"So let me get this straight," Tomix raised his arm to pinch the bridge of his nose before remembering that his SpiritLooms broke, and settled instead for folding his arms. "Your new SoulAlly is Pandora."

"Uh, yes?" the Hero smiled a little sheepishly as the two of them and the Dragon made their way through the dark and twisting streets of Ravenloss towards Mystlyk Museum. The danger that the Chaosweavers posed the last time the two had made this journey was mostly gone, the half-spider creatures having gone off with Vaal in Pellow Village, but they were still cautious in case they ran into any stragglers, or whatever other dangers the somewhat mysterious city could throw at them.

"The Pandora," Tomix continued. "One of the First Weaver's children and founder of the Chaosweavers, not to mention the one who initially released the Seven Corrupted Spirits. She's your SoulAlly."

"But she's really nice!" the Hero gave the Soulweaver their best puppy-dog eyes. "The other spirits would bully and chase her but that's not her fault, and she really wants to help people! And Aegis approved!" Their dragon made a pleading chirp, following the Hero's suit and shooting Tomix their patented Sparkly Eyes Technique™.

Tomix scowled. "Well this is unfair, you two are ganging up on me. And it's not like I can call Aspar for back up; your dragon's far cuter than he is." If dragons could smirk, he was pretty sure that the Dragon would be. "Anyway, it's not that I doubt you, Hero, it's just that I'm trying to wrap my head around the irony of the situation. I shall be training you as a Soulweaver, although under the rules of Edelia we'll be considered Chaosweavers due to our use of our SpiritLooms in battle. Your SoulAlly is the first Chaosweaver, and the first to release the Corrupted Seven, who I also released and have been hunting since."

"Well when you put it like that…" the Hero rubbed the back of their neck and gave Tomix a wry smile, which the Soulweaver returned. "But then neither of us are exactly conventional, are we Tomix? And when you meet her, I'm sure you'll like her! She's not at all like the other Chaosweavers we've met."

"I trust your judgement, Hero," Tomix replied as the familiar building of Mystlyk Museum loomed before them, thinking of his bond with his own SoulAlly. Aspar, who he considered one of his dearest friends, who had been there for him at his lowest moments, who had stayed by his side throughout his whole quest to hunt down the corrupted spirits and would continue to do so.

Aspar, who would never betray him.

"Thanks Tomix," the Hero smiled, striding up the steps to the entrance of the museum. "I'm pretty sure that the cube we're looking for is the one we saw next to that column and the stone dragon head, but Pandora will be able to tell us if we're correct."

"Then lead the way, Hero," Tomix nodded, checking over his shoulder one last time to ensure there were no nasty surprises sneaking up on them before following the Hero and the Dragon as they made their way through the corridors before coming across the display they were looking for.

"Okay, so this is the cube," the Hero bit their lip as they looked up at it. "But…it's huge! How is this going to work?"

"Close your eyes," Tomix advised, the Hero doing as he said. "Focus on your new bond with your SoulAlly and reach out to her. She's in the Plane of Elemental Spirits, but she'll hear you."

"Okay…" the Hero inhaled and exhaled deeply, tentatively reaching out as Tomix instructed. 'Pandora? Can you hear me? We think we've found the cube you mentioned…'

Through their bond, they felt a small tug and a sense of satisfaction before the markings on the cube began to turn yellow, glowing softly. The main body of the cube darkened and the entire thing slowly shrunk until it was small enough that the Hero could attach it to a belt and carry it around.

"Well that makes things a lot easier," they grinned, reaching forwards and picking the cube up. "Are you in there, Pandora?"

The cube trembled slightly in their hands and two circular beams emanated from it before Pandora appeared before them in a flash of yellow light. "Yes, I can reside in the cube now. I can be in the material world for a little while before things go…wrong, but it's safer for me to stay in there and we can still weave together."

"Glad to hear it!" the Hero nodded. "Pandora, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Tomix, my Soulweaver friend who stopped Greed from taking over Falconreach and then Ravenloss, and has agreed to teach me Soulweaving."

Tomix cleared his throat a little awkwardly as Pandora turned to him. "The Hero is too kind; I would not have been able to stop Greed without their help."

"But you were able to stop Pride, Wrath, Sloth and Gluttony without me," the Hero pointed out.

Pandora blinked a couple of times before grasping her shoulders and curling in on herself. "Oh. The Seven Corrupted Spirits. I'm so sorry…"

The Soulweaver and the Elemental Spirit studied each other for a few minutes, the Hero and the Dragon looking anxiously between them, before Tomix sighed. "I don't blame you for releasing them, Pandora, as I also did so. And I don't blame you for founding the Chaosweavers either. What matters now is that we do all we can to rectify our mistakes."

"I agree," Pandora nodded. "Thank you, Tomix, and it is nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from the Hero."

"Hopefully all good things," Tomix grinned at the Hero, who stuck their tongue out at him. "And it is a pleasure to meet you too, Pandora. I look forward to working with you and the Hero in Soulweaver training."

He was about to continue but a small rumble interrupted him, the walls of Mystlyk Museum and the displays shaking slightly. Pandora bowed her head and vanished back into the cube, the tremor subsiding again.

The Hero turned to Tomix, the Dragon curled around their neck. "So, that was Pandora…"

"As with her Chaosweavers, not much is known about Pandora," Tomix replied. "But I like her, and I think the two of you will develop a very strong bond and friendship, like I have with Aspar."

"Thanks Tomix," the Hero stroked their dragon's head as they made their way back out of Mystlyk Museum. "I…know how much your bond with Aspar means to you. So now we've got Pandora's cube, can we begin Soulweaving training?"

Tomix laughed. "You are very eager to learn, my friend, and I appreciate it. With the shards of the SpiritLooms you've been able to collect, we should be able to find the means of completing them back at the Weaver's Emporium, along with extra parts if they're required. And then yes, Hero, we can begin your Soulweaver training."


Disclaimer: DragonFable is owned by Artix Entertainment.