Chapter -130: The Weakness Within

"-and then after we finished getting down and dirty in the mines, we chowed down on these HUGE chunks of meat, you shoulda seen them sis, I'm talking like-" Temporis held her up as far as they'd go and let out a huge booming sound from her throat, "THIS big!"

But as she laid her arms to rest on her lap she looked at the bed opposite hers and saw Auris laying on her side away from her.

Temporis poked the air and created a duplicate aura hand to poke her sister's back a couple times, "Hey hey! I'm telling a story here!"

"And I am trying to get some rest," Auris huffed in response, clutching her silky aquamarine sheet harder against her body and putting her head deeper into the pillow, "Can't you do the same, for once?"

Temporis' expression slumped and with a wily smirk she murmured, "You were the one who wanted to hear it in the first place."

Auris flopped over to her other side with a flustered face, "Ugh! Well I have chosen to change my mind!"

Temporis' smirk widened and curled, "Your face is red again."

Auris closed her eyes and declared, "O-Only because I pushed my face against my pillow too hard!"

"Ya mean it's NOT because I mentioned S-A-R-A-J-I-N?" Temporis' teasing popped her sister's eyes wide open. Temporis then waved her hands around dramatically while providing a perfect mockery of Auris' voice, "Ooooh, but there's no WAY the strong and superior Auris would EVER care about the affairs of some...commoner! Harumph!"

Auris sat up and flung her pillow at Temporis' face, letting out a shrill sound. Temporis fell atop her bed giggling like a lunatic and kicking her feet in the air, "Auris has a crush! Auris has a crush!"

Auris pulled the corner of her sheet up to her chest, which her frilly nightgown struggled to contain. She then raised her head up high and haughty as she declared, "H-Honestly, I am merely taking interest in the social-political aspects of his presence in the world, as a Sage properly should."

"Whatever," Temporis dully said, throwing the pillow back as she rose, then laying her hands atop her uncovered knees, "If that's what you're after you'd get a lot more experience on the outside."

Auris was too busy fluffing and setting her pillow back into place to pay her any heed. She then laid back down and said, "You will not tempt me with your wild ways, Temporis. Now, go to sleep."

Temporis squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "I'm not trying to tempt...Ugh!"

She hopped off her butt like a spry rabbit and plopped down onto her back, leaving the sheets beneath her and using her arms as head support.

"I just want you to enjoy life, sis..." She murmured to herself.

She then stared up at the crystalline ceiling, dimly lit by a chandelier full of starry lights. With a dainty shrug she thought "Can't wait for another adventure tomorrow!" and then with a blink of an eye, shut the chandelier off.

The next morning Temporis got dressed, layering the robes of parental oppression over her preferred clothes and then preparing herself a quick breakfast before she had to make eye contact with her father.

She then waltzed out of her home, a golden-yellow sanctuary with an octagonal shape from above, four towers at the corners, and a larger, square tower with a stained glass window in the back.

Standing guard in a meditative state was Gabriel. Temporis stopped, munching on her honeyed piece of toast very, very loudly, and stared.

Gabriel eventually winced and following a sigh remarked, "Good morning, Lady Temporis."

"Guh morning," Temporis swallowed the last bit of toast and put his hands behind his head, "Ready to lose at tag again?"

Gabriel peeked his eyes and bemoaned, "Haven't you troubled your father enough already this week?"

"Nah!" She proclaimed cheerfully, "So how much of a head start do you want before I leave?"

"Haaaa..." Gabriel peeled off the side of the building and gestured his hand out, "You're not going to escape again, Lady Temporis. Your father has finally given the Arrow Wasps better visors to help amplify their ability to sense aura. There's no blind spots for you to exploit."

Temporis tapped one heel against her other leg and surrounded it with an aura brace, "Yeah, we'll see about that!"

"Lady Temporis..." Gabriel groaned.

Temporis rightfully ignored him and swung her fingers up to her bracelet, hastily saying, "3 2 1 go!"

She then stopped time and made a sharp turn to the left, mustering up plenty of strength in her legs to spring up and over the nearby pyramid.

"Woo-hoo!" By the time she landed on the other side time resumed and she glanced over her right shoulder, finding that Gabriel was already halfway around the bend judging from him shouting her name.

