Chapter 12

Ral leaned against the wall next to Vala. Lian was set up, sharing a room with Jexus and Zven. Ral sighed, "I knew Orriyon said they'd resemble those they'd replaced but I didn't expect him to be so...similar."

Vala shook her head, "Me neither, Zarek. Me neither."

Ral straightened and studied the ground for a moment, "I was hoping, maybe he'd be more friendly and talkative. But it seems to me like he's broken. He's jumpy and guarded."

Vala put her hand on Ral's shoulder and smiled, "Trust his friends to help him. You helped the Guildpact. Let his friends do the same for him."

"Lian. It's breakfast time."

Lian blinked open his eyes to Zven and Jexus leaning over him. He turned bright red, squeaked, and pulled the blanket over his head, "Got it! I got it. I'm up." He took deep breaths to slow his heart rate down. After a few minutes he peeked out from under the blanket.

Jexus and Zven were waiting for him at the door.

Lian took one more deep breath before sitting up. He ran his hands through his hair, sweeping it back.

"Are those all the clothes you have?" Jexus asked suddenly.

Lian jumped, "No!" He shook his head, "Well, kinda. I mean...I only came here with this." He motioned to the clothes he was wearing.

"They'll probably be too big but you can borrow some of our clothes," Zven offered, "Jexus has a serious excess."

Lian stared at Zven. He shook his head quickly. "No. No. No. I'm good. Really." He covered his face in his hands and muttered under his breath, "What is wrong with me?"

Jexus punched his brother in the arm, "Leave him alone, Zven."

Zven returned it, "I was just being nice. That's all he's got." He turned back to Lian, "We gotta get to breakfast."

"Or Vala will come up and get us," Jexus added.

Zven groaned, "And then she goes into one hundred percent worried mom mode and it is pretty annoying."

"Worried mom mode?" Lian repeated curiously. He slid off the bed and walked over to the door.

Jexus nodded, "Basically she starts asking if your feeling okay, and she'll ask if you want to stay in bed, ask if you want more blankets, check you for a fever, list off symptoms of various illnesses that you gotta say yes or no to."

"Oh," Lian nodded, "My older sister does that sometimes."

Jexus and Zven exchanged glances.

Zven nodded, "I appreciate it really, but when there's nothing wrong and she still insists on going through a whole list of random stuff it gets a little old."

Lian giggled.

The two of them lead Lian downstairs for breakfast.

"I was about to check on your three," Vala said as she saw them. She was serving breakfast to a group of younger kids.

"Lian didn't want to get up," Zven explained.

Lian sulked, "It's not my fault. The beds here are way more comfortable than mine."

Jexus led them over to where the others were sitting. The table was close to the arched windows that took up most of that wall. The windows all opened up to a single balcony.

"Morning, Boys," Hailey smiled, "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Zven sat down next to her.

Lian sat down next to Shanniah and Jexus sat next to him.

Hailey looked expectantly at Lian and Jexus.

Lian shrugged, "Alright. I guess."

Jexus glanced at him before smiling at Hailey, "I slept well."

"That's good," Hailey nodded.

The room had a desaturated red carpet and walls that were covered in paintings. The paintings ranged from beautiful depictions of nature and stunning portraits to stick figures and sloppy hand prints. The tables were polished wood, but had also obviously gotten a good amount of attention. There were already toys, stuffed animals, and blankets scattered all over the floor.

Lian smiled, "Wow. Most of the stuff in the palace looks like it hasn't been touched since it was made."

"You live in a palace," Hailey gawked.

"Dude," Sammy stared at him.

Lian's cheeks turned red. He stared at the table and picked at his fingers, "Well...It's not that nice really. Not like this place." His eyes narrowed, "Everything in it is white, and has to be kept in pristine condition or Father will get angry. If a single speck of food is left on the table after a meal then all my siblings will be stuck cleaning the entire palace and I'll be locked in my room for at least a week."

"That's...extreme," Shanniah commented.

Lian shrugged, "It's how Father works."

Hailey sighed, "Well, you're here now. You're a part of our family."

Lian looked around, "Are you all orphans here?" There were at least twenty, probably closer to thirty kids in the room. Ral, Vala, and one other in bright gold, white, and red armor walked around the room, making sure everyone got a serving of breakfast. There were two other adults in the kitchen.

Hailey nodded, "But we're a family for each other. And the guild members make sure we're taking care of."

"Wow." Lian remained silent through breakfast. He preferred it here, and yet he knew that to do so was to betray the family back at the palace. His father would never forgive him for that. But it wasn't like he knew how to get home.

While they were eating their table was approached by Ral. "Hey, Kiddos. How's breakfast?"

"It's great," Sammy grinned.

Ral nodded, "Good. Good." He patted Lian's head, "Hey, Water Boy. I was wondering if I could borrow you for a few hours. There's a few things I wanna show ya."

Lian stiffened and glanced up at Ral worriedly. He shrugged, "I guess."

