Tom quickly recovered, "A rather unique stone?"

Arias wondered if this was it. Was it the clue Tom was waiting for or not? He hoped it was a clue to the fragment of this Jewel of the Cothica. He put a calm face when he noticed that he got a bit of attention. He wasn't sure if it was trouble or not that the member of the council observed them a bit. Still, the other creature focused on the merchant.

The water creature nodded, "Yes. It is a rather unique stone we found and we have little idea what it was or why it was there. It didn't look like it came from the mine in some weird way. It's a large red stone and it looked like it broken down. We tried finding any pieces, but there was nothing else. My son kept it with him for now," he chuckled a bit. He seemed he wanted to make the stone whole for some reason.

The member of the council squeezed his eyes a bit the moment he heard all of that. It seemed to trigger something in his mind as he glanced at Tom.

As for Tom, he knew exactly what it was. It was what they were searching for. A fragment of the Jewel of the Cothica. He managed to hide his excitement at the progression of his journey. He still had no idea where the merchant lived, but he knew he had to get there.

Arias also kept a poker face, but he had little trouble compared to his friend. He quietly nodded, "This is quite a unique stone. Feels a bit like a story you tell the children before someone goes on a great adventure."

Which kinda was the case, but that journey started before the tale even began.

Chapter 62: A Little Help

Tom and Arias spoke with the creature for a little bit. They didn't want to end the conversation suddenly because they heard what they wanted. They also needed to find a way to tell Milla'iin about this. They needed to break him out of jail and avoided getting capture and so many other details. A monumental task awaited them just to get away from the island.

The member of the council remained present and observed the boy and the creature discreetly. He made little short comments when he was addressed. The stone really got his attention and the reaction of the two told him something important. He made a decision, but waited for a bit. Once the merchant was gone, he would talk with them.

"I do hope to find a full stone like that. It feels like I insult this stone by calling it that," the merchant sighed. He let out a small smile, "I am glad to talk with you…"

"Tom. Tom Major."

"Tom. Never saw a human in my life and this bring me great joy. It's mostly the council who visits or got a visit from the humans. Everyone is surely glad to see you. I hope more humans will come around in the future," the merchant then gave his good-bye and joined the others.

Tom pondered at those words. He didn't know what he could say back or if it was necessary anyway.

Arias and Tom were on their own as no other creatures came to speak with them.

The member of the council approached them, "Come with me. I need to speak with you in private."

The two tensed up. The look in the eyes of the other creature told them that he knew something and wanted to figure this out. It seemed like they were in trouble or was suspicious of something.

"Okay," Tom decided to be cooperative and not make things worse for them.

The two followed the creature. They wandered into an isolated part of the small town where there was no one. The fire creature glanced back, making sure they were on their own. Once it was the case he turned towards the two, "I think I understand why you accepted to come here Tom," he began.

The two felt a cold sweat on their back. Tom glanced at the side as he couldn't put any kind of façade. He was shocked and had nothing to say.

Arias managed to hide it at the last second, but his face crisped for a second there.

The fire elementalist waited for a response. He saw their reaction, but heard nothing to counter him. He guessed they wanted to see if he made the wrong assumption first rather than rushing in with excuses. He put his hands on his hips, "That stone. It's a fragment of the Jewel of the Cothica, right?" he waited for them to confirm what he knew it was. Just to see if they would admit it or no. They remained stubbornly silent. He sighed as he put one hand on his face, "This is annoying. I know it's fragment of the jewel. It's obvious with how he describes it. With everything going on, it is a possibility. We, of the council, know what it is and a bit of how it can show up."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Tom replied as he denied this. They couldn't get into trouble and failed right at the start. He didn't know what to say.

Arias also had no idea and went along, "Those are just words. Are you trying to find an excuse to bring back Tom to his own world?"

The member of the council nodded negatively, "I will tell you what I know you are planning then. I already know what it is and we are wasting time," he looked around, "You pretended to come here at our member of the council command. I know humans aren't dumb enough to just buy what he said. We didn't know anything about it and he surely was the only one who went to the Cothica to speak with the Guardians of the Cothica. Which means that your kind already knew it was all bluff. The only reason they would accept is that they saw an opportunity. Then, you show up as the exchange. You didn't really look like you didn't want to be here and you were vigilant. You were obviously planning something else. Now, I saw you two get interested in this fragment of a stone. So little, yet you acted as if you knew what it might be. A fragment of the Jewel of the Cothica. You came here because you probably are the one who can obtain and control it. You are silent about it because you can't afford to fail and you don't want us to be in your way."