"Hee hee hee! You're getting slow with age, Big Green!" She shouted, giving him a chance to run around the corner before she started leaping across the rooftops. She was the attention of all the dull-eyed Aurians she passed by, with Gabriel weaving through them on the ground and apologizing to everyone when calling out to Temporis didn't leave him tired.

Quicker and quicker she went towards the edge of the city. That was when her determination kicked into overdrive, as she reached towards her bracelet again and muttered, "Ok, no slowing down now!"

She stopped time right as she was about to get through the barrier, then broke right into a spring as she landed, her finger continuing to hover over her bracelet.

The exact millisecond time resumed she stopped it again, her head swaying a little. She didn't pay any attention to the dust in her wake as she cheered triumphantly, absorbed in the victory of the moment.

She stopped time three more times, each one making her feel a little dizzy. But only after a minute had passed in her eyes did she finally stop, her body bobbing around and causing her to fall on her butt next to a small rock.

She grabbed the side of her head and grinned, not caring about the trickle of blood coming out her nose.

The prison called home, Sancturia, was a far distance away. She had once more won out over her father, and stuck the tip of her tongue out to celebrate.

She then stood up with a little more wobbling to hold her back. Once she wiped the blood onto her sleeve she tied the robe around her waist and clapped her hands.

"Twelve seconds per use this time," Temporis then laid a hand on her hip and looked up towards the sunny sky, where the birds were flying in droves, "Someday soon, I'll be as free as all of you!"

She then lurched her head forward and licked her lips, "Now, Cryofloe is...southwest of here!"

She braced her legs again and bounced through the wastes, purposefully landing close to Rot Walkers a couple times just to throw them off.

Eventually she noticed a pair of mountaintops poking up over the horizon. One on the left made of ice, another made of fire. They were conjoined at the center with a lava flow and ice flow blending together at the meeting point. Floating ice crystals formed a ring around the top of one mountain and hardened magma formed a ring around the other.

The villages at the base of both mountains were concealed by different types of fog at the moment.

Temporis curled her bottom lip and murmured, "Hmm, where should we meet up?"

She noticed a multitude of rocks in an arch formation somewhere between the two lands and said, "They'll probably see me if I stand there!"

She finally made a landing at the north side of the rock and then leaned against it with her hands behind her head and a big smile.

"Can't wait for another fun and exciting day! They better not keep me waiting too long."

One hour later...

"Ok what the heck," Temporis pulled off the rock and rolled her head around to remove the kink in her neck. She then rubbed it some while looking around, "They didn't go to Cryofloe without me did they? One, that'd be SO rude! And two...Ok there is no two."

"Ugh!" Temporis crossed her arms under her chest and shouted, "So what gives?!"

She smashed her lips together into a frown and then glared north, "Lemme think, four-eyes' village should be...that way, right?"

She put the braces on her legs once more and declared, "Maybe they're just running late cause four-eyes is still having a pity party. Jerk..."

She began hopping her way over to Justek's home to find answers.

Meanwhile, at the village of wyverns and dragons...

Everyday life continued as it should. You'd be hard pressed to believe that graves had been placed outside their walls recently.

The looming melancholy from the Khull Drago's attack has vanished. Now, all feelings of powerlessness and sadness are centered on the home of one Justek.

He presently sits alone in his house with his legs curled up against his face, trembling. Even with the light dim, you would be able to notice the lack of color on his skin.

There was no book in his hand, or in his thoughts. He was overcome with despair...and powerlessness, playing the same events over and over in his head, as Sarajin was taken away by that monster.

In his eyes the figure that took him had no skin, but flesh made of weathered tendrils and otherworldly protrusions. And their smile was wider than any face, a pitch white haunting glow in an otherwise ebony frame.

And every time he was made to remember that thing and all the horror it wrought, he sunk further and further into himself.

His father loomed over him, crudely brushing his hand against his shoulder and saying, "C'mon already. Enough moping...Sitting around isn't gonna change anything."

Unresponsive to the point of being catatonic, Justek registered his father's anger and disappointment but did not speak.

"Worthless..." Justek's father shook his head and then walked out of the hut.

Justek's eyes widened and he began to sweat, feeling his heart wanting to break free from his chest.

He recalled last night, the voices present all echoing amidst a foggy landscape.

"Son, are you alright?!" Shouted his mother, pulling him free from the barrier that had carried him back.