Ral grinned, "Go ahead and finish breakfast." He turned to walk away but turned back, "And don't worry. You're not in trouble."

After breakfast Ral lead Lian through the streets of Ravnica. It still appeared to be night time in the city.

Lian didn't look around. He kept his gaze lowered and his hands shoved in his pockets. He wasn't entirely sure what Ral wanted to talk to him about but he doubted it was anything good if Ral was taking him out of the mansion.

"Lighten up, Water Boy," Ral encouraged, "We're just heading over to my workshop. You're not in any trouble."

Lian glanced at Ral out of the corner of his eyes, "Workshop?"

Ral nodded excitedly, "Your friends told me you were a mechanic."

Lian shrugged, "I made stuff for my siblings."

Ral grinned, "What kind of stuff?"

Lian stiffened. He shrugged, "Just some gauntlets and stuff. Nothing special really."

Ral put his hand on Lian's shoulder, "Anything a mechanic makes is special, Lian."

The two of them continued to Ral's house and workshop silently. The house was a mess. There were random bits and bobs, and half finished projects strewn everywhere. Scorch marks and stains covered the walls and floor. The couch was covered in clothes that may or may not have been clean. The table had six old cups, a work in progress, and various supplies on it.

Lian looked around, "It's...a mess."

Ral shrugged, "Yep." He wandered into the kitchen, "You want a drink, Water Boy? I got orange juice. Really old milk that's probably poison by now. New milk. Coffee."

Lian giggled, "Poison milk?" He shook his head, "I don't really care."

Ral shrugged, "Coffee it is."

Lian hovered by the table. He looked over the contraption that sat on it. He cocked his head to the side, "You know? I think you're missing a connection for this thing."

"A connection?" Ral asked. He came out of the kitchen holding two cups of coffee. He handed one to Lian and sipped from the other one, "Where?"

Lian pointed it out.

Ral pouted, "Damn." He set the coffee down and started to fix it.

"What is it?" Lian asked.

"Hopefully," Ral put a screwdriver in his mouth but managed to successfully talk around it, "It'll be a new Android Heart."

"Android Heart?"

Ral nodded. He set the screwdriver down on the table, "Yeah. It's the thing that provides programming and energy source for the androids." He pointed across the table suddenly, "Give me the glowing cube thingy."

"Glowing cube thingy?" Lian looked over the junk on the table. He eventually spotted a softly glowing cube. The moment he came into contact with it his entire arm tingled. His eyes widened, "The androids have the ability to learn? I thought conversation points and behavioral responses had to be programmed in!"

Ral snorted, "Just how far behind is your world?"

Lian shrugged, "Generally speaking people believe that technology and magic are mutually exclusive." He handed the cube to Ral.

Ral's jaw fell open, "Are you joking? Why? Magic and technology are literal soulmates."

Lian gave Ral a confused look, "Soulmates?"

Ral sighed, "They belong together. Compliment each other. Are perfect together. It's usually used in terms of people in relationships but it works in a lot of other situations as well." He slid the cube into a perfectly fitted slot in the "heart".

After a moment the entire thing lit up. Veins along the outside of the device started to glow as energy flowed through them.

"How long will the cube last?" Lian asked.

"A few hundred years," Ral estimated. He shrugged, "By that time I'll have come up with a newer more advanced design anyway." He pulled the cube out and set it down next to the heart. He turned to Lian, "So what kind of stuff have you made?"

Lian looked away from Ral and scratched at his fingers. After a long silence he sighed, "Well, I made daggers for one of my brothers. They can absorb the moonlight and then it makes them burn stuff they come into contact with. They're covered in a sleeve that they can't burn through but that dissolves when it comes into contact with most bodily fluids."

Ral raised his eyebrows, "That's...dark."

Lian shrugged, "Aria is basically Father's assassin on call. It fits what he does." He continued, "I also made gauntlets for my youngest sister. She's the New Goddess of Fire so I made something for her that allows her to more easily channel her flames into tangible shapes, like weapons. The gauntlets basically provide a sort of shell that the flames can't get out of. She really likes scythes which is both weird and terrifying. But it's not really a shell because the fire can still burn you and if she hits something flammable then it's going to catch." He got more excited and expressive as he continued to talk, "And I made a visor for my youngest brother. Because part of his ability set is being able to tell what other people's abilities are, how powerful they are, things like that. The visor allows that information to be stored. And after he got hit in the face pretty bad in training I added on an ability that allows him to see things in slow motion basically so that he can get out of the way easier next time."

Ral studied Lian worriedly but cleared his face before Lian looked at him. He nodded, "That's all pretty damn impressive, Water Boy."

All the excitement disappeared and Lian studied Ral curiously, "Why do you call me that?"

Ral shrugged, "It's a thing I do with everybody. Everybody's got a nickname."

"What's the Guildpact's?" Lian asked.

"Guildpact," Ral shrugged, "I mean he already has a title."

"What about my mother?" Lian asked.

"Oh, Nis?" Ral nodded, "I just call her Nis."

Lian sighed, "Fine."

