall should the Saporians not approve of this particular plan?

No. This was Andrew's plan. He would take responsibility for it. He didn't know if he'd be able to reach the god's ears by himself, but he needed to.

He had started this journey alone because he couldn't bring himself to let his friends drag themselves down in the name of a plan that probably wouldn't work. It just made sense that he was going to finish this journey, one way or another, in that same way.