"What in the lord's blaze were you doing out that late?!" His father shouted in his normal, difficult tone, "And being carried back by your mother's spell no less!"

Justek had scrambled to his feet and grabbed hold of his father's chest, shaking him with every ounce of desperate energy he could muster, "S-Sarajin...S-Sarajin...!"

His father glared down and muttered, "Calm yer nerves, boy! What about the young whelp?"

"Monster...monster took him...!"

He watched with great, paralyzing fear as his father's eyes turned white and he went silent. Justek continued to shake him and scream, "Father! I-If we hurry, we can-"

His father pushed his hand up towards his face to shove him away, then turned his back and shook his head.

Justek ran at him and shouted, "Why?! Why would you-"

"Yer friend's as good as dead, boy," He said in a fearful tone, "Best learn to accept that now, and move on with yer life."

"NO!" Justek screamed, beating on his dad's back with his torn fists, "No no no! It's my fault, it's all my fault there has to be-!"

His father smashed him across the face with the back of his hand and brought him careening to the ground. He then hung over him with hollow, glowing eyes and growled, "THIS is what ya get for foolin' around and ignoring your duties, boy. Maybe this'll teach ya to take yer bloodline seriously..."

The last thing he chose to remember was his body laid in a pitiful heap on the ground, pitied by his mother, and scorned by his father...

If his body wasn't weighed down by this overwhelming despair, he'd run away, and never look back...

But there was nowhere else for him to go. Especially now. Especially without him.

And so once more, he could only curse his powerlessness.

And there was no light of hope to free him from this curse. What he had was the polar opposite to keep him company...The shrill voice of the girl who cursed him with this feeling in the first place.

"Heeeeeey!"

When her voice ran through his ears it was like a blade to his brain, sending out pain so sharp his glare was forced onto her, the source of his woes.

Temporis stood at the door like a friend not a fool, even though her actions were as foolish as could be.

She had her hands behind her head and walked without a care right into his home, his sole sanctuary from the despair of the outside world.

And then she whistled, speaking aloud, "You sure do have some weeeeird houses around here! Smells like dead animals..."

And then she looked at him, ignoring the fury of flame in his eyes as she spoke, "So, you mind telling me why you're all cuddled up in the corner and NOT at the meeting place with Sarajin?"

"GO. AWAY." He growled, channeling his primal nature.

"Eugh," Temporis' face scrunched up in disgust and she disobeyed, moving closer. An expected, if not unfortunate choice, which her next words would only make worse, "Did you treat Sarajin like this? Is that why he's not here, he finally got tired of you?"

She stopped a few feet away from him and waved her hand out, "Can you TRY to say something?"

Through a bitter and tearful tongue, Justek remarked, "Sarajin...is gone."

"Huh?" Temporis' flighty nature was the halfling's last straw.

He stood right up and planted his face right against, burning all his ferocity into her eyes, "Sarajin is GONE, kidnapped by that monster to have lord knows what done to him...! Not like you could ever give a damn."

Temporis' pupils shrank and she remarked, "Monster...? The one from Obscura?"

There was a brief pause in their exchange for Temporis to catch her breath and without warning, make a beeline for the door.

Justek looked on in utter confusion as she turned around and waved her arm out shouting, "Come on! There's probably still time to save him!"

"What are you talking about?!" Justek barked in outrage, "He's DEAD!"

"No he's not!" Temporis shouted, pulling back with her fists clenched up before her chest, "Ugh look...That monster's a big enough problem that even my dad's been keeping an eye on them. There has NEVER been a recorded instance of them kidnapping someone! Usually they run into them, and die."

This was the sudden shock to Justek's heart that he did not need, leaving him stuttering and drained of his former rage, "B-But why would..."

"Heck if I know!" Temporis shouted, "But if we're going to rescue Sarajin we need to hurry!"

Right as she was about to head out the door Justek grit his teeth into a scowl, "Damn you pixie, this isn't a game!"

She dug her heels into the ground to stop and then spun around, looking very annoyed while Justek swung his hand out and exclaimed, "That THING is beyond strength! You can't defeat it!"

"Oh I probably could," Temporis boasted with her fists on her hips and her chest jutted out, "What're they gonna do, hit me? I can stop time, dingus!"

"It's that kind of recklessness that will get Sarajin killed if he isn't already dead!"