Ral leaned back and studied Lian for a moment. "Anything else you've made?"

The guarded, wary look returned to Lian's gaze instantly. He stiffened and clasped his hands in front of him. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He lowered his head. "I had other ideas but my notebook was destroyed," he mumbled.

"Damn," Ral shook his head sympathetically, "That really sucks."

Lian shrugged, "I was being inconsiderate and selfish."

Ral stared at him. He cocked his head to the side, "For...having a notebook full of ideas?"

Lian shrugged again, "Basically. It's complicated."

"Well then." Ral decided to change the subject, "Want to help me work on a body to put this heart into, Water Boy?"

"Really?" Lian asked. He watched Ral uncertainly.

Ral nodded, "I'd love to have your help."

Lian grinned, "Okay!"

"Oh yeah," Ral held up his finger and returned to the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a phone-like device, "This is for you."

Lian turned it over in his hands curiously, "What is it?"

"It's a..." Ral shook his head, "Just play with it, Water Boy. You'll figure out how it works."

"Ooookay?" Lian shrugged and slid it into his pocket.

Lian spent the next few days in Ral's workshop with him. They worked, had their hard work blow up in their faces, laughed until they cried. They generally just had fun.

It didn't take Lian long to figure the phone out at all. He had it down in a matter of hours.

Jexus and Zven learned to sleep with a light on in the room because Lian refused to go to sleep if he was in the middle of something. It got to the point where Vala had to tell him to go to bed three times every night before he would turn the light off and climb into bed. But even then he was on the phone mapping out his ideas, and making sure his supplies list was up to date.

"Dude, you look like you crawled back from the other side of the grave," Sammy commented when Lian came down for breakfast.

Lian rubbed his face with his hand and yawned, "Really?"

Jexus sighed, "He hasn't slept in three and a half days."

"At all?" Hailey asked.

"I slept a little bit like yesterday," Lian shrugged. He paused, "Or...maybe the day before."

"What are you working on that's had you up for so long?" Shanniah asked.

Lian smiled brightly, "A spell breaker."

"Spell breaker?" Sammy repeated, "Like a device that...breaks enchantments?"

Lian nodded, "Basically yeah."

"Good morning, you guys," Vala served up breakfast.

"Good morning!" They all said in unison.

Vala sighed, "Lian, kid, have you slept at all?"

Lian nodded, "Yeah! I slept a little bit...sometime." He shrugged, "It was yesterday or the day before."

"How long is a little bit?" Vala asked.

Lian counted on his fingers, "Two…and...a half hours? Fifteen minutes maybe?"

Vala pinched the bridge of her nose, "Two and a half hours in three and a half days?"

Lian smiled sheepishly, "Something like that."

Vala sighed, "That's not healthy you know."

"I know," Lian nodded.

Vala patted his shoulder as she walked by, "Be sure to get some rest today."

Lian nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

They ate in silence for a couple seconds.

"So...how exactly does Spell Breaker work?" Jexus asked.

Lian glanced at him, "Well...It analyzes the spell, finds it's weak points, and then destroys it from there."

"Weak points?" Shanniah asked, "What do you mean by weak points?"

Lian blinked at her, "Uh..." He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. He pulled a notebook out of one of the pockets in his pants and set it down open to a blank page on the table. "You see, every spell has symbols that are used to cast it. Usually mages subconsciously draw these symbols within their minds while casting a spell."

"Uh-huh," Shanniah nodded.

Lian drew out a circular symbol on the paper. He then drew a smaller circle in the center of the circle and four equally spaced lines to connect the circles. He then drew two short lines extending outward from the bottom of the circle. The lines he drew on the paper glowed. A wave of silvery magical energy flowed over the paper. It disappeared a moment later. "Like a basic protective enchantment." He grinned as he continued, "The symbol is basically a path that's laid out for the magical energy to follow." He picked up the paper and attempted to rip it. The silvery magical energy reappeared where the paper would've torn. He traced over the lines he had drawn again, "But, there's no magical energy where the symbol isn't written. That's the weak points." He drew dots into the various empty spaces between the lines, "Every single counter, whether it's another spell or a device, finds those weak points, the empty spaces, and destroys the spell from there."

"Wow," Hailey whispered.

"That's awesome!" Zven exclaimed.

"A really cool thing though," Lian drew out the symbol for an equally basic counter spell, "The counter spell's symbol is actually fluid and is basically the inverse of the symbol of whatever spell the caster is trying to counter." The counter's symbol glowed deep blue and the silvery energy retracted into it. The glow of both symbols faded. He showed his friends the second symbol he had drawn, "So this symbol would be the one used to counter or destroy the protective enchantment but only the protective enchantment."

"How do you know all this?" Shanniah asked curiously, "I've read every tome on magic in the library and they never detailed any of this."

Lian scanned his friends faces uncomfortably. After a moment he shrugged, "It's a weird and kinda long story."

Shanniah accepted his answer without question, "Well." She looked around at her friends, "Shall we get on with today's adventure then?"