He pretty much nailed it. Arias saw that the creature was sure of it and no amount of denial would change that.

Tom sighed. He knew he just proved on his face that the creature was right, "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you are after Jewel of the Cothica. Since the Jewel appeared, there is something bigger going on and I need to know what it is," the fire creature glanced at the side, "Are you the one who has been chosen to collect them?"

Tom looked down for a few seconds, before his gaze met the eyes of the other creature, "I'm not sure. They think I am the one," he also had a feeling that there might be more reason than that, but he couldn't put his finger on it for some reason. He sighed, "I just don't really. I know that we cannot let the metalists claim the fragments of the Cothica. If you found one, maybe they found one too. Who knows what they will do if they obtained it?"

"The old records said that that they enclaved your kind, but it was the reason the Jewel disappeared. They abused their power and once they lost the Jewel, it became what it is today," the fire creature answered. He turned his back at them for a few seconds, in deep thought, "What to do?" he wondered himself. He then looked at the two, "And what about Milla'iin? He came with you and you seemed worried for him. He is the m'arrillian who invaded your world. He sinned against the Cothica."

Tom took a deep breath, just getting a few seconds to give a better reply that the first one that came into his mind, "When the m'arrillians invaded, it was under his command. He was the one who planned the invasion. He followed what Aa'une did before his death during a war in Perim. That's a lot to explain another time. Anyway, Milla'iin gave up the war and surrender when he realised everything, he believed him… Everything that pushed him to attack the Cothica was a lie. He surrendered and he was our jailed on the Cothica."

Arias pointed at the boy, "It was Tom who convinced him to give up with his little speech. He spoke against the m'arrillian until he realised that he 'sinned' against the Cothica. He is here to make amend for this," he wasn't as convinced as Tom about it, but it wasn't the time to express such thought.

"The invasion was because they believed it was their destiny to control Perim and the Cothica. He believed that the m'arrillians were supposed to rule the world. He realised that conquering Perim in the name of Aa'une was a lie," it was more complicated than that. He also wasn't the only one who stopped Milla'iin too.

(I'll never forget that moment Tom. Even after everything, you were still here. You never mocked me,) Milla'iin said in his mind. He sounded grateful.

Tom guessed he attentively followed the conversation. The boy mentally smiled a bit. The creature didn't sound defeated. He probably saw this moment in a more positive way now. It took a year for the m'arrillian to get to that point.

"The m'arrillian also have their guide to the Cothica. I'm the guide of the Overworld," Tom decided to bring that subject and wondered what the reaction of the elementalist would be.

"A guide?" the fire creature commented. It was irrelevant from the current situation anyway. He took note. Because a guide to the Cothica meant that the return of the creatures to the sacred land was on purpose. It wasn't a sin the tribes made, but it was the desire of the Cothica. With the return of the Jewel of the Cothica, it made sense. Since they had a fragment that showed up, it made so much sense. There were too many things to think.

"Yeah," Tom nodded.

The member of the council looked at the two of them, "Since Milla'iin is with you, I won't protest it," he said to himself. He ignored the confused glances, "Since this is the will of the Cothica and it is your duty as, possibly, the chosen one," whatever it was true or not, he couldn't blame the boy. It wasn't his idea after all. He noticed what Tom did here. He could tell he was a good person. Maybe too good if he forgave the m'arrillians. Nevertheless, he couldn't judge someone of the Cothica, "I will make sure to help you. We are here to serve the Cothica and I will assist you in any way I can in your mission," he put his hand on his chest and bowed to them.

The two weren't expecting that result. They thought that something else might occur.

"It is best that the rest of the council doesn't know about this. It might be best that none of them tries to get in your way. As much as we disagree with him," he referred to the water creature that served in the council with them, "They might try to stop you."

Tom and Arias glanced at each other's. They weren't sure if it was a good idea or not.

Milla'iin spoke in their mind, (We have little choices in the matter. There is no reason to stand in your way later than now. Only creatures of the Cothica can possess the Jewel anyway.)

"Thanks," the teenager replied with a small smile.

"I am only here to serve the Cothica," he bowed once more, "I will make the preparation. It will take some time," he warned them.

After this, the fire creature left them on their own.

AC: This is the end of this chapter.

Next: To Know More.

Kaz went to Van Bloot meeting spot.