Temporis rolled her eyes, gestured her hands out, and leaned forward, "Then HELP ME if you're so worried! Or are you just going to sit here and keep bitching and moaning?!"

Justek was frozen in place by his shivering body. As he grit his teeth and stared at her he could feel the scorn coming straight out of her eyes.

She laid one hand on her hips and closed her eyes, "You're unbelievable."

Something in Justek's mind snapped. He glared straight at her with narrowing eyes and his tone became deep and grizzly for a few moments, "Where do you get off acting like you're so superior to me?"

"Because I AM!" Temporis declared, "I'm a better fighter than you, I'm smarter than you, and right now...I'm a better FRIEND than you!"

The next thing Justek knew he was flying off the ground and grabbing Temporis by her shoulders, roaring as he pinned her to the ground.

Salivating and wide-eyed like a hungry lion, Justek's pupils turned to slits as he shouted right into her unflinching face, "You don't care about him as a person! He's just a TOY for your AMUSEMENT! So how dare you...how DARE you, pretend to care about his life?!"

"UNGH!" Shouted Temporis, headbutting him square in his forehead to get him off-balance. The two wobbled around as they stood up, with Temporis the clear winner in recovery.

And she took advantage of that to shout at him, "You know what? I admit it! Yeah! I was using you two to have a little fun!"

"RAHHH!" Justek charged at her again but in his drunken-like state she was easily able to roll out of the way without stopping time.

She then crossed her arms and shouted, "But I didn't just stick around because of how fun it is to play with you both!"

She performed a backflip through the air to get away from Justek's desperate hand swipes. When she landed she said, "It's because Sarajin's actually a pretty cool guy!"

These words stayed Justek's hand for just a moment, with him flinching out a wide-eyed glare at her. She looked firmly upon his face and spoke with deadly sincerity, "He's a bit of a scatterbrained, easily-trusting nitwit but...He's also kind, hard-working, selfless, and most importantly HONEST. He's one of the most true-to-himself people I've ever met and it SUCKS!"

"Cause despite all of his good qualities, for whatever reason, he looks up to YOU!"

Justek squeezed his eyes shut for a while and then let out a pained gasp, with his heart feeling like it was being wrenched.

"He goes to you for answers, he trusts your opinion! But now that he's trapped god knows where and needs your strength, you're just standing here, letting him down!" Temporis squeezed her fists up by and screamed at the top of her lungs, "What the hell kind of a friend does that?!"

"I-I'm not...He...No, there's no way I am..." Justek's eyes darted around.

Temporis' lips curled in disgust and she squeezed her eyes shut, "If there's anything I hate the most in this world, it's people who can't be honest about how they feel."

She then glared at Justek once more and asked, "Have you EVER reciprocated Sarajin's feelings of friendship?!"

It was an armor-piercing round through the heart that dispersed the rage within. Justek clutched his tightening chest and collapsed onto his knees, panting, and in a cold sweat.

With a heavy swallow his eyes trembled, "I...have I never...?"

Temporis put her arms against her chest and leaned back, tapping her toes on the ground. With a heavy furrow of her brows, she said, "...I don't know what your deal is four-eyes but I don't care. It's bullshit that you avoid using your own strength."

She brushed her ponytail off her shoulder and turned aside, looking at Justek from across her shoulder, "Strength should be used to protect the people you care about. It ain't some deep philosophical question that takes years to answer."

"So if you want to stay here and pretend you're solving it, whatever, waste your time," Temporis then put her hands behind her head and began to march off, "I'm giving you until tomorrow to get your act together, or I'm going to save Sarajin all by myself. Cause right now, he doesn't need a hero, he needs a friend."

The words clung to him like germs on a wound, gnawing away and leaving him feeling ill towards himself.

When she was gone he returned home and sat down like nothing had changed.

But he couldn't deny that something HAD.

He allowed himself to remember more. Visions of him blindly clawing and crushing those rotting beasts filled his head, as did the pleasures brought on by his frenzy.

It was an intoxicating sensation to let his power go...But what could've been the cost, had he kept going?

He stared at his open hand and his eyes began to shake. Tired, weary and alone, he thought of Sarajin and his persistent smile...Before it shattered, blood leaking between the cracks.

What was once a nuisance had become a fond memory beneath his notice, and something that represented fear within him. A pleasant time he wished he could return to...A time that he himself had been rejecting out of foolish pride.

He squeezed his hand into a fist and started punching his forehead, gritting his teeth and muttering, "T-This power is good for nothing! It can only take lives, not save them!"

He then clutched his arms around his knees and pressed them against his face, crying, "Friend? Ha! Why would anyone want to call this useless meatbag a friend?!"

Denial and self-loathing were clouding his ability to admit what he really wanted to say...

"But...what I wouldn't give, just to see him-"

He was stopped by the sudden sound of someone panting at the door. His eyes widened and he fixated his gaze slowly at the door.

There, his silhouette enhanced by the sunlight, was Sarajin. Tired, even more than he was, he was hung over and rubbing the sweat off his chin, yet still managed to smile.

"Y-You're ok!" Sarajin breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, enhancing his smile, "I was getting worried for a second there!"

Justek's face froze and his eyes trembled. He rose from the ground and for all his smarts, he realized he just could not understand the existence of Sarajin Stratos...

"H-How...?"

Sarajin walked towards him and looked him dead in the eyes. Without blinking, it was like they knew what they were feeling. And Sarajin let his expression sag with sorrow, saying in his earnest, apologetic tone, "Sorry if I worried you, Justek. To be honest, I didn't think I'd make it back."

"..." Justek closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, "Sarajin, I..."

He froze again. The words he should've spoken dangled on the tip of his tongue, only to be swallowed, replaced with a longer sigh.

He then pinched the side of his glasses and put them back into place, stating in a soft and puzzled tone, "Never mind...It looks like you've gone through a rough time. I'll save what I have to say for when it's more...appropriate."

"Huh?"

Justek shook his head and muttered, "So...What happened?"

The two sat down and Sarajin detailed the long night he had. Everything about Sarajin's father and his relationship to the monster, named Ophelia, was laid bare.

While so many truths of the present state of affairs were coming to light, Justek could feel his old self returning, as he enjoyed just sitting here and talking with Sarajin again.

When it was over they had no idea how much time had passed, but their exhaustion said enough. Sarajin laid his hands down by his sides and leaned back against the wall, while Justek responded to all this information as best he could.

But in the end all he could really say was this: "I pity our circumstances, Sarajin."

"Huh?" Sarajin replied with a light tilt of the head.

With a forced smirk he nudged his glasses up and muttered, "If only our fathers understood who we were, instead of trying to force us to be who they want us to be."

He then pinched the bridge of his glasses and slowly peeled them off, a dry laugh slipping free, "But who am I kidding? I don't even understand who I am anymore..."

His eyes were crystal clear with the light tears forming inside, "Sarajin I...I've been grappling with a troublesome problem lately. For the life of me, I just can't figure out why you look up to me."

He folded his glasses up and laid them to rest at his feet, "I'm just as ignorant as you were starting off. All my so-called knowledge came from these...outdated books."

"And all my power can do is strike fear into people's hearts."

Sarajin laid his hand atop Justek's and surprised him with how warm it felt. Sarajin then looked into his eyes and shook his head, "You're really smart Justek. You pick up on new things quickly and you've got a WAY better eye for detail than I do."

"And you, and Temporis, you're able to say what's on your mind with no difficulty. Any time I try to talk to adults, they've treated me like I'm a child..." Sarajin's expression turned sour as he looked away, dejected, "And...they were right."

He scooted away from Justek, "When Ophelia questioned me...I didn't have an answer. Because even now, I'm still ignorant. A-And...It made me realize just how useless I am."

His fist tightened up by his hip, "How can I hope to bring the world together if my words won't reach anyone's heart?"

"I don't understand enough about the world, or the complex emotions and dreams everyone living in it has. And even if I did, I would just shrivel up when faced with hostility...!"

He shook his head firmly and looked Justek in the eyes, "I don't want to be this way anymore, Justek. I need to keep learning and grow stronger! I..."

There was a brief glint of tenderness in his eyes as he mumbled, "I want to be more like you."

Justek's eyes widened, glimmering with the light of shaky tears. He wiped them onto his sleeve and began to weep with laughter, a smile breaking through underneath.

"H-Ha ha!" He said, his voice cracking, "You never cease to stop lowering my guard, Sarajin..."

As he pulled his arm down his smile persisted, with him happily telling him, "In the end maybe we are both weak and useless...alone. But together, maybe, just maybe, we can be the force that changes this world for the better."

He then put his glasses back on and poked the bridge of them lightly, "Even if my books are outdated that doesn't make them wholly irrelevant. You could gain a lot of knowledge from reading them. But first, I'd have to teach you how to read. And while I'm at it, it probably wouldn't hurt to teach you how to write."

"You know how to write too?" Sarajin gasped.

"Well..." Justek rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "It's a recent talent I picked up from the leader of Tanglefae while you were busy with Carmine. So admittedly, it's not going to be give you the best results but..."

"It's worth a shot!" Sarajin proclaimed with an uplifting tone, "That way I'll be able to get in contact with Temporis!"

Justek stared at him with a wide-eyed look and Sarajin retracted his excitement a tad, murmuring, "Or...do you still not want to be near her?"

"...Haaaaa," Justek closed his eyes and crudely brushed his hand up, "As a matter of fact, the pixie rudely barged into my home just a couple hours ago and declared she was going to charge into Obscura to mount a rescue operation since you didn't show up at Cryofloe."

"WHAT?!" Sarajin sprang to his feet and proclaimed, "That's nuts!"

Justek stood up and bemoaned, "Are you only now picking that up?"

Sarajin was about to make a run out the door when Justek held his hand up and said firmly, "Hold it. She said she'll first come back here tomorrow."

Sarajin turned back around and chuckled awkwardly, "S-So I should probably make sure to get here on time."

"Yes you'll want to work on that too." Justek said with his dry sense of humor.

"Still, wow...She was ready to go that far for me?" Sarajin rubbed the back of his head and with cheeks red like roses, he giggled.

Justek rolled his eyes but nevertheless brushed his hand up and admitted to himself, "She's got her fangs right in your neck but...I suppose like any normal pixie, she'll do no harm."

He then laid his hand upon his hip and let out a light chuckle, enjoying Sarajin's smile for all it was worth.

Sarajin winced and stood upright with his hands down at his sides, "H-Hey Justek, before you teach me how to read, do you mind if we go over to Oreore real quick?"

Justek crossed his arms, his curiosity piqued, "Sure? But why?"

"There's...something I feel I need to say to Johnathan."

"Well," Justek suggested as an aside, "We'll get there faster if we both fly."

Sarajin shook his head and said in earnest, "I enjoy the walk."

Justek raised his brows with a smile and then nodded, "Very well."

The two thus went all the way over to the land of stones. It's only been a day later but it felt like it's been months since they were here.

But still, the men and women were beating their tools against the rock and metal with intense vigor, making for a welcome sight.

Following the usual hunting process of wandering through the ravine, they found Johnathan, or rather, he found them.

"Back so soon, lads?!" The boisterous man shouted before dropping off the side of the ravine with a large black boulder on his back.

Sarajin stayed on his feet but his eyes were wanting to leave.

Once Johnathan set the boulder down with a thunderous sound, he wiped the sweat off his brow and crossed his arms, "Oh? Seems yer crew's down a member today."

Sarajin stared at his face for a long while in silence, leading him to scratch the side of his face and mutter, "Eh uhhh, is something in my beard?"

Sarajin quickly went down in a bow and proclaimed, "I-I'm sorry, Johnathan!"

Johnathan sprang up in shock, "Whoa now, lad! S-Sorry for what exactly?"

"Because of what my dad did, a lot of your people died at Ophelia's hands..."

"Hrrmmm..." Groaned Johnathan, his stance becoming firmer and quiet.

"I-I know an apology can't make up for the lives lost, but..."

"Stow it, lad," Johnathan said with no degree of harshness to his tone. He closed his eyes, his feelings steeled off only for him to see, "Yer right, a mere apology can't ever repay us for the lives lost."

"But still..." He opened his eyes and smiled softly, "I appreciate the gesture."

Sarajin looked up for a moment and then quickly bowed again, "T-Thank you..."

Johnathan then began tapping his elbows while groaning, "So...ye finally learned the truth, eh?"

"Yeah. I-"

Johnathan stopped him with a partial rise of the hand, "Don't want to know. It's not like his admission of guilt can suddenly undo all the years of betrayal."

"Oh..." Sarajin hung his head.

Johnathan then peered over the ravine and sighed, "To think it's been seventeen years since that day."

He then closed his eyes briefly before readjusting his gaze towards Sarajin, "I owe ya an apology lad. I forced my frustrations towards yer old man onto ya when ya first arrived here."

"But it's painfully clear to me that just cause yer cut from the same cloth...Don't mean yer gonna repeat his mistakes."

"...What was my dad like back then?" Sarajin found himself wondering.

"Heh, he had an eye for knowledge and a thirst for discovery," Johnathan gestured his hand up and remarked in a melancholic tone, "But back then, even I could tell his heart had already been dirtied."

He looked Sarajin straight on and asked, "Ya still plan to try and unite the Tribes?"

Sarajin gave a firm nod.

"Then a word of advice. Keep yer heart as tough and shining as a diamond." He said, lightly pounding his chest.

"I will. Thanks!"

The ground then began to rumble with growing intensity. Johnathan sprang to attention with great concern, "An earthquake, now of all times?!"

"W-What's going on?!" Sarajin wondered, "Is this an Argent Heaver stampede?!"

Another miner came running up to them, directly addressing their boss with urgency, "Sir! Our men in the South edge have reported sightings of a titanic land mass coming out of the ground straight towards the ravine!"

"What?!" Shouted Johnathan with slanted eyes, "It's four years too early for it to be doing that!"

"It?!" As Sarajin tried to expand his knowledge, Johnathan was already off and running, "What is 'It'?!"

Justek extended his arm out and said, "Grab my wrist, and hold on tight!"

Sarajin did that with an unsteady nod and Justek started bolting after Johnathan faster enough to make Sarajin fly in the air behind them.

"Ya might want to get out of here, lads! It's about to get ugly!" Johnathan warned them.

"Why? What's coming?!" Sarajin yelled, his voice barely reaching.

"A Tremorlord..." Johnathan said in an ominous tone.

"T-Tremorlord?! Isn't that your Titan, how could it be coming here?!" Justek wondered.

Johnathan shook his head and shouted, "Not Tremorterra, Tremorlord...The Titan's spawn."

As they neared the edge of the ravine Justek and Sarajin were able to catch the glimpse of something massive moving rapidly upon their location, with the tremors at the worst.

It was tearing through the ground like paper and had a mouth big enough to devour a Tribe whole and still have room for drink. It's mouth was filled with razor sharp metal blades and seemed to repeat in rings deep into its stomach. It had a hide made of a thick, diamond-like shell and a tunnel-like shape that seemed to stretch for over a mile.

After leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, the beast suddenly stopped hundreds of feet from the ravine and made a gravelly set of clicking sounds.

Johnathan raised his arm in front of Justek and hunched over, murmuring in a cautious tone, "This is bizarre...These wormy children don't tend to stop once they start."

Sarajin let go of Justek and stood in awe of the creature's size. He would have to fly pretty high just to see it all at once. But it was quiet, a fixture in the environment for the time being.

"Heh, impressive, ain't he lad?" Johnathan snapped him out of his awestruck state and crossed his arms, "And in a few years time, I'll be fighting it."

Sarajin's eyes bulged and made Johnathan laugh, "Yep! Once every decade the strongest able-bodied man or woman in Oreore steps forth to meet one of our Titan's spawn in deadly combat."

"For thousands of years now, starting with the great Topologia 'The Grindstone' Gaia, who beat one of these things from childhood to when he was old and wrinkly, our bloodline has stepped up to the task."

"What's the purpose behind that?" Sarajin wondered.

"To make sure we've still got the strength to protect its lands, if I had to guess. It ain't like it doesn't come without it's benefits. If we manage to slay it's spawn, our Titan refills our ravine with fresh materials to mine, which for a time, includes a canyon of rare materials left in the Tremorlord's wake."

Justek remarked, "But if you lose?"

"The Titan delivers a mighty quake throughout the land in an attempt to cave in miners and cause others to fall to their deaths."

Sarajin was silent, with Johnathan glancing aside and saying, "It's just a part of the world we live in, lad."

"But when you say he's a few years early..." Justek commented.

"Again, this ain't like them at all." As Johnthan observed the beast, Sarajin tried getting a little closer. When he did, the lights of the Wellsprings glowed out of his chest.

He laid a hand over his chest but it had already caught Johnathan's eye. Sarajin grinned and chuckled, "I-I think I know what it wants."

He began heading for the Tremorlord's massive cavernous maw and Johnathan shouted, "Whoa whoa! Ya shouldn't be venturing in there, lad! Those teeth could tear diamond to shreds!"

Sarajin spun around and continued to advance with hops, "It's alright! I'll be right back!"

Johnathan wiggled his brow around and murmured, "Who does he get that endless bravery from?"

"Even I can't answer that one." Justek admitted, remaining confident in Sarajin's decision bearing fruit.

Sarajin reached the base of the beast's maw and then summoned a cloud to carry him into the mouth without any trouble. But it took him a while. These teeth were bigger than most towers on the planet.

The light was being swallowed by the beast's insides and replaced with darkness. Fresh off last night he was scared, but ventured forth anyway.

He stood atop the cloud and heard rocks crumbling around him, along with the dripping of what was likely digestive juices.

Sarajin looked up and remarked, "Heeeello? Is there anyone there?"

And with a deep, rapturous sound, it was as though the planet was speaking into his mind: "C-H-I-L-D O-F T-H-E S-K-Y, A-R-E Y-O-U S-E-E-K-I-N-G P-O-W-E-R?!"

Sarajin covering his ears did little to dull the sound, and he shouted to try and match the being's voice, "Are you the Titan of Oreore?!"

"I A-M O-F S-T-O-N-E A-N-D S-T-E-E-L, T-H-E F-O-U-N-D-A-T-I-O-N O-F W-H-I-C-H L-I-F-E R-I-S-E-S A-N-D F-A-L-L-S!"

Sarajin then asked, "S-So why did you summon me?!"

"T-O G-I-V-E T-H-A-N-K-S, A-N-D A-L-S-O, T-O H-O-N-O-R T-H-Y S-I-L-V-E-R W-I-L-L."

"T-Thanks?" Sarajin replied in a sheepish tone, "Did...did I help you somehow?"

"B-Y C-A-L-L-I-N-G F-O-R-T-H M-Y B-R-O-T-H-E-R O-F V-O-L-T-S S-I-L-E-N-C-E-D T-H-E O-N-E W-H-O B-R-O-U-G-H-T P-A-I-N. N-O-W A-N-S-W-E-R M-E W-I-T-H Y-O-U-R S-O-U-L O-F S-T-E-E-L...W-H-Y D-O-E-S T-H-O-U S-E-E-K P-O-W-E-R?"

With every step Sarajin has taken on this long journey, it becomes easier to answer this question.

He firmed his gaze with determination and declared, "All I want...is to use this power to reconnect the Tribes, and put an end to the violence between them so everyone will have a chance to follow their dreams!"

"V-A-L-I-A-N-T. D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-E-D. K-I-N-D. A S-O-L-I-D F-O-U-N-D-A-T-I-O-N F-O-R D-E-S-I-R-E."

Sarajin was blinded by the sudden appearance of a small orb of brown light in front of him.

"T-A-K-E I-T. F-O-R-G-E Y-O-U-R D-R-E-A-M, S-H-A-P-E-R O-F P-E-A-C-E."

Another Titan was entrusting their hopes to him. The gravity of which only started to hit now. Sarajin swallowed deep and plunged his hand into the light, trembling as it was absorbed into his body.

A few minutes later he left the gullet of this massive worm behind. The moment Sarajin was on solid ground the worm began to retreat, the bellowing voice of the Titan making one last ominous remark.

"I-N F-O-U-R Y-E-A-R-S T-I-M-E...S-E-E-D O-F G-A-I-A."

Once the worm was far enough back it burrowed into the planet, with the Titan taking immediate steps to begin sealing the canyon it left behind.

Sarajin was too busy observing his newest look to notice. He had gained the baggy pants and open vest of the common miner, with a little dirtiness on his skin. His hair had no changes this time around.

He looked up at Johnathan and the odd look he was flashing at him. He then scratched the side of his head and admitted, "Ok...maybe I require an explanation after all."

Justek watched on from afar, drowning out their talk with his own thoughts and a hidden smile, "...I think I'm starting to understand."

"Sarajin, you're stronger than you think you are. But that strength comes from the heart. The strength...of kindness," Justek laid a hand over his beating heart and his smile smoothed across his face, "And maybe someday, I shall be strong enough to return some of that kindness. But for now...I am content to just be by your side as an ally, not a friend...Not yet."

"...Let us change this world for the better, no matter what stands in our way."

Next Time: The War Drums of Fire and Ice